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sparing the Edomites, and the Moabites, and the Ammonites, through whose country they were passing, although they might have made them an easy prey: they were now, however, to act in a far different manner, and having learnt to conquer themselves, were soon to commence their triumph over their enemies.

We were told, in the book of Genesis,* that when the Almighty made his promise of the land to Abraham, he predicted that four hundred years should pass, before the children of Abraham should take possession of it, and gave this as the important and remarkable reason for the delay, "The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." The justice of God lingered, while his sinning creatures were wilfully filling up the measure of their iniquities.

How awful a reflection! That a nation may, that we as individuals may, go on in reckless, careless prosperity, believing that all is well with us, until the very hour that the catalogue of our sins is complete, our iniquities full, and God's forbearance finished. Surely the very thought ought to make the sinner tremble; ought to lead us all to look into our own hearts and lives, and to examine ourselves lest there be any root of bitterness growing up in secret, which shall one * Gen. xv. 16.

day, when it has conceived, bring forth its deadly fruit of unexpected punishment, and well-merited wrath. The Ammorites were evidently wholly unsuspicious of the fearful harvest for which they were ripening: they thought not of it, until the very hour when the sickle was put in. One more hope appears to have been offered them by Moses, in the merciful proposition that they should permit the Israelites to pass through their land in peace, as had been already done in the case of the Edomites and the Moabites, but even this they scornfully rejected.

We are told that the spirit of Sihon was hardened, and his heart rendered obdurate. This was done judicially, or, as Bishop Patrick paraphrases it, "God gave him over to his own inflexible humour." It is a part of a sinner's judgment when he will not repent, that he shall not repent; for the wise man hath said, " He that being reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy." It was sudden to the Amorites, although it had been foretold by God four hundred years before. Judgment shall always be sudden to the impenitent, come when it may. Let us not wait then for the signs of approaching punishment, before we seek in deep and earnest penitence, a portion of our Saviour's reconciliation, a share in our

Redeemer's love. The father does not, indeed, reject the disobedient child, who improves from the fear of the rod; but how much more tenderly does he regard him, if the mention of the rod be never needful, if a grateful love be the strongly-impelling motive which drives back the wanderer to his bosom. And shall the Judge of all the earth be less lenient, less tender, than his poor erring creatures of the dust? No, we may rest assured, even while reviewing these most fearful and most terrible of God's judgments, that his mercies far, nay, infinitely outnumber them; and as even the very Amorites had one last offer of forbearance, almost at the hour of judgment, so that assuredly no softened and returning penitent shall ever seek his face in vain.

EXPOSITION XLIV.

DEUTERONOMY iii. 1-25.

1. Then we turned, and went up the

way

to Bashan:

and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

2. And the Lord said unto me, Fear him not: for

I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

3. So the Lord our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him, until none was left to him remaining.

4. And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, theeescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

5. All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.

6. And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.

7. But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves.

8. And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that was on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon ;

9. (Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion the Amorites call it Shenir;

; and

10. All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

11. For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

:

12. And this land which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites.

13. And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.

14. Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashan-havoth-jair, unto this day.

15. And I gave Gilead unto Machir.

16. And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites

I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

17. The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdoth-pisgah eastward.

18. And I commanded you at that time, saying, The Lord your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war.

19. But your wives, and your little ones, and your eattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide your cities which I have given you;

in

20. Until the Lord have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the Lord your God hath given them beyond Jordan and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.

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