themeelYes in searching, but without ave.ii, were completed, we,·e cut off, i.e., were com- for Ji le in the Dee.d See.." It lies e.t e. level pletely cut off, so that the supply of wo.ter of more tlrnn 1,300 feet below the level of failed, e.nd the channel of the Jordo.n to the Mediterranean. Its waters e.re thus the southward, o.ud to the northwo.rd o.s fo.r described by Dr. Thomson : " The we.ter is e.e Ze.rete.n, became dry ground (see o.lso perfectly clear and tre.nspe.rent. The taste Pse.. cxiv. 3). is bitter and so.It, far beyond the.t of the Ver. 17.-Ftrm. The LXX. does not ocean. It aets upon the tongue e.nd mouth tre.nsle.te this. The Vulgate renders accincti. like alum ; smarts in the eye like camphor; The original, litero.lly translated, meo.ns to produces a burning, pricking sensation." cause to stand up,-ight. In the midst of The specific grn,;ty of its waters is very Jorda.n. That is, they stood surrounded by great, e.nd bathers find e. gree.t difficulty in we.ter, but not in mid-stream, which would swimming in it from the unusual buoyancy be expressed by ::l'Ji?."1 e.s in ver. 10, where of the water. This is co.used by the very our version he.a ;, among" (see note on le.rge quantity of saline matter held in eh. iv. 9). So Drusius: "In medio Jor- solution from the so.It hills in the neigh- de.nis; i.e., intro. Jordanem. Sic Tyrus bourhood. One of them, Jebel Usdum, is legitur site. in corde maris; i. e., intra mare described by Co.non Tristram e.s "e. solid nam non procul e.best o. continente." Clea.n me.ss of rock so.It," e.nd the we.ter in its over. The word is the same e.s tho.t trans- vicinity e.s "syrup of chloride of sodium," lated " fe.iled " in the le.st note. It mee.ns that is to se.y, of common so.It. So e.lso completion-" till the people had entirely Bartlett, • Egypt e.nd Po.Jestine,' p. 451. finished crossing." Origen thus explains, The statement the.t no bird ce.n fly across in his fourth homily on Joshua, the mystical its waters is e. fable. The fullest account signification of this crossing the J orde.n : of the various attempts - some of them " Cum ce.techumenorum e.ggregatus ea fate.I-to explore the Dee.d See. are to be numero, et prmceptis Ecclesiasticis pe.rere found in Ritter's • Geography of Palestine,' ccepisti digressus ea me.re rubrum, et in vol. iii. Co.non Tristram explored the deserti ste.tionibus positus, e.d audiende.m western side thoroughly, while Mr. Mac- Dei legem, et intuendum Mosei vultum per gregor's canoe voyage, described in his • Rob glorie.m Domini revelatum quotidie vacas. Boy on the Jordan,' gives a number of most Si vero e.d mysticum baptismi veneris interesting details. In Ritter's work will fontem, et consistente se.cerdotali et Levitico al.so be found some value.ble observations on ordine initiatns fueris venerandis illis mo.g- the physical geography of the district, on nificisqne se.cramentis qum norunt illi quos the geologice.l formation of the basin of the nosse fe.s est, bane etiam sacerdotum minis- Dead Sea, together with two papers, one by teriis J ordane digresso terro.m repromissionis M. Terreil ODd the other by M. Lartet, on intro.tie, in qua te post Moysen suscipi the chemical composition of the Dead Sea Jesus, et ipse tibi efficitur novi itineris waters. Fa..tled and were cut off. Literally, dux.''
HOMILETICS . • Vers. 7-17.-The passage of Jordam. I. THE lllINISTRY OF JOSHUA AND JESUS BEGAN AT JORDAN, As with Joshua at his crossing, so with Jesus at His baptism, God marked the moment of their coming to Jordan with a special favour. For as the waters of the Red Sea (1 C_or. x. 2), so the waters of Jordan are the type of Christian baptism. In connect10n with the wandering in the wilderness, the stream of Jordan is the type of death, which admits us to the promi,;e,l 1:1rnl. But in connection with the conflicts in Canaan, to which it was the introduction, it is a type of the commencement of the spiritual life. For in it we are dedicated to our Joshua-we begin to fol)~w our Leader. In it He was firi;t "marked out to he the Son· of God" (Matt. 111. 17) ; and in it He shows to us the power of God in delivering us from our wanderings in the wildemei;s of evil, and translating us into the regions of H!s promise~: In baptism we enter into covenant with God, and receive His blessmgs and gifts, us well as declare our resolution to serve Him. Thus it is the turning-point of our lives whenever we receive it. It places us in a new covenant-rel~tion to G?d. It introduces us into new obligations, and entitles us to new blessmgs. It gives us the right to claim the aid of God in ow· conflict with evil ; in other words, it is tbe en. m. 7-17,] '.l'HE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 57