mained to him. He numbered the host; computing about 601,730 of them from twenty years of age and upwards; among all of whom was not one who had been numbered at Sinai, save Joshua and Caleb. Getting up into the mountains he viewed the promised land far and wide, and ordained the division of it by lot among the tribes, by lot, but still so as the larger tribe should have the larger portion, and the less the less. He pointed out where cities for the Levites to dwell in should be built, and the manner of building them; he also appointed the six "cities of refuge" where he who had slain a man might be safe from the avenger till the congregation had judged between them. He provided for the succession of property in the tribes, and the perpetuating the name and dignity of each. At their own request, he permitted the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, to settle in the rich plains of Gilead and Moab, a good place for cattle, of which they possessed good store, on condition that their fighting men should go over Jordan with the host, armed for the war and take their part in the conquest until the land should be subdued. So they built booths for their cattle, and settled their families in some of the fortified towns, promising not to return unto their houses until the children of Israel should inherit every man his inheritance.

Moses then assembled the people together, and recounted to them the story of their long pilgrimage. He told them that it was to humble them, and to prove them; to know what was in their hearts, whether they would truly serve the Lord or not; that God had led them these forty years through the wilderness. He re

minded them of God's dreadful judgments against them; of his great mercies to them; of their whole wonderful preservation during the travels and dangers of those forty years; during all that time "their raiment had not waxed old, neither did their foot swell." And now they were to pass Jordan; to go in and possess the land now holden by nations greater and mightier than they ; but yet whom they should utterly destroy and dispossess. Idolatrous nations, with whom they must make no covenant, nor peace, but utterly destroy them, and their altars, and false gods. And to this high calling the people of Israel were called, not so much because of their righteousness, as because of the wickedness of the people they went out against, and in order that the Lord might " perform the word" which He sware unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Moses then renewed the covenant with the whole nation, from the prince to the hewer of wood and drawer of water; he recapitulated and re-enforced the whole of the law he had delivered to them at Sinai, and gave it, a written word, in charge to the Levites, who were to carry it among the sacred things of the tabernacle, and to read it aloud in the hearing of the people every seven years.

He then appeared before the Lord with Joshua in the tabernacle of the congregation; he presented him to the people as his successor, who should lead them forth to the possession of Canaan; and he charged Joshua in the name of the Lord, "Be strong and of a good courage, for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto thee, and I will be with thee."

"And

Finally, he "spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended," a song of prophecy,-of praise to God-of warning and exhortation to Israel,-blessing them, and calling on every one of the tribes with prophetic salutation. And that same day (Deut. xxxii. 48) he had been bidden of God to go up into the mountains that overlooked Canaan, and to die there, even as his brother Aaron had died in Mount Hor. Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea; and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither."

And so, beholding all this, he died, "according to the word of the Lord," and was buried "in a valley in the land of Moab;" and Israel wept for Moses thirty days. "But no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.”

FRINGES AND THE VAIL.

(Continued from page 249.)

[In page 248, line 8, for sky read sea.]

MANY and great virtues are ascribed to the wearing of the Talith by some of the Jewish rabbies. "It is well known," says one of them, "that the respective mysteries of the great and small Talith are as different from each other as the east is from the west. The mystery of the great. Talith is in virtue far greater than the small Talith; still the mystery of the small one is also extremely great; for by putting on the smaller vestment, the wearer's body is made a chariot for the Shechinah, like the sacred creatures who bear the throne of glory."

How similar, we may again remark, is Jewish to Gentile departure from the sacred oracles. Judaism and Popery, alike the invention of men, are similar in their features and in their effects. With respect to the deluded professors of each, it may be said, "the vail is upon their hearts."

The smaller Talith must be put on immediately after one awakes from sleep. "It is unlawful to go four cubits' distance without fringes, for thus it is written in a Jewish work of great authority, Every man is to take care not to walk four cubits' distance without some vestment of fringes, for this is a great means to cleanse the soul; and a spirit of purity and sanctity rests upon him, which helps him forward in every sacred thing.' Whenever a Jew is about to put on any vestment of fringes, he says, Behold I prepare my body to be clothed with a vestment of fringes; and whilst he is in the act of putting

it on, he offers up the following thanksgiving, Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us with thy commandments, and didst command us to be enveloped with fringes.""

"In the synagogue, after the blessing, when he covers his head with the vail, he says, How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fulness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures, for with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light. O extend thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee, and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.'

"The Jews reckon 613 precepts in the law of God. Before the large Talith is put on, the following prayer is used,' Lord of the universe, it is revealed and known to thee, that my desire is to do thy pleasure, and to perform all the precepts which thou hast written in thy law, and to attend to all the warnings which thou hast denounced in thy law. May it please thee, O Lord, my God, and the God of my fathers, that thou mayest be my helper, that I may be prevented from transgressing either to-day or any day, even one of the 365 precepts of prohibition; and that I may be enabled to perform to-day, and every day, every precept that may happen to come in my way of the 248 precepts of commandments.* And as for those which I cannot perform, may my good-will be taken as a deed, and may it be considered with thee as if I

* The 613 precepts are thus divided.