transfigured, he had been tranflated alfo; and is now living together with them. But where they are, or how they are employed, is, no doubt for good reasons, unknown to us.

Mofes being dead, or tranflated, Joshua was appointed to fucceed him. That this was by divine appointment is probable, because it does not appear that Joshua had any natural interest that could have recommended him to fo important a fucceffion. He was neither of the fame tribe with Mofes and Aaron, nor of that of Judah, to -which, by the prophecy of Jacob, the preeminence was promised. Had Mofes himfelf had any choice in the cafe, and he had had the spirit of enterprize and ambition that unbelievers muft afcribe to him, it would, no doubt, have been in favour of his own family, or at least of his own tribe.

We are now to attend to the miraculous interpofitions of Divine Providence in the conduct of the Ifraelites under Joshua, till their complete fettlement in the land of Canaan. And these were fufficiently remarkable,

H 4

markable, and fuch as must have convinced the Ifraelites that nothing of any confe quence depended upon, or had been done by, Mofes; but that it was the power of God that had been difplayed by him, and which was the fame at all times.

The effect of the miracles which had been performed while the Ifraelites were under the conduct of Mofes, upon the inhabitants of Canaan, appeared when Joshua fent fpies to discover the fituation of the country which he was about to invade. For the woman who received these spies faid, Josh. ii. 9. I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us; and that all the inhabitants of the land faint becaufe of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up all the waters of the red fea for you, when ye came out of Egypt, and what ye did to the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other fide Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly defroyed. And as foon as we heard thefe things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the Lord your God, he is God

The

in heaven above, and in earth beneath. extraordinary events here referred to refpected other nations, and were neceffarily known to them, but not the tranfactions at Mount Sinai, or the other events on which I have defcanted, which were confined to the Ifraelites themfelves, and which were particularly calculated to confirm their faith in the divine miffion of Mofes, and in the truth and importance of the civil and religious inftitutions which he communicated to them.

The paffage of the Ifraelites over the river Jordan was as remarkable a transaction as their paffage through the red fea, and with refpect to its credibility, is as little liable to objection. For no natural caufe could have made the waters of a river divide, as these did, fo as to make a paffage for such a number of people, and so long a fpace of time, and efpecially when it overflowed its banks as it did, and still does, in the time of harvest, when the Ifraelites had occafion to cross it. Befides this most wonderful event was announced three days before hand, as the miracle at Mount Sinai

had

had likewife been, and it was attended with fuch other peculiar circumftances, as abundantly demonftrates that human power, or contrivance, had nothing to do in the cafe. It will be interefting and instructive to attend to these particulars.

After Joshua had received his inftructions from God, he announced the wonderful event in the following manner. Jofh. i. 11. Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, faying, Pafs through the hoft, command the people, faying, Prepare your victuals. For within three days ye shall pafs over this fordan, to go in to poffefs the land which the Lord your God giveth you, ta poffefs it. This order being executed on the day before the event, Joshua faid unto the people, Sanelify yourselves, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua fpake unto the priests, faying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over be fore the people.

Things being in this ftate of readinefs, we are informed that the Lord faid unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the fight of all Ifrael, that they may know

that,

that, as I was with Mofes, fo will I be with thee. After this Joshua, by divine direction, gave the following very particular orders, announcing every thing that was to take place; and the circumstances and the manner in which every thing was done fhews that there could not have been any thing like human contrivance in the case. A great river was to be croffed, and yet no boats, or bridge, were provided for the purpofe. What Joshua faid was as follows:

Jofh. iii. 9. And Joshua faid unto the children of Ifrael, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua faid, Hereby ye fhall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Gergafhites, and the Amorites, and the Jebufites. Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth paffes before you into Jordan. Now therefore take ye twelve men out of the tribes of Ifrael, out of every tribe And it fhall come to pafs as foon as the foles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth,

a man.

Shall