bintli. So the LXX. (see note on ver. 1). so long Rud so well. Around him rtre the The tree, no doubt. under which Jacob hRd ancient memories of his race. Here Abrn.- hid \,he teraphim of his household. This ham pitched his tent in hie wanderinge was cl<'Rrly one of the ren,sons for which through Cannan. Here was the first rtltar the plRce was chosen. By the sanctuary. built to the \Y0rsh1p of the one true God Keil denies tha.i :;;i ever means near, It is of t-he ln,nd. Here Jacob hnd buried the difficu 1t to understand how he can do this teraphim, and solemnly engn,ged his house- with so rnRn~- pn,ssages against him (see eh. hold in the worship of the true God. Hore '"· 13: 1 Sam. xxix. 1; Ezek. x. 15). Be was the second foothold the cbildren of wishes to a,oid the idea of the sallctuary Abraham obtained in the promised land being nt SbC'chem. • (see ver. 32), a foretaste of their future Yer. 27.-A witness (see note on eh. inheritance. The bare heights of Ebe.I xxii. 27). For it bath hea.rd. Joshua speaks soared above them ou one side, the softer b:· a poetical figure of the stone, as though outlines of Gerizim rose above them it had intelligence. The stone was taken on the other ; aud on their sides, the from the Yei:, place where they stood, and plaster fresh and the letters distinct and mthin earshot of the words which had been clear, were to be seen the blessings and spoken. Thus it became 1t more forcible the curses foretold of those who kept memorial of what bad oecurred than if it and those who broke the la.w. In the ha,l been l>ronght from far. Ye deny your midst, Shechem, in a situation, as we God. To deny is to say that Be is not. have seen, of rare beauty, bore witness to Tue HLbrew implies "to deny conce,~1inq the fulfilment of God's promise that the Hirn," to contest the truth of what has land of their inheritance should be " a good been· rc,ealed of Bis essence, and to dis- land," a •' land flowing with milk and parage or deny the great things He had honey." No other place could combine so done for His people. The whole scene many solemn memories ; none could more must have been a striking one. The aged adequately remind them of the lulness of warrior, full of years and honours, venerable blessing God had in store for those who from his piety and courage and implicit would obey Hie word; none could be fitter obedience, addresses in the measured, to impress upon them the duty of worship- perhaps tremnlons, accents of age the repre- ping God, and Him alone. sentatives of the whole people he has led
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-28.-Thepossession of the inheritance and its responsibilities. The difference between this address to the children of Israel and the former is that, in the former, Joshua's object was to warn them of the danger of evil-doing, whereas in this be designed to lead them, now they were in full possession of the land, to make a formal renewal of the covenant. For this purpose he briefly surveys the history of Israel from ibe call of Abraham down to the occasion on which be addressed them. Up to that time the covenant bad been given them as one which it would be their duty to fulfil when the time arrived. Now, he reminds them, the time had arri,ed. And just as the Church calls upon those who were dedicated to God in infancy to solemnly affirm, when ihey are old enough, their obligation to fulfil the engagement that was then contracted for them, so J oehua, now Israel was in a position to carry out fully the terms of the covenant, chooses a place as well as a time most fitting for the ceremony, and obtains from them a foll recognition of the duties to which they were bound. In this address there is no appeal to tl.ieir feelings. It is no question of personal influence to guide them into tl.ie right path. They are now simply asked to affirm or deny the position in which, whether tl.iey affirm or deny it, they really stand before God. I. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE PAST AND PRESENT CONDITION OF Goo's PEOPLE, "Your fathers dwelt on the otl.ier side of the flood in old time . . . and served other gods." So St. Peter tells us, "Ye were as sheep going astro.y, but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls " (1 Peter ii. 25. Cf. i. 14, 18; ii. 10; iv. 3). So St. Paul tells us (Ephes. ii. 1-3, 11, 12; Titus iii. 3, &c.). When we entered into covenant with God we crossed the flood, and were placed in th_e promised land, tl.iough not yet to possess the fulness of our inheritance. I3ut if on. XXIV. 1-28.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.