the protection of God to the utmost. Having neglected the rite of circumcifion during their fojourning in the wilderness, they were, by the exprefs order of God, all circumcifed immediately after they had paffed the river, and were arrived in the country of their enemies, at whose mercy they thereby evidently were, if they had ventured to attack them; and this they naturally would have done to prevent their paffing the river, had it been made by any natural means. Their conduct, therefore,

may be confidered as a proof that it was effected in a fupernatural manner. The following is the fcriptural account of this circumftance.

Josh. v. 2. At that time the Lord faid unto Joshua, Make thee Sharp knives, and circumcife again the children of Ifrael, the fecond time. And it came to pass when they had done circumcifing all the people, that they abode in their place in the camp till they were whole.

To commemorate this tranfaction, the place was called Gilgal, which fignifies a rolling away, becaufe, as it is faid, God

there rolled away the reproach of Egypt from the people of Ifrael. Joh. v. 9.

At this time alfo, instead of pursuing their advantage they had, in the confternation of their enemies, as invaders naturally would have done, on the fourteenth day of the month, which was four days after the paffage of the river, the Ifraelites had a folemn celebration of the paffover. And on the morrow after the palover, we read, that they ate of the old corn of the land, and then the miraculous fupply of And manna wholly ceased. Josh. v. 12. the manna ceafed on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land, neither did the children eat manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. This was the beginning of harvest, and they would, of course, reap the fields in the neighbourhood of the camp; and before this they had not found fufficient to fupply fo great a number as the nation of the Ifraelites now confifted of.

After these fignal and numerous proofs of the prefence of God with the Ifraelites,

we

we may wonder at the obftinacy of the inhabitants of Canaan, in making any op pofition to them. But they were apprised that they were to be wholly exterminated, and that fubmiffion would avail them nothing: There were inftances also of the Ifraelites having fuftained fome lofs and defeat, as in their encounters with the Amalekites and king Arad, and therefore they could not tell but that circumstances might again arife, in which they might combat them with fuccefs. They did not, however, immediately advance against the Ifraelites, as the Amalekites and Arad had done; and as they naturally would have done, if they had not been overawed by the miraculous paffage of the river, which (as they might learn that the Ifraelites had provided no boats or bridges) they might think a fufficient bar to their farther progrefs. But the inhabitants of the first confiderable city that lay in their way, viz. Jericho, contented themselves with keeping within their walls, which their enemies did not appear to have any means of affailing,

It pleafed God, however, to make a fignal display of his power, in reducing this ftrongly fortified place, without the aid of any human means whatever, and in a manner peculiarly ftriking and terrific. After the appearance of an angel, who called himself the captain of the host of the Lord, to Joshua, the Lord faid unto him, See I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour; and the manner in which this was to be effected, fo that the Divine Power fhould be as confpicuous as it had been in the deftruction of the army of Pharaoh, was thus announced to him. Jofh. vi. 3. Ye shall compass the city, all ye men and go round about the city once.

ye

of war,

Thus fhall

do fix days. And feven priests shall bear before the ark feven trumpets of rams horns; and the feventh day ye fhall compass the city feven times, and the priests fhall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blaft with the rams horns, and when ye bear the found of the trumpet, all the people fhall fhout with a great fhout, and the wall of the city hall fall

down

down flat, and the people fhall afcend up every man ftraight before him.

What must the people of Jericho have thought during this folemn proceffion, efpecially after its continuing fo long a time. All this was tranfacted with the greatest punctuality; and to render the effect more ftriking, Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice; neither fhall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day that I bid you fhout. Then fhall ye fhout. Accordingly, when the proper time was come, he faid to the people, Shout, for the Lord hath given you the city. During this fhout the wall of the city fell, and, as they had been directed, every man went up ftraight before him; and agreeably to the pofitive orders they had received on this particular occafion, and which was never after repeated, they deftroyed every thing they found in the place, fparing only Rahab and her relations. They alfo burned the city with fire, and all that was therein; only the filver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the trea