among these nations, those 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 before them: But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done this day. 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. One man of you shall chace 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, Else if you 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, 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. 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 good thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you; and all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof: "Therefore it shall come to pass, That as all good things are come upon you which the LORD your God promised; so shall the LORD bring upon you all the evil things, until he have

destroyed you from off this good land, which the LORD your God hath given you. 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." Besides this solemn exhortation, Joshua again addressed the assembled tribes at Shechem,* and called upon them to declare their adherence to the covenant their fathers had made with Moses, and their faith in Jehovah the True and Only God.

"Now, therefore, fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 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 for me and my house we will serve the LORD."

"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

* Shechem is, by many, supposed to be here put for Shiloh, where the ark was: others consider it to be correctly written Shechem, and that the ark was removed thither for the occasion: there was something peculiarly appropriate in the idea, it being where Abraham had first received the promise that his descendants should possess the land.

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: And the LORD drove 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."

Again Joshua warned the people of the danger of falling into idolatry, and again the people answered, "Nay, but we will serve the LORD.'

"So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us: for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God."

"So Joshua let the people depart every man to his inheritance."

"And it came to pass after these things that Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD died; being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance, in Timnath-Serah, which is in Mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash."

"And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel."

"And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver; and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. And Eleazer the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in Mount Ephraim."

Thus closes the book of Joshua, and the history of the Israelites during his government. Eminently fitted both as a warrior, and the chosen companion of Moses, to be the leader of the people of Israel, he terminated the long war of conquest, and settled them in peace in the Promised Land. After this, his wisdom still directed their counsels and preserved them from anarchy and disunion, the too frequent attendants upon a long struggle for independance. When he died, the elders who had assisted him in the government, continued to have such an influence over the minds of their countrymen, that, during their lives, no idolatry tempted them from the worship of Jehovah, and prosperity and happiness rewarded the chosen people for their obedience.

End of the Book of Joshua.

CHAPTER IV.

THE ISRAELITES FALL INTO IDOLATRY: ARE CONQUERED BY THE CANAANITES. OTHNIEL, CALEB'S NEPHEW, DELIVERS THEM. SHAMGAR. EHUD KILLS EGLON, KING OF MOAB. DEBORAH AND BARAK.

WE are now arrived at that portion of the history of the Israelites, which is contained in the Book of the Old Testament, entitled, Judges.* It gives an account of the Israelites falling into idolatry, and of their being deserted by God in consequence, and given into the hands of their enemies; a punishment which it had been solemnly predicted by Moses and by Joshua should befal them. On their repentance, they addressed their prayers to God, who alone could save them; and we shall find that He mercifully heard their cry, and raised up men who were endowed with power from on high to conquer the idolaters, and to redeem the Israelites from bondage. These men became the leaders or Judges of the people, and hence the name of Judges is given to the Book which recounts their history.

The Book of Judges is generally supposed to have been compiled by the prophet Samuel. The period of time which the administration of the Judges occupied, is variously calculated: by some it is made to last nearly 500 years, by others only 300 years, reckoning from the death of Joshua to the death of Samson.