by living in love and peace, and having easy consciences."

"That makes a very good sense, I think," said Tom; "but I have heard
another explanation given, which I like better. The earth, in that
place and in many others, can be translated _land_, with equal
propriety; and as the land of Canaan was promised to the Jews as a
reward, the heavenly Canaan is held out as a recompense to Christians."

"I'm satisfied," said Lewis. "Let me see--h--'Hear, O heavens, and give
ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken.'"

"'Never man spake like this man,'" added George.

"I think there are some words in the verse before that N," said
Gertrude.

"But that is of no consequence," replied Amy. "When a clause makes a
complete sense in itself, that answers, even if it is not at the
beginning of a verse. You know that the division of the Bible into
chapters and verses is quite a modern thing."

"Indeed, I did not know it," said Gertrude. "Are you quite sure?"

"Oh, yes, certain. I don't know when, or by whom it was divided into
chapters--but my Sunday-school teacher has told me that the books of the
Old Testament were not parcelled out in that way among the Jews. They
had other, and longer divisions, one of which was read every Sabbath day
in the synagogues, so that the whole was heard by the people, in the
course of the year. She told me that the New Testament was first
distributed into chapters--it was not originally written so--and then
the Old; and that in some places it would make better sense if the end
of one chapter was joined to the beginning of the next."

"And how is it about the verses, Amy?"

"It was first separated into verses by Robert Stephens, a publisher,
when riding on horseback between Paris and Lyons: he marked it thus as
he rode along. He was about to publish an edition of the Bible, and a
concordance, and divided it for facility of reference. This was in the
middle of the sixteenth century."

"There is one thing I've always wanted to know," said John. "Along the
margin, among the references, every now and then there are a few
words--generally, _or_ so and so. What is the meaning of that?"

"That occurs when the translators were doubtful which of two words gives
the right meaning," said Mrs. Wyndham, coming forward. "And I have
frequently noticed, that the one in the margin is preferable to the
other."

"Another point I wish to have explained," said Cornelia. "Why is it that
in all Bibles some words are p