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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul ciichA, il est fiimA A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. errata to I pelure, on A D 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 JOSEPH SOLD BY HIS BRETHREN, paS' THE wv] CJ OYAL TREASURY OR JEWELS OF THE BIBLE BBINQ A pascinatin| )vlarrati\)Gof \\iq ManJellous and ^f?rillin^ GOenfs ir\ Sacred ^isiory from \\iq (Jreation of fl^e C^orld. I eOMPRiaiNO * ■ i' . -. THE SUBUME STORY OF THE GOSPELS ; A VIVID PANORAMA OF PATHETIC, TRAGIC AND CAPTIVATING SCENES AND INCIDENTS IN THE LIVES OF THE GREAT PROPHETS, APOSTLES, AND FOUNDERS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH ; GLOWING DESCRIPTIONS OF HEROES AND MARTYRS, WITH ENTRANCING VISIONS OF THE CELESTIAL CITY. LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS ; JOSEPH AND THE ROYAL HOUSE OF EGYPT ; WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS ; HOLY WARS AND CONQUESTS ; JERUSALEM AND ITS MAGNIFICENT TEMPLE ; THE SERMON OX THE MOUNT ; PARABLES AND MIRACLES ; GETHSEMANE AND THE CROSS ; THE GOLDEN DAWN OF CHRISTIANITY, ETC., ETC. TO WHICH ARE ADDED Ci55.I=XIVjOLTIlSlG BIBLEL SXOAIES FOIi THE 'YOUlSlCt. HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP, D.D., Author o/"lVonderso/ the IVorld," "Earth, Sea and Sky," "Crown Jewels," etc., etc. Emlielligbed IvM moiie than Thfee Handled ^npePli EngiiBVing^ bij Mz AMD OTHER CELEBRATED ARTISTS. JOHN S. BROWN, PAKIS. ONTARIO. CANADA. Eatered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, by HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.C PREFACE. ROYAL TREASURY; or, JEWELS OF THE BIBLE, contains all the captivating features which give immortal interest to the Scripture narrative. It is rich in vivid descrip- tions, gems of inspired thought, scenes that thrill the heart, and records of strange adventure and romance which have more power to entrance than the creations of fiction. The narrative begins with the new earth and heavens, and portrays the sublime work of creation, over which " the morning stars sang together." The expulsion of our first parents from the floral bowers of Eden ; the first murder which stained with blood the virgin world ; the mighty deluge that rolled its dark waters over mountain summits, and engulfed in awful destruction the inhabitants of the earth ; the lonely ark of Noah, riding upon the billows of the "vasty deep;" and the sudden overthrow of the visionary tower of Babel — these, with other momentous events, form the first part of this very attractive volume. Then follow the great transactions recorded in the history of the Hebrews, such as Abraham offering his son; Isaac meeting the fair maid Rebecca; Jacob reconciled to his brother Esau ; the thrilling story of Joseph at the court of Ph.^.raoh ; and the finding by the Egryptian princess of the babe in the rushes, that was destii r>] to become one of the most majestic heroes of the Old Testament. The wanderings of Israel in the wilderness are depicted — the woes that fell upon plague* stricken Egypt ; the miraculous passage of the Red Sea ; the triumphant song of Miriam and the Jewish maidens ; the awful scenes surrounding cloud-capped Sinai ; and the death of Moses on Nebo, when, according to Jewish legend, the winds wailed, and the earth cried, " We have lost the Holy One !" The period of Joshua and the judges is treated in the same masterly manner. Portrayed in vivid colors, the reader sees the falling walls of Jericho ; brave Gideon, with his wonderful fleece and dauntless little army ; valiant Jephthah fulfilling his rash vow ; mighty Samson, rending the lion's jaws, carrying the massive gates of Gaza, and heaving from their sockets the gigantic pillars of the Philistine temple. The fascinating story of Ruth, gleaning in the fields of Boaz and becoming the ancestress of David and his greater Son, is told in all its simple beauty and pathos. Towering up in rugged proportions, that strange man Saul comes into view, and then David, the ruddy shepherd boy, appears with the sling that carries swift death to boastful Goliath. Exchanging the shepherd's staff for the kingly sceptre, the dazzling glory of the Hebrew nation bursts upon us, and the line of illustrious kings commences. Very thrilling are the events during the reigns of David and Solomon, including the rebellion of Absalom and the grief of his heart-broken father; the building of that most famous of all edifices, the Temple at Jerusalem ; and the visit of the beautiful Queen of Sheba to the court of Solomon. Then, with the swiftness of the whirlwind, the prophet Elijah appears. The reader n PREFACE. beholds one of the most striking figures in history. He follows this mysterious propht.t to the brook Cherith and the poor widow's home at Sarepta ; sees his triumphant defeat of Baal's prophets on Carmel, and then the chariot of flame which bears him through the cloven heaven beyond mortal sight He beholds the sweet face of the little Jewish captive in Syria, and sees her haughty master, I>}aaman, at the door of Elisha, and rising from the waters of Jordan, healed of his leprosy. f He finally comes to the charming story of Queen Esther, her patriotic devotion and over- throw of Haman's fiendish plot. The no less interesting story of Job follows, his sudden afflic- tions, his sympathizing friends, and their renowned discussions on the problems of human life. All the prominent features of the Psalms and Proverbs are fully described. The helpful sayings of the wise man are mingled with the songs of the sweet singer of Israel. We have next the spirited account of the captivity ; the grandeur of ancient Babylon, and the startling dreams and fiery handwriting which terrified her kings; the brave, invincible Daniel, himself more than a kingdom, whom neither lion's den nor fiery furnace could appall ; and at length the capture of the proud city by the army of Cyrus. The magnificence of ancient Nineveh is described, together with the visit of that strange prophet, Jonah, and also the modern excavations which have given a resurrection to the buried city. The valorous exploits of Judas Maccabeus, that patriotic hero who achieved the inde- pendence of the Hebrew nation, are told in glowing language. But the reader has not yet reached the climax ; he is yet to stand upon the loftiest summit, Coming to the Life of Christ, which is complete in all its peerless beauty, he beholds the Child Wonderful in Bethlehem's manger ; the white-robed chorus singing peace and good- will ; the adoring shepherds and Persian sages, and all the graphic and illustrious scenes connected with the baptism of Christ; His temptation in the wilderness; the calling of the Galilean fishermen ; the parables, which, like windows, let in celestial light ; and the stupen- dous miracles which healed the sick, hushed the wild tempest, and even rent the tomb ! His myriad deeds of compassion ; His sweet words of love; His calm majesty in persecution and suffering; His radiant glory of transfiguration ; His agony in the garden and death upon the cross, when even mute nature felt the pang and was moved to sympathy — all this, and vastly more which cannot here be stated, is fully depicted. The reader will find a peculiar charm in the resplendent history of the Apostles — the labors, sufferings and sublime sacrifices of those noble men, " of whom the world was not worthy." He is dazzled by the bright light that falls upon majestic Paul, and traces the brilliant career of this great Apostle to the Gentiles. He keeps company with the Apostle in his missionary journeys; hears his midnight song in the dungeon at Phil-; pi; his burning words as he faces Roman governors ; the clanking of his chains as he stands before King Agrippa, and his grand speech on Mars' Hill, that masterpiece of sacred eloquence. The teachings of the apostles are followed by the vision of John in Revelation, with its majestic imagery and beautiful descriptions of the heavenly Jerusalem. No Raphael nor Angelo ever gave the world such paintings in colors as are here given in inspired words. Then comes one of the most interesting and attractive parts of the volume, consisting of Biographies of the Great Men of the Bible and Captivating Bible Stories for the Young. The work embraces the most interesting of all subjects, forms in itself a library of choicest information, and an exhaustless source of entertainment, such as was never attempted in any other book. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. The Work of Creation— Life and Beauty— The First Man— The Garden of Eden— The First Woman — Perfect Happiness — The Tempter — Death and Woe — The World Cursed — Banishment from Eden — Cain and Ab»l — Keeping Sheep and Tilling the Ground — A Quarrel — Abel is Slain — Fliglit of Cain — The Land of Nod — The First Household — Long Life — Seth and his Family — A Race of Evil-Doers — A Flood Threatened — Noah Commanded to Build an Ark — A Preparation of One Hundred and Twenty Years for the Flood — Entering the Ark — The Terrible Deluge — Sending Forth the Dove — Horrors of the Flood — Waters Subside — A Memorable Sacrifice — The Second Beginning of the World — The Rainbow — Promise not to Send Another Deluge . 17 CHAPTER IL ABRAM AND LOT. Land of Shinar — Site of Ancient Babylon — A High Tower — ^The Language Confused — The People Scattered — Hills of Ruin — Nimrod — A Mighty Hunter — Abram — Abram's Wife — Land of Ca- naan — ^Trying to Read the Stars — Ur of the Chaldees — The Father of Abram — Story about Idols — Abram Directed to Leave his Country — A Wonderful Promise — Abram's Moral Courage — Sarah's Beauty — Sarah Taken by the King of Egypt — Lot and his Family — Pitching the Tent Toward Sodom — Invasion by the Assyrians — Judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah — Lot Rescued —Fate of Lot's Wife— The Dead Sea 30 CHAPTER m. TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH. Birtii of Isaac — Sarah's Anger on Account of Ishniael — Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away — Peace in the Tents of Abraham — Command to Sacrifice Isaac — The Old Man's Faith — Death of Sarah — Sep- ulchre of Machpelah — Abraham Seeking a Wife for Isaac— The Fair Rebekah — A Hearty Recej)- tion — ^A Happy Marriage 40 CHAPTER IV. JACOB AND ESAU. One Hundred Years in the Land of Canaan — Death of Abraham — Peculiarities of Jacob and Esau — Isaac in a Strange Land — Wells of Water — Hostility of the Philistines — Prosperity of Isaac — Esau Loses his Birthright — Jacob Leaving Haran — Vision at Bethel — Rachel — Serving Fourteen Years for a Wife — Birth of Joseph — Jacob's Riches — Jealousy on Account of Jacob's Prosperity — A Charge of Theft — Friendly Meeting of Jacob and Esau — Wrestling with the Angel — Death of Rachel — ^Jacob's Return to Isaac 47 CHAPTER V. THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. Founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel — ^Jacob's Fondness for Joseph — ^A Coat of Many Colors — Joseph's Dream — Hostility of Joseph's Brethren — A Caravan of Arabian Merchants — ^Joseph Sold into Egypt — Interpreting Dreams — ^Joseph Made Ruler — Providing for Famine — Ornaments of Gold — Riding in a Chariot of State — Monuments of Stone — The Nation Crying for Bread— (iii) F Iv CONTENTS. Jacob Sends his Sons to Egypt— Meeting the " Lord of the Country "—Jacob's Sons Accused of Being Spies— An Affecting Scene — Taking Back the Money — Singular Customs — The Silver Cup — Joseph Making Himself Known — Jacob Meeting his Son 53 CHAPTER VI. EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. Oppression of the Hebrews— Pliaraoh's Order to Slay the Male Children — The Little Life-Boat — Finding Moses — A Motherly Princess — Tradition Concerning Moses — A Good Sister — Miriam's Device for Saving her Brother — Moses at the Court of Egypt — The Smiter Smitten — Moses in Flight 66 CHAPTER VII. THE DELIVERER OF ISRAEL. The Burning Bush — Glad Tidings for the Hebrews — Tiie Great Lawgiver and Leader — Demand that Pharaoh Shall Release the Hebrews — A Stubborn King — Wonders Performed by Magicians — Plagues — Terrible Calamities — Death of the First-Born — Mercy for Israel — The Destroying Angel — The Blood-Mark on the Doorpost ji CHAPTER VIIL THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. A Hasty Departure — Fleeing Toward the Red Sea — The Waters Divide for the Hebrews — Pharaoh's Host Overwhelmed — Miriam's Song — Music and Thanksgiving — Moving Toward Sinai — Bitter Waters of Marah — Halt at Elim — Murmuring Against Moses — Bread from Heaven — No Water — A Fountain Bursting from a Rock — Meeting Enemies — A Battle with Amalek — Moses and Jethro — The Solemn Covenant 81 CHAPTER IX. SUBLIME SCENES AT SINAI. The Prophet on the Mountain — ^The Divine Appearance — Forty Days and Nights Within the Cloud — Moses Supposed to be Lost — The Golden Calf — Jewels for the Idol — The Ten Commandments — The Hebrews Pressing Forward — Death of Aaron — The Brazen Serpent — Og, the Giant of Bashan . . 94 CHAPTER X. BALAAM AND THE ANGEL. The King of Moab — Balak and Gold — An Angel in 'he Path — Plots and Snares — Divine Anger^ Trouble with the Midianites — Victors and Spoil — Number of Israelites — ^Joshua Appointed to Succeed Moses — The Lawgiver's Last Address — Affecting Words — Threatenings Against Diso- bedience — The Death-Song — Forty Years of Hist»»ry — Moses on Pisgah — Death at the Age of One Hundred and Twenty — A Rare Man 105 CHAPTER XI. ENTERING THE PRO MISED LAND. Mourning for Moses — Crossing the Jordan — The Fall of Jericho — Setting up a Memorial — Attack upon the Town of Ai — Sin of Achan — Deception -^f the Gibeonites — Sun and Moon Standing Still — Pushing on the Conquest — Death of Five K\*ij{s-"Jabin, King of Hazor — ^Joshua's Bril- liant Successes — ^The Captured Cities no CHAPTER XII. JOSHUA DIVIDING THE r-\ND. Petty Kings of Canaan — Driving Out the Enemy — Caleb's ClaiiP — Othniel — Surveying the Land — The Distribution — Cities of Refuge — Sending Back the Two Trib<»r and a Half— A Suspiciour Transaction — An Ancient Hero — Joshua's Successful Mission - ^ ■ . *«|ajl!W |il j t , ii . ii i.. r" yiii CONTENTS. —"How is it that ye Sought Me?"— The Father's Business— Jesus Again at Naiareth— Filial Obedience— Increising in Wisdom and Stature— Sacred Palestine . . .369 CHAPTER XXXI. JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY. John the Baptist— Preparing " the Way of the Lord"— Jesus Baptized in the Jordan— The Voice from Heaven— Temptation in the Wilderness— John's Testimony to Jesus— Philip and Nathan- ad— The First Miracle— Jesus at Cana— The Marriage Feast— Jealousy of John's Disciples — Jacob's Well— The Woman of Samaria— Water of Life— A Son Restored to Health— Jewish Worship— Excitement at Nazareth— A Remarkable Prophecy— Deliverance for Captives— Hos- tility Excited— Jesus Escapes from His Foes— The City of Capernaum .... 386 CHAPTER XXXII. JESUS IN GALILEE. Capernaum— A Sabbath in the Synagogue — Casting Out an Evil Spirit — ^An Impressive Spectacle- Tender Compassion— The Unsuccessful Fishermen — A Multitude of Fish — ^The Peopli Aston- ished at Christ's Teaching — The Leprosy — An Outcast Restored — Difficulties Overcome — The Paralytic Cured— Receipt of Custom — Matthew Called— Pool of Bethesda — Sabbath Ob- servance — Plucking the Ears of Com — ^The Man with a Withered Hand — Herod Antipas — A Malicious Plot — Ceremonial Cleansings — The Law of Traditions — ^The Pharisees Offended— iesus in the Throng — ^The Twelve Chosen — Sermon on the Mount — ^A Roman Soldier — Startling liracles 403 CHAPTER XXXIII. A CLUSTJER OF PARABLES. Social Customs of the Jews — ^Jesus Reclining at Supper — ^A Woman with a Box of Ointment — ^A Sin- ner Forgiven — Jesus Cures a Demoniac — ^The Fowls and Lilies — Divine Providence — Fall of the Siloam Tower — Parable of the Sower — Parable of the Tares — ^A Beautiful Jewel — Parable of the Goodly Pearl — ^Jesus on the Sea — " Peace, be Still I " — Casting out Demons — Dwellers in Tombs — Astonished Swineherds — Eating with Publicans and Sinners — Feast Made by Matthew — Fault-Finding Pharisees — "They that be Whole Need Not a Physician" — Concerning Fasting — Children of the Bridechamber — New Wine and Old Bottles — Skin Bags . . 429 CHAPTER XXXIV. WONDERFUL WORKS. A Ruler of the Synagogue — Piteous Appeal for Help— The Woman with an Issue of Blood — ^The Touch of Faith — ^The Woman Cured — Jesus at the House of Jairus — The Daughter's Death — "Little Maid, Arise ! "—The Cry of Two Blind Men— "Let there be Light I "—Failure to Perform Miracles — ^The Blessing of Peace — Patient Endurance — The Purim Festival — ^Vengeance on Herodias — Herod Perplexed — Feeding the Multitude — The Shore of Galilee — ^The Waiting Throng — Barley Loaves and Fishes — An Impressive Miracle — Boat in the Tempest — A Voice in the Storm— Loyalty of the Disciples — Visiting the Gentiles — Coasts of Tyre and Sidon — ^An Agonizing Petition — ^The Victory of Faith — The Dumb Speak — Hearing Restored— Giving Sight to a Blind Man — ^Taking the Man by the Hand — "I See Men as Trees Walking" — An- other Touch — Perfect Sight— The Man Sent to his own House — Directed to Tell No One — ^Jesus Avoids the Herodian Towns — No Sympathy with Idolatry 444 CHAPTER XXXV. JESUS TEACHING AND HEALING. Simon Bar Jona— Peter Reprehends his Master — A Severe Reproof— The Transfiguration — A Strange Glory — Paying Tribute — Ambitious Disciples — Children of the Kingdom — The Forgiven Servant —The Man Born Blind— The People Amazed — The Parents Questioned — ^The True Sabbath — The First Confessor— True and False Shepherds— The Good Samaritan— Return of the Seventy —The Mustard Seed— The Lost Sheep— The Prodigal Son— The Compassionate Father — Beauty of the Parable— The Shadow of Doom— When the Son of Man Should Come— The Slave of CONTENTS. Is Mammon — Prudent Foresight — Thrift Commended — A Shrewd Scheme — The Greater Riches- Open Derision — The Law of Divorce — Chief Seats — Dives and Lazarus — An Impassable Gulf — Approaching Conflicts — Love and Forgiveness — Prayer for Faith — Master and Servant — The New Kingdom — Days of Trouble — Startling Predictions — Sons of Thunder — Priests and Lepers — A Happy Company — Pharisee and Publican — The Sisters of Bethany — A Joyous Festival — Christian Patriotism 464 CHAPTER XXXVI. DISCOURSES AND MIRACLES. Lazarus Sick — Appeal to Jesus — Devotion of Thomas to Christ — Jesus at the Tomb — Death Van- quished — The Resurrection and the Life— Scene at the Sepulchre — •' Lazarus, Come Forth I " — Another Outbreak of Hostility — ^Jesus and the Little Ones — ^The Disciples Rebuked — An Eager Inquirer — The Rich Young Man — An Unexpected Answer — ^The Camel and the Needle's Eye — A Striking Parable — Laborers in the Vineyard — The Eleventh Hour — The Mother of Zebedee's Children — Places of Honor — A Strange Request — Jesus at Bethany — Entry into Jerusalem — Symbols of Suffering — ^The Publican Zaccheus — "Hosanna in the Highest" — Fruit-Bearing — Withered Fig-Tree — A Cunning Snare — Questioners Confounded — Responses of the Two Sons — ^The Husbandman and Vineyard — ^The Beloved Son — Parental Affection — The Wedding Gar- ment — Plain Truths — The King's Son — Who the Herodians Were — ^A Fresh Attack — Roman Taxes — Cunning Hypocrites — Husband and Wife — Imperial Caesar — ^Jerusalem's Doom — Christ Weeping over the City — True and False Giving — Contempt for the Poor — ^The Widow's Mite — Splendor of the Temple — Not One Stone Left Upon Another — Seeking a Sign — ^The Sudden Ap- pearing — ^The Ten Virgins — ^The King and his Servants — The King's Return — ^A Sacred Trust — The Approaching Passion — ^I'he Mount of Olives — A Historic Spot 499 CHAPTER XXXVII. CLOSING SCENES IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST. The Last Passover — ^Judas — Peter's Rash Refusal — An Act of Humility — Startling Announcement — Peter Warned— The Sifting of Satan — ^The Base Denial— "The Stranger and His Friend " — A Beautiful Discourse — The Heavenly Comforter — ^The Cross and Crown — An Impressive Prayer — Christ's Love for His Disciples — Agony in the Garden — ^Jesus Betrayed — The House of the High- Priest — Charged with Blasphemy — False Witnesses — Peter's Denial — Remorse of Judas — Accused of Sedition — ^Jesus Before Pilate— -"Art Thou the King of the Jews?" — Pilate's Great Question — Barabbas Released — Jesus Scourged — Pilate Alarmed — " Crucify Him I " — Lingering Torture — ^The Cross and its Victim — Devoted Women — Jesus Prays for His Enemies — The Two Thieves — Startling Phenomena — Burial in Joseph's Tomb— The Sepulchre Guarded — The White Mes- senger — ^The Stone Rolled Away — Walk to Emmaus — Jesus on the Shore of Galilee — Peter Questioned — ^Joyful Revelation — A Gracious Blessing — The Great Commission . . 540 CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE APOSTLES AT JERUSALEM. One Hundred and Twenty Disciples — Joseph and Matthias — Casting the Lot — The Feast of Pente- cost — The Tongue of Fire — Three Thousand Converts — A United Band — "Rise Up and Walk ! " — The Cripple Cured — Peter and John Arrested — A Generous Giver — Barnabas — Lying Punished — Death of Sapphira — Escape from Prison — Choosing Deacons — First Christian Martyr — Stephen Assailed — Stephen's Vision — Saul at the Martyrdom — Rapid Progress of the Church — Conflict and Glory — ^The Martyr Spirit — Baptism of Blood — Triumph Born of Suffering — Christianity Changing the Face of the Earth — The Rose in the Wilderness — Stephen's Strange Fate — Rough Road to the Gate of Pearl — Sweet Peace After Stormy Conflict — The Cost and the Reward 569 CHAPTER XXXIX. SAUL'S REMARKABLE CONVERSION. A Man of Tarsus — Gamaliel — Philip and the Ethiopian — Baptism of the Eunuch — Saul Struck Blind — A Visit from Ananias — Keble's Poem on Saul — The Apostle's Life in Danger — Saul at Tarsus — Dorcas — A Remarkable Vision — Peter at Csesarea — Cornelius— Good News for all Men — Peter r\- i i X CONTENTS. Opposed by Jewish Converts— Saul's Name Changed to Paul— A Storm of Persecution— Herod Smitten witli Death— The Apostles at Cyprus— Broken Chains— An Impressive Address— Paul Heals a Cripple— Trials and Dissensions— James' Proposal— Message to the Churclies— Young Timothy— Paul and Barnabas at Antioch— Paul in Phrygia— The Apostle's Infirmity— In Prison —Luke, the Historian— Paul's Remarkable Character— A Thousand Men in One— A Man whom History does not Dwarf— A Majestic Figure as Seen through the Vista of Time- Poetical Description of the Apostle in his Prison 579 CHAPTER XL. PAUL AT PHILIPPI AND ATHENS. An Important Place — A Dealer in Purple — A Notorious Damsel — Profitable Business — The Spirit Cast Out — Paul and Silas Roughly Treated — Thrust into Prison — A Startling Earthquake — Paul and Silas Released— The Apostle Working at his Trade — "Turning the World Upside Down" — Tumult at Bersea — Supreme Court of Athens — Hannah More's Tribute to Paul — Eloquent Ad- dress to the Athenians — Ignorant Worship — Athenian Idolatry — Magnificent Works of Art — Sanctuary of the Gods — Bold Announcement — Paul at Corinth — An Enterprising Tent-Maker — Harsh Accusation— Gall io's Advice— Successful Labors — Paul at Ephesus — Jugglers Confused- Magical Books Burned — Temple of Diana — Great Excitement — Corinthian Games — Figures Taken from Racing, Boxing and Wrestling — Corruptible Crowns — Fighting with Beasts at Ephesus — Boldness in Christian Warfare — ^The Great Hero of the Early Church — Flaming Zeal — Undaunted in Conflict — Righteous Resentment 598 CHAPTER XLI. PAUL AND HIS PERSECUTORS. Second Journey into Greece — Patient Endurance — Meeting Titus — Gifts of Gentile Churches — Paul Restores Eutychus — An Affecting Parting — Renowned Tyre — Caesarea — A Celebrated Cit)' — Prophecy of Agabus — Paul Bound in Chains — Furious Mob — Address Before the Council — The Apostle Cheered by a Vision — A Terrible Vow — A Roman Governor — Felix Trembles — Power- ful Address — King Agrippa — Resurrection of the Dead — A Hard Doctrine — " I am Not Mad, Most Noble Festus ! " — "King Agrippa, Believest Thou the Prophets?" — Almost Per- suaded to be a Christian — Paul's Wish for Agrippa — Decision that the Apostle has Done Notiiing Worthy of Death — ^Appeal to Caesar — Sent to Rome — Paul Destined to Appeal before the Emperor 615 CHAPTER XLII. LAST DAYS OF PAUL. Appeal to Rome — Voyage on the Mediterranean — Contrary Winds — The Ship in a Gale — Quick- sands and High Seas — Tlie Siiipwreck — Cargo Thrown Overboard — Escaping to tiie Shore — Paul and the Viper — Taking Another Ship — At Syracuse — Remains of a Magnificent City — The Voyage Ended — The Apostle Met by Friends— Chained to a Soldier — Paul Two Years in Prison at Rome — Character of the Great Apostle — Untiring Zeal — Probable Release of Paul — An An- cient Tradition — Last Journeys — The Crown of Life — Final Scene — Historic Dungeon — A Heroic Soul — Character not Changed by Circumstances and Condition — The Man and his Mission — The Gospel for all Men — The Moses of the New Testament — Not a Self-Sefking Man — Traditions Concerning his Death — A Fate that was Undeserved — Mysteries of Prov- idence in the History of the Church and the World — Those of whom the World was not Worthy — Need of Heroic Confessor;, — Tlie Richest Legacy of Mankind — Great Service Rendered to After Ages — An Immortal Man 625 CHAPTER XLIII. TEACHINGS OF THE APOSTLES. Self-Sacrifice — Peter and Nero— James and Herod— First Pagan Persecution—" Burnt for Torches to the City" — Persecutions in Britain— Death Preferred to Dishonor — Binding the Strong Man— The "Legend of Roses "—" Doomed to the Death"— The Heavy-Laden— Eloquent Extract CONTENTS. :rt from Dr. Guthrie — Value of a Friend — Power of Sympathy — Objects of Charity — Reward of Well-Doing — Birds Rescuing Their Mates — The Golden Rule — Entertaining Angels — The Master Virtue — Faith Needs to be Trained — Faith and Works — The Boat and Two Oars . . 639 CHAPTER XLIV. THE VISION OF JOHN. A Remarkable Book — The Beloved Disciple — Zebedee and Salome — Early Years of John— A Son of Thunder — Put in Charge of the Virgin Mother — Peter's Ardent Nature — John's Missioflary Field — Tradition Concerning John — ^A Christian Confessor — Persecution and Banishment — Sin- gular Legends — The Soaring "Eagle" — Closing Scene — The Angelic Messenger — Messages to the Churches — Patience Commended — Stern Reproof— The Celestial Throne — Terrible Phe- nomena — Sounding the Trumpets — War in Heaven — Vision of the Glorified — Vials of Wratii — Great Babylon— The White Horse— " Faithful and True"— The Old Serpent— Second Death- Gog and Magog — New Jerusalem — River of Life — The First and the Last — Who Are Blessed — The Quick Coming — ^Amen 655 BIBLE STORIES FOR THE YOUNG. The Fall of Our First Parents — Adam and Eve Driven Out of Paradise — After the Banishment from Paradise — Sacrifice of Cain and Abel — Death of Abel — Building the Ark — Leaving the Ark- Noah's Thank-Offering — Noah Curses Ham — Tower of Babel — The Promised Land — God's^ Promise to Abraham — Leaving Sodom — ^Jacob's Departure for Canaan — Wrestling with the Angel — Destroying the Tables of the Law — Death of Moses — Joshua Dividing the Land — Jeph- thah and his Daughter — Samson and the Lion — Samson Shorn of his Strength — The Giant's Death — Ruth and Boaz — David and Jonathan — Saul and th" Witch — Elijah — The Chariot and • Horsemen — Daniel Among Lions — Judith and Holofernes — John the Baptist — Birth of Christ — Flight into Egypt — Jesus in the Temple — Woman of Samaria — Miracles of Healing — Peter on the Water — Good Samaritan — The Prodigal — Blessing Children — Washing the Disciples' Feet — A Traitor — The Crucifixion — "He is Risen" — ^The Ascension — Paul and Barnabas — Seventh Seal — The New Jerusalem — ^The River that Flows from Beneath the Throne . . .671 A< Ti Ai R( N( Bi Th Fli Hi Al Jss Ja. M< JOi ]0'. En M( M( Th Aa Til Th Th Mi Mi Sm He Me W( Mc Mc Bal Bal Mc Th ^ ■ a) ' ' Adam and Eve Driven Out of Paradise Tragic Deatli of Abel . . Animals Entering the Ark . Return of the Dove to the Ark . Noah's Sacrifice Building the Tower of Babel The Egyptian King Taking Sarah Fleeing from Burning Sodom Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert Abraham Offering Isaac . . Isaac Welcoming Rebekah . Jacob's Vision of Angels . . Meeting of Jacob and Esau . Joseph's Dream .... Joseph Sold into Egypt . . Joseph Making Himself Known . Embalming the Body of Joseph . Moses in his Little Life-Boat . Moses before Pharaoh's Daughter The Burning Bush Aaron's Rod Changed to a Serpent The Plague of Locusts The Mark of Blood upon the Door-Post The Destroying Angel Miraculous Passage of the Red Sea Miriam's Song of Triumph Smiting the Rock Holding Up the Hands of Moses Meeting of Moses and Jethro Worshipping a Strange God Moses with the Tables of the Law Moses Rehearsing his Song to the Hebrews Balaam Met by the Angel . Balak's Sacrifice Moses Viewing the Promised Land The Fall of Jericho . rAOB 19 22 24 26 28 31 34 38 41 43 44 48 SI 54 56 59 63 67 70 73 75 77 79 82 84 86 89 91 92 95 97 100 104 "5 109 III FAOI Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still . 114 Joshua Dividing the Land by Lot • .117 Fleeing to a City of Refuge . . . 118 Joshua Sending Back the Tribes . . .120 The Harvest Field of Boaz . . .124 Ruth Gleaning 126 Ruth 128 Gideon's Fleece 132 Gideon Destroying the Idols of Baal . '134 Abimelech Slain by his Armor-Bearer . . 137 Samson Slaying the Lion . . . •143 Samson and Delilah 145 Samson Grinding in the Prison-House . . 147 The Child Samuel in the Temple . .150 Welcoming the Return of the Ark . -^53 Storm in the Harvest Season . . •157 David Anointed by Samuel . . . 159 David at the Brook . . . t .161 David Slaying Goliath .... 163 Saul Attempts the Life of David . . .165 David and Jonathan 167 David Spares the Life of Saul . . .169 Saul Searching for David . . . • 171 The Hagarites Expelled by the Reubenites . 173 David's Three Mighty Men . . -177 David Proclaimed King . . . •179 The Nurse Fleeing with Mephibosheth . 182 David Pardoning Absalom . . . 185 David Instructing Joab to Number the People 188 Solomon's Coronation . . . .191 The Judgment of Solomon . . . 193 Hiram of Tyre Sending Presents to Solomon 195 Magnificent Temple of Solomon . . 197 The Ark and Furniture of the Temple . 199 Fire from Heaven at the Temple Dedication 202 rziU) ziv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Iliri The Queen of Sheba at the Court of Solomon 207 King Asa Destroying Idols at Kidron . Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta Elijah Visited by an Angel Elijah Casting his Mantle on Elisha Elijah and Ahab in Naboth's Vineyard The Translation of Elijah The Children of Bethel Naaman's Captive Maid Naaman at the Door of Elisha Sennacherib Slain by his Sons Hezekiah Exhibiting his Treasures . King Josiah Destroying the Idols Shaphan Reading the Law before Josiah Death of King Josiah .... King Cyrus Bringing Forth the Vessels of the Lord's House Artaxerxes Giving the Letter to Ezra . Queen Vashti Refusing to Obey the King . Queen Esther Touching the King's Sceptre . Mordecai Refusing Homage to Haman Ahasuerus Orders the Execution of Haman . Celebrating the Feast of Purim Nehemiah Collecting Money Building the Walls of Jerusalem Job Receiving the Tidings of his Ruin Job and his Comforters Harvest Scene in Ancient Palestine Going Forth to Labor Ancient Musical Instruments Jewish Captives in Babylonia The Sweet Singer of Israel " He Heapeth up Riches, and Knoweth not Who Shall Gather Them " The Good Wife "A Little Child Shall Lead Them " Proverbs . . . • . Proverbs Proverbs Proverbs Proverbs . . , • , Proverbs Proverbs Proverbs Ancient Jerusalem Zedekiah Carried Away Captive 209 311 "5 316 318 330 333 336 338 231 233 235 237 339 243 344 247 250 252 25s 257 259 260 266 368 271 273 275 277 278 281 283 28s 287 389 391 392 394 396 298 300 302 304 Jeremiah Buying his Kinsman's Field Jeremiah Warns the Remnant The Moabites Taken into Captivity . The Prophet Ezekiel .... The Capture of Tyre The Hebrews in the Fiery Furnace Daniel Interpreting the Dream . Belshazzar Seeing the Handwriting Daniel Interpreting the Writing . Babylon Taken by Cyrus . Daniel Touched by the Angel Jonah Cast into the Sea Jonah Preaching at Nineveh Royal Palace at Nineveh Selling the Children of Jewish Captives Assyrian Winged Bull Repulse of Heliodorus in the Temple Punishment of Antiochus . Angel Sent to Deliver Israel Jonathan Destroying the Temple of Dagon The Annunciation .... Birth of John the Baptist . Writing the Name on the Tablet The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds Adoration of the Shepherds The Offering of Purification The Wise Men Presenting Gifts Christ in the Temple . . Jesus of Nazareth .... The Temptation on the Mountain Driving Money-Changers from the Temple The Woman at the Well Healing the Nobleman's Son Deliverance for the Captive Attempting to Cast Jesus Down from the Brow of the Hill .... The Miraculous Draught of Fishes Jesus Teaching by the Seaside The Final Call of Peter . Healing the Palsied .... Healing the Impotent Man at the Pool Christ and his Disciples in the Corn-Fields Priests Take Counsel with the Herodians Jesus Healing the Multitude Sermon on the Mount The Widow's Son Restored to Life fAoa 306 308 310 313 3>S 3»9 321 324 326 328 331 335 337 339 341 343 348 355 358 363 371 373 374 376 378 380 38a 384 387 389 391 394 397 399 401 404 406 408 413 415 417 419 433 424 426 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XV the 306 9 Sowing the Good Seed . . . . rAoi 433 The Angel at the Tomb rAca . 562 308 s Sowing Tares 435 "He is Risen" . . . . • 564 310 fl Finding Hidden Treasure . . . . 437 Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate . • 572 313 r9 The Pearl of Great Price . . . . 439 Martyrdom of Stephen • 576 315 9 Jesus Eats with Publicans and Sinners . 443 The Conversion of Saul . 582 319 s Healed by Touching Christ's Garment 445 Ananias and Saul . . . . . 584 321 .|H Christ Raising the Daughter of Jairus 447 Deliverance of Peter from Prison . 588 334 ^m Christ Feeding the Multitude 452 Paul Commanding the Cripple to Stanc I Up 591 326 WM Peter Saved by Jesus 457 Paul and Barnabas at Antioch • 593 328 ^H The Syro-Phoenician Woman 459 Paul Writing his Epistles in Prison • 596 331 nn Jesus Leads the Blind . . . . 461 Macedonian Christians Bringing their Gifts 335 aM Teaching Humility by a Little Child . 466 to Paul . 600 337 .w| The Cruel Servant 468 Paul on Mars' Hill . . . . . 603 339 ^M Healing the Man Born Blind 471 Ancient Corinth . . . . . 608 341 ;9 The Good Shepherd 473 Paul Preaching at Ephesus . . 61? 343 .^B The Good Samaritan 475 Paul Parting from the Elders of Ephes us . 618 348 '^9 Finding the Lost Sheep . . . . 478 Paul's Address Before the Council . 630 355 :^9 The Prodigal's Return . . . . 480 Paul Before Felix . 633 358 ifl The Parable of the Prodigal 482 Ancient Ships .... . 637 363 i:^ The Unjust Steward 484 Paul Bitten by a Serpent . 639 371 JH The Parable of the Unjust Steward 486 Ancient Rome .... • 633 373 ^^B The Rich Glutton and Lazarus, the Beggar . 490 " I Am Now Ready to be Oflfered " . 636 374 i^^ Lazarus at the Rich Man's Gate 493 " Doomed to the Death " . . 643 376 |H The Importunate Widow . . . , 495 Bear Ye One Another's Burdens . . 645 378 |H Mary and Martha 497 The Strong Supporting the Weak . 648 380 am Christ Blessing Little Children . 502 Angels Unawares • 650 382 ^3 Hiring Laborers for the Vineyard 506 Faith . . 653 384 ^1 Salome's Request for her Sons . 508 The Apostle John at Patnios . 659 387 fl| Zaccheus Called by Jesus . 510 Vision of the Golden Candlestick . 66i 389 ^1 Christ's Entry into Jerusalem 5" The Angel with tlie Book . . 664 391 •; The Withered Fig-Tree . 514 The Angels with the Vials . 666 394 ' Responses of the Two Sons .516 The River of Life . . 669 397 The Speechless Guest . 518 The Fall of our First Parents . 671 399 '(% The Parable of the Vineyard • 520 Adam and Eve Driven Out of Paradis e . 671 The Tribute Money . . . „ . 523 Banishment from Paradise . . . 672 401 .| Christ Weeping over Jerusalem . • 525 Sacrifice of Cain and Abel . . . 672 404 1^ The Widow's Mite .... • 527 Death of Abel .... . . 673 406 ,j The Virgins . 531 ! Noah Commanded to Build the Ark . . 673 408 i The Parable of the Ten Virgins . • 533 Noah Leaving the Ark . . . . 674 413 '^:% The Talents • 53S Noah's Thank-Offering . 674 ■ 415 I'll Tile Parable of the Talents • 537 Noah Curses Ham • 675 • 4^7 -'" :] The Last Supper .... • 541 The Tower of Babel . . . 675 .419 j Jesus Washing Peter's Feet • 543 Entering the Promised Land . . 676 . 423 --;« Christ in the Garden . . . • 549 God's Promise to Abraham . 676 • '*''* "1 CI 'ist Carrying His Cross . • 555 Leaving Sodom .... • 677 • 436 ' 'M The Crucifixion • 559 Jacob's Departure for Canaan • 677 1 1 3 d 1 I ? I i XVI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. WresMng with the Angel . FAQK . 678 Moses Destroying the Tables . 678 The Death of Moses . • 679 Dividing the Land among the Tribes • 679 Jephthah's Rash Vow . 680 Samson Slaying a Lion . 680 Samson Slays the Philistines . 681 Samson Shorn of his Strength . . 681 Samson's Vengeance and Death . . 682 Ruth Gleaning in the Field of Boaz . 682 Parting of David and Jonathan . . 683 David and Abigail . . . . . 683 Saul and the Witch of Endor . . 684 The Widow's Son Restored to Life , . 684 God Appearing to Elijah . . . 68s The Translation of Elijah . . 68s Daniel in the Lions' Den . • . 686 Judith Beheads Holofernes . . . 686 Birth of John the Baptist . . . . 687 The Angel and Shepherds . . 687 The Birth of Christ . . . . . 688 The Flight into Egypt . 688 Death of the Children of Bethlehem , . 689 The Presentation in the Temple . . . 689 Christ Teaches in the Temple , , . 690 Jesus Drives Out the Money-Changers Mot . 690 Ciirist Teaches Nicodemus . . . 691 Christ and the Woman of Samaria . 691 Ciirist Raises the Widow's Son . . 692 Christ Raises the Daughter of Jairus . 692 Sending Forth the Twelve Apostles . 693 Jesus Saves Peter from Sinking . • 693 The Good Samaritan . . 694 The Return of the Prodigal Son . . 694 Jesus Blessing Little Children • 695 Mary Anointing Jesus • 695 Christ's Entry into Jerusalem . 696 Christ Washes His Disciples' Feet . 696 Christ Bearmg His Cross . . , . 697 Christ Falls Under His Cross . , • 697 The Crucifixion . 698 The Burial of Christ . . . , . 698 The Resurrection . . . , • 699 The Women at the Tomb of Christ . • 699 Christ Appears to Two of His Disciple 1 . 700 The Ascension . 700 Paul and Barnabas at Lystra . 701 Paul Taking Leave of the Elders . 701 Opening the Seventh Seal . . . 702 The New Jerusalem . . • . . 70?, % — - ey-Changers PAQl . 690 3 . . 691 Samaria . 691 i Son . . 692 r of Jairus . 692 Apostles • 693 king . • 693 • • . 694 al Son . • 694 Ten . 695 • • . 695 em > . 696 es' Feet . 696 • • 1 . 697 OSS . , • 697 • • 1 . 698 • • f . 698 • • i • 699 of Christ . . 699 His Disciples 1 . 700 • • • . 700 ra . 701 Elders . 701 • • • . 702 • • • . 70? MODERN JERUSALEM. i.-tu cuMiui vunm. i MItlk'i (taUe. I lAlla Conrent. 5 Church of Holy Sepulohn. 4 Greek Convent. 6 Coptic Convent. 8 KuinBofSt. Jobn'i) Uoipttal. 7 Greek Church. St. John'a. 8 Residence of the Christian Biahop Church of the Grnuk SchiKmatlca. 10 Tower of liippicus. Daviil's Tower. 11 Supposed Site of the Tuner o<' I'bauxlw U Tb* Pnuiian Oontulate. U Modem Stuic«Uc«i (jannn. U Boipital ud lyiiu OonTral. U.-rai ARHBNIAN QUAETII. U Amentan Cooveut, with the Choreh if 8t. Jamei. The only building t'n Jerusalem vMch prnmli any appearance afeaaifvU. 16 Nunnery of St. George. 17 Barracks. III.-TUE JEWS' QDAKTER 77i« most wretched in the citv 18 Syrngogue of the Shevardini i BTnigogu* of tb« PortnguM* Jtvs. I Moiqa*, nr.-THB MOHAimiDAI QDAHML fl Khan and Bazaar. 13 Mineral Bath. 23 Convent and ^choola. S4 Institnte for Blind Derrtah'- 2A Moepital of St. Helena. 26 Reputed site of the IIousii .,( the Rich Man 27 Reputed site of the House of St, Varonica. 28 Residence of the Turkish Paaha 20 Arch of the " Erre Homo '' SO Place of the " Scala Saneta,' tha H0I7 Btalrcai*. 81 Pilate's Bpou. S2 Flacaof Fliwellatlon. 33 Boini of a Church. Houie of Siman tha Itiailan 34 ChnrohofSt. Anna. 86 Hoou of Herod. Dervish's Moaqna. V.-4HB MOORS' OrARTER. a Armenian Convent. House of Calaphaa b American Burial Ground, c David's Tomb. d PlHce of Wailing of the Jowl. JiUt Titkin Zioi?$ OaU are wretched abodet a^bnw mgmmm ROYAL TREASURY OR. JEWELS OF THE BIBLE. CHAPTER I. THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. ^ GRAPHIC descrip- tion of the work of creation is given in the first part of Gen- esis. When the new world rises to our view it is without the wonderful forms of life and beauty which we now oee everywhere around us. By successive stages the great work was finished. The expansive oceans were separated from the wide and fertile plains ; mountains lifted their heads in lofty grandeur toward the sky; rippling rivulets and majestic rivers flowed through deep valleys; lovely land- scapes, framed in hills and painted with floral beauties, smiled in the soft sunlight; and tender verdure carpeted the new-bom world. At length, when the earth was arrayed in all its vegetable glories, and when the land, the air and the sea were filled with living creatures, God made man also " in His own likeness " and " after His own image " — man, perfect in beauty and glorious in intellect — to inherit this rich possession, to bear rule over all its inferior creatures, and eventually to render all its elements subservient to his use. The infancy of human life needed some care from the Divine Creator. The first man, to whom was given the name of Adam, was therefore not placed upon the cold mountains, nor amidst melancholy deserts, but in a gar- den watered by four perennial streams. By a garden is understood, in the East, a large plantation of fruit-bearing and pleasant trees, among which are interspersed the flowering shrubs and beds of flowers ; and the whole watered by reservoirs and running streams. The concise narrative in Genesis gives us little information respecting the feelings by which the new man was influenced ; but from the result we may be sure that he longed for the intercourse of a congenial mind, of an equal being, and without this felt desolate, even in Paradise. The gracious Creator, who had allowed His new creature to feel this want, probably that he might the more highly prize its gratification, th.n declared that " it was not good for man \o be alone," and gave to htm a?) 18 THE FLATTERING TEMPTER. I: • !;( the first of women, Eve, as a helpmate for him. We may conceive the joy, the fulness of heart, with which the first of men thenceforth walked hand in hand through Eden with the first of wonien, in perfect purity and innocence. Man's Fatal Fall. Perfectly happy, alone in the earth, without the provocatives to or even the means of vice, what was there to give to the new pair a con- sciousness of moral responsibility and a sense of obedience to a bountiful Creator? This had not been overlooked. There was one tree of the garden, distinguished as " the tree of knowledge," whose fruit they were forbidden to touch under grievous penalties, although of all else that grew in that spacious garden they might partake freely. This was estab- lished as the test of obedience; and if the abounding evil which has grown up in the peopled world disposes the mind to think lightly of such a test, it will be well to recol- lect that, as Adam and Eve were then circum- stanced, disobedience to some necessarily arbitrary restriction of this nature was the highest crime which it was in their power to coiiimit. The crimes against men which numan laws deem worthy of death they could not commit, seeing that they were alone in the world ; and there could be no crime against God but through the infraction of some such positive command as this. What might have been the lot of the first human pair had they continued firm in their obedience is impossible to .say, and perhaps useless to speculate. They fell, and by that fall " lirDUght deatli into the worlil, .tiuI all our woe." Tempted by the flattering lies of the old ser- pent, under whom Satan is supposed to have been represented, the woman took of the for- bidden fruit, and prevailed upon her hu.sband to share her sin. Hitherto they had been upright, knowing neither good nor evil, for j^ood is only a relative quality, and only recog- nizable in the comparison with existing evil. But now their eyes were at once " opened to know both good and evil " — to know good lost, and evil won. The innocence which be- fore had covered them as a robe was gone, and " they saw that they were naked." Before this, in their innocence of soul, " they were naked and not ashamed ; " but now the same fact became to them a matter of shame and confusion of fajce. Their first impulse was to seek wherewith to cover them ; and they twisted fig-leaves together, " and made them- selves aprons," for that purpose. The same impulse of conscious guilt led them to hide themselves among the trees, where " they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." That voice they had never before heard without gladne.ss; but now it was the voice of their Judge. After a mystical judgment on the beguiling serpent, and after pronouncing the pangs of childbirth as the doom of the woman, He turned to Adam and said, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken : for dust thou art, and unto du.st thou shalt return." This sentence involved expul- sion from Eden : and subjected the guilty pair to the physical conditions which brought death upon them, and upon all who sprang from them. Yet this sentence, extorted fron; the Divine justice, was accompanied by miti- gating intimations ; and promises, not perhaps intended to be then clearly understood, were held out of some mighty deliverance from the penalties of sin through one born of woman. The geographical position of Eden is purely conjectural ; different writers have pi. iced it in various positions, and nothing can now be known with certainty concerning its locality. It has been placed by some on the Lower Euphrates, near the junction of that rixcr with the Tigris and the Gulf of Persia. 1^\- others it has been described as situated in Media, Armenia, or the North of Mesopo- tamia, all mountain tracts of extreme beauty and fertility. It has also been imagined that ■M THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. 19 I robe was gone, ; naked." Before ioul, " they were »ut now the same ter of .shame and St impulse was to hem ; and they ' and made tliem- pose. The same ed them to hide :s, where " the}- God walirn of the flesh,. : could not fed 1 he heard tlie punishment of his wrong-doing. The voice of Abel's blood cried out for vengeance on the murderer. God tells Cain that he is cursed from the earth: when he tills the ground it shall not henceforth yield her strength; but he .should be a fugitive and vagabond. And Cain answered, " My pun- ishment is greater than I am able to bear." A Homeless Fugitive. Here was the fruit of the forbidden tree. The first human death was by murder, and the *first man born in the world a murderer and fratricide. This first slaughter was too dread- ful an offence for any but the Giver of life to judge: and He judged it, not by taking another life, but by dooming the wretched and self-convicted criminal to wander forth in wild and infertile regions, afar from his kin- dred and parental home, with " the voice of his brother's blood" crying always in his ears. Under this sentence Cain wandered forth and established himself in the land of Nod. There his family increased, and his descendants built cities, and became the inventors of many useful arts. One of them, called Jabal, was the first who took to that nomadic life — living in tents, and rearing cattle — to which so many tribes of men in Asia are still devoted ; another, named Jubal, was the inventor of the lyre and the Pandean pipe ; another, named Tubal-cain, was the first who found out the use of iron and copper to man ; another, named Lamech, seems to have been the first who devised the evil practice of polygamy, for of him it is told that he took •'wo wives — Adah and Zillah. Meanwhile other children were born to Adam and Eve, only one of whom, Seth, is particularly mentioned, because from him sprang the family which eventually survived the desolation of the habitable world. Great Length of Human Life. The remaining hi.story to the Deluge is occupied chiefly with lists of names and ages, which are of importance to us chiefly by showing the length of the interval between the Creation and the Deluge, and which on this ground is commonly estimated at one thou- sand six hundred and fifty-seven years. The names are not many, for before the Deluge the lives of men were of immense duration, varying from nearly eight hundred to nearly a thousand years. The shortest life recorded is that of Lamech, the father of Noah, who died at the age ot seven hundred and seventy- seven years ; the longest, that of Methusaleh, who lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years. This longevity must have been highly favorable to the increase of population — deaths being so few, and births so many. It must have been also favorable to much progress in the arts of life — and perhaps a correct notion has scarcely yet been formed of the extent to which the ancient world was probably peopled, or of the progress which had been made in what are now called the arts of civilization. The Scriptural intimations are exceedingly concise, and only enable us to perceive that a most corrupt and criminal condition of society was soon engendered among all the races of men which sprang from Adam. The race of Seth seems to have the longest retained its uprightness and fidelity to God ; but it was gradually led to contract alliances with the race of Cain, which in the end con- founded the one and the other in the same disorders by which the earth was filled with violence and wrong. From such inter- marriages sprang men celebrated not more for their larger stature than for the corruption of their manners. And in the end things came to such a pass, that the fair creation was made abominable in the eyes of its Divine Creator, and He made known to the still up- right family of Noah his design to purge the face of the earth, by a Flood of waters, of all its tainted inhabitants. Noah was ordered to prepare a huge vessel, suited to float upon the surface of the waters, and spacious enougli to contain not only the good man's own family, but couples of the different .species of animals, destined eventually to replenish the desolated earth. The ark was a long time in prcparali.n, u THREATENINGS AT LAST FULFILLED. during which the guilty men were warned of destruction, and, urged by Noah to repentance, not : and the terrible doom, so long denounced and so mercifully delayed, came down at last. ! I »l j.S: \ i !"i j'i ANIMALS ENTERING THE ARK. — Genesis vii. 8, 9. had ample time in which to turn from their evil I Many have been the speculations about the ways. But they turned not; they repented I ark of Noah, and various the forms which i THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. 26 I long denounced ne down at last. tions about the ; forms which have been assigned to it. It has been usual to suppose its hull similar to that of a ship. But the hull of a ship is expressly designed for progress through the waters ; whereas for the ark it was only requisite that it should be upborne, at rest, upon the surface. It was tlierefore, in all probability, flat-bottomed, and shnped not unlike the houses which were at tiiat time in use. We know that it was divided into different decks, or stories, divided doubtless into various stalls or cabins for the different bestial and human inmates, and for the storing of provisions ; and the whole was covered by a sloping roof. It was built of gopher wood, which is supposed to have been the same as the cypress, and it was well covered inside and out with pitch. Its dimen- sions were very vast, being three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The cubit was about eighteen inches ; and hence these dimensions may be expressed as equal to four hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. ; , At length, about one thousand six hundred and fifty-seven years from the Creation, the word was given to Noah, and he entered the ark, with his immediate family, consisting of his wife, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives — in all eight persons — who alone, of all the multitude inhabiting the earth, were destined to outlive the coming desolation. The righteous family, in obedi- ence to the Divine command, took with them on board the ark seven pairs of every clean beast, and one pair of every one that was not clean. The Deluge. The stupendous event which now came on is related by the sacred historian in a few ap- parently simple phrases, but containing images of the most massive magnificence. "All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." It rained forty days and nights, so violently and incessantly, that " the waters prevailed exceed- ingly upon the earth, and all the high hills which were under the whole heaven were covered." The waters rose indeed fifteen cubits above the tops of the highest mountains, and thus every living creature not capable of inhabiting the waters was overwhelmed and destroyed. The Flood continued for a con- siderable time after the inhabitants of the earth had perished; but at length the rain ceased, the waters gradually subsided, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month from the commencement of the Deluge, the ark rested upon one of the summits of Mount Ararat. Biblical geographers are not perfectly agreed as to the region in which this mountain of Ararat should be sought; but the general current of opinion and tradition, together with the historical probabilities of the case, seem sufficiently to agree in identifying it with the mountain of Aradagh in Armenia, which travellers usually describe under the name of Ararat. Contrary to the common opinion, which supposes that the ark necessarily rested upon the highest of the mountains in its neigh- borhood, we should be more inclined to sup- pose that it rested on the lower summit, or in the gorge between the upper and the lower. It will occur to any one who gazes upon that mountain, that had the ark rested on the highest summit, covered, as that summit is, with perpetual ice, and all but inaccessible to human foot, it would not have been possible for the various inmates of the ark to descend in safety to the plain without some special miracle, of which the sacred text affords no trace, and which would be rendered unneces- sary by placing the ark upon a lower level. Sending^ Forth the Dove. Forty days after the mountain tops had first become visible, Noah became anxious to ascertain the condition of the earth, and to that end let a raven fly forth from the ark. The raven went to and fro, away from the ark, then returned again to rest upon its top, and at last remained away altogether. Seven days after Noah sent forth a dove — a bird whose tender attachment to its mate gave good assurance of its return. " The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot," either 1 111 11 h li t, 1 i 111 . Jl; : 26 THE VVINGKU MESSENGER. because the mountains were far off, or remote from the course she took, or, wliich is more lii.'.,'i Pi:J to the prisoners mouth an olivc- t was plain that even from the low lands the water had now abated. In the six hundred and first year of Noah's life, and on the first day of the first month, the earth being completely dried, Noah began to dismantle the ark ; and on the twenty-seventh day of the second month he finally quitted it, together with all his family, after having been in it a year and two days. The animals were also sent forth, and allowed to disperse them- selves over the earth, excepting such of the tame animals as the only surviving family of man chose to retain, as the foundation of future flocks and herds. Appalling Scene of Destruction. We can form but a very weak conception of the horrors of the Flood. We may think of the awful cataracts of water pouring from the clouds ; of the uprising of the mighty deep, rushing in — a wall of water — on the land ; we may picture to ourselves the terror of the people, awakened but too late to a sense of tiieir danger ; we may see crowds ascending the lofty mountains as the deluge sweeps the valleys ; we may see the wild beasts tamed witii terror, the lion standing harmless by the gazelle, the timid hare crouching beneath the shadow of the tiger ; we may see the eagles fluttering over the deep abyss, uttering shrill cries as their eyries are invaded by the water ; we may see the little children clinging to the mothers' skirts, dumb with fright at the dread- ful spectacle before them ; we may see the wife's eyes turned in dismay upon her husband, while he in blank horror surveys the fearful scene of devastation, and with his little family around him dies a thoiisand deaths in dying one, but we can form no adequate conception of the dreadful scene. There are traditions of this terrible catas- trophe among all nations ; there are plain evidences of its wide extent in our geological strata; it has left its indelible mark on the world. In the ark, all living things were represented, either by single pairs or by seven pairs ; and when the Flood subsided and the ark rested on " the mount of descent." the creatures came forth, and Noah, erecting an altar, offered sacrifice and worshipped. Strange legends of the wood of the ark induced many pilgrims in ages gone by to attempt its discovery, but there is no satisfactory evidence of any part of this singular structure ever having been found. There is something sublime and solemnizing in the contemplation of the redeemed family — the only survivors of the whole world's popu- lation — coming into a new world as it were, a new world which is but the sepulchre of the old, and prostrating themselves before that awful Being of whose judgments they have been the witness, and beseeching Him to curse the earth no more. There is a divine promise given that never again shall the earth be sub- merged, and lo ! as a ratification of the promise is the bow in the cloud. When on the stormy sky the rainbow exhibits its rich coloring, we have the seal and the sign of God's covenant, that while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, summer and winter shall not cease. But the fear of another destruction oppressed the minds of succeeding generations. The story of the Deluge told by father to son wrought a feeling of vindictiveness in many who thought it a hard thing that they should be called on to reverence a Deity at whose dread will a world was drowned. Not a cloud appeared in the sky but they were filled with terror ; not a heavy shower poured down but they looked for utter destruction ; if the tide rose higher than common, there was dismay, and they made light of the divine promise and felt no encouragement in thf bow in the cloud. This led to an attempt to erect a building which would tower above the waters that might again drown the earth. Thus ended that great catastrophe, which has left ineradicable traces upon the surface and in the bowels of the earth, and the memory of which has been preserved in the traditions of all mankind, in all their languages. As it seems very evident that the object of the Deluge was to extirpate evil, we must regard its resulting effects, whether physical or moral, i I i *2H EFFECTS OF THE DELUGE. as beneficial upon the whole, whatever estimate itandaril. It may be well to keep in view that our untutored judgment might form of some the objects of the Deluge were avowedly to NOAii's SACRIFICE. — Gen. viii. 20. of its more particular effects — such as the shortening of human life, which after the Deluge very rapidly declined to its present be the termination of a state of human nature which had become incurably deteriorated in that form by the existinpj popul.ition ; and to be TIIK HOW IN TIIK CLOUDS. 89 eep in view that e avowedly " to i im m also the commencement of a new generation and diffusion of liuninn beings of a superior kind, and from a selected sto(k, that was the least vitiated by the demoralization of the rest." The sacrifice of Noah was a fitting recogni- tion of the Divine goodness. Only one family of all the families of the earth had been saved from the destruction which engulfed the human race. This whole narrative of the Deluge is a striking witness of the wickedness of man on the one hand, and of the favor of his Maker on the other. We are taught to believe that the world had become desperately wicked ; that such enormous and astounding crimes were committed as to exceed even the strongest imagination. A rude, rough, coarse class of men it was, with no sense of self or mutual respect ; given up to the vilest vices ; strong in nothing but its daring impiety. Noah, how- ever, seems to have kept his faith, and to have been a man very different from all others of that period. He was the bright star gleaming through a night of blackness and darkness, and he and his household were rewarded for those qualities of character which marked them as peculiar and separated them from all others. It should be noticed that the same favor of Heaven, which preserved one family during this Flood that drowned the world, still showed itself after the waters had subsided. It is not strange that men were timid, feared what might happen in the future, wondered if again the flood-gates of the upper deep would be opened, and wore anxious concerning their security. It was a question with them wlu-liier life would ever again be swept from the face of the earth, and in order that their fears might be allayed, the rainbow with its seven colors was placed in the sky — an arch beau- tiful even as it was prophetic, giving assurance that the floods should never descend again. According to natural principles the rainbow must have been in existence from the begin- ning, unless the earth was in the fir^t place watered only by dews. We know how it is formed, and we know that the law- of nature did not change in order that the si y might be spanned with this majestic arch. It is doubt- less true that the rainbow was taken at this time and given to man as a sure sign and signal that he would be providentially pre- served, and that the days of floods were ended. So on his coming forth from the ark it is pleasant to recollect that Noah built his altar, laid upon it the sacrifice, and kindled the con- suming fires. The light of that sacrifice gleams against the dark sky of the early history, and its beams will not be lost to the eye which, latest in time, is turned backward toward the beginning. In short, we have here a great historic event, one that is not merely promi- nent in Biblical history, but in secular records and even in that book of the world whose leaves are made of solid rock, and whose let- tering abides from age to age. human nature deteriorated in tioii ; and to be CHAPTER II. ABRAM AND LOT. ^HE instant the second father of mankind set his foot upon the earth he proceeded to erect an altar, and offer burnt-offer- ings to God, in token of fervent adoration and gratitude to the great De- hverer, who had so wonder- fully preserved him and his alone, as the sole survivors on the desolate earth. This first impulse of the preserved family God regarded with complacency, and He was pleased to renew to the v^ S%32r appointed progenitors of a ^ ^ new race of men the blessing pronounced originally upon the first human pair : " Be ye fruitful and multiply." Other matters were added for their benefit and encouragement. The original grant of dominion over the animal creation was re- newed to them, but with some variations on the original appointment, and with so marked an emphasis in the permission to use beasts for food, " even as the green herb," that many have been led to suppose that there was no use of the flesh of animals before the Deluge. To obviate the apprehension >^ which must have been left in the mind of Noah by the terrible judgment which he had witnessed, God was further pleased to assure him that the world should never more be destroyed by " a flood of water," and that " while the earth re- mained, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day arid night, should not cease." Six divisions of the natural j'ear are here indicated ; and it seems that the Jews ultimately adopted the same (3(1) division of the seasons in reference to the labors of agriculture. They are still in use among the Arabs. The rainbow, which is the effect of known natural causes, was appointed by God as the appropriate seal and pledge of this covenant It has been thought from this that the rain- bow was a new object to Nonh, in which case there could have been no rain before the Deluge, and the earth must then have been watered by streams and copious dews. In support of this view. Gen. ii. 6, " There went up a mist from the earth and watered the face of the ground," is very frequently quoted. Noah proceeded to cultivate the ground in the plains to which he had descended. A vineyard was among the objects of his culture ; and the impartial sacred record, which unhesitatingly makes known the crimes and errors of its greatest and best characters, proceeds to inform us that he became ine- briated with the wine, and, as he slept the sleep of drunkenness, lay indecently exposed. In this state he became the object of mockery to his son Ham, but of filial duty to Shem and Japheth. This conduct brought upon Ham the dreaded and predictive paternal curse, and the equally predictive blessing upon Shem and Japheth. The curse and the blessing seem to have been accomplished in the lot of their respective descendants, for Ham is regarded as the progenitor of the African races, and Shen? of the Asiatic, and Japheth of the European families of men. Noah lived after the Flood three hundred and fifty years, in apparent happiness and peace, and in the enjoyment of every blessing; and he died at the age of nine hundred and fifty years, bewailed by his children and their numerous descendants. How long the fathers of mankind remained •eference to the are still in use essing seem to three hundred happiness and :very blessing ; : hundred and dren and their kind remained BUILDING THE TOWER OF BABEL. — Gen. xi. 4. 31 32 CONFUSION OF TONGUES. together in the region where the ark rested, we are not informed. They were not likely to remove soon, or until compelled to do so by the pressure of an increased population, bound as they were together by the bonds of a known relationship, and by the ties of a com- mon language. Eventually they arrived in the land of Shinar, where plains apparently boundless seemed to offer ample room for their increase without further wandering. This is the region watered by the Tigris and Euphrates, in which Babylon was afterwards situated. This region was then, as now, des- titute of wood as well as of stone ; but, deeming this a suitable home, they proceeded to make bricks, with which to build "a city and a tower." By a strong hyperbole, common in the East, they described this as a tower whose top should " reach unto heaven." This means simply a very high tower. The first of men were surely not idiots, and we have no right to suppose them capable of the exceedingly absurd intentions which have been ascribed to this erection. The plain Scriptural account is not only the best and most reasonable, but the only one on which we can rely. It amounts to this — that they feared being dispersed abroad, separated from each other, lost in their needful wanderings with their flocks in these vast plains. To prevent this, the tower was to be so high as to serve for a landmark and rallying-point to all their families. The People Dispersed. We know that the rotundity of the earth will, at a given distaiice, throw out of sight, below the visible horizon, not only the highest tower that man ever built, but the loftiest mountains. The first man after the Deluge, being, however, new to the phenomena which plains afford the best opportunities of observ- ing,, had probably been in the habit of ascrib- 'ing to other and accidental causes such in- stances of the disappearance of visible objects as they had found occasion to notice. The design of remaining together was, however, contrary to the designs of God ; and a special interposition of His providence rendered all their plans abortive, and compelled them to disperse and people the different regions of the earth. This was effected by causing such a diver- sity in their language that they were unable to understand one another, and were thus constrained to abandon their design, and to separate from each other in groups propor- tioned to the number of the dialects which were thus created among them. The word Babel means confusion, and it was from this " confusion of tongues " at the place that the unfinished tower came to be called the " tower of Babel," and the city of " Babylon." The historical importance of the city was, however, of much later date, when it became the seat of a mighty empire, and when, as it would seem, the remains of the primitive fabric were made to form the basis of a tower of extraordinary form and elevation, which was counted one of the wonders of the world, and the supposed shape of which must be familiar to the reader from the numerous figures which are abroad under the name of the " tower of Babel." These figures are framed from the descriptions left by ancient Greek travellers of the tower which existed in and after the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Modern Babylout On the now desolate site of the once mighty Babylon there are two lofty and large mounds or hills of ruin, the one or the other of which has been supposed to offer the remains of this celebrated tower. One of them now bears the name of Birs Nimrod (tower of Nimrod), and the other of Mujelibe ; and the former is that which is now usually identified with this ancient monument. The confusion of tongues, and consequent dispersion from Babel, took place, according to the common chronology, in the year 2230 B. c, being one hundred and seventeen years after the Deluge. Among those who remained in this region was a person of active and enterprising habits, named Nimrod, who is described as " a mighty hunter." This person, doubtless by means of :^ i ABRAM AND LOT. ipelled them to rent regions of g such a diver- jey were unable and were thus ' design, and to groups propor- i dialects which m. onfusion, and it tongues " at the wer came to be and the city of nportance of the later date, when hty empire, and remains of the ) form the basis ■m and elevation, e wonders of the le of which must [ti the numerous der the name of liese figures are i left by ancient which existed in idnezzar. the once mighty nd large mounds e other of which the remains of fthem now bears )wer of Nimrod), ind the former is :ntified with this and consequent place, according in the year 2230 seventeen years ;d in this region terprising habits, )ed as " a mighty ess by means of the bold and hardy men who took part in his huntings, was enablod to establish his domin- ion over several of the cities of this region, and thus to form what seems to have been the first of human kingdoms. In process of time a very general corruption of manners, connected with and arising from a forgetfulness or neglect of the God of Noah, seems to have arisen not only in the land of Shinar, but in the other countries to which the families of men had migrated, and in which they had formed communities more or less organized. At length, about three centuries after the Deluge, the Divine Creator, who had declared that He would no more destroy the earth for man's sake, saw it right to commence the wondrous train of operations whereby He de- signed to keep in the corrupting world a testi- mony for the truth, until the arrival of the fully ripened time for the appearance of the Redeemer — of Him who H'as to bring in a new order of things, and to crush iniquity beneath His feet. This was to be accomplished by making a single man — a family — a nation springing from him, the special objects of the Divine care and providence, and to commit to their keeping the great truths which the world at large refused to retain in its knowledge. The person chosen for this was a man named Abram, dwelling in the district of" Ur of the Chaldees," and probably belonging to that kingdom — if it still subsisted — which Nimrod had established. In human estimation Abram would have seemed but ill suited for the high destinies in which a numerous posterity was essentially involved, for he and his wife Sarai were already old, and they had no children. It will be found interesting to trace the suc- cessive steps by which this renowned person- age was prepared for and placed under the circumstances necessary to the great designs of which he was the object. The true histoiy of the Israelites begins with Abram. But it is all vague and shadowy, as all very ancient history must be ; Arabia was beginning to take some hold on the world ; Egypt was growing into a power ; but 8 the Jews — as we now call them — were as yet no people. Chaldea, or part of the Nimrod territory — Yemon now caHed — was struggling towards the light, and Egypt was making steadier and more satisfactory advances ; there was a land called Canaan, very prolific and rich under good husbandage, and capable of being turned to good account by competent hands. In Chaldea sprang up astrology ; shepherds out on the plains gazed on the stars whilst they minded their flocks, and fancied they could trace, in starry courses, in the midnight sky, God's way with a man in the world, A Maker of Idols. A part of the country of Chaldea was called Ur ; the name is said to have signified fire or light, and we are told that this name was chosen on account of the place being notori- ously idolatrous — there it was supposed heaven revealed itself and dark sayings were made clear. In the county, if the expression may be used, or the city of Ur dwelt the descendants of Shem, the son of Noah. There were nine generations. The last was Terah, the father of Abraham. Terah is said to have been not only an idolator, but an idol maker. No man knew better than he that the gods he made were no gods ; that the statues he constructed could neither hear with their ears, see with their eyes, speak through their throats, nor breathe through their nostrils ; but tradition tells us that he persisted in ascribing to them divine honor until the soul of Abram was stirred within him. One day, when his father was away from the atelier, he took a strong ham- mer and knocked half the idols to pieces. When Terah returned and inquired the cause, Abram told him the gods had fallen to fight- ing as to which was the greatest, and in the battle had reduced themselves to the sight he saw. Terah, who would not give up his faith in their vitality, was forced to silence. As Abram grew older, he began boldly to argue about the unity of God, and the Chal- AN ANGRY PEOPLE. m ill II deans, who believed in lords many and gods many, were excessively outraged by his language. He argued that the ways of all under rule — under one rule ; and that hence there must be one ruler— a corollary which ex- cited a very great disturbance indeed. The THE EGYl-llAN KING TAKING THE WIFE OF ABRAHAM. — Gen. xii. 1 5. creation showed that there was a common originator and ruler ; that neither earth, nor sea, nor sky could do as it would, but was rancorous feeling aroused against the reformer made matters very serious for the family of Terah. Their best and wisest plan was to get Abrs and woul It sei had coun fathe thee and bless curse shall Al and feell forsa him i whit! years —he but i may who Th had Adat Mela only andc theg withe every creati the fe to b( devic At to ta emig with womi selfisl usual [they ABRAM AND LOT. 35 and that hence Dllary which ex- e indeed. The St mi IMii^ »\\^' ' 15- inst the reformer )r the family of !st plan was to get away from the angry people. As for Abram, he had within his own heart a deep and positive conviction that this removal would be ultimately conducive to much good. It seemed to him that close in his ear a voice had SDoken saying, *' Get thee out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee : and I will make of thee a great nation ; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the tamilies of the earth be blessed." A Mail of 3Ioral Courage. Abram was resolved on leaving Chaldea and taking up his abode whither he should feel himself led. The land of idols was to be forsaken, and he and those who belonged to him must go forth, but going they knew not whither. As for himself, he was seventy-five years old — comparatively young in those days — he was married ; his wife's name was Sarai ; but he had no child, so he adopted, as we may say, his nephew Lot, the son of Haran, who had died, leaving him an orphan. The denunciations of the young reformer had made affairs critical in Chaldea. " Old Adam " miglit be " too strong for young Melancthon," but opposition and self-assertion only made Abram the stronger. He plainly and openly denounced the pagan rites, ridiculed the gods, proclaimed the name of the Infinite, j without beginning, without end, inmieasurable, everywhere present with every one of his creatures, the living Father of all, touched with i the feeling of all natural infirmities, and never I to be likened to an image graven of man's ! device. A Wouclert>il Country. Abram, however, saw it was ::is plain duty I to take his departure from the land, so he [emigrated into the land of Canaan: he took with him his wife — an extremely beautiful woman, and his nephew Lot — an exceedingly , selfish man. Of course, such property as was usually regarded in that light, flocks and herds, [they would have with them, and no doubt money. But the land into which they went was in a sad condition. A terrible famine prevailed, and was numbering the living with the dead each day. And yet the land was beautiful to the eye ; nature seemed to have shed abundant blessings on it, and the mysterious voice still sounded in the ear of the emigrant, " This land shall thy seed possess." A wondrous land of wealth and beauty, high hills, their sides all clothed with richest vegetation, deep green valleys and pasture lands of great extent. And this land was to belong to the children of Abram : it was to be his seed's possession — where, as yet, the ground on which he stood was not his own — not even six feet of earth for a burial-place. While the prospect of a grand fortune was very delightful, pressing necessities marred its beauty. There was a famine, and Abram felt that he must seek out some place where he and his might rest in security and obtain what they needed. The good land of Egypt was that to which he turned his eyes. In ancient history, before the days of Greeks or Romans, but three nations are prominent, the Arabians (including Assyria and Babylonia), the Egyp- tians, and the Jews. The Israelites were as yet no people. They were represented by Abram alone, but the country from which Abram came out was great and powerful, the land that was promised to his seed was still held by the Canaanites, and the land whither he went was Egypt, famous now in history. History in Stone. " O, Egypt, Egypt ! fabler, alone will be thy future history, wholly incredible to later gener- ations, and nought but the letter of thy stone- engraved monuments will survive." Such was the prophecy of the Hermetic books, themselves reported fabulous. Yet Egypt, so long enveloped in a mystery as deep as that which surrounds the Sphinx, has found its in- terpreter in the square of black basalt known as the Rosetta stone. By aid of this stone, the learned have been able to decipher the hieroglyphics, and what was dark is light 1:1 m THE CHILDREN OF HAM. The dumb monuments of antiquity speak freely to us of the mighty past of Egypt. Not that they can tell us its beginning, it be- ing impossible to fix with certainty upon any date ; but the same difficulty occurs in the early chapters of more modern histories. Perhaps, after a lengthened sojourn together, during which time they would be increasing and multiplying strongly, these children of Ham, lured southward by tlie fruitful valleys, would seek their settlements about the Nile, and we are told that these settlers grew into a great nation, and the priests took the suprem- acy, paying the fighting men to keep in sub- jection the laboring classes, who were doubly awed into obedience by the mystery which attached to the clergy and the unscrupulous ferocity of the military. After some time it appears these two dominant classes came into opposition, and the troopers found themselves more than a match for the self-exalted priests ; consequently they were reduced to the second place in the empire : whether the people were any better for the change is not to be ascertained in these days. Menes sat on his throne, and ruled in great pomp and power about the time, or, per- haps, a little before the time that Nineveh was being planned. This was a long time before Abram, with his v.'ife and nephew, came into Egypt, and found there a high cultivation among the upper classes ; such as he had never known — abundance and prosperity, con- trasting agreeably with the condition of Canaan, out of which he came. But Abram suspected that when the king or some of the leading nobility saw the ex- treme beauty of his wife they would kill him and take her away. This dread was unworthy of so great a man, but there was reason in it ; so he directed her to let it be generally sup- posed she was his sister. This brought about the mischief he wished to avoid, for the king took Sarai, and made rich presents to her supposed brother. Before, however, he made Sarai his wife, the real state of the case was make known to him, and although he was grieved, and blamed Abram, he treated him very kindly, and allowed Abram and Sarai to remain in the land, receiving many privileges. When Abram returned into Canaan, he had scarcely settled down before a serious quarrel arose concerning pasturage between his own herdsmen and those who looked after the cattle of his nephew. As the quarrels were of continual recurrence, Abram deter- mined on a separation. The land they oc- cupied was to be divided between them, and like a generous and honorable gentleman, he gave his nephew the choice. Lot took time to consider, and then picked what to all ap- pearance was the very best part of the posses- sion — a fine, wide-spreading plain on the banks of the river Jordan. The uncle occupied what the nephew left, the lower grounds at the foot of the mountains, and took up his own residence in Hebron with his family. Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot seems to have forgotten that good land may be spoilt by bad neighbors. In the neighborhood where he set up his camp were two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, notorious for the vicious and abominable lives of their people. These people would naturally be a great trouble to him, and he had omitted this item in his calculations. They were rich and prosperous, and arrogantly insolent, as people are often made by too many of this world's goods. Their chieftains, particularly those of Sodom, raised a commotion among neighbor- ing chieftains. The Assyrians were in the as- cendant, and compelled these men of Sodom to pay tribute, which they did for twelve years. The thirteenth imposed they indignantly rejected. The Assyrians swept the plains of Jordan, and laid siege to Sodom. Many were killed, many wounded, many carried off prisoners, and amongst the latter Lot found himself hurried off, and all his property. It is more than likely then that he discovered he had not been so wise in his choice as he imagined. Abram heard the news. Things had not gone well with his nephew. The finest op- portunities are not always the best stepping- stones to fortune. Lot was a ruined man, ! ill ABRAM AND LOT. 37 and a prisoner in tlie hands of those who were total strangers to mercy. True, he had be- liaved badly to Abrar:, but wiiat have old wrongs to do with us whew our opponent is ill great calamity ? Although Abram had the worst of the land, he was very rich. With him everything had prospered. Instinctively he summoned his retainers, just as an old Scottish chief might have done, when the Southerners crossed the border, and the fire- cross was displayed from hill to hill. Blood is thicker thaii water, according to the common saying. Abram could summon three hundred and eighteen men, all as leal to him as men could be. So they sped after the Assyrians, fell on them — made short work of the fight — rescued Lot and all that belonged to him, and put shame on the boasted powers of chieftains who fled before a mere handful of determined men. Timely Rescue of Lot. When the battle was over, and Abram, with his clan, his prisoners, and spoil, came down on Jordan, a holy man who dwelt in those parts came forth to bless him, and Abram made him a rich present, thereby recognizing in him a high order of priesthood. But when the King of Sodom came to congratulate and offer gifts, he gave no heed to him at all, refused to take of all the spoil even a thread, or a leather sandal, and plainly he let the effeminate monarch know it was not on his account he had come out, but simply to save his nephew's life and secure his nephew's property. By dream, vision, or mysterious voice, Abram was encouraged. All the land was to be his and his seed's forever. But he had no seed. Eleazer, his servant, must be his successor, for children he had none. This was an occasion of much grief to Abram, and no doubt it was to his wife also; and when he was told that his children should be as numerous as the stars of heaven or the sands! on the seashore it almost seemed like mockery, j Still Abram believed that it would be so, in ' spite of all the difficulties that seemed to stand ' in the way, and on this account he bears the name of the Father of the Faithful. Birth of iHiiac. And in course of time Sarah — for her name was changed from Sarai to Sarah, both names expressing princess, but the latter of a higher dignity — bore Abram a son, and there was great rejoicing. The child was called Isaac, a word signifying laughter. It was, no doubt, chosen by Abram and Sarah to remind them how both had sometimes laughed at the thought of a child being born to them in their old age. While these events had transpired in the house of Abram, his nephew Lot had fallen into great diflficulties. He had taken up his abode in the city of Sodom, with his wife and two daughters. The wickedness of the people must have offended him every day of his life, indeed we are told that it " vexed his righteous soul ; " but perhaps a residence in the city had commercial advantages which in the mind of this man counterbalanced its annoyances. However this may be, he was startled one night by the arrival of two young men, who assured him that the city, togethe r with that of the neighboring city, Gomorrah, would speedily be destroyed, and that he and all who belonged to him must depart the very first thing in the morning. Their abominations were such as seemed to require that they should be swept from the earth by some terrible sudden stroke, to evince that a just and holy God still governed the world. Swift Destruction. The avenging angels were at length sent down ; and as Abram sat in his tent door in the heat of the day, he beheld them advancing in the likeness of wayfaring men, and persuaded them to accept the hospitalities of his tent. As they departed the most august of these personages tarried a while, and revealed to Abram the doom of the cities of the plain. The patriarch interceded, with respectful im- portunity, on their behalf, lest the rii^iiteous should perish with the wicked ; and ii-.- at Hi I !^ i; !I 11 .1 ■! 1 1 S8 THE DOOMED CITIES. lengtli obtained the promise that if but ten I the cities had lain, he saw tliat the whole had righteous men were found in Sodom, the been destroyed by fire from heaven, and the threatened ruin should not come down. I smoke of their burning still arose " like the But the ten righteous men were not found ; and when Abram aroFe early in the morning and looked towards the fertile vale in which FLEEING FROM BURNING SODOM. — Gen. xix. 2$. smoke of a furnace ; " and the vale, once " like the garden of the Lord," has since, under the name of the Dead Sea, remained an abiding -^^^1 1 wor ^m Lot 1 ang his ^H the H by '« cov 1 pill J 1 mg Irei ■ the ■;' Th( :■- bea ■i figi ■■, waj "■'. ign .i^ VlSl ^ ,■•:" 1 ■ 'i ove y. sm< -\ the A IS t 'A tot: . i tho ::i per lad mM wh ^M rib ^M the ^M the ^M dre ^M fac ^H loc W^ bu m Lo ;:;9 as.' ti^H of we '19 we ^s M( ■^jj an ;|fl wh i; J Bi -^^^1 PI: its 1 ABRAM AND LOT. 39 wonder to all who have passed that way. But ' Jordan ; its second from the extreme saltness Lot had not perished. The commissioned of its waters ; and its third from its locality in angels had urged him forth, with his wife and Judea, and to distinguish it from the West his two daughters ; and they all escaped, save Sea, by which in ancient times was understood the wife, who, lingering behind, was overtaken by the destroying element, and remained, covered with a saline incrustation, like " a pillar of salt," upon the borders of the plain. Josephus asserts that this pillar was stand- ing when he wrote, and that he had seen it. Irena^us, who lived in the second century of the Christian era, makes the same statement. The probability is that a mass of basaltic rock, bearing some resemblance to the human figure, had come to be called Lot's wife, and was regarded with superstitious terror by the ignorant people, who infected the minds of the visitors. A Marvellous Sea. The scene of the horrible catastrophe which overwhelmed the cities of the plain has ever since been marked by a vast inland lake called the Dead Sea. The scenery around the lake is of the most dreary description ; there is a total absence of vegetation ; the ground is thoroughly impregnated with salt; the tem- perature is usually very high ; the air seems of a height called Nebbea Moussa you catch a the Mediterranean, or Great Sea. Siiif^ular Stories. There is no doubt that the total absence of life around this lake, or sea, has given to it the name it bears, and out of this have sprung many errors to which common currency has given the weight of truth. Even in these days we may find tolerably well-informed people asserting that no fish can live in the Dead Sea, and no birds fly over it. Both statements are quite untrue. Formerly it was asserted that once or twice a year the submerged cities were visible, and the well-worn illustration of apples of Sodom, fair to the eye but dust in the hand, was held to be truth. There are, of course, great mistakes made, and a mistake once made is endlessly repeated. In approaching this Dead Lake, we see it many times, and lose it as many — but once — that is when it appears before us in all its dismal grandeur. When you get to the top laden with salt, and the bleak rocky mountains which rise around it have about them a hor- rible grotesqueness which seems well suited to the place. Throughout its neighborhood there is neither food for beast nor bird. A dreary stillness settles over the unruffled sur- face of the sluggish water; it seems a fit locality for all that is evil to be done, nothing but death and desolation watching. In Arabic the Dead Sea is called " Bahr-el- Lout," that is, the Sea of Lot, thus directly associating it with the destruction of the cities of the plain. In the visitation by which they were destroyed the surrounding country under- went an extraordinary change, and is said by Moses to have become " a land of brimstone and salt, and burning," characteristics by which it still continues to be marked. In the Bible these waters are called the Sea of the Plain, the Salt Sea, and the Easi Sea, taking its first from its situation in the plain of the fair view of the sea : it is a soft deep purple, brightening into blue. The road lies down what seems a vast sloping causeway from the mountains, between two ravines, walled by cliffs several hundred feet in height. It gradually flattens into a plain, covered with a white, saline incrustation, and grown with clumps of sour willow, tamarisk, and other shrubs. All the plants look as if they were smitten with leprosy. As you draw near to the sea, the heat becomes intense, the air so dense that with some peopk it will bring on earache. As to the sea, it resembles a great caldron, sunk between mountains three or four thousand feet in height ; and j-et it is at a depth of thirteen thousand feet below the Mediterranean. You may bathe in the water if you will, but it is not refreshing; very salt and bitter ; very buoyant also, but slimy and not easily to be rid of — clammy, glutinouf. and sometimes leading to fever. ' i 11 i 'I CHAPTER III. TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH, 'HEN Isaac was born, Abraham was a hundred years old, and twenty-five years had passed since this blessing had been first prom- ised to him ; and it is perhaps difiicult to conceive the gladness which filled the hearts of the aged pair at this accomplishment of all their hopes. The tenderness of the paternal heart towards Ishmael was unabated ; but he was no longer even mistaken for the child of the promise, no longer Sarah's adopted son, and no longer his father's heir by that adoption. He had be- come the son of the bondwoman. As for Sarah, the lad, who had appeared of some consequence in her eyes so long as she had no hope of a child of her own, at once became as nothing in her sight, and what might have been merely a passive feeling in her was turned into bitterness and active dislike against both Hagar and her son, by their signs of discontent and derision at her happy lot. At the great feast which was held on the day that Isaac was weaned, these feelings were so offensively manifested, that Sarah was roused to anger, and she insisted with Abra- ham that they should be sent away from the camp. This demand, which she had a right of custom to make, was very grievous to Abraham because of his son ; but having been assured from heaven that Ishmael, although not the promised heir, should for his sake be- come a special object of the Divine care, and j that his posterity should become a mighty nation, his reluctance subsided, and rising early in the morning, he sent them away with (40) a skin of water and such other provisions as the journey required. It seems to have been the intention of Hagar to return to Egypt, to which country she belonged. But having lost her way in the southern wilderness, she wandered to and fro, till the water, which was to have served her on the road, was altogether spent. The lad, unused to hardships, was soon worn out. Overcome with heat, fatigue, and thirst, he seemed at the point of death, when the afflicted mother laid him down under the shade of a tree and withdrew to some distance that she might not witness his dying pangs. But God had not forgotten her. A voice was heard in the solitude, uttering words of comfort and promises oi peace. Thus encouraged, Hagar hastened to her son, raised him by the hand and refreshed him from a spring of water which had been disclosed to her view. Paint- ers and poets in representing this scene usually exhibit Hagar as bearing her son in her arms, and laying him in the shade. This is an error, for Ishmael was then fifteen or sixteen years of age, and, conformably with this, the voice directed her to take him " by the hand." After this they remained in the wilderness attached to some one of the nomade tribes by which it was frequented ; and here the son of Abraham became a famous person, to whom many of the Arabian tribes have been proud to trace their origin. The departure of Hagar and Ishmael re- stored peace to the tents of Abraham ; and no incident of importance is recorded till Isaac had reached the age of about twenty y ,ars, when it pleased God to subject the faith of the patriarch to a far more terrible trial than any»to which it had yet been subjected. He was commanded to take his son to the TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH. m T provisions as e intention of wiiich country : her way in the ired to and fro, ave served her pent. The lad, oon worn out. and thirst, he lien tile afflicted tlic shade of a itance that she mgs. But God ce was lieard in )f comfort and juraged, Hagar im by the hand pring of water ;r view. Paint- is scene usually on in her arms, fhis is an error, >r sixteen years this, the voice lie hand." the wilderness )made tribes by here the son of srson, to whom ive been proud land of Moriali, and there offer him up as a sacrifice to God. However the heart of the patriarch may have been wrung, whatever thoughts crossed his mind, he faltered not. which he took comfort; but the Apostle in- forms us that, feeling assured that God, who had promised him a posterity tiirough Isaac, would undoubtedly perform His promise, he HAGAR AND ISHMAKL IN THE DESERT. — Gen. Xxi. I4. When others were in danger, he had interceded importunately with God ; but now, when his own happiness and the life of his son were in question, he was silent. This was the perfec- tion of confidence in God. We should be in some doubt as to the precise grounds in was persuaded that God would, if needful, even raise Isaac from the dead after the sacri- fice had been accomplished. Thus fortified by victorious faith, and moved by a spirit of obedience, he was ready to render the offering. In the morning Abraham set out on his r * ^ 42 ABRAHAMS SACRIFICK. journey, attended by two servants, wlio car- ried the wood for the liolocaust. At the end of three days' journey Abraiiain discerned the appointed place (supposed by many to be tl>e Mount Moriah on which the Temple event- ually stood), and bidding the servants remain, he went onward with his son, who carried the wood destined to consume his own body. Isaac, seeing all this usual preparation for a sacrifice, inquired concerning the victim, which probably gave his father the opportunity of making known the command under which he was acting. That he did so is certain ; for he could not by constraint have tied up the young man and laid him upon the altar. All was ready, the knife was uplifted to give the death- stroke, when the voice of an angel stayed his arm, and his attention was directed to a ram (probably of the four-horned species), which he gladly substituted for his son. Never were the promises made for the Father of the Faithful pronounced with such marked em- phasis as in the words from heaven which re- warded this consummate act of high belief: — " By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast CDne this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore : and in thy seed shall all the fami- lies of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice." An Illustrious Woniaii. About twelve years after this Abraham lost the companion of his long pilgrimage, Sarah, who died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years. She was buried with due observance in the Cave of Machpelah near Hebron, which the patriarch purchased on this occasion, and which became the family tomb of the patriarch. Sepulchral caves, such as that in which Sarah was buried, are common in the East. Of the birth and parentage of Sarah we have no certain account in Scripture. Abraham speaks of her as " his sister, the daughter of the same father, but not the slaughter of the same mother." The common Jewish tratli- tion is that Sarai is the same as Iscah, the daughter of Haran, and the sister of Lot. The change of her name from " Sarai " to " Sarah " was made at the same time that Abram's name was changed to Abraham, on the establishment of the covenant of circum- cision between him and God. That the name " Sarah " signifies " princess " is universally acknowledged ; but the meaning of " Sarai " is still a subject of controversy. The older interpreters suppose it to mean " my princess." Others say it means " contentious." Ht his- tory is of course that of Abraham. She came with him from Ur to Haran, from Haran to Canaan, and accompanied him in all the wan- derings of his life. Her only independent ac- tion is the demand that Hagar and Ishmael should be cast out. The times in which she plays the most important part in the history are the times when Abraham was sojourning, first in Egypt, then in Gerar, and where Sa- rah shared his deceit towards Pharaoh and towards Abimelech. She is referred to in the New Testament as a type of conjugal obedi- ence, and as one of the types of faith. Tlio Beautiful Bride. It is not to be wondered at that Abraham had special regard for his son Isaac ; he was the child of promise, and it was the land of promise, and he watched him with particular interest. After the death of Sarah a deep melancholy rested on Isaac, who appears to have been a quiet, contemplative man. Abra- ham was convinced that marriage would be the surest alleviation of his son's sorrow ; and, therefore, after the manner of the times, he sought a wife for him among his own peo- ple. He took an old servant into council, one whom, in the old days, when he was childless, he had intended to make his heir, and still recognized as the steward, or chief man of his household; a trusty man, who was thor- oughly reliable. To him he disclosed his purpose. He desired that a maiden might be chosen from the old stock; neither wealth lie. that Abraliam Isaac ; he was s the land of vith particular Sarah a deep ho appears to e man. Abra- age would be 5 sorrow ; and, the times, he his own peo- to council, one was childless, heir, and still lief man of his lio was thor- disclosed his liden might be leither wealth ABRAHAM OFFERING ISAAC. — Gen. xxii. 6. 48 ll i :! !i ■I ' 44 THE OLD SERVANTS VOW. nor accomplishments — on both of which we I with much solemnity to carry out, as far as are prone to set much stress — were matters of ' he was able, the wishes of his old master; ISAAC WELCOMING REBEKAH. — Gen. XXJV. C^. consideration, only she must needs be one of but there was much bustle and stir in the their own people. So the old servant vowed house, we may be sure, before the journey ISAAC AND RKHKKAH. 45 out, as far as s old master; stir in the the journey ■ — a journey of four hundred miles — was' begun. And now we tuny turn to the family whither the steps of the old servant were directed. Long years before had the patriarch quitted the old country, but still dwelt there his brother's tamily — a pastoral people, simple in their habits, but prosperous in their circum- stances. The light of the house was Rebekah — a bright and beautiful creature, loving and well beloved. Her activity and cheerfulness offer an excellent example, and doubtless the maidens who followed her would imitate their industrious mistress ; and spinning in the hot day, or hastening to the wells to draw water in the cool of the evening, would feel them- selves happy in the association with their youthful leader. Imagine, then, one fair summer's evening, a troop of girls, chatting merrily, each with a pitcher on her shoulder, sweeping forth from the gate of a small Eastern village, and turn- ing their steps to the wells and fountains of waters. Around us is a picture of pure sum- mer luxuriance and bloom ; fields of wheat and barley stretch away to distant olive or- chards, and here and there is a garden of or- ange, fig, lemon, and pomegranate ; a breath of sweet odors overflows the land, and we can hear the plash of water as the women begin to busy themselves with their evening toil. But suddenly some of the girls cry out, and Re- bekah, their leader, sees that they are not alone. Maidens at the Well. By the side of an ancient stone well were kneeling ten camels, with their attendants, and a venerable stranger advanced towards the maidens. It was to Rebekah he ad- dressed himself: " Let me sip, I pray thee, a little water out of thy pitcher ? " " Drink, my lord," she promptly answered, and gave her pitcher freely. It was no un- common request then, and it is not, in Eastern lands, an unusual occurrence now, for thirsty travellers to ask a drink of the young women who come to draw water. Such civilities are customary, so that there was nothing extraor- dinary in the incident. But Rebekah extend- ed her courtesy. As she looked at the wearv camels, chewing the cud as they knelt by the baggage, and to her apparently listening to the sound of the water, her pity was excited. She began, her damsels lending her gootl help, to fill the troughs for the poor brutes. The stranger watched every movement o( the blooming maid, graceful as Minerva, who, as Homer tells us, went forth to meet Ulysses, " bearing her pitcher ; " and when the camels had done drinking he took out a golden ring and a pair of bracelets — presents for the bride. He felt that he had found a fitting wife for his master's son, but first he asked whose daugh- ter she was. Her answer made his heart re- joice ; she was the very relative he sought ; she was the cousin to whose hand there was a sort of right ; and so, without another word of inquiry or explanation, he begged for hos- pitality. Was there room in her father's house for himself, his servants, and his camels to lodge ? " Yes," she answered him, " ample room and plenty of provender." A Hearty Reception. The stranger followed and those who were with him, as the girl ran on to let them know at home that guests were coming, and gather- ing from her lips the news, her brother came forth with much of beautiful, grave. Oriental, courtesy, to give due welcome to the sl-anger. But ere the stranger would take aught but water he told his errand. He had come to seek a wife for the son of a great sheik, and their own kinsman. That aged kinsman was exceedingly rich, and the main bulk of his property would belong to his son. The mat- ter pleased the family : there had been some- thing of estrangement between the two branches of the family, and here was accepta- ble reunion. Strange as the whole proceeding may seem to us, there was nothing strange to them, and so Rebekah was to go forth and take high place elsewhere. But Rebekah does not go forth alone. Her nurse, the industrious, kindly-beloved Debo- 46 THE HAPPY MARRIAGE. rah, goes with her, so also do some of her maidens. So she travels discreetly, and her friends bless her, perhaps with tears, as she goes away, saying — " May she be the mother of thousands and millions, and may her seed possess the gates of those which oppose them ! " The thoughtful and still sorrowing son of the widowed sheik is meditating as he walks in the fields in the cool of the day. A holy calm on everything, and not a sound to disturb his reflections. Suddenly he hears the chime of the camel bells, looks up, and sees the caravan approaching. Well he knows the object for which the old servant was sent out, and now he is to learn the result. A thousand anxious thoughts may have struggled in his mind as to what was to come. The quick eyes of Rebekah, meanwhile, have fallen on her future lord. She has hastened to array herself in the long veil proper for brides before she is presented, and when the bridegroom meets her, with a simple and beautiful courtesy which cannot be too much admired, he leads her to his mother's tent, the old abiding-place of her who was dearer to him than life. The beauty, modesty, and worth of this pure woman could not but win the heart of her husband. All his love and confidence was hers, he forgot his sorrow and was comforted; and she was his only wife, and had to know none of the bitter pangs and stings of jealousy which follow a polygamous system. She was no wife among wives, but she won the entire and unqualified approbation of her husband, and they were happy in each other's love. '!)i i ! 14 CHAPTER IV. JACOB AND ESAU, ORE sons, of whom Keturah, Abra- ham's second wife, was the mother, helped to complete his household. He lived to see them grow up, and sent them away to settle eastward with suitable portions, that they might not interfere with Isaac, his heir and the child of the promises. At length Abraham died, at the age of one hundred and seventy-five years, exactly one hundred of which he had spent in the land of Canaan. His great qualities and the deal- ings of God with him, while a sojourner in that land, have made his name one of the most illustrious in the world — a name pre- served more than most in the general memo- ries of men. His name is found in the traditions and annals of many nations. Isaac was left the possessor of immense wealth, of that kind which forms the posses- sions of a pastoral chief He continued to reside at Beersheba, without any other re- corded trouble than the barrenness of his wife Rebekah. But at length, after twenty years of marriage, his prayers were heard, and two sons were given to him at one birth. The first born waS called Esau, and the other Jacob ; and it had been intimated to Rebekah, before the birth, that not the elder, but the younger, was to be the heir of the promises. This directs our attention to Jacob. As the boys grew up, a marked distinction in their habits and character appeared. Esau was of active and rough temperament, and employed much of his time in hunting and the use of arms ; whereas Jacob was of quiet and seden- tary habits, abiding in the tents, and occupied among the flocks. Jacob was the favorite of his mother; but Isaac had preference for Esau, who manifested his filial duty by making his huntings the means of providing for his father the relishing food which his growing infirmities required. A famine which afflicted the part of Canaan he inhabited inclined Isaac to withdraw into Egypt, but a Divine intimation induced him to go into the territories of Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar. In this more com- pact little state the presence of so great a person was more sensibly felt than it had been in the thinly inhabited districts in which the patriarchs had hitherto encamped. The ex- tent of his possessions was more clearly seen, and the rapid increase they, by a perversity not unusual, regarded as at their expense. Abraham had once been in that country, and had digged wells, which the Pliilistines, after he withdrew, had filled up — in order to extinguish that right to the soil which was created by forming wells therein. These wells were cleared out by Isaac, who also formed new ones ; and he proceeded to culti- vate the ground, which returned him increase a hundred-fold. The Philistines were, how- ever, exceedingly averse to see a right of property in the soil created by these wells, and their opposition compelled the patriarch often to shift his encampment. But at length, seeing how rapidly his wealth increased, and believing that he was a .special object of the Divine care, they deemed it more prudent to cultivate his friendship. Therefore, the king, attended by his ofllcers, repaired to the camp (47) 4t ES.AU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT. ■ h J 9 :? 11 of the patriarch, and they entered into a cove- nant of peace in behalf of themselves and of their heirs. Isaac was now in a position to reap the fruits of his prudence and industry and feel secure in his acquired possessions. to perish with hunger. He found Jacob i)re- paring a savory mess of pottage, the odor of which attracted the intense longing of the famishing hunter, and for the enjoyment of it he readily surrendered the privileges which Jacob's vision of angels. — Gen. xxviii. 12. The uncertainties of the hunter's life are strikingly illustrated by the next important incident which we find recorded. Esau returned one day to the tents unsuccessful, and «-eady belonged to him as the birthright of the elde- son. When he had leisure to reflect and to repent, he loved not the more that brother who, taking advantage of his needs, had ex- JACOB AND ESAU. 49 acted so costly a price for so small a benefit. The reckless character of Esau is further illustrated by his taking two Hittite wives, Judith and Bashemath, in defiance of the wishes of his parents, whc as he could not but know, were highly averse to any such connection with the people of the land. Nevertheless, the now aged patriarch still desired to regard Esau as the heir of the promises, and feeling hrs infirmities daily in- crease, and his sight being entirely gone, he deemed it high time to bestow upon his still favorite son the important " blessing " which, like a modern will, would make over to him the headship of the tribe, and the temporal and spiritual benefits which were in fact or pros- pect connected with it. But first he desired some of that savory venison with which his rude son knew so well how to gratify his en- feebled appetite. This interval gave Rebekah, who overheard the arrangement, an opportunity of urging her favorite Jacob to personate his brother, and thus add the coveted blessing to the birthright he had already won. Jacob urged some faint scruples, dictated more by the fear of de- tection than by virtuous principle, and at length consented. It was not difficult to impose upon the dulled senses of his blind father, and he received from him that free and full blessing which could not be recalled. Esau soon came: and the strong and fierce man wept like an infant when he learned that his last hope had been riven from him. He vowed to be avenged ; and yet, even in his passion being regardful of his father's peace, he postponed his vengeance till after the patriarch's death, which was then believed to be near at hand. Jacob on his Journey. Learning his purpose, Rebekah resolved to send Jacob out of the way to her own ancient home in Haran, where he might not only re- main till his brother's anger had abated, but might obtain a wife more suitable than those which Esau had chosen. Having received the consent and blessing of his father, Jacob set forth alone upon his long journey. This was necessary for his .safety — but how differently in a former day had the s'*rvant of Abraham gone the same way, with his gifts and his camels, to seek a wife for Isaac. As he slept, with a stone for a pillow, at Bethel, he was cheered by a vision, in which he beheld the angels ascending and descending upon a ladder placed between earth and heaven, above which sat an august personage who de- clared Himself to be the God of Abraham and Isaac, and ratified to him in the fullest manner the blessings originally promised to them. This was accompanied by assurances and en- couragements suited to his present circum- stances, which filled him with gratitude, and gave him such a lively sense of the Divine providence, that he left Bethel a wiser and more single-minded man, and with a lightened heart pursued his way to Padan-Aram. On arriving at the well outside the town, Jacob entered into conversation with some shepherds who were there to water their flocks, and heard from them some particulars concerning the family he had come to visit. While they talked, Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban, and therefore Jacob's first cousin, came to the well to water the home- flock, which was under her charge. The stranger assisted the damsel in watering her flock, and then made himself known to her, and accompanied her to the house of her father, where he was most cordially received. Laban soon perceived the great skill and ex- perience of Jacob in " the shepherds' gentle trade," and gladly entered into an agreement with Jacob to give him his daughter Rachel as the reward of seve years' service. The mar- riage was accordingly celebrated with great rejoicings; but, by some deception, Laban contrived to substitute his elder dauglitcr Leah, for whom Jacob cared little, in the place of Rachel ; and, when reproached with his conduct, alleged that the custom of the country did not allow the younger to be mar- ried before the elder sister. He, however, of- fered him Rachel also for seven more years of his services, and, rather ihan be without one whom he so tenderly loved, Jacob consented. 60 SERVING SEVEN YEARS FOR RACHEL. r ■i' ! The depth of his afibction for Rachel is beau- tifully suggested by the sacred historian in one of those simple but most natural strokes of moral portraiture which are seldom found out of the sacred book. " Jacob served seven years for Rachel : and they seemed unto him a few days, for the love he bore to her." This preference for Rachel led Jacob to treat Leah with some indifference or neglect; in consequence of which the Lord made Leah the object of his favor and gave her children, which were denied to Rachel. This induced Rachel to make use of her hand-maid Bilhah, in the same capacity in which Hagar had been used by Sarah. Leah followed the example by making the same use of her handmaid Zilpah. By both there were children, and at length Rachel Iierself was blessed with a son, who received the name of Joseph. Jacob's Riches. More than satisfied with the services of Jacob, and well assured that the flocks had been much advantaged by his superintendence, Laban still desired to avail himself of his ser- vices after the fourteen years had expired; and Jacob on his part was not unwilling to re- main on any terms which afforded him a pros- pect of acquiring a provision for his family. It was then settled that Jacob, for the services of seven other years, should be paid in kind, by reserving for his own use such of the sheep and goats as might happen to be parti-colored, which is not usual in any flocks, and very un- usual in those of the East. In consequence of this arrangement, the flock under the charge of Jacob was carefully severed from that to which Laban and his sons attended; and thenceforth whenever a parti-colored lamb or kid was born in the flock of Jacob, he set it apart as his own. Through the special provi- dence of God, who at Bethel had promised to care for and make prosperous the grandson of Abraham, an extraordinary proportion of parti- colored animals was thenceforth born, ^d soon furnished a large flock, which Jacob committed to the separate charge of his elder sons. By the time the seven years had expired, this flock had increased amazingly, and with its produce Jacob had been enabled to obtain large possessions of what usually constitutes the wealth of a pastoral chief—" much cattle, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses." It was well known to Jacob that his pros- perity was regarded with no pleasure by Laban and his sons, who deemed all his gains as so much loss to them. He thence became appre- hensive that any attempt to remove with his property would be resisted ; and as he was now resolved to return to the land of Canaan, irom which he had so long been absent, he went away secretly while Laban was at the distance of three days' journey. A pastoral migration, with slow-going sheep, young ani- mals, women, and infants, can never be a very rapid movement. Hence we are not surprised to find that he was overtaken by Laban by the time he reached the Mountains of Gilead. We may be sure that Laban's purposes were not very amicable. But the night before he came up with Jacob, he was warned in a dream to take heed how he molested one for whom God cared. This changed his purpose; but being now so near, he went on, and joined the migrant party while at rest. A Charge of Theft. His sterner purposes now sunk to sharp complaints and strong expostulations that no opportunity had been afforded him of embrac- ing his daughters and grandchildren, and of sending them away with music and with song. He also complained that his gods — certain figures called " Teraphim," used as domestic idols — had been stolen from him by some of Jacob's party. This charge was indignantly repelled by Jacob, who gave him authority to search for them, and denounced death upon any person in whose possession they might be found. Little did he know in what peril he thus put his beloved Rachel : for she had them; having secreted them for some un- known but probably superstitious motive. They were hid in the furniture of her camel ; and as this formed her seat in the tent, they JACOB AND ESAU. 51 that his pros- is u re by Laban lis gains as so became appre- nove with his nd as he was ind of Canaan, :en absent, he an was at the /. A pastoral ep, young ani- lever be a very e not surprised by Laban by ains of Gilead. escaped the search of her father, who returned Jacob's next care was concerning Esau, with home the next day, after having entered into whose present state of mind towards him he MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU. — Gen. XXXili. 4. solemn covenants of peace and good will with the man he had so wrathfully pursued. was by no mer.ns acquainted. But he knew that he had established himself in the region !:: P i ■' I I i i M' :! k 1:;i 52 PREVAILING PRAYER. of Mount Seir, and had there acquired great power as a military chief. He deemed it pru- dent to send a most respectfully worded mes- sage, apprising him of his return home. The messengers returned with no other intimation than that Esau himself was coming to meet him with four hundred men. This intimation filled Jacob with real and well-grounded alarm. He made the best arrangements in his power to meet the exigency, with the view, on the one hand, of mollifying his brother, and, on the other, of securing the retreat of his troop (consisting of the women and children), in case the van should be assaulted by Esau's troop. He then sent his people across the river Jab- bok, and remained behind himself, probably for the sake of that solitary " communing with God " in which the Hebrew patriarchs found so much of their strength and safety. Wrestling with the Angel. Here he was comforted and encouraged by the deep meanings of a mysterious conflict with an angel of God, who seemed unable to prevail over Jacob till he put forth a super- natural power, and disabled him for the time, by causing the sinew of his thigh to shrink when he laid his hand thereon. It was then that the name of Jacob, " supplanter," was changed to Israel, " a prince of God," — " Be- cause (said the angel) as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast pre- vailed." Halting still upon his thigh, but greatly en- couraged, the patriarch passed over the river as the morning rose, and, on reaching the top of the opposite bank, beheld Esau and liis troop approaching in the distance. Whatever may have been the intentions of that rude but not ungenerous person, he was fairly softened by the marks of respect and consideration which he received, as he passed along the pur- posely extended line of flocks, and herds, and shepherds : and when at length he came up with Jacob, who bowed before him — as one doubting of his reception and his doom — he could contain himself no longer, but " ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him : — and they wept." Blessed tears were these: — the tears of a full heart : " tears such as angels shed," if angels ever weep. Esau would very willingly have escorted Jacob the rest of his way ; but the latter, in- tending to proceed very leisurely, respectfully declined the ofier, and his brother then re- turned to Mount Seir, which continued for many ages to be ruled, and was in a great mea-^ure peopled, by his descendants, and hence obtained the name of the land of Edom and of Idumaea. Before he crossed the Jordan, some stay was made by Jacob at Succoth, where his camp was formed of booths or sheds, made of the wood which was then, and is even now, abun- dant in that quarter. On crossing the river, he did not at once rejoin his father, who was still living, but pro- ceeded to the vale of Shechem, where Abraham also had formed his first encampment in the land of Canaan. Here he remained until the terrible vengeance, which was taken upon the people of Shechem, by the sons of Jacob, for an outrage upon their sister Dinah, made it prudent for him to quit that neighborhood. He went to Bethel. There he built an altar, and worshipped God, in grateful remembrance of the encouragements which had been on that spot vouchsafed him on his way to Padan- aram. After this, Jacob journeyed southward to visit his father. On the way, when near Beth- lehem, his beloved Rachel died in giving birth to a second son, whom the mother, in her dying grief, called Benoni, " son of my sorrow," but which name the father afterwards changed to Benjamin, " son of my right hand." A tomb, of Moslem construction, called " Rachel's Sepulchre," at this day marks the supposed place of her burial. After about thirty years' absence, Jacob at length joined his aged father Isaac, who was then at the old encampment of the family at Mamre, near Hebron. Isaac himself survived the reunion with his son several years, and died at the age of one hundred and eighty years. CHAPTER V. THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH (- OMING now to Jacob's sons, we notice that particular interest sur- rounds Joseph, the first, and for a long while the only son of his much loved Rachel. Jacob's fam- ily consisted of twelve sons, the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Their names were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon, sons of Leah ; Gad and Asher, sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Dan and Naphtali, sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Joseph and Benjamin, sons of Rachel. Joseph was far more dear to his father than any of his other sons. He made no secret of this, as a wise father would perhaps have done. Nay, rather he gloried in making it known, and even went so far as to clothe him in a peculiarl)'- handsome dress — " a coat of many colors," as a mark of favor and distinction. These marks of partiality were very displeas- ing to Joseph's brothers, and made him odious in their eyes. These feelings were .strengthened by certain dreams which Joseph dreamed in early youth, and which- seemed to prefigure some unimaginable superiority and greatness to him. At one time they were binding sheaves in the field, when, lo ! their sheaves rose up and made obeisance to his sheaf At another time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars made obeLsance to him. Another cause of dislike was found' in the fact that when they had been abroad with the flocks, Joseph was in the habit of reporting to his father their misconduct, and of bringing upon them the dreaded rebuke of their parent. One day, when Joseph was about seventeen years old, he was sent by his father, who had kept him at home, to seek his brethren, who had for some time been out in distant pastures, and bring back an account of their welfare. Joseph found them at Dothan. They knew him afar off by his coat of many colors, and immediately began to plot against his life. They had certainly killed him on the spot, but for some scruple suggested by Reuben of shed- ding a brother's blood. They therefore cast him into a dry cistern, intending to leave him there to perish, and to inform their father that he had been destroyed by a wild beast. Such an act as theirs shows the wild, barbarous spirit that prevailed at that time. Soon after, however, they observed the ap- proach of a caravan of Arabian merchants, proceeding with balm and other precious drugs to Egypt, and it immediately struck them that they might quite as safely, less guiltily, and with some profit besides, dispose of the unhappy Joseph by selling him for a slave to these travelling dealers. They ac- cordingly drew him up out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver. They then took his coat, the envied coat of many colors, and, aftei dipping it in the blood of a slaughtered kid, they sent it to their father. The agonized father immediately received the conviction they desired. " It'is my son's coat (he said) ; an evil beast hath devoured him : Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces ! " He mourned long and sorely for his lost son ; and when at length time brought some calm to his feelings, he remained faithful in his affection for Rachel. Meanwhile, Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and was there sold to one of the officers of the royal court. In this country there then (63) 54 JOSEPHS INTEGRITY. 11 ! ■: H! i tiiii i|i ;i! I existed an imperial court, with a minutely org.inized government, an ecclesiastical estab- lishment, a military force, and civil institutions — all bearing the stamp of an advanced stage of civilization, and of a condition of society very different from that which we have left behind us in Palestine. Joseph's diligence, probity, attention, and fine qualities soon recommended him to his there was no hope, the woman's love turned to vengeful hatred, and she resolved to effect his ruin. To this end nothing seemed to her more effectual than to accuse him of attempt- ing the very crime into which she had vainly endeavored to draw him. And it was effectual ; for Potiphar was wroth, and cast his slave into prison. But even in prison Joseph's useful talents and engaging disposition still availed Joseph's dream of the sun, moon and eleven stars. — Gen. xxxvii. g. master, Potiphar, in whose confidence he rose so high, that all the affairs of the household were eventually left in his hands. Now Joseph was a very handsome man, and it happened that he attracted the too favorable notice of his master's wife. She tempted him to sin. But he remembered his God, he remembered the generous confidence of his master, and firmly refused. Seeing him. He soon acquired the entire confidence of the governor of the prison, who gave all the other prisoners into his charge. Among those who were sent into the prison after Joseph had been thus favored, were two important officers of Pharaoh's court, his chief butler, .and his chief cook, or baker, who, from the nature of their offices, we should suppose to have been accused of some attempt i fji THRILLING STORY OF JOSKPH. M to poison their royal master in his food or drink, and had thereby incurred his ill-will. Troiiblcsonio DrcaiiiH. Dreams have always been much regarded in the East ; and one night the butler and baker both had dreams which troubled them greatly. The butler dreamed that, in the dis- ciiarge of his office, he presented the wine-cup into Pharaoh's hand ; the baker dreamed that he was carrying upon his head baked meats for the royal table, when the birds of the air descended and carried them away. Joseph interpreted the dreams to signify that before three days had passed the butler should be restored to his office, and the baker put to death. And so it happened. On Pharaoh's birthday inquiry was made into the matter, and the baker was beheaded, and the butler was restored to his place. Joseph had ear- nestly repcesented his case to this butler, and had implored him to use his recovered influ- ence in his behalf. But the prosperous have little remembrance for the unhappy : and the butler altogether forgot Joseph, until, in the good providence of God, an occasion arose which brought him to remembrance. The king himself was troubled with two dreams, which, although composed of differ- ent materials, were obviously one as to any import which might be collected from theiv.. In the first, Pharaoh thought that, as he stood beside the fertilizing Nile, seven fair and full- fleshed kine came up out of the water, and were feeding in a meadow, when seven gaunt and lean kine came up after them, and de- voured them all. Then, seven ears of good and full-bodied corn seemed to spring up, all upon one stalk ; and after a while came up seven thin and starveling ears, by which the former were eaten up. Yet the lean kine and the lean ears were none the better for that which they had eaten. These dreams seemed to have some unusually marked significance, and Pharaoh sent for the wise men of Egypt, requiring of them an interpretation. But this dream was beyond the depth even of their pretensions, and they could give none. This brought to the butler's mind the He- brew prisoner, who.se interpretation of his own and the baker's dreams had been so remark- ably fulfilled. He mentioned the circumstances to the king, who instantly sent to require his presence. Hastily shaving himself and put- ting on becoming raiment, Joseph accompanied the messengers to the palace. The king re- lated his dreams ; and Joseph said they were to be regarded as warnings from God of com- ing events, against which suitable provision should be made. The dreams denoted, first, seven years of great and unexampled plenty, to be followed by seven years of excessive dearth. Joseph Providing for Famine. He therefore very sagely counselled that the superabundant grain of the fertile year^ should be bought up by the government, and stored for use during the years of famine ; and he ventured to suggest that some able and discreet man should be appointed, with proper officers under him, to give effect to this great operation throughout the country. Then said Pharaoh — " Forasmuch as God has showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou." Saying this, the great king took from his finger the signet-ring, the impress of which gave the force of royal au- thority to any decree or order on which it was placed ; and then he caused him to be arrayed in robes of honor ; upon his neck was also placed a chain of gold, by which we are doubtless to understand one of those rich or- naments of wrought gold, such as are in the Egyptian monuments seen upon the necks of kings and nobles. Thus gloriously arrayed, Joseph — whom the morning saw a prisoner and a slave — was placed in the second of the royal chariots of state, and conducted in grand procession through the streets of the metropolis, while the heralds proclaimed be- fore him the honors to which he had been raised. Joseph having thus been naturalized, and oe FROM A PIT TO A PALACK. been unusual for foreigners .nnd slaves to rise havinj,' received the name and dress of an Egyptian, was no ionger regarded in that to such distinctions. No doubt Joseph was JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT. — GcH. XXXVli. 38. country as a foreigner, but as a noble and a well able to support the high position in which minister of state. In the East it has never he now appeared. Thirteen of the best years THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 67 of his life had been spent in E^ypt : and this time would have more than sufficed for a man of much less aptitude and talent than Joseph to acquire an intimate acquaintance with the manners and ianguape of the pi le among whom his lot had been cast. Uiu tiling he wanted — family connections and the influence wliich tiiey would give in the country — and, aljove all, such connection with the priestly caste, which was then and long after aHqjower- ful in Egypt. One unconnected with this caste could not long hope to maintain his influence, or to work out his plans without opposition and hindrance. The king of Egypt felt this very strongly, and therefore lost no time in securing to Joseph the undisturbed enjoyment of the rank and power to which lie had raised him, by bestowing upon him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, which place wa.s afterwards known among Greek writers by the name of Heliopolis, A Name Cut in 8toiie. The account of that part of tiie Bible history which contains the sojourn of the Hebrews in Egypt has of late years received interesting illustrations — we say not confirmation, for it needed none — from the Egyptian monuments, and from critical researches in history. From such sources we now know that Potipherah means " he who belongs to the sun ; " it is a very common name on the monuments, and especially appropriate for the priest of On. We also know that among the Egyptian colleges of priests the one at On took the pre- cedence, and consequently that the high-priest of On must have borne the first rank among that powerful body. The great antiquity of religious worship at On is also attested by the monuments. Wilkinson says, " During the reign of Osirtasen (whom he makes contem- porary with Moses) the temple of Heliopolis was either founded or received additions, and one of the obelisks bearing his name evinces the skill to which they had attained in the difficult art of sculpturing granite." The part which the king himself took in bringing about this marriage is satisfactorily accounted for, when we remember that the sovereigns of Egypt were invested with the highest sacerdotal dignity, and were therefore not merely the civil, br* the ecclesiastical su- , periors of the whole j)riest''ood. By .his marriage Joseph had tvv > son.' Mana seh and Ephraim. . During the seven years of plen y Egypt was carefully subjected to the com- : of opei ■ tions which Joseph had at first recommend .'■ to the king of ICgypt. He made a i » r through the country to organize the operation of purchasing and storing up tur ; ;dundant produce, and to see that his ii tent, is were properly executed. The superabundant pro- duce of every district was storetl away in granaries in the towns of that district : and we are told, " Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he kit number- ing, for it was without number." These labors of Joseph are placed vividly before u:^ in the paintings upon the monuments, which show how common the .store-house was in ancient Egypt. In the tomb of Amenemhe at Beni- Hassen there is the painting of a great store- house, before whosi ;. .or lies a large heap of grain, already winno.ved. The measurer fills a bushel in order to pour it into the uniform sacks of those who carry the grain to the corn magazine. T iie carriers go to the door of the store-he 15 . and lay down the sacks before an officer who stands ready to receive the corn. This is the overseer of the store-house. Near by stands the bushel with which it is meas- ured, and the registrar who takes the account. At the side of the windows there are char- acters which indicate the quantity of the mass which is deposited in the magazine. Compare this with the indication in the verse just cited, that the stored grain was carefully measured, until the enormous quantity of the increase would not allow this to be done. The Nation Crying for Bread. But at the predicted time this plenty ceased, and was followed by the most terrible scarcity which had ever been known. This also lasted seven years. But there was plenty of corn in the store-houses; and as long as the Egyp- 58 THREATENINGS AT LAST FULFILLED. ill ii ■ I 3, ..t ' tians had money with which to purchase out of the government stores, all was well. But when all the money of Egypt had found its way into the royal coffers, the nation cried to the government for bread. A nation could not be allowed to starve while the granaries were still full of corn. The king left the matter in the hands of Joseph, who agreed to take their cattle in exchange for corn. This resource lasted them a year ; when nothing remained to the people but "their bodies and their lands," they cried, " Buy us and our lands for bread, and we and our lands will be servants unto Pharaoh." Joseph took them at their word, and on these terms under- took to feed them to the end of the famine. The whole dispersed populatica was then re- moved into the towns containing the grana- ries, that the corn might be conveniently doled out to them; and in the last year of the famine seed was given to them, with which they might sow, and resume the cultivation of their lands, as tenants of the crown, at a rent of one-fifth of the produce. Jacob Sends his Sons to Egrypt. This famine was not felt in Egypt only, but throughout all the neighboring regions. It was felt in the land of Canaan, and the family of Jacob soon began to suffer from lack of corn. It then transpired that corn might be obtained in Egypt ; and Jacob lost no time in sending his sons — all except Benjamin — across the desert for the needful supply. It seems that the permission to purchase corn was only granted to such foreigners as obtained special permission from Joseph, be- fore whom, therefore, the ten brethren were bound to make their appearance. The ancient dreams began, in the mysterious providence of God, to be fulfilled, when they bowed themselves low and reverently before this august personage, " the lord of the country," little conceiving that he was the brother whom they had so long ago sold for a slave, and supposed to be long since dead. Him they could not know : But he knew them at once, and controlled with a strong effort the generous emotions which filled his bosom. Ignorant of their present state of feeling, he was apparently alarmed at the absence of his own brother Benjamin. He could not but fear that they might have acted treacherously towards him also ; and this probably induced him to make those experiments upon their present dispositions which form so remark- able a portion of this striking history. By assuming an austere manner and charg- ing them as spies, he succeeded in eliciting from them such an account of themselves, as informed him that his aged father was still living, and that his brother Benjamin tarried with him at home. The governor of Eg}'pt could not but have been touched when they described themselves as " twelve brevhren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and behold the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not." Still, however, maintaining the tone he had assumed, Joseph persisted in his charge, and required as a proof of their statement that one of their number should be sent back for the absent brother, while the rest were de- tained as prisoners in Egypt. They were then thrust away ignominiously to the prison- house, and kept there the following night. But in the morning Joseph again sent for them, and in a milder tone they were assured that, if they were indeed true men, no harm should happen to them ; and it was decided that they should all be allowed to go back ex- cepting one, who should be detained as hostage for their return to Egypt with their youngest brother. Dismayed at the predica- ment in which they had become involved, the brethren looked one upon another, and tb.c same thought rose at once to their minds, that at length the cry of their brother's blood had been heard in heaven ; and that at length the punishment of their sin had come upon them. This they said aloud to one another in their own language ; and little did they think that the illustrious person before whom they were heard and understood, and that their words struck upon his heart : he turned away and wept. ;d his bosom, of feeling, he bsence of his ould not but treacherously jably induced :s upon their 1 so remark- story. er and charg- d in eliciting :hemselves, as ther was still jamin tarried lor of Egypt :d when they brevhren, the Canaan ; and lay with our JOSEPH MAKING HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN. — Gen. xlv. 4. (59) 60 JACOB'S GRIEF. The brethren departed, leaving Simeon be- hind. The sacks which they had brought were filled with corn, and a further supply for the road was given to them. Thus they re- turned to their father ; and on opening their several sacks, were astonished and somewhat alarmed to find in them not only the grain, but the money which they had paid for it. This in some degree confirmed the report which they made to their father of the strange and harsh conduct of the man — the lord of the country. Jacob, however, could not endure the iJea of sending Benjamin with them to Egypt : " Me have ye bereaved of my chil- dren," said he, mournfully: "Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and now ye will take. Ben- jamin away : all these things are against me!" But he was mistaken. All these things were for him. All were working together for the good of him and his. Taking Back the Money. The question stood over for a time; but when the supply of corn was exhausted the matter could no longer be delayed. The brethren were in too much dread of the aus- tere personage in Egypt to yield to the press- ing instances of their father, who urged them to go without Benjamin ; and, finding that their firmness in this point could not be overcome, he gave a reluctant and sorrowing consent. This time no precaution was omitted which was deemed likely to soothe and satisfy the harsh " ruler of Egypt." They took back again the money which had been found in their sacks ; and they bore from Jacob a pres- ent of the choice products of Palestine, which he knew must be acceptable in Egypt. It consisted of" a little balm, a little honey, spices, and myrrh, pistachio-nuts, and almonds." They returned to Egypt and stood once more in the presence of Joseph. No sooner did he perceive them and discover that his Benjamin, the son of his mother, was among them, than he directed his steward to " slay, and make ready" a sufficient feast, for that all these men should dine with him at noon. They were accordingly conducted to the great man's residence, where water was given them to vvash their weary feet. Joseph came home at noon, and finding them in waiting, spoke to them. He asked if their father, the old man of whom they had told him, was well ; and they bowed themselves very low, and an- swered, " Thy servant, our father, is in good health." He then seemed first to observe Benjamin, and asked, " Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me ? " and, without waiting an answer, said, " God bless thee, my son : " and then, dreading to display his mastering emotions, he hastily withdrew, to give vent to them in his chamber. Singular Ciistonis. At the dinner which followed it seems that, although the brethren sat in the same room, they did not sit and eat together with Joseph, who sat apart by himself, while his Egyptian friends also sat apart by themselves. The reason for this is given : " Because the Egyp- tians might not eat bread with the Hebrews ; for that is an abomination to the Egyptians." Not merely as Hebrews, however, but as for- eigners. And this is remarkably in accordance with Herodotus, who tells us that the Egyp- tians abstained from all familiar intercourse with foreigners, since these were unclean to them, because they slew and ate the animals which were sacred among the Egyptians. Th. Joseph also sat alone, and not with the other Egyptians, is strictly in accordance with the great difference of rank and with the spirit of caste which prevailed among the Egyp- tians. The brethren were placed according to their seniority by the steward of the household, from the secret intimations of Joseph ; and at this they were much astonished, as the dif- ference of age between many of them was too slight to be distinguishable in their persons. A mess for each was sent from the table be- fore Joseph, and, according to Eastern custom, he distinguished Benjamin by sending five times as much to him as to the others. The manner in which the Egyptians sat at meat, by ones or twos, at small, low tables, is pictured THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. dl in the ancient tombs, and throws much light on this description. Notwithstanding this apparent friendliness of their illustrious host, the sons of Jacob were by no means free from anxiety and alarm. They were, therefore, exceedingly glad when they found themselves safely on the road jiome the next day, laden with the desired corn, their hostage Simeon having been re- stored to them. Their joy was of short dura- tion; for they were soon overtaken by the well-known steward of Joseph's household, who roughly charged them with having stolen his master's silver cup — " the cup out of which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he di- vineth." This last clause may require ex- planation. Jamblichus, in his book on " Egyp- tian Mysteries," mentions the practice of divining by cups; and that this superstition, together with many others, has survived from the most ancient times, is shown by a remark- able passage in " Norden's Travels." When this author, with his companions, had arrived at'Dehr, the most remote extremity of Egypt, or rather in Nubia, where they were able to deliver themselves from a perilous situation by great presence of mind, they sent one of their company to a malicious and powerful Arab to threaten him. He answered, " I know what sort of people you are. I have consulted my cup, and found in it that you are from a people of whom one of our prophets has ';aid : There will come Franks under every kind of pretence to spy out the land," the very same charge that was alleged against Jacob's sons. The Silver Cup. Tiie sons of Jacob felt themselves deeply wronged by such a charge, of which every one nmong them knew himself to be entirely innoccnL. They invited a search, and loudly consigned to death every one with whom the cup might be found, declaring that they also would then remain the slaves of Joseph. But tlie steward waived this excess of zeal, by declaring that only the actual thief should re- main a bondman, and the rest should be blameless. The search then began. The sacks were opened in succession, beginning with that of the eldest, and not small was their triumph as sack after sack was opened without the missing property being found. But fearfully was their triumph checked when the steward produced the silver cup from the last of the sacks which he had examined — the sack of Benjamin. It had been placed there by the steward himself, on the order of his master. Now came the trying point, by which Joseph was to know whether twenty-two years had passed over them in vain. He per- haps expected that they would abandon Benjamin to his fate, and hasten home. It was far otherwise. It is not clear whether they believed or not that Benjamin had stolen the cup. They probably believed it ; and in that case their conduct appears the more en- titled to admiration. They thought of their father, and of his last words : — " If mischief befall him [Ben- jamin] by the way which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave." They rent their clothes in the anguish of their hearts, and, hastily relading their beasts, returned with their brother to the city. Joseph Making Himself Known. On reaching Joseph's house, they fell on the ground before him, and, in answer to his stern rebuke, they repeated the proposal they had befofe made — that all should remain his bondmen ; but they did not this time suggest that the actual criminal should die. But Joseph declared that this would be unjust : he would detain the culprit, but they were free to depart. This drew forward Judah, who had in an especial manner made himself responsible to his father for the safe return of Benjamin ; and it was probably the confidence of Jacob in his strength of character, that drew from him the reluctant consent which he at length gave that Benjamin should share the perils of the journey. Never was the confi ei^ce of a father in the high qualities and the .;onor of a son more '^' M I ■1 62 JOSEPH SENDS FOR BENJAMIN. worthily bestowed. Judah stood forward, and, in a strain of tlie most powerful and touching eloquence, stated the case exactly as it stood with respect to his father and Benja- min, in a manner full of those natural touches and circumstances which go home to every heart, and which a heart so tenderly interested as that of Joseph could not possibly with- stand. He concluded with imploring that Benjamin might be allowed to return, and that he, who had become the surety for him, might remain a bondman in his stead. Over- come by the emotions which the speech of Judah had roused, Joseph could no longer support "the part he had been acting. He wept aloud, and made himself known tc them — " I am Joseph. — Doth my father yet live ? " Perceiving the confusion which this announce- ment produced among them, he hastened to reassure them and to relieve their minds, by declaring his conviction that they, in follow- ing the impulses of their blind will, had been the unconscious instruments of accomplishing the purposes of God, whose providence had marked out for him the greatness to which he had attained, and the high duties which he had accomplished. He then proceeded to explain to them the length of time which the dearth was still to continue : and that the only course for them was to migrate to Egypt, where it would be in his power to provide every comfort and convenience for them during this terrible and trying season. He apprised them, however, that "every shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians ; " on which account he would procure a district called " the land of Goshen " to be assigned them, in which they might live apart, and follow their own pastoral modes of life. We have seen that foreigners, as such, were disliked by the Egyptians; and we may understand the further aversion, now in- timated, to apply particularly to those foreign- ers who followed the pastoral mode of life, and whose aggressive character (as at present in the Bedouin Arabs) and unsettled habits rendered them odious to the Egyptians. That shepherds of every kind were despised by that people is shown by the fact that the artists of Upper and Lower Egypt vie with each other in caricaturing them whenever their figures are introduced in the pictured tombs. Joseph ended his explanation by embracing and weeping over his brother Ben- jamin without restraint. He kissed them all, and they then talked more calmly together. It was gratifying to know that when the news transpired that Joseph's brethren had come, every one was pleased at a circumstance calculated to give him satisfaction. The king himself shared this pleasure, and, on receiving an explanation from Joseph, he expressed much kind interest in the welfare and preser- vation of the family, and directed that every facility should be given for their migration to Egypt and their settlement in Goshen. « I Will Go nnd See Him Before I Die." Well supplied with provisions for the journey, and with cars in which the women and children might be the more conveniently removed, the brethren set out with lightened hearts for the land of Canaan. As they drew near the patriarchal camp, some of them hastened on to announce the glad tidings to their father. This they did somewhat ab- ruptly: — "Joseph (said they) is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt ! " The aged man could not readily believe this, and " his heart fainted within him." But they proceeded to explanations ; and when ' >- w a confirmation of their marvellous sL jry in the approach of the carriages, he could no longer disbelieve : his spirit revived, and he said, " It is enough — Joseph my son is yet alive — I will go and see him before I die." Accordingly Jacob began his journey to Egypt, with all his family and all his posses- sions. On the way he paused at the old station of his family in Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to God upon the altar where his fathers had worshipped. In the following night, God appeared to him, and encouraged him in the important movement he was then making. He was assured that his family should in Egypt grow rapidly into a nation, 1 » I HI THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 63 ore I Die.»» and as a nation should go forth thence to take possession of the land of Canaan. Thus cheered, Jacob proceeded on his way to the land of Goshen, on the borders of which lie was met by his long-lost and late-restored son, who had hastened in his chariot to meet him when apprised of his approach. Who shall describe the emotions of that great interview? The sacred historian does not attempt it. He simply tells us that Joseph [ Pharaoh. The king asked them about their j occupation ; and they answered, " Thy ser- vants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers." The king then told Jo.seph to place them in the land of Goshen, or in any other part of Egypt that seemed best to him ; adding, "^nd if thou knowest any men of activity among them, make them rulers over my cattle." Subsequently Jacob himself had an audience of the king, who, struck by his EMBALMING THE BODY OF JOSEPH " presented himself" (reverently) before his father, and then " he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while ; " and so soon as strong feeling left vent for words, Israel said to Joseph, " Now, let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive ! " Not long after, Joseph introduced five of his brethren to the king. Hi doubtless selected those whose appearance he deemed likely to make a favorable impression upon venerable appearance, asked him, " How old art thou ? " And Jacob answered, " The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years : few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." The respect for honorable age was strong in Egypt : and it is observable that Jacob was granted a separate audience ; that he omitted the usual formula of address, " thy servant ; " and that, 64 DEATH OF JACOB. »1( t i I i; l u 1 1 4 , i as became a man of his age, he "blessed Pharaoh " on quitting his presence. Now the seven years of famine were suc- ceeded by many years of great and compensa- ting plenty; but the position of Joseph does not appear to have been in anywise affected by the cessation of the special service^for which power had been given to him. There is no intimation that down to the time of his death his influence in the government of Egypt had been in any respect impaired. A Pathetic Scene. About seventeen years after the family of Israel had been settled in Goshen, the news of his father's illness induced Joseph to hasten thither with his two sons Manasseh and Eph- raim. The dying patriarch raised himself up in his bed to receive his ever best beloved son. After mutual endearments, Jacob related to his son the promises of God, from which he gathered the assured conviction that his pos- terity was to become a great nation, destined not to remain in Egypt, but to inherit the land promised to him and to his fathers. This, while it reminded Joseph of the true position of his family in Egypt — that of sojourners, and not settlers — enhanced the value of his de- clared intention to adopt the two sons of Joseph as his own children, thereby to give to him a double share through them in the heritage. The eyesight of Jacob had failed from very age — but he became aware that others were present, and being told by Joseph " They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place," he desired them to be brought near to him. He kissed and embraced them with all the tenderness of one who beheld in them fresh memorials of that dear Rachel, whose presence to his aged mind even in these final moments is touchingly evinced by the words which had just before fallen from him, without any ap- parent connection with the subject, save that which existed in the depths of his own heart: "As for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the way . . . and I buried her there, in the way to Ephrath." Having intimated his intention to bestow on his grandsons the blessing to which so much importance was in those times attached, Joseph placed them before him, properly, as he thought — the eldest, Manasseh, being placed opposite his right hand : but Jacob, blind as he was, crossed his hands so as to place his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, the youngest ; and when Joseph, supposing this a mistake, attempted to alter this position of his hands, remarking that the other was the eldest, Jacob persisted, saying, " I know it, my son, I know it : he also shall become a people, and he also shall become great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he." His blessing was given accordingly, and how remarkably its purport was accomplished in the relative destinies of the tribes which sprang from Ephraim and Manasseh will ap- pear hereafter. After this Jacob's other sons, who had been summoned to the bedside of the dying pa- triarch, also arrived, and he bestowed upon them blessings significantly and distinctively applicable to each of them, and to the tribes which should spring from them. The final scene of his eventful life cannot be related in other words than those of the sacred historian : "And when Jacob had made an end of com- manding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. And Joseph fell upon his face, and wept upon him, and kissed him." Jacob was aged one hundred and forty-seven years at the time of his death, in the year 1689 B. c. The death of the father of so great a man as Joseph could not pass without much note in Egypt ; and the circumstances indicated are in the most exact conformity with the usages of that country as described by ancient historians and represented on ancient monuments. The body of Jacob received the embalmment of a prince, as we know from the fact that forty days were taken up by the different processes. These forty days, and the thirty days follow- ing, together seventy days, the Egyptians ob served as days of public mourning, which also THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 66 indicates that the ceremonies were scarcely less than those which attended the death of royal personages ; for we are told by Herodotus that " when a king died, all the Egyptians raised a general lamentation, tore their garments, closed the temples, offered no sacrifices, celebrated no festivals for seventy-two days." Jacob had strictly enjoined Joseph to de- posit his remains in the family sepulchre near Hebron, in the land which his descendants were to possess. Thither it was therefore con- veyed in great state, being attended not only by the family of the patriarch, but by a large body of Egyptians with chariots and horses : and their presence and numbers gave a char- acter so much Egyptian to the proceeding, that when the party paused in " the threshing- floor of Atad " to celebrate a final mourning of seven days before consigning the body to the sepulchre, the neighboring inhabitants re- marked, "this is a great mourning for the Egyptians ; " whence the place received the name of "Abel-Mitzraim," " the mourning of the Egyptians." Joseph himself outlived his father about fifty-four years, and died (1635 B. c.) at the age of one hundred and ten years. Before his death he called his brethren around him, and after expressing his firm conviction that their descendants would eventually be re- moved from Egypt to their promised posses- sion, he took a solemn oath from them, that when that time came, they would take away his bones with them, and not leave them be- hind in Egypt. After death, the corpse of Joseph was embalmed, and deposited in one of those coffins or mummy-cases which the recent spoliations of Egyptian sepulchres have in this day made familiar to us. CHAPTER VI. EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. i ■•1 ONG time the Hebrews remained in Goshen, where they increased with astonishing rapid- ity, and followed their old pastoral modes of life, without altogether neglecting agriculture. About thirty -eight years after the death of Joseph a new dynasty, probably from Upper Egypt, obtained possession of the throne of Lower Egypt, which we are to regard as the Egypt of the patriarchal history. To the new dynasty the services of Joseph, and the cir- cumstances attending the introduction of his family could not be altogether unknown. But they were not recognized, not appreciated, not understood with that fulness of apprehension which would belong to those who were de- scended from and connected with the kings and princes who were Joseph's contempo- raries. But the phenomenon of a people so different in character, habits, and religion as the He- brews, residing within a frontier much exposed to aggression from tribes of similar habits to theirs, and with whom thoy might be supposed to have a common sympathy and interest, drew the attention and excited the fears of the new government. It was apprehended, in the words of the new king, " that when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us." These words were spoken perfectly in accordance with the state of things in Egypt. Fruitful and cultivated Egypt has for its natural enemies the inhabitants of the neighboring deserts, and it is never in greater peril than when these enemies find allies among its own inhabitants. It was therefore determined to adopt a re- 66 pressive policy towards the Israelites, with a view of checking their alarmingly rapid increase and to break their spirit of independence. Hard and constant labor was judged the means best suited to this end ; and they were, there- fore, in fact, enslaved, and compelled to labor on the public works. In that part of Egypt buildings are and were for the most part con- structed of bricks made of clay compacted with straw, and dried in the sun. There are even some pyramids built with this material. This explains how it was that the Egyptians are said to have " made the life of the Israelites bitter with hard bondage in mortar and in brick;" nothing is said of stone. For the further illustration of this, it may be remarked that bricks were in Egypt made under the direction of the government, or of some person privileged by the crown, as appears by the stamp which is still found upon many of them. A great multitude of strangers were con- stantly employed in. the brif'k-fields of Egypt, this being one of th.^ ;:erv!l2 employments in which the native Egyptians were too proud to labor ; or, in other words, the great number of slaves and captives made all unskilled labor too cheap to afford v. rate of wages which they deemed adequate. We are not informed what works the Israelites constructed, excepting that " they built for Pharaoh treasure-cities, Pithom and Rameses." The latter, and probably the other, was in the land of Goshen, and they appear to have been fortified towns, erected in the land of the Hebrews for the purpose of keeping them in subjection, and of storing the portions of their pastoral or agricultural pro- duce which the Egyptian government required from them. These rigid measures by no means answered the desired object. The more the Israelites EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. 67 were oppressed " the more they multiplied and grew." The atrocious plan was then devised of destroying, through the mfdwives, all the to i-^sue a public order that every male child thenceforth born to the Hebtews should be cast into the river. sraelites, with a ly rapid increase independence, dged the means ley were, there- pelled to labor part of Egypt most part con- :ompacted with 'here are even iiaterial. This Egyptians are ■ the Israelites mortar and in one. For tlie y be remarked ide under the jf some person ppears by the pon many of ers were con- :lds of Egypt, iployments in ■ too proud to great number nskilled labor es which tkey tiformed what xcepting that :ities, Pithom probably the -n, and they wns, erected e purpose of •f storing the cultural pro- lent required ns answered le Israelites male children of the Hebrews in the birth ; but this plan of secret massacre having been frustrated by the reluctance of the midwives to be parties in it, the king no longer hesitated MOSES IN HIS LITTLE LIFE-BOAT. — Ex. ii. 5. The Scripture and Josephus call our espe- cial attention to one particular family, that is the family of Amram, It appears that he was well connected among the Israelites ; that he ^ 68 THE FINDING OF MOSES. married and had two children, a girl and a boy — the girl Miriam, the boy Aaron, before the murderous edict was issued wiiich com- pelled the slaughter of all male children. When Moses was born there was of necessity great perplexity. Three months, it appears, they hid the child — condemned to death for the great offence of being born — and then it became essential they should do something with him. The time came when concealment was no longer possible. The truth is sus- pected — prying eyes are all abcjt us, and hands ready to grasp blood-money. The law is hard and cruel ; our lives are risked by sav- ing this young life. Wicked officials will de- mand his youthful existence as if it were a tax. Some envious and ill-natured neighbor has whispered a word : a child's cry has been heard ; somebody has listened to a half- smothered lullaby; an overseer, in insolent authority, has spoken and looked, perhaps, with ill-conditioned rudeness into the face of Miriam. They were sorry times. The Bulrush Cradle. The girl and mother work together a light basket-work cradle all covered with bitumen, and they place the smiling child within it ; and Miriam, in all the bitterness of her heart, floats the precious treasure on the cruel Nile, and then, at a little space, stands watching. The mother cannot watch — she cannot bear the sight which may be seen ; she would her- self run forth and, daring all things, bring de- struction on her house. Better she should be at home, while dutiful; ever-patient and tender- hearted Miriam stays to see the end. All about the Nile the scenery is .strikingly beautiful, but there would be no novelty to the girl who kept watch by the ark of papyrus or bulrush ; and, even had there been novelty, she would be in no mood to wonder at the natural grandeur she beheld. She waits there pensive and lonely. Sometimes a great sense of shame and grief at the outrages to which her people are exposed will make her almost ready to neglect her charge, and thinft it well if there he died — never to know bondage ; but the girl has a deep trust in Heaven's eternal justice. Perhaps a deliverer may come. Yonder is a family, the eldest — a lad of twelve — tending a mixed flock of sheep and goats ; one of the lads is playing on a reed pipe, and they seem as happy as lambs ; the anxious sister glances once towards them, and one of the children runs in the direction the ark has taken. There is soft music, and with solemn pomp a stately procession is seen ad- vancing to the river. Ethiopian slaves bear- ing fans and .screens ; the princess of the land, a company of women in attendance. The guard and the musicians are left behind as her highness approaches the sacred stream, anri the princess draws near the spot where the holy prayer is to be said to the divine wnt'.'r. A moment, and she notices the strange object, only partially concealed by the long iU.snes: quick the order, speedy the response : the little ark is befV, -i her, is ope.icd, and she sees and understands it all. A Motlieily Princess. Doubtles."- this poor little one is a child of the alien race, over whom a mother's heart has yearned ; a mother who, in the last part- ing moments, has done what she could to save her infant's life. And as the princess gazes on the child it weeps. The appeal of tears is powerful to all hearts not yet grown callous to e\'ery good feeling ; the appealing cry of a child is most touching. The tears awoke compassion in the heart of the royal lady — she would save the child Moses ; he has been rescued from the waters ; but how to act is the strange difficulty. Princess though she be, how can she openly defy the law ? How can she have the child at once carried to the king's court and there attended? It must not be. One of the alien race, it is suggested, may be found to nurse the child, and by-and-by the princess will claim him as her adopted son, separate him from his people, and make him heir to all that would be his were he her own child. But how to go among these people — how to send one of her own women ? See, here in this girl we may And a messenger. EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. 69 Quick, O sister, the hour has come to save thy brother and to restore him to his mother's arms ; quick, O sister, lest the opportunity be lost ! Affection makes us brave. Miriam would have shrunk from the groups of proud ladies and the noble princess, but her infant brother was in their midst. Could she discover some sage and tender-hearted woman who would play the mother to this poor outcast child ? Yes; her highness the princess might com- mand her; there was one, Amram's wife, a irusty woman ; she was all qualified to carry out the royal beliest. Then so it should be : let the woman rear the child — she should, vyi en of sufficient age, bring it to the palace, and her wages should be good. The Babo UcHtoretl to its Alother. Good wages! how the mother's heart re- joiced when tile little one she had laid with sighs and tears alive in its tiny coffin was in her arms again — wages enough, full sureiy ; and proud was she of her daughter's readj' wit; and tiiere was a seriousness on Miriam as if she felt great things would come cf this. There is much tha* is beautimi i;. tender, sisterly affection ; there is no passion m it ; unlike a mother, unlike a wife, nnd, most of all, unlike a woman sought in marriage, is the pure, clear, heavenh' love of sister for brother. And Miriam loved ler brother Mo.ses with a depth and earnestn .^s of affection that it is sometimes painful to witness. It seemed to her as if she had rescued him from death* as if her very life were bountl up with his; and painful indeed was the thought that they would sc soon be separated. There would be another and a very distress- ing thought ;■ the mind of the girl: her brother would be taught a .strange and Pagan creed ; how could she hope that in his very early years such impressions could be made that would bn lasting? It was a grievous trouble, a deep grief; but all was done that could be done, and the boy, when he could speak but imperfectly, was swift to learn. Still the long, dread ordeal was before the child. The people among whom he was to be brought up were immersed in Paganism; they were said to surpass all liien in the honor they paid to their god.s. Prominence was given to religious subjects in the sculptures which crowded their temples and tombs ; religion was immediately blended with education ; their sacred rites were conducted with great state and ceremony, and the priesthood possessed marvellous dig- nity and power. To all these influences the child Moses would be subjected, and who could foresee any other result than that he should s- ;cumb, adopt the faith of his patrons, and turn haughtily from the simple creed of his fathers ? Miriam and her Brother. And Miriam — would she tell the boy again and again of the land from which their people had come out, and to which, with much honor and glory, they were to be some day brought back ? The earliest impressions are indubitably the most lasting. A child, we are taught, learns more before it is four years old than it e\'er learns afterwards, even in the longest lifetime. Moses never forgot the teachings of his sister and mother. The time came for him to go away, and ii' a burst of grief he would take farewell of thi dear home. It is not nec- essary here to follow Miriam as she pours out much of her tenderness on the bold boy Aaron, and endeavors to alleviate her mother's sorr.-^w, and ase her father's load of care. In the court of Iharaoh, Moses was well instructed, according to Josephus ; his under- standing became superior to his age, nay, far beyond that standard ; and when he was taught he discovered greater quickness of ap- prehension than was usual. " God did also give him that tallness when he was but three years old, as was wonderful ; and for his beauty there was nobody so unpolite as, when they saw Moses, not to be greatly surprised at the beauty of his countenance; nay, it happened frequently that those who met him as he was carried along the road were obliged to turn again upon seeing the child, that they left what they were about, and stood still a great u i .t l\\ L I « I ■\ i .1 l» THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH. while to look on him ; for the beauty of the child was so remarkable and natural to him on many accounts that it detained the spectators, and made them stay longer to look upon hkn." This is the historical record, and dom;" and when she had said this she put the infant into her father's hands, so he took him and hugged him close to his breast, and on his daughter's account, in a pleasant way, put his diadem upi)n his head; but Moses MOSES BEFORE PHARAOH's DAUGHTER. — Ex. ii. lO. Josephus goes on to tell us that the daughter of Pharaoh carried Moses to her father, saying, " I have brought up a child who is of a divine form and of a generous mind, and as I have received him of the bounty of the river, in a wonderful manner, I thought proper to adopt him for my son, and the heir of thy king- ' threw it down on the ground, and in a puerile mood he wreathed it round and trod upon it with his feet ; which seemed to bring along with it an evil presage concerning the kingdom of Egypt.'" Moses obtained a royal home. The fair princess who found the weeping child by the EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. 71 fiver's brink adopted him, and he was brouglit up as the son of the king's daugliter. VVc may be sure that as sucli lie received the hijjh- est education which the most educated nation in the world could give. We are, indeed, expressly told that he was " learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." We are also in- formed that he was " mighty in word and in deeds." What these deeds were we do not know, but the Jews believe that he was, on more than one occasion, intru.sted with the command of the Egyptian armies, and gained great victories over the enemies of Egypt. He, however, was aware of his origin, and acquainted with his own family. lie knew the destinies of Israel, and a part with them seemed to him more desirable than the glories of Egypt. We arc told that " By faith Moses, wi)cn he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter ; choos- ing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." But whether this refers to some- thing which occurred before that visit to his brethren in Goshen, which the regular narra- tive records, or is deduced from the conse- quences of that visit, we have no means of knowing. At all events, when he was forty years old (1531 B.C.) Moses paid this visit, and e.vaniincd, with that largeness of view which belonged to him, the condition of his people. They seemed to have remained in the same enslaved condition in which they had been left by the first decree of the Egyp- tian king, but the edict respecting the destruc- tion of the male children had not continued long in operation, having been withdrawn probably at the solicitation of the princess. Moses was much grieved and exasperated at the condition to which he beheld the de- scendants of Abraham reduced; and when on one occasion he saw an Egyptian smiting an Israelite, his indignation was so highly kindled that he slew the oppressor, and afterwards hid the body in the sand. This he did doubtless to save the Israelites, to whom the act would not fail to be attributed, from the consequences. The next day Moses had one, among other, of those opportunities of perceiving how the iron of the Egyptian bondage had eaten into the soul of his countrymen, which probably occasioned his reluctance at a future day to undertake the task of their delivirance. One object of the tyranny to whicii they were subject had been fulfilled. Their spirit was broken, their souls had fallen into bondage ; and there was nothing they so much dreaded as the displeasure of their tyrants, and they regarded with apprehension and dislike any person or any act, however generous in char- acter or noble in motive, that seemed likely to draw upon them the unfavorable notice of their taskmasters. Perceiving two Israelites strug- gling with each other, he said to the one who was apparently in the wrong, " Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow ? " To which the other replied tauntingly, " Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyp- tian ? " He fled ; and his course was directed towards that region which was in after years the scene of his glory. He made his way to the country bordering on the eastern arm of the Red Sea, which was anciently called the .^lanitic Gulf, and now the Gulf of Akaba. Arrived in the land of Southern Midian, the exile rested beside a well, and while he sat there the daughters of the emir and priest of Midian, Jethro by name, arrived to water their father's flock. They had drawn up the water and filled the troughs, when some shepherds came and drove them off*. These churlish shepherds were proceeding to give to their flocks the water which had been drawn when Moses interposed, and himself watered the maidens' flock. They failed not to report this kindness of " the Egyptian," as Moses appeared in their eyes, to their father, Jethro, who sent to offer him the hospitalities of his house. In the end Moses consented to remain with Jethro and take the charge of his flocks ; and ere long he obtained in marriage one of Jethro's daughters, named Zipporah, by whom he had two sons. i ,1 l'> ^l i' ! :1 1 CHAPTER VTT. /7/£ DELIVERER JF ISRAEL RTEVOUS oppressions rtCr^' inflicted upon the Hebrews, and a timely deliverer was f"nt in the person of Moses. Fortv years after lie had quitted Egypt, and when he was eighty 7>.ars of age, he led his flociv-, as usual irrc these favorite pastures, when on ^ day he was much astonished ,o perceive a bush burning in the distance, without being con- sumed. He dresv near to see this great sight, when a miraculous voice from out the bush ohargeo him to unloose the sandals from his feet — the Oriental mark of respect — because the ground on which he stood was holy By this Moses might have guessed that he srood in the presence of that God who had so clen appeared to his patri- archal fathers ; for only the presence ol God could, in the sense intimated, render the grcinJ holy. On this point he could not be ion^* in doubt, for the Voice said :- -" I am the God of thy father : the God of Abrahc.m, the God of Isaac, and the God cf Jccob." And when Moses heard that, lie hid his face, " for he was afraid to look upon God," or even upon the burning symbol of his glory. The divine Voice tlien proceeded to declare the object of this appearance. God had seen the grievous and still continued oppression of his people in Egypt, and the time for their deliverance was come. And they were to be delivered, and conducted to their promised heritage, not by the naked arm of God, but by that arm clotl.ed with visible agencies, and acting ♦il^ rough human instruments — a human deliverer. And who was he ? Moses himself was called to the glorious task (72) of bringing forth the people of God from the house of bondage, and he was encouiagcd to this undertaking by the assurance that all liis personal enemies, all those who once sougiit liis life in i'gypt, were now dead, so that he might safely return thither. That tlic time was, come for Israel to be delivered wn^ matter of great joy to Moses ; but time — forty years of pastoral occupation — had subdued the early ardor cf him who had once been a self-ap- pointed redresser of Israel's wrongs, and ha I been prematurely anx'ous to assume the task of a deliverer. The repulse which he then re- ceived sunk deep into his soul, and made him hopeless of rousing the spirit of a people so accustomed to their yoke, so enslaved in heart, as he knew them to be. But the Divine Being condescended to answer his objections, and reminded him tl it, in discharging the great duty to which he war now called, he wcuIq act in u power beyond his own. Tliuj :.ssured; Moses rx longer declined the ►ask imposed upoz. him. Ks rendered up his pastor?.', charg c Jcthrc ; and, taking IWwife and childrefn ■:urn.cc'. !,iis steps towards Egypt. Pefcrc :.e r^^achea hzx, country, he was met by 'lis wide, brother .(jlarcnj from vhom he doubt- less received full iiiibrmation of the state of affairs in Egypt, and of the present condition and feelings of the Isia'*''tes. Glad Tidiiig^s for the Hebrews. Arrived in Egypt, the brothers assembled the eldjrs of Israel ; and M'^ses related the r.iissior. which hv, had received, and exhibited the miraculous powers which had been iii- tru-^ted to him to prove its truth. Then the P'jople believed, " and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.'' of God from the s encouiagcd to ranee that all his ,'ho once sought dead, sc that he rhat tlie time was d v?b matter of i — forty years of bdued the early ; been a self-ap- Arrongs, and ha I assume the task ^hic'.'. he then re- 1, and made him t of a people so so enslaved in But the Divine r his objections, discharj:[ing the now called, he his own. Jger declined the rendered up his i, taking R^"wire i towards Egj'pt. y, he was met by .vhoni he doubt- of the state of resent condition Hebrews. thers assembled ■^ses related tiie ;d, and exhibited li had been in- ruth. Then the they heard that ildren of Israel, n their affliction, nd worshipped.'' The Finding of Moses. A the< fore m the in THE DELIVERER OF ISRAEL. 73 After this, Moses and Aaron, attended by the chiefs of Israel, presented themselves be- fore the throne of Egypt, and demanded, in The insolent pride with which Pharaoh re- ceived the message communicated by Moses, "Who is Jehovah! that I should obey his THE BUSH THAT BURNED AND WAS NOT CONSUMED. — Ex. iii. 2. the name of Jehovah, that his people should po forth to hold a solemn sacrifice and festival in the desert voice, to let Israel go? I know not Ji'hovah, neither will I let Israel go." and the o'jstinacy which he afterwards exhibit , when the Divine " J Ill IM If! I i 1 in PRIDE OF PHARAOH. punishments fall upon him one after another, j in choosing rather to see the destruction of his land and people, than to yield— are proved by the monuments, which the Egyptians have left behind them, to be in accordance with the genuine spirit of a Pharaoh. A comparison of the representation of the victory of Remeses Mi-amun in Thebes, as explained by Champollion, is of special interest in this connection. The trophies of victory (the severed right hand, and other members of the body) are there laid at the feet of the king, who sits quietly in his chariot, while the horses are held by his officers, and addresses this liaughty speech to his warriors: "Give yourselves to mirth; let it rise to heaven. Strangers are dashed to the ground by my po.ver. The terror of my name has gone forth ; their hearts are full of it. 1 appear be- fore them as a lion ; I have pursued them as a hawk; I have annihilated their .vicked souls; I have passed over their rivers ; I have set fire to their castles ; I am to Egypt what the god Mandoo has been ; I have vanquished the bar- barians ; Amun-Re (the greatest of the Egyp- tian gods), my father, has subdued the whole world under my feet, and I am king on the throne for ever." Tlie literal truth of this translation has indeed been disputed ; but the spirit which the speech breathes may easily be recognized from it. There is no doubt that the Egyptian kings, in their pride, named them.selves kings of the whole world ; and it has been established by their monuments, that they, in this arrogance, claimed divine honors for themselves. Not only was the application made by Mones refused, but the exactions and the inflicfions upon the Israelites were redoubled, to punish them for having made it. Hitherto they had been allowed straw with which to compact the bricks, the manufacture of which formed their chief labor; but now this was refused, and although much of their time was consumed in collecting the straw, the full tale of bricks was required from them ; and the officers of the children of Israel, whom the overseers of Pharaoh had placed over them, were beaten because the task was not performed. This scene is placed vividly before us by the Egyp- tians, who offer many representations of " labor stimulated by the persuasive powers of the stick," the efficiencyof which cannot be doubted. Loud Miirmuriiiff of tlie People. The Hebrew people now began to complain against Moses and Aaron for having thus in- creased their troubles by their ill-considered demands ; and Moses himself complained to the Lord that the condition of the people had not been bettered, but rendered much worse by his interference. Then the word was given for that extraor- dinary series of visitations known as the plagues of Egypt, for the purpose of con- vincing the king of the power of the God whom the Hebrews served, and of the dread conse- quences of resisting his demand. The effect of some of these was weakened to the mind of Pharaoh by the impo.stures of his magicians, by whofii some of them were simulated. But the terrible visitation which each plague brought could only be removed at the inter- cession of Moses ; and at ihat intercession they were successively removed, on promises fro"i the king of attention and compliance, which were neglected so soon as the penal effects had cea.sed. Hence these visitations rose in se- verity, till the last terrible and overwhelming calamity produced the designed result. They were preceded by a sign, or miracle, performed in the presence of Pharaoh and his court, and intended to authenticate the divine mission which Moses had received. Attended by the elders of Israel, Moses and his brother Aaron again presented themselves before the king; and the latter having rast down his rod upon the ground, it was at once changed into a .serpent, in ;he sight of all that illu.strious audience. Instead of yielding to the force of that evidence which this miracle conveyed, the king sent for his " wise men and sorcerers," who " did in like manner with their enchant- ments ; for they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents." This hardened the king in the course he had marked out for ii i M:^*£ «' sorcerers, iir etichant- lan his rod, 3 hardened ked out for AARON S KOU THAT ■hi It 76 SERPENT-CHARMERS. himself; and although the inferiority of the seeiniiiij miriicle of the magicians was evinced by tlic fact of Aaron's serpent-rod swallowing up theirs, the king persuad.d himself that he had an excuse for withholding his consent to the demand made in the name of Jehovah. We are expressly told that !h .: wise men " of Egypt performed their simulated wonder by " enchantment," ..liicli word denotes not merely magical ag^'u^ies, but any Kind of leg- erdemain, or scient;'^. or ritistlcaJ contriv mce. The Egyptian prie: ^ . wore di. ply learned in all the secrets of i ture mid firt, which were hidden from their contemporaries, and which, indeed, they treasured up as mysteries peculiar to their order, and to which none but tlie of some secret charm, which placed them in a condition to bring about the most wonderful consequences. It was at first believed that they removed the teeth of serpents and tiie stings of scorpions, that they miL;ht handle them with impunity; but this suspicion has been disproved by repeated examination. Indeed, this wondrous art is still a mystery ; it descends from father to son, and the serpent-charmers in Egypt form an association claiming to be the only individuals who are able to charm serpents or free houses from them. Their sleight of liand is marvelous. They are able, according to their assertions, to make the Haje (the species of serpent they espe- cially make use of in their tricks) rigid as a highest members, even of that order, were ad- \ staff, and to ap; .ar as if dead ; and then, at mittcd. There is no manner of doubt diat it j pleasure, make them relax into vitality again. An eminent naturalist, Col. C. Hamilton Smith, iniorms us that the inflation of which this serpent is capable can, by a peculiar press- ure on the neck, be rendered so intensely rigid, that the serpent can be held out hori- z( iitaily, as if it were a rod ; and that the resto- was by such means that they were enabled to imitate, in appearance, some of the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron. Wonders l*erforiiicd by Magicians. This counter-wonder of the Egyptian magi- cians was founded on the peculiar condition ration of vitality is produced by liberating the of Egypt : and much more .so was the Mospi J 1 animal, or by throwing it on the ground, sign; for through it the prophet was furni'-hed i This seems quite to explain how the magi- with power to perform that which the «nagi- cians were able to make tlieir real serpents cians of Egypt most especially gloried in, and ' appear, at first, as rods, which, when cast upon by which they most of all supported their , the gro':ii:', rccovcv.d their vital action, imitat- authority. j ing, by revc-sed effects, the deed of Aaron, The charming of serpents has been native , whose real roil became a serpent, to Egypt, from the most ancient even to the present time ; and although the art is now be- held bv us without those sacred associations Plagues Sent Upon Egypt. Then began the plagues. The first changed which invested it with auc and wonder in and j into blood the pleasant waters of the health- after the time in which Moses lived, enougli giving Nile; and although tiiey succeeded in remains to enable us to form some conception .apparently turning some water into blood, of the effects then pvoduced. Even tho.se they were not able to reverse the miracle, as who have entered upon an examination of Moses did when signs of contrition were the subject with the mo.st absolute unbelief, such as the scientific commi.ssioners attached to the French army in Egypt, have been forced into the conviction, that there was something in ii, which their philosophy could not reach, and which (impelled them to con- clude that the Psylli these serpent-charmers were anciently calU ' were in the possession niciiiifested by the king. VVe are not required to understand that by this miracle the waters of Egypt were changed into real blood, but only to a blood-red color ; .so that the blood here is the same as the " water red as *^'ood " described in the Second Book ol ivuigs. That there is found something analogous to this in the natural phenomena of Egj'pt THE DELIVERER OF ISRAEL. n has long since been related. It is admitted that the waters of the Nile, a short time before the inundation, take a green, and a. the be- ginning of the inundation a red color. The cause of this change has not been fully in- vestigated. In common years the water when it is green and when it is red is drinkable : but sometimes, in years of great heat, this peculiarity of the water becomes a great calamity, as it then becomes so offensive that in the ordinary course of nature ; and still more, in the extraordinaiy character of the visi- tation, indicated by the fact that all the fish in th ; river died, which effect never ensues from the natural reddening of the waters. There is an intended emphasis in the in- formation that "the Egyptians loathed to drink the waters of the liver," which must not be overlooked. It is founded upon the im- Iportance which the Nile water has for the THE PLAGUE OK LOCUSTS. people of delicate stomachs cannot drink it, and content themselves with well-water. If that calamity which came at the word of Moses were the same as this, then the wonder would consist in its coming in at the time ap- pointed by the prophet ; in its coming not, as usual, gradually, but suddenly, at the moment when his rod was lifted up; and in the time itself not being the usual time, which is about the middle ' f the year, but inAny months sooner than it lias ever been known to occur Egyptians, and upon the almost passionate love of the inhabitants of Egypt for it. The water of the Nile is, in fact, the only drinkable water in Egypt ; for the water of the few wells is distasteful and unwholesome. The Turks find this water .so pleasant, that they are said to eat salt on purpose to be able to drink the more of it. They are accustomed to say, that if Mohammed had drunk thereof, he would have asked an immortality on earth, that he might alwayt drink of this water. ! It t ' If 15 ij ,1 m n THE TEN PLAGUES. If the Egyptians umlertakc a pilgriniaRe to Mecca, or travel clscwlicrc, thc-y speak of nothing but the delight which they .shall ex- perience when, on their return, they shall again drink the pleasant water of their great river. Under due reference to these circum- stances we shall perceive the peculiar force of the terms employed in describing the Egyp- tians as loathing the water which they usually prefer before all the water in the world ; and as choosing rather to drink well-water, which is in their country so unpleasant. The second plague brought frogs in myriads upon every pleasant place in Egypt; and although the magicians simulated this miracle also, Moses only, at a time previously ap- pointed, could remove the evil. Itcpeatcd CalninitieH. The third plague was formed by gnats, which are even in ordinary years very trouble- some in Egypt, and the vast increase of which must have rendered life insupportable. In trying to imitate this, the magicians failed, and they acknowledged " This is the finger of God." But the heart of Pharaoh was still harilened. Then came the fourth plague, that of the " flies," — probably the dog-fly, which is re- markably troublesome in Egypt, from its dis- position to alight upon the edge of the eye- lid. This brought Pharaoh to urge the Hebrews to keep their feast and offer their sacrifices in F^gypt. But Moses answered — " It is not meet so to do ; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Elgyptians to tli« Lord our God : lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?" This is usually understood to mean that the Egyp- tians would bi; offended by the Israelites offer- ing the same animals which they worshipped, liut an accomplished German divine, Heng- stenbei;^', has sugi^^e.stcd a very different view. Me argues that " the designation ' abomina- tion ' is not appropriate to the consecrated animals." This indicates that the animals which the Israelites slaughtered were not considered too good, but too bad for offerings. The animals which were commonly taken among the Israel- ites for offerings were also among the l-lgyp- tians not sacred. The only one of the larger domestic animals which was usually regarded as sacred by them was the cow ; and this was not offered by the Israelites, except under peculiar and unusual circumstances. The offence was, rather, that the Israelites omitted the inquiry concerning the cleanne.ss of ani- mals, which was practised with the greatest caution by the Egyptians. That only clean animals were offered by the Egyptians, Herod- otus says, in that remarkable pas.sage where he acquits the Egyptians from the imputation of offering human sacrifices : " For since ♦'ley are not allowed to .sacrifice any animals e.xcept the swine and the bullock and calves, namely, those that are clean among them, and the goose, how can they offer men ? " What stress they laid upon cleanne.ss, and how truly it was consideretl an abomination to offer an unclean animal, is seen from the same author. Only a red o.x could be offered, and a single black hair rendered it unclean. They also placed dependence on a multitude of marks besides this; the tongue, the tail, were accu- rately examined. Every victim, after a pre- scribed examination, in confirmation of its fit- ness, was .sealed on the horns ; and to offer an unsealed o.x was prohibited on pain of death. Under <'.e fifth plague the animals of Egypt were smitten by a grievous murrain, while those of the Israelites sustained no harm. The plague of boils and blains upon the I bodies of all the Egyptians, including the magicians, was the si.xth. It was miraculous chiefly in its circumstances and in its extent ; the disease itself having been so common in Egypt, that, elsewhere, it is described as " the boil of Egypt." The seventh plague was a tremendous tem- pest of hail, by which men and cattle were slain, the trees broken, and the produce of the fields crushed down. The whole crop of the flax and the barley was smitten, for it had I grown up; but the wheat and spelt escaped, PLACING THE MARK OF BLOOD UPON THE DOOR-POST. — Ex. xii. 7. m) 80 THE TEN PLAGUES. as these catne later to matiir't\'. No hail fell in the land of Goshen, whicli the Israelites inliabited. As the heart of Pharaoh was not moved b\- all these wonders, another plague was sent ; it was that of the locusts, which came over the land in numbers without example, and speedily consumed every green thing which the hail hail spared. Then, as tiie ninth plague, c.ime a terrible darkness overall that sunny land — a darkness dense beyond description — and which allowed no one to stir from his place during the three dav's that it lasted. lUit all this time the Israelites had abundant light in Goshen. One plague more, the tenth — terrible, fatal, effectual — was threcitened before it came, that timely submission nii!,dit 1. iply avert the doom. It was the death of all the first-born iu Egypt, from the first-horn of " the king upon iiis throne, to the first-boin of the maid-.servanl behind the mill." God, who knew the effect of this terrible stroke, directed the institution ( of a festival in commemoration of it, and that j the Hebrews should stand ready for departure at the appointed time. The festival was called the P.issover, because the destroying angel would pass over the doors marked with the blood of a lamb, which every Hebrew family was directed to slay, and eat in the posture of persons ready for a journey. Already, according to the divine direction, the Hebrews had borrowed of their Egyptian neighbors various articles and ornaments of gold and silver, with which, according to cus- tom, they nught becomingly celebrate the great feast they were to lioKI in the wilderne.ss. And by this time the renown of Moses had so spread among the people, and so lively a dread of his power was entertained, that the Israelites obtained freely whatever they asked. It is, indeed, evident from the whole narrative that the popular feeling among tl^e hlgyptians was by no means favorable to the course taken by tlie government in its obstinate and perilous refusal of the demand made in behalf of the Israelites. kj. CHAPTER VIII. THE LAST NIGHT IN EQYF ISTORY presents us with few events more startling than those which attended the ex- odus of the Hebrews from Egypt. The fatal night came — a night which formed a chief point of remembrance to the Jews in all succeeding genera- tions. That night the Passover was, for the first time, celebrated by them ; and in that night the first-born of all the Egyptians were smitten with in- stant deatl^, so that no house was found in Egypt in which the most valued of its mem- bers had not died. Then a great cry arose in all the land, and the court, whatever might have been its own feeling, saw that the popular voice would no longer be controlled, and there- fore now, in this dreadful hour, the Hebrews were not only permitted to quit Egypt, but were urged forth with importunity and ha.ste. Of this haste some notion may be formed from the fact, that they were unable to bake or even to leaven the dough which they had prepared for bread, and which they therefore, took away with them as unleavened dough in their kneading-troughs. They were all assembled with their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen, in the dis- trict of Rameses, and before the day had dawned the vast ho.st of the Israelites, of whom tne adult males alone numbered six hundred thousand, marched forth from the land of Egypt, and proceeded northward into the wilderness. The last day of bondage and the first of freedom is the most important in the history of any nation. So the Israelites felt theirs to be, and the Almighty fixed it in their memory by institutions more durable 6 than monuments of brass or marble. Such was the Passover, and such the new decree which consecrated to the service of the Lord all the first-born of Israel in memory of their being spared when all the first-born of Egypt died. As the southern parts of Palestine were oc- cupied by the Philistines and other warlike nations, it was deemed inexpedient to lead the undisciplined and encumbered Israelites in that direction, although it was the nearest and the mo.st usual route. For this, among other reasons, the departing host took the road towards the Red Sea, the neighborhood of which they reached after three days' journey. This journey from the land of Goshen to the Red Sea has received much attention from Biblical geographers, who have scarcely suc- ceeded in relieving it from all the obscurity in which they found it involved. In a work of this description the questions connected with this and other points in the journey of the Israelites do not admit of critical examination, and we must be content to state the results of those investigations which appear to us to have led to the most probable conclusions. It is usual, when large parties prepare for a journey in the East, for all the travellers to assemble at a common rendezvous, where they arrange the details of the journey, and prepare for a regular start. Thus a place by the river of Ahava was the rendezvous of the exiles who returned to Judea under Ezra. And at the present day the great pilgrim caravan from Egypt to Mecca assembles at Birket-el-Hadj, or the Pilgrims' Pocl, w'sich some suppose may possibly have bi:en the very place from which the Hebrews tv^ok their departure. In the present case the Hebrews knew well that I they were to depart this night, and the point (81) IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. >V