quarters of the globe is Egypt? In which part of Africa is Egypt ? What of Egypt in the time of Joseph ?- -2. How were the Hebrews treated after the death of Joseph? What of the pyramids? How high is the tallest of the Egyptian pyramids? ANS. About five hundred feet.- -4. What cruelty did Pharaoh inflict upon the Hebrews? -6. What did one of the Hebrew women do?Pharaoh's daughter?-8. What of Moses ?resolve to do?- -10. What of Moses and Aaron? Pharaoh consent?- -11. Did he change his mind? What did he do? What way was the Red Sea from Egypt?- -12. What miracle did God perform? How did the Hebrews cross the Red Sea?-15. What became of Pharaoh and his army?

-9.

-7. What of What did he To what did

The Israelites gathered Manna in the Wilderness.

1. It was now two hundred and fifteen years since Jacob had come to settle in Egypt. His descendants had multiplied so rapidly, that, at the time of their departure, the Hebrew nation are supposed to have amounted to at least two millions of people. Moses, their leader, was eighty years old, but his step was steady: and, though of meek

and humble manners, he was a man of great wisdom and firmness of character.

2. The Hebrews intended to go directly from Egypt to the land of Canaan, the country now called Palestine. Before reaching it the children of Israel were to pass through a part of Arabia.

3. In order that they might not go astray, God ordained that a vast pillar of cloud should move before them all day long; and at night the pillar of cloud was changed to a pillar of fire, which threw a radiance over the regions through which they journeyed.

4. The country was desolate and barren, and often destitute of water, but the Lord fed the people with manna and with quails; and when they were thirsty, Moses, at his command, smote upon a rock, and the water gushed out abundantly. This was a great relief, for the climate there was exceedingly hot. Beside all this, the Hebrews received divine assistance against the Amalekites, and were enabled to conquer them in battle.

5. But, notwithstanding various mercies, the Israelites were an ungrateful and rebellious people. They often turned from the worship of the true God, and became idolaters.

6. At the very time when the Lord was revealing himself to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai, the people compelled Aaron to make a golden calf. They worshipped this poor image instead of Jehovah, who had brought them out of Egypt.

7. The worship of animals was a species of idolatry which the Israelites had learned in Egypt, where it greatly prevailed. Among the many representations upon the ancient monuments of Egypt, which are to be seen at the present day, is one of the sacred calf, which they worshipped, and of which that made by Aaron at the instance of the rebellious Israelites was in all probability an imitation.

The Sacred Calf of the Egyptians.

8. On account of their numerous sins the Lord often inflicted severe punishments upon them. Many were slain by pestilence, and some were swallowed up in the earth. The remainder were compelled to wander about for forty years in the deserts of Arabia, though the whole distance in a direct line from Egypt to Canaan was but two hundred and fifty miles.

9. Before they came to the land of Canaan, the whole, except two, of those who came out of Egypt were dead. Their children inherited the promised land, but they themselves were buried in the sands of the desert. Even Moses was permitted merely to gaze at the land of Canaan from the top of Mount Pisgah. Here he died, at the age of one hundred and twenty years.

10. After the death of Moses, Joshua, the son of Nun, became leader of the Israelites. Under his guidance they entered the promised land, and subdued the people who inhabited it. The territory of Canaan was then divided among the twelve tribes of Israel. The Levites, being priests, had towns assigned them among the other tribes.

QUESTIONS. 1. How long was it from the time Jacob settled in Egypt to the departure of the Israelites ? What was the number of the Israelites at this time? How old was Moses? What was his character ?-2. In which direction is Canaan from Egypt? What country lies between Canaan and Egypt? In what country did the Hebrews wander? 3. How were the Hebrews guided?4. What sort of country did they travel through? How were they fed? How were they supplied with water? What other divine assistance was rendered to the Hebrews?- -5. Were the Hebrews grateful for all the mercies bestowed upon them?- -6. What did they do when Moses was on Mount Sinai ?- -7. What evil resulted from the disobedience of the Hebrews? Do you not know that evil always follows disobedience? How long did the Hebrews wander? What is the distance in a straight line from Egypt to Canaan ?8. Did most of the Hebrews who left Egypt reach Canaan? What of Moses? Where is Mount Pisgah ? -9. Who became leader after the death of Moses? How was the land of Canaan divided ?

CHAPTER XIV. ASIA continued.- -Overthrow of the Midianites. Samson, judge of Israel.

1. AFTER their settlement in Canaan the Israelites lived under the authority of Judges. These were their rulers in time of peace, and their generals in war. Some of them were very remarkable personages, and did many things worthy of remembrance.

2. The name of one of the judges was Gideon. While he ruled Israel, an army of Midianites invaded the country, and violently oppressed the people during seven years. But the Lord instructed Gideon how to rescue the Israelites from their powerful enemies.

3. Gideon chose three hundred men, and caused each of them to take an earthen pitcher, and put a lamp within it. With this small band he entered the camp of the Midianites by night, while the army was sleeping in their tents. Gideon gave a signal, and his three hundred men broke their pitchers, at the same time blowing a loud blast upon trumpets which they had brought. This terrible clamour startled the Midianites from their sleep.

4. Amid the clangor of the trumpets they heard the Israelites shouting, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." A great panic seized upon the Midianites, who imagined that all the Hebrew army had broken into their camp. Each man mistook his neighbour for an enemy; so that more of the Midianites were slain by their own swords, than by the swords of the men of Israel. Thus God wrought a great deliverance for his people.

5. Another famous judge in Israel was Samson, in whose days the Philistines had conquered and greatly oppressed the Israelites. It had pleased God to endue Samson with most extraordinary strength of body, whereby he was enabled to assail and greatly harass the oppressors of his nation.

6. The Philistines were greatly enraged against him, but so long as he continued blameless in his own conduct, they had no power over him. But he suffered himself, through his own misconduct, to fall into an evil snare that was laid for him, and he became a prisoner in the hands of his enemies, who put out his eyes, and bound him in chains, and carried him into one of their temples, in order to make sport at a great festival of their idols.

7. When Samson had done many wonderful feats of strength, he asked leave to rest himself against the two main pillars of the temple. The floor and galleries were all crowded with Philistines, who gazed upon this man of mighty strength, and triumphed and rejoiced, because they imagined he could do them no more harm.

8. But while they gazed, the strong man threw his arms round the two pillars of the temple, and the edifice trembled as with an earthquake. Then Samson bowed himself with all his might, and down came the temple, with a crash like thunder, overwhelming the whole multitude of the Philistines in its ruins.

9. Samson was likewise crushed, but in his death it