fhall reft on the waters of the fordan, that the waters of fordan fhall be cut off from the waters that come down from above, and they fhall ftand upon an heap. What perfect confidence does this language fhew in the power of God, and the truth of the divine promise? The narrative then proceeds, and we find that every circumftance answered to the prediction.

And it came to pass when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; and as they that bare the ark came into fordan, and the feet of the priefts that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harveft) that the waters which came down from above food, and rofe up upon a heap, very far from the city Adam, that is befide Zaretan, and thofe that came down towards the fea of the plain, even the falt fea, failed and were cut off, and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord flood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the If

raelites

raelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were paffed clean over Jordan.

Such was this extraordinary transaction, of which all the people were, of course, witneffes. But befides this, meafures were immediately taken to preferve the memory of it to future ages. Twelve ftones were taken out of the bed of the river, near the place where the priests had stood during the paffing of the people, and were erected on the neighbouring shore.

Of these particulars we have the following narrative. Jof. iv. 1. "And it came to pafs when all the people were clean paffed over fordan, that the Lord Spake unto Joshua, faying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and command you them, faying, Take you bence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests feet flood firm, twelve flones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place where you. fhall lodge this night. This Joshua did, faying, v. v. 5. That this may be a fign among you, that when your children fhall ask your

fathers in time to come, Jaying, What mean

you

you by thefe ftones, then fhall ye answer them; That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, when it palled over fordan, that the waters of Fordan were cut off, and thefe ftones fhall be for a memorial to the children of Ifrael for

ever.

We then read that the children of Ifrael did fo as fofhua commanded, and took up twelve flones, out of the midst of fordan, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Ifrael, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve ftones in (or perhaps rather out of) the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant flood, and they are there unto this day. For the priests who bare the ark of the covenant flood in the midst of Jordan, till every thing was finished which the Lord commanded Joshua, and the people hafted and palled over.

This interefting narrative clofes in the following manner: And it came to pass that when all the people were clean passed.

over, that the ark of the Lord paffed over, and the priests, in the prefence of the peoples And it came to pass that when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of fordan, and the foles of the priests feet were lifted up, unto the dry land, that the waters of fordan returned into their place, and flowed over all its banks, as they did before. And the people came up out of fordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. And these twelve flones which they took out of fordan did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. And he spake unto the children of Ifrael, faying, When your children fhall afk their fathers, in time to come, faying, What mean thefe ftones, then Shall ye let your children know, faying, If rael came over this fordan on dry land. For the Lord God dried up the waters of Jordan before you until you were palled over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea which he dried up before us, until we were gone over; that all the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.

You fee how naturally, and circumftantially, this wonderful event is related, which could only be done by an eye witnefs; and this is the fartheft in the world from being a traditional account, fuch as had paffed through many hands before it came to the writer; and the witneffes of the transaction were more than two millions of perfons.

The effect of this great event on the inhabitants of Canaan was fuch as might have been expected; as we find, Josh. v. And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites which were on the fide of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites which were by the fea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Ifrael, until they were passed over, that their heart melted; neither was there fpirit in them any more because of the children of Ifrael.

During this confternation of their ene mies, the Ifraelites were directed to do what would certainly have been deemed the extreme of madness in any other circumftances, and which tried their faith in