gated by Jabin, king of Hazor. The vast army which they raised, did not, however, in the least degree, intimidate Joshua; for, under the direction of the Almighty, he immediately took the field, marched towards the enemy, and attacked them so suddenly, that they were thrown into the utmost confusion, and all slain except a very few, who escaped into a distant part of the country. Jabin, the leader of the confederacy, was taken prisoner and put to death; and his capital, the city of Hazor, was burned to the ground. The destruction of this powerful combination against Israel, was soon followed by the submission of the whole of the land of Canaan, the death of thirtyone kings having attended the last contest. Even the children of Anak, those giants who had formerly been so great a terror to the Israelites, were all destroyed, with the exception of those that dwelt in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

Joshua, having thus conquered the central and most important parts of the land of Canaan, resolved to divide the country amongst the different tribes that were still unprovided for, and to dismiss the members of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who had assisted him in his conquests, to the settlements which Moses had assigned them, on the east side of the Jordan. With this view he appointed commissioners to survey the land; and these, at the expiration of seven months, completed their task, and presented their report, immediately after which Joshua, assisted by Eleazer, the high-priest, the princes of the tribes, and the elders of the people, distributed the whole country as God had commanded; saying, "Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance, according to the number of names. To many, thou shalt give the more inheritance; and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance. Notwithstanding, the land shall

be divided by lot: according to lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few."

This distribution of the land of Canaan among the different tribes being made by lot, it is remarkable, that to each tribe fell a portion of the country exactly corresponding with previously-uttered prophecies by Jacob. and Moses. To the tribe of Judah, fell a section of country abounding in vines and pasture-grounds; to that of Asher, one plenteous in oil, iron, and brass; to that of Naphtali, one extending from the west to the south of Jordan; to that of Benjamin, the land in which the temple was afterwards built; to those of Zebulun and Issachar, such as had plenty of sea-ports; and to those of Ephraim and Manasseh, such as were renowned for their precious fruits. The inheritance of the tribe of Dan lay in the extreme south of the conquered territory, and was well adapted to their warlike habits and propensities. To the tribes of Simeon and Levi, no particular inheritance was given the former having a portion with Judah, and the latter being interspersed among the other tribes.

Having thus settled the tribes of Israel in their new possessions, Joshua selected for his own inheritance, Timnath-serah, in mount Ephraim, and there built a city, which he made the place of his future abode. Upon Caleb, his early and tried companion, he, at the same time, bestowed Hebron, a city which was taken from the sons of Anak. About the same time Shiloh was selected as the place to which the tribes of Israel should resort for Divine worship; and at this place, accordingly, all Israel assembled, and there set up the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Seven years had now elapsed since the Israelites commenced the conquest of Canaan; and, the war being happily ended, Joshua called together, at Shiloh, the

auxiliaries furnished by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and, after highly com mending them for their fidelity and valor, earnestly exhorted them, as they were now about to be separated from the Tabernacle, to be faithful in their duty to God, and ever to bear in mind those laws which he had given them by his servant Moses. He then affectionately dismissed them, to join their respective tribes on the east side of the river Jordan, and, at the same time, recommended that, when they should reach their homes, they should share the rich spoils which they carried back with them, equally with their brethren, who, though they had taken no part in the war, had still protected their families during their absence.

During the ten years that followed, Joshua resided in the midst of his people; and as, throughout this whole period, they venerated their pious leader, and were obedient to the laws of God, it was, perhaps, the most peaceful and prosperous period that the nation ever enjoyed. The days of Joshua now, however, began to draw to a close; and, as he perceived his end approaching, he called together the princes, the elders, and all the tribes of Israel, at Shechem, and addressed them in the most solemn and impressive manner, reminding them of the various ways in which the Almighty had preserved them in the midst of impending dangers-not only relieving their wants and removing their distresses, but even raising them from the most abject condition in life, to one full of prosperity and happiness. In gratitude to so great a Protector and Benefactor, he exhorted them to a faithful observance of his laws, and urged them to renew the covenant with him, into which their fathers had once entered. To all this they readily consented. "And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone and set it up there,

under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said unto all the people, 'Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us: for it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken unto us: and it shall, therefore, be a witness unto us, lest ye deny your God.'"

A short time after this solemn assemblage of the people, in 1434 A. C., Joshua died, being one hundred and ten years old, and was buried at Timnath-serah, in mount Ephraim. "And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived. Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel." About the same time, Eleazer, the high-priest, also died, and was buried in one of the hills of mount Ephraim, which belonged to his son and successor Phineas. The death and burial of those two distinguished leaders, reminded the Israelites of the bones of Joseph, which they had brought with them out of Egypt; and they buried them also, with the utmost solemnity, in Shechem, where Jacob had purchased a piece of ground of the sons of Hamor, and which afterwards became the inheritance of Joseph's posterity.

SECTION II.

Limits of Canaan-The Government a pure Theocracy-Mistaken Lenity of the Israelites-Apostasy of the Tribe of Dan - Consequences that followed-Illustrative Incidents-The Case of the Apostate Priest-The Case of the Levite of Mount Ephraim-Success of the Tribe of Judah-Deplorable Condition of the Tribe of Benjamin-Their Restoration.

THE land of Canaan, which God had promised to Abraham and his posterity, and which Joshua, as we have seen, parcelled out among the twelve tribes of Israel, extended, from north to south, about one hundred and sixty miles, and eighty miles from east to west.

The northern boundary of the country, was Lebanon and Syria; the southern, Edom and the wilderness of Paran; the eastern, Arabia Deserta, Ammon, Moab, and Midian; and the western and southwestern, the Mediterranean sea and Egypt. This only, was properly called Canaan, and was all that was promised to the Israelites as a possession; but if we embrace the whole territory which, in the fifteenth chapter of Genesis, and the twenty-third chapter of Exodus, was promised to them in dominion, we must include the entire region, from the river Euphrates on the northeast, to the river Nile on the southwest.

The government instituted by Moses and Joshua, for the Israelites, was a pure Theocracy, and was to be administered by a succession of judges, to be appointed by God himself, as he might require their services. Much of the land of Canaan, however, was still in the hands of enemies that must be subdued before the children of Israel could quietly enjoy their new possessions; and, as no leader had yet been designated to succeed Joshua, the princes of the different tribes repaired to Shiloh, to make inquiry of the Almighty relative to the manner in which the war should be prosecuted. The reply of the Lord was, that Judah should renew the contest; but, as the inheritance of Simeon was identified with that of Judah, they resolved to unite their forces till the conquest should be completed.

The unsubdued Canaanites were both numerous and powerful; and, with a large army under the command of Adoni-bezek, king of Bezek, they prepared to encounter the dreaded foe then marching against them. Their chief expectation of success, was based upon the death of Joshua; but they soon realized that the same Divine arm strengthened Judah and Simeon, that had sustained Israel's previ ous leader; for the two tribes attacked them with anch