THE WILDERNESS. 23

a noble example of disinterestedness ; we learn from it
that the glory of God should be our end and aim in all
our actions and desires.

The Lord returned a gracious ‘answer to the prayer of
Moses, “ I have pardoned,” He said, “ according to thy
word, but as truly as I live all the earth shall be filled
with the glory of the Lord.” All those people who
had rebelled were to die in the wilderness, where they
must wander till another generation was able to take
their place: only Caleb and Joshua, of all who were
men at that time, were to enter the promised land.

George. How long would it take till they were all
dead ¢

Grandfather. They were condemned to wander in the
wilderness forty years, but that was reckoned from the
time they left Egypt, a year and a half before. As for
the ten spies, whose evil advice had caused the people
to sin, they died by the plague before the Lord ; they
were struck down in the presence of the congregation.
So when the people tried to kill the two good men, the
Lord appeared to save them: when no one tried to kill
the ten wicked men, the Lord came to destroy them.
This shews us that if the Lord is not on our side the
support of man can avail us little. Then the people,
being alarmed by the fate of the spies, repented when it
was too late, and said that they would now go up to
possess the land. Moses told them not to g0, because
the Lord was not with them, but they would not listen to
him ; they went, and were defeated by the Canaanites