which season the sun in those countries having great power, the snow melted in abundance from mount Lebanon, which caused Jordan at this season to overflow its banks. But though the banks of Jordan be filled till they run over, it is easy with almighty power to divide them, as if they were shallow streams. The christian may observe, that God will change the course of nature before his word of promise shall fail.

CHAPTER V.

Israel is now got over Jordan, and the waters which had opened before them to favour their march forwards, are closed again behind them to forbid their retreat backward; they have now got footing in Canaan, and must apply themselves to the conquest of it; in order to which this chapter tells us, (1.) How their enemies were dispirited, ver. 1. (2.) What was done at their first landing, to assist and encourage them. 1. The covenant of circumcision was renewed, ver. 2-9. 2. The feast of the passover was celebrated, ver. 10. 3. Their camp was victualled with the corn of the land, whereupon the mauna ceased, ver. 11, 12. 4. The captain of the Lord's host himself appeared to Joshua to animate and direct him, ver. 13-15.

VER. 9. "And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you."] -Natural circumcision was a figure of the spiritual circumcision of the heart made without bands; and the regeneration of the soul is called "the circumcision of the Spirit." The Lord's rolling away the reproach of Egypt upon the people's being circumcised, spiritually denotes that the Lord, by the grace of regeneration, or the circumcision of the heart, rolls away the reproach of our natural state; which is an act of great grace to take away our reproach, as servants to sin, and slaves to Satan, as disobedient, and without God in the world, and brought to he "fellow-citizens with the saints." Observe, Joshua's circumcising the children of Israel at the Lord's command was a great act of faith, if we consider that they were just landed in the face of an enemy, and the waters of Jordan were returned, and they could neither fight nor flee if the enemy had come down upon them; but they are safe whom God keeps.

Ver. 10. "And kept the passover."]-See explained Exod. xii. 3.

Ver. 12. "And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had caten of the old corn of the land."]-The manna

that fed the children of Israel was a type of Christ, who is the only food and bread of life for the children of God; but this manna ceasing upon their entering the borders of the land of Canaan, may denote that Christ, the heavenly manna, will continue to be preached and held forth, and fall like the dew upon the spiritual tents of Israel, till all the children of God are passed over the Jordan of death to their heavenly inheritance, where faith is changed into sight, and hope into enjoyment.

Their cating of the old corn of the land," may be figurative of the glories of the gospel state, which are prepared of old from the foundation of the world, for those that love the Lord; and the old corn of the land may denote that the saints of God will feed and live for ever on the old and everlasting glories of divine love, electing grace, the ancient settlements of it, the covenant that is well" ordered in all things and sure," the fulness of its blessings, and of Christ, the glorious Mediator of this covenant, that was "set up from everlasting," and grace given them in him before the world began.

"But they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."]-Which may denote the plenty and variety of the joys and glories of the heavenly state, which the saints will for ever live and feed upon.

Ver. 13-15. "There stood a man over against him."] -Doubtless Joshua was much concerned, and was looking up to God by prayer that the Lord would appear for him, and having lifted up his eyes, he saw a man over against him who this man was is evident from the adoration and reverence which he commanded, and in Josh. vi. 2. he is called JEHOVAH; which shews him to be no other than the Lord Jesus," the second Adam, the Lord from heaven :" which points out the ancient glories of Christ, as the man. mediator with God, and the security of the old testament saints through this man of God's right-hand but, alas! how dark are our ideas of the ancient glories of Christ as God-man, being the head of the church in all ages, and the life of his people, being, as man in union with God, engaged for their safety, security, and protection! Besides his appearance as a man, though in all the glories of the Deity, and the perfections of the Godhead, yet his appearance gives peace of mind, ease of access, and sweet familiarity, as he is our friend, brother, and near kinsman: for had he appeared in the glories of the Godhead, without any buman appearance, Joshua, though a man of faith and

courage, dared not to have drawn near to him; but he, seeing a man, though in the majesty of Jehovah, draws near to him, communes with him, and receives direction from him, and obtains a victory by him which was a lively figure of that union, nearness, communion, life, safety, and love, that we enjoy from God, through the man Christ Jesus, who is the medium of all grace, the door of access, and the centre of glory.

CHAPTER VI.

Joshua opened the campaign with the siege of Jericho, a city which could not trust so much to the courage of its people, as to act offensively, and to send out its forces to oppose Israel's landing and encamping, but trusted so much to the strength of its walls, as to stand upon its defence, and not to surrender, or desire conditions of peace: now here we have the story of the taking of it. 1. The directions and assurances which the captain of the Lord's host gave concerning it, ver. 1–5. 2. The trial of the people's patient obedience in walking round the city six days, ver. 6-14. 3. The wonderful delivery of it into their hands the seventh day, with a solemn charge to them to use it as a devoted thing, ver. 15-21. and ver. 24. 4. The preservation of Rahab and her relations, ver. 22, 23, 25. 5. A curse pronounced upon the man that should dare to rebuild this city, ver. 26, 27. An abstract of this story we find among the trophies of faith, Heb. xi. 30. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”

VER. 2. "And the Lord said unto Joshua, see, I have given into thine hand Jericho."]-Joshua had before enquired, "What saith my Lord unto his servant ?" and it shews how satisfied Joshua was, that the man whom he adored and reverenced was the Lord Jehovah; which makes it appear that Christ always was, and ever will be loved and adored as God-man; for in this verse he appropriates the character of Lord, which in the original is Jehovah, and as the "Lord of the whole earth:"see I have given into thine hand Jericho;" which was a figure of his power, that is engaged to fulfil all his promises to his people.

Ver. 4. "And the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times."]-The number seven is a scripture number of perfection which God has much honoured, as the seventh day was the sabbath; seven times the blood was to be sprinkled before the veil; there were seven days of consecration for the priest, seven lamps in the tabernacle, seven days for the purification of the leper, seven sabbaths of years for the jubilee, seven angels, seven trum.

pets, seven vials, seven eyes, seven spirits of God, and seven priests, bearing seven trumpets; and on the seventh day they were to compass the city seven times with the sounding of rams' horns; which might appear to their enemies as weak weapons to pull down the walls of Jericho, but as it was by faith, and in obedience to God's command, and the ark of the Lord being with them, which was a figure of Christ, it was mighty through God for that great end and purpose.

Ver. 20. And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat."]-The falling of the walls of Jericho may be considered as a figure of the fall of Babylon; for as these two cities agree in their greatness, so in their wickedness also there was a resemblance, Rev. xvii. 4. As Jericho stood in the way of Israel's possessing the land of promise, so does mystical Babylon in the way of Christ's kingdom and glory: and as Jericho fell on a sudden at the sounding of rams' horns, which was by means unexpected, so will the fall of Babylon be by the sound of the gospel, Rev. xviii. 7, &c. As the one fell by the sounding of seven priests, at the seventh time of sounding, on the seventh day, so the fall of antichrist will be at the seventh angel's sounding the seventh trumpet, and pouring out the seventh vial, Rev. x. 7. and xi. 15. And as Jericho was accursed, and the curse executed upon him that did attempt to build it, 1 Kings xv. 34. so it prefigured the curse of Babylon, that should fall by the brightness of Christ's coming, and be no more, Rev. xviii. 21.

Or the falling of the walls of Jericho may denote the confidence of the unregenerate sinner falling before the power of the gospel, which is mighty through God to the pulling down of Satan's strong holds; though it may appear contemptible to men, as the sounding of rams' horns did to the men of Jericho, yet by the foolishness of preaching, which is reputed so by the men of the world, God has ordained to save them that believe ;" for the gospel is a sound of life, liberty, grace, love, and mercy, by which God bows the sinner's will, melts his hearts, breaks down the walls of unbelief, and makes it the power of God to his salvation.

CHAPTER VII.

More than once we have found the affairs of Israel, when they were in the happiest posture, and gave the most hopeful prospects, perplexed and embarrassed by sin, and a stop thereby put to the most promising proceedings. The golden calf, the murmuring at Kadesh, and the iniquity of Peor, had broke their measures, and given them great distur bance; and in this chapter we have such another instance of the interruption given to the progress of their arms by sin: but it being only the sin of one person or family, and soon expiated, the consequences were not so mischievous as those others, however it served to let them know that they were still upon their good behaviour. We have here, (1.) The sin of Achan in meddling with the accursed thing, ver. 1. (2.) The defeat of Israel before Ai thereupon, ver. 2-5. (3.) Joshua's humiliation and prayer on occasion of that sad disaster, ver. 6-9. (4.) The directions God gave him for the putting away of the guilt which had provoked God thus to contend with them, ver. 10-15. (5.) The discovery, trial, conviction, condemnation, and execution of the criminal, by which the anger of God was turned away, ver. 16—26. And by this story it appears that, as the law, so Canaan itself made nothing perfect; the perfection both of holiness and peace to God's Israel is to be expected in the heavenly Canaan only.

VER. 5. "Wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water."]-Because they were driven before their enemies on the account of the sin of Achan. Hence observe, that sin is the cause of God's withdrawing his favour from us, the loss of which is at all times matter of great lamentation. Secondly, when God withdraws his favours of grace or providence, how do our hearts, like the Israelites, melt like water. Thirdly, it is not barely the promises of God, but his blessing, power, and presence in accomplishing them, which are the support of the soul. Fourthly, when the providence of God seems to go contrary to his promises, it not only tries the faith of the strongest christian, but divine providence appears so dark, deep, and inexplicable at times, that he does not know what to say of them. Fifthly, under the darkest seasons of divine providence, the christian is from his very heart concerned for the glory of God.

Ver. 9. And what wilt thou do unto thy great name?"]-This lay nearest the heart of Joshua, lest the name of the Lord should not be glorified, and lest the enemy should spread a dishonour upon his love, faithfulness, and promise; therefore says Joshua, "What wilt thou do unto thy great name ?" which I apprehend may be understood as a prayer that the Lord would open a way that