united to the Saviour by a new and living faith, and which the world knoweth not.

The possessors of these tokens kept them with much care, as likely to be of great service in any future time of need. Surely that inestimable gift, our salvation, is a token whereby Christ's followers are known at the present day; and they shall be known by it at the great day of his appearing

As in former times, sandals were very often the only covering on the feet. It will easily be supposed that travelers would feel very uncomfortable from mud and dust, after walking any distance; so it was always the custom, when a guest arrived, that the servants should take off his sandals, and wash his feet, Gen. xviii, 4; xix, 2; xxiv, 32; Luke vii, 44. This was in general done by the lowest servants; it was a mark of great humility on the part of the master of a family if he did it himself, as well as a great honor to the person whose feet he washed. This may explain what John the Baptist said, Luke iii, 16. It shows us still more the love of Christ to his disciples; he rose from supper, laid aside his upper garment, tied a towel round him, and, pouring water into a basin, washed his disciples' feet, John xiii, 4, 5. It may explain why the apostle Peter was so unwilling to let his master do this for him.

It also teaches two things:-1. If Christ, who is "over all, God blessed forever," performed this mean and humble, though kind action to his disciples, how ready we ought to be to do what is kind to each other!-2. If our Lord was so mindful of his disciples, as to do this act of kindness to them, which was in itself of so little importance, how sure we may be that those who love him now will not be forgotten in any of the events of their lives! The needing to wash the feet after all the rest, (John xiii, 10,) is explained by Malcolm, who saw some men, after bathing, come up from the river or tank, and then, just before entering the house, rinse their feet, dirtied by coming up from the bath.

Martyn remarked the degree of abasement expressed in the act of washing the feet. This further illustrates 1 Tim. v, 10, and the reluctance again to go forth into the mire, when the feet are washed, Sol. Song v, 3.

The importance of guides in traveling need not to be dwelt upon; even when miraculously directed as to their

main course while wandering in the wilderness, it was desirable for the Israelites to have the guidance of Hobab about the lesser difficulties of the way, and for directing their encampment, Num. x, 31. Even now travelers in the East often place a stone upon another, in some conspicuous place, with a sort of prayer for their safe journey. Morier witnessed this, and it reminded him of Jacob's prayer and vow, Gen. xxviii, 18-22.

Travelers in the desert often speak of the appearance of waters at a distance, where there is nothing but the hot sand. This is alluded to "as the waters that fail," or "be not sure," Jer. xv, 18. A modern traveler thus describes it. "I perceived a dark strip on the horizon, and asked my companion. He looked, and presently answered that water had all at once appeared there; that he saw the motion of the waves, and tall palms bending up and down over them, as if tossed by a strong wind." They galloped towards it. "On a spot where the bare sands spread out for hundreds of miles, where there is neither tree nor shrub, nor a trace of water, there suddenly appeared before us groups of tall trees girding the running stream, on whose waves we saw the sunbeams dancing. Hills clad in pleasant green, rose before us and vanished; small houses, and towns with high walls and ramparts, were visible among the trees. Far as we rode in the direction, we never came any nearer to it; the whole seemed to recoil with our advance. Never had I seen any landscape so vivid as this seeming one,—never water so bright, or trees so softly green, so tall, so stately. We could well conceive how the despairing wanderer, who, with burning eyes, thinks he gazes on water and human dwellings, will struggle onwards to his last gasp to reach them." Such is the optical deception called the mirage.

The roads in the East are usually merely tracks; there are some exceptions: causeways raised over difficult places, and roads made level and plain when a king or great man is traveling. Thus Isaiah xl, 3-5; lxii, 10. Way-marks are common, as Jer. xxxi, 21.

CATTLE-AGRICULTURE-CULTIVATION OF THE LANDHARVEST VINEYARDS-WINE AND

SOWING AND

FRUITS.

CATTLE AND AGRICULTURE.

THE Jews were mostly employed in agriculture or cultivating the ground, and in tending cattle. Before the flood, we read of Cain and Abel, that the first was a tiller of the ground, and the latter a keeper of sheep, Gen. iv, 2. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lived in this manner, chiefly attending to their flocks and herds, as many of the tribes among the Arabs do at the present day, only sowing the ground occasionally. The laws given to Moses encouraged agriculture; but nothing about trade and commerce with foreign nations is mentioned for many hundred years after the chil

dren of Israel were settled in the promised land. Their riches consisted chiefly in cattle and slaves, or servants, who were employed in tending the flocks and herds, and in cultivating the ground, to raise a sufficient supply of the fruits of the earth, Gen. xxvi, 12. Abraham and Lot had such large herds of cattle, that they were obliged to separate to find pasture for them, Gen. xiii, 6. In Gen. xiv, 14, it is stated that Abraham armed three hundred and eighteen of his servants, or slaves, when he hastened to rescue Lot from those who had led him away captive. These slaves, or

servants, however, were treated very differently from the poor slaves of modern times. They were treated kindly, as servants of the family; even better, in many respects, than hired servants.

Jacob had a vast number of cattle; this appears from many passages in the Bible. To persons having large flocks and herds, wells and springs of water were very valuable; see Gen. xxi, 25; xxvi, 15; Judg. i, 15; for rivers and

brooks are not plentiful in the East.

This has been already

fully noticed. It seldom rains there except during one part of the year. In the greater part of Egypt rain never falls, and the fertility of the soil depends upon its being overflowed by the Nile.

Adam brought up Cain to cultivate or till the ground, and Abel to feed sheep, Gen. iv, 2: in the same chapter

(verse 20) we read that Jabal was the father of such as have cattle, and of those who dwelt in tents. In those countries, the people dwell in tents at the present day, as stated already. Thus, when their cattle have eaten up all the pasture in one place, they easily remove to some other. The manner in which the Arabs travel on these occasions, reminds us of the way in which Jacob journeyed, Gen. xxxii. Parsons thus describes it :-"First went the shepherds and goatherds, with the sheep and goats in regular flocks. Then followed the camels and asses, with the tents and furniture. Next came the old men and the women, with the boys and girls on foot. The little children were carried by the women, and the elder children carried the lambs and kids. Last of all came the masters of the families. Between each family there was a space of a hundred yards or more, so that they did not mix or get confused with each other."

Even after the times of the patriarchs, the greatest men among the Jews continued to be shepherds or husbandmen. Moses left the court of Pharaoh, and became a shepherd. He was keeping the flock of his father-in-law when God first appeared to him in the bush, Exod. iii, 1, 2. Several of the judges and kings had followed these employments. Shamgar appears to have been a herdsman, Judg. iii, 31; and Gideon was threshing wheat when the angel appeared to him, Judg. vi, 11. Saul continued to attend a herd of cattle after he was appointed king, 1 Sam. xi, 5. David was a shepherd. Psalm xxiii evidently was written by a person well acquainted with a shepherd's life; a good shepherd he was, for he risked his life for his sheep, 1 Sam. xvii, 34, 35. This should remind us of the best Shepherd, even CHRIST, John x, 14. And how infinitely great is his love for his sheep, as his true followers are called, for he actually laid down his life for them: even while they were yet sinners, and therefore at enmity with him, Christ died for them, Rom. v, 6-8. Let it be remembered that in the East the shepherds always go before their sheep, which follow them. They also have names for every sheep, and the sheep answer by coming when called, John x, 3, 4.

King Uzziah was fond of husbandry, 2 Chron. xxvi, 10. Mesha, king of Moab, was a sheep-master, 2 Kings iii, 4. Several of the prophets were employed in agriculture; as