Two persons may take the same journey, or the same walk, perhaps at the same time, yet they will be found to give very different accounts of what they see. One passes along casting a hasty look around, thinks that there is little or nothing to engage his attention; if he arrives safely at the end of his route, he has nothing to report but how far he has travelled, and

B

and

2

THE JUDGES OF ISRAEL.

whether he went fast or slow. The other has been taught to observe God in all his works. Every thing has instruction for him. Hill and dale, mountain and plain, the stones, the trees, even the flower by the way-side, or the insect sporting on the breeze-all have something to say to him; he learns something from every object, and from every incident. At the end of his journey his mind is stored with new ideas, or old ones are recalled, and all lead his thoughts with increasing thankfulness to that God who made the world we inhabit, and has given us so many blessings richly to enjoy.

It is thus with the readers of the historical books of Scripture. One person takes them up as a common history; even in that view he finds something to interest, and reads them through; but forgetting the special reason why the sacred records have been given and preserved, he only regards the details as matters of history; instead of seeking for instruction, perhaps he ventures to pass his opinions just as he would upon the events recorded in the annual registers or historical narratives of the day. But another remembers, that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Especially he recollects, that these books are "able to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus," 2 Tim. iii. 15-17. He therefore prays that he may be enabled rightly to read, mark, learn, and inwardly improve, by the truths contained in Scripture history; the simple prayer of faith is always heard, and, with the psalmist, he will be enabled to discern wondrous things out of God's word. Reader, let us endeavour to enter upon the portion of Scripture history now before us, in the spirit just described, and we may hope, by the Divine blessing, to observe many profitable instructions which would be neglected in a careless or

hasty perusal. We may expect to find much to interest, and let us hope that we shall be enabled to find many things to profit. We are not to suppose, that the Divine word needs human explanations, but unless we examine it with care, many of its beauties, and much of its instructions, will be lost to us. The second traveller we have described, is not contented with a hasty glance at the flowers which adorn his path; he carefully gathers them, finds new beauties on a closer inspection, and learns their properties and peculiar advantages; all these are lost to him who presses hastily and inconsiderately forward.

The modern writer upon Scripture history possesses a great advantage over the commentators of former days, from the variety of information which has of late been given respecting the manners and customs of the east, and also as to the natural history and general scenery of those countries. Of these sources of in

formation considerable use will be made in the following pages; and, it is hoped, that details of this nature will assist the reader in rightly understanding some passages, which hitherto may have appeared not sufficiently explained by the remarks usually made upon them in the days of our fathers, and that various cavils of infidels will be silenced by this aid. But it is very necessary to guard against a consequence which appears to be resulting from the variety and extent of the information thus opened to the Bible student. Even antidotes may be used so injudiciously as to become poisons; and without mentioning their titles, we must say, that it is necessary to examine works professing to give outlines of Scripture history, and describing eastern manners as illustrative of the Bible, before they are put into the hands of the youthful reader; for there are books which, by an improper and ill-judged use of the knowledge obtained by travellers in the east, do more harm than good to the cause they profess to serve. Even ministers of religion have sought to accommodate the facts of Scripture narrative

to the local peculiarities of the east, until the reader is rather led to suppose the inspired books of the Bible contain a counterpart of the history of the tribes of Arabs or Indians at the present day, than that they were written to preserve an instructive account of God's dealings with his peculiar people. Such an error cannot be too strongly or too seriously denounced; it is a deadly error, destroying the foundation of the Christian faith, and is opposed to the express declaration of the Divine word respecting the history of God's ancient people, that "all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come," 1 Cor. x. 11. Every endeavour will be used to avoid this dangerous and fatal error in the sketches which follow, and which are not intended to take the place of the sacred word, but to show to the general and cursory reader, the importance of SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES, of investigating every part of the Bible, in the full assurance that not a word of this wondrous book has been written without a design.

In the early part of the book of Judges the same statement of the situation of Israel, when first settled in the land of Canaan, is given, as stands recorded in the book of Joshua. "The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel;" see Joshua xxiv. 31; Judges ii. 7. There was indeed every circumstance to render them a happy and contented people. The land itself was described by Moses, Deut. xi., as a very fertile land, abounding with milk and honey, good for pasturage; even the rocks bearing aromatic plants, affording a rich supply to the bees that stored their honey in the clefts. He represented it as very different from the land of Egypt, which was sowed and watered with the foot, as a garden of herbs. Those plains were rendered fertile by directing the

THE LAND OF CANAAN.

overflowings of the Nile across the fields sowed with grain. But Canaan was a land of hills and valleys, watered by rain from heaven. And the promise was distinctly expressed, that the Lord would give them the rain of their land in its due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that they might gather in the corn, and the wine, and the oil. Grass also was to be found in the field for the cattle.

Nor was the land of Canaan a wild uncleared country, merely possessing the capability to be rendered fertile in the manner just described. The Israelites were not exposed to the difficulties of first settlers. The only exception distinctly recorded, is respecting part of the allotment of the house of Joseph. This included a woody country, which Joshua commanded them to clear for their habitations; but even this was under very different circumstances from those of a wild district, hundreds of miles from towns and cities. The wood was to be cut down to make room, because the rest of their allotment was too thickly inhabited, and the people of Manasseh were disposed to let the Canaanites dwell amongst them, rather than spread themselves through their district, Josh. xvii. 14—18. The nations which inhabited the land were to be destroyed or driven out for their wickedness, as is explained in THE JOURNEYS OF THE CHILDREN OF IsRABL, and the Jews were to have the advantage of their labours, as described Deut. vi. They thus obtained great and goodly cities, houses full of all good things, wells already dug, vineyards and olive trees already planted. Canaan was emphatically described by Joshua and Caleb, Numb. xiv. 7, as an exceeding good land."

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And when their wondrous march was o'er,
And they had won their homes,
Where Abraham fed his flock of yore,

Among their fathers' tombs:

A land that drinks the rain of heaven at will,

Whose waters kiss the feet of many a vine-clad hill.