Josh. vi. 20, 21. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets : and it came to jmss, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the iv all fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
THE promises of God, though often delayed beyond the time that our impatient spirits would fix for their accomplishment, are always fulfilled in their season. The period at which God promised to Abraham that he would bring forth his posterity out of Egypt, was at the end of four hundred and thirty years. During the latter part of that time the afflictions of the people increased beyond measure ; yet was their deliverance neither accelerated nor delayed: but at the precise period that God had fixed in his eternal counsels, and had revealed to Abraham, even on "the self-same day," they were brought forth from their bondage a. They would doubtless have been brought also into the full possession of the promised land if they had not pro- voked God to transfer to their children the mercies which they had treated with contempt. The space of forty years was allotted for that generation to wander, and to die, in the wilderness. During that time a new generation arose ; and to them God fulfilled his word: he led them in a miraculous manner into Canaan, as we have seen: and now began to subdue their enemies before them. The first place which they were to conquer, was Jericho, a city of great strength; the taking of which is the subject for our present consideration.
We shall notice three things ; I. The preparations for the siege —
One would naturally suppose that they would instantly avail themselves of the terror which their
a Exod. xii. 51.