The night before the battle Joshua went into the valley to pray-What are we taught by his example?

The Israelites built an altar on Mount Ebal, and there offered sacrifices to the Lord when only a small part of

Canaan was subdued-What may we learn from this?

SUBMISSION AND OPPOSITION.

"The Lord our God is full of might,

The winds obey his will;

He speaks, and in his heavenly height
The rolling sun stands still.

Howl, winds of night, your force combine;
Without his high behest,

Ye shall not in the mountain pine
Disturb the sparrow's nest.

His voice sublime is heard afar;

In distant peals it dies;

He yokes the whirlwinds to His car,
And sweeps the howling skies.

Ye nations bend-in rev'rence bend

Ye monarchs wait his nod,

And bid the choral song ascend

To celebrate the God."

H. K. WHITE

THE next day, I remember, was extremely warm, yet we wandered farther than we usually did; so when we were wending our way homeward in the afternoon, we felt very tired. Grandfather's cottage, and the trees about it, looked delightfully fresh and cool to us, who were toiling along the dusty road. We said to one another, How nice it would be to lie on the soft grass while

grandfather told us the story he had promised about the crafty Canaanitish people. No such story was to be heard by us that night. When we came near enough to see into grandfather's garden, we saw that he was walking in it, and some one else with him. It was not very often that grandfather had visitors, and it seemed to us as if he ought never to have any, for he had not so much time to talk to us when strangers were with him. This evening we were particularly dissatisfied. We were very selfish children surely; for though grandfather seemed to enjoy his friend's company very much, we were greatly displeased with his being there, because he prevented us from hearing the story we expected. He took tea with us, and staid, I daresay, two hours after it, for he was as fond of flowers as our grandfather was, and had brought him a present of a basket of plants from his own garden. I do not remember now what any of these plants were, except that there were some very fine carnations among them. I never, even now, see a carnation without feeling ashamed of myself for my ill-humour that evening. I assisted to put the plants in the ground, but not so cheerfully as I ought to have done.

Grandfather observed our discontentment, and when his friend had left he called George and me to him, and spoke to us about it. We told him why we were displeased, and we thought when we were disappointed of anything, that we had a right to be discontented. He shewed us what a sinful thought that was; told us to

consider how much we have to be thankful for, and that we do not deserve anything of all that is given to us; that if we meet with disappointments every day, and every hour of every day, still we would have no right to be discontented, for it would be only what we deserved ; yet for one little disappointment we forget all the goodness of the Great Giver, and displease Him by cherishing discontentment. Grandfather spoke to us for sometime that night, and spoke so seriously and earnestly, that I could not help crying, and I was truly sorry; so I do not think, if any one had come the next evening and prevented us from hearing the story we expected, that I would have been disappointed at all. I am sure that George felt very nearly as much as I did. Johnnie had nothing to do with it, poor little fellow; he was so tired that he had fallen asleep almost immediately after tea.

No obstacle presented itself the following evening, so we three children took our usual places as soon as tea was over, and grandfather immediately began.

Grandfather. There was a nation living in the land of Canaan called Gibeonites. When they heard of the great things done by the people of Israel, they saw that there was no use in trying to oppose them, and formed a plan for making peace with them. The other nations in Canaan were hardened by these remarkable events. The Gibeonites were softened by them. We must either be the better or the worse for the knowledge of the true God coming amongst us. The Gibeonites knew

F

that all the nations of Canaan were to be cut off. We are not told how they found that out, but it is very likely that some of the people of the land were present at the reading of the law on Mount Ebal. There they would hear that there was to be no mercy shown to them no quarter given-and no covenant to be made with them. So the inhabitants of Gibeon would clearly see that their only plan for gaining peace was to pretend that they were not Canaanites. They went very artfully to work. They pretended to be ambassadors from a foreign state; and to make it appear that they had travelled a long way, they took old sacks on their asses, and the wine bottles they had with them were old and torn, and mended; the shoes they had on were old and patched; all their clothes were old; and their bread was dry and mouldy.

Johnnie. What is the meaning, grandfather, of their wine bottles being torn?

Grandfather. Their bottles were not made of glass as ours are, but of leather.

The same sort of bottles

they are more convenient

are still used by the Arabs; for those who lead a wandering life than any other kind of bottle; milk or water, or any kind of liquor, keeps more fresh in them. I read a description of them lately, which I shall read to you; it describes them better than I can. "These leathern bottles are made of goat skins. When the animal is killed they cut off its feet and its head, and they draw it in this manner out of the skin, without opening its belly. They afterwards sew up the