JOSHUA ENCOURAGED. Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. JOSHUA i. I-II. HUMILITY. DURING the reign of George III., there was a learned and a good man Lord Chief-Justice of the country-one of the highest and most honourable offices. This gentleman had a son about sixteen years of age, and one evening, as he was about retiring, he called him to his room, and said, "My son, I want to tell you the secret of my success in life. I can give it to you in one word-humility. This is the secret of it all; because I never tried to push myself forward, and was always willing to take the place assigned to me, and do the best I could in it. And, my THE GOLDEN TEXT. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."- Josh. i. 9. HELPS FOR ITS STUDY. I. TO WHOM WERE THESE WORDS SAID? To Joshua. Joshua a type of Christ. But Golden Text suggests that we regard Joshua rather as a type of a Christian, called to some arduous work for God. Which of us has such a work? All have this work-to subdue sin in their heart and life. Each has also his allotted place in Christ's army, however humble, to do something for Him. 2. WHEN WERE THESE WORDS SAID? At a new epoch. Epochs in history of Israel: Abraham So is it now with us. New Year, New Course of Lessons, Is it a new leaf in our lives? God's promise in G. Text-" Is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Whithersoever-what? if Joshua went back? No; must go forward-then God with him. So with us. Go on in road to heaven-then God's presence. "Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever THOU goest." Beneath His banner true; WHAT SORT OF MAN WAS JOSHUA? I. A brave man. Had fought battles before. Exod. xvii. 9. 2. That fight with Amalek was forty years before this. So he began to fight young. 3. Knew how to serve as well as how to fight. Exod. xxiv. 13; xxxiii. II. 4. Not afraid to stand alone. Numb. xiv. 6-10. 5. Whence this courage? A man of faith-believed God's promises. Numb. xiv. 8. JOSHUA A TYPE OF CHRIST :— Joshua and Jesus same name: In Acts vii. 45, and Joshua the Leader and Captain. So Jesus, Isa. lv. 4 ; Joshua conquered Israel's enemies. So Jesus ours, A LITTLE boy, who had plenty of pennies, dropped one into the missionary-box, laughing as he did so. He had no thought in his heart about Jesus, the heathen, or the missionary. His was a tin penny. It was as light as a scrap of tin. Another boy put a penny in, and as he did So, looked round with a self-applauding gaze, as if he had done some great thing. His was a brass penny. It was not the gift of a "lowly heart," but of a proud spirit. A third boy gave a penny, saying to himself, "I suppose I must, because all others do." That was an iron penny. It was the gift of a cold, hard heart. As a fourth boy dropped his penny in the box he shed a tear, and his heart said, "Poor heathens! I'm sorry they are so poor, so ignorant, and so miserable." That was a silver penny. It was the gift of a heart full of pity. But there was one scholar who gave his penny with a throbbing heart, saying to himself, "For Thy sake, O loving Jesus, I give this penny, hoping that the poor heathen, whom Thou lovest, will believe in Thee, and become Thy disciples." That was a golden penny, because it was the gift of love. How many of our readers give golden pennies ?-Spirit of Missions. THE LITTLE BLIND BOY. A LITTLE blind boy was asked what forgiveness was. He replied, "It is the odour that flowers breathe when trampled upon." Did not this sweet youth, to whom the world was dark, who could never more see the pleasant light of the sun, give the true idea of forgiveness? It is not difficult to feel kindly toward those that love you and confer favours upon you; but to have a store of good wishes and kind deeds for those that abuse and treat you ill-to be like the cinnamon-tree, that sheds a sweet perfume around the axe-man that wounds it, this is hard! But it is what the meek and lowly Jesus did, and what His true children do. This, dear children, is a test to know if you love Christ. "If ye love them" only "that love you, what thank have ye?" How do you feel when your playmates treat you ill? Can you return good for evil? Can you pray for those that injure you? If so, you are "the children of your Father which is in heaven, who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good." Remember now that one way to manifest the spirit of forgiveness is by kind words. A missionary in Jamaica was questioning the little black boys on Matt. v., and asked, "Who are the meek?" A boy answered, "Those who give soft answers to rough questions." This accords with what Solomon says: "A soft answer turneth away wrath but grievous words stir up anger." A CHILD'S RELIGION. IN a poor home a little time ago a father died of fever. He left as desolate a home as I had ever seen. On the burial night, his widow and children were seated by the fire; the only daughter, a child of ten years, looking with a wearied look into her mother's face, said, "Mother, how sore my head is!" Next day fever in her was also developed, and, for the safety of the rest, she was ordered to the hospital. She was one of our Sabbath-school scholars. Just before the twilight hour, the hospital van came to take her. In times of trouble you often see among the poor a quiet strength which rises to heroism. When the wheels of the van were heard at the door, the mother simply said, "Maggie, they have come for you now." To prepare to go, the child at once raised her aching head from the pillow, with her artless, "Mother, you know I may not come back to you again. Will the man wait till I sing my hymn ?" And, with a quivering voice, she began with"Come, ing to me of heaven, When I'm about to die, Sing songs of holy ecstasy To waft my soul on high.” After a moment's pause she took up the chorus of another favourite hymn with our scholars : "Here in the body pent, Absent from Thee I roam, Yet nightly pitch my moving tent A day's march nearer home." And so they carried the ailing child that night, with these joyous thoughts filling her young heart, to pitch her tent in the place where the journey from this to the eternal world is so short, and so often made. Oh, blessed religion this of Jesus! Blessed to the child of ten as well as to the sage of seventy years. "This is but a child's religion," you say. Yes, and is it not the glory of the Gospel that it does give strength and gladness to the young heart? The most childlike are most blessed by it. Jesus will yet, as when on earth, deal gently with the little ones, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. T. With Engraving, Letter-press, and Music, in BOTH notations, with special reference to the "International Series of Sunday-school Lessons for 1875." Four pages. Price 4d. per dozen; or, 2s. 6d. per 100. Published every Tuesday. It is hoped that Sunday-school Teachers will present these papers weekly to their scholars. A specimen Packet containing one dozen copies of No. 1 will be sent post free by the publishers to any address on receipt of five penny stamps, but it is particularly requested that the weekly orders be given through local booksellers. 4d. per doz.] LONDON: Published every Tuesday by S. W. PARTRIDGE & Co., at the Office, No. 9, Paternoster Row. [2s. 6d. per, 100. THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN. SPECIMEN.-New Weekly for Sunday Schools. Commencing January, 1875. 4d. per dozen, Please order Early through local Bookseller. THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN. AND Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure; come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves : for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. JOSHUA iii. 1-6; 14—17. THE RIGHT IDEA OF PRAYER. A LITTLE boy once heard a clergyman preach from the text, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you." After reading the text he stopped a minute, and asked his hearers to consider what it was they should like most, and then to ask for it in Jesus' name, trusting to His promise that it would be given to them. At the end of the service the little boy asked his aunt if she had asked for anything. Then she asked him what he had asked God to give him, and he said, "I thought first of one thing I should like, and then another: but I did not know which would be best to ask, and so I said, 'Father, Thy will be |