Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed. [Illustration: THE OLIVE LEAF] [Illustration: HOUSE BEAUTIFUL BY A • L • O • E] [Illustration: THE ARK OF BULRUSHES] THOMAS NELSON & SONS LONDON, EDINBURGH AND NEW YORK [Illustration] HOUSE BEAUTIFUL; OR, The Bible Museum. By A. L. O. E. Authoress of "The Shepherd of Bethlehem," "Exiles in Babylon," "Rescued from Egypt," & c. [Illustration] LONDON: T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW; EDINBURGH; AND NEW YORK. ———————— 1868. [Illustration: PREFACE] THE narrative portions of the Holy Scriptures are full of striking biographies of those whose virtues are set before us as examples, or whose errors as warnings. We are led, as it were, into a Gallery of Portraits, drawn with faultless accuracy by a sunbeam. But besides these portraits, there are many objects of deep interest for the student of Scripture, the accounts of which have been "written for our learning," objects which we are intended to contemplate with earnest attention, and from which we may draw rich spiritual lessons. Such are Noah's Ark, the Brazen Serpent, the Manna from Heaven, which have been commented upon by apostles, and by our Saviour Himself. If the biographies in the Bible form the Portrait Gallery of Scripture, such objects as those to which I have referred—gathered together for our contemplation—suggest the idea of a Museum, and we are reminded of the instruction which Bunyan represents to have been gained from such in House Beautiful. I have never yet met with a work in which a number of such objects have been specially collected for the contemplation of Christians, and it has occurred to me that such a volume of reflections might assist us more vividly to realize much of what is contained in the Word of God. Come then with me, my Christian reader, and let us examine together some of those ancient objects rescued by the inspired writers from oblivion, and undimmed by the dust of many ages. Let us not handle them with superstitious reverence as relics, but make use of them to raise our minds from the absorbing cares and pleasures of the present, to holy musings on the past. May the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth assist us in our meditations, and increase our deep reverence for those sacred Scriptures in which these objects of interest are preserved. A. L. O. E. [Illustration] [Illustration: CONTENTS]