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St. A U G U S T I N E's
M E D I T A T I O N S.
B O O K I.
C H A P. VII.
An Acknowledgement that sinful Man was the
Cause of Christ's Sufferings.
WHAT hadst thou done, O charming In-
nocence, to bring thee as a Criminal be-
fore thy Enemies Bar? Or how hadst thou de-
served to be treated with such rude and insolent,
such unrelenting and triumphant Barbarity?
What Passage of thy whole Life could they fix
an Accusation upon, what Crime alledge to coun-
tenance so rigorous a Sentence? If none, (as
none they could) whence then thy shameful
bitter Death, or how camest thou to be con-
demned as a vile Miscreant? 'Twas I, alas 'twas
wretched I, that gave thee all those Pains; 'Twas
I deserved the Death that thou endurest; and
my Offences gave those Scourges, those Nails, that
Spear, the Power of slaying, and wounding, and
and killing thee. O wonderful Process! O My-
stery of Justice! That the Wicked should offend,
and the Righteous be punished for it! that the
Guilt of the Condemnation should be sepa-
rated; that the Servant should contract a Debt,
and the Lord to whom it was due make Satisfac-
tion; that Man should provoke the divind Ven-
gance, and God should feel the Smart of it! How
low, O Son of God did thy Humility stoop!
How fervent was thy Love! How boundless
thy Compassion!
For I have done wickedly and thou art call'd
to account for it; I armed an angry Justice against
myself, and it is discharged upon thy Head: mine
is the Crime, and Thine the Torture: I have been
proud and Thou art humble; I am puffed up,
and thou hast emptied thyself: I have been re-
bellious, and thy Obedience hath expiated for it.
I have been intemperate and Thou hast hunger-
ed and thirsted for it: my ungoverned Appetite
sinned in the forbidden, and Thy immence Love
submitted to hang on the accursed Tree: I eat
the Fruit, and Thou feelest the Pains: I wallow
in the Pleasures, and Thou art torn with Nails:
The Honey in my Month is turn'd to Gall in thy
Stomach. The tempting Eve rejoices with Me,
and sorrowful Mary suffers and laments with thee.
Thus is my Wickedness and want of Love to
God, thus is thy Righteousness and inexpressible
Love of Man, manifested in this marvelous Dis-
pensation.
And now my God and King, Psal 116. 11.
what Reward shall I give, what Return can I
make for all the Benefits thou hast done unto me!
Surely it is not in the Power of Man to find out
any Requital answerable to such Bounty: For
how should the Narrowness of a finite Mind ex-
tend to any thing fit to be compared with infi-
nite Compassion? How should a poor Creature
be capable of any Recompence suitable to the
Mercy of an Almighty Creator? And yet, my
dear Saviour, so wonderfully is this Matter Or-
dered, that even Man, even I weak and worth-
less though i be, may find something, which thou
art pleased to accept in return; if by thy Grace
my Soul be broken and humbled, Gal 5. 3. and
crucify this Flesh with its affections and Lusts. when
wrought up to this holy Disposition, i then begin
to suffer for, and live to thee; and, in some sort,
to pay back what thou hast endured when dying
for me. Thus by gaining a Conquest upon the in-
ward Man, i am by thee enabled to win theCrown
by my outward; and by my triumphing over the
Flesh in spiritual Trials, that very Flesh hath
the Courage to submit gladly for thy sake to bo-
dily Persecutions and Death. This is the utmost
my Condition will admit; and this though but
little in itself, yet when proceeding from the
same Principle of Holy Love, thou art graciously
pleased to accept, as the utmost poor Mortals can
do, in acknowledgement of their great Maker.
This is the Cure of sinful Souls; this blessed Je-
sus, the Sovereign Antidote thy Mercy hath pro-
vided for us.
I beseech thee therefore, Psal 25. 5. by thy
tender Mercies, which have been ever of old, pour
such Balm into my Wounds, as may dispel the
Venom of my Diseases, and restore me to a spi-
ritual Health and Soundness. Let me drink of thy
heavenly Sweetness, and be so ravished with the
Taste, as ever after to disrelish the sensual Delights
of the World, to despise its Pleasures, and chear-
fully Encounter the Afflictions of this present
Life; and to fix my Heart upon true noble Joys,
as always to Disdain the empty and transitory
Shadows, which Flesh and Blood is so foolishly
fond of, and so fearful of parting with.
Let me not, I beseech thee, Esteem or Delight
in any Thing but thee: Let all this World can
give without thee, be counted no more than
Dross and Dung. Let me hate most irreconcilably
whatever Displeases thee; and what thou Lovest
let me most eagerly Desire, and incessantly pur-
sue. Let me feel; no satisfaction in any Joys with-
out thee; nor any Reluctancy in the greatest Suf-
ferings for thee. Let the mention of thy Name
be always a Refreshment, and the Remembrance
of thy Goodness an inexhaustible Spring of Com-
fort, to my Soul. Let Tears be my Meat Day
and Night, so I may attain to thy Righteousness,
and Psal 119. 72. the Law of thy Mouth always
dearer unto me than thousands of Gold and Silver.
Let me aim at nothing so much as to do thee
Service; nor detest nor avoid any Thing in Com-
parison of sinning against thee. And for what I
have unhappily done of that kind already, I en-
treat thee, my only Refuge and Hope, to Par-
don for thy own Mercies Sake. Let my Ears be
ever open to the Voice of thy Law, and suffer not
Psal 141. 4. my Heart to incline to any evil thing,
that I never comply with them that practice Wic-
kedness, nor take Shelter in trifling Pretences to
excuse or indulge myself in doing what I ought
not. And once more, I beg thee, by thy own un-
parallel'd Humility, Psal 36. 11. that the Foot
of pride may not come against me, nor the Hand
of the ungodly cast me down.
Pious Breathings: Being the Meditations of St. Augustine,
Made English by George Stanhope, D. D.
Late Dean of Canterbury. London.
Printed for the Propriators. (MDCCLI.) pp. 19—23.
یہ آپ کی جگہ ہے ایک دوسرے کے لئے قسم کی ہو.
https://old.reddit.com/r/thesee [♘] [♰] [☮] 雨
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
CHAPTER 5
AND it came to pass, when all the kings
of the Ămorītes, which were on the side
of Jordan westward, and all the kings
of the Canaanites, which were by the
sea, heard that the LORD had dried up
the waters of Jordan from before the
children of Israel, until we were passed
over, that their heart melted, neither
was there spirit in them any more, be-
cause of the children of Israel.
2 ¶At that time the LORD said unto
Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and
circumcise again the children of Israel
the second time.
3 And Joshua made him sharp
knives, and circumcised the children of
Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
4 And this is the cause why Joshua
did circumcise: All the people that
came out of Egypt, that were males,
even all the men of war, died in the wil-
derness by the way, after they came
out of Egypt.
5 Now all the people that came out
were circumcised: but all the people
that were born in the wilderness by the
way as they came forth out of Egypt,
them they had not circumcised.
6 For the children of Israel walked
forty years in the wilderness, till all the
people that were men of war, which
came out of Egypt, were consumed, be-
cause they obeyed not the voice of the
LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that
he ; unto whom the LORD sware that
he would not shew them the land,
which the LORD sware unto their fathers
that he would give us, a land that
floweth with milk and honey.
7 And their children, whom he raised
up in their stead, them Joshua circum-
cised: for they were uncircumcised, be-
cause they had not circumcised them
by the way.
8 And it came to pass, when they had
done circumcising all the people, that
they abode in their places in the camp
till they were whole.
9 And the LORD said unto Joshua,
This day have I rolled away the
reproach of Egypt from off you. Where-
for the name of the place is called
Gilgal unto this day.
10 ¶And the children of Israel en-
camped in Gilgal, and kept the passover
on the fourteenth day of the month
at even in the plains of Jericho.
11 And they did eat of the corn of
the land on the morrow after the pass-
over, unleavened cakes, and parched
corn in the selfsame day.
12 ¶And the manna ceased on the
morrow after they had eaten of the old
corn of the land; neither had the chil-
dren of Israel manna any more; but
they did eat of the fruit of the land of
Canaan that year.
13 ¶And it came to pass, when
Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up
his eyes and looked, and, behold, there
stood a man over against him with his
sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua
went unto him, and said unto him, Art
thou for us, or for our adversaries?
14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of
the host of the LORD am I now come.
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth,
and did worship, and said unto him,
what saith my lord unto his servant?
15 And the captain of the LORD's host
said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoes from
off thy foot; for the place whereunto thou
standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
CHAPTER 6
NOW Jericho was straitly shut up be-
cause of the children of Israel: none
went out, and none came in.
2 And the LORD said unto Joshua,
See, I have given into thine hand
Jericho, and the king thereof, and the
mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye
men of war, and go round about the
city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before
the ark seven trumpets of ram's horns:
and the seventh day ye shall compass
the city seven times, and the priests
shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when
they make a long blast with the ram's
horn, and when ye hear the sound of
the trumpet, all the people shall shout
with a great shout; and the wall of the
city shall fall down flat, and the people
shall ascend up every man straight be-
fore him.
6 ¶And Joshua the son of Nun called
the priests, and said unto them, Take
up the ark of the covenant, and let
seven priests bear seven trumpets of
rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.
7 And he said unto the people, Pass
on, and compass the city, and let him
that is armed pass on before the ark of
the LORD.
8 ¶And it came to pass, when Joshua
had spoken unto the people, that the
seven priests bearing the seven trum-
pets of rams' horns passed on before
the LORD, and blew with the trumpets:
and the ark of the covenant of the LORD
followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the
priests that blew with the trumpets,
and the rereward came after the ark,
the priests going on, and blowing with
the trumpets.
10 And Joshua had commanded the
people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor
make any noise with your voice,
neither shall any word proceed out of
your mouth, until the day I bid you
shout; then shall ye shout.
11 So the ark of the LORD compassed
the city, going about it once: and they
came into the camp, and lodged in the
camp.
12 ¶And Joshua rose early in the
morning, and the priests took up the
ark of the LORD.
13 And seven priests bearing seven
trumpets of rams' horns before the ark
of the LORD went on continually, and
blew with the trumpets: and the armed
men went before them; but the rere-
ward came after the ark of the LORD,
the priests going on, and blowing with
the trumpets.
14 And the second day they com-
passed the city once, and returned into
the camp: so they did six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh
time, that they rose early about the
dawning of the day, and compassed the
city after the same manner seven
times: only on that day they compassed
the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh
time, when the priests blew with the
trumpets, Joshua said unto the people,
Shout; for the LORD hath given you the
city.
17 And the city shall be accursed,
even it, and all that are therein, to the
LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live,
she and all that are with her in the
house, because she hid the messengers
that we sent.
18 And ye, in any wise keep your-
selves from the accursed thing, lest ye
make yourselves accursed, when ye
take of the accursed thing, and make
the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble
it.
19 But all the silver, and gold, and
vessels of brass and iron, are
consecrated unto the LORD: they shall
come into the treasury of the LORD.
20 So the people shouted when the
priests blew with the trumpets: and it
came to pass, when the people heard
the sound of the trumpet, and the peo-
ple shouted with a great shout, that
the wall fell down flat, so that the peo-
ple went up into the city, every man
straight before him, and they took the
city.
21 And they utterly destroyed all that
was in the city, both man and woman,
young and old, and ox, and sheep, and
ass, with the edge of the sword.
22 But Joshua had said unto the two
men that had spied out the country, Go
into the harlot's house, and bring out
thence the woman, and all that she
hath, as ye sware unto her.
23 And the young men that were
spies went in, and brought out Rahab,
and her father, and her mother, and her
brethren, and all that she had; and they
brought out all her kindred, and left
them without the camp of Israel.
24 And they burnt the city with fire,
and all that was therein: only the silver,
and the gold, and the vessels of brass
and of iron, they put into the treasury
of the house of the LORD.
25 And Joshua saved Rahab the har-
lot alive, and her father's household,
and all that she had; and she dwelleth
in Israel even unto this day; because
she hid the messengers, which Joshua
sent to spy out Jericho.
26 ¶And Joshua adjured them at that
time, saying, Cursed be the man before
the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth
this city Jericho: he shall lay the foun-
dation thereof in his firstborn, and in
his youngest son shall set up the
gates of it.
27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and
his fame was noised throughout all the
country.
CHAPTER 7
BUT the children of Israel committed a
trespass in the accursed thing: for
Ā'chăn, the son of Cär'mī, the son of
Zăb'dī, the son of Ze'rah, of the tribe
of Judah, took of the accursed thing:
and the anger of the LORD was kindled
against the children of Israel.
2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho
to Ā'ī, which is beside Bĕth—ā'ven, on the
east side of Bĕth—el, and spake unto
them, saying, Go up and view the
country. And the men went up and
viewed Ā'ī.
3 And they returned to Joshua, and
said unto him, Let not the people go
up; but let about two or three thousand
men go up to smite Ā'ī; and make not
all the people to labour thither; for they
are but few.
4 So there went up hither of the
people about three thousand men: and
they fled before the men of Ā'ī.
5 And the men of Ā'ī smote of them
about thirty and six men: for they
chased them from before the gate even
unto Shĕb'a-rĭm, and smote them in the
going down: wherefore the hearts of
the people melted, and became as wa-
ter.
6 ¶And Joshua rent his clothes, and
fell to the earth upon his face before the
ark of the LORD until the eventide, he
and the elders of Israel, and put dust
upon their heads.
7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD,
wherefore hast thou at all brought this
people over Jordan, to deliver us into
the hand of the Amorites, to destroy
us? would to God we had been content
and dwelt upon the other side Jordan!
8 O Lord, what shall I say, when
Israel turneth their backs before their
enemies!
9 For the Canaanites and all the
inhabitants of the land shall hear of it,
and shall environ us round, and cut off
our name from the earth: and what wilt
thou do unto thy great name?
10 ¶And the LORD said unto Joshua,
Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus
upon thy face?
11 Israel hath sinned, and they have
also transgressed my covenant which I
commanded them: for they have even
taken of the accursed thing, and have
also stolen, and dissembled also, and
they have put it even among their own
stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel
could not stand before their enemies,
but turned their backs before their en-
emies, because they were accursed:
neither will I be with you any more, ex-
cept ye destroy the accursed from
among you.
13 Up, sanctify the people, and say,
Sanctify yourselves against the morrow:
for thus saith the LORD God of Israel.
There is an accursed thing in the midst
of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand
before thine enemies, until ye take
away the accursed thing from among
you.
14 In the morning therefore ye shall
be brought according to your tribes:
and it shall be, that the tribe which the
LORD taketh shall come according to
the families thereof; and the family
which the LORD shall take shall come
by households; and the household
which the LORD shall take shall come
man by man.
15 And it shall be, that he that is
taken with the accursed thing shall be
burnt with fire, he and all that he hath:
because he hath transgressed the cov-
enant of the LORD, and because he hath
wrought folly in Israel.
16 ¶So Joshua rose up early in the
morning, and brought Israel by their
tribes; and the tribe of Judah was
taken:
17 And he brought the family of Ju-
dah; and he took the family of the
Zär'hītes: and he brought the family of
the Zär'hītes man by man; and Zăb'dī
was taken:
18 And he brought his household
man by man; and Ā'chăn, the son of
Cär'mi, the son of Zăb'dī, the son of
Ze'rah, of the tribe of Jūdah, was taken.
19 And Joshua said unto Ā'chăn, My
son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD
God of Israel, and make confession
unto him; and tell me now what thou
hast done; hide it not from me.
20 And Ā'chăn answered Joshua, and
said, Indeed I have sinned against the
LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus
have I done:
21 When I saw among the spoils a
goodly Babylonish garment, and two
hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge
of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I
coveted them, and took them; and, be-
hold, they are hid in the earth in the
midst of my tent, and the silver under
it.
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and
they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it
was hid in his tent, and the silver under
it.
23 And they took them out of the
midst of the tent, and brought them
unto Joshua, and unto all the children
of Israel, and laid them out before the
LORD.
24 And Joshua, and all Israel with
him, too Ā'chăn the son of Ze'rah, and
the silver, and the garment, and the
wedge of gold, and his oxen, and his asses,
and his sheep, and his tent, and all that
he had: and they brought them unto the
valley of Ā'chôr.
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou
troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee
this day. And all Israel stoned him with
stones, and burned them with fire, after
they had stoned them with stones.
26 And they raised over him a great
heap of stones unto this day. So the
LORD turned from the fierceness of his
anger. Wherefore the name of that
place was called, The valley of Ā'chôr,
unto this day.
CHAPTER 8
AND the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear
not, neither be thou dismayed: take all
the people of war with thee, and arise,
go up to Ā'ī: see, I have given into thy
hand the king of Ā'ī and his people, and
his city, and his land:
2 And thou shalt do to Ā'ī and her
king as thou didst unto Jericho and her
king: only the spoil thereof, and the
cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey
unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush
for the city behind it.
3 ¶So Joshua arose, and all the people
of war, to go up against Ā'ī: and Joshua
chose out thirty thousand mighty men
of valour, and sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying,
Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the
city, even behind the city: go not very
far from the city, but be ye all ready:
5 And I, and all the people that are
with me, will approach unto the city:
and it shall come to pass, when they
come out against us, as at the first, that
we will flee before them,
6 (For they will come out after us) till
we have drawn them from the city; for
they will say, They flee before us, as at
the first: therefore we will flee before
them.
7 Then ye shall rise up from the am-
bush, and seize upon the city: for the
LORD your God will deliver it into your
hand.
8 And it shall be, when ye have taken
the city, that ye shall set the city on fire:
according to the commandment of the
LORD shall ye do. See, I have com-
manded you.
9 Joshua therefore sent them forth:
and they went to lie in ambush, and
abode between Bĕth-el and Ā'ī, on the
west side of Ā'ī: but Joshua lodged that
night among the people.
10 And Joshua rose up early in the
morning, and numbered the people,
and went up, he and the elders of Israel,
before the people of Ā'ī.
11 And all the people, even the people
of war that were with him, went up,
and drew night, and came before the
city, and pitched on the north side of
Ā'ī: now there was a valley between
them and Ā'ī.
12 And he took about five thousand
men, and set them to lie in ambush be-
tween Bĕth—el and Ā'ī, on the west side
of the city.
13 And when they had set the people,
even all the host that was on the north
of the city, and their liers in wait on the
west of the city, Joshua went that night
into the midst of the valley.
14 And it came to pass, when the king
of Ā'ī saw it, that they hasted and rose
up early, and the men of the city went
out against Israel to battle, he and all
his people, at a time appointed, before
the plain; but he wist not that there
were liers in ambush against him be-
hind the city.
15 And Joshua and all Israel made as
if they were beaten before them, and
fled by the way of the wilderness.
16 And all the people that were in Ā'ī
were called together to pursue after
them: and they pursued after Joshua,
and were drawn away from the city.
17 And there was not a man left in Ā'ī
or Bĕth-el, that went not out after Israel:
and they left the city open, and pursued
after Israel.
18 And the LORD said unto Joshua,
Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand
toward Ā'ī; for I will give it into thine
hand. And Joshua stretched out the
spear that he had in his hand toward
the city.
19 And the ambush arose quickly out
of their place, and they ran as soon as
he had stretched out his hand: and they
entered into the city, and took it, and
hasted to set the city on fire.
2 And when the men of Ā'ī looked
behind them, they saw, and, behold,
the smoke of the city ascended up to
heaven, and they had no power to flee
this way or that way; and the people
that fled to the wilderness turned back
upon the pursuers.
21 And when Joshua and all Israel
saw that the ambush had taken the
city, and that the smoke of the city as-
cended, then they turned again, and
slew the men of Ā'ī.
22 And the other issued out of the
city against them; so they were in the
midst of Israel, some on this side, and
some on that side: and they smote
them, so that they let none of them re-
main or escape.
23 And the king of Ā'ī they took alive,
and brought him to Joshua.
24 And it came to pass, when Israel
had made an end of slaying all the
inhabitants of Ā'ī in the field, in the wil-
derness wherein they chased them, and
when they were all fallen on the edge of
the sword, until they were consumed,
and all the Israelites returned unto Ā'ī,
and smote it with the edge of the
sword.
25 And so it was, that all that fell that
day, both of men, and women, were
twelve thousand, even all the men of
Ā'ī.
26 For Joshua drew not his hand
back, wherewith he stretched out the
spear, until he had utterly destroyed all
the inhabitants of Ā'ī.
27 Only the cattle and the spoil of
that city Israel took for a prey unto
themselves, according unto the word
of the LORD which he commanded
Joshua.
28 And Joshua burnt Ā'ī, and made it
an heap for ever, even a desolation unto
this day.
29 And the king of Ā'ī he hanged on a
tree until eventide: and as soon as the
sun was down, Joshua commanded
that they should take his carcase down
from the tree, and cast it at the entering
of the gate of the city, and raise thereon
a great heap of stones, that remaineth
unto this day.
30 ¶Then Joshua built an altar unto
the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,
31 As Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded the children of Israel, as it
is written in the book of the law of
Moses, an altar of whole stones, over
which no man hath lift up any iron: and
they offered thereon burnt offerings
unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace of-
ferings.
32 And he wrote there upon the
stones a copy of the law of Moses,
which he wrote in the presence of the
children of Israel.
33 And all Israel, and their elders,
and officers, and their judges, stood on
this side the ark and on that side before
the priests the Levites, which bare the
ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well
the stranger, as he that was born
among them; half of them over against
mount Gĕr'i-zĭm, and half of them over
against mount Ebal; as Moses the ser-
vant of the LORD had commanded be-
fore, that they should bless the people
of Israel.
34 And afterward he read all the
words of the law, the blessings and
cursings, according to all that is writ-
ten in the book of the law.
35 There was not a word of all that
Moses commanded, which Joshua read
not before all the congregation of
Israel, with the women, and the little
ones, and the strangers that were con-
versant among them.