Page:The rock of wisdom.djvu/83

 remission of sin. Now this was a great gentleman, so called. What an example this was before the ignorant and unlearned! He was called to a friend's house, a few doors from where he lived, and commenced talking with his friend, and in a short time, he exclaimed, with an awful screatch, and said, my belly is full of hell-fire and I am burning up: hell is my home, the wrath of God is my portion, and in a few moments he gave up the ghost.

Now my friends and dear readers, it is well for us to take notice of this man's conduct; bear it mind at least, some of you may fall in the same manner, for his walls fell like unto the walls of Jericho to be rebuilt no more.—Jos. 6: 20. That is a curse and devoted to destruction. Jericho, in the mystical sense, signifies eniquity. The sounding of the trumpet by the Priest: the preaching of the word of God, by which the walls of Jericho are thrown down, when sinners are converted and a dreadful curse will light on those who build them up again, for you will not be able to serve the Lord. This was not said by way of discouraging them, but rather to make them more earnest and resolute by setting before them the greatness of the undertaking, and the courage and constancy necessary to go through with it. Sec. 7. The Book of Judges. Judges, this book is called, because it contains the history of what passed under the government of the Judges who ruled Israel before they had kings. The writer of it, according to the more common opinion, was the prophet Samuel. Jerusalem was divided into two parts, one was called Jebus, the other Salem, the one was in the tribe of Juda, the other in the tribe of Benjamin. After it was taken and burnt by the men of Juda, it was quickly rebuilt again by the Jebusites, as we may gather from Judg. 1: 21. And continued in their possession till it was taken by King David; by this it seems that the valiant men of the tribe of Reuben were divided in their sentiments with relation to this war, which division kept them at home within their own borders to hear the bleating of the flock. Judg. 5: 16. Where this land of Moses was which is here laid under a curse, we cannot find, nor is there mention of it any where else in holy writ. In the spiritual sense they are