,university of ,michigan's ,making of ,america collection47 ,,the ,,cities ,,of ,,refuge4 ,illustration3 ,the ,man-,slayer ,,the ,,cities ,,of ,,refuge3 ,,or1 ,the ,name of ,jesus4 ,a ,,sunday ,,book ,,for ,,the ,,young4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,r4 ,,macduff1 ,d4,d41 ,,author ,,of ,,morning ,,and ,,night ,,watches1 ,,memories ,,of ,,bethany1 ,,mind ,,and ,,words ,,of ,,jesus1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,how sweet the ,,name of ,jesus sounds in a believer's ear6 ,it soothes his sorrows1 heals his wounds1 and drives away his fear4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,robert ,,carter ,,brothers1 ,no4 #ecj ,,broadway4 #ahfe4 ,,my ,,dear ,,young ,,friends1 ,this little book contains1 with a few additions1 the substance of what was spoken one ,sabbath to a number of hearers of your own age4 ,it may serve to recall to those that listened to it1 and to unfold to those who did not1 some simple and well-known1 but precious gospel truths4 ,may ,he whose ,,name it is designed to exalt1 bless you in reading it1 and enable you from the heart to repeat as your own happy experience1 the well-known verse of the beautiful hymn ,i have put on the title-page4 ,and the ,lord spake unto ,moses1 saying1 ,speak unto the children of ,israel and say unto them1 ,when ye be come over ,jordan into the land of ,canaan2 then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you4--,,num4 xxxv4 #i-aa4 ,i4 ,when travelling lately through the ,simplon--one of the great ,alpine passes leading from ,switzerland into ,italy--,i observed1 close by the roadside1 at regular distances1 a number of plain1 square buildings4 ,on these 7sometimes over the doorway1 sometimes on the side7 were inscribed the words--,,refuge ,no4 #a1 ,,refuge ,no4 #b1 ,,refuge ,no4 #c1 c4 ,i think there were twenty altogether4 ,i was told1 on inquiry1 they were intended as shelters for any hapless travellers who might be overtaken by the sudden storms which so often sweep down from the snow-white mountains bounding the prospect4 ,these ,refuges1 at the time ,i saw them1 were empty1 for it was in the beginning of summer1 when everything1 even in that elevated region1 was looking bright and green4 ,the ,alpine rhododendron was flushing1 with its pink blossom1 the mountain sides2 or growing up1 along with the lovely blue gentian1 close by stray patches of winter's snow which were still filling the ridges and hollows in the higher parts of the pass4 ,seldom at this season are travellers exposed to any peril from an ,alpine storm4 ,it is different1 however1 in winter or spring1 when the avalanches come tumbling from the heights1 or the snow is drifting in huge masses over that wonderful ,road4 ,many shivering wayfarers have fled with thankful hearts into these shelters4 ,some have been carried thither1 in a state of insensibility1 by unknown benefactors1 and on gradually awaking to consciousness1 have blessed the kind hearts and hands which have saved them from certain death1 and are now ministering to their necessities4 ,by others1 alas6 they have been reached too late4 ,rescued from the snows of the mountain1 they have been conveyed to them only to die4 ,as ,i passed those ,alpine ,retreats1 ,i could not help being reminded of the wonderful ,cities of ,refuge which ,god graciously provided of old in ,palestine for the unfortunate manslayer4 ,it sometimes happened1 in the land of ,canaan1 as in our own country1 that a ,hebrew1 without any evil purpose1 would cause the death of a brother ,hebrew4 ,he did not intend to inflict any injury2 it was the result only of unhappy accident4 ,but1 nevertheless1 to show ,god's detestation of the shedding of blood1 he was liable1 by the ,levitical law1 to be killed by the ,avenger1 or ,goel1--the person nearest related to the murdered man4 ,if he wished to escape with his life1 his only chance of safety was to flee to one of these ,refuge-cities4 ,it mattered not what his age1 or name1 or station in life was4 ,he might be young or old1 prince or noble1 priest or prophet1 he was exposed every moment to death1 unless he availed himself of the offered shelter4 ,there was no time for delay1 he must betake himself to instant flight4 ,to linger might be to perish4 ,do you not think with pity of the unhappy fugitive1 obliged thus suddenly to leave his home and all he most loved on earth8 ,if at the time he caused the death1 he was working in his vineyard1 the pruning-hook must be left to rust on the branch4 ,if he was ploughing with his yoke of oxen1 they must be left lowing in the furrow4 ,if he was busied in his harvest-field1 the sheaves must be left unbound1 and the reapers receive their wages from another's hands4 ,if he was returning home fatigued at evening after the toils of the day1 and longing for grateful repose1 he dare give no sleep to his eyes1 nor slumber to his eye-lids4 ,his child may be lying pining in sickness at his cottage1 but it may endanger him to return to clasp that and his other little ones in his embrace1 and bid them a fond farewell4 ,he may have no time to alter his raiment or take even his scrip or pilgrim-staff4 ,the ,avenger of blood may be in the adjoining street1 or in the dwelling hard by4 ,another hour may be fatal2--,skin for skin1 all that a man hath will he give for his life4#a ,off he speeds in breathless haste--now along the level road--now up the steep ascent--with his breast heaving1 and drops of perspiration standing on his brow4 ,friends may meet him1 but with a wave of the hand1 and shouting ,goel6 ,goel6 he rushes on with fleet footstep4 ,parched with thirst in the hot noonday1 he turns a longing eye on the ripe grapes that are hanging in purple clusters on the wayside1 or on the water trickling down the narrow ravine4 ,but he dare not pause4 ,knowing full well that the ,avenger is in close pursuit1 he hurries on with unabated ardor4 ,happy sight1 when he sees at last1 on some mountain slope1 the longed-for shelter6 ,happy1 when1 weary and footsore1 covered with dust1 the portals of the city close him in4 ,a few moments before1 had he been overtaken on the mountain-top by his pursuer1 he might have been heard to cry out1 in the bitterness of despair1 ,hast thou found me1 ,o mine enemy8 ,now1 safe within the secure shelter1 he can rejoicingly exclaim1 even with the ,avenger standing close by1 ,o thou enemy1 destructions are come to a perpetual end4#b ,these ,cities of ,refuge form one of the ,old ,testament ,,pictures of the sinner1 and of the coming gospel salvation4 ,this was the way ,god took to teach the ,jewish people great gospel truths4 ,just as we know that youthful readers like a story-book all the better when it has got pictures in it2 so ,god taught the early church1 when it was in a state of childhood1 by means of similar pictures or types2 and the present was one of them4 ,it represented1 and still represents1 the sinner who has broken the ,divine law as pursued by an avenger3 ,,justice following with drawn sword1 exclaiming1 ,the soul that sinneth it must die4#c ,though hand join in hand1 the wicked shall not escape unpunished4#d ,this is a picture1 too1 which applies to every one without exception1 rich and poor1 parent and child1 master and servant2 for all have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god4#e ,but a glorious ,,city1 salvation its walls and bulwarks1 opens its gates4 ,the sinner is exhorted to escape thither2 to linger not in all the plain2 to flee for his life1 lest he be consumed4#f ,that city is ,jesus1 the sinner's ,refuge and the sinner's ,friend4 ,once within its walls1 no enemy can touch him1--no sword can terrify him4 ,he can triumphantly exclaim1 ,who shall separate me from the love of ,christ8#g ,dear young friends1 it is because ,i know this ,city of ,refuge is open for the youngest of you1 that ,i now write these pages4 ,i love to read about a group of little ones who1 eighteen hundred years ago1 were gathered round its gates1 asking admission2 and when others1 with unkind words1 were sending them away1 ,he who held the gates in ,his hand1 who openeth and no man shutteth1#h said1 ,suffer the little children to come unto me1 and forbid them not2 for of such is the kingdom of heaven4#i ,it is because ,i believe and know that many as young as you have obeyed the ,saviour's invitation1 and have already entered this happy ,city1 that ,i ask you to come and hear while ,i speak to you about it4 ,i believe and know that many such have learned to feel that they are sinners1 and that they need a ,saviour4 ,they have been taught by ,god's own ,word and ,spirit that they have broken ,his holy law1 and have thereby exposed themselves to eternal death4 ,but they are now safe within the ,gospel ,shelter4 ,the enemy is stilled4 ,the avenger has sheathed his sword4 ,i think ,i can hear their youthful voices1 as they march through the streets of the ,city1 singing1 ,out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies1 that thou mightest ,,still the enemy and the ,,avenger4#aj ,blessed be the ,lord2 for ,he hath showed me ,his marvellous kindness in ,a ,,strong ,,city4#aa ,,ii4 ,,the ,,six ,,cities4 ,and they appointed ,kedesh in ,galilee in mount ,naphtali1 and ,shechem in mount ,ephraim1 and ,kirjath-arba1 which is ,hebron1 in the mountain of ,judah4 ,and on the other side ,jordan1 by ,jericho eastward1 they assigned ,bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of ,reuben1 and ,ramoth in ,gilead out of the tribe of ,gad1 and ,golan in ,bashan out of the ,tribe of ,manasseh4 ,these were the cities appointed for all the ,children of ,israel1 and for the stranger that sojourneth among them1 that whosoever ,killeth any person at unawares might flee thither1 and not die by the hand of the ,avenger of ,blood1 until he stood before the ,congregation4-,,josh4 xx4 #g-i4 ,,ii4 ,it is of these six cities here mentioned1 ,i am now going to speak4 ,the name of each of the six has something significantly to tell about ,,the ,,name ,,of ,,jesus4 ,they are six pictures of the ,saviour1 hung up in the ,old ,testament picture-gallery4 ,i am going to ask you to take a journey with me to these towns of old ,palestine4 ,before we enter their gates1 ,i should like again to repeat the verse of the precious hymn placed at the beginning of this book3-- ,how sweet the ,,name of ,jesus sounds ,in a believer's ear6 ,it soothes his sorrows1 heals his wounds1 ,and drives away his fear4 ,illustration3 ,kedesh ,first ,city--,kedesh4 ,if you look far north in the map of ,palestine above the lake of ,merom1 near the snowy peaks of mount ,hermon and ,lebanon1 you will see where this ,refuge-city lies4 ,recent travellers describe its ruins as still standing on a rocky ridge in the midst of green hills1 surrounded with the remains of forts and castles built by the ,crusaders in the middle ages4 ,it was situated within the tribe of ,naphtali1 and must have been it great town at the time when the old warrior ,barak1 who was born within its walls1 marched from its gates to meet ,sisera in the plain below with his nine hundred chariots of iron4 ,what does its name tell of ,christ8 ,the ,hebrew word ,,kedesh signifies ,holy4 ,jesus was ,the ,holy ,one4 ,not one stain of sin polluted ,his holy human nature4 ,angels in heaven1 as they cast their crowns at ,his feet1 cry1 ,holy6 holy6 holy6#ab ,devils on earth were compelled to exclaim1 ,we know thee who thou art1 the ,,holy ,,one of ,god4#ac ,jewish priests1 as they spake of ,him of old by types1 took a lamb without blemish4#ad ,jewish prophets1 as they spake of ,him in their predictions1 called ,him ,the ,righteous 7or ,,holy7 ,branch4#ae ,apostles1 as they wrote about ,him1 said ,he was ,,holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 separate from sinners4#af ,when ,he was ,himself on earth1 ,he could challenge ,his bitterest foes1 ,which of you convinceth me of sin8#ag ,and when ,he came down1 soon after ,his ascension1 from ,his throne in the skies1 we find ,him proclaiming as ,his name1 ,he that is ,,holy1 ,he that is ,true6#ah ,reader1 remember this4 ,jesus never could have saved you unless ,he had been glorious in holiness4 ,if ,he had had one sin in ,him1 you and ,i must have been lost for ever4 ,just as one leak in ,noah's ark of old would have sunk it1 so one leak of sin in ,jesus1 the true ,ark1 would have plunged us all in the depths of eternal despair4 ,let us1 then1 love often to walk round the walls of ,,kedesh1 and think of our ,city of ,refuge as ,the ,,holy ,child ,jesus4#ai ,and when you ponder ,his holiness1 seek to be holy1 as ,he was4 ,how ,he hated sin6 ,how ,he loved to do ,his heavenly ,father's will6 ,how gentle1 and good1 and kind ,he was to all6 ,he never was angry1 or passionate1 or revengeful4 ,when a youth1 at ,his early home in ,nazareth1 ,he increased in favour with ,god and man4#bj ,be like ,jesus in ,his holiness6 ,let ,,kedesh be a word written on your young hearts6 ,whenever you are in trouble or difficulty1 or temptation1 always ask1 ,how would the ,,holy ,,jesus have acted here8 ,turn the words of your well-known hymn into a prayer4 ,while you say-- ,i love the ,,name of ,jesus1 ,immanuel1 ,christ the ,lord2 ,like fragrance on the breezes1 ,his name abroad is pour'd2-- seek also to add-- ,i long to be like ,jesus1 ,meek1 lowly1 loving1 mild2 ,i long to be like ,jesus1 ,the ,father's ,,holy ,child6 ,illustration3 ,shechem ,second ,city--,shechem4 ,shechem was situated at the extremity of a valley among the hills of ,ephraim4 ,the famous mountains of ,ebal and ,gerizim rose on either side1 from the slopes of which the blessings and the curses of the law were proclaimed in the ears of assembled ,israel4 ,if ,jerusalem was the greatest and the grandest of the cities of ,palestine1 ,shechem was perhaps the most beautiful4 ,it is still spoken of by travellers as one of the loveliest spots in the ,holy ,land1 with its orchards of olive1 fig1 and pomegranate1 and its flocks of singing-birds1 which have made the inhabitants give to the graceful slope on which it looks down1 the name of the ,musical ,valley4 ,i don't know if the streets in the olden time resembled what they are now4 ,the following is the recent description of a traveller familiar with them3--,the streets are narrow and vaulted over1 and in the winter time it is difficult to pass along many of them on account of brooks1 which rush over the pavement with deafening roar4444 ,it has mulberry1 orange1 pomegranate1 and other trees mingled in with the houses1 whose odoriferous flowers load the air with delicious perfume during the months of ,april and ,may4#ba ,you do not require to be told that ,shechem is a very ancient city1 and that many interesting events in sacred story took place in connexion with it4 ,the earliest mention made of it is when the patriarch ,abraham slept under its oaks1 7the ,terebinths of ,moreh17 when he came to ,canaan from distant ,chaldea1 and erected his first altar under their shade2#bb and one of the last ,bible notices regarding it1 is in connexion with the woman of ,samaria1 when ,jesus sat with her at the well of ,sychar1 and spoke to her of the better fountain1 springing up to everlasting life4#bc ,what does the name ,,shechem tell of ,christ8 ,it is a word which means ,,shoulder4 ,jesus1 our ,refuge1 bore a guilty world upon ,his shoulder4 ,the ancients had a fabled ,atlas1 who was supposed to carry the earth on his shoulders4 ,jesus ,christ is the true ,,atlas4 ,surely ,he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows6#bd ,all the sins of all ,his people ,jesus bore for ever away4 ,think of that heavy load which bowed ,him down to the ground in the garden of ,gethsemane1 and caused drops of blood to fall from ,his brow6 ,no other one but ,jesus could have carried such an awful load and burden as this4 ,no angel or archangel could have done so4 ,jesus1 being ,god1 was alone able to save unto the uttermost4#be ,he is the only sure foundation that could sustain all the building4#bf ,with any other1 it would have fallen into a mass of ruins4 ,but ,i love not only to visit the old city of ,shechem1 and to think of ,jesus bearing the guilt of ,his people on ,his shoulders1 but ,i like to think of ,him as the true ,,shechem now4 ,he is our ,shechem at ,god's right hand4 ,the government is upon ,his ,,shoulder4#bg ,the ,church and the world are upheld by ,him4 ,believers--the poorest1 the weakest1 the humblest--are on the shoulders of ,jesus4 ,he is bearing the weight of them all2 loving them all1 attending to them all1 interceding for them all4 ,all that befalls me1 ,jesus orders4 ,food and raiment1 health and strength1 friends and home1 are gifts from ,him4 ,every tear ,i shed1 ,he knows it1 ,he appoints it4 ,if he sends me sorrow and trial1 ,i will go and enter the gates of this city ,,shechem1 and remember1 ,jesus 7,jesus1 who died for me7 bears me on his shoulder6 ,moses speaks of ,god conducting the children of ,israel through the wilderness of old as a kind father carries on his shoulder his weak and weary child4 ,thou hast seen how that the ,lord thy ,god bare thee1 as a man doth bear his son4#bh ,and ,david says in an hour of trouble1 ,i am poor and needy1 yet the ,lord 7lit7 carries me on his heart4#bi ,i like to look at that ,new ,testament picture--,jesus1 the good ,shepherd1 carrying a bleating sheep or lamb back on ,his shoulder to the fold4 ,that poor wanderer had gone astray on the dark mountains2 but the great and gracious ,shepherd had gone after it until ,he found it2 and when ,he had found it1 ,he laid it on ,his ,,shoulders1 rejoicing4#cj ,young reader1 what perfect security and safety you have in ,jesus1 and in ,his ,gospel ,city6 ,far1 far more so than the manslayer had of old in his4 ,i daresay1 even although he was delivered from the ,avenger1 the ,hebrew refugee could not help at times dreading lest the other might come upon him secretly4 ,i daresay1 at night1 on his lonely couch1 he would sometimes dream of the ,goel stealing beside his pillow1 and he would start from his unquiet sleep at the scaring vision4 ,not so in the case of those who have fled to the ,gospel ,refuge4 ,they can say in sweet confidence1 ,i will both lay me down in peace1 and sleep2 because thou1 ,lord1 only makest me to dwell in safety4#ca ,he who is their ,keeper says of them1 ,they shall never perish2 neither shall any pluck them out of my hand4#cb ,illustration3 ,hebron ,third ,city--,hebron4 ,hebron is the most ancient of all the cities of ,canaan4 ,it was as old1 if not older1 than ,damascus1 and was built seven years before ,zoar in ,egypt4 ,after wandering about from place to place in the land of promise1 pitching their tents and altars1 it was here the patriarchs had1 for the first time1 a settled home4 ,we need not wonder at their selection of the old ,canaanite city1 on the peaceful slope of the southern hills1 nestling amid olive-groves and terebinths1 and looking down on one of the most fertile valleys in ,palestine1 with its orchards and corn-fields4 ,on its eastern height is the spot which gives it to this day perhaps its most sacred interest--the cave of ,machpelah1 where the dust of the patriarchs has reposed for four thousand years4 ,it must have been outside its walls that the angels appeared to ,abraham1 when he was seated at his tent door4 ,the adjoining height is pointed out as the place from which the patriarch saw the smoke of burning ,sodom rising from its own deep valley4 ,it was in ,hebron ,david was anointed king over ,israel4 ,it was amid its vineyards and mountain-slopes that ,john the ,baptist grew up as a little boy1 before he appeared in the wilderness of ,judea1 to tell of ,one mightier than he1 whose shoe-latchet he was not worthy to unloose4#cc ,what does the name ,,hebron tell of ,christ8 ,in ,hebrew it means fellowship1 society1 friendship4 ,,jesus has brought guilty man into fellowship with ,god4 ,on account of sin we had forfeited this fellowship4 ,we had made ,god not our friend1 but our enemy4 ,we were cut off from communion with all that is holy and happy4 ,angels1 in their errands of mercy through the universe1 passed by our world2 they could hold no intercourse with those who had rebelled against their ,creator4 ,can none bridge this wide gulf which separates between earth and heaven8 ,can no ladder be let down by which happy angels can descend once more on their visits of love1 and fallen man once more be raised up to hold fellowship with ,god and holy creatures8 ,,jesus is the true ,,hebron--the true ladder of ,jacob let down from heaven and reaching to earth4 ,jesus has reconciled things on earth and things in heaven1#cd ,he hath raised us up together1 and made us sit together in heavenly places4#ce ,we who were once afar off have been brought nigh by the blood of ,christ4#cf ,i trust many who read this will love often to visit in thought the old city of the patriarchs1 and to dwell on its name and meaning1 fellowship4 ,think of what you would have been without ,jesus1 your ,hebron-,city of ,refuge1--a poor outcast in creation1 an alien from all that is holy and happy4 ,but by ,jesus all is changed4 ,god is your ,father--,christ is your elder ,brother4 ,in ,him1 ,god loves you1--angels visit you1--the ,holy ,spirit teaches you1--heaven is open for you4 ,you are enrolled as a citizen of the great ,hebron above--the city which hath foundations1 whose builder and maker is ,god4 ,christ has made you to be members of the great heavenly family2 so that the little child who loves ,jesus1 is brother or sister to the archangel before the throne6 ,you may be deprived of human friendship and fellowship4 ,the brother or sister1 the father or mother1 or friend you once dearly loved1 may be laid in some earthly ,machpelah--some silent grave4 ,but rejoice6 nothing can separate you from a better friend and more lasting fellowship4 ,though all earthly joys were to perish1 you can always rush within the gates of that mighty ,hebron of refuge1 and say1 ,truly our ',,fellowship' is with the ,father1 and with his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,earthly friends may pain and grieve me1 ,one day kind1 the next they leave me2 ,but this ,friend can ne'er deceive me-- ,oh1 how ,he loves6 ,illustration3 ,bezer ,fourth ,city--,bezer4 ,,bezer was situated beyond the ,jordan1 in the tribe of ,reuben4 ,although its precise site has not been discovered1 we may infer that it was perched on one of the many rocky heights among the mountains of ,abarim1--perhaps a spur of the great mount ,nebo1 from whose summit ,moses was permitted1 before death1 to get a view of the ,land of ,promise4 ,the northern portion of the waters of the ,dead ,sea would be seen from it1 and the pastoral mountains of ,judah in the distance4 ,from its name1 as well as from its being a border town1 and subject to attack from the warlike tribe of ,moab1 ,bezer would probably be strongly fortified1--similar1 perhaps1 in this respect to the towns in the neighbourhood1 with which the ,israelites were so struck on their first approach to ,canaan1 with their walls great and high1 reaching to heaven4 ,what does the name ,,bezer tell of ,christ8 ,it literally means stronghold1 or ,rock4 ,jesus is the believer's ,,bezer4 ,the sinner is in danger everywhere else1 but in ,jesus he is safe4 ,he is invited to turn to the ,,stronghold as a prisoner of hope1 and once within its gates1 though an host encamp against him1 he need fear no evil4 ,what a mighty force does encamp against him6 ,there is ,god's ,holy ,law1 with all its terrible threatenings and curses4 ,but sheltered in the true ,,bezer he can triumphantly say1 ,it is ,god that justifieth3 who is he that condemneth8#cg ,there is ,satan1 with his artful wiles and countless temptations4 ,he was once a bright angel himself4 ,he knows what holiness and happiness are4 ,but being now a wicked spirit1 he would make others as wicked and unhappy as himself4 ,he is spoken of in the ,bible as a strong man armed4#ch ,but ,jesus is stronger than this strong man4 ,if you have fled for refuge to this great gospel ,bezer1 seated within its secure bulwarks you can joyfully exclaim1 ,i will say of the ,lord1 ,he is my rock1 and my fortress1 and my deliverer2 my ,god1 my strength1 in whose ,i will put my trust2 my buckler1 and the horn of my salvation1 and my high tower4#ci ,there is your own ,wicked ,heart1 with its sinful thoughts1 and vain imaginations1 and deep corruptions--for a man's worst foes are often those of his own household4 ,one of these heart-foes will tempt you to tell a lie2 another to swear2 another to be dishonest2 another to be selfish2 another to be passionate2 another to be unkind4 ,but ,he that is for you1 is greater than they that are against you4 ,safer than in any earthly castle1 you can take up your warrior-song1 ,the name of the ,lord is a strong tower3 the righteous runneth into it1 and is safe4#dj ,there are the ,trials and ,sorrows and ,distresses of this world1--those things that cause sad hearts and tearful eyes4 ,but that blessed ,saviour--your ,rock and ,stronghold--knows your sorrows1 for ,he felt them4 ,he marks your tears1 for ,he shed the same himself4 ,fleeing to this true ,,bezer in the time of affliction1 you can dry your tears and sing1 ,god also will be a refuge for the distressed1 a refuge in the time of trouble2 and they that know thy name shall put their trust in thee4#da ,and there is ,death1 the last enemy of all4 ,but even over this ,king of terrors and ,terror of kings1 you can shout in triumph from your ,divine shelter1 ,o death1 where is thy sting8444 ,thanks be to ,god1 who giveth me the victory through the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4#db ,and ,jesus is a ,stronghold for all4 ,i have already spoken of the little children of old rushing to its gates1--infants smiling fearless in the ,saviour's arms4 ,he combines the majesty of ,deity with the tenderness of man4 ,if ,he had been the great ,god alone1 you might have been awed at the thought of going to ,him4 ,but what says the prophet ,isaiah of this true ,,bezer8--,a ,,man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind1 and a covert from the tempest4#dc ,he ,himself says in another scripture1 ,i will turn mine hand upon the little ones4#dd ,in one of the great strongholds that were besieged in our last ,indian rebellion1 the ,christian mothers were wont to hush their infants asleep by singing1 ,god is our refuge and strength1 a very present help in trouble4 ,my young friends1 as one whom his mother comforteth1 so is ,god willing to comfort you2 and here is ,his word of comfort3 ,the ,lord is good1 a ,,stronghold in the day of trouble2 and he knoweth them that trust in him4#de ,in the old ,cities of ,refuge no weapons of any kind were allowed to be made4 ,those who possessed them had to surrender them4 ,this is true in a nobler and better sense regarding the ,gospel ,stronghold4 ,there can be no deadly weapons forged there4 ,their edge is blunted3 ,there is now no condemnation to them that are in ,christ ,jesus4#df ,satan's armoury has been plundered2 the ,stronger than he has taken from him all his armour wherein he trusted1 and divided the spoil4#dg ,i have said that the word ,,bezer means ,rock as well as stronghold4 ,trust in the ,lord for ever2 for in the ,lord ,jehovah is everlasting strength1 or1 7marginal reading17 ,,the ,,rock ,,of ,,ages4#dh ,may you not well say1 with your eye on this glorious ,refuge-- ,dear ,,name1 the ,,rock on which ,i build1 ,my shield and hiding-place2 ,my never-failing treasury1 fill'd ,with boundless stores of grace6 ,,rock of ,ages1 cleft for me1 ,let me hide myself in ,thee6 ,illustration3 ,ramoth ,fifth ,city--,ramoth4 ,,ramoth was situated in ,gilead1 within the tribe of ,gad1 and somewhere near the banks of the brook ,jabbok1 where1 you know1 ,jacob wrestled in prayer with the angel4 ,it must have occupied a commanding position among the beautifully-wooded glens of ,gilead1 and1 like ,bezer1 been strongly fortified4 ,we infer this latter from the many sieges it had undergone4 ,being not only1 like the other1 a border town of ,palestine1 but situated in the direct route taken by the invading ,syrian armies1 it must have been constantly exposed to hostile attacks4 ,you can think of ,ramoth1 then1 among the hills and slopes on the other side of the ,jordan1 with their forests of native oak1 which the famous bulls of ,bashan 7herds of wild cattle7 roamed at large2 while more peaceful flocks browsed on the meadows which fringed the mountain-streams4 ,what does the name ,,ramoth tell us regarding ,christ8 ,ramoth literally means ,,exaltation4 ,jesus is the true ,ramoth2 ,he is exalted to be a ,prince and a ,saviour6 ,he was once lowly1 despised1 rejected1 crucified1 slain4 ,he compares ,himself to a poor outcast and exile amid these forests of ,gilead3 ,many bulls have compassed me3 strong bulls of ,bashan have beset me round4 ,they gaped upon me with their mouths1 as a ravening and a roaring lion4#di ,but having been exalted on the cross as a suffering ,saviour1 ,he is now exalted on the throne as a glorious ,king4 ,god hath highly ,,exalted ,him2#ej--;angels exalt ,him--seraphs adore ,him--saints praise ,him--the ,church on earth magnifies ,him--the ,church redeemed in heaven will magnify and exalt ,him for ever and ever6 ,young reader1 delight often to walk around the walls of ,ramoth1 and think of ,jesus exalted at ,god's right hand4 ,he is there pleading your cause4 ,though exalted1 ,he has not forgotten the lowliest or humblest of ,his people4 ,he is the ,greatest of all ,beings1 but ,he is the ,kindest of all too4 ,the first time after ,his exaltation when ,he came down to earth to speak to the aged apostle ,john1 ,john wondered if the glories of heaven had altered ,his love and tenderness4 ,he remembered how often before he used to lean on ,his bosom4 ,when he looked1 however1 now1 upon the glorious ,being that stood before him in ,his lustrous garment1 with ,his eyes like a flame of fire1 he fell down at ,his feet like one dead4 ,but the same gentle hand touched him1 the same gentle voice he was wont to hear so often in past years1 said to him1 ,fear not6 ,how sweet for us to think that we have exalted on the highest throne of the universe an unchanged and unchanging ,saviour1 an ever-living1 never-dying ,friend4 ,though now ascended up on high1 ,he bends on earth a brother's eye4 ,,jesus is exalted in heaven1 and exalted by all the glorious family of heaven4 ,but1 alas6 there is one place where ,he is often not exalted1 but rather cast down1 and that is the human heart4 ,that heart has been too truly compared to the inn of ,bethlehem1 where there was room for every guest but the ,lord of glory6 ,ye of tender years1 whom ,christ loved so much on earth--whom ,he fondled in ,his arms of mercy2 see that it is not so with you4 ,my son1 ,he says1 give me thine heart4 ,see that ,he is enthroned there as ,lord of all4 ,exalt ,him in everything3 in your thoughts1 in your words1 in your deeds4 ,welcome ,him1 as the children of the temple welcomed ,him to ,jerusalem of old4 ,take up their song1 and sing1 ,hosannah to the ,son of ,david6 hosannah in the highest6 ,when1 ,his salvation bringing1 ,to ,zion ,jesus came1 ,the children follow'd singing ,hosanna to ,his name4 ,nor was the ,lord offended ,that children joined the throng2 ,but smiled that they attended1 ,and loved to hear their song4 ,and since the ,lord retaineth ,his love for children still1 ,though now as ,king ,he reigneth ,on ,zion's heavenly hill2 ,we'll humbly come before ,him ,to celebrate ,his praise1 ,and while ,his saints adore ,him1 ,our youthful voices raise4 ,illustration3 ,golan ,sixth ,city--,golan4 ,,golan was situated in ,bashan1 in the tribe of ,manasseh1 among the pastoral hills north of the lake of ,gennesaret4 ,it formed the most northerly ,refuge-,sanctuary on the east side of ,jordan1 as ,kedesh did on the west2 but there are no particular events connected with it in ,bible story4 ,what does the name of this last ,city of ,refuge tell us regarding ,jesus8 ,golan literally signifies ,joy4 ,jesus is truly the ,golan of ,his people2 they may have many others1 but ,he is their chief joy6 ,well may they call ,him ,,golan2 for not one joy could have ever visited them had it not been for ,him4 ,the world would have been to them1 from first to last1 a valley of ,baca1 7weeping17 had not ,jesus died for their sins1 and saved their souls4 ,well might the angel say1 when he came to the plains of ,bethlehem to announce the ,saviour's birth1 ,behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of ,,great ,,joy6 ,there is not one step the ,christian takes but ,jesus is ,,golan to him--joy4 ,he is straying1 a lost sheep on the dark mountains1 in search of peace3 ,jesus meets him1 and says1 ,your sins are all forgiven you2--he is joyful at that4 ,he is wandering a prodigal from his ,father's house3 ,jesus brings him to his lost home1 and calls him ,his own child2 and he is joyful at that4 ,he has to travel a long and dreary journey ere he reaches his true home in heaven3 ,jesus gives him ,his arm to lean upon2 and he goes on his way rejoicing4 ,he has many fiery trials to try him3 ,jesus tells him not to think these strange1 but rather to rejoice1 inasmuch as ,he is partaker with him in his sufferings4#ea ,he has1 at last1 to walk through the dark ,valley3 ,jesus meets him there1 and supports him there4 ,he sees the ,king in ,his beauty1 and the land that is yet afar off2 and1 believing1 he rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory4#eb ,when ,jesus beholds him from ,his throne in judgment1 what are to be ,his blessed words of welcome8 ,enter ye into the ,,joy of your ,lord4#ec ,and when1 as a ransomed one1 he enters the streets of the ,new ,jerusalem1 at whose feet is it that he is to cast1 through all eternity1 his crown8 ,in thy presence1 ,o ,saviour ,god1 is fullness of ,,joy6 ,young reader1 love often to gaze on the walls of this ,city of ,refuge4 ,the sacred writer1 in giving the list of these six cities1 seems to have kept it to the last because it is a happy word1 and speaks of the happy prospects of all those that love the ,lord ,jesus4 ,believe me1 there is no true joy but in ,god4 ,the joy of the wicked is like that of a noisy stream--noisy because it is shallow4 ,the joy1 on the other hand1 which ,jesus gives1 is like a great river1--deep1 calm1 ever-flowing1 overflowing2--not full in winter and dry in summer1 but full1 and clear1 and refreshing all the year long4 ,it may be always truly said of ,jesus1 the great ,gospel ,refuge1 and of those who have fled to ,him1 what was said of old about ,samaria1 ,there was great ,,joy in that ,,city4#ed ,it was the object of all that ,christ did and said on earth to give you this joy4 ,these things have ,i spoken unto you1 says ,he1 that my ,,joy might remain in you1 and that your ,,joy might be full4#ee ,love ,him now1 and serve ,him now and follow ,him now1 that you may come at last to the true ,golan1 in ,his glorious presence above1 and ,,rejoice evermore6 ,then in a nobler1 sweeter song1 ,i'll sing ,thy power to save1 ,when this poor lisping1 stammering tongue ,lies silent in the grave4 ,lord1 ,i believe ,thou hast prepared1 ,unworthy though ,i be1 ,for me a blood-bought1 free reward1 ,a golden harp for me6 ',tis strung1 and tuned1 for endless years1 ,and form'd1 by power divine1 ,to sound in ,god the ,father's ears ,no other ,,name but ,thine6 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,refuge4 ,we have a strong consolation who have fled for ,refuge4--,,heb4 vi4 #ah4 ,,iii4 ,and now1 my young friends1 we have finished the survey of our picture-gallery4 ,we have wandered among these six cities in the old land of promise4 ,i shall repeat their names once more1 that you may remember them4 ,,kedesh1 ,holiness4 ,,shechem1 ,shoulder4 ,,hebron1 ,fellowship4 ,,bezer1 ,stronghold4 ,,ramoth1 ,exaltation4 ,,golan1 ,joy4 ,what a complete ,saviour6 ,in ,him all fullness dwells4 ,in the case of some of these ,hebrew cities1 not one stone has been left upon another that has not been thrown down4 ,owls are screaming amid their ruins1 and jackals prowling for their prey4 ,but not so with ,,him of whom they were types4 ,jesus ever lives6 ,he never changes4 ,time and decay cannot crumble the walls of the ,gospel ,refuge4 ,he is the same yesterday1 and to-day1 and for ever4#ef ,i want1 in this last chapter1 to say one or two additional things to you about the ,cities of ,refuge4 ,let me ask you to give me your earnest attention4 ,the first thing ,i wish you to remember is1 that all the preciousness of that ,,name of ,jesus1 and all the security of the ,gospel ,,refuge1 is derived from the merits of ,his death for you upon the cross4 ,this is the truth of all truths1 and one1 too1 strikingly taught in these olden types4 ,if you read the ,bible account1 you will find that the manslayer had his liberty restored to him upon the death of the ,high ,priest4#eg ,when the tidings of the decease of this great ,head of the ,jewish nation reached these refuge towns1 ,i daresay many of their citizens would be heard1 with wailing cry1 mourning the loss of ,god's faithful servant4 ,but the intelligence was very different to the captive ,hebrew4 ,it brought him joyful news6 ,for that event enabled him to go forth from his banishment1 and to terminate years of painful separation from all he loved on earth4 ,the avenger could no longer injure him4 ,he could return1 happy and secure1 to the comforts of his long-lost home4 ,so1 dear reader1 it is the death of your great ,high ,priest that has purchased your release from spiritual captivity4 ,the law can no longer hold you4 ,justice can no longer threaten you4 ,you can go forth with the glorious liberty of a child of ,god1 saying1 ,who is he that condemneth8--,it is ,christ that died4#eh ,you can picture to yourselves1 on the death of the ,jewish ,high ,priest1 the ,hebrew captive going forth from the city1 within whose gloomy walls he had long been enclosed4 ,you can picture him1 with merry heart1 making the valleys through which he hurried to his native dwelling1 echo with songs of joy6 ,and shall not you1 with happier heart and voice1 sing this song as you journey on to your heavenly home1 and see it gleaming in the distance1 on the other side of ,jordan-- ,when from the dust of death ,i rise1 ,to take my mansion in the skies1 ,this all my hope--this all my plea1 ,that ,jesus lived and died for me6 ,the second thing ,i want to say to you is1 that ,god has made the gospel ,city of ,refuge easy of access1 and has filled it with rich provision4 ,he made the way as plain as possible to the manslayer of old4 ,the cities themselves were generally on a height1 so as to be seen at a far distance4 ,the roads leading to them were carefully kept4 ,they were broader than others in ,palestine1 7sixteen yards wide47 ,the ,jewish magistrates and judges went once every year to inspect them1 and to order repairs4 ,where streams occurred1 there were bridges thrown across4 ,where there were angles or by-roads1 posts with ,refuge on them were set up2 and as there were no bridges across ,jordan1 three of the cities were placed1 as ,i have already mentioned1 on one side of the river1 and three on the other2 so that all might easily get at them1 and none might have any excuse for not fleeing4 ,the nearest city could always be reached by the manslayer in half a day4 ,moreover1 we are informed there were ample stores of provisions laid up in them4 ,they were supplied with wells of water1 and ,levites were placed in turn as porters or gatekeepers1 to be ready to welcome every fugitive into these homes of safety4 ,so ,god has done everything for you1 to make the ,gospel ,refuge accessible4 ,your parents and ministers--your ,bibles and churches and good books--are all1 just like these refuge signals1 pointing away from the cross-roads and by-roads of human reason1 and human error1 and self-righteousness1 to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and saying1 ,flee6 flee6 flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before you6 ,jesus1 too1 the true ,gospel ,refuge1 is full of rich provision4 ,ye are complete in ,him4 ,he1 as the true ,joseph1 gives forth out of the storehouses in ,his treasure-cities1 to all ,his needy people4 ,what are some of these provisions8 ,there is pardon--peace--justification--adoption-- sanctification1--strength for the hour of weakness1--grace for the hour of temptation1--and the good hope of everlasting life for the hour of death4 ,no wonder that he says to every poor sinner seeking admission within these gates1 ,i am the bread of life3 he that cometh unto me shall never hunger4#ei ,as in the cities of ,canaan1 so in this glorious ,gospel-,city of which they were types1 there is a ,well of living water4 ,what is this8 ,it is the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he is often in ,scripture compared to water4 ,if any man thirst1 said ,jesus1 let him come unto me1 and drink4 ,this spake he of the ,spirit4#fj ,this all-glorious well-spring1 moreover1 is not like those of the ,palestine cities1 which were sometimes dried up in seasons of drought1 but springing up unto everlasting life4 ,angels1 too1 are the porters1--the blessed warders that keep the gates of this ,gospel-,city4 ,are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them who are heirs of salvation8#fa ,they love to watch by these gates1 and to welcome every wanderer4 ,how gladly they give the word1 ,open ye the gates1 that the righteous 7those made righteous through the righteousness of ,jesus7 may enter in6#fb ,it is delightful1 moreover1 to think1 that just as the ,jewish cities were easily got at from all parts of ,palestine1 so from all parts of the world1 may people go to the ,greater and more ,glorious ,gospel ,refuge4 ,poor ,pagan of the far ,east6 cast away your idols2 the gates of the ,gospel-,city stand ready to welcome you4 ,indian of the far ,west6 cast aside your warrior spear and your offerings of blood1 and flee to the portals of mercy and to the blood which cleanseth from all sin4 ,laplander of the far ,north1 amid your polar snows6 ,negro of ,africa1 amid your burning sands6 rush to the provided shelter4 ,there is salvation there for you4 ,the same ,lord is rich to ,,all that call upon ,him4 ,happy prospect6--the time will come when the whole world will be found singing together the same song and uttering the same prayer1 ,open unto us the gates of righteousness1 that we may enter into them1 and praise the ,lord6#fc ,will none of my young friends rejoice if they are able1 by aiding the cause of missions abroad1 to help putting this new song into the lips of those who are still wandering in the wilderness in a solitary way1 and have ,,no ,,city to dwell in8#fd 99 99 99 99 99 ,the third thing ,i want to say to you is1 that no ,,other ,refuge will do but ,,jesus4 ,i would like you to take as your motto the simple and beautiful words which a ,sabbath scholar1 ,i knew well about1 lately gone to glory1 wrote to his minister4 ,i am sure ,i may be very thankful to ,god for ,his great mercy toward me4444 ,i must just keep in mind that there is one ,refuge to flee to1 and that is ,jesus4 ,there are many other refuges people try to take shelter in4 ,they think they will be as safe in them as in the ,,one of ,god's providing2 but these will never stand in that day which will try every refuge of what sort it is4 ,i have seen some making their own goodness their refuge-city4 ,they imagined they were not so bad as others4 ,they trusted in the falling ,siloam-tower of their own righteousness6 ,i have seen some making ,god's goodness their refuge-city4 ,they said to themselves1 ,god is kind4 ,he surely will not deal hardly with sinners at last4 ,justice1 the avenger1 will not surely always pursue with her flaming sword4 ,the love of ,god will surely get the better of his justice4 ,don't let ,satan deceive you4 ,there are many of his refuges which appear to be safe enough1 but on which ,god has written ,refuges of lies4 ,there were many other towns in ,canaan of old which appeared to be as good and as safe as those ,i have been speaking of4 ,but no city could afford shelter to the manslayer1 excepting one of the six ,god had specially appointed4 ,what would have happened if the fugitive of old1 in fleeing from the avenger1 had said to himself1 ,what is the use of my going so far away as to ,hebron or ,golan8 ,i would rather flee to a nearer place4 ,i will go to ,jericho1 the old city of palm-trees2 or to ,bethlehem1 in the hills of ,judah2 or1 better still1 ,i will go to ,jerusalem1 the capital of the nation1 where the temple of ,zion is1 and the palace of the ,king4 ,surely ,i shall be safer far within its lofty walls and bulwarks than in one of these little cities of the ,levites4 ,is it not said that ',god is known in all her ,palaces for a ,refuge8' ,if he had done so1 he would undoubtedly have perished4 ,neither ,king nor ,priest1 nor ,golden gate nor ,beautiful gate1 nor wall nor bulwark1 could have saved him from the avenger's sword4 ,the refuge-towns appointed in the olden time may have been the least amid the cities of ,judah4 ,but they were ,god's selection1 ,god's ordering1 and that was enough4 ,in them1 and in them only1 was the manslayer safe from the avenger of blood4 ,and so it is with our ,gospel ,refuge4 ,neither is there salvation in any other4 ,rejecting ,jesus1 we are lost for ever4 ,all other refuges1 however good or great or strong they may appear to be1 will prove only ,babel-towers1 that will fall on the poor builders1 and crush them in their ruins4 ,when ,god told the children of ,israel to sprinkle their lintels and door-posts with blood1 they might have been foolish enough to say1 ,no2 we shall do better4 ,we shall not be content with doing so trifling a thing2 we shall rather build up great walls around our houses1 so that the destroying angel may not get in4 ,do you think1 if they had done so1 their first-born would have been saved8 ,no2 there would have been death in every such household2 these high walls would have proved useless4 ,nothing but the red mark on the doorway of the dwelling would be of any avail in warding off the fell stroke4 ,so it is with the sinner4 ,all the walls which pride1 and self-righteousness1 and good works can rear1 will do nothing to keep out the sword of avenging ,justice4 ,but the sprinkled blood of covenant mercy will2 for the blood of ,jesus ,christ1 ,god's ,son1 cleanseth 7and alone cleanseth7 from ,,all ,,sin6#fe ,i remember1 many years ago1 attending the deathbed of a young man in ,e----4 ,he told me1 one day1 he had dreamt of being in a shop in ---- ,street1 which seemed to be hung round with armour and coats of mail4 ,a number of people in the shop were girding these on2 while a man was standing with a drawn sword in his hand outside the door1 ready to slay them as they passed into the open street4 ,one after another he cut down2--the armour was no protection to them--their bodies were lying dead and wounded on the pavement4 ,in great fear and terror1 the young man said1 his turn seemed at last to come1 when he1 too1 must try to cover himself with the same armour1 and rush out by the fatal door4 ,he knew not what to do4 ,in looking around him1 he observed1 in the uppermost shelf1 something resembling a web of coarse linen1 lying apparently neglected4 ,he resolved to take it down1 and wrap himself in a portion of it1 instead of the unavailing sheaths of iron and steal4 ,covering his head and body1 he darted out1 following the footsteps of the others4 ,the sword descended2 but it bounded back again4 ,it was unable to pierce the linen covering4 ,he alone was safe in that crowd of dead and dying4 ,beautifully did this youthful dreamer apply his own vision of the night4 ,it was3--,how vain are all the boasted sheathings of the armour of self-righteousness2 and how safe and glorious is that white linen covering of the righteousness of ,jesus6 ,to the eye of reason1 the panoply of iron and steel seems the best1 and strongest1 and securest4 ,many will not submit themselves to the righteousness of ,god1 and persist in using the others4 ,but they will be a poor protection against the sword of ,god's avenging justice4 ,happy are those who have been led to look above for another righteousness1 and who have listened to the ,divine injunction1 ,put ye on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ6#ff ,reader1 let me ask1 is this your case8 ,don't think1 because you are young1 and have committed few sins1 that you are safer than those who have committed many1 and that you have not the same urgent need to flee to ,jesus for refuge4 ,in ,canaan of old1 the manslayer was in danger of his life1 whether he had killed one or several4 ,one single life1 like one single sin1 exposed him to the fury of the avenger4 ,nay1 more4 ,the ,hebrew fugitive might elude his avenger6 ,he might manage1 for days1 or weeks1 or years1 to screen himself from his wrath4 ,he might go1 as ,david did to avoid ,saul1 to some cave of ,adullam2 he might hide in the gloomy recesses of some forest2--amid the oaks of ,bashan1 or the rocky gorges of the ,jordan1 or amid the cedar-heights of ,lebanon2--in the words of ,ezekiel1 dwelling safely in the wilderness1 and sleeping in the woods4#fg ,but it is different with the sinner and his ,avenger3--,vengeance is mine2 and ,i ,,will repay1 saith the ,lord4#fh ,who can escape ,his glance8 ,who can hide from ,his all-seeing eye8 ,if ,i should find some cave unknown1 ,where human foot had never trod1 ,even there ,i could not be alone-- ,on every side there would be ,,god4 ,he smiles in heaven1 ,he frowns in hell1 ,he fills the air1 the earth1 the sea2 ,i must within ,his presence dwell1 ,i cannot from ,his anger flee4 ,the fourth thing ,i want to say to you is3--,that many young and old ,,have fled to ,jesus1 the ,gospel ,city of ,refuge1 and have found themselves safe and happy there4 ,how delightful it is1 year by year1 to trace the footsteps of those1 whether young or old1 rich or poor1 who have repaired to that blessed shelter6 ,i shall close this little volume by telling you of two such1 now inhabitants of the better celestial ,city4 ,very different they were in years1 in country1 in outward position4 ,but they were alike in this1--that they fled in life to the gates of the ,gospel ,refuge2 and to both the ,,name of ,,jesus was specially precious4 ,the one was ,c---- ,t----1 a little girl thirteen years old--the age1 ,i daresay1 of some whose eyes are falling on these pages4 ,i saw her when she was bright and happy in her adopted home in ,england--a sweet spot in the county of ,kent1 on one of those wooded heights or uplands which command an extensive prospect of the ,thames1 as he winds along1 hearing on his lordly bosom the commerce of the world4 ,little did any then dream1 that that little life1 so full of promise1 was to be early taken--her sun going down before it was yet day6 ,so1 however1 the will of ,god was2 her summons came suddenly1 unexpectedly4 ,her disconsolate parents saw the desire of their eyes taken away by a stroke4 ,the dear child herself was naturally of a timid1 reserved disposition2 she felt more than she said4 ,her kind1 unselfish heart delighted in devising plans of usefulness and carrying them out4 ,the entire of her pocket-money was latterly spent in the purchase of little books for the infant-school children--all of whom loved her much--or in publications for loan among the elder ,sunday class4 ,she won the affections of old as well as young4 ,the little lady who used to speak so prettily to us1 was the description given1 with full eyes1 by more than one of the villagers who had known her loving ways1 and heard her loving voice4 ,in another neighbourhood still more familiar to her1 she used to go to the cottages with her ,bible1 and offer to read to the inmates who most needed it2 always putting her little hands together first1 to ask for ,god's blessing1 and then making some simple remarks she thought might be of use4 ,those whose hearts most sorely mourned her1 had the fullest assurance that the grace of ,god had been early poured into their dear child's heart4 ,but on thinking1 too1 on the past1 they began at times to wonder whether these pleasing traits of character and efforts to do good1 were really prompted by love to ,jesus1 or whether they might be rather the effect of habit and the imitation of others4 ,they anxiously searched among her little books and desk-treasures to see if they could find anything to confirm their fondest thoughts regarding this4 ,i believe it was even made the subject of earnest prayer to ,god1 that some such precious testimony might be found4 ,after all her other books had been examined in vain1 imagine what were the feelings of delight and thankfulness1 when1 as one day she who loved her best was taking the cover off her ,bible1 the two following letters dropped from it on the ground3-- ,b4 ,,parsonage1 ,august4 ,,my ,,dearest ,,papa ,,and ,,mamma1--,i am going to write this in case ,i should go to that happy land where sorrow is not known1 suddenly2 and that you may have no fears about my soul4 ,i know my state1 and that my precious ,saviour has called me1 and ,i humbly accept this glorious invitation as a poor ,,wretched sinner4 ,i strive not to expect redemption by my own poor merits4 ,i have no comparative fear of death1 but as a passage from a wicked world to a happy1 happy home4 ,though ,i am by nature very wicked1 it is all washed away by my ,saviour's blood4 ,the ,holy ,spirit has taught me what to pray for1 and how to pray4 ,i hope all my dear friends will forgive me if ,i have been angry when they have spoken to me about my faults4 ,i should like1 dearest parents1 whatever little money and things ,i have1 to be given to the ,church ,missionary ,society and the ,bible ,society4 ,my dear ,saviour has forgiven me all my ,,innumerable sins1 and so1 dear parents1 you need not fear about my soul4 ,i believe my ,saviour will not forsake me if ,i trust in ,him1 and ,i know that all my righteousness is as filthy rags4--,i remain1 dearest parents1 c41 c41 c41 ,c4 ,m4 ,t4 ,the other paper that was found1 was probably intended for her brothers and sisters4 ,it is as follows3-- ,when you are in trouble1 go to ,god and tell ,him all about it4 ,the ,saviour who called little children to come to ,him will listen to you1 no matter what the subjects be1 if you be but in earnest and need ,his help4 ,if you have a difficult lesson to learn1 a hasty spirit to subdue1 an unkind word to bear1 a proud spirit to humble--whatever your difficulty1 take it to ,god in the name of ,jesus1 and ,he will help you4 ,if even we1 who see so little beneath the surface1 are not pleased with outward appearances without good qualities within1 how much less is the great ,god who searches the inmost recesses of the heart8 ',the ,lord seeth not as man seeth2 for man looketh on the outward appearance1 but the ,lord looketh on the heart4' ,what we require is a new heart cleansed by the ,holy ,spirit1 full of all the graces mentioned in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,galatians1 7chap4 v4 #bb47 ,oh6 go then to ,,jesus and ask of ,him in earnest prayer to pardon your sins1 and to confer upon you the blessed gift of a new heart4 ,my young friends1 have you fled like ,c---- ,t---- to an all-gracious ,saviour8 ,is the name of ,jesus1 so sweet to her1 equally precious to you8 ,does it soothe your sorrows1 heal your wounds1 and drive your tears and fears all away8 ,can you say1 in the spirit of her beautiful and comforting letter1-- ,till then ,i shall ,his love proclaim ,with every fleeting breath2 ,and may the music of ,his ,,name ,refresh my soul in death4 ,having told you of one recently fallen asleep in ,jesus1 who had early repaired to the shelter of the ,gospel ,refuge1 ,i shall now tell you of an aged servant of ,jesus who has1 more recently still1 entered on her glorious rest4 ,she was a former parishioner of mine4 ,her home was a lowly cottage in one of the loveliest villages of ,scotland4 ,poor in this world1 and an almost constant sufferer1 she was rich in faith1--one of ,christ's jewels2--her life was hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,if ,i could venture to name two peculiarities in her spiritual being which distinguished her more than others1 it would be these3 ,love for the ,,name of ,,jesus1 and a ,life of ,,prayer4 ,his name1 to her1 was like ointment poured forth4#fi ,often have ,i delighted to sit with her in her cottage1 with her ,bible on her knee1 and hear her speak of the name which is above every name2 walking about these six ,refuge-,cities1 telling all the towers1 marking the bulwarks1 and considering the palaces4 ,she had herself long before1 in early life1 fled to the ,gospel stronghold4 ,i think her favourite city would have been ,,golan1 ,joy4 ,her heart seemed ever to be filled with peace and joy in believing4 ,doubtless much of this calm serenity and joy she derived from her life of prayer4 ,it is no small matter for the writer of these pages to know1 that there was not a day for upwards of sixteen years in which he was not personally and specially remembered by this lowly saint at a throne of grace4 ,one forenoon during this past year1 she had entered her cottage1 carrying a pitcher of water down from the well in her garden4 ,it was the last time she crossed her threshold4 ,when her door was opened1 she was found alone on her knees2 ,,but her spirit had fled6 ,,prayer1 as it had been her ever fond delight in life1 had been her solace and comfort in death4 ,her last act was drawing water out of the better wells of salvation4 ,she began with prayer1 but ended in praise6 ,she began her prayer on earth1 and finished it with the angels6 ,reader6 when you come to die1 could you be equally happy1 equally safe8 ,would you be able thus to rejoice and triumph in the name of ,jesus8 ,could you declare1 with either of these two glorified spirits1 before ,god took them1 ,we ,,have a strong city2 salvation hath ,god appointed for walls and for bulwarks8#gj ,has the ,holy ,spirit taught you1 as it taught them1 that you are sinners by nature1 and in a state of condemnation8 ,have you heard ,god's voice behind you1 declaring that ,he can by no means clear the guilty8#ga ,and are you able now joyfully to say1 ,i heard ,thy voice1 and ,i was afraid1 because ,i was naked1 and ,i hid myself8 ,are you1 like them1 really hid within the gates8 ,the manslayer of old required to be within the refuge-city4 ,even if he were but one footstep without1 the avenger of blood could cut him down4 ,it did not matter how near he was1 if he was not inside the portals6 ,and so it will avail you nothing to know about ,christ1 and hear about ,christ2--to survey the strength of the city's walls1 the glory of its battlements1 and the beauty of its palaces4 ,it is the righteous who ,,runneth into it1 who alone is safe4 ,what more1 in closing1 have ,i to say1 but to repeat the solemn word1 ,haste thee1 flee for thy life6 ,every hour you put off1 the time is shorter2 the avenger is nearer2 the chances of escape are fewer4 ,there is no time for delay4 ,i say this to the very youngest4 ,i say more4 ,as young feet can run fastest1 so it is with young souls4 ,you will never go to ,jesus so easily as now4 ,let nothing keep you back4 ,it is said that on digging up the ruins of ,herculaneum1 7the city that was buried under the lava of ,mount ,vesuvius17 the body of a man was found in an upright posture1 in the act of running out of the door of his house to escape destruction4 ,he had a bag of gold in his hand4 ,others had escaped in safety4 ,but this miser loved his gold more than his life4 ,he had returned to fetch it1 thinking he would have time enough to escape the terrible doom2 but the burning stream overtook him4 ,he was encased in a living sepulchre4 ,it was one1 too1 of the saddest incidents connected with these ,cities of ,refuge of old1 when some poor1 breathless1 panting fugitive--just when he was in sight of the city--when he had almost reached the gate1 sank exhausted4 ,or perhaps the case of some other who had lain down weary to sleep1 but who had been startled by the avenger at his side1 and the drawn sword gleaming before his eyes2--years after1 the pile of stones marking the spot where his blood had been shed4 ,but1 oh1 sadder1 sadder far1 for any1 young or old1 to perish within sight of ,christ6 ,to suffer the love of sin1 or the love of pleasure1 or the love of the world1 to make them too late6 ,to be almost1 but not altogether saved6 ,to be cut down by the sword of wrath1 or overtaken by the fiery stream1 with heaven in view6 ,god grant that this may not be the case with any one of you6 ,i shall conclude with a happier picture3--,the citizens in these ,refuge-cities of old1 were sometimes seen clustered on the top of the walls1 watching the approach of the manslayer1 and cheering him on when faint and exhausted4 ,so1 think of the happy citizens of the ,new ,jerusalem3 ,patriarchs1 prophets1 saints1 departed friends1 who are now safe within its gates1 watching you from these glorious heights1 beckoning to you not to tarry1 but to be followers of them who1 through faith and patience1 are inheriting the promises4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,there is joy in heaven among the angels of ,god over every sinner that repenteth4 ,we have been speaking of the name of ,,jesus4 ,read the motto over the gateway of all these six cities4 ,read the motto over the door of the ,gospel ,refuge3--,neither is there salvation in any other3 for there is none other ,,name given under heaven among men by which the sinner can be saved1 but the ,,name of ,,jesus4 ,jesus1 my ,refuge6 look on me3 ,when weak and weary1 worn1 opprest3 ,i cast my every care on ,thee-- ,thou art my ,rest4 ,jesus my ,refuge6 guide my way1 ,dispel the gloomy shades of night1 ,oh1 shine ,thou forth with cheering ray6-- ,thou art my ,light4 ,jesus1 my ,refuge6 storms may rise1 ,affliction sweep with tempest-shock1 ,my spirit to ,thy shelter flies1 ,thou art my ,rock4 ,jesus my ,refuge6 legion-foes ,may seek to drive me from the field1 ,but in ,thy strength ,i shell repose-- ,thou art my ,shield4 ,jesus1 my ,refuge6 ,thou in store ,hast happiness without alloy1 ,pleasures unmingled1 evermore-- ,thou art my ,joy4 ,jesus1 my ,refuge6 on the brink ,of ,jordan1 in my latest strife1 ,thou wilt not suffer me to sink-- ,thou art my ,life4 ,jesus1 my ,refuge6 oh1 supply ,my every want1 whate'er befall2 ,through life1 in death1 eternally1 ,thou art my ,,all6 ,,anon4 ,,the ,,rock ,,of ,,castello4 ,the ,rock of ,castello4 ,as ,i was walking on a bright summer evening1 among the ,italian ,alps1 ,i came to one of the lovely valleys of the ,waldenses4 ,these1 perhaps ,i should tell my young readers1 are a pious race of ,christians1 who have1 age after age1 boldly contended for the faith once delivered to the saints1 and kept the lamp of truth brightly burning1 when all around was darkness4 ,this beautiful spot is surrounded by very lofty mountains1 whose tops are almost lost in the clouds1 while the little stream that murmurs below has its banks covered with vines and mulberry trees1 rich corn fields1 and happy villages4 ,when ,i first entered it by the ,alpine pass of ,la ,croix1 the whole valley was shrouded in a dense fog1 with the exception of one bold and very remarkable ,rock1 which towered in solitary grandeur above the sea of mist1 and seemed from its height like an island suspended in mid-air6 ,upon inquiring what this ,rock was1 ,i was informed it is a place famous in the history of the ,valley4 ,when the poor peasants were persecuted by their foes1 their cottages and hamlets plundered1 their loved sanctuaries burnt with fire1 and all their pleasant things laid waste1 they would retire with their wives and little ones up to this rocky citadel1 which the ,god of nature seemed to have reared as a shelter for ,his defenceless people4 ,within this ,rock that same ,god had wonderfully provided for their safety and comfort4 ,it contains a large cavern1 capable of holding many at a time2 and in the very centre of this cave is a fountain of water1 which yields a never-failing supply4 ,when driven thither by the storms of persecution1 the exiles provided themselves with food1 from the plentiful wild fruits of the adjoining mountain1 so that the ,bible promise was made good to them1 ,their bread shall be given them1 and their water shall be sure6 ,swords and cannon and other means of defense they had none1 but a single man1 stationed at the mouth of the cave1 was enough to defy hundreds of armed soldiers4 ,he had only to hurl fragments of loose stones 7which were supplied from the sides of the cavern7 down upon the foe1 and they were instantly beaten back1 thus fulfilling ,god's words to ,israel1 ,five of you shall chase an hundred1 and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight4 ,often1 often1 then1 when the wintry tempests and ,alpine storms1 and drifting snows1 were raging fiercely around1 adding to the terrors of the enemy1 did these peasant warriors find in the ,rock of ,castello a secure shelter and retreat4 ,with their fountain and blazing fire1 their ,bibles and their ,god1 they would make the rocky cavern ring with praise4 ,they feared the ,lord1 and had no other fear4 ,he had given his angels charge over them2 and they could boldly make the challenge1 ,god is for us1 who can be against us8 99 99 99 99 99 ,when ,i heard about this ,rock1 which the ,god of ,nature had upreared as a citadel for his oppressed people1 it reminded me of a better ,,rock1 which the ,god of ,grace has provided for perishing sinners6 ,dear ,children6--,you are all1 by nature1 like these poor ,christians of the ,alps1 the inhabitants of a ,valley4 ,it is called ,the ,valley of ,tears6 ,like theirs1 too1 it is a lovely valley1 far too lovely for sinful man2 but though lovely1 its name tells you it is a ,valley of ,weeping4 ,sin has made it so4 ,and more than this1 it is a ,valley of ,danger1 a ,valley of ,death6 ,it is full of ,enemies4 ,i can not tell you them all1 their name is ,legion1 for they are many4 ,there are3 ,,the ,,world4 ,ungodly men1 bad companions1 tempting you to sin1 and trying to keep you back from fleeing to ,jesus6 ,,your ,,own ,the enemy within1 the worst ,,hearts4 of all1 because the most deceitful of all6 ,,satan4 ,the great enemy1 who goeth about seeking whom he may devour4 ,,death4 ,the last enemy1 a sudden enemy1 but oh6 remember1 a sure enemy2 other enemies may come1 ,he must come1 and the time of his coming is generally at midnight1 when you least look for him6 ,methinks ,i hear my young readers exclaiming1 ,if my enemies are so many1 if my danger is so great1 is there no place ,i can flee to8 ,what must ,i do to be saved from those enemies in this ,valley of ,tears8 ,oh6 whither shall ,i flee from the wrath to come8 ,hear the voice of ,god3--,he is pointing to a ,rock rising from the midst of the ,valley1 and is calling aloud to you1 ,flee to this ,stronghold1 ye prisoners of ,hope6 ,do you ask--,when shall ,i flee8 ,he answers1 ,now is the day of salvation6 ,do you ask--,may ,i not wait a few years8 ,i am yet a young inhabitant of the ,valley4 ,death1 if he be the surest enemy1 is the last enemy2 have ,i not yet time enough8 ,god answers--,,to-,,day6 while it is called to-day6 ,verily1 there may be but a step between thee and ,death6 ,haste thee2 flee for thy life4 ,do you ask--,but must ,i leave all the pleasures of sin1 and so much that ,i love in this valley of tears8 ,god answers1 ,what is a man profited1 if he should gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8 ,do you ask--,but is there no other refuge than this1 no other means of safety but1 amid storm and tempest1 to climb to this ,rock8 ,god answers1 ,neither is there salvation in any other6 ,for there is none other name given under heaven1 by which a sinner can be saved1 but the name of ,jesus4 ,dear children1 let this be your prayer3 ,lord1 lead me unto this ,,rock1 that is higher than ,i6 ,oh6 with what delight does that ,great ,god look upon children1 such as you1 when they flee for refuge to lay hold on this hope set before them2 and when they join their hearts and their voices together1 saying1 ,oh6 come1 let us sing unto the ,lord2 let us make a joyful noise unto the ,,rock ,,of ,,our ,,salvation6 ,but ,i would like to tell my ,young ,readers something more about this ,great ,refuge from the storm--this ,great ,covert from the tempest4 ,let us seat ourselves for a little in the ,alpine valley1 under the brow of the ,rock of ,castello2 it may help us to some thoughts of the better ,rock of ,ages6 ,i dare say many a poor ,waldensian1 when taking shelter in this earthly refuge1 would be often reminded by it of the ,,rock that can never be shaken6 ,first1 ,the ,rock of ,castello is very ,high4 ,so is ,jesus2 so ,high1 that ,he is called the ,son of the ,highest--,the ,ancient of ,days6--,god over all4 ,the heaven of heavens can not contain ,him6 ,second1 ,the ,rock of ,castello rises from the ,valley3 so ,jesus rose from poor parents in this valley of tears4 ,he humbled ,himself1 to take upon ,him our nature2 so that although he be ,,high1 ,he might have respect unto the lowly6 ,third1 ,the ,rock of ,castello was quite close at hand2 though lofty1 it was always near for fleeing to3 so is ,jesus1 the ,rock of ,ages4 ,we have not to say1 ,who shall ascend into ,heaven to bring ,christ down8 ,he is not far from any one of us4 ,indeed1 ,he is so very near1 and so very accessible1 that the only wonder is that there should be any found who do not flee to ,him for refuge6 ,fourth1 ,the ,rock of ,castello was wont to shelter many children and helpless infants2 many poor mothers1 driven from their homes1 carried their babes thither in their arms4 ,jesus1 the living ,rock1 does the same4 ,he delighted1 when on earth1 to fold children to his bosom1 and say1 ,suffer little children to come unto me1 and forbid them not6 ,it was neither ,his nor ,his ,father's will that so much as one of these little ones should perish4 ,he was so ,,high that angels adored ,him2 so meek and lowly1 that infants smiled in his arms6 ,fifth1 ,the ,rock of ,castello has a large cleft or opening in it1 which admits into the cavern4 ,jesus is a rent and smitten ,rock6 ,you can enter by faith into ,him only through ,his opened side4 ,oh6 what a smiting that was1 by the rod of ,god's justice6 and yet1 had there been no such smiting1 you and ,i1 ,dear ,children1 must have perished6 ,sixth1 ,the ,rock of ,castello was a ,secure ,hiding ,place4 ,no other spot in all the valley could have afforded shelter but this4 ,on any of the surrounding mountains there would have been certain destruction to the exiles1 from the ,alpine snows1 and fierce hurricanes and storms4 ,but here1 in their cavern1 nothing could touch them1 and if the storm raged1 it spent its fury on the ,rock6 ,jesus is1 indeed1 a safe ,shelter1 while every other refuge will prove a refuge of lies6 ,the tempest of ,god's wrath1 and the curses of ,god's law1 are still raging fiercely all around4 ,but what matters it8 ,they can not touch ,you1 my ,young ,friends1 if sheltered in the ,rock6 ,upon that ,,rock1 eighteen hundred years ago1 they exhausted all their fury4 ,jesus shelters and delivers you from that fearful storm of ,law-curses1 by himself being made a curse for you6 ,the tempest may smite ,jesus the ,rock1 but it can not touch those who have won ,him1 and are ,,found ,,in ,,him4 ,seventh1 ,the ,rock of ,castello has a ,fountain in it4 ,jesus1 the ,living ,rock1 has opened a ,fountain not only for ,sin1 but for ,uncleanness4 ,he does not wish only to justify you1 by sheltering you from the ,storms of the ,law1--but ,he wishes also to sanctify you1 and fit you for glory4 ,he does not only wish to make you ,safe1 but to make you ,holy4 ,the ,,holy ,,spirit is this ,fountain in the ,rock4 ,oh6 ,dear ,children1 bless ,god for this ,well of ,water1 springing up unto everlasting life4 ,it washes1 and cleanses1 and refreshes you4 ,without it1 your naturally unholy hearts could never be fitted for the holy1 happy heaven1 of a ,holy1 ,happy ,god4 ,eighth1 ,the ,rock of ,castello remains as it was to this hour1 while all its brave inmates of past generations are no more4 ,jesus is an ,everlasting ,rock1 unchanged and unchangeable4 ,this is still ,his name1 and still ,his memorial1 ,jesus ,christ1 the same yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever6 ,for six thousand years1 sinners have been crowding in1 and still there is room6 ,ninth1 ,the ,rock of ,castello was only a safe retreat so long as those who fled for refuge remained within its cave4 ,the enemy were continually on the watch1 and to venture out1 would be to perish6 ,jesus1 the ,rock of ,ages1 thus speaks to you1 ,abide in me6 ,out of me1 ye can do nothing4 ,it is only the ,righteous who runneth into ,him that is safe6 ,to abide in ,jesus is to be secure from every danger1 to leave ,him is destruction6 ,tenth1 ,the ,rock of ,castello had to be fled to in the first moment of danger4 ,the only safety of the persecuted was in instant flight4 ,on the first tidings of the enemy1 houses1 and lands1 and vineyards1 and all they possessed1 had to be left1 and1 forgetting the things that were behind1 they pressed forward to their ,rock6 ,jesus tells you1 dear children1 your only safety consists in immediate flight to ,himself1 the ,rock of ,ages6 ,delay may be fatal6 ,the storm-blast is gathering1 the sky is darkening1 there is the distant muttering of the thunder4 ,the enemy is on the march--,satan is watching--,death is approaching4 ,already he may have strung his arrow4 ,flee to the stronghold1 ye prisoners of ,hope1-- ,,to-,,day4 ,oh6 forbid that this should be your history now1 and your history through eternity 7,how awful are the words67-- ,they lightly esteemed the ,rock of their ,salvation6 99 99 99 99 99 ,reader6--,have you fled to this ,living ,rock of ,ages8--,have you made it your prayer1 ,jesus6 ,refuge of my ,soul6 ,let me to ,thy bosom fly8 ,and in that bosom1 and that refuge1 are you hiding yourself until all ,earth's calamities be overpast8 ,the deeper you hide yourself in the clefts of the smitten ,rock1 the safer you are4 ,oh6 do you ever pause and think that there is a day coming1 when this ,valley of ,tears and all the works that are therein1 shall be burned up8 ,when ,god shall arise in the glory of ,his ,majesty1 to shake terribly the ,earth4 ,when every mountain peak shall be black with tempest--and the whole valley shall be a sheet of living fire6 ,then 7as ,i saw on the evening ,i entered this ,alpine valley71 there shall be but ,,one ,,rock seen rising far above the mist1 and thunderings1 and lightnings1 and tempest6 ,,jesus ,,christ1 the ,rock of ,ages6 the ,sinner's ,refuge6 and the ,sinner's ,friend6 ,many voices shall be heard beneath in the valley1 calling upon other ,rocks1 but it will be to hide them from the wrath of the ,lamb6 ,the loose fragments of stone thrown down from the ,rock of ,castello crushed hundreds3 ,on whomsoever ,,this ,,stone shall fall1 it will grind them to powder6 ,oh1 when the voice of the ,great ,judge shall resound through the dens and caves of the ,earth with the ,question1--,sinner1 where are thou8--,how blessed if you shall be able1 from your safe shelter1 to reply1 ,here am ,i1 ,lord6 ,i heard ,thy voice1 and ,i was afraid1 because ,i was naked1 and ,i hid myself6 ,hid yourself6 where8 ,hid myself in ,,the ,,rock ,,of ,,ages4 ,,jesus1 ,,my ,,rock4 ,when the storm and the tempest are raging around me1 ,oh6 where shall ,i flee to be safe from their shock8 ,there are walls which no mortal hands built to surround me1 ,a ,refuge ,eternal1--',tis ,,jesus ,,my ,,rock6 ,when my heart is all sorrow1 and trials aggrieve me1 ,to whom can ,i safely my secrets unlock8 ,no bosom 7save one7 has the power to relieve me1 ,the bosom which bled for me1 ,,jesus ,,my ,,rock6 ,when ,life's gloomy curtain1 at last1 shall close o'er me1 ,and the chill hand of death unexpectedly knock1 ,i will look up to ,,him who hath felt it before me1 ,and cleave all the closer to ,,jesus ,,my ,,rock6 ,companions may smile1 and the world may deride me1 ,and with the cold finger of ridicule mock2 ,but no trial1 nor coldness1 nor death shall divide me1 ,from the ,shelter of ,ages6--from ,,jesus ,,my ,,rock6 ,o ,thou6 who on earth1 in the days of thy sorrow1 ,didst fold to thy bosom the ,lambs of thy ,flock1 ,prevent me 7though young7 putting off till to-morrow1 ,in fleeing for refuge to--,,jesus ,,my ,,rock6 ,,footnotes3 #a ,job4 ii4 #d4 #b ,psalm ix4 #f4 #c ,ezek4 xviii4 #d4 #d ,prov4 xi4 #ba4 #e ,rom4 iii4 #bc4 #f ,gen xix4 #ag4 #g ,rom4 viii4 #ce4 #h ,rev4 iii4 #g4 #i ,matt4 xix4 #ad4 #aj ,psalm viii4 #b4 #aa ,psalm xxxi4 #ba4 #ab ,isa4 vi4 #c4 #ac ,mark i4 #bd4 #ad ,ex4 xii4 #e4 #ae ,jer4 xxiii4 #e4 #af ,heb4 vii4 #bf4 #ag ,john viii4 #df4 #ah ,rev4 iii4 #g4 #ai ,acts iv4 #bg4 #bj ,luke ii4 #eb4 #ba ,the ,land and the ,book4 #bb ,gen4 xii4 #h4 #bc ,john iv4 #ad4 #bd ,isa4 liii4 #d4 #be ,heb4 vii4 #be4 #bf ,isa4 xxviii4 #af4 #bg ,isa4 ix4 #f4 #bh ,deut4 i4 #ca4 #bi ,psalm xl4 #ag4 #cj ,luke xv4 #e4 #ca ,psalm iv4 #h4 #cb ,john x4 #bh4 #cc ,mark i4 #g4 #cd ,col4 i4 #bj4 #ce ,eph4 ii4 #f4 #cf ,eph4 ii4 #ac4 #cg ,rom4 viii4 #hc4 #ch ,luke xi4 #ba4 #ci ,psalm xviii4 #b4 #dj ,prov4 xviii4 #aj4 #da ,psalm ix4 #i1 #aj4 #db #a ,cor4 xv4 #ee4 #dc ,isa4 xxxii4 #b4 #dd ,zech4 xiii4 #g4 #de ,nahum i4 #g4 #df ,rom4 viii4 #a4 #dg ,luke xi4 #bb4 #dh ,isa4 xxvi4 #d4 #di ,psalm xxii4 #ab1 #ac4 #ej ,phil4 ii4 #i4 #ea #a ,pet4 iv4 #ab1 #ac4 #eb #a ,pet4 i4 #h4 #ec ,matt4 xxv4 #ba4 #ed ,acts viii4 #h4 #ee ,john xv4 #aa4 #ef ,heb4 xiii4 #h4 #eg ,num4 xxxv4 #be4 #eh ,rom4 viii4 #cd4 #ei ,john vi4 #ce4 #fj ,john vii4 #cg4 #fa ,heb4 i4 #ad4 #fb ,isaiah xxvi4 #b4 #fc ,psalm cxviii4 #ai4 #fd ,psalm cvii4 #d4 #fe #a ,john i4 #g4 #ff ,rom4 xiii4 #ad4 #fg ,ezek4 xxxiv4 #be4 #fh ,rom4 xii4 #ai4 #fi ,sol4 ,song i4 #c4 #gj ,isaiah xxvi4 #a4 #ga ,exod4 xxxiv4 #g4