20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

V. 20. That man perished not alone in his iniquity.'-Consider, reader! how far you may have been instrumental in promoting the damnation of others. Have you not, by the bad example you have set, by corrupting the minds of others, by your sinful conversation, by leading them into, or strengthening them in, sin, and by the mischief you have done in human society, other ways that might be mentioned, been guilty of those things that have tended to others' damnation? Have you not heretofore appeared on the side of sin and Satan, and have strengthened their interest,

and have been many ways accessary to others' sins; have hardened their hearts, and thereby done what has tended to the ruin of their souls? If you are a parent, have you not contributed to your own children's damnation, by neglecting their education, by setting them a bad example, and bringing them up in sinful ways? And if you have had no more regard than this for the souls of others, and have thus been instrumental in promoting their damnation, how justly might God leave you to perish yourself!-Jonathan Edwards.

21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) 28 That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it; 24 And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel? 25 For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD. 26 Therefore

we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: "But that it may be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD. 28 Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you. 29 God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his taber

nacle. And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them. " And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye haven ot committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.

Happy will it be when all professed Christians shall learn, in their differences, to copy the example of Israel, recorded in this chapter, and to unite zeal, and steady adherence to the cause

of truth, with candour, meekness, a readiness to understand each other, to explain, and to be satisfied with the sufficient explanations and concessions of their brethren.-Scott.

32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again. And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. 34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.

CHAP. XXIII.

AND it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given

rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. 2And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. 5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto

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them: But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day. 9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. "Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. 12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: 18 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

This is a charge that would well befit the lips of any servant of God, before he leaves the world, and be well suited to the conduct of any people.

If our hearts be right with God, all is right; if not, all is wrong.-A. Fuller.

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

Joshua had now closed the longprotracted journey, that brought the people to the land of rest; but he speaks of another way, as still to traverse. The journey by which he and Israel came to Canaan was of a peculiar kind; but when he speaks of his approaching death, he sets the idea of peculiarity aside, and describes the close of life as the way of all the earth.'

die with true courage, and step with ' holy boldness into the grave, is, believingly to remember that Jesus Christ died and lay in the grave, not only before us, but for us: that He hath conquered and worsted that 'king of terrors' upon his own ground the grave. 'Tis enough not only to make us cheerful, but alive in death, to know savingly that this one is gone before us. 'Tis at most but a moral argument to persuade men to be cheerful in dying, because men innumerable are gone before them; but Christ's going thither before us is a spiritual and prevailing argument. They who lived before Christ died in the flesh, might comfort themselves against the fear of death, by believing the holy prophecy that He should die for them; much more may we, by believing the holy history of His death.-Caryl.

Observe, it is no new thing to die. Most men are as unwilling to die, as if none had gone before them, and as if they had to break the ice for all mankind. Where we see one going before, we usually take courage to follow after. There have multitudes already gone to the grave, yet few take courage in following after. And I confess, it is a poor encouragement to die because other men like us have died before us. That which makes a man 15 Therefore it shall come to pass that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you

from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. 16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

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CHAP. XXIV.

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ND Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and A called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 8 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land cf Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. "I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. And I brought y our fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. "And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. 8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you : 10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. 11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. 18 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted

not do ye eat. 14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

V. 15. This is the magnanimous resolution of that great and good man Joshua, notwithstanding the supposed revolt of all the people of Israel from God, who had been bound to Him by the most sacred and endearing ties.

Though you,' says he, should all go off and apostatize from God even to a man, after all the great and glorious things that He hath wrought among you and for you; that shall not alter me: through His grace, the course that I will take, and that mine shall take, whom I can have any influence over, shall be the same as it was. I and my house will serve the Lord notwithstanding. Though you should all turn pagans and idolaters to a man, that shall not overturn the religion of my family, or of my closet, but there shall be the serving of the Lord still.Howe.

What I must do is all that concerns me, and not what people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think

they know what is your duty better than you know it yourself. It is easy to live in the world after the world's opinion: it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he, who, in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.-Emerson.

Philip Henry used to say, 'If the worship of God be not in the house, write " Lord, have mercy on us," on the door; for there is a plague in it,' -alluding to an inscription put on doors in which the plague appeared. -L.

While man had not as yet fallen, to deliberate whether he should adhere to God or no, was a gradual declension, -the very inchoation of his fall; but having fallen, necessity makes that a virtue which was a wickedness before. There is no returning to God without considering our ways. The so much altered state of the case, quite alters the nature of things. It was a consulting to do evil before; now, to do good. And hence, also, choosing the Lord to be our God becomes a necessary duty.-Howe.

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; "For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: 18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. 19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and