Class . Book GOPYRICHT DEPOSU JOSEPH SOLD . Royal Treasury; or, JEWELS OF THE BIBLE. BEING A. Pas(inatin| j^arraf i\te of tfye Marvellous and fpfyrillin^ Gvtents in v Sacred {Hstor^ from tl?e Creation of tfye 09orld. COMPRISING THE SUBLIME STORY OF THE GOSPELS ; A VIVID PANORAMA OF PATHETIC, TRAGIC AND CAPTIVATING SCENES AND INCIDENTS IN THE LIVES OF THE GREAT PROPHETS, APOSTLES, AND FOUNDERS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH ; GLOWING DESCRIPTIONS OF HEROES AND MARTYRS, WITH ENTRANCING VISIONS OF THE CELESTIAL CITY. INCLUDING LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS ; JOSEPH AND THE ROYAL HOUSE OF EGYPT ; WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS ; HOLY WARS AND CONQUESTS ; JERUSALEM AND ITS MAGNIFICENT TEMPLE ; THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT ; PARABLES AND MIRACLES ; GETHSEMANE AND THE CROSS ; THE GOLDEN DAWN OF CHRISTIANITY, ETC., ETC. TO WHICH ARE ADDED C^.F=XIVjPs.TIlSrG BIBLE STORIES F"OK. THE YOUNG. BY yf HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP, D.D., Author of "Wonders of the World," "Earth, Sea and Sky," " Crown Jewels," etc., etc. Embellished With moi*e than Thtfee Hundred ^upetfb Engf&Vingg AND OTHER CELEBRATED ARTISTS. /l^ YOFCO/ VQ^ /> copyright** SEP281889q ^SlNGTcX. NATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPAN PHILADELPHIA, PA., CHICAGO, ILL., AND ST. LOUIS, MO. Entered according to Acl of Congress, in the year 1S89, by HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. PREFACE. ROYAL TREASURY ; or, JEWELS OF THE BIBLE, contains all the captivating features which give immortal interest to the Scripture narrative. It is rich in vivid descrip- tions, gems of inspired thought, scenes that thrill the heart, and records of strange adventure and romance which have more power to entrance than the creations of fiction. The narrative begins with the new earth and heavens, and portrays the sublime work of creation, over which " the morning stars sang together." The expulsion of our first parents from the floral bowers of Eden ; the first murder which stained with blood the virgin world ; the mighty deluge that rolled its dark waters over mountain summits, and engulfed in awful destruction the inhabitants of the earth ; the lonely ark of Noah, riding upon the billows of the "vasty deep;" and the sudden overthrow of the visionary tower of Babel — these, with other momentous events, form the first part of this very attractive volume. Then follow the great transactions recorded in the history of the Hebrews, such as Abraham offering his son; Isaac meeting the fair maid Rebecca; Jacob reconciled to his brother Esau ; the thrilling story of Joseph at the court of Pharaoh ; and the finding by the Egyptian princess of the babe in the rushes, that was destined to become one of the most majestic heroes of the Old Testament. The wanderings of Israel in the wilderness are depicted — the woes that fell upon plague- stricken Egypt ; the miraculous passage of the Red Sea ; the triumphant song of Miriam and the Jewish maidens ; the awful scenes surrounding cloud-capped Sinai ; and the death of Moses on Nebo, when, according to Jewish legend, the winds wailed, and the earth xried, ■' We have lost the Holy One !" The period of Joshua and the judges is treated in the same masterly manner. Portrayed in vivid colors, the reader sees the falling walls of Jericho ; brave Gideon, with his wonderful fleece and dauntless little army ; valiant Jephthah fulfilling his rash vow ; mighty Samson, rending the lion's jaws, carrying the massive gates of Gaza, and heaving from their sockets the gigantic pillars of the Philistine temple. The fascinating story of Ruth, gleaning in the fields of Boaz and becoming the ancestress of David and his greater Son, is told in all its simple beauty and pathos. Towering up in rugged proportions, that strange man Saul comes into view, and then David, the ruddy shepherd boy, appears with the sling that carries swift death to boastful Goliath. Exchanging the shepherd's staff for the kingly sceptre, the dazzling glory of the Hebrew nation bursts upon us, and the line of .illustrious kings commences. Very thrilling are the events during the^ reigns of David and Solomon, including the rebellion of Absalom and the grief of his heart-broken father; the building of that most famous of all edifices, the Temple at Jerusalem ; and the visit of the beautiful Queen of .Sheba to the court of Solomon. Then, with the swiftness of the whirlwind, the prophet Elijah appears. The reader (i) ii PREFACE. beholds one of the most striking figures in history. He follows this mysterious prophet to the brook Cherith and the poor widow's home at Sarepta; sees his triumphant defeat of Baal's prophets on Carmel, and then the chariot of flame which bears him through the cloven heaven beyond mortal sight. He beholds the sweet face of the little Jewish captive in Syria, and sees her haughty master, Naaman, at the door of Elisha, and rising from the waters of Jordan, healed of his leprosy. He finally comes to the charming story of Queen Esther, her patriotic devotion and over- throw of Hainan's fiendish plot. The no less interesting story of Job follows, his sudden afflic- tions, his sympathizing friends, and their renowned discussions on the problems of human life. All the prominent features of the Psalms and Proverbs are fully described. The helpful sayings of the wise man are mingled with the songs of the sweet singer of Israel. We have next the spirited account of the captivity; the grandeur of ancient Babylon, and the startling dreams and fiery handwriting which terrified her kings ; the brave, invincible Daniel, himself more than a kingdom, whom neither lion's den nor fiery furnace could appall ; and at length the capture of the proud city by the army of Cyrus. The magnificence of ancient Nineveh is described, together with the visit of that strange prophet, Jonah, and also* the modern excavations which have given a resurrection to the buried city. The valorous exploits of Judas Maccabeus, that patriotic hero who achieved the inde- pendence of the Hebrew nation, are told in glowing language. But the reader has not yet reached the climax ; he is yet to stand upon the loftiest summit. Coming to the Life of Christ, which is complete in all its peerless beauty, he beholds the Child Wonderful in Bethlehem's manger ; the white-robed chorus singing peace and good- will; the adoring shepherds and Persian sages, and all the graphic and illustrious scenes connected with the baptism of Christ; His temptation in the wilderness; the calling of the Galilean fishermen ; the parables, which, like windows, let in celestial light; and the stupen- dous miracles which healed the sick, hushed the wild tempest, and even rent the tomb ! His myriad deeds of compassion ; His sweet words of love ; His calm majesty in persecution and suffering; His .radiant glory of transfiguration; His agony in the garden and death upon the cross, when even mute nature felt the pang and was moved to sympathy — all this, and vastly more which cannot here be stated, is fully depicted. The reader will find a peculiar charm in the resplendent history of the Apostles — the labors, sufferings and sublime sacrifices of those noble men, "of whom the world was not worthy." He is dazzled by the bright light that falls upon majestic Paul, and traces the brilliant career of this great Apostle to the Gentiles. He keeps company with the Apostle in his missionary journeys; hears his midnight song in the dungeon at Philippi; his burning words as he faces Roman governors ; the clanking of his chains as he stands before King Agrippa, and his grand speech on Mars' Hill, that masterpiece of sacred eloquence. The teachings of the apostles are followed by the vision of John in Revelation, with its majestic imagery and beautiful descriptions of the heavenly Jerusalem. No Raphael nor Angelo ever gave the world such paintings in colors as are here given in inspired words. Then comes one of the most interesting .and attractive parts of the volume, consisting of Biographies of the Great Men of the Bible and Captivating Bible Stories for the Young. The work embraces the most interesting of all subjects, forms in itself a library of choicest information, and an exhaustless source of entertainment, such as was never attempted in any other book. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. The Work of Creation — Life and Beauty — The First Man — The Garden of Eden — The First Woman — Perfect Happiness — The Tempter — Death and Woe — The World Cursed — Banishment from Eden — Cain and Abel — Keeping Sheep and Tilling the Ground — A Quarrel — Abel is Slain — Flight of Cain — The Land of Nod — The First Household — Long Life — Seth and his Family — A Race of Evil-Doers — A Flood Threatened — Noah Commanded to Build an Ark — A Preparation of One Hundred and Twenty Years for the Flood — Entering the Ark — The Terrible Deluge — Sending Forth the Dove — Horrors of the Flood — Waters Subside — A Memorable Sacrifice — The Second Beginning of the World — The Rainbow — Promise not to Send Another Deluge . 17 CHAPTER II. ABRAM AND LOT. Land of Shinar — Site of Ancient Babylon — A High Tower — The Language Confused — The People Scattered — Hills of Ruin — Nimrod — A Mighty Hunter — Abram — Abram's Wife — Land of Ca- naan — Trying to Read the Stars — Ur of the Chaldees — The Father of Abram — Story about Idols — Abram Directed to Leave his Country — A Wonderful Promise — Abram's Moral Courage — Sarah's Beauty — Sarah Taken by the King of Egypt — Lot and his Family — Pitching the Tent Toward Sodom — Invasion by the Assyrians — Judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah — Lot Rescued —Fate of Lot's Wife— The Dead Sea 30 CHAPTER III. TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH. Birth of Isaac — Sarah's Anger on Account of Ishmael — Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away — Peace in the Tents of Abraham — Command to Sacrifice Isaac — The Old Man's Faith — Death of Sarah — Sep- ulchre of Machpelah — Abraham Seeking a Wife for Isaac — The Fair Rebekah — A Hearty Recep- tion — A Happy Marriage 40 CHAPTER IV. JACOB AND ESAU. One Hundred Years in the Land of Canaan — Death of Abraham — Peculiarities of Jacob and Esau — Isaac in a Strange Land — Wells of Water — Hostility of the Philistines — Prosperity of Isaac — Esau Loses his Birthright — Jacob Leaving Haran — Vision at Bethel — Rachel — Serving Fourteen Years for a Wife — Birth of Joseph — Jacob's Riches — Jealousy on Account of Jacob's Prosperity — A Charge of Theft — Friendly Meeting of Jacob and Esau — Wrestling with the Angel — Death of Rachel — Jacob's Return to Isaac . . . . . . . . -47 CHAPTER. '.V. THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. Founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel — Jacob's Fondness for Joseph — A Coat of Many Colors — Joseph's Dream — Hostility of Joseph's Brethren — A Caravan of Arabian Merchants — Joseph Sold into Egypt — Interpreting Dreams — Joseph Made Ruler — Providing for Famine — Ornaments of Gold — Riding in a Chariot of State — Monuments of Stone — The Nation Crying for Bread — (iii) iv CONTENTS. Jacob Sends his Sons to Egypt — Meeting the "Lord of the Country" — Jacob's Sons Accused of Being Spies — An Affecting Scene — Taking Back the Money — Singular Customs — The Silver Cup — Joseph Making Himself Known — Jacob Meeting his Son . . . . -53 CHAPTER VI. EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. Oppression of the Hebrews — Pharaoh's Order to Slay the Male Children — The Little Life-Boat — Finding Moses — A Motherly Princess — Tradition Concerning Moses — A Good Sister — Miriam's Device for Saving her Brother — Moses at the Court of Egypt — The Smiter Smitten—Moses in Flight 66 CHAPTER VII. THE DELIVERER OF ISRAEL. The Burning Bush — Glad Tidings for the Hebrews — The Great Lawgiver and Leader — Demand that Pharaoh Shall Release the Hebrews — A Stubborn King — Wonders Performed by Magicians — Plagues — Terrible Calamities — Death of the First-Born — Mercy for Israel — The Destroying Angel — The Blood-Mark on the Doorpost 72 CHAPTER VIII. THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. A Hasty Departure — Fleeing Toward the Red Sea — The Waters Divide for the Hebrews — Pharaoh's Host Overwhelmed — Miriam's Song — Music and Thanksgiving — Moving Toward Sinai — Bitter Waters of Marah — Halt at Elim — Murmuring Against Moses — Bread from Heaven — No Water — A Fountain Bursting from a Rock — Meeting Enemies — A Battle with Amalek — Moses and Jethro — The Solemn Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . .81 CHAPTER IX. SUBLIME SCENES AT SINAI. The Prophet on the Mountain — The Divine Appearance — Forty Days and Nights Within the Cloud — Moses Supposed to be Lost — The Golden Calf — Jewels for the Idol — The Ten Commandments — The Hebrews Pressing Forward — Death of Aaron — The Brazen Serpent — Og, the Giant of Bashan 94 CHAPTER X. BALAAM AND THE ANGEL. The King of Moab — Balak and Gold — An Angel in the Path — Plots and Snares — Divine Anger — Trouble with the Midianites — Victors and Spoil — Number of Israelites — Joshua Appointed to Succeed Moses — The Lawgiver's Last Address — Affecting Words — Threatenings Against Diso- bedience — The Death-Song — Forty Years of History — Moses on Pisgah — Death at the Age of One Hundred and Twenty — A Rare Man . . . . . . . . -103 CHAPTER XL ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND. Mourning for Moses — Crossing the Jordan — The Fall of Jericho — Setting up a Memorial — Attack upon the Town of Ai — Sin of Achan — Deception of the Gibeonites — Sun and Moon Standing Still— Pushing on the Conquest — Death of Five Kings — Jabin, King of Hazor — Joshua's Bril- liant Successes — The Captured Cities # ... • . . . no CPIA'PTER XII. JOSHUA DIVIDING THE LAND. Petty Kings of Canaan — Driving Out the Enemy — Caleb's Claim — Othniel — Surveying the Land — The Distribution — Cities of Refuge-*-Sending Back the Two Tribes and a Half— A Suspicious Transaction — An Ancient Hero — Joshua's Successful Mission . . . . . .116 CONTENTS. v CHAPTER XIII. ' REMARKABLE HEBREW WOMEN. Capture of Jerusalem — Story of a Hebrew Woman — Tribe of Dan — Justice Resisted — Eighty Years of Peace and Safety — Ruth and Naomi — Famine at Bethlehem — Moab — Naomi and her Daugh- ters in Affliction — Ruth's Affection — Gleaning in the Harvest Field — Ruth Wedded to Boaz — Israel Delivered by Deborah — A Song of Triumph 123 CHAPTER XIV. A MAN OF VALOR. The Midianites — Caves and Strongholds — A Deliverer — The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon — A Marvelous Fleece — Let Baal Plead for Himself — Getting an Army — Cowards not Wanted — The Valiant Three Hundred — Gideon Destroying Idols — The Avenger — Abimelech Slain — Jephthah's Rash Vow — A Father's Sacrifice — The Hebrew Judges 131 CHAPTER XV. MARVELOUS FEATS OF SAMSON. Human Sacrifices — Ephraim in Arms — Birth of Samson — Samson's Enormous Strength — The Damsel of Timnath — Samson Slays a Lion — Guessing a Riddle — Foxes and Firebrands — The Philistines Take Revenge — Samson Betrayed — The Giant Breaks the Fetters — Locks of Hair Shorn Off — Grinding in a Prison House — Samson Shakes Down the Philistine Temple . . .141 CHAPTER XVI. THE PROPHET SAMUEL. Eli, the High-Priest — Hannah's Prayer — The Child Brought to the Temple — A Remarkable Boy — The Voice in the Temple — A Prophet and Judge — Excitement in the Hebrew Camp — Ark Taken by the Philistines — Fall of an Idol — Judgment upon Ashdod — The Ark Returned — A Severe Judgment — Samuel's Great Influence — A King Desired — The People Discontented — A Divine Protest 149 CHAPTER XVII. THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. Clamoring for a King — Saul, the Son of Kish — Samuel Anoints Saul — Head and Shoulders Above Others — " Long Live the King ! " — Saul's Great Victory — Thunder and Rain — Agag Spared — The Son of Jesse — A Comely Person — David and Goliath — The Maiden's Song of Triumph — Saul's Anger — David and Jonathan — A Timely Escape — The Priests Slain — Saul Spared by David — The King of Gath — Saul and the Witch of Endor — Defeat in Gilboa . . .155 CHAPTER XVIII. KING DAVID. David at Hebron — A Bloody Battle — David Proclaimed King — A Marvelous City — David's Mighty Men — Extent of Territory — Dazzling Magnificence — The Warrior King — A Rough Diamond — ■ An Extraordinary Crown — Absalom — Plot to Obtain the Throne — A Traitor — Absalom's Death — David's Grief — Poem by Willis — A Famine — Seventy Thousand Men Perish — Joab's Revenge — Numbering the People — The King Sleeps with his Fathers — David's Prosperous Reign . 175 CHAPTER XIX. SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. David's Successor — Solomon Offers Sacrifices — Seeking Wisdom — The Two Mothers — A Sagacious Judgment — An Illustrious Reign — Royal Magnificence — An Embassy from the King of Tyre — Tyrian Presents for Solomon — Building the Temple — Immense Number of Workmen — Trans- porting Stones and Wood — Style of Architecture — The Ark and Furniture — Superb Decorations vi CONTENTS. — Dedication of the Temple — Costly Sacrifices — The King's Treasures— Solomon's Gorgeous Throne — How Wealth was Employed — Fine Horses and Horsemen — Solomon's Renown — Visit from the Queen of Sheba — The Splendor Tarnished — " Vanity of Vanities " . . . 190 CHAPTER XX. THE PROPHET ELIJAH. King Rehoboam — Two Kingdoms — Idolatry and National Corruption — King Asa — Ahab Comes to the Throne — Infamous Jezebel — Elijah's Sudden Appearance — The Prophet at the Brook — Fed by Ravens — The Widow of Sarepta — Fire on Mount Carmel — Baal's Prophets Overthrown — Fleeing from Jezebel — Elijah at Horeb — The Still, Small Voice — Ahab's Warning — The King Alarmed — A Prophet Imprisoned — Elisha — "The Chariot of Israel and the Horsemen Thereof" ............... 208 CHAPTER XXI. THE YOUNG HEBREW CAPTIVE. Elisha's Miracles — The Children of Bethel — Army of Israel Crossing the Jordan — A Human Sacrifice — Death in the Enemy's Camp — Palace and Temple Plundered — Befriending a Poor Widow- School of the Prophets — The Captive Maid — Naaman Visits Elisha — Dipping in the Jordan — Naaman Cured of Leprosy ............ 222 CHAPTER XXII. DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIAN HOST. A Royal Marriage — King of Damascus — Sennacherib's Vast Army — Judah Invaded — Prophecy of Isaiah — Destruction of Sennacherib's Host — Lord Byron's Poem — Great Display of Wealth — Death of Hezekiah — Manasseh's Evil Reign — A Wicked Ruler — The Captive King — Young Josiah — Imposing Ceremonies — Startling Words — Celebrating the Passover — Jehoahaz Loses his Crown — A King in Disguise — Old Abominations — Death of Josiah — The Coming Downfall — Babylon on the March ............. 230 CHAPTER XXIII. CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. Seventy Years of Exile — The Hebrew Land Despoiled — The Chaldeans at Jerusalem — The Temple Plundered — Persian Kings — Exiles Returning — King Cyrus — Crossing the Desert — Marrying Foreign Women — A Magnificent Feast — Esther Chosen Queen — Queen Vashti Dethroned — Hainan's Anger — Horrid Massacre Decreed — Esther Risks Her Life — Haman Erects a Gallows — Jews Saved from Death — Feast of Purim — A Hebrew Patriot — Nehemiah Rebuilds Jerusalem — Ezra Reading the Law ............ 241 CHAPTER XXIV. JOB AND HIS FRIENDS. Land of Uz— A Famous Man — Large Flocks— Satan Arrives — Job's Dreadful Afflictions — Seven Days' Mourning — Job Charged with Wickedness — Job's Answer — Job Reproached byEliphaz — A Remarkable Book ............. 264 CHAPTER XXV. THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. Hebrew Songs — David and his Harp — The Shepherd of Israel — Green Pastures — Choral Service — Sweet Melodies — Stringed Instruments — A Grecian Legend — Religious Processions — Ancient Trumpets — Sacred Lyrirs — Songs of Solomon — Book of Proverbs — Wise Sayings — Water as an Emblem — An Ancient Well-Sweep — A Novel Sight — Swinging Bucket — The Babbler — Egyptian Asp — Lions — Storks — Strange Superstition ......... 270 CONTENTS. vii CHAPTER XXVI. THE WEEPING PROPHET. Objections to Prophesying — Pleading Youth and Inexperience — Jeremiah Carried to Egypt — Disor- ders in the Kingdom of Judah — Jeremiah's Patriotism — The Roll of Prophecies — A Sad Prophet — Lofty Thought — Simple Language — Jerusalem's Calamity — Zedekiah Taken Captive — Deeds of Cruelty — Invasion by the Babylonians — Resisting the Chaldseans — Terrible Effects of the Siege — Murder and Flight — Gedaliah — Horrible Barbarity — Renowned Tyre — Cedars of Leb- anon — Costly Sails for Ships — Corn of Judsea — Oil of Palestine — Ornaments of Dress — Utensils and Gewgaws — "Wool of the Wilderness" — Slaves and Vessels of Brass — Beau- tiful Circassians — Fall of Tyre . . 301 CHAPTER XXVII. DANIEL IN BABYLON. Four Young Hebrews — Pulse and Water — Hale and Hearty on Simple Diet — Belief in Astrology — Divination by Flying Birds — A Startling Dream — Daniel Interprets the Dream — The Image of Gold — Idolatry Commanded — The Fiery Furnace — Miraculous Deliverance — Dream of a Tree — - The Glory of Babylon — Wonderful Hanging Gardens — The King Stricken with Insanity — Rea- son Restored — Belshazzar's Tyrannical Reign — The King Terrified — Weighed and Found Want- ing — Babylon Overthrown — Striking Fulfilment of Prophecy — The Den of Lions — Daniel's Great Age — The Prophet's Last Days — Daniel's Visions — A Mysterious Visitor — Body Like Beryl — Face the Appearance of Lightning — Voice Like the Sound of Many Waters — The Prophet Overawed — Touched by the Angel — Message from Above — Directed to Trust in the God of Israel — " Be Strong,. Yea, Be Strong" — The Vision Vanishes . . . 317 CHAPTER XXVIII. JONAH AT NINEVEH. Joash Repairs the Temple — Amaziah's Reign — The Threshing Floor — Amaziah's Arm}' — Brilliant Victories — An Insulting Letter — Prophecies of Jonah — A Famous City — Important Discoveries — Exploits of Sennacherib — Nineveh's Overthrow — Destruction by Fire — A Magnificent City — Assyrian Sculptures — Prophecy of Nahum — Invading Army — Chariots and Horsemen — Cavalry of Media — Inhabitants Slain by the Sword — Chief Places Set on Fire — Story of Nineveh's Ruin — Predictions Strikingly Fulfilled — An Empire Dug from its Sepulchre . 334 CHAPTER XXIX. THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS. The Young Macedonian — Alexander at Tyre — Privileges Granted to Jews — Conquests of the Greeks — A Man Unlike all Others — Attempt to Seize the Sacred Treasures — Terror in Jerusalem — Fall of Heliodorus — Treachery Suspected — Crime Avenged — A Murderer Punished — Jerusalem Stormed and Captured — Temple of Olympian Jove — Undaunted Heroism — Mad Antiochus — Magnificent Achievements — Religious Zeal — Maccabaean War of Independence — A Bold Con- fessor — Marvelous Triumphs — A Camp on Fire — Conquerors Rejoicing — Exploits of the Macca- bees — Elephants in Battle — One in White Clothing — Horrid Massacre — Swift Punishment — Death of Judas Maccabseus — A Patriot and Hero — Rival Rulers — A Priest-Prince — Terrible De- struction — Jonathan Put to Death — Independence Secured — A Renowned High-Priest — Family Murders — Contending for the Holy City — Patriots and Martyrs — A Roman King . . 344 CHAPTER XXX. THE CHILD IN THE MANGER. The Fulness of Time — Imperial Rome — King Herod — Mary Visited by an Angel — Marriage Cus- toms — Elizabeth Congratulated — A Song of Praise — Birth in a Stable — Humble Surroundings — The Angelic Chorus — Chapel of the Herald Angel — Adoration of the Shepherds — Strange Legends — The Name of Jesus — Impressive Scene in the Temple — The Star in the East — Herod Decrees Murder — The Galilean Peasant — Wise Men Presenting their Gifts — Journey to Jerusa- lem — The Jewish Doctors — The Child Jesus in the Temple — The Teacher and the Taught viii CONTENTS. — "How is it that ye Sought Me?" — The Father's Business — Jesus Again at Nazareth — Filial Obedience — Increasing in Wisdom and Stature — Sacred Palestine . . . 369 CHAPTER XXXI. JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY. John the Baptist — Preparing "the Way of the Lord" — Jesus Baptized in the Jordan — The Voice from Heaven — Temptation in the Wilderness — John's Testimony to Jesus — Philip and Nathan- ael — The First Miracle — Jesus at Cana — The Marriage Feast — Jealousy of John's Disciples — Jacob's Well — The Woman of Samaria — Water of Life — A Son Restored to Health — Jewish Worship — Excitement at Nazareth — A Remarkable Prophecy — Deliverance for Captives — Hos- tility Excited — Jesus Escapes from His Foes — The City of Capernaum .... 386 CHAPTER XXXII. JESUS IN GALILEE. Capernaum — A Sabbath in the Synagogue — Casting Out an Evil Spirit — An Impressive Spectacle — - Tender Contpassion — The Unsuccessful Fishermen — A Multitude of Fish — The Peopl : Aston- ished at Christ's Teaching — The Leprosy — An Outcast Restored — Difficulties Overcome — The Paralytic Cured — Receipt of Custom — Matthew Called — Pool of Bethesda — Sabbath Ob- servance — Plucking the Ears of Corn — The Man with a Withered Hand — Herod Antipas — A Malicious Plot — Ceremonial Cleansings — The Law of Traditions — The Pharisees Offended — Jesus in the Throng — The Twelve Chosen — Sermon on the Mount — A Roman Soldier — Startling Miracles 403 CHAPTER XXXIII. A CLUSTER OF PARABLES. Social Customs of the Jews — Jesus Reclining at Supper — A Woman with a Box of Ointment — A Sin- ner Forgiven — Jesus Cures a Demoniac — The Fowls and Lilies — Divine Providence — Fall of the Siloam Tower — Parable of the Sower — Parable of the Tares — A Beautiful Jewel — Parable of the Goodly Pearl — Jesus on the Sea — " Peace, be Still ! " — Casting out Demons — Dwellers in Tombs — Astonished Swineherds — Eating with Publicans and Sinners — Feast Made by Matthew — Fault-Finding Pharisees — "They that be Whole Need Not a Physician" — Concerning Fasting — Children of the Bridechamber — New Wine and Old Bottles — Skin Bags . . 429 CHAPTER XXXIV. WONDERFUL WORKS. A Ruler of the Synagogue — Piteous Appeal for Help — The Woman with an Issue of Blood — The Touch of Faith — The Woman Cured — Jesus at the House of Jairus — The Daughter's Death — "Little Maid, Arise!" — The Cry of Two Blind Men — "Let there be Light!" — Failure to Perform Miracles — The Blessing of Peace — Patient Endurance — The Purim Festival — Vengeance on Herodias — Herod Perplexed — Feeding the Multitude — The Shore of Galilee — The Waiting Throng — Barley Loaves and Fishes — An Impressive Miracle — Boat in the Tempest — A Voice in the Storm — Loyalty of the Disciples — Visiting the Gentiles — Coasts of Tyre and Sidon — An Agonizing Petition — The Victory of Faith — The Dumb Speak — Hearing Restored — Giving Sight to a Blind Man — Taking the Man by the Hand — "I See Men as Trees Walking" — An- other Touch — Perfect Sight — The Man Sent to his own House — Directed to Tell No One — Jesus Avoids the Herod ian Towns — No Sympathy with Idolatry 444 CHAPTER XXXV. JESUS TEACHING AND HEALING. Simon Bar Jona — Peter Reprehends his Master — A Severe Reproof — The Transfiguration — A Strange Glory — Paying Tribute — Ambitious Disciples — Children of the Kingdom — The Forgiven Servant — The Man Born Blind— The People Amazed — The Parents Questioned — The True Sabbath — The First Confessor — True and False Shepherds — The Good Samaritan — Return of the Seventy — The Mustard Seed — The Lost Sheep — The Prodigal Son — The Compassionate Father — Beauty of the Parable — The Shadow of Doom — When the Son of Man Should Come— The Slave of CONTENTS. ix Mammon — Prudent Foresight — Thrift Commended — A Shrewd Scheme — The Greater Riches — Open Derision — The Law of Divorce — Chief Seats — Dives and Lazarus — An Impassable Gulf — Approaching Conflicts — Love and Forgiveness — Prayer for Faith — Master and Servant — The New Kingdom — Days of Trouble — Startling Predictions — Sons of Thunder — Priests and Lepers — A Happy Company — Pharisee and Publican — The Sisters of Bethany — A Joyous Festival — Christian Patriotism ............. 464 CHAPTER XXXVI. DISCOURSES AND MIRACLES. Lazarus Sick — Appeal to Jesus — Devotion of Thomas to Christ — Jesus at the Tomb — Death Van- quished — The Resurrection and the Life — Scene at the Sepulchre — "Lazarus, Come Forth ! " — Another Outbreak of Hostility — Jesus and the Little Ones — The Disciples Rebuked — An Eager Inquirer — The Rich Young Man — An Unexpected Answer — The Camel and the Needle's Eye — A Striking Parable — Laborers in the Vineyard — The Eleventh Hour — The Mother of Zebedee's Children — Places of Honor — A Strange Request — Jesus at Bethany — Entry into Jerusalem — Symbols of Suffering — The Publican Zaccheus — " Hosanna in the Highest" — Fruit-Bearing — Withered Fig-Tree — A Cunning Snare — Questioners Confounded — Responses of the Two Sons — The Husbandman and Vineyard — The Beloved Son — Parental Affection — The Wedding Gar- ment — Plain Truths — The King's Son — Who the Herodians Were — A Fresh Attack — Roman Taxes — Cunning Hypocrites — Husband and Wife — Imperial Caesar — Jerusalem's Doom — Christ Weeping over the City — True and False Giving — Contempt for the Poor — The Widow's Mite — Splendor of the Temple — Not One Stone Left Upon Another — Seeking a Sign — The Sudden Ap- pearing — The Ten Virgins — The King and his Servants — The King's Return — A Sacred Trust — The Approaching Passion — The Mount of Olives — A Historic Spot ..... 499 CHAPTER XXXVII. CLOSING SCENES IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST. The Last Passover — Judas — Peter's Rash Refusal — An Act of Humility — Startling Announcement — Peter Warned — The Sifting of Satan — The Base Denial — "The Stranger and His Friend " — A Beautiful Discourse — The Heavenly Comforter — The Cross and Crown — An Impressive Prayer — Christ's Love for His Disciples — Agony in the Garden — Jesus Betrayed — The House of the High- Priest — Charged with Blasphemy — False Witnesses — Peter's Denial — Remorse of Judas — Accused of Sedition — Jesus Before Pilate — "Art Thou the King of the Jews? " — Pilate's Great Question — Barabbas Released — Jesus Scourged — Pilate Alarmed — " Crucify Him ! " — Lingering Torture — The Cross and its Victim — Devoted Women — Jesus Prays for His Enemies — The Two Thieves — Startling Phenomena — Burial in Joseph's Tomb — The Sepulchre Guarded — The White Mes- senger — The Stone Rolled Away — Walk to Emmaus — Jesus on the Shore of Galilee — Peter Questioned — Joyful Revelation — A Gracious Blessing — The Great Commission . .540 CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE APOSTLES AT JERUSALEM. One Hundred and Twenty Disciples — Joseph and Matthias — Casting the Lot — The Feast of Pente- cost — The Tongue of Fire — Three Thousand Converts — A United Band — " Rise Up and Walk ! " — The Cripple Cured — Peter and John Arrested — A Generous Giver — Barnabas — Lying Punished — Death of Sapphira — Escape from Prison — Choosing Deacons — First Christian Martyr — Stephen Assailed — Stephen's Vision — Saul at the Martyrdom — Rapid Progress of the Church — Conflict and Glory — The Martyr Spirit — Baptism of Blood — Triumph Born of Suffering — Christianity Changing the Face of the Earth — The Rose in the Wilderness — Stephen's Strange Fate — Rough Road to the Gate of Pearl — Sweet Peace After Stormy Conflict — The Cost and the Reward 569 CHAPTER XXXIX. SAUL'S REMARKABLE CONVERSION. A Man of Tarsus — Gamaliel — Philip and the Ethiopian — Baptism of the Eunuch — Saul Struck Blind — A Visit from Ananias — Keble's Poem on Saul — The Apostle's Life in Danger — Saul at Tarsus — Dorcas — A Remarkable Vision — Peter at Csesarea — Cornelius — Good News for all Men — Peter CONTENTS. xi from Dr. Guthrie — Value of a Friend — Power of Sympathy — Objects of Charity — Reward of Well-Doing — Birds Rescuing Their Mates — The Golden Rule — Entertaining Angels — The Master Virtue — Faith Needs to be Trained — Faith and Works — The Boat and Two Oars . . 639 CHAPTER XLIV. THE VISION OF JOHN. Remarkable Book — The Beloved Disciple — Zebedee and Salome — Early Years of John — A Son of Thunder — Put in Charge of the Virgin Mother — Peter's Ardent Nature — John's Missionary Field — Tradition Concerning John — A Christian Confessor — Persecution and Banishment — Sin- gular Legends — The Soaring "Eagle" — Closing Scene — The Angelic Messenger — Messages to the Churches — Patience Commended — Stern Reproof — The Celestial Throne — Terrible Phe- nomena — Sounding the Trumpets — War in Heaven — Vision of the Glorified — Vials of Wrath — ■ Great Babylon — The White Horse—" Faithful and True" — The Old Serpent— Second Death — Gog and Magog — New Jerusalem — River of Life — The First and the Last — Who Are Blessed — The Quick Coming — Amen 655 GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE: COMPRISING LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS, PROPHETS AND APOSTLES. Adam — Garden in the East— A Companion — Mother of the Human Race — Good and Evil — Eating Forbidden Fruit — Hiding Among the Trees — Noah — World's History Before the Flood — Fright- ful Wickedness — Deluge Sent — Noah Builds an Ark — Vast Destruction — Ark on the Billows — The Dove and Raven — Divine Protest Against Murder — A Heavy Curse — Shem, Ham and Japheth — Abraham — Terah and his Three Sons — Abram and his Wife — Removing from Ur to Haran — Abram's ('all — Mighty Kingdom of the Pharaohs — Lot's Unwise Choice — Destruction of the Cities of the Plain — Battle of the Kings — Promise of a Numerous Posterity Repeated — The Furnace and Lamp — Birth of Isaac— Command to Sacrifice the Only Son — Remarkable Faith — Hagar and Ishmael — Visit from Three Angels — Isaac— -On the Altar of Burnt-Offering — In Search of a Wife — The Damsel at the Well — Two Great Nations — Jacob — A Famous Hunter — The Mess of Pottage — Cunning Deception — Blessing Upon Esau — The Gate of Heaven — Jacob Serving for a Wife — The Wrestling Angel — Death and Burial of Rachel — Joseph — Dis- liked by his Brethren — Joseph's Coat — A Strange Dream — Sold Into Egypt — The Young Ruler of a Nation — Joseph Visited by his Brethren — A Joyful Meeting — Death of Joseph — Moses — A Cruel Decree — The Ark of Bulrushes — Pharaoh's Daughter — The Child Found — Forty Years at the Court of Egypt — Keeping the Flocks of Jethro — Called to be a Prophet — The Divme Name — Miraculous Signs — Message to Pharaoh — Plagues of Egypt — Exciting Events — Fleeing from Egypt — Scenes in the Wilderness — Entering the Promised Land — Last Look from Pisgah — Joshua — Successor of Moses — Destruction of Ai — Story of Achan — A Man of Decision — Samson — Great Strength — An Unfortunate Marriage — Great Slaughter — The Secret of Samson's Strength — Honor to Dagon — A Temple Overthrown — Samuel — An Illustrious Mother — Home in the Temple — A Midnight Vision — Consecration of Saul — A Renowned Seer— Schools of the Prophets — David — A Shepherd-Boy — A Rich Country — Ruler of Israel — Goliath of Gath — The Sling and Pebbles — One Greater than Saul — The Hebrew Minstrel — Saul's Madness — Brave Men — Jerusalem Founded — Royal Power and Glory — A Clouded Life — "The Young Man Ab- salom" — Last Words — Solomon — Attractive Appearance — King Hiram — Queen of Sheba — Royal Wealth — The Temple's Magnificence — Elijah — A Remarkable Character — Impressive Scene on Carmel — Elijah on Mount Horeb — The Prophet's Translation — Isaiah — Cheering Promises — Remarkable Prophecies — Daniel — Fiery Furnace — A Kingdom Lost — Harmless Lions — Daniel's Integrity — Nehemiah — Rebuilding Jerusalem— Temple Restored — Sabbath Observ- ance — Peter — Voice in the Wilderness — Public Ministry of Jesus — Saved from Drowning — Pen- tecost— Multitude of Converts — Delivered from Prison — Old Legend — James the Great — Zeal- ous Disciples — A Bigoted Ruler — Philip — A Friendly Reproof — Bartholomew — Frank Con- fession — Matthew — An Unpopular Publican — Thomas — A Doubter — Preaching the Gospel — James the Less — Simon the Zealot — Jude — Matthias — Mark — Luke — Companion of Paul — A Celebrated Historian — Barnabas — Stephen — Timothy — Titus — John the Baptist . .671 xii CONTENTS. BIBLE STORIES FOR THE YOUNG. The Fall of Our First Parents — Adam and Eve Driven Out of Paradise — After the Banishment from Paradise — Sacrifice of Cain and Abel — Death of Abel — Building the Ark — Leaving the Ark — Noah's Thank-Offering — Noah Curses Ham — Tower of Babel — The Promised Land — God's Promise to Abraham — Leaving Sodom — Jacob's Departure for Canaan — Wrestling with the Angel — Destroying the Tables of the Law — Death of Moses — Joshua Dividing the Land — Jeph- thah and his Daughter — Samson and the Lion — Samson Shorn of his Strength — The Giant's Death — Ruth and Boaz — David and Jonathan — Saul and the Witch — Elijah — The Chariot and Horsemen — Daniel Among Lions — Judith and Holofernes — John the Baptist — Birth of Christ — Flight into Egypt — Jesus in the Temple — Woman of Samaria — Miracles of Healing — Peter on the Water — Good Samaritan — The Prodigal — Blessing Children — Washing the Disciples' Feet — A Traitor — The Crucifixion — "He is Risen" — The Ascension — Paul and Barnabas — Seventh Seal — The New Jerusalem — The River that Flows from Beneath the Throne . . . 769 Biwtijjl^nmj; Adam and Eve Driven Out of Paradise Tragic Death of Abel Animals Entering the Ark . Return of the Dove to the Ark . Noah's Sacrifice Building the Tower of Babel The Egyptian King Taking Sarah Fleeing from Burning Sodom Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert Abraham Offering Isaac Isaac Welcoming Rebekah Jacob's Vision of Angels Meeting of Jacob and Esau Joseph's Dream .... Joseph Sold into Egypt Joseph Making Himself Known . Embalming the Body of Joseph . Moses in his Little Life-Boat Moses before Pharaoh's Daughter The Burning Bush Aaron's Rod Changed to a Serpent The Plague of Locusts The Mark of Blood upon the Door-Post The Destroying Angel Miraculous Passage of the Red Sea Miriam's Song of Triumph Smiting the Rock Holding Up the Hands of Moses Meeting of Moses and Jethro Worshipping a Strange God Moses with the Tables of the Law Moses Rehearsing his Song to the Hebrews Balaam Met by the Angel . Balak's Sacrifice Moses Viewing the Promised Land The Fall of Jericho . PAGE 19 22 24 26 28 3 1 34 33 4i 43 44 43 5i 54 56 59 63 67 70 73 75 77 79 82 84 86 89 9i 92 95 97 100 104 i°5 109 in PAGE Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still . 114 Joshua Dividing the Land by Lot . . 117 Fleeing to a City of Refuge . . .118 Joshua Sending Back the Tribes . . .120 The Harvest Field of Boaz . . .124 Ruth Gleaning . . . . .126 Ruth . 128 Gideon's Fleece . . . . 132 Gideon Destroying the Idols of Baal . . 134 Abimelech Slain by his Armor-Bearer . 137 Samson Slaying the Lion . . . . 143 Samson and Delilah . . . . . 145 Samson Grinding in the Prison-House . . 147 The Child Samuel in the Temple . . 150 Welcoming the Return of the Ark . . 153 Storm in the Harvest Season . . . 157 David Anointed by Samuel . . . 159 David at the Brook 161 David Slaying Goliath . . . -163 Saul Attempts the Life of David . . .165 David and Jonathan ..... 167 David Spares the Life of Saul . ' . .169 Saul Searching for David . . . -171 The Hagarites Expelled by the Reubenites . 173 David's Three Mighty Men . . . 177 David Proclaimed King . . . . 179 The Nurse Fleeing with Mephibosheth . 182 David Pardoning Absalom . . . 185 David Instructing Joab to Number the People 188 Solomon's Coronation .... 191 The Judgment of Solomon . . . 193 Hiram of Tyre Sending Presents to Solomon 195 Magnificent Temple of Solomon . .197 The Ark and Furniture of the Temple . 199 Fire from Heaven at the Temple Dedication 202 (xiii) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Queen of Sheba at the Court of Solomon 207 King Asa Destroying Idols at Kidron . . 209 Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta . .211 Elijah Visited by an Angel . . 215 Elijah Casting his Mantle on Elisha . .216 Elijah and Ahab in Naboth's Vineyard . 218 The Translation of Elijah . . .220 The Children of Bethel . . . 223 Naaman's Captive Maid . . . .226 Naaman at the Door of Elisha . . .228 Sennacherib Slain by his Sons . . -231 Hezekiah Exhibiting his Treasures . . 233 King Josiah Destroying the Idols . . 235 Shaphan Reading the Law before Josiah . 237 Death of King Josiah .... 239 King Cyrus Bringing Forth the Vessels of the Lord's House . . . . -243 Artaxerxes Giving the Letter to Ezra . . 244 Queen Vashti Refusing to Obey the King . 247 Queen Esther Touching the King's Sceptre . 250 Mordecai Refusing Homage to Hainan . 252 Ahasuerus Orders the Execution of Haman . 255 Celebrating the Feast of Purim . . . 257 Nehemiah Collecting Money . . . 259 Building the Walls of Jerusalem . . 260 Job Receiving the Tidings of his Ruin . 266 Job and his Comforters .... 268 Harvest Scene in Ancient Palestine . .271 Going Forth to Labor . . 273 Ancient Musical Instruments . . -275 Jewish Captives in Babylonia . . -277 The Sweet Singer of Israel . . .278 " He Heapeth up Riches, and Knoweth not Who Shall Gather Them " . ■ . .281 The Good Wife 283 "A Little Child Shall Lead Them " . .285 Proverbs . . . • . . .287 Proverbs . . . . . . 289 Proverbs . , . . . . .291 Proverbs ....... 292 Proverbs ....... 294 Proverbs . 296 Proverbs 298 Proverbs ....... 300 Ancient Jerusalem ..... 302 Zedekiah Carried Away Captive . . 304 Jeremiah Buying his Kinsman's Field Jeremiah Warns the Remnant The Moabites Taken into Captivity The Prophet Ezekiel .... The Capture of Tyre The Hebrews in the Fiery Furnace Daniel Interpreting the Dream . Belshazzar Seeing the Handwriting Daniel Interpreting the Writing . Babylon Taken by Cyrus Daniel Touched by the Angel Jonah Cast into the Sea Jonah Preaching at Nineveh Royal Palace at Nineveh Selling the Children of Jewish Captives Assyrian Winged Bull Repulse of Heliodorus in the Temple Punishment of Antiochus . Angel Sent to Deliver Israel Jonathan Destroying the Temple of Dagon The Annunciation .... Birth of John the Baptist . Writing the Name on the Tablet The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds Adoration of the Shepherds The Offering of Purification The Wise Men Presenting Gifts Christ in the Temple Jesus of Nazareth .... The Temptation on the Mountain Driving Money-Changers from the Temple The Woman at the Well Healing the Nobleman's Son Deliverance for the Captive Attempting to Cast Jesus Down from the Brow of the Hill .... The Miraculous Draught of Fishes Jesus Teaching by the Seaside • . The Final Call of Peter Healing the Palsied .... Healing the Impotent Man at the Pool Christ and his Disciples in the Corn-Fields Priests Take Counsel with the Herodians Jesus Healing the Multitude Sermon on the Mount The Widow's Son Restored to Life LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Sowing the Good Seed PAGE 433 Sowing Tares . . . Finding Hidden Treasure 435 437 The Pearl of Great Price . 439 Jesus Eats with Publicans and Sinners . 442 Healed by Touching Christ's Garment Christ Raising fhe Daughter of Jairus Christ Feeding the Multitude 445 447 452 Peter Saved by Jesus .... The Syro-Phcenician Woman 457 459 Jesus Leads the Blind 461 Teaching Humility by a Little Child The Cruel Servant 466 468 Healing the Man Born Blind 47i The Good Shepherd . 473 The Good Samaritan . 475 Finding the Lost Sheep The Prodigal's Return 473 480 The Parable of the Prodigal 482 The Unjust Steward The Parable of the Unjust Steward 4S4 486 The Rich Glutton and Lazarus, the Be. Lazarus at the Rich Man's Gate Jg ar • 490 493 The Importunate Widow Mary and Martha Christ Blessing Little Children . 495 497 502 Hiring Laborers for the Vineyard Salome's Request for her Sons Zaccheus Called by Jesus Christ's Entry into Jerusalem The Withered Fig-Tree 506 508 5io 5 12 5U Responses of the Two Sons The Speechless Guest The Parable of the Vineyard The Tribute Money . Christ Weeping over Jerusalem The Widow's Mite 5i6 5i8 520 5 2 3 525 527 The Virgins • 53i The Parable of the Ten Virgins The Talents • 533 • 535 The Parable of the Talents The Last Supper Jesus Washing Peter's Feet 537 • 54i • 543 Christ in the Garden Christ Carrying His Cross . The Crucifixion . • 549 • 555 • 559 The Angel at the Tomb " He is Risen " ... Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate Martyrdom of Stephen The Conversion of Saul Ananias and Saul Deliverance of Peter from Prison Paul Commanding the Cripple to Stand Up Paul and Barnabas at Anlioch Paul Writing his Epistles in Prison Macedonian Christians Bringing their Gift to Paul Paul on Mars' Hill Ancient Corinth Paul Preaching at Ephesus . Paul Parting from the Elders of Ephesus Paul's Address Before the Council Paul Before Felix Ancient Ships .... Paul Bitten by a Serpent Ancient Rome .... " I Am Now Ready to be Offered " " Doomed to the Death " . Bear Ye One Another's Burdens . The Strong Supporting the Weak Angels Unawares Faith .' The Apostle John at Patmos Vision of the Golden Candlestick The Angel with the Book . The Angels with the Vials The River of Life The Separation of Abram and Lot Hagar at the Fountain Death of the First-Born of Egypt Consecration of Aaron and his Sons Inhabitants of Ai Witnessing the Defeat of their Army .... The Stoning of Achan Ancient Jewish Laborers The High-Priest Offering Incense A Caravan Arriving at a Fountain where there is no Water . The Lying Prophets Burned to Death Jehoiachin Released by the King of Babylon Guarding the Gates of Jerusalem LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Fall of our First Parents Adam and Eve Driven Out of Paradise Banishment from Paradise . Sacrifice of Cain and Abel . Death of Abel .... Noah Commanded to Build the Ark Noah Leaving the Ark Noah's Thank-Offering Noah Curses Ham The Tower of Babel . Entering the Promised Land God's Promise to Abraham Leaving Sodom Jacob's Departure for Canaan Wrestling with the Angel . Moses Destroying the Tables The Death of Moses . Dividing the Land among the Tribes Jephth all's Rash Vow Samson Slaying a Lion Samson Slays the Philistines Samson Shorn of his Strength Samson's Vengeance and Death . Ruth Gleaning in the Field of Boaz Parting of David and Jonathan . David and Abigail Saul and the Witch of Endor The Widow's Son Restored to Life God Appearing to Elijah The Translation of Elijah . Daniel in the Lions' Den . Judith Beheads Holofernes . 769 769 770 770 771 771 772 772 773 773 774 774 775 775 776 776 777 777 778 778 779 779 780 780 781 781 782 782 783 783 784 784 Birth of John the Baptist . The Angel and Shepherds . The Birth of Christ . The Flight into Egypt Death of the Children of Bethlehem The Presentation in the Temple . Christ Teaches in the Temple Jesus Drives Out the Money-Changers Christ Teaches Nicodemus . Christ and the Woman of Samaria Christ Raises the Widow's Son . Christ Raises the Daughter of Jairus Sending Forth the Twelve Apostles Jesus Saves Peter from Sinking . The Good Samaritan . The Return of the Prodigal Son . Jesus Blessing Little Children Mary Anointing Jesus Christ's Entry into Jerusalem Christ Washes His Disciples' Feet Christ Bearing His Cross . Christ Falls Under His Cross The Crucifixion The Burial of Christ . The Resurrection The Women at the Tomb of Christ Christ Appears to Two of His Disciples The Ascension .... Paul and Barnabas at Lystra Paul Taking Leave of the Elders Opening the Seventh Seal . The New Jerusalem . PAG1 785 785 786 786 787 787 788 788 789 789 790 790 791 791 792 792 793 793 794 794 795 795 796 796 797 797 798 798 799 799 800 800 L.B.Tolaer3a. Oif. 19 Synagogue of tlie Portuguese Jew» 20 Mosque. 1V.-THE MOHAMMEDAN QUABTBR, 21 Khan and Bazaar. 22 Mineral Bath. 23 Convent and Schools. 24 Institute for Blind Dervishes. 25 Hospital of St. Helena. 26 Reputed site of the House of the Rich Man. 27 Reputed site of the House of St. Varonica. 28 Residence of the Turkish Pasha. ^9 Arch of the "Ecce Homo." 30 Place of the "Scala Sancta," the Holy Staircase 31 Pilate's House. 32 Place of Flagellation. 33 Ruins of a Church. House of Simon the Pharisee 34 Church of St. Anna. 36 House of Herod. Dervish'B Mosque. V.— THE MOOES' QUAKT2S- a Armenian Convent. House of Caiapfcas b American Burial Ground, c David's Tomb. i Place of Wai'.ing of the Jews. Just within ZiorCs Gate, are wrttched abodes qfUper> MODERN JERUSALEM. I.-THE CHRISTIAN QUARTTfc. 1 Goliath's Castle. 2 Latin Convent. 3 Church of Holy Sepulchre 4 Greek Convent. 6 Coptic Convent. 6 RuinsofSt. John's Hospital. 7 Creek Church. St. John's. 8 Residence of the Christian Bishop. 9 Church of the Greek Schismatics. 10 Tower of llippicus. David's Town. !1 Supposed Site of the Tower of Pha&u^Ui 12 The Frussian Consulate 13 Modern Evangelical Churcn. 14 Hospital and Syrian Convent. II.--THE ARMENIAN QUARTER 16 Armenian Convent, with the Cburrx ar St. James. The only buildinp in Jerusalem wfue* presents any appearance of comfort. 16 Nunnery of St. George. 17 Barracks. UI.-TBE JEWS' QUARTER The most wretched in the city It Synagogue of thfe Shepardim ROYAL TREASURY OR. JEWELS OF THE BIBLE. CHAPTER I. THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. GRAPHIC descrip- tion of the work of creation is given in the first part of Gen- esis. When the new world rises to our view it is .without the wonderful forms of life and beauty which we now see everywhere around us. By successive stages the great work was finished. The expansive oceans were separated from the wide and fertile plains ; mountains lifted their heads in lofty grandeur toward the sky; rippling rivulets and majestic rivers -flowed through deep valleys ; lovely land- scapes, framed in hills and painted with floral beauties, smiled in the soft sunlight; and tender verdure carpeted the new-born world. At length, when the earth was arrayed in all its vegetable glories, and when the land, the air and the sea were filled with living creatures, God made man also " in His own likeness " and " after His own image " — man, 2 perfect in beauty and glorious in intellect — to inherit this rich possession, to bear rule over all its inferior creatures, and eventually to render all its elements subservient to his use. The infancy of human life needed some care from the Divine Creator. The first man, to whom was given the name of Adam, was therefore not placed upon the cold mountains, nor amidst melancholy deserts, but in a gar- den watered by four perennial streams. By a garden is understood, in the East, a large plantation of fruit-bearing and pleasant trees, among which are interspersed the flowering shrubs and beds of flowers; and the whole watered by reservoirs and running streams. The concise narrative in Genesis gives us little information respecting the feelings by which the new man was influenced ; but from the result we may be sure that he longed for the intercourse of a congenial mind, of an equal being, and without this felt desolate, even in Paradise. The gracious Creator, who had allowed His new creature to feel this want, probably that he might the more highly prize its gratification, then declared that " it was not good for man to be alone," and gave to him (17) 18 THE FLATTERING TEMPTER. the first of women, Eve, as a helpmate for him. We may conceive the joy, the fulness of heart, with which the first of men thenceforth walked hand in hand through Eden with the first of women, in perfect purity and innocence. Man's Fatal Fall. Perfectly happy, alone in the earth, without the provocatives to or even the means of vice, what was there to give to the new pair a con- sciousness of moral responsibility and a sense of obedience to a bountiful Creator? This had not been overlooked. There was one tree of the garden, distinguished as " the tree of knowledge," whose fruit they were forbidden to touch under grievous penalties, although of all else that grew in that spacious garden they might partake freely. This was estab- lished as the test of obedience ; and if the abounding evil which has grown up in the peopled world disposes the mind to think lightly of such a test, it will be well to recol- lect that, as Adam and Eve were then circum- stanced, disobedience to some necessarily arbitrary restriction of this nature was the highest crime which it was in their power to commit. The crimes against men which human laws deem worthy of death they could not commit, seeing that they were alone in the world ; and there could be no crime against God but through the infraction of some such positive command as this. What might have been the lot of the first human pair had they continued firm in their obedience is impossible to say, and perhaps useless to speculate. They fell, and by that fall " Brought death into the world, and all our woe." Tempted by the flattering lies of the old ser- pent, under whom Satan is supposed to have been represented, the woman tool-: of the for- bidden fruit, and prevailed upon her husband to share her sin. Hitherto they had been upright, knowing neither good nor evil, for good is only a relative quality, and only recog- nizable in the comparison with existing evil. But now their eyes were at once " opened to know both good and evil " — to know good lost, and evil won. The innocence which be- fore had covered them as a robe was gone r and " they saw that they were naked." Before this, in their innocence of soul, " they were naked and not ashamed ; " but now the same fact became to them a matter of shame and confusion of face. Their first impulse was to seek wherewith to cover them ; and they twisted fig-leaves together, " and made them- selves aprons," for that purpose. The same impulse of conscious guilt led them to hide themselves among the trees, where " they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." That voice they had never before heard without gladness ; but now it was the voice of their Judge. After a mystical judgment on the beguiling serpent, and after pronouncing the pangs of childbirth as the doom of the woman, He turned to Adam and said, " Cursed is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken : for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." This sentence involved expul- sion from Eden : and subjected the guilty pair to the physical conditions which brought death upon them, and upon all who sprang from them. Yet this sentence, extorted from the Divine justice, was accompanied by miti- gating intimations ; and promises, not perhaps intended to be then clearly understood, were held out of some mighty deliverance from the penalties of sin through one born of woman. The geographical position of Eden is purely conjectural ; different writers have placed it in various positions, and nothing can now be known with certainty concerning its locality. It has been placed by some on the Lower Euphrates, near the junction of that river with the Tigris and the Gulf of Persia. By others it has been described as situated in Media, Armenia, or the North of Mesopo- tamia, all mountain tracts of extreme beauty and fertility. It has also been imagined that THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. 19 the ancient site of Eden is now covered by I utmost importance to the whole human race, Lake Arissa. All this, however, is simply I Milton, in his immortal epic, indulges his ADAM and eve driven out of paradise. — Genesis iii. 23. speculative, while the events which therein I vivid and powerful imagination in depicting occurred were of vast magnitude and of the I the unalloyed happiness, unsullied purity, and 20 THE GARDEN IN THE EAST. chaste love of our first parents ; they freely conversed with angels and the Lord of angels ; they knew neither hatred nor fear, until, in an unhappy hour, they, under strong temptation, broke through a restriction placed upon them, and were expelled from their Paradise to lives of labor and sorrow. This statement agrees in the main outline with the narrative given in Genesis, and is to be traced with more or less likeness in many of the traditions of ancient civilized nations and even those of modern savages. Whither, after their expulsion, the unhappy couple directed their steps, is entirely un- known : there is no evidence to throw any light upon the matter. How long they wandered before they resolved on some settled habitation is equally uncertain ; but we learn that two sons were born to Adam ; Cain, the eldest-born, sharing his father's labor, and tilling the ground in the sweat of his face, while Abel, the younger, devoted himself to tending the flocks. It is a beautiful Arcadian picture, although the brighter glories of Paradise are withdrawn. How simple the habits and mode of life in those early days ! Eden was lost, and the world was hard and rough. Man was doomed to bend to his work like the ox to the yoke. The brow on which the image of God was stamped would be wet with sweat. Paradise blasted, and the new home cursed with thorns! It was taught thus early that if the world would do us any good, we must go out and master it. And the beneficent effects of the law of labor are seen in changing the face of the earth, and transforming it into a second Para- dise. We have sunlight and rain such as fell upon the Eden of old, and still the blossoms with rainbow colors and lovely perfumes deco- rate the fields, and harvest fruits bear eloquent testimony to the bounty of nature. Man shows his nobler qualities in conquering the earth, and making it yield him riches of un- measured value. " I have gotten a man from the Lord," were the words of Eve on the birth of the first child that was born into the world. He was called Cain, which is the Hebrew word for " gotten." What a wonder to Adam and Eve must have been the first child ! They had never been children themselves; they had never seen a child ; but here was their own image, helpless, guileless, innocent. Cain and Abel. Cain was not old when another child was born. The wonder had now ceased. The second child was nothing compared with the first. He was not the man from the Lord, not the promised seed, so he was called Abel, or " vanity." The effects of this partiality of the parents, grounded on this misunderstand- ing, were soon manifest. Cain was proud, fierce, selfish; Abel, on the other hand, was humble and gentle, and is known as the " righteous " Abel. They grew up together. Other children doubtless were born, but Cain and Abel were natural companions. They had the world before them for enterprise and invention. The thoughts most natural to men would be the first to rise in their minds, and we might have imagined their circum- stances to have made and kept them innocent and happy. But the blight of sin had fallen and its taint was in the heart of -man. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. The curse had come. The ground needed tillage. This was Adam's occupation, and naturally his elder son was taught to follow the same. In some respects the curse was converted into a blessing. Work was needed for the exercise of the body and a check on the disposition to evil. It is good for man to be occupied. Abel, the gentle brother, kept sheep. This was the next em- ployment after tilling the ground. It is re- markable that their occupations should have been distinct. We might have expected both to have done the same things by turns or as circumstances required. But it may have been that Adam gave them their work, pre- scribing to the elder and stronger the labor- ious duty of tilling the ground ; while Abel, the younger and physically weaker, tended THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. 21 the flocks. Each had his calling and knew his labor would not be fruitless. There was still but one household. The two sons were the prominent members. On them mainly, so far as man could see, de- pended the future of the world. Their inter- ests were one ; their great object, therefore, should have been mutual help. Never were two brothers placed in circumstances which more required their co-operation, or which seemed more likely to make them love each other. But they were true types of two classes of men, and their history is the fore- shadowing of the history of the human race. There has been an increasing opposition be- tween those represented by Cain and those represented by Abel. The seed of the evil- doers has had the victory, and the just have suffered ; but the triumph of the righteous is yet to come. Cain made religion the ground of his quarrel with his brother. Both offered sac- rifices. Cain brought the fruit of the ground; Abel the firstlings of his flock. Each seems to have offered suitably according to the in- crease which God had given him ; but there was a difference somewhere. It may have been that Cain only offered the fruit — not the first or best, while Abel offered the best he had. It may have been that Cain's offering had no reference to sin ; while Abel's spoke of suffering, and so of guilt. God said to Cain, " If thou doest not well, sin " — or, as the Hebrew may be translated, a sin-offering — " lieth at thy door." From this some have concluded that Cain had no consciousness of sin, and so refused the sin-offering. But this is an inference of the Rabbis and theologians, and supposes that Cain knew some special command of God concerning sacrifice. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews gives a reason which seems sufficient. He makes the difference to be in faith. " By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." The sacrifice itself was more excellent ; but what made it really valuable was the disposi- tion of the offerer. In his offering there was piety, sincerity, and self-sacrifice. So the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but to the offering of Cain He had not respect. Then the character of Cain was manifested. Instead of inquiring into the cause of the non-acceptance of his offering, he was very wroth. The cause was in him- self, but he made it the occasion of hatred towards his brother. Perhaps there was in Cain something of self-righteous pride. He may have been told that he was the promised seed, and, being the firstborn, had all the blessings of God by natural inherit- ance. And now he sees his brother's offering accepted because of his righteousness, and his own rejected for reasons which he dare not look into : his countenance fell ; his wrath threatened to flow out in vengeance on his brother. This was unreasonable ; but reason goes with righteousness, not with sin. God remonstrated with Cain. If he did well, his offering would be accepted; if he did not well, there was the natural punishment. God told Cain that all which he had by birthright re- mained to him : his brother should not have dominion over him ; but there was a differ- ence between inheritance and character A Brother's Blood. It is added, "And Cain talked with his brother Abel." What did they talk about? About their sacrifices ? About sin and pun- ishment ? Did they have a dispute, in which Cain lost his temper, as bad men often do when they have controversies about religion ? The Rabbis have many conjectures, but noth- ing is recorded. Cain's anger burned : he could not control it; and at last he gave his brother a sudden blow. Abel staggers and falls; his heart ceases to beat; his tongue is silent ; motionless he lies on the ground. Cain understands not what has happened. He knew nothing of death ; he had never seen one dead or dying. He calls to Abel, but Abel answers not. Did a pang of remorse come over the heart of Cain ? Did he feel that he had been the victim of his own ungoverned passions ? We do not know. But if he felt any compunction at 22 THE DEATH OF ABEL. the moment, it was of short continuance. When God asked, " Where is thy brother?'' Cain answered, " Am I my brother's keeper ? " Cain was not capable of repentance, because he had not the consciousness of sin. The soul within him was dead; he was a mere tragic death of abel. — Genesis The defiant answer was made in the spirit I child of the earth, earthy; born of the flesh of impenitence, and after he knew that Abel he was nothing but flesh. He could not feel was dead. His nature was brutal and wicked. I that he had done wrong until he heard the THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. 23 punishment of his wrong-doing. The voice of Abel's blood cried out for vengeance on the murderer. God tells Cain that he is cursed from the earth : when he tills the ground it shall not henceforth yield her strength ; but he should be a fugitive and vagabond. And Cain answered, " My pun- ishment is greater than I am able to bear." A Homeless Fugitive. Here was the fruit of the forbidden tree. The first human death was by murder, and the first man born in the world a murderer and fratricide. This first slaughter was too dread- ful an offence for any but the Giver of life to judge: and He judged it, not by taking another life, but by dooming the wretched and self-convicted criminal to wander forth in wild and infertile regions, afar from his kin- dred and parental home, with " the voice of his brother's blood " crying always in his ears. Under this sentence Cain wandered forth and established himself in the land of Nod. There his family increased, and his descendants built cities, and became the inventors of many useful arts. One of them, called Jabal, was the ■first who took to that nomadic life — living in tents, and rearing cattle — to which so many tribes of men in Asia are still devoted ; another, named Jubal, was the inventor of the lyre and the Pandean pipe ; another, named Tubal-cain, was the first who found out the use of iron and copper to man ; another, named Lamech, seems to have been the first who devised the evil practice of polygamy, for of him it is told that he took two wives — Adah and Zillah. Meanwhile other children were born to Adam and Eve, only one of whom, Seth, is particularly mentioned, because from him sprang the family which eventually survived the desolation of the habitable world. Great Length of Human Life. The remaining history to the Deluge is occupied chiefly with lists of names and ages, which are of importance to us chiefly by showing the length of the interval between the Creation and the Deluge, and which on this ground is commonly estimated at one thou- sand six hundred and fifty-seven years. The names are not many, for before the Deluge the lives of men were of immense duration, varying from nearly eight hundred to nearly a thousand years. The shortest life recorded is that of Lamech, the father of Noah, who died at the age of seven hundred and seventy- seven years ; the longest, that of Methusaleh, who lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years. This longevity must have been highly favorable to the increase of population — deaths being so few, and births so many. It must have been also favorable to much progress in the arts of life — and perhaps a correct notion has scarcely yet been formed of the extent to which the ancient world was probably peopled, or of the progress which had been made in what are now called the arts of civilization. The Scriptural intimations are exceedingly concise, and only enable us to perceive that a most corrupt and criminal condition of society was soon engendered among all the races of men which sprang from Adam. The race of Seth seems to have the longest retained its uprightness and fidelity to God ; but it was gradually led to contract alliances with the race of Cain, which in the end con- founded the one and the other in the same disorders by which the earth was filled with violence and wrong. From such inter- marriages sprang men celebrated not more for their larger stature than for the corruption of their manners. And in the end things came to such a pass, that the fair creation was made abominable in the eyes of its Divine Creator, and He made known to the still up- right family of Noah his design to purge the face of the earth, by a Flood of waters, of all its tainted inhabitants. Noah was ordered to prepare a huge vessel, suited to float upon the surface of the waters, and spacious enough to contain not only the good man's own family, but couples of the different species of animals, destined eventually to replenish the desolated earth. The ark was a long time in preparation, 24 THREATENINGS AT LAST FULFILLED. -during which the guilty men were warned of I not : and the terrible doom, so long denounced destruction, and, urged by Noah to repentance, I and so mercifully delayed, came down at last. animals entering the ark. — Genesis vii. 8, 9. had ample time in which to turn from their evil I Many have been the speculations about the ways. But they turned not; they repented I ark of Noah, and various the forms which THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. 25 have been assigned to it. It has been usual to suppose its hull similar to that of a ship. But the hull of a ship is expressly designed for progress through the waters ; whereas for the ark it was only requisite that it should be upborne, at rest, upon the surface. It was therefore, in all probability, flat-bottomed, and shaped not unlike the houses which were at that time in use. We know that it was divided into different decks, or stories, divided doubtless into various stalls or cabins for the different bestial and human inmates, and for the storing of provisions ; and the whole was covered by a sloping roof. It was built of gopher wood, which is supposed to have been the same as the cypress, and it was well covered inside and out with pitch. Its dimen- sions were very vast, being three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The cubit was about eighteen inches ; and hence these dimensions maybe expressed as equal to four hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. At length, about one thousand six hundred and fifty-seven years from the Creation, the word was given to Noah, and he entered the ark, with his immediate family, consisting of his wife, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives — in all eight persons — who alone, of all the multitude inhabiting the earth, were destined to outlive the coming desolation. The righteous family, in obedi- ence to the Divine command, took with them on board the ark seven pairs of every clean beast, and one pair of every one that was not clean. The Deluge. The stupendous event which now came on is related by the sacred historian in a few ap- parently simple phrases, but containing images of the most massive magnificence. "All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." It rained forty days and nights, so violently and incessantly, that " the waters prevailed exceed- ingly upon the earth, and all the high hills which were , under the whole heaven were covered." The waters rose indeed fifteen cubits above the tops of the highest mountains, and thus every living creature not capable of inhabiting the waters was overwhelmed and destroyed. The Flood continued for a con- siderable time after the inhabitants of the earth had perished ; but at length the rain ceased, the waters gradually subsided, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month from the commencement of the Deluge, the ark rested upon one of the summits of Mount Ararat. Biblical geographers are not perfectly agreed as to the region in which this mountain of Ararat should be sought ; but the general current of opinion and tradition, together with the historical probabilities of the case, seem sufficiently to agree in identifying it with the mountain of Aradagh in Armenia, which travellers usually describe under the name of Ararat. Contrary to the common opinion, which supposes that the ark necessarily rested upon the highest of the mountains in its neigh- borhood, we should be more inclined to sup- pose that it rested on the lower summit, or in the gorge between the upper and the lower. It will occur to any one who gazes upon that mountain, that had the ark rested on the highest summit, covered, as that summit is, with perpetual ice, and all but inaccessible to human foot, it would not have been possible for the various inmates of the ark to descend in safety to the plain without some special miracle, of which the sacred text affords no trace, and which would be rendered unneces- sary by placing the ark upon a lower level. Sending- Forth the Dove. Forty days after the mountain tops had first become visible, Noah became anxious to ascertain the condition of the earth, and to that end let a raven fly forth from the ark. The raven went to and fro, away from the ark, then returned again to rest upon its top, and at last remained away altogether. Seven days after Noah sent forth a dove — a bird whose tender attachment to its mate gave good assurance of its return. " The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot," either ■2G THE WINGED MESSENGER. because the mountains were far off, or remote from the course she took, or, which is more likely, because doves in general fly low and covered with water, receivea her again into the ark. Seven more days passed, and he put the dove forth anew, and then her speedy return of the dove to the ark. — Genesis viii. II. seek only the valleys and the plains. The dove returned, and the patriarch, who from this judged that the low lands were still return brought great gladness to the prisoners of the ark, for she bore in her mouth an olive- leaf plucked off, by which it was plain that THE NEW EARTH AND HEAVENS. 27 even from the low lands the water had now abated. In the six hundred and first year of Noah's life, and on the first day of the first month, the •earth being completely dried, Noah began to dismantle the ark ; and on the twenty-seventh day of the second month he finally quitted it, together with all his family, after having been in it a year and two days. The animals were also sent forth, and allowed to disperse them- selves over the earth, excepting such of the tame animals as the only surviving family of man chose to retain, as the foundation of future flocks and herds. Appalling- Scene of Destruction. We can form but a very weak conception of the horrors of the Flood. We may think of the awful cataracts of water pouring from the clouds ; of the uprising of the mighty ■deep, rushing in — a wall of water — on the land ; we may picture to ourselves the terror of the people, awakened but too late to a sense of their danger ; we may see crowds ascending the lofty mountains as the deluge sweeps the valleys ; we may see the wild beasts tamed with terror, the lion standing harmless by the gazelle, the timid hare crouching beneath the shadow of the tiger; we may see the eagles fluttering over the deep abyss, uttering shrill cries as their eyries are invaded by the water ; we may see the little children clinging to the mothers' skirts, dumb with fright at the dread- ful spectacle before them ; we may see the wife's eyes turned in dismay upon her husband, while he in blank horror surveys the fearful scene of devastation, and with his little family around him dies a thousand deaths in dying one, but we can form no adequate conception of the dreadful scene. There are traditions of this terrible catas- trophe among all nations ; there are plain evidences of its wide extent in our geological strata ; it has left its indelible mark on the world. In the ark, all living things were represented, either by single pairs or by seven pairs ; and when the Flood subsided and the ark rested on " the mount of descent," the creatures came forth, and Noah, erecting an altar, offered sacrifice and worshipped. Strange legends of the wood of the ark induced many pilgrims in ages gone by to attempt its discovery, but there is no satisfactory evidence of any part of this singular structure ever having been found. There is something sublime and solemnizing in the contemplation of the redeemed family — the only survivors of the whole world's popu- lation — coming into a new world as it were, a new world which is but the sepulchre of the old, and prostrating themselves before that awful Being of whose judgments they have been the witness, and beseeching Him to curse the earth no more. There is a divine promise given that never again shall the earth be sub- merged, and lo ! as a ratification of the promise is the bow in the cloud. When on the stormy sky the rainbow exhibits its rich coloring, we have the seal and the sign of God's covenant, that while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, summer and winter shall not cease. But the fear of another destruction oppressed the minds of succeeding generations. The story of the Deluge told by father to son wrought a feeling of vindictiveness in many who thought it a hard thing that they should be called on to reverence a Deity at whose dread will a world was drowned. Not a cloud appeared in the sky but they were filled with terror ; not a heavy shower poured down but they looked for utter destruction ; if the tide rose higher than common, there was dismay, and they made light of the divine promise and felt no encouragement in the bow in the cloud. This led to an attempt to erect a building which would tower above the waters that might again drown the earth. Thus ended that great catastrophe, which has left ineradicable traces upon the surface and in the bowels of the earth, and the memory of which has been preserved in the traditions of all mankind, in all their languages. As it seems very evident that the object of the Deluge was to extirpate evil, we must regard its resulting effects, whether physical or moral, 2S EFFECTS OF THE DELUGE. as beneficial upon the whole, whatever estimate I standard. It may be well to keep in view that our untutored judgment might form of some I the objects of the Deluge were avowedly "to NOAH S SACRIFICE.- of its more particular effects — such as the I be the termination of a state of human nature shortening of human life, which after the I which had become incurably deteriorated in Delude very rapidly declined to its present I that form by the existing population ; and to be THE BOW IN THE CLOUDS. also the commencement of a new generation and diffusion of human beings of a superior kind, and from a selected stock, that was the least vitiated by the demoralization of the rest." The sacrifice of Noah was a fitting recogni- tion of the Divine goodness. Only one family of all the families of the earth had been saved from the destruction which engulfed the human race. This whole narrative of the Deluge is a striking witness of the wickedness of man on the one hand, and of the favor of his Maker on the other. We are taught to believe that the world had become desperately wicked ; that such enormous and astounding crimes were committed as to exceed even the strongest imagination. A rude, rough, coarse class of men it was, with no sense of self or mutual respect ; given up to the vilest vices ; strong in nothing but its daring impiety. Noah, how- ever, seems to have kept his faith, and to have been a man very different from all others of that period. He was the bright star gleaming through a night of blackness and darkness, and he and his household were rewarded for those qualities of character which marked them as peculiar and separated them from all others. It should be noticed that the same favor of Heaven, which preserved one family during this Flood that drowned the world, still showed itself after the waters had subsided. It is not strange that men were timid, feared what might happen in the future, wondered if again the flood-gates of the upper deep would be opened, and were anxious concerning their security. It was a question with them whether life would ever again be swept from the face of the earth, and in order that their fears might be allayed, the rainbow with its seven colors was placed in the sky — an arch beau- tiful even as it was prophetic, giving assurance that the floods should never descend again. According to natural principles the rainbow must have been in existence from the begin- ning, unless the earth was in the first place watered only by dews. We know how it is formed, and we know that the laws of nature did not change in order that the sky might be spanned with this majestic arch. It is doubt- less true that the rainbow was taken at this time and given to man as a sure sign and signal that he would be providentially pre- served, and that the days of floods were ended. So on his coming forth from the ark it is pleasant to recollect that Noah built his a*ltar, laid upon it the sacrifice, and kindled the con- suming fires. The light of that sacrifice gleams against the dark sky of the early history, and its beams will not be lost to the eye which, latest in time, is turned backward toward the beginning. In short, we have here a great historic event, one that is not merely promi- nent in Biblical history, but in secular records and even in that book of the world whose leaves are made of solid rock, and whose let- tering abides from age to age. CHAPTER II. ABRAM AND LOT. S HE instant the second father of mankind set his foot upon the earth he proceeded to erect an altar, and offer bur n't-o f f e r- ings to God, in token of fervent adoration and gratitude to the great De- liverer, who had so wonder- fully preserved him and his alone, as the sole survivors on the desolate earth. This first impulse of the preserved family God regarded with complacency, and He was pleased to renew to the appointed progenitors of a new race of men the blessing pronounced originally upon the first human pair: " Be ye fruitful and multiply." Other matters were added for their benefit and encouragement. The original grant of dominion over the animal creation was re- newed to them, but with some variations on the original appointment, and with so marked an emphasis in the permission to use beasts for food, " even as the green herb," that many have been led to suppose that there was no use of the flesh of animals before the Deluge. To obviate the apprehensions which must have been left in the mind of Noah by the terrible judgment which he had witnessed, God was further pleased to assure him that the world should never more be destroyed by " a flood of water," and that " while the earth re- mained, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, should not cease." Six divisions of the natural year are here indicated ; and it seems that the Jews ultimately adopted the same (30) division of the seasons in reference to the labors of agriculture. They are still in use among the Arabs. The rainbow, which is the effect of known natural causes, was appointed by God as the appropriate seal and pledge of this covenant. It has been thought from this that the rain- bow was a new object to Noah, in which case there could have been no rain before the Deluge, and the earth must then have been watered by streams and copious dews. In support of this view, Gen. ii. 6, " There went up a mist from the earth and watered the face of the ground," is very frequently quoted. Noah proceeded to cultivate the ground in the plains to which he had descended. A vineyard was among the objects of his culture ; and the impartial sacred record, which unhesitatingly makes known the crimes and errors of its greatest and best characters, proceeds to inform us that he became ine- briated with the wine, and, as he slept the sleep of drunkenness, lay indecently exposed. In this state he became the object of mockery to his son Ham, but of filial duty to Shem and Japheth. This conduct brought upon Ham the dreaded and predictive paternal curse, and the equally predictive blessing upon Shem and Japheth. The curse and the blessing seem to have been accomplished in the lot of their respective descendants, for Ham is regarded as the progenitor of the African races, and Shem of the Asiatic, and Japheth of the European families of men. Noah lived after the Flood three hundred and fifty years, in apparent happiness and peace, and in the enjoyment of every blessing ; and he died at the age of nine hundred and fifty years, bewailed by his children and their numerous descendants. How long the fathers of mankind remained ffllpfe MSmMM THE TOWER OF BABEL. Gen. XI. 4. 31 32 CONFUSION OF TONGUES. together in the region where the ark rested, we are not informed. They were not likely to remove soon, or until compelled to do so by the pressure of an increased population, bound as they were together by the bonds of a known relationship, and by the ties of a com- mon language. Eventually they arrived in the land of Shinar, where plains apparently boundless seemed to offer ample room for their increase without further wandering. This is the region watered by the Tigris and Euphrates, in which Babylon was afterwards situated. This region was then, as now, des- titute of wood as well as of stone ; but, deeming this a suitable home, they proceeded to make bricks, with which to build " a city and a tower." By a strong hyperbole, common in the East, they described this as a tower whose top should " reach unto heaven." This means simply a very high tower. The first of men were surely not idiots, and we have no right to suppose them capable of the exceedingly absurd intentions which have been ascribed to this erection. The plain Scriptural account is not only the best and most reasonable, but the only one on which we can rely. It amounts to this — that they feared being dispersed abroad, separated from each other, lost in their needful wanderings with their flocks in these vast plains. To prevent this, the tower was to be so high as to serve for a landmark and rallying-point to all their families. The People Dispersed. We know that the rotundity of the earth will, at a given distance, throw out 0/ sight, below the visible horizon, not only the highest tower that man ever built, but the loftiest mountains. The first man after the Deluge, being, however, new to the phenomena which plains afford the best opportunities of observ- ing, had probably been in the habit of ascrib- ing to other and accidental causes such in- stances of the disappearance of visible objects as they had found occasion to notice. The design of remaining together was, however, contrary to the designs of God ; and a special interposition of His providence rendered all their plans abortive, and compelled them to disperse and people the different regions of the earth. This was effected by causing such a diver- sity in their language that they were unable to understand one another, and were thus constrained to abandon their design, and to separate from each other in groups propor- tioned to the number of the dialects which were thus created among them. The word Babel means confusion, and it was from this " confusion of tongues" at the place that the unfinished tower came to be called the " tower of Babel," and the city of "Babylon." The historical importance of the city was, however, of much later date, when it became the seat of a mighty empire, and when, as it would seem, the remains of the primitive fabric were made to form the basis of a tower of extraordinary form and elevation, which was counted one of the wonders of the world, and the supposed shape of which must be familiar to the reader from the numerous figures which are abroad under the name of the " tower of Babel." These figures are framed from the descriptions left by ancient Greek travellers of the tower which existed in and after the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Modern Babylon. On the now desolate site of the once mighty Babylon there are two lofty and large mounds or hills of ruin, the one or the other of which has been supposed to offer the remains of this celebrated tower. One of them now bears the name of Birs Nimrod (tower of Nimrod), and the other of Mujelibe ; and the former is that which is now usually identified with this ancient monument. The confusion of tongues, and consequent dispersion from Babel, took place, according to the common chronology, in the year 2230 b. c, being one hundred and seventeen years after the Deluge. Among those who remained in this region was a person of active and enterprising habits, named Nimrod, who is described as " a mighty hunter." This person, doubtless by means of ABRAM AND LOT. 33 the bold and hard)' men who took part in his huntings, was enabled to establish his domin- ion over several of the cities of this region, and thus to form what seems to have been the first of human kingdoms. In process of time a very general corruption of manners, connected with and arising from a forgetfulness or neglect of the God of Noah, seems to have arisen not only in the land of Shinar, but in the other countries to which the families of men had migrated, and in which they had formed communities more or less organized. At length, about three centuries after the Deluge, the Divine Creator, who had declared that He would no more destroy the earth for ■man's sake, saw it right to commence the wondrous train of operations whereby He de- signed to keep in the corrupting world a testi- mony for the truth, until the arrival of the fully ripened time for the appearance of the Redeemer — of Him who was to bring in a new order of things, and to crush iniquity beneath His feet. This was to be accomplished by making a single man — a family — a nation springing from him, the special objects of the Divine care and providence, and to commit to their keeping the great truths which the world at large refused to retain in its knowledge. The person chosen for this was a man named Abram, dwelling in the district of" Ur of the Chaldees," and probably belonging to that kingdom — if it still subsisted — which Nimrod had established. In human estimation Abram would have seemed but ill suited for the high destinies in which a numerous posterity was essentially involved, for he and his wife Sarai were already old, and they had no children. It will be found interesting to trace the suc- cessive steps by which this renowned person- age was prepared for and placed under the circumstances necessary to the great designs of which he was the object. The true history of the Israelites begins with Abram. Rut it is all vague and shadowy, as all very ancient history must be ; Arabia was beginning to take some hold on the world ; Egypt was growing into a power ; but the Jews — as we now call them — were as yet no people. Chaldea, or part of the Nimrod territory — Yemon now called — was struggling towards the light, and Egypt was making steadier and more satisfactory advances ; there was a land called Canaan, very prolific and rich under good husbandage, and capable of being turned to good account by competent hands. In Chaldea sprang up astrology ; shepherds out on the plains gazed on the stars whilst they minded their flodks, and fancied they could trace, in starry courses, in the midnight sky, God's way with a man in the world. A Maker of Idols. A part of the country of Chaldea was called Ur ; the name is said to have signified fire or light, and we are told that this name was chosen on account of the place being notori- ously idolatrous — there it was supposed heaven revealed itself and dark sayings were made clear. In the county, if the expression may be used, or the city of Ur dwelt the descendants of Shem, the son of Noah. There were nine generations. The last was Terah, the father of Abraham. • Terah is said to have been not only an idolator, but an idol maker. No man knew better than he that the gods he made were no gods ; that the statues he constructed could neither hear with their ears, see with their eyes, speak through their throats, nor breathe through their nostrils ; but tradition tells us that he persisted in ascribing to them divine honor until the soul of Abram was stirred within him. One day, when his father was away from the atelier, he took a strong ham- mer and knocked half the idols to pieces. When Terah returned and inquired the cause, Abram told him the gods had fallen to fight- ing as to which was the greatest, and in the battle had reduced themselves to the sight he saw. Terah, who would not give up his faith in their vitality, was forced to silence. As Abram grew older, he began boldly to argue about the unity of God, and the Chal- 34 AN ANGRY PEOPLE. deans, who believed in lords many and gods many, were excessively outraged by his language. He argued that the ways of all under rule — under one rule; and that hence there must be one ruler — a corollary which ex- cited a very great disturbance indeed. The THE EGYPTIAN KING TAKING THE WIFE OF ABRAHAM. Gen. xii. 1 5. creation showed that there was a common originator and ruler ; that neither earth, nor sea, nor sky could do as it would, but was rancorous feeling aroused against the reformer made matters very serious for the family of Terah. Their best and wisest plan was to ABRAM AND LOT. 35 get away from the angry people. As for Abram, he had within his own heart a deep and positive conviction that this removal would be ultimately conducive to much good. It seemed to him that close in his ear a voice had spoken saying, " Get thee out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee : and I will make of thee a great nation ; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee : and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." A Man of Moral Courage. Abram was resolved on leaving Chaldea and taking up his abode whither he should feel himself led. The land of idols was to be forsaken, and he and those who belonged to him must go forth, but going they knew not whither. As for himself, he was seventy-five years old — comparatively young in those days — he was married ; his wife's name was Sarai ; but he had no child, so he adopted, as we may say, his nephew Lot, the son of Haran, who had died, leaving him an orphan. The denunciations of the young reformer had made affairs critical in Chaldea. " Old Adam " might be " too strong for young Melancthon," but opposition and self-assertion only made Abram the stronger. He plainly and openly denounced the pagan rites, ridiculed the gods, proclaimed the name of the Infinite, without beginning, without end, immeasurable, everywhere present with every one of his creatures, the living Father of all, touched with the' feeling of all natural infirmities, and never to be likened to an image graven of man's device. A Wonderful Country. Abram, however, saw it was his plain duty to take his departure from the land, so he emigrated into the land of Canaan : he took with him his wife — an extremely beautiful woman, and his nephew Lot — an exceedingly selfish man. Of course, such property as was usually regarded in that light, flocks and herds, they would have with them, and no doubt money. But the land into which they went was in a sad condition. A terrible famine prevailed, and was numbering the living with the dead each day. And yet the land was beautiful to the eye ; nature seemed to have shed abundant blessings on it, and the mysterious voice still sounded in the ear of the emigrant, " This land shall thy seed possess." A wondrous land of wealth and beauty, high hills, their sides all clothed with richest vegetation, deep green valleys and pasture lands of great extent. And this land was to belong to the children of Abram : it was to be his seed's possession — where, as yet, the ground on which he stood was not his own — not even six feet of earth for a burial-place. While the prospect of a grand fortune was very delightful, pressing necessities marred its beauty. There was a famine, and Abram felt that he must seek out some place where he and his might rest in security and obtain what they needed. The good land of Egypt was that to which he turned his eyes. In ancient history, before the days of Greeks or Romans, but three nations are prominent, the Arabians (including Assyria and Babylonia), the Egyp- tians, and the Jews. The Israelites were as yet no people. They were represented by Abram alone, but the country from which Abram came out was great and powerful, the land that was promised to his seed was still held by the Canaanites, and the land whither he went was Egypt, famous now in history. History in Stone. " O, Egypt, Egypt ! fables alone will be thy future history, wholly incredible to later gener- ations, and nought but the letter of thy stone- engraved monuments will survive." Such was the prophecy of the Hermetic books, themselves reported fabulous. Yet Egypt, so long enveloped in a mystery as deep as that which surrounds the Sphinx, has found its in- terpreter in the square of black basalt known as the Rosetta stone. By aid of this stone, the learned have been able to decipher the hieroglyphics, and what was dark is light. 36 THE CHILDREN OF HAM The dumb monuments of antiquity speak freely to us of the mighty past of Egypt. Not 'that they can tell us its beginning, it be- incr impossible to fix with certainty upon any 53 f . 1-CC-..U.. ~„„.,,-c in the date ; but the same difficulty occurs in the early chapters of more modern histories. Perhaps, after a lengthened sojourn together, during which time they would be increasing and multiplying strongly, these children of Ham, lured southward by the fruitful valleys, would seek their settlements about the Nile, and we are told that these settlers grew into a great nation, and the priests took the suprem- acy paying the fighting men to keep in sub- jection the laboring classes, who were doubly awed into obedience by the mystery which attached to the clergy and the unscrupulous ferocitv of the military. After some time it appears these two dominant classes came into opposition, and the troopers found themselves more than a match for the self-exalted priests ; consequently they were reduced to the second place in the empire : whether the people were any better for the change is not to be ascertained in these days. Menes sat on his throne, and ruled in great pomp and power about the time, or, per- haps, a little before the time that Nineveh was being planned. This was a long time before Abram, with his wife and nephew, came into Egypt, and found there a high cultivation among the upper classes; such as he had never known— abundance and prosperity, con- trasting agreeably with the condition of Canaan, out of which he came. But Abram suspected that when the king or some of the leading nobility saw the ex- treme beauty of his wife they would kill him and take her away. This dread was unworthy of so great a man, but there was reason in it ; so he directed her to let it be generally sup- posed she was his sister. This brought about the mischief he wished to avoid, for the king took Sarai, and made rich presents to her supposed brother. Before, however, he made Sarai his wife, the real state of the case was make known to him, and although he was grieved, and blamed Abram, he treated him very kindly, and allowed Abram and Sarai to remain in the land, receiving many privileges. When Abram returned into Canaan, he had scarcely settled down before a serious quarrel arose concerning pasturage between his own herdsmen and those who looked after the cattle of his nephew. As the quarrels were of continual recurrence, Abram deter- mined on a separation. The land they oc- cupied was to be divided between them, and like a generous and honorable gentleman, he- gave his nephew the choice. Lot took time to consider, and then picked what to all ap- pearance was the very best part of the posses- s i on — a fine, wide-spreading plain on the banks of the river Jordan. The uncle occupied what the nephew left, the lower grounds at the foot of the mountains, and took up his own residence in Hebron with his family. Sodom and Gomorrali. Lot seems to have forgotten that good land may be spoilt by bad neighbors. In the neighborhood where he set up his camp were two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, notorious for the vicious and abominable lives of their people. These people would naturally be a great trouble to him, and he had omitted this hem in his calculations. They were rich and prosperous, and arrogantly insolent, as people are often made by too many of this world's goods. Their chieftains, particularly those of Sodom, raised a commotion among neighbor- ! ing chieftains. The Assyrians were in the as- cendant, and compelled these men of Sodom to ! pay tribute, which they did for twelve years. The thirteenth imposed they indignantly rejected. The Assyrians swept the plains of Jordan, ! and laid siege to Sodom. Many were killed, ' many wounded, many carried off prisoners, and 'amongst the latter Lot found himself hurried off, and all his property. It is more than likely then that he discovered he had ' not been so wise in his choice as he imagined. Abram heard the news. Things had not gone well with his nephew. The finest op- portunities are not always the best stepping- stones to fortune. Lot was a ruined man, ABRAM AND LOT. 37 and a prisoner in the hands of those who were total strangers to mercy. True, he had be- haved badly to Abram, but what have old wrongs to do with us when our opponent is in great calamity? Although Abram had the worst of the land, he was very rich. With him everything had prospered. Instinctively he summoned his retainers, just as an old Scottish chief might have done, when the Southerners crossed the border, and the fire- cross was displayed from hill to hill. Blood is thicker than water, according to the common saying. Abram could summon three hundred and eighteen men, all as leal to him as men could be. So they sped after the Assyrians, fell on them — made short work of the fight — rescued Lot and all that belonged to him, and put shame on the boasted powers of chieftains who fled before a mere handful of determined men. Timely Rescue of Lot. When the battle was over, and Abram, with his clan, his prisoners, and spoil, came down on Jordan, a holy man who dwelt in those parts came forth to bless him, and Abram made him a rich present, thereby recognizing in him a high order of priesthood. But when the King of Sodom came to congratulate and offer gifts, he gave no heed to him at all, refused to take of all the spoil even a thread, or a leather sandal, and plainly he let the effeminate monarch know it was not on his account he had come out, but simply to save his nephew's life and secure his nephew's property. By dream, vision, or mysterious voice, Abram was encouraged. All the land was to be his and his seed's forever. But he had no seed. Eleazer, his servant, must be his successor, for children he had none. This was an occasion of much grief to Abram, and no doubt it was to his wife also ; and when he was told that his children should be as numerous as the stars of heaven or the sands on the seashore it almost seemed like mockery. Still Abram believed that it would be so, in spite of all the difficulties that seemed to stand in the way, and on this account he bears the name of the Father of the Faithful. Birth of Isaac. And in course of time Sarah — for her name j was changed from Sarai to Sarah, both names expressing princess, but the latter of a higher dignity-v-bore Abram a son, and there was gnat rejoicing. The child was called Isaac, a word signifying laughter. It was, no doubt, chosen by Abram and Sarah to remind them how both had sometimes laughed at the i thought of a child being born to them in their old age. While these events had transpired in the house of Abram, his nephew Lot had fallen into great difficulties. He had taken up his abode in the city of Sodom, with his wife and two daughters. The wickedness of the people must have offended him every day of his life, indeed we are told that it " vexed his righteous soul ; " but perhaps a residence in the city had commercial advantages which in the mind of this man counterbalanced its annoyances. However this may be, he was startled one night by the arrival of two young men, who assured him that the city, together with that of the neighboring city, Gomorrah, would speedily be destroyed, and that he and all who belonged to him must depart the very first thing in the morning. Their abominations were such as seemed to require that they should be swept from the earth by some terrible sudden stroke, to evince that a just and holy God still governed the world. Swift Destruction. The avenging angels were at length sent down; and as Abram sat in his tent door in the heat of the day, he beheld them advancing in the likeness of wayfaring men, and persuaded them to accept the hospitalities of his tent. As they departed the most august of these personages tarried a while, and revealed to Abram the doom of the cities of the plain. The patriarch interceded, with respectful im- portunity, on their behalf, lest the righteous should perish with the wicked ; and he at 38 THE DOOMED CITIES. length obtained the promise that if but ten I the cities had lain, he saw that the whole had righteous men were found in Sodom, the j been destroyed by fire from heaven, and the threatened ruin should not come down. smoke of their burning still arose " like the FLEEING FROM BURNING SODOM But the ten righteous men were not found ; j smoke of a furnace ; " and the vale, once " like and when Abram arose early in the morning J the garden of the Lord," has since, under the and looked towards the fertile vale in which I name of the Dead Sea, remained an abiding ABRAM AND LOT. 39 wonder to all who have passed that way. But Lot had not perished. The commissioned angels had urged him forth, with his wife and his two daughters; and they all escaped, save the wife, who, lingering behind, was overtaken by the destroying element, and remained, covered with a saline incrustation, like " a .pillar of salt," upon the borders of the plain. Joseph us asserts that this pillar was stand- ing when he wrote, and that he had seen it. Irenaeus, who lived in the second century of the Christian era, makes the same statement. The probability is that a mass of basaltic rock, bearing some resemblance to the human figure, had come to be called Lot's wife, and was regarded with superstitious terror by the ignorant people, who infected the minds of the visitors. A Marvellous Sea. The scene of the horrible catastrophe which overwhelmed the cities of the plain has ever since been marked by a vast inland lake called the Dead Sea. The scenery around the lake is of the most dreary description ; there is a total absence of vegetation ; the ground is thoroughly impregnated with salt; the tem- perature is usually very high ; the air seems laden with salt, and the bleak rocky mountains which rise around it have about them a hor- rible grotesqueness which seems well suited to the place. Throughout its neighborhood there is neither food for beast nor bird. A dreary stillness settles over the unruffled sur- face of the sluggish water; it seems a fit locality for all that is evil to be done, nothing but death and desolation watching. In Arabic the Dead Sea is called " Bahr-el- Lout," that is, the Sea of Lot, thus directly associating it with the destruction of the cities of the plain. In the visitation by which they were destroyed the surrounding country under- went an extraordinary change, and is said by Moses to have become " a land of brimstone and salt, and burning," characteristics by which it still continues to be marked. In the Bible these waters are called the Sea of the Plain, the Salt Sea, and the East Sea, taking its first from its situation in the plain of the Jordan ; its second from the extreme saltness of its waters; and its third from its locality in Judea, and to distinguish it from the West Sea, by which in ancient times was understood the Mediterranean, or Great Sea. Singular Stories. There is no doubt that the total absence of life around this lake, or sea, has given to it the name it bears, and out of this have sprung many errors to which common currency has given the weight of truth. Even in these days we may find tolerably well-informed people asserting that no fish can live in the Dead Sea, and no birds fly over it. Both statements are quite untrue. Formerly it was asserted that once or twice a year the submerged cities were visible, and the well-worn illustration of apples of Sodom, fair to the eye but dust in the hand, was held to be truth. There are, of course, great mistakes made, and a mistake once made is endlessly repeated. In approaching this Dead Lake, we see it many times, and lose it as many — but once — that is when it appears before us in all its dismal grandeur. When you get to the top of a height called Nebbea Moussa you catch a fair view of the sea : it is a soft deep purple, brightening into blue. The road lies down what seems a vast sloping causeway from the mountains, between two ravines, walled by cliffs several hundred feet in height. It gradually flattens into a plain, covered with a white, saline incrustation, and grown with clumps of sour willow, tamarisk, and other shrubs. All the plants look as if they were smitten with leprosy. As you draw near to the sea, the heat becomes intense, the air so dense that with some people it will bring on earache. As to the sea, it resembles a great caldron, sunk between mountains three or four thousand feet in height ; and yet it is at a depth of thirteen thousand feet below the Mediterranean. You may bathe in the water if you will, but it is not refreshing; very salt and bitter ; very buoyant also, but slimy and not easily to be rid of — clammy, glutinous, and sometimes leading to fever. CHAPTER III. TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH. HEN Isaac was born, Abraham was a hundred years old, and twenty-five years had passed since this blessing had been first prom- ised to him ; and it is perhaps difficult to conceive the gladness which filled the hearts of the aged pair at this accomplishment of all their hopes. The tenderness of the paternal heart towards Ishmael was unabated ; but he was no longer even mistaken for the child of the promise, no longer Sarah's adopted son, and no longer his father's heir by that adoption. He had be- come the son of the bondwoman. As for Sarah, the lad, who had appeared of some consequence in her eyes so long as she had no hope of a child of her own, at once became as nothing in her sight , and what might have been merely a passive feeling in her was turned into bitterness and active dislike against both Hagar and her son, by their signs of discontent and derision at her happy lot. At the great feast which was held on the day that Isaac was weaned, these feelings were so offensively manifested, that Sarah was roused to anger, and she insisted with Abra- ham that they should be sent away from the camp. This demand, which she had a right of custom to make, was very grievous to Abraham because of his son ; but having been assured from heaven that Ishmael, although not the promised heir, should for his sake be- come a special object of the Divine care, and that his posterity should become a mighty nation, his reluctance subsided, and rising early in the morning, he sent them away with (40) a skin of water and such other provisions as j the journey required. It seems to have been the intention of Hagar to return to Egypt, to which country she belonged. But having lost her way in the southern wilderness, she wandered to and fro, till the water, which was to have served her on the road, Was altogether spent. The lad, unused to hardships, was soon worn out. Overcome with heat, fatigue, and thirst, he seemed at the point of death, when the afflicted mother laid him down under the shade of a tree and withdrew to some distance that she might not witness his dying pangs. But God had not forgotten her. A voice was heard in the solitude, uttering words of comfort and promises of peace. Thus encouraged, Hagar hastened to her son, raised him by the hand and refreshed him from a spring of water which had been disclosed to her view. Paint- ers and poets in representing this scene usually exhibit Hagar as bearing her son in her arms, and laying him in the shade. This is an error, for Ishmael was then fifteen or sixteen years of age, and, conformably with this, the voice directed her to take him " by the hand." After this they remained in the wilderness attached to some one of the nomade tribes by which it was frequented ; and here the son of Abraham became a famous person, to whom many of the Arabian tribes have been proud to trace their origin. The departure of Hagar and Ishmael re- stored peace to the tents of Abraham ; and no incident of importance is recorded till Isaac had reached the age of about twenty years, when it pleased God to subject the faith of the patriarch to a far more terrible trial than any to which it had yet been subjected. He was commanded to take his son to the TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH. 41 land of Moriah, and there offer him up as a sacrifice to God. However the heart of the patriarch may have been wrung, whatever thoughts crossed his mind, he faltered not. which he took comfort; but the Apostle in- forms us that, feeling assured that God, who had promised him a posterity through Isaac, would undoubtedly perform His promise, he HAGAR AND ISHMAEL IN THE DESERT. Gen. xxi. 14. was persuaded that God would, if needful, even raise Isaac from the dead after the sacri- fice had been accomplished. Thus fortified by victorious faith, and moved by a spirit of obedience, he was ready to render the offering. In the morning- Abraham set out on his When others were in danger, he had interceded importunately with God ; but now, when his own happiness and the life of his son were in question, he was silent. This was the perfec- tion of confidence in God. We should be in some doubt as to the precise grounds in 42 ABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE. journey, attended by two servants, who car- ried the wood for the holocaust. At the end of three days' journey Abraham discerned the appointed place (supposed by many to be the Mount Moriah on which the Temple event- ually stood), and bidding the servants remain, he went onward with his son, who carried the wood destined to consume his own body. Isaac, seeing- all this usual preparation for a sacrifice, inquired concerning the victim, which probably gave his father the opportunity of making known the command under which he was acting. That he did so is certain ; for he could not by constraint have tied up the young man and laid him upon the altar. All was ready, the knife was uplifted to give the death- stroke, when the voice of an angel stayed his arm, and his attention was directed to a ram (probably of the four-horned species), which he gladly substituted for his son. Never were the promises made for the Father of the Faithful pronounced with such marked em- phasis as in the words from heaven which re- warded this consummate act of high belief: — " By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore : and in thy seed shall all the fami- lies of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice." An Illustrious Woman. About twelve years after this Abraham lost the companion of his long pilgrimage, Sarah, who died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years. She was buried with due observance in the Cave of Machpelah near Hebron, which the patriarch purchased on this occasion, and which became the family tomb of the patriarch. Sepulchral caves, such as that in which Sarah was buried, are common in the East. Of the birth and parentage of Sarah we have no certain account in Scripture. Abraham speaks of her as " his sister, the daughter of the same father, but not the daughter of the same mother." The common Jewish tradi- tion is that Sarai is the same as Iscah, the daughter of Haran, and the sister of Lot. The change of her name from " Sarai " to " Sarah " was made at the same time that Abram's name was changed to Abraham, on the establishment of the covenant of circum- cision between him and God. That the name " Sarah " signifies " princess " is universally acknowledged ; but the meaning of " Sarai " is still a subject of controversy. The older interpreters suppose it to mean " my princess." Others say it means " contentious." Her his- tory is of course that of Abraham. She came with him from Ur to Haran, from Haran to Canaan, and accompanied him in all the wan- derings of his life. Her only independent ac- tion is the demand that Hagar and Ishmael should be cast out. The times in which she plays the most important part in the history are the times when Abraham was sojourning, first in Egypt, then in Gerar, and where Sa- rah shared his deceit towards Pharaoh and towards Abimelech. She is referred to in the New Testament as a type of conjugal obedi- ence, and as one of the types of faith. The Beautiful Bride. It is not to be wondered at that Abraham had special regard for his son Isaac ; he was the child of promise, and it was the land of promise, and he watched him with particular interest. After the death of Sarah a deep melancholy rested on Isaac, who appears to have been a quiet, contemplative man. Abra- ham was convinced that marriage would be the surest alleviation of his son's sorrow ; and, therefore, after the manner of the times, he sought a wife for him among his own peo- ple. He took an old servant into council, one whom, in the old days, when he was childless, he had intended to make his heir, and still recognized as the steward, or chief man of his household; a trusty man, who was thor- oughly reliable. To him he disclosed his purpose. He desired that a maiden might be chosen from the old stock ; neither wealth ABRAHAM OFFERING ISAAC. Gen. XXl'i. 6. 43 44 THE OLD SERVANT'S VOW. nor accomplishments-*, both of which we I with much solemnity to carry out "re prone to set much stress-were .natters of I he was able, the w.shes of his o out, as far as Id master ; ISAAC WELCOMING REBEKAH. Gen. XXIV. 6j . consideration, only she must needs be one of I but there was much bustle and stir in the their own people. So the old servant vowed I house, we may be sure, before the journey ISAAC AND REBEKAH. 45 — a journey of four hundred miles — was begun. And now we may turn to the family whither the steps of the old servant were directed. Long years before had the patriarch quitted the old country, but still dwelt there his brother's family — a pastoral people, simple in their habits, but prosperous in their circum- stances. The light of the house was Rebekah — a bright and beautiful creature, loving and well beloved. Her activity and cheerfulness offer an excellent example, and doubtless the maidens who followed her would imitate their industrious mistress ; and spinning in the hot day, or hastening to the wells to draw water in the cool of the evening, would feel them- selves happy in the association with their youthful leader. Imagine, then, one fair summer's evening, a troop of girls, chatting merrily, each with a pitcher on her shoulder, sweeping forth from the gate of a small Eastern village, and turn- ing their steps to the wells and fountains of waters. Around us is a picture of pure sum- mer luxuriance and bloom ; fields of wheat and barley stretch away to distant olive or- chards, and here and there is a garden of or- ange, fig, lemon, and pomegranate ; a breath of sweet odors overflows the land, and we can hear the plash of water as the women begin to busy themselves with their evening toil. But suddenly some of the girls cry out, and Re- bekah, their leader, sees that they are not alone. Maidens at tlie Well. By the side of an ancient stone well were kneeling ten camels, with their attendants, and a venerable stranger advanced towards the maidens. It was to Rebekah he ad- dressed himself: " Let me sip, I pray thee, a little water out of thy pitcher? " " Drink, my lord," she promptly answered, and gave her pitcher freely. It was no un- common request then, and it is not, in Eastern lands, an unusual occurrence now, for thirsty travellers to ask a drink of the young women who come to draw water. Such civilities are customary, so that there was nothing extraor- dinary in the incident. But Rebekah extend- ed her courtesy. As she looked at the weary camels, chewing the cud as they knelt by the baggage, and to her apparently listening to the sound of the water, her pity was excited. She began, her damsels lending her good help, to fill the troughs for the poor brutes. The stranger watched every movement of the blooming maid, graceful as Minerva, who, as Homer tells us, went forth to meet Ulysses, " bearing her pitcher ; " and when the camels had done drinking he took out a golden ring and a pair of bracelets — presents for the bride. He felt that he had found a fitting wife for his master's son, but first he asked whose daugh- ter she was. Her answer made his heart re- joice ; she was the very relative he sought; she was the cousin to whose hand there was a sort of right ; and so, without another word of inquiry or explanation, he begged for hos- pitality. Was there room in her father's house for himself, his servants, and his camels to lodge ? "Yes," she answered him, "ample room and plenty of provender." A Hearty Reception. The stranger followed and those who were with him, as the girl ran on to let them know at home that guests were coming, and gather- ing from her lips the news, her brother came forth with much of beautiful, grave, Oriental, courtesy, to give due welcome to the stranger. But ere the stranger would take aught but water he told his errand. He. had come to seek a wife for the son of a great sheik, and their own kinsman. That aged kinsman was exceedingly rich, and the main bulk of his property would belong to his son. The mat- ter pleased the family : there had been some- thing of estrangement between the two branches of the family, and here was accepta- ble reunion. Strange as the whole proceeding may seem to us, there was nothing strange to them, and so Rebekah was to go forth and take high place elsewhere. But Rebekah does not go forth alone. Her nurse, the industrious, kindly-beloved Debo- 46 THE HAPPY MARRIAGE. rah, goes with her, so also do some of her maidens. So she travels discreetly, and her friends bless her, perhaps with tears, as she goes away, saying — " May she be the mother of thousands and millions, and may her seed possess the gates of those which oppose them ! " The thoughtful and still sorrowing son of the widowed sheik is meditating as he walks in the fields in the cool of the day. A holy calm on everything, and not a sound to disturb his reflections. Suddenly he hears the chime of the camel bells, looks up, and sees the caravan approaching. Well he knows the object for which the old servant was sent out, and now he is to learn the result. A thousand anxious thoughts may have struggled in his mind as to what was to come. The quick eyes of Rebekah, meanwhile, have fallen on her future lord. She has hastened to array herself in the long veil proper for brides before she is presented, and when the bridegroom meets her, with a simple and beautiful courtesy which cannot be too much admired, he leads her to his mother's tent, the old abiding-place of her who was dearer to him than life. The beauty, modesty, and worth of this pure woman could not but win the heart of her husband. All his love and confidence was hers, he forgot his sorrow and was comforted ; and she was his only wife, and had to know none of the bitter pangs and stings of jealousy which follow a polygamous system. She was no wife among wives, but she won the entire and unqualified approbation of her husband, and they were happy in each other's love. CHAPTER IV. JACOB AND ESAU. ORE sons, of whom Keturah, Abra- ham's second wife, was the mother, helped to complete his household. He lived to see them grow up, and sent them away to settle eastward with suitable portions, that the)' might not interfere with Isaac, his heir and the child of the promises. At length Abraham died, at the age of one hundred and seventy-five years, exactly one hundred of which he had spent in the land of Canaan. His great qualities and the deal- ings of God with him, while a sojourner in that land, have made his name one of the most illustrious in the world — a name pre- served more than most in the general memo- ries of men. His name is found in the traditions and annals of many nations. Isaac was left the possessor of immense wealth, of that kind which forms the posses- sions of a pastoral chief. He continued to reside at Beersheba, without any other re- corded trouble than the barrenness of his wife Rebekah. But at length, after twenty years of marriage, his prayers were heard, and two sons were given to him at one birth. The first born was called Esau, and the other Jacob ; and it had been intimated to Rebekah, before the birth, that not the elder, but the younger, was to be the heir of the promises. This directs our attention to Jacob. As the boys grew up, a marked distinction in their habits and character appeared. Esau was of active and rough temperament, and employed much of his time in hunting and the use of arms ; whereas Jacob was of quiet and seden- tary habits, abiding in the tents, and occupied among the flocks. Jacob was the favorite of his mother; but Isaac had preference for Esau, who manifested his filial duty by making his huntings the means of providing for his father the relishing food which his growing infirmities required. ' A famine which afflicted the part of Canaan he inhabited inclined Isaac to withdraw into Egypt, but a Divine intimation induced him to go into the territories of Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar. In this more com- pact little state the presence of so great a person was more sensibly felt than it had been in the thinly inhabited districts in which the patriarchs had hitherto encamped. The ex- tent of his possessions was more clearly seen, and the rapid increase they, by a perversity not unusual, regarded as at their expense. Abraham had once been in that country, and had digged wells, which the Philistines, after he withdrew, had filled up — in order to extinguish that right to the soil which was created by forming wells therein. These wells were cleared out by Isaac, who also formed new ones ; and he proceeded to culti- vate the ground, which returned him increase a hundred-fold. The Philistines were, how- ever, exceedingly averse to see a right of property in the soil created by these wells, and their opposition compelled the patriarch often to shift his encampment. But at length, seeing how rapidly his wealth increased, and believing that he was a special object of the Divine care, they deemed it more prudent to cultivate his friendship. Therefore, the king, attended by his officers, repaired to the camp (47) 48 ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT. of the patriarch, and they entered into a cove- i to perish with hunger. He found Jacob pre- nant of peace in behalf of themselves and of their heirs. Isaac was now in a position to reap the fruits of his prudence and industry and feel secure in his acquired possessions. paring a savory mess of pottage, the odor of which attracted the intense longing of the famishing hunter, and for the enjoyment of it he readily surrendered the privileges which JACOP. S VISION OF ANGELS The uncertainties of the hunter's life are strikingly illustrated by the next important incident which we find recorded. Esau returned one day to the tents unsuccessful, and '-eady belonged to him as the birthright of the elder son. When he had leisure to reflect and to repent, he loved not the more that brother who, taking advantage of his needs, had ex- JACOB AND ESAU. 49 acted so costly a price for so small a benefit. The reckless character of Esau is further illustrated by his taking two Hittite wives, Judith and Bashemath, in defiance of the wishes of his parents, who, as he could not but know, were highly averse to any such connection with the people of the land. Nevertheless, the now aged patriarch still desired to regard Esau as the heir of the promises, and feeling his infirmities daily in- crease, and his sight being entirely gone, he deemed it high time to bestow upon his still favorite son the important " blessing " which, like a modern will, would make over to him the headship of the tribe, and the temporal and spiritual benefits which were in fact or pros- pect connected with it. But first he desired some of that savory venison with which his rude son knew so well how to gratify his en- feebled appetite. This interval gave Rebekah, who overheard the arrangement, an opportunity of urging her favorite Jacob to personate his brother, and thus add the coveted blessing to the birthright he had already won. Jacob urged some faint scruples, dictated more by the fear of de- tection than by virtuous principle, and at length consented. It was not difficult to impose upon the dulled senses of his blind father, and he received from him that free and full blessing which could not be recalled. Esau soon came: and the strong and fierce man wept like an infant when he learned that his last hope had been riven from him. He vowed to be avenged ; and yet, even in his passion being regardful of his father's peace, he postponed his vengeance till after the patriarch's death, which was then believed to be near at hand. Jacob on his Journey. Learning his purpose, Rebekah resolved to send Jacob out of the way to her own ancient home in Haran, where he might not only re- main till his brother's anger had abated, but might obtain a wife more suitable than those which Esau had chosen. Having received the consent and blessing of his father, Jacob set forth alone upon his long journey. This was 4 necessary for his safety — but how differently in a former day had the servant of Abraham gone the same way, with his gifts and his camels, to seek a wife for Isaac. As he slept, with a stone for a pillow, at Bethel, he was cheered by a vision, in which he beheld the angels ascending and descending upon a ladder placed between earth and heaven, above which sat an august personage who de- clared Himself to be the God of Abraham and Isaac, and ratified to him in the fullest manner the blessings originally promised to them. This was accompanied by assurances and en- couragements suited to his present circum- stances, which filled him with gratitude, and gave him such a lively sense of the Divine providence, that he left Bethel a wiser and more single-minded man, and with a lightened heart pursued his way to Padan-Aram. On arriving at the well outside the town, Jacob entered into conversation with some shepherds who were there to water their flocks, and heard from them some particulars concerning the family he had come to visit. While they talked, Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban, and therefore Jacob's first cousin, came to the well to water the home- flock, which was under her charge. The stranger assisted the damsel in watering her flock, and then made himself known to her, and accompanied her to the house of her father, where he was most cordially received. Laban soon perceived the great skill and ex- perience of Jacob in " the shepherds' gentle trade," and gladly entered into an agreement with Jacob to give him his daughter Rachel as the reward of seven years' service. The mar- riage was accordingly celebrated with great rejoicings; but, by some deception, Laban contrived to substitute his elder daughter Leah, for whom Jacob cared little, in the place of Rachel ; and, when reproached with his conduct, alleged that the custom of the country did not allow the younger to be mar- ried before the elder sister. He, however, of- fered him Rachel also for seven more years of his services, and, rather than be without one whom he so tenderly loved, Jacob consented. 50 SERVING SEVEN YEARS FOR RACHEL. The depth of his affection for Rachel is beau- tifully suggested by the sacred historian in one of those simple but most natural strokes of moral portraiture which are seldom found out of the sacred book. " Jacob served seven years for Rachel : and they seemed unto him a few days, for the love he bore to her." This preference for Rachel led Jacob to treat Leah with some indifference or neglect; in consequence of which the Lord made Leah the object of his favor and gave her children, which were denied to Rachel. This induced Rachel to make use of her hand-maid Bilhah, in the same capacity in which Hagar had been used by Sarah. Leah followed the example by making the same use of her handmaid Zilpah. By both there were children, and at length Rachel herself was blessed with a son, who received the name of Joseph. Jacob's Riches. More than satisfied with the services of Jacob, and well assured that the flocks had been much advantaged by his superintendence, Laban still desired to avail himself of his ser- vices after the fourteen years had expired ; and Jacob on his part was not unwilling to re- main on any terms which afforded him a pros- pect of acquiring a provision for his family. It was then settled that Jacob, for the services of seven other years, should be paid in kind, by reserving for his own use such of the sheep and goats as might happen to be parti-colored, which is not usual in any flocks, and very un- usual in those of the. East. In consequence of this arrangement, the flock under the charge of Jacob was carefully severed from that to which Laban and his sons attended; and thenceforth whenever a parti-colored lamb or kid was born in the flock of Jacob, he set it apart as his own. Through the special provi- dence of God, who at Bethel had promised to care for and make prosperous the grandson of Abraham, an extraordinary proportion of parti- colored animals was thenceforth born, and soon furnished a large flock, which Jacob committed to the separate charge of his elder sons. By the time the seven years had expired, this flock had increased amazingly, and with its produce Jacob had been enabled to obtain large possessions of what usually constitutes the wealth of a pastoral chief — " much cattle, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses." It was well known to Jacob thajt his pros- perity was regarded with no pleasure by Laban and his sons, who deemed all his gains as so much loss to them. He thence became appre- hensive that any attempt to remove with his property would be resisted ; and as he was now resolved to return to the land of Canaan, from which he had so long been absent, he went away secretly while Laban was at the distance of three days' journey. A pastoral migration, with slow-going sheep, young ani- mals, women, and infants, can never be a very rapid movement. Hence we are not surprised to find that he was overtaken by Laban by the time he reached the Mountains of Gilead. We may be sure that Laban's purposes were not very amicable. But the night before he came up with Jacob, he was warned in a dream to take heed how he molested one for whom God cared. This changed his purpose ; but being now so near, he went on, and joined the migrant party while at rest. A Charge of Theft. His sterner purposes now sunk to sharp complaints and strong expostulations that no opportunity had been afforded him of embrac- ing his daughters and grandchildren, and of sending them away with music and with song. He also complained that his gods — certain figures called " Teraphim," used as domestic idols — had been stolen from him by some of Jacob's party. This charge was indignantly repelled by Jacob, who gave him authority to search for them, and denounced death upon any person in whose possession they might be found. Little did he know in what peril he thus put his beloved Rachel : for she had them ; having secreted them for some un- known but probably superstitious motive. They were hid in the furniture of her camel; and as this formed her seat in the tent, they JACOB AND ESAU. 51 escaped the search of her father, who returned j Jacob's next care was concerning Esau, with home the next day, after having entered into | whose present state of mind towards him he MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU. Gen. XXXlii. 4. solemn covenants of peace and good will with j was by no means acquainted the man he had so wrathfully pursued. But he knew that he had established himself in the region 52 PREVAILING PRAYER. of Mount Seir, and had there acquired great power as a military chief. He deemed it pru- dent to send a most respectfully worded mes- sage, apprising him of his return home. The messengers returned with no other intimation than that Esau himself was coming to meet him with four hundred men. This intimation ! filled Jacob with real and well-grounded alarm. J He made the best arrangements in his power to meet the exigency, with the view, on the one hand, of mollifying his brother, and, on the other, of securing the retreat of his troop (consisting of the women and children), in case the van should be assaulted by Esau's troop. He then sent his people across the river Jab- bok, and remained behind himself, probably for the sake of that solitary " communing with God " in which the Hebrew patriarchs found so much of their strength and safety. Wrestling with the Angel. Here he was comforted and encouraged by the deep meanings of a mysterious conflict with an angel of God, who seemed unable to prevail over Jacob till he put forth a super- natural power, and disabled him for the time, by causing the sinew of his thigh to shrink when he laid his hand thereon. It was then that the name of Jacob, " supplanter," was changed to Israel, " a prince of God," — " Be- cause (said the angel) as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast pre- vailed." Halting still upon his thigh, but greatly en- couraged, the patriarch passed over the river as the morning rose, and, on reaching the top of the opposite bank, beheld Esau and his troop approaching in the distance. Whatever may have been the intentions of that rude but not ungenerous person, he was fairly softened by the marks of respect and consideration which he received, as he passed along the pur- posely extended line of flocks, and herds, and shepherds : and when at length he came up with Jacob, who bowed before him — as one doubting of his reception and his doom — he could contain himself no longer, but " ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him : — and they wept." Blessed tears were these : — the tears of a full heart: "tears such as angels shed," if angels ever weep. Esau would very willingly have escorted Jacob the rest of his way; but the latter, in- tending to proceed very leisurely, respectfully declined the offer, and his brother then re- turned to Mount Seir, which continued for many ages to be ruled, and was in a great measure peopled, by his descendants, and hence obtained the name of the land of Edom and of Idumaea. Before he crossed the Jordan, some stay was made by Jacob at Succoth, where his camp was formed of booths or sheds, made of the wood which was then, and is even now, abun- dant in that quarter. On crossing the river, he did not at once rejoin his father, who was still living, but pro- ceeded to the vale of Shechem, where Abraham also had formed his first encampment in the land of Canaan. Here he remained until the terrible vengeance, which was taken upon the people of Shechem, by the sons of Jacob, for an outrage upon their sister Dinah, made it prudent for him to quit that neighborhood. He went to Bethel. There he built an altar, and worshipped God, in grateful remembrance of the encouragements which had been on that spot vouchsafed him on his way to Padan- aram. After this, Jacob journeyed southward to visit his father. On the way, when near Beth- lehem, his beloved Rachel died in giving birth to a second son, whom the mother, in her dying grief, called Benoni, "son of my sorrow," but which name the father afterwards changed to Benjamin, " son of my right hand." A tomb, of Moslem construction, called" Rachel's Sepulchre," at this day marks the supposed place of her burial. After about thirty years' absence, Jacob at length joined his aged father Isaac, who was then at the old encampment of the family at Mamre, near Hebron. Isaac himself survived the reunion with his son several years, and died at the age of one hundred and eighty years. CHAPTER V. THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. OM I NG now to Jacob's sons, we notice that particular interest sur- rounds Joseph, the first, and for a long- while the only son of his much loved Rachel. Jacob's fam- ily consisted of twelve sons, the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Their names were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon, sons of Leah ; Gad and Asher, sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Dan and Naphtali, sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid ; Joseph and Benjamin, sons of Rachel. Joseph was far more dear to his father than any of his other sons. He made no secret of this, as a v/ise father would perhaps have done. Nay, rather he gloried in making it known, and even went so far as to clothe him in a peculiarly handsome dress — " a coat of many colors," as a mark of favor and distinction. These marks of partiality were very displeas- ing to Joseph's brothers, and made him odious in their eyes. These feelings were strengthened by certain dreams which Joseph dreamed in early youth, and which seemed to prefigure some unimaginable superiority and greatness to him. At one time they were binding sheaves in the field, when, lo ! their sheaves rose up and made obeisance to his sheaf. At another time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars made obeisance to him. Another cause of dislike was found in the fact that when they had been abroad with the flocks, Joseph was in the habit of reporting to his father their misconduct, and of bringing upon them the dreaded rebuke of their parent. One day, when Joseph was about seventeen years old, he was sent by his father, who had kept him at home, to seek his brethren, who had for some time been out in distant pastures, and bring back an account of their welfare. Joseph found them at Dothan. They knew him afar off by his coat of many colors, and immediately began to plot against his life. They had certainly killed him on the spot, but for some scruple suggested by Reuben of shed- ding a brother's blood. They therefore cast him into a dry cistern, intending to leave him there to perish, and to inform their father that he had been destroyed by a wild beast. Such an act as theirs shows the wild, barbarous spirit that prevailed at that time. Soon after, however, they observed the ap- proach of a caravan of Arabian merchants, proceeding with balm and other precious drugs to Egypt, and it immediately struck them that they might quite as safely, less guiltily, and with some profit besides, dispose of the unhappy Joseph by selling him for a slave to these travelling dealers. They ac- cordingly drew him up out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver. They then took his coat, the envied coat of many colors, and, afte. dipping it in the blood of a slaughtered kid, they sent it to their father. The agonized father immediately received the conviction they desired. " It is my son's coat (he said) ; an evil beast hath devoured him : Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces ! " He mourned long and sorely for his lost son ; and when at length time brought some calm to his feelings, he remained faithful in his affection for Rachel. Meanwhile, Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and was there sold to one of the officers of the royal court. In this country there then (53) 54 JOSEPH'S INTEGRITY. existed an imperial court, with a minutely organized government, an ecclesiastical estab- lishment, a military force, and civil institutions all bearing the stamp of an advanced stage of civilization, and of a condition of society very different from that which we have left behind us in Palestine. Joseph's diligence, probity, attention, and fine qualities soon recommended him to his there was no hope, the woman's love turned to vengeful hatred, and she resolved to effect his ruin. To this end nothing seemed to her more effectual than to accuse him of attempt- ing the very crime into which she had vainly endeavored to draw him. And it was effectual ; for Potiphar was wroth, and cast his slave into prison. But even in prison Joseph's useful talents and engaging disposition still availed JOSEPH'S DREAM OF THE SUN, MOON AND ELEVEN STARS master, Potiphar, in whose confidence he rose so high, that all the affairs of the household were eventually left in his hands. Now Joseph was a very handsome man, and it happened that he attracted the too favorable notice of his master's wife. She tempted him to sin. But he remembered his God, he remembered the generous confidence of his master, and firmly refused. Seeing xxxvu. 9. him. He soon acquired the entire confidence of the governor of the prison, who gave all the other prisoners into his charge. Among those who were sent into the prison after Joseph had been thus favored, were two important officers of Pharaoh's court, his chief butler, and his chief cook, or baker, who, from the nature of their offices, we should suppose to have been accused of some attempt THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 55 to poison their royal master in his food or drink, and had thereby incurred his ill-will. Troublesome Dreams. Dreams have always been much regarded in the East ; and one night the butler and baker both had dreams which troubled them greatly. The butler dreamed that, in the dis- charge of his office, he presented the wine-cup into Pharaoh's hand ; the baker dreamed that he was carrying upon his head baked meats for the royal table, when the birds of the air descended and carried them away. Joseph interpreted the dreams to signify that before three days had passed the butler should be restored to his office, and the baker put to death. And so it happened. On Pharaoh's birthday inquiry was made into the matter, and the baker was beheaded, and the butler was restored to his place. Joseph had ear- nestly represented his case to this butler, and had implored him to use his recovered influ- ence in his behalf. But the prosperous have little remembrance for the unhappy : and the •butler altogether forgot Joseph, until, in the good providence of God, an occasion arose which brought him to remembrance. The king himself was troubled with two •dreams, which, although composed of differ- ent materials, were obviously one as to any import which might be collected from them. In the first, Pharaoh thought that, as he stood beside the fertilizing Nile, seven fair and full- fleshed kine came up out of the water, and were feeding in a meadow, when seven gaunt and lean kine came up after them, and de- voured them all. Then, seven ears of good and full-bodied corn seemed to spring up, all upon one stalk ; and after a while came up seven thin and starveling ears, by which the former were eaten up. Yet the lean kine and the lean ears were none the better for that which they had eaten. These dreams seemed to have some unusually marked significance, and Pharaoh sent for the wise men of Egypt, requiring of them an interpretation. But this dream was beyond the depth even of their pretensions, and they could give none. This brought to the butler's mind the He- brew prisoner, whose interpretation of his own and the baker's dreams had been so remark- ably fulfilled. He mentioned the circumstances to the king, who instantly sent to require his presence. Hastily shaving himself and put- ting on becoming raiment, Joseph accompanied the messengers to the palace. The king re- lated his dreams ; and Joseph said they were to be regarded as warnings from God of com- ing events, against which suitable provision should be made. The dreams denoted, first, seven years of great and unexampled plenty, to be followed by seven years of excessive dearth. Joseph Providing 1 for Famine. He therefore very sagely counselled that the superabundant grain of the fertile years should be bought up by the government, and stored for use during the years of famine ; and he ventured to suggest that some able and discreet man should be appointed, with proper officers under him, to give effect to this great operation throughout the country. Then said Pharaoh — " Forasmuch as God has showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled : only in the throne will I be greater than thou." Saying this, the great king took from his finger the signet-ring, the impress of which gave the force of royal au- thority to any decree or order on which it was placed ; and then he caused him to be arrayed in robes of honor ; upon his neck was also placed a chain of gold, by which we are doubtless to understand one of those rich or- naments of wrought gold, such as are in the Egyptian monuments seen upon the necks of kings and nobles. Thus gloriously arrayed, Joseph — whom the morning saw a prisoner and a slave — was placed in the second of the royal chariots of state, and conducted in grand procession through the streets of the metropolis, while the heralds proclaimed be- fore him the honors to which he had been raised. Joseph having thus been naturalized, and 56 FROM A PIT TO A PALACE. having received the name and dress of an j been unusual for foreigners and slaves to rise Egyptian, was no longer regarded in that | to such distinctions. No doubt Joseph was. Joseph sold into egypt. — Gen. xxxvii. 38. country as a foreigner, but as a noble and a 1 well able to support the high position in which minister of state. In the East it has never | he now appeared. Thirteen of the best years THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 57 of his life had been spent in Egypt ; and this time would have more than sufficed for a man of much less aptitude and talent than Joseph to acquire an intimate acquaintance with the manners and language of the people among whom his lot had been cast. One thing he wanted — family connections and the influence which they would give in the country — and, above all, such connection with the priestly caste, which was then and long after all-power- ful in Egypt. One unconnected with this caste could not long hope to maintain his influence, or to work out his plans without opposition and hindrance. The king of Egypt felt this very strongly, and therefore lost no time in securing to Joseph the undisturbed enjoyment of the rank and power to which he had raised him, by bestowing upon him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, which place was afterwards known among Greek writers by the name of Heliopolis. A Name Cut in Stone. The account of that part of the Bible history which contains the sojourn of the Hebrews in Egypt has of late years received interesting illustrations — we say not confirmation, for it needed none — from the Egyptian monuments, and from critical researches in history. From such sources we now know that Potipherah means " he who belongs to the sun ; " it is a very common name on the monuments, and especially appropriate for, the priest of On. We also know that among the Egyptian colleges of priests the one at On took the pre- cedence, and consequently that the high-priest of On must have borne the first rank among that powerful body. The great antiquity of religious worship at On is also attested by the monuments. Wilkinson says, " During the reign of Osirtasen (whom he makes contem- porary with Moses) the temple of Heliopolis was either founded or received additions, and one of the obelisks bearing his name evinces the skill to which they had attained in the difficult art of sculpturing granite." The part which the king himself took in bringing about this marriage is satisfactorily accounted for, when we remember that the sovereigns of Egypt were invested with the highest sacerdotal dignity, and were therefore not merely the civil, but the ecclesiastical su- periors of the whole priesthood. By this marriage Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. During the seven years of plenty Egypt was carefully subjected to the course of opera- tions which Joseph had at first recommended to the king of Egypt. He made a tour through the country to organize the operation of purchasing and storing up the redundant produce, and to see that his intentions were properly executed. The superabundant pro- duce of every district was stored away in granaries in the towns of that district : and we are told, " Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left number- ing, for it was without number." These labors of Joseph are placed vividly before us in the paintings upon the monuments, which show how common the store-house was in ancient Egypt. In the tomb of Amenemhe at Beni- Hassen there is the painting of a great store- house, before whose door lies a large heap of grain, already winnowed. The measurer fills a bushel in order to pour it into the uniform sacks of those who cany the grain to the corn magazine. The carriers go to the door of the store-house and lay down the sacks before an officer who stands ready to receive the corn. This is the overseer of the store-house. Near by stands the bushel with which it is meas- ured, and the registrar who takes the account. At the side of the windows there are char- acters which indicate the quantity of the mass which is deposited in the magazine. Compare this with the indication in the verse just cited, that the stored grain was carefully measured, until the enormous quantity of the increase would not allow this to be done. The Nation Crying- for Bread. But at the predicted time this plenty ceased r and was followed by the most terrible scarcity which had ever been known. This also lasted seven years. But there was plenty of corn in the store-houses ; and as long as the Egyp- 58 THREATENINGS AT LAST FULFILLED. tians had money with which to purchase out of the government stores, all was well. But when all the money of Egypt had found its way into the royal coffers, the nation cried to the government for bread. A nation could not be allowed to starve while the granaries were still full of corn. The king left the matter in the hands of Joseph, who agreed to take their cattle in exchange for corn. This resource lasted them a year ; when nothing remained to the people but " their bodies and their lands," they cried, " Buy us and our lands for bread, and we and our lands will be servants unto Pharaoh." Joseph took them at their word, and on these terms under- took to feed them to the end of the famine. The whole dispersed population was then re- moved into the towns containing the grana- ries, that the corn might be conveniently doled out to them ; and in the last year of the famine seed was given to them, with which they might sow, and resume the cultivation of their lands, as tenants of the crown, at a rent of one-fifth of the produce. Jacob Sends his Sons to Egypt. This famine was not felt in Egypt only, but throughout all the neighboring regions. It was felt in the land of Canaan, and the family of Jacob soon began to suffer from lack of corn. It then transpired that corn might be obtained in Egypt ; and Jacob lost no time in sending his sons — all except Benjamin — across the desert for the needful supply. It seems that the permission to purchase corn was only granted to such foreigners as obtained special permission from Joseph, be- fore whom, therefore, the ten brethren were bound to make their appearance. The ancient dreams began, in the mysterious providence of God, to be fulfilled, when they bowed themselves low and reverently before this august personage, " the lord of the country," little conceiving that he was the brother whom they had so long ago sold for a slave, and supposed to be long since dead. Him they could not know: but he knew them .at once, and controlled with a strong effort the generous emotions which filled his bosom. Ignorant of their present state of feeling, he was apparently alarmed at the absence of his j own brother Benjamin. He could not but j fear that they might have acted treacherously towards him also; and this probably induced him to make those experiments upon their present dispositions which form so remark- able a portion of this striking history. By assuming an austere manner and charg- ing them as spies, he succeeded in eliciting from them such an account of themselves, as informed him that his aged father was still living, and that his brother Benjamin tarried with him at home. The governor of Egypt could not but have been touched when they described themselves as " twelve brethren, the i sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and behold the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not." Still, however, maintaining the tone he had assumed, Joseph persisted in his charge, and required as a proof of their statement that one of their number should be sent back for the absent brother, while the rest were de- tained as prisoners in Egypt. They were then thrust away ignominiously to the prison- house, and kept there the following night. But in the morning Joseph again sent for them, and in a milder tone they were assured that, if they were indeed true men, no harm should happen to them ; and it was decided that they should all be allowed to go back ex- cepting one, who should be detained as hostage for their return to Egypt with their youngest brother. Dismayed at the predica- ment in which they had become involved, the brethren looked one upon another, and the same thought rose at once to their minds, that at length the cry of their brother's blood had been heard in heaven ; and that at length the punishment of their sin had come upon them. This they said aloud to one another in their own language ; and little did they think that the illustrious person before whom they were heard and understood, and that their words struck upon his heart : he turned away land wept. Joseph's brethren dipping his coat in blood. — Gen. xxxvii. 31. 60 JACOB'S GRIEF. The brethren departed, leaving Simeon be- hind. The sacks which they had brought were filled with corn, and a further supply for the road was given to them. Thus they re- turned to their father; and on opening their several sacks, were astonished and somewhat alarmed to find in them not only the grain, but the money which they had paid for it. This in some degree confirmed the report which they made to their father of the strange and harsh conduct of the man — the lord of the country. Jacob, however, could not endure the idea of sending Benjamin with them to Egypt : " Me have ye bereaved of my chil- dren," said he, mournfully: "Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and now ye will take Ben- jamin away : all these things are against me!" But he was mistaken. All these things were for him. All were working together for the good of him and his. Taking Back the Money. The question stood over for a time ; but when the supply of corn was exhausted the matter could no longer be delayed. The brethren were in too much dread of the aus- tere personage in Egypt to yield to the press- ing instances of their father, who urged them to go without Benjamin; and, finding that their firmness in this point could not be overcome, he gave a reluctant and sorrowing consent. This time no precaution was omitted which was deemed likely to soothe and satisfy the harsh " ruler of Egypt." They took back again the money which had been found in their sacks ; and they bore from Jacob a pres- ent of the choice products of Palestine, which he knew must be acceptable in Egypt. It consisted of" a little balm, a little honey, spices, and myrrh, pistachio-nuts, and almonds." They returned to Egypt and stood once more in the presence of Joseph. No sooner did he perceive them and discover that his Benjamin, the son of his mother, was among them, than he directed his steward to " slay, and make ready " a sufficient feast, for that all these men should dine with him at noon. They were accordingly conducted to the great | man's residence, where water was given them ! to wash their weary feet. Joseph came home at noon, and finding them in waiting, spoke to j them. He asked if their father, the old man [ of whom the\ r had told him, was well ; and | they bowed themselves very low, and an- j swered, " Thy servant, our father, is in good 1 health." He then seemed first to observe 1 Benjamin, and asked, " Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me ? " and, without waiting an answer, said, " God bless ! thee, my son : " and then, dreading to display his mastering emotions, he hastily withdrew, I to give vent to them in his chamber. Singular Customs. At the dinner which followed it seems that, ; although the brethren sat in the same room,, they did not sit and eat together with Joseph, who sat apart by himself, while his Egyptian j friends also sat apart by themselves. The reason for this is given : " Because the Egyp- ' tians might not eat bread with the Hebrews ; for that is an abomination to the Egyptians." Not merely as Hebrews, however, but as for- eigners. And this is remarkably in accordance with Herodotus, who tells us that the Egyp- tians abstained from all familiar intercourse with foreigners, since these were unclean to them, because they slew and ate the animals which were sacred among the Egyptians. That Joseph also sat alone, and not with the other Egyptians, is strictly in accordance with the great difference of rank and with the spirit of caste which prevailed among the Egyp- , tians. The brethren were placed according to their seniority by the steward of the household, from the secret intimations of Joseph ; and at j this they were much astonished, as the dif- ference of age between many of them was too slight to be distinguishable in their persons. | A mess for each was sent from the table be- fore Joseph, and, according to Eastern custom, he distinguished Benjamin by sending five times as much to him as to the others. The manner in which the Egyptians sat at meat, I by ones or twos, at small, low tables, is pictured THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 61 in the ancient tombs, and throws much light on this description. Notwithstanding this apparent friendliness of their illustrious host, the sons of Jacob were by no means free from anxiety and alarm. They were, therefore, exceedingly glad when they found themselves safely on the road home the next day, laden with the desired corn, their hostage Simeon having been re- stored to them. Their joy was of short dura- tion ; for they were soon overtaken by the well-known steward of Joseph's household, who roughly charged them with having stolen his master's silver cup — " the cup out of which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he di- vineth." This last clause may require ex- planation. Jamblichus, in his book on " Egyp- tian Mysteries," mentions the practice of divining by cups ; and that this superstition, together with many others, has survived from the most ancient times, is shown by a remark- able passage in " Norden's Travels." When this author, with his companions, had arrived at Dehr, the most remote extremity of Egypt, or rather in Nubia, where they were able to deliver themselves from a perilous situation by great presence of mind, they sent one of their company to a malicious and powerful Arab to threaten him. He answered, " I know what sort of people you are. I have consulted my cup, and found in it that you are from a people of whom one of our prophets has said : There will come Franks under every kind of pretence to spy out the land," the very same charge that was alleged against Jacob's sons. The Silver Cup The sons of Jacob felt themselves deeply wronged by such a charge, of which every one among them knew himself to be entirely innocent. They invited a search, and loudly consigned to death every one with whom the cup might be found, declaring that they also would then remain the slaves of Joseph. But the steward waived this excess of zeal, by declaring that only the actual thief should re- main a bondman, and the rest should be blameless. The search then beean. The sacks were opened in succession, beginning with that of the eldest, and not small was their triumph as sack after sack was opened without the missing property being found. | But fearfully was their triumph checked when the steward produced the silver cup from the last of the sacks which he had examined — the sack of Benjamin. It had been placed there by the steward himself, on the order of his master. Now came the trying point, by which Joseph was to know whether twenty-two years had passed over them in vain. He per- haps expected that they would abandon Benjamin to his fate, and hasten home. It was far otherwise. It is not clear whether they believed or not that Benjamin had stolen the cup. They probably believed it; and in that case their conduct appears the more en- titled to admiration. They thought of their father, and of his last words : — " If mischief befall him [Ben- jamin] by the way which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave." They rent their clothes in the anguish of their hearts, and, hastily relading their beasts, returned with their brother to the city. Joseph Making Himself Known. On reaching Joseph's house, they fell on the ground before him, and, in answer to his stern rebuke, they repeated the proposal they had before made — that all should remain his bondmen ; but they did not this time suggest that the actual criminal should die. But Joseph declared that this would be unjust : he would detain the culprit, but they were free to depart. This drew forward Judah, who had in an especial manner made himself responsible to his father for the safe return of Benjamin ; and it was probably the confidence of Jacob in his strength of character, that drew from him the reluctant consent which he at length gave that Benjamin should share the perils of the journey. Never was the confidence of a father in the high qualities and the honor of a son more 62 JOSEPH SENDS FOR BENJAMIN. worthily bestowed. Judah stood forward, and, in a strain of the most powerful and touching eloquence, stated the case exactly as it stood with respect to his father and Benja- min, in a manner full of those natural touches and circumstances which go home to every heart, and which a heart so tenderly interested as that of Joseph could not possibly with- stand. He concluded with imploring that Benjamin might be allowed to return, and that he, who had become the surety for him, might remain a bondman in his stead. Over- come by the emotions which the speech of Judah had roused. Joseph could no longer support the part he had been acting. He wept aloud, and made himself known to them — " I am Joseph. — Doth my father yet live ? " Perceiving the confusion which this announce- ment produced among them, he hastened to reassure them and to relieve their minds, by declaring his conviction that they, in follow- ing the impulses of their blind will, had been the unconscious instruments of accomplishing the purposes of God; whose providence had marked out for him the greatness to which he had attained, and the high duties which he had accomplished. He then proceeded to explain to them the length of time which the dearth was still to continue : and that the only course for them was to migrate to Egypt, where it would be in his power to provide every comfort and convenience for them during this terrible and trying season. He apprised them, however, that "every shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians ; " on which account he would procure a district called " the land of Goshen " to be assigned them, in which they might live apart, and follow their own pastoral modes of life. We have seen that foreigners, as such, were disliked by the Egyptians ; and we may understand the further aversion, now in- timated, to apply particularly to those foreign- ers who followed the pastoral mode of life, and whose aggressive character (as at present in the Bedouin Arabs) and unsettled habits rendered them odious to the Egyptians. That shepherds of every kind were despised by that people is shown by the fact that the artists of Upper and Lower Egypt vie with each other in caricaturing them whenever their figures are introduced in the pictured tombs. Joseph ended his explanation by embracing and weeping over his brother Ben- jamin without restraint. He kissed them all, and they then talked more calmly together. It was gratifying to know that when the news transpired that Joseph's brethren had come, every one was pleased at a circumstance calculated to give him satisfaction. The king himself shared this pleasure, and, on receiving an explanation from Joseph, he expressed much kind interest in the welfare and preser- vation of the family, and directed that every facility should be given for their migration to Egypt and their settlement in Goshen. "I Will Go and See Hiui Before I Die." Well supplied with provisions for the journey, and with cars in which the women and children might be the more conveniently removed, the brethren set out with lightened hearts for the land of Canaan. As they drew near the patriarchal camp, some of them hastened on to announce the glad tidings to their father. This they did somewhat ab- ruptly : — " Joseph (said they) is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt ! " The aged man could not readily believe this, and " his heart fainted within him." But they proceeded to explanations ; and when he saw a confirmation of their marvellous story in the approach of the carriages, he could no longer disbelieve : his spirit revived, and he said, " It is enough — Joseph my son is yet alive — I will go and see him before I die." Accordingly Jacob, began his journey to Egypt, with all his family and all his posses- sions. On the way he paused at the old station of his family in Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to God upon the altar where his fathers had worshipped. In the following night, God appeared to him, and encouraged him in the important movement he was then making. He was assured that his family should in Egypt grow rapidly into a nation. THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 63 and as a nation should go forth thence to take possession of the land of Canaan. Thus cheered, Jacob proceeded on his way to the land of Goshen, on the borders of which he was met by his long-lost and late-restored son, who had hastened in his chariot to meet him when apprised of his approach. Who shall describe the emotions of that great interview ? The sacred historian does not attempt it. He simply tells us that Joseph Pharaoh. The king asked them about their occupation; and they answered, "Thy ser- vants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers." The king then told Joseph to place them in the land of Goshen, or in any other part of Egypt that seemed best to him ; adding, " And if thou knowest any men of activity among them, make them rulers over my cattle." Subsequently Jacob himself had an audience of the king, who, struck by his EMBALMING THE BODY OF JOSEPH. Gen. 1. 26. "presented himself" (reverently) before his father, and then " he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while ; " and so soon as strong feeling left vent for words, Israel said to Joseph, " Now, let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive ! " Not long after, Joseph introduced five of his brethren to the king. He doubtless selected those whose appearance he deemed likely to make a favorable impression upon venerable appearance, asked him, " How old art thou ? " And Jacob answered, " The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years : few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." The respect for honorable age was strong in Egypt : and it is observable that Jacob was granted a separate audience ; that he omitted the usual formula of address, " thy servant; " and that, 04 DEATH OF JACOB. as became a man of his age, he " blessed Pharaoh " on quitting his presence. Now the seven years of famine were suc- ceeded by many years of great and compensa- ting plenty; but the position of Joseph does not appear to have been in anywise affected by the cessation of the special services for which power had been given to him. There is no intimation that down to the time of his death his influence in the government of Egypt had been in any respect impaired. A Pathetic Scene. About seventeen years after the family of Israel had been settled in Goshen, the news of his father's illness induced Joseph to hasten thither with his two sons Manasseh and Eph- raim. The dying patriarch raised himself up in his bed to receive his ever best beloved son. After mutual endearments, Jacob related to his son the promises of God, from which he gathered the assured conviction that his pos- terity was to become a great nation, destined not to remain in Egypt, but to inherit the land promised to him and to his fathers. This, while it reminded Joseph of the true position of his family in Egypt — that of sojourners, and not settlers — enhanced the value of his de- clared intention to adopt the two sons of Joseph as his own children, thereby to give to him a double share through them in the heritage. The eyesight of Jacob had failed from very age — but he became aware that others were present, and being told by Joseph " They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place," he desired them to be brought near to him. He kissed and embraced them with all the tenderness of one who beheld in them fresh memorials of that dear Rachel, whose presence to his aged mind even in these final moments is touchingly evinced by the words which had just before fallen from him, without any ap- parent connection with the subject, save that which existed in the depths of his own heart : "As for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the way . . . and I buried her there, in the way to Ephrath." Having intimated his intention to bestow on his grandsons the blessing to which so much importance was in those times attached, Joseph placed them before him, properly, as he thought — the eldest, Manasseh, being placed opposite his right hand : but Jacob, blind as he was, crossed his hands so as to place his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, the youngest ; and when Joseph, supposing this a mistake, attempted to alter this position of his hands, remarking that the other was the eldest, Jacob persisted, saying, " I know it, my son, I know it : he also shall become a people, and he also shall become great : but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he." His blessing was given accordingly, and how remarkably its purport was accomplished in the relative destinies of the tribes which sprang from Ephraim and Manasseh will ap- pear hereafter. After this Jacob's other sons, who had been summoned to the bedside of the dying pa- triarch, also arrived, and he bestowed upon them blessings significantly and distinctively applicable to each of them, and to the tribes which should spring from them. The final scene of his eventful life cannot be related in other words than those of the sacred historian : "And when Jacob had made an end of com- manding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. And Joseph fell upon his face, and wept upon him, and kissed him." Jacob was aged one hundred and forty-seven years at the time of his death, in the year 1689 b. c. The death of the father of so great a man as Joseph could not pass without much note in Egypt; and the circumstances indicated are in the most exact conformity with the usages of that country as described by ancient historians and represented on ancient monuments. The body of Jacob received the embalmment of a prince, as we know from the fact that forty days were taken up by the different processes. These forty days, and the thirty days follow- ing, together seventy days, the Egyptians ob- served as days of public mourning, which also THE THRILLING STORY OF JOSEPH. 65 indicates that the ceremonies were scarcely less than those which attended the death of royal personages ; for we are told by Herodotus that " when a king died, all the Egyptians raised a general lamentation, tore their garments, closed the temples, offered no sacrifices, celebrated no festivals for seventy-two days." Jacob had strictly enjoined Joseph to de- posit his remains in the family sepulchre near Hebron, in the land which his descendants were to possess. Thither it was therefore con- veyed in great state, being attended not only by the family of the patriarch, but by a large body of Egyptians with chariots and horses : and their presence and numbers gave a char- acter so much Egyptian to the proceeding, that when the party paused in " the threshing- floor of Atad " to celebrate a final mourning of seven days before consigning the body to 5 the sepulchre, the neighboring inhabitants re- marked, "this is a great mourning for the Egyptians ; " whence the place received the name of "Abel-Mitzraim," " the mourning of the Egyptians." Joseph himself outlived his father about fifty-four years, and died (1635 B. c.) at the age of one hundred and ten years. Before his death he called his brethren around him, and after expressing his firm conviction that their descendants would eventually be re- moved from Egypt to their promised posses- sion, he took a solemn oath from them, that when that time came, they would take away his bones with them, and not leave them be- hind in Egypt. After death, the corpse of Joseph was embalmed, and deposited in one of those coffins or mummy-cases which the recent spoliations of Egyptian sepulchres have in this day made familiar to us. CHAPTER VI. EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. ONG time the Hebrews remained in Goshen, where they increased with astonishing rapid- ity, and followed their old pastoral modes of life, without altogether neglecting agriculture. About thirty -eight years after the death of Joseph a new dynasty, probably from Upper Egypt, obtained possession of the throne of Lower Egypt, which we are to regard as the Egypt of the patriarchal history. To the new dynasty the services of Joseph, and the cir- cumstances attending the introduction of his family could not be altogether unknown. But they were not recognized, not appreciated, not understood with that fulness of apprehension which would belong to those who were de- scended from and connected with the kings and princes who were Joseph's contempo- raries. But the phenomenon of a people so different in character, habits, and religion as the He- brews, residing within a frontier much exposed to aggression from tribes of similar habits to theirs, and with whom they might be supposed to have a common sympathy and interest, drew the attention and excited the fears of the new government. It was apprehended, in the words of the new king, " that when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us." These words were spoken perfectly in accordance with the state of things in Egypt. Fruitful and cultivated Egypt has for its natural enemies the inhabitants of the neighboring deserts, and it is never in greater peril than when these enemies find allies among its own inhabitants. It was therefore determined to adopt a re- pressive policy towards the Israelites, with a view of checking their alarmingly rapid increase and to break their spirit of independence. Hard and constant labor was judged the means best suited to this end ; and they were, there- fore, in fact, enslaved, and compelled to labor on the public works. In that part of Egypt buildings are and were for the most part con- structed of bricks made of clay compacted with straw, and dried in the sun. There are even some pyramids built with this material. This explains how it was that the Egyptians are said to have " made the life of the Israelites bitter with hard bondage in mortar and in brick ; " nothing is said of stone. For the further illustration of this, it may be remarked that bricks were in Egypt made under the direction of the government„or of some person privileged by the crown, as appears by the stamp which is still found upon many of them. A great multitude of strangers were con- stantly employed in the brick-fields of Egypt, this being one of the servile employments in which the native Egyptians were too proud to labor ; or, in other words, the great number of slaves and captives made all unskilled labor too cheap to afford a rate of wages which they deemed adequate. We are not informed what works the Israelites constructed, excepting that " they built for Pharaoh treasure-cities, Pithom and Rameses." The latter, and probably the other, was in the land of Goshen, and they appear to have been fortified towns, erected in the land of the Hebrews for the purpose of keeping them in subjection, and of storing the portions of their pastoral or agricultural pro- duce which the Egyptian government required from them. These rigid measures by no means answered the desired object. The more the Israelites EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. 67 were oppressed " the more they multiplied and grew." The atrocious plan was then devised of destroying, through the mid wives, all the to issue a public order that every male child thenceforth born to the Hebrews should be cast into the river. MOSES IN HIS LITTLE LIFE-BOAT. — Ex. ii. 5. male children of the Hebrews in the birth ; but this plan of secret massacre having been frustrated by the reluctance of the midwives to be parties in it, the king no longer hesitated The Scripture and Josephus call our espe- cial attention to one particular family, that is the family of Amram. It appears that he was well connected among the Israelites ; that he 68 THE FINDING OF MOSES. married and had two children, a girl and a boy — the girl Miriam, the boy Aaron, before the murderous edict was issued which com- pelled the slaughter of all male children. When Moses was born there was of necessity great perplexity. Three months, it appears, they hid the child — condemned to death for the great offence of being born — and then it became essential they should do something with him. The time came when concealment was no longer possible. The truth is sus- pected — prying eyes are all about us, and hands ready to grasp blood-money. The law is hard and cruel ; our lives are. risked by sav- ing this young life. Wicked officials will de- mand his youthful existence as if it were a tax. Some envious and ill-natured neighbor has whispered a word : a child's cry has been heard ; somebody has listened to a half- smothered lullaby; an overseer, in insolent authority, has spoken and looked, perhaps, with ill-conditioned rudeness into the face of Miriam. They were sorry times. The Bulrush Cradle. The girl and mother work together a light basket-work cradle all covered with bitumen, and they place the smiling child within it ; and Miriam, in all the bitterness of her heart, floats the precious treasure on the cruel Nile, and then, at a little space, stands watching. The mother cannot watch — she cannot bear the sight which may be seen ; she would her- self run forth and, daring all things, bring de- struction on her house. Better she should be at home, while dutiful, ever-patient and tender- hearted Miriam stays to see the end. All about the Nile the scenery is strikingly beautiful, but there would be no novelty to the girl who kept watch by the ark of papyrus or bulrush ; and, even had there been novelty, she would be in no mood to wonder at the natural grandeur she beheld. She waits there pensive and lonely. Sometimes a great sense of shame and grief at the outrages to which her people are exposed will make her almost ready to neglect her charge, and think it well if there he died — never to know bondage ; but the girl has a deep trust in Heaven's eternal justice. Perhaps a deliverer may come. Yonder is a family, the eldest — a lad of twelve — tending a mixed flock of sheep and goats ; one of the lads is playing on a reed pipe, and they seem as happy as lambs ; the anxious sister glances once towards them, and one of the children runs in the direction the ark has taken. There is soft music, and with solemn pomp a stately procession is seen ad- vancing to the river. Ethiopian slaves bear- ing fans and screens ; the princess of the land, a company of women in attendance. The guard and the musicians are left behind as her highness approaches the sacred stream, and the princess draws near the spot where the holy prayer is to be said to the divine water. A moment, and she notices the strange object, only partially concealed by the long rushes : quick the order, speedy the response : the little ark is before her, is opened, and she sees and understands it all. A Motherly Princess. Doubtless this poor little one is a child of the alien race, over whom a mother's heart has yearned ; a mother who, in the last part- ing moments, has done what she could to save her infant's life. And as the princess gazes on the child it weeps. The appeal of tears is powerful to all hearts not yet grown callous to every good feeling; the appealing cry of a child is most touching. The tears awoke compassion in the heart of the royal lady — she would save the child Moses; he has been rescued from the waters ; but how to act is the strange difficulty. Princess though she be, how can she openly defy the law ? How can she have the child at once carried to the king's court and there attended? It must not be. One of the alien race, it is suggested, may be found to nurse the child, and by-and-by the princess will claim him as her adopted son, separate him from his people, and make him heir to all that would be his were he her own child. But how to go among these people — how to send one of her own women ? See, here in this girl we may find a messenger. EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. 69 Quick, O sister, the hour has come to save thy brother and to restore him to his mother's arms ; quick, O sister, lest the opportunity be lost! Affection makes us brave. Miriam would have shrunk from the groups of proud ladies .and the noble princess, but her infant brother was in their midst. Could she discover some sage and tender-hearted woman who would play the mother to this poor outcast child ? Yes; her highness the princess might com- mand her; there was one, Amram's wife, a trusty woman ; she was all qualified to carry -out the royal behest. Then so it should be : let the woman rear the child — she should, when of sufficient age, bring it to the palace, and her wages should be good. The Babe Kestored to its Mother. Good wages ! how the mother's heart re- joiced when the little one she had laid with sighs and tears alive in its tiny coffin was in her arms again — wages enough, full surely; and proud was she of her daughter's ready wit ; and there was a seriousness on Miriam as if she felt great things would come of this. There is much that is beautiful in tender, sisterly affection ; there is no passion in it ; unlike a mother, unlike a wife, and, most of all, unlike a woman sought in marriage, is the pure, clear, heavenly love of sister for brother. And Miriam loved her brother Moses with a depth and earnestness of affection that it is sometimes painful to witness. It seemed to her as if she had rescued him from death : as if her very life were bound up with his ; and painful indeed was the thought that they would so soon be separated. There would be another and a very distress- ing thought in the mind of the girl : her brother would be taught a strange and Pagan creed ; how could she hope that in his very •early years such impressions could be made that would be lasting? It was a grievous trouble, a deep grief; but all was done that could be done, and the boy, when he could speak but imperfectly, was swift to learn. Still the long, dread ordeal was before the child. The people among whom he was to be brought up were immersed in Paganism; they were said to surpass all men in the honor they paid to their gods. Prominence was given to religious subjects in the sculptures which crowded their temples and tombs ; religion- was immediately blended with education; their sacred rites were conducted with great state and ceremony, and the priesthood possessed marvellous dig- nity and power. To all these influences the child Moses would be subjected, and who could foresee any other result than that he should succumb, adopt the faith of his patrons, and turn haughtily from the simple creed of his fathers ? Miriam and her Brother. And Miriam — would she tell the boy again and again of the land from which their people had come out, and to which, with much honor and glory, they were to be some day brought back- ? The earliest impressions are indubitably the most lasting. A child, we are taught, learns more before it is four years old than it ever learns afterwards, even in the longest lifetime. Moses never forgot the teachings of his sister and mother. The time came for him to go away, and in a burst of grief he would take farewell of the dear home. It is not nec- essary here to follow Miriam as she pours out much of her tenderness on the bold boy Aaron, and endeavors to alleviate her mother's sorrow, and ease her father's load of care. In the court of Pharaoh, Moses was well instructed, according to Josephus ; his under- standing became superior to his age, nay, far beyond that standard ; and when he was taught he discovered greater quickness of ap- prehension than was usual. " God did also give him that tallness when he was but three years old, as was wonderful ; and for his beauty there was nobody so unpolite as, when they saw Moses, not to be greatly surprised at the beauty of his countenance ; nay, it happened frequently that those who met him as he was carried along the road were obliged to turn again upon seeing the child, that they left what they were about, and stood still a great 70 THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH. while to look on him; for the beauty of the I dom ; " and when she had said this she put child was so remarkable and natural to him on | the infant into her father's hands, so he took many accounts that it detained the spectators, and made them stay longer to look upon him." This is the historical record, and him and hugged him close to his breast, and on his daughter's account, in a pleasant way r put his diadem upon his head ; but Moses MOSES BEFORE PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER. — Ex. ii. IO. Josephus goes on to tell us that the daughter of Pharaoh carried Moses to her father, saying, " I have brought up a child who is of a divine form and of a generous mind, and as I have received him of the bounty of the river, in a wonderful manner, I thought proper to adopt him for my son, and the heir of thy king- ' threw it down on the ground, and in a puerile mood he wreathed it round and trod upon it with his feet ; which seemed to bring along with it an evil presage concerning the kingdom of Egypt.' " Moses obtained a royal home. The fair princess who found the weeping child by the EARLY LIFE OF MOSES. 71 river's brink adopted him, and he was brought up as the son of the king's daughter. We may be sure that as such he received the high- est education which the most educated nation in the world could give. We are, indeed, expressly told that he was " learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." We are also in- formed that he was " mighty in word and in deeds." What these deeds were we do not know, but the Jews believe that he was, on more than one occasion, intrusted with the command of the Egyptian armies, and gained great victories over the enemies of Egypt. He, -however, was aware of -his. origin, and acquainted with his own family. He knew the destinies of Israel, and a part with them seemed to him more desirable than the glories of Egypt. We are told that " By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choos- ing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." But whether this refers to some- thing which occurred before that visit to his brethren in Goshen, which the regular narra- tive records, or is deduced from the conse- quences of that visit, we have no means of knowing. At all events, when he was forty years old (i 53 1 b. c.) Moses paid this visit, and examined, with that largeness of view which belonged to him, the condition of his people. They seemed to have remained in the same enslaved condition in which they had been left by the first decree of the Egyp- tian king, but the edict respecting the destruc- tion of the male children had not continued long in operation, having been withdrawn probably at the solicitation of the princess. Moses was much grieved and exasperated at the condition to which he beheld the de- scendants of Abraham reduced; and when on one occasion he saw an Egyptian smiting an Israelite, his indignation was so highly kindled that he slew the oppressor, and afterwards hid the body in the sand. This he did doubtless to save the Israelites, to whom the act would not fail to be attributed, from the consequences. The next day Moses had one, among other, of those opportunities of perceiving how the iron of the Egyptian bondage had eaten into the soul of his countrymen, which probably occasioned his reluctance at a future day to undertake the task of their deliverance. One object of the tyranny to which they were subject had been fulfilled. Their spirit was broken, their souls had fallen into bondage ; and there was nothing they so much dreaded as the displeasure of their tyrants, and they regarded with apprehension and dislike any person or any act, however generous in char- acter or noble in motive, that seemed likely to draw upon them the unfavorable notice of their taskmasters. Perceiving two Israelites strug- gling with each other, he said to the one who was apparently in the wrong, " Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow ? " To which the other replied tauntingly, " Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyp- tian ? " He fled ; and his course was directed towards that region which was in after years the scene of his glory. He made his way to the country bordering on the eastern arm of the Red Sea, which was anciently called the ^Elanitic Gulf, and now the Gulf of Akaba. Arrived in the land of Southern Midian, the exile rested beside a well, and while he sat there the daughters of the emir and priest of Midian, Jethro by name, arrived to water their father's flock. They had drawn up the water and filled the troughs, when some shepherds came and drove them off These churlish shepherds were proceeding to give to their flocks the water which had been drawn when Moses interposed, and himself watered the maidens' flock. They failed not to report this kindness of" the Egyptian," as Moses appeared in their eyes, to their father, Jethro, who sent to offer him the hospitalities of his house. In the end Moses consented to remain with Jethro and take the charge of his flocks ; and ere long he obtained in marriage one of Jethro's daughters, named Zipporah, by whom he had two sons. CHAPTER VII. THE DELIVERER OF ISRAEL. RTEVOUS oppressions were inflicted upon the Hebrews, and a timely deliverer was sent in the person of Moses. Forty years after he had quitted Egypt, and when he was eighty years of age, he led his flock, as usuai. into these favorite pastures, when one day he was much astonished to perceive a bush burning in the distance without being con- sumed. He drew near to see this great sight, when a miraculous voice from out the bush charged him to unloose the sandals from his feet— the Oriental mark of respect — because the ground on which he stood was holy. By this Moses might have guessed that he stood in the presence of that God who had so often appeared to his patri- archal fathers ; for only the presence of God could, in the sense intimated, render the ground holy. On this point he could not be long in doubt, for the Voice said : — " I am the God of thy father : the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And when Moses heard that, he hid his face, " for he was afraid to look upon God," or even upon the burning symbol of his glory. The divine Voice then proceeded to declare the object of this appearance. God had seen the grievous and still continued oppression of his people in Egypt, and the time for their deliverance was come. And they were to be delivered, and conducted to their promised heritage, not by the naked arm of God, but by that arm clothed with visible agencies, and acting through human instruments — a human deliverer. And who was he ? Moses himself was called to the glorious task (72) of bringing forth the people of God from the house of bondage, and he was encouraged to this undertaking by the assurance that all his personal enemies, all those who once sought his life in Egypt, were now dead, so that he might safely return thither. That the time was come for Israel to be delivered was matter of great joy to Moses; but time — forty years of pastoral occupation — had subdued the early ardor of him who had once been a self-ap- pointed redresser of Israel's wrongs, and had been prematurely anx ; ous to assume the task of a deliverer. The repulse which he then re- ceived sunk deep into his soul, and made him hopeless of rousing the spirit of a people so accustomed to their yoke, so enslaved in heart, as he knew them to be. But the Divine Being condescended to answer his objections, and reminded him that, in discharging the great duty to which he was now called, he would act in a power beyond his own. Thus assured, Moses nc longer declined the task imposed upon him. He rendered up his pastoral charge tc jethrc : and. taking his wife and children, turned his sreps towards Egypt. Before he reached that country, he was met by his eider brother Aaron, from whom he doubt- less received full information of the state of affairs in Egypt, and of the present condition and feeling" of the Israelites. Glad Tidings for the Hebrews. Arrived in Egypt, the brothers assembled the elders of Israel ; and Moses related the mission which he had received, and exhibited the miraculous powers which had been in- trusted to him to prove its truth. Then the people believed, " and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.'' THE DELIVERER OF ISRAEL. 73 After this, Moses and Aaron, attended by the chiefs of Israel, presented themselves be- fore the throne of Egypt, and demanded, in The insolent pride with which Pharaoh re- ceived the message communicated by Moses, "Who is Jehovah! that I should obey his THE BUSH THAT BURNED AND WAS NOT CONSUMED. Ex. iii. 2. the name of Jehovah, that his people should] voice, to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, go forth to hold a solemn sacrifice and festival neither will I let Israel go," and the obstinacy in the desert. I which he afterwards exhibits, when the Divine 74 PRIDE OF PHARAOH. punishments fall upon him one after another, in choosing rather to see the destruction of his land and people, than to yield — are proved by the monuments, which the Egyptians have left behind them, to be in accordance with the genuine spirit of a Pharaoh. A comparison of the representation of the victory of Remeses Mi-amun in Thebes, as explained by Champollion, is of special interest in this connection. The trophies of victory (the severed right hand, and other members of the body) are there laid at the feet of the king, who sits quietly in his chariot, while the horses are held by his officers, and addresses this haughty speech to his warriors : " Give yourselves to mirth ; let it rise to heaven. Strangers are dashed to the ground by my power. The terror of my name has gone forth ; their hearts are full of it. I appear be- fore them as a lion ; I have pursued them as a hawk ; I have annihilated their wicked souls ; I have passed over their rivers ; I have set fire to their castles ; I am to Egypt what the god Mandoo has been ; I have vanquished the bar- barians ; Amun-Re (the greatest of the Egyp- tian gods), my father, has subdued the whole world under my feet, and I am king on the throne for ever." The literal truth of this translation has indeed been disputed ; but the spirit which the speech breathes may easily be recognized from it. There is no doubt that the Egyptian kings, in their pride, named themselves kings of the whole world ; and it has been established by their monuments, that they, in this arrogance, claimed divine honors for themselves. Not only was the application made by Moses refused, but the exactions and the inflictions upon the Israelites were redoubled, to punish them for having made it. Hitherto they had been allowed straw with which to compact the bricks, the manufacture of which formed their chief labor; but now this was refused, and although much of their time was consumed in collecting the straw, the full tale of bricks was required from them ; and the officers of the children of Israel, whom the overseers of Pharaoh had placed over them, were beaten because the task was not performed. This scene is placed vividly before us by the Egyp- tians, who offer many representations of "labor stimulated by the persuasive powers of the stick," the efficiency of which cannot be doubted. Loud Murmuring of the People. The Hebrew people now began to complain against Moses and Aaron for having thus in- creased their troubles by their ill-considered demands ; and Moses himself complained to the Lord that the condition of the people had not been bettered, but rendered much worse by his interference. Then the word was given for that extraor- dinary series of visitations known as the plagues of Egypt, for the purpose of con- vincing the king of the power of the God whom the Hebrews served, and of the dread conse- quences of resisting his demand. The effect of some of these was weakened to the mind of Pharaoh by the impostures of his magicians, by whom some of them were simulated. But the terrible visitation which each plague brought could only be removed at the inter- cession of Moses ; and at that intercession they were successively removed, on promises from the king of attention and compliance, which were neglected so soon as the penal effects had ceased. Hence these visitations rose in se- verity, till the last terrible and overwhelming calamity produced the designed result. They were preceded by a sign, or miracle, performed in the presence of Pharaoh and his court, and intended to authenticate the divine mission which Moses had received. Attended by the elders of Israel, Moses and his brother Aaron again presented themselves before the king ; and the latter having cast down his rod upon the ground, it was at once changed into a serpent, in the sight of all that illustrious audience. Instead of yielding to the force of that evidence which this miracle conveyed, the king sent for his " wise men and •sorcerers," who " did in like manner with their enchant- ments ; for they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents." This hardened the king in the course he had marked out for AARON S ROD THAT WAS CHANGED TO A •Ex. vii. IO. 76 SERPENT-CHARMERS. himself; and although the inferiority of the seeming miracle of the magicians was evinced by the fact of Aaron's serpent-rod swallowing up theirs, the king persuaded himself that he had an excuse for withholding his consent to the demand made in the name of Jehovah. We are expressly told that the " wise men " of Egypt performed their simulated wonder by " enchantment," which word denotes not merely magical agencies, but any kind of leg- erdemain, or scientific or artistical contrivance. The Egyptian priests were deeply learned in all the secrets of nature and art, which were hidden from their contemporaries, and which, indeed, they treasured up as mysteries peculiar to their order, and to which none but the highest members, even of that order, were ad- mitted. There is no manner of doubt that it Avas by such means that they were enabled to imitate, in appearance, some of the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron. Wonders Performed by Magicians. This counter-wonder of the Egyptian magi- cians was founded on the peculiar condition of Egypt: and much more so was the Mosaic sign ; for through it the prophet was furnished with power to perform that which the magi- cians of Egypt most especially gloried in, and by which they most of all supported their authority. The charming of serpents has been native to Egypt, from the most ancient even to the present time ; and although the art is now be- held by us without those sacred associations which invested it with awe and wonder in and after the time in which Moses lived, enough remains to enable us to form some conception of the effects then produced. Even those who have entered upon an examination of the subject with the most absolute unbelief, such as the scientific commissioners attached to the French army in Egypt, have been forced into the conviction, that there was something in it, which their philosophy could not reach, and which compelled them to con elude that the Psylli (as these serpent-charmers were anciently called) were in the possession of some secret charm, which placed them in a condition to bring about the most wonderful consequences. It was at first believed that they removed the teeth of serpents and the stings of scorpions, that they might handle them with impunity ; but this suspicion has been disproved by repeated examination. Indeed, this wondrous art is still a mystery; it descends from father to son, and the serpent-charmers in Egypt form an association claiming to be the only individuals who are able to charm serpents or free houses from them. Their sleight of hand is marvelous. They are able, according to their assertions, to make the Haje (the species of serpent they espe- cially make use of in their tricks) rigid as a staff, and to appear as if dead ; and then, at pleasure, make them relax into vitality again. An eminent naturalist, Col. C. Hamilton Smith, informs us that the inflation of which this serpent is capable can, by a peculiar press- , ure on the neck, be rendered so intensely rigid, that the serpent can be held out hori- zontally, as if it were a rod ; and that the resto- ration of vitality is produced by liberating the animal, or by throwing it on the ground. This seems quite to explain how the magi- cians were able to make their real serpents appear, at first, as rods, which, when cast upon the ground, recovered their vital action, imitat- ing, by reversed effects, the deed of Aaron, whose real rod became a serpent. Plagues Sent Upon Egypt. Then began the plagues. The first changed into blood the pleasant waters of the health- giving Nile; and although they succeeded in apparently turning some water into blood, they were not able to reverse the miracle, as Moses did when signs of contrition were manifested by the king. We are not required to understand that by this miracle the waters of Egypt were changed into real blood, but only to a blood-red color; so that the blood here is the same as the " water red as blood " described in the Second Book of Kings. That there is found something analogous to this in the natural phenomena of Egypt THE DELIVERER OF ISRAEL 77 has long since been related. It is admitted that the waters of the Nile, a short time before the inundation, take a green, and at the be- ginning of the inundation a red color. The cause of this change has not been fully in- vestigated. In common years the water when it is green and when it is red is drinkable : but sometimes, in years of great heat, this peculiarity of the water becomes a great calamity, as it then becomes so offensive that in the ordinary course of nature ; rind still more, in the extraordinary character of the visi- tation, indicated by the fact that all the fish in the river died, which effect never ensues from the natural reddening of the waters. There is an intended emphasis in the in- formation that " the Egyptians loathed to drink the waters of the river," which must not be overlooked. It is founded upon the im- portance which the Nile water has for the THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS. — Ex. X. 12. people of delicate stomachs cannot drink it, and content themselves with well-water. If that calamity which came at the word of Moses were the same as this, then the wonder would consist in its coming in at the time ap- pointed by the prophet ; in its coming not, as usual, gradually, but suddenly, at the moment when his rod was lifted up; and in the time itself not being the usual time, which is about the middle of the year, but many months sooner than it has ever been known to occur Egyptians, and upon the almost passionate love of the inhabitants of Egypt for it. The water of the Nile is, in fact, the only drinkable water in Egypt ; for the water of the few wells is distasteful and unwholesome. The Turks find this water so pleasant, that they are said to eat salt on purpose to be able to drink the I more of it. They are accustomed to say, that I if Mohammed had drunk thereof, he would have asked an immortality on earth, that he might always drink of this water. THE TEN PLAGUES. If the Egyptians undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca, or travel elsewhere, they speak of nothing but the delight which they shall ex- perience when, on their return, they shall again drink the pleasant water of their great river. Under due reference to these circum- stances we shall perceive the peculiar force of the terms employed in describing the Egyp- tians as loathing the water which they usually prefer before all the water in the world ; and as choosing rather to drink well-water, which is in their country so unpleasant. The second plague brought frogs in myriads upon every pleasant place in Egypt; and although the magicians simulated this miracle also, Moses only, at a time previously ap- pointed, could remove the evil. Repeated Calamities. The third plague was formed by gnats, which are even in ordinary years very trouble- some in Egypt, and the vast increase of which must have rendered life insupportable. In trying to imitate this, the magicians failed, and they acknowledged " This is the finger of God." But the heart of Pharaoh was still hardened. Then came the fourth plague, that of the " flies," — probably the dog-fly, which is re- markably troublesome in Egypt, from its dis- position to alight upon the edge of the eye- lid. This brought Pharaoh to urge the Hebrews to keep their feast and offer their sacrifices in Egypt. But Moses answered — " It is not meet so to do ; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God : lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us ? " This is usually understood to mean that the Egyp- tians would be offended by the Israelites offer- j ing the same animals which they worshipped. But an accomplished German divine, Heng- stenberg, has suggested a very different view. He argues that " the designation ' abomina- tion ' is not appropriate to the consecrated .animals." This indicates that the animals which the Israelites slaughtered were not considered too good, but too bad for offerings. The animals which were commonly taken among the Israel- ites for offerings were also among the Egyp- tians not sacred. The only one of the larger domestic animals which was usually regarded as sacred by them was the cow ; and this was not offered by the Israelites, except under peculiar and unusual circumstances. The offence was, rather, that the Israelites omitted the inquiry concerning the cleanness of ani- mals, which was practised with the greatest caution by the Egyptians. That only clean animals were offered by the Egyptians, Herod- otus says, in that remark-able passage where he acquits the Egyptians from the imputation of offering human sacrifices: " For since they are not allowed to sacrifice any animals except the swine and the bullock and calves, namely, those that are clean among them, and the goose, how can they offer men ? " What stress they laid upon cleanness, and how truly it was considered an abomination to offer an unclean animal, is seen from the same author. Only a red ox could be offered, and a single black hair rendered it unclean. They also placed dependence on a multitude of marks besides this ; the tongue, the tail, were accu- rately examined. Every victim, after a pre- scribed examination, in confirmation of its fit- ness, was sealed on the horns ; and to offer an unsealed ox was prohibited on pain of death. Under the fifth plague the animals of Egypt were smitten by a grievous murrain, while those of the Israelites sustained no harm. The plague of boils and blains upon the bodies of all the Egyptians, including the magicians, was the sixth. It was miraculous chiefly in its circumstances and in its extent ; the disease itself having been so common in Egypt, that, elsewhere, it is described as " the boil of Egypt." The seventh plague was a tremendous tem- pest of hail, by which men and cattle were slain, the trees broken, and the produce of the fields crushed down. The whole crop of the flax and the barley was smitten, for it had grown up; but the wheat and spelt escaped, PLACING THE MARK OF BLOOD UPON THE DOOR-POST. Ex. xii. 7. 79 80 THE TEN PLAGUES. as these came later to maturity. No hail fell in the land of Goshen, which the Israelites inhabited. As the heart of Pharaoh was not moved by all these wonders, another plague was sent; it was that of the locusts, which came over the land in numbers without example, and speedily consumed every green thing which the hail had spared. Then, as the ninth plague, came a terrible darkness overall that sunny land — a darkness dense beyond description — and which allowed no one to stir from his place during the three days that it lasted. But all this time the Israelites had abundant light in Goshen. One plague more, the tenth — terrible, fatal, effectual — was threatened before it came, that timely submission might haply avert the doom. It was the death of all the first-born in Egypt, from the first-born of "the king upon his throne, to the first-born of the maid-servant behind the mill." God, who knew the effect of this terrible stroke, directed the institution of a festival in commemoration of it, and that the Hebrews should stand ready for departure at the appointed time. The festival was called the Passover, because the destroying angel would pass over the doors marked with the blood of a lamb, which every Hebrew family was directed to slay, and eat in the posture of persons ready for a journey. Already, according to the divine direction, the Hebrews had borrowed of their Egyptian neighbors various articles and ornaments of gold and silver, with which, according to cus- tom, they might becomingly celebrate the great feast they were to hold in the wilderness. And by this time the renown of Moses had so spread among the people, and so lively a dread of his power was entertained, that the Israelites obtained freely whatever they asked. It is, indeed, evident from the whole narrative that the popular feeling among the Egyptians was by no means favorable to the course taken by the government in its obstinate and perilous refusal of the demand made in behalf of the Israelites. CHAPTER VIII. THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. ISTORY presents us with few events more startling than those which attended the ex- odus of the Hebrews from Egypt. The fatal night came — a night which formed a chief point of remembrance to the Jews in all succeeding genera- tions. That night the Passover was, for the first time, celebrated by them ; and in that night the first-born of all the Egyptians were smitten with in- stant death, so that no house was found in Egypt in which the most valued of its mem- bers had not died. Then a great cry arose in all the land, and the court, whatever might have been its own feeling, saw that the popular voice would no longer be controlled, and there- fore now, in this dreadful hour, the Hebrewc were not only permitted to quit Egypt, but were urged forth with importunity and haste. Of this haste some notion may be formed from the fact, that they were unable to bake or even to leaven the dough which they had prepared for bread, and which they therefore, took away with them as unleavened dough in their kneading-troughs. They were all assembled with their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen, in the dis- trict of Rameses, and before the day had dawned the vast host of the Israelites, of whom the adult males alone numbered six hundred thousand, marched forth from the land of Egypt, and proceeded northward into the wilderness. The last day of bondage and the first of freedom is the most important in the history of any nation. So the Israelites felt theirs to be, and the Almighty fixed it in their memory by institutions more durable than monuments of brass or marble. Such was the Passover, and such the new decree which consecrated to the service of the Lord all the first-born of Israel in memory of their being spared when all the first-born of Egypt died. As the southern parts of Palestine were oc- cupied by the Philistines and other warlike nations, it was deemed inexpedient to lead the undisciplined and encumbered Israelites in that direction, although it was the nearest and the most usual route. For this, among other reasons, the departing host took the road towards the Red Sea, the neighborhood of which they reached after three days' journey. This journey from the land of Goshen to the Red Sea has received much attention from Biblical geographers, who have scarcely suc- ceeded in relieving it from all the obscurity in which they found it involved. In a work of this description the questions connected with this and other points in the journey of the Israelites do not admit of critical examination, and we must be content to state the results of those investigations which appear to us to have led to the most probable conclusions. It is usual, when large parties prepare for a journey in the East, for all the travellers to assemble at a common rendezvous, where they arrange the details of the journey, and prepare for a regular start. Thus a place by the river of Ahava was the rendezvous of the exiles who returned to Judea under Ezra. And at the present day the great pilgrim caravan from Egypt to Mecca assembles at Birket-el-Hadj, or the Pilgrims' Pool, which some suppose may possibly have been the very place from which the Hebrews took their departure. In the present case the Hebrews knew well that they were to depart this night, and the point (81) 82 THE FIRST STATION. of rendezvous seems to have been at Succoth, i movement in more regular order to their destf- which was where they first halted after quitting | nation. As the name Succoth means " booths" THE DESTROYING ANGEL PASSING THROUGH EGYPT. Ex. Xvii. 29. Rameses. To this point they seem to have I or " tents," it is more than probable that it was hastened in detached parties, and there re- a well-known station for such purposes. Such ceived the organization necessary for their I places are usually but a short distance from THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. 83 the place which furnishes the principal number of pilgrims or travellers; and the first stage is therefore always short, being, in fact, only to the place of meeting. This ought to satisfy those who cannot un- derstand how the distance from Rameses to the border of the Red Sea could occupy three days ; the shortness of the first stage accounts for it. On the second day they arrived at " Etham, on the edge of the wilderness." This is usually identified with the place now called Adjeroud, which is at this day the third station of the great pilgrim caravan, and where there is an ancient fortress garrisoned by Egyptian troops, with a poor village and a copious well of water. Whether this be a cor- rect identification or not, Etham was undoubt- edly situated not far from the head of the Gulf of Suez; and in such a position, with reference to it, that the course taken from it determined the direction of the journey. Accordingly the Hebrew host here received orders to turn and encamp on the shore of the gulf, between the sea 'and the mountains by which it was en- closed, which was the best they could do. War-Chariots and Footmen. The Egyptian court seems to have watched the movements of the retiring host with great interest. The ostensible demand of the Israel- ites was to take three days' journey into the wilderness, and there offer their sacrifices to Jehovah. At Etham they had attained a point whatever movement they made from which would determine their real intentions. That their intention was not to keep their feast at Etham and then return to Egypt was evinced by their further movements. On learning this, the king resolved to pur- sue them and drive them back. In this de- sign he was encouraged by learning the very strange position in which they were encamped, where, as he said, " they are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them jn." He saw that from the position they had taken up, if he came upon them in the north, and cut off their retreat in that direction, they must of necessity be either driven into the sea or back to Egypt through the valley of Badea. Alas! he knew not that the God who protected the house of Israel was able to open a pathway through the waters for their deliverance. The facility with which the king assembled his forces, as soon as his resolution was formed, gives us an idea of the effective military or- ganization of the Egyptians, which is amply confirmed and illustrated by histories and monuments. The " chosen " chariots of war were in number six hundred. These " chosen" chariots doubtless formed the guard of the king; other chariots are mentioned, but not the number, which must be estimated in this proportion. We have no reason to suppose this number overwhelming; but that it com- posed such a body of this much dreaded force as seemed needful for the immediate service. That service was one for cavalry, and, con- formably to the accounts of the sacred his- torian, we now know that war-chariots com- posed the sole cavalry of Egypt. This formed the chief arm of Egypt's military strength, and was at once the force most suited to this ser- vice, and that of which a people of pastoral habits like the Israelites ' have always been found to stand in the most dread. The Hebrews Terrified. Accordingly when the Egyptian forces ac- tually made their appearance, the Hebrews seem not to have entertained the least notion of resistance, which indeed their position would scarcely, under any circumstances, have al- lowed. That position, however, protected them from being taken in flank by the Egyp- tians, who, on their part, finding their prey safe, as they thought, in the toils, were in no hurry to commence their operations, but rested themselves and their horses against the following day. The Israelites, when they saw the Egyp- tians, were filled with alarm and terror, until they were reassured by promises of a great deliverance, and a signal and final overthrow of their haughty pursuers. Accordingly, at the dead of night, the waters of the gulf were miraculously divided, and stood up on either 8 4 A REMARKABLE CLOUD. hand like a wall, to afford the surrounded I which turned its radiant side to the former, Hebrews a passage to the other side. Norland left the latter in utter darkness. 1ms MARVELLOUS PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA.— Ex. xiv. 22. as this all: for, to protect their rear, and to I " pillar of cloud " had been before and was uide their passage, there was a miraculous after, their guide, as a mass of cloud by day passage, cloud placed between them and the Egyptians, I and of flame by night. THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. 85 No sooner did the Egyptians perceive the escape of the Israelites, than, with unparal- leled hardihood, they hastened to pursue them by the open path through the waters. The whole host was in the channel, when He who had by His might upheld the waters, withdrew His hand, and instantly the vast void was filled, and the host of Pharaoh was over- whelmed by the returning waters. The ran- somed Hebrews stood safely on the other side, and witnessed this great overthrow and de- struction of their enemies. Their confidence in both their Divine and human leader was restored, and they heartily joined with Moses in the noble song of triumph with which he celebrated this great event, while all the vir- gins of Israel followed Miriam with timbrels, dances, and exulting chants for this signal deliverance. The Power that Parted the Waters. The reader is doubtless aware that there has been much dispute respecting the part of the Gulf of Suez at which the passage of the Israelites took place. The course of the account we have given has been to place it at a point several miles below the end of the gulf (probably at Ain Mousa), where the waters are of considerable depth. Many scholars and travellers have, however, strenuously con- tended that the passage took place at a point near Suez, where the ebb of the tide still leaves a practicable passage across the gulf. The difficulties of this notion are, to our minds, so insuperable, that it seems hard to understand how it can be held for a moment by the many gifted and pious persons by whom we know that it is entertained. If there ever was a special interposition of Divine Providence, or, in other words, a mir- acle, it was this passage of the Red Sea ; nor is there any single event in Scripture which the sacred writers so repeatedly declare to be such. The condition of the ford at Suez was either the same then as now, or it was not. If it was not, the grounds which are now alleged for making this the point of passage, rather than at any other place, could not then exist ; and if it were, there was no need of the miracle which is declared to have taken place ; and the sacred writers are subjected to the serious imputation of claiming as a miracle a natural phenomenon of daily occurrence. If they had made such a claim, as they did, while the persons who had actually passed the sea were still living, while they still remained in the neighborhood, and when the facts of the case could not be hidden from them, the prophet would have been laughed to scorn who told them they were delivered by a mir- acle. More than this; the Hebrews had been at least two days, if not three, encamped in front of this very spot, and could not fail to ob- serve that it was twice a day left dry by the ebb of the tide. How then was it, in this case, that both they and the Egyptians deemed that no means of escape from their " entangle- ment " existed? And how was it that the Egyptians pursued the Hebrews, when they must have been acquainted with the condition of the tide, and could not but know that it would return upon them before they could get across? In that case, would not any man have preferred to have ridden around the beach, and attacked the Hebrews on the other side, as they came up from the bed of the gulf? These objections to the view which has of late years become popular, have never been fairly met and answered, nor do we be- lieve that they are answerable. A Wandering- Nation. Several wells of water are found at Ain Mousa, " the Fountain of Moses," where - we assume that the Israelites encamped after passing the sea. Dr. Robinson, our eminent American scholar, counted seven; but some of them were mere recent excavations in the sand, in which a little brackish water was standing. Other of the wells are older and more abundant ; but the water is dark-colored and brackish, and deposits a hard substance as it rises, so that mounds have been formed around these larger springs, at the top of which the water flows out, and runs down for 86 SPRINGS OF WATER AND PALM-BUSHES. a few yards till it is lost in the sand. The I rather palm-bushes, grow around in the arid Arabs call the northernmost of these springs I sand, and give diversity to the desert scene. Miriam's song of triumph. — Ex. xv. 20. sweet, but the traveller could not perceive that I At this place (as we suppose) the Israelites they differed much from the others. About remained some days to refresh their spirits, twenty stunted and untrimmed palm-trees, or I and to gather the harvest of the deep, which LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. 87 was obtained from the costly spoils of the Egyptians whose bodies were washed to the shore. After leaving the shore where they had crossed the sea, the emancipated Israelites pro ceeded on their journey towards the Sinai mountains, among whose solitudes they were destined to be organized as a nation, and to receive such training as was needful to fit them for the peculiar destinies which lay before them. Their journey at first lay over " a desert re- gion, sandy, gravelly, and stony alternately. On the right hand their eyes rested on the deep blue waters of the gulf so lately divided for their sake, while on their left hand lay mountain-chains, stretching away to a great distance as the pilgrims advanced. In about nine miles they would enter upon a boundless desert plain, now called El Ati, white and painfully glaring to the eye. Proceeding be- yond this, the ground became hilly, with sand- hills near the coast." Bitter Waters of Marah. By the time they had traversed this region for three days, the water, which they had doubtless brought with them from Ain Mousa, became exhausted, and they hastened forward gladly to the well of Marah, which at length appeared to promise the water of which they stood so much in need. They found the water of this well too bitter to drink ; and seeing no prospect of relief, they, who had all their lives been accustomed to drink their fill from the pleasant water of the Nile, quailed under this privation, and openly vented their discontent against Moses for having brought them into this miserable region. The water of Marah is of unpleasant taste, saltish, and somewhat bitter, and must have been intoler- able to persons not yet accustomed to bad water. Moses was directed by the Lord to •cast into the well the branches of a certain un- named "tree," which grew near; and when he had done this, the water became fit for use. Proceeding on their way, the country became more pleasant, and before them, as they ad- vanced, the appearance of seventy palm-trees promised a supply of naturally good water, which is seldom absent where palm-trees grow. They were not disappointed, for twelve wells were found on the spot, which have the name of Elim. Here is a vailey, through which a torrent flows in winter. This valley is deeper and decked more profusely with trees and shrubs than any which the Israelites had yet passed. A few palm-trees are still found there, but tamarisks and acacias are more common. The fountains, lying above a mile out of the common route, are not visited by travellers, but water brought from them by attendant Arabs is, like all the water of this region, somewhat brackish. This is still one of the regular watering-places of the Arabs. After leaving Elim, the Hebrews entered upon a more rugged country, called "the wilderness of Sinai, which is between Elim and Sinai." In this part of their route they had to pass through a plain or valley, formed by the roots of the El Tyh mountains on the left hand, and a chain of mountains which border the Red Sea on the right hand and shut out all view of and access to it. Having passed through this valley, the Hebrews came out again upon the shore of the Red Sea, and there en- camped. By this time a month had passed since the Hebrews had quitted Egypt, and the provisions which they had brought with them from that country were quite spent. This soon threw them upon their usual and most disgraceful com- plaints against Moses, and, by implication, against the God who had wrought such great wonders for their sakes. The abundance of Egypt rose before their minds, and they scrupled not to avow that the bondage, sweet- ened by the plenty, of that country, was, in their eyes, better than the glorious liberty, accompanied by privation, to which they had now attained. Yet while our indignation rises at the sight of a people so unworthy of, and so unable to appreciate, the freedom be- stowed upon them, let us still remember that this enervation of soul was a natural and per- haps inevitable result of the enslaved con- 88 QUAILS AND MANNA. dition in which this generation had been born and bred. The answer to their murmurs was, the seemingly incredible promise that they should have meat to excess before the evening closed. Accordingly that very evening a wind arose, the direction of which brought to the camp an immense flight of quails, which, being weary, flew so heavily and low, that vast numbers of them were secured by the greedy Israelites, who were thus enabled to feed abundantly on a kind of game which was highly prized in Egypt. Bread from Heaven. Nor was this all, for when they arose the next morning the Israelites found the ground covered with an appearance like that of hoar frost, which, on examination, appeared to be composed of grains of a pearl color and of the form and size of coriander seeds. They asked one another, " What is this ? " [Man-hu), whence the name of Manna was given to this unknown substance. They were told that this was the "bread " with which they should henceforth be supplied every morning till the sources of natural supply from corn were open to them. Every family was directed to collect what it deemed an adequate supply; and those who collected more than enough found their labor useless, as any portion which re- mained over the day corrupted and was spoiled. And yet, as if on purpose to evince the en- tirely miraculous nature of this provision, this quality of the manna was intermitted once in every week : for none of it fell on the Sab- bath, but a double portion came and was gathered on the preceding day, and that which was not consumed on the first day con- tinued fresh through the second. In the preparation for food this substance was dealt with like ordinary grain. It was reduced to meal by being ground in hand-mills or pounded in mortars, and it was then kneaded and baked in loaves and cakes after the usual manner. And yet, although thus pre- pared for food by baking, such of the manna as remained ungathered on the ground dis- solved away daily in the heat of the sun. Eventually, also, a quantity of the manna- was laid up in a golden pot in the holy place for a memorial ; and, to answer the purpose of a memorial, it must have retained its original shape, although in the one instance it cor- rupted and in the other dissolved in a single day. Under these circumstances no one who receives the books of Moses as the truth of God can doubt that the manna, by which the Israelites were fed for forty years, was altogether miraculously supplied, or that the substance itself was altogether miraculous. It was the Divine method of supplying the wants i of the people who were in the wilderness. Any attempt to explain this matter on i natural grounds involves greater difficulties. , than the miracle itself. Thus, it has been at- tempted to show that the manna was the exudation from certain trees which grow sparingly in that region. But if the gummy distillation from these trees even did corre- pond to the description of the manna, how were the circumstances which constitute all that requires a miracle — how are these to be accounted for? Where, above all, shall we look for the interminable forests of manniferous trees which supplied two or three millions of people with daily and unfailing provision at all times of the year and in all their wander- ings? The manna seems to have had a sweetish taste, for the bread made from it is described as being similar to the finest corn bread made with honey or with oil. The Hebrews in the Wilderness. In the leading narrative in Exodus, the next station, after the one distinguished by these memorable circumstances, is Rephidim. This is because that was the next station at which any remarkable circumstance occurred. We find the Israelites giving way to another out- break of murmuring and discontent at Rephi- dim. The cause was the want of water ; and this time their discontent grew to such a height that they were almost ready to stone THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. 89 their great leader for having brought them out of the land of Egypt into this desert. another signal miracle in their behalf. Moses was instructed to take with him certain elders The usual appeal to the Lord was the only I of the people, and proceed up the valley till SMITING THE ROCK resource of Moses in this emergency. The Lord, still merciful and forbearing towards his wayward people, delayed not to perform he came to a certain rock, which he was to smite with his rod. He did so : and imme- diately the smitten rock poured forth a stream- 90 WATER IN THE DESERT. of water, which flowed down the valley to the Hebrew camp, and furnished an abundant supply to ail the host. Moses called that place Massah, signifying " temptation," be- cause the Israelites there tempted God ; and Meribah, meaning "strife," because of the contention which there arose. The rock which Moses smote, and from which the water flowed, is pointed out to .travellers in a narrow valley in the upper region of Sinai. It is a large isolated cube of coarse red granite, which appears to have fallen down from the eastern mountain. Down its front, in an oblique line from top to bottom, runs a seam of a finer texture, from twelve to fifteen inches broad, having in it several horizontal crevices, somewhat resem- bling the human mouth, one above another. These are said to be twelve in number, but Dr. Robinson could only make out ten. The seam extends quite through the rock, and is visible on the opposite or back side. The holes are usually said to be manifestly arti- ficial, but did not appear to.be so to this traveller, by whom they were particularly ex- amined. They belong rather to the nature of the seam ; yet it is probable that some of them may have been enlarged by artificial means. The rock is a singular one, and doubtless was selected on account of this very singu- larity as the scene of the miracle. There is no reason to suppose that this was really the rock from which the water flowed, but there is every possible reason to the contrary. Rephi- dim is in the very heart of the uppermost region of Sinai, where perennial springs abound, and no such supply could be needed : because there was no room for the hosts of Israel in the narrow valleys of this upper region: because when at Rephidim the He- brews were still a day's journey from the Mount under which they finally encamped: and because the attack which was made upon the • Israelites at Rephidim was scarcely possible in this upper region. The peo- ple who made that attack are known to have had a principal seat in the Wady Feiran, which lies on the outskirts of the more mountainous region. The position of this valley agrees with all the circumstances of the history. The Hebrews Meeting Enemies. Hitherto the Hebrews had been unmolested by the inhabitants of the country they had entered, which seems to have been then, as at present, inhabited only by tribes of Bedouin or semi-Bedouin habits. To such a people the Hebrew host, weak by its very numbers, im- perfectly organized, encumbered with women, children, old men, and flocks, and laden with valuable property, including the spoils of the Egyptians — must have seemed to offer an easy and valuable prey. The tribe which headed this attempt was that of the Amalekites, who had at least a temporary seat in the valley where the Hebrews lay encamped beside the waters which the smitten rock gave forth for their use. It seems that the Amalekites had in the first instance fallen upon the weakest part of the host of Israel, when " faint and weary," and that it was this which induced Moses to order Joshua, a valiant young man who was attend- ant on his own person, to draw out a party of choice men against the following morning, and with them engage the Amalekites. This being the first warlike action in which the Israelites were engaged, was to them no light matter; and, therefore, to encourage the young com- mander, Moses promised to stand on the top of the hill, in view of the warriors, with the rod of God in his hands. The next morning when Joshua went forth to engage the Amalekites, Moses proceeded to the hill-top, accompanied by his brother Aaron and by Hur, holding in his hand the rod with which such wonders had been wrought in Egypt and at the Red Sea. He held it up as an ensign, and from the sight of it the warring Israelites gathered confidence and strength ; but when the weariness of the prophet's arm prevented him from holding it up longer, they became disheartened and gave way to the Amalekites. Perceiving this, the companions of Moses supported his arm, and THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. 91 the rod being no longer dropped, the Israelites prevailed till the Amalekites fled before them. The history of Israel records no resentment so implacable and deep as that with which this The Israelites were much encouraged by this success of their first martial enterprise. The circumstances were, by the Divine com- mand, recorded in a book, in which also a HOLDING UP THE HANDS OF MOSES. first assault upon them in the day of their weakness was regarded, and the two nations remained bitter enemies so long as the Amale- kites continued to exist as a distinct people. direful remembrance against Amalek war. written down. Moses also erected an altar whereon to offer sacrifices of thankfulness, and in memorial of the victory : and he gave it the 92 ARRIVAL OF JETHRO. name of Jehovah-nissi, " the Lord is my Ban- ner," in allusion to the lifting up of the rod upon the hill. Before they quitted this place, Jethro, with whom Moses had lived so many long years in Midian, came to visit his now illustrious son- in-law, whose wife and sons he brought with him. This must have been a great satisfac- tion to Moses. He gave Jethro an account of all the wonders which the Lord had done for his people, and of all the kindness He had Moses sat all day long administering justice among the people, the old sheikh strongly censured this waste of strength, and advised them to appoint inferior magistrates, in a grad- ually ascending scale, who should hear and determine all ordinary causes, and only refer matters of great difficulty, and, in the last re- sort, to him. Moses saw the excellence of this advice, and, after obtaining the Divine sanction, proceeded to put it in execution, to> the great comfort of himself and the people. MEETING OF MOSES AND shown them : whereat, the pious old man gave praise to God, and in his priestly character offered solemn sacrifices of adoration, in which act Moses, Aaron (who was not yet a priest) and the elders of Israel joined : and they then feasted together. Great as Moses was, in all that constitutes true greatness in man, he was not above tak- ing hints from the experience of the aged Jethro for the better government of the nation now under his guidance. Observing that JETHRO. Ex. XVlil. 7. Having seen this matter settled to his satis- faction, Jethro took his leave and returned to his own land. The Israelites appear to have remained about a month at Rephidim, and then de- parted ; and in about three months from their quitting Egypt reached the mount where the Lord had first appeared to Moses, and en- camped before it. This was the place where the descendants of Abraham were to receive the laws and instructions necessary to fit them THE LAST NIGHT IN EGYPT. 93 for the peculiar position which they were to occupy among the nations of the world. The instructions through which the Israel- ites were to be moulded into a peculiar nation commenced by Moses being called up into the mountain to receive the Divine communica- tions. Here the leading principle of the great compact between the Lord and his people was opened to him, and he was required to return and demand the formal assent of the people to it. The principle was this : the people on their part were required to forsake every false way — the ways of idolatry ; and to worship, fear, and serve Jehovah only : and then He, on his part, would become, in a peculiar sense,' tkeir God — theirs by especial covenant : and not only their God, but their political Head, their King, dwelling among them by manifest sym- bols of presence, and directing their public affairs by oracles delivered to appointed min- isters, by which they would become eminently his people, a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation. The Solemn Covenant. The people having solemnly accepted this covenant, the Lord then announced his inten- tion, as their king, to issue a code of laws for their government ; the fundamental principles of which He would, publicly deliver in the audience of all the people. This was done in order to authenticate the further communica- tions to be made through Moses alone, and to make the people sensible that it was more ex- pedient for them that the Divine commands should be imparted to them through him than by more direct communication. Not that God, who is a Spirit, purposed to make himself visible to the people. No : they should be- hold the veil only which hid the glory of his presence — the thick clouds darkening upon the mountain, and a voice issuing from the midst of them. But before the Israelites could formally ap- pear in the presence of the Lord, it was need- ful that they should be purified. Two days were given them to make their garments and their persons clean, and on the third they were to stand before the mountain and receive the Divine commands. But the presence of God upon the mountain would render it a most holy place, which feet unconsecrated might not tread : therefore bounds were set around the base of the mountain, beyond which no one, under pain of death, might pass. At length the great day arrived. The peo- ple stood in solemn expectation around the mountain, which was already enveloped in thick clouds, which shot forth vivid lightnings and uttered mighty thunderings. At length the sound of angelic trumpets announced the coming Presence. God descended in fire, and the mountain quaked beneath his feet ; while the face of the mount was enveloped in flame and smoke. CHAPTER IX. ^>^- SUBLIME SCENES AT SINAI. LONG blast was sounded by the trumpet, and then, after a solemn pause, was heard that voice which then shook the earth, and shall here- after shake heaven also. The words first uttered were — " I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt ; out of the house of bondage." And, then, in that character, he pro- ceeded to declare the ten commandments, regard- ed as the text and basis of the law afterwards to be laid down in more de- tail. The mode of com- munication, through Moses, for the future, was at the express wish of the people themselves, who were very much alarmed at the awful cir- cumstances and stringent limitations of this high audience. They said to Moses — "Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." This was accordingly done in all subsequent communi- cations with the people. The prophet went up into the mountain, and received there the Divine words which, on his return, he made known to the people, and then wrote down in a book. In the present case, after Moses had written down the terms of the covenant, he read them to the people, as if it were to receive their final ratification of its contents. This they gave in the unanimous response, "All the words which the Lord hath said unto us we will do." This public act of recognition having taken place, Moses, who still acted as their priest, proceeded to confirm (04J and seal it in the most solemn manner known in ancient times, namely, by sacrifices. An altar was erected, and twelve stones, represent- ing the twelve tribes, were set up; sacrifices were then offered ; and Moses having once more read the covenant and the laws, and re- ceived the same answers, proceeded to sprinkle the people with the blood of the sacrifices, saying, " This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you." No covenant could be more deliberately entered into, or more bindingly confirmed, than this. We shall see, as we proceed, how it was kept on the part of the Israelites. After this, Moses went up in the mountain attended by his brother Aaron, the two eldest sons of Aaron, and by seventy of the elders of Israel, as if formally to communicate to the invisible King the final acceptance of the cove- nant by the people of Israel. They ate and drank there upon the mountain, as was usual in the completion of human covenants, and those who were with Moses were permitted to behold the manifest indications of the Divine presence, and were thereby deeply impressed. Moses Hidden Within the Cloud. At a distance the}' beheld "the God of Israel : and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness." Moses was permitted to advance nearer to this glorious manifestation than the others ; and was then enjoined to bring up two tablets of stone, on which God himself would write the words of the ten commandments, which in- volved the obligations of the completed cove- nant. This was evidently for the purpose of giving the most permanent and imposing form of record to that great compact. When Moses went up next with the required SUBLIME SCENES AT SINAI. 95 tablets of stone, he was accompanied only by Joshua, his personal attendant, who was di- rected to tarry at a distance while the prophet entered the more immediate presence of God. He was then hidden by the cloud which en- veloped the mountain, and was capped by " devouring fire," which flamed upon the mountain top. . This flaming appearance was called " the glory of the Lord." sisted by Hur, until he should return. His long absence, however, created uneasiness among the people, and they at length gave him up for lost, concluding that he had been consumed by the fire which still glowed upon the mountain. They then went on to conclude that this loss left them to their own plans and resources, and their first act was to release themselves from the abstract and spiritual wor- WORSHIPPING A STRANGE GOD. xix. 25. Moses was forty days and nights in the j ship which had been imposed upon them, and mountain, and during this time he received full and particular directions respecting the priesthood and the ecclesiastical establishment which he was to organize for the people whom he had brought out of Egypt. Moses had been aware that his absence would be of unusual duration, and, therefore, he had dele- to betake themselves to the worship of God through such visible images and symbols as they had accustomed themselves to in Egypt. They were not yet content to separate the idea of God from an image symbolizing his attributes. This may seem strange to us ; but it was the notion in which this veneration gated his authority to his brother Aaron, as- I had grown up, and they found it not easy to MAKING A MOLTEN IMAGE. dissociate ideas which habit had connected. When, therefore, they said to Aaron, "Up, make us gods that they may go before us ! " they did not intend to abandon Jehovah, but to have manifest to their senses such an image or symbol representing him, as other nations had of the gods they worshipped. But this had been strictly forbidden in the foremost of the commandments which they had so recently received, and which they had so solemnly pledged themselves to obey. The reason of this prohibition is clear. Such images degraded the Godhead, associated Him with the false gods similarly represented, created the danger of transferring the worship to such other gods, and even to the very image which in its origin may have been intended for •only a representative symbol. The crime and error were, however, in this case much height- ened by being in such gross violation of the solemn covenant whereby the Lord had made the Hebrews his peculiar people. That, how- ever, no direct or conscious revolt against the political authority of Jehovah was intended, is shown by the fact that the application was made to Aaron, and that his sanction was in the first place required. Jewels for the Golden Calf. Aaron proved unequal to this great emer- gency. He feared that the authority com- mitted to him, and now acknowledged' by the people, would be lost in the attempt to stem so strong a current of popular feeling. He therefore yielded to it, and contented himself with the hope of being able to make the Lord still the final end and object of all their wor- ship. His policy was indeed that so often since, and probably before, followed — of lead- ing public opinion and subjecting it to useful influences by yielding to it, instead of opposing its encroachments. He demanded their rings with which to fabricate the image they re- quired ; perhaps calculating that some reluc- tance to part with their personal ornaments would cool their ardor in this matter. If this were his thought he was mistaken. They readily divested themselves of their ornaments for the purpose ; and Aaron fash- ioned with them the image of " a golden calf," obviously an imitation of the Egyptian ex-god Apis, or rather, perhaps, of the Mnevis of Lower Egypt. It is probably a mistake to suppose that this image was all of gold. No images wholly of metal appear to have been known in that country, and the. mention of its being " fashioned with a graving tool," as well as all the subsequent circumstances, imply that the image was carved in wood and then over- laid with gold. This explanation, entirely consistent as it is with the text, and with the state of the arts at the time, removes many difficulties which have arisen from the notion that the image was wholly of molten gold. This image Aaron presented to the people, and that its final object might not be forgotten, he immediately proclaimed a feast to Jehovah. That this feast was celebrated before the image is alone sufficient to establish the correctness of the interpretation which has been given. It was, however, celebrated with observances proper .to the worship of the Egyptian idol, the form of which had been borrowed. We are told " the people rose up early in the morn- ing, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play : " and after- wards they are described as singing and dancing before the golden calf. So, as known from ancient writers, the most popular rites of the ancient Egyptians were of the nature of orgies ; and the fundamental character of their religion was what, for want of a better word, may be called Bacchanalian — not, indeed, in the modern sense of mere drunkenness, but as including all sorts of sport and merriment. When these melancholy transactions had arrived at this consummation, Moses was ab- ruptly dismissed from the mountain, with the intimation, " Go, get thee down, for thy people, whom thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves, and have turned quickly aside out of the way which I com- manded." The prophet understood the ter- rible emphasis of the pronouns here employed ; doubt was not indeed possible, for the Lord % O £ Tic tore** °° tb <* II. hlitis -nheJ 0ythi "S JPdlo »s Qocj Go gideon's fleece. — jud. vi. $y. and for which he prevailed upon the latter to j him : " Fear not : thou shalt not die." Gideon stay. He soon returned with a dressed kid then, in the first feeling of his gratitude, raised and unleavened cakes in a basket, and with broth in a pot. The stranger directed him to set them down upon the rock hard by, and an altar to the Lord, whom he addressed by the name of Jehovah-Shalom, "the God cf Peace ; " and, without more delay, he prepared then furnished the testimonial which the ! himself for the high task to which he now doubts of Gideon required, by causing the knew that he had been called. He seemed to whole to be consumed by a spontaneous fire, I be multiplied into a thousand men. A MAN OF VALOR. 133 The first achievement of Gideon was the de- struction of an altar to Baal, which seems to have belonged to his father's establishment, but in which the people of the place took a general interest. Taking with him ten of the servants on whom he could rely, he proceeded to demolish the idolatrous structure, and set up in its place an altar to Jehovah, on which he offered sacrifice. In the morning, when the people of Ophrah discovered what had been done, they broke out into great anger, and on hearing that the daring act had been performed by Gideon, they demanded that his life should pay for the sacrilege. Let Baal Plead for Himself. But Joash, who, in his anxiety for his son, forgot for the moment his own interest in the forbidden worship, interposed with an argu- ment which seems to have had at all times ex- traordinary power over the minds of the idola- trous Jews — " If Baal be a God (he said), let him plead for himself;" or, in other words, leave him to avenge his own cause, if he is able, upon the frail mortal who has provoked his anger. They yielded to this : and the ab- } sence of any present stroke of Baal's anger ' seems to have shaken their minds, and dis- posed them to look upon Gideon with some- thing of awe and confidence. It was from this that the hero obtained his second name of Jerub- baal, meaning with whom " Baal contends." This seems to have been designed as a sort •of preparation for the great work which lay before him. A great and suspicious move- ment took place in the wandering hordes, who, having collected their forces, passed over into the plain of Esdraelon, and lay there encamped. Upon hearing of this, Gideon felt that the time for action was come ; and he summoned first his own kinsmen, the house of Abiezer, to assist him in repelling the host of Midian. Their prompt obedience enabled him to send with the name of authority to summon the northern tribes of Manasseh, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali to his standard. This call was obeyed, and he found himself at the head of thirty-two thousand men. But while Gideon thus encouraged others, he was not himself without misgivings respect- ing the result of his perilous undertaking. Hence he was induced to implore an unambig- uous token of the Divine concurrence, in the form of such a miracle as he should ask to be performed. Some think that it was more to encourage his followers than on his own ac- count that he made this singular request. The sign he desired was, that the dew should fall on a fleece of wool, while the ground on which it lay continued dry. This happened according to his wish, and he wrung from the fleece a bowlful of water, while the ground was per- fectly dry. The marvel was here in the co- piousness of the dew ; for that some dew should be on the fleece, while none could be perceived on the ground, would have been in entire ac- cordance with the laws of nature. Gideon could not but know this, and therefore, to place the matter beyond all doubt or cavil, he implored that the sign should be reversed, and that the fleece should be dry, while the ground was moistened by the deposition from the atmosphere. This also was done; and here the interposition of Heaven was most manifest, for wool having a much greater attraction for moisture than common dust or clay has, it was not natural that the fleece should be dry when there was moisture on all the ground. Cowards Not Wanted. Having no longer any doubt that Jehovah was on his side, and that the victory with which his arms were to be crowned was to proceed from the blessing of Heaven, he readily adopted a suggestion, communicated to him from above, for impressing upon the minds of his soldiers the same salutary con- viction. One would think that the number of thirty-two thousand men was by no means too large for the conflict with the innumerable hosts of Midian ; but the object of the Di- vine King was to reduce this to a number manifestly inefficient, that there might be no mistake as to the source from whence deliver- ance came, and that Israel might not boast that by the strength of his own arm the yoke 134 VALIANT DEEDS. of Midian had been broken. Gideon was therefore ordered to proclaim that all who were fearful and faint-hearted might withdraw to their own homes. Many whose hearts had seemed stout while the danger was remote room for boasting might be altogether ex- cluded, means were taken to reduce even this force to a -mere handful of men, manifestly un- equal of itself, or, as an instrumental means,, to defeat the hordes of Midian and Amalek.. GIDEON DESTROYING THE IDOLS OF BAAL. Jud. shrunk, now that the enemy was before them, and twenty-two thousand quitted the field. But ten thousand brave men still presented a formidable band, equal in numerical strength to the troops of Barak, who defeated the im- mense host of Sisera ; and therefore, that Gideon took his ten thousand men to the water, and those who went down upon their knees to drink from the stream were set apart from those who drank by raising the water to their mouths in the hollow of their hands. The former were ten thousand, the latter three MAN OF VALOR. 135 hundred; and the smaller number was that with which the Lord declared that he would deliver Israel. In the following night Gideon, attended by his servant Phurah, went down to the host of Midian, having been promised en- couragement from overhearing the remarks of the Midianites upon the state of their affairs. He heard one man report to another, beside whom he lay, a dream, representing a cake of barley bread rolling down from the hills, and overturning the tents of Midian. " This is nothing else," said his companion, " save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel ; for into his hand hath God delivered Midian and all his host." Gideon's War-Cry* Gideon needed no other encouragement than the knowledge that such an impression as this existed among the Midianites ; and he forthwith returned to his men. He perceived that his best course would be to work upon the alarm which already existed among the in- vading host. He therefore provided every man with a trumpet in one hand, and with a lamp concealed in a pitcher in the other. He then divided his troop into three companies of one hundred men each, directing them to ad- vance upon the host of Midian on different sides, and in all respects to follow his example. Accordingly, when they had advanced suffi- ciently near, they halted, withdrew the lamps from the pitchers, dashed the pitchers to the ground, and then blew a tremendous blast upon their trumpets, and shouted, " The sword of the Lord and of Gideon ! " A similar cry has sounded many a time since then. The Enemy Put to Flight. The sudden blaze on different sides of the camp, the crash, the sound from trumpets suf- ficient for a large host, and the ensuing shout, perfectly confounded the rude Midianites thus aroused from sleep. They deemed themselves surrounded by a mighty host, and rushed amazedly about, slaying each other, as every one among them deemed the person he en- countered an enemy. The men who had been dismissed the preceding day made themselves useful in pursuing the fugitives, and con- tributed to render the rout of the enemy and the deliverance of Israel most complete. The Ephraimites, who had not been called into ac- tion, now voluntarily came forward and ren- dered good service by seizing the fords of the Jordan and destroying such of the de- feated invaders as attempted to escape to their own country. Here two of the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, fell into their hands ; and they struck off their heads and sent them to the victorious Gideon on the opposite side of the Jordan. The haughty Ephraimites were, however, not sparing in their rebukes of Gideon for not having in the first instance called them to the field ; but with great tact he averted their wrath by extolling their last exploit and by speaking lightly of his own deeds in comparison. The hero was in hot pursuit of Zeba and Zalmunna, two of the invading enemies, who had succeeded in crossing the river and were retiring with a considerable body of men to their own land. Gideon followed hard after them with his chosen band, and at length came up with them. Then, perceiving the small number of his men, they were en- couraged to stand on their defence. But the battle ended in the total discomfiture of Zeba and his colleague, who fell alive into the hands of the conqueror. When they were brought before him, he asked them what man- ner of men were certain Israelites whom they had surprised and slain on Mount Tabor. They answered : " As thou art, so were they ; each one resembled the children of a king." On which he exclaimed with anguish : "They were my brethren — even the sons of my mother ! As the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you." That he had under any circumstances intended to spare their lives, shows that the usages of war had already become somewhat more mild than they had been, or that Gideon was not dis- posed to enforce them rigorously. Now, however, the duty of an avenger for his brother's blood devolved upon him ; and he transferred it to his eldest son Jether, whom 136 FORTY YEARS OF PEACE. he desired " to fall upon them." But the youth was awed by the majestic presence of these staid warriors, and shrunk from the task. On which the captive princes said to Gideon : " Rise thou and fall upon us : for as the man is, so is his strength ; " and on this hint he arose and slew them on the spot. The Avenger. Another painful matter remained ; this was the punishment of certain cities, Succoth and Pen u el, which had refused any succor to his weary troop when pursuing the retreating princes, and had even added insult to wrong by the manner in which the refusal was con- veyed. For this he cast down the tower of Penuel, and slew the chief men of the city. The punishment of Succoth is not so well un- derstood. He threatened " to tear their flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers ; " and it is added, that on his triumphant return " he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the 'men of Succoth." The most painful interpretation of this is the most probable, namely, that the expressions allude to an ancient and very cruel mode by which persons were put to death under torture, by having thorns and briers laid over their naked bodies, and then drawing over them some heavy implement of husbandry — being, as supposed, the same treatment to which David subjected the Ammonites. So great was the relief which the Israelites now experienced, and so sensible were they of the high qualities which Gideon had evinced, that they formally offered to make him king, and to entail the crown upon his descendants. But Gideon, knowing that they had no right to make such an offer, which was altogether adverse to the spirit of the theocratical insti- tutions, answered with great promptness and decision : " I will not reign over you, neither shall my son reign over you. Jehovah, he shall reign over you." The only return which he required for his great services was that they should bestow upon him the collars and ear- rings which had been taken from the bodies of the slaughtered Midianites. This they very willingly did : and with these spoils he made an ephod, which he placed in his own city of Ophrah. This is supposed to indicate that he set up a sacerdotal establishment, with priests, vest- ments, and Urim and Thummim, at the place where he had formerly built an altar and offered sacrifice to Jehovah. If so, Gideon acted doubtless with the best intentions ; but the proceeding was irregular and contrary to the law, which directed that there should be but one establishment for sacrifice to the whole people — that one being the place of the tabernacle, where the Divine Presence abode " between the cherubim." We are not, there- fore, surprised to learn that this establishment eventually "became a snare to Gideon and to his house." The Israelites enjoyed forty years of peace under the administration of Gideon, who died in 1273 b. c, leaving behind him not fewer than seventy sons. One of them, named Abimelech, succeeded in persuading the people of Shechem, his mother's native town, to be- stow upon him the crown which his father had refused : as a preliminary to this step, he had massacred all his brothers except the youngest, named Jotham, who succeeded in making his escape. This person could not restrain him- self from making his appearance at Shechem to give vent to his indignation and disgust when he found that the citizens had made Abimelech king. He did this in the well- known and ingenious apologue of the trees making choice of a king, which is without doubt the oldest composition of the kind which has reached our times. After delivering it, Jotham withdrew to Beer, and remained there till the death of Abimelech, who three years after was wounded by a piece of millstone cast by a woman's hand over the wall of a town he was besieging, and at his own request was despatched by his armor-bearer. The succeeding governments of Tola and of Jair covered a period of forty-four years ; and we may infer that in their time the Israel- ites prospered, for the Book of Judges, which A MAN OF VALOR. 137 •is, -in fact, an account of the diseases in the Hebrew commonwealth, records nothing con- cerning the time in which they ruled. After the death of Jair the people relapsed into idolatry, and for their chastisement the oppressions to which they were subjected be- came so grievous that they at length turned to the Lord, confessed their sins before Him, and implored Him to pity their great affliction. Then, trusting in the Divine succor, they re- ABIMELECH SLAIN BY HIS ARMOR-BEARER. Jud. ix. 54. Ammonites were allowed to master them, and to keep them under subjection for eighteen years. This calamity particularly affected the tribes beyond the Jordan, who occupied a country which had in part belonged of old to the Ammonites, whose existing territory was still upon the border of their dominions. The solved to take the field against their enemies. They therefore assembled in considerable num- bers at Mizpeh, while the Ammonites lay en- camped in Gilead. There was the impulse, the readiness to act, and men prepared for action. But they were without a head. After so long a subjection, which had been preceded 138 STORY OF JEPHTHAH. by a still longer peace, there was not one among them who seemed to have sufficient experience in war to act as their leader. The only person they could think of was one Jeph- thah, the illegitimate son of Gilead, a person of some consequence in the half-tribe of Manasseh beyond the Jordan. This man had been turned adrift by the family on the death of the father, and with- drew into the land of Tob, where he became the chief of a set of wild fellows of desperate fortunes, who subsisted by predatory excur- sions, border forays against the enemies and oppressors of Israel. This course of proceed- ing by no means tended to render them un- popular in Israel ; and accordingly Jephthah became the person to whom all eyes turned in this singular emergency. A deputation was accordingly sent to him without delay. Jephthah's Bash Vow. The hero's experience in life had not been calculated to teach him confidence in man or reliance upon popular impulses. He, there- fore, after some sharp remarks upon the treat- ment he had received in Gilead, refused to accept the arduous duties offered to him unless they would undertake that he should remain their head after his immediate service had been completed. This stipulation for power was in a spirit different from that of Gideon, by whom even regal power was refused when spontaneously offered. But the circumstances were different ; and if Jephthah had not been aware of peculiar facilities which his uncon- nected position offered to those who might wish to shake him off, he would not have deemed it necessary to stipulate for that which it was not usual to refuse. The delegates, however, readily acceded to the terms which Jephthah offered, and swore to observe them. The first act of the new commander was to send an embassy to the Ammonites, to demand the reason of their invasion of the territory of the Israelites. This was a very remarkable step, and seems to show that by this time society had come to expect that there should be sonic good reason for invasion and warfare. Accordingly the Ammonites returned what they considered a good reason, alleging that the territory which the Hebrews possessed in that quarter had formerly belonged to them, and that they had a right to recover possession of it. Jephthah replied that the Israelites had taken the land not from the Ammonites but from the Amorites, by whom they had long before been dispossessed ; and, moreover, that it was a land which the Lord had given to them, and which, therefore, they had a right to possess. The Ammonites, however, were not convinced by these reasons, and the armies advanced to give each other battle. When Jephthah left his home to lead the army of Israel to battle he uttered the rash vow that if the Lord gave him victory over his enemies, whatsoever came forth out of his house to meet him on his return "shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offer- ing." He was victorious. The Lord delivered the Ammonites into his hands, and they were smitten from Aroer unto the plain of the vine- yards with a very great slaughter. He re- turned to his house in peace ; and the one j whom by his vow he had foredoomed — the one who came forth from his house to meet him on his return — was his own daughter, his only child — " beside her he had neither son nor daughter." She went forth exultingly, with timbrels and with dances, to greet her victorious father. But he no sooner beheld her than his strong heart gave way beneath the stroke, and he rent his robes, crying, "Alas, my daughter ! thou hast brought me very low ;. for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and cannot go back." But the daughter in- herited the heroic qualities of her father. In the general blessing and benefit her own doom seemed a light matter to her, and she answerer.. " My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth. unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth ; for- asmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance of thee upon thine enemies." All she asked was a reprieve of two months, " to bewail her virginity upon the mountains;" which must be interpreted with reference ta A MAN OF VALOR. 139 the fact of its being in Israel held the greatest possible calamity for a woman not to become the mother of children. At the end of two months she returned, and we are told that her afflicted father " did with her according to his vow." The plain reading of the sacred text would lead every one to conclude that he offered her up for a burnt-offering. If he did so he committed a horrid crime under mis- taken views of religious duty; and this has led many pious commentators to endeavor to clear his memory from this stigma. The ground which has been taken is, that his vow implied that he would sacrifice what was fit for sacri- fice; but if that which came forth to meet him were not fit for a burnt-offering, it should be the Lord's in some other way, and it is there- fore concluded that the daughter was in this case consecrated in perpetual celibacy to the service of Jehovah. This ground is now, how- ever, generally abandoned by sound scholars, and few hesitate to believe that Jephthah really did sacrifice his daughter. A Father's Sacrifice. The fact is so understood by Josephus, and lamented by him ; and as he could not fail to know the prevailing impression among his countrymen, his corroborative testimony is of much value for the interpretation of the inci- dent as a point of history. He says that Jephthah blamed his daughter for being so forward in coming forth to meet him ; for that his vow obliged him to offer her in sacrifice to the Lord. He adds, " However, this action was not ungrateful to her, since she was to die upon occasion of her father's victory and the liberty of her fellow-citizens. She only de- sired her father to give her leave for two months to bewail her youth with her country- women, and then she consented that at the end of the forementioned time he might do with her agreeably to his vow. Accordingly, when the time was over, he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt-offering, presenting such an oblation as was neither conformable to the law nor acceptable to God ; nor weighing with himself what opinion the hearers would have of such a practice." Nothing can be plainer than this ; and the general opinion of both Jewish and Christian antiquity has been in agreement with it ; the notion that the hero did not sacrifice his daughter being of com- paratively modern prevalence. The fact seems to be that the Israelites,, having been long plunged in idolatry and in- fected with idolatrous iniquities, and in habits of too familiar intercourse with their heathen neighbors, had imbibed their notions respect- ing the meritoriousness of human sacrifice ; and a man who had led a wild life like Jeph- thah was not likely to be well informed on points which even quiet people had neg- lected. Supinely the Israelites sank down ; mingled freely with the people, indulged in their enervating luxuries, adopted their manners,, bowed at their altars — made themselves vile. Then came the alternations of returning loy- alty to the King of Heaven, and of open defiance and rebellion to his rule. Whenever they turned to him up rose a hero, who smote the Canaanites, and, for the time, restored the glory to Israel, and rest to the land ; but when the hero died, the people turned again to their evil ways and only cried aloud for Heaven's help when the bondage was too bitter to bear. See how these heroes rise before us : Here is Othniel, a younger brother of that Caleb who, with Joshua, came safely through the wilderness. Nothing can withstand this bold, strong man, and the land has rest. Here is Ehud, the left-handed, with a double-edged knife on his right thigh. He means to slay a tyrant, and you see him, on the pretence of a secret errand, enter the sum- mer pavilion of king Eglon, and by-and-by spring forth without his dagger, fast close the doors, and escape to the quarries. See Shamgar, son of Anath, wielding with his strong hand no better weapon than an ox- goad, but slaying of the enemy " heaps upon heaps." See Gideon, secretly threshing a little wheat by the wine-press, a nervous terror on his fine, sagacious face, lest the oppressor 140 ISRAELITISH HEROES. should come down and seize upon it ; aye, and a. sort of contempt for himself that he should be one of a people so enslaved. But a heav- enly glory shines upon him, and he is another man A barley-cake shall indeed — as the soldier dreams — fall into the camp, and over- turn their tents ; but it shall come with trum- pet, pitcher, and torch, and the cry shall be, " The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." See, rising up, the clouded face of Jephthah, offspring of a left-hand marriage. He lias been cast out until, in the time of trouble, all eyes have been turned to him — knowing his prowess — he, a widower, dwelling apart with his only child. Somewhat indignantly he answers to the cry of his countrymen, goes to their help, vows a vow, and the enemy is discomfited before him. What a triumphant march follows ! what shouts, what fanfares ! all nothing to the great ovation which awaits the captain when he ap- proaches his own city — his own home, and over his threshold skips his darling child, singing and leaping with attendant maidens, resolved to be the first to meet him. See. he is struck down! If the thunderbolt had fallen it had been better — he has sworn to sacrifice the first living thing which meets him from his home. And he has respect unto his vow. Rises before us a strong man and a mighty — a Nazarite from his birth. "A rough believer," so he has been called, and appro- priately enough ; a strong-limbed and strong- passioned man, with a depth of savage good- ness in him. These hard, haughty lords, who rule with so high a hand, shall learn some- thing from him. He has torn a lion as he would rend a kid, and will have no mercy upon them. Wondrous are the things which he accomplishes, bravely working as a brave patriot works, but a woman — oh, shame it should be so ! — a woman betrays him, and with his eyes out he gropes in blindness and darkness, the scorn and derision of his foes. There comes a day of reckoning, when, brought forth to make them sport, his strong arms on the pillars which support the house, he pulls down the light structure, and there is a very great slaughter, in which the hero's life is lost. CHAPTER XV. MARVELOUS FEATS OF SAMSON. LTHOUGH Jephthah knew that Jehovah was the God of Israel, and that he alone ought to be worshipped by his people, he had but con- fused notions even on this point, for in his message to the Am- monites he appears to recognize Chemosh as their god in the same sense in which Jehovah was the God of Israel. He seems to have thought it enough to worship the Lord in the same way that other nations worshipped their gods, and to have supposed that what they deemed invaluable could not be otherwise to Him. We know that in after-times human sacrifice was practiced in Israel in the face of far greater light than existed in the generation to which Jephthah belonged, and in the pres- ence of the temple and altar of Jehovah ; and knowing this, it does afford just ground for surprise that there should have been so much hesitation felt in allowing that a rough sol- dier, living in an idolatrous age, and in a part of Israel less than any other open to the influ- ence of the theocratical institutions, should have deemed himself bound by the obliga- tions of his vow to immolate his daughter. That the deed was unlawful is very certain ; but it is not the less probable on that account. It is, however, a monstrous conception of the painters and others that the high-priest was the sacrificer, and that the sacrifice was made at the altar of the Lord. The awful deed was probably perpetrated at some old altar in the country beyond the Jordan, and there is much reason to apprehend that Jephthah himself struck the blow which left his own heart desolate. It is singular that the victory of Jephthah over the Ammonites was followed by a mis- understanding with the powerful tribe of Ephraim, similar to that which had followed the victory of Gideon over the Midianites. This tribe seems never to have perceived that its assistance could have been of use until the occasion for taking the field had passed away and the enemy was completely routed ; and then it came forward with complaints that it had not obtained a share of the honor and the spoil. Gideon had pacified them with one of those soft answers which turn away wrath : the sterner Jephthah tried the same treatment ; but having less self-control, he allowed their gross insults to rouse his anger, and he took prompt and skilful measures for making them repent of their offensive movements. They had crossed the Jordan in arms, and were bent on mischief; and Jephthah, who had at first been disinclined to come to blows, no longer hesitated to give them battle. They were utterly routed, and when those who had escaped the battle-field attempted to recross the river into their own country, they found i the fords in the hands of the men of Gilead, who hit upon an ingenious contrivance for dis- tinguishing them as Ephraimites, which they could not have done by their persons or attire. It seems that they were unable to pronounce the Hebrew s/i, but gave it the sound of s. This amounted to something like the differ- ence in our provincial dialects ; but seems more remarkable in so small a country as Palestine. All the men who came to the river were required to pronounce the word Shib- boleth, meaning a " stream," and if they gave it as Sibboleth, were smitten down as Eph- raimites. The victories of Gideon and of Jephthah appear to have secured a long period of tran- quility to the Israelites ; for the historian records little more than the names of the three (141) 142 BIRTH OF THE GIANT. following judges. Jephthah died after having ruled Israel six years. After him was Ibzan of Bethlehem, who was the parent of thirty sons and as many daughters. He ruled seven years ; and after him came Elon, who ruled ten years ; and he was followed by Abdon, who during eight years judged Israel. It required no long course of prosperity to corrupt the Israelites, and to turn them aside from that God to whom they were indebted for it. The reader of Scripture is so accus- tomed to this, that he only wonders at the unusual duration of some of the intervals of faithfulness and rectitude. They now sinned once more, and were brought very low under the yoke of the Philistines, which lay heavy on them for forty years. The Deliverer of Israel. The deliverer whom God next raised up to redress the wrongs of the chosen people was, in many respects, the most extraordinary per- sonage who appears in the more ancient He- brew history, and whose course of proceeding it appears most difficult to reconcile with our notions of a Divine commission and a theo- cratic government. This was Samson, who was born about the time this servitude com- menced, and who about the middle of it was in a condition to act upon the high commis- sion which he so imperfectly fulfilled, and to exercise the marvelous gifts which his low vices so often deprived of the effects for which alone they had been intrusted to him. His birth was by a miracle. An angel an- nounced that a deliverer of Israel should be born ; and it was directed that he should be regarded as a Nazarite from birth, wearing his hair forever unshorn and abstaining from wine and strong drink. The father was not present at this interview. His name was Manoah, an inhabitant of Zorah, a small town of the tribe of Dan, to which he belonged. Manoah was astonished at the tidings which his wife imparted to him, and prayed that he might also be privileged to receive the assur- ance from the same heavenly messenger. The angel accordingly reappeared to both the des- stined parents, and a scene took place not un- like that which had formerly attended the angel-visit to Gideon. Manoah, as directed, offered a kid with a meat-offering upon the rock, and as the flame went up towards heaven the angel disappeared from their view in the rising flame, and vanished out of sight. Samson's Great Strength. The child in due time was born, the name of Samson was given to him, and he was brought up as a Nazarite. He was then found to be' endowed with strength greatly beyond that of the sons of men, and which was des- tined to become the instrument through which he, as the champion of the Lord's people, was to work for the deliverance of Israel. He early sought for opportunities of signalizing his valor and uncommon strength against the enemies of his country ; and, ere long, his personal achievements appear to have attached to his name such a degree of notoriety as to render him an object of dislike and terror to the inhabitants of the Philistine border. It was, in fact, his vocation to " find occasion " against the Philistines, which might enable him to exert his mighty powers to their detri- ment; by which their power might be weak- ened and their plans confused, without expos- ing his own nation to responsibility for his acts. The time for the full deliverance of Israel was not then come : it was the task of Samson to " begin " that deliverance by weakening the power and resources of the Philistines by such acts as centred their attention on himself per- sonally. To fulfil this, his destiny, it came to pass that he, while still a youth, fell in love with a Philistine damsel of Timnath. The parents, who did not know that this attach- ment " was of the Lord," objected to his mar- riage with an idolater, when there were so many fair damsels in Israel well suited to his choice. But finding his resolution fixed, they reluctantly agreed to go with him to Timnath to ask the damsel in marriage. The necessary preliminaries being settled, the marriage was solemnized with feasting, SAMSON SLAYING THE LION. Jud. XIV. 6. (143) 144 SAMSON'S RIDDLE. which, according to the custom of the time, lasted seven days. It was usual on such oc- casions for the bridegroom to invite a number of his relatives and friends, who were to do the honors of the ceremony and to perform other duties arising- from the occasion. In this case, however, thirty Philistines were as- signed to Samson as companions, either from his being distant from his own home, or, more probably, for a check upon a person so danger- ous and formidable. It was usual in those days for the guests assembled at such feasts to exercise their- wit in proposing and solving enigmas and riddles : and in compliance with this custom, Samson put forth a riddle, and proposed thirty dresses as the forfeit to be given by him if they solved it within seven days, or by them if they failed to do so. The riddle was — "Out of the eater came forth meat, And out cl the fierce came forth sweetness." It was founded on an adventure which befel him in one of his journeys to Timnath, when he slew a young lion, in the dry hide-bound skeleton of which he afterwards found a swarm of bees and a quantity of honey. The Riddle Solved. The solution of this riddle was beyond the skill of the Philistines; but being unwilling to seem outwitted or to incur the expensive forfeiture, they beset the bride, and by threat- enings induced her to solicit from him the solution, which she imparted to them, and they were thus enabled on the seventh day to answer : " What is fiercer than a lion ? And what is sweeter than honey ? " Samson took no pains to conceal his disap- pointment and suspicion ; and he made it an occasion for exercising the powers with which he had been gifted for the avengement if not the deliverance of his people. He went down to Askelon, and slew thirty Philistines, whose blood-stained raiment he brought to Timnath, and gave to their countrymen as the forfeit of his riddle. Then, in deep disgust at the part taken by his wife, and probably suspicious of her fidelity in other respects, he returned to his paternal home, leaving her with her friends. But after a while his heart relented, and he again went down to Timnath to see his wife, and found that she had during his absence been bestowed in marriage upon the chief of the young men who had been his companions at the wedding-feast, and who had behaved so scandalously to him. This was not only a great wrong in itself, but afforded confirmation to his former sus- picions. His wrath, therefore, rose very high, and he made this another occasion of ven- geance against the Philistines. This vengeance was exercised in a very singular manner. He caught three hundred foxes (or jackals), and, coupling them together, fastened burning fuses between the tails of each couple, and in this manner set them loose among the stand- ing corn of the Philistines, which was thus at once set on fire in many different quarters. The flames at that season of the year spread so rapidly and widely among the standing crops and the vineyards as to cause a most extensive and ruinous destruction. Some exceptions have been taken to this transaction, on the score of the difficulty of catching so many as three hundred foxes. But jackals, not foxes, are usually denoted ; and as they are gregarious, the number might, without insuperable difficulty, have been caught by Samson and other persons employed by him for the occasion. Jackals would also answer the purpose better than foxes, which would have fled immediately to their holes, and not have wandered about the fields of the Philistines. The Philistines Take Revenge. When the author and occasion of this great calamity became known to the Philistines they resolved to remove at once the cause of his anger rather than expose themselves to the repetition of such attacks ; and they therefore went to Timnath and destroyed by fire the parties of whom Samson had so much cause to complain. But this was not the way to pacify the Jewish hero, who no sooner heard of it than he fell upon a band of their country- 10 SAMSON AND DELILAH. Jud. XVI. 1 6. (145) 146 A THOUSAND PHILISTINES SLAIN. men and vanquished them with much slaugh- ter. He, then, foreseeing the consequences, withdrew to the top of the almost inaccessible rock Etam, in the tribe of Judah. The Philistines do not appear to have re- garded these feats of Samson as acts of war or revolt on the part of the Hebrews ; their atten- tion was fixed upon the person of the hero ; and now, finding, by dear experience, that his enmity was as implacable as his strength was great, they determined by one great stroke to put an end to the vexatious warfare which he carried on upon their borders. They there- fore marched a body of troops into Judea, with the intention of seizing this eagle in the eyrie to which he had fled, and established a regular encampment in the neighborhood, with the view, apparently, of starving him into a sur- render. The men of Judah were alarmed at these proceedings, and dreaded the consequences which the hero's acts seemed likely to bring upon their own heads. They therefore went and remonstrated with him, hinting their wish that he would allow himself to be delivered up as a pledge and security of future peace. After some hesitation he consented so far as to allow them to bind him and conduct him to the presence of the enemy. But no sooner did he come before them, and while their triumphant shout rose high in air, than the supernatural spirit was roused within him ; he burst the strong cords that bound him as if they had been burnt tow, and, seizing the first weapon which came to hand, which was the jawbone of an ass, he flew upon the host and slew a thousand men therewith. Not long after having committed this slaugh- ter among the Philistines, Samson, with mar- velous hardihood, ventured to go to Gaza, one of their fortified cities, and there took up his abode. He was not long permitted to remain in Gaza undisturbed, for the news of his arrival soon transpired, and a strong watch was set at the gate to arrest him when he should attempt to depart. But the hour of their triumph was not yet come ; for, being made acquainted with this movement on the part of the Philistines, he arose at midnight, and not content with bursting open the gates, he wrenched them away, posts, bars, and all, and bore them off upon his shoulders to the top of a hill about two miles from Gaza on the road to Hebron. Samson was, however, at length betrayed into the power of his enemies by a woman named Delilah, for whom he entertained a base affection. The lords of the Philistines no sooner heard of this unhappy connection than they resolved to employ this woman as the instrument of his destruction. They promised her large sums of money to induce her to employ all her insinuations to find out the cause of his supernatural strength, which they manifestly supposed to depend on some peculiar observance, which, if he might be induced to neglect, his strength would fail him, and they might with impunity avenge themselves upon him. Samson Betrayed. Accordingly Delilah employed all her arts to gain the desired information, and after many vain efforts Samson at length disclosed to her that he had been constituted by the Lord a perpetual Nazarite, which condition was be- tokened by the unshorn state of his hair; but that if he renounced the condition of a Naz- arite by shaving his head, the spirit of the Lord, in which lay his great strength, would depart from hirii, and he should become as other men. In consequence of this disclosure she contrived, while he was asleep, to shave off his hair; and the Philistines, who were lying in wait, seized upon him, put out his eyes, and, placing him in strong fetters, carried him to Gaza, where he was confined in the prison-house and made to grind at the mill like a slave. Milton, in his " Samson Agonistes," which, apart from its poetical merits, is a beautiful and critical study of the life and character of the hero, thus pictures him in this condition : " O change beyond report, thought, or belief: See how he lies at random, carelessly diffused ; With languished head unpropt, MARVELOUS FEATS OF SAMSON. 147 SAMSON GRINDING IN THE PRISON-HOUSE. Jud. Xvi. 21. tines assembled to hold an annual festival in honor of their idol Dagon. Having met in the house or temple of that idol, it occurred to them to enhance their gladness and the glory of their god by the sight of their cap- tive in his misery, and his abject condition. He was accordingly sent for, and was placed As one past hope — abandoned, And by himself given over; In slavish habit, ill-fitted weeds O'er- worn and soiled : Can this be he, That heroic, that renowned, Irresistible Samson ? " Some time after this the lords of the' Philis- 148 ;amson's death. in the area or enclosed court of the building, the flat roof of which was crowded with the Philistines, who made him the object of their mockery and sport. His hair had, however, begun to grow again, and with its growth he felt the consciousness of returning strength. In this consciousness he desired the lad who led him about to let him rest against the cen- tral pillars, upon which the main weight of the building rested. This being granted, the blind hero breathed a prayer to the Lord to strengthen him, that he might be once more avenged of the Philistines ; and, laying hold of the two pillars, shook them with such vio- lence that " the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were therein : and the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life." Availing themselves of the consternation which this transaction occasioned in the place, the friends of Samson came down, and extri- cating his body from the ruins, bore it away and buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the sepulchre of his father Manoah. " God of our fathers! what is man, That thou towards him with a hand so various, Or might I say contrarious, Temper'st thy providence through his short course, Not evenly, as thou rulest The angelic orders, and the inferior creatures mute, Irrational and brute ? Nor do I name of men the common rout, That, wandering loose about. Grow up and perish, as the hummer-fly, Heads without name, no more remembered But such as thou hast solemnly elected, With gifts and graces eminently adorned, For some great work, thy glory. And people's safety, which in part they effect: Yet towards these, thus dignified, thou oft Changest thy countenance, and thy hand, with no regard Of highest favors past From thee on them, or them to thee of service ! " Milton 's "Samson Agonistes." Great, brave men, these judges in Israel. How the writer of the Letters to the Hebrews dwells upon them as instances of Faith ! "And what shall I say more, for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah — who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteous- ness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong — of whom the world was not worth)'." But we must not suppose that it was the men alone who waxed valiant in fight in those terrible days which immediately followed on the Israelitish invasion of Canaan. In all ages of the world women have shown them- selves strong and earnest when the hearts of men have failed within them. When a woman's naturally gentle nature is roused, her indignation knoweth no bounds ; but she is circumspect in her ways, and seldom acts rashly. In the enumeration of the worthies who were raised up for the deliverance of Israel, occurs the name of Barak — he was a soldier — a captain of the host, but he achieved victory through the help of two women : Deborah taught him how and when to smite, and Jael completed his conquest by slaying the chief enemy with her own hands. Truly a very redoubtable captain ! " Up ; for this is the day that the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand." Sisera is a man of war — a hero — and is con- fident of success. But his troops reel and stagger; his horsemen fall upon each other; his iron chariots are overthrown ; this mere handful of men have cast his whole army into the uttermost confusion ; and there stands this wondrous woman, judge and prophetess, her intensity of passion sympathetically conveyed to the army — a strength to them, a weakness to the foe. And now the victory is achieved, all the great host slain or scattered, and mighty Sisera himself a fugitive. CHAPTER XVI. THE PROPHET SAMUEL. LI, the high-priest, ap- pears as the person who "judged Israel" after Samson. There are many who believe this to have been act- ually the case : but it is now more generally understood that the civil government of the Jews was administered by Eli from about the middle of the Philis- tine servitude, and throughout all the period in which Samson employed his strength on the western border against the op- pressors of Israel. Under this view, that which seems to be the commence- ment of a new government after the death of Samson, appears to be no other than a con- tinuance of that which existed in his lifetime. Under the operation of the constitution as established by Moses, the government naturally devolved on the high-priest, in the absence of any specially appointed judge; and therefore, instead of being surprised that Eli should in this instance have been also judge, we may rather wonder that this did not oftener occur. It was during this administration of Eli that the prophet Samuel was born under cir- cumstances which seemed to point him out as one destined for great things in Israel. His father, named Eikanah, was a Levite. He with his wife, Hannah, used to go regularly to Shiloh, to worship at the tabernacle, which was still in that place. In one year she there prayed with great fervency for a son, and vowed that in case he were granted to her, the child should be wholly given as a Nazarite to the Lord. As she prayed, her agitation was so manifest, that it attracted the notice of Eli, as " he sat upon a seat by one of the posts of the tabernacle : " and he hastily supposed that she was under the influence of strong drink. But. she replied, " No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord ; " on which the priest said, " Go in peace : the God of Israel grant thee the petition thou hast asked of him." The prayer of the afflicted woman was heard : a son was given to her, and she called his name Samuel. From that time Hannah went no more up to Shiloh till her son was old enough to be taken to the tabernacle and left there. When this time came they all went up together, and, after the usual offerings, the now happy mother took her child and brought him before Eli. She reminded him of her former prayer, and now informed him, " For this child I prayed," and that having given him to the Lord, she had now come to perform her vow. She then gave utterance to her feelings in an exulting song, which forms a pleasing specimen of the sacred poesy of the age before David. She then departed, leaving the child at the tabernacle, who, as he grew up, was em- ployed in such light duties as a child could discharge, and which Levitical lineage author- ized him to perform. Hannah had other sons as well as daughters ; but she failed not year by' year to visit Shiloh, to embrace the son whom " she had lent unto the Lord." Eli himself was a man of undoubted piety, and of the most sincere intentions ; but his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, proved worthless persons, who were guilty of the most criminal abuses of their priestly office. Their conduct became at length so utterly depraved and atrocious, that the people began to shun the attendances at Shiloh, which brought them in contact with persons who made their sacred (149) 150 DEATH OF ELI'S SONS. office a cloak for all kinds of wickedness and I office. As they continued their evil courses, wrong-doing. They were reproved by their I a prophet was sent to Eli denouncing the pun- THE CHILD SAMUEL IN THE TEMPLE. — I Sam. iii. 4. father; but his reproof was too gentle, and | ishments of Heaven against them ; predicting unaccompanied by the strong measures of re- that Hophni and Phinehas should die "both straint which became his high and venerable I in one day," and that, after Eli's death, the THE PROPHET SAMUEL. 151 high-priesthood should be rent from his family and bestowed upon another. Meantime the young Samuel continued under the care of Eli, in the diligent discharge of the light duties confided to him, " minister- ing before the Lord, girded with a linen ephod." He was chiefly employed about the person of the aged high-priest, who became much at- tached to him. Once, when the lad was about twelve years of age, a voice called to him in the night, as he lay in a chamber near to and within call of that of the high-priest. The boy supposed that Eli hao called him, and hastened to receive his commands. But Eli had not called, and he was sent back to his couch. The voice again called, " Samuel, Samuel ! " and the lad again hastened to Eli, -with the same result. This being repeated a third time, the high-priest perceived that the call was supernatural, and told the lad that if the voice again called to him he should answer, *' Speak, Lord ; for thy servant heareth." The child did so, and he then received a Divine -communication to the same effect as that which the prophet had previously declared. " Be- hold," said the voice, " I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day will I per- form against Eli all things which I have spoken •concerning his house : when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth ; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." Samuel lay quiet till the morning, and was afraid to impart to Eli the heavy tidings with which he had been charged. But, on being pressed by his venerable patron, who knew that something unusual had transpired, he made all known to him. On hearing the awful mes- sage, the aged priest bent his venerable head and said : " It is the Lord ; let Him do what seemeth Him good." From this time forward it became known that Samuel was a prophet favored with reve- lations from God, which he made known to the people; and, as for some time there had not been in Israel any person thus favored — thus privileged with access to the counsels of the Divine King — the attention of all Israel was strongly drawn towards one who had, as it were, grown up under their eyes, in his con- stant attendance at the tabernacle. During all this period the Israelites appear to have been still under the oppression of the Philistines. In the fourth chapter of the Second Book of Samuel we come abruptly to an account of warlike operations, without being- able clearly to discern the object for which they were undertaken — whether from the desire of the Philistines to rivet more strongly the yoke of Israel, or from some attempt of the Israel- ites to shake it off. The first battle was fought at Aphek, and the Hebrews were routed with the loss of four thousand men. Excitement in the Hebrew Camp. On this the Israelites took up the notion that if the ark of God were brought into the field they could not fail to be victorious over their enemies. They therefore sent for it to Shiloh ; and it was brought to the army under the care of the sons of the high-priest, Hophni and Phinehas. When the sacred symbol en- tered the camp the whole army shouted for joy, as if already triumphant. The consternation of the Philistines was proportioned to the ex- ultation of the Hebrews ; and their feelings on this occasion enable us to perceive the estima- tion in which Jehovah was held by them, as the God of the Hebrews, which was the point of view in which He was regarded by them. They said : " Woe unto us ! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us ! who shall deliver us out of the hands of those mighty gods ? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wil- derness ! " Like valiant men, however, the Philistines did not permit this dread to discourage them, but rather regarded the greatness of the danger as an incentive to mightier exertions — " Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Quit yourselves like men, and fight ! " The result 152 THE FALL OF DAGON. read the Hebrews a terrible lesson of mis- placed confidence upon mere symbols, which were as nothing apart from the living presence which the symbol represented. They were beaten ; the ark of God was taken by the Phil- istines, and Hophni and Phinehas were killed in defending their sacred charge. By this one act, which made their death more worthy than their lives, they restore themselves, in some degree, to our good opinion ; but it was no longer possible for anything that they did or left undone to avert the ruinous effects of their former misdeeds, or to recall the doom which had gone forth from heaven against them and theirs. They died both in one day, as had been foretold ; and if their friends could have had any comfort left, it must have been found in the fact that no shame, but honor rather, attended their last hour. The Ark Taken by the Philistines. Meanwhile there were hearts at Shiloh that trembled for the fate of the battle, and for the ark of God. Among them was that of Eli, who, in his anxiety, caused his seat to be set by the wayside that he might catch the tidings as they came. Tidings of evil are seldom long delayed. A fugitive speedily came from the battle-field with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head. He announced that Israel had fled before the Philistines — that Hophni and Phinehas were slain — and the ark of God was taken. At that terrible word, the blind old man fell from his seat, and his neck was broken by the fall. The Philistines carried the ark in great triumph to Ashdod, and supposing that they had overcome the God of Israel by the mightier power of their own Dagon, they deposited it as a trophy of victory in his temple. It was the foresight of this triumph over the Lord of Hosts which had occasioned the death of Eli and filled Israel with dread. But it proved fatal to the Philistines and to their idol ; for it then behooved the Almighty to vindicate the honor of his own great name from the triumph of the heathen. Accord- ingly it was found the next morning that the image of Dagon had fallen from its place, be- fore the ark, and was broken in pieces. They found their idol lying on the floor, prostrate before the ark of God. This might have been an accident, they thought; and therefore they again set up their monstrous idol more securely in its high place. But the next morning it had not only again fallen down, but was broken into pieces. Next, the inhabitants of Ashdod were afflicted with a grievous disorder, the emerods, which was very general and intensely severe; this was accompanied by a plague of mice, by which the produce of their fields was con- sumed and spoiled. Taking these visitations in connection with the former event, they failed not to ascribe them to the wrath of the God of Israel, for the presence of his ark among them : and resolved to try whether he might not take more pleasure in some of their other cities. They therefore sent it to Gath, the inhabitants of which, being forthwith afflicted in the same manner, lost no time in forwarding it to Ekron ; but the truth began by this time to be suspected, and the Ekron- ites received it with horror, and cried, " They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people." Nor were they mistaken in their anticipations, for there was soon a grievous destruction throughout the city, for " the hand of God was very heavy there," and they were visited by severe judg- ments while the ark remained in their camp. There could be no longer any reasonable doubt that the pestilence by which the Philis- tines were thus wasted was sent among them on account of the ark, and they resolved to- restore it to the Israelites. Their priests recommended that an oblation, or trespass- offering, should be conveyed along with it, and, agreeably to the practice of those super- stitious times, they further suggested that the gold of which this offering was to consist should be wrought up into figures having a direct reference to the evils with which they had been afflicted. They made five golden emerods and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, and WELCOMING THE RETURN OF THE ARK. 1 Sam. vi. 1 3. (153) 154 OPPRESSIONS OF THE PHILISTINES. deposited them in a coffer which they placed beside the ark in the new car which they made for the purpose of conveying the sacred chest to its own land. It was usual for the heathen thus to convey their sacred arks and shrines, and they adopted it On this occasion, being ignorant that the Jewish law required the ark of God to be borne by the priests. A Severe Judgment. To the ark they yoked two milch cows, which had not been accustomed to the draught, and which they left to take their own course. The cows, as if directed by a Divine impulse, went direct towards the border village of Beth-shemesh in Judea, without once turning aside or attempting to go back, although their calves had been shut up at home. The vil- lagers who were abroad in the fields employed on the crops hailed the return of the ark with the most unbounded joy; and concluding that on so remarkable an occasion they might dis- pense with the strict observance of the law, which forbade sacrifice to be made at any other place than that at which the tabernacle was fixed, they slew the two cows, and offered them up as a burnt-offering to Jehovah. This breach of a very stringent commandment, together with the irreverent curiosity which they manifested to examine the contents of the ark, occasioned the death of seventy per- sons ; and by this the inhabitants were so terrified, that they besought the inhabitants of the neighboring city of Kirjath-jearim to relieve them from the care of so formidable a deposit. The men of Kirjath-jearim complied with this request, and the ark was suffered to remain twenty years in this place before it was restored to the tabernacle at Shiloh. The Hebrews were still under the yoke of the Philistines, who soon appeared against them in strong force. The Hebrews, who had then no war in their thoughts, were terrified at this demonstration; but, being encouraged by Samuel, they stood upon their defence, and in the battle which ensued were victorious over the Philistines, who were compelled to give up the cities they had taken from the Israelites, and to leave them their independ- ence. This great event completely established Samuel's influence over the people ; and he took advantage of this to bring about a more complete reformation by going frequently about among them, attending to the affairs they brought before him, and exhorting them to continue steadfast in the worship and service of the Lord. Many years passed peaceably and prosper- ously under the benign rule of Samuel, whose advancing years at length induced him some- what to relax his labors by associating his sons with him in the management of affairs. He then discontinued his circuits, and fixed his residence at Ramah, where he superintended the northern part of the land; while his sons, who established themselves at Beersheba, took charge of the southern districts. The sons of Samuel grievously misconducted themselves in the high trust confided to them. | "They walked not in his ways, but turned aside from hence, and took bribes, and per- verted judgment." This, with the prospect of what might be likely to follow on the death of Samuel, gave the Israelites occasion i to desire a king " to rule them like all the na- tions," and they took measures accordingly. This was not the true remedy, to a nation privileged like theirs. Discontent of the People. Samuel felt all this, and was well aware j that they were actuated by an impatient and I discontented spirit, and by a fondness for the imitation of the customs and institutions of the i neighboring nations, to the neglect of those peculiar institutions and peculiar privileges which distinguished them from all the nations of the earth. Samuel would not venture to return a defi- nite answer to the demand of the people for a king without first consulting the Lord, who was pleased to command him to protest most solemnly against the proposed change, and to declare in the strongest manner his reproba- tion of their rejection of Himself. CHAPTER XVII. THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL N the noble speech in which he set forth the evils of the kingly government, Samuel draws a striking picture of the mon- archical power as it then ex- isted and was exercised. He describes the compulsory im- pressment of all likely young men for the service of the king in the army and the court, and to be his horsemen, to run be- fore his chariots, and to work for him in trades and agricul- tural labor. Their daughters also should be taken in the same manner for the domestic service of the royal household ; and the king would not in the end fail, on one ground or | another, to take their heritages from them, to bestow them in reward upon his courtiers and officers. It reminded them also that the king would demand a tithe of their produce, as was the custom of the time, to support the ex- penses -of the state. This was the strongest point to place before them ; for they already by the law were required to pay this tenth to Jehovah as their king. This could not be re- linquished ; and as the temporal sovereign would still expect the regal tenth, they would in fact be burdened with a charge twice as heavy as that which any other nation was called to bear. The prophet concluded with : u 'And ye shall cry in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen, and the Lord will not hear you in that day." The people were not, however, moved from their purpose by this representation ; they an- swered, " Nay, but we will have a king to rule over us:" on which Samuel, with grief of heart, dismissed them for the present to their homes, with the understanding that a king would be provided for them. The person on whom the nomination fell was Saul, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Ben- jamin. This person, having gone far from home in the, vain search after some strayed asses, found himself near Ramah, and con- cluded, by the advice of his attendant, to con- sult "the man of God" who dwelt in that place. He accordingly came before Samuel, furnished with a small present, according to a custom which is still kept up in the East. He no sooner appeared than, according to a pre- monition from God, the prophet recognized in him the destined king of Israel. He gave him a hint to this effect, which Saul met by men- tioning the smallness of his tribe and his want of family influence. Nothing more passed just then : but the prophet treated the stranger with marked distinction, induced him to stay with him over night, and in the morning early walked forth with him from the town. On the way, Samuel stopped, poured on Saul's head a vial of anointing oil, declaring that by this act the Lord anointed him " to be captain over his inheritance." He then kissed him ; and to show that in this he acted by Divine authority, he proceeded to tell him all the incidents which would occur in his jour- ney home. Everything happened accordingly. He first met two men who told him that the lost asses were found, and that his father had become anxious at his prolonged absence. At another place, "in the plain of Tabor," he met three men, one carrying three kids, another bread, and a third a bottle of wine. They saluted him, and offered him some bread, which he took. After this he encountered a company of young men belonging to the school of the prophets, who were returning from the. high place, uttering sacred chants to the sound of the psaltery, tabret, pipe and harp. Here, as Samuel had foretold, a fit of (155) 156 SAUL PROCLAIMED KING. holy enthusiasm came upon him, and he has- tened to join them in their sacred exercises. It was, Ave are told, in this circumstance that the proverb originated, " Is Saul also among the prophets ? " He then reached home, but kept secret, even from his own relatives, the communication which Samuel had made to him. Some time after the prophet again called the people together in Mizpeh, to complete the im- portant affair which they had left.in his hands. He caused the tribes to cast lots, and the lot fell on Benjamin ; the lot was then taken for the families of Benjamin, and fell on that of Kish ; the lot was then cast for the members of that family, and the name of Saul was pro- duced. Saul had attended at Mizpeh, but had withdrawn from the assembly as he saw the crisis approaching. He was, however, sought for, and when brought forward, the people perceived with satisfaction that " there was none like him among the people," as he was taller by the head and shoulders than any one in all that crowd. A distinction of this sort was highly acceptable among ancient nations ; and when the Israelites noticed it in Saul they shouted heartily, " Long live the King! " Saul's Great Victory. Shortly after these transactions, Jabesh- Gilead, a city on the borders of Amnion, beyond the Jordan, was assaulted by the Am- monites, and the inhabitants were reduced to such extremities that they offered to capitulate, but could obtain no better terms than that every one of them should have his right eye put out, to disqualify him from using the bow- in war. To these savage terms the Jabcsh- Gileadites agreed to submit in case nothing occurred for their advantage within seven days. In this desperate extremity they thought of applying to the newly-appointed king, who had quietly returned to his former occupations, and was engaged in following the herds when the messengers arrived. The heart of Saul rose to the greatness of the occasion. Then and for ever he laid aside the small cares of pasture and tillage, and put on the warrior and the king. Fired with gen- erous wrath at the indignity thus offered to Israel, he imperatively summoned, by swift messengers, the men of Israel skilled in arms to join their king. Three hundred and thirty thousand armed men almost immediately came to him in Bezek, and with this force he hast- ened across the river, and by a forced march appeared before Jabesh-Gilead before the seven days had expired. The Ammonites were de- feated with great slaughter, and the beleaguered city relieved. Saul's conduct on this occasion, crowned as it was by such eminent success, did more for him in popular opinion than his prophetic nomination or even his imposing figure. The people escorted him in triumph to Gilgal, where the victory was celebrated with many sacrifices, and the new king was confirmed by acclamation in his kingdom. Samuel, who was present at Gilgal, and was now obviously called upon to resign his ex- ecutive authority, took the opportunity of ad- dressing the people. When we consider the greatness of the occasion — the last of an old order of government peaceably laying down his power to the first of a new line of rulers — and when we look at the vastness of the audience, composed of the flower of the nation which it represented, we are prepared to pay much at- tention to the speech of Samuel, as one that must be remarkable, and may be important. It was both : " Behold," he said, " I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you ; and I am old and gray-headed : and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am. Witness against me this day before the Lord and before His anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I de- frauded ? whom have I oppressed ? or at whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith ? " Considering the cir- cumstances under which justice and govern- ment are and always have been administered in the East, this is an appeal which few judges (157) 158 SAMUEL REPROVING SAUL. or governors would venture to make. But here the people answered with one voice, " Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand." Thunder and Rain. The prophet then proceeded to explain and vindicate the course of the Divine conduct towards the nation from the commencement of their history till then ; and by showing the sufficiency of the theocratic government, he again brought forward their criminality in de- manding a king, " when the Lord their God was their king." Nevertheless, if they and the king over them continued to serve the Lord, his blessing should still rest upon them, and render them prosperous. The prophet then, to show that he spoke by Divine au- thority in denouncing the course they had taken, called upon the Lord to send thunder and rain as a sign to them ; and accordingly a thunder-storm, attended by heavy rains, came on, although the time of the year, it being then the wheat harvest, was one in which these phenomena are not naturajly exhibited in the climate of Palestine. This made a strong and salutary impression upon the peo- ple, and contributed to maintain Samuel in that degree of regulating authority which was most important, if not essential, at the com- mencement of the new order of affairs. The victory of Saul over the Philistines ap- pears to have established his reputation among the surrounding nations ; and from this period the most warlike of them quailed before him, and were defeated in a succession of easy vic- tories. Now the Amalekites were invaded in their own land, and all but those who escaped the hot pursuit were destroyed. Saul, however, acting upon the impulses of pride and avarice, or moved by a sentiment of compassion which his mission did not sanction, spared the life of Agag, the king, and allowed the troops to re- serve the more valuable parts of the spoil. This renewed instance of disobedience and presumption, in a matter which had become a point of blood-honor to the nation, sealed the I fate of Saul. Truly does Solomon say that " Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." So it was with the first Hebrew king, who was never so well satisfied with himself, never more exalted in spirit, than at this moment, when all this glory was passing from him. In this elation of heart he set up a monument of his victory in the land of Carmel (not Mount Carmel), through which he passed on his way to Gilgal. At. Gilgal Samuel came to him. The king went forth to meet the prophet, and informed him that he had faithfully fulfilled the Divine behests. But Samuel was not deceived. The disobedience of the king had already been made known to him ; already the doom Saul had brought down on his own head had been imparted to him ; and so much was he attached to the wrong-headed prince, that he greatly grieved at the tidings, and " cried unto the Lord all night." When, therefore, Saul claimed the merit of high obedience to himself, the prophet answered with indignation, " What meaneth, then, this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" Saul answered, that the cattle had been spared for the purpose of sacrifice to the Lord. On this Samuel more distinctly pointed out his disobedience ; but he still persisted that he had fulfilled his commission, and'made a merit of having spared the cattle for sacrifice. To which Samuel replied, " Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of lambs." He added, that idol- atry itself was not a greater sin before God than disobedience ; and concluded with the terrible words, " Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he also has rejected thee from being king." Having fulfilled this painful duty, Samuel turned to depart, but Saul laid hold of the skirt of his mantle to detain him, and it was rent in his hand ; and the prophet seized this as a symbol of the great fact he had already in other words declared — " The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel this day, and given THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL 159 it to a neighbor of thine who is better than I was offered to God, and Samuel at length thee." Solicitous to preserve appearances be- 1 consented. Before his departure he ordered DAVID ANOINTED BY SAMUEL. 1 Sam. XVI. 1 3. fore the heads of the nation, Saul still, how- 1 Agag, the king of the Amalekites, to be put ever, pressed him to remain while worship | to death; and the captive monarch, who 160 THE SWEET SINGER. deemed himself safe under the protection of Saul, learned that there was in Israel a power above that in which he trusted. From this time Samuel withdrew himself entirely from Saul, and never again visited him during his subsequent reign. The Sc:i cf Jesse. Scon after this Samud received the Divine instructions to proceed to Bethlehem, and anoint as king, or rather, for the succession to the crown, one of the sons of Jesse, a descend- ant of Boaz and Ruth, inhabiting that city. Understanding that Jesse had several sons, the prophet directed them to be brought be- fore him. But the Divine intimation, which the prophet expected, did not point out any of them ; and learning that the youngest son, David by name, was out with the sheep, he directed him to be sent for. He soon entered, in all the freshness of youth and beaming with intelligence; and immediately the Divine word came to the soul of the prophet, "Arise, anoint him ; for this is he! " He accordingly arose, and poured upon his head the anointing oil ; and then he returned to his own house in Ramah, and David to his sheep. At this time the symptoms of the malady which darkened the days of Saul, and which threw him by turns into fits of melancholy madness and of frantic passion, became distinct and manifest. His courtiers, perceiving that this visitation was of that kind over which music had power, urged him to retain about his person a skilful player on the harp, whose strains might calm his mind and disperse the clouds which gathered around it. It hap- pened that David was renowned for his min- strel skill, and was named as one eminently suitable for this office. The person who mentioned his name to the king described him as " a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him." Saul therefore sent a somewhat arbitrary message to Jesse, " Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep." He accordingly came, and made himself very useful to the king, who held him in high esteem. We are told that " Whenever the evil spirit was upon Saul, David took an harp and played before him, so Saul's spirit was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him." How long he remained at court is not very clear; but we afterwards find him again at home, and again feeding his father's sheep. The Philistines had by this time recovered from their last defeat, and now reappeared in the field with a most powerful army, which they marched into the land of Israel, and en- camped at Azekah, whither Saul hastened to confront them. The Philistines then put for- ward a gigantic warrior named Goliath, who in highly insulting language challenged the Hebrew host to send forth one of their num- ber to engage with him in single combat, the result of which should decide the fate of the war. This huge warrior, who was about ten feet high, and of proportionate bulk, was accoutred in complete armor, the first we read of in Scripture ; and the enumeration of the articles of which it was composed is, even in an antiquarian point of view, highly interest- ing, and shows his enormous strength. David and Goliath. " He had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of his coat was five thousand shekels (twelve hundred and fifty ounces) of brass, and he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass upon his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hun- dred shekels (three hundred ounces) of iron, and one bearing a shield went before him." This suggests a lively idea of the ancient pan- oply of war, and in the details great similarity appears to the array of the Memlook guards of Egypt of a former day. Indeed, the pic- ture given by Forbin of one of these guards and his attendant might almost stand for a picture of Goliath and his armor-bearer, and a far more interesting one than any of the THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. 161 numerous pictures from fancy which have ever i a sword, which afterwards became famous in been given. The weapons are the sam \ also, | the historv of David. DAVID AT THE BROOK. — I Sam. xvii. 40. with the addition of the club and battle-axe; for the sequel shows that, besides the spear mentioned in the above account, the giant had II The effect which the view and challenge of this enormous warrior produced upon the Is- raelites was fully as great as the Philistines 162 DAVID SLAYS GOLIATH. could have expected. They were peculiarly liable to be impressed by considerations of bulk and stature ; and Saul himself was head and shoulders taller than any of his people. The man and his challenge struck the Hebrew host with dismay. The custom of nations pre- vented them from declining this mode of set- tling the war when proposed by the enemy, but who among them was able to compete with this huge Philistine ? Day after day the proud unbeliever strode forth from the Philis- tine camp and defied the armies of Israel ; and among all the heroes of Saul not one was found to take up the awful responsibility which the combat imposed. At this juncture David arrived in the camp, sent by his father to inquire after, and convey provisions to, his three elder brothers, who were with the army. He heard the challenge of Goliath, and seeing that it provoked no response, he was fired with indignation, and offered to go out himself against the haughty infidel. This being reported to the king, he sent for him ; and finding him a mere youth, whom he did not recognize in his present garb, he feared to risk the fate of Israel upon his arm, and endeavored to dissuade him from the undertaking. But David assured the king that, in his reliance upon the Divine protection and succor, he felt fully confident of success, and was assured that the same power which had at different times strengthened him to slay a lion and a bear in defence of his flocks would also deliver him out of the hand of the Philis- tine, and win a signal victory for Israel. The Deadly Sliiig. Saul then consented, and proceeded to arm the youthful champion with his armor and to gird him with his own sword. But finding himself encumbered with accoutrements to which he was unused, David again took them off, and proceeded to action provided only with a sling and with five smooth stones, which he selected from the brook and put into his shepherd's bag. When the giant beheld the unarmed youth advance against him he felt insulted by such fragile opposition, and, addressing David with great disdain, " cursed him by his gods." The son of Jesse retorted with great animation, expressing his full con- fidence that the God of Israel would show that he could save " without sword or spear," by giving him the victory that day. Then, while the giant came on with ponderous tread, the young hero nimbly fitted a stone in his sling, and cast it with so true an aim, and with an arm so powerful, that it smote Goliath in the forehead, and, crushing through flesh and bone, lodged in his brain. He had scarcely fallen when the victor flew upon him, and, having no weapon of his own, smote off the monster's head with his own sword. / The Maidens' Song- of Triumph. With a shout that rent the earth as the champion fell the Hebrew host rushed for- ward to follow up the stroke upon the Philis- tines, who fled in panic and confusion at a re- sult so unexpected by them. A great slaughter was committed upon them, and the pursuers returned with many captives and much spoil. Great was the joy in Israel at this deliverance. The maidens came forth to meet the warriors with triumphal songs, of which David was made the hero, although Saul was not for- gotten. They sang : Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. This preference was heard by Saul with great displeasure, and was perhaps the first circumstance which awakened that jealousy of David which troubled the rest of his reign. Jonathan, the son of Saul, was, however, of a far different mind. His admiration of the young hero was most intense, and he hastened to cultivate an acquaintance with him, which ripened into that tender and most faithful friendship which David has rendered im- mortal. Saul, although vexed, was not yet become ungrateful, nor indeed was it possible for one who had wrought so great a deed in Israel as David, to be neglected without an outrage on public opinion. The king, therefore, gave him THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. 1C: an important command in the army. This I fested, that his popularity daily increased, and afforded him an opportunity of distinguishing I the jealousy of the king ripened in the same DAVID SLAYING GOLIATH. — I Sam. XVli. 54. himself; and so brilliant were his exploits, I proportion into dislike and hatred. As he and so engaging were the qualities he mani- 1 thus gave way to evil passions, his dreadful 164 DAVID SAVED BY MICHAL. disease returned with redoubled force; and once, when the son of Jesse was attempting- to soothe him, as of old, with his harp, the king- in his madness cast at him his javelin with the intention of smiting him " even to the wall ; " but David evaded the stroke and left the royal presence. It was possibly for the purpose of removing the temptation to crime from him- self that the king then sent him away to com- mand the troops on the frontier; but his pop- ularity still increasing, Saul ere long recalled him to court, and offered one of his daughters in marriage. This honor was due to David, as the king had held it out as an inducement to any one who should combat with and over- come Goliath ; but it had hitherto been with- held. David's Bride. Now, however, the king happened to learn that an attachment had arisen between David and his daughter Michal, and he resolved to give her to him, in the hope of the connection being made the means of his ruin. With pre- tended liberality and kindness he declared that he required no other dowry for his daughter than that he should distinguish himself against the enemies of Israel, in the time which must elapse between the betrothal and the actual marriage. The hope of the king was that he would be destroyed in the daring acts into which he knew he would thus be led. But David performed all that was required of him, and returned safe and triumphant to claim his bride, who could not then be withheld from him. This did not tend to lessen the enmity of The increase of reputation which he thus ob- tained exposed him anew to the wrath of the king, who on his return to court attempted to assassinate him; but not succeeding in his design, he determined to have him arrested on the following day, that he might have an opportunity of slaying him in confinement. Then, fearing that he might escape during the night, he stationed guards around the house, with instructions to seize him in the morning. But David was this time saved by his wife, the faithful Michal, who' gained intel- ligence of this design, and contrived the escape of her husband by letting him down in a basket from one of the windows. He then went for counsel and encouragement to the aged Samuel at Ramah. Saul was now grown desperate, and no sooner heard of the place of his retreat than he sent a detachment of soldiers to ap- prehend him. But they no sooner beheld the venerable prophet among his pupils, " the sons of the prophets," uttering their, holy chants, than, under a Divine influence, they laid aside all their fierceness, and sat down utterly sub- dued among these holy persons. Saul sent again and again, with the same result; and at length, not to be balked of his prey, he pro- ceeded himself to Ramah ; but the same influ- ence overshadowed him ; disarmed, subdued,, he cast aside his upper garment, aqd lay down meek and humble at the feet of the prophet. David's Faithful Friend. When the king had returned home, David, supposing that some salutary change might have been wrought in his mind, and that it Saul, who at length went so far as to give ; behooved him to make one more effort to main- orders to his confidential attendants, and even tain his position, went also to Gibeah to con- to Jonathan, to seize any favorable opportunity suit with Jonathan respecting the course he that offered of making away with David, should take. That faithful friend promised to Jonathan, however, pleaded so earnestly for , take means to ascertain his father's present his friend, that Saul relented, " and sware, as feeling, and meanwhile enjoined him to remain the Lord liveth," not to slay him. After this j concealed in the fields, without entering the Saul intrusted David with the command of | town, that his arrival might not be suspected, the whole army to oppose the Philistines, who The conversation which passed between these had again invaded his dominions. His usual : admirable friends as they walked together in success attended him in this expedition, the the fields is reported with unusual minuteness enemy being routed and completely subdued. | in the sacred record, and gives a vivid impres- SAUL ATTEMPTS THE LIFE OF DAVID. 1 Sam. XVlii. II. (165) 166 JONATHAN'S LOVE FOR DAVID. sion of the nobleness of Jonathan's heart, see- ing that the object of his ardent and generous friendship was one whom he knew to be des- tined to exclude himself from the succession to the throne. But, in the emphatic language of Scripture, "he loved him as his own soul," and was well content to think that David should hereafter sit upon the throne of Israel, and had for himself no other desire than to remain his bosom friend and counsellor. The day after this interview was the feast of the new moon, when it seems to have been the custom of the king to dine with his princes and great officers. The king, we are told, " sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall ; " by which we learn that the seat of honor was then, as at present, in the East, in the corner at the upper end of the room ; and it must, as now, have been in the right-hand corner, from the king being able to throw his javelin. After what had passed at Ramah, the king expected that David would be pres- ent at table in his usual place. He, however, took no notice of the first day; but on the second inquired after him. Jonathan replied that he had given him leave to absent him- self, and this would account for his absence. Saul's Anger. On this the evil spirit raged high in the un- happy king. He broke forth into the grossest vituperation of his own son, whom he re- proached in being a party tc his own dishonor, for he said, with bitterness, "as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom ! Wherefore, now, send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die." But Jonathan began to vindicate his friend; on which the king, quite beside himself with passion, cast his javelin at him to smite him. After this Jona- than knew that there was no hope for David, to whose hiding-place he proceeded to make known to him this result, and to give a reluc- tant consent that he should seek among strangers the safety which was denied him in his own country. Before quitting the land of Israel David proceeded to Nob, a city of Benjamin, where- the tabernacle then stood, and requested the high-priest Abimelech to provide him and his few attendants with provisions for his intended journey, as well as with armor for himself- Having been led to believe that he was upon public business which required secrcsy, the high-priest was prevailed upon to give him a quantity of the bread which had lately been removed from the table as shcw-bread, and which, in strict propriety, it was lawful for the priests only to eat ; and there being no other weapon at the tabernacle, he allowed him to have the sword which he had himself taken from Goliath, and which had afterwards been laid up in the tabernacle as a trophy of vic- tory. On departing from Nob David took the somewhat strange step of proceeding to Gath, one of the chief cities of the Philistines, in the hope of being allowed to remain there under the protection of the king Achish. The offi- cers of the king were, however, by no means inclined to overlook the victory over Goliath, and the various disgraces which the Philistine arms had sustained at his hands ; and they counselled the king to avail himself of the op- portunity of ridding himself of so redoubted an enemy. This so alarmed David that he feigned madness, and mimicked the actions of a lunatic so well that he was allowed to depart unmolested. In returning to his own land David found it expedient to avoid inhabited places, and to seek refuge in caverns, woods and wildernesses. In the first place he betook himself to the great cave of Adullam, where many of his relations,, who had become obnoxious to Saul, joined him, some to seek his protection, and others to afford him their assistance. Here also came to him a number of men of broken fortunes and unsettled dispositions, who were glad to put themselves under the command of so re- nowned a leader, and who formed a small but valorous troop of about four hundred men. It was about this time that the king of Moab, being at variance with Saul, sent a messenger to David to invite him to his court. He ac- THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. 167 cordingly repaired thither, and after having secured a quiet retreat for his aged parents, returned with his few troops into the land of When Saul heard of David's return he called his attendants and courtiers around him, and threatened his utmost vengeance DAVID AND JONATHAN. 1 Sam. XV'iii. I. Judah, where his friends were most numer- j against any of them who failed to render him ous, and abode for a time in " the forest of j every assistance in discovering David, or to Hareth," secure in his secluded retreat I reveal whatever came to their knowledge of 168 THE PRIESTS SLAIN. his movements and designs. On this an officer named Doeg, by birth an Edomite, who had been present at Nob when the high-priest assisted David, stepped forward, and reported with considerable exaggeration what he had witnessed. The dark rage of Saul rose high at this information ; and he immediately sent to Nob to call Ahimelech and the attend- ing priests before him. The summons was promptly obeyed. When the king charged Ahimelech with conspiracy and treason for the assistance rendered to the son of Jesse, the high-priest firmly but respectfully vindicated himself, and declared his perfect ignorance of the alleged designs or intentions of David when he rendered him assistance as to the king's son-in-law. But the thirst for blood was strong upon the maddened king, and he was but too happy to find any objects on which, with the slightest show of reason, it might be gratified. With- out heeding the defence, he turned to his guard and ordered them to slay the priests of the Lord. But they were for the moment protected by their sacred character, and every one shrunk from the deed. On this the king turned to the accuser Doeg, and commanded him to slay them ; and froi» this foreign mer- cenary he found ready obedience. Eighty- one of the priests of God fell that day under his sword ; and he then, under authority from the king, proceeded to Nob, where, with the assistance of others, he destroyed the families of the priests resident there. The only per- son of the priestly family who escaped was Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, who fled for safety to David in the forest of Hareth. He was well received, and became the priest or chaplain of the band. About this time the city of Keilah, in Juclah, was besieged by the Philistines, and David, by the Lord's direction, hastened with his small troop to the relief of the place. He succeeded in defeating the enemy and putting them to flight, and on retiring from the pursuit entered with much spoil the city he had delivered. When Saul heard that he was in this place he prepared to march against him, intending to blockade the city, and compel the inhabitants to give up David. But he made his escape from the place before the king arrived with his troops, and withdrew into the wilderness of Ziph. A Timely Escape. The people of the town of that name, how- ever, made the place of his retreat known to the king, who immediately maiched in pursuit of him. Of this movement David received timely warning, and withdrew into the wilder- ness of Maon, whither he was closely pursued by Saul. The royal troop had nearly sur- rounded David and his small company, when the king received intelligence that the Philis- tines had invaded his dominions, which com- pelled him to abandon his present object, and march against them. David was thus delivered from a most dan- gerous position. But the king had no sooner repelled the Philistines than he resumed with eagerness the pursuit of David, who had by this time taken refuge in the rocky wilderness of Engedi. The king followed him there, and on his arrival went into a cave unaccom- panied by any of his attendants. It happened that David was at that very time in the farther parts of this same cave, and was urged by his men to avail himself of this opportunity of ridding himself of his inveterate enemy, who was so keenly bent on his destruction. But the son of Jesse repelled with horror the sug- gestion to " stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed." He wished, however, to let Saul see how completely he had been in his power, and therefore drew near to him stealth- ily, and cut off the skirt of his robe. When the king had quitted the cave David went out also, and called after him, " My lord the king ! " And when Saul looked back, he bowed low before him, and proceeded to ad- dress him in very forcible but respectful and even pathetic language. He assumed that the king had been misled by ill advisers and slanderous reports, and justified his own fidel- ity and the innocence of his intentions; in proof of which he produced the skirt, which had just been severed from his robe. Saul THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. 169 could not withstand this ; he was for the mo- ment convinced of David's innocence and of his own guilt in pursuing him thus inveterately. His stern nature was softened, and his diseased mind rightened by a gush of tender emotions. He said, " Is this thy voice, my son David ? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept." He admitted that under the same circumstances he should not have acted so generously ; he avowed his knowledge that David was his destined successor to the throne, and declared voted services to the nation, and fully sensible of the great loss they had sustained, assembled in large numbers at Ram ah to assist at his funeral, and to make lamentations for him. While David was in the wilderness of Paran, into which the cattle-owners of Judah were accustomed to send out their flocks and herds for pasture, David, although obliged to live much after the manner of the Bedouins, re- strained his troop from disturbing the abundant flocks of a wealthy sheep-master called Nabal, DAVJD SPARES THE LIFE that his mind would be satisfied if he would pledge himself by an oath not to extirpate his posterity when he came to the crown. David most willingly entered into the required en- gagement, after which they separated, Saul returning to his capital, and the son of Jesse, who had but little faith in the king's temporary convictions, withdrawing into the wilderness of Paran. About this time the prophet Samuel died, and the people, mindful of his long and de- of saul. — I Sam. xxiv. 4. and, on the contrary, protected them from the depredations of the Arabs. Afterwards, when he returned northward, he heard that Nabal was engaged in shearing his sheep ; and, as the season was one of festivity, and much pro- vision was usually laid up for the occasion, David sent to beg that some victuals might be furnished to his troop in acknowledgment of the part he had acted in the desert. This was refused by Nabal in highly insulting language, which David resented so deeply that he imme- 170 DAVID AND ABIGAIL. diately put his troop in motion to wreak ven- geance upon him and his. But on the road he was met by Nabal's wife, Abigail, who had expected some such result from her husband's churlishness, of which she no sooner heard than she directed her ass to be saddled, and, attended by two servants, she set forth with a liberal present of choice pro- visions to meet and pacify the incensed war- rior. In this, by her good sense, address, and comeliness, she prevailed so well, that David was thankful, on second thoughts, for having been prevented in executing his fell purpose ; and when he afterwards heard that Nabal was dead, he sent and solicited the widow to be- come his wife, when she was found to be nothing loath to share the destinies of the handsome hero and future king of Israel. David had before this entered into marriage with Ahinoam, a woman of Jezreel ; his first wife, Michal, Saul's daughter, being separated from him, and bestowed by her father upon another. Saul Spared by David. After this David removed from the wilder-; ness of Paran to the hill Hachilah, in the j wilderness of Ziph, and the inhabitants of the town so called again sent tidings to Saul of i the circumstance. All his convictions and good resolutions had by this time passed away, | and he was prepared to pursue the son of Jesse with all his former eagerness. He hast- ened after him at the head of three thousand chosen men ; and having arrived, he rested his troops during that night, resolving to attack him on the following morning. David, how- ever, succeeded during the night in secretly entering the camp of Saul, attended only by his cousin Abishai, and advancing to the place I where the spear planted in the ground marked j the station of the chief, without being perceived by the guards, who soundly slept, he took! away the cruse of water which stood beside [ the king, and also the spear which was planted at his bolster, and then withdrew, after resist- ing the solicitation of Abishai for permission to destroy him as he slept. David then repaired to a safe point on an eminence at some distance, and in a loud voice called to Abner, the captain of Saul's host, re- proving him for his negligent guard of the royal person, and held up the spear and the cruse of water, to show the danger to which the king had been exposed, and how com- pletely it had been in his power to destroy him if he had been so inclined. Saul overheard all this, and his heart smote him. He could not but feel that, after what had passed at the former interview, David had stronger reason than before to feel aggrieved and wrathful ; and this act of generous forbearance struck him even more forcibly than the former had done. He could not restrain his rising emo- tions, but cried, " Is that thy voice, my son David ? " and in answer to the firm and earnest remonstrance of Jesse's son, he admitted with- out reserve the guilt and folly of his own con- duct: "I have sinned; return, my son David, for I will no more do thee harm, because my life was precious in thine eyes this day ; be- hold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly." It is these touches of relenting nature, these gleams of light, beaming now and then through the fissures of his fractured mind, which create an interest in behalf of this unhappy king, and preserve him from aversion or contempt. A mind thus capable of feeling and appreciating a noble and generous action could not itself be naturally ignoble or ungen- erous. David, however, had little confidence in the permanency of these salutary impressions on the king's mind, and, so far from accepting his invitation to return to court, he deemed it right to leave the country entirely. He there- fore again repaired to Gath with his followers, who had ere this increased in number to six hundred. It seems a strange step again to venture where he had before been so ill re- ceived ; but he was now in very different cir- cumstances, and it is not unlikely that he had received from king Achish an intimation that he might now reckon upon his protection. To prevent jealousies, the Philistine king pre- sented him with the town of Ziklag as a residence for himself and followers, and here THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. 171 he was soon joined by a considerable number | refuse to accompany the Philistines in thei of adherents from his own tribe of Judah. Not long after they had settled in this place the Philistines resolved to invade the land of march against his countrymen. He therefore went, probably leaving his course in the field to be determined by circumstances. But SAUL SEARCHING FOR DAVID. 1 Sam. Xxiv. 2. when the Philistine forces from the different states met at Aphek, the other chiefs and princes expressed surprise at the presence of David, and, being very suspicious of his in- Israel, and the king of Gath called upon David to join the expedition. This was a dangerous and difficult dilemma, and David felt that he could not, without great danger, 172 CONSULTING A SORCERESS. tentions, prevailed upon Achish to send him back to Ziklag. On returning thither, David found that during his absence the place had been attacked and fired by the Amalekites, who not only carried away all the substance of David's people, but had also taken their wives and families as captives. So great were the rage and consternation of David's men at this discovery that he had well-nigh become the victim of their blind fury, for they talked of stoning him to death. " But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God;" and referred the matter to Him through the priest Abiathar, by vhom he re- ceived a favorable answer, whereby his fol- lowers were pacified. They then hastened southward in pursuit. During the march they fell in with an Egyptian slave, who, fall- ing sick on the road, had been abandoned by his master, one of the Amalekites who had assisted at the sack of Ziklag, and who, being refreshed by David's men, offered to lead them to the camp of the Amalekites. These ma- rauders were found enjoying themselves in sup- posed safety, eating, and drinking, and danc- ing, because of the great spoil they had won. In this condition they were quite unprepared for the vigorous assault of David's brave fol- lowers, and only four hundred of them, who fleC upon swift camels, escaped the sword. While David was engaged on this expedition the' attention of all Israel was fixed upon the great and decisive action between their king and the Philistines. Saul and the Witch of En dor. The armies lay encamped before each other, the Philistines at Shunem and the Israelites on the mountain of Gilboa, when, the night before the action, Saul, anxious and alarmed that he could obtain no intimation of the Divine will through the channels which were open under the theocratical institutions, left the camp at night and went to consult a re- puted sorceress who resided in the neighbor- ing village of FCndor. Me was disguised; but the woman, if she had never seen him before, could not but recognize the king of Israel, by the nature of his questions, and by the towering stature for which he was re- nowned throughout the land. He required her " to bring up Samuel ; " and accordingly the king beheld ascending from the earth the figure of " an old man covered with a mantle ; " but whether this was really the shade of Samuel, as the king be- lieved, or a phantom resembling him, has been much contested. Saul, however, prostrated himself before the figure; and in answer to the question, "Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?" answered, "God is de- parted from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets nor by dreams ; therefore I have called upon thee, to make known unto me what I shall do." The reply, uttered in severe language, announced that the time was come for the accomplishment of his doom, and indicated to him the fatal scene which the next day saw accomplished on Mount Gil- boa. Stunned by this intelligence, and ex- hausted by long fasting and anxiety, that un- happy king fell prostrate on the ground ; and it was not without difficulty that he was so far restored as to be able to take a little food before he quitted the dwelling of the necro- mancer. The next day the opposed hosts joined bat- tle, and Saul acted like one who was deter- mined to deserve, if he could not win, the victory. But the Philistines attacked his posi- tion with so much resolution that the Israelites fled before them, or were cut in pieces in the attempt to escape. The sacred historian seems to state the superior skill of the Philistines in the use of the bow as the proximate cause of this defeat ; the weapons of the Hebrews them- selves being chiefly the spear and shield. In vain did the king attempt repeatedly to rally them, and lead them forward to renew the action : the disorder was complete. The king, supported by a few faithful friends, maintained his ground till he was mortally wounded by an arrow, and his valiant sons lay dead at his feet. Escape was then hopeless ; and dreading, THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. 17:5 worse than death, the ignominious treatment to which lie should be exposed if he fell alive into the hands of the Philistines, he implored his armor-bearer to thrust him through with his sword. The youth, overcome by his fears, and by a very natural reluctance to shed the blood of his master, the Lord's anointed, for Ashtaroth, as trophies of their victory, and in honor of their idols. The bodies of Saul and his sons they gibbeted on the wall of Bethshan — and this circumstance gave occasion for an act of generous valor which affords a refresh- ing contrast to many of the transactions of this period. The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, THE HAGARITES EXPELLED BY THE REUBEN ITES. 1 ChlOll. V. IO. once refused obedience ; on which Saul, seeing] on the other side Jordan, no sooner heard of that no time was to be lost, fell upon his own this ignominy, than they were roused by a sword and expired; and the faithful armor- j grateful remembrance of the deliverance which bearer immediately followed the example. I Saul had wrought for them at the beginning The body of the king was found by the of his reign, and determined to rescue his re- Philistines, who took off the head, and sent it j mains from insult. Passing over the river by to one of their cities to be fastened in the 1 night, they stole away the mangled remains temple of Dagon, and his armor in that of | of the king and his sons from the wall, and 174 DAVID MOURNING FOR SAUL. bore them away to their own place, where, after bestowing upon them the usual honors, they buried the ashes under a tree, and fasted seven days. At the news of the defeat in Gilboa, terror spread through all the tribes of Israel. Even those who dwelt beyond the Jordan were no sooner informed of it than they retired into their strongholds in the mountains, leaving their cities in the plain to be occupied by the Philistines. David had not long returned to Ziklag, when the tidings of the events were brought to him by a young Amalekite, who brought with him the diadem and regal armlets of the fallen monarch. Judging that it would please David, the Amalekite embellished his account by claiming the merit of having put the king to death, at his own request, after he had been mortally wounded. But instead of obtaining the reward he expected, David, who had him- self more than once testified the highest respect for the royal person, ordered him to be put to death for having presumptuously lifted his hand against the Lord's anointed. He also manifested every token of sincere grief and sorrow on this occasion by rending his clothes and by other marks of mourning and lamenta- tion. Especially was David grieved and dis- tressed for his beloved friend Jonathan, and the lamentation which he composed on the oc- casion claims our admiration not less for the beauty of its composition than for the tone of generous affection by which it is animated. This remarkable friendship between David and Jonathan is one of the most pleasing in- cidents in the Old Testament history. One was the son of the king, and the other was the son of a shepherd; yet, being widely separated by their circumstances and their lot in life, they were strongly attached. There was much of nobility and whole-souled generosity in the nature of Jonathan. He was such a young man as one would hardly expect to find in the midst of his surroundings. These same qual- ities were possessed in a remarkable degree by David, who was fitted pre-eminently for his great career and the sphere he occupied. Be- ing at the head of the nation, vast respon- sibilties rested upon him. Many and griev- ous were his faults and failings, but his sin- cere affection for his friend Jonathan stands out in pleasing contrast to the sins by which his life was darkened. CHAPTER XVIII. KING DAVID. ING Saul was dead, and David long since had been anointed by Sam- uel ; still his right to the throne was not rec- ognized by the people generally. Those of Ju- dah were the first who acknowledged his claim, while Abner, Saul's uncle, pro- claimed Ishbosheth, his grand- nephew, king. It would ap- pear that no tribe save that of Judah took part in the nom- ination of David, but that all the other tribes agreed in the election of Saul's only surviving son. He was a weak, incapable man, and no doubt Abner merely seized upon him as a tool for his own advancement — feeble Ishbosheth might wear the crown, but Abner would practically be ruler in Israel. David established himself in Hebron, and for two years no hostile act was committed. At the end of that time Abner resolved on suppressing David's rule altogether. With this object he crossed the Jordan and invaded David's territory. David sent out Joab to meet him, and the opposing forces met near the pool of Gibeon. For some time they re- mained passive on both sides, each unwilling to strike the first blow, but at last the two gen- erals agreed to a device to excite the flagging zeal of their followers. Twelve men on each side were matched to fight against each other between the two armies, and so well were they matched that no sooner were they within reach of one another than each man seized his opponent by the hair of the head, the scalp, or beard, and sheathed his sword in his body, so that the whole twenty-four were killed on the spot. This spectacle aroused both armies, and a sanguinary battle followed. It ended unfavor- ably for Abner, whose army was defeated and he himself compelled to fly. Asahel, the brother of Joab, gave chase, and being a very swift runner would certainly have overtaken Abner, had not that wily and unscrupulous man stricken him with his spear and left him on the road for dead. Joab, and Abishai, another brother, were in hot pursuit of Abner, but night came on and the chase was given up, and Joab and Abner had a parley, which ended in both returning to their own places. The loss on the side of Joab was nineteen men and his brother Asahel ; on that of Abner, the loss was about three hundred and sixty. For more than five years after this engage- ment David dwelt peaceably at Hebron, and Abner, in the name of Ishbosheth, reigned over all but Judah. This might have gone on had not the assumption of Abner at last kin- dled a spark of manly feeling on the part of the weak and effeminate king. Ishbosheth ventured to expostulate with Abner, who re- torted with a storm of indignation : he plainly told the king that he and he alone had placed him on the throne of his father, and that he who made kings could unmake them. His behavior was very much akin to that of the earl of Warwick with Henry VI. of England. By his threats of transferring the kingdom to David Abner entirely silenced Ishbosheth ; but not content with this he made overtures to David for a treaty by which David should be recognized by all Israel. In order the more easily to facilitate this business Abner came to Hebron during the absence of Joab, and had an interview with David. Matters (175) 176 ABNER SLAIN BY JOAB. were amicably arranged between them, and Abner retired before the return of Joab. When Joab returned he was exceedingly indignant at what had been done, and secretly sent messengers to recall Abner. Joab was suspicious of Abner and jealous of the influ- ence which he might exercise over David; he knew very well that Abner could never rule the son of Jesse as he ruled the son of Saul, but still Joab felt that his own position in David's court would probably be compromised by Abner, and besides there was the killing of Asahel to be atoned. When Abner, there- fore, returned, Joab dissembled, led him into a retired place in order to discuss the proposed change, and stabbed him to the heart. David was overwhelmed with trouble when he heard what had been done. With all the signs of bitter mourning he followed the mur- dered man to the grave, and the people mourned with him and made great lamenta- tion. When Ishbosheth heard that Abner was killed he was completely dismayed, and the people, knowing his weakness and folly, were thrown into much anxiety. Two officers in the army, Rechab and Baanah, thinking to find favor with David, killed the king in his own bedchamber and carried his head to Hebron. They met with a well-merited re- ward. They were ordered for instant execu- tion, and were hanged at the pool of Hebron. David Proclaimed King. A wondrous and joyous spectacle followed this act of justice. David was recognized as king over the land. Not only came the elders to Hebron, but also thousands and tens of thousands of the people ; the choice men, not only of the neighboring tribes of Simeon, and Benjamin, and Ephraim, but also of the tribes beyond the Jordan, and of Issachar in the plain of Esdraelon, and of the tribes still farther north, up came they in great force, and never before had the valley of Hebron been thronged by so joyful a multitude. They would have David to be king over them. But, before fully accepting the crown, he made a league with the people, pledging himself to certain conditions; and they, on their part, pledging themselves to loyal fidelity to his rule. As king of the land, David's great effort was to secure its future capital. He deter- mined on the reduction of the fortress of Jebus, on Mount Zion. This had been held by the natives ever since the days of Joshua, and was thought to be impregnable. It fell before his victorious arms, and the Jebusites were put to the sword. Here, then, David established the metropolis of his empire under the name of Jerusalem, the city of David. A Marvelous City. Before any other city on the face of the globe, who would not prefer to visit Jeru- salem ? Apart from such superstition as, through the centuries of the Christian era, has inflamed the religious pilgrim seeking the Holy Land ; apart from such feeling of mingled piety and patriotism as perpetually urges the Israelite, in every land of his exile, to resort to the sepulchres of his ancient kings and the site of his ancient temple; simply in view of what is grand and hallowed in the numberless and matchless memories of Jerusalem, who would not esteem it a great privilege of his life to be permitted to stand within its gates and go amidst its scenes? The only other historic city which seems worthy of being compared, even for a moment, with Jerusalem is Rome. How much of the world's history, for two thousand years and more, is linked to the city of the seven hills on the banks of the Tiber? How venerable, how suggestive, every relic of ancient Rome, so much of which still lies buried beneath the wreck of centuries ! Yet Rome cannot so well be compared with Jerusalem as it can be contrasted. The Rome of history was the head of the secular world ; the Jerusalem of history was the head of the sacred world. Rome was the symbol of power and law ; Jerusalem was the emblem of Divine truth and salvation. In the empire of earth Rome reigned unrivalled ; in the domain of religion KING DAVID. 177 — of the Church — of faith — of heaven — Jeru- 1 viceroys anointed by himself ; we think of that salem was equally unrivalled. I Temple of Jehovah at whose entrance for cen- david's three mighty men. — 1 Chron. xi. 15-22. How are our minds stirred at the very men- tion of Jerusalem ! We think at once of" the throne of the house of David" — of God's 12 turies smoked the morning and the evening sacrifice, and to which gathered the nation an- nually, in festal or penitential assemblies; we 178 THE CITY OF DAVID. think of Him, the King of the Jews — the One greater than the Temple — whose goings about this city, whose death without its gate, whose departure from its neighborhood up to the right hand of the Father, have invested its localities with a celestial sanctity and glory. Perhaps the common impression received is that of a city crowning a sharp hill-summit, and the hill set in a basin, or amphitheatre of hills, from which, on every side, the spectator may look down upon or across to the city. This impression is only measurably correct. The general elevation of the region amidst which Jerusalem is placed is indeed great, being no less than from twenty-two hundred to twenty-six hundred feet above the level of the Mediterranean Sea, and thirteen hundred more above that of the Dead Sea. Yet, in reference to the adjacent country, the city is not elevated, and the "mountains" on which it is built can be considered such only in refer- ence to the deep, trench-like valleys which surround and penetrate it. The bulk of the city is not visible from any great distance, in any direction, and those ap- proaching it from the west or south — the great majority of visitors — obtain no good view of it whatever. The few who approach it from the north are much impressed with the appear- ance which it presents, as seen from Mount Scopus, a mile or so from the Damascus Gate. This was the point from which Titus, the Ro- man general, first saw the city. But the view from the Mount of Olives, on the east, is such as one seldom obtains of any city, and is most justly renowned. Several things conspire to make this impressive. First, of course, is the great height of the spectator above the city ; next is the nearness ^of the view, due to the steep incline of Olivet ; next is the dip of the city's general surface eastward, lifting its farther edge so as to bring the whole extent the more fully under the spectator's eye ; and next is the fact that the Mosque of Omar, in the midst of its great open area, the sublime feature of Jerusalem, is in the foreground, and displayed to happiest advantage. Probably this is the most impressive view, of any sort, presented to human eyes anywhere on the wide earth. One beholds, indeed, not merely the spectacle which greets his outward vision, but looks through this to that yet sub- limer spectacle of temple and palaces, and all sumptuous splendors of marble and gold, pre- sented first when king Solomon had realized his magnificent schemes for glorifying his capital and the place of Jehovah's abode, and again when Herod the Great had so success- fully imitated him. And the view is made still more profoundly impressive by the thought that it is the same which met the gaze of the Saviour when " He beheld the city, and wept over it." We stand where Jesus stood. And, as we look, we think of Him who, for once in His life consenting to a recognition of His kingly claims, rode tow- ards His capital amidst the hosannas of His loyal people ; who yet, when the sight of the city burst upon Him, paused in His progress, and as if all-oblivious to the joy of the mo- ment, shed silent tears of human pity as He contemplated with omniscient eye the city's coming woe. Massive Walls. Jerusalem, as limited by its present walls, is nearly a square, having its sides toward the cardinal points of the compass. The - walls measure a length of only a little over half a mile on each side ; the entire circuit of the city being about two miles and a half. The height of the walls varies from thirty to forty feet, according to the unevenness of the ground; though around the temple area it is greater, reaching in some places even to sixty feet. The walls are about six feet thick, and are strengthened at intervals by towers and forti- fied gateways. Inside the parapet the space on the walls is broad enough for persons to walk; and in walking on the walls one ob- tains some of his best views of the city and its surroundings. It was apparently the lower city which early yielded to the devastating power of the tribe of Judah, while the upper city still held out until the time of David. The fact that the inhabitants of the hill Jebus, or Mount KING DAVID. 179 Zion, should be able thus to hold their fast- ness, and maintain their community for five hundred years, in the very heart of the Israelitish nation, is indicative of the great military strength of the position, and of its value to king David for his fortified capital. Hence, as soon as possible after his advance- ment to the throne of the united kingdom, David laid siege to Zion, with an army, ac- cording to Josephus, of over 200,000 men. And now, like the modern city of Berlin under the hands of Frederick the Great, Jeru- salem bloomed into sudden glory. All the successes of the new monarch, and all the extending prosperity of the nation, were re- flected in the rising splendors of the capitial. Especially was Jerusalem dignified, nay con- secrated, by being made the abode of the Ark of the Covenant, the chief though not exclu- sive seat of the tabernacle of the congregation, y t ife DAVID PROCLAIMED KIN The Jebusites, exulting in the supposed im- pregnability of their position, set their cripples and blind people on the walls to defend them, and taunted the besiegers with their unavail- ing efforts even against these ; but the walls were at length scaled ; the stronghold was secured ; David installed himself in it ; and. from being recognized as the hill Jebus, it took the name of the " City of David." Then began the career of the most renowned city on the face of the earth. — 2 Sam. v. 3. and the great resort for national worship. On Mount Zion a place was prepared for the shrine of the sanctuary, which for a long time had been in exile, and with high rejoicings it was set therein ; Mount Zion becoming hence- forth, even after the building of the Temple on Moriah, and the transference of the ark thither, the symbol of God's kingdom. Yet, conspicuous and mighty as Jerusalem became, under the thirty-three years of David's residence in it as his capital, the full height 180 ISRAEL'S VICTORIES. of its glory was not attained until King Solo- mon had endowed it with the imperial magnifi- cence characteristic of his reign. The reign of Solomon is much celebrated in the Scrip- tures, yet perhaps we seldom attain a just conception of its grandeur. Solomon inher- ited the fruits of David's vast conquests. He came into receipt of untold accumulated resources. And it was for him to realize and exhibit the glory which had been prepared for him — to construct the gorgeous fabric of which David had laid the strong foundation. See the extent of his territory — from Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea across to Assyria. See his alliances — with the mightiest powers of his time — with the Pharaohs, by a marriage into Egypt's royal family — with Hiram of Tyre, when Phoenicia was the great maritime country of the world. See his grand schemes for national aggrandizement — by Tyrian aid building a navy and importing the riches of all lands in voyages of three years' duration. See his widespread reputation for wisdom, for wealth, for sumptuous and stately living, when, to see and hear him, the Queen of Sheba was drawn to Jerusalem from her home " in the uttermost parts of the earth." Dazzling 1 Magnificence. Well, the full magnificence of Solomon's reign was realized in and expended upon Jeru- salem. First of all, on the platform of Mount Moriah, prepared by substructions whose arched solidity, in vast subterranean halls, excites the modern visitor's wonder, he reared the temple of Jehovah, and Moriah shone forth in the architectural splendor of hewn stone, and polished cedar, and brilliant gold, of spacious colonnades, and glittering pin- nacles. Then appeared on Mount Zion a palace for the king, and elsewhere another palace for the queen ; and next a grand bridge was made to span the valley between Zion and Moriah, giving a royal ascent into the house of the Lord. At the same time the walls of the city were extended and strengthened, and a boundless supply of water was gathered into reservoirs or opened from perennial springs beneath the city, and the lower suburbs be- came a paradise of gardens. And now Jersusalem realized its character as the symbol of the church and of heaven. The law now went forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Jerusalem was now " the joy " and the " praise of the whole earth." The Warrior King. David as one of the first acts of his reign had brought up the Ark of God from Kirjath- jearim, and placed it in a new tabernacle ; but he yearned to build for it the splendid building which Solomon had the satisfaction of accomplishing. He made known his desire to the prophet Nathan, who at first encouraged him to do so, but he was afterwards divinely instructed to forbid the work being carried on. David was not to be the builder of the Temple, but great and rich blessings were to rest on him and on his posterity; and in the days of his son Solomon the House of the Lord should be built in Zion. David had soldier's work to do to establish the kingdom in righteousness. The Philistines and Moab- ites were still powerful and must be sub- dued, and David did not shrink from the work. With renewed energy David attacked the the Philistines, and Gath, the city of the giant, and numerous other towns, were forced to surrender. The Moabites also suffered severely. A stern, earnest, unflinching man, David spared not his enemies. Hadadezer lost, in an engagement .with the king, no less than a thousand chariots, seven hundred horse- men and of cavalry twenty thousand. The Syri- ans of Damascus came to the help of Hadadezar, but they were speedily defeated, with the loss of two and twenty thousand men. Seeing how easily David appeared to win the victory, and how the best drilled troops broke before his assault, the king of Hamath sent messages of peace, seeking to be henceforth regarded as an ally of King David. These victories, promptly followed by the placing of strong garrisons in all towns sus- pected of disaffection, helped to establish king KING DAVID. 181 David on his throne. No sooner was this ac- complished than he began to look about for some one survivor of the house of Saul, to whom, for the sake of Jonathan, he might show kindness. The desire of the king was soon made known, and there came an old ser- vant, named Ziba, and he told of Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan, lame in both feet on account of having been dropped in childhood by his nurse who was fleeing with him ; and David received him most kindly, and made ample provision for his suitable state and dignity. He granted to him also the high privilege of eating, on certain state occasions, at the royal table; it was the same privilege which Saul had accorded to himself in the days of their old friendship, and was now gratefully returned. A Rough Diamond. There was a tender, affectionate nature under the rugged exterior of royal David. He re- membered former kindnesses, and this is what kings who have known tribulation have not always done. But when Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, and David — calling to mind how kind the man had been to him — sent a letter of consolation by his servants, his good intention was altogether misconstrued. The young king Hanun was led to believe he had deceitfully despatched his messengers to spy out the land. The suspicion of duplicity usually springs from a deceitful heart — " all seems jaundiced to the jaundiced eye." Act- ing on the impulse of the moment, Hanun committed an abominable outrage on David's servants : he shaved off half their beards, an act which scarcely any indignity could exceed. In addition to this he cut off their clothes short at the girdle. When David knew how his servants had been treated, he determined to punish the rash and impudent offender. Hanun the foolish sought help from his neighbors, and engaged at a great cost an army of hirelings — some- where about thirty-three thousand fighting men. Joab and Abishai were the commanders of the Israelitish forces, and they put the allies of the Ammonites to ignominious flight; they did not in their retreat measure the ground by inches, but fled precipitately, the Ammonites following their example. But these Syrian allies, perhaps somewhat ashamed of their conduct, attempted some time later to defy Israel. It ended, as might have been expected, in their total overthrow. David and his mighty men brought them into such thorough subjugation that they were glad to accept terms of peace, and to engage never more to enter into alliance with the Ammonites. An Extraordinary Crown. These Ammonites had to pay dearly for their folly. Within a few months Rabbah, their chief city, was invested by Joab, and taken by storm under David. There was a great slaughter and many captives taken ; the king who provoked the war doubtless per- ished, for his crown was taken by David — a crown as heavy as that described by Juvenal in his description of a Roman praetor. A heavy gewgaw (called a crown) that spread About his temples, drowned his narrow head, And would have crushed it with the massy weight, But that a sweating slave sustained the freight. David had taken no active part in the early scenes of this Ammonite campaign. Well for him if he had done so. While Joab continued the siege David fell into that grievous trans- gression which has left an indelible blot on his character. We need not re-tell the painful story. The sin was deep, and deep the peni- tence when the heart of the king was touched by Nathan's affecting parable. Penitence, however sincere, will not always avert punish- ment. The royal king had to mourn in bitter- ness for family troubles which speedily over- took him. Who so delightful in the eyes of the people as Absalom, who so dear to the heart of king David ! And king David's heart was a great heart and a golden heart, and he poured the feelings of his heart into those wonderful psalms which have ever since taken fast hold of all men. The psalms have been the language in 182 THE PSALMS OF DAVID. which the Jewish and the Christian Church I depth of pathos, and jubilant outburst the have alike approached the throne of the | Book of Psalms has not the faintest shadow THE NURSE FLEEING WITH MEPHIBOSHETH.— 2 Sam. iv. I -4. Highest. For strength, nervous vigor, sub- 1 of a parallel. It has been rendered into nearly limity of conception, versatility of matter, I all the languages of the world, and it has suf- KING DAVID. 183 fered in none ; it has been put into rhymes of the rudest description, but its natural beauty has remained the same ; it has been moulded into the most graceful verses which scholarly poets could produce, but its own original and exquisite grace has far outshone the scholars' work — the " apples of gold " have made us forget the baskets of silver. The life of David is in itself a grand psalm, the like whereof has not its equal. He was a man who combined transcendent genius with simple, genuine piety. Brave in battle, wise in council, he was both poet and musician. With rare skill could he sweep his hands over the throbbing strings of the lyre, calling forth melodies so sweet and tender as to soothe even the^savage soul of Saul. We may readily im- agine that many of David's psalms died away unuttered. Words are of small account when the soul converses with the Great Reader of all hearts ; the tear, the sigh, the moan, when the heart " lies awake in the depths of the breast," all cry out to heaven. David, in remembrance of the deep grief which came on him, could say, " I was dumb, I opened not my mouth because thou didst it." But to return to Absalom : Absalom, so captivating in person, so insinuating in man- ners, winning of all men golden opinions, was a double-tongued villain for all that. He was the favorite son of David ; by subtle scheming he had stolen away his father's heart, as he .afterwards stole away the hearts of the men of Israel. Handsome, affable, apparently gen- erous, Absalom was the beloved of his father, the beloved of the nation. He w r as no Reho- boam to say, " My father chastised ye with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." Par from this, he stood forth as the people's friend, the earnest advocate of every popular movement; and with a reticence which told powerfully against the king's government, he would offer no opinion on judgments given, but with a tone and expression easily conceiv- able, and well calculated to make a deep im- pression, would simply say : " Would God I were judge in Israel." He was an expert in the arts of the politician. This beautiful, long-haired Absalom, this splendid creature, accessible to all men at all times, to all appearance gracious, gentle, gen- erous, became in time the very idol of the nation. David was a saint — though a deep sinner ; a sage, though he frequently erred ; a songster and a soldier of the true chivalric pattern without a doubt. But David was a rough man, and adorable Absalom, captivating alike in arts and arms, was the very reverse of the old veteran — and the people loved him. Falsehood, deceit, envy, hatred, and malice may wear the most counterfeit vizards. " See what a goodly outside falsehood hath." Plotting to Obtain the Throne. Absalom set his heart upon the throne. It is hard to lift sword against sire ; but it pre- sented no difficulty to this young man. There stood he, everybody's favorite ; or perhaps it were more just to employ an old phrase, and say, " the admiration of the one sex and envy of the other : " sinful to God, disloyal to his king, disobedient to his father, treacherous to his friends, inveigling the people to their ruin, yet carrying withal so smooth and bland a countenance that he might, as it were, have deceived the " very elect." Absalom brooded two years over a wrong done to his sister Tamar by his half-brother Amnon, and then invited all the princes to his estate to enjoy a sheep-shearing feast. Here he ordered his servants to murder Amnon, and then fled for safety to his grandfather's court at Geshur, where he remained for three 5'ears. David was overwhelmed by this accumula- tion of family sorrows, thus completed by separation from his favorite son, whom he thought it impossible to pardon or recall. But he was brought back by an artifice of Joab, who sent a woman of Tekoah to entreat the king's interference in an imaginary case similar to Absalom's. Having persuaded David to prevent the avenger of blood from pursuing a young man who, she said, had slain his brother, she adroitly applied his assent to the recall of Absalom, and urged him, as he had thus yielded the general principle, to 184 REBELLION OF ABSALOM. " fetch home his banished." David did so, but would not see Absalom for two more years, though he allowed him to live in Jerusalem. At last, wearied with delay, and perceiving that his exclusion from court interfered with the ambitious schemes which he was forming, the impetuous young man .sent his servants to burn a field of corn near his own, belonging to Joab, thus doing as Samson had done. Thereupon Joab, probably dreading some fur- ther outrage brought him to his father, from whom he received the kiss of reconciliation. David in Flight. When Absalom saw that the time for action was ripe, he declared himself king, and all the hearts of the men of Israel were after him. This proclamation of king Absalom was made at Hebron, but the intelligence soon reached the capital, and the old king, now stricken in years, and very weary, must hasten from Jeru- salem to escape the vengeance of the child of his heart. What to him Goliath's sword, or the jewelled crown of Ammon ? W r hat to him all the work he had wrought, all the vic- tories he had won ? It was a bitter day when David and those who remained faithful to him went forth from the palace, crossing over the brook Kidron, weeping with a loud voice; the king sorely weeping, with his head covered so as to con- ceal his features, and his feet bare. There is something affecting in the covered face ; when an ancient painter desired to express the depth of grief, he covered the face. And as David thus went forth there came a man of the tribe of Benjamin, cursing him and casting stones, and making a mockery of his sorrow. And in high state and glory Absalom en- tered Jerusalem, king in the room of his father David. Great things were to be expected, great things to be done. No love, no tender memories of old times disturb this man, or restrain him from the commission of the most audacious acts. He cares nothing for his father's suffering, flying now from his hand and concealing himself in the wilderness, as he aforetime had to do before Saul. David was, as we may imagine, utterly- miserable; but admiration for his bold son who had gained so great a triumph mingled with all his sorrow. Indeed, he felt more and more each day how much he was neg- lected by those who had been most loyal, how one by one they were missing from his company, but he did not despair. It was while in this condition he is said to have composed the seventy-first psalm, in which we find his heart, sickened of earth, turns naturally to heaven, and the plaintive cry rises, " Cast me not off in the time of old age, forsake me not when my strength faileth." There was Ahithophel, in whom David had hitherto confided as his chief counsellor, had joined in the Absalom conspiracy — who ^an trust their best friends ? David, however, did not seem to lose heart, for he trusted another friend, Hushai, to go over and, feigning ad- hesion to the prince's cause, outwit even the deep diplomatist Ahithophel. Everything seemed wrong; the times were out of joint ; there was something very rotten in the state of Israel. Zeba, who had taken care of Mephibosheth, was slyly trying to win his master's inheritance ; that master who had been so well used by the king, was amusing himself by the hope that this insurrection of the foolish young man, who had assumed all the insignia of royalty, would break down, and Saul's house be re-established. Israel would seem at this time to have been a great company of Ishmaelites, the only true man amongst them David, and David troubled by day and haunted by night with the dead face of Uriah. A Scheming Traitor. Hushai did his traitorous business ex- ceedingly well. He meant to deceive and betray the young pretender to royal authority,, who would have been a parricide if he could, and he did. Ahithophel gave the best of counsel for the furtherance of the cause he advocated — namely, prompt action, a vigorous pursuit of David, death to the king, root to* his adherents — once at war with a king, it has been said of rebels, 'tis he or you must die. JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON. DAVID PARDONING ABSALOM. 2 Sam. XIV. 33. (185) 186 DAVID'S GRIEF. But Hushai shook his head, and he was an old soldier; and with a man who is supposed to think deeply and to see every side of a ques- tion before he speaks, the lifting of the eye- brows, nay, the very impassive silence, is argument. Evidently Hushai did not agree with Ahithophel ; he counselled caution. This David was a very lion ; those who stood with him were desperate men ; all Israel must be gathered together, " as the sand that is by the sea-shore for multitude," hyperbolical ex- travagance accepted by vain Absalom, and then he — Absalom the Great — should take the com- mand in his own hands and go forth to battle. Gratified vanity is a strong incentive to ac- quiescence and to action. Absalom felt that Ahithophel had taken a liberty in suggesting that he would go forth and encounter the king. Hushai recognized his own soldierly ability, and was right in his plan. He imagined that the people would bestirred by his immediate presence, his countenance would " thaw cold fear." So Ahithophel went home a disap- pointed, thwarted man, to settie his affairs and then hang himself, while Hushai was sending word to David of what he had advised, and of what Absalom meant to do. The young men, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were to convey the news ; they were out of the city, but a young woman whom nobody suspected, ex- cept a boy, bore the news to them. This meddlesome youngster went and told Absa- lom. There was immediate pursuit, but with no result, for a woman hid the messengers in a well, put the pursuers on a wrong track, and then hastened on the messengers to David. When David learned that Hushai's advice had been taken, he marched on Mahanaim, where his soldiers were refreshed and strength- ened by the generosity of two leading men in the neighborhood. Then David divided his forces into three companies : these divisions were commanded — the first by Joab, the se- cond by Abishai, and the third by Ittai the Gittite. A hasty review was held by the old soldierly king, looking with admiration on the stalwart fellows, who, even in extremity, were putting a bold face on the matter, and back and edge would stand by the king. But there was universal remonstrance against the king himself remaining with the army; the army would take the field, the king must abide in the city ; and he consented to the ar- rangement only that they should deal very tenderly with the young man, Absalom. Death of the Traitor. Forth in all the strength and glory of mili- tary array came Absalom, and the two forces encountered each other in a forest not far from Mahanaim, and known as the wood of Eph- raim. It appears to have been a place totally unsuited to a battle, for we read " the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured," which we may understand to mean that by falling into pits or swamps, or by getting entangled with the brushwood, and their progress impeded by the trees, both armies were thrown into great difficulties. But victory was on the side of David, and Absalom's men were put to the rout. Now it was Absalom's turn to be the fugi- tive ; he had put his own father to flight, and now it was his turn to fly ; and as he fled the mule on which he rode " went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that i was under him went away." It was while he | was in this miserable condition that he was i seen by one of the troopers, who'came and told Joab. With Joab there was no hesitation — no pity — " he took three darts in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the tree." And they I took Absalom and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones I upon him. There is something deeply touching in the j great grief of the king for his son Absalom. He was overwhelmed ; it wholly unfitted him for the activities of life. His grief is beauti- | fully expressed in these lines by Willis, pa- thetic enough to move the coldest heart : Alas ! my noble boy ! that thou should'st die ! Thou, who wert made so beautifully fair! KING DAVID. 187 That death should settle in thy glorious eye, And leave his stillness in this clustering hair! How could he mark thee for the silent tomb, My proud boy, Absalom ? Cold is thy brow, my son ! and I am chill, As to my bosom I have tried to press thee, How was I wont to feel my pulse's thrill. Like a rich harp-string, yearning to caress thee, And hear thy sweet " My father," from these dumb And cold lips, Absalom! The grave hath won thee. I shall hear the gush Of music, and the voices of the young; And life will pass me in the mantling blush, And the dark tresses to the soft wind flung ; But thou no more, with thy sweet voice, shalt come To meet me, Absalom ! And oh! when 1 am stricken, and my heart, Like a braised reed, is waiting to he broken, How will its love for thee, as 1 depart, Yearn for thine ear to drink its last deep token ! It were so sweet, amid death's gathering gloom, To see thee, Absalom ! And now, farewell ! 'Tis hard lo give thee up, With death so like a gentle slumber on thee : And thy dark sin! — oh ! I could drink the cup, If from this woe its bitterness had won thee. May God have called thee, like a wanderer, home, My erring Absalom! The remonstrance of Joab, however, and the discontent of the people, roused the mon- arch. He went back to reascend his throne amid the plaudits of the majority of his sub- jects. The example of Absalom made others ready for revolt. Sheba, a Benjamite, raised a second rebellion. Amasa was made com- mander-in-chief of the army sent out against him. This occasioned great offence to Joab, and he took his revenge by running his sword through Amasa's body. But Sheba did not escape. Discovering that this man had se- creted himself in a city called Abel of Beth Maachah, he marched upon it, laid open his trenches, and would have made a speedy end of the whole place had not a shrewd woman parleyed for peace and given him, as the price of his immediately withdrawing his troops, the head of the rebel. This ghastly price of the city's salvation was thrown to him over the wall. After this came the famine. There was no rest for David and more fighting with the Phil- istines hard and sore ; no rest for David, but still in his great heart a sense of security, of peace and joy not to be won by purple pomp and kingly glory. He would sing sweetly to the trembling chord of the lute — even though he sang a dirge. Still the passion of the man would sometimes rise above the resignation of the saint. He grew proud of his people ; in an ill-judged moment he determined on ascertaining their number, as if he who had so often expressed his real strength to be in God had forgotten all about God, and felt himself to be strong in his own strength. The evil was done and the trouble came. Now while in this Hebrew census there ap- pears on the surface no possible harm (it had been done by Moses), yet it seemed harmful in the sight of the people themselves, or else such a man as Joab — whose conscience was not particularly acute — would scarcely have objected to it. They did clerks' work slowly in those days, and to ascertain the population occupied more than nine months. The proba- bility is that David was set upon conquest, and was desirous of ascertaining how many men he could rely on, and this was repugnant to the people. It was Gad, " David's seer," his wise man, who came with the awful news that high Heaven would interfere, but that of three evils David might have his choice — famine, the sword, pestilence. David chose the last, and there is something affecting in his an- swer : " I am in a great strait : let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great : and let me not fall into the hands of man." The plague raged through the land from Dan to Beersheba, and seventy thousand men are said to have perished. Then it stayed, and David worshipped before the Lord. David was by this time an old man, and felt that he was becoming unequal to the leading of a great people. He determined, like a wise man,, on the appointment of a successor. The right of David to appoint his successor seems to have been acknowledged by the people. Anticipating such an event, Adonijah, one of 188 JOAB'S REVENGE. David's sons, conspired with Joab and Abiathar the priest, and had himself proclaimed king. It was the madness of folly. All the strength solemnly anointed to his responsible office, Adonijah was feasting and making merry with his friends, when the intelligence of Solo- of the nation was with David, and he had de- inon's elevation reached him. He was over- DAVID INSTRUCTING JOAB TO NUMBER THE PEOPLE. 2 Sam. xxiv. 2. termined that his son Solomon should be king whelmed with terror, and sought a truce until in his room. On receiving the news of | he could make terms with the young king. Adonijah's rebellion, David acted promptly. This matter being arranged, he returned like a By sound of trumpet Solomon was proclaimed, disappointed coward to his own house, ac- and attended by all the court rode on the knowledging with all possible expressions of king's own mule to Gihon and was there | humility his penitence and loyalty. KING DAVID. 189 David survived the coronation of Solomon about six months. This period he employed in the development, for the benefit of his son, of those plans and regulations which had long been formed in his own mind for the erection of the Temple, the arrangement of service, and the government of the people. Great store had he collected of material ready for the building of the Lord's house, all was prepared, and never monarch ascended a throne under more advantageous circumstances than did Solomon, when David "slept with his fathers." David had extended his conquest on all sides ; but he had taught the people to be something better than soldiers — he had culti- vated amongst them the arts of peace, and Solomon's subjects were not only men of war, but men of business : though the sea-captains hugged the shore, they carried on in their argosies a considerable commerce, and the merchants of Jerusalem and all the large towns were driving a thriving trade. The farmers knew better how to carry on their agricultural labors,' how to manage their pastoral pursuits, at the end of David's reign, than they did at its beginning, and the work of the skilled artisan was better done and better paid for. It is said of Solomon that he made gold and silver to be as stones in the streets of Jerusalem; but he would not so readily have succeeded in doing this if the way had not been cleared for him by David. Everything was very prosperous when Solomon came to the crown — a contented people, accumulated treasure, friendly neighbors, and all that could conduce to earthly happiness, except the jealousy of Solomon's eldest brother, Adon- ijah, the wily designs of Abiathar the priest, and the heart-burnings of the veteran Joab, a threefold occasion for sagacity. CHAPTER XIX. SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. OLOMON was declared by David to be his suc- cessor on the throne of Israel. This choice caused Adonijah, David's fourth and eldest surviv- ing son, to raise a revolt and proclaim himself king. The prophet Na- than informed Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, of this outbreak, and arranged with her a plan to secure the inter- ests of her son. Bathsheba went into David's chamber, followed soon after by Nathan, to tell him that Adonijah reigned, in spite of his promise to Solomon, j The aged king had lost none of his prudence and decision. At his command, Za- dok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, sup- ported by Benaiah, with the body-guard of Cherethites and Pelethites, proclaimed Solo- mon king, amid the rejoicings of the people, and anointed him with the sacred oil, which Zadok took out of the tabernacle. At the news of this decisive act, Adonijah's followers abandoned him, and he himself sought sanc- tuary at the horns of the altar. His life was spared by Solomon upon his promise of sub- mission. "And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to-day that he will not slay his servant with the sword. And Solomon said, If he will show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wicked- ness shall be found in him, he shall die. So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed (190) himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Goto thine house." Adonijah sub- sequently gave proof of his disloyalty, and was put to death by Solomon's order. Solomon very soon made it appear, by an imposing public act, that he intended to rule in the spirit of the Mosaical institutions, and in the fear of God. He convoked the tribes, their elders, chiefs, and judges, and, followed by his people, he repaired to Gibeon, where the altar and the tabernacle then stood, al- though the ark was in Jerusalem; and there, with great solemnity, he offered a thousand holocausts at one time. These first sacrifices were worthy of a king who was designed by Providence to give the utmost splendor of which it was capable to the ritual service es- tablished by Moses. His zeal was not without its instant reward. The Lord appeared to him in a dream, and required him to ask whatever favor or benefit his heart desired. The trial implied in this permission was most critical and awful — a man full of ardor only just become a king, offered whatever he desired. Solomon came gloriously through it. He asked wisdom; and that choice is the best proof that could be given of the wisdom he already possessed. The words in which this choice is announced, and the accompanying prayer, are most inter- esting, touching, and noble, and, under all the circumstances, form one of the most striking incidents in all ancient history. The king, in that beautiful outpouring of his heart, calls to mind the benefits which his" father had received from the Almighty, and the continuance of the empire in his family, his own youth, his inexperience, the extent of his dominions, the multitude of his subjects; and he implored with ardor, as the highest and most precious boon he could receive, the wisdom necessary to enable him to govern SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. 191 well the chosen people of God. With a choice so sincere and humble the Lord was well pleased, and said, " Because thou has asked ingto thy words; lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart ; so that there was none like thee before thee neither after thee shall any Solomon's coronation. — i Kings i. 45. this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long 1 arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee life, nor riches, nor the life of thine enemies, that which thou hast not asked, both riches but hast asked for thyself understanding to and honor, so that there shall not be any discern judgment, behold, I have done accord- among the kings like unto thee ail thy days.'* 192 SOLOMON'S WISDOM. The promise of long life was also added, on condition that he walked according to the Di- vine statutes and ordinances. Solomon awoke, and, fortified with these magnificent promises, returned with joy to Jerusalem, where, before the ark, he gave solemn thanks, offered new sacrifices, and feasted all his court. Next the sacred historian proceeds to pro- duce a proof, in a remarkable scene of Oriental justice, of the sagacity with which Solomon was now endowed, and which made that fact known to his people from one end of the land to the other. In those times, as at present in the East, persons of the most obscure condi- tion came to state their wrongs, to plead their causes, and maintain their rights and settle their disputes at the foot of the throne; and in the matters which are thus brought before the king for judgment, the humble condition of the parties is less considered than the dif- ficulty of the points under litigation. The Two Mothers. There were two women living together, both of whom were mothers. One of the children was overlaid, and died in the night ; but the woman who found the child in her bed when she awoke, alleged that not this child, but the one that lived, was hers, and she charged the other woman with having transferred the dead child to her bed, and taken the living one to her own. The point at issue therefore was, to whom the living child belonged, for both claimed it, and, from the nature of the case, the claim of neither could be supported by evidence. Where there was nothing to go trpon but the affirmation of the one party and the denial of another, the case seemed closed round with insuperable difficulties; but it oc- curred to the sagacious king that the natural feelings of a mother afforded a sure test by which the truth might be ascertained ; he therefore called for a sword, and said with ap- parent solemnity, that as there seemed no other way of deciding between such conflicting evi- dence, he would divide the matter in dispute — the living child — and assign half to each. In this or any civilized country no one would suppose such a proposal sincere ; it would have been too absurd and too barbarous for any one to imagine that it would be exe- cuted. But in the East decisions as arbitrary and eccentric as this are at the present day far from uncommon, and it is manifest that both the women fully believed that the king intended to give instant effect to this monstrous award. The king keenly watched the effect which his announcement produced. All the mother rose in the heart of the woman to whom the child belonged, and she cried out, " O, my lord the king, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it ! " But the other cried, " Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it." Here the question was solved in an instant ; no one could for a moment doubt which of them was the real mother, and the king said, " Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it — for she is the mother thereof! " Probably no one revered the king more than she. A proof of sagacity like this was well calcu- lated to strike the popular mind, and probably made upon the Israelites a stronger impression of the king's wisdom than did all the parables, proverbs, and songs which he is said to have composed, or all the sage sayings which he is isaid to have uttered. "All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged ; and they feared the king ; for they saw that the wisdom of God was with him to do judg- ment." The prosperity promised to Solomon was not less signal than his wisdom. He enjoyed during his reign profound peace, in conse- quence of the numerous victories which his i father had achieved and the conquests which he had made, whereby his undisputed dominion I extended from the border of Egypt to the Eu- phrates. His revenues from the tribute of the conquered nations alone were therefore very great, and many nomade tribes, and nations not i directly subject to his sway, found it prudent to obtain the protection and favor of so pow- erful a neighbor by paying annual tributes, which were ostensibly voluntary, and took the name of " presents," which seem to have con- THE JUDGMENT of solomon. — I Kings iii. 25. 13 (193) 194 ILLUSTRIOUS REIGN OF SOLOMON. sisted chiefly of vessels of gold and of silver, cloth, arms, aromatic drugs, horses, and mules. He also clearly perceived that a well-organ- ized government could not proceed without some regular sources of revenue, and he there- fore appears to have imposed an easy tax upon his native subjects, which does not seem to have been regarded as a grievance until the latter end of his reign, when the increased expenses of the government and court, with the falling off of some other sources of income, constrained him to increase its amount. Royal Magnificence. He also encouraged commerce, and made it a source of revenue ; and it has been calculated that the various dues and customs paid by the merchants engaged in foreign trade, including probably the produce of the royal monopolies, afforded a yearly revenue of not less than twenty-five million dollars. The principal monopoly was the trade with Egypt in horses, chariots, and linen yarn, which was managed by Solomon's factors, and which he was pro- bably enabled to engross through the good understanding between him and the king of Egypt, whose daughter he married, and who, on account of her exalted birth, must have been his queen or principal wife. To this may be added the maritime traffic by the Red Sea, the proceeds of which were shared by Solomon and the king of Tyre. Such were the principal sources from which Solomon drew a magnificent revenue, which he as magnificently expended in his most imperial establishments. He had four thou- sand stables, in which were kept forty thou- sand horses, with a proportionate number of various kinds of carriages. He appointed twelve officers, to whom different districts were assigned, and whose duty it was to pro- vide in monthly rotation the provisions required for the court; and some notion of the extent of the royal household may be obtained from the account which is given of the supply required for the consumption of one day : — Thirty measures of fine flour, threescore measures of meal, ten fat oxen, twenty out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, together with harts, roebucks, deer, and fatted fowl. These provisions would suffice for several thousand persons, of whom we may therefore conceive the royal establishment to have been composed. The people, prospering in an equal degree from the new sources of wealth opened to them, and from the exemption from war which enabled them to enjoy the produce of their grounds in safety, disregarded the protection of walled towns, and lived dispersed upon their own lands, enjoying their abundance upon the spot where it was produced. This is the prosperous condition of life which the Scripture so often describes by " every one sitting under his own vine and under his own fig-tree, and no one to make him afraid." Thus prosperous, and thus unwasted by war, the population of Israel also amazingly in- creased during the reign of Solomon, and were " as many as the sand which is by the sea-shore in multitude, eating, and drinking, and making merry." All this could not be effected at once, but was the growth of years ; and we have some- what anticipated the order of events for the sake of a connected statement of the results of Solomon's system of government, and of the position which he was enabled to take on the demise of his father David. We may now return to trace the current of events. Embassy from the King of Tyre. Soon after Solomon's accession, Hiram, king of Tyre, who had been a great admirer and friend of David, sent an embassy to con- dole with the young king on his father's death and to congratulate him on his peaceable suc- cession. Presents of the costliest description were brought by Hiram's messengers. Solo- mon gladly availed himself of this opening for an intercourse and connection with the Tyrian king, whose assistance would, he knew, be of great advantage to him in the undertakings he had then in view. He therefore sent to open to him the designs he entertained, and invited him to render the same sort of assistance which. SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. 195 had been rendered to David when building his " house of cedars." Only the great forests of the Lebanon mountains could supply the tim- ber required for the undertakings of the Hebrew king; and such of those forests as lay nearest in the heights of the mountains, to the sea- shore. Hence the assistance which Solomon required from the king of Tyre was of very great if not of essential importance to him. Hiram was found to be very ready to enter HIRAM OF TYRE SENDING PRESENTS TO SOLOMON. 1 Kittys v. I. the sea were in the hands of the Phoenicians, among whom timber was in such constant demand that they had acquired great and acknowledged skill in th« felling of trees, and in into his plans ; and a treaty was soon com- pleted, under which Hiram engaged to provide timber from the forests of Lebanon, for the Temple and other buildings which Solomon the transportation o^ the trunks from the woods, 'contemplated, to convey it to the coast, and 196 BUILDING THE TEMPLE. to float it down in the form of rafts to Joppa, the port of Jerusalem. Solomon himself was to provide a portion of the labor in the moun- tains; and he engaged to pay for the services of the Tyrians by a stipulated quantity of wheat and oil. By this undertaking both par- ties had what they most wanted — Solomon timber for building, which his own territory did not yield; and Hiram provisions, which the' Phoenicians, confined to a narrow strip of land and devoted to trade and manufactures, were constrained to obtain from abroad, and could obtain with more convenience from the fertile inlying districts of Canaan than from any other quarter. Immense Number of Workmen. Hiram's workmen assisted in preparing and squaring stones for the Temple; and so numer- ous were the men — subjects of the two kings — employed in these preparations, that it re- quired three thousand men to superintend their labors. Solomon, who had certainly a considerable leaning towards arbitrary power, being" still in want of laborers, ventured to raise a levy of thirty thousand Israelites, whom he sent to assist the Phoenician timber-cutters in Lebanon — not all at once, but in alternate bands of ten thousand each, so that each band returned home and rested two months out of three. This relief, and the sacred object of the service, prevented the opposition which the king might otherwise have encountered. For the more heavy labor in the quarries, Solomon called out the remnant of the Ca- naanites, probably with those foreigners (or their sons) who had been brought into the country as prisoners or slaves during the wars of David, who had, indeed, left an enumera- tion of all the adult males among them for this very purpose. Their number was one hun- dred and fifty-three thousand six hundred; and according to the common custom of the East in such cases, these also, doubtless, la- bored in alternate bands. Such services were usually required from persons in their condi- tion, when any public work was in progress, and was not regarded as an oppression. Of these strangers seventy thousand were employed as porters to the others, and to the Phoenician artisans. They probably also had the heavy duty of transporting to Jerusalem the large stones, which sixty thousand more of them were employed in hewing and squar- ing in the quarries. Of these, the stones in- tended for the foundation were in immense blocks, and, as well as the others, were proba- bly brought from no great distance, as quar- ries of very suitable stone are abundant in the neighboring districts. These large stones were doubtless placed upon sledges and drawn by strings of oxen, after the manner indicated in the sculptured monuments of Egypt. Solomon also desired that Phoenician arti- ficers of all descriptions should be sent to Jerusalem, particularly such as excelled in the arts of design, and in the working of gold, silver, and other metals, as well as of precious stones ; nor was he insensible of the value and beauty of those scarlet, purple, and other fine dyes, in the preparation and application of which the Tyrians excelled. Men skilled in all these branches of art were largely supplied by Hiram. He sent also a person of his own name, a Tyrian by birth, who seems to have been a second Bezaleel, for his abilities were so great, and his attainments so extensive and various, that he was skilled not only in the working of metals, but in all kinds of work in wood and stone, and even in embroidery, in tapestry, in dyes, and in the fabrication of all sorts of fine cloths. This man was a treasure to Solomon, who made him overseer not only of the men whom the king of Tyre then sent, and of those whom David had formerly en- gaged and retained in his service, but also of his own workmen. Much of the glory of the Temple was due to him. Three years were consumed in these neces- sary preparations for building the Temple, and it was not until the fourth year of Solomon's reign that all things were in sufficient forward- ness to allow the foundations to be laid ; and in about seven years after, the whole building was completed. So effective and well-arranged were all the preparations, all the stones having ■ ■:. 1 ,; '' 5..". , illilll! (197; 198 PREPARING THE MATERIALS. been properly squared before they were brought to the spot, that the pile arose with little of the noise and confusion usually con- nected with the progress of so great an under- taking: we are, indeed, told that. there was " neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard throughout the house while it was in building." " No workman's steel, no ponderous axes rung ; Like some tall palm the noiseless fabric sprung." Various accounts of the Temple of Solomon have been furnished by writers of different countries and ages. The subject has been, in- deed, so attractive, that entire volumes have been written on it. The result has, however, been far from satisfactory. The accounts have been framed from the description, which is itself not very easy to be understood, and which supplies so few facts, that much is left to be supplied by the imagination. Hence plans and descriptions have been produced bearing a most suspicious likeness to modern fabrics and styles of architecture, and which have manifestly been influenced in no small degree by the prevailing taste in the time and country to which the writer belonged. Thus, a view by a Spaniard will be very Spanish, by an Italian surprisingly Italian, and by a French- man wonderfully French. Style of Architecture. Viewing the Temple of Solomon by the light which the monuments of Egypt offer, has enabled an architectural writer, Mr. Bard- well, in his work on " Temples," to give an in- teresting account of this celebrated structure : and as this is the only statement respecting Solomon's Temple by a professional writer, we shall here introduce the substance of it: " With so much information before us at the present day, it is almost needless for me to assert that the Temple of Solomon was in the Egyptian style of architecture ; a moment's reflection will convince every unbiased mind that such must have been the case; since, al- though Greece had been colonized from Egypt nearly two hundred years before this, it is not at all likely, from the slow development of human improvement, that the style we call Greek had then superseded its Egyptian parent ; and what is conclusive upon this point, as we shall soon see, is, the Temple of Solomon had not, in its proportions and de- tails, anything in common with the temples of Greece. That the Jews had no peculiar style of their own, excepting so far as they were restricted from the use of figures of ani- mals in decorations, is also probable ; as, ever since they had settled in Canaan, four hundred years previous, they had been constantly en- gaged in the wars necessary to extend and con- serve their newly acquired territory, and, con- sequently, had no opportunity of cultivating the fine arts. " Besides, Solomon was in constant inter- course with the Pharaoh of his age, and mar- ried his daughter. Further, in no part of the world had temple architecture and the art of cutting and polishing stones ever arrived, be- fore or since, to such perfection as in. Egypt. The Tyrians, being at that time the great common carriers of the world, kept up an ex- tensive commerce with Egypt. I therefore infer from this and the before-mentioned rea- sons, that the masons were Egyptian, and the stone all prepared, fitted, and finished by them before it was brought to Jerusalem; since, moreover, there is nothing mentioned about the expensiveness of any article but the stone, ' costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten eubits, and stones of eight cubits.' " The oracle was an exact square, of thirty- seven feet six inches high, in the centre of which was a pair of folding-doors of olive-wood, seven feet six inches wide, very richly carved with palm-trees, and open flowers, and cheru- bim ; the floor of the Temple was boarded with fir ; the roof was flat, covered with gold, upon thick planks of cedar, supported by large cedar beams. The inside walls and the ceil- ing were lined with cedar, beautifully carved, representing cherubim and palm-trees, clusters of foliage and open flowers, among which the lotus was conspicuous ; and the whole interior was overlaid with sold, S o that neither wood SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. 199 aior stone was seen, and nothing met the eye but pure gold, either plain, as on the floor, or richly chased, and enriched with gems, upon the walls and ceiling. At a little distance from ' the most holy place,' like the railing of a communion-table, were fixed five massive gold candelabra, on each side the entrance, and between the candelabra were chains or wreaths of flowers, wrought in pure gold, one wing of each cherubim touching the other in the middle of the Temple, while the other wings touched the wall on each side; before them was the altar of incense, formed of cedar, and entirely overlaid with refined gold ; and on the sides of the Temple were arranged ten golden tables, five on each side, for the ex- hibition of the shew-bread, besides other tables of silver, for the display of above one THE ARK AND FURNITURE OF separating even the entrance of the oracle from the body of the Temple. Thus a distinc- tion was made in the apartments, one of them being considered more holy than the others. " Within the oracle was set the ancient ' ark of the covenant,' which had preceded them to the Promised Land, beneath two colossal cherubim, each nineteen feet four inches and a half high, with immense outspreading wings. the temple. — I Kings vi. 23. hundred gold vases of various patterns, and censers, spoons, snuffers, etc., used in the ser- vice of the temple. " It appears that the inside of the vestibule was also covered with gold ; from it a grand pair of folding-doors, nine feet four inches and a half wide, opened into the Temple. These doors were also overlaid with gold, embossed in rich patterns of churubim, and 200 A MAGNIFICENT EDIFICE. palms, and open flowers ; both pairs of doors had ornamented hinges of gold, and before the doors of the oracle hung a veil em- broidered with cherubim, in blue, and purple, and crimson. " Hiram the king had sent over from 'Tyre his clerk of the works, who superintended the building till it became necessary t'o set up the two great columns of the porch ; these had the usual proportions of Egyptian columns, being five and a half diameters high, and as these gave the great characteristic feature of the building, Solomon sent an embassy to fetch the architect from Tyre to superintend the moulding and casting of these columns, which were intended to be of brass ; these superb pillars were eight feet in diameter, and forty feet high. The Temple was surrounded on the north, south, and east by the inner or priests' court which had a triple colonnade around it." Looking forward a little to the completion of the edifice, and its dedication by the king, our architect proceeds : " Magnificent must have been the sight to behold the young king, clothed in royalty, officiating before the great altar, while the thousands of Levites and priests on the east side, habited in surplices, with harps, cymbals and trumpets in their hands, led the eye to the beautiful pillars flanking the doors of the Temple, now thrown open, and display- ing the interior brilliantly lighted up, while the burnished gold of the floor, the ceiling, and the walls, with the precious gems with which they were enriched, reflecting the light on all sides, would completely overwhelm the imagination, were it not excited, by the view of the embroidered veil, to consider the awful glories of the most holy place." Superb Decorations. After this description from the pen of an architect, it would be unfair to call the Temple of Solomon " a poor building," as some writers have done, under the impression that it owes all its greatness to the high terms which the Jewish writers employ in describing the most magnificent structure with which they were \ acquainted. The fact seems to be, that wherv : viewed as the work of a very early age, and with reference to the notions which then pre- vailed, Solomon's Temple may be considered magnificent ; although it is not to be com- ; pared with more recent specimens of architec- j ture, as exhibited in the master-pieces of I Greek or Roman art, or even in the great cathedral churches of the Christian world. It is evident that the Jews knew nothing of the order of architecture; and, although it may be difficult to form a distinct idea of this their first and greatest work, it is very clear that they were fond of minute details and highly finished decorations, both in the engravings on stones and the ornaments in- wood and precious metals. Dedication of the Temple. If the expenditure of vast sums of money be taken as a standard of comparison, the pre- eminence of Solomon's Temple is more strik- ing, as we have no knowledge of any building which has been recorded to have cost so much in its erection. There is, indeed, great difficulty in forming an exact estimate of this cost. Some find the amount so large as would have sufficed to build the Temple with solid gold ; and without going into such extravagance of estimate, but contenting ourselves with the | lowest ever proposed, being thirty-five million dollars, it could not well have been otherwise ; than a glorious structure, however little its general proportions or arrangements of. parts ! may have been in accordance with modern taste. The many thousand laborers employed on it for seven years and a half is in accord- ance with the impression which we derive from the statement of the expense. All the works of the Temple being finished (b. c. 1005), the dedication of it was reserved for the next year, which was a year of Jubilee — that great periodical holy year of rest and joy to the Israelites, which few could hope to witness more than once in their lives. As the principal object to be served by the Temple was to afford a resting-place to the ark, the dedication was no sooner resolved SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. 201 upon than preparations were made for intro- ducing it with due pomp into the sanctuary. In the presence of nearly the whole nation, assembled at Jerusalem, including all the courses of priests and orders of Levites, the procession commenced from the city of David, where the ark lay, to the portals of the splendid edifice, accompanied with many instruments of music, and the cheerful sound of psalms chanted by the Levitical choirs. The psalms were selected or composed for this solemn service; and when the sons of Levi, bearing their precious burden, drew near the eastern porch, the singers broke forth in the triumphal strain — " Lift up your heads, O ye gates, And be ye lift, ye everlasting doors, That the King of Glory may come in." At the moment when the ark of the cove- nant was deposited in the holy of the holies, between the cherubim, the innumerable Levit- ical choirs thundered forth their well-known song — sent to the heavens by their united voices, and by the harmonious concord of a thousand instruments — " Praise ye Jehovah ! for He is good ; For His mercy endureth forever ! " At that moment, suddenly, as at the conse- cration of the tabernacle, the holy building was covered with a thick cloud, which filled it wholly, and which enveloped the priests in such profound obscurity that they were unable to continue their ministrations. This was a manifest symbol that the Lord had accepted this building as His house, and that His pres- ence had descended to dwell therein. The deep silence that ensued was broken by the voice of Solomon, who stood upon a brazen platform in front of the altar. He spread forth his hands towards heaven, and gave utterance to the noble and affecting prayer by which the house was set apart to the worship of the God of Israel, and in which the divine blessing was invoked upon all who should thereafter join in the venerable rites to which it was dedicated. It is observable how prominently and beauti- fully the idea is brought forward that the tem- ple was to be regarded as a house, a palace, which the Divine King was to fill with His presence, and in which He was to reside among His people. This was the true idea of the establishment, underthe peculiar circumstances of the Hebrew theocracy, and it is interesting to find that this view of the subject was so distinctly present to the mind of the young king. Yet the idea of any human structure, however magnificent, being the abode of the Lord of heaven and earth, struck him in the point of view which must be taken by any thoughtful mind. " But will God indeed dwell on the earth ? " he cried : " behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot con- tain thee ;— how much less this house which I have builded ? " Great was his astonishment. Costly Sacrifices. This great festival was followed by an enter- tainment of a more ordinary nature, suitable to the joyful commemoration which usually marked the feast of tabernacles. On this great occasion Solomon is said tc have offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. In the first act of sacrifice the same mark of the Divine acceptance and favor was given as at the original establishment of the ritual service- in the wilderness ; for the victims, when laid out upon the altar, were consumed by fire from heaven; and the fire thus kindled was sacredly preserved and kept up — was never lost or extinguished, till the destruction of the temple by the Chaldaeans. The festivities of the season were continued a week beyond the usual period ; " and on the three-and-tvventieth day of the seventh month, he sent the people away unto their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the Lord had showed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel His people." Having thus accomplished this great duty,. the king turned his attention to the con- struction of various sumptuous buildings and great public works, suited to the honor of his crown and the dignity of his kingdom. 202 THE KING'S TREASURES. In the book of Ecclesiastes, which is sup- posed to have been written by him, there ap- pears a distinct and interesting allusion to these undertakings : " I made me great works ; I builded me houses ; 1 planted me vineyards ; I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit; I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood of all sorts. So 1 was great, and possessed more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem ; also my wisdom remained with me." Connected with what precedes, there seems a very significant emphasis in this last clause, which it is not our present duty to de- velop. This passage is finely paraphrased, and the 1 FIRE FROM HEAVEN AT THE DEDICATION UF THE TEMPLE. — 2 Chron that bringeth forth trees. I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle, above all that were in Jeru- salem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces ; I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that glories of Solomon's reign beautifully em- bodied, in the following extract from Heber's well-known poem on " Palestine : " Triumphant race ! and did your power decay ? Failed the bright promise of your earlier day? No : — bv that sword, which, red with heathen gore, A giant spoil, the stripling champion bore; By him, the chief to farthest India known, The mighty mnster of the ivory throne; SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. 203 In Heaven's own strength, victorious o'er her foes, Victorious Salem's lion banner rose : Before her footstool prostrate nations lay, And vassal tyrants crouched beneath her sway ; And he, the kingly sage, whose restless mind, Through nature's mazes wandered unconfined, Who every bird, anil beast, and insect knew, And spoke of every plant that quaffs the dew, To him were known — so Hagar's offspring tell — The powerful vigil and the starry spell, The midnight call, hell's shadowy legions dread, And sounds that burst the slumbers of the dead. Hence all his might; for who could these oppose? And Tadmor thus, and Syrian Balbec rose. Such, the faint echo of departed days, Still sound Arabia's legendary lays; And thus their fabling bards delight to tell How lovely weie thy tents, O Israel ! For thee his ivory load Behemoth bore, And far Sofala teemed with golden ore; Thine all the arts that wait on wealth's increase, Or bask and wanton in the beam of peace. When Tiber slept beneath the cypress gloom, And silence held the lonely woods of Rome ; Or ere to Greece the builder's skill was known, Or the light chisel brushed the Parian stone ; Yet here fair Science nursed her infant lire, Fanned by the artist aid of friendly Tyre: Then towered the palace, then in awful state The Temple reared its everlasting gate. Of the royal buildings erected by Solomon, particular notice is taken in Scripture of the palace which he built for himself, which the Jewish writers describe in very glowing- lan- guage; another palace which he built for the residence of Pharaoh's daughter; and "the house of the forest of Lebanon." Most writers take these to have been distinct and separate fabrics, but to those acquainted with the east- ern style of building and the arrangements of palaces, it will appear very clear that the king's own palace and that of his queen were no other than different quadrangles of the same -great pile of buildings — separate in their eco- nomical arrangements, but communicating with each other. The description given by Josephus confirms this impression, or at least shows that he took the same view of the subject. The quadrangle into which the great gate of gen- eral entrance opens usually contains the state apartments and offices, particularly the hall in which the sovereign gives audience, sits in judgment, and transacts all public business. Hence the royal court is very often called "the Gate," of which a familiar example is offered in the Ottoman Porte. The account of Josephus suggests that the palace, as a whole, consisted of three distinct courts, and communicating with their appro- priate buildings and offices; of which the one in the centre contained the state apartments, while that on the right hand formed the private residence of the king, and that on the left the harem or palace of the Egyptian princess; and this arrangement is so conformable to the usages which have always been maintained in the East, that we are disposed to take it as an ascertained fact. In this case "the house of the forest of Lebanon " was probably formed by the buildings of the central quadrangle, containing the hall of state. " It would be an endless task," says the Jew- ish historian, " to give a particular survey of this mighty mass of buildings ; so many courts and other contrivances ; such a variety of cham- bers and offices, great and small ; long and large galleries; vast rooms of state, and others for feasting and entertainment, set out as richly as could be with costly furniture and gilding; besides that all the service for the king's table was of pure gold. In a word, the whole pal- ace was in a manner made up, from the base to the coping, of white marble, cedar, gold, and silver ; with precious stones here and there in- termingled upon the walls and ceilings." Solomon's Gorgeous Throne. It is and always has been the etiquette of Eastern courts, that the king, as supreme mag- istrate, should to a certain extent administer justice in person, and be accessible to the com- plaints of all his subjects. In conformity with this usage, Solomon was wont to sit in the open porch of his palace, which was therefore called "the porch of judgment;" and this was an obvious application of the very ancient and still subsisting practice of making the gate the 204 UNRIVALLED SPLENDOR. seat of justice. Solomon's porch of justice seems to have been a large covered apartment, supported by pillars and entirely open in front. Here, upon a raised platform to which there was an ascent by steps, was placed the throne of Solomon, which is mentioned with such marked admiration in the Scriptural accounts, and with still stronger praise by Josephus. This consisted of a magnificent seat, placed upon a dais or platform, to which there was an ascent of six steps, on each of which were fixed the figures of two lions in gold, forming a sort of fence or balustrade to the ascent. The ascent between the twelve lions of gold, with the splendid seat at the top, must have formed a very magnificent throne, probably not unlike those which, in the mural paintings of Egypt, are appropriated to the gods and kings. The throne itself was of ivory, studded and en- riched with gold, and over it a semispherical canopy appears to have been suspended. Al- though there was no throne equal to this in any kingdom for costliness and splendor, yet in its general plan and character it corre- sponded with the thrones of the ancient .and modern East. Solomon built a new city and gave it the name of Tadmor (palm-tree), and this is the same city which afterwards became historically, as well as commercially, illustrious under the Greek name of Palmyra. The importance to which this city rose, and the prosperity which it long maintained, afford the best possible evidence of the wisdom of the great king by whom it was founded. Here the caravans not only found water as before, but every advantage of shelter and rest ; and here also the mer- chants, finding persons ready to take their commodities and to furnish whatever they re- quired in exchange, would be inclined to end their journey, leaving the distribution of their goods to the nations farther west, either to the factors of Solomon or to private merchants ; for we know not to what degree the king found it advisable to leave this trade free to his own subjects. That he took some mercantile part in it is probable from his course of proceeding with respect to the land trade with Egypt and the maritime commerce; but there were cir- cumstances in this branch of trade which re- quired more delicate management, and which might have occasioned any stringent attempt to monopolize the trade to have been fatal to the objects which he contemplated. Indeed, we see that the great fault of Solo- mon's commercial policy, apart from its un- suitableness to the Hebrew institutions, lay in the attempt of the government to engross its benefits as a source of royal revenue. No- traffic can have healthy growth under such a system ; and hence, probably, more than from any other single cause, the measures of Solo- mon had no permanent effect upon the pur- suits or character of the nation, which subsided into its accustomed channels as soon as the immediate and urgent impulse given by the crown ceased to operate. How Wealth Was Employed. Much of the wealth acquired from the various sources which have been indicated was spent by king Solomon in building, and in the general improvement of the country. Many important towns and fortresses were built or rebuilt by him. Among these we find the name of Baalath, which has usually been supposed the same with Baalbec in the valley of Lebanon, the ruins of which have been so- much admired and so often described by trav- ellers. No one, indeed, supposes that the ruins which still exist are those of the very buildings erected by Solomon. These are known to have been of Roman origin ; but it is conceived that the present ruins occupy the site of Solomon's city, and that some of the foundation walls, composed of enormous blocks of stone, may have belonged to ancient towns founded by him. The Scripture directs our attention in a very marked manner to the arrangements of Solo- mon's court, not only as admirable in itself, but as being, in fact, the wonder and admiration of neighboring and even of remote nations. The statement to which we must look for giving some insight into these arrangements contains at the first view little more than a list SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. 205 ■of names and offices; but on a closer inspection persons acquainted with the existing usages of the East are able to recognize in this list much which is suggestive of an orderly arrangement .and a wise distribution of administrative func- tions. It may, indeed, be noticed that most of the offices thus specified have reference to the supply of the wants of the court and the maintenance of the royal authority ; and it must be admitted that these have been practi- cally the chief objects of Oriental governments. Several officers appear in the time of Solo- mon, of which we find no previous trace in Israel ; of these were the " Governor of the Palace," who had charge of whatever belonged to the household affairs of the royal establish- ments ; and the twelve " princes " who were stationed in different parts of the country to collect in turn from each tribe a month's pro- vision for the court. The orderly manner in which such vast quantities of provisions were brought together, distributed, and prepared for use, seems not less to have engaged the admiring wonder •of strangers, and particularly of the Queen of Sheba, than the magnificent appointment and attendance at the king's own table. Fine Horses and Horsemen. We must be content to note very briefly a few other circumstances connected with the court of king Solomon. His chariots and horses, obtained from Egypt, have been al- ready mentioned. As we are now well ac- quainted with the chariots of that country, there can be no doubt respecting their form and furniture. With regard to the horsemen our information is less distinct. There can be no doubt that Solomon had a body of cavalry mounted on trained Egyptian horses, and that such cavalry existed in Egypt. But it curi- ously happens that in the whole range of Egyptian sculpture and painting there is but one figure of a man on horseback, and that does not much assist our ideas with respect to the cavalry of times so ancient. In all likeli- hood the equipment of Solomon's horsemen did not much differ from that which is and has long been in use in Western Asia, and which bears many marks of a remote origin. Joseph us reckons the number of Solomon's horses as twenty thousand ; and he says that they were the most beautiful in their appear- ance, and the most remarkable for their swift- ness, that could anywhere be seen. The riders, he says, were in their appearance quite worthy of their horses. They were young men in the beauty and flower of their age, and the tallest in stature that could be found in the country. Their undress was of Tyrian purple, and their long hair, which hung in loose tresses, glit- tered with the gold-dust wherewith they daily sprinkled their heads: But when they at- tended the king they were in complete armor, and had their bows ready strung. Often, in the fine season, he adds, the king rode down to his beautiful gardens at Etham, six miles from Jerusalem, attended by these young men. On such occasions he rode loftily in his char- iot, arrayed in white robes. But we have a better description of these excursions from the pen of Solomon himself. This occurs in Can- ticles iii. 6-1 1, where he is described as ap- proaching in a splendid palanquin or litter, sur- rounded by three-score valiant men. The chorus of virgins dwells upon the subject of this litter with great admiration : " King Solomon hath made for himself This couch of the wood of Lebanon : Its pillars hath he made of silver. Its bases of gold, its cushions of purple; The middle of it is spread with love By the daughters of Jerusalem." The last two lines indicate that the bottom of the litter was spread with cushions, orna- mented Avith flowers wrought in the most ele- gant manner by the damsels of Jerusalem. From the mention of pillars it appears to have had a covering or canopy, as is still usually the case. The only litter represented in the Egyptian paintings is borne by men and has no canopy, the shade being supplied by an umbrella borne by an attendant. This article was probably known to the Hebrews. From the song of Solomon much informa- tion respecting the arrangements of the royal 206 SOLOMON'S RENOWN. harem may be gathered. And this is a matter of some consequence, as this king multiplied wives unto himself beyond any monarch be- fore or after him. In fact his female estab- or equipage, and was mainly designed to aug- ment the pomp which belonged to his charac- ter and station. In the midst of all these undertakings and THE QUEEN OF SHEBA AT THE COURT OF SOLOMON. 1 Kings X. 2. lishment resembled those which the kings of the East have in all ages desired to form: but it may be understood that the harem formed, properly speaking, a branch of the royal state operations, surrounded by all this glory and magnificence, Solomon's wisdom did not cease to be a matter of admiration, not only to his own subjects, but among neighboring and SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY. 207 even distant nations. So great was his knowledge, so wonderful in its variety and extent, that " there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, for all kings of the earth had heard of his wisdom." Among the princes who thus rendered their homage to the genius of Solomon was the queen of Sheba, whom some suppose to have come from Abyssinia, but who is believed by others to have reigned in the southernmost parts of Arabia. She came with a very great and splendid retinue; and in her train were camels laden with spices, gold, and precious stones. It is stated that in her interviews with Solomon she " tried him with hard questions " — a mode of testing wisdom which was common in that age, and which every one who made unusual pretensions to sagacity and knowledge was understood to invite. The sage monarch found no difficulty in solving all the enigmatical questions which the royal stranger proposed : and we are told that when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house which he had built, and the food of his table, and the station of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, with their apparel, and his cup- bearers, and his burnt-offerings, which he offered in the house of Jehovah, there was no more spirit in her, and she said to the king, " True was the report which I heard in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Yet that report I believed not till I came, and saw with mine own eyes ; and, lo ! the half had not j been told me : thy wisdom and thy greatness far exceed the report that I heard. Happy thy men ! happy these thy servants, who stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom ! Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who was so pleased with thee as to set thee on the throne of Israel ! " The great glory of Solomon's reign was sadly dimmed towards its close. Among the many wives he had taken unto himself were many women of neighboring nations, " worshippers of strange gods." At their solicitation he was eventually led into allowing them the public exercise of their idolatries, and by easy steps was at length induced to take some part in them. Under what notions he disguised the heinousness of this crime to himself we are not informed, and it is useless to conjecture. By this fall he forfeited the benefits and privileges which had been promised as the condition of his rectitude; and it was not long'before the doom which he had so weakly and wickedly incurred was made known to him. This was, that his kingdom should be rent from him and given to his servant ; but, tem- pering judgment with mercy, the Lord was pleased to promise that this great evil should not befall his house in his own reign, but in that of his son. This was for the sake of his father David; and for his sake also, who had derived so much satisfaction from the prospect which he had been allowed to indulge of the perpetuity of his race, it was further promised that the ruin of his dynasty should not be absolute, for that it should still reign over one tribe — that of Judah, with which that of Ben- jamin had by this time coalesced. Nevertheless the troubles which were to end in the disruption of the kingdom which he had taken so much pains to organize were allowed to commence in his own reign, and greatly to trouble its peace. He thus witnessed the growth of the baleful tree he had planted, although he was spared from gathering all its poisonous fruit. The threatened evils were made to grow out of the weak parts of his own policy. The foreign sources of wealth seem in the latter years of Solomon to have declined ; and then, to support the disproportionate magnificence which he had established in his kingdom, he was obliged to lay upon his own subjects heavier burdens than they were able or willing to bear. CHAPTER XX. THE PROPHET ELIJAH. EHOBOAM, the son of Solomon, succeeded to his father's throne — at the least he laid claim to it, but he had in one Jeroboam a powerful adversary. This Jero- boam was a man of very considerable ability, and Solomon had placed him in an honorable post; but when Solomon went astray and turned to idolatry, it was predicted that his kingdom should be taken from him — not in his days, but in those of his son. An aged seer had met with Jeroboam and foretold this thing to him, "Thou shalt be king hereafter;" the seer had taken off his own garment and torn it into twelve pieces, ten of which he gave to Jero- boam, thereby intimating that ten of the twelve tribes would one day be under his rule. Intelligence of what had occurred appears to have reached the ears of Solomon, and he attempted to take the life of Jeroboam, who found a safe asylum in Egypt. Thence, on the death of Solomon, he was summoned by several of the principal men, and with them waited on the new king to ascertain what line of policy he intended to adopt. They com- plained in strong terms of what they had suf- fered in the late king's reign. " Thy father made our yoke grievous." Jeroboam and the great men of the country, acting as representatives of the people, made a very strong appeal to Rehoboam in order to induce him to relax what they regarded as heavy burdens. Rehoboam delayed his answer, out promised to respond within three days. In the meantime, he took counsel with his father's old friends, and was advised by them (20S) to speak fairly and moderately, so as to con- ciliate the multitude. This advice he rejected, preferring that of his youthful associates, who recommended the taking a very high hand with the people and promptly letting them know that it was no weakling who sat on the throne of Solomon. When the day of assembly came, and the deputation again waited on Rehoboam, he re- ceived them with great hauteur, and gave them to understand that so far from relaxing any of the burdens of which they complained, it was his intention to increase them. At this the people, Josephus says, "were struck as it were by an iron hammer," and were so indignant that they declared they would have nothing more to do with the house of David. " We only leave to Rehoboam the Temple which his father built." Finding too late the mischief he had done, he attempted, all in vain, to pacify the people; and at last, finding his life in dan- ger, fled to Jerusalem, where the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, whose interests were con- solidated, received him as their king — all the rest of the people, the other ten tribes, forsook him and elected Jeroboam as their sovereign. Here we have the beginning of the two king- doms, the kingdom of Israel, represented by the ten tribes, and the kingdom of Judah, com- posed of the united tribes of Judah and Ben- jamin. Rehoboam died at the age of fifty-seven, having reigned over Judah seventeen years ; and was succeeded by his son Abijam. Jero- boam sank very deep into various kinds of wickedness, especially idolatry. He was warned that the kingdom should be rent from him as it had been from the house of David, but neither spiritual warning nor ordi- nary common-sense deterred him. On the death of Rehoboam, he made war on his sue- THE PROPHET ELIJAH. 209 cessor Abijam. Abijam exhibited a degree of .spirit and courage very creditable to him; in an animated speech he roused the patriotism of his subjects, and, himself leading them against Jeroboam, put his army to entire and took their strongest cities by force, and spoiled them." Jeroboam did not recover himself during the reign of Abijam, which, however, lasted but three years. He was succeeded by his KING ASA DESTROYING IDOLS AT THE BROOK KIDRON. — I Kings XV. 1 3. complete rout: "A slaughter," says Josephus, ""which is never recorded to have happened in .any other war, whether it were of the Greeks or of the barbarians, for they overthrew and slew five hundred thousand of their enemies, 14 son Asa, under whose rule the land had peace for ten years. In the second year of Asa's reign died Jeroboam, king of Israel. King Asa appears to have been a most vir- tuous and upright prince, and one of his first 210 ELIJAH AT THE BROOK. acts was to suppress the idolatry which had j occasioned so much mischief to the people. He would not even permit pagan rites to be encouraged by his own mother, but destroyed the grove in which she was wont to worship, and burnt the idol that she called her god. But the reformation effected by Asa, although he reigned for one-and-forty years, was not complete — the rebellious spirit of the people still longed after the strange gods. Josephus tells us that when he was assailed by Zerah, king of Ethiopia, and in presence of an ap- parently overwhelming force, his piety was as conspicuous as his bravery. He openly be- sought God to give him the victory : " For," said he, " I depend on nothing else but that assistance which I expect from Thee, which is able to make the fewer supreme to the more numerous, and the weaker to the stronger; and thence it is alone that I venture to meet Zerah and fight him." Asa won a complete- victory and took much spoil. It was in the thirty-first year of the reign of Asa, king of Judah, that Omri began to reign in Israel. He was a wicked prince, and followed in all the evil ways of those who had gone before him. At his death the govern- ment passed into the hands of a man, if pos- sible, worse than himself, namely, Ahab his son, who, to add to his wickedness, married Jezebel — the worst woman of her age, and un- surpassed in none — daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians. She was an idolatress, and stubbornly bent on making others idolaters also. She made no disguise of her religion, nor of her open enmity to the Jewish priests, nor of her intentions to overthrow the estab- lished faith. Soon the heart of her husband was turned after her strange gods, groves were planted, a priesthood was ordained, a temple built, and the idol Baal set up for worship — a species of idolatry unknown in Israel since the days of Samuel. It now seemed as if the knowledge of the true God would be forever lost among the Israelites. But suddenly the prophet Elijah boldly .stood up among them, to stem the over- whelming tide of corruption, and succeeded in preserving many of his countrymen in the worship of Jehovah. The record of the reign of Ahab is chiefly occupied with an account of the struggle which this great prophet waged against principalities and powers, against spir- itual wickedness in high places, in honor of Jehovah, and his earthly kingdom. Elijah's Sudden Appearance. He is introduced with considerable abrupt- ness, by the name of Elijah the Tishbite — from the name of a town beyond the Jordan to which he belonged — as announcing punish- ment in the shape of a long-continued drought, and consequently famine, which should be re- moved only at his own intercession. This great calamity commenced about the sixth year of Ahab's reign ; and it then became needful that the prophet should withdraw from the presence and solicitations of the king. Accordingly he concealed himself in a cave near the brook Cherith — one of the streams which fall into the Jordan — where the kind providence of God sent him bread and meat every morning and evening. When the brook Cherith was dried up, the prophet was instructed to cross the country into the dominion of Jezebel's father. He ac- cordingly went to Sarepta, near Sidon, and, as he came near that place, met a poor woman who had come out to seek a few sticks for fuel ; the prophet asked her for a little water ; and notwithstanding the distress and the scarcity of water which prevailed, she readily complied with the request of the travel -worn stranger. But when he also begged of her some bread, she declared to him that she had nothing left in the world but a handful of meal and a little oil, with which she was then about to prepare her last meal ; and when that was done, nothing remained for her and her young son but to die. Elijah, however, encouraged her not to fear, but to prepare him some food, promising in that Great Name which even foreigners had learned to dread, that her scanty supply should not fail until the bountiful heavens once more gave forth reiief. Her faith was such as en- THE PROPHET ELIJAH. 211 abled her to comply with this request ; and the I was so severe that the king in person had gone consequence was that for above two years she and her son, and the prophet, were supplied miraculously with sufficient food ; for " the barrel ol meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sent rain upon the earth." The implicit faith of this poor widow in the power and mercy of the God of her foreign guest was strengthened, and at the same time through one part of his dominions in search of provisions, while he sent Obadiah, his prin- cipal steward, into another part for a similar purpose. Obadiah was a good man; he had used his high influence in protecting the per- secuted servants of Jehovah. Elijah met this person, and prevailed upon him to conduct him to the king. Ahab had long been seeking him in vain, with the view of punishing him as ELTTAH AND THE WIDOW OF SAREPTA. 1 Kings XVl'i. IO. rewarded, by a more signal miracle which Elijah effected during his abode with her. Her son, who had died of some grievous dis- order, was restored to life by the intercession and prayers of the prophet, and she now con- fessed her full conviction that Elijah was " a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in his mouth was truth." In the third year of his absence Elijah re- ceived the Divine command to go and present himself before Ahab. At this time the famine the author of the calamities which Israel suf- fered, or of extorting from him the intercession through which they were destined to cease; and he no sooner saw him than he broke forth into reproaches against him as the troubler of' Israel. But the prophet boldly retorted the charge, and affirmed that all the complicated miseries under which the nation suffered had befallen it on account of his rejection of the God of Israel, and of the idolatries with which he and his queen had polluted the land. 212 BAAL'S PROPHETS OVERTHROWN. Then, in order to satisfy Ahab and the whole nation of the vanity and impotency of the god to whom they had turned, and of the priests and prophets by whom these gods were served, he offered singly to confront the whole of them in the sight of Jehovah, that it might be seen by manifest signs who was the true God and worthy of worship. Awed by the rebuke and the decisive manner of the prophet, and perhaps apprehensive of some further judgment if he refused, the king ordered the attendance of all the priests of Baal, in number about eight hundred, near Mount Carmel, to bring the matter to a final and fair decision. Fire on Mount Carmel. The people assembled in great numbers to witness this momentous contest, in which they were so deeply interested. The prophet then proposed that two bullocks should be prepared for sacrifice, the one by the priests of Baal, which they should cut in pieces and lay upon the wood, but put no fire underneath ; and the other by himself, in precisely the same manner. And then continued Elijah, " Call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of Jehovah ; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God." Nothing could be more fair and open than this ; but it is very awful to think that the supremacy of Jehovah should ever have become a question — for it was the question — among so large a propor- tion of the chosen nation which He had re- deemed from the house of bondage. When every preparation.had been completed according to the directions of Elijah, the priests of Baal called upon their idol to hear them, and to attest his power by consuming with fire from heaven the victim laid upon the altar. But Baal heard them not : " there was no voice nor any that answered." In vain were all their efforts, although they continued to call upon their god until the time of offer- ing the evening sacrifice. No answering fire appeared ; and as the day advanced, the priests, in the frenzy of a losing cause, " cried aloud, and cut themselves with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them." "How long halt ye between two opinions? If Jehovah be the God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him " — were the words in which Elijah had already proposed to the assembled multitude the great matter which was at issue. And now, when the priests of Baal had been suffered to consume most of the day in their useless invocations, he advanced to prepare the altar for his offering. He reared it with twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes ; and having laid on the wood and the victim, caused the whole to be inundated with water from the river. He then advanced, and called upon the Lord to interpose on this great occasion, that all Israel might know that He was the true God, the God of their fathers and of their nations; and that their hearts might be turned back from vain idols to Himself. Accordingly, at that word, the fire of heaven came down, and in one instant consumed the victim, and dried up, by its intense heat, all the water which had been poured out around. When the people beheld that sight, contrasted as it was with the abortive efforts of Baal's priests, they yielded to the mighty impulse of the conviction which oppressed them, and fell upon their faces, exclaiming, " Jehovah, He is the God ! Jehovah, He is the God!" The scene, as described, is most impressive. The prophet availed himself of the disposi- tion thus created in the people, by command- ing the priests of Baal to be slain ; and his order was immediately carried into effect. The idolatry of Israel having thus received a considerable check, and its chief abettors hav- ing been brought to condign punishment, the prophet intimated to Ahab the approach of relief from the awful calamity under which the land had groaned so long, and directed him to return to his home in that confidence. The prophet himself then proceeded to the top of Mount Carmel, and prayed fervently for rain seven times; the promise of which, speedily followed by fulfilment, soon appeared in the shape of " a little cloud like a man's hand " rising out of the Mediterranean — a phenomenon which in warm climates is not an unusual ELIJAHS SACRIFICE ON MOUNT CARMEL. 1 Kings Xviii. 38. (213) 214 THE STILL SMALL VOICE. Hazael to be king over Syria, after which he should anoint Jehu to be king over Israel, and appoint Elisha to be his own successor. The prophet then delayed not to return, but of his commissions the last was the only one which he deemed it necessary to execute in person. Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Manasseh, be- yond Jordan, he found ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and cast his prophet's mantle (probably of hair) over him as he passed. Elisha understood the sign, and after he had bidden farewell to his parents, followed the prophet, to whom he thenceforth remained constantly attached through all his fortunes. A Bold Invasion. About this period Bcnhadad, the king of Damascene Syria, invaded the land of Israel with a very powerful army ; and meeting with little resistance, quickly advanced against Sa- maria, and closely blockaded the city. The return of seasonable rains could not at once restore plenty to the land, or restore the popu- lation, which the famine had decimated. Hence the enfeebled Israelites were so much dismayed by the advance of the Syrians, that, instead of attempting resistance, those who abode not in fortified towns fled for refuge to the caverns and fortresses of the wilderness. This state of affairs raised the boldness of the invaders to insolence, and very insulting was the language in which Benhadad challenged Ahab to sur- render his capital. Aware of his defenceless condition, Ahab felt obliged to curb his indignation, and con- sented to become tributary to the Syrian king. This readiness of submission induced Benhadad to rise in his demands, and by a second mes- sage he required the immediate and uncondi- tory of Israel, till he reached the solitudes of j tional surrender of all that belonged to him the uppermost Sinai, where, as is usually sup-l and to his subjects. The spiritless Ahab was posed, he stationed himself in the cave where \ disposed to purchase peace, even on terms so Moses was when he beheld the glory of Je-: ignominious, but here the elders of Israel in- hovah from " the cleft of the rock." In this | terposed, and would not allow him to consent, spot the Lord appeared to him, preceded by aj On this, a third message from the Syrian mon- strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, and arch threatened the immediate destruction of speaking to him in a still small voice, com-] Samaria and the massacre of all its inhabitants, manded him to repair to Damascus, and anoint | At this point the Lord, whose protection he harbinger of rain. The prophet then " girded up his loins," for speed, and ran till he over- took the chariot of the king, and ran before it to the gate of Jezreel ; for meanwhile " the heavens had grown black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain." Flight of the Prophet. These stupendous incidents had probably produced some salutary impressions upon the feeble mind of Ahab ; but they soon disap- peared before the higher energies of his wife's character, and her commanding influence upon him. Jezebel was enraged to the uttermost by the destruction of her priests, and vowed to be revenged upon the author of the mas- sacre. Elijah heard of this, and giving her full credit for the will and power to execute her threat, he deemed it right to withdraw himself for the present beyond her reach. He there- fore resolved to retire for a while into the wil- derness, where Israel had first received from God the law which he had labored to uphold. When he had travelled about one hundred miles south of Jezreel, the travel-worn prophet, exhausted with thirst and hunger, found the strength of mind and body which had hitherto upheld him give way. He cast himself under the shade of a juniper-tree, and prayed for death to end his troubles. "It is enough," he cried ; " now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers." But God had not forgotten his servant. An angel was sent to comfort and sustain him, and by en- couraging promises urged him to pursue his journey to Horeb, " the Mount of God." With renewed confidence and strength he travelled on through the valleys and among the mountains so renowned in the early his ELIJAH VISITED BY AN ANGEL. — I Kings xix. 5. (215) 21G DEFEAT OF THE SYRIANS. had forfeited, and, indeed, wilfully abandoned, interposed to show to the king and to the house of Israel that He was able to deliver those who found no help from the idols they had served and worshipped. By the command ofa prophet, and under the assurance of victory which that prophet conveyed, the king ventured to make a sally against the vast host of the Syrians, at the head of a small band composed of the ser- having been encouraged by a prophet to be- lieve that the Lord had devoted Benhadad to- destruction, and would not fail to deliver him into his hands, that he might execute judg- ment upon him. Accordingly the Syrians- were again overthrown, and those who es- caped the sword of Israel were crushed by the falling of the wall of Aphek, under which the battle took place. Benhadad. with a few CASTING HIS MANTLE ON ELISHA. 1 Kill ELIJA vants and retainers of the nobles then in Da- mascus, and was victorious. It does not appear that Ahab made any suitable return for this deliverance, or was in- duced by it to turn from his evil' courses and obstinate unbelief. He seems also too hastily to have concluded his victory final, and, there- i fore, neglected a prophetic intimation that the Syrians would next year resume the warfare with recruited strength. Return, however, they did, with a more powerful force, and en- camped near Aphek. Here Ahab, at the head of a very unequal force, marched against him, s xix. 19. attendants, escaped the general slaughter and succeeded in gaining entrance into a house in Aphek, where they concealed themselves, though closely pursued by some of Ahab's followers. The arrogant Syrian now saw that he had no resource but in submission to- the man he had so grievously insulted. Some of his attendants were accordingly sent clothed in sackcloth, and with ropes around their necks, to implore quarter from the king of Israel. This submission and humiliation to- him so flattered the vanity of Ahab that, un- mindful of his own safety and the interests of THE PROPHET ELIJAH. 217 his kingdom, he granted unconditionally all swered, " I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the eyes of Jehovah." He then proceeded, in that Great that was asked by the crafty Syrians. Aliab's Startling Warning 1 , He sent for Benhadad, and not only treated him with marked respect, but contracted a very disadvantageous peace with him, and then allowed him to depart. In consequence of this violation of the command by which Benhadad had been devoted to destruction, a prophet, wounded, and disguised in sackcloth and ashes, placed himself in the way of Ahab, and passed upon him the sentence of God, warning him that his life should be lost in fighting against the man he had delivered, and that his subjects should become the victims of his sword. On hearing this the king of Israel went to his house ." heavy and dis- pleased." Not long after this the king was disposed to enlarge his garden in Jezreel by taking into it the patrimonial vineyard of a person named Naboth. The owner, however, declined to part with it; on which the king, in a very childish spirit, took to his bed, refused his food, and lay with his face to the wall. On learning this his wife Jezebel came to him, and hearing his complaint, was delighted at the opportunity it offered of confirming him in his disposition to rely on herself. She urged him to rise and enjoy himself without further care, for that she would obtain for him the vineyard of Naboth. And she did so. On the authority of letters sealed by her with the king's signet, the unhappy Jezreelite was ac- cused of blasphemy at a public feast, for which ] his reign by reforming the religious abuses Name, and in words every one of which bore a terrible emphasis, to denounce the doom of utter extermination upon himself and his house for the iniquities with which he had polluted the land; and then, with a pointed reference to the last most iniquitous deed, he said, " Hast thou slain and also taken posses- sion ? In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood — even thine." And as for Jezebel, he foretold a coming time in which dogs should devour her by the wall of Jezreel. The King- Alarmed. Ahab was greatly terrified at this message, and for once "he humbled himself before the Lord." His humiliation, indeed, was merely formal and superficial ; yet, as he allowed the justice of God and acknowledged his sin, the Lord had pity upon him, and was pleased to grant a respite of judgment, so far as regarded his family, and he was spared the anguish of witnessing the ruin of his house. While the land of Israel was thus, during the reign of Ahab, frequently distracted by intestine calamities and foreign wars, the kingdom of Judah enjoyed profound tran- quillity and increasing prosperity under the mild and pious government of JehoshaphaL the son and successor of Asa. This excellent prince began to reign 929 B. c, being the third vear of Ahab in Israel. He commenced he was stoned to death and his possessions confiscated to the crown. Jezebel then glee- fully apprised the king that the coveted vine- yard was his, and doubtless informed him in which had crept in during the later years of his father's life, or which he had not in his best years ventured to remove. Thus he not only destroyed the idols, and every vestige of which way it had been acquired. Ahab then j idolatry throughout his dominions, but even hastened to inspect his new possession, but he I demolished "the high places," which were had scarcely entered the place when the most ; not directly idolatrous, but at which an unexpected and unwelcome sight of the j irregular worship, often merging into idolatry, prophet Elijah met his view. His conscience was carried on. He indeed went deeper than made known to him the errand of his stern \ any other king in his salutary reformations. monitor, and " Hast thou found me, O mine j He knew that all these corruptions were but enemy?" burst from his lips. Elijah an- ' the outward signs, the visible excrescences, of 218 A REFORMATION IN JUDAH. the disease of ignorance, and that every remedy must be insufficient which left un- touched the inner and exciting cause. and villages ; and so much interest did he manifest in this matter that he made a tour through the country to see that his beneficent ELIJAH AND AHAB IN NABOTH's VINEYARD. 1 Kings XXI. 20. He therefore took measures to provide for I intentions were carried into effect. A thorough the people sound instruction in the law of God reformation was by such means wrought in at their own homes — in their several towns I the land of Judah ; and the king's devoted- THE PROPHET ELIJAH. 219 mess to God and his paternal government were rewarded by the attachment of his subjects, and by a degree of temporal prosperity such as had not been enjoyed by any king since Solomon. Ahab was at no time in a condition to seek or gain any advantage over so prosperous a neighbor; and by this time the kings of Judah had come to consider the existence of the separate kingdom as an accomplished fact, in which they could not but acquiesce. Gn this basis a sort of friendship, or rather absence of hostility, grew up between them, of which we observe the first manifest signs in the time of Jehoshaphat and Ahab. This might seem in itself good, but, considering the unequal condition of the two kingdoms, was more likely to be detrimental to Judah than bene- ficial to Israel. And this proved to be the case. A Prophet Imprisoned. Jehoshaphat could not be insensible to the vile character of Ahab and his queen ; and it is not likely that he was the first to seek the alliance. But a certain degree of softness which we may trace in his character, and which, however amiable in private life, mis- became him as a king, seems to have rendered him incapable of resisting the flattering ad- vances of Ahab ; and from one step to another the intimacy at length became so close that Jehoshaphat consented to the marriage of his heir with Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. The alliance being thus strengthened, we cease to be surprised to find the king of Judah present at the court of Israel. This was after the events which have already been recorded ; and when Ahab was preparing for a campaign against the Syrians, who, having re- covered strength, had invaded the territories of Israel east of the Jordan, and made them- selves masters of the important fortified town of Ramoth-Gilead, he invited Jehoshaphat to join in this expedition, and the latter, as usual, too easily consented. He was not, however, accustomed to embark in any im- portant undertaking without consulting the Lord, through a prophet or the high-priest ; and he therefore intimated a wish that this should be done on the present occasion. Ahab had no lack of pretended prophets, and they with one accord promised a signal victory over the Syrians. Jehoshaphat, how- ever, was not satisfied, and asked if there was no other prophet of Jehovah whom they might consult. Ahab admitted that there was another, named Micaiah, but declared that he hated him, because he never prophesied good of him, but evil. He was, nevertheless, sent for; and with great dignity and force of lan- guage he declared that the expedition would be fatal to the king himself, but not disastrous to his army. On this Ahab, in a high rage, commanded him to be kept in prison on mouldy bread and unwholesome water till his return in peace. The prediction of Micaiah, however, sunk into his mind, and to avoid his doom, he proposed, under pretence of honoring Jehoshaphat with the chief command, that he should wear his royal robes in the action, while himself would go disguised as one of his officers. This expedient had nearly cost Jehoshaphat his life, as the Syrian soldiers, according to their instructions, made it their object to kill the king or take him prisoner; but when they perceived their error, they desisted. Yet Ahab escaped not. An arrow " shot at a venture " penetrated the joints of his harness, and inflicted a mortal wound. He then with- drew from the field to have his wound dressed, but, being anxious not to discourage his troops, he hastened back to the battle, and towards evening died in his chariot. As soon as his death was known, hostilities ceased on both sides, and the Israelites dispersed quietly to their own homes without defeat or loss. Thus was the prediction of Micaiah to the very letter fulfilled. The body of Ahab was carried to Samaria, and buried there. The chariot, soaked with his blood, was washed in the pool of Jezreel, and there, according to the prediction of Elijah, did the town dogs lick up his blood, as they, had before licked that of Naboth. Ahab was succeeded by his son Ahaziah, B. c. 909. w (220) THE TRANSLATION OF ELIJAH. 2 Kings U. 12. THE PROPHET ELIJAH. 221 The prophet Elijah, having previously re- ceived the Divine intimation that the Lord was about to distinguish him from the rest of man- kind by translating him into heaven without undergoing death, and now knowing that the day was at hand, visited the sons or pupils of the prophets at Bethel and Jericho, and took leave of them with such solemnity, that they were impressed with the conviction that they should see him no more. This conviction was shared by the prophet's destined successor, Elisha, who therefore resolved not to leave his side till he saw the result. They came to the Jordan, where the prophet took off his mantle, and smote therewith the waters, which divided to give him a passage over. When they had reached the eastern bank, the great prophet told Elisha that the time was come for him to prefer his last request. The other, with a strong feeling of the impor- tance of the duties which were about to devolve upon him, answered, " Let a double portion of thy spirit rest upon me." Elijah told him that he had asked " a hard thing ; " but, he added, " nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee." As they went on, engaged in earnest conver- sation, suddenly " there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, and Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven." The falling mantle was, according to the still existing customs of the East, an emblem of his bequeathing to Elisha the office which he had himself filled ; and on his return to Jericho the latter tested the virtue of the bequest by smiting the waters of the Jordan as his master had done, asking, " Where is the Lord God of Elijah ? " The call was answered ; the waters were sundered before him ; and the young prophets of Jericho, who stood watching in the distance, knew by this sign their future master, and gave him the allegiance they had given his illustrious predecessor. CHAPTER XXI. THE YOUNG HEBREW CAPTIVE. OUTHFUL characters are often made con- spicuous in the Scrip- tures, as will be seen from the history of Naaman and that great prophet who was the immediate successor of Elijah. The mira- cles performed by Eli- sha are related with considerable detail, and were so signal and important as soon evinced to the court and people of Israel that in him God had raised up another witness for the truth in the midst of a corrupt generation. Two of the earliest of these followed almost immediately the foregoing transactions, and were well calculated to authenticate his mis- sion in the sight of the people. The town of Jericho was favorably situated, but the water of the principal spring was unwholesome, probably saline, and useless for drink or irri- gation. When this was represented to Elisha he took a new vessel full of salt, and repairing to the springhead, cast in the salt, and from that moment the waters were sweetened, " and there was no more death or barren land." The next was an act of judgment: he was going up from Jericho to Bethel, the seat of one of the golden calves, when some of the youths of tnat polluted city insulted him as he passed and followed him with shouts of " Go up, thou bald head ! go up, thou bald head ! " thereby deriding the recent translation of Elijah into heaven, and mockingly urging the prophet to go up after his master. Feel- ing that God was himself mocked in this de- rision of an event so signal and so glorious, and knowing that he was wont to vindicate the honor of his great deeds, Elisha "turned back and cursed them in the name of the (222) Lord." These blasphemous children saw their homes no more ; for, ere they could re- turn, two she-bears came forth upon them out of the wood and destroyed them ; and many houses in the sinful city were filled with wail- ing that day. Jehoram, the new king of Israel, was of a somewhat better disposition than his father and brother. He discountenanced the wor- ship of Baal, but made no attempt to break down the corruptions and evils which Jero- boam had introduced, and which, in the course of time, had more and more become a habit with the people. The first public measure of Jehoram was to reduce the Moabites, who, in consequence of the heavy tribute in cattle which had been imposed upon them by Ahab, had revolted after he had been slain by the Syrians. Jehosh- aphat was prevailed upon to join him with his forces in this expedition, probably from the fear that the revolt, if successful, might en- courage his own tributary, the king of Edom, to follow the example. The army of Israel, to ^ivoid crossing the Jordan, marched south- ward through the '-md of Judah, with the view of invading the land of Moab by going round by the southern ex r .,emity of the Dead Sea, and in its march wr.s joined by the forces of Judah and Edom. This circuitous route occupied seven days, towards the end of which the army and horses were greatly distressed from thirst, probably occasioned by the failure of the wells and brooks, from which a sufficient supply had been expected. Already much loss and dis- couragement had been sustained, and the army now lay on the border of Moab, and in the face of the enemy, who had assembled in force to repel the invasion. In this extremity the good Jehoshaphat, as usual, thought of THE YOUNG HEBREW CAPTIVE 223 seeking counsel of God through one of his I at once repaired. His greeting, addressed to prophets; and on inquiring for one, it was I Jehoram, was not very encouraging :." What THE CHILDREN OF BETHEL. 2 Kings ii. 23. found that Elisha, " who had poured water on the hands of Elijah," was present in the camp. To him the kings of Judah, Israel, and Edom have I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother ! " And he added that, were it 224 A HUMAN SACRIFICE. not from respect to Jehoshaphat, he would not have admitted them to his presence. But now he called for a minstrel, and as the min- strel played upon his harp, " the hand of the Lord came upon him," and he promised that ere the morning dawn water should be abun- dant; and also that victory should crown their arms. Death in the Enemy's Camp. And so it came to pass. Before the morning the dried-up beds of the torrents and rivulets were filled to overflowing ; and in the action which followed, the Moabites were utterly de- feated, and the victors in their pursuit of the army desolated the country with fire and sword, till they arrived before Kir-haraseth, a strong city, into which the king of Moab had thrown himself. Here he was soon reduced to such extremities that he made a desperate sally at the head of seven hundred valiant swordsmen, in the hope of forcing his way through the lines of the besiegers. Being foiled in this, he resorted to the horrid expe- dient of endeavoring to render his cruel gods propitious by offering up to them in sacrifice his only son — the heir of his throne. He did this publicly, upon the very walls, in the face of the besiegers, who were so horror-struck at the sight that they immediately raised the siege and departed to their own homes. This movement, however natural, probably had the lamentable effect of encouraging the king of Moab to believe his dreadful act had been effectual in bringing down from his gods the desired relief. The Moabites seem to have been highly exasperated at the part taken by Jehoshaphat in this expedition : for not long after we find them united with kindred and neighboring na- tions in a most formidable invasion of his ter- ritories. They formed their camp near En- gedi, and their force seemed so overwhelming, that Jehoshaphat felt at once that he was ut- terly unable to meet them in the field, and that he had no resources but in God, whom he might infer to have been offended at his alli- ance with the unclean court of Israel. He therefore, and the people with him, betook himself to prayer and supplication, and was answered by the assurance that the invaders should fall without one stroke from his sword. He then marched out against them ; but when he came "to the watch-tower in the wil- derness," and there obtained the first view of the enemy's camp, "behold, they were all dead bodies fallen to the earth!" They had, it seems, quarrelled among themselves, probably about the division of the spoil, and had fought together with such desperate animosity that none escaped. The Hebrews were occupied for three days in gathering the abundant spoil, which was of immense value. They then re- turned laden with wealth to Jerusalem, which they entered to the sound of psalteries and harps, rejoicing in the favor of God, who had blessed them with success so signal and so unexpected. This event instilled into the minds of the neighboring nations a salutary dread of the good king, and the remainder of his reign was spent in profound peace. He died b. C. 904, after he had lived sixty years and reigned twenty-five. He was succeeded on the throne by his son, Jehoram,who had wedded Athaliah,the daugh- ter of Ahab and Jezebel; and whose conduct soon evinced the malignant and fatal influence of this connection. When we consider the subsequent conduct of his wife, there is little room to question that the measures of Jeho- ram were stimulated by the counsels of the daughter of Jezebel. Palace and Temple Plundered. Immediately upon his accession, Jehoram concentrated the claims of the royal line in his own person by destroying all his brethren. He then proceeded to subvert the worship of Jehovah, and introduced the Phoenician idola- tries, which had caused so much calamity in the neighboring kingdom, and which had hith- erto been unexampled in Judah. In Jerusa- lem the mass of the people were induced by the influence and example of the court, and in other parts of the country by persecutors, to THE YOUNG HEBREW CAPTIVE. 225 -give in to these new abominations. For this the prophet of Israel, Elisha, was commis- sioned to denounce the Divine vengeance against Jehoram and his family. The prophet discharged this awful duty by letter; and the doom which he predicted was not long delayed. First, Edom, which had since David been subject to Judah, revolted,' and succeeded in casting off the yoke it had so impatiently borne. This sign of weakness en- couraged other neighboring nations to invade the land, which they plundered and laid waste. Even Jerusalem was entered ; the treasures of the palace and the Temple were plundered, and so great was the helplessness of the king and so utter his degradation, that even the sanctity of the royal harem was invaded, and ail its fair inhabitants were carried off, save only Athaliah, the queen, who remained to be the source of future misery and punishment to Judah. All the royal princes were also slain except Ahaziah, otherwise called Jehoahaz, .the youngest of them all. To complete these I miseries, the miserable king was himself smit- ten with an incurable disease in the bowels, under which he languished for two years in horrible torments, and then died. The voice ■of the people denied to his remains the honors of a royal funeral and of a place in the sepul- chres of the kings. Befriending- a Poor Widow. Ahaziah, the only surviving son of Jehoram and Athaliah, then ascended the throne of Judah. Unhappily for him, " he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedness." His near relationship to that house, the reigning king being his mother's brother, drew still closer the bands of intimacy between the two courts, and, in the event, involved him in that utter ruin of Ahab's house which had been denounced by Elijah. In Israel, the " schools of the prophets " had come under the supervision of the prophet Elisha ; and the next of his recorded acts was a miracle of benevolence in behalf of the widow of one of the " sons of the prophets." Having died without satisfying a debt he had incurred, the creditor proposed to indemnify himself by making bondsmen of the two sons. This Elisha prevented by so multiplying a small quantity of oil which the woman pos- sessed, that the price for which it was sold enabled her to discharge the claim of the harsh creditor. Another of his acts arose from the desire to make some suitable acknowledgment for the kindness of a benevolent pair, who observing how often the prophet passed on the way to Shunem, prepared for his separate use " a chamber upon the wall," furnishing it with a bed, a table, a seat, and a lamp, which at their solicitation he occupied whenever he came to Shunem. The hospitable couple were child- less, and, being informed by his servant Gehazi of their distress on that account, he foretold that in due time a child should be given to them in recompense for their kindness. A son was accordingly born, and lived, and grew up ; but one. day as he went forth to his father in the harvest-field he was smitten apparently by a sun-stroke, and complaining of his head was taken back to the house, where he died upon his mother's lap. Elisha was then ab- sent, having gone to Mount Carmel. The mother went and laid the child upon the prophet's bed, and hurried away in search of him. Elisha recognized, her at a distance, and sent his servant to meet her with inquiries after the welfare of her house. In answer to the question, " Is the child well ? " she an- swered with touching significance, " He is well ; " and without disclosing her errand pressed forward to the prophet. She threw herself at his feet, and more by her tears than words' made known her grief. The prophet was much moved, and, delivering his staff to Gehazi, directed him to hasten on and lay it on the face of the child. The mother seems to have had small faith in this, and remained with the prophet, who at length concluded to return with her. They were met as they went by Gehazi, who reported that he had followed his instructions, but that "the child was not awakened." On reaching the house the 226 SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS. prophet shut himself up with the child ; and j frugal meal of pottage had been prepared it ere long he called for the mother and pre- j was found that a poisonous gourd had been sented to her the living boy. |put into the pot by mistake. The young: naaman's captive maid. — 2 Kings v. 3. Another time, when there was a scarcity in I prophets cried out in much alarm, " O man of the land, Elisha was at the school of the God, there is death in the pot !" and thereupon prophets in Gilgal ; and one day when their I the prophet cast therein a handful of meal, THE YOUNG HEBREW CAPTIVE. 227 when every obnoxious quality was taken away. The next event in the history of Elisha is the transaction between him and the Syrian general Naatnan, the date of which is not easily fixed with exactness, and which may therefore be noticed in the place which it occu- pies in the sacred narrative. Naaman was an able and successful com- mander, who stood very high in the favor of his master Benhadad: but he was afflicted with leprosy, which, from the narrative, would appear not to have disqualified from public service in the same degree as it would have done in Israel. Among the slaves of Naaman's wife was a little Hebrew girl, who had been among the prisoners taken in some one of the many incursions of the Syrians into the land of Israel. This girl, pitying the condition of her master, one day said to her mistress, " Would God my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy." These words excited atten- tion and inquiry, but were not very clearly understood ; and when the king became ac- quainted with the matter he said that Naaman should go with a letter from him to the king of Israel to be cured of his leprosy. The great man accordingly set forth with a noble retinue, and with camels laden with valuables intended for presents. When he came to Samaria he caused his letter to be delivered in all due form to the king, to whose presence as a leper he could not be admitted. The letter was to the effect that the king of Syria had sent his servant Naaman that the king of Israel might lay his hand upon him and cure him of his leprosy. On reading this, king Jehoram felt it as a mockery and insult. He rent his clothes and cried, "Am I a God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to cure a man of his leprosy?" and he could find no other motive for so unaccount- able an application than to quarrel with him. The news of this strange affair soon spread through the place, and reached the ears of Elisha, who forthwith sent to desire that the Syrian noble should be sent to him. Naaman, who by this time must have distrusted the success of his mission, gladly repaired to the abode of the prophet, and halted in his chariot, and with his grand retinue, before his door. As a leper lie could not go into the house ; and he expected that the prophet would come out and place his hands upon him, and that he should then recover. Instead of this, Elisha sent his servant to tell him to go and dip seven times in the river Jordan, and that he should then be clean. The pride of Naaman was offended at this message, and he cried, " Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters in Israel ? May I not wash in them and be clean ? " So he turned and went away in a rage. The Syrian Captain Cured. His attendants, more calm, judged better of the order which he had received ; and the chief of them, in the name of the rest, drew near respectfully, and said to him, " My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather, then, when he saith unto thee, Wash, and be clean ? " This reflection, so simple and so natural, struck Naaman, and he consented to obey. Seven times he plunged into the stream, and at the seventh time he rose purged of all malady and stain. His skin, before so much disfigured and broken by his frightful disease, became pure and soft as that of a new-born child. Then, full of joy and with gratitude proportioned to his previous disgust, he returned forthwith to Elisha. He now entered the house, and stood before the venerable man to tender his acknowledg- ments. His first word was admirable ; it was a profession of faith. " Behold, now I know," he said, " that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel." His second was an expression of gratitude to the prophet, upon whom he pressed the rich presents he had brought. This the holy man refused, that the whole honor of this great act might be referred to its Divine Author. Naaman then, with sincere intentions, but not with very clear notions of the subject, 228 MIRACULOUS HEALING. wrjTiKS.ssi.'sars^rJsswu.ts NAAMAN AT THE DOOR OF ELI5HA. an altar in Damascus for his own devotions to I of Rimmon in Damascus, and for this he the God of Israel, whom alone he was deter- 1 hoped pardon and allowance from God. With THE YOUNG HEBREW CAPTIVE. 229 a full and happy heart the stranger then took j leave of the prophet and departed towards his I own home. The young maid was his bene- factor. Elisha's servant Gehazi felt much annoyed that his master had let slip so rare an oppor- tunity of enriching himself, and his cupidity was so strongly excited that he hastened after the retiring chariots to see what he could get in his master's name. He was no sooner ob- served than the grateful Syrian stopped his chariots, and alighted to meet even the ser- vant of the man to whom he owed so great a blessing. Gehazi stated that a sudden emer- gency had arisen to render desirable to his master a portion of what he had at first de- clined. Naaman made him take double what he asked: and when he had deposited his precious spoil — silver and dresses — in a place of safety, he repaired to his master. Elisha plainly taxed him with his offence, which he. described as graphically as if the scene had passed before his eyes. " Went not my heart with thee," he said, " when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?" and after pointing out the enormity of his sin, he pronounced the awful punishment, that the leprosy of which Naaman had been cured should adhere to him and his forever. And he went forth from his presence a leper as white as snow. The kingdoms of Israel and Syria were soon again at war with each other. In the first campaign the Syrians were unsuccessful, as all their plans and operations were known to the prophet, and were communicated by him to the king of Israel. Benhadad suspected there was a traitor in his camp ; but his officers as- sured him that it was the doing of Elisha, who, said they, " telleth the king of Israel the words thou speakest in thy bed-chamber." On this the Syrian prince resolved to put him to death ; and with this view he sent by night a body of his best troops to invest Dothan, the place where the prophet then dwelt, in such a manner that he could not possibly escape. Indeed, the servant of Elisha himself deemed all lost when, at the break of day, he beheld the surrounding country covered with Syrian horsemen and chariots. " Fear not," said the prophet, " for there be more with us than with them ; " and he opened his eyes to behold the air more abundantly filled with angelic hosts, assembled in defence of Jehovah's servant, than was the land with the invading Syrians. Then, at the prayer of the prophet, God smote the Syrians with blindness ; and in that state he conducted them to the gates of Samaria, where he gave them leave to depart, after warning them that they were entirely at his mercy. Elisha Saves his Life. But this lenity made no impression upon the heart of Benhadad, who resolved to prose- cute the war with the utmost vigor. He laid siege to the capital, which was soon reduced to the utmost distress, so that the inhabitants were obliged to have recourse to the most un- wholesome and unnatural food. So dreadful were the extremities of famine, that several women, deaf to all cries of natural affection, and even to the common feelings of humanity, fed upon the flesh of their own children. When the king heard this in public, he rent his royal robes, and the people saw that under his magnificence he wore the sackcloth of a mourner upon his skin. Rendered frantic by the miseries that saluted his eye and ear on every side, he gave orders to lay hands upon Elisha, whom he now accused as the author of all the miseries which the nation endured. He commanded an officer to go to his house and take off his head, while he himself followed, apparently to ensure the execution. At that moment the prophet announced to him, in the name of God, that before twenty- four hours had passed, food, which was at that moment unattainable at any price, should be sold for next to nothing in the gate of Samaria. Next morning the prediction was fulfilled ; for during the night the Syrians had been struck with a supernatural panic, deserted their camp, and fled in the utmost confusion, leav- ing behind them an immense quantity of pro- visions, which easily became the spoil of their victorious pursuers. CHAPTER XXII. DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIAN HOST. MRI governed the house of Israel for forty-five years. That sagacious king pitched on the strong hill of Samaria as the site of his capital. The princes of his house cultivated an alliance with the kings of Judah, which was cemented by the marriage of Jehoram and Athaliah. The adoption of Baal-worship led to a reaction in the nation, to the moral triumph of the prophets in the person of Elijah, and to the extinction of the house of Ahab in obedience to the bidding of Elisha. Unparalleled triumphs, but deeper humilia- tion, awaited the kingdom of Israel under the dynasty of Jehu. Hazael, the ablest king of Damascus, reduced Jehoahaz to the condition of a vassal, and triumphed for a time overs both the disunited Hebrew kingdoms. Almost the first sign of a restoration of their strength was a war between them; and Jehoash, the grandson of Jehu, entered Jerusalem as the conqueror of Amaziah. Jehoash also turned the tide of war against the Syrians ; and Je- roboam II., the most powerful of all the kings of Israel, captured Damascus, and recovered the whole ancient frontier from Hamath to the Dead Sea. This short-lived greatness expired with the last king of Jehu's line. In these paths of righteousness Hezekiah, king of Judah, found prosperity and peace, during and after the very time which brought ruin upon the sister kingdom. He more than repaired the losses of power and dominion which the kingdom had sustained in the life- time of his father. The king of Judah was at length encouraged by this prosperity to withhold the heavy tribute (230) which his father had agreed to pay to the Assyrians. As he took this bold step, when the Assyrians were too much engaged else- where to attend to him, he did not immedi- ately experience its full consequences. At length, however, Shalmaneser died, and was succeeded by his son Sennacherib, who very soon invaded the kingdom with a great army, with the full intention of reducing Judah to the same condition to which the land of Israel had been reduced by his father. He subdued the whole country with little difficulty, as Hezekiah deemed himself unable to meet him in the field ; and Jerusalem itself being threatened with a siege, the king of Judah at length sent to Sennacherib, who was then besieging Lachish, humbly acknowledg- ing his offence, and offering to submit to the conditions which the Assyrians might think proper to impose. The desire of Sennacherib to proceed against Egypt, which formed his ulterior object, made him willing to listen to this application; and he demanded three hun- dred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold ; and this was paid by Hezekiah, although to raise it he was constrained to exhaust the royal and the sacred treasures, and even to strip off the gold with which the doors and pillars of the temple were overlaid. Sennacherib received the treasure of Heze- kiah ; but after he had taken Ashdod, one of the keys of Egypt, he began to think that it would be imprudent to have the power of Judah essentially unbroken in the rear. He therefore determined to complete the subjuga- tion of Judah in the first place — and his recent observations, with the humble submission of Hezekiah, could not lead him to expect much" delay or difficulty in the enterprise. He soon reduced all the places before which he ap- peared, except Libnah and Lachish, and ex- 232 PROPHECY OF ISAIAH. cept Jerusalem, to which he sent his general Rabshakeh, with a very haughty summons to surrender. Isaiah the prophet was sent to Hezekiah with the assurance — " Lo, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor, and shall return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." The rumor by which Sennacherib was alarmed and interrupted was no other than the report which was spread abroad that Tirhakah, the Ethiopian king of Upper Egypt, was marching with an immense army to cut off his retreat. He then determined to withdraw ; but he first sent a boastful and insulting letter to Hezekiah, defying the God of Israel, and threatening what destruction he would execute upon the nation when he returned. But that very night an immense proportion of the Assyrian host, even one hundred and eight}' thousand men, were smitten by the blast which the prophet had foretold. Sennacherib, being unable to meet Tirhakah with the shattered remains of his army, returned to Nineveh, where in the exasperation of his overthrow and loss he be- haved with great severity to the captive Isra- elites. But his career was soon closed ; for fifty-two days after his return he was slain, while worshipping in the house of the god Nisroch, by his two eldest sons. Thus was the prophecy of Isaiah in every point accom- plished. The parricides fled into Armenia, leaving the throne open to their younger brother, whose name was Esarhaddon. These blows so weakened the Assyrian monarchy as not only to relieve Hezekiah from his appre- hensions but enabled the Babylonians and the Medes to assert their independence. This destruction of Sennacherib's proud host is vividly portrayed in one of the poems of Lord Byron : The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold ; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, That host with their banners at sunset were seen; Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown. That host on the morrow lay withered and slrown. For the angel of death spread his wings on the blast. And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed ; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved — and forever grew still. And there lay the steed, with his nostril all wide, But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride, And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. And there lay the rider, distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow, aifd the rust on liis mail ; And the tents were all silent — the banners alone — The lances unlifted — the trumpets unblown. And the widows of Asshur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broken in the temple of IJ.ial ; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord ! The miraculous overthrow of the Assyrians made a strong impression on the people, and probably went far in curing the idolatrous predilections which had been fostered during the reign of Ahaz. To this we may also in part attribute the embassy which Hezekiah received from Merodach Baladan, the king of Babylon, although this may be primarily ascribed to the desire of this monarch, who had thrown off the yoke of Assyria, to estab- lish a good understanding with a monarch whose position, with regard to that empire, resembled his own. Great Display of Wealth. Since the time of Solomon no embassy from so distant a region had been seen in Jerusalem ; and Hezekiah felt much flattered by the respect and honor which it implied. He took great pains to magnify his importance, and to let the stranger see that he was really entitled to all the attention he had received from their master. He displayed to them his treasures, his rarities, his arsenals, his establish- ments — he was at the very summit of self- exaltation when he was suddenly cast down by the appearance of the prophet Isaiah, who asked him what he had shown to the strangers. The king ingenuously acknowledged that there was nothing in his palace or among his DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIAN HOST. 233 treasures that he had not displayed before them ; on which the prophet uttered the chill- ing oracle, " Behold the days come that all that is in thine house, and all that thy fathers exalted spirits much ; but as he understood that these evils were not to come to pass in his own days, he abstained from giving way to his grief. HEZEKIAH EXHIBITING HIS TREASURES.- Kincrs xx. m. have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried unto Babylon ; nothing shall be left, saith the Lord." This must have damped his Hezekiah was "gathered to his fathers" after having reigned twenty-nine years and lived fifty-four. If this king had died fifteen. 234 MANASSEH'S EVIL REIGN. years before, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, a prophecy which was reversed and failed of fulfilment by reason of Hezekiah's prayer for life, he would have left no son, for his son Manasseh was only twelve years old when his father died ; and it would have been better for Judah that he should have died childless than to leave a son who took delight in undoing all the good of his father's reign — and such was Manasseh. This prince was on his accession unfortu- nately soon surrounded by princes and cour- tiers friendly to idolatry, and opposed to the reformations which the late king had taken so much pains to accomplish. They were not slow to perceive that their return to power depended upon the degree of influence which they might be enabled to establish over the mind of the young king ; while the friends of the established institutions felt perhaps too secure in their position to hold a proper guard against the machinations of their invidious opponents. The latter, by flattering and humoring Manasseh, succeeded in training him to rely upon them, and to concur in their wishes. A Wicked Ruler. In the end, he probably went further than his leaders intended ; for he proved the most impious and wicked king that had ever reigned either in Jerusalem or Samaria. He not only restored the idolatries of his grandfather Ahaz, but he totally suppressed the worship of Jehovah, converting the temple into a house of Baal, by placing altars dedicated to that idol in its courts, and setting up his image in the very sanctuary of God. He filled his ■dominions with high places, groves, and altars -consecrated to the service of Baalim, and caused his children to pass through the fire to Moloch. The nation, too, readily falling in with the king's designs and wishes, both to obtain his favor and to gratify their own corrupt inclina- tions, hastened to introduce every kind of idolatry practised by the surrounding nations ; and proceeded to such excess of wickedness, that they became more corrupt and abandoned than the ancient Canaanites, who had been driven from the land to make room for their fathers. Prophets were in mercy sent to re- prove the infatuated king, and call him to repentance ; but their rebukes and opposition only roused his anger, and he caused several of them to be put to death. The venerable Isaiah, who had prophesied in Judah ever since the year that king Uzziah died, is gener- ally believed by the Jews to have been among the victims of his wrath. God at ' length made known, by one of the prophets, the full extent of his anger against this guilty king and apostate generation, and declared that he would " bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth it both his ears shall tingle, because they had done that which was evil in his sight to provoke him to anger." The Captive King. Surrounding himself with a company of necromancers, magicians, soothsayers and the like, Manasseh listened to them with content, and closed his ears against all good advice. A tyrant as well as a fool, he made blood to flow in the streets of Jerusalem like water, and de- voted his own children by fire to strange gods in the blood-stained valley of Ben Hinhom. Then, when things were at the worst, came the Assyrians, and made conquest, and took Ma- nasseh alive, and bound him with fetters, and carried him away captive, and in captivity he remained for about twelve years. We read in the second book of Chronicles that " when he- was in affliction he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his father, and prayed unto Him." The Apocrypha contains a prayer which purports to be that of Manasseh. When he was per- mitted to return to his kingdom, he endeavored to right the wrong he had previously done, and no doubt ran, as such men do, from one extreme to the other. Anion, his son and successor, reigned for two years only: he imitated his father's ex- ample in everything but penitence, and was murdered by his own servants at the age of four and twenty, leaving the kingdom in the DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIAN HOST. 235 hands of his child, Josiah. Josephus says, " He was of a most excellent disposition, and naturally virtuous, and followed the actions of king David as a pattern and a rule to him in the whole conduct of his life." According to this historian, when Josiah was twelve years old " he gave demonstration of his religion and righteous behavior;" for he brought the people to a sober way of living, and exhorted them to leave off the opinion thev had of their idols, because they were not he succeeded so well in the order of his gov- ernment, and in piety, with regard to the Divine worship ; and this happened because the transgressions of the former kings were seen no more, but quite vanished away ; for the king went about the city and the whole country, and cut down the groves that were devoted to strange gods, and overthrew their altars ; and if there were any gifts dedicated to them by his forefathers, he made them igno- minious, and plucked them down ; and by this KING JJSIAH DESTROYING i HE IDOLS. — 2 Chron. XXxiv. 4. gods, but to worship their own God ; and, by reflecting on the actions of his progenitors, he prudently corrected what they did wrong, like a very elderly man, and like one abundantly able to understand what was fit to be done ; and what he found they had well done, he ob- served all the country over, and imitated the same; and thus he acted, in following the wisdoraand sagacity of his own nature, and in compliance with the advice and instruction of the elders ; for by following the law it was that means he brought the people back from their opinions about them to the worship of God. Josiah repaired the temple; he made public collections, and without waiting for the receipt of any large amount, -put the contractors to work, relying on the liberality of the nation." The nation handsomely responded to the call ; there was money enough, and more than enough subscribed for all essential expenses ; the rest of the money- Josiah ordered to be ex- pended in golden vessels for the holy service — 236 MAGNIFICENT CEREMONIES. sacramental plate, as it were, in place of that which had been carried off by invaders or misappropriated by kings and priests. In the thorough restoration of the Temple, the books of Moses were discovered, and taken to Josiah. Startling Words. When the king heard the great and terrible words from the book of the law, which was read to him by Shaphan, he rent his clothes, and evinced great consternation and fear. From this it is generally supposed that the portion which was first read to Josiah was the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth chapters of Deuteronomy; and these were doubtless well calculated to convince him that the guilt and danger of his people were much greater than he had apprehended, and to draw forth the signs of sorrow and humiliation which he manifested. Being thus led to fear that the sentence of wrath had already gone forth, on account of the notorious disobedience of his predecessors, and the crimes of his own gen- eration, Josiah sent to Huldah, the prophetess, to inquire of the Lord for himself, and for the people, concerning the words of the book that was found. The answer was, that the king- dom and the city were indeed doomed to ruin, but seeing that he had himself manifested sincere dispositions towards God, he should have his reward in being gathered to his fathers before the evil days came. But al- though the strict terms of this response left Josiah to conclude that the day of mercy for Judah had gone by, he none the less endeav- ored to recall the people to a sense of their enormous guilt and wickedness, and to make them engage with piety and sincerity in the worship of God. Accordingly, having assem- bled the people in the spacious courts of the Temple, he caused the law to be there read to them, after which he on his part, and they on theirs, bound themselves in the most solemn manner to serve the Lord only, and to observe the commandments of the book which had been read. After this the king make another tour through his kingdom, thoroughly to root out every fragment of the accursed thing which had brought so much evil upon the land. The zealous king even extended his pious labor into the land of Israel, at least so far as Bethel, which had been the chief seat of the golden- calf idolatry under the kings of Israel. He destroyed the altar and high place of Jeroboam, after first polluting them by burning upon them the bones of men taken out of the adjoining sepulchres. In the course of this proceeding the king observed that one of the sepulchres was distinguished by an inscription, and when informed that it was the tomb of the man of God who had, ages before, foretold the very deed in which he was then engaged, he for- bore to disturb the dust which it enclosed. Celebrating- the Passover. After this Josiah returned to Jerusalem and prepared to celebrate the Passover, which had again been neglected, but which was on this occasion observed with a degree of solemnity and magnificence even exceeding that ex- hibited in the celebrated Passover of Hezekiah. In describing that Passover, the historian affirms that there had been none like it since the time of Solomon ; but in describing Josiah 's Passover, he goes much further, and affirms that there had been none like it since the time of Samuel the prophet. Josiah continued to reign thirteen years after this remarkable solemnity; and during these years he walked steadily in the ways of righteousness and truth. But as for the people, although they were restrained from open idolatry, it appears that, to a large ex- tent, they relapsed secretly to their old abomi- nations, and under a fair outside were ripening inwardly for the dire judgment which hung over their heads. Meanwhile the Assyrian power was getting weak in the East, and was beginning to give way to the encroachments of the Medes and Chaldeans, by which it was ere long over- thrown. The enterprising monarch of Egypt, Pharaoh Necho, desiring to avail himself of this disadvantageous position of his old enemies, assembled a large army, and com— DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIAN HOST. 237 menced his march along the coast of Pales- I been to rely too much on Egypt, and, in con- tine, with the view of securing Carchemish ' fidence of its support — a confidence scarcely SHAPHAN READING THE LAW BEFORE KING JOSIAH. 2 Chron. XXxiv. 1 8. and other strong posts on the Euphrates, i ever justified by the result — to forego all The error of preceding kings of Judah had | their other obligations. Aware of this error, 238 JEHOAHAZ LOSES HIS CROWN. as well as mindful of his relation to Assyria, and of his obligation to defend the frontier against Egypt, Josiah resolved to oppose the march of Necho through his territories. This zeal in the discharge of what- he believed to be his duty to that power of which he was a vassal cost him his life. The king of Egypt was very reluctant to employ his arms against the king of Judah, but finding that Josiah was resolved to oppose his passage, he gave him battle. The vast host of Egypt, under one of the ablest commanders of the age, soon broke down and dispersed the thin ranks of Judah and proved themselves conquerors. A King- in Disguise. Josiah himself fought in disguise, but a commissioned arrow found him out, and in- flicted a mortal wound in his neck. His at- tendants hastened to remove him from the field, and, placing him in another chariot, con- veyed him to Jerusalem, where he died. This death, in the heroic and undaunted discharge of what he felt to be his duty, was not unworthy the excellent life which was thus prematurely brought to a close at the early age of thirty- nine years. The prophet Jeremiah, who fore- saw but too clearly the evils of the coming time, lamented the death of the last good king in a meurnful ode, which has not been preserved. " The singing men and singing women," adds the historian, " speak of Josiah in their lamentations unto this day;" which clearly evinces how long and how tenderly the memory of this excellent king was cherished among the people. The king of Egypt, intent upon his original design, tarried not to take advantage of the victory he had gained, which amounted to nothing less than the conquest of the king- dom. The people in these difficult circum- stances took the very unwise course of raising Jehoahaz, the second son of Josiah, to the throne, passing by the natural heir; and, aware of the respect with which the ceremony of anointing was regarded by the Egyptians, they took the unusual course of anointing him king, with the apparent view of making it more difficult for Necho to annul their proceedings. When, however, the Egyptian king returned, about three months after, victorious over the Assyrians, and understood what had taken place, he was highly displeased. The new king was summoned to meet his now sovereign master at Riblah in Syria, where he was deprived of the crown he had too hastily assumed, and the land was con- demned to pay in tribute a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. When Necho proceeded homeward, Jehoahaz followed in his train to Jerusalem, and the city of David once more saw its own king enter its walls a cap- tive. On his arrival, Necho bestowed the crown on Eliakim, the eldest son of Jo>iah, whose name he changed to Jehoiakim, accord- ing to a custom frequently observed by lords paramount towards "subject princes and slaves. This was a mark of subjection, but does not appear to have been much felt as such by those on whom it was imposed. Then, bear- ing off the silver and gold which had been levied upon the people, Necho returned to Egypt, taking with him the captive Jehoahaz, who there terminated his short and inglorious career, according to the prophecies of Jere- miah. Jehoiakim, the vassal of Egypt, was twenty- five years old when he began to reign, and he sat eleven years upon the throne of Judah. He was little disposed to carry out the designs of his excellent father; but suffered all the goodly order which he had established to be broken up, and neglected to enforce and ex- emplify the principles by which his conduct had been guided. The people, who had never cordially entered into the late king's reforma- tions, now gladly availed themselves of the license which the example of the court af- forded, and hastened to plunge with new zest into their old- abominations. On this the prophet Jeremiah, being divinely commis- sioned, proceeded to the palace, and in the presence of the king denounced the judgments of God upon him and his, unless by timely re- pentance he turned the Divine wrath aside. From the palace the prophet proceeded to (239) 240 JEREMIAH BEFORE THE COUNCIL. the Temple, and called the people to repentance, intimating that their incensed God might yet be pacified if- they would but turn from their evil way; and forewarning them that their im- penitence would ere long be punished by the overthrow of their great city, and the destruc- tion of their holy place : the priests then present were angered by this last intimation, and they laid their hands upon the prophet and took him before the royal council. But in that council Jeremiah had a warm friend in Ahikam, who pleaded for and even justified him with so much earnestness, that he was dismissed without injury. One cannot but be impressed with the fidel- ity of the Prophet Jeremiah. He foresaw the coming downfall, and by it his whole soul was stirred. Gladly would he have saved his na- tion and delivered it from the impending crisis; his weapon, however, was the tongue of prophecy, and not the sword of steel. It seems singular to us that a bold, conscientious, devout man like Jeremiah, speaking the truth, should have been so resisted and persecuted by those whose welfare he was seeking. Yet so it is ; the best things in the world and the truest have to fight their way. It needed just such a man as Jeremiah for the emergency which had come upon the Hebrew nation. The star that had shone so long refulgent in the sky was waning, and the murky gloom of dying empire was settling upon the land of Solomon, David and Moses. There comes a time in the great onward move- ment of national affairs when disaster is not to be averted. Nations and men travel on to their doom, and each step is but the natural successor of what has gone before. There is something sad in the contempla- tion of the Hebrew nation face to face with Babylonia, as we find her at the present time. The powers of the P^ast are bent upon the destruction of the powers of the West — the Orient and the Occident in conflict, while it is as true in this early period as it is to-day that " Westward the star of empire takes its way." That the captivity of the Jews should have been so complete and overwhelming is but the natural outcome of those sins and idolatries against which they had been repeatedly warned. Yet how sad, how strange, that a chosen people should thus be humiliated and ground to powder as between upper and nether millstones! Let nations take warning that the time of their retribution does not slumber, and know that " Though the mills of God grind slowly, Yet they grind exceedingly small." CHAPTER XXIII. CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. IEREMIAH was then Divinely charged to declare the doom which impended over the nation, the desolation of the land, the exile of its people, and the cap- tivity of seventy years. But as all this had no effect upon their obdurated minds, the prophet was directed to take a roll, and write thereon all the prophecies which he had at different times uttered against the city and people. This he did by the hand of one of his disciples, named Baruch, a ready scribe, who wrote them down from his lips. When the roll was fin- ished, the prophet, who was then in prison on account of his former | "L predictions, sent Baruch to read it » ' in the Temple, to the people then -assembled at the great feast of Expiation; which he was suffered to do without molesta- tion. Soon after this, the Chaldeans appeared be- fore Jerusalem, which held out against them for five weeks, when the holy city was taken, and the king was put in chains to be carried to Babylon. But having humbled himself be- fore the conqueror, who was still desirous to maintain a barrier on the side of Egypt, he -was restored to his kingdom, as a tributary prince, and Nebuchadnezzar was content to withdraw with the vessels and other golden spoils of the Temple, with which he sent away to Babylon several members of the royal family, and sons of the principal nobles, to ag- grandize his triumph, and to serve as hostages for the fidelity of their king. The later exiles found themselves not alto- gether strangers at Babylon, or in the other places to which they were transplanted. Their 16 countrymen of the earlier captivities were set- tled in various stations and employments, and some of them held posts of trust under the government. By that government they were regarded not as prisoners, but as useful emi- grants ; and, after a while, they appear to have experienced no other inconveniences than those which naturally flowed from their regrets after their own beautiful land; from their position as strangers in a strange country; from the derision of the natives at the peculiarities of their religion ; and, very probably, from a dis- tinctive poll-tax, from which the natives were exempt. When Nebuchadnezzar died, he was suc- ceeded by his son Evilmerodach, who imme- diately released king Jehoiachin, who had grown old in prison, and gave him the highest place among the discrowned kings who figured in his court and took their meat at his table. But he, who had been thirty-seven years in his prison, survived not long his release, for the record implies that he died before his bene- factor, who himself reigned but three years. It may be well to bear in mind that at the time of the accession of Cyrus, who issued the decree for the restoration of the Jews to their own land, all but a few very old people had been born in the country of their exile, and had grown up, and formed connections, and found sources of profitable employment in it. This being considered, we have the more rea- son to admire the strength of that religious zeal, and that attachment to the land of their fathers, which led them to brave the horrors of the desert, and the discomforts of a deso- lated country, rather than to feel surprise that a large proportion deemed it better to remain in the land of their exile. It had long before the event been announced by the prophets that the period of the exile (241) 242 THE PERSIAN KINGS. was to be seventy years, counting from the first captivity under Jehoiachin. When those seventy years had expired, Cyrus, the Persian, had just succeeded to the throne of the East, on the death of his uncle Darius. This mon- arch was the restorer of Israel, to which work he had been appointed by name many years before he was born. At his accession to power in Babylon, Daniel the prophet was still alive, and there is every reason to conclude that this venerable personage was high in the esteem of that illustrious conqueror. The prophet knew well that the time was come for the restora- tion of the captives to the land of their fathers, and there is every probability that it was through his influence that the decree in favor of the Jews was issued. It is highly probable that those important prophecies which refer to Cyrus were shown to him and explained to him by the prophet. If not, this must have been done by some other Jew ; for the decree itself indicates his acquaintance with these prophecies, stating what he could only have known through them. It begins — " Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia : Jehovah, the God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah." This as plainly as possible states that he had acted under the injunctions of Jehovah, whom he recognizes as "the King of heaven," and by implication the King of earth, seeing that he had "given him " all the kingdoms of the earth. The importance of this decree has been somewhat exaggerated. It by no means in- volved the political emancipation of the He- brews, or conferred upon them any new or dis- tinguishing privileges. The yoke of civil bond- age was still left upon their necks, they were still subjects — not merely tributaries, but sub- jects — of the Persian empire, and their fair country was but a province of it, to be ruled by Persian governors. They were simply per- mitted to remove from one part of the empire to another, from the plains to which their con- querors had removed them, to the ancient hills in which their fathers dwelt, with encourage- ment to re-establish themselves there in the full enjoyment of the worship to which they were known to be strongly attached. In these facts we have another explanation of the circumstance that there were very many Israelites — a great majority — who found in the famous decree no sufficient inducement to abandon the possessions they had acquired in the land of their exile; and it has always been the impression of the Jews themselves that the flower of their nation declined to avail them- selves of the benefit extended to them, but chose rather to remain amidst the comforts and ease of Babylon. The Exiles Returning. The noble, the high-descended, the wealthy, are called " the flower " of any nation ; and these were the classes who chose to remain in the East : but we cannot well refuse to regard as the real flower of the Hebrew nation the zealous and devoted minority, who sighed for the land of their fathers, and who, in the face of danger and privation, resolved to return to it. Those who were thus disposed were awak- ened by the decree as by the sound of a trumpet, and hastened from all parts to Baby- Ion, the place of rendezvous. This first caravan of returning exiles was organized and directed by Zerubbabel, the grandson of King Jehoiachin, and by Jeshua the high-priest. The number of persons which composed it was fifty thousand, including about seven thousand male and female slaves. Before their departure Cyrus restored to them the more valuable of the sacred vessels of gold and silver which had been taken from the Temple of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and preserved by his successors, and which were now destined to be again employed in the ser- vice of the sanctuary. Zerubbabel was also intrusted with large contributions towards the expenses of the projected Temple by those Jews who thought proper to remain in the land of their exile, and who probably hoped in this way to compensate for the deficiency of their personal service in the sacred cause. The beasts of burden in this caravan ex- KING CYRUS BRINGING FOR" '243) 244 CROSSING THE DESERT. ceeded eight thousand, and in the Book of Ezra the names of those families which re- turned then, and in the subsequent migration, are very carefully set down, as if to do them honor. The persons who prepared to accompany Ezra to Jerusalem rendezvoused on the banks of the river Ahava, and their body was found to contain one thousand seven hundred and fifty-four adult males. This number, with the yet so weak, and known to be in possession of much treasure, would then, and would at this day, be exposed to great danger from the predatory Arab tribes which, from the date of the earliest historical records to the present day, have infested the desert country between Palestine and Babylonia. Ezra knew this well, and knew that he could easily obtain from the king a sufficient military escort across the desert. But this, for the honor of ARTAXERXES GIVING THE LETTER TO EZRA. — Ez. vii. II. usual proportion of females and children, would give about six thousand souls for the entire party ; but it is likely that the women and children were not in the usual proportions of settled and domestic life, but that the op- portunity was embraced chiefly by young men unburdened with families. This idea is con- firmed by the too great readiness which we find among the returned Hebrews to contract marriages with the daughters of their heathen neighbors in Palestine. A party so large, and God, the pious priest was unwilling to do. He had largely explained to the monarch the greatness of the God he served, as well as His power and readiness to preserve all His wor- shippers from harm ; and after this he felt that it behooved him to evince his own confidence in that protection which he had declared to be all-sufficient. Therefore a day was solemnly set apart for fasting and prayer, upon the banks of the Ahava, by which, before they commenced their march, they cast themselves CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. 245 without reserve upon the mercy and care of God during the perilous journey they were about to commence. This confidence in the Divine protection was well rewarded, for after a long- journey of four months — which implies long halts — the new settlers arrived safely at Jerusalem, i Ezra without delay opened his commission ! to the royal officers in that quarter, and then j applied himself with much zeal to the arduous task which had devolved upon him. A Great Evil. In the book which bears his name Ezra does not himself particularly record any of his acts, excepting the measures which he took to in- sure the removal of the foreign and idolatrous women, whom many of the people, and even of the priests and Levites, had married, and by such marriages had been insensibly led into much sin against God and against the first principles of the Mosaical institutions. When Ezra was first informed of this, the horror which he manifested was well calcu- lated to impress the people with the enormity of their offence. He says : " When I heard this thing I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied." At the evening sacrifice he arose from his stupor, and having again rent his robes he fell upon his knees and spread out his hands before God, confessing the iniquity of his people, and im- ploring forgiveness for them. The whole con- gregation was deeply affected, even to tears ; and the leading men expressed their readiness to concur in any measures he might deem suited to meet this great evil. On this a proclamation was issued for all Jews who had married foreign women to ap- pear in three days at Jerusalem, under pain of forfeiture of their goods. The large assem- bly which responded to the call evinced the extent of the evil. Ezra addressed them ear- nestly, and convinced them of their wrong- doing; but as the autumnal rains were set in and flooded every open place in Jerusalem, he- was content to take their solemn promise to put away their strange wives, as well as their children by them, allowing them time for giv- ing effect to their engagement. Ezra and others formed a court at Jerusalem ; and at appointed times the inhabitants of the several cities who were implicated in this matter re- paired thither, accompanied by the elders and magistrates of their several towns, and sub- mitted their cases separately to the judgment of the court. After sitting nearly three months the court completed its labors, and the chosen people were then deemed to be purged from this stain. While Ezra was thus laboring among his brethren in Jerusalem, a danger came from a quarter quite unexpected, which threatened to involve the whole nation in utter ruin. This event is minutely recorded in the Book of Esther, which will require us to look backward a few years, that the circumstances may be clearly understood. A Magnificent Feast. In the third year of his reign the king made a great feast, or rather a succession of feasts, to all the. great lords and princes of his em- pire. The whole was finished by a separate feast, held in the court or garden of the palace, to all the nobles, councillors and great officers in immediate employment at the court. The description of this establishment is very inter- esting to the student of ancient customs ; and the more closely they are in this instance ex- amined the more they are found to resemble those which the same country still exhibits, affording a remarkable example of the perma- nent character of Oriental ideas and usages. The magnificence of this entertainment seems to have greatly exceeded all that went before. The tessellated pavement of the court was of red, blue, black, and white mar- ble ; and the splendid curtains and coverings of white, green, and blue, by which the court "was for the occasion turned into a pavilion, were fastened to pillars of marble by rings of silver, and by cords of purple and fine linen ; and the couches on which the guests reclined were framed in silver and gold. 246 ESTHER CHOSEN QUEEN. The guests drank "royal wine," which was the wine of Helbon (now Aleppo), from ves- sels of gold, of elaborate workmanship ; and we are informed that they drank their wine " according to the law," which was, it seems, an excellent rule laid down at the first, that none should be forced to drink more than he liked. It does not seem that they much needed compulsion in this matter, . for it is manifest that the monarch and his guests had all drunk quite enough when the circumstance occurred to which these preliminaries lead. There is no doubt about this, for it is expressly said that " the king's heart was merry with wine." It seems that in their cups these great per- sonages began to talk about the beauty of their women. The king vaunted of the su- preme loveliness of his queen, Vashti, and at length, to prove his assertions, resolved to produce her unveiled before them. This gross breach of all Oriental proprieties, which pre- clude a woman from showing her face to strangers, could not have occurred to any one in his proper senses, and is a clear sign to mark how far the great Ahasuerus was gone in drink. The queen Vashti was at this time giving a grand entertainment to the women of the harem ; and when the eunuchs unwelcomely appeared with -the strange and unexpected summons to the presence of the king and his courtiers, her womanly modesty and dignity was shocked, and she very properly refused to go. This gave the affair quite a new aspect. The man whose slightest expression of will was a law in that vast empire had been publicly disobeyed by a woman. An earthquake could not have created a stronger sensation in the palaces of Shusan ; and all the grandees partook of the royal indignation and alarm. The fact could not but be bruited abroad, and how, hereafter, could any man expect to be obeyed in his own house, after it became known that the king himself had been disobeyed ? The matter was too grave to be settled in a summary manner, and the king sought the advice of his state council. Memucan, one of the council, very clearly expressed the feeling we have described — the alarm at the ill effect of the queen's example upon " the ladies of Media and Persia," if the crime were suffered to go unpunished; and he proposed that Vashti should no more come into the king's presence, and that her royal state should be given " to another that is bet- ter than she." This was agreed to, as was also the further and very sage proposal of this same great councillor, that the king should put forth a decree in all the languages of his great empire, enacting that " every man should bear rule in his own house," and that " all the wives should give to their husbands honor, both to great and small." Queen Vashti Dethroned. History has not recorded the effect of this decree upon " the ladies of Media and Persia." Vashti was, however, deposed from her high place, and all the provinces of the empire were ransacked for a suitable successor. The fairest damsels of the empire were, on a hint from the court, taken and sent to the harem by the provincial and other governors ; and from the number thus collected, after they had become the inmates of the royal harem, the selection was to be made. Time was con- sumed in this ; but at length it proved that of all the damsels thus brought together none was so agreeable to the king as a young Jewess named Hadessah or Esther, who was accord- ingly advanced to the high but precarious honor of " queen." Esther was an orphan, who had been brought up by her uncle Mordecai, who, when her father and mother were dead, " took her for his own daughter." Mordecai was of the tribe of Benjamin, descended from a man who had been exiled with King Jehoiachin. He seems to have been one of the officers about the royal court, as his duty kept him in attendance at the gate of the royal palace. In this ca- pacity he became privy to a plot between two of the chamberlains to assassinate the king ; | but he contrived to make it known to Esther, [and through her to the king, whereby the QUEEN VASHTI REFUSING TO OBEY THE KING'S COMMAND. Esr. i. 12. (247) 248 HAMAN'S ANGER. design was frustrated, and the traitors brought J to punishment. The person who became highest in favor at [ court was an Amalekite named Hainan. Mindful of the old enmity between the races of Israel and Amalek, and of the ancient wrongs which Israel had sworn never to pardon or forget — Mordecai remained erect among the crowd of nobles, courtiers, and officers who waited in the palace courts, and who rendered their bending homage to the great man as he passed. This occurred so often that the eye of Haman at length marked the person of this unyielding Jew, and none but those who are aware of the importance which the Orientals still at this day attach to external marks of respect can apprehend that dire wrath which filled his mind at this studied disrespect. Fiendish Kesolve. When he learned that Mordecai was a Hebrew he could not but be aware of the class of feelings by which he was actuated ; and if an Israelite had cause to hate an Amalekite, had not an Amalekite as good cause to hate a Jew ? Had not the Hebrews sworn to exterminate the Amalekites ; and to the extent of their power had not they done so? Had not that power which was once so great, that " higher than Agag " had become a proverbial description of the highest human greatness — had it not been broken and reduced to nought by the conquering sword of Hebrew kings ? And their hate was not yet appeased ; for this one Jew could be but regarded as the exponent of the feeling which burned in every Hebrew bosom against the line of Amalek. Thoughts like these must have dwelt upon the mind of Haman, for they enable us to dis- cover, which we cannot do under any other explanation, a train of ideas and feelings which might in an ill-regulated mind lead to the resolution which Haman formed, to use the vast power which the confidence of the king left in his hands for the destruction of the whole Hebrew race. Not a little remarkable is the mode in which Haman proceeded to realize his object. He took an occasion of mentioning to the- king that there was dispersed through his empire a people (not naming them) " whose laws are diverse from all people, neither keep they the king's laws ; " he hence argued that it was detrimental to the interests of the crown that such a people should be suffered to exist; and he, therefore, recommended that they should be destroyed. The only reasonable objection which could be urged would be the loss to the revenue of the capitation tax which these people paid ; and, to obviate this, Haman offered to deposit in the royal treasury not less than ten thou- sand talents of silver. The offer of this im- mense sum, which, computed by the Baby- lonian talent, is equal to ten million dollars — and that for the mere purpose of gratifying a bloody whim — evinces the vast wealth which such favorites of the crown under the ancient monarchies were able to accumulate; and this is the more remarkable when we consider that this high post was, as in this case, often occupied by foreigners and slaves, or by the descendants of such. The king declined this offer, but consented to what he ought to have declined. With culpable, but truly Oriental,, indifference in a matter which concerned the lives of so many thousands of people, he took I the signet ring from his finger and consigned it to Haman, by which act he authorized him to issue in the king's name whatever orders in this matter he might think proper. A Horrid Massacre Decreed. Thus empowered, Haman hurried the royal scribes in preparing copies, in different lan- guages, of a decree which he drew up to ac- complish his fell intentions, and which were despatched by swift couriers to all the provinces of that mighty empire, which extended "from India to Ethiopia." This decree directed that all the Jews, wherever found, were to be slain in one day, " both young and old, little chil- dren and women." The one day appointed for this horrid massacre was the thirteenth of the month Adar, and the people were incited: to become the willing- agents of the slaughter CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. 249 by the slayer being authorized to take to him- self the spoil of the slain. It will be seen that the desire of Haman to make the destined stroke complete, instant, and effectual, induced him to take measures which required time to bring into action ; and during that time, in the wise providence of God, circumstances occurred which Haman could not have foreseen, and which brought his deep-laid scheme to nothing. When the decree was first put forth in the metropolis, " the city Shushan was perplexed; " but "the king and Haman sat down to drink." No sooner did Mordecai become acquainted with the decree than he " rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry." This appears to have been not only the expression of his consternation in the usual way, but to have been designed to draw the attention of the Jews to the extent of their danger, and to rouse them to pray to God for deliverance from the frightful doom which hung over the chosen race. Esther within the harem was as one dead to all that happened beyond its walls. She knew nothing of the evil that threatened her people, and Mordecai could have no direct access to her or communication with her. Her slaves and eunuchs, however, knew of her relationship to Mordecai ; and his conduct was duly re- ported to her by them. This was doubtless partly his object in giving vent to such public demonstrations of his grief. For Esther no sooner heard of the sorrow her beloved uncle manifested, than she sent Hatach, one of the royal eunuchs, to inquire the cause of his grief. This gave Mordecai the desired oppor- tunity of apprising the queen of these trans- actions, and of urging her, by every consider- ation dear to a Hebrew heart, to exert her influence with the king in subverting the plot of the bloodthirsty favorite. Esther was greatly shocked ; but surrounded by the iron barriers of etiquette, which in the Persian court were " strong as death and cruel as the grave," she demurred as to the practicability of her in- terference. No one, not even the queen, could venture, without danger of death, to appear uncalled in that portion of the royal palace which the king occupied ; and for her to quit the harem and enter the forbidden precincts would peril her life, unless the capricious king might chance, in a fit of good humor, to extend to her t he- golden sceptre of his mercy. When this dif- ficulty was made known to Mordecai, his an- swer called her to the high resolves which be- came a daughter of Israel, and he plainly inti- mated that it was her duty to risk her life for the deliverance of her people. He with some sternness warned her that if she declined this high vocation, God would certainly raise up help to his people in some other quarter, while she and her father's house would perish: "And who knoweth," he added, "whether thou art not come for such a time as this ? " Esther Risks Her Life. On receiving this answer through Hatach, Esther hesitated no longer; she rose to what she believed to be her destiny, and showed herself equal to the great task which had de- volved upon her. She sent one message more to her uncle, desiring him to call upon the Jews in Shushan (Susa) to devote themselves to fasting and prayer to God for his blessing upon her terrible emprise : " I also and my maidens," she said, " will fast likewise : and then will I go into the king, which is not ac- cording to the law ; — and if I perish, I perish." On the third day from this Esther put on her royal apparel, and passing from the harem, presented herself in the court of the king's own house, in front of the open hall or divan where the monarch was seated upon his throne. Wnen the king beheld her in all her imperial beauty he was moved by the danger she had incurred to gain access to his presence, and, extending the golden sceptre towards her, said, " What wilt thou, queen Esther, and what is thy request? " What a trying moment was that! what a relief in his gracious act and* words to the full heart of one not by nature or education suited to daring acts, but who had. wrought up her woman's heart to the mighty (250) CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. 251 task which had fallen upon her ! She knew that she was safe, that all danger to herself was passed, and that through her her people might yet be delivered. She advanced and touched the golden sceptre ; but ventured no other re- quest than that the king and Haman would that day come to a banquet which she had prepared. The king knew that this banquet was but preliminary to some request that Esther had to prefer : and accordingly, when he honored it with his presence, he asked her, " What wilt thou, queen Esther, and what is thy request? Even to the half of my kingdom it shall be performed." She answered by inviting him and Haman to another, feast the ensuing day, with an intimation that she would then make known the favor she had to ask. Haman departed that evening, elated that he was thus a second time invited to accompany the king to Esther's banquet. It filled the cup of his honors ; but in that cup there was still one bitter drop — the disrespect of Mor- decai ; for as he passed out of the palace in this happy mood, his eye fell upon the form of that unbending Jew, who seemed posted there to rebuke his spirit, and whose eye proba- bly glared upon him that day (knowing he had been with Esther) with some peculiar meaning, prophetic of his doom. This made him un- easy, and turned his joy to bitterness. Hainan Erects a Gallows. When he reached home he reported to his wife the favors which were showered upon him; adding, as to crown all, " Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come into the ban- quet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow am I invited unto her also with the king : " but he continued with bitterness, " Yet all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." On which his wife and friends advised him to prepare a gallows fifty cubits high, " and to- morrow speak thou unto the king that Mor- decai may be hanged thereon — then go thou merrily unto the banquet." Haman deter- mined to take this advice : and in the morning- early, he was, as his duty required, at the palace, to receive the king's commands for the day — with an intention of also making his small request in the matter of Mordecai. In the wise providence of God it was ordered that in this night the king had been unable to sleep ; and he ordered, therefore, that the chronicles of his kingdom should be brought and read before him. The hand of the reader was guided by an unseen power to that part of the volume in which the plot against the king's life by two of his chamberlains was re- corded, as well as its disclosures by Mordecai. Then said the king, " What honor and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this ? " to which an officer in attendance replied, " There hath nothing been done for him." Struck with this neglect of so great a service, the monarch determined to repair the wrong forthwith. He directed that any minister in attendance in the ante-chamber might be called. This was Haman, come to ask the king to hang this very Mordecai. The king asked, " What shall be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor?" Now Haman had not the slightest suspicion that the king could delight to honor anyone but himself, and his answer under this impres- sion betrays the inordinate pride and vanity of his heart. He advised that this favored man should be arrayed in the most illustrious dress of honor — raiment that the king himself had worn — by the hands of the king's most noble princes — and that thus arrayed he should be by them conducted on horseback through the city, while the heralds proclaimed before him — " Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor." Was ever man cast down from the pinnacle of his pride into the lowest depths of mortifica- tion so abruptly as Haman, when the king told him, as one of " the king's most noble princes " to whom he himself had assigned this task, to " go and do as thou hast said to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth in the king's gate ! " — to Mor- decai, the man in all the world whom he most hated, and whom he had that very morning intended to get hanged ! But he had only to lUUULJ! MORDECAI REFUSING TO PAY HOMAGE TO HAMAN. Est. V. Q. (252^ CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. 253 obey. With trembling hands he invested with imperial robes the man he would much sooner have torn in pieces; and conducted him through the city with all the state and ceremony which he had intended for himself. These events, strange as they appear to us, are eminently characteristic of Persia ; and so enduring are the essential features of Oriental character and usages, that there is scarcely a single circumstance which might not in the same country have occurred at the present day without any marked contrariety to existing manners. The dress of honor, and, above all, one that the king has worn, is still the highest personal distinction which a Persian courtier desires. The Queen's Banquet. Haman was no sooner relieved from the ter- rible restraint imposed upon him, than he hast- ened to his home " mourning and having his head covered." When he made known to his wife and friends the cause of his grief, he found but little consolation from them. From the sudden and extraordinary elevation of one whom Haman had destined for the gallows — they seem to have argued the special interpo- sition of a higher power in his behalf, and to have inferred that the star of Haman was des- tined to grow pale before that of Mordecai. " If," said they, " Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt certainly fall before him." They were still speaking when the royal chamberlains arrived to hurry Haman off to queen Esther's banquet. The king and his favorite proceeded to- gether to the banquet — the former doubtless -curious to know what the important matter it might be for which Esther had in the first in- stance perilled her life, and which she deemed it needful to introduce with so much careful preparation. Accordingly, at this banquet he .asked again, "What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and "what is thy request ? and it shall be performed, even unto the half of my kingdom." Esther saw that the trying moment was come, to be then taken or. to be forever lost. It was not lost. She at once poured forth the great burden of her soul in earnest supplica- tion : — " If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted to my petition, and my people at my request. For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, and to be slain, and to perish. If we had been sold for bondmen and bond- women, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's dam- age." Hainan's Downfall. The king was thunderstruck at the charge involved in this passionate address, of a con- spiracy in some quarter against the kfe of the queen and her people; and he exclaimed with energy, "Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so ? " The queen answered, " The adversary and enemy is — this wicked Haman ! " At that word the king rose from his seat, and walked forth into the garden. ' Haman saw from his manner and the kindling of his eye that all was lost unless he could turn that precious moment to ac- count in softening the indignation of Esther. He rose from his place and drew near to her, and in earnest entreaty sought to disperse the dark wrath which he saw gathering around him. But she gave no sign of peace; and in his agony he fell, in a state of only half con- sciousness, upon the low divan whereon the queen reclined. At that moment the king entered, and in the blindness of his passion drew the worst infer- ences, from the position in which he was found, as to his intention in approaching the queen. The exclamation which rose to his lips, an- nounced to the ever-ready eunuchs that the doom of Haman was sealed ; and they ap- proached him and covered his face — for it was the etiquette in Persia that no criminal might look upon the king. Every miserable eunuch now felt free to hasten the descent of the fall- ing favorite ; and one of them at that moment mentioned — " Behold also the gallows fifty cu- bits high, which Haman hath made for Mor- decai, who had spoken good for the king, standing in the house of Haman." The sense 254 A PROMPT DECISION. of poetical justice supplied the king with a prompt decision ; and the sentence, " Hang him thereon!" went forth from his .lips. So they hanged Hainan on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai. We are satisfied with this ; but are not altogether sat- isfied that the king, who had, by his culpable neglect of his duties and his indifference to human life, made himself a party in the crimes of Hainan, should be the person to pronounce his doom. But the secret consciousness of the king that he had himself been in the wrong, only made him the more wroth against the man who had brought this unpleasant con- sciousness upon him by abusing his confidence. Mordecai was now introduced to the pres- ence of the king, whom Esther had made ac- quainted with their relationship; and the com- bination of circumstances 'in his favor induced the king to confide to him the signet ring (or as we should say, "the seals of office") which had been given to Haman. The great work of delivering the Hebrew people from their doom was, however, not yet accomplished. Haman was dead, but the de- cree of the king lived. Therefore, Esther be- sought him, even with tears, to complete his work by delivering her people from their still impending doom : — " For how," said she, " can I bear to see the evil that will come upon my people ? or how can I endure to see the de- struction of my kindred ?" The king evinced every willingness to rectify the error into which Haman had led him ; but he shrunk from the open acknowledgment of error which a di- rectly counter decree would have involved. The words of the Persian kings were laws, and respect for them as such could only be maintained by their being made inviolable. Hence the usage which had confided this power to the king is said to have constrained him to caution by precluding him from retracting a decree which had once been issued. All he could therefore now do was to authorize the Jews to stand upon their defence against those who attempted to execute the first edict. This might seem no great privilege ; but in fact it served to apprise the authorities of the altered mind of the king, and intimated to them that they would win more favor by neglecting than by enforcing the first decree. The execution of this measure was intrusted to Mordecai ; and he did not deem it of small importance. Copies of the order, sealed with the king's signet, were prepared with all pos- sible dispatch and forwarded to all parts of the empire by couriers, who were severally mounted on the kind of animal best suited to the journey they had to perform. Those who had an ordinary journey went on horseback ; those who had to traverse mountains rode on mules ; and those who had to speed across wide plains and arid deserts were mounted on young camels and swift dromedaries. They were commanded to travel with the utmost speed, to anticipate the day appointed for the massacre ; for, in the wise providence of God, the very delay which had been afforded by the desire of Haman to make his stroke effectual, left just the time required for turning its edge aside. Hainan, under a super- stition about lucky and unlucky days, still common in the same country, sought a pro- pitious day for the execution of the grand de- sign which has rendered his memory infamous. The fourteenth day of the month Adar had been chosen by lot, and who shall say that the lot had not been determined to this day by that Divine Providence which shines through- out the Book of Esther, although the name of God does not once appear in it? The Jews Saved from Death. The new decree saved the Jews from de- struction, but did not prevent a horrid massa- cre of them and by them. There were many who hated the Jews, and there were others who coveted their possessions, which had been secured to those who should slay them ; so that in many places the Jews had a hard fight for their lives on the fourteenth of the month Adar. On that day they very wisely assem- bled in bodies in the places where they resided, ready to defend themselves ; and in some places they appear to have gone beyond the strict limits of self-defence, but nowhere did AHASUERUS ORDERS THE EXECUTION OF HAMAN.— Est. vii. 8. (255) 56 MANY THOUSANDS PERISH. •they touch the spoils of those who fell before them. One would think that in Shushan, in the presence of the court, no attempt to enforce the edict would be made. But it would seem ihat the ten sons of Hainan, and others adverse to the altered state of affairs, organized an attempt to carry it into effect. The Jews, however, had the advantage, for, while it is not recorded that many of them were slain, not fewer than eight hundred of their assail- ants fell before them. Throughout the empire the slaughter made by the Jews amounted to not less than seventy-five thousand men. The ancient Jewish writers believe that these were chiefly Amalekites, and there can be no doubt such of this nation as were dispersed through the Persian empire would evince peculiar ani- mosity against the Hebrew race. At all events one fact shines out very clear, which is, that seventy-five thousand human beings perished because the king had been careless and unguarded over his wine. The Feast of Purim. This result of a danger which had seemed to threaten the existence of the nation fiLed the Jews with a degree of joy commensurate to its importance; and it was resolved to transmit the memory of it to future genera- tions by observing the day of deliverance as a yearly festival. Mordecai confirmed this de- sign by sending letters to all the provinces enjoining the future observance of the four- teenth and fifteenth days of Adar, as " the days in which the Jews had obtained rest from their enemies, and the month in which their sorrow had been turned into joy : that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing, and of sending presents one to an- other, and gifts to the poor." This festival, which is observed among the Jews to the present day, obtained the name of Purim, from the Persian word Pur or " lot," on account of the lot which Haman had cast to obtain a good day for the execution of his purpose. It is difficult. to see by what author- ity Mordecai could appoint this festival. But he had become the foremost man of the nation, and his enactment was too much in accordance with the popular sentiment to be rejected. If, however, we may believe the Jewish writers, it did meet with some opposition from eighty- five elders, who resisted it as an innovation not sanctioned by the law. During this festival the whole Book of Esther is twice read in the synagogue, once in the morning when the feast begins, and again in the next morning ; and whenever the name of Haman is mentioned, the very children are taught to beat on the benches and to stamp for joy. After the second reading of the law is finished, the remainder of the day is spent in sports, with music and dancing, until the time for feasting arrives, when usage sanctions, or even demands, a degree of indulgence by no means usual among this temperate people. It is now time to return to Judea, where Ezra still remained much occupied, probably in that revision and arrangement of the Scriptures of the Old Testament which is usually ascribed to him. Little progress, however, appears to have been made with the public works calculated to give strength and dignity to Jerusalem. This is accounted for by the fact that permission to surround the town by a wall had not yet been obtained, and in those days men liked not to erect buildings of cost in places unprotected by a wall. It was not until the twentieth year of Ahasuerus that permission to fortify the town was obtained, and this was then brought about in the following manner, which, how- ever we approve the result, shows that in the court of Persia in that age, as in the present, questions affecting the public interest were determined not on their intrinsic merits, but through the personal influence of favorite servants and ministers. A Hebrew Patriot. We have already seen in the case of Haman and Mordecai that a foreign extraction was no bar to advancement in the court of the Persian kings: accordingly we are not surprised to find that the high post of cup-bearer to the CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. 257 king was held by a Jew called Nehemiah. This office was one of great importance, not only in real dignity, but because it gave access to the king in his less formal hours, named Hanani, who had lately arrived from Judea, such a description of the condition of the holy city as afflicted him greatly. The signs of mourning and the traces of grief CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF PURIM. Est ix. and afforded him opportunities of establishing a feeling of personal kindness towards him- self on the part of the sovereign. This Nehemiah, who was a very pious and were forbidden things in the Persian court, where the sunshine of the king's presence was supposed to spread happiness around, and where every countenance was expected to be zealous Jew, had received from a person | radiant with cheerfulness, however the heart 17 258 NEHEMIAH AT JERUSALEM. might be dried up by fierce passions or rent by anguish. Nehemiah, however, could not altogether obliterate from his countenance all trace of grief: the keen eye of the monarch noted this, and he was asked the cause of his sadness. At this question Nehemiah was, with reason, " greatly afraid." But he was incapable of evasion, and, thinking it best to speak out, he said, " Let the king live forever ; why should not my countenance be sad when the city — the place of my iatiierd' sepulchres — lieth waste, and the gaii^s thereof are con- sumed with fire?" The king then said, "For what dost thou make request?" Nehemiah felt the importance of this moment, and after a silent aspiration to "the God of the heavens," he was encouraged to say, " If it please the king, and if I have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me to judea, to the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may ret uild it." The king's first question was, " How long will thy journey be ? and when wilt thou return ? " and on receiving a satisfactory answer the king sent him to Jud^a as governor of the Jews, and furnished him with letters to the Persian governors in those parts, requiring them to support his authority, and to supply whatever materials he required for all the works he was authorized to undertake — the building of the walls being specially included. Preparation for the Work. This was a great event for the Jews, and gave them dignity in the eyes of the Persians, who were sensible o" Nehemiah's personal favor at court, which indeed was evinced by the escort of cavalry which was given him for the journey to Jerusalem. The real Persians were therefore disposed to promote the views of the new governor to the extent of their power; but the old enemies of Israel, the Samaritans and Ammonites and Moabites, were "exceed- ingly vexed " when they heard that " a man had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites." Sanballat the Samaritan, and Tobiah the Am- monite, are particularly mentioned as the most active enemies of the Jews. The latter had been a slave, but was raised to the government of some one of the provinces into which Syria was divided, under the general governor. Nehemiah did not immediately on his ar- rival disclose the full extent of the powers with which he was intrusted, as regarded the forti- fication of the city ; and he seems to have de- sired to keep them secret till he should be in a condition to commence operations. After he had been there three days, and had recovered from the toil of travel, the governor rode around the city by night to obtain a clear notion of the labor he had undertaken. The People's Zeal. The next day he convened the priests and leading men, and sr.id to them, " Ye see the distress that we are in, how that Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire ; come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we be no more a reproach." He addr. ' Then I told them ci the kind hand of my God towards me, as also the words the king had spoken to me." The evils to which they had been daily accustomed struck them less forcibly than they did the newly-arrived governor ; nevertheless they were perfectly sensible of the importance of the privilege now obtained, and expressed their eagerness to commence the work. As soon as such a commencement was made as evinced the design to rebuild the walls, the attempt was treated with derision and insult by adverse parties already named. But the work proceeded with great steadiness and rapidity, every available hand being called to the service. They worked in bands under their several chiefs, each band knowing itc allotted task. Work was found for every will- ing hand, and even goldsmiths, apothecaries, aud shopkeepers ('merchants" 1 are named among these who wrought. The gates were restored, and made strong with bolts and bars, and the wall arose wit:. wonderful expedition from the ground. The rapidity of the work indeed was such as to i suggest to the enemies of Israel an unfounded NEHEMIAH COLLECTING MONEY. Ne. vii. J2. (259) 260 RIDICULED BY THE ENEMY. impression of its slightness, and many ex- cellent Oriental jokes were passed by them on the subject : — " Were a jackal to go up against the stone walls they are building, he would break them down," was the remark with which Tobiah made Sanballat and his people merry. Nehemiah felt these taunts very strongly, as evincing how his people were despised ; but, nevertheless, the labor proceeded briskly, " for the heart of the people was engaged in the work," and great was their enthusiasm. " Remember Jehovah, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." By these careful preparations the enemy be- came aware that their plot was known ; and as this, even in their view, rendered doubtful the success of what they had intended as a sudden surprise, they reluctantly abandoned their design. Nehemiah did not, however, deem it prudent to abate the vigilance which he had established. The hands which had BUILDING THE WALLS O Finding this to be the case, and seeing the walls rising, the enemies of Israel became seriously alarmed, and plotted to put an end to these operations by force of arms. Informa- tion of this design transpired, and was brought to Nehemiah by Jews residing on the borders. On hearing this, the governor established a constant watch over the work, by night and day, and stationed at proper points men well armed with swords, spears, and bows, whom he encouraged, in case of being attacked, to F JERUSALEM. Ne. IV. 6. thus been taken from the work were indeed restored to it ; but every man who wrought on the wall, and who carried burdens, labored with one hand, while with the other he held his weapons of war. This state of things is not unusual in the East, where men may often be seen well armed while laboring in the fields. Nehemiah did not spare his own servants, for half of them labored in the work while the other half stood at arms. Nehemiah himself, in his anxiety to expedite the work, was con- CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. 261 stantly present, with a trumpeter to give signals in case of danger. Thus they wrought and watched " from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared ; " and Nehemiah declares that during an entire month neither himself nor any of the people once put off their clothes. After this an internal disorder, fully as griev- ous as the outward danger by which they had been threatened, engaged the attention of the governor. The last season had been compara- tively unproductive, so that the less wealthy of the people had been obliged to mortgage their lands, houses, and vineyards, to obtain corn or to pay the Persian tribute. The ex- tent to which the wealthier Jews had availed themselves of the necessities of their brethren to enrich themselves, will appear from the fact that several of the people complained that some of their children had already been brought into bond-service ; "nor is it in our power to redeem them," said they, " for other men have our lands and vineyards." Nehemiah Indignant. When all these things were reported to Nehemiah, he became very angry, and con- vened a public assembly, in which he exposed and denounced the evil of this proceeding, and drew from the parties a solemn promise to re- store all that they had in this way obtained. Then, says Nehemiah, " I shook my lap and said, So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor, that performeth «iot this promise : even thus may he be shaken out and emptied." It is gratifying to learn that the promise thus obtained was kept very strictly. Nehemiah was enabled to act with the more confidence in this matter, as, although he was entitled to a large allowance for the expenses of his large establishment as governor, he for- bore to require anything from the people, and, with unexampled liberality, not only gave his •care and solicitude without pay or reward, but bore all the charges of his expensive office •entirely out of his private fortune. Nor did this consideration make him sparing in his ex- I penditure, for his hospitable and generous tem- per carried him far beyond the obligations of his office. Above one hundred and fifty Jews, not belonging to his establishment, were en- tertained at his table, the daily supply of which required one ox and six sheep, besides fowl, and once every ten days a large supply of wine. As the Orientals are but sparing consumers of animal food, this consumption implies a larger expenditure on other commodities than would be necessary in northern climates. ! Those who are acquainted with the exactions and oppressions exercised by the officers and attendants of Persian governors even at the present day, will best understand the intima- tion given by Nehemiah, who, speaking of former governors, says, " Even their servants bare rule over the people ; but I did not thus, because I feared God in my heart." The enemies of Israel — Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian — seeing that the wall was now finished, and all strong and com- ] plete, save only the gates, saw that the time j for any acts of direct violence had passed. i They therefore sought to ensnare the governor, to whose influence and energy they justly at- tributed the prosperous aspect which the affairs of the Jewish people were beginning to as- sume, and laid a plot to entangle him. Hurrying- the Work to Completion. Being themselves invested with petty gov- ernments under the Persians, they invited Nehemiah to a conference, as if on matters of common interest, at Chepirim, in the plain of Ono. Suspicious of their intentions, he re- turned the discreet answer, " I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down ; why should the work cease whilst I leave it and come down to you ? " They, however, re- peated the invitation not less than four times, and, always receiving the same answer, San- ballat at length sent a servant to him bearing an open letter in his hand. In this letter it was stated to be commonly reported that it was his intention to revolt against the Persians, whose interests they were bound to watch. 262 NEHEMIAH'S PERSEVERANCE. Nehemiah contented himself with a strong denial of so improbable a charge, and hastened the completion of the gates, knowing that his best security, under God, from all these ma- chinations, lay in securing the defences of the city. The accusers had, however, some influ- ential partisans even in the town, who be- lieved, or affected to believe, that the strength of the fortifications might give the Persians reason to credit the accusation ; and who sup- posed that the fact of the probable grounds for such a suspicion would justify the adver- saries to the Persian government, under the cover of over-zeal for the Persian interests, in any acts of violence to which they might re- sort. These urged Nehemiah to shut himself in the Temple — on the ground that an assault, which they alleged to be in contemplation, was directed entirely against his own person; but he knew that this act of shutting himself up in what was then in fact the citadel of Jerusalem, would give color to the worst de- vices of the enemy ; and with becoming spirit he answered, " Should such a man as I flee? And who like me would go into the Temple to save his life? I will not go in." Beset by spies, who carried his words to his enemies, and annoyed by offensive letters which were repeatedly sent to him, Nehemiah yet persevered steadily in his great task, and at length, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, only fifty-two days from the commence- ment — so earnestly had the work been carried on — he had the satisfaction of seeing it com- pleted, b. c. 445. The walls being thus finished and the gates complete, Nehemiah was enabled to establish greater order in the city than had before been possible: keepers were stationed- at every one of the gates, and over the whole was Hana- niah, "a faithful man, who feared God above many," who had it in charge to see the gates closed in the evening and properly se- cured with bolts and bars, and also not to open them in the morning until " the sun was hot." Such regulations are still usual in the walled towns of the East, and in this case were peculiarly necessary, as the town, al- though large, was but thinly peopled, the houses which it contained being still very few, while the apprehension of danger from the enemies of Israel had not yet passed away. After the term of his civil commission had ceased it appears that Ezra remained at Jeru- salem, and is supposed, as already intimated, \ to have devoted much of his time in collecting and arranging the sacred books which now form the canon of the Old Testament. He was now called forward to read to the people the law of Moses, of which it seems to have been known that he had now provided a per- fect copy. It seems also to have been the season in which it was directed that the law should be publicly read to the people, being every seventh year at the feast of tabernacles. This regulation had been much neglected, but now the people present at Jerusalem for the feast " assembled as one man in the street be- fore the water-gate," and required Ezra to bring forth and read the book of the law. Ezra Reads the Book of the Law. The worthy man gladly responded to this call, and he read the law in the street to all " who could hear with understanding, from morning till night." He stood upon a pulpit or platform of wood which had been made for the purpose, so that the people might both see and hear him. The brief notices of this great solemnity are suggestive and interesting : " Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, and when he opened it all the people stood up, and Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all the people with uplifted hands answered Amen, Amen ; and they bowed their heads and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground." There was one serious difficulty which had, perhaps, hitherto prevented, since the return from exile, the law from being thus publicly read. The mass of the people, born in a for- eign country, or the children of parents to whom the language of that country had be- come a mother-tongue, no longer understood the language in which the sacred books were CAPTIVITY AND RETURN OF THE JEWS. 263 written. The Chaldee was indeed but another dialect than Hebrew of the same great Ara- maean branch of languages ; but the difference was sufficient to prevent the one from being generally intelligible to those who were only acquainted with the other. To meet this difficulty several priests and Levites were conveniently stationed to repeat to the people in the Chaldee language that which Ezra read to them in the Hebrew. The people, few of whom had been previously ac- quainted with more than the traditions of the law, were deeply concerned at much which they now heard, and wept and mourned greatly. But they were reminded that the day was a festival, a day of joy and not of grief, and Nehemiah dismissed them for the day with the words : " Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is provided ; for this day is holy to our Lord." The people followed this counsel and " rejoiced exceed- ingly because they understood the things that were declared to them." The readings of the law, after the same manner, were continued throughout the week. The extent of the ignorance of their own institutions into which the people had fallen is shown by the fact that they knew not until the second day, when Ezra arrived at that portion of the law which enjoins the observance, that they were to abide in huts or booths of green boughs during the very feast which they were then celebrating. On hearing this they applied themselves with great alacrity to remedy the oversight. They set forth to gather olive branches, pine branches, palm branches, myrtle branches, and branches of all thick trees, to make such verdant booths as the law required and prescribed. CHAPTER XXIV. JOB AND HIS FRIENDS. ORE than any other man Job was famous in his day, and the book that bears his name is, in some respects, the most singular book in the Holy Scriptures. It is an argumentative and descriptive poem, with a prose introduction and conclusion, which forms the plot or story of the work. This story is very simple. In the land of Uz lived Job, an upright and good man, who had seven sons and three daughters. He was the wealthiest man in the country ; and the description of his wealth shows that the condition of life intended to be represented is patriarchal, similar to that led by Abraham, and similar to that now led by the Arabian Emirs; or rather to that inter- mediate condition in which the patriarch has a fixed residence, and cultivates the ground, without having relinquished the pastoral habits of life. Under this condition the homestead is permanent, cultivation surrounds it, and the necessary migrations of the flocks are performed under the care of sons and servants. This is the kind of life at one time led by Isaac, by Laban in Padan-aram, and by the churlish Nabal, whose flocks were sent forth to feed in the distant wilderness while he abode in Maon, and had his agricultural possessions in Carmel. Job had thus a mixed (264) pastoral and agricultural property, and was very rich in flocks and herds. It was a custom of Job's sons, who were grown up and had separate establishments, to give each in his turn a feast to his brothers and family, and to this feast the three sisters were always invited. At the end of such feasts Job used to send for his children and i purify them by ablution and other observances, ! apprehensive lest, in the gayety of the festival, i they might not have been duly mindful of 1 God and his worship. Leaving Job in this prosperous condition, we have next an allegorical representation of the courts of heaven, where the sons of God — the angels — duly present themselves before the Most High. Among them appears Satan, the evil one, the accuser of the just, whose unusual presence is noted, and he is asked whence he came. He answers, " From wandering over the earth and walking up and down in it." He is then asked whether in his wanderings over the earth he had taken notice of the upright Job, whose integrity defied the powers of evil. Satan answered, with a sneer, that Job had good reasons for cultivating the service in which he throve so well ; " but only put forth thine hand and touch whatever he possesseth, and to thy face will he renounce thee." On this Satan was permitted to try the virtue of Job to the extent of all his substance, but was not allowed to afflict his person. The effect of this was soon seen. One day, when the children of Job were feasting, in due course, in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came in alarm and haste to an- nounce that the Arabians had fallen upon JOB AND HIS FRIENDS. 265 the oxen as they were ploughing in the field, and had driven them off, together with the asses, and that all the servants, except him- self, had been put to the sword. This man had scarcely done relating the loss of Job's agricultural cattle, when another came in equal alarm to announce that his flocks, to- gether with his shepherds, had been destroyed by lightning from heaven. Then another swiftly followed to relate that the Chaldaeans had driven off his camels, and destroyed those who had the charge of them. Only one thing was then wanting to complete Job's desolation, and that came too soon : another terrified messenger arrived to tell that the house in which his sons and daughters were feasting had been blown down by the winds of Heaven, and all had perished in that overthrow. Job's Dreadful Affliction. On hearing this, the desolate man arose and performed the usual acts of a mourner. He rent his mantle and shaved his head : but the strength of his soul was not broken ; he fell upon the ground and worshipped God, saying, " Naked came I forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away: blessed be the name of Jehovah." It is then added, that " in all this," that is, up to this time, "Job sinned not, and uttered nothing rash against Jehovah." Again we are conducted to the gates of heaven, and behold the Lord rejoicing over the uprightness of his servant, and in the utter defeat of Satan's devices against him. But Satan suggested that all other calamities were light compared with those which took away •ease of body and threatened life. Job had indeed come forth from the trial which made him poor and had taken the lives of others : "" But," he said, " put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and to thy face lie will renounce thee." But God had confi- dence in his servant, and said, "Behold, he is in thy hand, but spare his life." In consequence of this, Job was speedily afflicted with a grievous disease which ren- dered him loathsome to himself, and an object of pity to others. Being in the first stage of the disease covered with sore boils, " from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot," the afflicted man — so lately " the greatest of all the men of the East " — sat down mournfully among the ashes, with a potsherd to scrape his sores. In this state of affairs Job's wife next ap- pears upon the scene. She says to Job, " Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Renounce God and die." This was the very object that Satan himself had in view — to induce him to renounce his confidence in God through the greatness of his losses and the poignancy of his sufferings. But the trust of Job was still firm, and he rebuked her in the words : " Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What ! shall we receive good at the hands of God, and shall we not receive evil ? " And here again the author pointedly remarks, " In all this," that is, thus far, " Job sinned not with his lips." The tidings of the great calamities which had befallen Job ere long reached his distant friends, some of whom set out to give him comfort ; pjildad the Temanite, from Teman of Edom ; Eliphaz the Shuhite, from the country east of the Jordan ; and Zophar, from some unknown place or city called Naamah. These three persons after their journey drew near his once prosperous and pleasant home : and they beheld their friend at a distance at which they could once have easily recognized him. Disease had so altered his appearance that at first sight they knew him not ; but when they found that the wretched object before them was no other than Job, " they lifted up their voice and wept ; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven." This mode of expressing their grief forcibly brings to mind that of Achilles when informed of the death of Patroclus, as narrated in Homer's Iliad : A sudden horror shot through all the chief, And wrapped his senses in the cloud of grief; Cast on the ground, with furious hands he spread The scorching ashes o'er his graceful head ; (266) JOB RECEIVING THE TIDINGS OF HIS RUIN. -Job i. 20. JOB AND HIS FRIENDS. 267 His purple garments, and his golden hairs, Those he deforms with dust, and these he tears; On the hard soil his groaning breast he threw, And rolled and grovelled, as to earth he grew. They then " sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights : — and none spake a word unto him, for they saw that his grief was very great." This conduct of theirs is so different from that usually pursued under such circumstances, that we are prepared by it to entertain a very favorable opinion of their discretion and right feeling. Seven days, it will be observed, was the customary time of mourning among the Orientals : but we are not to understand that they remained in the same place and posture during all the seven days* but that they mourned with him during all that time in the usual manner. At the end of the seven days' mourning, when no hopes of recovery from his afflicted condition were entertained by Job, and not a word of consolation had been offered by his friends — who in their hearts believed that he was suffering for his sins, and that the dis- pleasure of God was manifested against him — he then unburdened his heart in the language of complaint, lamentation, and de- spair, and bitterly bewailed his lot. Job Charged with Wickedness. Then came an earnest discussion between Job and his friends. The first speaker was Eliphaz the Temanite. He argued that Job must have committed some great sin, otherwise he would not have been so afflicted. He said, " Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent ? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plough iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of His nostrils are they con- sumed." But Job did not admit the validity of Eliphaz's arguments. He defended him- self against the charge of wickedness, telling them that they overwhelmed the fatherless and digged a pit for their friend. Then Bildad the Shuhite took up a similar discourse to that of Eliphaz, and told Job of the prosperity of the righteous, while the wicked are cut off like the rush or flag, that grows in moist places, and perish while they are yet green. " So," says Bildad, " are the paths of all those that forget God, and the hypocrite's hope shall perish." And again he says, " God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will He help the evil-doer." Job's Answer. But Job answers that there is no such equal retribution in the world as Bildad sup- poses. There are, so far as we can see, many irregularities. God does not, in temporal affliction, discriminate between the just and the unjust. He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. He does not interfere to prevent calamities befalling the just. In truth, " the earth is given into the hand of the wicked." Job says that though he were to wash his hands with snow-water, yet God would plunge him in the ditch, and his own clothes would abhor him, that is, his integrity would not keep him from being covered with boils as he now is. Then Zophar the Naamahthite speaks, and charges Job with babbling, with telling lies, and with mocking. Job seemed to want reverence, and to be calling to account the justice of God ; but Zophar tells him that God sees wickedness and considers it ; but vain man, though born like the wild ass's colt, would yet conceive himself to be wise and able to judge even of God's dealings with men. He answers Job that the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their life shall be like giving up the ghost. Job has borne the reproaches of his three friends, he has heard their arguments, which were clothed in pious words, and though many things had been said by them which were good in themselves, yet he rebuts the main inference that his sufferings are a punish- ment for his secret sins. He answers at first in a tone of raillery, and tells them that they are the people, and wisdom would die with them. So far from prosperity always attend- ing the upright, we often see the tabernacle of the robbers prosper. 268 JOB REPROACHED BY ELIPHAZ. If Job could speak to the Almighty, he i eries of man, and the little hope he has of a would reason with Him ; but as for his friends, day of recompense. He does not try to de- he said, " Oh that ye would altogether hold I fend or apologize for God, but looks at facts your peace, for that would be your wisdom ; " but he adds, " though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will maintain mine own ways before Him." Job draws a mournful picture of human life, setting forth the mis- and his comforters. — Job iii. as they are presented to the ordinary view of men. Eliphaz, shocked by job's apparent blas- phemy, reproaches him with greater severity than he had done before, and refers to cases JOB AND HIS FRIENDS. 269 of great wickedness being punished; but Job cries out, " Miserable comforters are ye all ! " Other men may have been punished for wick- edness, but all suffering is not punishment. The other friends urge the same arguments, and Job points out facts which overthrow all their reasoning. " Mark me," he said, " and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth. Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh. Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power ? Their seed is es- tablished in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They take the tim- brel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave." That is, they are saved from all the terrors of death and the pains of sickness; and so they ask who is the Almighty that they should serve Him, when they see the good and the bad go down to the grave together, and the worms consume them. Many parts of the Book of Job are highly poetical and beautiful. In one part he launches forth into a vivid description of the miseries of man's life, and implores for a temporary refuge in the grave till the days of trouble are overpast. This latter part contains some of the finest passages in the book. It begins thus, according to the translation of Noyes : Man that is born of woman Is of few days, and full of trouble : He groweth up like a flower — and is cut down ; He fleeth also like a shadow and stayeth not. There is hope for a tree If it be cut down that it shall sprout c^ain, And that its tender branches will not fail. Though its roots may have grown old in the earth, And though its trunk be dead upon the ground, At the scent of water it shall bud, And put forth boughs like a young plant. But man dieth — and he is gone for ever ! Man expireth — and where is he ? This is but one illustration of the wonderful force and beauty of this remarkable book. In the end God justifies Job. He is re- warded with new possessions, a second family, and great temporal prosperity. God was an- gry with Job's friends, for they had not spoken the thing that was right, as Job had. CHAPTER XXV. THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. HE Book of Psalms is not only very devotional, but it embodies some of the finest po- etry of the Bible. There are, in- deed, a few spec- imens of lyric poetry before the time of David ; but the}' scarcely enter into consideration compared with the fertility of that period in which he lived. In the earlier history it is but occasionally that the voice of poetry is heard, as in the song of Moses at the Red Sea, of Deborah, and of Hannah. We are therefore surprised, after so few attempts at lyric poetry, to see so ac- complished and fertile a poet as David rise up, as it were, all at once, with several others in his company. So rapid a progress presupposes some ade- quate occasion, some preparatory steps. Seek- ing for these, many critics have lighted upon the schools of the prophets, which existed in the immediately preceding times of Samuel, if they were not founded by him. Here it is as- sumed that the composition of Psalms was cultivated and brought to perfection, and that here David and others received their educa- tion in minstrelsy. But this position, when •closely examined, rests on no solid foundation. If David had frequented the schools of the prophets, he must have been known to Samuel ; but there is not the least sign that the prophet knew him ; there is much to show that he did not know him till he went to anoint one of Jesse's sons at Bethlehem, up to which time (270) David appears to have been entirely occupied with his father's flock. Indee ', the great intimacy cf David with all that belonged to the shepherd's life, which supplies sc many beautiful and picturesque images to his Psalms, evinces that his youth was entirely spent in the care of flocks, and not in the schools of the prophets. In fact, David was already famed for his minstrelsy , before Samuel knew him ; and as music and song were not in those ages separated, we may conclude that as a poet also the son of Jesse was already known and celebrated. Natural taste and capacity, joined to the much practice which open-air leisure of the shepherd's lift I afforded, might have done quite as much for David as that mere artificial system which is supposed, without good reason, to have pre- vailed in the schools of the prophets. Indeed, the well-known tendency to connect poetry and music with the pastoral life, as followed in more genial climates than our own, shows that David, left so much alone with his flock, with his God, and with nature, was in the best possible school for creating such a poet and such a minstrel as he became. Notwithstanding the scantiness of the indi- cations of a pre-existing taste for lyric poetry among the Hebrews, there is quite enough to prove that it did not spring at once out of the dry ground in the time of David, but existed in at least a sufficient degree to impart the bent of mind which his pastoral occupa- tion enabled him with much advantage to cul- tivate. This is shown even by the short pean with which the maidens of Israel celebrated David's own victory over Goliath : Saul smote his thousands, But David his ten thousands — THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 271 which exhibits a species of poetry truly lyric of its kind, though rude and uncultivated. Still earlier, and in addition to the songs of Moses, Deborah and Hannah, to which we having been called " to play " before the Phil- istines, which, even if understood, as it usually is, of the dance, does not exclude the accom- paniments of song and instrumental music. have already alluded, we find, particularly Facts like these seem abundantly sufficient to among the women, the practice of music and j evince the existence of a poetical taste and HARVEST SCENE IN ANCIENT PALESTINE. Ps. lxv. 1 3. the dance, with which song could not fail to I capacity among the Hebrew people before the Jephthah's daughter came out be connected, to meet her father with timbrels and with dances. At Shiloh the damsels held a yearly festival with dances. It has been questioned whether Samson was not a minstrel, from his appearance of David, and relieve us from any necessity of sending David himself to the schools of the prophets for his poetical educa- tion. In connection with some of the preceding 272 THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL. remarks, our attention is drawn to the pastoral images contained in the Psalms. There is no single psalm in which a larger number of images are embodied than in the twenty-third. The poet, gathering comfort in all troubles from the conviction of the loving-kindness, no less than of the power of the God whom he had served, argues, " The Lord is my Shep- herd : therefore can I want nothing." This image is obviously suggested by the care, the forethought, the management, and the tender- ness exercised by the Eastern shepherds to provide for and to defend their flocks in the unfrequented and wild regions into which they were often led for pasture. In another psalm this comparison is even more emphatically produced : " Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel — Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock." In the same sense kings are also described as standing in this pastoral re- lation to their people ; and although David did not originate this comparison, no man ever lived who could use it with the same degree of force and propriety as one who, like him, had been called from the pastures to a throne. This may be instanced by reference to another psalm : " He chose David also His servant, and took him away from the sheepfolds. He took him, that he might feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he fed them with a faithful and true heart, and ruled them prudently with all his power." To apprehend the force of this idea we should recollect some of the peculiar condi- tions of the ancient pastoral life. The Hebrew patriarchs, and in a great measure their de- scendants, when settled in Canaan, did not usually intrust their flocks to menials and strangers, but either tended them in person or intrusted them to their sons or near relations. The flock which David himself tended was that of his father Jesse. In later times the increase of population and of the town life led to the use of hired shepherds ; but the difference of treatment which the flock received under the different circumstances was most strongly felt by the Jews, and was on one occasion most pointedly indicated by our Saviour, who, in comparing Himself to the shepherd-owner of a flock, says : " I am the good Shepherd ; the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep- are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth. The hireling fleeth be- cause he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep." This position of our Saviour is ad- mirably illustrated by the conduct of David himself, who combated and slew both a lion and a bear in defence of his father's flock. If, therefore, the sheep under the care of the shepherd-owner may rest in quiet, confident of lacking nothing which the care of that shepherd can provide, how much more he whose Shepherd is the Lord ! Green Pastures. The psalm pursues the image by consider- ing that this kind and powerful Shepherd " shall feed me in a green pasture, and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort." This is but one of many beautiful passages of Scripture alluding to the practice of the Eastern shep- herds in leading their flocks from one region to another in search of green pasture. In winter and early spring the rains compel the roots and seeds of the desert to shoot, which in summer were kept down by excessive drought. But the moisture clothes the wil- derness with verdure, and with the succulent and nutritive herbage in which the flocks lux- uriate and prosper. And when the periodical drought returns to the wilderness, the shep- herd leads off his flocks to the mountains, the streams, and the habitable districts where herb- age yet remains. Thus it is an important point of the Eastern shepherd's character, that he should possess such a knowledge of the country and its pasture-grounds as may enable him to move his flock from one point to another with the moral certainty of finding good pasturage in the place to which he is going. The bad, that is, the ignorant shepherd, exposes his flock to the danger of perishing from hunger or fatigue: from hunger, if no pasture is found in the ex- THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 27;J pected place ; from fatigue, in hurrying the flock from one place to another, in the vague expectation of finding that which he knows not where to find. The Eastern shepherd has a staff of con- siderable length, with which he keeps his sheep in order. This is of great use both to dangerous and dreadful places), I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me ; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." Many of David's Psalms were written in times of trouble, when his enemies encom- passed him about, or were too strong for him. The fifty-fifth psalm, for instance, is supposed the shepherd and the sheep. It helps the former to guide his sheep in the right way, to keep them from danger, to extricate them from difficulties, and to collect those that stray. Hence the rod or staff is throughout the Scrip- tures described as a source of confidence, and not of fear, to the sheep. It is to this the psalmist alludes, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (that is, through 13 GOING FORTH TO LABOR. Ps. civ. 23. to relate to the rebellion of Absalom and the treachery of Ahithophel. His heart was sore pressed and the terrors of death fell upon him, and he cried out in his misery, " Oh that I had wings like a dove ! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." Glad would he have been to rise above the earth and to escape its sorrows. The forty-second psalm referred to the revolt of Absalom, when David crossed the fords of 274 CHORAL SERVICE. the Jordan and took refuge at Mahanaim. He says that his tears had been his meat day and night, while his enemies taunted him that God had forsaken him. Then he cried out, " O my God, my soul is cast down within me : there- fore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar." The fifty-ninth psalm is said to refer to the emissaries of Saul watching the house of David, that they might kill him. It begins : " Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God : defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men." Hebrew Music. "The Psalms of David," says a prominent writer, " place him among the most eminent of prophets and holy men. In humility and tenderness of expression, in loftiness and purity of religious sentiment, they are without par- allel. They embody the universal language of religious emotions. The songs which cheered the solitudes of Engedi, or animated the Hebrews as they went along the glens or hillsides of Judea, have been repeated for ages in almost every part of the inhabitable world. How many hearts have they softened, purified, consoled and exalted, by the deep devotional seriousness they have kindled, and the views of the Divine wisdom, holiness, and love to which they have led ! " The Psalms contain more allusions to music and musical instruments than any other por- tion of Scripture. Music is coeval with poetry. Musical instruments were the invention of Jubal ; and as early as the time of Laban we are introduced to a whole choir. After this, music and poetry went hand-in-hand, and with equal pace. Music and (as we have seen) poetry were held in high estimation ; and so long as such poetry as that of the Hebrews was cultivated, we may conclude that music was not neglected. This might also be in- ferred from the frequency of its use among them. They had music at marriages, at birth-days, on the days which reminded them of victories over their enemies, at the inauguration of their kings, and it even enlivened the journeys which the law required the Jews to make three times a year to Jerusalem. In the ser- vice of the holy tabernacle and of the Temple the Levites were the musicians ; but on other occasions any one might use musical instru- ments. The magnificent choir of Levites, under suitable leaders and directors, which David organized for the Temple service, was kept up by Solomon after the erection of the Temple, and was preserved till the overthrow of Jerusalem, although subject to occasional interruption under idolatrous kings. This choral establishment must have tended much to the cultivation of musical taste and power among the Hebrews. Hence the music and songs of Zion seem to have had a charm to the Babylonians. One of the most beautiful of the Psalms, composed during the captivity, represents the exiles as disconsolately hanging their harps upon the willows growing beside the Euphra- tes, and as being pressed by the Babylonians to sing to them one of the songs of Zion, which produced the striking reply — " How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" After the captivity, however, both the music and poetry of the Hebrews became much deteriorated, and lost its earlier charm. Sweet Melodies. Respecting the nature of the Hebrew music, our information is very scanty ; but the similar history of the art among other ancient nations may assist our conclusions. It then consisted not so much in harmony as in unison or melody. This is the music of nature, and for a long time, even after the period of antiquity, it was common among the Greeks and Romans, and at this day characterizes the music of the East. It was not the harmony of differing or dissonant sounds, but the voice, modulated after the tones of the lyre, that constituted the charm of the ancient music. The whole of antiquity is full of stones in praise of this music, and relating the wonderful influence THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 275 over human passion and feeling which it ac- 1 the Book of Psalms. It is a very singular fact quired. That this ancient music did possess a that no instrument answering to a harp exists wonderful mastery over the heart of man seems | in the modern East; and we could not be cer- ANC1ENT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS as well established as any of the historical facts concerning which no doubt is entertained. Frequent mention of the harp is ma^e in tain that it even ever did exist, but for the figures which appear in the Egyptian tombs, where we find harps of different kinds. The 276 THE HEBREW HARP. word translated " harp " in our version is " kinnor," and was more probably a sort of lyre than a harp. It is one of the instruments of which Jubal was the inventor, and is that of which David was so complete a master. One circumstance highly in favor of this con- clusion is, that the ancient versions of the Scripture translate the Hebrew word by terms which were applied by the Greeks and Ro- mans to their different kinds of lyres, of which there were many, thus leaving - us in great un- certainty as to the kind of lyre that might be intended. The Oldest of Stringed Instruments. It may be further remarked, that from the brief intimations in Scripture respecting the " kinnor," it appears that it was not a large and heavy instrument resting on the ground when played, as the word " harp" would sug- gest to our minds; but a light and portable instrument, which the musician bore upon his hand or arm, and might walk or dance as he played thereon. In fact, the " kinnor " is de- scribed as being used for the purposes, on the occasions, and in the manner in which we know the ancient lyre, and not the harp, to have been employed. It is also to be observed that the "kinnor" is described in the Scripture as the most an- cient of stringed instruments; and it is to the lyre that .the classical ancients ascribe the same priority of origin ; and in Egypt the lyre is found on monuments more ancient than those on which the harp is seen. The lyre was also the most common stringed instrument among the ancient nations. It is impossible, there- fore, that it should not have been in use among the Hebrews, and being known to them, there is no other of their instruments than the "kinnor" which can be with any probability referred to it. On the Egyptian monuments no lyre occurs exactly similar to that which is supposed to be the representation of a Jewish lyre by an Egyptian artist. The difference forms its dis- tinctive character as a foreign instrument, for it is undoubtedly foreign, whether it be Jewish or not. Yet it does not greatly differ from the Egyptian instrument. They are the same in size, in power, and in the general form and principle of construction. In both alike the strings are stretched upon an open frame, and then prolonged over a hollow and sonorous body of wood. Several other lyres are found on the monuments, and although their shapes and ornaments are different, this is the princi- ple in all of them. The Grecian fable respecting the origin of the lyre shows that this must have been the case with all the more ancient lyres, with which the weight of evidence would class the He- brew " kinnor." It is very remarkable also that this fable refers the origin of the lyre to the banks of the Nile, showing that the Greeks at least had their instrument from that quarter. It is thus related by the Athenian mycolo- gist, Apollodorus : — " The Nile, after having overflowed the whole country of Egypt, when it returned within its natural bounds left on the shore a great number of animals of various kinds, and among the rest a tortoise, the flesh of which being dried and wasted by the sun, nothing remained but nerves and cartilages, and these, being braced and contracted by the drying heat, became sonorous. Mercury, walk- ing along the banks of the river, happened to strike his foot against this shell, and was so pleased with the sound produced, that the idea of a lyre presented itself to his mind. He therefore constructed the instrument in the form of a tortoise, and strung it with the dried sinews of dead animals." Hence we observe that many of the Greek lyres have that tortoise-shape which this story would lead us to expect. The fable itself is, with some variation, related by Homer in his " Hymn to Hermes." The description of the primitive instrument is thus rendered by a modern poet: And through the stone-shelled tortoise's strong skin At proper distances small holes he made, And fastened the cut stems of seeds within, And with a piece of leather overlaid The open space, and fixed the cubits in, Fitting the bridge to both, and stretched o'er all THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 277 Symphonious chords both strong and rhythmical. When he had wrought the lovely instrument, He tied the chords, and made divisions meet, Preluding with the plectrum, and there went Up from beneath his hands a tumult sweet Of mighty sounds, and from his lips he sent A strain of unpremeditated wit, Joyous and wild. It may further illustrate grave, the mean, and the acute, he made the grave answer to winter, the mean to spring, and the acute to summer; and it is a well- known fact that not only the Egyptians, but the Greeks, divided their year into not more than three seasons, spring, summer, and win- ter, corresponding to the three sounds." The tambourine or tablet must be described JEWISH CAPTIVES IN BABYLONIA. Ps. CXXXvii. 4. Hermes, or Mercury, to whom the invention of the lyre is thus ascribed, was himself of Egyptian origin, like many other of the gods of the Grecian mythology. So, Diodorus generally as a wooden frame covered wit'i skin, and struck by the hands. But they were by no means all of one shape ; and it appears that the Hebrew word comprehends every Siculus makes him 'one of the counsellors of 1 known shape of the instrument, just as we Osiris in Egypt; and by this author he is said, J should undoubtedly call every instrument of among other useful things, " to have invented [ the kind a "tambourine," whether it were the lyre, furnishing it with three strings, in al-j round, oval, square, or oblong, lusion to the seasons of the year. For these Tambourines were undoubtedly known in strings, producing three different sounds, the I Syria before the Hebrew fathers had any 278 A GRECIAN LEGEND. knowledge of Egypt, for we find that Laban lamented that no opportunity had been given him of sending Jacob away " with songs, with tabret, and with harp." Miriam, the sister of Moses, and the females with her, accompanied their song of victory with the sound of this instrument. Job was acquainted with it, and " timbrel-playing damsels," and it is nowhere described as being employed in battle, or for any warlike purpose. In short, it was applied to exactly the same purposes as by other na- tions, who used it in dances, in attestations of gladness, at festivals, and on such like occa- sions. So we find it represented in the Egyp- THE SWEET SINGER OF ISRAEL — Ps. Ixxii. 20. David employed it in all the festivities of his religion. Isaiah adduces it as an instrument employed by voluptuaries, but left in silence on the breaking out of wars and desolations. The occasion on which this instrument is mentioned is always one of joy ; and, for the most part, those who play upon it are females, who on this verv account have the name of | tian sculptures, and it is more than likely that i the forms which are represented in these i sculptures are the same as those of the He- brew instruments, as there is a strong resem- i blance between them. These are of three kinds, differing probably in sound as well as in form: one is circular, another oblong, and a third consisting of two THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 279 squares separated by a bar. They were all beaten by the hand and used as an accompa- niment to the harp and other instruments. Men ; and women used them, but most usually the latter, who are often represented as dancing to them unaccompanied by other instruments. A Popular Instrument. From the imperfect representation of those in the tombs at Thebes, it is difficult to say whether the Egyptian tambourine had the same movable piece of metal let into its wooden frame, as in those of the present day, but their mode of playing it was similar ; and, from the manner in which it is held up after having been struck, we may venture to con- clude that they were furnished with metal rings, for the free emission of whose sound this position was peculiarly calculated. These appendages of the tambourine were certainly very ancient. It is seen from the paintings at Herculaneum that the Greek tambourine was furnished with balls of metal, pendent from the front part, or from the centre of its circular rim, to which each appears to have been attached by a short thong. Here also, on •classic ground, the instrument was mostly confined to women, and chiefly used in the festivals of Bacchus and Cybele. There is even now no instrument of music more common in the East than the tambou- rine. And it is also constantly met with in Northern and Western Africa. The Arabian tambourine, which may be taken as a type of the whole, is a broad hoop covered with a stretched skin. In the rim there are usually thin, round pulleys, or wheels of metal, which also make some noise. It is played in the same way as with us ; and, indeed, our tam- bourine is derived from this indirectly through Spain. No musical instrument is perhaps so much ■employed in Turkey as this. When the females in their harem dance, the time is always beaten with this instrument. It would seem that the Egyptian females, dancing and singing to the tambourine, and bearing palm branches and green twigs, were wont to visit the tombs of their deceased friends. Something of this may be traced in the Friday visit of the Mos- lem women to the cemeteries, and, what is more remarkable, the tambourine is still used on these occasions, when the death is recent, to accompany the notes of wailing. For the same purpose it is used by the professed wail- ing-women when employed in the house of mourning. In this respect it seems now to occupy the place of the funeral pipe of the ancient Hebrews; and yet we are not sure that they had not some such use for the tam- bourine; for the image in Nahum in which women in the act of mourning are described as " tabering upon their breasts," would seem to have been derived from some such usage. Religious Processions. Painters usually represent the Hebrew tabret by a small kettle-drum, and although the tambourine is, without doubt, the instrument principally denoted, we should be reluctant to aver that a kind of kettle-drum may not have been included. From its general shape, as well as from being beaten by the hands, it appears to have been similar to the present darookha drum of Egypt and Arabia. It is made of parchment strained and glued over a funnel- shaped case (often of potteiy), which is a hollow cylinder, with a truncated cone at- tached to it. It is beaten by the hand, and when relaxed is braced by exposing it for a few moments to the sun or the heat of the fire. Cymbals are often mentioned in the Psalms ; and it is not doubted that instruments of this kind are really to be understood by the word thus translated. These instruments were known to the ancient Egyptians, of a shape nearly similar to our own, and made of a mixed metal, apparently brass, or a compound of brass and silver. The classical cymbals were also similar, and the same shape is still preserved in the East. Cymbals were much employed in the religious processions and sacred mysteries of the ancients. Among the Israelites the use of trumpets was prescribed by a Divine regulation, by which 280 ANCIENT TRUMPETS. Moses was directed to make two trumpets of beaten silver for sacerdotal uses. There is little doubt that the original form of these trumpets was perpetuated in those in after ages made for the Temple service ; and of these we happen to have authentic figures in the sculptures on the arch of Titus, which fully correspond with the Mosaical intimations, and also with the description of Josephus, who, as a priest, doubtless framed his account after those which were in his time actually in use. Moses, he says, " invented a species of trum- pet of silver. Its length was little less than a cubit, and it was somewhat thicker than a flute. Its opening was oblong, so as to permit blow- ing in it with the mouth. At the lower end it had the form of a bell." These accounts tally very closely with the figures of trumpets which we observe on the Egyptian monuments. It is about a foot and a half long, apparently of brass (being colored yellow) ; and when sounded it was held with both hands, and either used singly or as part of the military band, with the drum and other instruments. It was straight, like the Roman tuba, or our common trumpet, and appears to have been particularly, although not exclu- sively, appropriated to martial uses. Moses was commanded to make only two trumpets, because the priests for whose use they were intended were then only two. Afterwards far more of them were made. When, however, riches disappeared from Palestine, baser metal was employed in the manufacture of these trumpets. They were employed in calling the congregation together, in sacrifices, and in battles. The Hebrew Flute. It is agreed that pipes or flutes of some kind or other were used by the Hebrews. People employed these instruments in connection with others at the feast of tabernacles, and in general at every feast, especially, however, while journeying up to Jerusalem to celebrate these feasts there. At least Isaiah refers to such a use : — " Ye shall have a song as in die night, when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord." To accompany travelling with music and sing- ing is common in the East even at the present day. We also find a general usage of this kind, for the sons of the prophets went forth to meet Saul with various kinds of music, and among others with pipes. This instrument was also employed at the anointing of Solo- mon. For the most part it was consecrated to joy and pleasure ; hence, in the time of Judas Maccabseus, the Israelites complained "that all joy had vanished from Jacob, and the pipe and the cithara were silent." It was, however, employed also on serious occasions, as there was a distinct pipe of plain- tive tone adapted to such occasions. Players on such instruments were present in the death- chamber of Jairus's daughter; and the attend- ance of pipers at funerals and lamentations is often mentioned by the Jewish writers. Josephus speaks of them, and says that many hired pipers led the way in the wailings. We learn also from the Rabbinical writers that even the poorest Israelite, when his wife died, had two pipers and one wailing woman to make lamentations ; and the sick had more, according to their dignity or means of pay- ment. Much speculation respecting the form of the Hebrew pipes may be regarded as super- seded by the discovery of those figured on the Egyptian monuments. These are of two kinds, single and double. The former is sometimes of extraordinary length, and the holes placed so low that when playing the musician was obliged to extend his arms. It is of equal breadth throughout, not spreading out at the lower end like those in modern use. This pipe seems to have belonged principally, if not exclusively, to male per- formers, who held it with both their hands, and either stood, knelt, or sat upon the ground. The double pipe consisted of two pipes, which seem to have been occasionally united together by a common mouthpiece, and played each with the corresponding hand. It was not only used or. solemn occasions, (281) 282 SACRED LYRICS. but very generally at festive banquets, both among the Egyptians and the Greeks. Men, but more frequently women, played upon it. The Psalms are lyrical in the strict and proper sense ; for with the Hebrews, as in the ancient world generally, song and music were connected, and the titles of most of the Psalms manifestly point to their connection with music, although not in a manner very intelligible to us. Moreover, these compositions deserve the name of lyric on account of their character as works of taste. The essence of lyric poetry is the immediate expression of feeling; and feeling is the sphere to which most of the Psalms belong. Pain, sorrow, fear, hope, joy, confidence, gratitude, submission to God, every- thing that moves and elevates the soul, is ex- pressed in these hymns. Most of them are the warm outpourings of the excited, sus- ceptible heart ; the fresh offspring of inspiration and elevation of thought; while only a few seem like the colder productions of artificial imitation ; and a few others are simply forms of prayer, Temple hymns, and collections of proverbs. There is a striking peculiarity in the Psalms which often adds great force to the meaning. It consists in this, that the thought or expres- sion of a preceding verse is resumed and carried forward in the next ; for example, in psalm exxi. we read thus : " I lift mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from Jehovah, Who hath made heaven and earth. He suffereth not my feet to be moved: Thy keeper slumbereth not. Lo, he slumbereth not, nor sleepeth, The keeper of Israel. "Jehovah is thy keeper ; Jehovah the shade at thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, Nor the moon by night. Jehovah preserveth thee from all evil, Preserveth thy soul. Jehovah preserveth thy going out and thy coming in, From this time fonh for evermore." The antithetic parallels of Hebrew poetry are those, which next offer themselves to our notice. In this species of parallelism two lines usually correspond with one another by an opposition of terms and sentiment; when the second is contrasted with the first, some- times in expressions, sometimes in sense only. This is not confined to any particular form. Thus in Proverbs we read : "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy." "A wise son rejoiceth his father; But a foolish son is the grief of his mother." In which instance every word has its opposite; "father" and "mother," in the last, being rel- atively opposite. Of the same kind are the following : "The lip of truth shall be established forever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment." "The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; But the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish." Here the antithesis is very beautiful and ef- fective. The most substantial structure, the house of the wicked, shall be thrown down; but the frailest tenement, the tabernacle, or shed, of the righteous, shall endure. Much indeed of the elegance, acuteness, and force of a great number of Solomon's wise sayings arise from this opposition of sentiment and diction. We are not, therefore, to expect frequent instances of it in the other poems of the Old Testament; especially those which are elevated in the style and more connected in the parts. But although it is of comparatively rare occurrence, it is by no means inconsistent with the superior kinds of Hebrew poetry, nor are examples wanting in them. A beautiful instance occurs in Hannah's thanksgiving ode: " The bow of the mighty is broken ; And they that stumbled are girded with strength. The full have hired themselves for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger." This striking peculiarity is one of the capti- vating charms of Hebrew poetry. Also we find it in some of the Psalms : THE GOOD WIFE.— PrOV. XXxi. 27. (283) 284 SONGS OF SOLOMON. "These in chariots, those on horses, But we, in the name of Jehovah — will be strong: They are bowed clown and fallen ; But we are risen, and maintain ourselves firm." " In whose eyes a vile person is contemned, But he that feareth the Lord honored : Who swears to the wicked, and breaks not his oath." " For his anger endureth but a moment, But his favor through life : Weeping may endure for a night, But jdV cometh in the morning." Even Isaiah sometimes makes use of these opposites in thought and sentiment by which, without departing from his usual dignity, he adds much to the beauty of his composition : " In a little anger have I forsaken thee ; But with great mercies will I receive thee again. In a short wrath, I hid my face for a moment from thee ; But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee. " Behold, my servants shall cat, But ye shall he famished ; Behold, my servants shall drink, But ye shall he thirsty; Behold, my servants shall rejoice, But ye shall be confounded." There is sometimes a change of parts in the same line, besides the opposition of the two lines, forming a kind of double antithesis. Thus in Proverbs we read as follows : "There is that maketh himself rich, Yet wanteth all things ; There is that maketh himself poor, Yet hath great riches." And likewise in the Song of Solomon : " I am swarthy, but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem ; As the tents of Kedar, as the pavilions of Solomon." The last line here is to be divided and sepa- rately applied to the preceding : " Swarthy as the tents of Kedar, comely as the pavilions of Solomon." No mode of expression could be more striking than this. To this class belongs also the riddle of Samson, referred to in a former chapter: " Out of the eater came forth meat, Out of the fierce came forth sweetms^.'' The Proverbs, as we are informed at the be- ginning and in other parts of the book, were written by Solomon, king of Israel ; and that he was the author of by far the greater por- tion of the proverbs which the book contains is admitted even by those who allege that the final chapters contain a supplement, the author- ship of which must be ascribed to other writers The Book of Proverbs. We are informed in Scripture that this wisest of kings, being desirous of employing, for the benefit of mankind, the wisdom which it had pleased God to bestow upon him, com- posed various works for their instruction ; and these works doubtless did much in their day to form and advance the Hebrew mind in the various branches of knowledge to which they belonged. They had thus an important use, and served the purpose to which they were directed ; and although it would be curious and interesting to possess all the works of this ancient sage, we have the less reason to regret that the present book, and, as most think, the Canticles and the Book of Ecclesiastes, are all that remain of the various works of him who is related to have spoken " three thousand pro- verbs ; " whose " songs were a thousand and five ; " and who " spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that springeth out of the wall ; " and who " spake also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes." The greater portion of these works was probably not admitted into the sacred canon on account of their not being designed for re- ligious instruction, or not being regarded as emanations of those higher inspirations which the books accounted sacred. In the posses- sion of Solomon's doctrinal and moral works, we may be consoled for the loss of his physi- cal and philosophical productions ; and enough happily remains to bear evidence of the ex- alted wisdom of their author. This Book of Proverbs, then, contains the maxims of long experience, framed by one who was well qualified, by his rare gifts and talents, to draw just lessons from a compre- a g NS' : %i? Ci A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM." Is. XI. 6. (285) 286 ARABIC PROVERBS. hensive survey of human life. His proverbs arejustly founded on principles of human na- ture, and so adapted to the permanent interests of men that they agree with the manners of every age, and may be assumed as rules for the direction of our conduct in every condition and rank of life, however varied in its com- plexion or diversified by circumstances : they embrace not only the concerns of private mo- rality, but the great objects of political im- portance. Subsequent moralists have done little more than dilate on the precepts and comment on the wisdom of Solomon. Wise Sayings. The Chinese and the Persians retain their partiality for proverbs, although they are not wanting in works in which " wisdom is di- gested, methodized, and reduced to order and connection." Burckhardt has also given us a collection of Arabic proverbs, with a com- mentary, many of which convey the same illus- trations of the usages of the people which we find in the sacred Book of Proverbs. In fact, it is necessary, to be thoroughly acquainted with the physical and intellectual condition of a people, to understand their proverbs well ; and he who has acquired this by diligent study, will best understand and most entirely enjoy the Proverbs of Solomon. As Burck- hardt's book is not common, the reader will not be displeased to see a few specimens of the proverbs which it contains : " Rather be sacrificed with an axe than require favors from others. Work (were it only) for a single grain, and reckon up the profits of him who does nothing. Follow the owl ; she will lead thee to a ruined place. The corn passes from hand to hand, but comes at last to the mill. A well from which thou drinkest, throw not a stone into it. The value of every man consists in what he does well. Advice given in the midst of a crowd is loathsome. A day that is not thine own, do not reckon it as of thy life. On the day of victory no fatigue is felt. Be diligent, and God will send profit. How many are the roads that lead not to the heart ! Him whom goodness cannot mend, evil will not mend. The soil of labor rather thnn the saffron of indolence. Those are the best riches which are spent in the proper place. God bless him who pays visits, and short visits ! A tree that affords thee shade, do not order it to be cnl down. In every head is some wisdom." The Proverbs of Solomon, and the other works ascribed to him, contain not a few of those allusions to water which we expect to find in an Oriental book. Such references in fact pervade the Bible from the beginning to the ending ; and rivers of water, wells, and gushing springs supply to the sacred poets and prophets some of their most vivid and happy images. In Proverbs alone we find such a graphic illustration as the following: " Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well." Which is very much elucidated by the fact that even at the present day every respectable house in Jerusalem has a reservoir or cistern sunk in the court-yard, which during the later spring rains is filled up with water, lasting over the long and dry summer, and is then again filled by the early rains of autumn. This is in fact the main dependence of the inhabi- tants of a region where springs of water are few, and where nearly all the rivers dry up very early in the summer. Therefore, a man who has no cistern must depend upon the cisterns of others, and be constantly asking what is really a great favor and an inconve- nience to them, while the supply from this source is in danger of being cut off as soon as the owners of the cistern think their sup- ply is likely to run short. We also find the following reference : " Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, And rivers of water in the streets." This to an Oriental is an image of the high- est degree of abundance and blessedness. It is, however, founded on facts. It could indeed not often occur in Palestine that the waste water of a fountain should run in streams through different streets ; but it does occur in some places where water is unusually abun- dant, as in Damascus : and to those who have been inured to the heat, the thirst, and the scarcity of water in Eastern climates, this run- THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 287 ning of the precious fluid to waste gives an i although it has passed from the Bible into idea of redundant plenty and luxurious extrav- 1 common use among ourselves, is with us com- agance, which the inhabitants of well-watered regions Cannot easily apprehend. The proverb — " Stolen waters are sweet ' paratively unmeaning. No one steals water here. The proverb is only felt in its due force in such climates as those in which it origi- -288 WATER AS AN EMBLEM. nated ; where water is often scarce, and, there- fore, so valuable as to be an object of care and solicitude to the owners ; is often bought at a price we should consider exorbitant ; and often stolen by those who will not or cannot buy. Many illustrative passages will occur to those familiar with Scripture. The strifes about wells of water and the watering of flocks ; the offer of the Israelites to buy (that is, not steal) the water they required in passing through Edom ; the doleful complaint of the prophet, •" We have bought our water for money," and other like passages, may be instanced: " The liberal soul shall be made fat; And he that watereth others shall be watered." The sentiment indicated by this figure is obvious ; but the fact on which it is founded cannot be apprehended or felt strongly in a moist climate like ours, where real thirst for water is scarcely known. But it follows that, where water is scarce and precious, and where also the heat of the climate makes every one need a large quantity of water daily, the lib- erality of " watering others," that is, of giving water freely to the thirsty, is most strongly felt and gratefully acknowledged. In fact, in the Scriptures, liberality is as frequently in- stanced by giving water to the thirsty as by giving bread to the hungry. In another place the idea involved in the present verse is dwelt upon very strongly : " If thine enemy thirst, give him drink ; " and in the New Testament the Divine King, in the grand parable of the final judgment, mentioned, to the commenda- tion of the righteous : " I was thirsty and ye gave me drink ; " and the denial of drink to His thirst is noticed in His condemnation of the wicked. In another case our Saviour uttered the memorable words : " Whosoever shall give •you a cup of water to drink, because ye be- long to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." " The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water." That is, that although the breach may seem at first unimportant, it is widened by the action of the water, which at length bursts forth in a mighty stream which can be checked no longer, and not only ex- hausts and wastes the fertilizing waters of kindness and love, but spreads damage and ruin all around. " The law of the wise is a fountain of life." A fountain of life is a living fountain, that is, a perennial spring, or a spring which sends forth a running stream. In this sense it is contrasted with dead or stagnant water, such as that of reservoirs, lakes and ponds. " Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water; But a man of understanding will draw it out." This very fine proverb refers to the depth of wells before the water is reached. In Pal- estine this is often very great. The celebrated well of Jacob, near Shechem, is stated by travellers to be one hundred and five feet deep, with only five feet of water in it — now, at least. It is not improbable that Solomon had this very well in view. The labor of drawing from such a well may possibly have contributed to the first unwillingness of the woman of Samaria to give drink therefrom to the thirsting Saviour : " Sir, thou hast noth- ing to draw with, and the well is deep." From such wells water is often drawn by hand in a not too heavy leathern bucket, sometimes by a windlass, but oftener by means of the sha- doof, which is the most common and simple of all the machines used in the East for rais- ing water, whether from rivers or from wells. An Ancient Well-Sweep. It consists of two posts or pillars of wood, or of mud and canes or rushes, about five feet in height, and less than three feet apart, with a horizontal piece of wood extending from top to top, to which is suspended a slender lever, formed of a branch of a tree, having at one end a weight, chiefly composed of mud, and at the other, suspended from two long palm-sticks, a vessel in the form of a bowl, : made of basket-work, or of a hoop and a piece of woollen stuff or leather ; with this (vessel the water is thrown up. That this mode of raising water is very • ancient is shown by an example which is rep- THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 289 resented in the mural paintings of the Egyp-lmore ancient mode is preserved in Syria, and tians. The difference between this and that ' indeed in most other countries where the prin- of which we have given the description is, chiefly, that the lever is not suspended from, but balanced upon the cross-beam. And this 19 ciple of the balance and lever is applied to the raising of water. This principle is extensively applied to that purpose throughout Asia, was 290 DRAWING WATER. formerly used extensively in Europe, and is now in use from one end of Russia to the other, where the numerous levers" kicking the beam," and therefore rising high in the air, is a strik- ing characteristic of the villages. In this case, as in China, the lever is usually balanced upon a stout pole, forked at the upper end ; and it of course follows that the stock is higher, and the lever and rope longer in proportion to the depth of the well or stream from which the water is to be taken, or to the height to which it is to be raised. In Syria, where the walls are deep, the stock is high and the rope long ; but in that country (including Palestine) the shadoof is less common than in other parts -of Asia ; but where it is found, as in the neighborhood of Jaffa, the lever is balanced and not suspended. With this simple machine, which is like -our old-fashioned well-sweep, the chief labor is not to raise the bucket when full, but to -overcome the resistance of the lever's loaded end in lowering the bucket when empty. When the river is too low or the banks too high for shadoofs on the same level to bring water to the surface of the soil, a series of four or five shadoofs, or sets of shadoofs, is rendered necessary. The water is then raised from the river by one set, and discharged into a trench, from which it is taken by another set, and raised to a higher trench, and so on to the top. Watered Gardens. There is every reason to think that the con- trivances for irrigation now used in Western Asia are as old as the art of husbandry itself in the same region, and we are led to suppose that similar contrivances existed among the ancient Hebrews. Under this view the sub- ject assumes a degree of Biblical interest, from the frequent allusions in Scripture to "watered gardens," and to the general im- portance of irrigation. We have already described the shadoof, which is so much used for raising water. Another machine much employed for the same purpose is the sackiyeh, or Persian wheel. The name seems to indicate the country of its origin, but it is now largely em- ! ployed on the banks of all the principal rivers of Western Asia for the purpose of raising water for the irrigation of fields and gardens. The sackiyeh mainly consists of a vertical wheel, which raises the water in earthen pots attached to cords, and forms a continu- ous series ; a second vertical wheel, fixed to the same axis, with cogs, and a large horizon- tal cogged wheel, which, being turned by a pair of cows or bulls, or by a single beast, puts in motion the former wheels and pots. The construction of this machine is of a very rude kind, and its motion produces a disagreeable creaking noise. It will be perceived that the revolution of the wheels takes down the string of buckets empty on one side, and brings them up full on the other. It is thus, by the wheel and string of buckets, that water is usually raised from wells in Palestine and Syria, although the shadoof is sometimes employed. A Novel Sight. The Scottish Missionary Deputation ob- served at the public well outside the village of Khanounes near Gaza, what they call a Persian wheel, at work : it was turned by a camel, and poured a copious supply of water into a trough. What these pious and intelli- gent travellers say of this well applies to all other public Eastern wells, and illustrates the usages which the Scriptures indicate. " The well is evidently the rendezvous for idlers, gazers, and talkers, and as much a place of public resort as the market. Old and young, cattle and camels were crowded together. The coolness of the spot and the prospect of meeting others no doubt induced many to take their seat by the well-side." This brings to mind the adventures of Eleazer and Jacob at the well of Haran, of Moses at the well of Midian, and even in some degree of that which, befell our Lord at Jacob's well. Another and more simple mode of raising water, which the travellers just cited observed in Palestine, gave them much amusement, but which is very familiar to persons of wider travel in the East. At Doulis in Philistia, THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 291 " while the servants were pitching the tent we i rope is attached by one end to a large bucket wandered through the place, and sitting down I made of skin, and let down over a pulley, by the well observed the women come to I while the other end is attached to a bullock, draw water. The well is very deep, and the I which is driven up and down the slope of the mode of drawing up the water curious. A | hill; the skin of water is thus hauled up to 292 THE SWINGING BUCKET. the top, where a man stands ready to empty I of raising water from rivers, canals, and reser- it into the trough, from which women receive! voirs, to irrigate fields and gardens, is thus de- the water into earthenware jugs. To us this I scribed : Where the elevation of the bank over was a novel and amusing sight." I which water is to be lifted is trifling, they some- Another very simple mode for the purpose ' times adopt the following simple method : — A THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 293 light water-tight bucket is held suspended, on ropes between two men, who by alternately relaxing and tightening the ropes by which they hold it between them, give a certain swing- ing motion to the bucket, which first fills it with water, and then empties it with a jerk upon the higher level, the elastic spring which is in the bend of the ropes serving to diminish the labor to a very great extent. Grounds intended to be artificially irrigated are usually divided into squares by ridges of earth or furrows. The water is conducted from the machine, or from the trough or cistern which is connected therewith, by a narrow gutter, and is admitted into one square after another by the gardener, who is always ready, as occasions require, to stop or divert the torrent, by turning the earth against it with his foot, and opening at the same time with his mattock a new trench to receive it. This mode of distributing water over land rarely refreshed by rain is more than once alluded to in the Scriptures ; and, indeed, a distinction is founded upon it between Egypt and the land of Canaan : — "The land whither thou goest to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot as a garden of herbs ; but the land whither ye go to possess is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven." This evidently expresses that the land of Canaan was naturally so much better watered by rain than the land of Egypt, that this mode of artificial irrigation would not there, as in Egypt, be required for arable lands, but only for gardens; and this distinction exists at the present day. In Palestine artificial irrigation is only used for gardens ; for the irrigation of the arable lands the inhabitants trust to the rains of heaven, the moisture afforded by which is sedulously economized and preserved as long as possible in the soil, by the cultivation of the hills in successive terraces, which is the usual mode of culture among the hills of Palestine and Lebanon, f<3r those objects of culture which do not afford their produce till late in the season. Grain does not need this care, as it is harvested before the summer heats have absorbed the moisture of the plains. The above explanation of " watering by the foot " is the only one which can be deduced from any present practice in Egypt. A Singular Illusion. Having thus been led to give attention to the subject of water, we ma)' add a few words respecting the mirage, or the illusive appear- ance of water, often witnessed in the dry plains of Egypt and Syria. The Scottish Missionary Deputation, when in Egypt, noticed this illu- sion : " In the distance we observed the well- known phenomenon of the mirage, to which the prophet Isaiah is supposed to allude : ' The parched ground shall become a pool.' At one time we saw what appeared to be a calm flow- ing water, reflecting from its unruffled surface the trees growing on its banks, while some object in the background assumed the appear- ance of a splendid residence amidst a grove of trees. At another time there appeared castles embosomed in a forest of palms, with a lake of clear water stretched between us and them. Generally the mirage may be well known by its continually shifting the view, and by the hazy movement of the atmosphere over the apparent waters." Another traveller describes the same phe- nomenon as seen by him in the lowlands of Sinai : — " During the early part of the day we several times beheld the phenomenon of the mirage, or false water of the desert. Its resemblance to a diminutive lake was certainly very striking, since it not only reflected the bushes on its margin, but had something of the ripple of water, and was streaked by those narrow shining particles of light observable on the surface of lakes when viewed from a distance, producing a very striking effect." Natural History in Proverbs. So acute an observer, and one so interested in the study of natural history, as Solomon, was likely to have his attention attracted by the art to which, in the East, some persons 294 THE BABBLER. have in all ages pretended, of being able to I the serpent will bite without enchantment, and exercise a strange power over the venomous I a babbler is no better." David also has a serpents, and to handle them freely without I similar and even more distinct allusion to the harm. We accordingly find an allusion to i same fact, which would be readily understood this remarkable fact in his writings : " Surely | by an Oriental mind ° THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 295 ■" Their poison is like the poison of serpents; They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, Which will not hearken to the voice of the charmer, Charming never so wisely." Jeremiah also : -' Behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, Which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, sahh the Lord." These passages refer to a practice so opposed to all our notions and knowledge, as to give some interest to the explanation to which they point, and which is perhaps only needed be- cause of our own immunity from the evils which the presence of poisonous serpents creates. They afford in fact the earliest ex- isting references to the practice of serpent- charming. Our other ancient information is founded on the practices of the Psylli, a people of Cyrenaica, who were the most celebrated serpent-charmers of ambiguity, and who are frequently mentioned by the classical writers. Their gift was supposed to be a natural power inherent to the race — a kind of gypsies, apparently. Lucan makes the same statement, and affords many additional particulars. A body of these Psylli undertook to protect the Roman camp in Africa from serpents, by which the region was much infested. They kept -marching around it chanting their " mystic songs ; " but also employed the natural and probably more effective expedient of surround- ing the camp by a line of fires, made of different kinds of wood, the smell of which was to keep the serpents from approaching. When any soldier abroad in the daytime happened to be bitten, the Pyslli undertook to cure him. First, to prevent, as they said, the poison from spreading while they used their arts in charm- ing it forth, they rubbed the wounded part with saliva. Then sudden he begins the mystic song, And rolls the numbers hasty o'er his tongue; Swift he runs on, nor pauses once for breath, To stop (he progress of approaching death; He fears the cure might suffer by delay, And life be lost but for a moment's stay. Thus oft, though deep within the veins it lies, By magic numbers chased, the mischief flies. But if to hear too slow — if still it stay, And scorn the potent charmer to obey, With forceful lips he fastens on the wound, Draws out and spits the venom to the ground. — Pliarsalia. In this account the voice is repeatedly men- tioned as the instrument by which the charm- ers worked ; and it is to " the voice of the charmer" that the psalmist refers in the text we have cited. The charmers, doubtless, as in the case mentioned by Lucan, used a form of words as a charm, or chanted a song in some peculiar measure ; and to the words of the song or the charm were attributed the effects really assignable to the human voice. Egypt and Northern Africa in the West, and India in the East, are the countries where serpent-charming in all its forms is now most generally practiced. /Elian, speaking of the power possessed by the Egyptians over snakes and birds, says : " They are said to be enabled by a certain magical art to bring down birds from heaven, and to charm serpents so as to make them come forth from their lurking- places at their command." Sir J. G. Wilkin- i son remarks, with reference to the practice of the modern Psylli : " The Egyptian asp is a species of the cobra de capello, and is still very common in Egypt, where it is called Na- shir, a word signifying ' spreading,' from its dilating its breast when angry. It is the same which the Psylli of modern days use in their juggling tricks, having previously taken care to extract its fangs ; or, which is a still better precaution, to burn out the poison-bag with a hot iron. They are generally about three or four feet long, but some are considerably larger, one in my possession measuring ex- actly six feet in length. They are easily tamed. Their food is mice, frogs and various reptiles, and they mostly live in gardens dur- ing the warm weather, where they are of great use — the reason probably of their being chosen in ancient times as a protecting emblem. In the winter they retire to their holes and re- main in a torpid state, being incapable of bear- ing cold, as I had reason to observe with two I kept in the house at Cairo, which died in 296 THE EGYPTIAN ASP. one night, though wrapped up in a skin and, i sound of the human voice, while others are as 1 fully thought, protected from the air." | exempt from it, and cannot be subjected by The facts of serpent-charming seem to be these : That certain species of serpents really are subject to influence from music or the the charmer, " charm he never so wisely." It is to these doubtless that the psalmist and Jeremiah allude. It also appears that nat- THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 297 urally poisonous serpents, having their poison- fangs extracted or the poison-bag destroyed, and being then tamed, are played with by the charmer and even suffered to bite him. The process of destroying the poison-fangs is ob- viously alluded to by the psalmist, where, in the verse immediately following that which we have cited, he says : " Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth." No instance of the wound of a really poisonous serpent being cured by serpent-charmers has been met with. In the case recorded by Lucan, it may be clearly perceived that the serpent-bites which the Psylli pretended to cure by charms, songs, and saliva, were the bites of serpents not poi- sonous ; but when the symptoms evinced that the wound was from a poisonous serpent they resorted to the very natural and by no means occult expedient of sucking the wound to extract the poison. The author of " Oriental Illustrations " says : "The serpent-charmer may be found in every village, and some who have gained great fame actually live by the art. Occasionally they travel about the district to exhibit their skill. In a basket they have several serpents, which they place on the ground. The charmer then commences playing on his instrument, and to talk to the reptiles, at which they creep out, and begin to mantle about with their heads erect and their hoods distended. After this he puts his arm to them, which they affect to bite, and sometimes leave the marks of their teeth." This writer expresses, " from close observa- tion," the same conviction with respect to the fangs having been extracted, which Sir J. G. Wilkinson declares with respect to those used by the serpent-charmers of Egypt. He adds : " Living animals have been repeatedly offered to the man for his serpents to bite ; but he would not allow it, because he knew that no harm would ensue. It is, however, granted that some of these men believe in the power of their charms, and there can be no doubt that the serpents even in their wild state are affected by the influence of music. One of these men once went to a friend of mine with his serpents and charmed them before him. After some time the gentleman said, ' I have a cobra de capello in a cage ; can you charm him?' 'Oh! yes,' said the charmer. The serpent was let out of the cage, and the man began his incantations and charms : the reptile fastened upon his arm, and he was dead before the night." In an interesting account of Egyptian ser- pent-charming, given by Mr. Lane in his " Modern Egyptians," the writer states that the men for the most part profess to detect the presence of serpents in houses, and to draw them forth from their retreats. He says that the serpent-charmer assumes an air of mys- tery, strikes the walls with a short palm-stick, whistles, makes a clucking noise with his tongue, and spits upon the ground, and gen- erally says: " I adjure you by God, if ye be above, or if ye be below, that ye come forth ; I adjure you by the most great name, if ye be obedient, come forth, and if ye be disobe- dient, die ! die! die!" The serpent is gener- ally dislodged by his stick from a fissure of the wall, or drops from the ceiling of the room. Mr. Lane adds, that he has known this to be effected under circumstances in which decep- tion could hardly take place, and is inclined to think that the persons are acquainted with some real physical means of discovering the presence of serpents without seeing them, and of attracting them from their lurking-places, wherever these may be. Biblical References to Lions. These noble animals are mentioned about sixty times in Scripture, and several of these notices are in the Psalms. This frequency of allusion, united to the intimate acquaintance with the habits of the lion which these allu- sions evince, renders it manifest that the ani- mal was in ancient times far from uncommon in Palestine. Indeed there are passages in which the presence of the lion in the country is distinctly mentioned, as in Samson's conflict with the lion in his journey to Timnath, in David's defeat of the lion which sought to- prey upon his flock, and in the allusion of 298 LIONS. Jeremiah to the coming up of the lions from I instances of the disappearance of wild animals the brakes of the Jordan, when that swollen I in certain regions where they were once com- river periodically overflowed its lower banks. | mon. Lions are not now found nearer to There are certainly no lions in Palestine j Palestine than the rivers Euphrates and Tigris ; now ; and this is, therefore, one of the many | for they prefer the banks of rivers, on account THE PSALMS AND PROVERBS. 299 of the more abundant prey which they obtain from among the animals which resort to the streams for drink. It was thus that they in- fested the Jordan in the time of Jeremiah. On the rivers mentioned they live in dens, whence at night they prowl forth for prey, or dart forth suddenly upon such animals as unwarily draw near their hiding-place. While at the mouth of his den or elsewhere watching for his prey, the position and man- ner of the lion is like that of a cat while watch- ing the movements of a mouse. He eyes the 'approach of his victim with the most cautious attention, carefully avoiding the least noise, lest he should give warning of his presence and designs. This is the habit alluded to by the psalmist, " He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den ; he lieth in wait to catch the poor ; he croucheth and humbleth himself that the poor may fall by his strong ones. " Again, '" Lake a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places." From his lurking-place the lion commonly leaps upon his victim at one spring, the extent and force of which are tremendous. The great force with which the mighty beast strikes dead and rends its prey, supplies a figure in psalm vii. : " Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces while there is none to deliver ; " and many other of the Scriptural allusions to the lions are to the same •effect. In psalm xvii. the allusion to the greedi- ness of the lion, " like a lion that is greedy of his prey," must be understood with reference to the indisposition of this powerful beast to allow any other carnivorous animal to feed in its presence or to share its prey. A very re- markable example of this occurred recently in one of the menageries. A lion had been brought to permit two leopards to share its cage, and they lived together on easy if not on friendly terms. The leopards were always withdrawn at the time of feeding, but it was at length resolved to try the dangerous experi- ment of feeding them together. The meat was thrown in, but no sooner did the leopards lay liold of their pieces than the lion rushed upon one of them and slew him on the spot; and the other would have shared the same fate but for the keeper's interference. This is, without doubt, the habit which the psalmist had in view; and the minute accu- racy of observation evinced in all the Scriptural allusions to the habits and character of animals is the more remarkable by comparison with the fables and absurd or incorrect statements which disfigure all our ancient accounts. The Stork. The stork is known in Scripture by a name which means " kind," in manifest allusion to the great kindness of disposition, the almost human consideration manifested by the pairs, by the old ones to the young, and by the young to the old. Their constant return to the same localities in towns and upon the tops of buildings, also suggested the idea of local attachments, to which, by the associations which they convey, the notion of " kindly " dispositions is inseparably connected. Besides, its constant return, as often happens, to the higher points of those house-tops to which the inhabitants themselves constantly resort conveys the notion of personal and family attachment ; and it is impossible to see these large and respectable-looking birds re- turn to the same house-top year after year at the appointed time, and to the same large nest every evening after the labors of the day, mak- ing themselves so quietly comfortable, without regarding them as old and attached members of the family, or retainers of the house. And the manner in which they turn or lift up their heads when one comes to the house- top, and then relapse into repose, or resume their former posture, implies something like personal recognition ; nor is there much rea- son to doubt that they do become acquainted with the persons of the inmates of the house which they have chosen for their own domicile. The degree of confidence in man which all this implies is never in any country abused. In some countries the murder of a man would occasion far less sensation than the killing of a stork. In many places this is a criminal of- 300 SINGULAR SUPERSTITION. fence punishable by the laws, and in others i have attributed all the calamities of their lives the slayer of a stork would be very roughly I to their having unintentionally destroyed a. handled, if not torn in pieces, by the populace. I stork ; and there are thousands now living in It is known that many persons in high sta- (the world who would consider this as nearly the tion, in the countries which the stork frequents, greatest misfortune which could befall them. CHAPTER XXVI. THE WEEPING PROPHET. ANY of the prophets are furnished with a biography more complete than that of Jeremiah. Hil- kiah, his father, is supposed by some to be the same who was high-priest in the reign of Josiah. This is uncertain : but we know that he was of sacerdotal extraction. He was a native of Ana- thoth, a town of the priests, about three miles to the north of Jerusalem, in the territory of Benja- min. He was called to the prophetic of- fice nearly at the same time with Zephaniah, in the thirteenth year of king Josiah, when he was of very early age. Thus, like David, the shepherd, he began his public life very young. He then diffidently sought to decline the appointment on the score of his youth, until, under the Divine encouragements, he obeyed, and continued to prophesy upwards of forty years, during several successive reigns of the degenerate descendants of Josiah, to whom he fearlessly revealed those marks of the Divine vengeance which their fluctuating and re- bellious conduct drew on themselves and their country. As he had all along counselled sub- mission to the power of the Chaldaeans, he was favorably noticed by them after the destruction ■of Jerusalem, and he was suffered to remain, to bewail the miseries and desolation of Judah. He knew, however, that the exile and deso- lation had an appointed term, and he failed not to send consolatory assurances to that effect to his captive countrymen. Eventually, Jeremiah was carried away, with his disciple Baruch, into Egypt, by Johanan, who, contrary to his advice and prophetic ad- monitions, resolved to remove thither, out of dread of the undistinguished vengeance of the Chaldaeans for the slaughterwhich Ishmael had perpetrated. According to the account pre- served by St. Jerome, he was stoned to death at Tahpanhes, a royal city of Egypt, about 586 b. c, either by his own countrymen there settled, as is usually stated, or by the Egyp- tians, to both of whom he rendered himself obnoxious by the terrifying prophecies which he uttered. The Chronicle of Alexandria alleges that the prophet had incensed the Egyptians by foretelling that their idols should be destroyed by an earthquake at the time that the Saviour of men should be born and placed in a manger. This is of course a fiction ; and, as Bishop Gray remarks, his prophecies, which are still extant, respecting the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, must alone have been suffi- cient to excite the fears and hatred of those against whom they were uttered. There are, however, other accounts which relate that the prophet returned to his own country ; and travellers are still shown a place in the neigh- borhood of Jerusalem, where, as they are told, Jeremiah composed his prophecies, and where a monument to his memory was erected by Constantine. There is, however, more reason to conclude that he ended his life in Egypt. Many circumstances relating to Jeremiah are interspersed in his own writings. He lived in that most eventful period when the kingdom of Judah, torn asunder by intestine disorders, could only by the special protection of God (301) 302 JEREMIAH'S PATRIOTISM. — to which it had forfeited all claim — be pre-i vented from falling a sacrifice in the collision of the two prevailing powers, Babylon and Egypt. His efforts to retard or prevent the ruin of his country, which he loved with the ' most exalted patriotism, were rewarded by his I corrupt contemporaries with ingratitude, and even with a prison and attempt at murder. I ent times collections of what he had delivered. The first seems to have been formed in the first year of Jehoiakim, when the prophet was expressly commanded by God to write upon a roll all the prophecies which he had uttered concerning Israel, Judah, and other nations; and this he did by means of Baruch. But this roll having been burnt by Jehoiakim, another ANCIENT JERUSALEM He himself touchingly complains of this treat- ment: " Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me, A man of strife and contention with all the land! I have neither borrowed nor lent on usury, Yet every one doth curse me." Again : " I knew not that they had devised devices against me, [Saying], Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, And let us cut him off from the land of the living, That his name may be no more remembered." Jeremiah appears to have formed at differ- I Chr 23- was written under the prophet's direction, with many additional particulars. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the prophet seems to have collected into one book all the prophecies which he had delivered before the taking of Jerusalem. To this he probably added such further revelations as he had occasionally re- ceived during the government of Gedaliah, and during the residence in Egypt, the ac- count of which terminates with the fifty-first chapter. Jeremiah appears to have been pre-ordained as a prophet, both to the Jews and Gentiles. THE WEEPING PROPHET. so; He certainly delivered many prophecies rela- tive to foreign nations. His name translated is, "he shall exalt Jehovah." His reputation was so considerable, that some of the fathers fancifully supposed that as his death is no- where mentioned in Scripture, he was living in the time of Christ, whom, as the gospel informs us, some supposed to have been this prophet. They likewise apply to him and to Elias what St. John mysteriously speaks of — two witnesses that should prophesy 1260 days; which superstitious fictions serve, at least, to show the traditional reverence that was enter- tained for the memory of the prophet, who long afterwards continued to be venerated as one of the greatest saints that had flourished under the old covenant ; as having lived not only with the general strictness of a prophet, but, as was believed, in a state of celibacy ; and as having terminated his righteous minis- try by martyrdom. The literary character or style of Jeremiah's prophecies has been examined by different Biblical scholars with much attention. By none has it been more carefully discriminated than by De Wette, who thus writes on the subject: " In Jeremiah's prophecies the spirit of his time and the condition of his people are faith- fully reflected. His humor is sad, and melan- choly, and depressed. His thoughts have no great elevation, and only attempt short, single flights. But he is by no means destitute of noble and expanded ideas ; nor does he lack deep feeling. Of the last the following among other specimens may be quoted : • For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn ; amazement hath taken hold of me ; Is there no balm in Gilead ? Is there no physician there ? Why then are not the wounds of my people healed ? O that my head were waters, And mine eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people.' " His style is without uniformity or consistency in regard to expression or rhythm. It is un- equal ; frequently energetic and cone: pecially in the first twelve chapters. It is full of repetitions and of fixed thoughts and ex- pressions. But it is not without certain charms of its own. Jerome says of him: "As he is simple and easy in his language, so is he the most profound in the majesty of his thoughts. In language he seems more rustic than Isaiah or Hosea, and some other prophets among the Hebrews, but in thought he is equal to them. The style, with its alternations, now rising to rhythm, now sinking to prose, is attractive. It is like the flickering of a flame which finds not sufficient fuel. Sometimes whole passages are repeated ; sometimes images, thoughts, and expressions." Jerusalem's Calamity. This writer adds, that the passages in the prophecies of Jeremiah which relate to foreign nations are distinguished by a more energetic tone, and by a more animated style, which has a tendency to rhythm. Of this peculiarity ! different explanations have been given. It is probably because most of these passages are composed of threatenings ; for it has been re- marked that the threatenings in the more do- mestic portions of his prophecies are distin- guished by the same characteristic. His ad- monitions are very little elevated above prose. To understand the great events in the life of Jeremiah it will be needful to remember that Jerusalem had fallen into the hands of the king of Babylon, who had taken a multi- tude of captives, and had even robbed the holy Temple of its sacred furniture. King Jehoiakim, who had been unfaithful to his obligations, was not at all amended by this calamity and degradation, for his was one of the minds which suffering hardens and not reforms. His obvious policy was to ad- here to the solemn vows of allegiance which he had taken to the Chaldaeans ; and this was the policy which the prophet Jeremiah urged upon him with the utmost earnestness. But the Egyptian party was strong at court, and, yielding to their views and to the flattering prospect which they drew, the unhappy king 304 THE WEEPING PROPHET. liad the temerity to renounce his fealty to the king of Babylon, to whose clemency "he owed his life and his throne, before the echo of his vows had well passed away. The consciousness of the dangerous posi- pumshment. As these things, amid general threatenings of calamity, had no effect upon the king's obdurate spirit, his own personal doom was no longer hidden from him. Jere- miah foretold that his death should be such ZEDEKIAH CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE. — Jer. 111. I tion in which he was placed by this act did not tend to soften his character ; his conduct became even more harsh, tyrannical and op- pressive, and the streets of Jerusalem were frequently sprinkled with the blood of inno- cent and upright men. Among these was the prophet Urijah, whom the king slew with the sword for his declarations of coming evil and that none should lament, as for other kings. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had been interrupted in his operations for the subjuga- tion of Egypt and Western Asia by the news of his father's death, on which he crossed the desert with a few attendants and took posses- sion of the throne. When the news of Jehoi- akim's revolt reached him he was still at A KING IN CHAINS. 305 Babylon ; but, having no present leisure to chastise him in person, he was content to send orders to his lieutenants, in command west of the Euphrates, to act against him. This brought upon Judah a constant succes- sion of harassing invasions from the neighbor- ing nations subject to Babylon, in which the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites in par- ticular manifested the most malignant activity, while the Syrians and Arabs were not be- hindhand in cruelty and violence. Deeds of Cruelty. At length the person of Jehoiakim was secured, and he was sent off to Nebuchad- nezzar, who had by that time returned to Syria, and was then at Riblah. The monarch at first put him in chains to send him to Babylon ; but he altered his mind and took him back in his train to Jerusalem. There, a degraded captive in the royal city of his fathers, the miserable king died, his end being prob- ably hastened by mortification and grief; and we are bound to conclude that his corpse was refused a place in the sepulchre of the kings, and was treated with all the ignominy which Jeremiah had foretold. When Nebuchadnezzar thus arrived in per- son at Jerusalem he found that the people had already raised Jehoiachin (called also Jeconiah and Coniah), the son of Jehoiakim, to the throne. But this appointment, made without his concurrence, he refused to sanction. Still, however, desirous to keep up the monarchy under its native princes, he bestowed the throne on Mattaniah, a younger son of Josiah, and uncle of Jehoiachin. He changed his name to Zedekiah and bound him to loyalty by solemn oaths and covenants. The conqueror then departed, having first sent away to Babylon the king, Jehoiachin, together with his mother, his wives, his offi- cers, and his nobles, and all "the mighty men ■of valor," to the number of ten thousand out of Jerusalem only, besides the 'smiths, the carpenters, and other artificers. These, added to a similar deportation of warriors and artifi- cers which had previously taken place, de- 20 j nudcd the country of the flower of its popula- I tion and left little more than the crude mass of the people subject to the powerless sceptre of Zedekiah. Among the captives sent to Babylon on this occasion seems to have been Ezekiel, who in his captivity was called to be a prophet, and for many years exercised his ministry by the river Chebar in Babylonia, at the same time that Daniel enjoyed his honors in the imperial court. This severe punishment of the guilty king- dom was calculated to have been a salutary warning to the new king, who besides owed to the conqueror a crown which he would never have possessed in the ordinary course of events. But, with amazing infatuation, he soon began to attend to the supporters of the Egyptian policy, who still held their ground as a party in the land ; and in proportion as he manifested inclinations towards an Egyp- tian alliance, which had never produced any good for Israel, he necessarily neglected the obligations under which he had been placed to a power against which he was helpless, and independence of which could at the best be only obtained at the expense of dependence upon Egypt. Invasion by the Babylonians. Jeremiah vehemently protested against the errors of this policy, and distinctly foretold the evils which would flow from it ; and Eze- kiel in his exile poured forth prophecies to the same effect, for it seems that the exiled Hebrews were as sanguine of being restored to liberty as those in Palestine were of recov- ering their independence. At length, having concluded his alliance with Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt, Zedekiah, in the eighth year of his reign, ventured to cast off his allegiance to the Chaldaeans, and by this act drew upon himself that war which ended, as the prophets had foreshown, in the utter ruin of his kingdom. It was not, how- ever, until the next year that Nebuchadnezzar, having assembled a most powerful army, marched against the land of Judah. On his way through Syria he received intelligence 306 JERUSALEM ATTACKED. that the Ammonites had also revolted, and he I On, therefore, the Chaldaeans marched, clear- then hesitated which country first to invade, j ing the country before them with fire and Therefore, at " the parting of the way," or at I sword, and at length appeared before the walls JEREMIAH BUYING HIS KINSMAN S FIELD. Jer. XXXii. 6-12 the point where the roads divided, a lot was i of Jerusalem, which they immediately invested, cast with the arrows of divination, by which The king, expecting no mercy, and being con- it was decided that Judah should be first j fident of relief from Egypt, determined to de- attacked. I fend the place to the last extremity. The THE WEEPING PROPHET. 307 city was very strong and well supplied with water, so that it might hold out till the de- fenders were weakened by starvation ; know- ing this, the siege seems to have been turned by the besiegers into a close blockade which, in the course of time, reduced the people to the extremities of famine. Resisting- the Chaldaeans. In all this time the prophet urged submis- sion and foretold the consequences of con- tinued obstinacy. Annoyed at the continual remonstrances of Jeremiah, and fearful of their effect upon the people, the king again sent him to prison. Soon after this the hopes of the besieged were raised to the highest pitch by the actual advance of the Egyptians to their relief, when the Chaldaeans deemed it prudent to raise the siege and meet their new enemies half-way. The excitement of that interval may be easily conceived. Hour by hour they watched for the signal fires upon the hills and for the swift messengers which should announce the advance of the Egyp- tians over the slaughtered hosts of the com- mon enemy. The banners of the Chaldaeans were ere long- visible over the tops of the hills, and the mountains round about Jerusalem were cov- ered and the valleys filled with the returning hosts, at whose approach and formidable ap- pearance the Egyptians had retired in alarm to their own country without striking a single blow for their miserable ally of Judah. Jere- miah, who had been removed to an easier confinement in the court of the prison, again renewed his exhortations to surrender the city to the Chaldaeans ; but there were not wanting false prophets, who buoyed up the hopes of Zedekiah with assurances that the city would not be taken. Terrible Effeets of the Siege. So the king still held out, till the miseries of the people became so great that women, naturally tender and pitiful, devoured their own children for food. This could not last ; and at length Zedekiah, perceiving that all hope of saving the city was vain, endeavored with his few remaining troops to escape from the place by a private postern which the en- emy had not secured. But the fugitives were pursued and overtaken in the plains of Jericho, where the royal guards were soon dispersed, and the king and all his children were taken prisoners. The wretched king, together with his family and nobles, were then sent off to Riblah in Syria, where Nebuchadnezzar at that time held his court. Here he was regarded and dealt with as a traitor. His children were slain before his eyes, and it was with ingenious cruelty ordered that this should be his last sight, the horrid image of which should haunt all his remaining days, for immediately after his eyes were put out, and he was sent away in chains to Babylon, where he ended his days in prison. In the following month Nebuzar-adan, the Chaldaean commander in charge of the siege of Jerusalem, took possession of the city and committed the most dreadful carnage among those who had survived the calamities of the siege. Nebuchadnezzar, enraged at the long and obstinate defence of the place, resolved that it should give no more trouble to him- self or his successors. He commanded Neb- uzar-adan to raze the city to the ground with- out even sparing the Temple. Accordingly the general began his operations two days after he had taken possession of the city. After the Temple had been stripped of all its treasures and valuables, and after the city had for two days been abandoned to pillage, both the Temple and the city were set on fire, and were thus consumed and desolated. The black masses of wall, fortress and tower that the fire left standing were demolished and razed to the very ground, so that of the city of David and the Temple of Solomon nothing but a heap of ruins remained. In memory of this great national calamity two fasts were instituted, which are kept up even to this day: the first, on the seventeenth of the fourth month (answering to our June) ; and the second, on the ninth of the fifth 308 MURDER AND FLIGHT. month (corresponding to July): the first, for the taking of the city ; and the other, for the destruction of the Temple. That holy fabric parture of the Israelites from Egypt, thus completing the great calamity. The miserable end of a city endowed with JEREMIAH WARNS THE REMNANT NOT TO GO TO EGYPT. Jer. xlii. 1 1 was destroyed four hundred and twenty-four I such eminent privileges as had belonged to years after its foundation by Solomon, and i Jerusalem, and the ensuing sending into exile nine hundred and three years from the de- 1 of all the people, save only the poor of the THE WEEPING PROPHET. 309 land, who were left to till the ground, was lamented in doleful strains by the Prophet Jeremiah : " How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people ! How is she become a widow, that was great among the nations ! The princess among the provinces — how is she become tributary." This beautiful personification of the city as a woman sitting in desolate widowhood is re- peated elsewhere in the graphic line — " She, being desolate, sitteth on the ground ; " and it might almost seem to have been pres- ent to the minds of the Romans, when, in the medals representing the second destruction of the same city, they represented "the Daughter of Zion" as sitting desolate under a solitary palm-tree. The prophet proceeds : " She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: Among all her lovers, she hath found none to comfort her ; All her friends have dealt treacherously, and have become her enemies. Judah is gone into captivity. She dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest ; The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn fea»ts : All her gates are desolate : her priests sigh; Her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness." And then the bitterness of these evils was enhanced by the remembrance of past bless- ings : "Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries All the pleasant things that she had in the days of old." Jeremiah himself was released from prison when the city was taken by Nebuzar-adan, who was made acquainted with the earnest- ness with which the prophet had counselled timely submission to the Chaldaeans. He offered, in the name of his master, to take him to Babylon and provide for him there ; but the prophet chose rather to remain in the land, to which he was the rather induced by his friend Gedaliah being appointed governor of the country and of the miserable remnant left in it. Gedaliah was a good man, of easy tem- per and unsuspicious character, and not per- haps the better fitted by these qualities for the difficult place he was appointed to fill. He fixed his residence at Mizpeh, and, if left to himcslf, might perhaps have succeeded in estab- lishing something like order and quiet among the fragments of a nation which had been left in his charge. But, as soon as it became known that the Chaldaean forces were withdrawn, many tur- bulent men who had fled into the neighboring countries began to return, and they were not well affected towards the government of Geda- liah ; some because they deemed his claims in- ferior to those of others, and some because they hated to see a Jew in the position of a Babylonian governor. Among these returned fugitives was Ishmael, a member of the royal family, who little brooked that even the shadow of a sceptre should be wielded in Judah by one who belonged not to his illus- trious house. He organized a conspiracy to take away the governor's life. Gedaliah had a friendly warning of this, but the good man refused to give it any credit ; and this generous confidence was rewarded by his being shortly after murdered, with all his at- tendants and partisans, at Mizpeh, by Ishmael and his associates. They knew very well that the Chaldaeans would not fail to avenge this act, and therefore hastened to escape to the land of the Ammonites. In doing this they attempted to carry off with them several of the few re- maining persons of consequence, including one of the daughters of the blinded king Zedekiah, that royal captive in chains. Now, however, the friend who had warned Gedaliah of Ishmael's designs, got together a number of resolute men and pursued after them ; and not only recovered the persons who had been taken away, but dispersed or slew his followers, so that he escaped with only eight men to the Ammonites. J^nan himself, and those who were of sufficient note in the land to be objects of attention to the (310) THE WEEPING PROPHET. 311 Chaldaeans, then became apprehensive that they should become the victims of the undistin- guishing vengeance of the conquerors, and resolved to withdraw into Egypt. This inten- tion was vehemently opposed by Jeremiah, but so far from heeding his remonstrances, they constrained him to go with them. They had not long taken their departure be- fore Nebuzar-adan arrived in the country with the view of avenging the murder of Gedaliah, and the slaughter of the Chaldaean guard which had been left with him. But there were none left to punish, save by sending another party ■of the inhabitants into captivity beyond the Euphrates; and the country had now become so thin of people, that the Babylonian general found not more than seven hundred and fifty persons whom he deemed it worth his while to send away. Thus signally was the long- foretold depopulation of the land completed ; and, although nomadic tribes wandered through the country, and the Edomites settled in some of its southern parts, yet the land re- mained on the whole comparatively unin- habited, and ready for the return of the He- brews, whose restoration had been as much the subject of prophecy as their exile. Horrible Barbarity. We have seen that Zedekiah reigned for eleven years, and then — an act of extreme folly — he rebelled against the Babylonians. The bitter end came surely and speedily. Jerusa- lem was invested ; famine did its horrible work within the walls, and the enemy destroyed the land without. The besieged endeavored to escape by stratagem, but utterly failed. The king was taken, and brought before Nebuchad- nezzar, who condemned him to have his eyes put out, the last thing those eyes of his were permitted to see being the murder of his own sons ; he saw their blood spilt, and then came -endless night. Bound in brazen fetters, Zede- kiah was taken to Babylon. Had not the prophet Ezekiel asserted that it should be so — " I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldaeans, yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there?" and had not Jeremiah foretold, " He shall surely be de- livered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes?" And so it was: he saw Nebuchadnezzar face to face — he saw his own sons executed — but he never saw the land into which he was carried away cap- tive. After this the walls of Jerusalem were lev- elled; the city sacked ; the Temple burnt, and Babylonia completely triumphant. This scene of desolation affords a graphic theme for one of England's sacred poets : " Oh weep for those that wept by Babel's stream, Whose shrines are desolate, whose land a dream; Weep for the harp of Judah's broken spell ; Mourn ! where their God hath dwelt the Godless dwell ! And where shall Israel lave her bleeding feet? And when shall Zion's songs again seem sweet, And Judah's melody once more rejoice The hearts that leapt before its heavenly voice? Tribes of the wandering foot and weary breast, How shall ye flee away and be at rest ? The wild dove hath her nest, the fox his cave, Mankind their country — Israel but the grave." The bitter end which the prophets had fore- seen and foretold had come. The meridian splendor of Solomon's reign had gradually faded into twilight, and now the purple twi- light had deepened into night. No doubt, of the captives carried away into Babylon, there were some who read, however obscurely, the Divine promise of a Redeemer, and the bright- ness of the glory they held in anticipation rendered them oblivious of all the troubles that must first come. The bitter lamentations of Jeremiah, the heart-stirring appeals of Isaiah, the marvelous visions of Ezekiel, the pathetic words of Micah, the revelations of Amos, were familiar to them. The}' all pointed to a latter-day glory, but the Jews counted the latter days to be near at hand : doubtless a deliverer would soon arrive as strong as Samson, as brave as Gideon, as good as Samuel ; a soldier and a statesman who should overthrow these Babylonians, teach these blaspheming idolaters there was still a God in Israel, and set up a kingdom (312) THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. Ez. XXIV. 1 5 THE WEEPING PROPHET. 313 that should be the joy of the whole earth, and last till time should be no more. That even the most clear-sighted, the most spiritually- minded should foresee that the kingdom to be set up was not a kingdom of this world ; that He who set it up should in earthly estimation be no higher than a carpenter, with a log for His throne, and an adze for His sceptre — would appear most improbable. Renowned Tyre. A considerable part of the prophecies of Ezekiel is devoted to the famous city of Tyre. Great is the renown of Tyre, " whose mer- chants were princes, and whose traffickers were among the honorable of the earth." Its antiquity, manufactures, commerce, colonies, and its connection with remote nations un- known, or known but faintly, to the ancients, are all points of as high interest as any which former times can offer to modern investigation. The reader of the Bible has also his own pe- culiar interest in this city, from the frequency with which it is mentioned in the sacred books, from the amicable relations which subsisted between the kings of Tyre and some of the greatest of the kings of Israel, from the re- markable results of these relations in the time of Solomon, and, more than all, from the pro- phecies of the overthrow of this great city, and the exact fulfilment which these prophecies have received. Ezekiel devotes two entire chapters to this city, which have always been regarded as among the most remarkable docu- ments which the ancient world has left to us. The first describes the future history of Tyre, which was afterwards accomplished to the very letter ; the other gives a minute and most in- teresting account of the commerce of Tyre, and its great markets and fairs. The prophet proceeds to inform us that the masts of the Phoenician vessels were of " cedar." In Lebanon the most celebrated grove of cedars is near the village of Eden ; and it is remarkable that Ezekiel mentions the trees of Eden as the choicest in Lebanon. The inhabitants of the mountain devoutly be- lieve that this is the arove from which Solo- mon drew the cedar wood for the Temple, and that the few large and ancient trees which still remain were in being in his time. They have also a superstitious notion that they can- not be counted, as every person gives a dif- ferent number who sees them. This is a fact, however accounted for, as no two travellers agree in the number — probably from interpret- ing differently the term " largest" in counting them up. The native Christians of the moun- tain, every year upon the anniversary of the Transfiguration, perform mass upon a homely stone altar, reared under the most venerable of the trees, in the open temple of nature. Cedars of Lebanon. With respect to the employment of cedar- trees for masts, this may be taken to imply the large size of the Tyrian ships ; for we seldom read of their being used but in ships of un- usual bulk. The Romans usually employed firs ; but the enormous ship which conveyed the obelisk of the Vatican from Egypt to Rome had for her mast a very tall and large cedar, cut in the woods of Cyprus. The ship itself was sunk in the harbor of Ostia, by order of Cali- gula, to serve as a foundation for a pier and some towers. The main-mast in the galley of king Demetrius was also made of a cedar- felled in Cyprus, one hundred and eighty-feet long and eighteen in diameter. The negotiations of the king of Tyre with David and Solomon, for the cutting down of the timber and the carriage of it when cut, teach us that at that period cedar was used generally, in the surrounding countries, in the- construction of temples and palaces ; as there is no appearance of anything out of the ordi- nary course of business in the agreement. Nothing could be fitter for the purpose re- quired than cedar wood. Its size and straight- ness, and above all its durability, were most desirable for buildings that were to last. The- beauty of the wood, the high polish cf which it was susceptible, and its fragrance, also rec- ommended it equally for the temple and the palace ; and that for centuries it continued to- be sought for such purposes, we find from*. 314 PALACES OF CEDAR. Jeremiah's denunciation of woe to the rich, who built themselves houses with large rooms, and made wide their windows, and with ceil- ings of cedar, which were painted with ver- milion. The ships of fir-trees, masted with cedars, are further described as being provided with oars made of the oaks of Bashan, which seems to show that the ships of Tyre were no other than galleys, designed to be propelled by rowers, as was the case with most of the more ancient shipping, the sails being only used as an assistance and relief to the oars, just as sails are now used in vessels mainly propelled by steam. With this impression agrees what follows — " the Assurites have made thy benches of ivory," if these benches were those on which the rowers sat, as is usually supposed. If so, the Hebrew poet gives a lively idea of the magnificence of the Tyrian vessels, by de- scribing the mean use to which so costly a material was applied. It is not, however, to be understood that these or any other benches were made wholly of ivory, but that they were inlaid and enriched with it. The ivory itself was doubtless the produce of their trade with India and Ethiopia, and, as manufactured by the Phoenicians into various ornaments and articles of taste, was extensively in use among the Israelites, especially in the furniture of royal residences. We see from the Egyptian monuments that ivory was abundant at remote times in Egypt, for in the procession of tribute- bearers we see crisp-headed bearers of huge teeth from Ethiopia and Central Africa, and white men similarly laden, who also bring ivory and the Asiatic elephant, and who must have come from the East. Costly Sails for Ships. We are next told that the sails of these ships were of fine linen from Egypt ; which is an interesting corroboration of our knowledge from other sources, that weaving was one of the principal occupations of the ancient Egyp- tians, and the products of their looms in great demand among- the neighboring nations. The prophet then proceeds to enumerate the products which the merchants of various coun- tries brought to the great mart of Tyre, and for which they received in exchange the mer- chandise and manufactures of the Phoenicians. The intercourse of Solomon with Tyre en- ables us to perceive the kind of commodities which the inhabitants of that state were likely to require from Palestine; and the account in Ezekiel perfectly corresponds with the intima- tions so long before conveyed — " Judah and the land of Israel traded with thee; corn of Minnith, honey of raisins, oil and balm, gave they to thee for thy wares." The corn of Judaea was in fact highly prized ; it excelled even that of Egypt.' It was not therefore merely the prox- imity of the country which led the Phoenicians to prefer this market, but the better produce. The other productions also mentioned by the prophet are among those which the Holy Land was famous for producing of a superior quality. The strong vine which had been native in this country from time immemorial afforded them an abundance of delicious grapes. The " oil " of Palestine even still excels that of Provence, notwithstanding the depressed state of the culture under Turkish despotism. The " balm " was collected in the plain of Jericho and in the lands about the Lake of Gennesareth ; and was of the same sort as that which still bears a high repute under the name of the balm of Mecca. The fact thus brought before us, that Palestine was the granary of the Phoenicians, explains in the clearest manner the good understanding which subsisted between those two nations. It is a striking feature in the Jewish history, that with | the other nations around them they lived in a j state of almost continual warfare ; and that | under David and Solomon they became con- { querors and subdued considerable countries ; j and yet with their nearest neighbors, the Phoenicians, they were never engaged in hos- tilities. But if a sense of their weakness pre- vented them from attacking these mighty cities, the natural policy of the Phoenicians no less, on the other hand, restrained them from any hostile attempts upon a country from which THE WEEPING PROPHET. 315 they drew their subsistence : to which it may be added, that it seems to have been a maxim among them to avoid all wars and forcible """""lISi Lebanon : but after nis buildings had been finished, timber could not well have formed the staple of the commercial intercourse be- extension of their dominion upon the continent of Asia. What Palestine received from Tyre in ex- change for its produce is not directly stated in Scripture. Solomon obtained timber from THE CAPTURE OF TYRE. Ez. XXvi. 2, 3. tween the countries We may, however, with tolerable safety conclude that in this way the Israelites obtained such of the manufactures of the Phoenicians, and such of the commodi- ties which they imported from foreign parts, 316 ORNAMENTS OF DRESS. as they required. We know that the Phoeni- cians excelled in the manufacture of ornaments of dress, implements, utensils, baubles, and gewgaws, for which they found a ready sale among the less civilized of the nations with which they had intercourse : and it is very likely that most of the ornaments worn by the Jewish women were obtained from them. A curious list of such articles appears in Isa. iii. 18-23. " The wool of the wilderness," translated " white wool " in the authorized version, was one of the wares supplied by the pastoral tribes, who then, as now, wandered their flocks over the Syrian as well as the Arabian deserts. The fleece of these sheep is the finest known ; improved as it is by the heat of the climate, the continual exposure to the open air, and the care that these people bestow upon their flocks, which constitute almost their only business — all which circumstances tend to render it more precious. ' In Ezekiel, " Tubal and Meshech " are said to have brought to the markets of Tyre " slaves and vessels of brass." It seems to be agreed that the names Tubal and Meshech apply to the countries lying between the Black and Caspian seas. This probability is strength- ened by the fact that the wares in question are exactly such as these regions produced., Cap- padocia, together with the Caucasian districts, from the very earliest times was the chief seat of the slave-trade, and always continued so in the ancient world. The finest race of men has always been pre- ferred : and it is well known that at the pres- ent day the harems of the princes and nobles of Turkey and Persia are peopled with the most beautiful of the Georgians and Circas- sians. Regular bands of kidnappers were formerly established throughout these coun- tries, whose sole occupation was to surprise and carry away boys and girls for the markets of Constantinople and Cairo. Prophecy lifted its voice against this re- nowned city. Tyre, with ships and wealth, with merchant princes and nabobs, was des- tined to be overthrown. There are gales that ships cannot withstand, and a decay that wealth cannot arrest. Just as the prediction had been uttered, so it came to pass. When Tyre was at the height of her splendor it was foretold that she would fall, and Tyre fell, igno minious in her ruins. CHAPTER XXVII. DANIEL IN BABYLON. ANIELwasofthe tribe of Judah and of the race of David. He, with other young nobles, was trans- ported at an early age to Babylon by order of Neb- £y) uchadnezzar, as a hostage for the good conduct of Jehoiakim, who was then on the throne of Judah ; or rather, per- haps, under that policy which sought to aggran- dize the imperial court by the presence and services of the noblest and most handsome youths of the subject states. At Babylon, Daniel received the Chaldsean name of Belteshazzar, and was placed with other young captives whom Nebuchadnezzar willed to be instructed in the science of the' Babylonians. Already well instructed in the best of sciences, that of his holy religion, Daniel resolved to deny himself the use of viands forbidden by the law and prepared by the hands of idolaters. The three companions with whom he was more intimately associated followed his example. And God rewarded their faith; for, notwithstanding the fears of Melzar, the eunuch to whose charge they had been intrusted, it was found, when they were produced for examination, that not only had they not suffered in appearance by their simple fare, but were more hale and ruddy than the youths who had feasted on the meats and wines of Babylon. The education of these youths in the sciences of the East lasted three years, at the -end of which it was found that Daniel and his three companions surpassed in science and wisdom all the magi of Babylon ; and they forthwith commenced their services under a king, who, from all that appears, well knew how to discover and reward merit. Of these magicians, astrologers and sor- cerers Kitto remarks : " It is no use to distin- guish these various professors of what seemed to have formed the boasted learning and science of the Babylonians, and which appears to have consisted in the neglect of really practical and useful knowledge for the vain pursuits, and not very humble profession, of that which must ever be unattainable to man, and which would be useless and mischievous could it be attained. The present was made the handmaid of the future ; and the abilities which might have profited for the existing time were exhausted in the attempt to unveil the secrets of the time to come. " Their boasted cultivation of astronomy was merely an accident resulting from the attempt to read the future in the stars. Astron- omy, as it ever has been in the East, was attended to so far, and no farther, than the vain science of astrology made it necessary. The best account we possess of the learning and science of the Chaldaeans is that given by Diodorus Siculus ; and although he speaks of it with respect, it is easy enough, from his account, to see its false foundations and delu- sive character. He mentions the Chaldaeans, as so called by the Babylonians themselves, and intimates the distinction by describing them as ' the more ancient Babylonians.' They seem, in fact, to have formed the learned caste, occupying the same station as the priests did in Egypt. The}'- spent all their time in the study of ' philosophy,' and were especially famous in the art of astrology. They were greatly given to divination and the (317) 318 BELIEF IN ASTROLOGY. foretelling of future events, and employed themselves, either by purifications, sacrifices or enchantments, in averting evils, and in pro- curing good fortune and success. "They were also skilful in the art of divina- tion by the flying of birds and in the interpre- tation of dreams and prodigies ; and the pre- sages which they derived from the exact and diligent inspection of the entrails of sacrifices were received as oracles by the people. Diod- orus makes some approving observations on their method of study, stating that their knowledge and science were traditionally transmitted from father to son, thus proceed- ing on long-established rules; and he then proceeds to inform us that the Chaldaeans held the world to be eternal, that it had no certain beginning and should have no end. But they all agreed that all things were ordered by a Divine Providence ; and that the motions of the heavens were not performed by chance, or of their own accord, but by the determinate will and appointment of the gods. " Therefore, from long observation of the stars, and an exact knowledge of the motions and influences of every one of them (in which " The following is remarkable : 'As they foretold things to come to other kings formerly,, so they did to Alexander, who conquered Da- rius, and to his successors, Antigonus and Seleucus Nicator ; and accordingly things fell out as they declared. They also tell private men their fortunes so certainly that those who have found the thing true by experience have esteemed it a miracle, and beyond the art of man to perform.' After giving some account of their astronomical system, Diodorus adds: 'This we may justly and truly say, that the Chaldaeans excel all men in astrology, having studied it more than any other art or science.' " A Startling Dream. A test as to Daniel's power soon occurred. The king was troubled in his sleep by a dream, which agitated him exceedingly. He sum- moned before him his wise men, who came with the expression of Oriental loyalty, " O king, live forever." They desired to know the nature of the dream, but Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten every particular; he demanded that they should tell him the dream on pain of cruel death and lasting disgrace. It was they excelled all other nations), they professed I not, as some may suppose, a very absurd re- to foretell things that should come to pass. ! quest ; if these men knew all things, and The five planets, the Sun, Mars, Venus, Mer- could explain the meaning, surely it was not cury, and Jupiter, they called ' Interpreters/ very unreasonable to suppose that they might as being principally concerned in making | ascertain the dream itself. "Tell me the known to man the will of the gods. Future dream, and I shall know that ye can show me events they held to be foreshown by their the interpretation thereof." All declared the rising, their setting, and their color, presaging ' matter impossible, and the king, being in this hurricanes, tempestuous rains, droughts, the instance, at all events, a man of his word, appearance of comets, eclipses, earthquakes, gave instruction for the execution of all the and all other circumstances which were thought magicians and astrologers, to bode good or evil, not only to nations in j Having been included in the general pro- general, but to kings and private persons in scription of the magi who were unable to dis- particular. The planets also, in their courses through the twelve signs into which the Chal- daeans divided the visible heavens, were held, as by more modern astrologers, to have a great influence, either good or bad, on men's cover and interpret a dream which the king himself had forgotten, but which filled his mind with concern, Daniel obtained from the captain of the guard the suspension of the execution of the sentence while he interceded nativities, so that, from a consideration of their with the king, and from the king himself he several natures and respective positions, it might be foreknown what should befall people in after life. obtained further time on engaging to solve the mystery. As soon as he had made known his power THE HEBREWS IN THE FIERY FURNACE. Dan. iii. 2$. (319) 320 THE IMAGE OF GOLD. to afford Nebuchadnezzar the information he desired, he was immediately conducted before the monarch, and proceeded to remind him that he had seen a compound image and to explain to him how this image represented "' the things that should come to pass here- after." This image had a head of pure gold, which the prophet explained to denote Nebu- chadnezzar himself, and his successors in the •dynasty which he had aggrandized ; the breast and arms of silver denoted the second and inferior empire of the Medes and Persians ; the belly and thighs of brass, the next suc- ceeding empire of the Macedonian Greeks ; the legs of iron, the empire of the Romans ; and the toes, partly iron and part clay, the various states and kingdoms into which that empire should be divided. Lastly, the king had seen a stone which smote the image and became a great mountain that filled the whole earth, which was so interpreted by the prophet as to show to us that it was intended to apply to the kingdom -of the Messiah, which was to be established upon the ruins of these various imperial king- doms and empires, and to continue forever. The prophet said to the king in the first place, "Thou art this head of gold;" but he did not indicate the names of the other -empires as we have set them down. The vastness of the view thus presented be- fore the mind of the king, and the deep and magnificent import of his dream, overwhelmed him not less than the mysterious power which had enabled the young prophet to discover and unravel that which had baffled the boasted skill of the Chaldaean soothsayers. In the height of his astonishment and admiration the king cast himself at the feet of his captive, and would have worshipped him as more than hu- man, commanding an oblation and sweet odors to be offered to him. But Daniel respectfully directed his atten- tion to the Great God in heaven whom he served, and who had revealed the secret to him ; on which the king declared with all sin- cerity of conviction, " Of a truth your God is 2. God of gods, and a Lord of kings." Nebuchadnezzar was not slow in rewarding one so highly gifted, and so greatly favored of Heaven. He made him governor over the whole province of Babylon, and bestowed on him the distinguished office of Rab-Mag, or chief of the Magians. The former appears to have been the highest civil employment in the state, as the latter was certainly the highest among the learned offices of the kingdom. At the request of Daniel the king also pro- moted his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to important trusts in the prov- ince of Babylon under him. Idolatry Commanded. The king soon after caused to be set up in the plain of Dura, near Babylon, a colossal image of gold, and set forth a decree, that whenever harmonious sounds were heard from " the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dul- cimer, or any kind of music," every one should, on pain of death, fall down and worship it. Taking all the circumstances into considera- tion, it would seem as if the king had become discontented with the particular import of the vision, the vastness of which had at the first so filled his mind ; and that it was in order to counteract or defy its application to himself that he now acted. In the visionary image his kingdom was but the head of gold, des- tined to be superseded and overthrown ; but he now sets up an image wholly of gold, as if to express under the same symbol the unity and continuance of his kingdom. It would even seem as if he repented of his acknowledgment of the supremacy of Daniel's God, the God by whom the vision had been sent, seeing that his present orders were so ad- verse to that admission. The decree as set forth was one with which no pious Jew could comply, and it was soon made known to the king that the three friends of Daniel paid no regard to his command. Daniel himself they were probably afraid to accuse, on account of his high place and his presumed favor at court. The king, in great wrath, summoned the accused to his presence, and deliberately re- cited to them the terms of his decree and the DANIEL INTERPRETING THE DREAM OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. Dan. iv. 20. 21 (321) 32: THE KING DREAMS OF A TREE. penalties of disobedience, adding, " Who is that God that should deliver you out of my hands ? " They unflinchingly answered that their God was able to do so ; and resolutely declared that they would not serve his gods, nor worship the image he had set up. This filled the king with fury, and he commanded that they should be cast into the "burning fiery furnace," heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated. But these holy men remembered Him who had said, "Though thou walkest through the fire, I will be with thee ; " and they walked about in the furnace un- touched by the devouring flames, and singing the praises of Jehovah. A Miraculous Deliverance. This marvelous sight brought the king to his senses; he called them forth ; he acknowl- edged the exceeding greatness of the God whom they served, and by whom they had been preserved ; and in the warm enthusiasm of the moment he made a decree that whoso- ever spoke a word against this Mighty God henceforth, should be destroyed " because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort." As for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- nego, they were not only restored to favor, but promoted to higher offices in the metropolitan province of Babylon. Some time after these transactions Nebu- chadnezzar was warned of the consequences of that excessive pride which formed the chief de- fect in a character by no means destitute of great and generous qualities. He was " at rest in his house, and flourishing in his palace," when he saw a dream which made him afraid. He beheld a tree which grew till it overspread the earth, and all the fowls of heaven roosted in its branches, and all the beasts of the field reposed beneath its shade. But suddenly " a holy one " came down from heaven and com- manded the tree to be hewn down, leaving only the stump in the earth ; and by one of those transitions usual in dreams, the language of " the holy one " passed from the condition