JVl;>76 ¦• _X c f,j < // rr c/ < y /S9C o. THE HISTORY O F T H E BIBLE. B O O K VI. Containing an Account of things, from the build ing of Solomon's Temple, to the Babyhnifh Cap- ¦ tivity. In all about 400 years . CHAP. I. From the Jinifhing of the Temple, to the Reign of Jehofaphatt The Hist or y. WHEN Solomon had finifhed the temple, which a. m. was in the eleventh year qf his reign, and in 3°°», ire- the eighth month of that year, even when all Ant' aVrU* i/-Y r n 11 ; . . 1 I003, ire- the lolemn reafts were over, he thought it ad- fl0m vifeable to defer the dedication of it until the next yeai% « Kings viii (which was a year of jubilee), and determined to have itl° die end done fome days before the f feaft of tabernacles. To * j this Solomon'sdedication * Thfc feaft Was appointed in commemoration of the chil- pie- drenot' Ifrael's ciwcllihg in booth*, whilft they were in the wil- dernefs, and of the1 tabernacle, which at that time was built, where God proniifed- to meet them, to dwcU among them; and A .2 w 4 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. this purpofe, he fent all the elders of Ifrael, the prinecs of AnT'cMf. tne trl^es> an^ l^e heads of the families, notice to re- 1003, ire. ' pair to Jerufalem at the time appointed ; when according- wm ly, all being met together, the priefts and Levites carried 1 Kmgsviu. jato tne tempiej fij-ft^ all the prefents that David had of z chron. rnade to it ; then fet up, in their feveral places, the vef- fels and ornaments appointed for the feryice of the altar, and the fanctuary ; and laftly, brought the || ark of the covenant, together with the \ tabernacle of the congrega tion,. to fanctify the place with his glory ; and might therefore be well reckoned a very proper feafon for the dedication of the rcmple, which was to fiicceed hi the tabernacle's place ; Bedford's Scripture-chro nology, lib. 6. c. 2. || The facred hiftory tells us, that in this ark there -was nothing, fave the two tables of jlone, which Mofes put there at Horeb, 1 King* viii 9. and yet the author to the Hebrews affirms, that in this ark •was the golden pot thai had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, as •well as the tables of the covenant, Heb. ix. 4. Now, to reconcile this, fome imagine, that before the ark had .gny fixed and fettled place, (which is the time the apoftle refers to-), all thefe things were included in ic, though it was chiefly intended for nothing but the tables of the covenant ? but that, when it was placed in the temple, nothing was left in it but thefe two tables ; ali the other things werfr riepofitcd in the treafury of the temple, where the book of the law (as we read 2 Chron. xxxiv. 14.) was fonnd in the days of King, Jofias. Others however pretend, that in the time of the apoftle, i. e. towards the end of the Jcwifh commonwealth, Aaron's rod, and the pot of marinalweteLteally kept in the ark, though, in the- days of Solomon, they- were not. But this anfwer would be more folidand fatisfaclory, if '.we .knew for certain, that, in the time of the apoftle, the ark of the covenant was really in the fai.dhiary of the temple, which Herod built; whereas Jofepbus (De beitojudu lib. 6. c. 6. J tells us exprefsly, that, when the Romans deftr'.yed' the temple, there was nothing found in the haly of Holies ; Caimet'd • Commentary. •J- -But the queftion is, what tabernacle whether that which Mofegjnade, and was then at Gibeon, 2S Chron. i. ?. or that which w?s made by David, and was then at Jerusalem ? To end this difpute, fome have irragtiied, that both thefe tabernacles were at this tine canicd into the temple, and laid up there, that all danger of fiipcrflkion and idolatry might thereby be avoided, and that no worth;* tnignt be performed any where, but only at the houfe which was dedi- '4ted toGod'afervice: E'Jt it is obferved by others, that the conve nience Chap.1. from the buiying of the Temple, cjff. g- <5on, into its new habitatioii with great folerrinity ; the A- M- king and elders of the people walking befbre, while othei s An'T'chr'fi of the priefts offered an f infinite number of facrifices, in ,0e3, 6-e, all the places through which the ark paffed* from ... i Kings viii* ta the end of i Chron. nieiice which David made for the reception of the ark, was never called the tabernacle of the covenant; it was no more than a plain tent, fet up ifl fome laTge room of the royal palace, until a more proper receptacle could be provided for it : but the tabernacle that was at Grbeon, was the fame that fojournecf fo long in the wilder- nefs. The tent was the fame, the curtains the fame, and the altar the fame, that was made by Mofes ; or, at lead, jf there was any alteration in it, (as things of this nature could hardly fubtift fo very long without fome repair), the reparation was always made accord ing to the original model, and with as little deviation as poffihle. It is not to be doabted, then, but that the Mofaick tabernacle is the ta bernacle here intended, which, for the prevention of fchifm, and to make the temple the centre of devotion, was now taken down, and repofited in the trca&ry, or ftorehoufe, where it continued un til the time that jerufalem was- taken by the Chaldeans, when Jere miah, as Jofephus informs us, (Jewi/b Antiq. lib. 8. e. a.) was admonifhed by God, to take Stand the ark, and the altar of incenfe, and hide them in fome fecret places, (from whence, it is doubted, whether they have ever yet been removed), for fear of profanation ; Patrick's and Calm'et'sCoTmnentaties. f The number of facrifices, which, upon this occafion, are faid to be offered, was two and twenty thoufand oxen, -and an hundred1 and twenty thoufand fheep, i Kings viii. .63.; but we muft not fup- p<}fe, that thefe were offered all on one day? much lefs on one altar. The continuance of this meeting was for fourteen days, feyen in the feaft of tabernacles) and feven in that of the dedication ; anti becaufe the brazen altar, before the door of the temple, was not fiifficient to receive all thefe facrifices, Solomon, by a fpecial licence from God, ordered other altars to be erected in the court of the priefts, and per haps in other places, which were to ferve only during this prefent fo- femnity, when fach a vaft number of facrifices were to be offered : For at other times, no other altar was allowed but this brazen one, which Mofes had made. It is no bad obfervation however of Jofe phus, (lib. 8. c. 2.) that, during the oblation of fo many facrifices, the Levites took care to " perfume the air with the fragrancy of in- " cenfe, and fweet odours, to fuch a degree, that the people were " fenftble of it at a diftance ;" otherwife the burning of fo many hearts at one time, muft have occafisned an offenfiye fmell ; Patrick's Gmrntentwy. Wketi tf The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BobkVL A.'M. When the ark was placed in the fan&uary, and the ^"'^f- priefts and Levites, in their turns, were celebrating the prai* 1003, &V. f"es °f God, the temple was filled with a * miraculous cloud,' from infomuch that the priefts could not continue to officiates 1 Kings viii ^his Solomon obferving, took occafion from thence to in- of 1 Chron. *"'> that the Lord had taken poffeffion of the place ; and > having for fome time fallen proftrate with his face to the , ground, he raifed himfelf up, and turning towards the fanttuary, * addreffed his prayer to God, and " befeeched " hirw * When Mofes had finifhed the tabernacle, according to the pattern which God had (hewed him, and fet it all up, it is laid, that a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled, the tabernacle, fo that Mofes was not able to enter into the teat of the congregation, becaufe the cloud, abode thereon, and the glofy, of the Lord filled the tabernacle, Exod. xl. 54. 35. And therefore, when the temple was finifhed, and the arlj. brought into the fanctua- ry, God gave the like indication of his prefence, and refidmce there. Hereby he teftificd his acceptance of the building, and fur- nifhing of the temple, as a fervice done to his name ; and hereby he declared, that as the glory of the ark (that facred fymbol of his prefence) had been long eclipfed by its frequent removes, and mean habitations ; fo now his pieafure was, that it (hould be looked upon with the fame efteem and veneration as when Mofes conduct ed it into the tabernacle. For this cloud, we muft know, was not a heavy, thick, opaque body, fuch as is ingendered in the air, and arifes from vapours and exhalations, but a cloud, that was dark and luminous at the fame time, whofe darknefs was awful and majeftic, ar-d whole internal part was bright and refulgent, darting its rays upon occafion, and exhibiting its light through its obfeurity : So that, according to its difierent phafis, or pofition, it became to the Ifrael- ites a pillar of a cloud by day, to fcreen them from the heat, and at night a pillar of fire, to give them light, Exod. xiii. i\. Whatever it Was that conflicted this ftrange appearance, it is certain this mix ture of light and darknefs was looked upon as a fymbol of the divine prefence ; for fo the Scripture has informed us, that he who dwell- eth in .light that is inacctffible, made darknefs his fecret place, hit pavilion round about him, with dark water, and thick clouds to Cover knii, Pfal. xviii. 11 ; Ca'met's Commentary. * The prayer which Jofephus puts into Solomon's mouth upon this occafion, is to this effect : — : " O Lord, thou that inhabit- " eft eternity, and haft raifed out of nothing the mighty fabric of "' this univerle, the heavens, the air, the earth, and the lea; tl ou " that Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &c. 7 *' him gracioufly to accept of the houfe which he had A. M. " built for his fake ; to blefs and fanctify it ; and to hear 3°0,> &e: " the prayers of all, whether Jews or Gentiles, who, upon ,*"' ^ ' " any occafion, either of public or private calamity, might from " direft their fupplications to him f from that holy place. 1 Kings viii. " He befeechedhim likewife to fulfil the promife which heJJ*^* *' had been pleafcd ro nake to his father David, in favour - ¦¦ ,j ¦ft of his family, and the kings his fiiccefTors ;" and having " that filleft the whole, and every thing that is in it, and art thyfe!/ ** unbounded, and incomprchenlible ; look down gracioufly upon " thy fervants, that haye prefumed to erect a temple here to the " honour of thy great name. Lord, hear our prayers, and receive f our facrifices. Thou art every where, vouchfafe alfo to be with " us. Thou that feeft and heareft all things, look down from thy * throne in heaven, and give ear to our fupplications in this place. " Thou that never failed to affift thofe that call i.pen thee day and " night, and love and ferve thee as they ought to do, have mercy " upon us." There is another prayer in the fame hiftonan, ad- drefled to God bn this fame occafion, wherein Solomon blefTes him for the exaltation' xjf his family, and implores the continuance of his goodnefs and peculiar prefence in the temple, well worth the reader's perufal, though too long to be inferted here. -f- It is the fame thing, no doubt, to God, where-ever we pray, fo long as we pray with a pious mind, and a devout heart, and make the fubjecr. of our prayers fuch good things as he has permitted us to afk ; but it was not confiftent with the preferration of the Jewilh date and religion, that he fhould be publicly worfhipped in every place. For fince the Jews were on every fide furrounded with ido laters, led away with divers fuperftitions, but ignorant all of the true God, it was highly neceflary, that in all divine matters, there fhould be a ftruEt union between thera all both in heart and voice, *nd confequently, that they thould all meet together in one place ta worfhip God, left .they fhould run into parties, and fall into idolatry, as it happened when the kingdom became divided into two. And therefore, though Solomon knew very well, that in every place, God was ready to hear the prayers of every devout fupplicant, yet, for the prefervation of peace and unity, he was minded to give the people a notion, that God would be found more exorable to the pray ers which were offered in the temple of Jerufalem, and thereby ex cite them to a frequentation of that, rather than any other place j X s litre's Cotmnentary in locurn. th«>fl 8 ' The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. thus finifhed his prayer, he turned to the people, and af- gcoi, &c ter he had bleffed them, gave them a ftrfcT: charge to be fHo* &c nncere *ti their duty towards God, to walk in his ftatutcS from and obferve his laws. a Kings viii. While Solomon was thus addreffing his prayers to God;' to the end aiJ(^ j^ exaortatjons t0 t^e people, a victim was laid upon , the altar, and God, to teftify his acceptance of what was doing, fent immediately a fire from heaven, which confu- med it, and all the other facrifices that were about it ; which, when the people, who were witneffes of the mira cle, perceived,, they fell upon their faces, and worfhipped the God of Ifrael : And it was, very probably, on the X night following, that he appeared to Solomoh again in a, dream, and * fignified to him, " That he had heard his " prayer; X n is thus that we have placed the time of God's fecond appear ance to Solomon ; but fome are of opinion, that it did not happen till two and twenty years after God's firft appearance, and after that Solomon had accomplifhed a)l his buildings; to which the connection of the difcourfe feems to give fome countenance ; and it came to pafs, when Solomon had finifhed the building of the houfe of the Lord, and the king's houfe, and all that he was pleafedto do, that the Lord ap^ peared to him a fecond time, I Kings ix. i. 2 It feems a little ftrange however, that God fhould delay anfwering this prince's prayer for thirteen years together, and then, when he appeared to him, tell him, 1 have heard thy prayer, and the fupplication that thou ha/l made before me, and I have hallowed tfus houfe, which thou hajl built, ver. 3. And therefore, to folve this difficulty, itisrea- fonable to think, that the divifion of this 9th chapter is wrong ; that the firft verfe of it fhould be annexed to the conclufion of the prece- ding chapter, and fo terminate the account of what Solomon had done ; and that the next chapter fhould begin with the fecond verfe, where the hiflorian enters upon a frefh fubjecT:, viz, the anfwer that God returned to Solomon's prayer, which he continues 10 the 1 eth verfe, and prefents us with it all at once, that he might not break the thread of his narration ; Qalmet's Commentary on 1 Kingi ix. 2. * JofepJius has made a very handfome comment upon the anfwer which God made Solomon in his dream. The voice told him far ther, fays he, " That in cafe of fuch an apoftafy, (as he had be-. .*' fore mentioned), his new-erected fabric fhould, by divine per- " million, come to be facked, and burnt by the hands of barbarians, •* ,-and Jerufalem itself laid in rubbiih and allies by a m';rci!efs enemy ; " infomuch Chaj>. I. from the buifcKng of the Temple, 6?r. 9 " prayer j did accept of the temple which he had built for A- M. " hira; and would not fail to liften to the petitions that ^t'a'iit " proceeded from thence; that if he perfevered in his o- 1 oj, &c " bedience to him, as his father David had done, he would «Kingsviii. " eftablifh his throne, and perpetuate a race of fucceffors s° ''ri^^ u in his family ; but that, if either he, or his children . _ , j « prevaricated iq this matter, he Would cut them off, o- " verturn his kingdom, and deftroy the temple." The feaft of the dedication, in conjunction with that of tabernacles, lafted for fourteen days ; and when all things were thus performed with the greateft order and folemni- ty, on the morrow the king difmiffed the people, who re turned to their refpe&ive ho*mes with glad and joyful hearts. Solomon (it muft be obferyed) had a Angular tafte h;s public for building ; therefore, after he had finiflied and confecra- buildings, ted the temple, he undertook a palace for himfelf, * which £reat reve- 1 * ¦ , , cues, and nau magnificent way of H- • ving. ** infomuch that people fhould ftand amazed at the very report of fo " incredible a mifery and difbrefs, and be wondering one to ano- " ther, how it could come to pafs, that a- nation which was but ye. r< fterday the envy of mankind for riches, external glory, and re- , " nown, fhould now, all on a fudden, be funk and loft to the Iaft " degree of wretchednefs and contempt, and reduced to this defpi- " cable ftate too by the fame hand that- raifed them. To which *' queflioris their, own guilty confciences fliall make this anfwer : *¦' We have forfaken our God ; we have abandoned the religion of " our forefathers,, and of our country, and all this is juflly befallen . " us for our fins" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 8. c. 2. * The description of this palace, which we may gather from Jo- fephus, Lamy, and others, that have treated of Solomon's buildings, is/in this manner related: " Upon feveral rows of pillars, *' there was creeled a fpacious pile of building, in the nature of a " common hall, for the hearing of caufes. It was an hundred c;i- " bits in length, fifty in breadth, and in depth, thirty, fupported by " fifteen fquare columns, covered with Corinthian work in cedar, " and fortified with double doors, curioufly wrought, that ferved both '' for the fecurity and ornament of the place. In the middle of this " hall was another edifice of thirty cubits fquare, and underfet with " ftrong pillars, wherein was placed a throne of ftate, on which " the king himfelf ufed to fit perfonally in judgment. On the right " hand of this court of juftice flood the king's own palace, and, on " the left, that which he built for Pharaoh's daughter, both fitted " up with cedar, and built with huge Hones of teu cubits fquarr, Vol. IV. B " which i o The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI; A. M. had all the magnificence that can be imagined, another for- A°0,,(^%his Egyptian queen, and a 'third, that was called + the 1003, ire. houfe of the forefi of Lebanon, where he chiefly chofe to from refide. Thefe were the works of thirteen years : And as 1 Kings tii:. Hiram king of Tyre was1 very kind in fupplying him with of x chron men> money, and materials, to carry on thefe, and many i more ftately ftruttures, Solomon, to exprefs his gratitude, " which were partly plain, and partly overlaid with the moll pre- " cious marble. The rooms were hung with rich hangings, " and beautified with images, and fculptures' of all kinds, fo exqui- " fitely finifhed, that they feemed to be alive, and in motion. It " would be an endlefs work, (fays Jofephus), to" give a particular " furvey of this mighty mafs of building : So many courts and other " contrivances, fuch a variety of chambers and offices, great and " little, long and large galleries, vaft rooms of ftate, and others « for feafting and entertainment, fet out as richly as could be, with " coftly furniture, and gildings ; b'efides, that all the fervices for " the king's table were of pure gold. In a word, the whole . i( houfe was, in a manner made up, from top to bottom, of white " marble, cedar, gold, and filver, with precious ftones, here and " there intermingled upon the walls and ceilings, after the manner " of the adorning of the temple ;" Jewifh 4ntiq. lib. 8. c. 2. ¦f Some commentators are of opinion, that this houfe was the fame with the palace which Solomon built in Jerufalem, and that it had its name from the tall pillars that fupported it, which looked like the cedars in the forefi of Lebanon ; but the contrary is manifeft, . becaufe. the holy Scripture fpeaks of it as a diftinct building, though perhaps it might not be far diftant from the other, on fome cool ihady mountain, which made it referable mount Lebanon. Fork is an idle fancy to think, that this houfe was really built on Lebanon, , fince we read of Solomon's having his throne, 1 Kings vii. 7 and the golden fhields, that he made, placed in it, 1 Kings x. 17. which he fcarce would have removed to the very ex tremity of his kingdom: And therefore we may conclude, (as indeed it appears from 1 Kings vii. 2.), that this houfe was near Jerufalem, and called by the name of the Forefi of Lebanon, (juft as many pleafant and delightful places in that country were called Carmet), becaufe it was in a lofty place like Lebanon, and the trees which grew upon it made it very fhady and cool, and confequently proper for Solomon to dwell there in fummer, as he did in his palace in Jerufalem in winter ; Patrick's and Calmet's Gemmentaries on I Kings vii. 2. or Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, £sfr. « n or to clear off the debt which he had contracted with A- **• him, Jl offered him twenty cities in the land of Galilee, an^'chitf. adjoining 1*003, be- from 1 Kings viii. to the end D It is an exprefs injunction which God gives the Ifraelites, that of 1 Chror». the land wherein the people had a right by divine lot, and himfelf •> .a right, as being the fole proprietor thereof, was not to be fold or alienated for ever, Lev. xxv. 23. How then could Solomon, with out violating this law, pretend to give Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee i Now to this fome have replied, that Solomon did Hot give Hiram a property and perpetual right to thofe cities, but only affigned him the pofTeflion of them for a time, until the debt *which he had contracted for the feveral fupplies he had from him, while he was building the temple, was fatisfied. Others think, that upon fuppofition that thefe cities were inhabited by Ifraelites, So lomon did not give Hiram (as indeed he could not) their particular poffeffions, but only his own royalties over diem, (which he might juftly do), and all the profits he received from them, which, accord ing to the taxes then impofed, 1 Kings xii. 4. were not inconfider- able. But there is no reafon for thefe far-fetched folutions, when the Scripture exprefsly tells us, that thefe cities were not in the ter ritories of Ifrael, nor inhabited at that time by the Ifraelites, 2 Chron. viii. 2. They were indeed fome of them conquered by the king of Egypt, who gave them to Solomon as a portion with his daughter, and others by Solomon himfelf, who, as Selden obferves, (De jure nat. ct gent. lib. 6. cap. 16.), had " a right to difpofc of *' thofe lands which he had conquered in voluntary war, without the <( confent of the fenate :" And this may be one reafon why he gave thefe, rather than other cities, becaufe thefe were certainly in his own power to give, when others perhaps were not. 1A learned au thor, upon this fubject, has given a quite different turn to the fenfe of the paflage: For his opinion is, that Hiram did not return thefe cities becaufe he thought them not good enough, but becaufe he was unwilling to receive fo large a remuneration for the few good offices he had done Solomon, and was minded rather, that his fa vours of this kind fhould be all gratuitous. He therefore makes the word Cabul (which is the name that Hiram gives to the country where thefe cities flood) a title of refpett, and not oi contempt ; for he derives it from the Hebrew Chebes, which fignifies a bond or chain, intimating, that thefe two neighbouring kings had mutually hound themfelves in a bond of friendfhip, Solomon by giving, and Hiram by returning the cities now under confutation. This is ve ry pretty : But it is carrying the point of gtnerofity in the king of Tyre a little too high, in my opinion, confidering his. acceptancq #f, if not exprefs ftipulaupn for, fuch a quantity of comand oil, in B 2 Lea of z Chron. 12 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI, A. M. adjoining to his own country.' But as thefe places + did 3001, ire not fuit his. convenience, he rcfufed to accept of them.; Ant: cj}"'- arid therefore Solomon, having made him, no doubt, fome from other recompence more tg his fatisfacYton, took and re- 1 Kings viii. paired thefe cities ; and having built ftore-cities likewife in A*thrk"?„ '^e country, he fent colonies of his own fubjects to inhabit^ "'them, that they might he a curb and reftraint on the Syv rians of Zobah, whohad formerly been conquered by Da vid, and, upon their revolt, but lately reduced by Solomon. To conclude the account of Solomon's public build ings. He' built the walls of Jerufalem, and a fenate- houfe in the fame city, called Millo. He repaired, and fortified Hazor, Megiddo, the two Beth-Horons, Baalah, I Tadmor in the wildernefs of Syria, and Gezer, which the lieu of the timber which he fent Solomon, I Kings v. 10. ti.j Patrick's and Le Clere' s Commentaries ; and Pool's Annotations. ¦f The reaf m is, becaufe the Tyrians being very commodionfly fituated for that purpofe, were, in a manner, wholly addicted to mcrchandife ; and therefore would not remove from the fea-coafts, to live in a foil which was fat and deep, and confequently required a great deal of labour to cultivate it, which was a buiinefs'that they were very little accuftomed to ; Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib'. 6. c. 2. f Tadmor, which, by the Greeks, is called Palmyra, is fi mated in the wildernefs of Syria, upon the borders of Arabia Deferta, in clining towards the Euphrates. Jofephus places it two days journey' from the Upper Syria, one day's journeyfiom the Euphrates, and fk days journey from Babylon : And the reafon he gives why So lomon was inclined to build a city in this place, was, becaufe in all the country round about, there was no fuch thing as a well, or* fountain, but in this fpot only, to be found. If we may guefs by the ruins, which later travellers give us the defeription of, this city was certainly one of the fincft and moft magnificent in the eaft, and it is fomewhat furprifing, that hiftory fhould give us no account, ei ther when, or by whom it was reduced to the fad condition wherein, it lies at this day. But the true reafon for. his building this town in fo di folate a place, was the commodicufhefs of its fituation, to cut crT all commt rce between the Syrians and Mefopotamians, and to prevent their ca-balling and confpiring together againft him, as they had done againft his father David ; Le Clere' s Commentary. If the reader is delhous to know the prefent ftate of this ruinated city, he, piay "VCXL ttfeg4S//% fo^ffa&tn Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, fcrV. 13 the king of Egypt took from the Canaanites, and gave it A. M. in dower with his daughter. He fortified all the cities 3°»», &"¦' which he made his magazines for corn, wine, and oil and f"^ a£.f' thofe where his ch triots and horfes were kept. He fubdued from all the Hittites, and H vites, and A.norites, and Perizzitei, that » Kings viii. any where remained in the land of Ifrael, and laid on them 0° ^chron all the drudgery, and fervile labour : But * as for his own fubjedts, he appointed them either to be furveyors of his works, or guards to his perfon, or commanders in the ar my, or traders and merchants, that fo he might make his nation as famous, and as rich and flourifhing, as it was poffible to be effected by human policy. But it was not only a multitude of hands, but a large fupply of wealth likewife, that was necefTuy to carry on fo many expenftve buildings ; and therefore -Solomon took care to cultivate the trade to Ophir, which his father had begun, from Elam and f Ezion-Geber, two ports in the Red fea, whither himfelf went in perfon to infpect the building of the fhips, and to provide them with able and experienced feamen, which his good friend and ally Hiram was never backward to furnifh him with. So that by this means his fubjefts; who foon attained to the art of navigation, were enabled to make feveral advantageous voyages ; may find it related in the Philofophical Tranfaffions for October 169J, in a letter from Dr Halifax to Dr Bernard; or in Wells's Geography of the Old Teftamtnt, vol. 3. who has borrowed it from thence. * Hiftory indeed takes notice of the fame temper in Sefoftris, king of Egypt, who, upon his return home from his feveral expcdi- ' lions, took it in his head to build temples in all the cities of Egypt, but would fufFerne Egyptian to do any fervile work therein. All the work of this nature was performed by the captives that he brought with him from the wars ; and therefore, to perpetuate the remem brance of his kindnefs to his fubjefts, as well as remove fome pof fible odium from himfelf, upon every temple he ordered this infciip* tion to be fet up, Hue bx'"r"f "s "¦***" W°X®-'"lt> ¦A'o native was ever a labourer here ; Diodor. bibliot. lib I. -f- Jofephus will needs have it, that Ezion-Geber is the fame With Berenice, which lies indeed upon the Red fea, but then it ¦ is upon the weftern or African fhore thereof; whereas the Sripture is pofi:ive, that it was a port of Idumaea, or Arabia Deferta, fuuate upon the gulf of Elam, which is on the oppo- f;te fhore. Elam, or Eloth^ or Elath, (for it was called by aE 1 4 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. voyages ; and, particularly in one fleet, * brought hira A8C,'ch?f ^ome no le*"s tnan II *our hundred and twenty talents of 1003, &ci g°'d, whh many other commodities, and curiofities of trom great value. In fhort, Solomon was one of the richeft, 1 Kings viii. to the end ""' all thefe name<) was fituate upon the fame, and might poffibly have its name from thmce. When David conquered Edom, or Idumaea, he made himfelf mafter of this port, 2 Sam. viii. 14. His fon, we fee, built fhips here, and fent them from hence to Ophir tor gold, 2 Chron. viii. i 7 18. It continued in the unfleul.in of the Ifraelites about an hun ired and fifty years, till, in the time of Joram, the E- domites recovered it, 2 Kings viii 20. ; but it was again taken from them by Azariah, and by him Ufr ro his fon, 2 Kings xiv. %i. His grandfon Ahaz however loft it again to the King of Syria, 2 Kings xvi. 6. and the Syrians had it in their hands a long while, till, after many changes und< <¦ the Ptolenu.rs, and the Seleucidae, it came at length into t.ic poffeffion of the Komans. It was formerly a fmall town, with frui till fields about it, but now there is nothing left but' a tower, which ftrves a* an habitation for the governor, who is fub- jed to the governor of Grand Cairo, and no figns of fruitnilnefs are to be feer. in any parts adjoining to it ; Patrick's Commentary, and Calmet's DiBionary, under the word Elam. * As great a king as Solomon was, we find he turned merchant; and yet the imperi.il laws forbid noblemen to exercife trade and commerce, as a thing below them ; and much lefs then (as Bodinus De repub'ica, lib. 6. c 2.) does it become a king But we muft not meafure antiquity by our own times : What might be then com- - mendable mjy now have a different appearance : . But the fame au thor is very right in one conceffion that he makes, viz. that though he would not have kings now 10 be merchants, yet, if he might have his choice, *' I had rather a prince fhould be a merchant," fays he, " than a tyrant, and that nobkmen fhould rather trade '* than opprefs, and make a prey of ditir tenants ;" Patrick's Com mentary. || in 2 Chron. viii. 18. the number of talents brought home to Solomon, are faid to bt four hundred and fifty : But this is a matter that is eafily refolved, if we will but fuppofe, that the charges of the voyage to and fro coft thirty taknts ; or that Solomon gave Ht» r- m's fervants, for conducting his fleet, thirty talents ; or that' in re fining the whole mafs of gold, the wafte might be thirty talents j £0 that, though Solomon's fleet brought him home four hundred and fifty talents, yet by one or more of thefe deductions, there came clear to his coffers no more than lour hundred and twenty ; Patrick's Commentary, and Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &? c . 1 5 and molt magnificent princes, that was then on the face ¦*• M- of the earth. . In his time, filver was no more regarded An^'chrM; than ftones in the ftreet : His annual revenues were fix 1003, ire. hundred and fixty-fix talents of gold, befides the tributes .fron4 ... he received from the kings and nations that were in fub- * ^/^j** jection to him ; the fubfidies which his fubjefts the Ifrael- 0f >. Chron. ites paid; and the fums arifing from the merchants for his ' cuftoms. The bucklers of his guards were of gold ; the f ivory throne, whereon he fat, was overlaid with it ; and all the utenfils of his palaces, and veffels of his table (which, f for magnificence, and fumptuoufnefs of pro- vifion, exceeded all that was ever known before) were of the fame metal. Prefents of gold, of rich fluffs, of fpi- ces, of arms, of horfes, and mules, were fent to him ¦f- We never read of ivory till about Solomon's days, who perhaps fcrought elephants out of India, or at leaft took care to have a great deal of ivory imported from thence ; for, in after ages, we read of ivory beds, and ivory palaces, ire At this time, however, it was every whit as precious as gold : And therefore we muft not fuppofe, that this throne of Solomon's was entirely overlaid with gold, (for then it might as well have been made of wood), but only in particular places, that fo the mixture or gold and ivory, which gave a luftre to each other, mi;;ht make the tnrone look more beau tiful. The like to this, the text fays, there was not made in any kingdom, i Kings x. 20. and perhaps it was fo in thofe days ; but, in after ages, we read, that the throne of the Parthian kings was •f gold, encornpafTed with four golden pillars befet with precious ftones ; and that the Perfian kings fat in judgment under a golden vine, (and other trees of gold), the bunches of whofe grape» were made of feveral forts of precious ftones ;' Patrick's Commentary. •f- The provifions of Solomon's table, for one day, were thirty meafures (which according to the Hebrew word Cor, as Goodwin has computed it, are fix gallons, above an hundred and fixry-eight bulliels) " of fine flour, and (ixty of meal, (or coarkr flmr, for " inferior fervanfs), ten flail-fed oxen, twenty oxen out of the " paftures, and an hundred fheep, befides harts, and rotbucks, " and fallow deer, and fatted fowl," or (as Bochart translates the word) " the choiceft of all fatted things," i Kings iv. 22. 23 ; and this, according to the calculation which fome have mace from the quantity of bread that was every day confumed, mull make Solomon's family confift, at leaft, of forty or fifty thoufaiid fouls ; Ca/met's Commentary. from 1 6 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. from every quarter ; and to fee the face, and hear the wif- 30*1, ire. dom of the renowned Solomon, was the prevailing ambi- A^o °^c t'on °^ ^e Sreat men °^ c^at a8e- °°rom °' Captivated with this defire the Queen of Sheba came to 1 Kings viii Jerufalem, attended with a great retinue, and brought With *f lhchDd ner r'cn Prefents °f g°w> fpices, and precious ftones. Her s ' purpofe was, to try if Solomon's wifdom was anfwerable to~ The vifit the hi^h commendations fhe had heard of it ; and there- ¦which the fore in difcourfe fhe propofed to him feveral enigmatical ^ten of,.r queftions. But when fhe heard his clear and fatisfa&oiy jum, J° folutions, fhe was not a little amazed at the profoundnefs of his judgment ; and when fhe had feen the beauty, and wor ship of the temple, the magnificence of his court, and the fumptuoufnefs of * his table and attendants, fhe was quite aftonifhed, and frankly owned to him, that what herfelf had feen did far furpafs any the moft extravagant report fhe had ever yet heard of him : Andfo, having made him. -very * great and noble prefents, and received others from him, that were not inconfiderable, fhe took her leave, and returned to her own country, highly pleafed and fatisfied with her vifit. The idola- Hitherto we have feen nothing in Solomon but what was try he fell truly great and wonderful ; but the later a£tions of his into by the ufe fo facjly tarnifh and difgrace his character. For he gave hi« foreign himfelf up to the love of ftrange women, fuch as were de- wives. * Our excellent commentator, Bi"hnp Patrick, tells us, that a very great uian of our <\vn (but is fiknt as to his name) has obfer- ved, that fuch things, as the difference of apparel, the order of fitting at nble, and the attendance of Solomon's fervants and mini- fters, were juftiy admired by the Queen of sheba, as an indication of his wifdom; •' for they are the cut works" (as he calls them) " which preferves maj=fty itftlf from approaches and furprifals; " and whatfoever prince departs from thefe forms, and tiaj>pings, " and ornaments of his dignity and pre-eminence, will hardly be " able at fome time, to prtflrve the body itftlf of maj iffy from intru- " fiou, invafion, and violation." * After a very compkmen.ive fpcech, in which Jofephus makes this queen addrefs King S >lomori, among other valualle prefents re corded in Scripture, " /hey fpeak alio," fay he, " of a root of bal- " fam, which fhe brought with her, which" (a cording to a tradi tion we have) " wa> the firft plant of the kind that ever came into " Ju. fields, happened to meet him; and, having acquainted him 0f . chron. from God, that he had appointed hinj to be Solomon's fuc- > ceffor in ten tribes out of twelve*. ,&d that, if he would adhere to his fervice, the government fhould be eftablifhed in his family : As he was but ill-affected to Solomon be fore, and now encouraged by the prophet's promifes, he began to ftir and follicit the people to a revolt. -|- The kin? having intelligence of thi*, was thinking to t ike him into, . cuftody ; but he made his efcape, and fled f unto Shifhack king trick's Commentary ; and Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Millo. f Ahijah was a native of Sliiloh, and one of thofe who wrote the annals of King Solomon's reign, 2 Chron ix 29 He is thought to have been the perfon who fpake twice to Solomon from God ; once, while he was building the temple, at which time he promifed him his protection, 1 Kings vi. 1 2 ; and at another time, when he had fallen into all his irregularities, and God expreffed his indignation againft him in bitter threats and reproaches, 1 Kings xii- 6. His prediction to Solomon, that he would one day be perverted by wo men ; and that to Jeroboam, that heifers (meaning the two gol den calves which he fet up) would alienate him from the fervice of God, are both taken notice of by Epiphanius, De vita et morte pro phet, j Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Ahijah. ¦f- How Solomon came te know what was thus tranfacted be tween Ahijah and Jeroboam atone, is a queftion of no great difficul ty : For perhaps the prophet made no fcruple to report what_he had delivered in the name of the Lord ; perhaps Jeroboam himfelf, being puffed up with this affurance, could not contain, but told it to fome of his confidents, who fpread it abroad ; or perhaps his fervants, though they heard not the words that the prophet fpake, yet, feeing him rend the garment into twelve parts, and give ten to him, might fpeak of this llrange and unaccountable action, which Solomon, as foon as he came to hear of it, might "eafily underftand, becaufe the fiitfc prophet, very likely, had told him but juft before, that the ¦ kingdom Jhouid be rent from him, and given to his fervant, I Kings xiv "-8..; Patrick's Comment. f All the kings of Egypt, from the time of Abraham, are, in the facred hiftory, cilled by the name -of Pharaoh, nnlefs C 2 Ramefes, 20 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. king of Egypt, where he continued for the fmall remain- 3001, ifo (jei. 0p Solomon's life, \ who, having reigned forty year?, ioo\,&c. died about the nfty-eigbth year of his age ; was buried in' from the city of David ; and was fucceeded by his fon f Reho- 1 Kings viii. DOam. to the end Ttehohnam of 1 Chron. xvenoDoam, Ramefes, that is mentioned in Gen. silvii. 1 r. be the name of a king, not a country ; fo that this is the firft we meet with, called by his proper name from the reft of the Pharaohs. Who this Egyptian prince was, the learned are not agreed. The opinion is pretty ge neral, that it was the famous Sefoftris, mentioned in Herodotus, and of whom we have fpoke before ; but his life could hardly be extend ed to this period. Our great Ufher fcts him a vaft way backward, even to the time of the Ifraelites peregrination, and fome chrono. logers carry it farther : But, be that as it will, it is very probable, that the prince had taken fome offence at Solomon, otherwife he would hardly have harboured fuch feditious refugees as Jeroboam was ; Patrick's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. f Jofephus indeed tells us, (Antiq lib. 8. c. 3.), that Solomon lived to ajgreat age, that he reigned eighty years, and died at ninety. four ; but this a manifeft error in that hiftorian, which our faying, that the Scriptures gives us only an account of Solomon while he con tinued in a ftate of piety, but that Jofephus's computation takes in the whole of his life, is a poor and forced way of reconciling. The authority of Jofephus muft never be put in balance with that of the holy Scriptures, from whence may be learned, that Soldmon lived to the age of fifty-eight, or thereabout ; becaufe we may very well prefume, that Ms immoderate purfnit of fenfual plcafuics both fhor- tcned his life, and left an eternal ftain upon his memory : Othmvife the character, which the author of Ecclefiaflicus gives of this prince, is very beautiful : — — Solomon rtigncd in a peaceable time, and was honoured : for Cod made all quiet round about him, that he wight build an houfe in his name, and prepare his Janffuary for ever. Now wife waft thou in thy youth, and as a food filled with un der ft anaing ! Thy foul-covered the whole earth, atd thou filled ft it with dark parables. Thy name went far unto the iflands, and fat th peace thou waft beloved . The count/ ies marvelled at thee for thy fongs and proverbs, ai.l parables, and i< terpretations. By the name if the Lord, which is called the Lord C V of Ijrael, thou did ft ga ther gold as tin, and dtdft multiply fiver as lead : . But thou did} bow thy loins unto women, &c. ; Eccluf. xlvii. 13. ire. + Notwithftanding the vaft multitude of wives that Solomon bad, the Scriptures make mention of no more than three chil dren, this fon, and two daughter^ that are fpoken of 1 Kings IV. 1 1. 15. and (what is ftrange) in the beginning of his ftory, it takes Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &e. 2 1 Rehoboam, as foon as his father was dead, went tof She- A. M. chem, where all the chief of the people were met together ^V'n'"* to proclaim him king ; but as the nation had been burthen- I003j ^Cm ed with fome heavy taxes during his father's reign, before from _ they would agree to recognife him, they f defireda redrefs * K"1?"1". of their grievances, and in hopes of awing him into a com- 0f x chron. pliance, fent for Jeroboam out of Egypt to appear at the ' — -v— J head of the affembly. Rehoboam, rpi his Ton's acccllion to the throne, . \ , r ¦ ant^ inipru,- takgs no notice (as nfually it does) of his mother s nation, or fami- dent ma- ly, though in the conclufion of it, (1 Kings xiv. 21 31.) itnageraenu twice reminds us, that fhe was an Ammonitcfs by birth, and that her name was Naamah. Rehoboam was born in the firft year of his father's reign, and was therefore much about forty-one when he entered upon the government ; but he was an unfkilful and impru dent man, and therefore made a very falfe ftep at his firft acctffion to the throne. The author of Ecclefiafticus. gives us no advanta geous character of him, when he terms him A man void of under- flanding, who turned the people away with his counfel, chap, xlvii 23. Nay, his own fon makes but a faint apology for him, when he tells the people, that he wasyoung (young in underftanding) and tender-hearted, and could not with/land his enemies, 2 Chron. xiii. 7. ; ana therefore fome have imagined, that his father Solomon had him in his thoughts, when he faid, in his Pieacher, I hated all my labour, whuh 1 had taken under the fun, becaufe I was to leave it to a man that Jhould come after me ; And. who knoweth whether he Jhatl be a wife man, or a fool ? yet Jbalt he have rule over all my labour, wherein I have laboured: This alfo is vanity ; chap. ii. 18. 19. ; Calmet's and Pa* trick's Commentaries. -f- This city flood not only in the cemre of the kingdom of Ifrael, but in the middle of the tribe of Ephraim, wherein there was the . greateft number of malecontents. It wa- then fore very probably by the management of Jeroboam, or fome of his friends, who durrt not perhaps venture themftlves at Jerufalem, that this city was made choice of for the place of a general convention, becaufe they might more fecurely propofe their grievances, (which they were relolved to do), and ufe a greater freedom of fpreeh than they cojld at Jeru falem, where the family of David was more powerful, more numer ous, and better fupported; Calmet's Commentary ; and tool's An- notations. -J- What the particular grievances were that thefe people defired to have redrefTed, we may gather from t Kings iv. 7. ire. viz the tribute Solomon exacted for his buildings the expenc.es ol his family, and the maintenance of his chariots and horfes, which being fir 'he honour 2 2 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. The people accordingly prefented their addrefs ; but 3001, ire. inftead of a gracious anfwer, (which his father's old coun- Ant. ChriT. feiiors by an means advlfed, as the only way to engage 1003 ire. , , . . n r /• i- ¦ • tiom them to his intereft for ever:, fome f young, politicians,. 1 Kings viii. that had been * bi ought up with him, were of a contrary to the end 0pjnion> viz. that fuch conceffions would look like fear and x ', pufillanimity ; that hard words would frighten them into Tlie revolt obedience; and that, inftead of Tedreffing, his bufinefs was of the ten to tell them, that he intended to increafe their grievances. tribes, who ¦pn;s counj'ei Rehoboam had the imprudence to follow : make Jero- A ' toaiu their honour of the nation, ought to have been .borne more contentedly by a people enjoying fuch a large fhare of peace and pltnty, and from a prince who had brought in fuch vaft riches to his fubjects, as made lib/cr to be of no value at all in his days, chap. x. 21. But people are more fenfible of their prefTures than of their enjoyments, and feel the leaft burdens when they are mod at eafe. It is obfer- vable, however, that among all their complaints, they take no no tice of Solomon's idolatry, or the ftrange worfhip which he had in troduced, though this, one would think, fhould have been reckoned among the greatcft of their grievances ; Patrick's Commentary. -J- They were not fo younj>, but they might have known better; for as Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he entered ap- on his kingdom, fo thefe gentlemen having been brought up with him, muft have been much about the fame age; but they were raw and unexperienced, and unacquainted with dit humours of the peo ple ; and therefore they gave the king fuch unfeafonable advice ; Pa trick's Commentary . * It was a common cuftom among the kings of the eaft, to have their fons educated among other young lords that wire of the fame age, which, as it created a generous (pint of emulation, and both endeared the prince to the nobles and the nobles to the prince, could not but tend greatly to the benefit of the public. Sef iftris, the moft famous prince that ever Egypt prodt.ced, is laid to have been educated this way : And by the gallant youths that were his co- temporaries and fellow-pupili, it was, that he afterwards did fo many fwrprifing actions. The lame cuftom was in ufe among the Per- fians, as we may learn from the life of Cyrus ; and of Alexander the Great we are told, that hi- father Philip had him trained up m his youth, among thofe young noblemen who became his great cap tains in the conqueft of all Alia. So that Solomon's method and dtf.gn, in the education of his fon, «a- wife and well-concerted, though it failed of fuccefs; Ccmnt's CtfMmntary. which Chap I. ftom the building of the Temple, &c. 23 which fo difgufted the. people, that they threw off all alle- A. M. giance, and declared for another king. When Rehoboam ^„°''c^r came to underftand this, he f fent Adoram, his collector, 1()01] iyC. to appeafe them, and probably to allure them, that their .trom... taxes fhould be abated ; but this pacification came too late : ' Kl°gs vll'" Their paffions were fo exafperated, that they fell upon the 0f x chroa. collector, and ftoned him to death, without fo much as — - v~ — 1 once hearing what he had to fay. Rehoboam feeing diis, thought it high time to confult his own fafety, by f ha- ftening to his chariot, arid fleeing to Jerufalem ; by which means he fecured the two tribes of J:\dth and Benjamin ; but all the reft of the Ifraelites made choice of Jeroboam. And thus was this great and goodly kingdom, almoft in its infancy, fplit into two parts ; and, for evo afterwards, went under difierent denominations, the kingdom of Judah, and the kingdom of Ifrael, though the latter included the whole before. As foon as Rehoboam was got fafe to Jerufalem, he be gan to meditate revenge for the affront pat upon himfelf in the perfon of Adoram his collector ; and therefore (to re duce the rebel-tribes by force of arms) he put himfelf at the head of an hundred and eighty thoufand chofen troops of the two tribes, which continued faithful to him. But while they were on their march, the f prophet Shemaiah, by the direction of God, advifed them to defift, and return f It was certainly a piece of great imprudence to fend any one to treat with them, when they were fo highly cxafperated ; but to fend him that was an obnoxious man, as having the principal care of the very tributes they complained of, was downright infatuation; becaufe nothing is fo natural, as to hate thofe that are the inftru- ments of qui' oppreffion, or any ways employed in it ; Patrick's Com- msntary. f This is the firft time that we read of a king's riding in a cha riot. Saul, David, and Solomon, rode in none; but after the divifion of the kingdorii, mention is frequently made of the ufe of them, both by the kings of Judah and Ifrael ; Patrick's Comment. + This prophet was very well known in the reign of Rehoboam : He is fuppofed to have wrote the annals of that prince ; and of what authority he was in Judah, we may gather from this pafTage, where he is faid to have prevailed with the king, and an hundred and four- fcore thoufand men, to lay down their arms, and return home, merely by declaring, that the divifion which had happened was by the order and appointment of God ; Calmet's Commentary. everv 24 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. every one to his own home ; becaufe by the divine will 3«oi, ire anrJ pleafure it was, that this divifion of the kingdom came ?""• Chnl to pafs. Hereupon all the army, with Rehoboam's con- loo?, \J~C- r * * _ i j * * i_ from fent, was difbanded ; and he to fecure the dominions that i Kings viii. were left him, repaired and fortified fifteen frontier towns ; to thQ"d built feveral ftrong holds in the heart of his country ; fur- f /L ', 'nifhed them with good garrifons and provifions ; aad e- rected magazines in fever tl cities, out of which the foldiers might, on all Occafions, be fupplied with arms. Jeroboam Jeroboam, on the other hand, was not idle, but enlar- ftts up two ged and beautified Shechcm, and made it a royal city. Af- goldpn tgr ng n?(j regded there for fome time, he went to the fl at Dan and ther fide of Jordan, and repaired Penuel, which was an- Sediel. ciently a fortified place, and there refided likewife, in hopes of gaining the affections of the two tribes and an half. Amidft all thefe endeavours to fettle himfelf firm on the throne, there was one thing he thought he had reafon to'apprehend, viz. that his fubjects might return to their allegiance to the houfe of David, in cafe they were per mitted to go up, thrice every year (as the law directed) to worfhip at Jerufalem;' he therefore made a bold alter ation in religion, and fet up two golden calves, (with altars belonging to them), the one in Bethel, which was the moft fouthern, and the other in Dan, which was the moft north ern part of the country, the better to fuit the convenien- cy of all their votaries. The regular priefts, however, would not comply with him in thefe idolatries, and there fore he inhibited them the exercife of their own religion, banifhed them his kingdom, feized on their pofieffions, and appointed % any, who was fo minded, to officiate about thefe % The Hebrew words Miketzoth Haam, do properly fignify out of all the people, and not the itrweft of the people. This expofition Bocbart has juftified by a great nuny examples of the ufes of thefe words in other places : So that their meaning muft be, not that Je-4 roboam employed the lefufe of the people only, but that he employ ed any, though they were not ol the tribe of Levi, though they had no previous qualifications to recommend them to of ficiate as priefts about his idols. To employ the meaneft of the people only in this office, had been bad policy, and expofing his new inflitution to contempt; but to admit any that offered thtmlUves, of what rank or quality foever ; to lay open the priefl* hood, and defray the neealefs diftintfion oj men and things, (as the modern phiafcis), this had in it the air ol free-thinking, and muft therefore Chap. I. from the building of the Temple , &c. 25 thefe new-erected idols : By which means a great acceffion a. m. of ftrength accrued to Rehoboam's party ; for the priefts 3°°', &e. that were banifhed reforted all to Jerufalem, and as many ^ , " of the other tribes as had any regard to the true worfhip from of God followed them. ' Kings viii. To give the better countenance to his new-invented re- J° *chron ligion, Jeroboam himfelf was accuftomed fometimes to offi- - - _J ciate ; and therefore, on a f folemn fealt, which. he hadap- At Bethel pointed at Bethel, as he ftood by the altar for that purpofe, hi.s nand fs a certain f prophet, who came from Judah, foretold him, ^dfetim-eA that that very altar which he had erected, fhould one day by the pro be polluted, and deftroyed by a child, born of the houfe of ph« from Judah. therefore be a very grateful thing, and ingratiate himfelf, n» doubt, With the people ; Patrick's Commentary, ¦f As the Jews had their feaft of tabernacles on the fifteenth day of the feventh month, fo Jeroboam had a feaft on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which he inftituted of his own accord. Some fuppofe indeed, "that as this feaft was appointed by God to be ebfer- ved after the gathering in of the fruits, which might be fooner ripe in Jerufalem than in the northern parts of the country, fo Jeroboam might pretend, that the eighth month would be a better time for it than the feveftth, becaufe then they would every where be gathered. Others imagine, that he might have this farther delign in the alter ation of this month, viz. that the people of Judah, when their own feaft was over a month before at Jerufalem, might have an opportunity to come to his, if their curiofity led them. But the plain cafe is, that he did every thing he could in oppofition to the eftablifhed re ligion, and his chief intention was to alienate the people from Jeru falem ; Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c. 2. f Who this prophet was, commentators ^are not agreed. The Jews would generally have it to have beeji Iddo ; but unlefs we may fuppofe that what is here related fell out in the latter end of Jero boam's reign, Iddo could not be the perfon; becaufe Iddo was a- live in the days of Ahijah, fon of Rehoboam, whereas the prophet here fpoken of died, in a manner, as foon as he had delivered his prophecy. Others therefore have thought, that this prophet who / came to rebuke Jeroboam was Ahijah, the fame who had foretold him his exaltation to the crown of Ifrael : But befides that" Ahijah was alive after the time that this prophet was flain, Ahijah was cer tainly a native of Shiloh, and lived in Shiloh, which is in the tribe of Ephraim, and part of Jeroboam's dominions ; whereas it is exprefs- ly faid of this prophet, that he came from, Judah ; So that there is no foundation, fo much as for' a conjecture, what the name of this man of God was ; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries. Vol. IV. D David, 2 6 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VL A. M David, f whofe name, in future age's, fliould be Jofias ;'" 30c, &e and for t,he proof of the truth of his prediction, he added, \Z'i, &!. that immediately it fhould be fplit. Incenfed at this free dom dom of fpeech, Jeroboam ftretched out his hand, and call- 1 Kings Tiii. ed to thofe that ftood by, to feize the prophet ; but as he to the end f hed ; his arm grew fo ftiff, that he could not of 2. Chron. ' o ' Lr- -,_ pull it back again, and the altar, being ipht aiunder, let. the fire, and the afhes that were thereon, fall to the ground. Jeroboam by this means was fefifibly convinced of his impiety, and intreated the prophet to intercede with God for the reftoration of his hand. The prophet in this par ticular complied with his requeft ; but when the king de- fired his company to dine with him, on purpofe to make him a recompence for his miraculous cure, he declined the invitation, upon account of a pofitive divine injunction! that he fhould make no flay in the place, not fo much as to eat or drink in it, or f return by the fame way. In •J- This is one of the moft remarkable prophecies that we have in facrtd vvrit. It foretels an action that exactly came to pafs above three hundred and1 forty years afterwards. It defcribes the circum- ftances of toe gflion, and fpecifies the very name of the perfoa that was to do it ; end therefore every Jew, who lived in the time of its accompli fhrnent, muft have been convinced of the divine autho. jity of 2 religion founded upon fuch prophecies as this ; fince none but God could forcfee, and confequently none but God could foretel, events at fjch a diflance ; Le Clere' s and Calmet's Commentaries. f Why iLib prophet was forbid to eat or drink with the people tf Bethtl, the reafon is obvious, becaufe he was to have no famili arity with idolaters ; but why he fhould not return by the fame -may that he. wei.t, is not fo very evident. There is a paflage in Ifiiih c .nceming Sennacherib, which helps (as fome think) to elucidate this matter, where God tells him, that he would turn him back by the fame way that he came, Ifaiah xxxvii. 29. ?4- i.e. be fhould i etum heme without doing any thing : All his threats, and all his great projects fhould have no effect againft Jerufalem. And in hke manner, when God commanded the prophet not to return by the i ime way, it was as much as if he had faid, " See that thou be " conftant, ajid ftedfaft in executing the charge committed.to thee ; '*' let nodiing hinder <-r divert thee, but take abundant care, that " thou do thy bufinefs effectually." But this conftruction is a little too much Grained ; nor tan 1 fee, why we may not fay, that God injoined his prophet not to return by the fame way, left Jeroboam, *rwiy ether cf the inhabitants tf Eethcl, either to fatisfy their cu- riqfity Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, GV. 27 ¦ In the town of Bethel there lived an old prophet, who, A. M. when his fons came and told him what the man of God 3°°',^ ire. from Judah had done, -J- what had paffed between him and t™' L^ • the king, and what way he had taken in his return home, froTO went in purfuit of him ; and under the pretence of a frefh 1 Kings viii. revelation which he had had, -countermanding the injunction tof fh^e,Kl which the other thought himfelf under, invited him to his , r„v^>J° houfe. After fome fmall demur the young prophet be- Ths pro- lieved him, went with him, fat down to meat, and retrefhed P,iet is flain himfelf; but, in his return, he paid dear for his difobe- f(Jr his'dUh-. dience ; for f a lion met him and flew him, but when it bedience to had fo done,, it neither tore his body, nor meddled with his the divine afs ; which when the old prophet underftood, he took, and commautl> buried him in his own fepulchre, and gave his children in charge, that whenever he died, they fhould lay him in a place contiguous to this prophet ; becaufe he was confi dent, that whatever he foretold concerning the altar of Be thel, and || that form of idolatry, which Jeroboam had fee up, would moft certainly come to pafs. Not riofity upon an cccaficn fo uncommon, or to do him fome mifchief . for his fevere denunciations againft their altar and way of worfhip, might fend men after him to bring him back ; Calmet's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. f By this it appears, that thefe fons of the old prophet were pre- fent when Jeroboam ftood at die altar, and therefore joined in that idolatrous worfhip, though their father did not, and yet was too timorous to reprove it ; Patrick's Commentary . \ Not far from Bethel there was a wood, out of which the two fhe-bcars came that deftroyed two and forty children for mocking- the prophet Elifha, 2 Kings ii. 24. And'it is not unlikely, that out of the fame wood came the lion which flew this prophet; Pa trick's Commentary. || There is fomenting particular in the expreflions of the text : The faying, which he cried by the word of Cod againft the altar of the Lord, againft the altar of Bethel, and againft all ike houfes of the high places, which are in the cities of Samaria, Jhall furely come to pafs, I Kings xiii. 32. But how can they be called the cities of Samaria, when Samaria itfelf was not now built, nor had the feparate kingdom of Jeroboam as yet obtained that name .' But fihis only fhews, that the author or compiler of thefe books of Kings (whether it was Ezra or Jeremiah) lived long after the time ef Jeroboam,- and writes of things and places as they were in hij ewn days. He knew full well, that Samaria was built by Omri, fifty years after Jeroboam, finte himfelf had given the account of its foundation j but he was minded to fpeak in the phiafe then cur- v D 2 r.nr. 28 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. Not Ions after this, Abijah, the fon of Jeroboam, a t Kings viii hijah, who was then at Shiloh; and to inquire concerning tn he "d the fate of fhe child. The prophet, at that time, was ° l-^. blind ; and therefore they thought that they might very eafily jeroboaii-'s impofe upon him : But before the queen came, God had wickednefs.difcovereclthe whole matter to him ; and therefore, as loon d- ah of his as ihe entered the door, he called her by her name, and fon Abijah. then rent, and to make himfelf intelligible to thofe that read him ; and for this realon no doubt it is, that in 2 Kings xxiii. 18 the falfe prophet of Bethel is faid to have come from Samaria, though at that time there was no city of that name ; Calmet's Commentary. ¦j- In t Kings xiv n. it is faid, that in him there was found fimr good thing towards the Lord Cod of Ifrael; from whence the Jovh'h doctors have devifed the ftory, that he broke down an hedge (it had better been a wall, I fhould think) which his father bad made, to keep people fr.-m going up to Jerufalem at the three great feat's But however this be, we may be permitted fairly to infer ¦ thtib much from the words : That he was the only perfon in the family who had cxpreiTed a diflike of die worshipping of calves, an inclination and intention to abollfh it, whenever he fhould come into power, and to permit, if not cblige his fubjefts to go UP Ml Jerufalem, to worfhip according as die law prefciibed; Pool's An-. flotations. -|- Jeroboam might be for having his wife go to cdnfult the pro* phet at Shiloh,- becaufe this was a lecret not to be intrufted with any body dfe ; a lecret, which had it been divulged, might have en dangered his whole government: Bccauie, it once his fubjects came to underftand, that he himfelf had no confiderce in the calves which lie had fet up but in any matter of importance had rccourfis to the true wm fhippcrs ot God, it is not to be imagined, what an in- t duct mem this would have been for them to forfake thefe fcnftlefs i- do!s. and to, return to the worfhip of the God of Ifrael, whom they imprudently had ferfaken. The queen then was the only perfon he could have confidence in. As a mother, he knew, that fhe would be diligent in her inquiry ; and as a wife, faithful in her re port ; but there were ftindry rcafons why he might defire her to difguife herfelf. For though Shiloh lay within the confines ef Ephraim, yet there is fufheient giound to think, that it was fob- jeet 10 the hi ufe of David, and belonged to the kingdom of judah. It was certainly nearer Jerufalem than Schchem, which. Reh.ob$H» Chap. I.- from the building of the Temple, Gfr. 29 then delivered the meflage which God had directed him(«o A" *£ do. Therein he upbraided Jeroboam with ingratitude to 4„t. 'chriV.- God, who had made him king ; charged him with impiety 1003, ire. and apoftacy, in fetting up images for the objects of reli- *rom ... gious worfhip ; foretold the extirpation of his race, and the t0 the end" death of the child then fick j threatened fore judgments of 1 Chron. to the people of Ifrael, for their conforming to the idolatry V— - W-* which had begun, and, with this doleful meffage, he fent her away, who, as foon as fhe entered the palace-door (according to the prophet's prediction) found the child dy ing. But all thefe judgments and miraculous events wrought po reformation in wicked Jeroboam. Nor was his rival, Rehoboam king of Judah, much Rehobo- hetter. He, for three years indeed,, kept up the true wor- ?"\* Tc" , fhip of God at Jerufalem, but it was more out of a princi- dcath. pie of ftate-policy, than of true religion. For, when the time of Jeroboam's fubjects coming over to him upon that account was at an end, he threw off the mafk, and difco- vered his inclination to idolatry. And, as his example was followed by his fubjects, they foon exceeded all that went before them. For they not only fet up images and groves upon every hill, and under every green tree, but, to add to their grofs impiety, introdu ced the deteftable f fin of Sodom, and Rehoboam had lately fortified, and made his place of refidence : And therefore Jeroboam thought it not fafe to venture his queen in a place that was under his rival's government, without her putting on fome difguife. He knew too, that the prophet Ahijah was greatly offended at him for the grofs idolatry he had introduced ; and there fore he thought (as juftly he might) that, if the prophet perceived her to be his wife, he would either tell her nothing, or make things much worfe than they were. The only way, therefore, to come at the truth, was (as he thought) to do what he did : But herein ap pears his infatuation, that he fhould not think the perfon, whom he held capable of refolving him in the fate of his fbn, able to fee thro* this guile and difguife ; Calmet's Commentary; and Pool's Annota tions. f There are feveral paflages in Scripture, fuch as 1 Kings xv. 12. 2 Kings xxiii. 7. Rom. 1. 26 27- ire from whence it ap pears, that this kind of wickednefs did frequently attend idolatry. Among the Heathen, the moft filthy diings were committed in their groves, thofe places of darknefs and obfeurity, by the wor shippers of Venus, Bacchus, and Priapus; and, when the If raelites fell into the fame religion, they muft, of courfe, h?.ve fallen into the fame practices ; becaufe, whatever they did of. -30 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A- M- and all the other wickednelTes that the ancient Canaanites A^'chtif. were expelled for. • ioo3, ,6r." Under thefe provocations it was not long before God from ' fent againft them Shifhak, king of Egypt, who, in the fifth 1 Kings viii. year. Q£ Rehoboam, + invaded his dominions with a very of 1 Chron. numerous army ; and, having ravaged the country, taken ; moft of the fortified places, and entered Jerufalem without oppofition, plundered the temple and palace of their rich furniture and moveables, he took away all the money that was found in the king's treafure, and the treafure of the fandtuary, and, at the fame time, carried off the golden fhields which Solomon had made; in the room of which, Rehoboam, by this depredation, was reduced fo low, that he f was forced to make brazen ones, for the ufe and ornament of his guards. of this kind was done in devotion, and honour to their gods, who, as they imagined, 'were highly delighted with fuch obfcenities ; Pa trick's Commentary. f It may feem fomething ftrange, that Shifhak, who was fo near ly allied to Rehoboam, fliould come up againft him, and take his royal city : but Rehoboam, we muft remember, was not the fon of Pharaoh's daughter, and therefore no relation to Shifhak. But, e- ven had he been never fo nearly related, as kingdoms, we know, never msrry, fo, it is likely, that Juxboam, who had lived long in Egypt, fiirred him up to invade his rival, and thereby he might eftablilh himfelf in his new kingdom : And, for this reafon it was, that, when the armies of Egypt had taken the fenced cities of Ju dah, they returned, without giving Jeroboam or his dominions any the leaft difturbance ; Patrick's Commentary. f This fhows, to what a low condition the kingdom of Judah was reduced. Thefe fhields were a matter of ftate and grandeur; and therefore it concerned them, if they were able, to have theni of the fame value that they were before : And, as tbey were car ried before the king to the houfe of the Lord, it feemed likewife to be a matter of religion, that their value fhould not be diminifhed. Now, in making thefe'thite hundred fhields we are told, that three pound- of gold went to one fliield, t Kings x. 17. Thus, at four pounds per ounce, or forty-eight pound Srcrling to the pound, amounts to no more than 432,000 /. ; and therefore it was a miferable cafe, that they were reduced from fo much wealth to fo much poverty, that neither reafons of ftate, ncr religion, could raiie io fmall a fum on fo great an occafion; Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6;. c. 2. We Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &c. 31 We have little or nothing more recorded of Rehoboam, A. M. but that he reigned twelve years after this conqueft and de- l°0I'rl^ vaftation by Shifhak ; that he had eighteen wives, and foo' ^f threefcore concubines, and by them dght and twenty fons, from and threefcore daughters ; that moft of thefe fons (who'1^™1- °. . ,. ,.f . , , , v to the end were grown to maturity in his lifetime) he made governors of Q>ron., in chief of the fenced cities in his kingdom ; that he ap- u— v— ^ pointed Abijah (who was the eldeft by his favourite wife Maachah) to fucceed him in his throne, and, || after a con tinued war with his rival Jeroboam, died in the fifty-eighth year Of his age, and in the fcventeenth year of his reign, and was buried in the city of David. Abijah, who fucceeded his father in the kingdom of Ju- He is fuc- dah, in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam king of Ifrael, was "eded by; a prince of an active and martial fpirit ; and therefore refol- jan; °^i10 ,- ving to put an end to the long difpute between the two gains a great kingdoms of Judah and Ifrael, he raifed an army of four vi&oryov« hundred thoufand men, while Jeroboam, whofe territories imfomi'af*' were of larger extent, had got together one of eight hun- ter dies. dred thoufand. This notwithftanding, Abijah determined to give him battle ; but, before they came to the onfet, he thought it not improper to get upon an eminence, and f to expoftulate with the Ifraelifh army the injuftice of tlieir caufe || But how does this agree with what we read in Kings xii. 23. ire. viz. that God commanded Rehoboam, and his people, not to' fight againft the Ifraelites, and they obeyed ? Very well : if we will but obferve, that, though the jews .were commanded not to; make war upon the Ifraelites, yet they were not commanded not to- defend themfelves, in cafe the Ifraelites fliould make war upon them; and, confidering that they were now become two rival nations, they might, upon the borders, be continually endeavouring to gain ground upon each other, and fo run into frequent acts of hoflility, without ever once engaging in a pitched battle ; Patrick's Commentary. f None of the great captains and commanders, whofe fpeeches are recorded in Heathen authors, ever cxprefftd themfelves more movingly than this king of Judah did. But fome have found fault , with him for fpeaking not fo honourably of his father's military fkill and courage, which he might as well have omitted, becaufe (allow ing it to be true) he feems to have ferved no purpofe in mentioning ' it : But this notwithftanding, the fpecch is very lively, and excel lently well calculated to caufe a revolt in Jeroboam's army. Jofephus, who was no mean orator, and who in fome fpeeches has improved upon the fcered hiftomn, is q'tfte outdone and furpafled in this, in-, fonmch, g2 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. caufe in revolting from his father Rehoboam ; the right he Soot, &c. ciaimecl on his fide, fince God had given the whole king- ^oi &c dom to David, and his fons forever ; and the reafonable from expectance he had of the divine affiftance in what he was i Kings vdi. g0ing about, fince the religion of Jeroboam was falfe and *f aChTon.idolatrous' whereas he, and the men of Judah, had the Vi.___pu.re worfhip of the living God, his temple, and his ordi nances, among them. Jeroboam was no wife follicitous to anfwer him in thofe points; but, while he continued fpeaking, ordered a de tachment to march round, and intercept his retreat : Which when the men of Judah perceived, they addrefied them felves to God in prayer for fuccefs, and, while the priefts blew the trumpets, the foldiers gave a great fhout, and char ged the Ifralites fo vigoroufly, that they foon gave way, and (as the enemy gave no quarter) loft, in the whole ac tion, no lefs than five hundred thoufand men, the greateft flaughter that ever was heard of. This victory Abijah took care to improve by purfuiflg Je roboam, and taking from him fo many ftrong cities, (a- mong which, Bethel, where one of the golden calves had lately been fet up, was one), that he was never thencefor ward able to make head againft his adverfary, who by this, and fome other fuccefsful atchievements, grew great and powerful. But his reign was but fhort : He reigned not quite three years, before be died, and was buried in the city of David ; and the reafon that fome have affigned for God's thus fhortening of his days, was his not deftrDying of idolatry, when, by taking of Bethel, he had it in his power. For, however he might plead his pofieffion of the temple and priefthood, to make his argument good againft Jeroboam; yet the character which the facred hiftoriaa gives him, is (a) that he -walked in all the fins, of his father; nor was his heart ferfetl with the Lord his God, as the heart *f his great grandfather David. Afa fat- Afa, however, who, in the twentieth year of Jeroboam €eeds his king of Ifrael, fucceeded his father in the throne of Ju- fah"7nd isa cla'1» was a Prmce °f a different temper. As he enjoyed the very religi- felicity of a fettled peace for the ten firft years of his •us prince, reign, he wifely made ufe of it in reforming many abufes fomuch, that there is no room to introduce him, unlefs it be by way of foil to the original ; Patrick's Commentary. Vide the fpeech at large in 2 Chron. xiii. 4. ire. (a) 1 Kings xv. 3. that Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, cjfr. 33 that had been tolerated in former reigns. He expelled the A. M. Sodomites, broke down the idols, and demolifhed their 3° 6-c. altars in all the cities of Judah ; || but he had not yet power t™\ J£ and authority enough to deftroy the high places. The vef- &'om fels of filver and gold, which f both he and his father had « Kings vii;. confecrated to the fervice of the temple, he prefented to '°( J;. cn(l the priefts ; and, by all the enforcements of regal Authori- , ty, compelled his fubjects to be religious. This time of peace he likewife made of, to fortify feve ral cities on the frontier parts of his kingdom, and to train up his fubjects in the art of war ; infomuch that, in a fhort time, he had an army of three hundred thoufand men || This feems to be contradicted by a paflige in 2 Chron. xiv. 3. where we are told, that Afa took away the altars of the ftrange gods, and the high places: but, for the right underftanding and re conciling of this, we may obferve, that there were two kinds of high places, the one tolerated for religious purpbfes, the other abo minable from their firft inftituiion ; the one frequented by devout worfhippers, the other made the receptacle of the wicked and ido latrous only. Now thefe were the altars and high places which Afa took away, even where the people facrificed to ftrange Gods ; but thofe where God alone was worfliipped had obtained fo long, and were looked upon with fo fjcred a veneration, that, for fe.ir of giving a general offence, (though he knew they were contrary to a divine injunction), he durft not adventure to abr-lifh them. The truth is, thefe high places were famous either for the appari tion of angels, or fome other miraculous event ; had either been places of abode for the ark of the Lord, or fuch as fome prcphet or patriarch of old had been accuftonied to pray and facririce in ; and therefore they were loqked upon as confecrated to the fervice of God ; nor was there ftrength enough in the government to over come this inveterate prejudice, till Hezekiah arofe, who (to prevent the calamities diat were coming upon the nation) had the courage to effect a thorough reformation; Patrick on I Kings xv. 14.; and Calmet on chap. xiv. 23. + According to the piety of ancient times, his father had devo ted fome part of the fpoils he had taken in the war againft Jero boam to the fervice of the temple, but had not rime to make good his vow, or, upon fome account or other, had neglected it, fo that his fon took care to fupply that defect. And forafmuch as himfelf had taken large booty in his war with the Arabians, of this he likewife beftowed a confiderable part upon holy ufes; Patrick's Com- Vol. IV 3 j. The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A- M. 0f Judah armed with fhields and pikes, and two hundred inV'citif and rourfcore thoufand men of Benjamin armed with 1003, ire fhields and arrows, all perfons of courage, and refolved to from defend their country. 1 Kings™;. In this fltuatiorl 0f affa;rs Zerah, the ± King of Ara- of x chron. k'a invaded Judea with an almoft innumerable army, but v— ss~~~J was vanquifhed by Afa with a much. inferior force. For, Gains a vie- as foon as the battle began, God ftruck the Arabians with tory over fucn a panic fear, that they began to flee; and Afa and the King of,. r r , , 1 " , r ., c , • Arabia, and his , army puriued them, took the ipoil or their camp, makes a carried away their cattle, fmote the cities that were in thorough leaaUe with them, and fo returned in triumph to Jerufa- reformation . ° r J in religion. iem- After fo fignal a victory, Afa continued in peace for the fpace of five years more ; in which time he thought himfelf obliged, both in gratitude to God, and in com pliance to the encouragement (h) which his prophet Aza- riah had given him, to fet himfelf about a thorough refor mation in religion. To this purpofe he executed all that could be convicted of fodomy ! h« deftroyed all the idols that were to be found, not only in Judah and Benjamin, $ The Scripture take's no notice of what was the caufe of this war between Zerah and Afa, nor are interpreters well agreed what the country was from whence this eliemy came. The country, in the original, is called Cufh, though we tranflate ir Ethiopia. Now, there are three countries, different from one another, all called by the name of Cufli;, 1. the land of Cull) upon the river Gihon; s. Cufh upoa the Eaftern fhore of the Red Sea ; and, 3. Cufh, fituate above Thebais, and in the Upper Egypt. It is very probable, then, that the country here fpokeri of muft not be Ethiopia, properly fo called, becaufe we can hardly imagine, how an army of a million of men fliould be permitted to march through Egypt (as they muft have done to invade Judea) without fome oppofition: And therefore the country muft be the land of CuHi, which lay in Arabia Petrasa, upon the eaft fhore of the Red fea, and, at the extremity to' the point of that fea, inclining towards Egypt and Judea. And where as fome have made a doubt, how fo fmall a country could have. produced fo large an army, it is no hard matter to fuppofe, that a great part of the army ' might perhaps have been mercenaries ; Calmed Commentary on 2 Chron. xiv. 9. ; and Dictionary, under the word Cufh. And Wells's Geography cf the Old Teftamct.t, vol. t. chap. 4. 'b) 2 Chron. xv. throughout. but Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &c. 35 but in any of the conquered countries likewife : He- repair- A- M- ed the altar of burnt-offerings, and fummoned, not only Am'chrift natives, but ftrangers likewife, to the worfhip of the true 1003, &c. God. On a folemn feftival, which he had appointed, he .ftom... ordered feven hundred oxen, and feven thoufand fheep, * In^iv"d part of the fpoil which he had taken from the Arabians, 0f z chron. to be facrificed; and, at the fame time, engaged in a cove nant with his fubjects, (which was confirmed by oath), that whoever fliould forfake the true worfhip of God fhould have (c) the fentence of the law executed upon him, and be infallibly put to death. " His own mother had been a patronefs of idolatry ; and therefore, to fhew his impartiality, be removed her from court, and forbad her coming near the Queen, for fear of infecting her; and underflandingthat fhe had fet up an idol in a grove confecrated to an obicene deity f , he burnt the idol, (c) Deur. xvii. 2. ire. f The words of the text, both in 1 Kings xv. 13. and 2 Chron. xv. 16. according to our tranflation, are to this effect.— —That Afa removed his mother Maachah from being Queen, becaufe fhe had made an idol in a grove, both of which he cut down, and burnt. The word which we render idol is in the, original Mipheletfth ; but then the whole difficulty turns upon this, what the proper fignifica- tion of this word is. The Vulgate tranflation has cleared this matter pretty well, by rendering the paflage, that this Queen-mother was the high prieftefs in the facrifices ofPriapus; and when the Septua gint (according to the Vatican copy) informs us, that fhe held an afTembly in this grove, and that her fon Afa cut down all the cbfe arbours, or places of retreat, as the word SiWftif, which we render aftembly, may have a more carnal meaning, and the other kxtxHc-j;, properly fignies hiding places, or places of retirement for wicked and obfeene purpofes : We may from hence infer, that both the Latin and Greek tranflators took the Mipheletjeth of Maachah to be fome lewd and lafcivious deity, which loved to be worshipped in filthy and abominable actions; and that this coi;!d be no other ihan the Roman . Priapus (whofe worfhippers were chiefly women) feems to be im plied in the very etymology of the word, which properly figniries terriculamentum, or, a device to frighten other things away ; tax this was exactly the office of Priapus in all gardens. Pomofifque ruber etiftos ponatur in hcrtis, Terreat ut fseva fake Priapus aves. Tibul.Elcg. 1. But dien the queflion is, , who the patriarch was (for moft idols were made for fome patriarch or o;her) that the Roman Priapus is thought E 2 to 3 6' The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A- M. iJo^ anci tiie grove both, and threw their afhes into the im!'chrii. Drook Kidron, ( and with the materials that Baafha had prepa-. red to build him two cities in his own dominions, Gebah' and Mifpah. This applying however to Benhadad for affiftance was,. in Afa, a thing inexcufable. It implied a diftruft of God's power or goodnefs to help him, of which he had bad fo lately fo large an experience ; and therefore the prophet Ha- nani was fent to reprove him for it : But inftead of recei ving his reproofs with temper and thankfulnefs, he was fo exaiperated with them, that he put the prophet in chains, and gave orders, at the fame time, for the execution of fe veral of his fubjects. Grows pee- The truth is, towards the clofe of his reign, he grewve- villi and ry peevifh and paffionate, and uneafy with thofe that were pa .Ju'th a'J0ut h'm J which, charity would be apt to think, proceed- endofhis ed from his diftemper, a fevere gout, (in all probability), reign, and whofe humour rifing upwards, killed him in the one and after his fortieth year of his reign. He was fucceeded by his fon ders his bo- Jehofaphat : But inftead of being interred, (as the man- dy to be ner of the Jews was), -f he ordered his body to be burnt burnt. wi{n \ The words in the text are thefe,- They laid him on fhe bed, which was filled with facet odours, a/id divers kinds of f pices, prepared by the apothecaries art ; and they made a great burning fir him, 2 Chron. xvi. 26. Hut then the queflion is, whether the bo- riy itfelf was burnt, or only fome fpices and oderifcrous drugs, to prevent any bad Imcll that might attend the corpfe. The Greeks and Romans indeed, v. j;en they burnt any dead bodies, threw frank- incenfe, myrrh, caffia, and oiher fragrant things into the fire, and this in fuch abundance, that Pliny (Nat.hift. cap. 18.) rcprefents it as a piece of profanenefs, to bellow fuch heaps of frankinccnfe upon a dead body, when they offered it fo fparingly to their gods. The Jews, however, (fay the maintainers of this fid t "of the queflion), were accuflomed to inter, and not to burn their dead, though they might poffibly learn from the Egyptians the ufage of burning many fpices at their funerals, as we find thry did at the funeral of Zede kiah king of Judah, }a. xxxiv. 5. ; but notwithftanding this, fome very Chap.I. from the building of the Temple, £sjV. 39 with great quantities of perfumes, and fpices, and his bones A. M. and aihes to be collected, and buried in, a fepulchre which 3°°1>^'i<\" he had provided for himfelf in the city of David. J003, ire. During the long continuance of Afa's reign, fundry fi°m ,_ fucceifuns and revolutions happened in the kingdom of ' kl"SSV1"" Ifrael, whereof the facred hiftory has 'given us but a fliort oi-z chron. account. In the firft or fecond year of Afa, died Jero- <— — v— Jk boam, of fome acute difeafe, which the Scripture does not The wicked fpecify. His reign was famous (or infamous rather) for " "^'.Tj10 the revolt of the ten tribes, the public inftitution of ido- ifmel du- latry, and the terrible defeat which Abijah gave him, and ring this which he himfelf feems not long to have furvived. He was1>er fucceeded by his fon Nadab, a perfon who took care to i- Jeroboam. mitate his father in all his wickednefs ; but his reign was tyadab. not long. In lefs than two years he was treacherouily kill ed by Baafha, his captain-general, who ufurped his crown, Baaflia, and to maintain himfelf in that usurpation, put every one that was related to his predeceffbr to death ; which was cer tainly a very wicked and barbarous act, though it proved the accomplifhment of the prophecy f which Ahijah had denounced againft Jeroboam's houfe. In very able commentators are of opinion, that all thefe fpices and perfumes were burnt along with Afa's body ; and they remark, that among his other offences, the facred hiftory takes notice of this va nity of his, in ordering his body to be difpofed of according to the manner of the Gentiles, and not of his own people. Though there fore they fuppofe that Afa was the firft who introduced this cu ftom ; yet, in after-ages, it became very frequent, and was thought the more honourable ceremony of the two, 2 Chron. xxi. 19. Ibid. xvi. 14. Amos vi. 10. j Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries on 2 Chron. xvi. 14. f 1 Kings xiv. IC. n. The prophecy runs thus. Therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the houfe of Jeroboam, and will cut off front Jeroboam him that piffeth againft the wall, and him that is Jhut up and left in Ifrael, a?ul will take away the remnant of the houfe of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dun?, till it be all gone- H'nu that dieth of Jeroboam in the city, fhallthe dogs eat ; and him that dieth in the field, fhall the fowls of the air eat : For the Lord hath ipo- kenit. The only difficulty here is, how Baallia's exaltation to the kingdom of Ifrael can beaferibed to God, (as it is 1 Kings xvi. 2.), Forafmuch as I have exalted thee cut of the duff, and made tha prince over my people Ifrael), when it b nunifeft that he got it by his own treachery and cruelty. 40 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book \I. A- M- || In the fix and twentieth year of king Afa, Baafha Aiit.'chtif 'died, and was fucceeded by his fon Elah, a vicious and -tco <, ire. debauched prince, that, in the fecond year or his reign, .frora... (as ke was caroufing in his fteward's houfe), was affaffina- t a confiderable officer of horfe, who, to fe- cf t Chron. cure the kingdom to himfelf, f cut off all Baafha's friends and relations : But he had not taken care (as Baafha did) Hah. Ziruri. But to this may be replied, that though the manner of invading the kingdom was from himfelf, and his- own wicked heart ; yet the tranilation of the kingdom from Nadab to Baafha (fimply conlidered) was from God, who by his decree and providence, ordered it, and difpofed of all occafions, and of the hearts of all the foldiers and the people fo, that Baafha Ihould hive opportunity of executing his judgments upon Nadab, and fuch fuccefs thereupon as Ihould pro cure him a prefent and quiet poffeffion of the kingdom. So that his acceffion to the kingdom was from the divine decree, but the form and manner of his acceffion was from himfelf, from his own ambition and covetoufhefs ; and as it was wicked and cruel, is there fore charged upon him as a wilful mutther, ver. 7. ; Pool's Anno tations. || And yet Baafha's expedition againft Afa, in order to build Ra mah, is fald to be in the fix and thirtieth year of the reign of Afa, 2 Chron. xvi. 1. Now to reconcile this, fome would have that fix and thirtieth year to relate, not to Afa's reign, .but to the date of the kingdom of Judah, from the divifion of the kingdom of IfracL at Rehoboam's coming to the crown, and to be (in fact) no more than the fourteenth year of the reign of Afa. But that cannot be, fince this expedition of Baafha was fome time after Afa had defeat ed the king of Ethiopia, or Arabia, and yet this defeat happened in the fifteendi year of King Afa's reign : So that that fix and thir tieth year of Baafha's going up to build Ramah, can, by no good computation, be the fourteenth year of King Afa's reign. And therefore (without any more to do) we may, with Jifephus, ando-' thers, advenmre to fay, that the occafion of this difference proceeds from the miftake of fome tranferiber ; Howell's H/ftcy, in the notes. -j-- One part of the threat which the prophet Jehu denounces a- gainft Baafha is, as we fee, that GoJ would ?nake his houfe like the houfe of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xvi. 3. and that exactly came to pafs : For as Nadab, the fon of Jeroboam, reigned but two years, ib Elah, the fon of Baafha, reigned no more : And as Nadab was killed by the fword, fo was Elah : So wonderful a fimilitude was there between Jeroboam and Baafha, in their lives and in their (iesth:, in their fons and in their families; Patrick's Co-mnentivry. Chap. I. from the building of the Temple4, &c. 41 to gain the army (which was then belieging f Gibbethon) A. M. -over to his Intereft, fo that when they heard of the news 3°°'» &'.-. or" the king's death, they declared for O. mi their general* ^' C^"' He immediately raifed the liege, and marching to Tirzah, from the then royal city, foon made himfelf mailer of it ; fo that * Kings viii. Zimri feeing all loft, an«i defpairing of any quarter from '°. ff^ n the enemy, retired to the palace f, which he fet on fire, _.„,. „_^| and after a reign of feven days only was confirmed in it. Omri, however, found ii not fo eafy a matter to get the On:rj. throne, as he expected. Hilf the Ifraelites declared for Tibni, the fonofGinah, which occaiioncu a civil war for four years, till having vanquilhed and flain bis rival Tibni, he came 10 reign without a competitor But his reign mult be acknowledged to have been very wicked, when we find it recorded of him, that he not only, walked in the way of Jeroboam, [e) but did wsrfc than all Injcre lum. He \ery probably began to introduce other and more abominable idolatries than were then in life, which are therefore calU ed the "(/) the works of the houfe of Ahah. He compelled the people to worfhip the golden calves ; and by fevere laws (wnich are called ) which, by God's command, was laid up in the fanctuary, yet how much the reading of it in any copy was at any time difufed, we may gather from what the hiitorian tells us of the King, viz. that (q) when he had read the words of the book of the lain, he rent his cloaths ; and, by a parity of reafon, we may infer, that what through the bad example of their kings, who gave life and encouragement to idolatrous practices, and what through the negligence of the people, in not perufing the books wherein the tranfactions of former times were recorded, the generation we are now fpeaking of might have forgot the hiftory of Aaron's molten calf, and the punifhment purfuant thereupon, and might there fore be induced to worfhip another without any dread on apprehenfion of danger. How the figure of a calf, or any other animal, can be a Why he fymbol of a deity, it is difficult to conceive. But a certain ehote theft- learned (r) author, who feems a little fingular in his opinion, g",r.? ?f *•£. will needs have it, that the golden calves which Jeroboam idols. made, were in imitation of the cherubims (in his account thefe were winged oxen) Mofes had placed upon the ark of the covenant, whereon tire glory of the Lord fat inthro- ned. Thefe cherubims in the tabernacle of Mofes, and af terwards in Solomon's temple, were placed in the fanctua ry, and fecreted from vulgar fight : But Jeroboam, to (n) Kings xiv. 23. 24. (0) 2 Kings xxii. 8. (/>)Deat. xxxi. 26. 'q) 2 Kings xxii. it. (»•) Monfsas, in Aarone purjjato, lib. 1. c. 8. make 48 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book \l A. M. make his religion more condefcenfive, placed his calves in 3«oi, ire open view, fo that every one who looked on them f "o °^i m'ght> through them, worfhip the God of Ifrael, without tr'om repairing to the temple of Jerufalem. j Kings viii. This notion (if it were true) would make the tranfition to the end eaf frorn tne worfhip at Terulalem to the worfhip at Dau oti Chron. V, , , , , , . , t L , , . ¦ -._ or Bethel ; but we can hardly imagine, that Jeroboam had either fo harmlefs ' or fo conformable a defign in fetting up thefe golden images. Whatever his defign was, it is cer tain, that the Scripture, all along, reprefents him as, of all others, the principal perfon that (s) made Ifrael to fin ; that (t ) drew Ifrael from ferving the Lord, and made them fin a great fin :' And therefore we may obferve, that whenever it defcribes a bad prince, one part of his charac ter isj that he imitated the fin of feroboam ihefon of Nebat, i (u) who (as the prophet upbraids his wife) went and made him other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and to cajl me behind his back, faith the Lord. The truth is, Jeroboam had lived a confiderable time in the land of Egypt, had contracted an acquaintance With the king thereof, and formed an intereft among the peo ple ; and therefore, finding himfelf under a neceffity of making an alteration in the eftablifhed religion of his coun-- try, he thought it the wifeft method to do it upon the E- gyptian model, that thereby he might endear himfelf to that nation ; and in cafe he met with oppofition from his rival Rehoboam, might hope for affiftance from that quar ter. For, as the Egyptians had two oxen which they wor- fhipped, one called Apis, at Memphis, the metropolis of the Upper Egypt ; and another called Mnevis, at Hierapo- lis, a principal city of the Lower ; fo he made two calves of gold, and placed one ef them in Bethel, which was in the fouth, and the other in Dan, which was in the north part of the country of Ifrael. And fet There were thefe farther reafons likewife that might de- «hem up at termine him in the choice of thefe two places. Dan was Bethel and a town famous (xj for the Teraphim of Micah, unto which there had been a great refort for many ages; and Bethel was, in every one's opinion, a holy place, that which Jacob had confecrated after he had been vouchfafed the (s) i Kings xiv. rti. (/) j Kings xvii. 21. («) 1 Kings iy. a. (x) JuJg, xvii. vifion Chap, I. from the building of' the Temple, &c. 49 .vifion of the ladder, and.where God had fo frequently 'ap- A. M. peared to him, that he thought he had reafon to call it ( y) 3°9I, ire. rT j. 1 Ant. Cltrif. the gate of heaven. _ . ,003, 6-c Jeroboam, no queftion,' was not infenfible of the advan- from tage his rival enjoyed, in having the temple in his poffef- ' Wigs vi5<« fion ; and might many times with that he had been able to |jf ^chroL have built one that might have ftood in competition with . - - j* it; but this was impoffible. Seven years and an half had ' Solomon been in completing the temple at Jerufalem, not withftanding. the multitude of hands that he employed, and .; the vaft preparations of money and materials that.his father had left him. To build 'pne lefs, magnificent, had been in glorious to Jeroboam ; arid to build one any ways adequate, was more than he could hope to fee finifhed in his days. The people were grown weary of fuch public expenfive works. The tax had been heavy and burdenfome to them. (z) Thy father made our yoke grievous,\ws.s the complaint they brought againft Rehoboam. . Upon this the whole re volt was founded. And therefore, in the prefent ftate of Jeroboam's affairs, a new temple was, of all projects, the moft unpopular, and the likelieft to create a total defection ; fince it was running directly into his rival's error, and, in effect, declaring, that (a) his little finger fhould be found heavier than Solomon's loins had ever been. In the mean time his fubjects deferted apace ; and, for want of a place of religious worfhip to refort to, were re turning to Jerufalem, and to their allegiance to the houfe of David at once. Something therefore was neceffary to be done, in order to remedy this growing evil; and, becaufe Jeroboam readily forefaw, that, to fupport himfelf in his ufurpation, he might poffibly want the affiftance of the E- gyptians, the beft policy that at prefent occurred to his thoughts, was, to do a courtefy to them, in fetting up a form of worfhip much like theirs, and, at the fame time, to gratify his own fubjects in the choice of fuch places of worfhip as had been famous in the days of old, and whofe reputed facrednefs, * as well as proximity, might commute for the want of a temple, , Gezer, (y) Gen. xxviii. 17. (2) I Kings xii. 4. (a) Ibid. ver. 10. * The fpeech which Jorephus mi s for V o'joam, u w ihis •ccafon, to t.iis p.rp>ie. " 1 ae,u no: .cii ^cu m oun- - Vox. IV, G ' ' '.« u-ymen, 50 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI.' A' M. • Gezer, we own, lay at a confiderable diftance from E- Aat-'chcil. S^P*' which, fince the time of Sefoftris, had feldom ex- 1003, ire. tended its conquefts into foreign lands ; and therefore, to from account for its conduct here, we muft obferve, that Ge- toK'thf "dzer was *° anc'ent a town in Canaan, that when Jofllua of j chron. {!') conquered it, it had a king of no fmall note ; that in *— ^v— „j the divifion of the land, (c) it fell to the tribe of Ephraim, The hiftory was bordering upon the northern part of the country of and why' l^-c Philiftines, and not far . from the Mediterranean fea ; Pharaoh that it was one of the eight and forty cities which (toge- took it. ther with their fuburbs) were given to the Levites ; an in land town, but at no great diftance from the fea-port of Joppa ; that when the Ephraim'ites took pofleflion of it, (d) they fuffered the Canaanites to cohabit with them, who gave thern no fmall difturbance, and towards the latter end of David's reign, expelled them thence; that when Solomon came to the throne, he applied himfelf chiefly to the building of the temple, nor thought it worth while to difturb the peace of his reign for the recovery of a few revolted cities ; that when a match was propofed between Solomon and Pharaoh's daughter, Pharaoh thought he could not do a more acceptable fervice, or fhew the bene fit Of his alliance better, than in taking Gezer, and fome adjacent places ; that, for this purpofe, he fet out with a large fleet of fhips, landed at Joppa, befieged Gezer, and becaufe it made an obftinate defence, (e) burnt it to the ground, and flew all the Canaanites that were in it ; but that not long after he began to rebuild it ; and when his daughter was efpoufed to Solomon, gave him this, and " trymen, that God is every where, and not confined to any cer- " tain place, but where-cver we are, he hears our prayers and ac- " cepts our worfhip, in one place as well as another ; and therefore " I am not at all for your going up to Jerufalem at this time, to 1 1' people that hate you. It is a long tedious journey, and all this " only for the fake of religion. He who built that temple was but " a man, as every one here is, and the golden calves that I hav» " provided for you, the one in Bethel, and the other in Dan, are " confecrated, as well as the temple, and brought fo much nearer " to you, on purpofe for the convenience of your worfhip, where " you may pay your duty to God, in fuch a manner as beft pleafes " you, ire." Jewifh Antiq. lib. 8. c. 3. (b) Jolh. x. 13. 'c) Ibid. xyi. 5. 'd) Ibid. xxi. 20. 31. (c ) 1 Kings ix. t6, fame Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &?f. 51 fome other places he had taken alone with it, as part of A' M; 1 . 1 r • • -n 1 • 1 • j 1 3°°', ire. her portion; tor it is a mutaken notion, that princes daugh-^llt> chrif. tershad no portion in thofe days. 1003, &'c._ Among the Jews indeed, the cuftom was for. the men hom ... to give the dower, or to make fome prefent to the pa- '0Yi"^end"' rents, for the favour of having their daughter in marriage. ot» chron. But this cuftom prevailed only among the inferior fort : <— — v— — ' Ladies of the firft diftinction were, in all nations, wont to bring their hufbands fortunes proportionate to their quality : For Saul, we read, declared that the man who fliould flay Goliah fhould not only have his daughter in marriage, but, together with her, plenty of riches and o- ther valuable emoluments. Antiochus the Great promifed to fettle upon his, the kingdoms of Judea and Samaria, as a dower to Ptolemy king of Egypt ; and (to name no more) Agamemnon, in times of an elder date, though not fo great affluence, offered no lefs than * feven good towns with his, without any referved rent, or other deduction from her hufband. So that Pharaoh did no more than conform to the practice of other great princes, in endowing his daughter with the places he had taken from the Phili ftines, in all probability, for that very purpofe. How he came to fwerve fo foon from this alliance, as Why pha- to give protection and countenance to his fon-in-law's a-ra.0,,«ntc|- vowed enemies, need be no wonder at all to him who^"^, fci0~ confidcrs by what various fprings kingdoms are governed ; how the intereft of nations fhifts about, according to the different fituation of their affairs, and of how little weight and validity all leagues and treaties are, when once national intereft comes to be thrown into the counterbalance. But this is not all. The Pharaoh who received Je roboam in his exile, in all probability, was not the king * His words in Homer are thefe : 'Ei Si vry "Apyoc ntoi/bceO' 'A^aotov, Sflap aptjpn{r, ra/ifyV xiv fjeoi i'ffi, TiVot Si f.nv iVov 'Optry 'Oe pai rnkvythc rpcftlatt flaAni ivi jiowji. Tpiif Si poi u and> from his authority, many more are ba where °f opinion, that Sheba was the ancient name of Meroe, Ctuated. an ifland, or rather peninfula in Egypt, before Cambyfes, in compliment to his fifter, (other hiftorians call her his mother), gave it her name. He telis us likewife, that flie was queen both of Egypt and Ethiopia ; and * the Ethio pians (f) Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c. 2. * The Ethiopians, who held, that this queen of Sheba was of their country, it.Il us, that fhe returned big with child of a boy Which fhe had by Solomon; that when this child was of age to learn, flic fent him to Solomon, who brought him up as his own fon ; that in Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &e. 53 plans indeed have a tradition, that upon her return, fhe A.M. had a fon by Solomon', whofe pofterity reigned there many An°t*'chitf. years, and, to this very day, they have prefervedra conti- 1003, ire. nual lift of their names and fucceflbrs. .lrom... There are thefe exceptions however to be made to the *o ^f*™,' opinion of the Jewifh hiftorian, viz: that whereas he 0f 1 chron. cites Herodotus, as fpeaking of his queen Nicaule, Hero dotus makes mention of none but only Niconis, queen of Egypt ; nor does he fay one fyllable of her pretended jour ney to Jerufalem. Whereas he fays of this Nicaule, that fhe was queen of Egypt and Ethiopia both ; the facred hiftory is plain, that in the time of Solomon there reigned in E- gypt that Pharaoh, whofe daughter he married, and in his fon'Rehoboam's time, Shifhak. Whereas he tells us, that the ancient name of Meroe, before the time of Cambyfes, was Sheba ; for this he feems to want authority, fince (g) Diodorus, and other hiftorians, reprefent this city as built new from the ground, and not repaired by Cambyfes. The more probable opinion therefore is, that this queen of Sheba came from a country fo named, which lay not in Ethiopia nor Africa, but in the fouthern part of Arabia Felix ; becaufe it is generally allowed, that the Sabeans lived in Arabia, and that their country was ufually called by the Orientalifts the kingdom of the South, in allufion to in his education, he took care to provide the ableft mafters for him, and then fent him back to his mother, whom he fucceeded in the kingdom ; that the kings of Ethiopia were defcended from Solomon by this young prince, whom they call Meilic, or Menilehec ; and that of his family there were four and twenty emperors, down to Bafilides, who reigned about the middle of the feventeenth age. Fid. Ludolph's Hift. of Ethiopia. The Arabians, who, on the 0- ther hand, pretend to the honour of having this woman fur their queen, tell us, that her name was Balkis, the daughter of Hadhad, fon of Scharhabil, the twentieth king ofjemen, or Arabia Felix, and that (he reigned, in the city of Mareb, the capital of the pro vince of Sheba. Their hiflories are full of fabulous ftories concern ing her journey to Solomon's court, and her marriage with him; but more particularly concerning- the bird Hudhud, (in Englifh ^ lapwing), which Solomon made ufe of to fend into Arabia upon occa fion, and to bring him difpatches from thence ; Calmet's Diclionary, under the word Nicaule. (g) Lib. 1. etLuc. Ampel. de Cambyfe. , which . 5+ The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book\I. A. M. which, .our Saviour ftyles this princefs (h) the qunn of the 3001, ire South ; becaufe their country borders upon the fouthern ^oo^&c ocean,. beyond which the ancients knew no farther land; from ' and therefore our Saviour (according to the common mode 1 Eingsviii. of fpeakiug) fays of this princefs, thaxfhe came from the ut- ' f thpund moft parts of the earth ; becaufe, in this country, * women . .. ._. j were known to govern as well as men ; becaufe the common produce of it was gold, filver, fpices, and precious ftones, the very prefents which this princefs made Solomon ; and (if any popular traditions may be credited) (i) becaufe the A- rabians talk of their queen Balkis, who went to vifit Solo- ¦ mon, and fliew travellers, the place of her nativity to this very day. "Who the Now if this princefs came from Arabia, there is reafon queen was, to believe, that fhe was originally defcended from Abra- wh° was the firft planter of this country ; and confe- quently that fhe might have fome knowledge of revealed religion, by tradition at leaft, from her pious anceftors, To this purpofe the Scripture feems to intimate, that the defign of her vifit to Solomon was, 'not fo much to gra tify her curiofity, as to inform her underftanding in mat ters relating to piety, and divine worfhip. It was Solo mon's fame, (/) concerning the name of the Lord, i. e. con cerning his knowledge of the Supreme Being, and the proper manner of worfhipping him, that excited her to take fo long a journey : And therefore, our Saviour fays, that as fhe came fo far to hear his wifdom, (his wifdom con cerning what ? Concerning the nature and worfhip of Al mighty God),, fhe would, at the day of judgment, rife up againft that generation which refufed to liften to him. Now, if this was the end of this queen's vifit to Solo mon, who can fay, but that fhe left her country to good purpofe, fince it was to find (m) wifdom, and to get un- (h) Matth. xii. 42. * It is generally fuppofed, that thefe words of Claudian relate ta ihcfe people : Medis, levibufqne Sabsis Imperat hie fexus, reginarumque fub armis Barbarian pars magna jacet Etitrop. lib. T. (') Calmet's Commentary on 1 Kings x. 1. and his Dictionary, under the word Sheba. {k) Gen. xxv. 1. 3. (/) 1 Kings x. x. {m) Prov. iii. 13. derflandlng, Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, CsV. 55 derfianding, the merchandize of which is better than the A. M. merchandize of filver, and the gains thereof than fine gold ; jy^'a,,'}; {n) the price of which is above rubies, (0) and all that can 1003, ire. be defired is not to be compared to it ? But even upon the from ... fuppofition,' that her errand was to acquire knowledge of * ^ti^ end* " an inferior kind, or even to make trial of Solomon's faga- 0f » chron. city, by propofing fome enigmatical queftions to him ; yet, '-^.-v— ¦¦* who knows not, that it was the practice in thofe days for perfons of the firft rank and figure in life to exercife their wits in this manner ? (p) Jofephus, from fome writers of the Phoenician hi ftory, tells us, that Solomon ufed frequently to fend to his friend Hiram problems and riddles, upon the forfeiture of a great fum of money, if he could not expound them ; and that one Abdemonus, aTyrian, not only unriddled So lomon's difficulties, but fent back fome new propofitions of his own, which, if Solomon could not refolve, he was to incur the like' forfeiture. Now the Scripture remarks of Solomon, that (q) his wifdom excelled the wifdom of the eaji country, and by the eaft country fome do underftand the feat of the ancient Arabians, who, in the days of Pytha goras, were fo renowned for their wifdom, that (r) that philofopher thought it worth his while to go and refide a- mong them for fome time. They were great mafters of wit and ingenuity ; and valued themfelves upon their faga- cioufnefs and dexterity, both in propounding and folving problems ; and therefore no wonder that this Queen of Sheba, who ' (as Jofephus informs us) was a woman of ex ) quifite underftanding herfelf, fhould fall in with the hu mour of the times, and carry with her fome problems of her Arabian fages, on purpofe to make a trial of Solo mon's parts : Nor can we imagine, but that, in complai- fance to fo royal a vifiter, as well as regard to his own re putatiori, Solomon would take care to anfwer her queftions, and (as the Scripture expreffes it) fatisfy (s) all her defire, whatfoever fhe afked. Without knowing the cuftom of the^ princes of the Solomon's eaft; their pomp, and fumptuoufhefs of living, one might great nnm] be tempted to wonder, what poffible ufe Solomon might'**?1" 9f, make of this milliad of wives and concubines that he fo^flatc. (a) Job xxviii. 18. (o) Prov. viii. 11. (/>) Jewilh Antiq. lib. 8. c. 2. (q) 1 Kings iv. 30. (r) Porphyr. apud Cyrill. lib. 10. contraulian. 0 1 Kings x. 13, had : 5f5 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. m. had : But as he was between forty and fifty years old before 3Mlj*?. he ran into this excefs,. we cannot but think, that he kept i ooj, ire. this multitude of women more for ftate than any other »Tom fervice. (t ) Darius Candomannus was wont to carry along i Eingsviii. w;tn yrn.in nis camp, no lefs than three hundred and fifty . of i Chron. concubines in time of war ; nor was his queen at all oftend- > - - ' ed at it, becaufe thefe women ufed to reverence and adore her as if fire; had been a- goddefs. F. Le Compte, in his hiftory of China, "tells us, that the emperor there has a vaft number of wives choK*h out of the prime beauties of the country, many of which he never fo much as faw in his whole life : And therefore, it is not improbable, that So lomon (as he found his riches increafe) might enlarge his expences, and entleAVour to furpafs all the princes of his time in this, as well as all other kinds of pomp and magni ficence. Bow fir he A man of Solomon's, great wifdom, one would think, vertecTby fhould have converted thofe women that were about him ta theni. the true religion, rather than have fuffered himfelf to be perverted by them to a falfe one. The Scripture tells us, indeed, that (u) he went after Afhtoreih, the goddefs of the Zidonians, and \ Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites, and f Chemoflo, the abomination of Moab ; but furely he could never be fo far infatuated, as to prefer thofe idols before the God of Ifrael. Thefe women, no doubt, as they had (f) Athen. lib; 13. c- T. (a) 1 Kings xi. c. 7. + This god is the feme with Moloch, which, both in Heb-eW and /Echiopic, fignifies, a king -. but then there sre various fenti- ments concerning the relation which this god had to the other Pa gan deities. Some believe, that Moloch was Saturn, others Mer cury, others Venus, and others again Mars or Mithra. But F. Calmer, in his difTertation before his commentary upon Leviticus, has made it more than probable, that this god was the fun, who is called the king of heaven, as the moon may be faid to be the queen thereof, for its make and manner of worfhip. Vide vol. 2. p. 460. in, the notes. -f- Chemofh, or Chamos, comes from a root, which, in Arabic; fignifies, to make hafte; and from hence fome have imagined, that he is the fame with the fun, whofe motion is liippofed to be fo baity and rapid; though fome, from the Hebrew root, which fignifies contrcBatus, or handled, 'will have him the fame with the Roman Priapus, who is called Pater ctntreBationum nocfumarum ,¦ while 0. tlicrs, from the near refemblance of the Hebrew Chamos with the word Comos, hive rather thought it to be Bacchus, the god of drunkennefs: Br m either acceptation it may be fupDofed to repre fent either Noah or Lot ; Jurien Hift. des d0g7r.es ct 'cult. p,nt 4. Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, cifr. §>? got an afcendant over him, (x) might abate his zeal againft A. M. ' idolatry, and prevail with him for a public toleration of their A°0I'cf c'f religion: They might obtain money of him for the making I003) &c' of their idols, the fupport of their priefts, and expence of ;iom their facrifices ; nay, and perhaps might fometimes perfuade * K"'J,rs*'11>- hirri, in complaifance, to go with them to their worfhip, 0f t cntoa, or to partake of their lewd and riotous feafts ; but that >»— «y~».j they fhould ever be able to alter his notions concerning the true God, or prevail with him to believe, that the images they worfhipped were infqrmed with any kind of divinity, is a thing incredible. In the courfe of this prevarication, however, he conti- And whe- nued fo long, that it is now become a famous queftion, tllcr he "'^ Whether he be in a ftate of falvation or no ? Thofe that "J £t no maintain the negative, are apt to fuggeft, that though the Scripture "gives us a particular account of his fall, yet it takes no notice of his recovery ; that without the grace of God he could not repent, and yet his actions were fuch as juftly deferved a forfeiture of that grace ; that had he re pented, he would have pulled down the idolatrous temples which he had erected, whereas we find them ftandingmany years after him ; and therefore they conclude, that as he did not (y) farrow after a Godly fort for his impieties, be caufe in his whole behaviour (to the very laft) they can dif- cern no carefulnefs wrought in him, no clearing of him felf, no indignation, no fear, no vehement defire, no zeal, no revenge, which the apoftle has made the proper charac- teriftics of a true repentance. The promife, however, which God makes to David concerning his fon Solomon, may incline us to think favourably of his falvation : (z) / will be his father, and he Jhall be my fon. If he commit iniquity, I will chaften him with the rod of men, and with the Jlripes of the children of men, hut my mercy fball not depart away from him. And therefore we may prefume, that to wards the conclufion of his life he grew fenfible of his tranf- greflions, (a) though the facred writer takes no notice of it, on purpofe to leave a blot on his memory, and a fright ful example of human weaknefs to all pofterity ; that the temples which he had built to Heathen idols, he pulled down and demolifhed, • (b) though they were afterwards rai fed again upon the fame places, by other impious princes ; (x) Pool's Annotations. (y) 1 Cor. vii. n. (2) 1 Sam. vii.. 14. 1 j. (a)' Patrick's Commentary, {b) Calmet's Diifert. fur la falut. du Roy Solomon. Vol. IY. H and A. M. _3°oi , &<, Ant. Chrii 1003 , ire f. om 58 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI, and that, after his fall, he wrote his book of Ecclefiaftes as a monument of his repentance, and acknowledgment of his .own apoftacy, and a warning and admonition to all others, that, however they may think of [c) doing whatever 1 Kings vii. their eyes defired, of keeping nothing from them, and of with- to the end folding their hearts from no joy ; yet, in the event, they would ^5^2' find (what his experier.ee had taught him folate) that all was vanity and vexation of 'ffirits ; that there was no profit in any kind of wickednefs under the fun, but (d) that to fear God, and keep his commandments, was the whole duty of 'man. "Why Ahi- It is making a wrong judgment of things, to think, that jahrenthis the cuftoms of ancient times, and of different countries, garment. filoui^ agree with thofe of our own age and climate. We, , indeed, when we have any thing to declare or relate, do it, for the moft part, in exprefs words ; but the people of the eaft, efpecially thofe who took upon them the character of prophets, were fond of difcovering their' minds in f figns and emblematical actions ; becaufe they looked upon fuch reprefentations more lively and affecting than any that pro ceeded from the mouth only could be. When the prdphet was fent to anoint Jehu to be King of Ifrael, the queftion which the reft of the captains put to him, (e) Wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? fuffi- ciently indicates their fcorn and contempt of him: and, in like manner, Ahijah might have addreffed himfelf to a man (c) Ecclef. ii. ip. n. (d) Ibid. xii. 13. -f This, is the firft fymbolieal aftion that we meet with in any prophet; but, in after-ages, inftancesof this kijad became more fre, quent. Thus Jeremiah maffe himfelf bonds and yokes, and ptd lhers upon his neck, to fignify the near approaching captivity of Jerufa lem, Jer. xxvii. 2. Ifaiah, to denote the captivity of Egypt and Ethiopia, walked naked, i. e. without his upper garments on, emi barefoot for three years, in the ftreets, If. xx. 2. 3. Ezekiel (to make the people fcnfible that they were to be carried away into a ftrange land) was ordered to make a breach in the wall of his houfe, and, through that, to remove his huofehold-goods, in the day-time, and in their fight, Ezek. xii. 3. 4. The falfe prophet Zedekiah made himfelf a pair of iron horns, and faid to Ahab, With thefe flialt thou pufli the Syrians, 1 Kings xxii, 11. And the like practice continued under the New Teftement likewife ; for Agabus having bound his bands and feet with St Paul's girdle, told the company, that fo fliould the Jews at Jerufalem bind the man unto whom it he- kuged, a Rs xxi! it. •(e) 3 Kings ix, ii. Chap. I. from the Building of the Temple, &?<:. /jo, of Jeroboam's haughty fpirit to fmall purpofe, had he not, A. M. by fome previous action, drawn his obfervation, and made Y'V"^-'* him attentive to the meffage he was going to deliver. Now; I003> ^.cf if any fuch fymbolical aft was neceffary at this time, the from tearing of his garment was more proper than any, becaufe, ' K jn8s v"1, in the cafe of Saul, Samuel had applied it to denote the 0f j chrou; alienation of his kingdom : (f) The Lord hath rent the king- — — y— -J dom of Ifrael from thee this day, and hath given it to a neigh* hour of thine, that is better than thou : And if renting the garment was no infignificant fymbol upon* this occafion, the newer the garment was, the more it would declare, that what the prophet did was by a divine command; and upon mature deliberation. This may, in fome meafure, fuffice to refcue Ahijah The pro- from the imputation of madnefs, in tearing his garment to '-"f,^?"1 pieces. And (to come now, in the laft place, to the cafe onWe gj. of the other prophet who came from Judah to denounce ted. judgments againft the altar of Bethel, and was {lain in his return, for difobeying the divine injunction) this we may think was a fmall offence, that hardly deferved fo fevere a fate ; but then we fhould do well to confider, that, (g) whenever God, in an extraordinary manner, difcovers his will to a prophet, he always makes fuch a fenfible impref- fion upon his mind, that he cannot but perceive himfelf actuated by a divine fpirit ; and, confequently, cannot but be affured of the evidence of his own revelation. This e- vidence the prophet that was fent to Bethel had ; for as he was able, by the power that was given him, to work mira cles, he could not but be fenfible of his divine miifion, and that the particular injunction, of his not eating or drinking in the town of Bethel, was as much the will of God as any other part of his commiffion. Now, the defign of God, in this prohibition, was, to exprefs his abhorrence of that idolatrous place ; and there fore the other pretended revelation of the -J- old prophet, who (/) i Sam. Xv. 28. (g) Siillingfleet's Orig. facras. •f- The learned are divided in their fentiments concerning this prophet at Bethel. Some -will needs have him to have been a falfe prophet, highly in efteein with King Jeroboam, becaufe lie prophefied to him foft things, and fuch as would humour him in his wickednefs. To this purpofe they tell us, that going to vifit the King one day, and finding him in a deep concern up on account of the menaces and reprcr.chcs which the man of H 2- G-id 6o The Hiftory of -the BIB L£, Book TI ,' A. M. who lived therein, was juftly to be fufpected, not only be- 3001, ire. caufe it was repugnant to God's main defign, but becaufe Ant.chrii-. . e fi.orn a perfon wno na(i giv^n no great teftimdny from of his fincerity, in chufing to live in a place notonoully m- 1 Kings viii. fetted with idolatry, and yet making no public remon- "t^ch"^ ^'2ince5 againft it. The confideratioii of this one circunv- ' ' ftance fliould have made" the young prophet diffident of what the other told him, at leaft till he had fhewn him fome divine teftimony to convince him ; for it argued a great deal of levity, if not infidelity of his own revelation, to liften to that of another man, in contradiction to what he bad abundant reafon to believe was true. . ~. The fhort of the matter is :' The prophet from Judah had fufficient evidence of the truth of his own revelation; had fufficient caufe to fufpectfome corrupt ends in the pro phet that came to recall him ; and had fufficient reafon to expect an interpofition of the fame power that gave him the injuniTtion, to repeal it : And therefore his crime was an eafy credulity, or complying with an offer, (merely to gratify a petulant appetite), that he knew was repugnant to a divine command ; and the leffon we are to learn from God's feverity in this inftance is, Not to fuller our faith to "be perverted by any fuggeftions that are made, a- gainft a revelation that is of ¦ uncontefted divine authority, God from Judah had denounced againft him, he undertook to per- faade him, that that prophet was an impoflor, and to elude the force of the miracle he had wrought, by telling him, that there was no thing extraordinary in his altar's falling down, confidcring that it was new-built, not thoroughly fettled, loaded with facrifices, and heated with lire. And as for the matter of his arm, that was oc- cafiqned only by his having overwrought himfelf in pulling the fa crifices along, and lifting them up upon the altar, which might make his hand numb for a while, but, upon a little reft, it, came 10 itffclf again ; and fo, with pkufible diftincl ions, and loofe infinua- tions, lic'lhuiikd off ibc miracle, and made the king more obdurate in wickednefs than ever. Others think more favourably of the old prophet, viz. that he was a true prophet of God, thrugh (fome fay) a v-'icked one, not unlike the famous Balaam, who facrificed every thing to his profit : Whilft other.1; fay, be was a weak one, who thought he might innocently employ an officious lie to bring the pro phet of Judah back, who was under a prohibition indeed, but fuch an one, as (in his opinion) related only to the houfe of Jeroboam, and fnrh 'others as were of an idolatrous religion j Jofephus' s-feiuijk Siviiq. lib. S: c. 3. fen! Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, £sV. 61 but (6) if an angel from heaven (as the Apoftle puts the A. M. cafe) fbottlfl prefich any other gofpel, than what we have re- 1°°*, ircj ceived, to deteft and denounce him accurfcd. Cam. . 1003, ire. Here however, we may take occafion to admire the un- flom fearchable fecrets of the divine juftice. Jeroboam revolts ' Kings viii. from his lavful fovereign; forfakes the worfhip of the E° tn^ en<1 true God ; engages the people in grofs idolatry, and is him- _ _._^ felf hardened with the menaces and miracles of the pro- And why, phet that was fent to him. A falfe prophet deceives an in- the lying nocent man with a lie, and draws him into an act of dif ProPnet obedience, contrary to his inclination ; and yet this wicked n;fl1C(j Jeroboam, and this feducing prophet, go unpunifhed, while the other, who might mean no ill perhaps in turning back, is flain by a lion, and his body deprived of the fepulture of his fathers. We 'muft acknowledge indeed, that the depths of the judgments of God are an abyfs that our underftandings cannot fathom : But nothing certainly can be a more fenfible proof of the truth of another life, and -of the eternal recompences or punifhments, that attend it, than to fee the righteous fo rigoroufly treated here for very flight offences ; Mofes excluded the land of promife (/) for a diffident thought ; (k) Lot's wife changed into a ftatue of fait for her looking back ; and (/) David, for a vain cu riofity, punifhed with the death of no lefs than feventy thoufand of his fubjects : And if God'be thus fevere to his own fervants ; (m) if judgment thus begins at the houfe of God, where fball the ungodly and the finner appear ? As fen tence againft every evil man therefore is not fpeedily excu- ted, this is our proof, this is our affurance, that («) God will bring every work into judgment, with every fecret things whether it be good, or whether it be evil. DISSERTATION I. Of Solomon's Riches, and his- Trade to Ophir. TJE who only looks into the map, and there obferves, in The riches how fmall a compafs the land of Canaan is com- which Da-' prifed, may be apt to think, that the kings of that country vid left So" were petty princes, ruling over an indigent obfeure people, °mon unable to bear any great expence, and uncapable of making (h) Gal. i. 8. 9. (/) Numb. xx. ir. 12. (i) Gen. xix. = $• (/) 2 Sam, xxiv. 15. (m) 1 Pcf. iv. 1 7. 18. (») Ecfclef. xii. 14. 6 i The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book "VI; A- M. any confiderable figure, except now and then, at the head An0I'citii of their armies : But he will foon perceive his miftake, ioo3, ire. when he. comes to reflect on the immenfe riches which Da- fi-om' vid left his fon Solomon ; on the vaft expence of Solomon's i Kings viii magnificent living; and on the feveral branches of his re- of iQiron venue, which enabled him to fuftain that expence. i_ --._,' The Scripture informs us, that out of the revenues of the crown, David left Solomon, merely for the purpofe of building the temple, (o) an hundred thoufand talents of gold, and a thoufand thoufand talents of filver; out of his privy purfe, (ft) three thoufand, talents of gold, and fe ven thoufand talents of filver ; and out of the benevo lence of the princes, (q) five thoufand talents, and ten thoufand drams of gold, and ten thoufand talents of fil ver. Now, fince it is generally agreed, that a talent of filver was equivalent to three hundred forty-two pounds three fhillings and nine pence ; and a talent of gold a- mounted to no lefs than five thoufand four hundred and twenty-five pounds Sterling, what an immenfe fum muft all thefe talents of gold and filver amount to ? Some of the beft authors of weights and meafures have computed, that if all the walls, pavements, lining, and covering of the temple had been made of maffy gold, (even with the wa ges of the workmen and veflels belonging to it)), they would not have come up to the value here fpecified ; and therefore, upon this fuppofition, they have advanced a no tion, that the Hebrews had two kinds of talents; a larger, which was called the talent of the f ancillary , and a fmaller, which was the common talent, and one half lefs than the other, by which all fuch exorbitant fums (as they fay) ought to be reckoned. But what grounds they have for this di- ftinction we cannot perceive, (r) fince it no where appears, either in the Scriptures, or in -any other hiftory, that the Jews (cfpecially before the captivity of Babylon] had any more talents than one; and that their talent, whether of filver or gold, arofe to a fum tantamount to what we have ftated it at, there are feveral inftances, in the Old Tefta- ment, that may convince us. To this purpofe we may obferve, that when Amaziah, king of Judah, hired an hundred thoufand men out of If rael, to fight againft the Edomites, he gave no more than (o) i Chron. xxii. 1 4. . (/>) Ibid. xxix. 4. (q) Ibid. xxix. 7. (;•) Calmet's EifTert.' furies richefl'ei que David laiffa a Solomon. an Piap.I. from the building of the Temple, &c. ¦ 63 (s) an hundred talents of filver for them, which would A. M. have been but a very trifling price indeed, had the talent 3?°*'c't'-'c here been of lefs value than three thoufand fhekels : That IQ03> &c' when Omri, King of Ifrael, bought the mountain Whereon from was built the city of Samaria, he paid for it no more than lKl"Ssvul- (t) two talents of filver ; and yet thefe two talents were oi- x \%.oa> ten thoufand nine hundred and fifty pounds, a proper fum \r-^J for fuch a purchafe : That when Sennacherib King of Af- fyria had obliged Hezekiah to pay him (u) three hundred talents of filver, ajad thirty talents of gold, that good king exhaufted, not only his own treafure, and the treafure of the houfe of the Lord, but was forced likewife to cut the gold off from the doors and pillars of the temple : And (to name no more) that when Pharaoh Nechoch (x) put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of filver, and a ta lent of gold, Jehoiakim was neceffitated to levy a tax extra ordinary upon all his fubjects, that every one might con tribute according to his power : But neither of thefe re marks [viz. that thefe two kings were thus ftraitened about the payment) woujd the facred hiftorian have made, had the talent, in his days, been of confkkrably lefs value (y) than Mofes is known to rate it at. So that, upon the whole, we may conclude, that the Hebrew talent conti nued always thefame,and amounted toamuch greater fum, than thofe who are for debafing its value are willing to al low. " But, if the talent muft be reckoned at fo high a rate, An °bjec- '' how can we imagine, that David, who had no eftate tlon' '' from his family, and whofe dominions were far from " being extgnfivt, could ever be able to amafs fuch an im- " menfe quantity of wealth ?" Now, in anrtaer to this, Anfwered. we fhould do well to confider, that, even before the death of Saul, David was at the head of fome brave troops, with whom he ufed to make inroads into the enemies country, and frequently bring from thence large booty ; that, after Saul's death, he reigned forty years in all, and, in that fpace, made it his bufinefs to heap up riches, efpecially when he came to underftand, that God had' appointed his fon and fucceffor to build him a temple ; that, in the time of his reign, he had wars with the Syrians, the Philiftines, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and feveral other nations, from whom he returned always victorious, and always la- (j) 2 Chron. xxv. 6. (/) 1 Kings xvi. 24. (u) 2 Kings xviii. rj. [x) Ibid, xxiii. 33. (y) £xod. xxxviii. 25. 26. 64 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book ^ I. A- M. den with their treafures, and f rich fpoils ; that, by this i^J'chtif. means, he enlarged his dominions, as far as (?) thepro- 1003, ire. mile made to Abraham extends, even from the river Eu- from phrates to the Mediterranean fea, on the one fide, and to wd^fe'd" tne ^ile on tne otlier '' tliat t'ie countries which he fub- pf * Chron. dued, and made tributary fo him, fuch as Arabia, Phceni- l, —y , cia, Mefopatamia, Idumsea, isc. were exceedingly rich, and productive of feveral mines of gold and other metals ; and that the tributes which were wont to be exacted upon fuch occafions, were either annual impofts, or vaft fums of money at once : If we confider, I fay, the fpoils which he took from conquered nations, and the tribute which he raifed from fuch^as were fubmitted to his empire, we lhall have no caufe to wonder at his leaving fuch immenfe trea fures to his fon. But, * befides thefe revenues from abroad, he had a large income from the taxes which his own fubjects annually paid him, and the improvements he made of his own eftates; which, in thofe days, were accounted, not only lawful and allowable, but even honourable and commendable in princes, as well as others. The facred hiftory has preferved (a) the names of the officers whom he employed in this capacity^ and, from the different provinces wherein they acted, we may, in fome meafure, form a judgment of the largenefs of this branch of his income. He had officers fet over the labourers, who were to till his grounds : Officers to take care of the dreffing of his vines, olive, and fig-trees; Officers to infpect the gathering of bis fruits, and the ma- nagery of his wine and oil cellars ; officers to look to the feeding of his camels and affes, his herds of cattle, f Befides the perfonal ornaments worn by thofe who went to battle in the eaflern nations, it was cuftomaty to adorn their wea pons and urenfils of war with the richeft metals. We learn from the hiftory of David, that the Syrians, whom he fubdued and flew in vaft multitudes, wore fhields of gold ; and therefore we need not doubt, but that thejr quivers, the handles of their fwords, ire . were of the fame metal. "He was victorious in about twenty battles overlie the richeft enemies in the world : and therefore their perfonal fpoils, rich arms, military chefts, and gods of gold and filver, (always car ried to battle with them), could not but amount to an immenfe fum ; and, in all probability, the fpoils of their cities and countries to a much greater ; The Hiftory of the life of King David. (•-) Gen. xv. 7. (a) 1 Chron.'xxvii. 26. ire. ,SP4 Chap. I. from the building of the Temple, &c. 6$ ftnd flocks of fheep ; and officers who were to attend to a. m. ' the felling and exportation of all thefe. For David, we 3°°*, ire. muft'know, had the command of the Mediterranean fea, Ant' ci]n{' and had eftablifhed a commerce with the Phoenicians, E- ti'om gyptians, Syrians, Philiftines, and other nations, who took i King viii. off his camels, afles, oxen, fheep, wine, corn, oil, fruits, t0. thphyRd and other commodities, in large quantities, and at very ad- '._„--, j_j' vantageous prices : All which, being put together, will make the amount of what David left his fon no lefs than what the facred writer has recorded. (b) And indeed, confidering the vaft expences Solomon Was at in his chariots, in his horfes, in his camels, in his armies, in his fhipping, in his buildings', in his furniture, in his fervants, for his table,' and for his women, (which came at length to no left than a thoufand, and all to be maintained in the port of queens), we can hardly think, that a fmall revenue would ever have been fufficient to an- - Aver all thefe demands. The Scripture indeed informs us, that Solomon's annual How Solcr- income was (c) fix hundred threefcore and fix talents of gold, monimpro-.. befides what he had of the merchant-men, and of the traffic 7™ ™"at of fpice-mer chants, and of all tlie kings of Arabia, and of all lefthira. the governors of the country : But thefe fix hundred three fcore and fm. talents of gold (d) are thought, by moft in terpreters, to be no more than what arofe from the tribute which he impofed upon conquered nations : over and a- bove which he had a yearly tax paid by his own fubjects ; duties upon the import or export of all merchandize ; mines of gold and filver, and other metals; the voluntary pre fents of other princes ; and a trade to Ophir and Tarfhifh, which brought him in riches ineftimable. Thefe were two branches of profit which his father had not, at leaft not in the fame extent. Of the former it is faid, that (e) every man that came to hear Solomon's wifdom, brought his prefent, vef els of filver, and vef els of gold, and garments, and armour, and fpices, and horfes, and mules, and continued to do the fame every year ; and of the latter, that he fent (f ) veffels to Ophir, which, hi one voyage, brought him four hundred and fifty talents of gold, together , (b) Calmet's DifTert. fur les richcffcs que David hiTa a. Solomon. (c) i Kings x. 14. jj. (d) Calmet, ibid. (e) 1 Kings -x. 24. (/) 2 Chron.ix. 10. 2r. 22. ¦ Vol. IV. I with 66 The Hiftory of- the BIBLE, BdokVl A. M. with almug-trees, and precious ftones ; and to Tarfhifh like- joor, &t wife', which brought gold, and filver, and ivory, and apes, too C)&cl and peacocks ; and as, by this means, he came to furpafs °°from ah die kings of the earth for riches, it may be worth our i Kings viii. while to inquire a little, where the places, which produced r£ thoi nd fuel1 plenty of wealth, were in ancient times fituated, and vJLvJL/both how, and by whom, a trade fo very advantageous might probably be carried on. The land Amidft the vaft variety of opinions concerning the fitu- of Ophir ation of thefe two famous places, Ophir and Tarfhifh, (g) find out '° tne learned Grotius has fuggefted a good expedient, one would think, how to find them out ; namely, by eonfider- ing what commodities were brought from thence, and then inquiring of merchants, who have been in the remoter parts of the world, where not only gold and precious ftones, but ivory likewife, and almug-trees, and whatever elfe we read of, was brought from thence, is now to be found. But this expedient will not d© > not only becaufe the feats of traffic are frequently changing, and any conn- try may, in time, be exhaufted of the commodities it once abounded with ; but becaufe it is no eafy matter to tell (by the imperfect defcription we have of them) of what diftinct fpecies fome of thefe commodities were, [h) The almug.- trec, for iriftarice, has been a puzzle to moft interpreters ; nor arc they as yet agreed, whether it was the coral, ebony, Brazil, pine, or 'citron wood; nay, fome will have it to have been no particular tree at all, but only a general name for any wood whatever, that was excellent in its kind : And how then can thofe commodities, that are of fo indefinite a fignification, be any characteriftic to the fituation of. any country ? Nor is there much more certainty to be gathered from the names of the places we are in queft of; for, though it be allowed, that Ophir was the country which at firft was peopled by Ophir, one of Joktan's fons, who are faid («) to have inhabited the country from Mefha to Sephar, a mountain in the eaft ; yet, where Mefha and Sephar are to be placed, we know no more than we do where Ophir lies. And, in like manner, though Tarfhifh may be fuppofed by fome, to be a town or country, not far diftant from Ophir, yet others will have it to be no proper name at all, (g) Patrick's Commentary en i Kings. (h) Calmet and Le Gere's Commentaties. (;) Gen. x. 50. but, Chap.I. from the building of the Temple, &c. 67 but, by fhips of Tarfhifh, or from Tarfhifh, underftand no A. M. more than veffels able to bear a long voyage, i. e. large 3°°', &c. merchant-fhips, in oppofition to fmall craft, intended for f^' C£"f' home-trade in navigable rivers. So incompetent are the fr'o.m ' marks whereby we may defcry the true fituation of thefe • KinSs vi!l- unknown places ! And therefore we -can expect no other, *°thlend but that the conjectures of learned men about them fliould _[r-,- _j be widely diftant. In relation to the land of Ophir, which is more parti- Different cularly under our inquiry, Jofephus (and from him many opinions others) places it in the Indies, in a country which he calls 5°nceru,nS the golden coaft, not unlikely the Cherfonefus Aurea, known mow by the name of Malacca, and is a peninfula oppofite to Sumatra. The learned Bochart contends hard for the ifle Taphrobane, fo famous among the ancients, which is now called Ceylon, and lies in the kingdom of Malabar, becaufe this place (as he tells us) abounds with gold, ivory, and precious ftones. Arias Montanus will needs remove it into Armenia; and, when Chriftopher Columbus at firft difco- vered the ifland Hifpaniola UV1402, he ufcd to make his boaft, that he had found the Ophir of Solomon, becaufe he perceived deep caverns in the earth, from whence he, fup- pofed that prince might have dug his gold. F. Calmet is no lefs fingular in his opinion : He places Ophir fome where in Armenia, not far from the fources of the Tygris and Euphrates ; {k) and, to obviate the objection of the coun try's not bordering on the fea, and not being at diftance e- nough for a three years voyage, he fuppofes, that Solomon's fleet made a trading voyage of it ; that in no one place it met withall the commodities it brought home ; but, on the coaft of Ethiopia, took in apes, ebony, , and parrots ; in Arabia, ivory and fpices ; and at Ophir, (or the place of traffic where the people of Ophir reforted), gold : And though this Ophir might be no maritime country, yet this hinders not, fays he, , why the gold which it produced might not be brought by land- carriage to fome part of the Tygris or Euphrates, which, at that time, were a great way navigable. Grotius, as well as Calmet, is of opinion, that Solomon did not fend his fleet to any part, either of the Eaft or Weft Indies, but only to a part of Arabia, (by Ar- rian called ^^ar,byPliny,5a/>^/-,aUdbyPtolemy,5^/>^ra),- fituate on the main ocean ; and that the Indians brought down their merchandizes thither, to be bought by Solomon's (k) Diffi fur le pays d' Ophir. I 2 fa .tors, 68 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. factors, and fhipped on board his fleet. And (to name no 3001, irc; more) (/) Huetius, in his diffenation upon the fubjeet, fooi '**&?' endeavours to perfuade us, that Ophir lay upon the eaft from coaft pf Afric, and, more particularly, was that fmall 1 Kings viii. country which is called Sophala; that Solomon's fleet went to the endout Qf tjie Red fea anfJ from the harbour of Ezion-Ge- pr 1, Chron . . . ' -, .. , , r 1 _j ber, entered into the Mediterranean, by a canal of com munication which joined the two feas ; and that, having doubled the Cape of Guadarfay, and cbafted along the A- frican fhore, it came at length to Sophala, and there met with plenty of all the merchandize and curiofities that the facred hiftory fpecjfies. Which of thefe conjectures (for conjectures they are all) 'make the neareft approaches to truth, it is hard to deter mine ; only we may adventure to fay, (rn) that, if any part of Arabia did furnifh the world, in thofe days, with the beft gold, and in the greateft quantity, (as fome good au thors feem to fay), they who would have the Ophir of the Holy Scriptures to be there fituated, feem, of all others, to have the beft foundation for their conjecture ; efpecially confidering that the ufe of the compafs not being then known, the way of navigation was, in thofe days, by coafting, which would carry a fhip into Afric much better than either into the Eaft or Weft Indies, His trade, Before the reign of King David, (to inquire a little into howcamed tnia hiftory. 0f the Qphir trade among the Hebrews), the Hebrews did not much apply themfelves to maritime affairs, From the time of Jofhua they had been almoft perpetually engaged in wars, and had therefore had no leiftire or op portunity to think of navigation. The Tyrians and Phoe nicians were then in pofTefiion of all the commerce of the Mediterranean; and on the main ocean tire Hebrews had not the leaft tooting until David made a conqueft of Idu- mea_ and. thereby became mafter of two fea-port towns on the Red fea, Elah and Ezion-geber; and feeing the ad- vantage that might be made of the fituation of thefe two places, wifely took the benefit of it, and. there began this mdYfn eKde|th0f,hjs fath«-> Solomon continued the n tl °phll,frm thdc"TO P°"s, whither himfelf went n pei fon ; and having ordered more fhips to be built, and the harbours to be repaired and fortified, he fettled every (/) Calmet's Dictionary,, under the word Ophir. lm\ Pri. sieaax s Connection, part 1. lib. 1. ' W" thing Chap. I.' from the building of the Temple, &c. , 69 thing elfe that might tend to the effectual carrying on of A- M- this traffic, not only to Ophir, but to all other parts to j^'aJ^jj "which the. fea whereon thofe ports lay opened him a paf- 1003, &c.' fage. But his chief care was to plant in thefe two towns &°m .. fuch inhabitants as were beft qualified to carry on his de- *0 ^|SV^J; fign ; for which reafon he brought thither, from the fea- 0f * Chron. coafts of Paleftine, as many failors as he could get, but e- * fpecially of the Tyrians, with whom his good friend and ally King Hiram fupplied him in great numbers : fo that in a fhort time he drew to thefe two ports, and from thence to Jerufalem, all the trade of Africa, Arabia, Perfia, and India, which was the chief fountain of the immenfe riches for which his reign was fo renowned. After the divifion of the kingdom, the Kings of Judah, who kept poffeffion of thefe ports in Idumea, ftill carried on the trade, efpecially ,from Ezion-geber, which they chiefly made ufe of until the time of Jehofhaphat ; who having prepared a fleet to go to Ophir, in conjunction with Ahaziah King of Ifrael, had the misfortune to have them deftroyed and dafhed to pieces againft a ridge of rocks which lay at the mouth of the harbour, before they could get to fea, which gave him fuch a diftafte againft the place, that, from thenceforward, the ftation of his fhips was at Elah, for from thence we read of his fetting out a fleet next year for Ophir. (n) When Jehoram fucceeded his father Jehofhaphat, God, for the punifhment of his exceeding great wicked nefs, fuffered the Idumeans to revolt from him ; who, ha ving expelled his viceroy, chofe them a king of their own, and, under his conduct, regaining their ancient liberty, they foon recovered the two ports of Elah and Ezion-ge ber ; But even while they had them, there was an interrup tion in the Ophir trade, until Uzziah King of Judah ha ving retaken Ebih, in the beginning of his reign, fortified ft anew, peopled it with his own fubjects, and reftored the old traffic to Ophir, which continued all along until the, wicked reign of Ahaz. In the reign of Ahaz, Rezin King of Damafcus, being affifted by Pekah King of Ifrael, took Elah by furprize ; and having driven out the Jews that were fettled there, put Syrians in their place, and was thinking of carrying on this trade, which the Kings of Judah had been fo enriched by, (jf) Prideaux's Connection, part r. lib. x. to 70 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. to his own advantage ; when, the very next year, Tiglath- itat'cfarih PiIefer» Kin§ of Aflyria, having, by the procurement of 1003, &c. ' Ahaz, invaded Damafcus, and conquered Rezin, took pof-- from feffion of Elah, and referved the property of trade to him- 1 Kingsviii. jfgjf . So that the Jews, from thenceforward, had never any of i chron. portion in it, which proved a great diminudon their wealth. 1 How the Affyrians managed this traffic, while it conti nued in their hands, or where they fixed their principal mart for it, we are no where told. In procefs of time, we find it wholly ingrofled by the Tyrians, who, from the fame port of Elah, by way of a (0) town on the confines of Egypt and Paleftine, made it all centre in Tyre, and from thence furnifhed all the weftern part of the world with the wares of Perfia, India, Africa, and Arabia, to the great enriching of themfelves, as long as the Perfian, empire fub- fifted, under the favour and protection of whofe kings they enjoyed the full pofleffion of this trade, (/>) But when the Ptolemies prevailed in Egypt, by building feveral ports on the Egyptian or weftern fide of the Red fea, (for Elah and Ezion-geber lay on the eaftern), and, by fending from thence fleets to all thofe countries where the Tyrians traded from Elah, they foon drew all this trade into their king dom, and there fixed the chief mart of it at Alexandria, where it continued for a great many ages, until a way was found out, (q) about two centuries and an half ago, of failing to thofe parts by the way of the Cape of Good Hope ; after which, the Portuguefe, for fome time, managed this trade ; but now the greateft fhare of it is fallen into the hands of the Englifh and Dutch. (0) The town's name was Rhimcorura, Strabo, lib. 16. (p) Prideaux, ibid, (q) This happened anno D>m. 1497. CHAP. II. From the Reign of Jehofhaphat to the Siege cf Samaria. The History. Jehofha- A Fter the death of Afa, Jehofhaphat his fon, when tK?Z Af\ five ^d thirty years of age, fucceeded him in the «iSu. JpSdom of Judah, and, in all acts of piety, as well as the Qiap. II. from the building of the Temple, cjfr. y i the reformation of religion, imitated, if not excelled, f the A. m. former part of his father's reign. At his firft acceffion to 3°01' fc'~ the throne, he exprefied his zeal for God's fervice, in thef™^"' extirpation of thofe Sodomites, and the deftrudtion of from thofe idolatrous || high-places and groves which remained l Kms?™- in his father's reign ; and perceiving that the people were l°{ ^chron. grofsly ignorant of the law, after he had fortified his fron- i_ - - _j tier towns, and put his kingdom in a good pofture of de fence), he fent itinerant priefts and Levites through all his dominions, with letters to the princes, and heads of each family, to receive them kindly, and to encourage them in expounding the law, and inftrudting his fubjects in the knowledge of their duty. •f- In 2 Chron. xvii. 3. mention is made of the: firft ways of his father David ; but it may very well be queftioned, whether the word David be not flipped in here by the faalt of fome tranfcriber, in the place of Afa, becaufe in 1 Kings xxii. 43. as likewife in 2 Chron. xx. 32. Afa is named, and not David. Now it is very well known, that in the beginning of his reign,- Afa was very reli gious, but fell fromhis piety towards the conclufion of k ; and there fore the facred hiftorian, by obferving that Jehofhaphat followed his father in what he was in his firft days, and not in, his old age, might intend a juft reflection upon Afa for his growing more negligent and' remifs in the fervite of God, towards the decline of his life ; Pa trick's Commentary ; and Howell's Hiftory, in the notes. || It is faid of his father Afa likewife, that he removed the high- places, together with the idols and the groves/ which his father and mother had made, 1 Kings xv. 12. ire. ; but then we are to obferve (as We have noted befbre) that there were high-places and groves of two forts; fome for the worfhip of the true God, which conti nued in Judah even under religious princes j and others for the worfhip of idols, which good kings took aWay, even though they left the other ftanding. The high-places and groves of this latter kind, were thofe which Afa deftroyed ; bat becaufe towards the conclufion of his reign, when he grew more infirm hi body, and more remifs in God's caufe, fome of his fubjefts (out of their vile attachment to idols) had made new ones, Jeholhaphat, upon his ac ceffion to the throne, had occafion enough to begin a reformation in this particular, as well as many others ; Patrick's Commentary on 1 Kings xviii. 30. ; and Pool's Annotations on 3 Chron. xvii. 6. By 7 2 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. By thefe means, he foon gained the hearts of his people, 3001, &e. who to fupport the dignity of his government, f brought Ant" ,£ kim prefents from every quarter, | and ftruck fuch a ter- from ' for into his enemies, that inftead of invading his domi- x Kings viii. nions, the Philiftines came voluntarily, and paid him a tri- '° tn£,,end bute, which had been fufpended for fome years, and the . --,_(' Arabians (whofe riches confifted in cattle) fent him al ways feven thoufand feven hundred rams, and an equal number of he-goats, as an annual acknowledgment of their homage. For Jehofhaphat took care to make himfelf ftrong in arms? as well as wealth, having an army of above eleven hundred thoufand men, befides thofe that were in garrifons, and fuch fortified places as he had well fur- nifhed with plenty of all military ftores. In fhort, Jehofhaphat was rich and happy, great and ho nourable, beloved by his fubjects, and revered by his ene mies ; only there was this great blemifh in hit reign, that he -(• married his fon Jehoram to Athaliah, daughter to A- hab, King of Ifrael, which both difpleafed God, and in- volved him and his family in fundry troubles : But of thefe , hereafter. Ahab's wic- This Ahab (as we faid) was one of the wickedeft princes, ked reign. ancj the moft abominable idolater, that ever fat on the throne -|- It was cuftomary for fubjeAs to make their oblations to their princes, efpecially at the commencement of their reigns. It is faid of fome difaffectcd people, that they brought Sard no prefents, even though he had been recognifed as king, 1 Sam. x. 27. But by the prefents here fpoke of, we may not improperly underftand the tribute and cuftoms which his fubjects were, obliged to pay him ; only it was thought proper to call them prefents, or voluntary gifts, as a name of a lefs odious fbimd and import, than that of tributes ; Calmet's Commentary on 2 Chron. xviii. 5. + His enemies could not but be fenfible, that it was in vain to affoult him, while he continued firm in his religion ; for they muft have obferved, that the profperity of all the kings of Judah depend* ed on that, and that they never fell into the hands of their enemies, but when they had firft fallen from God ; Patrick's Commentary. f The only lhadow of excufe that can be alledged in behalf of Jehofhaphat's marrying his fon in this manner, might be a fond conceit, that in cafe Ahab fhould die without ifiue-male, he might have a chance to re-unite the two kingdoms of Ifrael and Judah ; but in this piece of worldly policy he found himfelf fadly difappoint- eu ; Calmet's Comment jry. of Chap. If. from the building of the Temple, rjJV. 75 of Ifrael : For he not only continued the worfhip of the a M. calves which Jeroboam n.id fet up, but having married 3001, irel Jezebel, the daughter of * Eth-baal, king of Tyre, to plea- Ant' c^"r' fure this wo .nan he introduced the idolatry paid to the °cl'om c' * god Baal, built him a temple in Samaria, erected an iK;ngsviii. altar, and * made a giove, where all kinds of impurities to the end 0 r , of 1 Chron. were * Eth-baal, or Ithobalus, (a? he is called by profane' writers), does equally fignify the flrength of Baal. In the catalogue of the kings of Tyre, lie is faid to be the eighth s and as both Tyre and Si- don were, from the beginning, fubjcct, to the fame king, it is not- improbable, that their kings refided fomerimes at one, and fome- times at the other city, and were therefore called the kings of Tyre or Sydon promifcuodfly. 4s the character of king and pried were frequently united in the fame perfon, fo is he fuppofed to have bden the high prieft of Aflarte or ^(htaroth, the g-ddefs of the Sidonians ; and for this reafon perhaps his daughter was fo vio lently attached to that kind of idolatry, that when fhe came into power, (he was for utterly extirpating all the priefts and prophets of the Lord. The truth is, this queen was a monfter in her kind ,- and therefore the name of Jezebel has pafled into a proverb, to de note any cruel, impious, and imperious woman ; Calmet's Commen tary on t Kings xvi. jr. * Baal, in the Hebrew tongue, fignifies Lord, and as Selden ob- ferves, was anciently the name of the trne God, until the world grew wicked, and came to apply it to the fun ; in after-ages, to o- ther ftars ; and in procefs of time, to any of their kings whofe me mory was dear to them The fame author obferves, that the Phoe nician Belus, or Baal, Was the fame with the European Jupiter, and as Sidon was fituated on the fea, their Baal was called by the Greeks the Jupiter of the fea. But more of this you may fee in the writings of that great man ; Selden, De diis Syriis. * The Jewifh law was fo far from permitting men to plant any fuch groves, thatit injoins all its profeflbrs to deftroy them : Te fhall deftroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burti their graven images with fire, Deut. vii. 5. • and therefore, though Jofephus imputes the erection of thefe to the impiety of his wife Je2ebel, who (as he tells us, Jewifh Antiq. lib. 8. c. 7.) " was a woman of a bold, enterprifing humour, and of " fo impetuous and ungovernable a fpirit, that fhe had the confi- " dence to build a temple to Baal, the god of the Tyrians, to plant " groves, for fuperftition, of all forts of trees, and to appoint her " priefts and falfe prophets xexprefsly for that idolatrous fer- Vol.IV. ' K " vice;" 74 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, RookVfc A. M. were committed, the more effectually to profelyte^ the vi- 3001, ire cious and debauched to a religion fo agreeable to their lufts.; Ant Chrii and ,as an inftance of the daring impiety of this age) one ?°°ronf' Hiel, who- lived at Bethel, the famous feat of all idolatry, ikingsriii.-|r adventured to rebuild Jericho, in defiance of the ciirfe to the end wn;cn Jofhua had pronounced (above four hundred and ' ^lt^3' fifty years before) againft any man that fhould attempt it. But the prefumptuous wretch found to his coft, that Jo- fhua's prediction was verified in him, when he faw his eldeft fon die, as foon- as he had begun the work, the reft of his children drop off, as he continued it, and his youngeft fon taken away at laft, when he had completed it. The pro- In the midft of this bold impiety, Ifrael however had phet Elijah the happinefs to be' bleffed with an eminent prophet, Eli- feminc,5 a Jall> the tTifllbite> an inhabitant of Gilead, on the other which ac- fide cordingly # comes to- * - ' pafs. " vice ; yet her hufband was neverthelefs culpable for giving her , that indulgence. ¦f Jericho was one of the firft places that Jofhua took in the land . of Canaan ; and when he took it, he laid it under a Ckerem, that it . fliould never be rebuilt : But k is prefuaiable, that as the facred hi ftory was then very little read, Hiel might either be ignorant of this interdict, or being a profeffed idolater himfelf, might probably, at . the infligation of Jezebel, or to gain the favour of the court, do it* in defiance of God, and ta let the world fee, that whatever was er- phan, diftant about three ' hours travel from Sidon, in the way to Tyre Whatever it was formerly, the fame author tells us, that at prefent it conlifts of no more than a lew houfis, on the tops of the mountains, about half a mile from the fea ; though there is rea fon to b< licve, that the principal part of the city flood below, in a ipace between the hjlls and the fea, becaule there aie ftill ruins there to be feen oi a very confiderable extent ; Wells's Geography of the Ana Te ft anient, part t, chap. 5. fttr. 2. ? Some of the Hebrew doctors (and herein they are follow «4 Chap. II, from the building of the Temple, ciiV. jy and her fon, which was to be the laft meal they were ever A. M. like to eat. But the prophet, encouraging her to do as he J001' &c- bid her, gave her aflurance, that her meal and her oil ^j' C^f* fhould not fail as long as the famine lafted ; which accord- °ftom '' ingly proved true ; For of that little ftore, fhe, and her fon, i Kings viiiT and the prophet, lived for the fpace of two years ; and % th%^d when, in this fpace, her fon fell fick, and died, Elijah, ° .J-^j by his prayers, reftored him to life again, which \ gave * the mother full conviction, that he was a perfon extraordi nary fent from God, After he had lived in this obfcurity for above two years, God commanded him to return to the land of If rael, and to prefent himfelf before Ahab, becaufe, in a fhort time, he intended to fend rain upon the earth. At this time the famine was fo extreme about Samaria, that the king commanded * Obadiah, one of the officers of his houfehold, ed by fome Chriflians) are of opinion, that this widow's fon was the prophet Jonas ; that after his reftoration,' his mother gave him to Elijah-} that ever after he attended on the prophet, as long as he li ved ; and on a certain occafion was difpatched by him xo Nineveh, as every one knows. But befides that thefe traditions are deftitute of any real proof, Jonah was an Hebrew, as he himfelf declares, chap. i. 9 and a native of Gath-hepher, as we read 2 Kings xiv. 25- ; whereas this widow's fon was a native of Zarephtha, a town belonging to the kingdom of Sidon, and by birth a ftranger to the race , of Ifrael ; Calmet's Commentary , , + The woman had fufficient reafon to believe, that Elijah was a prophet, or perfon fent from God, when (lie faw the miraculous increafe of the meal and oil ; but upon his not curing her fon when he lay fick, but rather fuffering him to die, her faith began to droop ; whereas, upon feeing him revive, her faith revived with him ; and through the joy of having him reftored to her again, lhe accounted this latter miracle much greater than the former ; Le Clere' s Com mentary, * There are fome Jewifh doctors who think that this Obadiah was the fame with him whofe writings, we have among the twelve minor prophets. They pretend that he was married to that woman of Shunem, where Elilha ufed to lodge; that lie was a dilciple of the prophet Elijah, and the laft of the three captains whom King Ahaziah fent to apprehend him ; and that, for this reafon, he had companion on him, though he deftroyed the others that came before him, with fire from heaven, 2 Kings i. 9. ire. ; but all thefe things are pure apocrypha. Obadiah himfelf, in his difcourfe with Elijah, fufficieutly tells us who he was, viz. a perfon truly religions, who • ' worfhipped 78 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book "VL A. M. houfehold, and fome others with him, to go all over the 3eoi, ire country in queft of fome foragcfor the fubfiftence of hij f"o' °&! cattle ; and to fee tliat llis orders were fully executed> 0°rr'om himfelf went along with fome of them. Obadiah, of all iKiingsviii.the king's domeftics, was tht moft religious. He, in the to the end t^me 6c Jezebel's f perfecuting the prophets of the Lord, 'oa' concealed an hundred of them, by fifty in a cave, and there fuftained them with necefiaries. When Elijah met him, Obadiah faluted him with great refpect ; but when the prophet required him to go, and acquaint the king that be was there, and defired to fpeak with him, Obadiah at firft excufed himfelf, upon apprehenfion that Elijah might vanifh, and leave him the object of the king's indigna tion, who had taken fuch vaft pains to find him out ; but when the other allured him that he would not ftir, he went and brought the king to him. The king, at the firft jn- ¦ terview, began to upbraid him< with being the caufe of the calamity that the nation fuffered ; but Elijah boldly returned the charge, and having taxed him with the wor fhip of falfe gods, (which was the {ounce of all their wo), he' worfhipped G vi alone, and had a fingular affection for his fervsrrts j enough, one would think, to have made Ahab difcard, if not perfe- cate him, had he not found him fo highly ufeful in the management of his domeftic affairs, asTio connive at his not worfhipping Baal, or the calves ; efpecially as we read nothing of his going tip to Jeru falem, which W2s a defect that G &g- pie to meet upon mount Carmel, and to. bring thither the *™' Chff*' four hundred and fifty priefts of Baal, together with the from four hundred priefts of Aftarte, who- were fupported-at Je- » Kings viii. zebel's table. effort Elijah had told Ahab, that (a) there fhould be neither *-,- j dew nor rain upon the earth, . but according to his word; and His con- therefore the king being perfuaded, perhaps, that the nar tefl wi.tl\ ^tkmal remedy was in his hands, neglected not to ifiue out 0f=B^^ "* writs for the convention of the people, and ordered the priefts to attend. When they were all met together, Elijah, having firft upbraided them with their vile prevarication, hi mixing the worfhip of God and the worfhip of Baal to gether, made them a fair propofal to this effect. " Since " there can be no more than one infinite, fupreme, .almigh- " ty, and independent being, let us, at this time, make the " experiment who this being is. You, who are the wor- " fhippers of Baal, have all the advantages on your fide, *' the favour and protection of the court, four hundred " and fifty priefts of one kind, and four hundred of an- " other ; whereas I, who am the manager of God's caufe, " am but one poor banifhed man ; and yet let two oxen " be brought before us. Let the priefts of Baal chu'fe " their ox, drefi it, cut it in pieces, lay it on the altar, bur. " let there be no fire thereon ; and I, in like manner, will " do fo to my ox. Let them pray unto their gods, and I " likewife will call on the name of Jehovah ; and then lee " the God, who, by confuming the facrifiee \ with a fud- " den flafh of fire, fhall make it appear, that he hath *' heard the prayers, be~ owned by this whole afiembly to be " this one, this true, fupreme, independent being." This was a propofal that none could gainfay ; and therefore the priefts of Baal prepared their altar, facrificed their bul- (a) 1 Kings xvii 1. f This is. not the firft time, wherein God had declared his ap probation of his worlhippers, by fending dovvn fire to confume their facrifices; Lev. ix.24. and Judg vi. 31. and though perhaps it may be poffible for evil fpirits, who may have great knowledge how lo manage. meteors and exhalations to their purpofes^ to make fire defcend from the clouds ; yet, iinee they can do nothing without a divine permiffion, it is abfurd to think, that, in a matter of competi. tion between him and falfe gods, he fliould give evil fpirits any licence to rival him in Wis miracles; Le Clere'. s Commentary . lock, 80 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVt A. M. lock, placed it on the altar, and began to call upon their 3°OIi ,&'f goJ : But Baal continuing deaf to their invocations, the/ fooj, &e. betook themfelves to odd gefticulationS :' They fometimes from jumped over the altar, fomctimcs danced round it, and • Kingsviii. (acco,ding as their cuftom was) began * to cut themfelves c°f fciwon witl1 knives and lancets ' but a11 to no Pu,'Pofe ; whereuP" t_. - -,_/ on the true prophet * fell a bantering arid ridiculing them, (asjuftly he might) ; but their fenfelefs idol knew nothing of the matter. This farce of devotion they continued till the day was above half fpent ; when Elijah, defiring the people to draw near, and taking twelve ftones, according to the number * A ftrange method, one would think, to obtain the favour of their gods ! And yet, if we look into antiquity, we (hall find, that nothing was more common in the religious rites of feveral nations than this barbarous cuftom. To this purpofe we may oblerve, that (as Plu tarch, De fup erfl it 'tone, tells us) the priefts of BelUma, when they facrificed to that goddefs, were wont to befmear the victim with their own blood ; that the Perfian Magi (according to Herodo tus, lib. 7 c. 191-) ufed to appeafe tempefts, and allay the winds, by making' incifions in their flelh; that they who carried about the Syiiiiu goddefs, (as Apuleius, lib. 8. relates), among other mad pr.uiks, were, every now and then, cutting and flafliing themfelves with knives, till the blood gafhed out ; and that even to this day, fame modern travellers tell us, that iii Turky, Pcrfia, and feveral parts of the Indies, there are a kind of fanatics, who think they do a very meritorious thing, and what is highly acceptable to the Deiiy, in cutting and mangling their own flefh. " Dii autem nullo " debent coli gencre" (fays Seneca, as he is quoted by St Auftin De civ. Dei, lib. 6. c. 10.) '¦ Ii et hoc volunt. Tantus eft per- " turbatae mentis, et fedibus fuis pulfae furor, ut fie dii placentur, " qucmadmodum ne homines qnidem fxviunt tcterrimi, et in fabu- " las traditse crudelitatis," ire; Calmet's and Le Clere' sCommenta. ties * The words of the prophet are very cutting and farcaftical. Cry aloud, for he is a ged no doubt, though he may be fomewhat deaf, or a j;rat way off, fo that he cannot hear unlrfs you cry aloud ; or either he is talking -ibout bufinefs, or purfuing his pi afurcs ; or per haps he is in a journey, and not at home ; or pet adventure he flecp- eth, and muff be awakened. The two laft notions, of being afteep, ami not at home, how abfrml focver they may be whert applied to the Deity, were certainly fuch as fcvernl idol.itcrs conceived of their goJs, as appears from thele pailiiges in Homer. In the former of v thefe, Chap. II. , from the building of the Temple, t$c. 8 r number of the tribes, * repaired the altar of the Lord, A. M. which had been broken down, and then laying his bullock a00*'^* On the wood, f poured a great quantity of water three .i"^ &." timesi on the facrifice, on the wood, and on the altar ; from fo that the water filled the trench, which was dug ' K!n8s v'i!* ° lo the end of x Chron. thefe, Thetis, fays he, cannot meet with Jupiter, becaufe he was gone abroad, >nd would not return in lefs than twelve days. Zetlf yotp trr' axsctvov, far a/^vt^ovac 'Ai&ioriixc, Xfli^Off Kt] (JLSTO. SoitTX, S-tO* &' OLfJiO. TTKvlec 'ixOVJO, AwcTExecry Si toi auflif Ixtvo-rfxi vhxjfj.7TQvSe. Iliad ¦. lin. 413. And in the conclufion of that book, he fhews us in what manner the gods went to fleep. £euf (Te xpoc 0, texpc »' 'OXu^wioc arfpoff-wrwc, "Ei»9« X&poc K0ljU.aB\ oti fj.iv ¦yXuy.bc VTCvoe ly.avoi "Evfloc KaQevS' avxGclc, Ttapa. Si xpvo-oBpavoc "Hpti. * The altar, which the facred author here calls the altar of the Lord, was certainly one of thofe which were built in the time of the Judges, and firft kings of Ifrael ; when, for want of a fixed place of worfhip, fuch ftrucmres were permitted. Both Tacitus, lib. 2. c. 74. and Suetonius, fpeak of the God of Carmel, whom Vefpa- fian went to confult when he was at Judea. His prieft Bafilides promifed him all manner of profperity and fuccefs in his underta kings; but (as the two hiftoriahs tell us) there was neither temple nor ftatue upon the mountain, but one altar only, plain, but very venerable for its antiquity. Some are of opinion, that this Bafilides was a Jew, and prieft of the Moft High God ; but it feems more reafonable, that he was a Pagan prieft, and probably the fame who met Vefpafian in the temple of Serapis in Egypt. However this be, the altar of Carmel feems to have had its original from this altar of the true God, s which the ancient Hebrews firft er&3ed, and Elijah afterwards repaired ; which even the Heathens held in fuch veneration, that, when they came to be mafters of the coun try, they would not place fo much as an image by it ; Calmet's Commentary. f This the prophet did to make the miracle more confpicuous and convincing, to (hew, that there was no fallacy in it, no fire con cealed in or about the altar, but that the lightning, which was to confume the facrifice, came from heaven, and came at his invoca tion ; for fo Jafephus tells us, that Elijah invited the people to draw near, even that they might fearch, and fpy every where, if they could find arty fire that was fecretly conveyed under the altar ; Jewifb Antiq, lib. 8. c. 7. ; Calmet's and Le Clerc's Commenta ries. 1 Vol. IV- L rovnd 8 2 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book M I. A. M. round the altar to receive it. It was now rhuch about the iooi, ire t;me 0f offering the evening facrifice, when, having pre- A"o Ch"e Pared all things, he approached the altar, and prayed in this from manner : Lord God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, fbeiu i Kings viii this day, that thou art the God of Ifrael that I am thyfer- tc i the end f an)ah; and therefore leaving Horeb, in his return by the 1003, ire. way of Damafcus, * he found Elifhah at plough, and as he from palled by, f eaft his mantle upon him; which the other ' ^^end" understanding to be a call to the prophetic miniftry, as of 1 chron. foon as he had fettled his private concerns, went with V— - y— . Elijah, and was his fervant as long as he lived ; fo that Elijah did not think it neceffary to go to Damafcus, upon the account of Hazael, nor to fpeak with Jehu in Ifrael ; but left thefe affairs to be tranfacted by Elifha, whenever a fit opportunity fhould offer. Ahab de- ¦ Not long after this, (but upon what provocation it is featsBenha- not faid), Benhadad raifed a vaft army againft Ahab king and aUaft °f Ifrael> and marched directly into his country, with a makes a defign to invert Samaria, his capital city : But before difliouour- he did that, he fent him an haughty meffage, demanding' withhim6 a" ^at belonged to him, in fatisfaction for fome prefurned affront. Ahab was in no condition to oppofe him, and therefore he tamely fubmitted himfelf to his mercy : But this tamenefs only inflamed Benhadad's infolence, fo that, in his next meffage, he demanded all things to be imme- * So far was this from being any argument of his poverty, that it was in reality a token of his wealth and great riches : For he who could keep twelve yoke of oxen at plough, was in this refpect no in- confiderable man, and yet (according to the manner of thefe early limes) he looked after his own bufinefs himfelf ; for nothing was of greater efteem, not only among the Hebrews, but among the ancient Greeks and Romans likewife, than agriculture, and fuch perfons as were of the beft quality were called air^yo), men who did their work them felves, and left not the eate of it toothers. Elifha therefore was taken from the plough to be a prophet, in like manner as, among the Ro mans afterwards, fome were taken from thence to be confuls and dictators ; Patrick's Commentary. f The mantle was the proper habit of prophets, 2 Kings i. 8. ; and therefore Elijah's calling it upon him was the ceremony here u- fed for his inauguration : Though, as it was cuftomary for fervants to carry their matters garments after them, others underftand it only as a token that Elifha was to be his fervant, to attend upon him, and fucceed in his office. However this be, it is probable, that when he eaft his mantle upon him, he faid fomething to Elifha, whereby he acquainted him with his defign, though the parriculat words, m fo fhort an hiftory, are not expreffed ; Pool's Annotations'; and Le Clere s Commentary. diately Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, &ff. their king to the laft extremity ; which when Benhadad's from _ ambaffadors told him, he fell into a great rage, and imme- * Kings viii. diately ordered his army to inveft Samaria ; but while he 0f x chron, lay before the town, God, who was juftly provoked at this — y— J proud Syrian, fent f a prophet to Ahab, not only to af- fure him of victory, but to inftrudt him likewife -f- in what method he was to obtain it ; which fucceeded fo well, that Benhadad himfelf had much to do to efcape with his life. The fame prophet however gave the king of Ifrael ' great caution to recruit his army, and be upon his guard, againft the beginning of the next year, becaufe then the Syrians defigned him another vifit ; which accordingly came to pafs. For fome of his generals having perfuaded the king of Syria, that the gods of the Ifraelites * were '-. gods f Who the prophet was, who upon this, and another meffage af terwards, was fent co Ahab, the Scripture no where informs us. It is fomewhat odd, that during this whole war with Benhadad, neither Elijah nor Elifha, the two principal prophets of Ifrael, fhould appear, though other prophets (whereof diere feems to be a conliderable number) make no fcruple of executing their of fice ; whether it was, that this war commenced before Jezebel's per- fecution of the prophets, or that this impious queen abated her per fection, and let them have fome refpite, when (lie had extermina ted Elijah as fhe thought ; Calmet's Commentary. •f The inftruments in attaining this victory were to be the young men of the princes of the provinces, with Ahab at the head of them, 1 Kings xx. 1 4. The Hebrew word has fome ambiguity in it, and may fignify either the fons, or thtfervants of the princes of the pro vinces, either young noblemen themfelves, or their fathers pages, who were equally brought up delicately, and quite unaccuftomed to war. It was by thefe young men, and not by old experienced officers, that this battle was to be won; that thereby it, might appear, that the victory was wholly owing to God's gracious and powerful provi dence, and not to the valour, or fitnefs, of the inftruments ; Pool's Annotations. - * That there were many gods, who had each their particular charge and jurifdiction ; that fome prefided over whole countries, whilft others, had but particular places under dieir tuition and go vernment; and were fome of them gods of die woods, others of the river*. 88 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A- M. gods of the hills, and therefore, to fight them with advan- j„o,, &c * was f ht them in a champaign country, he raifed fo^' another army of equal force with what he had loft the from year before, and came and fat down before Apheck, a ci- « Kings™ ' ;n the tribe of Alhsr. Ahab however was prepared Z fchZ1 to receive him, and though with a force far inferior to the ' Syrians, marched out to meet them ; gave them batde, put them to the rout, and flew upon the fpot an hundred thou fand of them. The vanquifhed f betook themfelves to Apheck, but were far from finding any fecurity there ; for the pro vidence rivers, and others of the mountains, was plainly the doctrine "of all Heathen nations. Pan was reckoned the god of the mountains, fot which reafon he was ftyled 'opuSinc -, and in like manner the Sy- rians might have a conceit, that the God of Ifrael was a. God of the mountains, becaufe Canaan (they faw) was a mountainoiis, land ; the Ifraelites' (they perceived) c.e'ighted to facrifice on high places; their law (they might have heard) was given on the top of a mountain ; their temple flood upon a famous eminence, as did Sa maria, where they had fo lately received a fignal defeat. For their farther notion was, that the gods of the mountains had a power to inject a panic fear into an army, whenever they pleafed. Nay, that they did not only affift with their influence, but actually engage themfelves in battle, in behalf of their favourites, is a fentiment as old as Homer, and what Virgil has not forgot to imitate, Omnigenumque deum monftra, et latrator Anubis, Contra Neptunum, et Venerem, contraque Minervam Tela tenent ; faevit medio in certamine Mavors Caslatus ferro, triftefque ex asthere Dirce, Et fcifsa gaudens vadit Difcordia Palla, Quam cum fanguineo fequitur Bellona fiagello. Alntia. 8. f Apheck, or Aphaca (as it is called by profane authors) was- fituated in Libanus, upon the river Adonis, between He!iopolis and Biblos ; and, in all probability is the fame that Paul Lucas, in his voyage du Levant, vol. I. chap. 20. fpeaksof, as fwallowed up in a lake of mount Libanus, about nine miles in circumference, where in there are feveral houfes all entire to be feen under water. The foil about this place (as the ancients tell us) was very bituminous, which feems to confirm their opinion, who think that fabterraneous fires confumed the folid fubftancc of the earth, whereon the city ftood, fo that it fubfided and funk at once, and a lake was foon formed Chap. II. from the building of the Temple1, i$c. 8g Vidence of God purfued them, and by the fall of the walls a. M. of that city, deftroyed feven and twenty thoufaild more of \°°\, ire. them: So tint, terviiied with this judgment, Benhadad lm' chn7, went to hide himfelf" in fome place where he thought he ""tvonf'' could not be cifily found; but was, at length, prevailed on ' Khv^vV. by his chief oiEcers to fend ambaffadors to Ahab1 in the t0 t,,ecnk n of their frjbjc eti..n to whatever puuilhment Ahab fhoul.-l think fit to inflict upon them : For which reafon Beffiis (according to Curtius, lib 7.) was brought to Mexander with a chain about bis neck; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries. \ The privilege which Benhadad guve to Ahab is thus exprefled i Thou fl) alt make ftreets for thee in Damafcus, at my father made ttt Samaria ; but then the learned are not agreed what we are to underftand by ftreets. Some fuppofe, that they were courts of judicature where Ahab was to maintain a jurifdiction over B<-n: But fo far was Ahab from r-u- nifhing him r.s he defcrved, that he treats him like a friend and a brother, ilifiniffes him upon eafy terras, and takes his bare word for the performance, without the leaft care for the reparation of' God's hrnjar ; Pool's Annotations. _ + The account of Ahib's coveting Nahoth's vineyard (as Abar- bmcl o'jfcrves) ii immediately fet after his treatment of Benhadad, fofhev his extreme great wickednefs in fparing him, (as Saul aid Agsgkingof the Amalekites), and kjlling Naboth, that he might get ro.k-ffion of his vineyard : For this was an high aggravation of bs crime, that he bafcly murthcred 3 jufl Ifraelite, and let an in- pioas enemy ef. ape ; Patrick's Cunmer.tary t f By this it appear:, that though the kings of Ifrael did rule ineir luojtcts m a very arbitrary and defpoiic manner, yet they did 1..-. as vet take the liberty to feize on their lands and here- ci'irr.c;.::; Chap II. from the building of the Temple, &c. 9 1 it an equivalent, either in land or money ; but the A. r,i. owner, f upon the account of its being his paternal inhe 3,OOI> &': ritance, refufingto part with it, gave Ahab fuch uneafinefs, 'iTo^&el that he took his bed for mere difcontent, and was fo fuUen from and uneafy, that he would not eat his meat. But when his ' Kings viii. wife Jezebel came to underftand the caufe, fhe firft up- j,° ^cfuon braided him with his pufillanimity, or not knowing how to 1 exert the authority of a king, and then (to chear him up) bid him drive away all melancholy, for that fhe had found out an expedient, how to put him in the poffeilion of Na- both's vineyard. To this purpofe fhe wrote letters from Samaria in Ahab's name, and fealed with his fignet, to the principal men in Jezreel, ordering them f to proclaim ii ditaments ; and therefore what Simuel prophefies "of the kings of Ifrael, that they would take their fields, their vineyards, and their olive yards, j Sam. viii. 14 does not extend to any true and law ful, but a prefumed and ufurped right only in their kings ; Calmet's Commentary. f -\s it is natural to all men to love and value the ancient pof- feffions that have been in their family ; fo the law of Mofes prohi bited the alienation of lands from one tribe or family to another, im- lefs a man was reduced to poverty, in which cafe he might fell it to the jubilee ,• but then it was to revert to him again, Lev. xxv. 1 ;. 2J. 28. Now as Naboth was in no need to fell his vineyard, f> he confidered with himfelf, that if merely to do the king a plea fure, he fhould part with it out of his hands, efpecially to be made a - garden, and fo annexed to the palace, neither he, nor his pofterity, fhould ever be able to recover it again ; fo that, in this act. he ihould both offend God, and injure his pofterity, which he, being a pious and religious man, durft not adventure to do ; Pool's- Anmtat, f It was always a cnftomary thing, upon the approach of any great calamity, or the apprehenfion of any national judgment, to proclaim a fad; and Jezebel ordered fuch a faft to' be obferved in Jezreel, the better to conceal her defign againft Naboth. For, by this means, fhe intimated to the Jezreelites, that they h:d fome accurfed thing among them, which was ready to draw down the vengeance of God upon their city ; and that therefore it was their bufinefs to inquire into all thofe fins which provoked God to anger againft them, und to' purge theniout effectually. As therefore thefe days of fafting were employed in pmiifhing offenders, doing juftice, and imploring God's pardon, they gave the elders of the city an oc cafion to convene an aflembly, and the falfe witnelTes a fair oppor tunity to accufe Naboth before them ; Le Clere' s and Patrick's Com- tnentpries. M 2 faft,- The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. faft, to bring f Naboth before the judges, and to fuborr* two falie witnefl'es, who fhould depofe againft him, that he bad f blafphcmtd God and the king, that fo he might be carried out of the city, and ficntd. t All this was done • according to this wicked woman's defire ; and, as foon as Ahab underftood that Naboth was dead, he went to Jez- ' reel, and took poffeffion -of his vineyard : But upon his re turn to Samaria, the prophet Elijah, by God's directions, met him, and having upbraided him with this his laft flagitioiif- nefs, in flaying the innocent, and feizing on his inheritance^ ¦f Jofephus is of opinion, that, as Naboth was of an illuftrions houfe, he was ordered to be fet in an honourable place among the elders and chief rulers of the city ; that fo it might be thought, that they did not condemn him cut of hatred or ill-will, but merely as they were conftrained to it by the evidence that was given againft him. But others will have it, that the reafon why he was fet in an eminent place was only, becaufe perfons accufed and arraigned Were wont to ftand conspicuous' before their judges, that all the people might fee them, and hear both the accufations againft therrij and their defence ; Patrick's Commentary. ¦f- By the law of Mofes it was death to Hafphcme God, Lev. xxiv, 1 6.; and by cuflom it was death to revile the king, Exod. xxii. 28. Now, in order to make fafe work, the evidences (as they were inftructed) accufed Naboth of both thefe crimes, that the people might be ihe better fatisfif d to fee him ftoncd. There is this difference, however, to be obferved between thele two crimes, that, if a man had only blafphc med God, he was to be tried by the great court at Jerufalem, (as the Hebrew doctors tell u.s), and his goods came to his bein- ; whereas, wheu a man was executed for.treafon againft the king, his eftate went to the exchequer, and was forfeited to him againft whom the offence v. as committed : and for this rea fon it was, that they iccufed Naboth of this crime likewife, that his eftate might he confifoitcd and Ahab, by that means, get polfefTicn of his vineyard ; Prtrick's Commentary. -[ Princes never want inftruments to execute their pleafure : and yet it is ftrange. hat, t'mong all thefe judges and great men, there Ihculd be none that abhorred fuch a villany. It muft be confidered, hovrfver, that for a long while they had eaft off all fear and fenfe v pf God, and proflimted their confeiences to plcafe their king: nor durft they difobey Jezebel's commands, who had the full power and government of the ling, (as they wtll knew), and cede eafily have taken away their lives, had they rcfufed to condemn Naboth ; Fool's ^notations. Chap. II. from the building of the Temple* £sV. 93 he denounced this heavy fentence againft him, " That, in A. M. " the fame manner that dogs had lick'd Naboth' s blood, they ^''rf^[r " fhould lick his ; that all his pottery fhould die by the l0O3) ^.cf " fword, and be expofed without the honour of a decent from " funeral; and that, as to his wife Jezebel, fhe fhould be 'Kingsvui: " devoured by dogs near the wall of Jezreel," i. e, \\ where of x chron. Naboth was judged, and unjuftly condemned. i_^-^-»j Uneafy at the fight of the prophet, and much more ter rified at his denunciations, Ahab rent his cloaths, put on fackcloth, and gave other indications of his forrow and humiliation: but, as his repentance was neither fincere or perfevering, God (who might otherwife have revoked the whole fentence) inflicted part of it upon his perfon ; but the utter extirpation of his family did not happen, till the reign of his fon Jehoram, as we fhall fee in its proper place. Jehofhaphat King of Judah (as we faid before) had im- Jehoflia- prudently married his fon and heir to this wicked Ahab's P1?" 8°eS daughter; and as this alliance occafioned an interview be- 10 ^ fiZ" tween the two kings, Jehofhaphat went one day to Sama- of Ramoth- ria" to vifit Ahab, who entertained him and his attend- Gilead, ants very fplendidly; but taking the advantage of this op- ™her.eAM& portunity, invited him to go along with him to the fiege of Ramoth -Gilead, a town in the tribe of Gad, which the King of Syria unjuftly detained from him. Jehofhaphat a> greed to attend him ; but being loth to do any thing of this kind without a divine approbation, he defired of Ahab to inquire of the prophets concerning the event of this ex- pedition. To this purpofe Ahab fummoned together four hundred priefts of the goddefs Aflarte, who unanimoufly agreed, that the expedition would prove fuccefsful ; but as Jehofhaphat's purpofe was, not to inquire of thefe; but of fome true prophet of the Lord, with much difficulty he obtained of Ahab to have Micaiah produced, who, char ging || There is a great difpute among the learned, as to the accom- plilhment of this prophecy. At firft, it was, no doubt, intended to be literally fulfilled ; but, upon Ahab's repentance, (as we find be low), the puniihment was transferred from him to his fon Jehoram, in whom it was actually accompliihed ; for his dead body was eaft in to the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for the dogs to devour, 2 Kings ix. 25. Since Ahab's blood therefore was licked by dogs, not at Jezreel, but at ^amaria, it feems neceffary that we -ih,culd underftand the Hebrew word which our tranflation renders in. 94 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book V I. A. M. ging s- Ahab's prophets with falfehood, foretqld, that the1 AnV'chrTi entcrprife would prove fatal to all ifrael,1 and to Ahab in ioo3, ire. particular ; and therefore he advifed both kings to defift. from Ahab, however, inftead of liftening to Micaiah, ordered iKingsvui. n;m ;nto cu^0(jy) until he fhould return in peace ; and ta- of x^hron.kmg Jehofhaphat with him, marched with all his forces to L~-y-^, the fiege : But when he came within fight of the enemy's army, his courage began to cool, and thinking to evade the force of Micaiah's prophecy by a ftratagem of his own, he put himfelf in the garb of a common officer, and advifed Jehofhaphat to tight in his royal robes. The King of Sy ria had given particular command to his generals f to fingle out Afiab, and, if poffible, to kill him,' as the chief author of the war. At firft they miftook Jehofhaphat for the King of "Ifrael, and therefore fell upon him with great impetuoiity ; but perceiving at length, that he was not the perfon they wanted, they defifted from the purfuit 'of him, and, in queft of Ahab, bended their courfe another way. Ahab, however, did not gain much by his politic pro ject, as he thought it ; for he was mortally wounded by a random the place where, not as denoting the place, but the manner in which the thing was done ; and fo the fenfe of the paffiige will be, That as dogs licked, or in like manner as dug:, licked Naboth's blood, even fo fhall they lick thine ; obferve what I fay, even thine; Pool's Annotations. f Micaiah 's anfwer to Ahab, inquiring of him the fuccefs of his intended expedition, is, Go, und proffer ; for the Loid fhall deiher the city into the hands of the king, 1 Kings xxii 1 5. which does not at all contradict the other prophets, had it been fpoken in earneft ; but we have good reafon to believe, that the words were fpoken ironically, and in mockery to the promifes which the other prophets made Ahab. Accordingly, we may obferve by Ahab's reply, that he fufpected Micaiah's fincerity, and, either by his gefture or man ner of fpeaking, gathered, that his meaning was to traduce thefe' falfe prophets for their anfwers. So tliat Micaiah's anfwer is in ef fect, as if he bad faid,- — " Since thou doit not uck to know the " truth, but only to plcafe thyfelf,g.» to the battle, as all thy prophets " advife thee, expect the fuccefc which ihey promife thee, and try " the truth of their predictions by thy dear-bought exp erience ;" Pool's Annotations. f This Benhadad might order, either in policy, as fuppofihg this to he the beft and readieft way to put an end to the war ; or dhap. II. from the building of the Temple, £s?r. o^ . random arrow : And though he was held up in his chariot A. m. for fome time, with his face towards the enemy, to encou- 3°°', fit- rage his foldiers, yet about funfet lie died, and a retreat Vnt' } ° TJ 1003, re. was founded. His dead body was carried to Samaria, and fr0m there buried, and his fon Ahaziuh fticceeded him in the 1 Kings viii. kingdom : But as the chariot wherein nc was carried, was "i t!^i^ncl all ftained with the flux of blood from bis wound, while it _ — ,Lj was wafhid in a pool near the city, the dogs came and lick ed it, that the prophecy of Elijah might not altogether go unfulfilled. ' As for Jehofhaphat, though he efcaped from the battle, Jehoflia- and returned in peace to Jerufalem, yet God fent the pro- PJ*e4menc phet Jehu, to reprove him for his having aflifted Ahab, profperity, who was * God's avowed enemy : But this fault he endea- and death. voured to repair by the good orders which he eftablifhed in his dominions, both as to civil and religious affairs ; by appointing honeft and able judges, * and giving them pro per or with a defign to take him prifoner, that thereby he might wipe out the ftain of his own captivity, and recover the honour and ad- Vantages which he then loft; Pool's Annotations. * Even common reafon taught the Heathens not to make any fricndfliip with fuch as were enemies to the gods; and thereforeCal- limachus, in his hymn to Ceres, tells her, Axftttrep [A rnvoc *V*v cptxoc, ae toi ure^lnc "Et«, jtt)i«r' ojttiroj^of, l/xoi KUKoyetTon? i^poi. Whereupon the illuftrious Spanheira has obferved many fimilar fay- ings among the Heathens, and how the ancient Greeks abhorred to lodge in the fame houfe, or to eat at the fame table, with a mutherer, or any grievous criminal, for the fame reafon, perhaps, that Horace has exprefTed upon the like occafion. vetabo, qui Cereris facrum Vulgarit arcanse, fub iifdem Sit trabibtis, fragilemve mecum Solvat phafelum. Sgepe Diefpiter Neglectus i'ncefto addidit integrum : Raro antecendentem fcelcftum Deferuit pede poena ckudo. Lib. 3. Ode 2. * The charge or folemn admonition which Jehoihaphat gave the judges whom he appointed in each city, runs in thefe' words : . Take head what ye do, for yc judge not firman, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment ; wherefore now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you ; Take heed and do it ; for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no refpeB of perfons, nor taking of gifts, 2 Chron. xix. 6. 7. It is a remarkable faying cf Cicero, that indues, being fworn to do jnflice, ihould remember, when they 0 " come- 96 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI A. M. per charges ; by regulating the difcipline and order of the iTt'chtif. Priefts and Levites,'and by enjoining them to perform, punc- ioo,, &c'. tually their refpeaive duties in the fervice of God. Nor was from it long before he experimentally found the favour of God to^End' extended to him in a mot miraculous manner, for this his ct\ Chron. reformation. For when the Moabites and Ammonites, i with their auxiliaries, made a formidable invafion upon his kingdom, and he thereupon had appointed a public faft, and applied himfelf to God for help * by humiliation and prayer, come to pafs fentence, " Deum habere teflem ; id eft, ut ego " aibitror, mentein fuam, qua nihil homini dedit ipfe Deus divini* " us ;" De offtc. lib. x c i ;. Where he has left us this excellent inftruftion likewife, that " a man muft lay afide the perfon of a " friend, when he puts on rhe perfon of a judge " In like manner, there are feveral paflages in Hefiod, admonifhing thofe who have the adminiftration of jaftice, to retain in their minds the confideration of their gods infpection ; but one of thefe will anfwer to our purpofe. St /Jaw^t/V, vu-Cte Se KXT&pptx.?ttr&s Yf etvro'i T»v Si Sikhv" ifyOe yap zv oLyQparoitriv hvrtc AQavccTot Aeiia-cryo-iv, ocroi o-jcoXiwcn Siy.ya-t AAXuAUf TpiCvo-t, Qtav criv ^ yy. akeyovTEc. Tpif ydp fiipiat t'urtv in ^Govl 7rv\o€v1iipij .iSava-roi Zmoc, pvKocxtc &v»7£v avSpwrav, Oi px ipvXeUftrvtri Ti SUac, x, ff-YsrXia ipya, Htpa io-troptvoi, nary fonavlie tx aixv, ire. De oper. et diebus, lin. 14S, * This prayer of Jehofhaphat's isdefervedly accounted one of the moft excellent that we'meet with in facred hiftory. He begins it ,with an acknowledgment of God's fupreme and irrefiftible power, which ext-nds itfelf every where, over all creatures in heaven and eanb, which are every one fubject to his authority. 0 Lord 'God of our fathers, art thou not God in heaven ? And ruleft not thou over all the kingdoms of the Heathen P -,nd in thine hand is there not power and might, fo that none is able to withftand thee ? Then he remembers the peculiar relation which the people of ifrael have to him; the promifc he made to Abraham, as a reward of his fide lity j and the deed of gift which he conveyed to him and hi- F-.ftc- rity, of this country for ever : ire. cefs. The truth is, Jehofhaphat was a rebgious and good *"' ch*)f prince, a zealous and great reformer, and yet the people IOOfr'om ftill retained a kindnefs for the high places. He lived fix- • Kingsvii;. ty, and reigned twenty-five years; was buried in the city l° th= end of David, and fucceeded by his fon Jehoram. °\_ "°°* His father Jehofhaphat had fix other fons; but to give He is fuc- no umbrage for fufpicion, he had, in his lifetime, removed ceeded by them from all public- bufinefs, made them governors of fen- !"s fon Jf" ced cities, and given them feparate fortunes of their own. proved \ But, notwithftanding all this precaution, as foon as Jeho- bloody ram was fetded on the throne, he murthered all his bro- Prince> '»- thers, and feveral chief men in Ifrael, who (as he fufpect- kedly "and ed) either adhered to their party, or were likely to revenge died ui.'.a- their deaths. inentedt During thefe cruel proceedings, in the very beginning of his reign, he had a f letter fent him from Elijah, wherein , -f- Now, fince it is plain, from 2 Kings ii. ir. ire. that Elijah Was taken up into heaven, in the time of Jehofhaphat, the qacflioii is, How could Elijah fend his fon a letter ? for refoltition to this, Jofephus and others imagine, that this writing was indited in hea ven, where Elijah now is, and fent to Jehoram by the niiniftry of angels. But there is no reafon to fuppofe, that fo fingular a miracle was wrought in favour of an idolatrous prince, who had Mofes and the prophets, which (in our Saviour's opinion) were fufficient to in- ftruct him in all points neCeffiry to falvation, and needed not any additional writing to be fent him from the other world. Others therefore arc of opinion, that this letter was written before Elijah's afcenfion into heaven ; that, fbrefeeing by the fpirit of prophecy, the great wickednefs Jehoram would fall into, he dictated the con tents, hereof to one of the prophets, charging him to put them down in writing, to fend them in a letter to Jehoram, when he grew m impious as is here related ; and to let him know withal, that Elijah commanded this writing to be delivered to him, upon prefiimptku that it would affect him the more, as it came from a perfon that was tranflated into heaven. But this notion has no better foundation th?.n the other : for prophets were fent to thofe who lived in their own age, to declare unto them the will of God, not to write letters fit to be de livered only when tbey had departed out of this life. God never left himfelf without a witnefs ; and at this time more efpecially, there were prophets in abundance : and therefore, others have liippofed, that there has been a miftake in the tranferiber, anal the name of N 2 Eliji'a ioo The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book Vii A. M.. wherein he upbraided him with the murder of his brothers, 3001, ire ar)(i his departure from the religion of his anceftors; and ?nn',C'£!f wherein + he threatened him with a fore difeafe in his 1003, itre. < . 1 , . , from bowels, and his wives, his children, and people, wita judg- 1 Kings viii. ments of feveral kinds, which God would fend upon them: of ''chTon ^or was " 'on£ D£f°re thefe threats began to operate. The 1. - - J Edomites, who had all along been fubjedt to the houfe of David, rebelled ; and having expelled his deputy, made themfelves a king of their own, and were never again fub- jedt to the Jewifh yoke. Libnah, a city in his own domi nions, fhook off its allegiance, and refufed to acknowledge him any longer for its fovereign. The Philiftians and Ara bians made inroads upon his territories, ravaged the coun try, plundered his palace, and carried away his very wives and children ; fo that they left none except Jehoahaz the youngeft : and (to complete his mifery) after God had af flicted him with a cruel dyfentery, whkh for two years grievoufly tormented him, and brought him at laft to his grave, he died, without being fo much as lamented by his fubjects ; and, after a life of forty, and a reign of eight years, being buried indeed in the city of David, (but not in any of the royal fepulchres), was fucceeded by his fon Jehoahaz. But to return to the hiftory of King Aha ziah. widredand -A-haziah, as we faid, fucceeded his father Ahab in the inglorious kingdom of Ifrael, in the feventeenth year of Jehofhapbafs isign. Elijah pbt for that of Elifha ; or that the Elijah, by whom this let ter was fent, was not the prophet who was taken up into heaven, but another of that name, who lived in the fubfequent age, and was cotemporary with Jehoram. Which of thefe conjectures (for con- lectures they are all) feems moft feafible, we are at liberty to chufc, fince any of them is fufficient to folve the above-mentioned difficul ty ; Le Clere and Patrick's Commentaries. f There was no calamity that could be thought of (as feveral have obferved) which did not -befall this wicked prince. His king dom was deftroyed, and depopulated by ihe fierceft nations ; his treafures ranfacked ; his wives carried into captivity ; his children Haiti ; himfelf afflicted with a fore difeafe for two yean ; and, when he was dead, denied the honour of a royal fepnlture, fuch as his fa- ther had. All which calamities were thi eatened in this writing fent him m the name of Elijah, that he might not think that they came by chance, but by the fpecial direction of Almighty God, as a pu- rkhment for his impiety; Patrick's Commentary ou a Chron. xxi. 14. reign, Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, t£c. 101 feign, and was not a whit behind him in all manner of A.M. wickednefs. But as his reign was but fhort, (in the whole 3°°i, ire.. not above the fpace of two years), fo was it inglorious and *"o'" G^~ full of trouble. For, in the firft year of his reign, the * f4m Moabites, who had always been obedient to the kings of i Kings viii. Ifrael from the firft feparation of the two kingdoms, took 1Vh!;,en<1 , 11, , or* Corona now an opportunity to revolt ; nor had he power to reduce , them to their fubjedtion : for, in the fecond year of his reign, he received fuch a hurt by a fall from -j- the terras of his houfe, as reduced him to a very bad ftate of health. Jn this condition, he fent to * Baal-zebub, the God of Ekron, ¦f- In the eaftern countries the roofs of the houfes were flat, and furrounded with a battlement, jo prevent falling from them, be caufe it was a cuftomary thing for people to walk upon them, in or der tqtake the air. Now, hi this battlement, we may fuppofe that there were fome wooden lattices for people to look through, of equal height with the parapet-wall, and that Ahaziah, negligently leaning on it, (as it was rotten and infirm) , it broke down, and let him fall into the court or garden belonging to his houfe. Or there is an other way whereby he mfght fall. In thefe flat roofs, there was ge nerally an opening which ferved inftead of a fky light to the houfe below; and this opening might bedone over with lattice-work, which the King, as he was carelefsly walking, might chance to-ftep upon, and flip through. Nor is there any abfurdity in fuppoflng fuch lat tice-work in a king's palace, when the world was not arrived to that height of art and curiofity that we find it in now; Pool's Annota tions ; and Calmet's Dijfert. fur les edifices des anciens Hebreus. * The word fignifies, the godvf flies ; but how1 this idol came to obtain that name, it is not fo eafy a matter to difcoyer. Several are of opinion, that this god was called Baal-femin, the lord of heaven, but that, the Jews, by way of contempt, gave it the name of Baal- zebub, or, the lord of a fly, a god that was nothing worth, or (as o- thers fay) whofe- temple was filled with flies ; whereas the tejiiple of Jerufalem (notwithftanding all the facrifices dint were daily offered) never once had a fly in it, as their doctors relate. The facred wri tings, indeed, when they fpeak of the gods of the Heathens, very frequently call them, in general, idols, vanity, abominations, ire. ; hut they never change their proper^ names into fach as are of an op probrious import ; neither can we ' think it likely, that the King of Ifrael would have called the god of Ekron, for whom he had fo high a veneration as to confult him in his ficknefs, by any appellation of contempt. Whoever confiders what troiibkfome and deflraclive • creature? joz The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. Ekron +-, to know if he fhould recover ; but, by God's ap* 3001, ire nointment, the prophet Elijah was fent to meet his meffen- Ant.Chrii * r gers, 1003, ire. from 1 Kings viii. to the end of* chron. creatures (efpecially in fome hot countries) flies are known to be ; in *"" "" v""-* what vaft fwarms they fometimes fettle, and not only devour all the fruits pf the earth, but in many places occafion a noifome peftilence ; may reafonably fuppofe, that the Heathens had a proper deity to whom they had their addreffes, either for the prevention or removal of this fore plague. And accordingly we are told by Pliny, (lib. 29. c. 6.), that, when there was a plague in Africa, occafioned by vaft quantities of flies, after that the people had facrificed to the god Achore, (he fhould have faid the god of Ekron, for there is a piain affinity between their names), the flies all died, and the dif- temper was extinguifhed. Now, it was a known maxim of the Hea then theology, that as all plagues were inflicted by fome evil daemon or other, fo all evil daemons were under the reftraint of fome fupe-< rior one, who is their prince and ruler. As therefore Pluto was known to be the god of hell, and to have all the mifchievous band of fpirits under his controul, to him the Heathens nfed to pray, and offer facrifices, that he ftiight not fuffer any of his inferior agents to inflict this heavy judgment upon them. They worfhipped him, I fay, not to engage him to do them any good, but to prevail with him to do them no harm ; and accordingly we may obferve, that every thing in their fervice was dark and gloomy. Their offerings were in the night : Turn Regi Stygio nocturnas inchoat aras. Virg. Mn. 6. Their victims were black: 1 Hunc cafta Sybilla Nigrantum multo pectlndam te fanguinc ducet. Ibid. ^n. 6. And the blood let out into a deep ditch ; — — Cultros in guttera velleris atri Conjicit, ct patulas perfundat fanguine foffas. Ovid. Met. lib. 7. Such good reafon have we to think, that the Baal-zehub, in Scrip ture called the prince of the devils, was the very fame with the P!i'.t.i whom the Heathens made the god of hell, and worfhipped in this manner ; Patrick's and Le'Clerc's Commentaries ; and Jurieu Hift. des dogmes et cultes, part 4. c. 3. . ire. f Ekron was a city and government of the Philiftines, which fell by lot to die tribe of Judah, in the firft divifion made by Jo- fhui, Jofh. xv. 45. ; but was afterwards given up to the tribe of Dan, Jofh. xix. 43. ; though it does not appear from hiftory, that the Jews ever had a peaceable pofTefiion of it. It was fituated near the Mediterranean fea, between Aflidod and Jamnia, in a moift and hot Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, &V. 103 gers, and f to turn them back with this anfwer, that the A. M. king fioould certainly die. The meffengers coming back 3°°', wlSi .|| ;n t|le fecond year of Jc- ""from horam fon of Jeholhaphat king of Judah, fucceeded by » Kings viii. his brother Jehoram. to the end About the beginning of the + reign of Jehoram king ° X ,-°^ of Tudah. Elijau the prophet was tranilated into heaven, Elijah's God, tranflmion ^ and !¦ 1 1 1 11.1 ' . fuccetlionin hnd all the reafiin in the world to apprehend the utmoft expreflioni the prophe- 0f the king's difple.-d'urr : And yet, when God commands him, he tic oi ice. Tna|ces no mai1I1er of hefitation, but goes boldly to him, and confirms with his own mouth the ungrateful truth which he had declared to his nieflengcrs ; Patrick's Commentary. || How could Jehoram, the brother of Ahaziah, begin his reign in Ifrael in the fecond year of Jehoram, the fon of Jeholhaphat, when we read foon after, that he began to reign over Ifrael in the eighteenth year of Jeholhaphat king ol Judah, 2 Kings iii. i.,- and in another place, that Jehoram, the fun of Jehofhaphat, began to reign over Judah, jn the fifth year of Jehoram king of Ifrael! 2 Kings viii. 16. Now, it is but fuppofing, that Jeholhaphat de clared his foi) Jehprain kin;},, while himfelf was alive, and reigned in conjunction with him for the fpace of feven years, and all the difficulty is removed r For then Jehoram the fon of Ahab, might begin his reign in the fecond year of Jchor.-ini fon of Jehofhaphat, viz. in the fecond year that he reigned with his father, who was then alive; and Jehoram, fon of Jeholhaphat, may be faid tq have begun his reign in the fifth of Jehoram the fon of Ahab, meaning the time when, after his faiher's death, he began to reign alone. That the kings of Judah and Ifrael (as well as other oriental prin ces) were accuftomed to appoint their fucceflbrs, and, even during their lifetime, to give them fome fhare in the adininiftration, is plain from feveral inflanccs : And that Jeholhaphat found it ex- pedicnt to fettle his fon in the kingdom with himfelf, feems to be intimated in 2 Chion. xxi. 3. where it is faid, that he gave the kingdom to 'fihoravi, becaufe he was his firft-boru, and gave gifts to the reft of his fins, who, being many, might perhaps be forming parties, and be entering into cabals about the fuccelfion to the king dom ; and therefore, to put an end to all fuch contcfts, Jehofha phat declared Jehoram king, while himfelf was on the throne, becaufe he was hi:, iirft hot 11 ; Calmet's and Patrick's Commentaries. f To prevent confufion, the reader is delired to take no. tice, th.it in the courfe of this hiftory, there is mention made of two Jehorums, who reigned much about the fame time; one Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, tie. 105 God, very likely, had given him fome ihtimation of the A. M. time when this miraculous event fhould happen; and ^"'chY therefore, before his departure, he viflted the fons of the ,003, &c.' prophets that were at Bethel and Jericho, and took his leave uom of them with fuch folemnity, that they began to fufpecf ' Kin-'!5vi!i- that this was the laft vifit he intended to make them ; and 0°f 1 Chrau. accordingly \ apprifed Elilha of it, who thereupon detei'n >— -v— «J mined not to leave his mafter, as long as he continued up on earth. With this refolution he fet forward with Elijah, who was now fhaping^ his courfe towards his native country of Gilead, from whence he was to be tranilated ; and as they were to pafs over the Jordan, Elijah f with his mantle ftruck the waters, which inftantly divided into two parts, fo tfhat they went over on dry ground. "When they had paffed the river in the fight of fifty of one, the fecond fon of Ahab, who fucceeded his brother Ahaziah, and was king of Ifrael ; and the other, who was fon and heir to Jcholhaphit, and reigned in Judah ; both very wicked princes ; and therefore the greater care ihould be taken, that their actions be not blended together. •f The expreflion in the text is, —1-. Knoweft thou, that the Lord will take away thy mailer from thy head to day ? 2 Kings ii 3. ; where the fons of the prophets allude to their manner of fitting in their fchools. For the fcholars ufed to fit below their mafters feet, and the mafters above over their heads, when they taught them : And therefore the fenfe of the words is, that God would deprive E- lifha of his nufter Elijah's inflrutlions, viz. by a fudden death. For it does not appear that they had any notion of his tranflation ; fo far from this, that they delired leaye to fend out fome to feck for him, if ptradventttre the fpirit tf the Lord had taken hit" Up, and eaft him upon fome mountain, or into fome valley, 2 Kings ii. 16. j Patrick's Commentary. f I11 thefe two books of Kings, there is mention made five times of this mantle ; and in every place it is called Adareth, which de notes a royal as well as a prophetical robe. The Septnaginf always tranflate it by the word *«a«tj;, which properly fignifies the prophe tical mantle, made of lanihlkins, being a kind of upper garment thrown over the fhaulders, and, as fome think, reaching down to the heels ; though pthep take it for no more than a leathern jacket 50 keep out rain. Ad fubitas nufqnam fcortea defit aquas. Mart. lib. 14. Voj.. JV, O the 1 06 The . Hiftory of the BIB L E, Book VI. A- M. the f fons of the prophets, and as they drew near to the An ''ctril place of Elijah's afcenfion, Elifha requefted of him, that iooi, 1^" thefame gift of prophecy which God had been pleafed. tp from beftow on him, might be -f- communicated to him, in a 1 Khigs nii. igl.ger meafure than to the other prophets ; which the o- of » Chron. tnei: d'd not P°fltivety promife, but told him however, > - - that if he happened to fee him when he came to be tranilated, this would be a good fign, that God would not refufe him his requeft : And while they were thus going on, f By the fons of the prophets, we are to underftand the fcholars of the prophets, luch as liny educated and trained up in religion and Virtue, upon whom God by degrees bellowed the fpirit of prophecy, and whom the fupcrior prophets employed in the fame capacity, as the, apoftles did the evangelifts, viz. to publifh" their prophecies and inftructions to the people, in the places where they themlelves could Hot go. Nor is it any fmall teftimony ot God's love to an apoftate people, that in thefe corrupt times, and in that very place where the golden calves 'were W01 (hipped, he ftill continued the fchools of the prophets, in order to recover them from idolatry. Nay, what is very remarkable, there were prophets of greater excellency for their miracles in Ifrael, than were in Judah, becaufe they needed them more, both to turn their hard hearts from the worfhip of idols, and to preff-rve ihc pious perfons th- j^f- aod devoured two and forty of them. From Bethel he ,™' ^c' went to mount Carmel, where probably there was another from fchool of the prophets ; and from thence he proceeded to 'Kingsvii*. Samaria, where he had foo'n opportunities enough of exert- ^( ^ ch^on ing his prophetic office. — -,_j It was in the eighteenth year of Jehofhaphat King of Jehbram's Judah, 'that this Jehoram King of Ifrael, began to reign; victory j .i u i_ j- 1 i r ¦ • i • over Mefha and though he did not make any great reformation in his Kmg of kingdom, yet he was not altogether as wicked as his fa Moab. ther and brother : For he f he removed the idols of Baal, (very likely to procure Jehofhaphat's friendfhip), though the golden calves (which were the ftate-engine to keep up the divifion between Ifrael and Judah) he could not prevail with 11 that hereupoH he went out to the fountain, andj caufing a pitcher " of fait to be let down to the bottom of it, he advanced his right " hand towards heaven, and, prefentihg his oblations at the fide of " it, befought God, in bis goodnefs, to correct the water, and to *' fwteten the veins through which it paffed ; to foften the air, and " to make it more temperate and fructifying ; te beftow chil- " dren, as well as fruits, upon the inhabitants in abundance ; and *f never to withdraw thefe bleffing<;, fo long as they continued " in their duty ; and that, upon offering up thi? prayer, with all due " ceremony, aiid according to form, the ill quality of the fountaih " was changfed, and (inftead of flerility) became now an efficacious " means of plenty and increafe." The author, we may obferve, (to gratify the Pagans), reprefents Elifha in the form of a magician, who, by invocations, oblations, and other myfterious operations, changed the bad quality of the waters, and thereby made the val ley of Jericho fruitful ; whereas this was done in a manner altoge ther fupernatural and miraculous. Nay, to this very day, there is a fountain on fhe weft of Jericho, which rifes about three quarters of a league above the town, in the way to Jerufalem, which yielding a great deal of water, (and that very good inks kind), runs along, and fructifies the plain ; The wars of the Jews, lib. 5. c. 4. f They had probably been robbed of their whelps, which made them more fierce and outrageous ; Patrick's Commentaries. f It is a little ftrange,' that his mother Jezebel, who brought this worfhip with her from the Sidonians,- fhould fuffer him to remove the images of her favourite god; but fhe perhaps might be a little daunted with the many difafters that had be fallen her family, arid was content with the privilege of having her no The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. w;th himfelf to depofe; In this ftate, however, he f had Je- A t'chrii hofhaphat for an a%> when he engaged in a war (which was »0no3, &c. in the beginning of his reign) with Mefha King of Moab, from for refuting to pay the tribute +- of an hundred thoufand i Kingsvii to the end of z Chron. ner ;j0]atr0lls wor(h;p in private ; nor is it unlikely, that Jehpfhapbat *""" ~*~~~ might refnfe to affift him in his war- agjinit the King of Moib, un- lefs he would confeut to renounce his idolatry ; Patrick's Commen tary. -f The anfwer which he gives Jehoram is the very fame that he remrned to bis father Ahab. in his war againft the Syrians: I am, as thou art ; my people, as thy people ; and my horfes, as thy horfes, i Kings xxii. 4 and 2 Kings iii. 7. And, confidering the ill fuc- , cefs he had, one would wonder why he fliould' be fo forward to join with his fon ; but, as Jehoram had reformed fome things, he might have a better opinion of him, and, by fhewing him kindnefs, hope perhaps to prevail with him to proceed farther ; and, as the ' Moabites had of late invaded his country, .2 Chron. xx. 1. he might embrace this opportunity to chaftife them for it. But, without thefe conliderations, the war was right andjuflifiable ; and fit it was, that rebels and revolters fliould be challifed, left the example Ihould pafe into hi- own dominions, and encourage the Edomites to revolt from him, as we find they afterwards did from his foil ; Patrick's Com mentary, and Pool's Annotations. f This was a prodigious number indeed ; but then we are to con- • fider, that thefe countries abound with (lieep, infomuch that Solo mon offered an hundred and twenty thoufand, at the dedication of the temple, 2 Chron. vii. 5. and the. Reubenites drove from the Hagarites two hundred and fifty thoufand, 1 Chron v. 21. For, as Bocbart ohjerves, their Iheep frequently brought forth two at a time, and fometimes twice a year. The fame learned man ri marks, that, in ancient. times, when people's riches confuted in cattle, this was the only way of paying tribute ; for, (as he quotes the paflage out of Piiny), Pecnnia ipfa a pecore appellabatur : Etiam nunc inTabulis Cenforiis pafcua dicuntur omnia, ex quibus populus reditui habet, quia diu hoc. JolumveEiigal fuerat; Nat. Hilt. lib. 18. c. 3. It is obferved by others hkewil'e, that this great number of catde was not a tribute which the Moabites were obliged to pay to the Ifraelites every year, but on fome fpccial ocrafion only ; upon the acceffion qf every .new king, for inftajice, when they were obliged to exprefs their homage in this manner,- or to make fathfachon for fome da mages, that the Ifraelucs fhould at anytime fu If 1 from their inva sions or revolts ; Patrick's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. , lambs, Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c i 1 1 lambs, and an hundred thoufand rams with the wool, which A. M. (until the reign of his brother Ahaziah) had been all along, ^°r'c!^ from the time of David, paid to the crown of Ifrael ; and 'lCoiy Z-c'. as the King of Edom was then no more than deputy to Je- nom hofhaphat, he engaged him likewife in the quarrel. Thefe ,Kingsvi'i- three kings, in order to furprife the enemy, and iavad. 'of* chron. him on the weakeft fide, took a com pafs of fe^en Ja)s march, in the wildernefs of Edom, and had hke to have been all loft for want of water, had not the prophet E- lilh.i, who was then in the camp, (b) put them in a me thod how to procure fome ; and not only fo, but at the fame time, promifed them a complete victory over the Moabites. The next morning, the confederate army had water enough ; and the Moabites, who wer; now marching to oppofe them, perceiving water where they knew there ufed to be none, and. by the reflection of the fun, that it looked like blood, fuppofed that the three kings had quar relled, and their armies engaged, and flain one another ; fo that they concluded they had nothing to do, but to fall up on the fpoil. But, when they came to the camp, the if raelites gave them a reception that they little expected : For they not only killed great numbers of them upon the fpot, but purfued them into their country, deftroyed iheir fortified places, choaked up their fprings, cut down dreir timber, and made ravage and devaluation where-ever they came ; infomuch, that the king \ras forced to betake him felf to his capital city Kirhaiefeth, where the confederate army befieged him, and foon reduced him to fuch extremi ty, that after he had made a fuccelslefs fally with feven hun dred men, in hopes of forcing the King of Edom's quarters, and found himfelf repulfed, he took his eldeft fen, -j- and in mere (b) 2 Kings iii. 16. f Not only the holy Scriptures, but feveral Heathen writers like- wife, do affure us of this, that in cafes of great extremity, it was cu- ftomary amono- people to fac ifice to their gods whatever was moft dear to them. Caefar, in his war with the Gauls, tells us, that when they were afflicted with grievous difeafes, or in time of war, or great danger, they either offered men for facrifices, or vowed that they would offer them ; bec-ule they imagined, that their gods could never be appeafed, unlefs one man's life was given for another's. No lefs a man than Grotius is of opinion, that this Moabitifh king, in imitation of Abraham, facrificed his ton 10 the God of Ifrael, ho- p:n-r thereby to appeafe his wrath, and to move the compaffion of (he king's that were belieging him : Bui the moft general opinion is, 1 1 z The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A- BJ- mere defperation, facrificed him upon the wall of the city, Mtl'chrii in the fiBht °f the Ifraelitifh army, who", being ftruck with. 1003, ire. with horror at fb barbarous an adtion, raifed the fiege, and fiom retired to their own country. toKthfend uPon raifinS this fic8e' the Fophet Elifha left the three of i Chron kings, and returned to Samaria ; whereupon the facred • «—v—^ hiftorian gives a long detail of the feveral miracles which Ehfha's fe-^g wroUght : viz. (c) That he increafed a poor widow's Mcles.1"'" °''> to ^uc'1 a quantity, as enabled her to pay her huf- ' band's debts, and preferve + her two fons from bondage : (d) That to reward the wealthy Shunamite for his kind?" - nefs and hofpitality to him, he prevailed, in his prayers, with God, that his wife might have a child, and afterwards, when the child died, (1?) reftored him to Hfe again : That- while he was at Gilgal, he cured the noxious quality of the prophets f colloquintida pottage, by the injection of a little is, that he offered this eoftly facrifice to fome falfe deity, and very likely to Chemofh, which was his national god, and generally thought to be the fun ; Calmet's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. (c) 2 Kings iv. 1 . ire. \ The Jewidi law looked upon children as the proper goods of their parents, who had power to fell them for feven years, as their creditors had to compel them to do it in order to pay their debts ; and from the Jews this cuftom was propagated to the Athenians, and from them to the Romans. The Romans indeed bad the moft abfplutq controul over their children. By the decree of Romulub they could imprifon, beat, kill, or fell them for flaves. But Numa Pompilius firft moderated this, and the Emperor Dioclefian made a law, that. no free perfon fhould be fold upon account of debt. The aniient A- thenians had the like jurifdiction over iheir children ; but Solon re- formed this cruel cuftom : As indeed it feemed a little hard, that the children of a poor man, who have no manner of inheritance left them, fliould be compelled into fkvery, in ordtr to pay their decea- fed father's debts : And yet this was the cuftom, as appears from > thispaffage, wherein the prophet d"es not pretend to reprove th? creditor, but only puts the woman in a method to pay him $ CaU met's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. (d) 2 Kings iv. 8 ire. (c) Ibid. ver. 34. f It is a plant fo very bitter, that fome have called it the gall of the whole earth. It purges exceffively, and is a fort of poifon, if not qualified, and taken in a moderate quantity ; Calmet's and Pa trick's Commentaries. meal; Chap. 1L from the building of the Temple, (3c. 113 meal : (/) That there he multiplied twenty barleys-loaves, A. m. and faiisfied above an hundred perfons with them ; and (g) J00,» **• that there he made on ax, which was fallen into the river, *"' ^'^ merely by throwing in a ftick, rife up, and fwim upon the from furface of it : But the miracle which the facred hiftory "Kings viii. more particularly infifts on, is the cure of Naaman's leprofy. l°( ^chwMi Naaman was general of the king of Syria's troops, a man ¦ - j famous for exploits in war, and in great efteem with his That of cu- mafter ; but he was a leper. At this time there feems to ring Naa- havc been no good underftanding between the two crowns ; ""}¦ s ^te and yet the king of Syria, to recover fo valuable a fervant efpecially. from his illnefs, wrote to the king of Ifrael, but in fuch terms, as gave him fome uneafy apprehenfions. When E- liflia underftood this, he ordered that Naaman might be fent to him ; and when he came with all his attendants and ftately equipage, inftead of receiving him in form, f he fent his fervant out to him, and bad him go f dip himfelf feven times in the river Jordan, and he would be cured. The proud Syrian, not underftanding this treatment, and expecting, very likely, that the prophet, by fome perfonal acT:, would have performed the cure, thought himfelf (/) 3 Kings iv. 41. (g) Ibid. vi. 5. 6. f Elifha'i not appearing to receive the Syrian general is afcribed by fome to the retired courfe of life which the prophets led ; but then, why did he fee him, and enter into converfation with him, when he returned from his cure ? I fhould rather think, that it was not niifbccoming the prophet, upon this occafion, to take fome ftate upon him, and to fupport the character and dignity of a prophet of the Moft High God ; efpecially fince this might be a means to raife the honour of his religion and miniftry, and to give Naaman a light er idea of his miraculous cure, when he found that it was neither by the prayer nor prefence of the prophet, but by the divine power and goodnrfs, that it was effected ; Pool's Annotations ; and Calmet's . Commentary. + In conformity to the law, Which requires that lepers, hi order to their cleanfing, fliould be fprinkled/rt>*» times, Lev. xiv 7. ire. the prophet ordered Naaman to dip himfelf as often ; but Jordan (as the Syrian argued) had no more virtue in it than other rivers ; nor could cold water (of any kind) he a proper means for curing this diftemper, whofe root is a white waterifh humour, that would lncreafe, rather than be diminiflied by any fuck application; Pa trick's Commentary. Vol, IV, P flighted, it4 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VL A. M. flighted, and was for returning home : But being advifed 3001, ire by thofe that were about him, that fince the prefcription Ant. Chrif was f0 eafy> t0 m.A^e the experiment at leaft would not be ""fronf'' much, he went to the river, and after having bathed feven 1 Kings viii. times therein, found himfelf perfectly cured. to the end Rejoiced at his unexpected recovery, Naaman returned tllf^'to Elifha, acknowledging, that there was no other God, /""""v""""' but the God of Ifrael ; pfotefting, that from thence-for- ward he would facrifice to none but him 1 defiring, for that purpofe, two mules • loads f of the earth of the country, wherewith to build him an altar ; deprecating any offence, that might arife from his waiting on the king, his matter, when he went to worfhip in the temple of f Rimmon ; and, in the couclufion, importuning the prophet to accept -f- He defired the earth of the land, becaufe he thought it more holy and acceptable to God, and proper for his fervice ; or becaufe he would, by this token, declare his conjunction with the people of Ifrael in the true worfhip, and conftantly put himfelf in mind of iiis great obligation to that God from whofe land this earth was taken. He might have had indeed enough of this earth without afking any one for it ; but he defired the prophet to give ft him, as believing, per haps, that he who put fuch virtue into the waters of Ifrael, could put as much in the eaith thereof, and make it as ufeful and beneficial to him in another way. Thefe thoughts indeed were groundlefs and extravagant, but yet were excufable in an Heathen and novice, that was not as yet fufficiently inftructed in the true religion ; Pool's An notations f It is thought by the generality of interpreters, that as the Sy rians were great worfhippers of the fun, this god is the fame ; and that the name Rimmon, or high, is given him by reafon of his ele vation. Grotius takes it for Saturn, becaufe that planet is the high- eft of all ; and Selden will have it to be the fame with Elion, or the moft high god of the Phoenicians. It is certain that the word Rim- tiioii is the mime that the Syrians give to pomegranates ; and there- fore, as their country was full of pomegranate trees, whofe fruit is not only of a delicious tafte, but of great ufe likewife on account of the excellent liquor which it produces, they gave perhaps the name of pomegranate to their god, in the fame manner (hat the Greeks and Latins gave that of Ceres to the goddefs of corn ; Lamy's Intro? Jutlion, lib. 3. e. 1. ,- and Jurieu Hift. des dogmes et cultei^ fait, 4, f. to, of Cha,p. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 1 15 of a prefent, for the great cure that he had wrought upon A. m. him, which the other moft f pofitively refufed. < 3°<", ire. But there was liot the like difintcreftednefs in his fcr- ^ c^f' vant Gehazi. He, thinking it unreafonable, that fo potent '""from'* and wealthy a perfon fliould go off without paying for fo 'Kings viii. fignal a benefit!, refolved to get fomething for himfelf ; and tof th^nd therefore, unknown to any body, as he thought, he follow- ^-T-^j edafter Naaman, and having foon overtaken him, forged " a lie, that his mafter defired of the general to fend him a talent of filver, and two changes of garments, for two fons of the Nprophets, who, fince his departure, were come to vifit him. The general was glad of this opportunity to oblige his mafter ; and therefore preffed him to take two talents of filver with the garments, and fent two of his - fervants, to carry them for him; from whom he received them before he came t6 his matter's houfe, and repofited them, as he thought, in a fafe place : But no fooner did he return into his matter's prefence, than he began to tax him with what he had been doing, which, when Gehazi denied, he f denounced his fentence, viz. that the leprofy whereof he had cured Naaman fhould adhere to him and his fa mily for ever ; which accordingly, that very moment, came to pafs. f Elifha did not think it a thing Amply unlawful to receive gifts ©r prefents ; for we find him receiving them upon another, occafion, 2 Kings iv. 41. j but he did not hold it expedient, in his prefent cir- cuniftanccs, to do it, becaufe he thought it would make for the ho nour of the true God and religion, to let the Syrians fee the generous piety, charity, and kindnefs of his miniltcrs arid fervants, and how much they defpifed all that worldly wealth arid glory, which tht priefts or prophets of the Gentiles fo greedily" louaht after ; that , thereby Naaman might be confirmed in the religion he had embr.i*' ced, and others, in like manner, incited to a love and liking of it ;' Pool 's Annotations. '•+¦ And juftly did he deferve it, fince -his crime had in it all thefd aggravations, — — a greedy covetoufnefs, which is idolatry ; a pro fanation of God's name ; a downright theft, in keeping that to him felf, which was given for others ; deliberate ami impudent lying ; a , defperate contempt of God's omnifcietice, jultice, and bolitufs; an horrible reproach eaft upon the prophet, and his religion : and a per nicious fcandal given to Naaman, and every other Syrian that fliould chance to hear of it j Pool's Annotations. P 2 The 1 16 The Hiftory of the BI B L E, Book VI. A. M. ooi, i Int. Chr 1003, ire, Antchrit The Objection. /rom ... " T)UT how wicked foever Gehazi might be, in pur- tothfend " JD loimng a little' of Naaman's money,* and making of* Chron. " the man pay for his cure; yet his mafter, methinks, 1 " carries the compliment a little too far, if net in refufing " his prefent, at leaft in giving him toleration to continue " in idolatry. He had now the faireft opportunity ima- " ginable to make him a thorough convert, and by work- " ingfo great a miracle upon him, had acquired a proper " authority to prefcribe to him what he pleafed : But when, " inftead of confirming him in the fervice of the true God, " he permits him to go on in his old practice of bowing " himfelf in the houfe of Rimmon, and to comply with " the terms of a falfe religion, rather than lofc an advan- " tageous employ, he certainly discovers too great an in- *' dulgence to Naaman's impiety, and too fmall a concern ¦" for the honour of God's true religion and worfhip. " Naaman, no doubt, had a great and honourable. " poft about the King of Syria ; but what is this to the *' purpofe? Had he been a true convert to the Jewifh " religion, or had the prophet taken care to inftructhim " fufficiently in the rudiments thereof, all his riches a:*l " honours, all his offices and' employments, nay, even *' life itfelf, he fhould have freely given up, rather than " appear in the pofture of a fupplicant before an idol, ** which he profeffed to defpife, or gratify the greateft mo* " narch upon earth, by fo bafe a proftitution of his con- " fcience ; unlefs we can fuppofe, (what their fpeeches in- " deed feem to import), that whether he ferved God or " Rimmon, both he and the prophet efteemed it a thing " indifferent. " This prophet, indeed, in his own caufe, is known to *' have been more zealous than he was in God's ; other- " wife (A) he would not have cuffed fo many little children " in the name yf the Lord, and (what is wonderful) upon " his curfing, caufed two fhe-bears to come immediately " out of the foreft, and deftroy no lefs than two and forty " of them ; though how two bears could devour (for that " is the expreffion) fo very great a multitude, isfomewhat " incredible. [h) Chriftianjty as old as the creation, p. 263. " But Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 117 " But we need left wonder at this, when we find- his pre- A. M. " deceffor in the prophetic office, animated with the fame'3°°r, ire. " fpirit, and (i) caufing fire to come down from heaven to \ "ot# £*' " deftroy two-captains, "with their companies, for no other fronT " fault, but bluntly delivering a meflage from the king, 1 Kings viii. " and perhaps in the very fame words wherein they were torthifnd ,, ^r ,r, ... .' . . ..„., } of 1 Chron. " commanded to deliver it. A vindictive temper we may per- , " ceive our Saviour reproves in his two difciples, (k) James " and John ; and therefore we are at a lofs to know, why " God fhould liften to the prayers of any man, (/) defiring " that it ihould not rain upon the earth for the fpace of " three years and fix months, when a drought of that con- *' tinuance muft inevitably have deftroyed every thing ; " and when it was fent, not for the punifhment of the in- " habitants of the land for any particular fin we read of, " but purely to aggrandize the prophet, and to put it in " his power to fay, that there (m) fhould be neither dew nor " rain in thefe years, but according to his word. " If the prophet had fuch intereft, and was in fuch high " efteem with Almighty God, we cannot fee what reafon " he had to flee his country, upon the threats of an im- " potent woman, who, notwithftanding her afcendant over " the king, had no power to controul the providence of " God, under whofe protection he was fo fecurely placed, " that he need not have feared what Jezebel could do unto " him. To retreat from danger, when he knew himfelf " under, fuch a fafeguard, was acting an inconfiftent part, " and betraying the caufe of God, when (according to his " own confeffion) (») he, and he only, was left to defend " it. t" Mofes indeed, as we read, fafted forty nights ; but *" then he was in the mount with God. Our blefled Sa- " viour abftained from all manner of food for the like fpace " of time ; but then his human nature was fupported by his " divine; but h is hard to imagine, how Elijah could tra- *' vel for forty days and nights together, with no ftronger " fuftenance than a little bread and water, unlefs we can fup- " pofe, that the kind ravens that attended him at the brook " Cherith fo long, were appointed to wait on him at this (i) Ibid. a6j. (k) Luke ix. C4. Jj. (/) Chriflia- niry, ire. ibid* (m) 1 Kings xvii. 1. (») Ibid. xix. 10. "juncture 1 1 8, The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A.M. " juncture likewife, (o) and to bring him bread and flefh in 3001, ire. « the morning, and bread and flefh in the evening, all the Ant. Chrif. .. ... . °! -• ¦ 3 «Src.* while that he was upon his journey. from " The misfortune is, however, that the word Crebim, 1 Kings viii. « which we render ravens, fhould rather fignify merchants, l° th^hend " who traded in the market of Tyre, or Arabians, that " lived in places adjacent to the brook Cherith, and might therefore provide the prophet with neceffaries during his " concealment ; becaufe we cannot conceive, why ravens, '' and greedy voracious creatures, f unnatural to their own " young ones, and unclean by the (0) law, fhould (of all o- •' thers) be proper inftruments to convey this wonderful food " (for wonderful it is from whence they had k) to the pro- *' phet in his hiding-place ; which Ahab, with all his indu- " ftry, was not able to find out, it feems, even though " (p) there was not a nation, or kingdom, where he had not " fent to feek him, and yet all the while he was but in the " next adjoining province, concealed in the widow of Za- " rephtha's houfe. " But badly did Elijah requite God's fingular care and " prefervation of him, fince he was fo far from executing " the divine command in (q) anointing Hazael to be King of " Syria, and Jehu, King of Ifrael, that he never once went " near them, but left it to be done by his fucceffor Elifha, " who himfelf, in like manner, declined the work, and " made a young prophet his proxy. Nay, even in the moft " plaufible act that Elijah did, viz. his'deftroying the pro- " .phets of Baal, there is this exception to be made, viz. " that though the, law of Mofes condemned every one that " introduced fhe worfhip of falfe gods to immediate death; " yet we cannot fee, how either the priefts of Baal were " bound by that law, or how Elijah, who was but a private* '" man, had any authority to execute it. (0) Ibid, xvii 6. + Such is the &roFy)a, or want of natural love of thefe creatures to , their young ones, that, as naturalifts report, they forfake them before they are fledged ; bur the providence ot" God takes care to feed them with worms, which are produced by the dung, and out of the car- caffes that have hern broughi into their nefts, ill they be able to fly and provide for them ulves: and to this the Pfalmift, fpeaking of God, who feedetb the yowg ravens, when they call upon him, feems to .,il de ; Pfal cxlvii. 9. (oj Lev. xi. is. (p) 1 Kings Xviii. 10. (y) 1 Kings xix. I J. "The Chap. II; from the building of the Temple, (3c 119 " The truth is, [r) they could not but know, that their a. m. " god Baal was utterly un ible to fend down fire from hea- 3°°', &e.' " yen to confume their facrifice ; and therefore, if they Ant cl"1^• " fuffered, theyfuffered like a pack of fools, for accepting I°0ftom '" "a challenge which they were conlcious they could not an- i Kings viii. " fwer, and putting the merits of their caufe upon an, un- t0 th£,cnd " neceffary trial, wherein, without all peradventure, they0 " were fure to mifcarry. ¦" But how ridiculous foever the facred hiftory may make, " the prophets of Baal, it fliould not ufe the fame freedom " in exhibiting the actions of God in an unfair light; and " yet this it does, when it make the fearcher of all hearts " relent, and (s) fufpend the execution of Ahab's fentence, " upon the account of his repentance, which (how fflrmal " foever it might appear) was, at the bottom, but falfe and . " fictitious. This it does, when it makes the difpofer of , " all events (t) fend a lion to flay a man, merely for refu- ", fing to wound one of the fons of the prophets, though he " does not declare, for what reafon he requefted that in- " human favour of him. This it does, when it makes the " great difpenfer of all juftice punifh the children of Hiel " for their father's profanenefs in rebuilding Jericho, tho' '' it be contrary to his own declarations, that children fhall " not fuffer for the wickednefs of their parents, (u) but " every one die for his own iniquity. This is does, laftly, " when it makes the fountain of all purity and truth (x) *' hold conference with an evil and deceitful fpirit, anden- " ter into its meafures of deluding Ahab, to go to the liege " of Ramoth- Gilead, which was to his bane, " But, befides thefe groffer abfurdities, there are fome " other paffages, in this period of hiftory, which feem de- " ftitute of the common appearances of probability ; as " that Jehofhaphat fhould fend out itinerant preachers, to " inftructthe people' in their duty, when, in every city of tlut thc wal1 oi the city of APhck tVom " (bow fpacious foever it may be fuppofed) fliouUI, by its livings viii. «• fall, be abb- 10 bury in its ruins no lefs (y) than feven and to the end .. lwcmy ihoufand men ; which is enough to ftaggcr ullhu* . *' man hum. AniViTinl, The i'»>ft material part of the difcoui fc which puffed be» iiy ihcwing tween Naaman and Elilhi, is delivered in ilvlc words : 'J-^~ •lir i;-iiiV ft (z) Thy fervant (fays N.ianiiin) will heneeforth offer neither fwcr. "burnt-offerings iiti1 fievifiec unto other gods, but unto thi Lord: in this thing the Lord pardon thy firvant, t1>at, when my m/ifter goeth into the hmtfi oj Rimmon, and he Icancth on my hand,- and I bow my felf in the hntfe of Rimmon, the Lord pais don thy fet o <;ii in this thing ; .-hid Elifha faid unto him, Gt in peace.' Go in pence, was a common form of valediction junon;; the Jews, wherewith LiHlia might difmils Natimsn, without any further .inlwci- to his irqucll, or refolution to his doubt. For tin prophet, we mull fuppofe, in this whole tranficlion, was under (he immediate influence and direc tion of thc Spirit of God; and therefore, if the Spirit of God thought proper to with-hold any further inftruction from the. Syrian general, it was not in thc prophet's power, though ho had given him his houfe full of filver and gold, (a\ (as Balaam put the cafe), to go beyqnd the word oj the Lord, to do more or left, Confidering then, (b) that Naaman was now in the infancy of his < onverfion, and as yet not able to receive the higher prm-pis of perfection; that himfelf was confeious of his own ollinec, and wanted not therefore fo ninth to be inlti uchxl, as encouraged and ftrengthened in the Lord: and tint thc matters wherein he fecmed to doubt, were not of fuch mighty importance, as to concern the cflence and foundation of rcligioiu confidering thefe things, I iky, we may foon perceive thc rcalbn, why El(/ba accepted of his renunciation of a falfe, and profeflion of 11 true religion, his declared avcrliou to the worlhip of idols, and fixed relbhilion to ferve the Lord only, as a fufficient advance in his prefent circuniftanccs. Ifraelites, indeed, and fuch as were defccndetl from ilie llork of Jacob, were obliged to the obfervation of the whole Mofaic lawj hut ftrangers Und aliens, when t (y) 1 Kings xx. 20. («) a Kings v. 37. 18. (,) Numb. situ. 18. (l>) Pool s Annotations on 2 Kings v. 19. they Chap. II. From jthe building of the Temple, (3c. 1 1 1 they came to be admitted profelytcs of the gate, were con- \ m. fined only to the wort hip of die true G.id, and the practice 1°°'. ire of fuch duties as were moral and fecial ; And therefore, V|U cJ1,iC when Naaman profelfed himfelf a worfhipper of the Moft '""from'"' 1 Ugh God only, and declared withal, that his attending his i Kin,., viii. mafter into the temple of Rimmon was not with any reli t0 ,l,c eml giqus purpofe, hit purely in performance of the duty of of L^"°") his office, the prophet had reafon good to bid him go in £eace, or (as thc words may import) to give, himfelf no uneitlinefs about the matter. For, though we pretend not to fay with fome Rabbinical And that doctors, that, as Naaman was no few, but a foreigner N?-UK;m and profelytc only, (c) he was not obliged, to abftain from ™^|v'""°" all external worfhip of idols (as the Jews confeflTedly were) tend his fo long as he continued in another country ; yet it is gene- "«ttcr. rally agreed, that we are bound to fhew the fame refpect to our fuperibra, and thofe that are fet in authority over us, (fo long as we do not injure our conl'eiences' thereby), in tine plaee as in another ; and (d) that therefore Naaman might very innocently retain his dignity, and high office at court, riven as Jofeph did in Egypt, and Daniel in Baby lon ; might accompany his mafter imo Rimmon's temple, nay, and bow together with him, in compliance to his infirmity or convenience, (who could not fo well bow, if the other ftood upright), fo long as this was a fervice done to the man, (as Tertullian («•) reafons upon the like occa fion), and not to the idol ; fo long as this was an aft purely external, without any of thofe inward fentiments of re fpect which conftitute the efTence of adoration. " This, I own, is the common folution ; but it doesnot An objec- " entirely pleafe me. It juftifies an action, 'which Naaman »jon»i*inft " himfelf was not well fittisfied in. It leaves upon the pro- J-1^ ° u" " phet an imputation of too much lenity and indulgence, "and upon the general, that of too much hypocrily and *' diffimulation. Hud Naaman's example, in this fenfe, been " made a precedent, Shadrach, Mefhach, and Abed-ncgo, " in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, and old Eleaznr. amidft " A ntiochus's officers, might have efcaped perfecutton. (/)- " They, at the found of the inftruments, might have fallen '• down before the image, not out of any principle of ado- (-¦) Crotius, in loot* t and Selden, De jure r.ar. et gent. lib. :. c. it. (d) Calmet's Dlifert. far la p'riere que Naaman, t.\ (t) 111. Dc wlolat, lib, ib. 17. (/) Daw. iii. 12. Vol. IV. Q "ration, 122 the Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI; A. M. « ration, but in pure obedience to the king's orders ; and Ac^'c^- '• {g) Eleazar might have evaded the eating of fwine's flefli, 1^-3, if:' " it he would but have let it been reported that he did eat it; •rem " but we find no fuch prevarication in either of thefe ; and i Kinjsviii. « therefore, we can hardly think that this is the right folu- to the end ' of z chxoa. " «OD- < — ^, — ms (h) Now, fince repentance has regard to what is paft, And an- and to afk pardon for an offence already committed is oier offer- mucn more natural, than to afk pardon for what we pur pofe for the future to commit, (which, in matters of mora lity, is a kind of coatradictioR), it feems not improbable, that the words fhould be rendered (as the original will fairly bear it) in the preter tenfe : Lord, pardon thy fervant, that when my mafter went into thc houfe of Rimmon, to worfhip, c.r.d he leaned on my hand. . and I bowed my felf there, the Lord pardon thyfiervant in this thing. For, how great would the incongruity be, if Naaman, who had juft before declared his renunciation of idolatry, fhould now ctmfefiv his readi- nefs to relapfe into the fame crime, and defire God's par don for it beforehand ? Whereas to aik pardon for what he had done amifs, and to defire the prophet's intercefBoa with God in that behalf, argued a mind truly fenfible of his former tranfgreffion, and very much refolved to avoid it for the future : And accordinglv, (i) it is fuppofed, that, upon his return home, he refufed to worfhip Rim mon any more, and was thereupon difmiffed from being general of the king's forces. Elilha.iliy- (k) Bethel, we all know, was one of the cities where ing:h_echii- Jcroboam had fet up a golden-calf, a place ftrangely ad- fied? JU dieted to idolatry, and whofe inhabitants had - no final! averfion to Elifha, as being the fervant and fuccefibr ot one who had beer* a profeffed enemy to their wicked worfhip, and himfelf no lefe an oppofer of it. It is rea- Ibnable to fuppofe, therefore, that the children, (if they were children, for the word Xaarim may figHify grown youth as well), who mocked Elifha, were excited and encouraged thereunto by their parents ; and therefore, the judgment was juft, in God's punifhing the wickednefs of thefe pa rents by the death of their children, who, tho' they fuf fered in this life, had the happinefs to be refcued from the dangers of an idolatrous education, which might have beta of ratal tendency both to their prefent and future ftate. (g) Maccab. vi. 2r. ire. (h) Calmet's DifTertatwns. (/) Bedford's Scripture chronology, lib. 6. c. 2. (k) Poofr y_PD.?K':-jis in iicuvi. Chap; II. from the building of the Temple, (iff. 123 In the mean time, it muft be acknowledged, that the A. M. infolence of thefe mockers (whether we fuppofe them chil 3°°i> ire. dren or youths) was very provoking, (/) forafmuch as J™' ci^' they ridiculed not only a man whofe very age commanded ir'om reverence, but a prophet likewife, whofe character, in all ' King \iii. ages, was accounted facred, nay, and ever? God himfelf, t0. thl end whofe honour was ftruck at in the reproaches eaft upon ' —-,„._} his fervant ; and that too in one of his moft glorious and wonderful works, his affumption of Elijah into heaven. For, Go up, thou bald-head, go up, thou bald-head, (befides the bitterneis of the contempt, expreffed in the repetition of the words), ihews, that they made a mere jeft of any fuch tranflation ; and therefore, in mere banter, bid Elifha go up, whither, as he pretended, his friend and mafter was gone before. Thefe provocations, one would think, were enough to draw an imprecation from the prophet ; but this impreca tion did not proceed from any paffion, or private refent- ment of his own, but merely from the command and com- miffion of his God ; who, for the terror and caution of other profane perfons and idolaters, as well as for the maintenance of the honour and authority of his prophets, - confirmed the word which had gone out of his fervant 's mouth. The like is to be faid of fhe definition which Elijah ^f^'5 called down from heaven, upon the two captains, and captain' their -companies, who came to apprehend him ; that he did and their this, not out of any hafty paffion or revenge, but purely c°mPa_ in obedience to the Holy Spirit wherewith he was animated, and in zeal for the honour and glory "of God, which, in the perfon of his prophet, were grofsly abufed. The officers that were fent to him, call him indeed a man of God; but, by the anfwer which the prophet re turned, we may learn, that they called him fo only by way of contempt and derifion. (m) As they could not be ig norant; however,, that Ahaziah was highly offended at Eli jah, and had fent them for no other purpofe, but to bring him to punifhment (n) for having denounced his death ;, if they thought proper to obey the king in fuch unrighteous proceedings, rather than the laws of nature and religion, which forbid us to be inftruments in cruelty and wrong, they deferved the fate thgy met with : And our bleffed (/) Pool's Annotations in Ipcum. (m) JLe Gere's Commen taries in locum. (r.) 2 Kings i. 4. O 2 Saviour 124 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A." M. Saviour does not blame Elijah's conduct in this refpect, but 3001, ire. bis difciples only, for their perverfe imitation of it, from Ant. Chr.i r ¦ ¦ ¦ Q£ refentment and revenge, and under a trivial 1003, ire. i . . , or J - .V. from provocation, in companion or what was ottered to tne pro-t jKingsviii phet. The truth is, God, in this inftance of feverity,. *f ^Ch.on n:ltn tau8nt U3> tlm he wil1 ^ave his prophets reverenced, ^ *_.'_" («) becaufe they are allied tp him, and every affront put upon them he r-elents as an indignity to himfelf; and therefore the fad end of the two captains, and their com panies, who came to apprehend the prophet of the Lord, was defigned monumentally to deter future ages from the like provocations ; and to remind us of the precept which God himfelf hathygiven us, (p) Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. In what , " iq) 01 Elijah, (fays the author of Ecclefiafticus), ,'."": J. . " how waft thou honoured in thy wondrous deeds, and who may from rain- " glory like unto thee P ' Like thee, (r) who waft vouchfafed ing, " the fight of God's glorious and majeftic prefence; (j) " who hadft angels lent to comfort and refrefh thee, when " thou waftweaiy ; (t) who hadft fire fent thee from heaven, " to avenge thee of thine enemies, when they came to in- " fuit thee ; (u) who hadft thy body, in a bright chariot, " tranilated into heaven, without undergoing the fate of " mortals ; and (what was not the leaft ot thy preroga: " lives who hadft, (x) whilft thou lived, the power of " locking or unlocking the ftoiehoules of heaven at thy " pleafure, and by thy prayers." It was doubtlefs, to magni fy his , office, (which now began tp be depreciated not a little), that God had authorifed his prophet to accoft A- hab with fuch marvellous affurance, as if the difpenft- tion of the rain and dew of heaven, for fuch a deter minate time, had been entirely at his difpofal : But we miftake the matter widely, if we fuppofe, that the prophet had any part (farther than be was God's minifter and mef- fenger to declare the thing) in bringing this famine upon the land. All judgments of this kind are the immediate wprk of God : And, as ( y) he does not afftiR willingly, nor grieve the children of men ; fo, if we will but turn to (z) the preceding chapter, we fhall find an account of fuch i (0) Scripture vindicated, part 2. p. 124. (/>) 1 Chron. xvi. 22. ' (q) Eccius. xlviii. 4. (r) 1 Kings xix. rs) ! Kings xix. 5. (t) 2 Kings i. 10. ijfe. (u) Ibid. ii. II. {f) 1 Kings xvii. 1. (/) Lament, iii. 33. (2) Ibid. ii. qpen Chhp. II. from the building oi- the Temple, (3c . x 2 r open and avowed idolatry, and fuch bold contempt of the a. m. ¦divine^authority, both in the , prince and people, as will 3°oi, ire. fufficiently juftify the feverity of God in bringing this na- A°*- °"{c tional judgment upon them. For well may the people be '""from '" fuppofed to be generally depraved, when we find it record- i Kingsvii;, ed of their prince, that {a) he did more to provoke the Lord t0. tlu; cnd God of Ifrael to anger, than all the kings of Ifrael that were vJLJi^Jj before him. We own indeed, that Elijah did not, in every thing, aft Why he a confiftent part : He, who but lately was fo bold and in- (led frcn> trepid, as to prefent himfelf before Ahab, who had been Jpzcl"-1' long in queft of him, in order to make him fuffer (b) as the difturber of the public peace, is now frightened at the menaces of a filly woman; and thereupon quits his coun try, and flies for his life, notwithftanding the late fignal interpofition of providence in his favour. But what fhall we fay to this ? (c) Elias was a man fub] eft to the like paff ions as we are ; and it Was probably, in refpect to this1 his infir mity, that the apoftle made this reflection upon him. (d) He knew Jezebel, and that the had all the faults incident to her fex in a fuperlative degree ; that fhe was fierce, cruel, vindictive, and implacable ; that, in flaying the priefts of Baal, he had incurred her difpleafure, and that to revenge herfelf, fhe had all the power of the kingdom under her command. Thefe notions ran in his head, and made fuch an impreffion upon his fpirits, as deprived him pf that refolution and manly courage, for which he was heretofore fo remarkable ; nor was there wanting a wife defign of providence, in fuffering this timidity to fall upon his fervant. St Paul 'tells us of himfelf, that, (e) left he fhould be exalted above meafure, through the abundance of reve lations, there was given unto him a thorn in the flefh, the meffenger of Satan, to buffet him, (as he repeats it again), left he fijould be exalted above meafure. And, in like man ner, we have reafon to believe, that (f) God, upon this Occafion, might withdraw that fpirit of intrepidity, where with, at other times, he fortified Elijah's mind, on pur- - pofe to fhew him his natural imbecility, and the neceffity he had, at all times, of the divine affiftance ; and on (a) i Kings xvi. 32. (b) Ibid, xviii. 17. (c) James v. 17. (d>) Calmet's Commentary on 1 Kings xix. 3. (e) 2 Cor, xii- 7> ( f) Calmet's Commentary, and Pool's Annotations. purpofe 1 26 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. purpofe to fupprefs all the little fentiments of pride and ar- rogance, that might poffibly arife in his breaft, upon the contemplation of the gifts and graces which he had bellow ed on him, and the many great miracles that were wrought by his hands ; and that thereupon, if he did glory, he _ might glory in the Lord, and not dare to take any part of his honour to himfelf. That he (g) The Jews have made a comparifon between Elijah jmght fub- an(j ]y[0fes ;n feveral particulars, and given Mofes the pre- what lie eat ference, efpecially in the matter of his forty days fafi -. For and drank, Elijah, they fuppofe, did every day eat and drink, when for forty ,jie happened to find any fuftenance in the wildernefs; sights?11 whereas Mofes had npthing to fupport him, but only the miraculous power of God. The text however is far from jntimating that Elijah - te any thing, but what the angel at firft brought him ; for [h) he went, in the firength of that meat, forty days, asid forty nights, unto Horeb, the mount of God; whereas had he taken any nourifhment by the way, it had not been by the ftrength of that food that he per formed his journey, . What that food was, the Scripture has taken care to inform us, viz. that it wjis fimple bread and water, ;to make the miracle more remarkable), but fuch as was of far greater and more durable virtue than ordinary ; and fuch as gave a life and vigour, far furpaffing the effects of any other nourifhment. Whether angels, in the celeftial ftate, are purely fpiritual, or clothed with fome material form? but much more fubtile and refined, than any we know of here below, is a queftion much agitated among the f chools : But if, for the prefent, we fhould allow the affirmative, the food of angels, and what may be called the fuftenance of their glorious but finite beings, need not be accounted alto gether an allegory. It is certain, that upon (tf their ap pearance in human fhape, they did frequently eat the com mon food of men ; that our bleffed Saviour,, after the af-> fumption of his glorious body, (/•) ate part of a broiled Jiffy, and of an honeycomb; nor may we-forget, upon this occafion, his words at the Pafchai fupper, (/) / will vot henceforth drink of this Jruit of the vine, until that day that I. drink it new with you, in my father's king? dom: All which will be enpugh to countenance the opi nion, that the food which was brought to Elijah at this (g) Patrick's Commentary on 1 Kings xix. 8. (h) Ibid. ver. 8, (•) Gen. :;viii. 8. (k) Luke xxiv. 42. ()) Matth. xxvi. 29. ' * time, Chap. 11. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 1 2 7 time, was of celeftial growth and virtue, whereby creatures A- M- of a fuperior excellency may poffibly, at certain periods, ^"chtif have their natures renewed, (as the tree of life, in the ftate ,003, ire. "of paradife, is fuppofed to have been intended for that pur- from pole), and to live on to eternal ages. No wonder then, * Kl,nssF3' that food of fuch a rare quality, as to deferve the delega- 0f , chron. tion of an angel from heaven to bring it, fhould have all •— -v"*"'* the virtue, and all the efficacy, that we read of. But waving this fpeculation, we may fuppofe the re- paft to have been nothing more than com non bread and water ; yet who can doubt, but that God, either by re tarding the faculties of concoitio-n and perfpiration, or by" preferving the fpirits and, juices from diffipation, might make its ftrength and nourifhment fubfift for the time fpe- cified ? It is but God's fpeaking the word in this cafe, and the thing, is done. The leaft beck of his will can make the fame meal, that ufually ferves us for four and twenty hours, fupport us for forty days, and much longer, if he pleafes. That meat of any kind fhould fuftain us for four and twenty hours, (if rightly confidered), is a miracle ; and that the like proportion fhould do it for the fpace of forty days is ftill but a miracle, and with the fame facility that God does the one, he can do the other : So true is that ob fervation which our bleffed Saviour borrows from Mofes, (m) Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And indeed no perfon ever had fo large experience of Ei;- h fe(? the u-uth of this obfervation, as had the prophet now be- notbymer. fore us, who was fo long fuftained, not only by the wonder- chants, os- ful increafe of the widow's oil and meal, but by the daily A-iabianf- miniftry likewife, and attendance, of ravens. For what ever fome may dream of merchants, or Arabians, who might take pity of Elijah in his retirement, and fend him provifions- every day ; befides that the original word (as ' (n) Bochart hasfufficiently evinced) never fignifies merchants, and that there were no Arabians inhabiting the coafts where Elijah lay concealed, it can hardly be imagined, but that the place of his retreat would have foon been difco- vered to Ahab, had either merchants, or other inhabitants of the country, been at any time acquainted with it. (ot) Deut. viii. 3. and Maul}, iv. 4- (f) Hieroz. part 2. lib. 2, c. 13. What 128 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. What induftry that wicked king ufed to find out the '3001, ov prophet, where ever he abfconded, we may learn from the f0Uo C'"t' information of good Oaadiab, viz. that he had ranfacted from every nation where he could reafonably think that he was i King? vii. concealed, and when he found him not, took an oath of to the end t^ peo,,ie tn.at he was not' anions them. For (0) though ot x Chiion. . , \ ' , , , , - i i_ „>,,— „ Aliab could not compel other nations to take an oath to How Ahab that purpofe, yet confidering the great intereft he had- a- might mong the neighbouring princes, ' he might eafily prevail Elijah ef°e- w't'1 t^lc Sreat men °^ eac^ kingdom, to give him that fa. rywhere, tisfaction. If we look into his alliances, we fhall find, that and he be the king of Tyre was his father-in-law, and the king of Moab concealed, tributary to him ; that Jeholhaphat was his friend and re lation, and that the king of Edom was dependent on Jeho fhaphat ; that (p) as the kings of Arabia and Syria corre- fponded with Solomon, fo, very likely, they were confe derate with Ahab; tint one of-their articles might be to de liver up to each other all their fugitive or banifhed fub jects, upon demand ; and-that this was the- foundation of his defire and expectance of this oath : And yet, notwith ftanding all this ftridt and diligent inquiry, Elijah might live concealed in the widow of Zarephtha's houfe, becaufe he had laid fufficient obligations upon her, both in prefer- ving her from the danger of the famine, and in reftoring her dead fon to life again, to ufe all poffible care to con ceal him. But to return to Elijah's ravens. Ravens ve- Though we fhould allow that they are creatures vora- ry proper e'10us and unnatural to their young ones ; yet the more un- feed Elijah. ^ inftruments they feemed to be, the more they magnified the almighty power of him who controuled their natural appetite's while he employed them : (q) And (if there-was a moral inftrudtion in it, as St Chryfoftom fancies) the more they might mollify the prophet's heart toward the deluded Ifraelites; by feeing thofe very creatures that were cruel to their young, kind to him. Though we fliould allow, that they were creatures legally unclean, yet (as it was for the meat, and not for the touch, that they were accounted fo) this we muft grant was a cafe extraordinary, wherein the ceremonial law was over-ruled by neceffity, and by the lav/ giver's difpenfation. There is this to be faid; howe ver, in defence of God's choice of ravens for this pur- pole, viz. that as they are folitary birds, and delight to (0) Pool's Annotations on 1 Kings xviii. 10. '(/>) 1 Kings x. 15. 29. (q) Patrick's Commentary on 1 Kings xvii. 6. live Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 129 live about brooks of Water, fo are they accuftomed to feek A. M. out for provifions, and to carry them to the places of their 30or> .&.c- abode ; Upon which account they were no improper crea- fooj,0^'.'* tures for God to employ upon this fervice ; efpecially, if from what St JerOm tells us may be credited, viz. that one of ,Kingsvi". thefe birds brought Paul, the firft hermit, half a loaf eve- ^Chr™. ry day, and when St Anthony came to vifit him, it brought -v- J him a whole one, to anfwer the wants of thefe two foldiers of JefusChrifi, (as (r) he words it) ; but whence it had this, as well as whence Elijah's ravens had their fupply, we pretend not to tell ; and had rather acknowledge our ignorance in fuch like fpeculations, than take up with uncertain, and fometimes abfurd conjectures. There are two exceptions more, which are generally Why Elijah made to Elijah's conduct, viz. his omiffion in not anoint- did not a- ing Hazael to be king of Syria, and Jehu king of Ifrael ; noi,n' Jdl" and his cruelty in deftroying the priefts of Baal without a proper authority. Now, in anfwer to the former of thefe, it fhould be obferved, that the words, Go, and anoint, may not be a pofitive command, but only a difcretionary per- miffion fo to do. The prophet had been forely complain ing to God of the wickednefs and idolatry of the Ifraelites, and of the bloody perfecutions of their rulers : (s) I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hofis, fays he ; for the children of Ifrael have forfaken thy covenant, and thrown down thine altars, and filain thy prophets with the fword, and I, even I only, am left, and they feek my life to take it away : Whereupon God (after having fhewn him, (t) by fome fymbolical reprefentation, how able he was to avenge him of his adverfaries) bids him go, and anoint fuch and fuch perfons to be kings ; as if he had faid, (u) " Thou " defireft of me, that I ihould deftroy the idolaters of If- " rael, and fuch as have a defign upon thy life ; but in or- " der to that, thou haft nothing to do, but to go, and " appoint two other perfons to be kings over Ifrael and " Syria, and they will avenge both thy quarrel and mine." (x) But allowing the words to be a pofitive com mand, we may fuppofe, that when Elijah, by his prophetic fpirit, perceived what a grievous deftrudtion the exaltation (r) Ad adventum tuum, militibus ftiis Chrifkis duplicavit anno. nam ; Hieronym. De vita Pauli, (s) i Kings xix. to. (<) Ibid. ver. 1 r . 1 2, 1 3. (u) Le Clerc's Commentary on 1 Kings xix. 1 5. (x) Ibid- Vol. IV. ft o'f , 1 30 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. of thefe two perfons to the thrones of Ifrael and Syria would * 3001 ,&c. br"ing Upon his native country, he petitioned God to delay iooj ire tae execution of this his order, at leaft, for fome time, and n-om obtained his requeft. This indeed is a circurnftance that iKingsvm we Jo not meet with in Scripture ; .but in fo fhort an hi- 0° ' Chron ft017> as 'his of the Hebrews is, we may well be allowed 1 ¦ ¦ to fupply fome things that feem to be omitted ; when this may be done without offering any violence to the words of the text, and efpecially when there is an analogy, in other parts of the hiftory, to bear us out. Now, in relation to one of thefe, viz. Hazael, who was afterwards king of S\ria, it is faid, that, when he came to inquire of Elifha concerning his mafter Benhadad's fick- nefs, the prophet (y) fettled his countenance upon him fled- fafily, and wept ; whereupon Hazael faid, Why weepftk my Lord ? And he anfwered, Becaufe I know the evil that thou tuilt do unto the children of Ifrael. Their ftrong kids wilt thou fet on fire, and their young men wilt thou flay with the fword, and wilt dafh their children, and rip up their women with child ; And from this paffage we have fome grounds to think, that Elijah, upon the like profpect of his natiori's calamities, might defire of God, if not a re vocation of his command, at leaft a delay in the execu tion of it ; and that this was the reafon why neither of thefe kings were anointed by him. ¦Why Baal's What notions the worlhippers of Baal might have of _ priefts ac- the power of their god, we cannot tell ; but as fending kh's^clfal- dcnvn nre from heaven (z),was not above the reach of lenge; evil fpirits, and fome lying traditions might perhaps have defcended to them concerning the exploits of their Baal in particular, ra) who, as he was thought to be the fun, and to exceed all heavenly bodies in heat, might, upou this grand occafion, as they thought, exert his power, and burn up their facrifice, they held it the wifeft way to accept of the prophet's challenge. The prophet's challenge indeed was upon fuch fair terms, that (whatever notions they might have of their god) they muft have forfeited all their credit with the people, had they pretended to decline it: And therefore, rather than do this, they chofe to venture' all upon the hazard of an after-game, hoping that either they might have an opportunity of conveying fire among the wood clandeftinely, or that Elijah would fail in his at- (y) 2 Kingsviii. it. 12. (2) Job i. 16. (aJ Patrick's (Commentary on 1 Kings xviii, 26. tempt, Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c. ijt tempt, as well as they, and fo both ftand upon equal a. M. ground; or that, if he fucceeded, the thing might not be s°°t, ire. done fo cleverly, but that there might be room for fome Aut c'lrif* cavils and exceptions to be raifed againft it. , ""fr-on/" Upon thefe preemptions, they might enter the lifts ; ¦ Kingsviii. and, when they were fo fhamefully defeated, the prophet, fo the encl (b) as an extraordinary minifter of God's Vengeance upon £_j_J^° finners, (efpecially when the magiftrate fo grofsly neglected andwhyhe his duty), had fufficient authority to execute (c) the fentence might order of death paffed upon them by the Lord of life and death, as ?^m t0 he perverters of the law, and teachers of idolatry ; as authors of cruelty, and inciters of Jezebel (d) to murther the pro phets of the Lord ; and as cheats and impoftors, to whofe execution the people concurred, their princes gave their cpnfent, and their king (as aftonifhed at the late ftupendous miracle) could make no oppofition. Whether Ahab's repentance, upon the ccmmination of ^'ny God God's judgments, was fincere or fuperficial only,' has been "=Ka;ldeclA- a matter of fome debate ampng divines. It is certain, that, pentance. in confideration of it, God revoked, at leaft in part, the fentence which he had denounced againft him, and tranf- ferred it upon his pofterity. And( fbfi- The prophets indeed, both in their parabolical fpeeches, 1003, ire. and fymbolical actions, are to be confidered as perfons of a from fingular character. For as we find (n) one of them tearing "Kingsvii!. nis 0Wn garment to pieces, to fignify to Jeroboam the of x Chron. alienation of the major part of the kingdom from the ^_— v~— - houfe of Solomon ; fo here we have another defiring his Why the companion (for fo what we render neighbour fignifies) to prophetwasgjve njm a wound, (0) that thereby he might have the bet- not fmiting-ter opportunity of reproving Ahab for his ill-timed elemen ts brother- cy to Benhadad. prophet. ^he princes pf the eaft were very difficult pf accefs; and in the cpurt pf Ahab, in particular, the character of a prpphet was held in fp great deteftatipn, that feme expe dient was tp be found put tp gain him admittance to the king's prefence, and an opportunity to fpeak to him in the manner he defigned. After fo great a victory as Ahab had lately won by the valour of his men, it may be prefumed, that the name of a foldier was become in high efteem, and therefore to perfonate a foldier, and a wounded foldier like- wife, who might mOre engage the king's pity and attention,' the prophet intreats his fellow-collegiate (having firft told him his intent) to give him a flight cut with a fword, or fome other inftrument, that thereby he might be enabled to act his part better. Tp defire to have his own flefh flafhed and cut, was, in appearance, a requeft fo frantic, that juftly might his bro-« ther-prophet have denied him that courtefy, had he not been fatisfied that the requeft came from God : But herein lay the great fault of the recufant : though he knew the authority. of God's commands, and that this was the very thing which he injoined, yet, out of an indifcreet pity and compaffion to his brother, he refufed to comply, (p) Had he been a ftranger indeed to the feveral methods pf divine prophecy, he might have excufed himfelf with a better grace; but as he was equally a prophet bred up in the fame fchool with the other, had been informed by the Other of his whple defign, and well underftppd the weight pf thefe words, (q) I command thee in the name of the Lord, he was utterly inexcufeable; becaufe difobedience to a divine com- (n) 1 Kings xi. 20. 31. (s) 1 Kings xx. 35.. (p) Pool's Annotations. 'q) 1 Kings xx. 3 j . mand, Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c. ioc mand, and efpecially when delivered by a prophet, was, (r) A. M. by the conftrudtion of the law, held capitaL $O0I> &c: Now, there were two ways (according to the Jewifh ^fte!" doctors) wherein theprophets of old were punifhedfor their tr'om ' offences in their office. Thofe (s) who prophefied in the 'King*™1- name of idols, or prophefied falfehoods in Gpd's name, 0°, ! Chron. were put to death by the judges'* but thofe who either con- \ y-~J cealed or rejected a true prophecy, were to die by the hand of God. And in the cafe now before us, the divine ju ftice might be more difpofed to mark what was done amifs,* for this reafon, (among others to us unknown), that by the feverity of this punifhment of a prophet's difobedience, proceeding from pity to his brother-prophet, he might teach Ahab the greatnefs of his fin, in fparing hum (through a foolifh generofity or compaflion) whom, by the laws of re ligion, and juftice} and prudence, and felf-prefervation, he fliould have cut off; and confequently what punifhment he might reafonably expect for his difobedience. In the account which the Scripture gives us of Jeho- 'Why Jeho- fhaphat's reformation, it is faid, that he not only (/) took ihaphat ap.. away the high places and goves, but fent to his princes to teach Pomte° "'" the cities of Judah, and with them fent Levites, who had the preachers, book of the law with them, and went through all the cities of and who Judah, teaching the people. But what the proper bufinefs 1 were" of thefe princes, in their circuit round the kingdom, was, is a matter of fome difpute among the learned. Gro- tius (u) is of opinion, that their commiflion extended to the inftrudtion of the people, which, in cafes extraordina ry, is every one's bufinefs, and could never be done with more probability of fuccefs, than by perfons who were of the king's council, and invefted with his authority. There is reafon to think, however, that they did npt act in the very fame capacity with the priefts and Levites that attended them; but that, (x)^as judges and juftices pf peace ampng us, teach and inftruct the people in the laws of tlfe land, . when they deliver their charges from the bench ; fo thefe great men, in the king's name, did only admonifh and re quire the people to obferve the laws of God, which were the municipal laws of the land, and left the particular ex- (r) Deut. xviii. 19. (s) Ibid, xviii. 20. (r) 2 Chron. xvii. 6. («) h\ locum. (x) Pool's Annotations,, on ver. 7. plication. 136 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. plication and enforcement of them to thofe of the facred or- inV'^lt^er, who went along with them ; fupporting them, in the 1003, ire. mean time, in the execution of their office, and obliging the from people to receive them with refpect, to hear them with at- i Kings viii. tention, and to practife what they taught them. of 1 Chron. However this be, it is tjbvious from the fenfe of the 1 words, that, in thofe days," there was a great ( y) famine in the land, (as the prophet expreffes it), not a famine of bread, or a thirfi of water, but of hearing the words of thi Lord. There were then no fuch public fynagogues and pn- blic teachers as were afterwards inftituted in the kingdom* for the inftrudtion of the people in the fenfe of the law; for then there would have been no occafipn for thefe com- miffioners and Levites td have gpne about throughout all the cities of Judah ; and into fuch a wretched ftate of igno^ ranee was the generality of the people fallen, that there! was fearce one copy of the law to be found in the whole country ; for which reafon it was thought advifeable, and neceffary indeed, to carry one with them. The truth is, the fynagogues whereof we read fe much in the Acts of our Saviour and his Apoftles, as places ap pointed for the public inftrudtion of the people, were not of fo early an inft'itution as the times we are now fpeaking of. (z) They did not obtain univerfally till after the time of the Maccabees ; and it is to no later date than this that the words of St James allude, (a) Mofes of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the fynagogues every Sabbath-day. Upon the whole, therefore, we may infer, That if proper places for religious inftrudtion were not as yet inftituted ; if the Levites and pthers whofe ftated bufinefs it was tp inftrudt the pepple, were become grofsly negligent in their duty ; and the people withal were grown fo pbftinate in their ignprance, as tp want a proper authority to compel them to liften to their inftrudb ors ; then was this commiffion which Jehofhaphat gave to perfons duly qualified to execute it, far from being need'- lefs or fupererogant, but fuch only as became a pious prince, whofe chief ambition was, that (b) the earth JhouU be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover % the fea. ( ,' ) Amos viii. 1 r. (2) Calmet's Dictionary, under the . worJ Jynagogue. (a) Acts xv. 2'r. 'b) Ifaiah xi. 9. For Chap. IL from the building of the Tern ple> (3c. 13-* ^ For this reafon, no doubt it is, that the facred hifto- A. m. rian has remarked (as a reward of this prince's piety) that 3OOI> ire. [c) he had not only riches and honours in abundance, but a Ant' CYlf" , . , ... ,. |oo3, ire. more numerous people, and a larger military force, (in from proportion to his territories), than any of his moft power- 'Kingsviii. ful predeceffors. The whole amount of the particulars "in- '° th^,'nd deed is fo very great, (d) that fome have fufpedted a miftake ° _LJ m^ in the tranferibers ; but when it is confidered, that the do- Why jeho- minipns pf the kingdpm pf Judah under Jehofhaphat were fliaphat's not confined to the narrow limits of Judah and Benjamin ^e?s only, but (e) reached into the tribes of Dan, Ephraim, By, and ar- and Simeon; into Arabia, and the country of the Phili- rnyfo large. ftines; in a word, from Beerfheba to the mountains of Ephraim, one way, and from Jordan to the Mediterra nean fea, the other ; when it is confidered that this king dom received a vaft acceffion, when Jeroboam thruft out the priefts and Levites from officiating in the fervice pf the Lord, and multitudes of other pioufly difpofed perfons followed them from all parts of Ifrael, when they found that they might be encouraged in worfhipping God at Je rufalem ; when it is confidered, that this country was ex ceedingly well cultivated, flourifhing in commerce, abound ing with foreigners, and what a vaft increafe of inhabitants in any nation may be produced in the fpace of an hundred years, which was the very period from David ; and when it is confidered farther, that foldiers in thefe days were not kept, like our ftanding armies, in conftant pay and duty, but only had their names fet down in the king's mufter- rolls, in order to be fummoned to arms whenever there was occafion, and fo returned to their families, ^nd follow ed their ufual occupations : When all this is confidered, and put together, I fay, we fhall not find the number of twelve hundred thoufand fighting men (even though they may in clude fix millions of perfons 9£ all ages and conditions) to be fo very extravagant ; efpecially, when it is remembered, that the city of Thebes alone (as ir^ is reported by (/") Ta citus) furnifhed no lefs than feven hundred thoufand fol diers ; that, in ancient Rome, there were once between three and four millions of fouls ; and that, in Grand Cairo (as fome travellers report) there is now almoft twice that number. (c) 2 Chron. xviii. 1. ( (as lt maybe rendered), fell upon every individual. of 1 Chron- one, much lefs, that it killed every man it fell on : It is «— — v 'fufficient to juftify the expreffion, that it fell upon the How the main body of thefe feven and twenty thoufand, and that, phek fall- "ll killed fome, and maimed others, .(for the Scripture does ingmight not fay, that it killed all), as is ufual in fuch cafes. .Let kit' and Ui fuppofe, then, that thefe Syrians, after their defeat from man* ° tne P^a'ns °f Aphek, betook themfelves to this fenced city, and, defpairing of any quarter, mounted the walls, or retired into fome caftle, with a refolution to defend them felves to the laft ; and that the Ifraelitifh army coming upon them, plied the walls, or the caftle, on every fide, fo warmly with their batteries, that down they came at -once, and killing feme, wounding others, and making the reft difperfe for fear, did all the executipn that the text in tends. Thus we may accpiint for this event in a natural way ; but it is more reafonable to think, that God, upon this oc cafion, wrought a miracle; and, either by fome hidden earthquake, or violent ftorm of wind, overturned thefe walls, or this fortrefs, upon the Syrians. And indeed, if any time was proper for his almighty arm to interpofe, (i) it was at fuch a time as this, when thefe blafphemons " people had denied his fovereign power and authority in the government of the world, and thereby, in feme meafure, obliged him, in vindicatipn pf his pwn hpnpur, tp give them a full dempnftration pf it, and tp fhew, that he was the {k) God pf the plains, as well as pf the mpuntains; that he could as effectually deftroy them in ftrong holds, as in the open field, and mak* the very walls, wherein they trufted for defence, the inftruments of their ruin. (g) 1 Kings xx. 30. (h) Pool's Annotations in locum. (1) . lJool, i„id. ii) 1 Kings xx. 23. D r S- Chap. II. From the building of the Temple, (3c 139 A. M. DISSERTATION II. Ant.'chS* 1003, ire. Of the Tranfiation of Enoch and Elijah. fVom ... 1 Kings viii. to the end f\H all the events recorded in Scripture, we meet with of * Chron. ^"^ none that require our attention more, than the tranf- ""*¦' — y* lation of the patriarch Enoch, in the times before the flpod, ^EiToch's and the affumption of the prophet Elijah, under the difpen; trar.uation. fation of the law : For, whether Mofes, the great mini'fter of that difpenfation, was in like manner exempted from the common fate of mortals, is $ matter wherein commentators are not fo well agreed. The account of Elijah's tranfia tion is fo exprefs and circumftantiated, that no queftion can be made of its reality: But the ambiguity of the words wherein the facred hiftorian has related the afliimp- tion of Enoch., has induced feveral to think, that though this antediluvian patriarch was highly in favour with God, and for that reafon removed from the contagious wicked nefs which was then overfpreading the earth ; yet that this removal was effected, not by any miraculous operation of G,od, but merely by his undergoing a natural death. The words wherein Mofes has recorded this tranfac- Arguments tion, are very few, and thefe of uncertain fignification : a£lm" "• (/) Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Now it is plain from feveral palfigcs in Scripture, npt only that the word, which wc render God took him, is fet to fignify our common death, as in the cafe of Elijah himfelf, when under the juniper-tree, he prays, that God wpuld (m) take away his life, becaufe he was not better than his fathers : and in that of holy Job, when he tells us, thafhe did not know how fepn (n) his maker might take him away ; but that the other expreffiom he was not, is frequently ufed in the fame fenfe, as is^Rndent from the lamentation which both Jacob and his fon Reuben made, for the fuppo- fed lofs of Jofeph : (0) f fifth is not, and Simeon is net, fays the old .man ; and (/>) the child is not ; and 7, whither fhall I go ? fays his fon. So that no argument can be drawn from the terms in the text to countenance a miracu- (/) Gen. v. 24. (»•') 1 Kings xix. 4. («) Job xxxh. 32. (0) Gen. xiii. 36; ( p) Ibid, xxxvii. 30. S 2 tOUS 140 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book "VL A. M. Ious affumption, more than a natural death, in the prophe#>i 3001, ire Enoch. But this is not all. Ant. Chrif. The autnor 0f tne book, intitled, The wifdom qf Solomon, J°°rl'0mC' is fuppofed to carry the matter farther, and tp declare po- 1 Kings viii. fitively for the death of this patriarch, when he tells us, to the end r^ that he pleafed God, and was beloved of him, fo that, X_ -^?a' living among finners, he was tranfiated; yea, fpeedily was. " he taken away, left wickednefs fhould alter his underftanding^ and deceit beguile his fold. Being made- perfetl in a fliort time, he fulfilled a hng time ; for his foul pleafed the Lorajjf- therefore hafted he to take him away from among the wicked^ Where every line in the defcription (as fome imagine) fuits' exactly with Enoch, and yet the author all alpng fuppofes, that the perfon he is here fpeaking of died in the fame manner as other men do. Arguments (r) We acknowledge indeed, that the author of the book for it. of Wifdom, fpeaking of the hafty and premature death of the righteous, might properly enough allude to what Mofes relates concerning the tranfiation of Enoch, who, in com-. parifon of his cotemporary patriarchs, lived but a fhort time ; but we have no reafon at all to fuppofe, that he is here directly treating of the death of Enoch • On the con-: trary, that he is here difcourfing of the righteous in general, and vindicating the wifdom and gppdnefs pf providence, in taking them fometimes fopner than prdinary put pf this wicked wprld, is evident from the inference wherewith he concludes his difcourfe : ( s\ Thus the righteous that is dead, fhall condemn the -ungodly that is living, and youth, that is foon peifetled, "the old age of the unrighteous : For they fhall fie the age of the wife, and fhall not underftand what God in his council had decreed of him, and to what end the Lord hath fet him in feifety. We acknowledge again, that, according to the light which the gpfpel has introdtJfc, for a good man to die at any time (r) is gain, and to^ie removed from the roi- feries of this life is much better than the Ipngeft conti- " nuance in it : (a) But ftill it muft be confeffed, that, in the firft ages of the wprld, and under a lefs perfect difpenfa- tion, length of days was generally accounted the recom- pence of virtue : And therefore, if there were nothing extraordinary in the manner of Enoch's departure, the other , (?) Wifdom iv. 10. ire. (r) Calmet's Differr. fur le Pa- triardic Henoch. (s) Wifd. iv. 16. 17 (/) Phil. i. 21.33. > .') Saturn's Differ:, furl' enlevement d' Enoch. gatriarchsj, Chap. II. from7 the building of the Temple, (3c. 141 patriarchs, who fo far exceeded him in years, feem to have *• M- been more immediately under the divine favour than him, ^fiJ^f-'r who, though more remarkable than any for his piety and ,003, ire.' goodnefs, fell under the lot and condemnation of the wic- from ked, as being not permitted (x) to live out half his days. • Kingsviii. We ackno fledge, once more, that the words of Mofes 0f x chro.-i, do not neceffarily1 imply any miraculous affumptipn of a li ving man into heaven, or any other place unknown, and ' anaccefllble to mortals : But ftill, if we will but compare what he fays of Enoch with what he relates of the other patri^rdhs, we fhall foon perceive, that his purpofe was to diftinguifh between their manner of leaving the world and his. For whereas it is faid of all the preceding patriarchs, that they lived to fuch and fuch a number of years, and is1) begat fons and daughters, and fo died; of Enoch it is faid, that (z) he lived fixty and five years, and begat Me- thufelah ; that after he begat Methufelah, he lived three hundred years, and begat fons and daughters ;' but then, inftead of he died, the author's words are, he walked with God, and was not, for God took him : Where he firft takes notice of his good and pious life, which made him fo ac ceptable to God, and then of his tranfiation, Gad took him; but left there fhould be any ambiguity in that expreffion, he adds, and he was not, or appeared no more in the world; whereby he intimates, that he ftill lives, and fubfifts in feme Other place. The truth is, thefe expreffions in the text (when right ly underftood) do confirm, rather than invalidate, the doc trine of Enoch's tranfiation : But to put the matter beyond all difpute, we have the authority of an apoftle, enumera ting, the actions of the worthies of old, and telling us of this patriarch in particular, , that (a) by faith he was tranf- lated, that he fliould not fee death, and was not found, be caufe God had tranflated hiM: ' For, befbre his tranfiation, he had this teftimony, that he pleafed God : Where the au thor to the Hebrews takes care, by repeating the word three times, tp prevent our miftaking his meaning ; and by tell ing us, that the patriarch was not found, he plainly alludes, to what the fons of the prophets did, when Elijah was tar ken away, 1. e. fent (b) fifty men in queft of him, but found him not ; and confequently not obfcurely intimates, that .. (x) Pfat. Iv. 24. (y) Gen. v. ;. 'ire. (z) Ver. 21. frl.' (a) Heb. xi. c. {bj 2 Kings ii. 16. this. 142 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI; A- M. this tranfport of the patriarch was of the fame nature im''chrh w"k wnat happened to the prophet fo many years after; 1003, ire. that they were both the effect of the divine favour to them, from both the reward of their fervices upon earth, and both a to^'he^end' remove t0 f°me certain place that is beyond the reach of of 1 Chron. {he knowledge of man. 1— ¦*./—— In what part of the world this place is, we fhould not Of the be too inquifitive, much lefs too pofitive, becaufe we have ^E ch ^ foundation, but conjecture, to go upon, (c) St Auftin, and Elijah' who feems to be more referved in other abftrufe queftions, were tranf- is very peremptory in this, That Enoch and Elijah lated, feve- Were-tranflated into that f terreftrial paradife where Adam sions. ar,d Fve lived, in their ftate of innocence ; that there they are nourifhed by the fruit of the tree of life, which giyes them a power of fubfifting for ever, without fubmitting to the neceffity of death ; that there they enjoy all the blefv fings and privileges that our firft parents had before their tranfgrefiion ; and, among other things, an exemption from finning, by the fupernatural grace of God. But then the queftion is, where we are to place this terreftrial para dife, fince there is fcarce one region in the world, that one author or other has not made choice of for its fituation ; and fince, by the violent concuffions which happened at Noah's flood, the face of nature had been fo changed, that thofe very places, which, accprding to their defcription in Scrip ture, feem once to bid faireft for it, are now debafed to fuch a degree, as little to deferve the appellation of the gardens of pleafure, much lefs the abodes of the bleffed, (d) The word Schamajim, which we render heaven, is fuppofed by feveral, both Jewifh and Chriftian doctors, to be the upper part of the air, where the fpirits of juft men departed, together with thefe two tranilated per-fonSj- (c) Contra Julian, lib. 6. c. 30. f Whether the Mahometans embrace the fame opinion, it is a little uncertain ; but they have a tradition among them, of one Khe? der or Khizin, whd had the good fortune to find the fountain of life, whereof he drank plentifully, and fo became immortal. This Khe* der, whofe name fignifies verdant or everficurijhing, According to them, is the fame with Elijah, who lives in a place of retirement, in a delicious garden where the fountain ot life urns, and the tree of life, which preferves his immortality, grows ; Calmet's Difiion- fry, under the word Elijah. (d) Le Clerc's Commentary, on 2 Kings ii, 11. livfi Chap. II. from the building of the Temple,; (3c. 143 live in a ftate of fincere, but imperfect blifs, until the gene- a. m. rai refurredtion. But this,- in our opinion, is placing the 3°°', tot. feats of the bleffed too near the confines if) of the prince ^ c^lCi of the power of that element, and in danger of being dif- fr0m turbed by fome incuriions from his quarters : And there- 1 Kings viii. fore (if we might be indulged a farther conjecture) (/) we '° *£.end fhould rather chufe to place them beyond the circumfer- . _ - ,-..,f ence of the folar fyftem, where there are immenfe fpaces, neither obftrudted by the motion of any planets, nor ob noxious to the changes of their atmofpheres, becaufe no>- thing is there but pure aether. But how our corporeal part fhall be enabled to live here, and to live to all eternity, we fliall then come to underftand, when by experience we fhall know what that change is which the body undergoes, when it puts ©n immortality. In the mean time, as God is omni- pptent, npthing can hinder him from making what chan ges he pleafes in pur bpdies, and from preferving them e- ternally in that ftate. This we may call the celeftial paradife, intp which pur bleffed Savibur promifed the penitent thief upon the crofs a jpyful admittance ; and having taken liim with him,, and reppfited his feul in this manfipn pf reft and happinefs, proceeded in his afcent beyond the orbits of the moft di ftant ftars, and made his entrance into the higheft heavens, which are the refidence of God himfelf ; and into which (as others imagine) this patriarch and prophet were, upon their tranfiation, carried. (g) I knew a man in Chrift above fourteen jears ago, fays St Paul, fpeaking of himfelf, though his modefty made him conceal it, [whether in the body, J cannot tell, or whe ther out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth), fuch an one caught up to the third heaven ; and I knew fuch a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, God know eth) how that he was caught up into paradife, and heard things unfpeakable, which it is not poffible for man to utter: And if St Paul was caught up into the third heaven, even while he continued in this mortal ftate, why may we not fuppofe, that Enoch and Elijah were at pnce tranilated into the fame place ? The probable defign of God's vouchfafing the apoftle this vifion of heaven, was to fhew him what his final reward would be, and confequently, for the crown of joy that was fet before him, to make him [h) glory in (e) Ephef. ii. 2. (/) Le Clere, ibid, (g) 2 Got, xii. 2. ire. (h) Gal. vi. 14. the 144 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. the crofs of Chrifi, (i) in tribulation, in diftrefs, in ptrfe- 3001, ire cution; and how reafonable it is to believe, that thefe two t?o ^ir!' w°rtnies> who m tn£ir feveral generations, had (k) fought """from" the good fight, and finifhed their courfe, and kept the faith, 1 Kings viii fhould, upon the peculiar favour of their affumption into to the end heaverl) be admitted to a nearer participation of the beati- 0^1 Chron. fic vi£orl) as an ample reward for the fatigues of their warfare ? At our Saviour's transfiguration upon the mount, we find one of thefe fent to him (as we may prefhme) upon foine important meffage, appearing in a brighc and glprious form, and (as if he were admitted tp the cpunfels of hea* ven) (/) talking with him of his deceafe, which he war/ to accomplifb at Jerufalem ; And therefore we can hardly think,' that his abode could be at any wide diftance from the throne of God's prefence, who, in conjunction with his faithful fervant, and lawgiver, Mofes, was deputed to go on an embiffy to his (771) beloved Son. But in this point, we ought to reprefs our curiofity, and in the fenfe of (n) Theodoret, content ourfelves with what God has been pleafed to reveal in Scripture, without inquiring too curiouf- ly into what he hath thought fit to conceal. The man- In what manner Enoch was tranilated into heaven, we *"lr. Ia , have not the leaft intimation, nor is the account of Elijah's were tranf- afcenfion to be taken in a literal fenfe ; fince a fiery cha- lated. riot and horfes would not have been a vehicle fp proper for a nature as yet npt impregnated with immprtality. The nptipn pf thpfe whp, uppn this occafion, make angels af- fume the form of the chariot and horfes, is not fo incon gruous, becaufe we need not doubt, but that, by the di vine permiffion, they can transform themfelves into any fhape. They are fuppofed to have frequently appeared in the figure of flying oxen, for which reafon they have ob tained the name of Cherub, or Cherubim . And with the fame facility, they might at this time have put pn the ap pearance pf hprfes ; but in ppints npt fp clearly exprefled, we are to refolve God's method of acting by thofe that are analogpus, and yet mpre plain. Now the pnly afcenfipn that we read pf, befides thefe, is that pf our bleffed Savipur ; and the manner in which he is faid to have been carried up, was by the fubvention of a (/) Rom. viii. 3c. 'k) 1 Tim. iv. 7 (/) Luke ix. 31. (gi) Ver. 35, (?/) Queft 45. in Gencf. cloud, Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 145 cloud, which raifed him from the ground, and mounting a. m. with' him gradually, (0) carried him out of his apoftles fight : 3°°i, ire. and in like manner, we may fuppofe, that die tranfiation ^nt ciilfi' of thefe two was performed, viz. that a bright and radiant f,.'om cloud (which, as it afcended, might appear like a chariot j Kings viiii and horfes) raifed them frdm the earth, and leaving this t0, dl5,.end little globe behind, Wafted them into the feats of the bleff- ._ — - j ed. Only we muft obferve, that Chrift's body was at this time invefted with the powers of fpirituality, and therefore capable of afcending without any vehicle ; whereas theirs were retarded with a load of matter : And therefore it is reafonable to think, that by the miniftry of angels, or ra ther by the power of God, the cloud which carried them up, was condenfed to a more than common confiitency, and that the whirlwind which might be raifed for this pur- ¦ ppfe, helped tp accelerate its mptipn, and expedite their a- fcent. " But fince (p) flefh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom And their •* of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption ; the chaDge- " queftipn is, hpw thefe perfons were all on a fudden, (q) " made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints " in light ? " Behold, I fhew you a myftery, fays St Paul, fpeaking of thofe who fhall be alive at our Saviour's fe cond advent, we fhall not allfieep, but we fhall all be chan ged, ¦ in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the laft trump ; and therefore the fame almghty power, which, at the founding of the laft trump, will make our corruptible natures put on incorruption, and our mortal put on immor tality, did, no doubt, in their paffage, change their terre ftrial into celeftial bodies, and thereby convey into them fuch faculties as were requifite for the enjoyment of the place whereunto it was conducting them. What particular fervices Enoch had done God, for For what which he vouchfafed him this favour extraordinary, and an ™^ ^^ exemption from mortality, the Scripture has no wherelated Specified. It tells us only, that he walked with God; but then, confidering that (if not then, at leaft in a fhort time) (r) all flefh had corrupted their ways, and that, when God faw the wickednefs of the earth, it repented 'him that he had made man ; we may fuppofe, that this gppd and pious (s) Ads i. 9. (/>) 1 Cor. xv. So- if) Colof- u la< (r) Gen- vi. 11. 6. Vol. IV. T patriarch of i Chron M6 The Hiftory. of the B I B L E, Book Yf, A. M patriarch took care not only of his conduct, but fet him* 3001, &> ,feif ;n oppofition likewife to the violence, and other kinds, foo^&e of inicl:'uT' w,iich began then to prevail in molt places,; '0°from ' and that, in fhort, he was (as the" tradition goes) a preacher 1 Kingsvii .Qf righteoufnefs, in which office Noah is laid to have fuc- to the end ceeclej |1;m_ Yor that he was a preacher of righteoufnefs^ is manifelt from that commination ot hisv which bt Jude (from fome ancient record or other) brings him in making to the antediluvian world : (s J Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thoufand of his faints, to execute judgment Uj,on all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed, and of all tht hard feeches which ungodly finners have fpoken againft him. And, in like manner, it is very evident, that Elijah was a zealous advocate for God, and a ftrenuous oppofer of idolatry, an implacable enemy to Baal's priefts, an un daunted reprover of the wickednefs of princes ; arid a fe- vere inflidter of the divine vengeance upon all the chil dren of difobedience : And therefore, we may prefume, that God defigned his exaltation, not only as a recompence for his paft fervices, which were great, but as an encou ragement likewife to other remaining prophets, to bejlrong in the Lord; to bear witnefs boldly againft the corruptionpl the age wherein they lived ; and. in the execution of their office, to fear the face of no man. The corruption of the age indeed, both in the times of Enoch and Elijah, was become fo great and general, that the belief of a future ftate (we may well fuppofe) was in a manner quite extinct among them ; and therefore God might think it expedient, at thefe two periods of time, to give the world a fenfible proof of it, if not to convince the unbelieving part, at leaft to excite in the hearts of the faithful, under all their afflictions and perfecutions for righteoufnefs fake, refrefhing hopes and expe&ations of a recompence to be made them in due time. Nor can -we think, but that, in thefe inftances, God might have a pro- fpedt to a greater event, and by the affumption of his two faithful fervants, intend to typify the afcenfion of his Son, who was to deftroy death, and open the kingdom of heaven to all believers ; that thereby he might make the teftimouy Of his apoftles concerning this fact a thing more credible; and give all good Christians a more folk} comfort and (-0 T'i'-h ver. 14. 15. eonfolatio* -Chap. II. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 147 ¦ confolation in thofe words of St Paul, (t) Who fhall lay any A. M. ' thing to the charge of God's elc£l? It is God that jufiifieth. %°t''clffr Who is he that condemneih ? It is Chrifi that died; yea, r,z- ', "03i '&c' ther that is rifien again, who is even at the right hand of hom God, who alfo maketh interceffion for us. i Kingsviii. The teftimony of the angels concerning our bleffed Sa- 0° \ cinon. viour is, (a) This fame Jefius, who is taken up from you — - — into heaven, fhall fo come in like'manner as ye have feen him And wjie- go into heaven : But, before this his fecond coming, it is an thcr lhey • ~ . ® s.rc to rc~ opinion that has prevailed much among the ancient fathers, turn. . (x) that God in his great mercy will fend Enoch and Elijah, to oppofe the proceedings of Antichrift, to refute his doc trines, and to fortify the righteous againft his threats and cruelties ; but that, by the management of this their adver- fary, they fhall be put to death, though in a fliort time raifed again to eveiiafting life and glory. The whole of this notion is founded upon a very abftrufe paffage in St John's Revelation, concerning the two witneffes, which are va- rioufly interpreted. For, befides Enoch and Elijah, (as we faid before), fome apply them to the law and the prophets, others to the Old and New Teftament, and others again (efpecially thofe who favour the millenary fcheme) to our Saviour Chrift, and his forerunner John the Baptift. But as every one is left to his liberty to chufe what part be plea- fes in fuch problems as thefe, we fhall (without pretending to determine any thing ourfelves) leave the paffage (which, in a great meafure, we account inexplicable) to the examina tion of the more learned and fagacious.— fyj I will give power unto my two witneffes, and they fhall prophefy a thoufand » (t) Rom. viii. 33. 34. (//) Actsi. ir. (x) Calmet's Differt. far le Patriarch Henoch, ire. (y) Rev. xk 3. ire. The learned Calmet (from whom in a great meafure I have extracted this diflertation) concludes his oif- cotirfe in fuch words as thefe.. 1. That though we cannot infer,, from the ftridt words of Mofes, that Enoch was tranilated a- live'into another world, and is ftill living; yet neveithelefs ought the authorities of St Paul, and the tradition of the church, to prevail with iv, to efteem this opinion as a matter ,pf faith. 2. 'Although the fathers and interpreters feem to differ about the place into which Enoch was rranftated, yet if we examine carefully their different o- pinions, the greateft part of them may be reduced to a declaration of his being in paradife, which fome place on the earth, and <>thers< in heaven. And, 3. That whatever liberty the church may aU T 2 '-¦¦•'¦:¦ 1 4 8 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI, A- M. thoufand two hundred and threefcore days, clothed in fack-cloth. AnY'chrif Thefe are the two olive-trees, and the two candlefticks, ftand, 1003, ire. ing before the God of the earth ; and if a man will hurt them, ,tiom fife proceedeth out of their mouth, and devour eth their enemies. to d^SV"d — — They have power to fbut heaven, that it rain not, in the cf » Chron. days of their prophecy, and have power over waters, to turn *-"^V~~~- them to blood, and to finite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when, they fhall have finifhed their teftimo^ ny, the beaft that afcendeth out of the bottomlefs pit, fhall make war againjl them, and oyercomt them, and kill them', and their dead bodies fhall lie in the Jirett oj the great city, which is fpiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where alfo our Lord was crucifiea.- Their bodies fhall lie three days and an half without being buried, and the peop le fhall rejoice and make meriy, becaufe oj their death; but after three days and an half, the fpirit of life from God flail enter into them, amf tl.cy fial.'fana on their Jeet, ana great J ear fhall Jalluptn them that fee them. CHAP. III. From the Siege ef Samaria by Benhadad, to the Death of Uzziah King of Judah. The History. Eliflm'sei-lkTOtwithftanding the great fervice which the prophet £5 ' Ben- J*^ ElifLa had done Benb¥lad king of Syria, in curing hadad king Naaman, the general pf his forces, of a confirmed leprofy, ' «f Syria, he ftill continued his enmity againft Ifrael. Having raifed an army, with a purpofe tp befiege Samaria, he opened the campaign with ftratagems of war; vand, in hopes of lew interpreters, of putting a fenfe on the paffage quoted out of the Revelations, which fpeaks of tht coming of two witneffes that are to appear in the latter ages, it muft be agreed, that the opinion which explains it of the return ot Enoch and Elijah upon the earth, is much preferable r any other, on account of its antiquity, its intrinfic jufl- fiefs, and the number of authors who maintain it. (urprifinj Chap III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 149 furprifing Jehoram's troops, laid here and there fome am- A. m. bufcades, which Elifha, by his fpirit of prophecy, found 3°OI» ire. out, and all along gave the king of Ifrael a timely intelli- ^ °^£ gence of them. Benhadad at firft fufpected that his coun- IC°tom fels were betrayed ; but when he was informed, by f one • Kings viii, of his officers, that Elifha (who was then at Dothan, a fmall tof th^nd city in the half-tribe pf Manaffeh, and nqt far from Samaria) ? muft certainly have been at the bottom pf all this, he fent a ftrong detachment to feize him, and invefted the city that pight. On the morrow, when Elifha's fervant faw the enemy furrounding the town, and knew of no forces to .oppofe them, f he expreffed his fear and concern to his mafter; but, upon his mailer's prayer, • his eyes were opened, and he ¦f It is not to he doubted, but that Naaman, upon his remrn from Samaria, fpread the fame of Elifha fo much in the court of Syria, that fome of the great men there might have the cunifity to make a farther inquiry concerning him ; and, being informed by feveral of his miraculous works, they might thence conclude, that he ceuld tell the greateft fecrets, as well as perform fuch won Jers as were re lated of him ; and that therefore, in all probability, he was the per fon who gave the king of Ifrael intelligence of all tht fchemes that had been connived to intrap him ; Patrick's Con.v.-cntary. \ This young man, it is fuppofeable, had been but a little while with his mafter, no longer than fince Gehazi's difiniffion, and there fore perhaps hjd not \ et feen any great experiments of his power to work miracles: or, if he had, the great and imminent danger he thought his mafter in, (for, in all probability, he had learned from the people of the town, that this vaft body of men were come to ap prehend him only), might well be allowed to iaife his fear, and fhake his faith ; Pool's Annotations. * It muft be allowed,; that angels, whether they be purely fpiri- tual, or (as others thick) clothed with fome material form, cannot be feen by 'mortal eyes; and therefore, as Elilha himfelf, without a -peculiar vouchfafement of God, could not difcem the heavenly hoft, which, at this time, encamped about him ; fo he requefts' of God, that, for the removal of his fears, and the confirmation pf his faith, his fervant might be indulged the fame privilege : nor does it feem improbable, that from fuch hiitorical facts as thefe, which have de- fcended by tradition, th..-: notion among the Greeks of a certain tnift which intercepts the fight of their gods from the ken of human eyes, migk: 150 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book 'VI, A.- M. he beheld-a multitude of horfes, and fiery chariots ftanding 3001, .-6-( in array, and prepared td protect them ; while (as his m.a- foo <^-"'"^er continued his prayer) the men that beleagured the town from ' were ftruck with blindnefs :. fo that, by the prophet's per- • Kingsviii. fuading them that they were out of their way, and had mif- to the end tA\~tn t^g place they were bound to, they were led, in this . _ _ bewildered condition, into the very midft of Samaria, where, at the prophet's requeft, God opened their eyes again to fhew them the danger they were in'. Jehoram, finding fo great a number of the enemy lying at his mercy,- would have gladly put them to the fword; ¦but Elifha by all means diffuaded him' frpm it ; aliedging; ' that as he, would fcarce be fo cruel as to kill in cold bipod, . even prifoners that were taken in war, much lefs fhould he touch thofe who were brought into bis hands by the pro vidence of God ; and therefore he rather advifed him * to treat them with all manner of civility, arid let them goj which accordingly the king did. But, might at firft borrow its original. To this purpofe we may obferve, that Homer makes Minerva befpcak DiomeJes fighting againft the Trojans, who wre affii.rd by fi>me other gods. A%Kw &' av rot air' otpfechjicuv £\ov, n TrpU £7T?ev, "O^ iv ytvdpKyic, « //.iv 3"£0v, iiSl £ avSpx. Iliad. V. Which Viigil has imitated, iii.ninkiiig Venus fpeak thus:s Afpice : namque omnem, quse nunc objecia tuenti , Mortales hebptat yifus tibi, et humida circum Caligat, nubtm eripiam : ire. ' iEneid. 2.' Le Clere' 1 Commentary. * .Though,' according to the rigour of the'laws pf arms, a con queror is at liberty to put whatever enemies fall into his hands, if he pleafes, to the fword ; ' yet the laws of humanity and compafSon, of honour and good miure, fliould always reftrain lis from treating with the utmoft ftverity ijuch as furrender themfelves, and implore our mercy ; for fo fays the tragedian, Qpod non vefat lex, hoc vet at fieri pudor; Senec. Troad. So the pliiloibpher, A. qui hohiquc natura' farcere etiam capiivis jubet ; Senec, De clement, lib. 1 c 18. Ahd« fo the divine, Hoftem pugnantevi neceffitas perimat, non voluntas; .< Sicut bellanti et reftflenli violenlia redditur, it a viclo et capto miferi*% cordia jam debetur ; Aug. ad. Bonirac. ep. i. But, befides the. humanity and charity of the thing,, there was this prudence and policy in the kind treatment of the Syrians, that, by this means their hearts might be mollified towards the Ifraelites, diat, upon their, return, they . might become, as it were, fo. many preachers Chap. III. from the building of the -Temple, (3c. 151 But, || how fignal foever this piece of fervice and ge- A. M. herofity to Benhadad was, it did not prevail with him to re- 3°ot'c^c linquilh the okl grudge and malice which he had con- ioo^ ^f ceived againft Ifrael : for, not long after, he laid clofe fronV fiege to Stnaria, and reduced the city to fuch diftrefs, r Kingsviii. that an afs's head was fold * for fourfcore pieces of fil- ^ ^chron, preachers of the power and greatnefs of the God of Ifrael, and The fiege not only be afraid themfelves, but dilfuade others likewife from op- ° ama"»" pofnig a people that had lo invincible a protector ; Calmet's Commen tary ; md Pool's Annotations. •¦ ||_ Several heathens' l«ve obferve J, that " injuries are more glori- " oully overcome by benefits, than requited by pertinacious and mu- " trial hatred ;" hut the fenfe of benefits in bad natures does not laft long r For no foonerdo.we read of the kind treatment which the Syrians received, 2 Kings vi. 23. bjut it imtneJiately follows, that the king of Syria gathered all his holi , and went up and befteged Sa?na- ria ; which does not fo well agree with what is faid in the. preceding verfe, viz. thai the bands of the Syrians came no more into the land of Ifrael. But now. as we can hardly think, that any author what ever would contradict himfelf in the fame breath, fo we inuft fup pofe, either that the Syrians quite retreated for this time, and laid afide all thoughts of war, though afterwards they altered their minds, and or.ike out again into hoftilitic ; or (what feems more plain) that their bands made no more incurfions and inroads, but that they were . refolved to fall upon the Ifraelites at once, with a regular and form ed army, and to beliege Samaria. For in this fenfe Jofephus takes it, when he tells us, that, after this time, " ' ^dad" (for fo he calls Benhadad) " never entered into any underhand practice againft the " king of Ifrael, but refolved to make open war upon him, in con- " fidence of his greater ftrength and numbers ;" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 9. c z. * If we reckon thefe pieces of fil ver, or Ihekeb, at fifteen pence a-piece, they come to five pound Sterling ; a vaft price for that which had on it fo little meat, and that unclean, according to the law, Lev. xi 26. In times of famiiu-, however, and extreme neceffity, the Jews themfelves were abfolved from the obfervation of the law ; nor do there want inftmces in hiftory where other people, upon the fame occafion, have been reduced to the like diftrefs, if what Plu tarch (in the life of Artaxerxes) tells us, be true, viz. that in that prince's war with the Caducii, an ad's head could fcarce have been purchafed at the price of fixty drachms, /, e, two pounds and five (hillings of our money; Calmet's Ccvn;:e;:i.:ry ; and Prideaux's Connection, in the preface. ver. 152 The Hiftory of the BIB Lfi, Book'Vt A. M. vetj and j three quarters of a pint of pulfe, for five. ^7'chrif. N=ty> to that extremity was the famine come, that even J003, ire. mothers were conftrained to eat their own children ; which 1 r°m when the king underftood, f from the information of one 1 Kingsviii. w]j0 to the end •f a chron. J What we, in this place, call pulfe, our tranfiation has rendered doves dung ; but interpreters have been at a great lofs to devife, upon what account the inhabitants of Samaria fhould be obliged to buy fo fmall a quantity of it (for a cab was the leaft meafure the Jews bad for dry things) at fo dear a rate For food, for fait, for firing, for dunging their lands within the wails, feveral interpreters have feverally 'applied it '. But, upon a fmall examination, it will appear, that none of thefe ufes could fuit with the circumflances of a city fo clofely belicged as Samaria was. The falmudifts fuppofe,.. that they have found our the true folution, by trariflating the term in the original by crop of doves -, for they affirm, that ftveral people in Samaria kept many doves, to bring them provifions from the country, which were wont to difgorge what they picked up, fo that their owners might fell it at a dear rate : But who can imagine, that fo great a number of doves, as were neceffary for this purpofe, fliould be fuffered 10 live in a city fo pinched with famine j that doves fhould be fo docile, and well trained up, as to bring to their ma fters whatever they had ranged for j or, that in a country, in a mariner covered with the enemy, who had altogether foraged and laid it , Wafte, there fliould be found any nourifhment at all ? ¦ The learned Bochart therefore has not only folidly confuted thefe wild opinions, but . has likewife farther obferved, that the Arabians gave the name of doves dung, or fparrows dung, to two feveral things; iff, to a kind of mofs that grows on trees, or ftony ground ; and, 2dly, to a fort of peafe or pulfe, which was very common in Judta, as may be feen in 2 Sam. xvii. 28 ; and therefore he concludes, that the word Cherfe- Tiim may very well denote vetches, or pulfe: And, for the confir mation of this, fome travellers have told w-, that at Grand Cairo, and Damafcus, there are magazines, where they conftantly fry this kmd of grain, which thofe who go in pilgrimage buy, and take with them, as part of the provilion for their journey ; Hieroz.part. 2. lib. I. c. 7.; and An ejfay towards anew tianflation. f The ftory, as it is rcpreferted in Scripture, is very affect ing. And, as the King of Ifrael was puffing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him. faying, Ile.p, my Lord, 0 King. And he faid, If the Lord do not help thee, whence fb'all I helf thee ? Out of the barn-floor, or out of the wine-prefs ? And the King Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 153 who had been conftrained to do it, he rent his cloaths, and, A. M. in a fit of rage, vowed to be revenged of Elifha, whom he 3^'r^\r' took to be the caufe of all this calamity; and to this pur-jooj, ire.' pofe fent an officer to take off his head, whilft himfelf fol- .ftom... lowed after to fee the execution done. to^hif eiKl* Elifha, by the fpirit of prophecy, had notice of this 0f t chroa. wicked defign againft his life ; and having acquainted \ the < company with it, defired them to fecure the doors, that the officer might not be admitted until the king came. When the King faid unto her, What aileth thee ? And fhe anfwered, This woman faid unto me, Give thy fon, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my fon to-morrow ; fo we boiled my fon, and did eat him ; and I faid unto her the next day, Give thy fon, that we may eat him, and fhe hath hid her fon, 2 Kings vi. 26. ire. A fhocking ftory this ! And a terrible effect of the divine vengeance, which Mofes had long before told the Ifraelites woukj fall upon them, Deut. xxviii. 53. if they rebelled againft God ; which, at two other times befides this, viz. at the fiege of Jerufalem under Nebuchad nezzar, Ezek. v. 10. and at that under Titus the Roman general, came likewife to pafs ; for therein Jofephus gives us a very dolo rous account of a lady of diftinction, who, out of extremity of hunger, wa"s forced to eat the very child that fucked at her breaft ; The wars of the Jews, lib. J. c, 8. f The words in the text are, And Elifha fat in his houfe, and the elders fat with him, 2 Kings vi. 32. where, by his houfe, fome interpreters underftand the fchool, where the fons of the prophets met to be inftructed ; and, by the elders, his chief fcholars, who under his inflruetion, applied themfelves to the ftudy of divine things. But as we frequendy read in Ezekiel, of the elders of If rael fitting before the prophet to hear him, chap. viii. f and xiv. r. we cannot fee why the elders, in this place likewife, may not denote fome good and godly men, who bore office either in the court, camp, or city, as it feems probable by the prophet's. defiring their help and protection. For, though Jehoram himfelf was a wicked man, and moft of his officers might be forward enough to imitate him, yet we are not to doubt, but that there were fome of them, whom Elifha's holy life, and glorious miracles, together with the fundry be nefits which the public reaped from his mmiftry, had won over to God, and to thc true religion ; and thefe were here fitting with him, either to receive comfort and connfel from him in this diftreff- ed time, or to folicit him to ufe his power with God for their relief: Which accordingly he did, and in compliance to their requeft, not out of any fear of the king's threats, (from which he was well afTu- Vol.IV, U red, 154 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookTI. A. M. the king was come, and the prophet was exhorting him to Ani''chrif nave a httle 'patience, and God would remove this afflic- ioo3, ire. tion in time, in a raving fit of defpair, he replied, "That from " he would wait God's leifure no lpnger, but go and wor- 'Kl"fv!l'"" ftiip his father's idols, if they peradventure could deli- of 1 chron'. " ver him 'in this neceffity." Whereupon the prophet af- «— v—' fured him, that, if he would ftay but four and twenty hours more, he fhould fee fuch an alteration in Samaria^1 that j- a meafure of flour fhould be fold for a fhekel, and two meafures of barley for the fame price. This a certain lord (a great favourite of the king's) ftanding by and hearing, affirmed to be a thing impoffible, unlefs God fhould rain corn from - the clpuds ; tp whpm the prpphet only made this ihort anfwer, That himfelf fhould fee the plenty, but not be permitted to tafie of it; which according ly came to pafs, And how it The people of Samaria, though addicted to idolatry, was raifed. did neverthelefs obferve the ceremonial part of the law, and, purfuant to this, had-f-fhut fpur lepers out of the city; who red, that God would not fail to deliver him), he pronounced the joy ful news, which, follows in the beginning of the next chapter ; Pool's Annotations. f The word Seah, which we render a meafure, was equal ta fix cabs, and contained (as. fome think) fix quarts, (as others;, a peck, and (as others) a peck and two quarts, of our meafure. Tht) fhekel was much about pur three fhillings ; ?nd to have a peck of fine flour for* three fhibrngs at other times would, not have been fo cheapj but, confidering the prefent fituation of tbin.es, it was wonderfully foj Le Clere' s Commentary ; and Pool 's Annotations. t The. Jews are pf opinion, , that ihefe four lepers \yere Gehazi, and three of his fons. Perfons that were leprous indeed, were not permitted to oonverfe with other men, and, by. the law of Mofes, vvhile the Ifraelites lived jn tents, they were to be turned out of the camp, Numb v. 3. s. But, qfter that thev came to inhabit cities, it may be queflioned, whether they treated thtm with that rigi.nr j (ince, in 2 Kings viii. 4. we find G'iiazi holding difcourfe with the king, (which .makes againft his being; one of the four excluded le pers), and giving him 3 detail pf all EUfha's miracles; but this he might do by talking to him at a proper, dift :nce. Lepers indeed were carefully avoided, becaufe thiirdiftemper, in thefe hot countries,' \yas thought contagious ; bgt, in the cafe before us, thefe four feem to be excluded, not fo much upon the account of their . diften> P«ii Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c 155 who lay under the walls, until they were ready to ftarve; A. M. In this condition thefe poor creatures, confuhing what '^'ji,,;/-"' meafures they .fhould beft take, refelved at laft to try the too-,' ire. geneiofity of the enemy, becaufe, at the wprft, they'eould trom ... but die ; and accordingly, befpre break pf day, went tp [^fJnd' the camp. When they came thither, to their great fur- 0fx chron, prife, they found no living creature, but only horfes and — •V>~~J affes. The tents were ftanding, and well provided with riches, and all manner of neceffaries, but the men were gone : For having been affrighted with a uoife in the air4 as of an army in full march, and ready to fall upon them, they fuppofed, that the king of Ifrael had called to his af fiftance feme foreign powers, (f the Hittites or Egyptians), and thereupon leaving the camp, without ever ftriking their tents, betobk themfelves to their heels as faft as they could. The poor lepers, having firft fatisfied their hunger, and ' fecured' feme riches tp themfelves, began tp reflect, that while they were thus regaling themfelves, and plundering the camp, their* cpuntrymen were in danger of ftarving in the town; _ and therefore, with all poffible hafte, re turning to the gate, they gave the porter notice of the enemies flight, who went immediately, and fent an ac count of it in to the king. The king, imagining at firft that this had been a ftratagem of the Syrians to draw his people out of the town, and fo fall upon them, fent out per, as becaufe they were ufelefs hands. They could neither fight, nor work in communion, with others : They were only fruges eon- ' , fumere nati, and were therefore no proper perfons in a fiege 5 Pa trick's and Calmet's Commentaries. ¦ f The Hittites in particular lived in Arabia Patrsea, to the fouth ofPaleftine, and, in Solomon's time, (who had fome wives like- wife out of their country), held a great commerce with him for hor fes, 1 Kings x. 29. and xi. r. But under the name of Hittites, (as elfewhere under the name of Amorites), the ficrej pemnari feems to comprehend all, or any of the people of Canaan, for though the greateft number of that people were deflroycd, yet fome of them were fpared, and many of them (upon Jolhua's coming) fled away, fome to remote parts, (as that famous and % ancient pillar, in the coafts of Afric, teftifies), and others to the countries bordering up on Canaan ; where, by reafon, of the fcarcity of inhabitants in thofe days, finding room enough, they feated themfelves, and in procefs of time, growing numerous and powerful, appointed (according to their ancient manner of government) kings to rule over them ; Pool 's Annotations. IT 2 fome 1 5 6 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI A. M. feme parties to reconnoitre fuch places as might be moft 3001, ire. fufpected for ambufcades ; but when they returned, they in- too€h&t f°rmed him> that they could Set no fiSht of the enem7> °n- lo°ftomC' ly they found the roads ftrewed with arms, and garments, 1 King yiii. and feveral bundles of things, which they had dropped (as t° th^.end they fuppofed) to eafe themfelves in then- flight. Upon j hearing of this news, the people rufh out of the city ingreaj numbers, and bring in provifion in fuch quantities, that corn was fold at the price which Elifha mentioned, and at the time which he foretold : And as the incredulous no bleman, who had defpifed the prophet's prediction, was ap pointed by the king to guard the gate which led from the city to the camp, the better to prevent diforders, the croud preffed fo vehemently upon him, that they trampled him Under foot, and killed him, before he had an opportunity to tafte any part of that great ftore which he faw was brpught tp the market. Hazael After this miraculous railing of the fiege of Samaria, Ben* made king h^ad was deterred from making any. farther attempts tip- upon mur- on Ifrael : Nor do we hear any more of him in the facred thering his hiftory, until Elifha went to Damafcus, the capital of Syria, niifler Ben- 10 execute the order of declaring Hazael king, which was originally given to Elijah his predeceflbr. The king hear ing of his arrival, and being no ftranger to his abilities, fent this fame Hazael, (who was then become one of his prime minifters), to wait upon him with a very noble pre fent, and to inquire of him, whether he fhould f recover "of the ficknefs which he then laboured under. The pro phet told Hazael, that his mafter might recover, becaufe his diftemper was not of itfelf mortal, but that he was ve ry well aifured that he would not : And then, lopking fted- faftly upon him, he brpke put into tears, upon the profpefl f What Benhadad's diftemper was, Weare no where told in Scrip ture ; bnt it is very evident, that it was not of fo defperate a nature, hut that he might have recovered of it, had he not had foul play for his life. According to the account of Jofephus, it was no more than a fit of melancholy ; for " when he came to underftand (as he " tells us) that all thefe alarms of chariots and hoi-femea, that had " given fuch an irreparable rout to him, and his army, were, in " truth, only judicial impreffions of affright and terror, without any " foundation, he looked upon it as a declaration from heaven againft " him ; and this anxiety of thought made him as fick in the body *' too as be was in his mind;" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 5. c. 2. (as Chap.lIL from the building of the Temple, (3c. i$y (as he told him) of the * many barbarous calamities which A- M. he would bring upon Ifrael, when once he was advanced to ^"'Ch'j£ power, as that he would be, becaufe he was aifured by di- iooj, ire. ' vine revelation that he was to be king of Syria. At thefe from _ words, Hazael's ambition took wing; and therefore re- 'K^g8™'- turning to his mafter, he concealed thd prophet's anfwer, 0f x chron. and gave him good hopes of his recpvery, but the next i day, tpok care to prevent it, by * ftifling his breath with a thick * The particulars are thus enumerated : / know the evil that thou wilt do to the children of Ifrael; their flrong holds wilt thou fet on fire; their young men wilt thou flay with the fword ; and •wilt dafh their children, and rip up their women with child, i Kings viii. 1 2. That dafhing young Children againft the ftones was one piece of barbarous cruelty which the people of the eaft were apt to run into, in the profccution of their wars, is plainly intimated in that paffage of the Pfalmift's, alluding to the calamities which preceded the Babylonifh captivity : 0 daughter of Babylon, wafted with mi- firy ! Yea, happy fhall he be that rewardeth thee, as thou haftjir- ved us. Bleffed fhall he be, that taketh thy children, and throwetb them againft the ftones, Pfal cxxxvii. 8. 9. Nor was this inhuman practice quite out of ufe among nations that pretended to more po- litenefs : For according to the remains of ancient fame, the Grecians, when they became mafters of Troy, were fo cruel as to throw Aftyanax, Hector's fon, a child in his mother's arms, (as Homer reprefents him), headlong from one of the towers of the city. The ripping up women with child, is the higheft degree of brutal cruelty ; and a cruelty for which there is no occafion, becaufe, kill hut the mother, and the child dies of courfe ; and yet it has been often known, that in the heat of execution, this barbarity has been com mitted. Nay, there is reafon to believe, that Hazael, in his war with the Gileadites, 2 Kings x. 32. 33. verified this part of the pro phet's prediction concerning him ; for what -\rnus, complaining of 'his cruelty to thefe people, calls threfhing Gilead with threjhing in ftruments of iron, both the Septuagint and Arabic verfions read, he flawed the big-bellied women of Gilead with iron flaws ; Le Clerc's and Calmet's Commentaries. * This he did, that no figns of violence might appear upon him ; for had the people, in the leaft, fufpected his being murthered, Ha zael would not fo eafiiy have acceded to the throne ; becaufe (accord ing to the account of Jofephus) Benhadad was a man of fuch reputa tion among the people of Syria and Damafcus, that as his memory was celebrated among them with divine honours, his de;.th, no doubt, had 158 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. thick cloth dipped in water: And as Benhadad had no 30°I'nfr' fon of his own, and Hazael was a man of great efteem, e- fsoj &e " fpecially ampng the foldiery, he was, without much diffi- from 'culty, declared his fucceffor. • Kingsviii. The next thing which Elifha did, was to have Jehu a- ©f ^ChKin n0'nte(l king °f Ifrael, purfuant to the order that was , ^r^,. given to his mafter Elijah, and to the divine decree of Jehu being punifhing the houfe of Ahab for their manifold impieties. anointed Ramoth-Gilead was a place of long difpute between the two ~™g,° k;jj crowns of Ifrael and Syria. Jehoram, king of Ifrael, had his mafter lately had an engagemr nt with Hazael, king of Syria, not jehoram, far from it, wherein he had received fome very dangerous a^hk; f wounds, and was gone down to Jezreel, to be cured of judah. them. -His army however + continued the fiege under the command of Jehu, who, -in the king's abfence, acted as captain-general. This Elifha thought was np improper opportunity to execute the orders which were left upon had it been known to have been violent, would have been fully reven ged upon the murtherer ; Jewifh Antiq lib. o.. c 2 We may ob ferve, however, that hiftory makes mention of fome other, princes who have died in the fame manner that Benhadad did ; that the Em peror Tiberius (according to Suetonius) was, in bis laft ficknefs, choaked in his bed by a pillow crammed into his mouth, or (as Ta citus has it) was frcothered to death under a vaft load of bed- cloaths ; and that King Demetrius, the fon of Philip, (as well as the Emperor Frederick the Second), was hurried out of the world the fame way ; Calmet's Commentary. f It is fuppofed, by fome interpreters, that the city of Ramotk- Gilead was taken by Jehoram, before he departed from it to be cu ed of his wounds. This they gather from the mention made of the inner chamber, 2 Kings ix. 2. the lop of the flairs, ver/ 13. and from that caution which Jehu thinks advifeable, Let none go forth, or efcape out of the city, ver. 15. But thefe arguments will not do. What we render out of the city, does fignify, every whit as properly, from before the city, i. e. cut of the camp oral my that is befieging the city. But even, if this be not fo, the Ifraelites might, at this time, have the fuburbs, or cut-buildings belonging to tne city, in their poffeffion, where the genera! might have his head quarters, and from whence he might give orders to the piquet - guard, (as we call it), that none Ihould be permitted to move. For had the town been already in their hands, we cannot fee why Je horam fhould have kept all Ifrael there, ver. 14. ;'. e. all the mili tary force 'of Ifrael, when a flrong garrifon, would have been fuffi cient; Pool's Annotations, him Chap III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 159 him to do ; and therefore f calling one of his minor pro- A- M> phets, he bid him go to Ramoth-Gilead, and f there anoint ^''aJit, Jehu, the grandfon of Nimfhi, as king of Ifrael, with the 1003, ire. utmoft fecrecy, and then to come away with the utmoft .from... expedition. When the prophet came thither, he found jj'jj'e'end the officers in a council of war, and Jehu at the head of 0f 1 Chron. them. Defiring therefore to fpeak with him in private, he did what his inftructions were, and reminding the general of the prophecies of Elijah, concerning the utter extinction of the houfe of Ahab, he enjoined him (now that he was inverted with power) to put them in execution. The officers that were with Jehu, had but a contemp tible opinion of the prophet ; for perfons of this character they looked upon as a * kind of madmen ; and yet when they + The Jewifh doctors are of opinion, that the prophet whom E« lima fent upon this meffage, was Jonah ; but upon this fuppofition, he muft, at this time, have been a very young man, becaufe Jero boam the Second (in whofe reign Jonah prophefied) did not afcend the throne till about fifty years after this unction of Jehu king of Ifrael. However this be, it is reafonable to think, that Elilha him felf did not go to perform this office, either becaufe he was now grown old, and unfit for fuch a journey, or becaufe be was a per fon too well known, and not fo proper to be employed in an affair (bat required fecrecy ; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries. ¦j- The Jews are of opinion, that none of the kings of Ifrael were anointed, but thofe that were of the houfe of David, and thefe on ly,- when there was a queftion about their fucceflion ; as Solomon, they fay, needed not to have been anointed, had it not been for the faction of Adonijah. But in the cafe of Jehu, in whom the fuc ceflion of the kingdom of Ifrael was to be tranflated out of the right line of the family of Ahab, into another family which had no right to the kingdom, but merely the appointment of God, there was a neceffity for his unction, in order both to convey to him a title, and to inveft him in the actual poffeffion of the kingdom : For if that (which fome imagine from 1 Kings xix. 16.) be true, viz. that the prophet Elijah did, before this time, anoint Jehu, that unc-. tion did only confer an him a remote right to the kingdom, in the fame manner as Samuel's unction did to David, i.Sam. xvi. 13.; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool's Annotations. * The officers who were in company with Jehu, might eafily per ceive, by the habit, and air, and manner of fpeech of the perfon who accofted Jehu fo boldly, and when he had done his bufinefs, vanifhed fo fuddenly.j that he was a prophet ; but then there might be feveral r?afons. 1 60 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. thgy underftpod that he had anpinted Jehu tp be king, they ^u'chrii proclaimed him with a general cpnfent, and, with a good j 003, ire. body pf forces, marched directly to Jezreel, where Jeho- irorn ram was not yet recovered of his wounds, and whither toKthf end Ahaziah, king of Judah, was at that time come to vifit ofi Chron. him. Jehu's intent was, to get to Jezreel, before the king could have any intelligence pf what had paifed at Ramoth-Gilead, and there tp furprife and feize him ; but a -j- centinel frpm the watch tower, perceiving a body of men coming, and, by their hafty march, concluding that it was Jehu whp commanded them, apprifed the two kings of it ; whereupon they got ready their chariots in all hafte, and (as the providence of God would have it) met him not far from the vineyard of Naboth, the Jez- reafons which might induce men of their profeffion to have a con temptible opinion of men of that order The rigid and obfcure courfe of life which the prophets led, their neglect of themfelves, and, of the things of this world, might pafs with them for a kind of infatuation ; and the holy exercifes to which they devoted them' felvcs, for no more than a religious frenzy. Befides this, the falfe prophets which they had feen in the court of Ahab, had given juft offence ; and by their affected geftures, and ftudied contortions, (whereby they thought to recommend their crude enthufiafm,), made themfelves juftly ridiculous and contemptible. And therefore, it is no wonder, that thefe officers, at firft fight, fhould cenfurc a true, as they thought they had reafon to judge of the falfe prophet, with whom they had been acquainted ; efpecially when we find fome leading men in the tribe of Judah treating the prophets of the Lord (as in the cafe of Ezekiel, chap, xxiii. 30. 31. and of Jeremiah, chap xxix. 26.) as fools and madmen ; and fome great names in the Heathen world, looking upon all pretenders to infpi- ration in no better light; according to that noted paffage in Cicero s Quid habet aufforitatis furor ifte, quern divinum vocatis, ut quie fix- piens non videt, ea videat infanus, et is, qui humanos fenfus amife- rit, divinos affeeutus fit ? De divinat. lib. 2. f In time of peace, as well as war, it was cuftomary to have watchmen fet on high and'eminent places where-ever the king was, to prevent bis being furprifed. Thus David, at Jerufalem, was in formed by the watchman, that his fons were efcaped from" the flaughter of Abfalom, when he thought them all loft, 2 Sam. xiii« 34. ; and therefore Jehoram, who had afi army lying before Ra moth-Gilead, had good reafon to keep a watchful eye upon every motion that came, efpeciaiiy from that quarter; Patrick's and Cat* vifs Commentaries., reelite, Chap. HI. from the building of the Temple, (3c i6t reelite, and perhaps (a) in the place where Naboth was a M. ltoned. i^i,&e. Upon their firft meeting, a few words convinced Jeho- Ant' ffi' ram, that Jehu had confpired againft him, and was come, ffom in an hoftile manner, to avenge f the idolatry and wicked- i Kingsviii. nefs of his mother Jezebel, whereupon he turned his cha- tVh£|f°d riot and' fled : but Jehu fopn overtppk him with a fwift ar- flf If j row, which pierced his heart ; and, when he perceived him finking in his chaript, he bid an officer that was by, thrpw him into Naboth's field, which was near at hand, f that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled. As {a) i Kings xxi. 19. f The anfwer which Jehn returns to Jehoram is, What peace, fo long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel, and her witchcrafts are fo many ? 2 Kings ix. 22. /. e. whiift her idolatries wherewith (he bewitches the people are ftill condnned and multiplied. And he upbraids Jehoram with his mother's fins, and not with his own, becaufe her's were more notorious and infamous, and what, by his connivance, he bad made his own ; becaufe they were the princi pal reafon why God did inflict, and he was come to execute thefe judgments ; and becaufe he could find no odious accufations againft bim, except about the golden calves, which he purpoftiy declined mentioning, becaufe he himfelf intended to keep them up ; Pool's Annotations. f The words whkh Jehn feems to quote are thefe,- Surely, I have feen yeflerday the blood cf Naboth, and the blood of his fons, faith the Lord, and I will requite him in this place, 2 Kings ix. 26. It is to be obferved, however, that in all the hiftory of Nabotb, (which is recorded in 1 Kings xxi), we find no mention made of the death of his fons ; but it is no unufual thing for the Scripture to fup- ply, in one pkee, that which has been omitted in another. It is not improbable, therefore, that as Naboth was accufed of high treafon, all his family was involved in his ruin, and all his eftate confifcated to the king's exchequer : and what feems to confirm this opinion, is, That we find Elijah never once putting the king in mind to re ftore the vineyard to Naboth's children, nor the king, in the time of his repentance, ever once thinking to do it, becaufe, in all human appearance, there were no heirs left. Notwithftanding this, Gro- tius, and other learned men, have obferved, that thefe words may fignify no more than the extreme poverty to which Naboth's family was reduced by the death of their father, and the connfeation of his goods : for, among the Hebrews, fay they, all punifhments and mi- feries are called blood, Lev. xvii. 4. ; and to take away their eftate, Vol. IV. X npon i6z The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI 4. M. As for Ahaziah, he attempted to make his efcape, but 3001, ire was puvfued by a party of Jetiu's men, who came up with "C him at Gur, and, as he was fitting in his chariot, gave him a mortal wound ; fo that, as foon as he reached Megiddo1, ¦ he died. He was thence removed to Jerufalem, where he was buried in the royal fepulchre of his anceftors, and, after a reign of lefs than two years, was fucceeded by his mother Athalirh, who ufurped the throne. B fl™ t - Jehu> m tne ,nean time, made the beft of his way to zebel, the Jezreel, where Jezebel, refolving to keep up her grandeifr princes cf to the laft, * painted and dreffed herfelf in her royal robes, the Wood, an{j^ looking out of her window, upbraided him with his tions nf A- treachery, as he paffed by, and reminded him of the unhap- baziah, and py fate of Zimri, who flew his king and mafter Elan : But, the pnefts without making her any anfwer, he called to fome body to of Ba'a7P C throw her out pf the window, which \ her own eunuchs did; upon which they would have lived, was, in effect, to take away tbek blood, in which is the life of every creature. But this is a little forced ; and therefore, we fhould rather think, that Jehu is here ag gravating. Ahab's crime, and reckoning the fons as flain whh tbe fa ther, brcaufe, by their being deprived of him, and of his eftate, they were, in a manner, in as bad a condition as though they were dead; Le Clerc's, Patrick's, and Calmet's Cemmentaries. * The word* in the original import, She put her eyes in paint, i. e flic ufed flibium or antimony pulverifed, to make her eyes and eyebrows look.blackand large, which, in feveral countries, was ac counted a great beauty. Tbe ufe of paint has been of ancient date, and .the art of blacking the hair, and beautifying the face, may be indulged the vanity of the female fex ; but it raifes one's indignarioa to read of a Sardanapalus painting his eyes and eyebrows; of the an cient Greeks running into the fame cuftom ; and much more of the marti .1! Romans : but there were fops in all nations then as well as now< Ilk fupercilium madida fuiigine tinctum O '.iliqaa producit acu, pingitque trementes Attcilen* -oculos. Juv. fat. 2. + According to the euftom of the eaftern nations, the bofmefcof this fort of people was to attend upon queens in their chambers, who, by their great fide'ity and obfequioufnefs, gained generally the e- fteem, and were admitted to the confidence of thofe they ferved, and from thence into places very often of great null and pro fit. Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 163 did; fo that, by the fall, her f blood ftained the walls of A M. the palace, and, when fhe was upon the pavement, the >°01' ire. horfes trampled her under foot, and the dogs devoured her Vnt cl"if" body; Jnfo much, that: when Jehu (in f consideration of ,'°°'rorn '' her quaRty) ordered feme of his fervants to go and bury, Kingsviii. her, they found nothing of her remaining but her fkvill, t0 the end feet, and palms of her hands : fo punctually was the prp- ° * r0j phet's prediction fulfilled concerning this wicked and idpla- "" trous woman ! Having thus fettled himfelf in a quiet poffeffion of Jezreel, Jehu fent a letter to the nobles, and other great men, f who were at Samaria, ajid had the care of the princes fit. It is remarked, however, of Jezebel's eunuchs, that they were - far from being faithful to her, to let us fee how fuddenly countries are wont to change with the fortune of their mafters ; Patrick's Com mentary. f Some of the Jewilh doctors look upon this as a punifhment, ac cording to the lex talionis ; for as fhe had done, fo fhe fuffered. She had caufed Naboth to be ftoned, and now fhe is condemned to be ftoned herfelf. For there were two ways of ftoning, either by throw ing ftones at malefactors till they had knocked them down and killed them i or by throwing them down upon the ftones from an high place, and fo dafliing them to pieces ; Patrick's Commentary. ,f She was the daughter of Eth-baal king of Tyre ; the wife of Ahab, and mother ol Jehoram, kings of Ifrael; the mother in-law of Jehoram king of Judah ; and the aunt of Ahaziah, who was likewife king of Judah ; Calmet's Commentary. •j- The words in the original, which our tranflation*has followed, are, Jehu wrote letters, and fent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's children, 2 Kings x. 1. But then the queftion is, How the rulers of Jezreel came to be at Samaria ? Some have imagined indeed a miftake in the tranfcriber, and that, inftead of Jezreel, the word fhould be Ifrael, ' which is no great variation : gut why may we not fuppofe, that, upon hearing how Jehu had (lain Jehoram, the great men of his court might take -the children, and, for fear that they fhould fall .into his hands, flee with them to Samaria, as the capital, and'ftrong- eft place in the kingdom, where they might think of defending them felves againft his ufurpation, and (as his letters feem to import) of filling, with one , of Ahab's family, the vacant throne. It was cu- 'ftomary for princes of the blood, in thofe days, to be brought up in the families of the prime nobility of the nation ; and therefore, what ever perfons of this quality had thefe princes under their care, and X 2 faw* 1 6+ The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book Vt A. M. princes of the blood, to chufe out whom they thought the !°0I'chr'f fi teft to fet upon the throne of Ifr^el : bvit they bein§ wel* ",oo3, «yc. aware with what intent he did this, and not unacquaint- from ed with tke fate of the two kings, he had already difpatch- i Kings viii. ej; returned him a very fubmiflive anfwer, wherein they to tie end ^ i_ire(j themfelves entirely at his devotion. This declara- v_ --,._. tion he took the advantage of ; fo that, in his next menage, he commanded them f to fend him the heads of all the princes, who f were no lefs than feventy ; and in this like-i wife being punctually obeyed, without any farther delay, he proceeded faw the revolution that was like to happen, they might think it the moft advifeable way to haften with them to Samaria, as a place of the molt fecurity : Or, for this very reafon, Jehoram, when he went againft Ramoth-Gilead, might have fent them thither, that they might be untler cover from any ill accident that might poffibly happen in his war with the king of Syria; Patrick's Commentary, and Pool's Annotations. •f Befides the accomplifhment of the divine decree. Jehn had this larther defign in requefting this cruel fervice of the rulers and el- ders, and great men of the nation, viz. that thereby he might en gage them in the fame crime and confpiracy with himfelf For, bjf pievailing with them to murder Ahab's kinfmen in this manner, he tied them to his intereft fo tlofly, that if any of the inferior peo ple had been minded to oppofe his defigns, they were, by this means, deprived' of any man of figure and diftinciion to head them ; and not Only fo. bai, by this expedient, Jehu ihought likewife that he might, in a great meafure, juiiify, at leaft ltflen the odium of his own crael and peitidious conduct ;for this is the fenfe of his appeal to the people, Ye be righieoui : behoid I havt. confpired againft my mafter, and flew him ; but who flew all iheje? 2 Kings x. 9. As it he had faid, " I " own indeed, that I wa>- a great inurnment in taking off the late " king ; but am I more culpable than are the friends, the counfelkrs, " the officers of Ahab ? 1 pretend not to conceai my tank ; but the " approbation which the principal men of the nation have given it, " in taking up arms againft the houfe of Ahab, and the wonderful " fuccefs that has attended this enterprife of mine, are not thefe a " certain proof that God has raifed me up to execute his decree in " this refped ? And ought you not to acknowledge, in this cafe, the " interpolition of his hand ?" Calmet's Commentary. ¦f The facred hiftorian takes care to repeat the number of thefe princes of the bloed in two feparate places, ( 2 Kings x. 1. Chap. HI. from the building of the Temple-, &c. 165 proceeded to extirpate every one that remained of Ahab's A. M. family, the great men of his court, and all his friends. 3A°ot'Jfc.mJ. _ i , . ° r, . .... . Ant. Chnf. For, in his way to Samaria, meeting with fome nephews, ,003 ^.Cm and other relatipns pf Ahaziah, who, f knowing nodiing from pf thefe tranfactions, were going to pay a vifit to the court lKing5V11y. \ Several learned men are of opinion, that this Jonadab was not the perfon who gave the precepts mentioned in Jeremiah, chap xxxv. to his children, but another of that name, who lived hi the days of Jeremiah : for it is not likely, they think, that a man addkted to fuch a quiet and retired life as he inftituted, would have come to meet Jehu ; and therefore they rather imagine, that it was fome mi litary perfon of great note and eftetm among the populace, whole intereft might do Jehu great fervice, and whofe advice in many things he afterwards followed. But why might not Jonadab (how well foever he might love retirement) come, upon this occafion, to congratulate Jehu's zeal againft idolatry, and to advife and encou rage him to proceed in fulfilling the will of God revealed to him ? And the reafon is obvious why Jehu might be glad of the counte nance and company of fuch a man, whofe known piety would gain him more reverence and refptct, than the attendance of any great captain could procure him. But, though Jonadab the fon of Re* chafe *66 -The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VJ, A- M- As fepn as he was come to Samaria, he firft deftroyed all im^Chrtf. tbat were ^ °^ tbe houk pf Ahab in that city, and then, 1003, ire. pretending that he defigned to offer an uncommon facri- from fice I-Kings viii. to the end- of x Chron. chab is allowed to be a good man, yet it does not therefore follow, 1 that be revived the ancient rules of the Rechabites (as fome art apt to think) upon a religious account, but purely as a matter of policy. The ftory is this: the Rechabireswere of the race of Hobab, or Je- thro the Kenite, prieft of Midian, and father-in-law to Mofes, 1 Chron. ii. 55.; fo that the Krnites were Midianites, and the Mi- dianites were dwellers in tents from the beginning : for in this man ner Abraham lived while he fojourned in the land of Canaan ; and, in imitation of him, the Midianites, who were of his pofterity, might do the fame. Now, when the children of Hobab, who were all Kenites, were invited by Mofes to go along with the people of God into Canaan, they might retain this paftoral manner of life, not only as a badge of the nation from whence they were dcfcended, but as a means likewife to make their habitation more quiet and fecufe, (in a land where they were ftrangers), both from the- envy of the Jews at home, and the danger of enemies abroad. For, having neither houfes nor lands, but tents and cattle only, which they could move upon occafion from place to place, they could not be fo fubject tohoflile invafions. But as, in length of time, thefe Kenites were tempted, by the more pleafant living of the Ifraelites, to think of changing this cuftom of their anceftors, this Jonadab the fon of Rechab, a famous Kenite, and of much efteeHi and authority among them, tpok occa fion to renew it again, and to bind his pofterity to obferve jt; for which end he forbid the drinking of wine, left the defire of fp der iicious a liquor might tempt them to plant vineyards, and build"hoq- fes, as thejews did. What authority he had to inforcc thefe arbi; trary injunctions, we cannot learn. It is plain, that he laid his po fterity under no curfe in cafe of difobedience ; on the contrary, we find, that the prophet Jeremiah, chap. xxxv. 2 ire was directed by God to bring them to an apaitment in the temple, to fet wine be fore them, and invite them to drink; which would have been an un worthy aaion, if they had been under an indifpenfable obligation of abltaining from it : and, on the other hand, the Rechabites re fined it, not becaufe their father Jaid them under any curfe if they difobeyed him, bat becaufe he promifed, that they fhould live many days in the land wherein they were ftrangers, if they obeyed his voice, Jer. xxxv. 7. ; which promife, being alfo made to thofe who ho noured their parents, Exod. xx. 12. might the more incline them to that ftrjet obedience, for which they are fo highly commended Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, &cf 16*7 fice unto Baal, he iffued out a proclamatipn, commanding A. M. all his priefts, prophets, and worfhippers, u^Jfn pain of ^°°*'J^j. deaths to be prefent at this great folemniry. They all came ; l003~ fr-fl; and when they, and they only, (for care was taken, that from _ none of the fervants of the Lord fhould be among .them), ,KmgSVUI- to tlic cut* * were met tpgether in Baal's temple, and the * priefts kiofjchion. their proper veftments, he cpmmanded his guards to go in, ....yj and fall upon them, and kill them all. After this, they ran to the temple of Baal, brake down his image, and the f o-- ther images of the like nature, and burnt them publicly. They demolifhed the temple quite, laid it flat with the ground ; and, that the place whereon it ftppd might in all future ages be lpoked upon as defpicable, they made it a * common jakes. Thus by God in the place above cited. Upon the whole, therefore, it appears, that Jonadab only renewed what his anceftors had obferved long before he vsas born ; and that his authority prevailed among his brethren to continue this form of abltinence for two hundred years after he was dead, not as a matter of religion, but as a mere civil cuftom ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c. 2. * It was the cuftom of almoft all idolators to be very curious about the external pomp of their ceremonies, wherein, indeed, the chief part of their worfhip does confrft. All the priefts of Baal were clothed in fine linen, and their chief priefts, no doubt, had fome particular ornaments to diftinguilh them. Baal and Aflarte were . Phoenician deities : and therefore, as Silius Italicus, in his defcrip- tien of the priefts of Hercules, has given us an account in what manner the Phoenician priefts (when in their office) were habited, we have reafon from thence to fuppofe, that the drefs of the priefts of BaaJ were much of the fame kind. Nee difcolor ulli Ante aras cultus : velantur corpora lino, Et Peluliaco prsefulget ftamine vertex. ' " Difcinctis mo* thura dare, atque e lege parentum Sacriricam lato veftem diftinguere clavo. ¦f Thefe idolaters, befides the fupreme God whom they took Baal to be, worlhipped -feveral other leffer gods, whom they call Baalim, and whofe images were placed in this temple: for it was an ancient cuftom, (as Stiviu* notes), after the prieft had invoked the particular god ' for whom the facrifice was intended, to addrefs himfelf to all the other gods, left any of them fhould think them felves neglected ; Patrick's Commentary. *f The hiftories of the eaft lurruih us with feveral examples of princes 10 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI, A M. ' Thus entirely did Jehu deftroy the family of Ahab, and l°V'rtCci the worfhip of Baal iri the khud.Mi of Ifrael ; for which Ant. Chrift. .TT ° . , , ,-, , u . u X003, ire. he was fo tar approved and rewarded by (rod, mat ne en- from tailed the ciown upon his family to the fourth generation ; 1 Kingsviii. ^ut p0\lcy prevailed againft religion, and perfuaded him to aVhron" continue the pid idolatry, even when he had deftroyed the «— -v— <*• 1 newi The calves which Jeroboam had let up, he would not His idola part with : and therefore God, to make him fenfible of his ST thnd difpleaftlre, ftirred up Hazael king of Syria to invade his cpuntry ; who, having taken feveral of his frontier-towns^ did thereby open a way to make great ravages in feveral other places of his kingdom, efpecially in the cpuntry be yond Jordan, where the tribes pf Manaffeh, Gad, and Reuben fuffered much. In a wprd, we may fay pf Jehu, that, as his conduct was pf a. mixed nature, God rewarded his pbedience, but punifhed hi6 idolatry ; whp, after he had reigned eight and twenty years, died, and was buried in Samaria, and (without any ppppfitipn) was fucceeded by his fun Jehpahaz. Jehoahaz' Jehoahaz, to preferve the crown of Ifrael from uniting for' fv" w'tn t'iat °^ Ju^an> purfued the fame method that his pre- idohtry " deceffbrs had dpne, in relation tp the pplitical wprfhip of unhappy the golden calves ; fo that, during his whole reign, Gpd wign, and fprely afflicted both him and his people, by delivering him a ' into the hands of Hazael, and his fon Benhadad, the third Syrian king of that name, whp reduced him tp that low ebb, that he had np more than fifty hprfemen, ten cha- ripts, and ten thoufand fopt foldiers left. At length, thro' the many defeats he had received, and the grievpus oppref- fion under which he laboured, grown weary of life as well as government, after a very troublefome reign of feventeen years, he died, and was fucceeded by his fon Joafh, a prince more fortunate, and not altogether fp irreligious as h'ts father. But, to inquire a little now into the affairs' of the kingdom of Judah. princes inflicting this kind of punifhment upon fuch as were founi guilty of high-treafon, or of contravening the king's commands. To this the decree which Darius made in favour of the Jews plainly alludes : Whofiever fhall alter this word, Jet timber be pulled down from his houje, and, being fet up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his houje be made a dunghill, Ezra vi. 11. And, to thefame puipofe, is (hat threat of Nebuchadnezzar to the magicians, ire.- If ye will not make known unto me the dreams, with the interpretatisp thereof, ye fhall be cut in pieces, cud your houfes /hall be made a .dunghill, Dan. ii. J. When Chap- III. from the building of the .Temple, (3c igg "When Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, and wife to a. m. jehoram king of Judah, underftood that Jehu hadflainher J001, ire. fon Ahaziah, being a very ambitious, bloody-minded wo- lnt' cjlrif> man, and refolving to take the government upon herfelf, 'OCfrom '' f fhe deftroyed all the children that Jehoram had by ano- < Kings vii;. ther wife, and all their offspring, that fo fhe might afeend '° the end the throne without any oppofition. Jehofliaba, the fifter °f j.0-™' of Ahaziah by the father's fide, but not by the mother's, Athaliah's was, at this time, married to Jehoiada, the high prieft ; usurpation and while Athaliah's executioners were murdering the reft, °ithf cfVva fhe ftole away f Joafh, the fon of Ahaziah, and kept him, and her mi- and ferableend. f The confideration of the fate that attended thefe royal fami lies, is enough to make any one blefs providence, for having beea born of a meaner parentage. The Wliole offspring of Jeroboam, Baafha, and Ahab, kings of Ifrael, was cut off for their idolatry, fo that there was not one left ; and the kings of Judah, having con tracted an affinity with the houfe of Ahab, and being by them fe- duced into the fame crime, were fo deftroyed by three fucceffive mafficres, that there was but one left. For, firft, Jehoram flew all his brethren ; then Jehu flew all his brother's children ; and now Athaliah deftroys all the reft that her executioners could meet with. Eriraged fhe Was to fee Ahab's family cut off; and therefore fhe re folved to do as much by the houfe of David. As fhe was one of A- hab's family, fhe had reafon to apprehend that Jehu, who had a commiflion to extirpate all, would not be long before he called up on her: Her only way therefore, tofecure herfelf againft him, was to ufurp the throne ; but this, fhe knew, fhe could not do wifhouc deftroying all the royal progeny, who were no wellwifhers to the worfhip of Baal, which the had abetted, and was refolved to main tain ; Pool's Annotations ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c 2. f Some interpreters are of opinion, that Joafh was not the real fon of Ahaziah, (in Whom the race of Solomon, in a direct line, Was extinct), but properly the fon of Nathan, and only called A- haziah's, becaufe he fucceeded him in the throne : For had he been Ahaziah's true fon, and Athaliah's grandfon, why might not fhe have declared him king, and during his minqrity at leaft, taken the adminiftration into her own hands ? But therefore fhe exercifed her cruelty, as they fay, in deftroying the princes related to Ahaziah, < becaufe fhe was unwilling to have the kingdom go into another branch of David's family. But notwithftanding thefe reafons, and the authority of thofe who produce them, in the fecond books both of Kings and Chronicles, v*e find this Joafh, fo frequently called the Vol. IV. Y fon 1 70 The Hiffory of the BIBLE, Book Vt A- M and his nurfe, concealed * in an apartment of the temple, Arrt'chril t ^or t'ie fpace °f nx years. ,oo\,>&e. In the feventh year, his uncle Jehoiada, being deter- from mined to place him upon the throne of his anceftors, and i Kings viii. tQ t^jg pU,.p0fe having engaged the priefts and Levites, and of x' Chron. the leading men in all the parts of the kingdom, in his^in- L— v— ¦ tereft, in a public affembly produced him, and made them take an oath of fecrecy and fidelity to him. Then put ting himfelf in a proper pofture of defence, f he diftributed fon of Ahaziah, the king's fon, &c. without any manner of reftrie. tion, that we cannot be perfuaded to look out for any other father for him. * Jofephus relates this young king's efcape and concealment thus: — " Jehofhabath, the fifter of Ahaziah, and wife to Jehoiada: " the high prieft, coming into the palace, found a male child, of a- " bout a year old, whofe name was Joafh, among the dead bodies " of the fons of Ahaziah, whom the nurfe, it feems, had the-re laid " on purpofe to fave its life : She therefore conveyed it away, to her " own lodgings, and thence to the temple, where fhe took care of " it, through the whole fix year? of Athaliah's reign, without ma- " king anyone privy to the fecret, except her own hufband;" who, upon this extraordinary occafion, might difpehfe with the law, or rather cuftom, Which allowed none but the priefts, who officia ted, to lodge in the apartments of the temple ; Jewifh Antiq. lib. a. c. 7. ; and Calmet's Commentary. -j- It is very likely, that Athaliah might imagine that fhe had flain all, and fo think herfelf fecure ; or if fhe fufpected that this one was preferved, fhe might not think it advifeable to make any ftrict fearch, left thereby fhe fhould alarm the people with the no tion, that there was ftill a fon of David's family left, which might be a means to make them nneafy under her government, and defi rous of a. change : Befides that foe might have the vanity to think of being able, in a fhort time, to fecure the crown to herfelf, in fuch a manner as that (lie Ihould not need to fear fuch a weak competi-' tor ; Pool's Annotations. + The captains and other officers, who were admitted to the knowledge of Jehoiada's defign, came into the temple unarmed, for fear of giving fufpicion : But as David had erected a kind of facred armoury in one of the apartments of the temple, wherein the wea pons, and other trophies which he, and feveral other generals, had gained from their enemies, and as monuments of their victories, had dedicated them to the Lord, were depofited, Jehoiada took care, upon this occafion, to have this magazine of military provifions o- pened, fo that there was no want of any fort of arms ; Jofeph. An tiq. lib. 0. c. j. the on. Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. ljt the arms which David had repofited in the temple, among A. M. his people, whom he divided into three bodies, one to guard *°01' ^f« the perfon of the king, and the other twp to fecure the ( °0'" £.' gates of the temple, that none might be permitted to en- trom ter, (except the priefts and Levites, who were to pfficiate), 'Kingsviii. uppn pain of death. After this he brought out the young ',f 'Jchj prince, fet the crown on -his head, "j- put the book of the law into his hand, and becaufe his right had been inter rupted, anointed him, and With the found of the trumpet, proclaimed him, which was feconded with the joyful fhouts and acclamations of the people. Athaliah, hearing the noife, made all the hafte fhe could to the temple ; but when to her great fur- prife, fhe faw the young king on a throne, which was erected f in an eminent place, and the people and great + Thofe who think- that the word Eduth, which we tranflate teftimony, comes from the Hebrew root Adah, which fignifies, ta clothe, put on, or adoxn,' fuppofe that it was fome royal / ornament, which the high-prieft put upon the king, as a mark of regal dig nity, at the fame time that he placed a crown upon his head ; and this ornament they conceive to have been a bracelet, becaufe in the ftory of the Anialekite, we read, that he brought to David the brace let that was upon Saul's arm, as Well as the crown that was upon his head. But fince, in the 1 7th chapter of Deuteronomy, which treats exprefsly of the election and duty of a king, there is this in junction given, That he fhould write him a copy of the law in a book, out of that which is before the priefts, the Levites, ver ij3« others (with more probability) have thought, that, at his corona tion, a roll, containing a copy of the law,' (which is frequently call ed a teftimony, 'as being a witnefs of God's will, and mens duty), was put in his hands, which he held, for that time, in the way of a fceptre or a truncheon ; though others will have it, that when Je hoiada crowned Joafh, he laid the book of the law upon his head, to which cuftom holy Job (chap. xxxi. 3c. 36.) as they think, feems to allude, when be withes, 0 that mine adverfary had writ ten a book ! Surely I would take it upon my fhoulder, and bindy it as a crown to me ? For the manner among the orientals, when they received a letter from-any perfon they highly refpected, was to hold it up to their heads, before they opened it ; Patrick's and Calmet's, Commentaries ; and Pool's Annotations. f The words in the text are, And when fhe look- ^ td, behold the king flood by a pillar, as the manner was, 2 Kings.1 xi. 14. Now there were two famous pillars,, which Solo- • Y 2 mon 172 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI,' . A. M. great men about him rejoicing, fhe rent her cloaths,' ^ 3001, i~c and cried put, Treafon! But Jehpiada foon filenced her : t to Ch&c For llaving commanded the guards to feize, and carry hep frem out pf the temple, and tp put all to the fwprd who fhpuld 1 Kngs viii. pretend to refcue pr affift her, they immediately executed o°f Ihch-non l^eir OT&ers > and taking her out of the facred ground, y ,, -| _ ' brpught her, Withuut any ppppfitipn, tp the ftable:gate belpnging tp the palace ,*and there flew her. Jpafh, being thus feated pn the thrpne, by the high? prieft's directions, made a cpvenant with the pepple, that they fhpuld reftpre the true worfhip of God, continue in it, anq root out all idolatry; and then he made another be« tween himfelf and the people, viz. that he fhould govern according to law, and that they fhould be mindful to obey him. When this was done, the multitude rofe, deftrpyed the temple, demplifhed the altar, broke dpwn the images, and killed Matan, the prieft pf Baal, whp was then in •waiting. After this, Jehpiada abplifhed feme cprruptions, ¦which former reigns had introduced, made feme reform; in the fervice pf the temple, and then, with all the rulers, arid officers, and pepple, cpndufted the king tp the royal palace, and put him intp a quiet ppffeflipn pf the kingdom pf Judah. Joafh's Seven - years old was Joafh, when he began to reign, f^fl."!^ which was in the feventh year of Jehu king of Ifrael;' hisafterde- an<*> while he was under his uncle Jehoiada's guidance and clenfion in- direction, he governed the nation very well : But, when to idolatry, mon erected in the porch of the temple, whereof that on the right hand was called Jachin, and that on the left Boaz, and were each of them (according to the account we have) eighteen cubit? high, 1 Kingsvii. 15. 21. Solomon's defign, in fetting tip thefe two pillars, is generally fuppofed to haye been, in order to reprefent tbe pillar of the cloud, and the pillar of fire, which went before the Ifraelites, and conduded them in the wildernefs. ' The pillar on the right hand reprefented the pillar of the cloud, and that on the left the pillar of fire ; and near one of thefe pillars, in all probability^ the royal throne was erected : Unlefs we can fuppofe, that, what is here called a pillar, was that brazen fcaffold, five cubits long, five |_broad, and five high, which Solomon made at firft upon his dedi- ,fj cat'ng the temple, but was afterwards continued for the king, upon .1 any folemn occafion, to appear upon, and where doubtlefs there was atiir.meof ftate; Calmet's Commentary ; and Bedford's Scripture- fironotogp, lib. 6. e. 2. @nce Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3d 175 ' pnce that good old counfellor died, (who, in the * hundred A. M. and thirtieth year of his age^ paid the laft debt to nature, J^'-ofe and, in confideration of his many great fervices done the 100j, ire' public, had the honour to be buried in one of the rpyal ftojn lepukhres), he fell into the hands of fuch perfons as were ' Kingsviu. idolaters in their hearts, and they, taking the advantage of 0f xchron.. his youth, -j- by their crafty management and iniinua j tions, * This the hiftorian takes notice of, as a life remarkably long in, thofe days ; and yet our learned Ufher has obferved, that, in an age riot far remote from our time, feveral men outlived this period. The words of Jofeph Sealiger, which he quotes, are to this^fiect, "Se» f veral jierfons we eonld mention, that have lived 130, 12$, and " 130 years, whom we knew, have feen, and well remember : " But, in the year 1584, there was at Paris a miracle of an old f man, who bore arms under Lewis XI. and, at the age of 1 40 " years and upwards, had the ufe of his limbs and faculties entire." But not a greater miracle was he, than our Thomas 1'arr, the fon of John Parr of Winnington, in the county of Salop, who abode' wkh his father as long as he lived, but, after his deceafe, married his firft wife at the age of 80. With her he lived for die fpace of two and thirty years, in which rijne being convicted of adultery with ano ther Woman, he did public penance in the church of Aldcrbury, when he was roc. Jn Ms i2id year, he married his fecond wife, who abode with him as long; as he lived : But at length he was brought up to London by the Earl of Arundel and Surrey, in the year 1635;, atjd fhown to the King of Great Britain, when he was fome months more than 152 years old. Two years after this he died in Arundel houfe, and might probably have lived fome years longer, had he continued in his native air ; Chronol. flacra, c. 1 2. rf The Jews have a fancy, that the courtiers, who, after the death of Jehoiada, got pofli-ffion of Joafh, flattered him with a con ceit, .that he himfelf was worthy of divine honours, who had been brought up in' the houfe of God, a favour that was never granted to a mere man, and that the king's, being pleafed with this kind of flattery, provoked God tp fend upon him the calamities we after wards read of ; even as the angel of God lmote Herod, for afTu- , niing the glory to himfelf, when the people, in commendation of his oration, /aid, That it was the visiee of a god, and not of a man. Acts xii. 22. But this is mere fancy. If the princes of Judah.. wanted to obtain a toleration from the king for their idbl-worfhip,, it would have been highly abfurd for them to go about to perfuade him, that himfelf was a god, fince they diat have the folly to eftablifh fheir own adoration, are always yery jealous ef the worfhip of any ' other. 174 The Hifl&ry of the BIBLE, Book VI: A. M. tions, firft obtained a licence for themfelves to worflup fbch. Soot, en idols as they fhould think fit, and then proceeded to de- ioe» a~"* ^n^e k™ mto ^e **£ apoftacy. ft^a In the beginning of his reign, be was very felicitous a? » Kmgsviii. bout the honfe- of God, wherein he had fo long, rf'^rfc1"1 an£^ *"° ^PP^J' ')een concealed ; and, as it was greatly , gone to "decay, through tbe negligence of former princes, and die depredation of Athaliah's children, he took no fmall pains to fectie revenues, and procure conrribntions for its reparation, -f But now, by his connivance at feaiL. if not by his own exarr.pk, men began to forfake the tem ple cr the Lord, and to addict themielves to thc worflup of idols, and grovci conk crated to falfe gods ; infomnch, tiu.t the div-nc vengeance was kindled both againft tbe kmg and people of Judah, wherepf they bad notice by feveral prophets ; but all to ao purpofe. At length, the Spirit of Godltirred up Z^cturiah, the fen 'of Jehoiada the high- prieft, to remonitraje againft the general impiety ; which hedidin fuch ftrongrrr-: :, ha: thc king was offended at his freedom, and, f Ikde remen-Ocrmg the kindnefs of his father ether. Their making obeilance therefore to the king, denotes the horobk poftnre wherein they reprcterred ibtir petition, that they might ax be confined to tmctceilary and treebk-fome joonries, in coming to Jerofakm to worfhip, bat be indulged the iiberty (which their forefathers hac) of worunpping God in high places; which when they had once obtained, they knew the> might then woribp idols-, wiikom obfervanon or cifhntaBce; Patrick's and Catmefi" Commentaries; and Foot's Ar.r.'.t-t.ons. -f- Jehoiada, the high-pric-ft, L. fupfofed to die in or near the three and rarcnttb >ear ct King J afh's reign, fo that Joafh nught be abwt thirty years old, v hrn die princes o! Jodah fcdoced him to idolatry : Atic this makes fc tbe more wroderfnl, w bat poiLbhr conU give occafion to foch a ihameni) change in fo adv .need an age, ra ids we can forpofc, that the conduct of the priefts in kL-bezzehng* the nar-ey cohered for the reparation of the ttrr.r.e, (whereof he coB-.plaics b Jehoiada, 2 Kings xii- 7.), right cnfaie his tem per, and give hini fine difguft; U CierSi Commentary-, acd Uosttd's Hiftory, in the notes. 4- This fin, beikes the contempt of God's prophet, and' of the facred place where he was murdered, had an horrid ingr*. Btnoe 13 a, fince Zechariah w-s the fon of him to whom the •wed his Lie and kkga ..-, and who kirr.;elf affifled his Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c 175 father and mpther, to whom he was indebted for his own A. M. life, gave orders to deftroy tbe fon; fo that a band of ruf- '^"J'c^ fians, appointed for that purpofe, fell upon him, and, in (003) ^e.' one of the courts ot the temple, ftoned him to death, call- .from... ing upon God to avenge his caiife. ' K,ngsvl'u And it was not long before the great avenger of all vio- 0(1 chron. lence and wrong effectually did it : For, the very next year, — -— • the Syrian army under Hazael paffed the Jiwdiu, and, Isforelydi- marching directly to Jerufalem, flew in their way all the ftre(rccj h7 princes and great men that had feduced their king to idola- faus ;„'[£, a try. diftemper, Joafh was in no condition to make any refiftance ; and an not only he, bttt his children likewife, who' are neither confcw ous nor partakers of any of his traiterous practices, are equally de- Voted to deftrtiction, left they (forfooth) Ihoiild form any faction a- gainft the prince, or feek revenge for their father's death ; Le Clerk's Commentary. (b) Dent. xxiv. 16. ¦f Hence fome have made an obfervation, how much the ini- cpiitfes of the people of Judah had diniimfhed their numbers fince thc days of Jeholhaphat, which was a fpace of but eighty-two years i For this' king could bring no more than three hundred thoufand men into the field ; whereas Jebolbaphai brought almoft four times as iru-' ny ; Patrick's Commentary i - t If thefe be reckoned for talentsof filver, (as they generally are), each talent, at an hundred and twenty-five pounds weight, and eaqli pound weight at four pounds in value, the whole will amount to fifty thoufand pounds Sterling, which will be but ten fhillings to each man, officers included. Very low pay ! unlefs we fuppofe, that thi* whole fum was given to the king of Ifrael for the loan of fo many men, and that the men 'were to have their pay befides ; or rather, that tbey were to have no other pay but the booty which they took from the enemy; and that this was the true reafon why they' were fo exafperated at their difmiffion, as to fall upon the cities cf Judah, from Samaria even unto Belh-horon, 2 Chron. xxv. 13. They went very probably firft to Samaria, where tbey com plained co their own king of the bad treatment they had received from Amaz'rah, and defired fome reparation to be made them tor the af front put tlpon them, and the Iofs of tbe profit which they might have made in the war j but, finding him not inclinable to make them fatisfaction, they immediately fell foul upon the territories of Judah, and, from Samaria (for that is the place of their felting out) even to Hctb-boran, a town not far diftant from Jerufalem, ravaged the conn- try, and did thc milch tef here mentioned ; which they might more eaiify do, becaufe the war with Edom had drained the country of Vol. IV. Z all i 7 8 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VL A. M. f by the direction of a prophet whpm Gpd fent tp him on 3001, ire purpofe to diffuade him fiom emplpying thefe auxiliaries, Ant. Chrit they were -wirh much ado) difcharged, and himfelf went in . ,0°3r'om '" perfon againft the Edomites with npne but his own men, 1 Kings-viii. the people of Judah. However, being thus fhamefuUy dif- t0 th!.™d miffed, as they thought, they were npt a little exafperatedt °D; againft Amaziah ; and therefore, in their return home, they plundered all the tpwns in their way, killed np lefs than three thoufand men, and carried away a confiderable booty, tp make an amends for the plunder they had pro-.. mifea themfelves in the Edomitifh war. Amaziah, (as we faid), with none but his own forces, marched againft the Edomites. In the f valley of Salt he gave them battle, flew ten thoufand upon the fpot, and took ten thpufand prifpners. From thence he marched tp Selah f , the metropolis of Arabia Petrsea, which he fopn became mafter pf, and from the tpp pf the rock wherepn the town ftppd, * threw the ten thpufand he had taken prifoneri headlong, fo that they were all dafhed to pieces. But all the forces that fhould have rippofed them ; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries on '2 Chron. xxv. 6. 13. f Tire Jews will needs have it, that this prophet was Amos, the father of Ifaiah ; but their tradition is built upon a miftake, viz. that Amos the prophet was Ifaiah's father. '+ This valley lay towards the land of Edom, and was fo called, either from the falt-fprings which were therein, or from that fait that was dug up there; Patrick's Commentary on 2 Sam. viii. 13. -f- ^elah, in the Hebrew tongue, fignifies a rock, and fo exattly anfwers to the Greek word Peira, that moft commentators, with ve ry good reafon, have agreed, that this Selah is the fame with Petra, the metropolis of Arabia Petrasa, and from whence (as fome ima. gine) the whole country took its name ; though others rather think, that, as this city had its fituation on a rock, fo the adjacent tract was called Arabia Petrcea from its being overfpread with fuch rocks, or rocky hills; Wells's Geography of the OldTeftament, vol q. * That this was an ancient punifhment among the Romans, we may learn from Livy, Plutarch, and feveral others; as Mr Selden (de Synedriis, lib. 1.) o'oferves, that it was in ufe among other na tions ; but we do not find it commonly pnetifed among the Jews. It is not in the catalogue of the punishments which Mofes enatts; nei ther was it ever inflictedby any regular judicature : and therefore one would think, that the Edomites, either by fome fuch like cruelty to the people of Judah, had provoked . them to make a retaliation in this Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 179 But his cruelty to the captives was not the worft thing A- M- he was guilty of in this expedition. In his return, he * [n°.''chric brought with him the idols of Edom, to which he paid a- ,003, ire.. doration, and offered incenfe ; which thing provoked the .lrom... Lord, fo that he fent a prophet to reprove him for his app- * fi s"j ftacy, and to threaten him with the deftruction which in a0fz chron. fliort time came to pafs. For, being now elated with his ^-— v~— J fiiccefs againft the Moabites, and refenting the affront which Amaziah the Ifraelitifh army had lately put upon him, he f fent fjoja|°to is „ Joafh vanquished by Joafli king of If- this manner, or that they were, in their very difpofition,. fo apt to"^.'^^ revolt, that there could be no keeping them in fubjection, without by his o-wn _fome fuch fad exemplary punifhment as this ; Calmet's Diftirt. fur fubjects . les fupplices ; and Le Clere' s Commentary on 2 Cbron. xxv. 12. * idolatry, at the beft, can no ways be apologized for ; but no reafon Can be invented, why any perfon fhould make the objects of his adoration fuch gods as could not deliver their own people out of the enemies hands, as the prophet very juftly reproves Amaziah, 2 Chron. xxv. 15. unlefs we fuppofe, that the images of thefe gods were fo very beautiful, that he perfectly fell in love with them, or that he worfhipped them for fear they fhould owe him a fpite, and do him fome mifchief, in revenge for what he had done againft the Edomites. How much more wife were the fentiments of Fa- bricius Maximus, upon the like occafion, who, having conquered Tarenmm, and being afked what fliould be done with their gods ? bid them leave them with the Tarentines ; " for what madnefs is it " (as he adds) to hope for any fafety from thofe that cannot preferve " themfelves?" Patrick's Commentary. •f- Jofephus, in his account of this tranfadtion, tells us, that A- maziah wrote an imperious letter to the king of Ifrael, " command- " ing him and his people to pay the fame allegiance to him that they " had formerly paid to his anceftors David and Solomon ; 'or, in cafe " of their refufal, to expect a decifion of the matter by the fword.!' Others think, that he intended no war by this meffage, but only a trial of military fkill and prowefs, or a civii kind of interview be tween his men and diofe of Ifrael ; for had he purpofed to act in a hoftile manner, he would have affanhed them on a fudden, and not given them this warning to ftand upon their defence. The words of the meffage are, Come let us look one another in the face, 2 Kings xiv. 8. Much of the fame kind with what Abner faid to Joab, Let the young men now arifle, and play before us, 2 Sam. ii. 14. But how polite foever the expreflions may be, in both cafes they had in them the formality of a challenge, as both the king and general Z 2 (who 1 80 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. Jpafh king of Ifrael a challenge, tp meet and engage him in V""'Jf?r a pitched battle. \toZ,&e. Joafh (as it deferved) * received the meffage with con- from ' tempt : but, when he found that Amaziah was hereby .Kingsviii. but ^e rnpre irritated, and perfifted in his purppfe of fight- Sx Chroming' he met him, and gave him fuch a receptipn, that he '< routed his army, topk him prifoner, and carried him * to his (who were not unacquainted with military language) did certainly underftand them. So that the truth of the matter feems to be this: Amaziah being encouraged by bis late victory, determined to be revenged for the (laughter of his anceftors by Jehu, 2 Kings jx. and for the late fpoil which the Ifraelites had made in his coun try ; and thereupon refolving to have fatisfaction, (but in a fair and honourable way), he fent them this open declaration of war, hit conceived in as mild terms as any thing of that harfh nature could be ; Calmet's and Patrick's Commentaries. * It was a cuftom among the oriental people to deliver their faith ments in parables, in which they made a great part6f their wifdom to confift: and, confidering the circumftances of the perfon he addrefled to, whp was a petty prince, fhtfhed with a little good fuccefs, and thereupon impatient to enlarge his kingdom, no fimilitude could be better adapted than that ofathiftle, alow contemptible fhrub, hat upon its having drawn blood of fome traveller, growing proud, and affecting an equality with the cedar, (a tall ftately tree dtat is the pride and ornament of the wood), till, in the midft of all its arro gance and prcfumpiion, it is unhappily trodden down by the beads of the forefls, 2 Kings xiv. 9. which Joafh intimates would be Ama-, ,ziah's fate, if he continued to provoke a piince of his fuperior power and ftrength ; Le Clere 's, Calmet's, and Patrick's Commentaries. * Jofephus relates the defeat and,captivity of Amaziah after this manner : " No foonef were his men advanced within fight of " the enemy, but they were inftantly ftruck with fuch a panic ter- *' ror and confternation, that they tinned their backs, without ftri- " king a blow ; and, flying feveral ways, left Amaziah prifoner in f thc hands of his enemies, who rcfufed to give him quarter upon f any other terms, than that the citizens of Jerufalem fliould fet *' open their gates, and receive him and his victorious army into *' the town ; which, . between the pinch of neceffity, and the *' love of life, they were prevailed upon to do : fo that " -Joafh entered the town in his triumphal chariot, through a ?' breach of three hundred cubits of the wall' (that he had " C4llfc i Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 1 8 1 his own city pf Jerufalem ; where he entered In triumph, A. M. plundered the temple and palace of all that was valuable, 30^nd of Ephraim to the corner-gate, about four hundred cubits { in length, and fo f returned to Samaria: After this fhanieful defeat, Amaziah lived above fif teen years ; but we read of nothing remarkable concerning him, fave that, perfifting ftill in his idolatry, he continued under God's difpleafure, and at kngth fell under the con tempt of his fubjects ; infomuch that fome of f the inha bitants of Jerufalem formed a confpiracy againft his life, which he, having fome intelligence of, endeavoured to e- fcape by flying to Lachifh, (a town on the frontkrs of the " caufed to be made) with his prifoner Amaziah marching before " him ;" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 9. c. 10. f Thefe hoftages were, in all probability, the great mens fons of the city, whom Joafli took - along with them, as a fecurity that the kingdom of Judah fhould give him no farther moleftation. f He never intended to make a thorough conqueft of the king dom of Judah, nor did he leave a garrifon in Jerufalem ,- but, con tenting himfelf with what fpoil he could get, he made all convenient hafte home, becaufe he had work enough at this time upon his hands, to defend his territories againft the daily invafions of the Sy rians ; Patrick's Commentary. ¦f Wbat provoked thc people of Jerufalem more than any other part of the nation, againft their king, was, their feeing thek city fpoiled of its beft ornaments, expofed to reproach, upon account of the great breach that was made in their wall, and feveral of their children carried away as hoftages for their good behaviour ; all which they imputed to their king's mal-adminiftration. Where upon they entered into a confpiracy againft him, which makes fome commentators fay, that he lived in a ftate of exile at Lachifh, the fpace of twelve years, not daring to continue long in Jerufalem after the defeat which Joafh had given him. But our learned Ufher has placed this confpiracy in the laft year of Amaziah's reign, as Jaco bus Capellus (in his Hifioria flacra et exotica) fuppofes, that it was* fet on foot by the great men of Jerufalem, upon the fpecious pretence ef being guardians to tb° young prince, and taking better care of him than his father was likely to do j Patrick's and Calmet's Com- Pientaries. PhUiftines) ; i 8 2 The Hillory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. Philiftines); but all in vain : For the confpirators fent after V""'rhC-'f him> and had him there P>'ivately murthered ; which, i7oi, *?. when his friends underftopd, they brought his corpfe (with- from out any ftate pr formality) to Jerufalem, where he was i Kingsviii. burieci ampng his anceftors, and, after a reign pf nine and of ^chron ^enty years, was fucceeded by his fon Azariah, who, in \— v— »' the bopk of Chronicles, is called Uzziah. But to turn our thoughts now to the kingdpm of Ifrael. Eliflia's In the beginning of the reign of Jehoafh, king of Ifrael, death, his (which was in the t thirty-leventh year of Joafh king of Ju- ad vice to dan^ the prophet Elifha fell fick of a tbfeafe, whereof he king of if- fif; , Ant. Clinf. | tain- , .1003, ire. This was the laft prediction of Elifha, that we read of from (for foon after this he died) ; but it was not the laft miracle » Kingsviii. that we find he did: For, fome time after his inter- ^'x QJron. ment, a company of Ifraelites, as they were going to bury ^.-^-^ a dead perfon, perceiving, a band of Moabites f making towards them, * put the corpfe for hafte into Elifha's ] \ Thefe Moabites were not fuch a gang of robbers as fometimes infeft our roads, but a regular body of men, well appointed, and under proper officers, to the number of a fmall army, who made ihcurfions into the territories of Judah and Ifrael, generally at the beginning of the year, which is the feafon proper for armies to take the field ; and therefore fome have obferved that the mouth of Ni- fan, which, with the Jews, is the firft in their year, had its name from Nifim, which fignifies the engines of war, which were ufttally fet up in that month ; in like mariner, as the month, which we call March (and, in part, anfwers to the Jewilh -Nifan) had its' name' among the Romans from. Mars, their god of war; becaufe moft nations, at that time, began thek military expeditions ; Patrick's m , and Calmet's Commentary. * The common places of burying among the Hebrews, were in the fields, in caverns dug into a rock, with niches for the corpfes' to be placed in, and, at the entrance of the fepulchre, there was an hewn ftone, which might be removed or replaced without any damage to the tomb. The Jews (as Jofephus informs us) gave Elifha a pompous and honourable interment, anfwerable to the dignity and merit of fo great a prophet ; but he does not tell us where the place of his fepulture \yas. Hereupon fome have imagined, that he was carried to Abelmeholah, the place of his nativity, to be there interred a- mong his anceftors : Others think, that he was at firft buried on mount Carmel, a favourite place of his, and afterwards removed to Samaria : Others again fay, that* he was buried at Nineveh ; and, to this very day, the inhabitants fhew his monument at Moral, which was built, as they fay, upon the very fame fpot -where old Niniveb ftood. But the -moft .prevailing opinion, founded upon a conftant tradition, is, that he was buried fomewhere in the neighbourhood of Samaria, • becaufe there, in all appearance, he died. The tomb, however, that is ufually fhewn for his in that city, can be nothing more than the repofitories of his remains, fince his original burying- place was certainly at fome diftance from it; Jewifh Antiq. lib. y. e. 9. torn 3, 1 84. The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. tomb, which, as foon as it had touched his body, f im- 3001, irt. mediately revived, fo that the man ftood upon his feet, ^o' c& {< and went nome (n0 doubt) with the comPany- Tll!s mi' ""from'" rack, which was a divine confirmation of the truth of all 1 Kingsviii. Elifha's prophecies, could not fail pf being a powerful to the end means t0 encourage Jehoafh in his engaging in war whit ^1^^' the Syrians. Nor was his fuccefs lefs than the prediction ; Jehoafli's for, -f in three pitched battles he vanquifhed Benhadady viaoHes o- (his father Hazael being then dead), recovered all the cities a"a ?^nhafthat had been taken from his father Jehoahaz, and re- Syria,'and united them to the kingdom of Ifrael. After this he lived his death, quiet from all enemies, until Jpafh king pf Judah gave him the fmall difturbance we have fpoken of: But, after the victory which he gained over him, we hear no more of his ¦f- Jofephus, in his account of this tranfaition, varies a little from the facred hiftory : For, " it happened, after Elifha's burial," fays! he, " that a traveller was killed upon the way by fome thieves, and " his body thrown into Elifha's monument, which, upon the bare " touch of the prophet's corpfe, inftantly revived." The Jewifh doctors, Who love to improve upon every miracle, tell us, that this t t perfon, (whom they pretend fo call Sellam) , after he was revived,: did prcfently die again, becaufe he was a wicked man, and did not deferve to liye long ; never confidering that his hafty death after wards was the ready way to impair the credit of the miracle, and make it indeed of no effect. However this may be, it is certain,. that by this miracle, (as we find it related in Scripture), God did the higheft honour to his prophet, and confirmed the truth of what he had promifed to the king of Ifrael, as well as fhe certainty of a future life ; in which fenfe fome part of the character, which the author of Ecclefiafticus,. chap, xlviii. 12. gives him, may not improper ly be underftood : -Elifha was filled with Elijah's fpirit ; whilft be was not moved with tb_e prefence of any prince, neither could any bring him into fubjeftion : No word could overcome him ; and, after. his death, his body prophefied : He' did wonders in his life, and af his death were his works marvellous; Jewifh Antiq. lib. 9. c, 9. and Calmet's Commentary. f We have no partiisulars of the war between Jehoafh and the Syrians, nor can we tell where, thefe three battles were fought j but the fuccefs of them was fo great, that the king of Ifrael not only retook all the places that had been loft in his own dominions, hut repulfed the enemy into their own country, and there obtained 4 fignal victory over diem; Patrick's Commentary. appearing Chap.HL from the building -of the'TempIe, (3c. 185 appearing in the field, and may therefore conclude, that a. m. (after a reign of fixteen years) he died in peace, and was soal> ire. fucceeded in his throne by his fon Jerobpam. * if ™" "/ In the fifteenth year pf Amaziah king pf Judah, this from Jeroboam, the fecond pf that name, began to reign pver • Kings viii. Ifrael, and by + the encouragement which the propVet t0. £h Jpnah gave him, proved fuccefsful in many military at- . ^ - J ehievements. He recovered a large territpry, which feveral Jeroboam kings had taken from his predeceffors, even all the cpuntry ^e Second, from Libanus, pn the nprth, tp the Lake. Afphdtites, on f^^/,^ the fputh ; but efpecially pn the eaft pf Jprdan, whereby kingdom of he enlarged thofe cpnquefts which his father Jpafh had ifrael, and made : And whereas Hamath and Damafcus had, in the ^£f h'" days pf David and Solomon, been tributaries to the kings an imerreg- of Judah, but had now revplted frpm Ifrael, he cpn-num. q-uered them again, and f made them pay hpmage to him, as they had formerly done to his predeceffors. So that, after a long reign of f one and forty years, wherein bis •f- Thc only mention we have of this prophet (whom the Jews wili have to be the fon of the widow of Zarephthah whom Elijah rai fed from the dead, but without any foundation of reafon) is in this paflage, and the account of his famous million to Nineveh. What the prophecies were, whereby he encouraged Jeroboam to proclaun war againft the king of Syria, we have no where recorded ; but as we have not every thing which the prophets did write, fo feveral prophets, we muft know, did not commit their predictions to wri ting. From this place, however, we may obferve, that God was very merciful to the Ifraelites, (though they were certainly a very .wicked people), in continuing a race of prophets among them, even after Elilha was dead ; Patrick's Commentary. ¦(- Some are of opinion, that when Jeroboam re-conquered thefe two chief cities of Syria, he rellored them to tbe kingdom of Ju dah, becaufe they belonged to it of right,, and refeived to bimtelf only a fmall tribute to be. paid him by way of acknowledgment. This is what the original Hebrew, as well as thc Chaldee and Sep tuagint verfions feem to favour : .but the Syriac and Arabic tranua- tors have omitted the word judah, and'may therciore be fuppofed to, think, (as feveral others do), that Jeroboam kept to himfelf all thofe places which he had recovered at his own hazard and ex- pence; Calmet's Commentary. f This was much longer than any of the kings of Ifrael had reigned : For even Jehu himfelf, though his reign was longer than that of any who went before him, reigned but twenty-eight years ; God having on purpofe prolonged dns prince's reign, becaufe he Vol. IV. A a was contents. i85 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book "VI. A. M. his arms were all alpng fuccefsful, he + died in much her-. 3oor, «b-c nour and renpwn,- and was buried with his anceftprs •, but Att C&" (whether " was through wars abroad, pr through difcurd ,0°ftomC and diffention at home) he left the gpvernment in fuch con- 1 fjJngs viii. fufion, that after his deceafe, there was an interregnum for to the end tne fpace 0f tw0 anci twenty years. , * " During the time of this interregnum, Jonah * the fon The book of A nittai, who had prophefied before, in the time of Je- of Jonah, roboam, was now fent upon anpther errand. His cpmmif- And its . gon was exprefsly to Nineveh, whither he was to go, and to exhprt the inhabitants tp repentance, becaufe the cry Was rtot minded to blot out the name of Ifrael from under heaven, but to fave them by his hand; 2 Kings xiv. 27. ¦j- The prophet Amos, who lived in the reign of this prince, was accuied by Amaziah,. the pried of Bethel, for prophefying that Je roboam fhould die by the fword; but Amos never made any fuch pre diction. It was a falfe accufation which this idolatrous prieft lent againft him, becaufe he was defirous to have him removed out of the way ; 4mos vii. 10. ire. * It is a very common opinion among the Jews, (as we faid), that Jonah was the widow of Zarephtha's fon ; and this opinion they found upon the words of the mother, when fhe received her foq a- live from the prophet's hand : By this I know, that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth, 1 Kings xvii. 24 ; for therefore, fay they, was the child called the fon of ' A/fittai, becaufe imittai fignifies truth : A weak reafon, God wot ! and fuch as is plainly repugnant to the teftimony of Scripture. For this we know for certain, that Jonah lived in the reigns of Joalh, and Jeroboam the Second, kingi of If rael ; and therefore could not be the. widow of Zarephtha's fon, fince the former of thefe two princes did not begin to reign till iix1yfr years after thc tranfiation of Elijah. Others pretend, that h'e was fon to the Shunamite woman, whom the prophet Elifha raifed from the dead ; but Shun.im and Gathhepher (where we are certain Jot , nah was born) were two quite difierent places, the former in the aibe of IfTachar, the otlitrin that ot Zebulun ; and there/ore, we may con- elude, that Amitiat was the proper name of Jonah's father, who lived in a little canton of ihe nibe of Zebulun, called Hephtr, or Hopher, wherein was. the town of Gath, which is generally b. lieved to be the lame with J.tapato, fo famous for the fiege which Jofe- phus% the Jewifh hiftorian, there maintained againft ihe Roman ar my, a little before the deftruction of Jerufalem; Calmet's Preface. . fur Jonas ;' aild his Dictionary, under the word. ' ; Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 187 ¦of their fins had re/iched heaven. . But inftead of obeying A. M. the divine command, the facred hiftory mfor.ms us, that ^''chrif. he bent his courfe another way, and, intending to retire to 1003, -ire. Tarfus, 1 city in Cilicia, embarked at joppa *, a fea port ,tr0m on the Mediterranean; that as foon as he had well got to ,f s ' ",'' fea, an unaccuuntable ftorm arofe, which gave the mariners Jt- x cinon. a fufpicion, that fome great maleftctor was got on board, — -v*" mj upon whofe account the heavens feemed fo very angry f- ; that * Joppa is a fea-port town in Palefline, upon the Mediterranean, and was formerty die only port which the Jews ha i upon that coaft, whither all the materials that, were fent tfom Tyre, towards the building of - Solomon'.-, temple, were brought, and landed. The town itfelf is very ancient ; for profane auhdrs reckon it was built before the flood, and derive the name of it from Joppa, the daughter ofElolas, and the wife of Ccpheus, who was the founder of it. Others, are rather inclined to believe, that it was built by Ja- .priet, andfrom him had the name of Japko, which was afterwards moulded into Joppa, but is now generally called Jaffa, which comes nearer to the firft appellation. The town is fituated in a fine plain, between Jamnia to the fouth ; Caefarea of Palefline, to the north ; and Rama, or Ratnula, to the eaft ; but at prefent, is in a poor and mean condition ; nor is -its port by any means good, by reafon of the rocks which project into the fea, The chief thing for which this place was famous, in ancient Pagan hiftory, is the expofition of AnctVomeda, the daughter of Cepheus, king of Egypt, who, for her mother's pride, was bound to a rock, in order to be devoured by a fea-monfler, but was delivered by the valour and bravery of Perfetxs, who afterwards married her : For in the times of Mela. and Pliny, there were fome marks remaining (as they ihemflves teftify, nempe, Mela, lib. i. c. it.; Pliny, lib. c. c. 13. ; Jofeph, - De bello Jud. lib. 3. c. 15.) of the chains wherewith this royal vir gin was bound to the rock which projects into the fea. But all this is m-'re fictio.i, firft founded upon the adventure of Jonah, who fet fail from this port, and then improved with the acceffion of fome particular circumftances ; Calmet's Commentary fur Jonas, c.i. v. 3. f The J e with doctors, who are great lovers of prodigks, are not not even fatfofied with what they meet with in this hiftory of Jonah, kit have over and above added, that as foon as the fhip, wherein he was embarked, was under fail, it, all on a hidden, ftood flock ftill, fo that it could be made ti move neither backward nor for ward, notwithftanding all the piins that the mariners took ia row ing! But others, with more probability, fay, that while all the reft A a 2 of 1 38 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI, A. M. that therefore calling all the pepple together, they madfe Anl'cfatir tnem ca^ *ots' m or^er t0 know who this guilty perfqa 1003, ire. was j that when the lot fell upon Jonah, he freely owned, tiom that he was a Jew, who worfhipped the God of heaven, 1 Kings vii . ancj not 0piy a jeWj Dut a prophet likewife, who had been of i Chron. ordered to go to Nineveh, but Was now endeavouring to Ui^w flee from the divine prefence ; that fince he found it was imppffible tp dp that, and every one's life, upon his account* was in fuch imminent danger, he wiftied them to throw him overboard, as the only way to appeafe the ftorm ; that with fome reluttancy, f the feamen did it, whereupon there immediately enfued a calm, which ftruck the people with fuch devotion, that they offered a facrifice to the Lord, and made their vows ; that in the mean while, Gpd had prepared a great fifh tp fwallpw up Jpnah, in whpfe belly he continued fur three days and three nights, and then, uppn his fupplicatipns tp heaven, was thrown put uppn the fhore ; that being thus wonderfully delivered, he difputecj l the divine command np lpnger, but made the beft pf hk way to Nineveh, which, at that time, was a very-large' city, and having got intp the heart pf it, delivered his meffage, viz. that Within forty days that city ihould be deftroyed, with great boldnefs and intrepidity ; that the pepple pf Nineveh, believing this menage to be fent from of the fbips were quiet and unmolefted, the ftorm fell upon none but that wherein Junah was, which made the feamen think, that there was fomething miraculous in it; and thereupon called upon the company that. Wed with them, to come and eaft lots, (as the fupcrftitious cuftotri among the Heathens was, whenever ihey were in any great diftrefs) ; that accordingly thy eaft lots three differ-' ent times, which ftill fell upon Jonah ; and that they lei him dowijf •'.. feveral times with a rope, without plunging him into thc fea, andal;<: often as they did it, found the ftorm abate, and whenever they pulled him up again, found it increafe ; fo that, at laft, they were forced to commit him to the mercy of the waves : All which are , circumftances which the Scripture-account neither favours nor co* tradicts^ Calmet's Commentary. wt- t The people of the ealt have a tradition, that it was not ihsrtf' four leagues from Joppa, over-againft Antipatris, that the feamen threw Jonah oycr-board. God, ¦Qj/oruzAf cezjt fnfo £^ his arms with great fuccefs :- For he worfted the Philiftines — -v-W . in many battles,, difmantled feveral of their towns, and Uzziah built cities in the country thereabout to keep them in fub- ?'f*of lu" jectipn. His next expeditipn was againft the Arabians that t0I;01JS an(j were uppn the borders of Egypt, and againft the lvf ehunims, powerfulprince at firft. the Ninevites, that, for that time, he reverfed their doom ; and it is hot improbable that Jonah, when he had executed his commiflion, and been fatisfied by God Concerning his merciful procedure, return ed into Judea ; but the author of The lives and death of the prophets (who goes under the name of Epiphanus) tells us, that, returning from Nineveh, and being alharned to fee that his prediction was not fulfilled, he retired with his mother to the city of Tyre, where he lived in the plain of Sear, until he died, and was buried in the cave of Cenezeus judge of Ifrael ; but who the author means by Cene- zeus, unlefs it. be Caleb, who is frequently firnamed the Kenezite, (though we do not read of his being ever a judge of Ifrael), or ra ther Othnicl, who was the fon of Kenaz, and one that judged Ifrael, we cannot tell. Cdmet's Dictionary, under the word Jonah ; and Howell's Hiftory, in the notes. ¦f- The words are much of the fame fignification ; for the former fignifies the ftrength, and the other the help of God. \ Commentators have been at a good deal of trouble to reconcile a feeming contradiction in this, computation. For if Amaziah, the father of Azariah, lived but fifteen years, after the beginning of Jeroboam's reign, (as appears from 2 Kings xiv. 1 7.) then Azariah muft begin' his reign, not in the twenty-feventh, but (if .he fucceed ed his father immediately) in the fixteenth, or fifteenth rather, of Jeroboam : But our learned Dr Lightfoot folvcs this at once, by fuppofmg, thit there was an interregnum, wherein the throne was vacant eleven, or rather twelve years, between the death of Ama ziah and the inauguration of his fon Azariah, who, being left an in fant of four years old when his father died, was committed to the guardianfhip of the grandees of the nation, who, during his minority, took the adminiftration of public affairs upon themfelves, and when he was become fixteen, devolved it upon him ; fo that, when lie came into the full poffeflion of the throne, it was in the feven and twentieth year of Jeroboam s Patrick's Commentary. (who igfc The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book YI. A. M. (who lived in their deferts), whom he utterly fubdued ; and Ant* 'ctrii not lonS ^ter> *° terrified tne Ammonites, th.u they (as the 10033 ire. others were) became tributaries to him. He then repaired from the walls of Jerufalem, and, at proper diftances, built ,Ki?gs™l towers, from whence, * with engines that threw dam of 1 Chron an the Bible ; but as he wrote in the reign of Darius,, it is plain, that he lived almoft three hundred years after this. It is not unlikely, however, that he was the fon of that Zechariah, the fon ¦of Jehoiada, who, by the command of King Joalh, was ilain in the temple ; that he was called after his father's name ; was preceptor -to Uzziah; and (though not a prophet) a man very fkiifol in ex- pounding the ancient prophecies* and giving inftructions out of them, as Grotius understands it ; Patrick's, and Calmet's Commen taries. * How hard a matter is it (fays Bifhop Patrick hereupon) to hear great profperity with moderation, and humble thankfulnefs ! * What it was, that tempted the king to this extravagant folly, it is hard.to imagine ; but the moft likely conjecture is$ that he had a vain ambition to imitate Heathen princes, Who, in feveral coun tries, joined both the regal and facerdotal offices together. Rut, ¦however it may be in all other countries, the'prieflhood in Judea was confined to the houfe of Aaron only, and every one that pre tended to ufurp that office, was, by the law of the land, to be put to death : ' ' Fur thou, and thy fons with thee, (fays God to Aaron) j fhall keep your prieft' s office, for every thing of the altar, and with* in the vail', and ye fhall ferve. I have given your prieft' s office un* to you, as a fervice of gift,' 'and the ft ranger that cometh nigh fhall be put to deatfi, Numb, xviii. 7. * The puniilunait for fuch as would intrude into divine miniflra- Vot.IV. Bb tions, 1 94' The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI; A. M. with a leprofy, which np art pf man could ever after cure ', A^Vchrif. fo that' while hlsfon Jotham ^'s his father's viceroy) took 1003, ire. the public adminiftration upon him, he was forced tp live from in a feparate place by himfelf; and, after a reign pf two 1 Kingsviii. and fifcy years> die£j( and was buried, not in the royal o"f Tehran, fepulchres, but * in the fame field, at fome diftance from them, tions, was capital, we" fee ; and therefore God fmote Uzziah with foch a difeafe, as was a kind of death ; becaufe it .feparated the perfon that was afflicted with it from the commerce and foci'ety of- men, even as if he were departed this world, an! fas the Pfalmift expreffs it) become flee among the dead, Pfal. lxxxviii. 5. But, befides the infliction of this difeafe, Jofephus tells us, " That, the ; " very moment that Uzziah was going to bum incenfe, there hap- " pencd a terrible earthquake, and, as the roof of the temple open- " ed with the foock of it, there paffed a beam of the fun through " the cleft, which ftruck directly upon the face of this facrilegious " prince, whereupon be inftantly became a leper : Nay, that this " earthquake was fo very violent, that it tore afunder a great " mountain, toWards the weft of Jerufalem, and rolled one half of " it over and over a matter of four furlongs, fill at length it was " flopped hv another mountain, which ftood over againft it, but " choal.-f ; up the highway, and covered the king's gardens all over " with dnft " 1 ut all this may be juftly fufpeeted. That there was a great earthquake in the reign of Uzziah, is evident from the tefli- mony of two prophets, Amos i. 1 and Zechariah xiv. 8. ; but, that it happened exactly when Uzziah attempted this invafion of the priefb- hood,, is ' far from being clear ; On the contrary, if we will abide by Bifiiop U flier's computation, the Jewifn hiftorian muft be fadly miftaken. For lince the prophet Amos tells us, that he began to prophefy two years, before this earthquake happened, in the reigns " of Uzziah king of Judah, and Jeroboam the Second king of Ifrael; and fince we may gather from the facred hiftory, that Jeroboam' died two years before the birth of Jotham the fon of Uzziah ; thst Jeroboam died in the fix and twentieth year of the faid Uzziah, and Jotham his fen was born in th c three and twentieth year thereof, and yet was of age fufficient to be made regent of the kingdom, when his father was thus ftruck with a leprofy, (which muft have been feveral years after Jeroboam's death), ii muft needs follow, that this earthquake could not happen at the time which jofephus affigns, kit muft have been much later ; jofephus' s Jewifh wars, lib. 9. e. 11.; and Calmet's Commentary, on 2 Chron xv. j. * Jofephus will needs have it, tii« his b-xiy was buried in his | ' garden, Chap. III. from thc building of the Temple, (3c. 195 them, becaufe he was a leper, and wis fucceeded by his A. M. fon Jotham, 3°°j, ire. During the reign of this Uzziah, there happened fome -"oL,- 'JJ.' events, mentioned in feme parts of Scripture, which are from npt tp be found in the bopks that are purely hiftpricai. < Kingsviii. Such are that terrible earthquake wherepf Amos le) pro- '° tn*,end ,., , , r • , j 1 r , ot* Chron. phelied twp years before it happened ; that lore plague _ , ,. of the locufhs, wherepf Joel (d ) gives us fo full and lively An account a defcriptipn ; and that extreme drought, mixed with of fomi= o- fearful flafhes of fire, which fell from heaven, and (as ^ e™™>_ the prophet [e) expreffes it) devoured all the paftures of fhe larlv'of the /wildernefs, and burnt up all the trees of the field. writings of But that which we are chiefly concerned to take notice {r0fhrets,'- of, is the fucceffibp of prophets in Ifrael and Judah, whom per;0d, Gpd raifed up to give them inftructipns and exhortatipns, and to denounce his threatenings and judgments againft them, uppn their perfifting in their impieties : And thefe he apppinted, not pnly tp warn them by word of mouth, >(as his former prophets had done), but to commit their ad- mpnitipns to wrking, that pofterity might fee the ingratitude of his pepple, and all pther nations, from their backflidings and punifhments, might learn not tp do fo wickedly. The firft of thefe prpphets was Hofea, the fon pf Beeii, ¦who, according to the introduction to his book, prophe fied in the reigns Of Uzziah, Jptham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings pf Judah, and in the days pf Jeroboam the fecond king of Ifrael ; and confequently, continued to be a pro phet, at leaft feventy years, unlefs we may fuppofe, (as (fl) feme have done) that this is a fpurious title of feme an cient tranferibers, and that the true beginning pf his work is at the fecpnd verfe, The begijiningcf the word of the Lord by Hofea. However this be, we may obferve, that he fpeak^ pofitively' pf the captivity of the ten tribes, and inveighs ftrongly againft their dsforders ; that he foretells, that the kingdpm pf Judah fhould for fome time fubiift. after them, but that at length they tpp fhpuld be carried away captive bey Phd the Euphrates ; and, through the whole, lays ppen the ims, "and declares .the judgments of God againft a peo ple hardened and irreclaimable. garden, in a monument by ¦ itfelf, forgetting very probably, what he told us before, that thefe gardens, at this time, were covered all over with rubbifh ; Ibid. (c) Chap. i. 1. 'd) Chap. ii. 2. ire. (e) Joel i. 18.- (_/') Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Hofea.. B b 2 The 196 { The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book "Vt A. M. The next prophet is Joel, the fon pf Pethuel. He men- l°n°/'cfr-r tions the fame judgment that Amos does ; and, under the 1003, £c"'idea pf an enemy's army, reprefents , thofe vaft fwarmsof lo- from cufts, which, in his time, fell upon Judea, and pccafioned 1 Kingsviii. great defolation. He calls and invites the people tp repent' of » Chrot. ance> and promifes mercy and forgivenefs to thofe that will L—v—, liften tp the call. He fpeaks of the teacher pf righteouf nefs, whpm Gpd was tp fend, and of the Hply Spirit which he was to pour put upon all flefh ; and, in the conclufion, relates what glorious things God would do for his church in the times of the gofpel. The next prophet is Amps ; for he lived in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and of Jerohpam the Second king of Ifrael. He begins his prophecies with threatenings againft the neighbouring nations, that were enemies to Ifrael; ' then reproves the people pt Ifrael and Judah for thek i- dolatry, effeminacy, and other fins ; exhorts them to re pentance, without which their hyppcritical fervices will do them np gpbd ; foretells their captkity, and other heavy judgments pf God ; and, at laft, fpeaks of the reftoration ipf the church ampng the Jews, and the happy acceffion of the Gentiles. _, The. pext prophet is Obadiah ; for he was cptemporaiy with Hofea, Joel, and Amos. He denpunces God's judg ments againft the Edomites for the mifchiefs they had donq to Judah and Jerufalem, whom he promifes, that they fliould he victorious, over thefe Edomites, and their other enemies ; and, at laft, foretells their reformation and re ftoration, and that the kingdom pf the Meffiah Ihould b^ t fet up by the bringing in of a great falvation. The bopk pf Jonah is an hiftpry rather than a prophecy; and, if it was written by himfelf, it is a frank acknow ledgment of his pwn faults and failings, and a plain evi dence, that, in this work, he defigned God's glpry, and not his pwn. For it contains remarkable inftances pf hu man frailties in the prophet, pf Gpd's cpmpaffipn and con- defcenfipn to him, and a noble type of our Saviour's, bu« rial and refurrettion. The pther prophet that lived in thefe times was Ifaiah, the fon of Amos, whofe prophecies may be divided into three prts. The firft part includes fix chapters relating to the reign pf Jotham, the fix following chapters relate to the reign of Ahaz, and all the reft to the reigh pf Hezekiah, The great defign pf what he dpes, is, tp foretell the capti vity pf Babylon, the return of the pepple from that cap- fivitVs Chap III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 197 tivity, and the flourifhing kingdom of the Mefiiah : But * A. M- the whole, book is highly ferviceable to the church of God \co,'nf'.':/. in all ages, for conviction of fin, direction in duty, and j "^ ^ ' confolation in trouble ; and its author may juftly be ac- , from counted a great prophet, whether we confider the extent 1 Kings viii, and variety of his predictions ; the fublimity of the truths l°f j'chron which he reveals ; * the majefty and elegancy of his ftyle •, \ the loftineis of his metaphors, or the livelineis of his de scriptions, The Objection. " J3|UT how highly foever we may think fit to commen4 " the prophet Ifaiah, others there are, that appear " upon the ftage in this period of time, whofe conduct " we have reafon tp cenfure, as npt fo well comporting " with their facred character. Lying and diffimulation was '* certainly a fin under the law, as well as under the go-" " fpel ; nor had the greateft prophet, by virtue of his call, *' an exemption from fpeaking truth, any more than the " meaneft man in Ifrael ; and yet we find no lefs a man " than Elifha, telling the foldiers (g), who were fent to *' apprehend him, a parcel of lies, that they were out of * St Jerom, in his introduction to Ifajah's prophefy, tells us, that his writings are, as it were, an- abridgment of the Holy Scriptures, and a collection of all the moft uncommon knowledge that the mind of man is capable of. • " Quid loquar" (as his words are) " de " phyfica, ethica, et theologica? Quicquid fanctarum eft Scrip- " turarum, quicquid poteft humana lingua proferre, et mortalium, " fenfus accipere, ifto volumine continetur -," ttieron. priefat, in I- faiah. * Grotius compares this prophet with the great Grecian orator, Demofthenes; for in him, fays he, we meet with alLthe purity of fhe Hebrew tongue, as in the other, there is all the delicacy of the A«ic tafte. Both arcfoblime and magnificent in their ftyle, vehement in their emotions, copious in their figures, and very impetuous, when. they fet off things of an enormous nature, or fuch as are grievous or odious : But there is one thing, wherein the prophet was fuperior to the orator, and that is, in the honour of his illuftrious birth, and relation to the royal family of Judah ; and therefore what Qytintilian fays of Corvinus Meftala, may be juftly applied to him, viz that he fpeaks in an eafy flowing manner, and irl a ftyle which fhews him to be a man of quality ; Grotius on 2 Kings xix. 2. j and Quintil. lib- 10. c. 20. {g) 2 Kings vj. 1 9. be. " their 198 The Hiftory of the BIB L E, Book VI. AM.' " their way, had miftaken their road, and were come to gooi, ire. « the wrong place ; but that, ifthey wpuld cpmmit them- ™t ^c' " felv^s to ^ conduft, he would be fure to carry them to ""from*' " the man whom they wanted : Which they, poor crea- * Kingsviii. " tures, being now fmitten with blindnefs, were glad tp ao- ^.lh!^1<1 " cept of, and fe, by the wiles and deceptipns pf this man °* " pf Gpd, were unhappily drawn intp a foare. " Nay.fp great a prppeirfity had this prophet tp the com- " mpn art pf falfehpod and diffimulation, that (h) when *' the king pf Syria fent tp him in a friendly manner, and, " with a large prefent, eyen tempted him tp tell him the " truth, cpneerning the event pf his ficknefs, wefindhim " ftill prevaricating, returning a fauacipus anfwer to the " king, and, at the fame time, telling Hazael anpther fto- " ry, which might probably at this time put him in the " thpughts pf afceriding the throne of Syria (to (2) which " he had been anointed before by the prophet Elijah) by " the immediate tnurther pf his mafter. " Whether jt is, that prpphets fooked upon themfelves " as fuperior to kings, or, in virtue pf their office, claim- " ed a difpenfatipn frpm the common forms of civility, but " fo it was, that this fame Elifha (k), when Joafh king of " Ifrael did him the hpnour of a vifit in his ficknefs, flew " into a paffion with him, for np other reafon, but the " fenfelefs trifle pf npt ftriking with an arrpw uppn the " ground aspft as he wpuld have had him : Npr can we account " why the high prieft Jehpiada, whp (as to fecular matters) '* was np mpre than a private man, fhpuld take upon him " tp place Jehpafh upph the throne pf Judah, withput the " general cpnfent pf all the ftates pf the kingdpm, unlefs " we may fupppfe,— — — That he affected the regency, du- " ring the minprity pf the prince, and uppn that accpunt, *' was as affuming in his way as if he had been a prophet. " Thefe priefts and prpphets, then, (we may fay with " the appftle), were men of the like pajfigns as we are; but " then it is tp be hpped, that they died in charity, unlefs we " may except the prophet Zechariah, whp, in fuffering " martyrdom, called uppn Gpd (/) to avenge his death, " as did not St Stephen, who, when he was expiring, " kneeled dpwn, and prayed for hjs murtherers, (yn) Lord f lay not this fin to their- charge. (h) Ibid. viii. 8. ire. (i) 1 Kinfrs xix. I J. (k) 2 Kings xiii. 14. ire 'I) 2/ Chron. xxiv. 22. (w) Acts vii. 60. " J4lW Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c jgg , " Jehu, in his time, was certainly the minifter of God A. m. *' to execute wrath upon the houfe of Ahab ; but then we i°°'< ire. " know very well, that the ends of Divine Providence are ^ot- a^£r " npt tp be ferved by any indirect means, npr can lying and fr0m diffimulatipn, in any fenfe, be proper expedients to ac- 'Kingsviii. to the end' of i Chson, complifh his defigns ; and yet we find this fame Jehu,'0 "' "' •' tranfeending his commiffion, and (n) falling upnn Aha '" ziah king of Judah, (where he was flairi it is not agreed), " for np other reafoi\, but becaufe he happened to be in *' the king of Ifrael's company. We find him, (o) under " the pretence of a greater zeal for idpl worfhip than ever " Ahab had, drawing all the priefts and worfhippers of " Baal, like fo many lame cattle, into a penfold, and there ': flaughtering them : thuugh hpw they came tp pay any " regard to his proclamation, who had made already (p.) " fuch havock among them, or how the temple of this " falfe god fhould be able to contain all its worfhippers, " whom the cpnnivance pf the law, and countenance pf " the court, had made fo numerous, we cannot well ima- " gine. Nay, we find him calling uppn Jehonadab, the " fon of Rechab, to be awitnefs (q) of his zeal for the Lord; " and yet this vile reformer of pthers continues in the wor- " fhip of the golden caves, which were objects not much " better than the images pf Baal ; and though he will npt " depart from the fin of Jerobqam, who made Ifrael to fin, " receives this commendatipn frpm God himfelf, (r) be- " caufe thou haft done well, in executing that which was right " in mine eyes, therefore thy children of the fourth generation " fhall fit on the throne of Ifrael. " Wicked princes are, by principle, enemies to good men ; " but why Jehoram king of Ifrael fhould be for taking a- " way the life of the prophet Elifha, who had been fo very " ferviceable to him in his wars againft Syria, and that for " no pther reafon but becaufe Samaria was befieged, and " reduced to the laft extremity of famine, (as if it had been " in the prophet's power either to make the enemies army " withdraw, or (s) tp ppen windows in heaven, and make " it rain corn, as it once did, manna), ¦ is beyond our con- " ception. " But of all the characters that appear upon the ftage in " this period of time, the moft unaccountable is, that of (n) 2 Kings ix. 27. (0) Ibid. x. 18. (/>) Ibid. ver. 17. (f) Ibid. rer. 1 j. 16. (r) Ibid. ver. 30. (s) Ibid", chap. vii. 2. " Jonahi zoo The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book Vi. A. M. *« Jonah, a fad, tefty, fplenetic creature, whb, upon every Ant'chrif " turn' is Sro*'ng anSry ^^ God' and' if he has not his i"o3 £c. " witl ib evety thing, wifhlng tp die;' who repines at pro* from " vidence, becaufe (t) it is flow to anger, and of great kind- iKings viii. « nej-St< anci na(j ^ther fee the whole city of Nineveh laid in tf* Chron " ames> tlian that one tittle of his Prophecy fhpuld be Un, ¦L -,-i-f1 " accpmplifhed. And therefore, if God forefaw, that upon " the Ninevites repentance, his comminations would' be " null, a perfon of another eaft had been a properer mef. " fenger, fince all he had to carry Was but a fhort admoni- " tion; which, before he had gpne half through fo large a " city, was in danger pf becoming a thread-bare ftory." Anfwered, St Paul, fpeaking of the propagation of the gofpel, and th rTftm8 £*ie fee!n'fl8 infufficiency of the means which God had em'- •why God ployed tP effect it, has thefe remarkable wprds : — — (u) Te employed fie your calling, brethren, how not many wife men after the Jonah. flefl\ not many mighty, not many noble are called1; but Goi hath chofen the foolifh things of the world to confound the wife, the weak things of the world to confound the mighty, the bafe things of the world, and things that are defpifled, yea, and things that are not, to bring to nought things that arc, that ¦no flefh fhould glory in his prefence. And then proceeding to fpeak pf himfelf ; (x) And 7, brethren, fays he, when I came to you, came not with excellency of fpeech, or of wifdom; de claring unto you the teftimony of God; but was with you in wedknefs, and fear, and in much trembling; and my fpeech hnd my preaching was not with enticing words of man's luif- idom, but in demonftration of the Spirit, and of power ; that your faith fhould not ftand in the wifdom of men, but in the power of God. Now, if God, in the cbnverfipn of the world to Chri- ftianity, made ufe of inftruments in themfelves fe incom petent for the wprk, left the wprk might be imputed to human powers ; by parity pf reafon we may prefume, that, in the converfipn pf the Ninevites, Gpd might not employ a prophet pf the beft natural temper and qualificatipns, (fince Ifaiah was then pf age, and feems tP have been better fitted for fuch a miffion), that the glory of the event might not be afcribed to any innate abilities of the prophet, but to the fole power pf Gpd, which acepmpanied him, and (y) made the foolifhnefs of his preaching (as the Apoftle exprefles it) effectual to five them that believed. {t) Jonah iv. 2. (ti) 1 Cor. i. 26. ire. (x) Ibid. ii. 1. ire. (y) 1 Cor. i. 31. * We Chap. Ill, from the building of the Temple, (3c 201 We muft not imagine, however, that, in his addrefs to A. M. the people of Nineveh, the prophet had nothing to fay, i^'a^J but this one fentence, Yet forty days, and Nineveh fhall be IOOi, ire.' everthrown. This indeed was the fum and fubftance of his from preaching: but we may well prefume, that he took fre- ' K'ngsvui. quent occafions to expatiate upon it ; by reminding them of 0f x chron* the number, and nature, and feveral aggravations of their • — -v— -» offences ; by acquainting them with thq holiriefs, juftice, and The Pur- omnipotence of God; that holinefs which could not be- pc^k°f hpld iniquity without deteftation; that juftice which, fooner or later, wpuld not- fuffer it to go unpunifhed ; and that almighty power which could, in a moment, lay the ftate- lieft cities in afhes ; by exhorting them to repentance, from a dread pf his impending judgments ; and by inftructing them in the methpd pf pacifying his wrath, and effecting a a recpnciliatipn with him . Some of the ancients are of opinion, that Jonah received,wty itw« no orders frpm Gpd tp limit the deftrudtion pf Nineveh tp ^teTtll forty days, becaufe there is np fuch time fixed in his inftruc- tuted. tions ; all that Gpd appoints him to do is, (2) to go unto Nine veh, that great city, (as he calls it), and to preach untoit that preaching which he fhould bid him : and therefore they fup pofe, that the fpace of forty days was an additipn of the prophet's own, and, for that reafon, not exactly fulfilled : But there is np pccafipn for. charging him with any fuch falfification, fince the comminations of God are always con ditional, and anfwer his gracious purpofes much better when they are averted than when they are executed; And indeed, though, in this cafe, they were averted for But in what . awhile, yet, when the people relapfed into their fonner-^,' and iniquities, the prophet's prediction did npt fail of its ac- time it complifhment. For, if we take the forty days to denote *as. . forty years, a day for a year, and the overthrowing of Ni neveh, not to fignify its final deftrudtion, but only the fuh- verfion (a) of that ancient empire of the Afiyrians, which had governed Afia for above thirteen hundred years, and was deftroyed under the effeminate King Sardanapalus ; then was the prophecy literally fulfilled, . and from its fulfilling we may trace the time of Jonah's miffion. But though this prophecy of Jonah was npt fulfilled at the end pf forty days, as he expected, and at tbe ei. ' of (2) Jonah iii. 2. (a) Prideaux's Connect, at the beginning, j Vol. IV. C c forty aoz The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI A. M. forty years there "was only a deftrudtion of the monarchy, jooi, ire. and not 0f tne cjty . yet ^is miraculous prefervation in the ftt Ch&f wnale's be% gave him fuch credit, that it was always be* ,rom ' ljeved, that the time of its accomplifhment was uncertain, i Kingsviii. Tp this purpofe we find Tpbit (b) giving his fon Tpbias in- ^^Ghr'n ftru^ion* to depart put of Nineveh, becaufe thofe things L ... ,_ _l which the prophet Jonah fpake fliould certainly come to pafs:. and accordingly, before Tobias died, he heard of the de ftrudtion of Nineveh, which was taken by Nebuchodpnpfop; and Ahafliuerus : (c) Fur thefe twp princes being related by marriage, entered intp a cpnfederacy againft the Afiy- rians, and, jpining their forces' together, be fieged this city, and, after having, taken it, and flain Saracus, the king, thereof, they utterly deftroyed it, and from that time made Babylon the place of royal refidence, and the fole metropo lis pf the Affyrian mpnarchy. Thus was the predidtion.of Jonah, concerning the deftrudtipn pf Nineveh, (thpugh npt in the time which he had prefixed), fulfilled ; npr cart the delay pf it be lppked uppn as any breach of the divine - veracity, whatever uneafinefs it gave the prophet". The truth of the matter is,. Jonah was a man of an un happy temper, peevifh and pafiionate, and, in this cafe, fearful pf being accounted a falfe prophet," of having his jniniftry exppfed tp cpntempt, pr his perfon perhaps tp vio lence from the Ninevites, becaufe the event did not anfwer the prediction And the proper leffon we are tp learn from his behavipur is, That the gift pf prophecy dpes not al- ¦ ter men's natural tempers, nor fet them abpve the level of human frailty : Fpr (d) we have this treafure (as the Apoftle fpeaks) in earthen veffels, that the excellency, of the power may be of God, and not of us. Elifha's ¦ That ftratagems in war, and other artifices to delude and f^eech to infnare an enemy, are npt prphibited by the law pf God, the Syrian tne generality pf cafuifts are agreed ; and therefore, upon ^rcesjti i- tjie foppofitiojj^ tnat Elifha's fpeech to Benhadad's men was framed pn purppfe to deceive, he did np mpre than make ufe of the common privilege which every natipn, engaged in waF with prte anpther, is permitted to employ : But, up- , orV.a nearer examination, we cannot charge his words with a direct falfehpod, thpugh we muft allow, that there is ferae ' ambiguity in them. (i) Tobit xiv. 8. ire. (c) Prideaux's Conne&ion, anno 6ij. {d) 2 Cor. iv. 7. When Chap .III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 203 When the prophet perceived that the Syrian army had A. M. encompaffed the place where he abode, he went out of the 3°®'. ire. city, and y>ld them, (e) This is not the way, 'neither is this ^tb ch/^ the city, viz. where they would find the man for whom from they were fent ; becaufe, at that time, he was come out of ' King viii. the city ; and therefore, if they proceeded in their march, t0 *£, enrf they would be fure to mifs of him. But follow me, and I , will bring you to the man whom ye feek ; and fo he did ; but not in the manner, it muft be owned, that they either ex pected or defired. The whole conduct of the prophet, therefore, in this refpect, was no more than what the prac tice of war always allows, viz. a feint to cover his real defigns, and, by counterfeit motions and falfe alarms, to draw the enemy into fuch intricacies, that he might come upon them, and furprife them when they leaft of all thought of it. The formality of a lye (as fome will have it) does not confift fo much in faying what is untrue, as in making a falfe reprefentation of things with a purpofe to do hurt : But the prophet's generous treatment of the enemy, when he had them at his mercy, fhews, that he had no maligni ty in his intention, no defign to make an advantage of their deception ; but, on the contrary/ took the moft effectual means, both to cure their inveterate hatred againft the If- ' raelites, and to reconcile them to the worfhip and fervice of the true God, who had wrought foch a miracle for their convidtipn, as well as the prefervatipn of his prophet. (f) He flmote them with blindnefls, according to the word The nature of Elifha : But then we are not to imagine, that this blind- of their nefs was fo total that they quite loft the ufe pf their eyes, brmdnefs! but Only, that it was fuch a dimnefs and cpnfufion in their theyalcem. fight, as hindered them from diftinguifhing one objected »f a from another, the city of Dothan, forinftance, from the Suide- city of Samaria.: Even, in like manner, as we read of the -people of Sodom, that when the angels (g) flmote them with blindnefs, (which they might eafily do by fome fmaU alte- ratipn either in their fight, pr in the air), they wearied them felves to find out Lot's door. They faw the houfe, it feems, but did not difcern the door, becaufe this fuddlki diforder in their imagination might either make the door appear to them like the folid wall, or the folid wall like fo many doors. (e) 2 Kings vi. 19. (/)' Ibid. ver. t8. {g) Gen. xix. 11. C e % This 204 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI A. m. This is no mpre than what happens tp feveral men in 3001, ire. their liquor ; that, though their eyes be ppen, andean pier. Ant. Chrif. cejve t^e feverai pbjedts that forround them, yet they can- "from'' not difeern wfierein they differ. And, if we may fuppofe 1 Kingsviii- that the Syrian army was under the like m/wio-, (as th« to the end Greeks very happily term it), we need no longer wonder, of 1 Chron, tkat tney. reaci;iy accepted pf a guide, who pffered his fer vice, andbefppke them fair, (whpm they might indeed tak$ for fome deputy of the tpwn, with authprity to deliver up the prophet to them), than that a drunkard, whp, after a lpng while having Ipft his way, and found himfelf bewilder ed, fhould be thankful tp any hand that would prornife to conduct him fafe home. What Eli- (h) That Hazael was never, in a ftrict fenfe, anointed by jah's an- Elijah to be Benhadad's fiicceffor, is evident from whatap* Haza"i ° pears of him in facred hiftory. For, when he came to nieaas. confuk Elifha concerning his mafter's illnefs, (which was a cpnfiderable while after the prophet Elijah's tranfiation), we find, by the whole interview, that he was entirely ignorant qf his own defignation for the throne of Syria, which he could not have been had he been anointed before this time. Either, therefore, we muft take the word in a figurative fenfe, to denote no more than God's purpofe or determi nation that Hazael fhould fucceed in the throne of Syria, to execute the defigns of his providence upon the people of Ifrael, even as Cyrus, for the fame reafon, is called (i) the Lord's anointed, though he was never properly anointed by God ; or, if we take it in a literal fenfe, we muft fuppofe feme reafon why Elijah waved the executipn pf that com mand, even becaufe he forefaw the many fore calamities Which Hazael, when advanced tp the crown of Syria, wpuld bring upon Ifrael, and thereupon prevailed with God, that he might be excufed from that ungrateful office, and that, in his time at leaft, a fucceffipn which would be attended with fuch direful confequences might not com- mence* ¦ liis meffage h may p'offibly be thought, indeed, that Elifha's fore. to Benha- telling his advancement to the throne might be a fpur and thLlX incitement Ap hjs ambition ; but the means wherebv he ao amlvlndi- compiiihea his. defign, were entirely from his own wicked cited. and corrupt mind, which would nnt ftay for the prdinary methods of Divine Providence to bring it innocently about, •(b) fLe Clere 's Commentary on r Kings xix. 1;. ; and Scripture Vindicated, part .2. (/) Ifaiah xiv. t. but Chap. III. from the'building of the Temple, (3c. 205 but chofe rather to carve for himfelf, and, by mur thering A. M. his. mafter, to cut him out a more compendious way of Ant'chriJ coming into immediate poffeffion. And this folves the Iool, ire. feeming difficulty. of the prophet's fending one anfwer to ,from... Benhadad, and telling Hazael quite another ftory: For, lKinSsvm- ¦when Hazael underftood that his mafter's difeafe was mor- 0f z chron. ' tal, but that, if no violence intervened, he might eafily get over that indifpofition, ¦ (for that is the fenfe of (k) he may certainly recover); and, £t the fame time, was told by the prophet, that he would not however recover, becaufe he forefaw that violence would be ufed to take away his life, (as this is the fenfe of he fhg.ll flurely die), Hazael went his way, and, not willing to truft Providence with his mafter's recovery, took care tbe next morning to have him dif- patxhed. There is, however, another, and (as fome think) a much plainer interpretation of the prophet's words : For, fince this is a paffage which admits of a various lection, the ad- yefb Lo (as it is in the textual reading) fignifies not, but in our tranfiation (which in this place follows the marginal) it is rendered to him : So that, if the Hebrew text be right, (as fome learned men, upon examination, have gitftti it the preference), the plain reading of the words will be, Go, fay, thou fhalt flurely not live ; for the Lord hathfhewed me, that thoij. fhalt flurely die. This was the fenfe of the pro phet's anfwer to Benhadad * but Hazael, who was a wic ked man, went and told him a quite contrary thing, on purpofe to lull him into a ftate of fecurity, that thereby he might have a fairer opportunity of accomplifhing his defign upon him. Thus, whether the marginal pr textual reading be right, , and confequently, whether the prophet's meffage tp Ben hadad be taken in an affirmative pr negative fenfe, he can not juftly be charged with bafenefs and ingratitude ; fince, whether he accepted of his prefent or no, it is manifeft that he could not return him any falfe and delufive anfwer: And yet the more probable opinion is, that, in conformity to his practice, in the cafe of Naaman the leper, he did, Upon this occafion, reject the good things of Damafcus which Benhadad fent, becaufe the fame reafons which induced him to refofe them from' the hand pf Naaman were ftill in force, and might equally prevail with him not to accept them from the hand of Hazael. (i) 2 Kings viU. 10.. . Thus, zoo" The Hifiory of the B I B L E, Book VI A. M. Thus, with regard to Benhadad king of Syria, the pro- $001, ire phet frauds clear of any imputation of falfehood or ingra- *""¦ °Y'C titude ; and, in like manner, if we confider the matter as ,0°&om k ftood between him and Joalh king of Ifrael, we fhall i Kingsviii. find no unbecoming paffion or peevifhnefs in his conduct, to the end but a great deal of zeal and concern for the honour both ¦*f*-C^. of his king and country. For, whether King Joafh, be-: His beha- fore this interview with Elifha, was acquainted or npt with viour to the nature pf parabolical actions, whereby prpphets more Joafh not £fpeciaHy- Were accuftomed to reprefent future events ; by the comment which Elifha made upon the firft arrow that he fhot, (which he calls (/) the arrow of deliverance, from Syria, he could not but perceive that this was a fymbolical action, and intended to prefigure his victories over that na- tipn ; and therefore, as the firft adtipn pf fhppting was a kind pf prelude tp the war, he cpuld npt but underftand farther, (even though the prophet had faid nothing to him), that this fecond action of ftriking the ground with the ar row, was to portend the number pf the victories he was to obtain, (m) But then, if we may fuppofe, with the gene rality of interpreters, that the prophet had apprifed him beforehand, that fuch was the fymbplical intent pf what he now put him upon ; that the oftener he fmote upon the ground, the mpre would their vidtories be which his arms fhpuld obtain ; that this was -the decree pf heaven; and that thus, in feme meafure, bis fuccefs in war was put in his own power; the king's cpndudt was utterly inexcufable,' if, diffident pf the prophet's promife, and cpnfidering the vaft ftrength pf the kings pf Syria more than the ppwer of God that was engaged on his fide, he flopped his hand after he had fmote thrice ; fuppofing, indeed, that the pre- didtipn would never have been fulfilled, had he gone on and fmote upon the earth oftener. Upon the whple, there fore, the prophet had juft reafon tp be offended at the king for not believing God, who had done fo many fignal miracles in favpur pf the Ifraelites ; for n,ot believing him, whp (accprding tp his pwn acknpwledgment) had.been a cpnftant defender of the ftate, (n) the chariot of Ifrael, and the horfemen thereof, and now, in his dying hpurs, was full of good wifhes and intentions for his cpuntry; and, by this unbelief pf his, for eclipfing the glory of his own {/) 2 Kings xiii. 1 7. (m) Le Gere's Commentary on 3 Kings xiii. 10, (?) Ibid, yer. 14, arms, Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 207 arms, and curtailing the number of his victories : For A- Mt (0) thoufbouldft havefmitten five or fix times, (fayb the pro- ^t'ckn'f phet to -the king), then fbouldfl thou have fmitten Syria, till 1002, ire. thou had ft conflumed it ; whereas now thou fhalt finite Syria from but thrice. t0KithSeVen"i (p) Behold I fend unto you prophets, and wife men, and 0f » chron. fcribes, (fays our bleffed Saviour, upbraiding die Jews with - — .,•*¦•* their bloody perfecutions of the righteous), and fome of them "Whether ye fhall kill, and crucify, and fome of them ye fhall fcourge\*h *Jf in your fynagogues, and perfecute them from city to city ; that the fame ¦upon you may come all the righteous Moodfhed upon the earth, Wlth nin* from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zechariah, ™ y°"°ur the fon of Barachiah, whom ye flew between tbe temple and mentions. the altar : And hereupon fome names of great authority have inferred, that the Zechariah, fon of the high-prieft, whom Joafh, king of Judah, commanded to be flain, was the fame with the perfon whom our Saviour here mentions ; for though he calk his father by a different name, Bara- ' thiah, and not Jehoiada, yet this he might do, fay they, to denote the divine graces, which were fo confpicuous in him ;' for fo the word Barachiah means. ^ It muft be obferved, however, that as there is a differ ence in thefe two perfons, not only in regard to their fa ther's names, but tp the place likewife where they fuffered, ihe pne (q) betxveen the temple and the altar, i. e. in the cpurt of the priefts, and the other (r) in the court ,of the houfe of the Lord, i. e. in the court of the Ifraelites, where he was, mounted on high, and inveighing againft their ido latry, there are fome grounds to believe, that the Zecharias in the gofpel is npt the fame with him whofe death we find recorded in the Chronicles pf the kings pf Judah. Our bleffed Savipur, it muft be owned, not only fore told the utter exciilon of the Jews, but defcribed likewife feveral preceding calamities, almoft in the v^ry manner wherein their pwn hiftorian has related them. Now, in die times of the Jewifh war, Jofephus (je) makes mention of one Zacharias, and gives us thefe circumftances con cerning his murther ; That he was the fon of one Baruch, a man of the firft rank, and of great authority, virtue, and wealth, a friend to all good men, and a con- (0) Ibid. ver. 19. (/) Matth. xxiii. 34. &c. (q) Matth* - xxiii 35. (r) 2 Chron. xxiv. 21. (j)' Kiftory of the Jew ifh wars, lib. 1. c, 5. ftanf. 208 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. ftant enemy to the wicked ; that his fon Zacharias was, 3oor, ire. by the zealots of that time, Ippked upon as a man fo very too' Ch&c P°Pular> tnat they cpuld npt think themfelves fafe, with- i°°from '' °ut taking away his life ; that to this purpofe they brpught Kingsviii. him before a fham cpurt pf their own erecting, where they to the end accufed him pf a cpnfpiracy to betray Jerufalem to the Ro- ' on" mans, and pf holding a criminal correfpondence with Ve- fpafian ; that upoff his trial, his innpcence appeared, fo ' clear, and the accufatipns againft him fo falfe and malicipus, that their own court, contrary to their expedtatipn, ac quitted him ; but that, after he was acquitted, two ruffians of their company fell upon him, and having murthered him . in the middle of the temple, threw his dead body dpwn the precipice wherepn it ftopd. This is the perfon (as pthers imagine) that pur Saviour intends ; for as he begins with Abel, the firft inftance pf a perfon fuffering by viplence, it is but reafonable, they think, that he fhpuld conclude with one pf the lateft ampng the Jews while their gpvernment fubfifted; and therefore they- lppk uppn pur Lord's wprds, npt as a recital pf what had been dpne, but a prediction of what would be done ; and a glorious evidence it is pf his divine pmnifcience, which cpuld foretell the names bpth pf father and fon, above forty years before the event happened. His father's However this be, we muft nut accufe the father pf that *e-zird tcT Zacharias, whp died a martyr in the reign of Joafh king Joafli, vin- of Judah, of fhewing a bufy and pragmatical fpirit, in pla- dicated. cing this Joafh, when a child, upon the throne of his anceftors. Jehoiada, as be was high-prieft, had a krge authority even in civil affairs ; (t) the dignity of his ftation fet him at the head of a very powerful body pf men, the priefts and Levites ; and his quality as firft judge and pre- fiderit of the great cnuncil pf the nation, gave him a right tp defend opprefTed innpcence, and tp ppppfe the unjuft u- furpation of Athaliah, who had no pretence .of claim to the crown, and was defcended likewife from a wicked fa mily, which God had particularly devoted to deftrudtion. (a) The conftitution of the natipn moreover was fuch, that the crown, by divine appointment, was appropriated to the fens of David ; and therefore the hereditary right . (t) Calmet's Commentary on 2 Kings xi. 4. («) Pool's Annotations. ' v was Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, &c. 209 was inherent iii him whom he had fet'up, whofe aunt he A M. had married, whofe kinfoian he was by birth, , as well as ^nt 'ciitiit marriage, and who upa.i 'tlufe accounts, as well as all ne- 1003, &c. ceifiry quuiiieiriois for ;'o high a truft, was the propereft from guardian of th; fucceilion. For he hid a lar'ire fhare of '^,nS5Vlu- ° n j 1 1 c u 1.1- ' j t0 £he end wndo n and experience, aa ardent love tor the public good, t chro 1. courage and activity in his completion, jjriH a folid piety — ¦— y , »J towards God ruling in his heart ; and yet he did not adt a- lone in this important affair, but had the confent and con currence of the chief officers, both civil and ecclefiaftic, the Cpecial m i.ion and aiiitance pf God's bleffed Spirit, and (as we may fuppofe) the direction and encouragement of the principal prophets that were then alive. His fon indeed was out badly requited for all the care And his which his father had taken in 'letting the crovn upon °"™ ]llt young Joafh, when, in liis reign, and by his orders, he jeata- was ftoned to death, and as he was expiring, cried out, (x ) Lord look upon it, and requite it. But we muft not by thefe wprds imagine, that he died with a lpirit pf revenge, (for far be it frpm fo good a man), but that, by the fpirit of prophecy, he only foretold, that it ivoUld not b; Ion.; be fore God would rind oit fo ne means of punifhing' tbe king for his'ui barod, uiage of him; vhicii accordingly came to pafs ; for in the folio virfg verfes we read, that (y) at the end of .the year, the hoft of Syria came up againft ,, . him, and not long after that, (z; his own fervants confftired againft him, and flew him on his bed. The fpirit pf the gofpel, it mult be' pwned, is pf a much WhyStSte- more gentle and forgiving temper than that of the law, PIlen'sbe- under which we meet with feveral fuch imprecations (efpe- preferable. cially in the Pfalmift) as cannot, without violence, admit pf any other conftrudtiort, Our, bleffed Saviour, in his rea- foningwith the Jews, tells them, (a) that Mpfes did indulge them' in feme cafes, becaufe of the hardnefs of their hearts.; npt that God ever did, or ever" will, humour any man, < becaufe he is obftinate and pbdurate ; but the fenfe pf the ¦wprds is, (b) that Gpd therefore cpnnived at fome things, becaufe the difpenfatipn under which they lived wanted proper efficacy tp work, their hearts tp a greater foftnefs. We are npt therefore to Wonder, that we find fome diipa- (x) 2 Chron. xxiv. 22. (>) Ibid. ver. 23. (z) Ibid. r.25. (a) Matth. xix. 8. (b) Young's fermons. Vol. IV. ' D d rity 2 1 o The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book YI. A. M. rity in the behaviour of a Chriftian and Jewifh matyr : 3001, ire but that fuch prophetical declarations, concerning the fu- A"t;C1"^ ture punifhment of enemies and perforators, were not "from " thought wicked and uncharitable, even under a more per- 1 Kingsviii. fe£t difpenfation, we have the example 'of the great apoftle ts .he end 0f tiie Gentiles to evince; who fpeaking of Alexander the -^ *. 1. , copperfmith, who had greatly ppppfed him, (c) the Lord reward him, fays he, according to his works ; where it is tq be obferved, that thc King's manufcript reads kmSia-u, arid not ItfaSm, i. e. fhall or will reward, and moft of the ancient commentators have remarked, that this is not an impreca tion, but a prediction only, not unbecoming an apoftle. Jehu'-; cha- What God fays of the king pf Aflyria, whom he calls racier. ^j,-„ rQ^ 0jr /ns an„er^ anci ff,e flaff of his indignation, is not unapplicable to Jehu, after he was advanced tp the throne of Ifrael: I fent him againft the people oj my wrath, U tread them down, like mire Oj the ftreets, howbeit he meaned not fo, neither did his heart think fo, but it was in his. heart to. deftroy, and cut off nations not a few. Jehu indeed mr.de great bftentation of his zeal for the Lord, and that during his adminiftratinn, (d) there fhould fall to the earth nothing of what he had faid concerning the houfe of Ahab ; and it mult be acknpwledged, that for his performance of the divine commands in this regard, (e) he received cpmmenda- tions from God, and a fettlement of his family in the throne of Ifrael for four fucceffipns ; and yet we may fay pf him, that he meaned not fo, neither did his heart think fo ; He was ftill a bad man, thpugh he did w'ell in executing that which was right in God's eyes, as tp the abplifhment of the worfhip of Baal ; (f) but his pbftinate perfiftance in the fin of Jeroboam, may be juftly alledged againft him, as an argument of his falfe- heartednefs in all his other actions. "Vlvv he Why he continued in this kind of idolatry, the reafons .continued were much the fame with him, that they were with the the worfhip fjrft. inftitutor of it,- -- left, by permitting his fubjects to so ot the tfol- . „, 1 • ' , r r ¦ n , ¦ . den calves. ° tne Place aPPO;nted tor divine worfhip, he might ppen a door for their return to their obedience to the hpufe of D.ivid ; and, not pnly fo, but difoblige likewife a great part of the nobility of the nation, who, by this time, had been long accuftomed, and were warmly affected to the (c) 2 Tim. iv. 14. (d) Whitby's Commentary on the New Teitament. (e) 2. Kings x. 30. (f) Ibid. vtr. 29. . worfhip Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 211 worfh'ip pf the golden calves. Herein however he made a A. M. plain difcovery ot his fin and folly, in not daring to truft jf^'cf^ God with the keephig of his kingdom, though it was from ,003, ire. ' his kindnefs and donation that he had it, and in appre- .from... hending any danger from the houfe pf David, or the king- ,K'ngsvi«- dom pf Judah, which were bpth npw in fo weak and de- 0f x chron. dining a condition, diat tliey were much more likely to be '— v~— ' fwallpwed up by him. (g) The truth is, Jehu was a wicked, bold, furious, Why God and implacable man ; but a man pf this complection (con made ufe of iidering the work he was to be fet about) was a proper *"ra* inftrument to be empfoyed ; and fo far is it from tending to the reproach, that it is infinitely to the glory of God, that he can make ufe of fuch boifterous and unruly paflions of mankind for the accomplifhment of his juft defigns, according to the obfervation of the royal rfilmift, (h) Surely the wrath of man floall praife thee, and the remainder of his wrath fhalt thou reftrain. This he plainly did in the cafe pf Jehu : For after he had fettled him in the poffef- fipn pf a kingdom, and ftill found that he perfifted in his pplitical idolatry, he brought down the king of Syria upon him, (i) ,who fmote the coafts of Ifrael, and quite wafted ail that part pf his kingdom which lay beyond the river Jprdan, There is this to be faid however, concerning Jehu's cut- and how ting off Ahaziah, and (k) the ether branches of his family, he executed that though his primary intent in doing it was to fecure c?m~ himfelf in the poffeffion of the kingdom, againft all claims that might come from the houfe of Ahab ; "yet did he not act entirely { contrary to his commiffion, becaufe (/) Aha ziah was the fon of Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, and the order pf Gpd was, (m) that the whole houfe of Ahab fhould perifh ¦¦ But then the queftion is, where it was that Ahaziah was flain ? becaufe in the two accounts that we have of his death, there feems to be fome repugnancy. The account which we have in the fecond book of Kings runs thus : (n) When Ahaziah faw the death of Jeho ram king of Ifrael, he fled by the way of the garden-houfe, and Jehu followed after him, and faid, finite him alfo in his chariot : And they did Jo, at the going up to Gur,, which is by lbleam, and he fled to Megiddo, and there died .- But in the (g) Pool's Annotations, (b) Pfal Ixxvi. 10. (i) 2Kingsx. 32. (i) Pool's Annotations on 2 Kings x. 14. (/) 2 King'; viii. iS. (pi) 2 Kings ix, 8. (») Ibid. ver. 27. D, d ?, book 2i2 TI e Hiftory of the B I B L E, . Book Vb A. M1 book of Chronicles it is fiid, that (o) when Jehu was exe, , 3001, ,j-. cuting judgment ut on thc houfe of slbab, and found the prin- Ant. Chi-ii ces 0j judaf, even the fons of the brethien oj Ahaziah, that Id°fr'om ' miniftered to Ahaziah, he flew them. *And he fought Aha* i Kingsviii. ziah, and they caught him, (for he was bid in Samaria), «o the end j brought him to Jehu, and when they had flain him, they of % Chron- , . , , b J j j j t_— ~ _^„ buried him. The differ- Now, in order to reconcile the different accounts of the ent.iccounts fame event, we mult obferve, fp) that as one great end in Kings 0£ wrjting the book of Chronicles, "was to fupply fuch nUcs .'on- matters as had been omitted in the book of Kings ; fo ccrning \- this account of the death of Ahaziah, in the latter, is ve- haziah's rv (hort, and included the ftory of Jerobpam, that the read, concilcd" er> at one anc* t'le Jame v'eVv>,as h weit, might perceive 1 in what manner it was that both thefe princes fell; but in the former it is told more at large ; and therefore, tp com-i plete the hiftory, we n-uft take in both accounts, and from ihence we may gather,' That uppn feeing Jehoiam mortally wounded, Ahaziah turned his chariot, and made the beft of his way to Samaria, in order to efcape into his own kingdom ; but finding the pafies top narrowly guard ed, he thought proper to conceal himfelf in the town, in hopes of a better pppprtunity ; that Jehu, in the mean, time, coming to Samaria, and having intelligence that A- haziah was lurking there, ordered that diligent fearch fhould be made for him, and when he was found, thathe fhoiid be carried to Gur, (the place, in all probability,, where his father Joram had.flain all his brethren), and there . be killed in his chariot, that fo his fervants might imme: diately carry off his corpfe, ;md bury it. But as Jehu's or der to the officers that were intrufted with tbe execution, was only, that they fliould imite him, they thought it e- nough to give him a mortal wound, fp that his hivants car ried him from thence to Megiddo, the next town in the tribe pf Iflathar, where he died, "Why Jeho- This makes the circumftances ennfiftent : And though ram was {0 we are no ways concerned (efpecially when the facred bi- "'a'init'i- ftory is fil^1) t0 a^8n aDV "al ons for fuch furious paf- rui.a. Cons as are frequently obferved in great and wicked men; yet it may be no hard matter tp imagine fomething more' probable, than what (q) Jofephus makes the caufe of Jeho ram's indignation againft Eliftia, and his vpwing to take off (o) 2 Chron xxii 7. ire. (/>) Pool's Annotations. (a) Jewifh Antiq. lib. 9. c. 2. his Chap III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 213 his nead ; even becaufe he refufed to intercede with God a. M. f r .ne removal of the farnine, that had, at this time, fo 3°°', ire. forcly wafted the city of Samaria. From the many miracles T which Elifha did, the king "ery likely might be cpnvinced, from that the fame fpirit which pnce refided in Elijah was now « Kingsviii. defcended upon him ; and therefore, as Elijah had power, t0„™5L,en ... r . , n ; . ,r rofx Chron. by his prayers, either to fhut, or open the windows ot ,„.-—, j heaven, either to caufe or remove a famine, as he pleafed, (r) he might poflibly imagine, that" God had cpnferred the fame privilege upnn Elifha, and might therefore be highly incenfed againft him, becaufe he would not make ufe of it in the prefervation of a city reduced to the utmoft diftrefs. But we can hardly imagine, that a wicked and idolatrous prince (as Jehoram certainly was) would ever entertain fo high a conceptipn pf any of the Lord's prophets : And therefore we muft endeavour to find out fome pther reafon for the viplence pf his r.ige and indignation againft him. When the prophet Elifha carried the detachment of tbe Syrian army, which was fent to apprehend him at Dothan, hood-winked (as it were) intP the city of Samaria, Jeho ram, we find, would have gladly taken this advantage, and fallen upon them with the fword : (s) My father, fhall I finite, fhall I finite them ? So eager was he to have them deftroyed, as we may learn from the repetition of his words I But by no means would the prophet permit him ; on the contrary, he ordered them to be treated with much civili ty, and difmiffed in peace. An uftige this which deferved a better return than what they made the Ifraelites the year following, when they came, and befieged Samaria, and forely diftreffed it. The king pf Ifrael, therefore, re flecting on the opportunity which, had he employed as he defired, would have difabied the army from making any frefh invafions, but was unhappily loft, by liftening to an old doating prophet, (as he might call him), was grieved be- , yond meafure, and hereupon vowed to make his life pay for the lives of thofe, who, by his counfel, had efcaped, and were npw returned tp repeat their hoftilities. It may be fuppofed likewife, that upon the return of the Syrian army, the king of Ifrael, knowing himfelf in no condi tion to oppofe them, might poflibly be for purchafing a peace at any rate ; which Eiifha might endeavour to diffuade him from, by giving him all alpng aflurance, that the enemy fhould at length be defeated. Finding however no effect in (r) Pool, ibid. (j) 2 Kings vi. 21. the s*4 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. the prpphet's prpmifes, and, pn the cpntrary, feeing his ^''jf- capital c-lofely befieged, and the pepple reduced to great ex- tto3,&c tremity pf want, he began tp repent him pf following hi? from advice ; and being fhocked at hearing the horrid ftpry (and * Kings viii. tnat from the mother's pwn mputh) pf her being forced to of *Chr^n. eat her own cllild for hunger, he fell intp a rage, and vnw- » - - _. ed tp be revenged of Elifha, as pne whp, by his bad cpun- fel, had pccafipned all that miiery : (f) God doflo to me, and more alfo, if the head of Elifha, the fon of Shaphat, fhall ftand on him to day ; never cpnfidering that his Own mani fold and crying fins, efpecially his pbftinate adhering tp the idplatry pf the calves, (u) and the whoredoms and witch crafts pf his mother Jezebel, were the true and proper caufes of all his calamities. How all the Jehu (as we faid before) was a wicked and ambitious pers ofBaal man, ancl '£ ls much to be queftioned, whether he would might be have executed the divine will fo punctually, had it not brought to fallen in with his own intereft and defigns. He had now the*. t0^e" extirpated the houfe of Ahab, and, as Ahab had been the firft introducer of the idplatry pf Baal intp the kingdpni of Ifrael, he cpuld not but think, that the priefts and pro phets, and fuch as adhered to the worfhip of that falfe god, were of Jezebel's faction, and might, at pne time or pther, take pecafion to revenge her death. Spmething or other was therefore neceffary tp be done, in order to get rid of this dangerous fet of men, and, that the bufinefs might be dnne effectui.'iy, tp get rid pf them all at pnee. (x) He was a perfon pf a knpwn indifference in matters of religipn, who, in this regard, always cpnformed tp the hu- mpurs pf the cpurt, and, in the reign of King Ahab, had been as ftrenuous a wprfhipper pf Baal as any ; and there fore, how could the pepple tell, when they read his procla matipn for a great feaft, and a folemn facrifice tp be pffered untp Baal, but that, in gppd earneft, he had returned to his fprmer love to the religion which he once embraced, and only deferted for a while, in cpmplacency tp pthers ? He had gpne pn a little pddly indeed at his entrance uppn die government, had murthered their chief patronefs, and made free with fome of their priefts likewife ; but thefe priefts perhaps were (_y) domeftics to Jezebel, or too near related to Ahab's family not to gp off in the common {laughter. Some inftances pf this kind cpuld hardly be (f) 2 Kings vi. 31. (u) chap ix. 22, (x) Pool's \a- tiotauons. (y) 2 Kings xi. 11. helped Chap. IH. from the building of the Temple, tiff. 215 helped in the heat of execution,, when the man was refolved a. M. to fecure himfelt, and remove all competitors : but now, s°OI> &<• that he has nothing to fear, why fhould we think, but that An*' c^ a ^prince who has no fenfe of religion at all, fhould be a fr?om ' worfhipper pf pur gpd Baal, (that glpripus luminary -f which 1 Kingsviii* fhines fo bright in the firmament pf heaven), as he is pf the to „*1,5 , . , ° , ' of i Chron. golden calves r ._ .j ¦ Thus, we may fuppofe, the Baalites reafoned, upon why they reading the king's proclamatipn fo apparently in favour of »11 w f°r what ? •Even to con»pei ° from " him to go, againft his .will, to a wicked city, with an un- i Kings viii " welcome meffage ; as if there bad been np' prophet in If. to the end « raej jjut ^-ls mllen and refradtpry man, tp be fent upon of i Chron. ,, . . , „ , " this errand. Anfwered . Nineveh, at the time when Jonah was fent thither, was by an ac- the metropplis pf the Affyrian empire, and one of the lar- Viaevth 8e^ ancl m°^ ancient c'"es in tne w°r'd. According" to and why the beft chronologers, it was built not long after the flood, Jonah -was and very foon after the tower of Babel, by Nimrpd ; but fent thither, being afterwards greatly enlarged by Ninps, from him it vert its in- received its name. It was fituated upon the banks of the habitants. Tigris, and (as Diodorus (g) has given us the defcription qf it) was, in length, an hundred and fifty ftadia; in breadth fourfcore and ten ; and in circumference, fpur hundred and feventy; which, being reduced to our meafure, make it a- bqut one and twenty miles Ipng, nipe broad, and four and fifty round. How ftately its walls, and how lofty its towers were, the fame hiftorian has taken care to inform us ; and how great the number of its inhabitants was, we may learn from (h) the fix ficore thoujand children, who could not dif- cern between their right hands and their left : For according to a proportional computatipn, there muft have been in the whole abpve fik. hundred thpufand perfons. Npw, we have wrong conceptions of God, if we think, that becaufe he n ade the children of Ifrael his peculiar people, he therefore neglected all the world befides. On the cpntrary, (i) Though he flawed his word untq Jacob, and his ftatufes and ordinances unto Ifrael, in a pai ticular man ner, yet he did not leave himfelf without a witnefs in other ' nations ; but whenever they were drawing deftrudtipn upon themfelves, took care to acquaint tbepi with their impending doom. To this purpofe, we liiay obferve, that not pnly, Ifaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, but almoft all the other prophets, do foretell tbe deftrudtion of Babylon, ard publifh the di vine threats againft Egypt, Edom, and the pther kingdoms neighbouring upon Canaan ; that (k) jtremiah, in parti* ;cuk.r, was ordered by God tp make himfelf bonds and yokes, and fend' them tp the kings pf the Ammonites, of Tyre and Sidon, and other princes, by the hand of their r (g) Lib- 2. Bib. (b) Jonah iv. u, (i) Pfal. cxlvii. 19. -./) jtr. xxyii. 2. ire. minlft;er^ Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 2f 9 minifters, whp were then at the cpurt of Zedekiah king of A- M. Judah, with his admonition to their mafters, that unlefs ^"firt'-'r they repented of their evil ways, he would deliver them ,003, ire' into the power of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whpm rom ^ hecalls his fervant:, even as he does (/) Cyrus his anointed, ' K',nS,v"'« (for being appointed to execute his will), fosne hundred 0ft ch on. years before he was born ; and therefore we need lefs won- ¦— — y ¦ iJl der, that we find God interefting himfelf in the prefervation of the large and populous city of Nineveh, upon which de pended the whole fate of the Affyrian empire, fince, in all ages, he has given proofs of his protection, and abfolute dominion over other nations, as well as the Ifraelites, ei ther in threatening their difobedience, in order to procure their amendment, or if they defpifed his threatenings, in punifhing their obftinacy, as they deferve. (m) Is he the God of the Jews only ? Is he not alfo of the Gentiles ? Yes, of the Gentiles alfo, fays an apoltle of great authprity : And therefore we may prefume, that as Jpnah Was the pnly prophet in the Old Teftament, that was fent exprefsly tp preach to the Gentiles, Gpd might defign hereby to give tp his people a premonition of h 1- tention, in the fulnefs qf time, (n) to raife up a root of Jeffie, (as the prophet expreffes it), which flxuld ftand jor an enfign of the people, and unto which the Gentiles fhould feek: To fo) break down the middle wall of partition, 'even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, and to unite all nations in one communion, under ( p) one great fljepherd and bifhop of their fouls. 1 But whether God might? defign this call to the Nine And to vites, as a pledge and affurance of his future admiffioh pf fhame his the pepple of all nations into the privileges of the Chi 'ftian °J™ pe0" covenant, this certainly he might have under his imme diate view, viz. to fhew the difparity between his people and aliens, and upon the compariibn pf their feveral be- havipurs, fhame them for living unreclaimed, under the conftant preaching pf his prophets for fo many years; when a pepple, whpm they defpifed, as being ftrangers to the co venant of promife, had, by the mighty power of his word, been converted in the fpace of three days. . Npthing is more common in Scripture, than to find God complaining of his people for not attending to the meffages which he fent them : (q) Since the day that (I) Ifaiah xiv. 1. (in) Rom. iii. 27. (») Ifaiah xi. 10. (a) Eph. ii. 14. {/>) 1 Pet. ii. 2J. (q) Jer. vii. 25. ire. E e 2 fheir a 20 The Hiftory of the B IBLE, Book VI. A. M their fathers came forth out of Egypt, (fays God to one of 3001, &i his prophets), even unto fhis day, I have fent unto them Ant. Chru. ^ fervants, the prophets, daily rifing up early, and fend- 1003, ire , -; ¦' ' , , , ¦ ;¦ j \.i • from *«£ w ; yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their 1 Kingsvii ear, but hardened their neck, and did worfe than their fa- "f thch°d t^ers " Therefore flialt thou fpeak all thefe words untb them, . ,— -,_ but they will not hearken, and thou fhalt call unto them, but they will 'not anfwer thee. And therefore Gpd, very well fpreknpwing the fuccefs that his prpphet wpuld meet with, might fend him with cpmmiffion to preach to the Ninevites, not only in purfuance of his kind purpofes to them, but with an intent likewife tp render his pwn people inexcufable, even as ,our Saviour reprefents the cafe of the Jews in his, days, who refufed to hear him : frj The men of Nineveh fhall rife in judgment with this generation, and fhall condemn it, becaufe they . repented at the predching of Jonah ; and be hold a, greater than Jonah is here. "Why Jonah And indeed, fome have imagined, that one great caufe refufed to Qjf jonah's declining the order at firft, and of his going at laft with fo much reludtancy to Nineveh, might be fome fufpicion, that in cafe thefe Gentiles fhould liften to his preaching, it might be, npt only a lafting reproach, but a means of reprobation likewife, to his countrymen, who, under the conftant miniftration of fo many prpphets, were only become more obdurate in fin : And therefore, jealous of the honpur pf his natipn, and tpp folicitous for their prefervatipri, he cpuld not prevair with himfelf to accept of a commifiion that feemed to interfere with this ; left a ready compliance with the divine command at Nineveh Ihould prove the difparagement at leaft, if not the utter rejection of fs) his brethren, his kinfmen after the flefh. The prophet himfelf, however, has fuggefted another. reafon for his unwillingnefs tp go tp Nineveh, and that is, the fuperabundant mercy pf God, which, he forefaw, would. be mpved tp pity at the prayers and tears pf the pepple; and ' therefore he rempnftrates thus : ft) I pray thee, 0 Lord) was not this my faying, when I was yet in my coun-; try? Therefore I fled before unto Tarfhifh ; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, flow to anger, of great, kindnefs, and repenteft thee of the evil. But, hpw plau- fible foever this excufe may be, yet, upon the face pf the (r) Matth. xii. 41. (/) Rom- ix. 3. (t) Jonah iv. 3. whole Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 221 whole affair, it appears, that the prophet confidered him- A. M. felf a little too much; and therefore we may conclude, that ^''o,^ the true reafon for his 'declining the errand, was the ha- 1003, ire. zard and difficulty of the undertaking, and the great un- <">>»» .„ certainty of its fuccefs: The very fame thought that de- 'ot]f(fend" terred Mofes from applying to Pharaoh to grant the Ifrael 0f » ch«m. ites their liberty, and Gideon frpm taking up arms tp re- >— —v"™"*1- fcue his country from the flavery of the Midianites : For as each of thefe made their feveral excufes ; lam of ithcircum- cifed lips, fays one, and how fhall Pharaoh hearken unto me P and, / am the leaft in my father's houfe, fays the o- ther, and how thenjball Ifave Ifrael? So might Jonah fay within himfelf, " I am lefs than the leaft of the prophets, " and how then can I expect that the people of fo great " and opulent a city will give any attention to my preach- "• ing; that they will rather take the alarm, and fall upon " me, and fky me, when I come to tell them that their " ruin and deftrudtion is fo near approaching ? I'll get quit " of this dangerous affair, therefore, as well as I can ; and, " becaufe I conceive, that the fpirit of prophecy (which " upon this account makes me fo uneafy) will not purfue *' me, after I am gone out of the Holy Land, I'll make the " beft of my way into Cilicia ; for, when I have got at " fame diftance from Judea, God perhaps may think no " more of fending me, but may find him out fome other "> prophet that is bettafcqualified for this purpofe." But, {uj Whither fhall I goyrom thy Spirit? (as one better in- ftrudted than Jonah feems to be in this article of his omni- prefence, addreffes himfel£ to God), Or whither fhall 1 flee from thy1 prefence ? If I afeend up into heaven, thou art • there; if I go down into hell, thou art there alfo\ if I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermoft parts cf the fea, even there alfo fhall thy hand lead me, and thy right-hand fhall hold me ; which no man ever fo experimen tally' found to be true as did this prophet, while he fo- journed in the deep, and tpok up his habitation in the whale's belly. (x) Some learned men indeed are of opinion, that the J*1" the fifh which fwallowed lip Jonah, was not a whale, beCaufefw,|nOW!l,,i the largeft of thefe (as they tell us) have but in proportion up Jonah, very narrow gullets, Tuch as are not capable of receiving ay=ryProbl* (ti) Pfal. exxxix. 7. (x) Bochart De animal, facris, part 2. lib. 5. c. 12.; Bartholin. De morbis Bibticis, art. 1 4. man 222 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI; A. M. man entire intp their ftpmachs : And therefore they ima- ^t'chrii gine that it was what they call the lamia, or flea-dog, which, 1003, ire thpugh lefs in bulk than a Whale, has a gullet fo vaftly target from that frequently in its ftpmach have been found men, all lKi°Ss™>- whole and entire, (y) and fometimes clad in armour. pf* Chron. h muft be acknowledged, that the Hebrew Dag-gadol, which the text in Jonah makes ufe of, fignifies no more than any great fifh ; but then it makes fomething for the common opinion, that the whale is the largeft fpecies we know of that fwims in the fea. The ancients indeed feem to have enlarged too much in their account of this animal. (z) Pliny talks of fome that were fix hundred feet long, and above half as much broad. Solinus (a) makes others. no lefs than eight hundred feet ; and Dionyfius (b) feems to affirm of others, that they had a throat wide enough to fwallow up a fhip with all its rigging. But tho' thefe may pafs for extravagant exaggerations, (c) an author, who has wrote exprefsly upon this fubject, give us this account, 1 — " That, in the northern feas, there are whales of " fuch a prodigious bignefs, that, when their flefh is taken " off, and nothing left but their ikeletons, they look like " large veffels, or rather like fpacibus houfes, with feveral " chambers and windows in them, wherein a whole fami- " ly might find room to live." Their mouth (every one allows) is capable of containing feveral men at once. We are told (d) of one, eaft upon thejfoaft of Tufcany, in the year 1624, whofe jaws were fo wide, that a man on horfeback might have rode into them with eafe : And we have not much reafon to doubt, but that their throat and belly are anfwerable to (e) fo fpacious an opening. It cannot be thought indeed, but the oefophagus, in creatures that are dead, muft be contradted to a great de gree, in comparifon to what it is when they are alive, and efpecially when they are eating ; in which cafe it is capable of fo great dilatation (as is evident from a pike's fometimes fwallowing another fifh almoft of his own mag- (y) This a French author, named Rondelet, reports of one of tbefe fea-dogs, which was taken near Nice, or fviarleilles ; Calmet's DifTert fur le poifTon qui enrdoutii Jonah. (2) Lib. ;8. c. 1. (a) Cap. 52. (b) Periegetes, ver 603. (c) Olans Man nas, Depifcibus monllnf. !ib 21. c 15. 16. (d) John Cabii, • of the academy of Florence, makes mention of this whale. . («) Qnanto hiata patcbat os illud; quud veluti jaiiua fpelunca; illius fuit. nitude) Chap. III. from the Building of the Temple, (3c. 223 nitude) that we need not much fear, but that the fifh which A- M- Gpd had provided for that purpofe was able to gulp Jo- ^''chrit nah down at once, without ever hurting him. For the 1003, ire. whale, as we are told, has neither1 teeth nor tufhes, :rom.., (whereas the fea-dog has four or five rows of teeth in * ^™1' each jaw), and is therefore the much properer of the two 0f* Chron. to receive into its ftomach anything alive, without the — — v— •"¦* danger of contufion. Thus we have conveyed Jonah fafe and found into the How he whale's belly ; let us, in the next place, fee how he is to m-^ht live live there for the fpace of' three days. The Scripture in- m thf deed fpeaks precifely of (/) three days and three nights ; macn_ but as Jonah was a type of our Saviour, and his abode in the belly of the whale a prefiguration of our Lord's conti nuance (g) in the heart of the earth, there is fome reafon to think, that the type, and the antitype, in this refpect, were both alike ; and that as our Lord was but one whple day, and part of two more, in the grave, fo Jonah might con tinue no longer in the deep ; and yet, accprding to the He brew way of computation, both be truly faid to have been three days and three nights, in their refpedtive confine ments. But not to infift on this abbreviation of time, what fome naturalifts tell us of the food of tbe whale, viz. That it does not live on flefh, but on weeds, on the froth of the fea, on infects, and fuch fmall fifh as are eafy of digeftion ; and that, confequently, as having a colder fto mach, it was a fitter feceptacle for the prophet, than any Other fifh that was carnivorous ; this might be pf fome confideratipn perhaps, were we not difpofed to call in the miraculous power of God, which alone could preferve him in thefe circumftances. But then, we cannot but al low, that as he fufpended the violence of the fire from hurting the three young men that were eaft into the fur nace ; that as he made St Peter's body either fo light as to walk upon the waters, or the waters fo folid as to . fupport it ; fo, with the fame facility, he might control ' the acid humours in any creature's ftomach, and make it (for fuch a determinate time) lofe its faculty pf digeftipn : For in all this, there is npthing that furpaffes the ppwer pf the great authpr of nature; who gives, or fufpends the activity of all bodies, who flops, pr cpntrols, who changes, or modifies, (as he thinks fit), all the motion which (f) Jrnzh i. 17. (g) Matth. xii. 40, 224 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. he communicates to matter, of what kind foever it be. |°01'^: And, in like manner, though it be impoffible, according 100*3, ire. to lhe ordinary laws of nature, for a man to breathe in from the ftomach of a fifh, or at leaft, to draw in fuch a quanti- i Sings viij. ty 0f ajr as js requifite tp give a due circulation to his ^f Octroi ^1°°^ ; yet fince it is neither contrary to the nature, nor .,_ - -J fuperior to the power of God, by one means or other to effedt the thing, if it be but agreeable to his will, we can not -fee any reafon why it may not be done. Bats and fwallows, and other birds, whkh in the cold feafon of the year creep into cliffs of recks, and hoh low trees, ,(h) creatures that live under ground, and feve ral others that abide at the bottom of deep waters, fubfift in a manner without breathing. They live, as it wete, in a deliquium of life, and the blood in their veins feems tq move very flowly, if at all ; and yet we find them revive again, upon the approach of the genial heat of the fun, to give their bipod and juices a brifkei' fermentation ; and why might not God then, during thefe three days and nights, put Jonah into the very fame ftate pf repofe and tranquillity, that either the element they live in, pr the colder feafon of the year, do naturally bring upon thefe anii mals, by correcting the fluidity, arid retarding the circu lation of his blood, fo as to make frequent refpkatkm not fo necefiary ? The ancient phyficians were of opinion, that while the child continued in its mother's womb, it lived without breathing, fo that there was no employment for the lungs, until it came into the open air ; but later anatomifts will perfuade us, that without fome circulation of blood in the body, no animal can live ; and therefore they pretend to have found out in the foetus a confideraWe artery, which conveys the blood frpm the vena cava (withput its pafEng intp the right ventricle pf the heart) intp the lungs ; from- whence, by another fmaller artery, (which they call the bo- tal), it is carried intp the Aorta, and fo cpntinucs in a peri- petual circulatipn, withput entering the lobes of the lungs, which are not replete with blood, nor begin to move, until the child is born and fucks in the frefh air. For then, fay they, the blood being forced by the motion of the heart into the artery, whofe Orifice Ues in its right ventricle, goes directly into the lungs, and is thence brought back by (h) Calmet's Differ!, fur le Poiffon, ire. the Chap. III. from the buikling of the Temple* &c a$ the" pulmonary vein ; fo that the other veffels which help A. M. the circulation of the blood in the foetus, being now be- ^''{.f^i1 cbme ufelefs, do by degrees ftop, afld are dried up. But loo'iy ^." ' it may not always happen fo : In fome particular perfons frorn nature fometimes preferves them open ; and this is. the rea- * King«v^ fon which fome give us, why the diver's, (as they are call-^ chfofl, ed), who accuftom themfelves to go under water, to dif- \ cover and bring up the riches of the deep, can abide fo long in that element, without breathing. We pretend npt however to advance, that Jonah was One of this fort of men; but ftill we may affirm, that it was in God's power, during his continuance in the fifh's belly, to put him in fuch a ftate of acquiefcence, and his blood into fuch a form of circulation, as would require no more refpiratiOn, than the foetus has in . the womb; In this there- is hothing imppffible, nothing incompatible with the laws of nature ; though it muft be acknowledged, that, ftridtly fpeaking, the thing is above the ordinary and known laws of nature, and therefore miraculous: But then, if we believe not this miracle, why ihould we believe any other, or why fhould it be thought - a more incredible thing, that Jonah fhould live three days in the belly of a •large fifh, than that Lazarus (z) fhould be recalled tp life again, after he had been four days buried in the grave 5 that the prophet fhould return from' this fea-monfter's fto mach, fa e and found, than that the '(k) three Jews in Ba bylon fhould efeape frpm the flaming furnace, withput "having fo much as the fmell of the fire pafs upon them ? " But other miracles, it may be faid, were done forAnobjee* " fome wife ends of providence, and when there appear- tloa- " ed an urgent Occafion for God's exerting his almighty '" power ; whereas, in the cafe before Us, there feems to ,r be none at all." That prophets, however, inverted with gfeat ppwer, AnfVvered, and fometimes intrufted with high commifiions from Gpd, ^y ^^ftg ,„„„¦,,. ,., W- , • r • ¦ f°r vvnat were (/) Men fubjeEl to like paflions and infirmities' as wfenljs God are, is evident, not only from the teftimony of the apoftle, did this mi« but from the accounts of their own behaviour likewife. racie> ™z' to pumfla ' Jonah. (i) John xi. 17, 39. 44 . [k) Dan. iii. 27. (/) James v. 1 7. Vol. IV. ¥ i Ths 226 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. The prophet that was fent to Bethel to denounce God's 3oor, ir<. judgment againft the idolatrous altar, was a fad example of Ant. chm. ilumaa frailty, in giving credit to the perfuafidns of ano- 1003, tire. , , , ° ,. r, , ,. ' J ' T from ther, even when they contradicted a, divine command. Jo- i.Kings viii. nah, when he was diredted to go to Nineveh, difcovered ' f tlceh/nd the like, if no greater tokens of human infirmity, when, y__ - - _j mftead °f purfuing that journey, he bent his courfe another way, not without fome vain hopes of evading by- that means the divine prefence : 'And therefore, as God fent a lion to flay the prophet pf Judah, for his tpp much credu lity ; fo fome have imagined, that he npt pnly purfued this prophet of Ifrael with a dreadful ftorm, but even had him thrpwn pvgrbpard, and fwalfowed up by this fea-monfter, in punifhment for his perverfenefs and prevaricatipn. God indeed, by his pver-ruling ppwer, made the belly of this monfter a place of fecurity to him ; but what notions the prophet himfelf had of this ftrange habitation, (m) where the floods compaffed him about, and the billows and waves faffed over him, we may learn from his meditatkms in the deep, (n) when he cried, by reafon of his affliclion, to the Lord, and he heard hint : So that, upon the prefumption that God intended not. to deftroy him, the primary reafon, we may imagine, for his appointing this fifh tp fwallpw him : up, was to flop this fugitive prophet, as he was endeavour ing to make his efcape : But then, in the midft of judgment thinking upon mercy, after a confinement of three nights and three days in the deep, whereby he both taught him, better obedience for the future, and rectified his notions cpneerning the divine pmniprefence, he ordered his jailor (if we may fo fpeak) to give him his liberty, and deliver him fafe on fhore. To convert The oriental traditipns dp vaftly differ as tp the place ners"11"" where Jonah was eaft upon the land. (0) Jofephus muft needs be under a grofs miftake, when, to throw him upon fome cpaft pf the Euxine fea, he makes the whale (which cpuld hardly be any quick mpver) run eight hundred leagues, at leaft, in three days and nights : Neither are others, who. from the upper part of the Mediterranean, carry him into the ocean, and thence into the Red-fea, or the Perfian gulph, in the like fpace of time, any happier in their conjectures. This fhip, we know, was bound for fm) Jonah ii. 3. («) Ibid. ver. 2. (0) Jewifh Antiq. hb. 9, c. 11. ' J Tarfus Chap. III. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 2.27 Tarfus (p), a great trading town in Cilicia, a province in A- **. Alia Minor, at the eaft end of the Mediterranean fea ; and An°.''chrif. therefore the moft probable opinion is, that fomewhere on 1003, ire. this coaft, the fifh difembogued itfelf of Jonah ; ahdiffo, .from... the mariners, who, by the time that he was fet on fhore, \0 ^Jai had arrived at their port, when they heard the ftrange ac- of z Chron. count of his deliverance, muft have become converts to t—- v— ¦* the worfhip of that God only, who, in this ipftance, had fhewn himfelf able (q) to do whatever he pleafed in heaven, and in the earth, in the fea, and in all the deep places. In the ftorm which St Paul, in his voyage from Crete to Rome, underwent, an angel ftood by him one night, and faid unto him, (r) Lo, God hath given thee all them that fail with thee ; And if, by the expreffion, we may un derftand the falvation of their fouls, as well as their bodies, a fufficient reafon it was, for God's permitting this diftrefs fo fall upon them, fince eventually it proved the occafion of their converfion. And, in like manner, jf the fudd'ea ceafing of the ftorm upon Jonah's being eaft forth into the fea (s), made fo ftrong an impreflion uppn the mariners that failed with him, how can we think, but that his mira culous efcape put pf that mercilefs element (efpecially when he came to recount the particulars pf it) would make them all profelytes to his religion ? And if we may fuppofe fur ther, that fome of the fhip's crew accompanied him to Nineveh, as knowing the purpofe of his errand thither, to teftify- to the people, that he was the fame man who was in this manner delivered from the jaws of the deep, or that the Ninevites came by their intelligence of this miracle by fome other means, we have here a good reafon why they attended to his meffage, and repented at his preaching j and confequently why God wrought this wonderful work upon him, in order to give his predictions more weight and authority. . Nay farther, we may fuppofe, that when the people of To nwni- Nineveh heard Jonah preaching about their ftreets, *1 taking *he advantage of thefe '""from'" diftractions, rharched with an army, and invaded the king- 1 Kings viii. dom of Ifrael on the other fide of Jordan, which lay near- to the end eft to Babylon : But Menahem by a prefent ot three thou- ofiChron. fand talents Qf giver) which he raifed out of the wealthieft of his fubjedts, prevailed with him, not only to withdraw his forces, but to recognife his title likewife tp the crown * Jofephus does not indeed make mention of this particular in- ftance of his unrelendng cruehy ; but this he tells us, that " when " he had taken the town, he put all to the fword, without fparing " a man, woman, or child ; and that he exercifed fuch mercilefs " rigour and inhumanity towards his own countrymen, as would " have been unpardonable even to the worft of barbarians : " But by thefe methods he thought, no doubt, to terrify the whole king dom, fo that none might dare to withftand him j Jewifh Antiq. lib, 9. c. 11.; and Patrick's Commentary. f This is the firft time that we find any mention made of the% kingdom of AfTyria, fince the days of Nimrod, who erected a final! principality there, Gen. x. 1 1. and Pul, or Phul, if the firft mo narch of that nation who invaded Ifrael, and began ihi& tranfport- ations out ot their country. Some are of opinion, that he was the fame with Bclefis, the governor of Babylon, who, together with Arbaces the Mede, flew Sardanapalus, the laft of the Affyrian mo. narchs, and tranilated the empire to the Chaldeans. Our excellent Patrick feems to be confident in this. But according to our learned Prideaux, Belefis was one generation later ; and therefore it is fup- pofed, that this Pul was the father of Sardanapalus, who was , call ed Sardon with the annexion of his father's name Pul, in the fame manner as Merodach king of Babylon, was called Merodach-bala' dan, becaufe he was the fon of Baladan. This Pul therefore was the fame king of AfTyria who, when Jonah preached againft Ni neveh, gave great tokens of his humiliation and repentance. The only difficulty is, that he feems to have marched his army from Ba bylon, and not from Nineveh, and yet his fon and fuccefTor, we find, lived at Nineveh : But then it is fuggefted, that as the kings of AfTyria refided fometimes at Babylon, and fometimes at Nineveh, it is not improbable that Pul, to avoid the judgments which Jonah threatened againft t'e larter, might remove to Babylon, where he refided the remaining part of his reign ; and this made it fo con venient for him to attack tbe Ifraelites on the other fide of Jordan ; Prideaux' 's Connection, A. 747. ; and Bedford's Scripture-chrom- ' fogy, lib. 6. of Chap IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 233 of Ifrael, before he left the kingdom ; which was one A. M. kahiah. 1 Kingsviii. Pekahiah, however, did not reign above two years, t°t!^.cnd before he was murthered, in his royal palace, by Pekah, - _ j the general of his army, who, in the laft year of Uzziah, Menahem ufurped the crown, and wpre it fpr twenty years, but not is frcceed- without math difquiet and perplexity. For after that Tig- ^^Jh ^ji lath-Pilefer f , king pf AfTyria, had feveral times invaded is murther- his'ed by Pe kah, who is murther ed by rio- •f- This (hews that Menahem vyas a man of great weight and con- ^'e-1, under, firleration j fince,. notwithftanding all his violence and cruehy, he ^-^j- ', e left the kingdom in his own family, which his two predeceffors kingdom could not do» It is manifeft, however, that there was a fmall in was de- terregnum of about a year's continuance, between his death and his fh-oyed by fon 's acceffion : For his fon did not begin to reign till- -the fiftieth Saimauelcr. yearof Uzziah, and yet lie mud luve been dead the year before, be caufe it is faid of him, 2 Kings xv. that he began to reign in the thirty-ninth of Uzziah, and reigned but ten years. There was therefore apparently an interregnum j but what thc occafion -'f it was, it is not fo well known ; though there is raom to fuppofe, that it proceeded from the intereft of his fucceffor, who might raife a party to keep him out of the throne, as he did afterwards to deprive him both of that and life. For (according to Jofephus) " he was " cut to pieces, with feveral of his friends about him, at a public " feaft, by the treafonable practice of Pekah, one of his principal " officers, who, feizing upon the government, reigned about twen- " ty years, and, left it at laft a difficult queftion to determine, IVhe- " ther he was more remarkable for his impiety towards God, or for " bis injuftice towards men?" Jofeph. Antiq. lib. 9.- c 11.; and Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. - -f- He is fuppofed by forrie to have been the fon and fucceffor of Sardanapalus, who reftored the kingdom of Affyria, and poflefled it, after it had been difmembered by Belefis and Arbaces ; but our learned Prideaux • (who begins his excellent Connection of the hiftory of the Old and New Teftament at this period) makes him to be the fame with Arbaces, by ^Elian called Thilgamus, and by Caftor, Ni- nus Junior ; who, together with Belefis, headed the confpkacy a- gainft Sardanapalus, and fixed his royal feat -at Nineveh, the an cient refidence of the AfTyrian kings, as Belefis (who in Scripture is likewife called Baiadan, Ifaiah xxxix. 1.) did hia at Babylon, -and Vol. IV. G g there 234 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VL A- M. his kingdom, taken his cities, ravaged the country, ani Ant' Chrif. carried away great numbers of his fubjects captive, Hofhea 1003, iff. + the fon pf Elah murthered him, (as he had done his pre- . from deceffer), and after an interregnum of nine years, tliruft 1 Kings viii. himfelf into the throne; but it was not long before he of** Chron. found that his ufurpation was attended with many incum- v—— ^—— brances. Salmanefer, who, in the fourteenth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, fucceeded his father Tiglath-Pilefer, in the kingdom pf Affyria, invaded his cpuntry, and ha ving fubdued Samaria, made him promife to become his vaffal, and to pay him an annual tribute. For feme time Hpfhea fent his prefents, and his tribute-money, very punctually ; but having entered intp a cpnfederacy with So \ king pf Egypt, by his affiftance he hpped to be able tp {hake pff the Affyrian yoke ; and therefore with- there governed his new-erected empire for nineteen years ; - Pr'p deaux's Con\teclion, anno 747. f After he had murdered his predeceffor Pekah, the elders of the land feem to have taken the government into their own hands; for he had not the pofleffion of the kingdom till the latter end of the twelfth year of Abaz, /. e. about nine years after he had committed the fact. He came to the crown, it muft be owned, in a very wic ked manner, and yet his character in- Scripture is not fo vile as ma ny of his predeceffors, 2 Kings xvii. 2. For whereas the kings of Ifrael had hitherto maintained guards upon the frontiers, to hinder their fubjects from going to Jerufalem to worfhip, Hofhea took a- vvay thefe guards, and gave tree liberty to all to go, and pay their adorations where the law had directed. And therefore, when He zekiah invited all Ifrael to come to his paffover, this prince per mitted all that would to go ; and when, upon their return from that feftival, they deftroyed al! thc monuments of idolatry that were found in the kingdom of Samaria, inftead of forbidding them, in all pro bability, he gave his confent to it ; becaufe, without fome tacit en couragement at leaft, they durft not have ventured to do it ; Pri- deaux's Connefiion, anno 729. f This So with whom Hofhea entered into confederacy, is, in pro fane authors, called Sabacon, that famous Ethiopian, mentioned by He' rodotus and Diodorus Siculus, -who, in the beginning of Heze kiah's reign, invaded Egypt, and having taken Boccharis, the king thereof, prifoner, had him, in great cruelty, burnt alive, and then feized 011 his kingdom ; Prideaux 's Connection, anno 726. drew Chap IV from the building of the Temple, (3c 235 drew his fubjedtion, and would pay no more tribute; a. m. whereupon Salmanefer f marched with an army againft 5°°», Ec hini, and having fubdued all the country round, and a- *" ^" " mailed a ,* great quantity of rich prey, he came, and fat ft'om ' down before Samaria. The town held out for three • Kin;>svi!i. years; but being at length compelled to furrender, Sal- '° tn£5nd manefer quite demolifhed it. He took Hofhea, and put him _ j in chains, and fhut him up in prifon all his days ; and having \ carried the people into captivity, and placed them in the north parts of Affyria, and in the cities of the Medes, he fent feveral colonies of his own fubjects, from Babylon, and other provinces, to replenifh the land : But being too few for this purpofe, and withal very wicked and idolatrous people, the divine providence permitted lions -J-, and other wild bgafts, to multiply upon them to fuch •f- Salmanefer (who in Tobit i. 2 is called Enemeffar, and in Hofea x. 1 4. Shalman) was the fon and fucceffor of Arbaces, or Tiglath-Pilefer, and according to Jofephus, (who has quoted a paf fage from iVlenander), there is mention made of him, and of his conquelt over the land of Ifrael, in the hiftory of the Tyrians j Jewifh Antiq. lib 9 c. 14. * In this expedition, among other rich things which he took and carried away, was the golden calf which Jeroboam had fet up at Bethel, which, ever fince his time, had been worfhipped by the ten tribes that had revolted widi him from the houfe of David> as the other golden calf, which he at the fame time fet up at Dan, had, been taken thence, about ten years before, by his father Tiglath-Pi lefer, when he invaded Galilee, the province wherein that city ftood ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 729. t The policy of any prince, in transplanting a conquered people into another country, is to prevent their combining together, (which they cannot fo well do in a ftrange land, and apiong a mixt multitude of difierent languages), in order to fhake off thek uneafy yoke, and . recover their liberty ; Le Clere 's Copimsntary. ¦ + Jofephus, in this part of the hiftory, takes the liberty to alter the fenfe of the facred text : For inftead of the increafe of Jions, Which deftroyed the people, he tells us, " That they were vifited *' with a dreadful plague, fo that the place was, in a manuer, " quite depopulated by it." But allowing it to be lions, why Ihould thefe new inhabitants be afflicted with thefe creatures for not fear" ing the Lord, 2 Kings xvii. 25- when the Ifraelites, who feared the Lord as little as they, were never iufefted with any fuch thine ? G g 2 The 236 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VL A. M. fuch a degree, that they were forced to make a reprefen* Aa^ct' ta"on 'hereof, at the Affyrian court, viz. " That being iooj, frf " ignorant of the manner wherein they were to worfhip from 'f the God pf the country, they fupppfed that this af> 1 Kingsviii f< fliction was fent upon them ; and therefore they humbly ofiChron " Praye and. the mpre wicked and obdurate in his fins. For he not only vVfionsof fet up the worfhip of the golden calves, (for which he his king- • had not the fame politic reafon that the kings of Ifrael dom- had), but made molten images likewife for all the inferior gods of the Heathens. Tp thefe he facrificed, and burnt .incenfe in the high-places, and pn the hills, and under eve ry green tree. Nay, (and to add to all his other impieties), f Who this perfon was, it is no where faid in Scripture ; but he items to have been fome potent and factious Jew, who having re" volted from his mafter the king of Judah, excited and ftirreS up this war againft him, out of an ambitions aim of plucking him dowa from the throne, and reigning in his ftead ; Prideaux' 's Connection, anno, 747- (c) Ifaiah viii. 4. (d) Ibid. vii. 14. H h 2 made 244 , The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI; A. M. made his fons pafs through the fire to Moloch *, in the.val- 3145, ire ley 0f the fons pf Hinnpm f ; for which prpvpcatipns the '-rs8'C^c' Lord brought upon him the fame confederate army, the ftom ' year following... This, dividing itfelf into three bodies, the (Kingsviii. firft under Rezin king of Syria, the fecond under Pekah t0fthcfnd k'n£> of Ifrael, and the third under Zichri a mighty man of , Ephraim, 'invaded his kingdom in three different parts, at the fame time. * Interpreters ate agreed, that this pafting through the fire was performed, either by caufing the child to pafs between two fires made near one another, by way of its confecration to the fervice of Moloch, or by putting it in the body of the idol made oi brafs, and heated extremely hot, fo that it was immediately burnt to death. But then, to abate the horror of the crime, fome are of opinion, that Ahaz made his fons pafs through the fire, in the former fenfe only, and that becaufe we find Hezekiah furvive, and fucceed him in "the throne, and another of his fons, viz. Maafeiah, flam by Zichri, at his taking of Jerufalem ; but this does not hinder Ahaz from having other fons, not mentioned in the hiftory, whom he might make facrifices to Moloch. The Scripture fays exprefsly, faythe made his fins to pafs through the fire, according to the abo minations of the Heathen, whom the Lord eaft but before the children of Ifrael, 2 Kings xvi. 3. Now', it is hiconteftably true, that the ancient inhabitants of the land of Ifrael did frcquendy imitate the Heathens in thefe barbarities : They offered their fons and their daugh ters unto devils, and defiled the land with innocent blood, which they offered unto the idols of Canaan, Pfal. cvi. 36. Vid. Ezek. xvi. 20. 21. and xxiii./ % j. 39. And therefore it is reafonable to think, that he did the fame," and that this is recorded againft hirii as an ag gravation of his other crimes; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries. f Hinnom, in all probability, was fome eminent perfon in an cient times, to whom' this valley belonged, and to whofe pofterity it defcended, and is therefore fometimes called the valley of the chil dren of Hinnom. It was a famous plot of ground on the eaft fide of Jcrufahm, and fo delightfully (haded, that it invited the people to make it a place of idolatrous worfhip, whereby it became infamous, and was at laft turned into a public dunghill, or receptacle where all tbe filth and excrements of the city were brought and burnt ; for which purpofe, there was a perpetual fire kept, which made it a kind of image or reprefentation of hell ; Patrick's Commentary on Jofh. xv. 8. J Rezin Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c 245 Rezin took Elah +, out of which. die drove the Jews, A. M. and fettled the Edomites in it ; and, having loaded his army A„4t5'chlr[f with fpoils, and taken a vaft number of captives, returned 1S%, ire. to Damafcus. Pekah, with his army, marched diredtly fI0m againft Ahaz, and gave him a terrible overthrow, wherein • K,nssv'"- he deftroyed no lefs than an hundred and twenty thOufand 0f t Chron. of his men : And Zichri, taking advantage of this victory, ' marched to Jerufalem ; and, having taken the royal city, flew Maafeiah the king's fon, and all the great men of the kingdom, whom he found there. After this, both thefe armies of Ifrael, in their return, carried with them vaft fpoils, and abpve two hundred thoufand captives, whom they intended to have fold for flaves : but as they approach ed Samaria, the prophet Oded, with the principal inhabi tants of the city, came out to meet them, and, after proper remonftrances of their cruelty to their brethren, prevailed with them, not only to releafe the prifoners, but to let them likewife be cloathed and relieved out of the fpoils they had taken, and fo fent back to their own houfes. The kingdom of J tidah was no fo oner delivered from thefe enemies, but it was invaded by others, who treated it with the fame cruelty : fpr the Edpmites tp the fputh, and the Philiftines tp the weft, feized pn thofe parts which lay con tiguous tP them, and, by ravages and inroads, - did all the mifchief they could to the reft. f Elah, or Elam, (as we took notice before), was i famous port on the Red fea, which David, in his conqueft of the kingdom of -Edom, took, and there eftablifhed a great trade to divers parts of the world. In the reign of Jehoram the fon of Jeholhaphat, the Edo mites recovered their liberty, and became fole mafters of this city, until the time that Uzziah recovered it to the dominion of Judah, 2 Kings xiv. 22. ; but, in the reign of Ahaz, the Syrians retook it, and reftored it to the Edomites: and why they chofe to do this, rather than keep fo advantageous a place in their own poffeffion, we may learn from what we read of the Edomites, 2 Chron. xxviii. 17. viz. that they invaded Judah, as auxiliaries to the king of Syria, much about the time that he was engaged in war with that kingdom ; and therefore it is no wonder, that he fhould give up a place which lay at too great a diftance for him to keep, to the Edomites, whofe originally it was, and who made perhaps the reftitution of it one ar ticle of their confederacy with him ; Patrick's and Le Cierc-'s Com mentaries, Being a46 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. Being reduced tp this few cpnditipn, and feeing no pther 3141$, ire. remedy left tp his affairs, Ahaz fent an embafly tpTiglath- Ant'Chrii piiefer king 0f Affyria, with a large prefent pf all the 75 ftorrT go!d and filver that he could find in the treafury of the i Kingsviii temple, and as large promifes, to become his vaffal and tri- to the end butary for ever, if he would but fend forces to his affiftance of * Chron. . J„ ,. .._¦_._, againft his enemies. He makes a The king of Aflyria readily laid hold on this invitation ; league with and, marching with a great army againft Rezin king pf Sy- Aff k'ng °Jr'a' ^e ^ew k'm 'n battle ; befieged, and tppk his capital of becomes"1 Damafcus ; and, having reduced the whple country under tributary ta his dominion, tranfplanted the pepple to Kir, a place in *"m- the Upper-Media, and fo put an end tp the kingdpm pf Sy ria in' Damafcus *, after it had cpntinued for nine or ten generatipns. After this he marched againft Pekah ; feized all that be longed tp Ifrael beypnd Jprdan ; and, having plundered the land of Galilee, proceeded tpwards Jerufalem, with an in tent tp fqueeze mpre mpney put of Ahaz, which when he had done, (by making him cut the veffels of the temple to pieces, and melt them down, to fatisfy his avarice), he * In the time of Abraham, Damafcus was in being ; and fome of the ancients inform us, that this patriarch reigned-there immediate ly after Damafcus, its founder. Thus much is certain, that one whom he had made free, arid appointed fteward of his houfe, was of Damafcus, Gen. xv. 2. at the time that he purfued Chederlaomer, and the five confederated kings, as far as Hobah, which lies north ward of Damafcus, Gen. xiv. ic. The Scripture fays nothing more of this city, until the time of David, when Hadad, who, according to Jofephus, (Jewifh Antiq. lib. vii. c- 6.), was the firft who took upon him tbe title of King qf Damafcus, fending troops to the affift ance of Hadadezer king of Zabah, was himfelf defeated by David, and his country fubdued. Towards the end of Solomon's reign, Re zin recovered the kingdom of Damafcus, and fhook off the Jewifh yoke, t Kings xi. 23. ire. Some time after this, Afa king of Ju- dah, implored the help of Benhadad king of Damafcus, againft Baa fha king of Ifrael, 1 Kings xv. 18. And from his time the kings of Damafcus were generally called Benhadad, till, in this laft con- trovcrfy with them, Ahaz called in thc affiftance of the king of Af fyria, who killed their king, and carried his fubjects into captivity, according to the predictions of Ifaiah, chap. vii. 9. and Amos, chap. vii. ; Cmfmet's Dictionary, under the word. marched Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 247 marched back to Damafeusi and there wintered, || without A. M. doing him any farther fervice. Thefe indignities, which ^f'^-'r another man might have refented, Ahaz, in his circum- isg't „ye# fiances, thought proper to overlook ; and not only fo, but, from when he heard that Tiglath-Pilefer was returned toDamaf- ,Kl"gsviik cus, he went thither to pay him homage and obeifance, as 0f z chron. his vaflal and tributary. White he continued at Damafcus, — .„— ji he happened to fee an idolatrous altar, of fo curious a make And grows •and figure in his opinion, that he ordered a model of it to ™cht?kd- be taken, and fent to Urijah, the high-prieft at Jerufalem, er t;n at T with injunctions to have another made, as like it as pofli- length he ble ; and when he returned, he removed the altar of the dies* Lord out of its place in the temple, and ordered this new r' (jsIri 2 Chron. xxviii. 20. we read, that Tiglath-Pilefer came unto Ahaz, and diftreffed, but ftrengthened him not. And yet, in 2 Kirtgs xvi. 9. it is faid, that he did help him ; and how then can he be faid to have diftreffed him ? Very well ; for as he came to his affiftance againft the king of Syria, fo he took Damafcus, carried the people captive, and delivered Ahaz from the power of the Syrians ; but this did Ahaz little good, for he helped him not to recover the cities which the Philiftines had taken from him, , He lent him no forces, nor enabled him to recruit his own j on the contrary, he rather Weaken* ed him, by exhaufting his treafures, and /kftfoying Samaria, which opened a way for the invafion of his country with more facility, as it happened in the next reign. For it is no uncommon thing, even in later ages, to hear of kingdoms that have called in the help of fome foreign prince againft their enemies, over-run and conquered by thofe who came to their affiftance ; Patrick's Commentary. ¦j- It muft not be denied, indeed, bjit that the high-prieft carried his complaifance much too far, in obeying tbe king's injunction, which he ought, with all his power and intereft, tohave.oppofed. God prefcribed to Mofes in what form, and with what materials, he Was to make the altar, Exod. xxvii. I. &c. The altar which So lomon made, was indeed four times as large, 2 Chron. iv. 1. ; but then, God had given fuch folemn teftimony of his approbation of it, that there was no touching it without impiety : for the high-prieft could not but know, that this innovation of the king's did not pro ceed from any principle of religion, but from a defign to degrade the altar of the Lord, as well as the other facred veffels of the tem ple. But what fhall we fay for this ? There will, in all ages, be fome men found, who. will be ready to execute the moft impious commands that can poffibly come from the throne .; Patrick's and Salmet's Commentaries. on? 2 4 S The Hiftory ' of the B I B L E, Book VI. A M. one tp be fet up in its ftead, and that facrifices, for the fu- 32.46, ire. t e fhould De offered pn it alone. Ant.Chrift. „; , . , - . . . r ,. 758, ire. The truth is, the more his misfortunes came upon himk from the greater his contempt of Almighty God grew ; infomuch, 1 Kingsviii. f.hat. having defaced f feveral pf the moil ftately veffels pf *°Chron.nC t^le Cernple> he caufed it at laft tp be wholly fhut up ; and, 1 fupprefiing all divine worfhip' throughout the kingdom, in - the room thereof he fet up the worfhip pf the gods pf the Syrians f, and pf other nations, alledging, that they had ¦f- The; words in the text, according to our tranfiation, are,.Ahaz cut off the borders of the bdfies, and removed the 1 aver from off them, and toot down the fea from off the brazen oxen, that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of ftones, and the covert for the Sabbath, that they had built in the houfe, and the king's entry without, turned he from the houfe of the Lord, for the king of Affyria, 2 Kings' xvi. 17. 18. His removing the bafes, theiaver, and the brazen fea, - was palpably with a defign to deface the fervice of God hi the tem ple, and thence to bring it into public contempt ; but then commen tators are much at a loft to know what we are to underftand by the covert for the Sabbath within, and the king's entry without, the tem ple. Now, the prophet Ezekiel tells us exprefsly, that the. gate of the inner court, which looked towards the eaft, was opened only on the Sabbath, and on ihe day of the new moon ; arid that in thefe days, the king was to enter into the temple at this gate, and conti nue at the entrance of the priefts court (where was the brazen fcaf- fold which Solomon erected, 2 Chron. vi. 13. a place for the king to pay his devotions on) .until his facrifices were offered ; and, if fo, the Mu/ack, which we trandate covert, might be a kind of canopy, or other covered place, under which the king fat, when he came to- the fervice of the temple, on the Sabbath, or other great folemnities, which was, therefore called the covert of the Sabbath : and the rea fon why the king ordered this to be taken away was, becaufe he in tended to trouble himfelf no more with coming to the temple, and by, this adtionto exprefs his hatred likewife and contempt of the Sabbath,; Calmet's and Patrick's Commentaries ; and Spencer, De leg. Hcbrtrir, • lib. 1. c. 1. ¦f This was a monftrous flupidity, to think, that thefe gods had any power over him, who could not defend themfelves from the arms of Tiglath-Pilefer! Thinking, however, that they .had dif treffed him, he facrificed to them, in order to appeafe their wrath, that they might do him no farther hurt ; in the fame manner as the ancient Romans were wont to brjbe the gods of thek enemies with 'larger facrifices than or hn-iry, in hopes of bringing them over to their party, and making them their friends ; Patrick's Commentary. J~ helped Chap. IV. from- the building qf the Temple, (3c. 24^ helped their refpedtive people ; whereas his God, forfooth, £• M. had forfaken him, and therefore deferved no farther ho- Am^'chrif. mage. But in the height of all his impiety and profaneneis, 7Sgt ire. he was cut off by a fudden ftroke, in the very prime of his from... age, after he had lived fix and thirty, and reigned fixteen lK"h2SVI"i years ; and, being buried' in the city of David, though not 0f x chron. in the royal iepulchres, (for that honour he was denied, — — y— «•* becaufe of his iniquities), he was fucceeded by his fon Heze kiah, who was a worthy and religious prince. • || In the five and twentieth year of his age, Hezekiah be- Hezekiah's gan to reign ; and, after he had got the full polleflion of ,ejgnyan— -V"— intanglemenfs (2 Chron. xxviii. 16. ire. and xxix. 7. ire.) as t» want an affiftant in the government, and accordingly, it appears that he admitted his fon in that capacity. For, whereas, it is faid of Hezekiah, that he began to reign in the third year of Hofhea fon of Elah, 2 Kings xviii. 1. and of Hofhea, that he began to reign in the twelfth year of Ahaz, 2 Kings xvii. 1. it is evident, that Heze kiah began to reign in the fourteenth year of Ahaz his father, and fo reigned two or.three years before his father's death. So that, at the firft date of his reign, (which was m conjunction with his father), he might be but two or three and twenty, and his father, confe- quently, when he begot him, two or three years older than the com mon computation. But there is another way of folving this difficulty. It is a common thing, both in facred and profane authors, in the computation of time, to take no notice, whether the year they men tion be perfect, or imperfect, whether finiflied or but newly begun, TJpon this account Ahaz might be near one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and near feventecn years older, when he died : and, on the other hand, Hezekiah, when he begain to reign, might be but juft entering into his five and twentieth year, and, by this means, Ahaz might be near fourteen years old when he begat Hezekiah, uhich is no extraordinary thing at all. Nay, even upon the loweft fuppofition, that he was but eleven or twelve years old, yet inftances are innumerable (fuch as Bochart and others have given) of perfons that have procreated children at that age : for it is notfo much the number of years, as the nature of the climate, the confti- fution of thc body, the ftature of the perfon, the quality of the diet, ire. that ought to be confidered in this affair ; Bochart's Fhaleg. p. 920. ; Millar's Hiftory of the church, p. 20 1.,- Bedford's Scrip- ture-chronology ; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries. + A grcjt demonftraiion this of his fincere piety and zeal towards Gr d, that he began fo foon to reform the corruption of religion, and did not flay till he had eftablifhed himfelf in his throne ! He might think, however, that ' the fureft way to eftablifh himfelf in the throne, was to eftablifh the true worfhip of God ; though he could not but forefee, that he run a great hazard in attempting the. abo- lifbing of idolatry, which had been confirmed by fome years prefcrip tion ; Patrick's Commentary. had Qiap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c 251 had ordered to be fhut up, to be opened ; his father's new A. M. altar to be removed ; the altar of the Lord to be reftored ^t'airit to its place again ; and whatever other pollutions it had con- 7J8, ire. tradted during his father's adminiftration, he ordered them \'om _ all to be purged, and done away. Then calling the priefts * K]uSS™d and Levites together, he required them to fandtify them- 0f, chron. felves, according to the diredtions of the law; and, after .. ¦^-¦¦J that, the former he appointed to offer facrifices f, in or der to atone for the king's, their own, and the people fins; and the latter, -j- with mufical inftruments, to fing praifes f The Words in the text are, For a fin-offering for the king dom, i. e. for the king's fins, and thofe of his predeceffors; . for the fanctuary, for the priefts fins, and the profanations of the temple ; and for Judah, i. e. for all the people who have followed the bad exam ples of their impious kings. Now, the offering which the law pre- fcribed for the tranfgreffions of the people, was a young bullock ; and for the offences of the prince, was a goat, Lev.,iv. 2%. ire; but good Hezekiah, we find,, was willing to do more than the law com manded. He Was fenfible, that both prince and people had been gujlty, not only of fins of ignorance, (for which thefe facrifices were inftituted), but of wilful and prefumpiuous crimes, 0/ grofs idolatry, a profanation. of the temple, and an utter extinction of the worfhip of God ; and therefore he appointed feven bullocks for a burnt-offering, and as many goats for a lin-offering, upon prefumption, that thefe numerous facrifices were, if not neceflary, at leaft highly fit and be coming, upon the account of the great and long neglect of divine fervice, and the multitude, and long continuance, of their other offences againft God, for which they were now to beg forgivenefs; Calmet's and Patrick's Commentaries. •j- Mofes, in the fervice of the tabernacle, did not appoint the ufe of any mufical inftruments j only he caufed fome trumpets to be made, which, upon folemn occafions, were to be founded, at the time when the burnt-offering and peace-offering were upon the altar, Numb. x. 10. But David, by the advice of the prophets Gad and Nathan, introduced feveral kinds of mufic into the fervice of the temple, as a thing highly conducive to infpire people with refpect, with joy, and with affection for the folemnities and affemblies of re ligion, 1 Chron. xxiii. >". and xxv. 1.; and it is farther obfervable, that the inflitution of mufic, in religious affemblies, is not a matter of human invention, but what was ordained by God', and has the fanc- tion and authority of his prophets to confirm it ; for fo was the com mandment of the Lord by his' prophets, 2 Chron. xxix'. 25. T i 2 to 252 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VlJ A. M. to God in the words.of David \, and pf Afaph the feer. 3»4«, ire. Having thus reftpred the fervice of the temple, he pur- Al8 &vil P°**e(i witl* hirn^elf to revive the paffover, which, by rea- from fou of the divifion of the kingdom, and the frequent com- » Kingsviii. motions that had happened thereupon, had not been regu- ' f thchCnd laiIy °bfeiveci for a long while. To this purpofe, he ad- •>JL„J«_ 'vifed with the princes, and chief men of the kingdom ; and His renew- becaufe it was thought, that neither the temple, the priefts, ingthe paf-nor the people, could be fufficiently fandtified, againft the demon ftd ufual tlme °f obferving it, (which was in the firft month of ing idola- the year), it was refolved, . that f it fhpuld be celebrated in try- the fecond : And accordingly, a proclamation was iffued out, requiring not only fhe people of Judah, f but all other Ifraelites, of whatever tribe they were, to come to this fo- lemnity. It f David was both a. great poet and mafler of mufic, and might therefore modulate and comp.ofe his own hymns ; but whether the mufic of them might not be altered or improved in after ages, (be caufe the words only are here taken notice of), is a matter of fome uncertainty. The Afaph, here mentioned, was the perfon who li ved in David's days, fo famous for his fkill in mufic, and the feve ral devout pieces, which he compofed, are thofe which we meet with in the collection of the Pfalms ; but others will needs have it, (but for what reafon I cannot tell), that the author of the Pfalms a- fcribed to Afaph, was another perfon who lived in after times, tho1 perhaps of the fame family, as .veil as name, with this famous A- faph who lived in David's ; Patrick's Commentary. \ The direction which the Ijw gives, is, That the paffo ver (hould be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the firft month, Which the Jews call Nifian ; but becaufe it was found impollible to get all things in readinefs againft that time, it was judged moi e advifeable to adjourn it to the fourteenth of the next month, (which the Jews call Jyan), rather than flay to the next year: and for this they had fome encouragement ; becaufe the law allows, that, in cafe any man jhall be unclean, by reafon of a dead body, or be on a journey afar off, he may eat the paffover on the fourteenth day oj the fleeond month, Numb. ix. 10. 1 1. : and what was an indulgence to parti cular perfons, they thought might well be allowed to the whole con gregation of Ifrael ; Patrick's Comtnentary. -f Hezekiah, it is certain, had no right to invite Hofhea's fubjects to repak to Jerufalem to the celebration of his paffo ver; Chap.' IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 253 It could hardly be expected, but that after fo long a dif- A. M. ufe of this holy feftival, . an attempt to revive it fhould meet A*4 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI, A. M. Nay, there was one thing, viz. the brazen ferpent f, Am* Chrifi which might have been of innocent ufe, and ferved, in the 753, ircf fame manner as did the pot of manna, and Aaron's rod, from r Kingsviii. o°f *Chrori!a firm perfuafion that his neighbour Hofhea, who had permitted his » — ' . fubjects to repair to the paffover, would approve and confent to what he did in this refpect ; Pool 's Annotations f The reafon which the Scripture affigns for Hezekiah's deftroy ing this brazen ferpent is, becaufe, unto this day, ihe chil dren of Ifrael had burnt incenfe to it, 2 Kings xviii. 4. We are not however to fuppofe, that all along from the days of Mofes, this brazen ferpent was made ail object of religious worfhip : This is what neither David nor Solomon, in the beginning of his reign, would have allowed of- nor can we think, but that either Afa or Jehofhaphat, when they rooted out idolatry, would have made an end of this, had they perceived, that the people, at that time, ei ther paid worfhip, or burnt incenfe, to it. The commencement of this fuperftiiion therefore muft be of a later date, and fince the time that Ahab's family, by being allied to the crown of Judah by mar riage, introduced all kinds of idolatry. Now, one falfe inducement to the worfhip of this image might be a miftake of the words of Mo fes. For whereas it is faid, that whofioever Jooketh upon it fhall live, Numb. xxi. 1. fome might thence fancy, that by its media tion, they' might obtain a bleffmg, and fo make it the object of their fuperftition at firft. However, we may imagine thit their burning incenfe, or any other perfumes, before it,, was defigned only in ho nour to the true God, by whofe direction Mofes made it ; but then, in procefs of their fuperflition, they either worfhipped the God of Ifrael under that image, or (what is worfe) fubftituted an Heathen god in his room, and worfhipped the brazen ferpent as his image ; which they might more eafily be induced to do, becaufe the practice ' of fome neighbouring nations was to worfhip their gods under the form of a ferpent. Upon this account Hezekiah wifely chofe rather to lofe this memorial of God's wonderful mercy to his people in trie wildernefs, than to fufler it any longer to be abufed to idolatry, and therefore he brake it in pieces, i. e. as the Talmudffts explain it, he ground it to powder, and then fcattered it in the air, that there might not be the leaft remairis of it. And yet, notwithftanding all the care which he took to deftroy it, Sigbnius, in his hiftory of Italy, tells us, that in the church of St Ambrofe, in Mihin, they fhew a brazen ferpent entire, which they pretend to be the very fame which Mofes erected in the wildernefs ; though, it muft be owned, that among their learned men, there are fome who acknowledge the cheat, and difclaim it ; Le Clere s Lotrmentary ; and Prideaux' 's Connection, anno 726. for Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c 255 for a monument of God's miraculous mercy to the Ifrael- A- M. ites in their, paffage through tbe wildernefs ; but becaufe the V'^^.p. ,. .r r • • -ii , • , • r, r • , Ant. Chnf. preceding times ot iniquity had made it an object ot ido- 7S8, ire. latrous wprfhip, Hezekiah thpught prpper tp deftrpy it, in from _ order to take away all occafion of the like abufe for the fu- ' ^S5™* ture. Having thus removed all the objects of idolatry, he 0fi Chron. topk care, in the next place, tp reftpre the temple-wprfhip >— — v— < tp.its ancient fplendpr and pnrity. Tp this purppfe he put H>? re-eiu- the priefts and Levites in their cpurfes, and apppinted every j*lfl,,ng the one his proper miniftration. The tithes and firft-fruits worihip, which idolatrous princes had. detained, on purpofe to bring ?nd fuccefc the pr'.efthood into poverty, and thence into contempt, he ln war" returned to the church ; and f out of his own privy purfe, (as we fay), ordered the expence of the daily oblations, as well as of the larger offerings on the great feftivals of the year, to be defrayed. Upon thefe, and feveral other accounts, Hezekiah de ferved the title of one of the beft of kings ]| that ever reigned ¦f- After that David had brought the ark of the Lord into the tent which he had pitched for it, near his own palace, the Scripture feems to intimate, r Chron. xvi 1. that he divided the priefts and Levites into two bodies; one of which he left .at Gibeah, to attend in the tabernacle, which Mofes made ; and the other he took with him to Jerufalem. And from this time it is highly probable, that , out of his own eftate, he fupplied whatever was neceffary for the facred miniftry of this his domeftic tabernacle, on mount Sion. When Solomon had built the temple, he obliged himfelf to defray all the expfinces, both ordinary and extraordinary, of the altar, 2 Chron. viii. 13. And in like manner, upon the rebuilding of the temple, at' the return from the Captivity, Ezekiel affigns a proper revenue to the king, to anfwer the expence of all facrifices, both ftated and occafional, chap. xlvi. ; fo that Hezekiah in this, did properly no more than what was incumbent on him ; though feveral of his ido latrous predeceffors had doubtlefs withdrawn the fund appropriated to that purpofe, which made it fo commendable in him to reftore it to its proper channel ; Calmet's and Patrick's Commentaries. |j The words in the text are, So that, after him, was none like him amongft all the kings of judah, nor any that were before him, 2 Kings xviii. j. Now it is plain, that the fame commenda tion is given of Jofiah, viz. that like unto him was there no king be fore him, which turned , to the Lord, with all his heart, &c. neithir after him arofle there any like him,' 2 Kings xxiii. 25. So that this character 2 56 v The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI A. M. reigned in Judah ; nor was Gpd, in the leaft, wanting to it*s'«Srf reward his piety in a mod fignal manner. Fpr while Sal- g i^c. manefer was engaged in the fiege pf Samaria, he warred a- from gainft the Philiftines, and npt pnly regained all the cities of i Kingsviii Judah, which they had feized during the time that Pekah of *CW and Rezin Jointly diftreffed the land, but alfo difpoffeffed y - - _j them of almpft all their pwn territpries, except Gaza and Gath. As fopn as the fiege pf Samaria was over, Salmanefer fent to, Hezekiah to demand the tribute which his father Ahaz had agreed to pay to the kings of Affyria ; but He- , zekiah refufed to pay it ; which would doubtlefs 'have brought the Affyrian upon him with all his power, had he not been diverted by the war * he entered into againft Tyre, and died before he had put an end to it. He was fucceeded by his fon Sennacherib, who as foon as he was fettled on the throne, renewed the demand for the tribute, and upon Hezekiah's refufing tp comply, march ed a great army into Judea, in prder to fall upon hirh. His ficknefs $ ^ot ^onS before this, Hezekiah was taken with a fore and reco- illnefs, and had a meffage from God by the prophet Ifaiah, very. to character of Hezekiah muft relate to fome particular virtue wherein he ftood diftinguifhed from the reft of the kings of Judah, and that was, his truft ing in tbe Lord God of Ifrael, (as it is in the .beginning of the verfe), and not in the help of any foreign" forces, as all the other kings, (even the moft renowned for their piety), in fome mea fure, are known to have done ; Calmet's Commentary. * The king of Tyre fihding the Philiftines brought low by the war which Hezekiah had lately made upon them, laid hold on the opportunity to reduce Gath (which had fome time before revolted from him) under his obedience. Hereupon the people of Gath ap plying themfelves to Salmanefer, engaged him in their caufe againft the Tyrians. He foon took feveral of their cities, and at length clofely befieged their capital : But before he could carry the place, (which held out for five years), he died, and by that means gave, fome refpite to Hezekiah ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 720. J In the courfe of the f.-.cred hiftory, this ficknefs of He zekiah's is placed immediately after the defeat and death of Sennacherib; whereas it plainly happened before that time, becaufe in the meffage which God fent him upon his bed of ficknefs by the pmjhet Ifaiah, he promifes to deliver Jerufalem out Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c 257 to fettle his af&irs, and prepare for death ; but, upon his A- M- great concern, and hearty prayer to God, he obtained ano-3,^6'ctj:f ther meffage from him by the fame prophet, promiling him '"/g, &". ' a reprieve for fifteen years longer, and a deliverance from froim „. ' the Aflyrians, whp were then cpming againft him. Both ,KihngsvlV" thefe were events beyond his expectation ; and therefore, 0° I chrqn. to give him a full affurance of faith, God, at his requeft, -— v— J made the fun go backward ten degrees upon the fun -dial that Ahaz had 'erected ; and when (by the prpphet's direc- tfons) a plaifter pf figs was applied tp his ulcer, he recover ed in the fpace pf three days, and went up tp the temple tp return Gpd thanks for fo wonderful a deliverance. Upon Hezekiah's recovery, Merodach.baladan king Df A!i,ance Babylon fent ambaffadors f to congratulate him, and, at ki"g Jhat a day would come when all the ftores from he made fuch oftentation of fhould be carried into Baby- i Kingsviii. l0n ; which admonition J he received in a very decent and to the end humble manner. Of i Chron. rr, , ., Sennacherib, f The things which Hezekiah fhewed to die Babylonian ambaf fadors, were ibelichesot his houfe, his treafures, his armory, and all his ftores and ftrength for war ; and the reafon for his doing this war., doubtlefs, to make the Babylonians put the greater value upon his friendlhip : But herein he offended God, that he not only laid a bait before thefe foreigners to encourage- them to invade his country, but fcemed to pkee wiore confidence iu this new alliance with them, - than in the power of the -Umighty, whole favour and protedtion he had fo lone; experienced. The author of the Chronicles tells us, that, /// the bufinefs qfthe ambaffadors of the princes of Babylon, who fent unto htm to inquire qf the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to try hipi, that he might know all that was in his heart, 2 Chron. xxxii. \\ And from hence fome have inferred, that He zekiah's great offence lay, not fo much in the oftentation of his mili tary ftores and treafures, as in his not giving fuflicknt glory to God for fo fignal a mil acle, and his recovery enfuant thereupon, and in his not reprefenting this matter to thefe idolatrous ambaffadors, in iltch powerful and convincing terms as might have drawn them over to the knowledge of the true God, which was the proper improve ment he fh mid have made of this divine vouchfafement to him; Le Clcrc's Commentary. || The worUi in the text are, Then faid Hezekiah unto Ifaiah, Good is the word of the Lord, which thou haft fpoken. And he faid, Is it net good, if peace and truth be in my days ? 2 Kings xx. 10 The prophet had told him, thai the very people whom he had been fo highly complimenting would carry his pofterity into captivi ty ; and to return him fuch an anfwer as this, (hews not all die con cern which .i good prince ought to have for his people and pofterity. It fliews, indeed, as if he cared not What become of them, fo long as he was permitted to live cafy and happy. Thc words in the origi nal are to tins t fleet, That which thou haft told me from God, it good : I will f.-bmit to it:' But fhalt peace and truth, i. e. folid and kiting peace, continue for my time ? -< May I flatter myfelf with " fo much happinefs? And will God be fo gracious as not to revoke " the grant which he hath made me of a longer continuance here! " He is juft, no doubt, in eveiy thing he finds upon us; but do " thefc threats relate to me, or my poucrity'only ? Well, were' it " far Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c 25Q Sennacherib, in the mean time, advanced^ith a mighty A M. army againft the fenced cities of Judah; and, having taken i1*6' ire. feveral of them, -he came at length and fat down before La- 4nl8 fff" chifh, and threatened, after he had taken that, to befiege f,om even Jerufalem itfelf. Hereupon Hezekiah, taking advice 1 Kingsvii. of his princes and chief cpunfellors, made all manner of '% 2 ,entl preparations for a vigorous defence. He repaired the walls, ,.^J and fortified them with towers. He provided darts and War and fhields in great abundance, and "all other arms and artillery truce with that might be ufeful, either to defend the place or an - ^ ^S of noy the enemy. He had the pepple inrplled that were fit for war, and placed over them good officers, both to inftrudt them in all military exercife, and to head and condudt them when they were tp make their fal- lies. He ftppped up the fountains * for a good ccrni- pafs round, and the brook f that paffed by the walls of the " for me, if he would fufpend the execution of his wrath for the lit- " tie time that I have to live." This is the natural fenfe of Heze- Tdah's anfwer; and accordingly Jofephus makes him fay, " That " though I am much afflicted at the thoughts of the mifery that will " befal my family, yet, fince it is God's pleafure that it fliould " be fo, I have no more to beg of heaven, than that I may enjoy ** the fmall remainder of my miferable life in peace ;" Jewifh An tiq. lib. 10. c. 3. ; and Calmet's Commentary. * It is an old ftratagem in war, to diftrefs an enemy by the want of water j but this is what the beiiegers do generally practife againft the befieged. In this manner it was Holofernes intended to diftrefj Bethulia, Judith vii. ; and of Semiramis, Cyrus, and Alexander, it is reported, that they all took Babylon by diverting the current of the Euphrates. But Hezekiah here takes another method : He i.-i for preventing the Affyrians from carrying on the fiege of- Jerufalem by intercepting the water, /. e . by filling up the fountain heads with earth, that the enemy might not perceive where any water was ; and fo carrying thek ftreams through pipes and fubrerraneous chan nels into the city, there to be received in batons and large pools for tbe benefit of the befieged : And this he might do with more facility to himfelf, and prejudice to the enemy, becaufe (except the {brings and brooks, that were juft contiguous to the city) the whole country, (according to Strabo, lib. xvi.), for the fpace of fixty furlougs round about, was all barren and waterlefs ; Le Cterc's Commentary. ¦f This muft be the brook KiJron, which ran in a valley of fhat name, between the city and the mount of Olives, when K k 2 ir 2f5o The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A- M- the city, in order to diftrefs the enemy for want pf water ; , A^'chrif and, tp ftfengthen himfelf the more againft them, he en- 7j8, re. tered intp an alliance pffenfive and defenfive with the king fom of Egypt. But this alliance the prpphet Ifaiah highly bla- to^'uf end' med' as n imPued a diffidence pf the Almighty's power to ot i Chron. help him, and would redound to his own ihame and re proach, and confufion at laft ; which accordingly came to pafs. For, while Sennacherib was belieging Lachifh, He zekiah, obferving that this new ally of his made no hafte to come to his affiftance, and being fadly fenfible thai of himfelf he was npt fufficient to relift fo powerful an adver- fary as the king of Affyria, fent ambaffadors to him, defi- ring him fo retire out of his dominions, and promifing to fubmit to fuch conditipns as he fhould be pleafed tp impofe upon him. The demand which Sennacherib made, was the pay ment of three hundred talents f of filver, and thirty ta lents of gold ; which Hezekiah was not able to raife, with out exhaufting all his treafures, and {tripping the very doors of the temple of the gold plites wherewith they were overlaid. This diverted the king of Aflyria for feme time ; fo that, leaving Judea, he turned his arms againft. Egypt * ; but, after a feries of different fucceffes, he re turned it had any water in it ; for, except in the cafe of great rains, or the fnow's diffolvmg from the mountains, it was generally dry. How« ever, if it had any fuuhtain-head, by flopping up that, and divert ing its current by conveyances under g'ound, Hezekiah might, in like manner, make it of no life to the befiegers; Patrick's and Cal met's Commentaries. \ The Hebrew talent, according to fcripture, (Exod. xxv. :q.) contains three hundred fhrkels, and every fhekel anfwering to the value of three (hillings, thefe three hundred talents of filver muft contain, of our money, thirteen thoufand five hundred pounds ; and the thirty talents of gold, one hundred arid fixty four thoufand two hundred and fifty ; fo that the whole fum here paid by Hezekiah amounted to one hundred and feventy fevrp thoufand feven hundred and fifty pounds of our money ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 713. "* What might pofhbly be the occafion of a war between two king'ioms fo widely diftant as Aflyria an I Egypt were, it is difficult to know. We have no where any information from hiftoiy, and are left therefore to conjecture, — That, after S dmanefer had ra!-en .iway the ten tribes, and fent colonies in their room, the tribe ff Simeon, which lay neareft to Egypt, becoming part of his domi nions, Chap tV. from the buildhig of th6 Temple, (3c 261 turned again, and kivefted Lachifh, and thence (cdnfrafy A. M. to all faith, and the agreement fubfifting between him and J***, ire. the kings of Judah) lent three of his principal officers, Al"8C^' with a good detachment of forces, tp demand the furreii- from der of Jerufalem. « King-, viii. f Rabfhakeh (for that was the name of the perfon who t0 thi.end delivered the demand from the king of Affyria) fpake in .„ ___," the Who fends Hezekiahinfoleut nions, as well as the reft, the Egyptians might take the advantage of meflages, the Vffyrkns g> ear diftance, and make forfie incroachmpuis- upon it. . "at. That Sennacherib, when he was come as far <*.- Judea, might take racuiouflv- that opportunity to proceed with his arms into E^ypt, in oftier to be defeated, revenged of Sevechus, the fon ef Sabacon, or So, (whom Herodo and flam by tus calls Sethon), who was at this time king of Egypt, and the chief k>* own pon:ifflike'*ife of the god Vulcan- And, as he w.is a weak prince, *oas' the king of Affyria gained many advantages over him ; but. letting down at length before felufium, when he had brought his platforms (as Jofephus tells us) within a Httle of the top of the walls, and was upon the very point of giving thc affault, news was brouj.ru him, that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia was upon his march, with a great in- forcement, to .ifftft the Egyptians; whereupon he immediately railed fhe liege, and drew off bis army, which gave occaiion to the fabulous account in Herodotus, viz. " That, upou the king's prayer to his " god Vulcan, there came, in one night, fuch troops of rats into " the camp of the Affycians, lhat they gnaWed all their boW- " firings to pieces, and fo, in efftdt, difirmed the whole camp of " the befiegers, and made (hem draw off from the town with fo *' much p'-ecipjtation ;" Le Clirc's Commentary on 2 King;, xxiii. 2^. ; and Jewifh Antiq. lib. 10 c. I. f Tartan, R*blaris, and Rabfhakeh, are not the proper names of thrfe meri, but rather denote their employments and offices. Tartan fignifies the prefident qf the cuftoms, Sabfiaris, the chief eu nuch, arid flabjhaiehj the principal cupbearer ; andj becaufe he fpake Hebrew With fome fluency, the Rabbins are generally of opi nion, that lie was either an apoftate Jew, or one of the captivity of Ifrael. It is certain, that he Was a very eloquent man, and his fpeech Very excellently well calcuhted to raife fedition or defection among the befieged ; but that a perfon of his education fhould be verfed in the Phoenician, which is in a manner the fame with the Hebrew language, is no Wonder at all. Moreover, had he been a Jew, (though an apoftate), he fhould have known better, onr would trunk, than to have upbraided Kczekiah with acting according to the law tinder which he lived, in deftroying the groves arid altars of idols, an4 262 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. the Hebrew tpngue, and in a very infplent and imperious ji4«, ire , manner, to the three minilters pf ftate whpm Hezekiah fent 1*9. C«!«£ toParly wJtl1 ll'rn> telling them, " That it was in vain for from ' " them to truft in their gpd for help, becaufe his mafter's i Kingsviii. " arms had been all along fo vidforipus, that the gpds of J2- J* " other nations could not refift -their courfe ; and much more vain would it be, to depend on the king pf Egypt for affiltance, who was hardly able to fupport his own " dominions, and would certainly * fail them when they " looked for lvs aid. Their wifeft way therefore would " be, to furrender the tpwn tp his mafter, the great king " pf Aflyria, at diferetion ; for if they pretended to ftand " a fiege, (and this he fpake with a louder voice than or- " dinary, in the audience of the people that were uppn the " wall, and in hopes of creating a revolt among them), his " mafter would diitreis them to fuch a degree, that they " fhould be compelled to eat their own excrements, and (l drink their own pifis." When Hezekiah heard the blafphemous meffage, which Rabfhakeh had delivered to his minifters, he rent his cloaths. put on fack cloth, went to the temple to addrefs himfelf to God, and fent an account thereof to his prophet Ifaiah. But Ifaiah 's anfwer was, not to fear the menaces of the proud Affyrian ; for that God would foon find out a method to make him depart his country ; which according ly came to pafs. For news being Brought him, that Tir- hakah king of Ethiopia (or of the Cuthites rather in Ara bia) had invaded fome part of his dominions, he immedi- and in requiring his fubjects to worfhip God in Jerufalem only, 2 Kings xviii. 22. ; Le Cterc's Commentary. * The words in the text are, Now behoid thou truflefi upon the ftaffcf tbi< bruifed reed, even upon Egypt, 2 King;-- xviii, 21. The comparifon is excellent, to denote an ally that is not only weak and unable to help, but dangerous likewife to thofe that rely upon him for fuccour ; and his reprtfennng the power of Egypt to be as brittle as the canes or reeds that grow on tiie banks of the Nile, (for it is to this, no doubt, that the Affyrian oraior alludes), is a great beauty in the fimilitude. This however muft be allowed, that what he here fpeaks in contempt of the Egyptian ftrength, has more of oftentation in it. than truth ; becaufe the Affyrian army, ha ving lately made an attempt to fubdue thai kingdom, was now rer turned into Judea with difgrace; Patrick's, Le Clere' s, and Calmet's Commentaries. atelv Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 263 ately raifed the fiege pf Libnah f, (where he then was), and A. M. marched againft the enemy : Hpwever, before he raifed the X^t'chili. fidge, he fent a fecpnd fummons tp Hezekiah, as infoknt 7S8, ire. and blafphempus as the former. This was delivered in a from _ letter; and Hezekiah had np fopner read it, but he went lK,"gsv,"j into the temple, fpread it before the Lord, and implored 0f x chron. of him a deliverance from this outragepus enemy ; which I- -¦— y— ««< faiah allured him he fhpuld have, becaufe that the Lord had taken the city pf Jerufalem under his protection, and wpuld not therefore fuffer the king pf Affyria * (notwith- ftanding all his vain bpaftings) tp come near it. •J- Libnah was not far from Lachifh, both fituated on the moun tains of Judea ; and it is probable, that Sennacherib, not finding himfelf able to carry the latter, had removed the fiege to Libnah, which was a place not fo well fortified in his opinion, and yet fo fituated, that by keeping a good guard in the chops of the moun tains, he might carry on the fw ge, without any fear of Tirhakah's • coming upon him ; Le Clere' s Commentary. * The prophet, in his anfwer to Hezekiah, has given us an ad mirable defcription of thc ridiculous vanity and oftentation of a king puffed up with great fuccefs : By thy meffengers thou haft reproach ed the Lord, and haft faid, With the multitude of my chariots 1 am come up to the height of the mountains, and tbe fides of Le banon ; and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and en ter into the forefi of his Carmel. I have digged, and drank ftrange waters and with the files of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of befieged places, 2 Kings xix. 23 ire. as if he had faid,/" What " can refift the force of my victorious arms ? Or where is thc place " that is unacccffible to the ftrength and activity of thefe troops ? " I have fcaled the top of the higheft mountains with my heavy cha- " riots of war. I have afcended even Lebanon itfelf, and through " the moft difficult paffages, have opened and plained myfclf a way. " Who then fhall hin.ier me from taking up my quarters in " what part of Judea I pleafe, from either climbing up to the top , " of Carmel, or from coming down into the fruitful vales, by ma- " king an entire conqueft of the country I At my call fountains, , " even in the drieft places, arife ; at my beck, the hills fhbiide, " the rocks divide,, and make me a way ; and at my approach, the " deepeft rivers and ditches run dry ; fo that refiftance is unavaila- " ble, and victory muft attend my ftandard where-ever I go, or whatr " ever enterprife I take in hand." : Subfile noftris Sub pedibus montes, arefecre yictmus amnes. Claud. De hello Qallico. 264 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book V I, A- M- In the mean time, the king of Affyria having engagefj Vcf'chL tne EtnioPian army, and given theni a great overthrow, >s8, ire. was in full march to Jerufaiem, flufhed with this frefh vjc: from tpry, and refolved to deftroy the place, and every foul jn * Kingsviii. jt . when the very night after that the prophet had giyea of i'chroo.the king of Judah this affurance, ap angel \ of the Lord ¦l r.Ti_: came down into the camp of the Affyrians, and frnpte no lefs than a hundred fourfcpre and five thpufand men : So that, terrified with this {laughter, Sennacherib made liafle into his own country, and took up his refidence at Nine veh ; where he had not been long, before * his two eldeft fons \ The ancient Jews (as well as Perfians and Arabians) were of opinion,/that there is an angel of death, or an exterminating angel, to whom God has given commifiion to take away the lives, either of fingle perfons, or of multitudes of people at once, wherein the Al mighty gives the order, but leaves tbe method of doing it to the dif- cretion of the angel ; fo that in which way foever the infliction is made, it is always faid to be done by the angel of God. The mo dern Jews arc much of the fame opinion : For they maintain, that this angel of death ftands at every dying man's bed's head, with a naked fword m his hand, at the extremity of which diere hang three • drops of gall, and that the fick perfon, feeing this angel, in a great fright open his mouth, whereupon he immediately drops into it thefe, three fatal drops ; the firft of which occafions his death ; the fecond makes him pale and livid ; and the third reduces him to the duft in the grave, with fome other notions of the like nature. Now fince the Scripture has no where faid exprefsly, in what manner this Affy rian army was deftroyed, feme have thought that it was by a plague ; others by thunder and lightning ; others by fire from heaven ; others by a fcorching wind ; others by tht ir falling foul upon one another iu the obfeurity of the night ; but which -way foever it was effected, according to the Hebrew idiom, there is no impropriety in fayitig, that it was done by a deftroying angel, which is a comprehenfive phrafe, that reconciles all the Scriplure-paffages wherein this terri ble defeat is mentioned, and all the fuuinirnts of commentators con cerning it ; Calmet's Differt. fur ta defaite de 1' Armie de Sennacherib. * When Sennacherib was got home, after the lofs of fo great an army, he demanded of fome about him, V,' hat the reafon might be, that the irrefiftible Cud of heaven fo favourer! fhr Jewifh nation ? To. which he whs anfwered. That Abraham, from whom they were defcended, by facriiicing his -only fon to him, had f urchafed his protection Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 265 fons, Adrammelech and Sharezer confpired againft him, and A. M. as he was worlhipping at the temple of Nifroch * his gpd, >±I*S'rt'% fell uppn him and fliw him ; and afterwards making their 7Jg) ^fi efeape into Armenia, gave room for Efarhaddon, theft from ypunger brother, tp fucceed in the tin pne. t ^^'d" Alter this fignal defeat pf the Affyrian army, Heze-.0f z chron. kiah lived the remainder of his days in peace and tran-i— v-~— « quillity, being both honpured and revered by all neighbour- While He- ing natipns, wno by this, and feveral more inftances, per- !^d"| '^' ceive J that he was under the immediate protedtipn of God, peace. and were therefore afraid to give him any moleftation. So tint being at reft from wars, he applied his thoughts to the good gpvernment pf his pepple, and the improvement of the city pf Jerufalem, by erecting magazines, and filling them with arms, and by making a new aqueduct, which was of great convenience to the inhabitants for the fupplying them with water. At length, after a courfe of great and worthy adtipns, he died in the twenty-ninth year of his reign, and was buried, with great folemnity, f in the moft protection to his progeny ; whereupon the king replied, If that will win him, I will flpare him two of mine to gain him to my fide : which when his two fons, Sharezer and Adrammelech heard, th-y- refolved to prevent their own death by facnficing him But for all this fiction there is no other foundation, but that fcarce any thing elfe. can be thought of, that can afford any excufe for fo wicked a parricide ; Prideaux's Connection, anno 709. * Some tike this god to be the figure of Noah's ark ; others of a dove, which was worfhipped among the Affyrians ; and others, of an eagle. The Hebrew of Tobit, publilhed by Munller, calls it Dagon ; but Selden acknowledges, that in all his reading, he never met with any thing that could help him to explain, it. Jurieu, how ever, {ferns to be more lucky in his inquiries ; for, by feveral argu ments, he has made it appear, that this idol was Jupiter Btlus, the founder of the Babylonilh empire, who was worlhipped under the form of an e5gle ; and therefore, he obferves farther, that as this Bclus in profane hiftory was the fatfie_\vith the Nimrod of Mofes, between Nimrod and Nifroch the diffimilitude is not great, nor is it improbable, that tp pepetuate his honour, his votaries might change the name of Nimrod, which fignifies a rebel, into that ot Nifroch, which denotes a young eagle ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Jiirku Hiftoire des dogmcs, ire. part. 4. c. 1 1. f In the innermoft and chiefefl of the rooms of the royal fe- pufchres ef the houfe of David, was tht body of Hezekiah placed Vol. IV. L 1 i"n 266 The Hiftory of: the B I B L E, Book VK A. M. moft honpurable place pf the fepulchres of the fons of Da- An^'ctdf. Vld- ^aPP7 m evei7 tllinS elfe.'excep1 in being fucceeded 758, ircf by a fon, whofe name was Manaffeh, and who, in the be- trom ginning of his reign more efpecially, proved the very to^hFetd' WOI*ft °f aU hU ra"' of t Chron. Manaffeh was but a minor of twelve years old when he j .-V— _ fucceeded to the crown ; and as he had the misfortune ta Manafieh's fan into tne hands pf fuch guardians and chief minifters, in'thel".^' as were ill-affected tp his father's reformatipn, they took ginning of ah the care imaginable tp breed him up in the ftrongeft his reign, averfipn tp it, and tp cprrupt his -mind with the wprft of principles, bpth as tp religipn and gpvernment. Fpr he ript pnly wprfhipped idols, reftpred high-places, and erect ed altars untp Baal, but in the rppm pf the ark pf the cpvenant, fet up an idpl, even in the fandtuary itfelf, made his children pafs through the fire tp Mpfoch, pradtifed witchcrafts and inchantments, and cpnfulted foothiayers, and fuch perfons as dealt with familiar fpirits. ,Nor was he cpntent tp practife thefe abominations him felf, but being naturally pf a cruel temper, he raifed bitter perfecutipns againft thpfe whq would not conform. The prophets * who were fent to reprove him, he treated with the utmoft contempt andoutrage, and filled, in fhprt, all the land with innpcent blppd, which he fifed in carrying on his deteftable purppfes : but it was npt long'before the di vine vengeance pvertppk him. Hiscaptivi- Efarhaddpn being fettled in the kingdpm of Babylon, ty by the began to fet his thoughts on the recovery of what his fa- bylon, re- reftoration 'n a nic^» which in the upper end of the room was very likely at and refor-' that time cut on purpofe for it, to do him the greater honour ; Pre matura, deaux's Connection, anno 699. * The prophets who are fuppofed to have been living in this king's reign, were Hofhea, Joel, Nahum, Habakkuk, fome fay Obadiah ; and who was the grcateft prophet of them all, Ifaiah. In the late. reign he was in great efteem at court, and being himfelf of the blood royal, and as fome fay, the king's father-in-law, he thought it more incumbent upon him to endeavour to reclaim him from his degenerate wicked courfes: But this fo exafperated him a- gainft Ifaiah, that inftead of hearkening to his remonftrances, he caufed him to be apprehended, and to make his torture both more lingering, and more exquifite, had him fawn afunder with a wood en faw, to which the author of the cpiftle to the Hebrews, cbap. xi. 37- may be thought to allude; Calmet's Commentary; and Howell's Hiftory, in the notes. tha Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 267 ther Sennacherib had loft in Syria and Palefline ; and ha- A. M. ving raifed a great army, marched into the territories i^'chY of the ten tribes, from whence he carried away a great 7j8;' ^.cfi multitude of Ifraelites, who were remains of tbe former from captivity, and fo fending fome of his generals with a part 'Kingsvm. F, .'' T , ° , , ° ,., .r , to the end of his army to Judea to reduce that country likewife, they of z chron. vanquifhed Manaffeh in battle, and having taken him hid ,w „j in a thicket of briars and brambles, brought him prifoner to Efarhaddon f, who put him in irons, and carried him prifoner to Babylon. f His prifon and chains brought him to himfelf, and made him fo fenfible of his heinous provocations againft God, that with deep forrdw and humiliation, j- he implo red f From Ifaiah xx. 1. we may learn, that Efarhaddon (whom the facred writer in that pkce calls Sargon) king of Aflyria, fent Tar tan, his general, into Palefline ; and ,u was he, very probably, who took Manaffeh, and carried him prifoner to Babylon. Efarhaddon Was, fome time before, no more than king of Affyria ; but upon his ac ceffion to the throne, he rtiade himfelf mafter of Babylon, and Chaldea, and fo united the two empkes together; Calmet's Commentary ; ;and Prideaux' s Connection, anno 677. f The Jewifh dodtorshave.a tradition, that while Manaffeh was at Babylon, by the direction of his conqueror, he was put in a large brazen veffel, full of holes, and fet near to a great fire ,• that in this extremity, he had recourfe to all his falfe deifies, to whom he had offered fo many facrifices, but received no relief from them ; that remembering what he had heard his good father Hezekiah fay, viz. When thou art in tribulation, if thou turn to the Lord thy God,'he will not forfake thee, neither deftroy thee, Deut. iv. 30. 31. he was thereupon immediately delivered, and in a moment tranflated to his kingdom. But this'is no lefs a fiction,, than that miraculous flame which the author of the imperfect comment Upon St Matthew fpeaks cf, that encompaffed him on a fudden, as he was praying to God, - and having melted his chains afunder, fet him at liberty. Vid. Tradit. Hebr. in Paralip. ; et Targum in, 2 Chron. xxliii. 11. In all 1 probability, it was Saos Duchin, the fucceffor of Efarhaddon, who fome years after his captivity, releafed Manaffeh out of prifon. •J- We have a prayer, which it is pretended he made in prifon. The church doesnot receive it as canonical, but it has a place a- mohg the apocryphal pieces, and in our collections, ftands before the books of thc Maccabees. The Greek church, however, has recei- Tfd it into their Euchologium, or book of prayers, and they ufe it L 1 3 fometimes. 2€8 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VL A. M. red the divine pity and forgivennefs, and thereupon pre- 344«, ire. vailed with God tp mollify the king of Babylon's, heart, Ant. Chril" wllQ re[iQrecl him to his liberty, and re-inftated him in his 1$i, ire , . , J from kingdom. i Kingsviii. Upon his return to Jerufalem, he redrefled, as much as to th.i end ^e could, the miichiefs which his former impiety had done. y *-S^* ^e abolifhed the idolatrous profanations of the temple ; re ftored, in all things, the reformation which his father had made, and obliged all his fubjects to worfhip, and ferve the Lord only ; fo that, after this, God bleffed him with a long and profperous reign, longer indeed than any of the kings of Judih, either before pr after him, had reigned. ' He ppffeffed the throne full five and fifty years z and yet, notwithftanding his fignal repentance, becaufe his former wickednefs was fo great, he was npt allpwed the honour of being buried in any of the royal fepulchres, but was laid in a grave made in the garden belpnging tp his pwn houfe, called the garden of Uzzah \, and was fucceeded by his fon Ammpn. Ammon This prince, imitating the firft part pf his father's fucceeds his reign, and npt the repentance pf his latter, gave himfelf up father, and to arj manner pf wickednefs and impiety ; fo that God ed by his fhortened his government, by permitting fome pf hi6 pwn fervants. domeftics, (f after a reign of two years), to confpire a- gainft him and flay him : But as wicked as he was, the pepple pf the land ippk care tp revenge his murther, by putting all tp death whp had any hand in it, though they wpuld not, at his burial, honour him (any more than his fometimes as a kind of devout form, and what contains nothing ink deferving cenfure ; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Manaffeh. ¦ •f- This garden, as fome think, was made in that very fpot of ground Where Uzzah was (truck dead, for touching the ark of ihe Ldrd, 2 Sam vi. 7. ; but others imagine, that this was the place where Uzziah, who died a leper, was buried, 2 Chron. xxvi, a?. and th'tt Manaffeh chofe to be buried here, as unworthy, becaufe of his manifold fins, (whereof he neverthelefs repented), to be laid in any of the royal fepulchres of the kings of Judah; Patricks and Calmet's Commentaries. f This, as fome Jewifh authors obferve, is the ufual number of years to which the fons of thole kings did arrive, who, by their a- bominations, provoked God to anger, as they inftance in the fon of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xv 2c. ; the fon of Baafha, chap. xvi. 8. j' the fon of Ahab, chap. xxii. 51. j Patrick's Commentary. father Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, 13 c. 269 father) with a place among thefepulchres of the fons of Da- A. m. vid. I14*' &e: His fon Jofiah, who was then a child no mpre than eight 7j8)" &.Cm years old, fucceeded in the throne ; but, having the hap- from _ pinefs to fall under the conduct of better guardians in his lKlnSsvlu- minority than did Manaffeh his grandfather, he proved, 0f 2 chron. when grown up, a prince of very extraordinary worth, e- <— v—— ' qual, if not fuperior, in piety, virtue, and goodnefs, to Jofiah's the beft of his predeceffors. In the fixteenth year of his 8?od an.d age, he took upon him the administration of the kingdom ; his refor- and beginning with the reformation of religion, endeavour- mation of ed to purge it from all thofe corruptions which had been relig10n- introduced in the preceding reigns. To this purpofe he took a progrefs through the whole kingdpm, and, where- ever he came, brake dpwn the altars, cut dpwn the groves, and brake in pieces all the carved and molten images that were dedicated to idolatry. The graves of idolatrous priefts he dug up and, burnt thek bpnes upon fome of thefe altars, thereby to defile and pollute theni for ever ; and f whatever priefts of the Levitical order had at any time facrifieed on the high-places, though it were to the true God, thefe he took care to depofe from their facer- dotal office, f The houfes of the Sodomites he broke down: f Several of thefe priefts, feeing the worfhip of the temple aban doned, and, after that the tenths, and offerings, and facrifices were taken away, having nothing to fubfift themfelves, had the weaknefs to repair to the high-places, and-ffiere offer unto God fuch oblations and facrifices as the people brought them ; (for it does not appear, that any of them entered into the fervice of falfe gods) ; but becaufe this was giving countenance (by their prefence and miniftry) to a worfhip that was forbidden, Dent. xii. 1 1. he would not receive them any more into the fervice of the temple, though he fuffered them to be maintained by it. He put them, in (hort, intothe condition of thofe priefts that had any blemifli, who might not offer the thread qf their God, and yet might eat the bread of their God, both of the holy, and moft holy, Lev. xxi. 21. 22.; Calmet's and Patrick! 's Com mentaries. •f This was the name wlikh is fometimes given to the moft infa mous of all proftitutes, who expofed their bodies to be abufed, con trary to nature, in honour of thofe filthy deities whom they worfhip ped. Thek houfes were near the temple, and therefore 'thefe were perfons confecrated to impurity ; and that they might commit their abominations with a greater ucentioufnefs, they had women appoint ed 1 2.70 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. dpwn : Tophet \, which was in the valley pf Hinnpm, he Au'cttX defiled: The horfes * dedicated tp the fun, he removed: 758, &c.{ burnt its chariots wkh fire ; and, being npt fatisfied with from deftrpying all the monuments pf idplatry in his pwn dpmi- ' K']°8s'™ji nipns, he vifited in perfon the cities pf Ephraim and Ma- of * Chron. naffeh, and all the reft pf the land, which had rprmer- 1 ly been poffeffed by the ten tribes, and there did the fame. But while he was at Bethel, f difcoyering by the infcriptiori the monument of the prophet who was fent from Judah ed to make them tents, wherein they were wont to retire upon thefe deteftable occafions ; Calmet's Commentary •f It is the general" opinion of the Jews, that the word Tophet comes from Thoph, which, in their language, fignifies a drum ; be caufe drums, in this place, were ufed to be beat, in order to deaden the cries of thofe children which were burnt alive to the idol Moloch : but there is one objedtion to this etymology, viz. that it does not ap pear that the larger kind of drums, fuch as are in ufe now, were at all known to the ancients. There was a leffer fort, indeed, or what we call a taber, wherewith they made mufic in their dancing; but thefe were not loud enough for the prefent purpofe, and the -larger kind we owe to the Arabians, who firft brought them into Spain, from whence they were difperfed all Europe over ; Le Clere' s Com mentary. * It is certain, that all the people of the eaft worfhipped the fun, and confecrated horfes to it, becaufe they were nimble and fwift in their courfe, even as they fuppofed it to be .- Placat equo Perfis radiis hyperiona cindtum, Ne detur celeri victima tarda Deo. Ovid.. Fab. lib. I. But then the queftion is, whether the people of Judah facrificed thefe horfes to the fun, (ask is certain the Armenians, Perfians, and 0- ther nations did) , or only led them out in ftate every morning, to meet and falute the fun at his rifing. The ancients had .1 notion likewife, that the fun itfelf was carried about in a chariot ; and therefore cha riots, as well as horfes, were dedicated to it. Since then we find thefe horfes and chariots ftanding fo near together, the horfes, we may fuppofe, were di-figned to draw the chariots, and the chariots to carry the king and his other great officers (who were idolaters of this kind) out at the eaft gate of the city every morning, to falute and adore the fun at its coming above the horizon ; Bochart's Hieroz. part. T.lib. o. c. 10. f The. Jews will tell us, that, on one fide ef the grave, (where the prophet of Judah and the prophet of Bethel lay together), there grew Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 271 Judah to declare againft the altar which Jeroboam had there A. M. fet up, and (above three hundred years before) to name j^'chrfj- the very name of Jofiah, who was to deftroy it ; he would 7Ss, ire. not fuffer it to be touched, nor his bones to be molefted. from _ Having thus carried on the work of reformation in the 'Kingsviii. ... ° r , • , • , , ,' • , to the end diftant parts ot his kingdom, he took care in the next 0f 2 chron. place, to have the temple repaired. To this purpofe, he 1 v— — - » ordered Hilkiah, the high-prieft, to take a general view of Reparation it, and fee what was neceffary tp be done ; who, while he °Je' e tcm" was furveying and examining every place, chanced- to find a book of the law of the Lord given by Mofes. The book was carried to the king, who, having J- heard fome part of it grew nettles and thirties, on the other, myrtles, and other odorife- rous plants ; fignifying, that a true and falfe prophet lay there 5 and that this raifed the king's curiofity to inquke whofe that fepulchre was ; but there is no ground for this fabulous fancy. The king, we may fuppofe, efpied a (tone or a pillar more eminent than the reft, with the names of the perfons that were buried under it, and this made him afk the queftion of the men of the city, i. e- fome of the old in habitants that had efcaped the captivity, and not any of thofe new comers whom the king of AfTyria had fent thither ; for thefe could give no account of the ancient hiftories of the Ifraelites ; neither can we fuppofe, that the fepulchre itfelf, after fo many years ftanding, could have been diflinguilhable, had not fome pious perfon or other, with an intent to perpetuate the. memory of the thing, in each fuc- ceflive age, taken care to preferve and repair it, Matth. xxiii. 29. ; Le Clere' s and Patrick's Commentaries. , ¦f- Whether it was the whole Pentateuch, or the book of Deutero nomy only, which the higb-prieft found in the temple, it is generally agreed, that the part which Shaphan read to the king was taken out of the book of Deuteronomy, and not without fome probability, that the' 28th, 29th, and 30th chapters were that portion of Scripture which the fecretary who (as we are told 2 Kings xxii. 8.) had read the book before he brought it to the king, thought .proper upon this occafion to turn to ; for therein is contained a renewal of the cove nant which Mofes, as mediator, had made between God and the people of Ifrael at mount Horeb ; and therein are thofe threats and terrible comminations to the tranfgreffors of the law, whether prince or people, which affected Jofiah fo much ; axicTwhich Mofes had gi ven the Levites to put on the fide of the covenant, that it might be there for a witnefis againft the tranfgreffors of it, Deut. xxxi. '25. 26. ; Calmet's Commentary. rsad, * 7* The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI A. M. read, rent his robes in dread of the curfes denounced againft V*s'jt' .(¦*¦ wicked people, and immediately fent the high-prieft, isL &e" atx^ *°me othcr of his chief officers, to Huldah f the from prophetefs to inquire of the Lord; whp returned them in i Kingsviii anfwer, " That the judgments threatened in the bpok pf the law, wpuld npt be lpng before they fell upon the king* dom pf Judah; but that, becaufe the king had exprefied " fo deep a cpncern upon hearing the denunciation pf them, " their executipn fhpuld be delayed till after his death." And farther The gppd king, hpwever, in order to appeafe the wrath reforma- Df God, called together a folemn affembly of all the elders and people of Judah and Jerufalem; and going with them to the temple, he caufed the law of God there to be diftindtly read ; and when that was done, both he and all the people entered into a covenant to obferve all that was contained in it. After this he made anpther progrefs round the kingdpm pf Judah and Samaria, tb deftroy every the leaft remainder pf idplatry that he cpuld meet with ; and when the feafon pf the next paffover was come, had it || kept With fuch exactnefs and folemnity as had never •f This is the only mention we have of this prophetefs, and cer tainly it makes much to her renown, that fhe was confulted upon this weighty occafion, when both Jeremiah and Zephaniah were at that time prophets in Judah. But Zephaniah, perhaps, at that time might not have commenced a prophet ; becaufe, diough we are told that he prophefied in the days of jofiah, Zeph. i. I. ; yet we are no where informed, in what part of his reign he entered upon the pro phetic office. Jeremiah, too, might at that time be abfent from Je rufalem, at his houfe at Anathoth, or fome more remote part of the kingdom ; fo that, confidering Jofiah's hafte and impatience, there might be no other remedy at hand to apply to but this womiii : Great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled againft us, fays the kingti his minifters, 2 Kings xxii. 13.; and therefore his intent, in lend-: ing them, might be to inquire, whether there were any hopes of ap- ptafing his wrath, and in what manner it was to be done. Being therefore well affured of this woman's fidelity, in delivering the ruind and counfel of God, the minifters who went to inquire, con cluded rightly, that it was much more confiderable, what meflage God fent, than, by whofe hand it was that he conveyed it ; Pool 1 'Annotations, 7 || The words of the text are, Surely there was not held fuch a paffover, from the days of the judges, nor in all the days qf the kings (2^ap4V. from the building of the Templq, (3c. 273 §ever been obferved, from the days of Samuel the prophet, a. m. till that time. - ' 314*, ire. . In a word, this excellent prince did all that in him lay, .*¦"¦*' 9"lf* to atohe for the fins of the people, and appeafe the wrath from ' of G°$l 5 but his decreet for the removal pf Judah intp • Kingsviii. a land of their captiyity, was paffed, -irrevocably paffed : "lthp/;nd » and therefore, when Pharaoh. Neclio * king of Egypt de . JL^—j" ,;.'„- fired The man- I ' S/.'H*'' ¦:¦ ner of his 1 "v death, bu- tyngs of Ifrael, and 'of the kings qf Judah,' 2 1 Kings xxiii 22. which, „re^t ja_ . taken a literal fpnfe, niuft denote, that this paffover, which, was ce- mentation Jebrated by, two tribes orily, wa^ more numerous, and more magni made for • ficent, than alt thofe that were obferved in the days of. David and llim- \$dfpmon, in the 1310ft happy, and nourifhing ftate of the Jewiih mo narchy,, and when the twelve r.ibes were met together, to fokmnize. that feaft- It may not be amifs therefore to allow, that, in thefe expfeffions, there is a kind of auxefis ox exaggeration, not unufuaj in fjcred, as well as in profane authors.. For nothing is more com mon than to fay, " Never was fo much, fplendor and' magnificence " feen," when we m?an no more than that the thing we fpeak Of was very fplendid- and magnificent : unlefs we fuppofe, with - feme, that a preference is given to this paffover above all the reft, in refpect of -the exadt obferyatiQii of the rites and ceremonies belonging to it, which, at other tjm.es, were performed according to cuftom, and feyefal things either altered or omitted; whereas at this, every thing was performed according to the prefcfibed form of - the' law, from which, fince the finding of this authentic copy of it, Jofiah in- pined diem not, to vary one tittle ; Calmet's and Le Clere' s Commen taries. + Though Jofiah was doubtlefs Gncere in what he did, and omit ted nothing to reftore .the purity of God's worfhip,. where-ever, his power extended ; yet the .people had ftill a hankering after the cor ruption of the former part of Manaffejfji's reign. They complied, in* deed, with the prefent reformation ; hut this was only .out of fear of incurring the king's difpleafure, ,or . of feeling the feverity of his ju ftice. , Their hearts were not right towards God, as appears from the Writings of the prophets that lived hi thofe times ; arid therefore* fee ing np fign of their repentance, God had no reafoa to reyerfe his de cree ; Calmet's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. * Pharaoh fignifies no more, in the Egyptian language, than King; and .was therefore given to any one that fat upon, that throne ,: hut Nechp (accprding to Hew'otus) was, his proper name, though fome will have, it to be an, appellative which, figni fies lapse, becaufe this Pharaoh .(as 'they fuppofe) had a lamefiefs, . Vol. IV. M tS which 274 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A M fired to pafs through Judea, in order to go and attack 3A*6h&Ca Charchemifli f, a city belonging to the king of Babylon, «8, «£" and fltuate uPon thc Euphrates, Jofiah would by no means from' cohfenttpit; but getting together his forces, ported him- • Kingsviii. fcjf ;n tye vaney 0| Megiddo *, on purpofe to obftrudt to t-hi- r>nti . * v \\\c which proceeded from fome wound he had received in the wars. The fame hiftorian tells us, that he was the fon and fucceffor of Pfammetichus king of Egypt, and a man of a bold enterprifing fpi. rit ; thst lie made an attempt to join the Nik and the Red-fea, by drawing a canal from one to the other : that though he faikd in this defign, yet, by fending a fleet from the Red fea through theftreights of Babtl Mandel, he difcovered the coafts of Africa, and, in this his expedition to the Euphrates, refolved to bid fair (by deftroying the united force of the Babylonians and Medes) for the whole mo narchy of Alia ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 610. ; and Marfham's Canon, aeg. fiscul. 18. f Geographers make no mention of this city under this name : but it is' very p' obably the fame with What the Greeks and Latins call Cercuftum or Cerceftum, which was fituated on the angle form ed by the conjunction of the Chaboras or Chebar, and the Euphrates, Ifaiah x. 9 fpeaks of this place as if Tiglath-Pilefer had made a conquelt of it, and Necho perhaps now was going to retake it, as we find he did ; but Jeremiah informs us, chap. xlvi. 1. 2. that' in the fourth year of Jchoiachitn king of Judah, it was taken and quite deftroyed by Nebuchadnezzar kin e of Babylon; Calmet's Commen tary -, and Wells's Geography of the Old Teftament, vol. 3. * Megiddo was a city in the half tribe of Manaffeh, not far from the Mediterranean fea, which way Necho was to pafs w th his ar- Wy, in. order to go into Syria, and thtnce to the Euphrates. In the valley adjoining to this place Jofiah was {lain, " while he was at " the head of his army," (as Jofephus tells us), "and riding up " and down to give orders from one wing to the other." This ac tion Herodotus makes mention of, when he tells us, " that Nechos " king of Egypt having fallen upon the Syrians, near the city " Magdol, obtained a great victory, and made himfelf mafter of " Cadytis :" Where the authpr plainly miftakcs the Syrians for the Jews; Magdolum, a city in the Lower-Egypt, for Megiddo; and Cadytis, for Kadefh, in ihe Upper Galilee, by which he was to pafs in his way to Charchemifli ; or rather for the city of Jerufikm, Which, in Herodotus's rime, might be called by the neighbouring nations Cadyta or Cadyfiha, i e. the holy city ; fince, even to this Jay, it is called by die eaftern people Al-huds, which is plainly both Chap. IV. from the builrJing of the Temple, (3c. 275 his paffage. The Egyptian king, hearing pf this, fent am- A- J*- baffadprs defiring him to defift, declaring that he came not ^ 'chrif. to invade his territories, but purely to do himfelf juftice on 7J8, ire. the king of Babylon ; and affuring him withal, that what ,'om... he did in this cafe was by the order and appointment pf '0 J'^^1' Gpd. Jpfiah, however, thought himfelf np way cpncern- ,f * chron. ed to believe him; and therefore, on Necho's marching up -»*v ¦* to the.place where he was polled to receive him, a battle immediately enfued, wherein the Egyptian archers, difco- vering Jofiah, (though he had difguiied himfelf before the action began), plied ' th.at quarter of the army where he fought fo very warmly with their arrows, that at laft, re ceiving a mortal wound from one of them, he was carried in another chariot * out of the battle to Jerufalem, where, after a reign of one and thirty years, he died, and was bu ried in the fepulchre of his anceftors; * The death of fo excellent a prince was defervedly la mented by all his pepple, but by none more fincerely than by Jeremiah the prophet ; who, having a thorough fenfe of the greatnefs of the lofs, as well as full forefight of the fore calamities which were afterwards to follow uppn both of the fame fignification and original ; Calmet's Dictionary, Under the word Kadefh ; and Prideaux' s Connection, anno 6 1 o. * It was the cuftom of war in former times for great officers to have their led horfes, that if one failed they might mount another. The kings of Perfia (as Quintus Curtius informs us) had horfes at tending their chariots, which, in cafe of any accident, they might make to ; and, - in like manner, we may prefume,. that, when it became a.mighty fafhion to fight in chariots,- all great captains had an empty one following them, into which they might betake them- /elves if any mifchance befel the other ; Bochart's Hieroz. part I. c 2. & 9. * The author of the book of Ecckfiafticus has given us his cn- ' comium in thefe words : — — — All, except David, and Hezekias, and jofias, were defective., They forfook the law of the Moft High ; even the kings of Judah failed. But the remembrance of Jofias, is like thi compofttion of the perfume, that is made by the art of the apo- thecary .- It is as fiweet as honey in all mouths, and as mufic at a banquet of wine. He behaved himfelf uprightly in the converfton of the people, and took away the abomination of iniquity he direct ed his heart unto ihe Lord, and, in the time of the ungodly, he efta blifh ed the worfhip of God, Ecclns. xlix. I. isc. M m 1 the 276 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. ta. the whole kingdom of Judah, while his heart was full with, 3/46'rt-V a view of both thefe, wrote a fong of lamentation * upon 7S8, Te this mournful occafion ; but that is loft; and the other fiom (which goes under his name, arid is ftill remaining) was • Kingsviii. competed updri the deftrudtion of Jerufalem by Nebuchad- to the end r x ofzChroi*. nezzar. The Objection. " "D^^ ^ow re^g'10US f°ever we may fupp°fe Jofiah the " jO k'ng °f Jtidah to have been, we cannot but won- " der' at his ignorance in the law of God. Thofe who " had fhe care of his education, Were required to inftruct " him in it (a) upon all proper occafipns ; himfelf (ac- " cprding tp what (b) the law directs) was to tranferibe a " copy of it with his own hand, and to have it fo cpnftant- " ly in his remembrance, as if it were (c) frontlets between " his eyes ; and yet, when he was np' lefs than fix and *' twenty years pld, and in the eighteenth year 'pf his reign, " we find him (d) rending his cloaths, fpr fear of the threats " denounced- againft a wicked prince and pepple, as if he " had never read his Bible, (which the high prieft by the " bye feems equally a ftranger tp), npr heard a word of the " book of Deuteronomy before. " How the chofen people of God cathe fo frequently to "fall into the deteftable fin of idolatry, we are- at a lo'fs * The Jews were Wont to make lamentations, or mournful fongs, ¦upon the death of great men, princes, and heroes, who had diftin guilhed themfelves in arm;-, or by any civil art had merited well of their country ,' By an rxpreffion in 2 Chron. xxxv. 25. Behold they are written in the Lamentations, one may inter, that they had certain collection's of this kind of compofition. The author of the book' of Sainuelhas preferved tjiofe which David made upon the death qf Saul, and Jonathan- of ^bner arid Abfalom : But this mournful poem, which the difconfokte prophet made upon the im mature death of good Jofiah, we . no where have , which is a lofs themoreto be deplored, becaufe, in all probability, it was a mafter- piece in its kind ; lince never Was there an author more deeply af fected with his fubjedt, or more capable of carrying it through all the tender fentiments of forrow and compallion ; Calmet's Conanen- 'tary, and Preface fur tes Lamentations de Jeremie. (a) Dcut.'vi. 7- (b) Chap. xvii. 18. (c) Chap. vi. 8. (d) 2 Kings xxii. 11. i?c. " to Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, &c. 277 u to comprehend ; but though, whenever they did fo, it was A. M. " the part of every good prince to endeavour to reclaim ju^chrif ""them; yet we fhould be glad to know, what right King 7Ss, ire. " Jofiah had to extend his reformation into other countries, fton,'„ " and to exercife this authority in the kingdom of Samaria, 'J^hf Ind •' which was then fubjedt to the Aflyrians; or upon what 0f 4 chron. " pretenftons he oppofed Necho king pf Egypt, when he — v*'—* " only civilly alked a paffage through his country, and " was going to do himfelf juftice upon an enemy that had *' invaded his territories firft. " Had he fent, indeed, in his own name only, Jofiah " might have pleaded, in his excufe, the danger of ad- " mining a large army into the bowels of his country ; " but fince (e) the requeft was fent in the name of God, '_' who had put him upon this expedition, and according- *' ly profpered him in it, we cannot but fay, that Jofiah " juftly fuffered for opppfing the' Almighty's will, and in- "" termeddling in the matter wherein he had np cpncern : " Thpugh hpw tp abfolve the divine goodnefs and veracity, " in bringing fo good a prinee to an untimely end, and '" caufirig him to be {lain in battle, when he had promifed, " iff) that he fhould be gathered into his grave in peace, is " ivhat we cannot unriddle. " The fling of 'death is fin ; but the man who Can appeal " to God for the truth and fincerity of his heart, (as we " find Hezekiah 'appealing), may bid^defiance to that prince " of terrors : And yet (whatever his diftemper might be) " the Scripture reprefents this great and good man, upon " notice of his death, in a very piteous plight, (g) w'ehing " fore, (h) chattering as a crane or a fiwalhw, and mourn- " ing like a dove, at the thoughts of his diffolution, which " is far from fetting the faint and the hero, much more " the benefits which accrue frpm a religious life, in an ad- " vantageous light. " A perfon fo paffipnately in love with life may well be " " fuppofed fo defire fome affurance of his recovery : But " to caufe the fun, not only to flop its courfe, but even " to go ten degrees backward, for his convictipn, is a little " tpo lavifh. " Inftead of difturbing the whole courfe of nature, " therefore, merely to latisfy the diffidence of pne man, it (e) 1 Chron. xxxv. 21. (f) 2 Kings xxii. 20. (g) Ibid. XX. 3. (h) Ifaiah, xxviii. 3. 14. " is 278 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. Ai M. " is more rational to think, (i) that this miracle was not A^'chVf " wrou§nt uPon fhe body of the fun, but upon the dial 7SB ire. " on'y» '¦ e' that God, upon this occafion, made no alte- from " ration in the motion of the heavens, but only, by the 1 Kingsviii. « means of fome extraordinary meteors or refractions, fo ofx Chron. " d'foofed rhe rays of the fun, and directed its light, that no fhadqw could be projected but where the prophet foretold. " But, whether this miracle was in the motion of the " fun, or in the direction pf its fhadow pnly, it certainly " was a fufficient evidence to convince Hezekiah of his fu- " ture recovery. Much better than what God gave this " prince to affure him, (k) that the king pf Affyria fliould " npt inveft the city pf Jerufalem, nor fhoot an arrow there, " nor eaft a bank againft it. Much better (/) than what he " gave King Ahaz, when, frpm the invafipn pf twp con- " federate kings, he lay under the moft dreadful appre- " henfions. For, (m) of what ufe can a fign be, that is " fubfequent to the thing fignified ? What confolatipn " cpuld the prpmife of the future birth of a fon be, to a " perfon labouring under perplexity and want of imme- " diate relief ? Or, where is the fenfe of the prophet's " faying, that, (n) before the child (to be born feven hun- " dred years hence.) fhall be able to diftinguifh between good " and evil, the land fhall be forfaken oj both her kings ? " But of all the ftories in this period of time, com- " mend me tp that wonderful novel of young Tobias, and " the angel, in their adventures tp Ecbatana. His father's " lpfing his eye-fight by the hpt dung pf fwallpws had " been a fad family-accident, had npt the gall pf the " fifh come in pppprtunely tp remedy it ; thpugh it be the " firft time that we ever knew, that a fwallpw's dung ' was pernicious, and a fifh's gall reiterative tp the eye- fight. This, hpwever, was npthing in cpmparifon tp its heart and liver, whpfe very fmpke was enpugh to '* drive away the devil Afinpdeus, as far as the utmoft parts " °f Egypt, where the good angel took care to chain him down, that he might give the new-married couple no " farther moleftatipn. All this founds fp like a romance, " that we know not what elfe to call it, unlefs we will (/) Le Clerc's Comment, on 2 Kings xx. 9. (k) Ifaiah xxxvii. 3?. (/) Ibid. vii. 14. (m) Grounds and Reafons of the Chriftian religion. (») Ifaiah vii. 16. " fuppofe Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, &c. 279 " fuppofe with Grotius (0) that the whole account is para- a. M. " bolical, and that this pretended Afmodeus was fome ill 3>4«, ire. " quality attending Sara's body, which had proved mqrtal AntgC1^!f " to her other hufbands ; but that Tobias,, by ufing proper from "fumigations, had preferved himfelf, and cured her." 1 Kings viii. That the dung of fwallow's is of a very hot and cauftic '° *' end quality, and when dropt into the eye, muft needs be in- ° 1. °°' jurious to the fight, as being apt to caufe an inflammation, The con- and thereby a concretion of humours, which, in procefs of tents of the,. time, may produce a white film, that will obltruct the J*"* of. _ light from the optic nerves ; and that the gall of a fifh ^;cated., (efpecially of the fifh called Callionimus) is of excellent ufe to remove all fuch fpecks and obftructions to the fight, we have the teftimony of fome of the greateft men, (p) phyfi- cians and naturalifts, to produce in confirmation of this part of Tobit's hiftory. That good angels are appointed by God to be the guardians of particular men, and in exe« cution of this their office, do frequently aflume human fhapes, to guide them in their journies, and to deliver 1 them from all dangers, is a doctrine (q) as ancient as the patriarch Jacob's time, embraced by Chriftians, and be lieved by the wifeft Heathens ; and that every man, in like manner, has an evil angel, or genius, whereof fome pre- fide over one vice, and fome over another ; infomuch that there are demons of avarice, demons of pride, and demons of impurity, confifted of the whole Pentateuch, or "fron/ only °f chat part of it which is called Deuteronomy; and ». Kingsviii. whether it was the authentic copy which Mofes committed to the end t0 tne prieft's cuftody, or only fome ancient manufeript t_l^iil!^ kept in the temple for the public ufe, viz. for the king to That the read t0 r'ie people once every feven years, or for the priefts book which to confult upon any emergent difficulty, is a matter of fome Hilkiah debate among the learned. The teftimony pf the author the au'then- °^ l^e book °^ Chronicles feems however to determine t^c copy 0f the matter, when he aflures us, that the book of the law Mofes. vyhich Hilkiah found, was that (e) which was given by the hand of Mofes, and confequently the wliple Pentateuch, which, by his command, was repofited (/) in the fide of he ark of tbe covenant. That jofiah It is prefurned indeed, that Jofiah's three predeceffprs, hidfeenthe Ahaz, Manaffeh, and Ammpn, as npt cpntent to be im- la-.v before. p;ous themfelves, and tp mitigate their fubjects tp idplatry, had made it. their bufinefs to burn and deftroy all the co-: pies pf the law that they could any where meet with, fo that there was not fo much as pne left for the king's, ufe ; and that this was the reafon of his difcovering fo great a fur- prife at his hearing the cpmminations read, becaufe he had never perhaps feen any fuch vplume before. It muft be ac-r knowledged indeed, that difufe often cancels the moft ex: cellent laws, and from Jofiah's furprize, we have ropm to fufpedt, that he had not as yet tranferibed a copy pf the law with his pwn hand, and had probably for fome time neglected the reading it publicly, (g) every feventh year, ac cording to the command. But that he had never feen fuch a tranfeript of it before this time, we can hardly believe, becaufe it is not conceivable, how he could fo early apply himfelf to the fervice of God, even in oppofition to the corruptions of the times ; how he could begin the refoi> mation of religion, the abolifhment of idplatry and fuper- ftition, and the eftablifhment of lb. many whplefome Ordi nances for the divine wprfhip, withput the affiftance and diredtion pf this bopk. In this very year, we are told, that fuch a paffover was folemnifed, (h) as had not been kept, from the days of Sa- mue{ the prophet, nor among all the kings of Ifrael; but (e) 2 Chron. xxxiv 14. (/) Deut. xxxi. 26. (g) Ibid. y«\ 10.. 11. (h) 2 Chron. xxxv. 18. how Chap. IV. from the building of the Tempje, (3c. 283 hpw the priefts could have obferved all the rites and cere- A. M. monies belonging to it, (which are not a few), if every pre- ^^f'Jff'r feribed form of it had been loft, we cannot conceive ; fince 1S%\ i,c. ' copies of the book, which was now found in the temple, Jrom could not be made and tranfei-ibed time enough for tneir ,Kl!1gsv"'" inftrudtion in thefe particulars. 0f k cinon. In the reigns of Jehofhaphat, and Hezekiah, copies of — — v— —»« the law (i) were common enough, and in the reigns of Y''-y the their wicked fucceffors, the facred hiftory makes np men hlSr;-p>'ie't * I'C'OlCCXl 3.t' tipn of their being burnt or deftroyed,. The Jewifh doctors finding it ; indeed tell us, that Manaffeh blotted the facred name of Jehovah out of all the books that he could find ; but they nowhere report, that he utterly aboiifhed them : And there fore we may cpnclude, that the people, at this time, had feveral copies of the law among them, though fome of them perhaps imperfect and corrupt ; and that the high-prieft might rejoice, when he had found tbe original, becaufe hy it all the other copies might be corrected ; and rejoice the more, that he had found it at a time when the king was going to make a reformation in religion, which he could not but lopk uppn as a very remarkable providence. The four Evangelifts, who have recprded the fubft'ance and the of the Chriftian religion, we have by us, and may read thig was therein every day ; and yet, who can fay, but that fome ;UiPnfed at remarkable paffage may perchange efcape his obfervation ? (k) But now, if by fome lucky accident, we ihould happen to find the original of St Matthew or St John, who can doubt, but that we fhould both read and liften to it with more ferioufnefs and attention, than we now do to the fame books that are every day in our hands ? ,.And in like manner we may fay, that it was the great reverence which Jofiah bore to the original book of Mofes, as well as the feafonable and remarkable finding it at this time, that a- wakened and quickened him tp a mpre attentive confider- . ation of all. the paffages contained in it, than ever he had known before, either in his reading, or hearing the ordina ry copies pf the law. Manaffeh was certainly, in the former part pf his reign, v/by the a very impipus prince. The Scripture feems tp imply, that kings and till his miferies had rectified his notions, (I J he did not be-|£°P'e of . lieve at all in the God °f Ifrael, nor in the hiftory' of his f0 pr0Ile to forefathers ; but he is not the 6nly fon that has degenera- idolatry. (/) Chap. xvii. 9. , (k) Calmet's Ccmmentaty on 2 Kings xxii 8. (7) 2 Chron . xxxiii. 1 3. N n i~ ted 284 The Hiftory of the BIBLE," Book VI. ¦ ^ % . . ... A. M. fed from the good example of a pious father; neither we're 3*4S, ire ms fobjedts the only people that, even in the groffeft - irre- ^ss^&c' ^S1011 and profanenefs1, have imitated the example of their ' from prince. The .wonder Is, hpw both princte and pepple be- i Kingsvii cavne, upun every occafion, fo prone tp fall frpm the re°- of ''chuon ^'ii0n °f their anceftors into idplatry, nptwithftanding the v^—,-^, frequent rempnftrances pn Gpd's part tp the cpntraryi? Now, to this purpofe it may be obferved, (m) that, in the whole compafs of the law, there is np exprefs revelation made of a future life ; that the hints which are given pf It, are too pbfcure for evpry common reader rightly to- interpret ; and that this obfcurity might be a means of throwing the ancient Ifraelites into idolatrous practices. For as they had no certain hopes of anpther life tp rely pn, they could not fee neighbouring nations in a mpre flpurifhing condition," without fome uneafinefs and perturbation. of fnind; ahd from hence, by degrees, they might fall into this opinion, ¦ — That the gods of thefe nations muft needs be more mighty and ppwerful-than the God of If- rae), fince their, worfhippers were manifeftly more profper- . ous ; and from hence they were induced to forfake the God of their anceftors, and. to worfhip the gods of the Heathen. It may be obferved farther, that the difficulty of keeping the Mbfaic law, efpecially in what related to its rites and ceremonies, was very great, and the profit which refulted from thence no ways cpmparable tp the trouble which, it occafioned ; and from thence they might be tempted to fhake pff (rt) a' yoke, which neither they, nor their fore fathers were able to bear,' and betake themfelves tp the pb- fervahce pf other laws, mpre eafy and cpmmodious in themfelves;. and fnch as were productive pf much mure be nefit and profperity to the observers pf them. Npr fhpuld it be forgotten, that as a great part of the revenues bf Pa lefline, according to the conftitution of the Mofaic law, fell to thc lot' of the priefts and Levites, 'the laity, upon every occafion, might grow weary of paying fo much ; and thereupon be inclined to any innpvatipn in religipn that fhould offer itfelf, if it could but be fupported at an eafier expence. And accordingly we may obferve, that in the wicked reignsof Ahaz and Manaffeh, when the temple was either quire {hut up, or converted to idolatrous pur- pofes, thc payment of tithes' and oblations was fufpended, (w) Le Gere's Commentary on 2 Kings xxi, 1 1. (n) Acts xv. 10. (which Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c 285 (which might be a great gratification to the people) until, in A. M. the reigns of Hezekiah and Jofiah, they were again reftored s1*6' &'• to the minifters of God. Thefe, and fuch reafohs.as thefe, ^"g^f might make the ancient Hebrews fo unfettled in their obe- from dience to the law of Mofes, until the time that a clearer » Kings v"i' and more perfect revelation of a future life extended their l°{ '' chron. views and hopes above the things of this world, and made - 1 J them more conftant and immoveable (as the authpr to the , 'Hebrews (0) bears them teftimony) in tbe worfhip of the true God. Jofiah may be thought by fome to have followed the That Jofiah dictates of his zeal a little too far, in deftroying the had* right images, and altars, and other monuments of idolatry, in t0£C'^.'- ls ' the kingdom of Ifrael, where he* had neither any regal nortion into judicial authority : But it fhould be remembered, that his the king- authority in this regard was founded upon an ancient pre- c °™ of diction, (p) where he is particularly named, and appointed to this work of reformation by God himfelf, and that, confequently', he could not be guilty of an infringement 1 upon another's right, even though he had no farther com- miflion. But the ten tribes, we are to confider, being now gone into captivity, the ancient right which David and his pofterity had to the whole kingdom pf Ifrael (be fore it was difmembered by Jeroboam and, his fucceffors) devplved uppn Jpfiah. The pepple, who efcaped the cap tivity, were united with his fubjects, and put themfelves under his prptedtipn. ' They came to the wprfhip pf Gpd at Jerufalem, aind did dpubdefs gladly comply with his ex- tirpatipn of idolatry ; at which the Cuthites, the new in habitants of the country, who' worfhipped their gods in an other manner, were not at all offended. The kings of Affyria,. it is true, were the lords and con- • querors of the country \ "but from the time of Manaffeh's reftoration, they feem to have conferred uppn the kings pf Judah (whp might thereuppn becpme their hpmagers) a fovereignty in all the land pf Canaan, tp the fame extent, wherein it was held by David and Splomon, before it was divided into two kingdoms. So that Jofiah, upon fundry pretenfions, had fuflicient power and authority to vifit the kingdom of Ifrael, and to purge it from idolatry, as well as his own. And this, by the by, fuggefts the reafon why that why he op- good king was fo very ftrenuous in opppfing the king of pofed the king of (0) Chap. xi. 35- ire. (p) 1 Kings xiii- 2. Egyp'5 Egypt, *86" The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. Egypt, when he demanded a paffage through his cpuntry., Antf'chrif. (?) He was now> as we ^a'c'' an homager ar>d ally to the 7j8, ire. king of Babylon, and under a ftridt oath to adhere to him from againft all his enemies, efpecially againft the Egyptians, and »nIdkgsvlj'to defend the land of Canaan (which was one barrier of the to the end . . v « , • ji-l of i Chron. empire) againft their invafions ; and, being under luch an *i ~*-mJ obligation to his fovereign paramount, he could not permit his enemy tP pafs through his country, in prder tp make war uppn him, and npt ppppfe him, withput incurring a breach pf his path, and a viplatipn pf that fidelity which, in the name pf his Gpd, he had fwprn tp the king of Babylon ; and this was a thing which fo gppd and juft a man as Jo- " .' .' fiah was, cpuld npt but deteft. and that he It was the fenfe pf his duty therefore, and npt any rafh? d'dn(" d'f'nefs pf temper, prpppofitipn tp the divine will, that engaged. herein. ° Jofiah in this war with the king pf Egypt. The king pf Egypt indeed fent tp him tp acquaint him, that (r) Gpd was with him, and that therefore ppppfing him, wpuld be fighting againft God : But Jpfiah knew very well, that he was an Heathen prince, whp had np knpwledge pf the Lprd Jehpvah, npr had ever cpnfulted his pracles pr prpphets, and had therefore fufficient reafon tp believe, that by the god whp, as he pretended, had fent him uppn this expe- ditipn, he intended np pther than the falfe Egyptian gpd whpm he ferved, but whum the king pf Judah had np rea fon tp regard. The truth is, whenever the wprd god pccurs in this mef fage frpm Necho to Jofiah, it is not expreffed in the He brew original by the wprd Jehovah, which is the proper name of the true Gpd, but by the word Elohim, which, be ing in the plural number, is equally applicable to the falfe gpds pf the Heathens, (and is the wprd that is, ufed tp denpte them, whenever they are fppken pf ), as well as the true Gpd. But even fupppfe thatNechp, in bis embafly to Jpfiah, had made ufe pf the proper name of the true Gpd ; yet was npt Jpfiah therefore bound tp believe him, becaufe we find Sennacherib, when he came up againft Judah, fending Hezekiah wprd, (s) that the Lord (Jehovah in the Hebrew) had prdered him to go up againft the land, and deftrdy it ; and yet, it is certain, that Sennacherib, in fo pre tending, lied to Hezekiah ; and why ihen might not Jofiah have as good reafon to conclude, that Necho, in the fame (q) Prideaux's Connection, anno 610. (r) 2 Chron. xxxv. 21. (j) 2 Kings xviii. 25. pretence, Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 287 pretence, might have lied likewife ? Necho, however, in A. M. his meflage, by ufing the word Elohim, gave Jofiah to un- if'*6'r^f derftand, that, by the falfe gods of Egypt, he was fent up- jj8j ^.e' on that expedition, and therefore Jofiah could not be liable from to any blame, for not heakening to the words which came 1 Kingsviii. c , to the end from them. . _ of* Chron. His death indeed, was fudden and immature : he fell in ¦ ¦^v,-,.j battle againft the Egyptians ; and yet he may be faid to have How he gone to his grave in peace, becaufe he was recalled from life, maJ.b^ fauJ whilft his kingdom was in a profperous condition,, before peace) th0' the calamities wherewith it was threatened were 'come upon he was flain it, and whilft himfelf was in peace and recpnciliatipn with m battle. Gpd. Thus, when (t) the righteous are taken away from the evil to come, thpugh, ¦(«) in the fight of the unwifie they feemed to die, and their departure is taken for mifiery ; yet, in what manner foever their exit be, they may well be faid to die in peace, whp, after their diffolution here, (x) are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the faints. fyj Truly the light is fiweet, and a pleafant thing it is, WhyHeze- flor the eyes to behold the fun, fays the wife preacher. The (.^erned love of life is natural to us, and in our very frame and con- at his ap- ftitution is implanted the fear of death ; fo that it requires proaching no fmall compafs of thought and ferious confideration, to a receive the fentence of our diffolution with a proper com- pofure pf mind. The common excufe of human infirmity might therefore apologize for Hezekiah's conduct, had we nothing more to fay in his behalf; but this is far from being all. The meflage which God fent him by the prophet Ifaiah was, that he fhould die, i. e. that his diftemper, according to the natural courfe of things, was mortal, and above the power of human art to cure. But this denunciation was not , abfolute and irreverfible. , It implied -a tacit condition, even as did Jonah's prediction of the deftrudtion of Nineveh, which the repentance of its inhabitants prevented, as Heze kiah's humiliation retarded the time of his death. At this time, however, he was no more than nine and thirty years old, nor had he as yet any fon ; for Manaffeh was not born till three years after his illnefs. The Aflyrians too were now making great preparations to invade his kingdom ; for his ficknefs was prior to their invafion, though, in the courfe of (t), Ifaiah lvii. 1. (a) Wifd. iii. 2. (x) Ibid. v. c. ( r) Ecclef. xi. 7- the A. M. 3 146, . ire Ant. Chril 758, ire. from > Kings viii to the end of z Chron What his diftemper was, it is uncertain. The firft in ventors of chronome ters. The Hiftory of the BIB LE, Book VI. the hiftory, it is placed immediately after it. Putting all thefe confideratipns tpgether then, the king had fundry reafons, befides the natural averfipn whkh all men have tp death, tp be concerned at its approach, and tp defire a prolonga- ' tion of his life. Length of days, and a peaceful enjoyment of old age, was a promife which God had made to his faithful fervants, and the reward that he ufually paid them in hand ; (z) and therefore Hezekiah was apt tp look uppn himfelf as under , the difpleafure pf Gpd, for his being" fo haftily fum moned away, and this premature death of his, as a kind of token of his final reprobation. In himfelf he faw the royal family of David extinct, and all the hppes of having the Meffiah „ born pf his race beepme abortive. He faw the ftprm that was gathering and threatening his cpuntry with defolatipn, while there was npne of his family te-. fucceed in his throne, and all things were in danger pf running intp anarchy and confufion : and therefore, having this profpect before his eyes, he might well melt into tears a' the apprehenfions of his approaching death, which wpuld extinguifh all his hppes, and cpnfummate all his fears, in making him gp down childleis to the grave. What his diftemper was, the Scripture has no where ex- prefsly told us : - the priginal wprd denotes an inflammation ; but what kind of an inflammation it was, or what part cf the body it affected, we have np ipiimation given us : and therefore, being thus left to conjecture, fome have thought it an impofthume ; others, a plague-fore ; and o- thers, a fquinancy ; being all led in their opinions by what (a) the naturalifts have told us of the virtue of the medi cine that was here applied for cure, viz. that figs, in a decoction, are good to difperfe any inflammation about the glands, by gargling the throat ; and that, in a cataplafm, they wonderfully foften, and ripen, any hard tumour. But, whatever the quality of the medicine might be, that there ' was a divine interpofition in the whole affair, is evident, both \ from the fpeedinefs of the cure, and the nature of the fign which Gpd gave Hezekiah, in order to convince him of it. Some very confiderable writers would endeavour to per- fuade us, that, before the Baby lonifli captivity, the Jews had (z) Le Gere's Commentary on 2 Kings xx 3. (#) Diofcor. lib. 1. c. 183. ; Pliny, lib. 23. c- 7. no Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 289 pp inftruments whereby tp meafure time, npr any terms in A. M. their language whereby tp, denpte the diftindt gradatipn pf ,14 whether it be faid tp cpnfift in the different 7 'rom ' determination of the rays, or in the vetrogradation of the i Kingsviii. body of the fun ; becaufe it is the fame thing as to all to the end outwarci effedts, whether the earth turn round the fun, or L*-^-r0U' tne ^un rouncl lhe eartn : ^ut> in kQth cafes 'here is this difficulty: — (h) That the fudden and vioknt mptiprt either pf the fun pr earth, tp make that day and night pf no greater length than the reft, would be in danger of fhpcking pr unhinging the whole frame pf nature, as it certainly wpuld have dpne, had it npt been guided and di rected by the fteady and unerring hand pf the great Creator of the univerfe, whofe motion he can either retard or acce lerate as he pleafes, without pccafipning any cpnfufipn in the prder pf things, and with much greater facility tp him felf, than any human artificer can caufe a machine pf his pwn making tp gp fwifter pr flpwer, by the fole fufpenfion pf an heavier pr lighter weight. Viz. In the Since the Scripture, therefore, in this cafe, tells us as motion of plainly, that the fun did recede, as, in the cafe pf Jpfhua, the fun, and tnat jt ^j^ ftanc} ft.ni jn tne firmament pf heaven, we have; fhadow. no other warrant but to take words in their literal fenfe, even though it be attended with fome difficulties. Thefe difficulties arife chiefly from the oppofitlon of fome mpdem fyftems pf philofophy ; but whether it be juft and reafon- able, that revelatiph fhould cpnform tp philofophy, pr philpfophy to revelatipn, efpecially when the expreffions of Scripture are clear, and fentiments of phiiofophers but mere conjectures, is a queftion that need require no long deliberation ; efpecially fince heavenly bodies, by reafon pf their vaft diftance, are inacceffible tp pur utmpft fagaci- ty, and the greater part of the fecrets of nature are npt dif- cpverable by pur moft indefatigable fearch after u-uth. That align, (i) Though at firft view we may be apt to think, that t Siture to ft„n wh'Ich precedes the event, is more fignificant, becaufe the event is ¦ fignificant. better adapted to our manner of conceiving it, than one which follows after it : yet, upon a nearer examination, we fhall find, that a fign wiiich is pofterior to the, event, is r ot a lefs, but in fome refpedts a more, convincing propf than the other ; efpecially when the perfon to whom it is given lives to fee both the fign and the event accomplifhed. (b) Calmet's Diffort. fur la retrogradation, ire. (i) Calmet's Commentary on a Kings xix. 29. The Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 29 3 The fign which goes before the event proves but one thing, A. M. viz. that the event was frpm Gpd, pr that the perfpn whp '**?' JfTr - ... , ... ,.„. . , - r . . _ Ant. Clint. foretpld it was, divinely infpired; but the fign which is tu- 7S8, iril' ture to the event manifefts thefe three things : ift, That from the perfon who fpretold it was poffeffed with the- fpirit pf tKj"Es v"»- 5irpphecy : 2dly, That God was the( author of the miracu-0f ,chr0n, ous event which he foretold : And, 3dly, That he was 1 — v— j the author likewife of the fign which followed the miracle; efpecially if the fign be miraculous, as it generally is. To apply this now to the cafe before us. To convince The mean- Hezekiab of his approaching deliverance, God gave him ing of that fuch things for a fign as would not come to pafs until neither fihall the file of thy foot have 15b, iref reft. And accordingly, when by their idplatry, and other from grievous impieties, they had provoked God to wrath, and fill- *K*™&™1 ed up the meafure of their iniquity ; in, the reign of Pekah ef iQimn ki"g °r Ifrael, (s) he fent Tiglath-Pilefer king of Affyria, ', - - _¦ who invaded his country, and having pver-run great part of it, carried away captive the tribes pf Naphtali, Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe pf Manaffeh, frpm the eaft fide pf the' river Jprdan ; and abpiit twenty years after this, in the reign pf Hpfhea, fent his fon Salmanefer againft Sama ria, whp after a fiege pf three years, tppk it, and carried away all the remainder pf that miferable pepple, according tp what the prophet Hofhea had foretold : (/) Ephraim is fmitten, their root is dried up, they fhall bear no fruit. — — My God fihall eaft them away, becaufe they did not hearken ¦unto him, and they fhall be wanderers among the nations. Such (with very fmall exception) has been the cafe qf this unhappy pepple, ever fince the time pf the Aflyriah captivity ; and yet, fuch is their pride and arrogance, that inftead pf pwning the truth, they have devifed fables pf their living all alpng in great profperity and grandeur, in feme unknpwn land, as a national and united body, in an inde pendent ftate, and under monarchies or republics of their own. So that before we begin tp inquire intp the real places pf their tranfpprtatipn, and fome Pther circumftan- ces thereuntp belonging, it may npt be amifs to examine a little the merit of thefe pretentions, and what founda- tipn they have for fuch mighty boafts. The falfe The author pf the fecpnd bppk pf Efdras informs us, iKronnt of (u) " That the ten tribes, being taken prifoners by Sab em***. ti nianefer, and carried beyond the river Euphrates, entered " into a refolutipn pf quitting the Gentiles, and retiring " intp a cpuntry never inhabited before, that they might; " there religipufly obferve the law, which they had tpo " much neglected in their own land ; that to this purpofe, " they croffed the Euphrates, where God wrought a mi- f rack for their fakes, by {topping the fources of that great " river, and drying up its channel for theni to pafs over; " that having thus wonderfully paffed this river, they pro- " ceeded in their journey for a year and a half, till they (/) 2 Kings xv* 29. (t) Jiofea ix. 16. 17. («) 3 Efdras Siiii. 40. iff. *' arrived Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 297 " arrived at laft at a country called Arfareth, where they A. M. " fettled themfelves, and were to continue until the latter ***6 'c?Jf " days, when God would appoint their return, and work 7Sg't uc. ' " the fame miracle in paffing the Euphrates that he had i«>m " done for them before." ,KinSs ™jj This is the fubftance pf our author's account : But now, 0f 2 chron. whp can believe, that a pepple fo fond of idolatry in their — -v — -J own country, fhould, in their ftate of captivity, be fo zea- confuted. Ious for the obfervation of the law ? Arfareth, we are told, is a city in Media, fituate beyond the river Araxes ; but if this was the place they betook themfelves to for the freer exercife of their religion, what need was there for fo very long a peregrination ? Or who can fuppofe, that their imperious mafters would fuffer captives, upon any pretence whatever, to retreat in a body, out of their country, and fet up a diftindt kingdom in another place ? (x) In fhort, this counterfeit Efdrasj who feems to have been a Chriftian, and to have lived about the end of the firft, or the begin ning of the fecond century, is not only fo inconfiftent iri his account of this, and feveral other tranfadtions, but fo fond of uncertain traditipns, and fo romantic and fabuipus about the divine infpiration which he boafts pf, that there is np credit to be given to what he fays, Concerning the re treat of the ten tribes into an unknown land. A famous Jewifh traveller ( y) of the twelfth century, Benj. de and who feems to have undertaken his travels only to dif- Tudda's cover the ftate of his difperfed brethren, afligns them a "j?1^,"0 large and fpacious country, wherein reigned two brothers, defcendents of fhe houfe of David. The elder of thefe (as he tells us) was Annas, whp (befides his capital Thema) had many pther cities, caftles, and fortreffes, and an ex tent pf ground which could not be travelled over under fixteen days. The other, whofe name was Salmon, had in his dominions forty cities, two hundred boroughs, add an hundred caftles. His fubjects (who were all Jews) were three hundred' thoufand; Tanai, which was his capital, cpntained an hundred thpufand ; and Tilimpfa, a ftrong city, fituate between two mountains, where he ufually refi ded, as many inhabitants. Here we have a fpacious country of nothing but Jews : confuted. But the author, who pretends to have been there, has fo (*) Bsfnag. Hift. des Juif. lib. 6. c. 2. (y) Benjamin de Td- dela's kiner. p. 80. Vol. IV. P p miftakeri 298 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book Vii A. M. miftaken the fituatipn of feveral places that he mentions, Am 6 Chtii ant* 8lVes us ^ucri faDinous accounts of the manner of the ¦jss, ire Perfians fifhing for pearls ; of the virtue pf the prophet from Daniel's tpmb ; and pf fome Turks, whp had two holes in iKingsvi.i tne mi^ 0f tneir facej inftead of a rtofe ; that a man of 1 Chron. niuft be very fond of romances, who can give credit to «— v~w what feems to be calculated on purpofe tp flatter the pride pf a pepple, whp are ftill foplifhly vain, thpugh under the rejection pf almighty Gpd. Peritful's Anpther Jewifh authpr (z), in his defcription of the account, world, has found out very commpdipus habitatipns for and thede- tne ten tr;heS) and in many places has given them a glo- ' ripus eftablifhment. In a country which he calls Perricha, inclofed by unknown mountains, and bounded by Affy ria, he has fettled fome,. and made them a flourifliing and populpus kingdpm. Others he places in the defert pf Cha- bpr, which (according to him) lies upon the Indian fea, where they live, in the manner of the ancient Rechabites, without houfes, fowing, or the ufe of wine. Nay, he en ters the Indies likewife, and peoples the banks of the Ganges, the ifles of Bengala, the Philippines, and feveral other pla ces, with the Jews, to whom he affigns a powerful king, called Daniel, who had three other kings tributary, and de pendent on him. But this is all of the fame piece, a for ged account to aggrandize their nation, and to make it be believed, (a) that the fieptre is not departed from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, and that Shiloh, con- fequently, is not yet come. Manafl>h"s Manaffeh, one of the moft famous Rabbins of the laft Mcount.1"'5 age' has afl"'ted the tranfmigration of the ten tribes into Tartary, where he affigns them a great province, called Thabor, which in the Hebrew tongue fignifies a navel, be caufe this Thabpr (as he fays) is pne pf the middle pro vinces of Tartary. Ortelius, in his Gepgraphy, is npt pnly of the fame ppinion, but in confirmation of it adds, that the ten tribes fucceeded the Scythians, its ancient inha bitants, and took upon them the name of Gauthci, be caufe they -were zealous for the glory of God ; that Totaces (the true name of the Tartars) is Hebrew, and fignifies remains, as thc tr bes d;fperfed in the north were the re mains of ancient Ifrael ; that among thefe people, there are (z) R. Abi B;n Mordoche Feritful of Femra. (a) Gen. xlix. 10. feveral Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 299 feveral plain footfteps of the Jewifh religion, befides cir- A. M. cumcifion ; and from them, in all probability, have de aI4fi'cf\ fcended the Jews, that in Poland and Mufcovy are found 7j8, ire. fo numerous, from (b) It cannot be denied indeed, but that feveral of the »Kl°gsv»i- Ifraelites might pafs into Tartary, becaufe Armenia is the 0f , chron. enly country that parts it from Affyria, whereunto they . — -^ were primarily carried : But there is no reafon for their confuted, -penetrating Scythia, and thence difperfing themfelves in the kingdoms of Poland, and Mufcovy ; becaufe the tranquil lity and privileges which the princes of thefe countries have granted the Jews, are the true caufe and motive of their referring thither in fuch numbers. In confutation therefore of what has been faid above, (c) tbe Jewifh hi ftorian has well pbferved, that the ancient Scythians were a pepple tpp fierce by nature, and tpp expert in war, for an handful of fugitives (fuch as the Ifraelites were) ever to conquer or expel ; that the people of this country were all along idolaters, until they were cpnverted tp the religion of Mahomet, from whence they received the rite of cir- cumcifion, and fome other ceremonies cpnformable to the law of Mofes ; that the etymology of names is, of all o- thers, the weakeft and moft precarious argument ; and that it is ridiculous to feek for the glory of God among the Tartars, before the introduction of Mahometifm, fince (according tp the accpunt pf their (d) hiftorian) " fome of " them lived like beafts, without any fenfe of God ; others -" worfhipped the fun, mopn, and ftars ; and Pthers a- " gain made gpds pf the pxen that plpughed their land, pr " prpftrated themfelves before every great tree." Manaffeh, the famous Rabbin we lately mention- Montefin" ed, publifhed a bppk, (e) intitled, The hopes of Ifrael, fabulous re- founded upon the number and power of the Jews in A- lat'°n- merica ; but in this he was impofed upon by the fabulous relation of Montefini, who reported, " That he found a " great number of Jews concealed behind the moun- " tains of Cprdilleras, which run alung Chili in America ; " that cpntinuing his jpurney in that cpuntry, he came " at length tp the banks pf a river, where, uppn his giving " a fignal, there appeared a people, whp pronpunced in " Hebrew thefe wprds put pf Deuteronomy, Hear, 0 Ifrael, (b) Bafnag. Hift. des Juif. lib 6. c. 3. (c) Ibid. (d) Haitho Annenius, lib. De Tartans, c. 1. (e) Amfterdam, 1650. P P 2 "the 300 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. " the Lord our God is one Lord; that they looked upon A- 3146, ire « braham, Ifaac, and Jacob, as their great progenitprs, A"8*' cjfif' " and had been cpnducted intp that cpuntry by incredible " 'Vom " miracles ; that the Indians had treated them with great 1 Kings viii. << cruelty, and thrice declared war againft them ; but that, *° t!'<; end " by Gpd's prptedting his pepple againft idolaters, they ° -- -^' " had been as oft defeated, and were now totally deftroyed ; " and that fome of their magi, who made ufe of inchant* , " ments, had openly declared, that the God of Ifrael was " the only true God, and that, at the confummation of. " ages, their nation fliould become the miftrefs of the " whole univerfe." Manaflch's Deluded with this account, Manaffeh endeavoured to conclufion gn(i out tne roacl which might poflibly lead the Ifraelites rom it. -ntQ tn£ -^rerj. Indies ; and, tp this purppfe, fupppfing that Alia and America were formerly pne cpntinent before they were divided by the ftreights pf Anian, he afferted, that the Ifraelites might travel tp America, by land, before the feparation happened. Penh's ac- Sir William Penn, in his Prefent ftate of the lands of the count; Englifb in America, tells us, " That the faces of the inhabi- " tants, efpecially of their children, are fo very like the " Jews, that, when you look upo» them, you would think " yourfejf in the Jews quarter i« London : that their eyes " are little and black, like the Jew's ; that they reckon by " moons ; offer their firft fruits ; have a kind of feaft of " tabernacles; and that their language is mafculine, fhort, " concife, and full pf energy, in which it much refembles " the Hebrew," and that pf Other hiftorians (/) have obferved, that fome of the others ; Americans have a notion of the deluge, though they relate it in a different manner ; that they celebrate a Jubilee every fifth year, and a Sabbath every feventh day ; that others obferve circumcifion, abftain from fwine's flefh, and puri fy themfelves by bathing, whenever they have tpuched a dead carcafe ; that marriages, among Pthers, are performed (g) in a manner not unlike what Mofes preferibes ; and that tliey generally believe a refurredtion ; (h) for which reafon hey caufe their wives and flaves tp be buried with them, (f) Vid. Acoftan, ct alios rerum American, fcrip. (g) Deut. xxv. 9. (h) Zaaret's Hiftory of the difcovery of Peru. lib. 1. c. 13. that, Cha p. IV. from the building of the Temp'e, (3c. - 301 that, when they arife from their graves, they may appear *• **. with an attendance fuitable to their quality. ^* Chri* (i) This- conformity of cuftoms, and looks, and fenti- 7Ss. ire. ments, have induced feveral to think, that the captive If- (Jom „, raelites we are here in queft of, went into America either ' j^nd* by way of China or Tartary, and there fettled themfelves. ,£ x chron. But how fpecious foever thefe arguments may appear, there — ,~— J is no manner of folidity in them. To prove a point of this aU refuted. kind, we fhould produce a whole nation or province in A- merica, diftinct from all others in their ceremonies and way of worfhipping God, in a manner exactly agreeing withthe Hebrews : but to fay, that becaufe, in one place, the peo-* pie abftain from fwine's flefh, and in another, they obferve the feventh day ; in one, they offer facrifices, and in an other, ufe baths, when they think themfelves polluted, the Americans were originally Ifraelites ; is carrying the confe- quence a great deal too far, and wbat indeed we may prove in any other nation under heaven, if we may be allowed to argue in this manner from particulars to generals. The truth is, the devil, in all his idolatrous countries, has made it his bufinefs to mimic God in the rites of his reli gious worfhip ; or if this were not, there* is naturally fo great a conformity in men's fentiments concerning thefe matters, that the Americans might agree with the Jews in the obla tion of their firft-fruits, their computations by mopns, 6r. withput having any commerce or affinity with them ; and though there may be fomething more characteriftic in cir- cumcifion ; yet as feveral other nations ufed it, the Ameri cans, upon this account, cannot be Jews, becaufe, (if we may believe Acofta, who had made their cuftoms a good part of his ftudy), they never did circumcife their children, and therefore are thus far excluded from being defcendents of that race. Thus have we endeavoured to find out the fituation of the ten tribes of Ifrael, and yet can meet with nothing, but either the fabulous accounts of the talmudifts, or the un certain conjectures of modern critics : let us now have re- cuurfe to the Scriptures, and know what the information is that they can fupply us with in this our inquiry. The facred hiftory thus expreffes it, (k) The king cf The Scrip- Affyria took Samaria, and carried Ifrael away into Affyria, tureaccount of them in quired into. (/) Sarin's DiiTert, fur le pays, i?c. (k)2 Kings xvii. 6. and 302 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A M. and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, by the river Gozan, 3t4«, ire. and in the cities of the Medes ; only we muft note, that there Ant' ®£li is fome ambiguity in the tranfiation : for, whereas it from looks as if Gozan were the river, . and npt Habor, . there i Kings viii. is plainly no river to be found of the name of Gozan, and, t0 tap,end therefore the emendation fhould be, — ^He placed them t ' in Halah, and by the river Habor, in Gozan, and in the cities " of the Medes. The holy penman, we may obferve, diftinguifhes two places, into which the Ifraelites were carried, (as indeed they were numerous enough to make two different colo- * nies), Affyria and Media. In Affyria we fee the river Ha bor, pr Chabpras, which rifes frpm Mount Mafius, and, running through Mefopptamia, falls into the Euphrates. Halah, which in Ptolemy, is called Chalcitis, is a city and province fituate on one fide of its banks, and Gozan, which is likewife a city and province, is found on the other : fo that the ten tribes were feated in two provinces, which ftretched along both fides of this river. An happy fitua- tion for them, fince they were only- feparated by a river which watered all the cities that were affigned for their ha bitation ! (/) As tp the cities of the Medes we are more in the dark, hecaufe the Scripture does npt fpecify any ; but we may prefume, that this cplpny was placed in the mountain- ous part pf Media, becaufe it was lefs peppled than the low- er cpuntry. It wanted indeed inhabitants, and if we will believe (m) Strabp, was fupplied by ftrangers, and colpnies * from abroad. The truth is, the ancients have extplled Media as a very happy cpuntry. , Ecbatana, where the king kept his re- fidence in fummer, was pne pf the fineft and largeft cities in the wprld. Sufa, where he fpent the winter, was a very cnnfiderable place likewife : but, pn the north fide, there were high mpu mains, where neverthelefs there was good pafturage, fo that what the country wanted was good huf- bandmen, and fuch as were ufed to tillage ; for which pur pofe the Ifraelites, who had made that their principal bufi nefs in the Holy Land, were, of all other people, the fitted inhabitants. In thefe two provinces were the ten tribes feated at firft ;' and it is not improbable, that, in a fliort time, thofe of Af- (/) Bafiuge Hift. des Juif. lib. 6. c. 4. (m) £afhage, ibid. fvrja Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple* (3c. 303 fjrria might extend themfelves into feveral other parts of the A. M. empire ; for, in Alexander's time, we meet with * a great 3l4tf,rtr-V body of them in Babylon ; and that thofe in Media might *"£ ^.J ' ftretch upon the right, into the provinces bordering upon from the Cafpian fea, or, as (n) fome imagine, even beyond that 1 Kingsviii. fea, as far as the river Araxes ; but that they ever became fo ^ ^ chron. powerful as * to change the ancient names of places into thofe k_- of their own language, we can hardly believe ; becaufe they . fell under fo many bitter perfecutions, were fobjedt to fo many revolutions of the kingdoms where they lived, and, from different princes, underwent fuch a variety of tranf- migratipns, that, before they cpuld gain any fuch weight and authority in the world, we find them here and there fcattered, in leffer bodies, as it were, over the whole face of it. Not only fome of the Greek fathers, but fome of our That they modern critics likewife, have maintained, that the ten („„,"" ith~ tribes were reftored, with thofe of Judah and Benjamin, the tribes of under the conduct of Zorobabel and Nehemiah, when Cy- Judah and rus and his fucceffors were fo kind as to give the Jews in BenJamin' * Befides thofe that were carried thither at the captivity, Artax* erxes fent a new colony of that nation thither, who, when Alexan der the Great was for rebuilding the temple of Belus, had the cou rage to refift him. For, whereas other people were eager to furnifh materials for the building, they refufed to do it, as thinking it had fome ftain of idolatry ; Bafinage, ibid. (n) Fuller's Mifcell. facr. lib. 2. c. 5. * We read of the Cadufians, the Geles, and of Arfareth beyond the Cafpian fea ; for which reafon the learned Fuller fuppofes, that the Jews fpread themfelves thus : " For the name of Geles, fays he, " is Chaldaic, and fignifies ftrangers or fugitives, which title fuited " with the Jews, whom God had expelled from their country for " their fins. The Cadufians have a little altered the word Chadofi- " chim, which fignifies faints, which was a title the Jews, who "called themfelves an holy nation, much affected. Arid, daftly, " Arfareth, thc moft famous of all the cities built upon the Araxes, " had an Hebrew name, figaifying the city of relics, or, the re- " mains of Ifrael " But the author of the Hiftory of the Jews, fo often cited upon this fubjedt, has confuted the argument drawn from tht etymology of ihe woj a*; and, in particular, fhewn, that the Ca dufians were a pe< pie mucn ancienter in the country than thc Ifrael ites, fince Ninus reckoned them among his fubjedtsj lib. 6. c. 4. general 304 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. general a full pcrmiffion to return into their native land. 314s, ire. (e) To this purpofe they have obferved, that feveral ot the Ant,c^tf prophets who foretold their captivity, with the fame breath, " from ' as it were, have predicted their return ; that, in token of 1 Kingsviii. fuch their return, (p) twelve goats (for every tribe ©ne) were to the end cfferei}, af ff,e dedication of the new temple, which would fearce ? *-j-°2' ^ave keen done, had ten of thefe tribes been left behind be yond the Euphrates ; that under Nehemiah, the Levites confeffed the fins of the ten tribes ; that, in the time of the Maccabees, (q) all Paleftine was full of Ifraelites as well as Jews ; that (r) St Matthew makes mention of the land of Naphtali ; and that St Paul, in his defence before Agrippa, ' declares, (s) That for the promife to which the twelve tribes hope to come, he was called in queftion. It cannot be thought indeed, but that the love which the Jews, above all other nations, bore to their native country, and the great encouragement which the princes of the Eaft were pleafed to grant to forward the rc-eftablifhment, might tempt fome pf each tribe to take this opportunity of re turning with the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin ; nor can we doubt, but that, upon their return, they would be apt to affume their former names, and, as far as in them lay, to fettle themfelves in their ancient poffeffions. So that what with thpfe that efcaped their cpnquerpr's fury, and remained untranfpprted ; thpfe whp returned with Ezra, purfuant to the commiffion which Artaxerxes gave him ; and thpfe whp tppk the advantage of the revolutions of the empire, and of the frequent journeys they made to Jerufa lem, great numbers of the ancient inhabitants might be found in the days of the Maccabees, and fome of every tribe in our Saviour's time : but that all thefe returns did never amount to a full reftoration of the people, we have abundant teftimony to convince us. Jofephus (t) indeed tells us, that Ezra, upon the receipt of his commiffion from Artaxerxes, communicated the contents of it to all the Ifraelites that were in exile, fome of whpm reforted to Babylon, in order to return with him ; " but there were then anpther fort pf Ifraelites, (as his " wprds are), whp, being wpnted tp the place, and fettled " in their habitatipns, chofe rather tp cpntinue where.they " were." Upun the whple, he cpmputes, that few pr npne, (0) Calmet's Differ!, fur les dix tribus, ire. (p) 1 Efdras vii. 8. (q) 1 Maccab. v. 9. 15. ire. (r) Matth. iv. 15. (s) Acts xxvi. 6. (/) Jewifh Antiq. lib. 11. c. 5. but Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 305 ' but thofe of the tribe of Benjamin and Judah, came alpng A. M. with Ezra; and "this is the reafon, (as. he tells'us), that, in \x*s'rf''r " his time,' there were pnly two tribes to be found in Afia 7J3, ire. il and Europe under the Roman -empire ; for, as for the (,om... " ten tribes, they are all planted beyond the Euphrates, * ,n gsv"i' " fays he, and fo prodigipufly increafed in number, that 0f z chron. " they are hardly tp be computed." Nay, even thofe that —-v™"*' followed Ezra,- (according (u) to the fentiments of fome of the talmudifts), were but the dregs pf the pepple, becaufe the nobility and principal men of the houfe of David ftill continued in Caldea. Hpwever this be, it is certain, that Philp (x), in his re- prefentation to Caligula, tells him, that Jerufalem ought to be looked upon, not only as the metrppplis pf Judea, but as the centre pf a natipn difp^rfed in infinite places : among which he reckpns the ifles of Cyprus and Candia, Egypt, -Macedonia, and Bithynia ; the empire of the Perfians, and all the cities of the eaft, except Babylon, from whence they were then expelled. Nay, prior to this we read, (y) that a great number of thefe Orientals appeared at Jerufalem, at ' the feaft of Pentecoft, when, after our Saviour's afcenfion, his apoftles began to preach the gofpel during that feftival. It cannot be thought, that they were only profelytes, whom the Jews pf the difperfipn had converted : they 'muft have been Jews whp came tp facrifice at Jerufalem, according to the law ; for, by St Luke's enumeration of them, it ap pears, that. they were the defcendents of the'tribes that had been long before fettled among,the (z) Medes, among the Parthians, in Mefopbtamia, in Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Afia Minor, 6c. ; and therefore we find St Peter, the apoftle Of the circumcifion, directing his epiftle (a) to the ftrangers flattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, 'Cappadocia, Afia, and Bithynia. Upon the ftrength of thefe authorities we may then con clude, that though Artaxerxes, in his comifiifiion to Ezra, (b) gave free liberty to all Jews whatever, that were under his dominions, to return to Jerufalem, if they were fo minded, which fome, withput doubt, mpft gladly embraced ; yet the main bulk pf the ten tribes, being lpth tp remove, continued in the land pf their captivity, where they are ftill (a)BafnageHift.desJuif. lib. 6. c. 2. (x) Philo, ad Cainm. ¦(» Bafhage,- ibid. (z) Afts ii. 9. ' fa) 1 Pet. u ; - f[b) 1 Efdras viii. 10. 11. 3o6 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. tp be found in great numbers : and therefore all thofe glo- 3*4«, ire- r;ous prpphecies, which fome by miftake have applied tp ATss&c their tfiin returns under the Jewifh governors fent from. froW ' Babylon, do certainly relate tp a much greater event, even. i Kings viii (kg;,. converfion and final reftoration under the kingdom, ¦of Tehran of the Meffias. ' r , c , <^-v~„' the prophet Hofea, fpeaking of the prefent ftate ot the That they Jews, gives us this character whereby to diftinguifh them : fhall return ^ y^ jfrfin abide many days -without a king, and without verted at"" a prince, and without a facrifice, and without an image, and laft. without an ephod,. . and without a teraphim. In vain do they boaft pf that power and authprity which they never had, bu$ in their own country. The kings and the princes that they talk fo much of, are all fictitious and imaginary. Frbm the firft time of their tranfmigration tp this very day, they have been a pepple withput any governor, pr form of govern-; ment ; and if, in the midft . of fp many different nations, and under fo fevere perfecutions, they neverthelefs have hi therto been preferved, it muft be imputed to the fecret and wpnderful providence pf Gpd, who hath ftill defigns of pity and gracious loving kindnefs towards them. To this purpofe the fame prophet affures us, that fdj the number of . the children of Ifrael fhall be as the fland of the fea, which cannot be meafured or numbered; and in the place where it was faid unto them, ye are not my people, there it fihall be faid unto them, ye are the fions of the living Gad. For he\ fhall recover the remnant of his people (fays anpther prophet) (e) that fhall be left :-^- He fha.ll fet -up an enfign for the nations, and affembfe the outcafts of Ifrael, and gather toge ther the dif per fed of Judah from Ihe four corners of the earth $ for (/) behold the days come, faith the Lord, by another pf the prpphets, that it fhall no more be faid, the Lord liveth, that brought the children of Ifrael out of the land of Egypt, but the Lord liveth, who brought up fhe children qf Ifrael from the land of the north, and from all the lands, whither he had dri ven them. And I will bring them again, into the land that I gave unto their fathers ; and, when this is dpne, (g) I will no more hide my face from them, but (h) will rejoice in Jerur flalem, and joy in my people, (i) They fhall be no more a prey , (c) Hofea iii. 4- (d)\o\c\. i. 10. (e) Ifaiah xi. Ii. 13. (f) Jer- xvi. 1 4. '1 c . (g) Ezek. xxxix. 29. (h) Ifaiah Lxv. \o. (i ) Ezek. xxxiv. 28. Chap. IV. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 307 to the Heathen : (k) violence fhall be no more heard in A M. ¦their land, wafting, nor deftrudion within their borders ; but ^* thrift they fhall call iheit walls falvation, and their gates praife. isai ire. (I) Their land fhall no more be termed deflolate, (m) but they from fhall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my fervant, !0 "hf5'^ even they and their children's children for ever ; and my fier- x chron. vani David (not the fon of Jeflev who was dead long be- < fore Ezekiel prophefied, but the Meffiah, who was to be of the lineage of David, as Kimchi explains it) fhall be their prince for ever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace, which fhall be an everlafiing covenant with them ; and I will fet my, fanSltiary among them for evermore. My tabernacle fihall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and they fhall be my people. (n) Now, though it cannot be denied, that thefe, and feveral other prophecies to the like purpofe, do denote a great and glorious reftoration to God's pepple.; yet it feems very evident, that fearce any pf them can be applied tp the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon. Lpng fince that time, and almpft feventeen hundred years agp, his covenant of peace has been departed from them ; vip- lence has been in their land, which has been laid defolate ; their tabernacle and fandtuary have been confomed ; they have been a prey to the Heathen ; and have long ceafed to be God's people, and he to be their God : and therefore thefe prophecies muft be underftopd pf feme othei- event, which can only be the general converfion of the Jews to Chriftianity, and their re-eftablifhment in the Holy Land. For this myftery the appftle has revealed, (0) that blind- nefs in part hath happened to Ifrael, until the fulnefls of the Gentiles be come in, and fo all Ifrael fhall be fiaved, as it is written, (p) there fhall come out of Zion the Deliverer, etnd fhall turn away ungodlinefs from Jacob, (q) Then fhall the Lord fet his hand again, a ' fecond time, to recover the remnant qf his people, and to affemble the outcafts of Ifrael, from every kindred, and tongue, and nation, and people, that, at _(r) the blowing of the great trumpet, they may come from the land of Affyria, and Egypt, and may worfhip the Lord in the holy mount,, at Jerufalem. When this great event fhaU happen, it is imppffible fpr us tp deter- (k) Ifaiah lx 18. (/) Ibid. lxii. 4. («) Ezek. xxxvii. 25.6-1:. («) Whitby's Treatife of the true millennium, (o) Rom. . xi. 2;. 26. (p) Ifaiah lix. 20. (q) Ibid. xi. 11. ire. (r) Ibid, xxvii. 13. (3 q 2 mine; 308 , The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VL A. M. m'me ; but our bufinefs, in the mean time, is to pray, fliat 3394- ire. i \ th fdivation 0f Ifrael may come out of Zioni that Jacob Ant. Chrif. ^ > J . i ,/¦ i 1 1 t J 610, ire may rejoice, and Ifrael may be glad. from I Kingsviii. (/) Pfal. xiv. 7. > to the end of i Chron . CHAP. V. From ihe Death of Jofiah, to the Babylonifih Captivity, The History. jehoahaz's A Fter the unha!ppy death of gctod Jofiah, his fon Je- wicked J-^ hoahaz f (who was alfo called Shallum) was anointed depofidon. king; but as he was far from following bis father's ex ample, he was foon -j- tumbled down from his throne into a ¦f- Jehoahaz was not tbe eldeft fon of Jofiah,, as appears from this, -That he was but three and twenty years old when he began 'to-reign, and reigned but three months ; after which his brother Je hoiakim, when he was made king, was five and twenty years old, 2 Kings xxiii. 31 12 ¦ For this reafon, it is faid, that the people anointed him, becaufe as he did not come to the crown by right of fucceffion, his title might have otherwifc been cifputed ; for in all difputed cafes, and where the kingdom came to be contefted, anoint ing was ever thought to give a preference. At this time, however, the Jews might have fome reafon to prefer the younger brother, be caufe very probably he was of a more martial fpirit, and better qua lified to defend their liberties againft the king of Egypt. His pro per name, it is thought, was Shallum ; but our learned Ufher fup- pofes, that the people looking upon this as ominous, (becaufe Shal lum, Ling of Ifrael, reigned but one month), changed it to Jehoa haz, which proved not much more fortunate to him, for he reign ed but three ; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries. •f The Scripture no where tells ns, upon what occafion it was that Jehoahaz fell into ihe king of Egypt's hands, or for what rea fon it was, that he iifed him fo feverely ; but it is prtfumable, that to revenge his father'? death, he might raife an army, and engage him in a pitched battle, though he failed in the attempt. For why fhould he pat hm in ban.is, if he voluntarily went, and furrender- ed himfelf at Riblali ? or why be fo highly offended at him, for accepting Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c 309 a prifon, 'where he ended his days, with mifery and dif- A. M. grace, in a ftrange land. For Pharaoh-Necho, upon his H9*> *;*• return from the expedition againft the Babylonians, (where- ' ^o ^f in he had great fuccefs), hearing that Jehoahaz had taken from upon him the kingdom of Judah without his confent, fent « Kingsviii. for, him tp Riblah in Syria, and pn his arrival, caufed him c0. S,.en , , . , . ', „' .r t- «. • of*ChK>n. tp be put in chains, and fent prifoner tp ligypt *, wnere ^ „_ _^j he died. He had an elder brother, whpfe name was Elia-" kim; but Necho, when he came tp Jerufalem, changed it intp Jehpiakimf ; and having conftituted him king, and put the land to an annual tribute of an hundred talents of filVer,- and a talent of gold, he returned with great triumph into his own kingdom. Jehoiakim || being thus placed on the throne, went on in Jehoiakim's his brother's fteps to relax all the good order and difeiplihe m^fd and , , • , cruel reign, willchandperft cmion of the. pro- accepting of a crown which the people conferred on him ? The ge- phets. nerai opinion therefore is, diat he was a man of a bold and" dating fpirit, and therefore thofe words in the prophet Ezekiel, are applied to him : Thy mother is a lionefis ; fhe brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion ; but he was taken in the pit, and he was brought with chains unto the land of Egypt; for which reafon Pharaoh-Necho treated him in. this manner, that he might put it out of his power to give him any farther difturbance ; Pa trick's and Calmet's Commentaries. * This the prophet Jeremiah foretold, where he bids the king, and the people of Judah, not to weep for the dead, (meaning Jo fiah), but for him that goeth away; for he fhall return noemore, nor fee his native country. Becaufe, thus faith the Lord concerning Shallum, (which was the original and right' name of Jehoahaz), the fon of Jofiah, king of judah, who reigned inftead of Jofiah, his fa ther, and who went forth out of this place, he fhall not return hi ther any more; Jer. xxii. ti. ¦J- It was an ufual thing for conquerors to change the names of the perfons they vahquifhed in war, in teftimony of their abfolute power over them. Thus we find the king of Babylon changing the name of Mattaniah into Zedekiah, when he conftituted him king of Ju dah, 2 Kings xxiv. 17. But our learned Uther" has farther re marked, that the king of Egypt, gave Eliakim the name of Jehoia kim, thereby to teftify, that "he afcribed his victory over the Baby lonians to Jehovah, the God of Ifrael, by whofe excitation (as he pretended, 2 Chron. xxxv. 21. 22.) he undertook the expedition ; Patrick's and Calmet' s^Cammentaries. || As to the time when Jehoiakim came to the throne, the differ ence is very remarkable : For in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9. it is faid, that he 3 10 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book Vi. A. M. which his father had inftituted, and the people (who never 33*4, ire. heartily came into that good king's reformation) topk this Atfii> ^tot opportunity tp follow the bent of their depraved inclina- fr'om ' tipns ; whereuppn the prophet Jeremiah went firft tp the * Kings viii. king's palace,- where he denpunced God's judgments a- df ''chTn Sa'nft h'm> and his family, arid afterwards into the tem- . - -.__ pk, and there fpbke to all the people after the fame man ner. "The priefts,' offended at this freedom, caufed him to be. feized, and brought before the king's cpuncil, in hopes of having him put to death ; but Ahikam f, who was one of the chief lords thereof, fo befrierided him, that he got him difcharged by the general fuffrage, not only of the princes, but alfo of all the elders of the people that were then prefent. But , lie was but eight years old, but in 2 Kings xxiv. 8. that he Was eighteen, . when he began to reign ; and yet, confidering how common a thing it was for kings to make their fons their aflbciates in the kingdom, thereby to fecure the poffeffion of it in their family, and prevent all contention among the other brothers, the difference is eaiily recon ciled, by fuppofing, that when his father had reigned one year, he took him to reign in conjunction with him, when he was no more than eight years old. With his father he reigned ten years ; fo that When his father died, he was eighteen years old, and then he be gan to reign alone, which was no more than three pionths. The author of the book of Kings makes mention therefore only of the years when he began alone ; but the author of the Chronicles fpeaks of all that he reigned, both with his father, and alone. This is a fair folution ; though I cannot fee what injury it can do to the au thority of the facred text, if we fhould acknowledge, that there is an error in the tranferiber of the book of Chronicles ; becaufe twa of the moft ancient and venerable verfions, the Syriac and Arabic,' have rendered it, in that place, not eight but eighteen, which they were doubtlefs induced to do by thofe ancient Hebrew copies from whence they formed their tranfladon ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool 's Annotations. \ This Miiham was the father of Gedaliah, (2 Kings xxv. 22.), who was afterwards made governor of the land, under the Chal deans, and thc fon of Shaphan the fcribe, (who was chief minifter of ftate under King Jofiah, 2 Kings xxii. 12.), and brother to Ge- mariah, Jer. xxxvi. 10. Elafah, chap xxix. 3. and Jaazaniab, Ezek viii. 11. who were great men in thofe days, and members likewife of tbe council with him; where, in conjunction with them, he could net fail of having a powerful intereft, which he made ufe ef Chap. V, from the building of the Temple, (3c, 3 1 1 , But (a) Urijah, * anpther prophet pf the Lord, who, A- M. in like manner, had declared againft tbe 1 iniquity of ^&i\ai.' Ct^S. prince and people, did not fo eafily efcape : For though he 610, ire. fled into Egypt, when he underftood that Jehoiakim had a from defign againft his life ; yet this did not hinder the tYra-n^toKthtend' from purfuing him thither, where having procured him to„f x chron. be feized, he brought him prifoner to Jerufalem, and there '«— -v— ' had him executed, and his dead body contemptuoufly ufed ; which was no fmall aggravation to all his other crimes. He had riot been above three years upon the throne, be- Nebuchad- fore Naboppftafar, king of Babylon, being npw becpme oldvadcs jeru. and infirm, and perceiving that, upon the late advantage falem, takes which the king of Egypt had gained againft his arms, all "> and the Syria and Paleftine had revolted from him, took his fon ^^J af-~ Nebuchadnezzar into partnerfhip With him in the empire, terwardsre* and fent' him with a ftrong army into thofe parts, in order kafes hirn. to recover what had been loft. It was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Nebu- phadnezzar, having defeated Necho's army on the banks of of on this occafion, to deliver the prophet from that mifchief which was intended againft him ; Prideaux' s Cqnneflion, anno 609. (a) Jer. xxvi. 20. ire. * About thjs time alfo were living the prophets Habakkuk, Zepha- ni. .',, and Nahum, who being called to the prophetic office in the reign ¦ of Jofiah, continued (very likely) to this time, becaufe we find them prophefying the fame things that Jeremiah did, viz. the deftruc- tion and defolation of Judah and Jerufalem, for the many heinous fins that they were guilty of. As to. Habakkuk) neither the time in which he lived, nor the parents ftom whom he was defcended, are any \ybere named in Scripture ; but his prophefying. the coming of the Chaldeans, in the fame manner that Jererniah did, gives ns reafon to believe, that he lived in the fame time. Of Zephaniah it is directly faid, chap. i. that he prophefied in the time of Jofiah, and in his pedigree, (which is alfo given us), his father's grandfa ther is called Hezekiah, whom fqme take for the ' king of Judah, and confequently reckon this prophet to have been of royal defcent, As to Nahum, laftly, it is certain, that he prophefied after the cap tivity of fhe ten tribes, and befor£ that of the other two, which he foretold, chap. j. Though therefore fhe Jews do generally place him in Maiuffeh's reign, yet pfhere chufe to refer him to the latter fart of Jofiah's, as being nearer to the deftrudtion of Nineveh, and of the Affyrian monarchy, to which feveral prophecies of bis do principally relate ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 609 ; and Howell 'f Hiftory, kj the notes. the 3 1 ? The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. "the Euphrates, marched intp Syria and Palefline, in prder jjs>4, ire tp recover thtfe provinces, which he foon did ; and having A'u fi befieged Jerufalem, took it, and carried away the king, and from Part of the veffels of the temple along with him to Baby- i Kingsviii. Ion. In a fhort time hocvever, he releafedhiin and reftored *f thp,!nd him to his crown, on condition that he fhould become ' tributary to him, which he continued to be for three years ; but ip the fourth, he retracted from that fubjedtion, where upon Nebuchadnezzar came upon him with a frefh inva- i fion. - - , Upon the firft invafion, the Rechabites, who, according upbraids t0 tke inftitution of Jonadab the fon of Piechab, their the people founder, had always abftained from wine, and hitherto on- with their iy ijvecj jn tcntS) apprehending themfelves in more danger dJe°ce"an(jin the open country, came to Jerufalem for fafety. By prophefies thefe people God intended to convince the Jews of their their capti- difobedience to him ; and therefore he ordered his prophe"t Jeremiah, to bring them to an apartment of the temple, and there offer them wine to drink, which when they re fufed upon account of its being contrary to their inftitution, which they never yet had violated, the prophet (after due commendation * of their obedience) turned it upon the Jews, and reproached them, who were God's peculiar peo ple, for being lefs pbfervant pf his laws than the poor Re chabites, who were not of the ftpck pf Ifrael, had Itia pf the injundtipns pf their anceftprs. * The prophet's words, upon this occafion, are thefe : • iy- Becaufe ye have obeyed the commandments of Jonadab, your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he hath com manded yon; thus faith the Lord of hofts, the God of Ifrael, jona dab, the fon of Rechab, ' fljall not want a man to ftand before me forever,]??, xxxv. 18. 19. To ftand before a prince, or to flee his face, iaScripture-phi-afe, denote? the honour which accrues from being in his fervice j but tlie Rechabites were neither priefts nor Levites. Hither. to they had lived in ihe fields, feparate from towns and villages, and were averfe indeed to any employment either in church or ftate ; but from the time of their captivity, (for tbey were carried along with the two tribes), we find them employed as fingers and porters, in the, fervice of the temple. To ferve in this capacity, there W2S no neceffity for their being of the tribe of Levi ; the declaration ef the divine will, by the mouth of tbe prophet Jeremiah, was, inr this cafe? a fufficient vocation ; Calmet's Commentary on Jer. xxxv. 19. Before Chap. V. from the building of the Temple,. (3c. 313 Before the next invafion, Jeremiah prophefied, that A. M. Nebuchadnezzar would again come againft Judah and Je- jj],'4^^ rulalem ; that he would wafte the country, arid carry the efo, ire'. people captive to Babylon, where they fhould continue in from that condition for the fpace of feventy years; with many *?1?gsv"^ more calamities, and woful defoliations, that were ready 0f x chron. to fall upon them if they did not repent. But this was fo ' far from making any faving imprefhon upon them, that it only enraged and exafperated them the more againft him, in fomuch that, for fear of their malice and wrathful indig nation, he was -j- forced to keep himfelf concealed. During his concealment, God commanded him to ' collect together, and digeft into one volume, all the pro phecies which he had given him againft Ifrael, againft Ju dah, and againft other nations, from the time that he firft began to prophefy, (which was in the thirteenth year of Jofiah), if haply, by hearing all his judgments fummed up together againft them, they might be brought to a better fenfe of their trahfgreffions. To this purpofe the pro phet employed Baruch f> his difciple and amanuenfis, to take ¦J- Jeremiah's words, upon this occafion, are,— * — / am fhut up, J cannot go into the houfe of the Lord, chap, xxxvi. 5. But then the queftion isy what we are to underftand by his being (hut up } For, that he was not at that time fhut up in prifon, is plain from the. prince's advifing him and Baruch to hide themfelves, ver. 19. Ju- ,Mas and Tremellius do therefore fuppofe three waysof his being Ihuf up, and leave it to our choice which to take. The firft is, that the king had forbidden him to go any more into the temple to prophefy fuch terrible things to the people ; but the prophets of God did not ufe to obferve fuch prohibitions of their prophetic miniftry. The fe cond is, that the chief priefts had excommunicated him, and there fore he might not go ; but this, in all likelihood, he would have lefs regarded, for the fame reafon. The third is, that God, to provide for the fafety of his prophet, and to punilh the obftinacy of the peo ple, would not permit him to go any more among them. This, of the three, feems the moft probable ; though the phrafe may very properly denote noniore, than the prophet's concealing himfelf, and keeping at home, for fear of fome mifchief from the people ; How ell's Hiftory, in the notes. f Baruch, the fon of Neriah, and grandfon of Maafeiah, was of an illuftrious birth, and of the tribe of Judah. Seraiah, his bro ther, had a confiderable employment in the court of King Zedekiah, Vbl, IV. R r hW 314 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. but himfelf kept clofe to the perfon of Jeremiah, and was his moft 3394, ire faithful difciplc, though his adherence to his mafter drew upon.him Ant. Chrif feveral perfecutions, and a great deal of bad treatment. After- the 610, ire. (jeftniction of Jerufalem by Nebuchadnezzar, Baruch and his mafter 1 Kingsviii. ^cre PernuBed to flay in the land of Judea ; but when the remains to the end °f the people which were left behind, after having flain their go of i chron. vernor Gedajiah, were fpr retiring into Egypt, they compelled Jere-. ' mi'ah and his difciple to go, along with them, Where the prophet died, and Baruch foon after made his efcape to his brethren 'in Ba bylon, where, accprding to' the tradition of the Rabbins, he like- wife died in the twelfth year of the captivity. But of what authority the book, which goes under his name, is, or by whom it was written, and whether any thing related therein be hiftorically true, or the whole of it a fiction, is altogether uncertain. Grotius, in his Com mentary upon it, thinks it an entire fiction of fome Helleniftical Jew, under the name of Baruch : And St Jerom, long before him, {in rhe preface to his Expofition of Jeremiah), tells us, that the reafon why he did not make a comment on this book, (though, in the edi tion of the Septuagint, it be joined with Jeremiah), was, becaufe k was not deemed canonical among the Hebrews, and 'contains an cpiftle which falfely bears the name Jeremiah. This epiftle is an nexed to the book, and, in the common divifion of it, makes the laft'chapter : But the main fubjedt of the book itfelf is likewife an cpiftle either fent, or feigned to be fent, by King Jehoiakim, and the Jews who were iii captivity with him in Babylon, to their bre thren the Jews who were ftill left in Judah and Jerufalem ; Where in' they recommend to their prayers the Emperor Nebuchadnez zar and his children, that, under his dominion, they may lead quiet and peaceable lives; wherein they confefs their fins, and afk pardon for what is puft, take notice of the threats of the prophets, which they had fo long defpifed, and acknowledge the righteoufnefs of God in what he had brought upon them; wherein they remind them of the advantages which the Jews had in thek know ledge of tbe law of God, and of true wifdom, above all other na tions, and, thereupon exhort them to reform their manners, and for fake their evil cuftoms, which would be the only pieans to bring a- hout their deliverance from the captivity under which they groaned. The whole is introduced with an hiftorical preface, wherein it is re lated, that Baruch, being then at Babylon, did, in the name of the captive king and his people, draw up the fame epiftle, and afterwards read it to them for their approbation;, and that, together with it, they fent a collection of money to the high-prieft at Jerufalem, for the maintenance of the daily facrifices. This is the fubftance of the book itfelf: And, in the letter annexed to it, which goes under Jeremiah's name, the vanity of the Babylonifli idols and idojatry is fet forth at krge* Chap. V. from the building of the Temple/ &c. 315 take a copy f of them from his mouth, and, when he had A. M. fo done, ordered him to go up into the temple, on the day \in9t4'ch^'f of expiation f, and there read it in the hearing of all the 6ie> ' , -\cf people. froin... Purfuant to his inftructions BarUch went, and, in'K^gsv'^" .Gemariah'sf apartment, read the book, firft to the people, 0f z chron. large, and with livelinefs enough. Of the whole there are but three copies ; one in Greek, and the other two in Syriac, whereof one agreeth with the Greek, though the other very much diners from it; but in what language it was originally written, or whether one of thefe be not the original, or which of them may be fo, it is aicxf to imppffible to tell ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 595. ; and Calmet's Preface fur Baruch. < • •)¦' How Jeremiah could remember all the prophecies that he ut tered, for the {pace of two and twenty years together, we can hard ily -conceive, unlefs we allow, that he had the particular infpiration ef God to bring all things to his remembrance, that he might neither forget nor mifreprefent them in his recital to Baruch : For, without fuch a fupematural affiftance,. vvhat fecurity have we. that this pan of the Scripture is the work of the Holy Ghoft .' Calmet's Commen tary on Jer. xxxvi. 4. •f- Some are of opinion, that this was done on the great day of faffing, or folemn expiation, which was obferved at the beginning of the civil year, on the tenth day of the month Tizri, which an- fweHHn the latter end of our September, and the beginning of Oc tober ; but the context feems to denote, that it was on the faft-day mentioned in the ninth verfe to have been proclaimed, in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, which muft have been a faft extraordinary, and appointed upon fome particular occafion of the ftate, becaufe the law had ordained no fuch obfervation on the ninth month : But what that particular occafion was, it is not fo well known ; though fome have imagined, that it was in commemoration, of the calamity which had befallen Jerufalem the year before, when Nebuchadnezzar had fent to Babylon part of the veffels of the houfe of the Lord, and was up on the point of fending away captive the king and all his princes ; Calmet's Commentary on Jer. xxvi. 4. 9. f This Gemariah was one of the captains of the tempk, whofe apartment was near the New Gate, whereof he kept guard, and had a certain number of Levites undsr him, who conftantly ftood centinek For the temple, we muft know, was guarded like a king's palace ; and as the upper court, whicli is mentioned in the text, was, in all probability, thc priefts court ; fo the gate, where- R r 2 .of, 3 1 6 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. who ftood below in the courts, and afterwards to the prin- is94,,i?c ces who were met together in the fecretary's chamber, and «io &' w^° thereupon advifed him and his mafter Jeremiah both from t t0 keep out °f ihe way, until they had known the king's i Kingsviii. pleafure concerning it. Asfopn as the. king was infprmed *° th15nd pf the bppk, he fent pne pf his attendants for it, and com- y -,--,_' manded him tp read it : But he had npt gpne far, before the king, impatient tp hear the judgments denpunced againft him, {hatched it put of his hand, and, notwithftanding the importunity of his npbles tp diffuade him, cut it tp pieces, and threw it intp the fire *, which was uppn the hearth, (fpr it was then the winter-feafon), where it was cpnfumed ; and then immediately fent out his officers to apprehend the prophet and his amanuenfis ; but they had both withdrawn to a place of fecurity, and could not be found. Upon ()f Gemariah had chargjf, mCift have been the eaft gate of that court, which, in the reign of Jehofhaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 5. *is called the New Court ; Calmet's Commentary. f The advice which the princes of Judah give upon this occa fion is very remarkable, becaufe it reconciles their duty to God, to juftice, and to charity, with what they were obliged to from their prince. Their "prince, they knew', was of an hafty and violent temper ; and yet the contents of the book were fuch, that it wpuld not be fafe for him to be ignorant of it; and therefore, beinjjr du ty bound to acquaint him with it, they advifed Baruch and his mafter to provide for their own fecurity, until they fhould fee what effect it would have upon the king, whereef they promifed, no doubt, to give them intelligence ; Calmet's Commentary. * The text tells us, that k was in the ninth month, (which an- fwcrs in part to our month of November), when the king burnt the book. After that the rain began to fall in the month of September, the weather generally grew raw and cold, fo that a fire at this time was not unfeafonable : The cuftom, however, in this country was ,tiot to have chimneys, as it is among us. The fire was made in the middle of the room, upon an hearth, or in a ftove, and the fmoke went out either at the door or window, or fome opening made on purpofe in the root of the houfe, as we fee in fome of our college- halls, and fome kitchens in ancient monafleries, where the chimney is in the midft of the roof, in the form of a cupola, with feveral openings for the fmoke to fly out at. For, that there were former ly no chimneys in the manner we make them now, is plain from the obfervations which his annotator makes upon Vittuvius, viz. that, Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 3 1 7 ypon burning the book, Jeremiah was commanded to a. m. make another in the fame manner; to have the fame pro- 3394, &e. phecies inferted in it, with fome (b) farther denunciations fL^'0Chf}f' againft Jehoiakim and his houfe, which, in a fhort time, V°om '' began to take effect. For Nebuchadnezzar, (as we faid), 1 Kings viii. having invaded Judea, and laid fiege to Jerufalem, foon t0 ,die end took rt, and put Jehoiakim in chains to carry him to Baby- of *__°J. ""} Ion ; but, upon his humiliation, and fwearing fealty to him, which ac he again reftored him to his kingdom, and left Jerufalem, cordingly in order to purfue his victories againft the Egyptians : But Nebuchad- before he did that, he * caufed great numbers of the people cutes"and" to be fent captives to Babylon, and gave particular orders flays the to Afhpenaz the mafter of his eunuchs, that, out of the k'nS- children of the royal family, , and of the nobility of the land, he fhould make choice of fuch as furpaffed others in beauty and wit, that, when they came to Babylon, they might be made eunuchs too, and attend in his palace. This Afhpenaz accordingly did ; and, among the children that were carried away captive *-for this purpofe were Daniel, Hananiah, that, in all his book of architecture, he makes no mention of chim neys, which he queftionlefs would have done, had they been of ufe in his time; Calmet's Commentary; and M. Perault fur Vitruv. liv. 6. c. 8. (b) Jer. xxxvi. 30. ?r. * Since the people were thus carried into captivity ; the fons of the royal family, and of the nobility of the land,, made eunuchs and flaves in the palace of the king of Babylon ; the vefTels of the temple carried thither, the king made a tributary, and the whole land now brought into vafTalage under the Babylonians -, from hence we muft reckon the beginning of the feventy years captivity foretold by the prophet Jeremiah, chap. xxv. 11. and xxix. 10. and in the fourth year of Jehoiakim muft be the firft year in that computation; Pri- deaux's Connection, anno 606. * Some indeed do place their captivity feveral years later, but it is abfolutely inconfiftent with what is elfewhere faid inlScripture : For thefe children, after their carrying away to Babylon, were to be three years under th; tuition of the mafter pf the eunuchs, Dan. i. J. to be inflrudted by him in the language and learning of the Chaldeans, before they could be admitted into the prefence of the king, to ftand and ferve before him. But in the fecond year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, after his father's death, (which was but the fourth year after his firft taking of Jerufalem), Daniel had not only admiffion and freedom of accefs to the king, but we find him there to the end of * Chron. 3 1 8 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A. M. Hananiah,.Mifhael, and Azaiiah. Daniel, upon his ar- 3394, ire rival in-Babylpn, was called Beltefhazzar, an.d the pther ^clo^c' tnree were narned Shadrach, Mejhach, and Abednego, of from whom we have feveral things to fay in another place. i Kings viii. Jehoiakim, after he had lived, in fubjedtion to the king of Babylon for three years, rebelled againft him ; and, refufing to pay him any mpre tribute, renewed his cpnfederacy with Nechp king pf Egypt. Hereupun Nebu chadnezzar *, npt being at leifure to come himfelf to cha- ftize him, fent orders to all his lieutenants and governors of provinces in thofe parts, to make war againft him, which brought upon him inroads and depredatipns from every quarter ; till, in the eleventh year of his reign, all parties jpined tpgether againft him, and, having fhut him up - in Jerufalem, they tppk him prifoner in a fally, which he made uppn them, flew him with the fword, and, in the completion there interpreting his dream, Dan. ii. and immediately thereupon advanced to be the chief of the governors of the wife men, and ruler over all the provinces of Babylon; and, lefs than four years inftrudtion in the language, laws, ufages, and learning of the coun try, can fcarce be thought fufficient to qualify him for fuch a truft ; nor could he any fboner be old enough for it, becaufe we may ob ferve, that when he was firft carried away from Jerufalem, he was but a youth; Prideaux' s Connection, anno bob. * What detained bim from going in perfon againft Jerufalem we are not told ; only it appears, that, in the tenth year of Jehoiakim, he was engaged in an arbitration between the Medes and Lydians, the occafion of which was this: After the Medes had recovered all thc Upper Afia out of the hands of the Scythians, and again ex tended their borders to the river Halys, which was ihe common boundary between them and the Lydians, it was not long before there happened a war between thefe two nations, which was mana ged for five years together with various fuccefs. In the fixth year, intending to make one battle dccilive, they engaged each other with thek utmoft ftrength ; but in the midft of the aftion, and while the fortune of the day feemed to hang in an equal balance between them, there happened an eclipfe, which overfpread both the armies with darknefs ; whereupon they deftfled from fighting, and agreed to . refer the controverfy to the arbitration of two neighbouring princes. The Lydians chofe Sicnnefis king ef Cilicia; and the Medes Nebuchadnezzar (who, by Herodotus, lib. i. is called Laby- netusj king of Babylon, who concluded a peace between them, on die terms that Aftyages, fon of Cyaxares kii.g of Media, fliould Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 3 1 9 completion of the (c) prophet's prediction concerning him, A- M. ,| eaft his -dead body in the highway, without allowing it 3^t4' ^r% the decency of a funeral. 6lo, ire.' After the death of his father, Jehoiachin || (who is from... likewife called Coniah and Jeconiah) afcended the throne ; [^Teni' but for the little time that he continued thereon, perfiftingof % chron. in his father's impieties^ he drew upon himfelf^) a bitter '^—v— J declaration of God's wrath, which was fpeedily executed. Jehoiachin For in three months after his father's death, Nebuchad- f"^er san^ nezzar f, commg in perfon with his royal anny to Jeru- is depofed falem, by Nebu" ehadnezzar. fhould take to wife Ariena, the daughter of Halyattis, king of the Lydians ; of which marriage, within a year after, was born Cyax- ares, who is called Darius the Mede, in the book of Daniel ; Pri deaux' s Connexion, anno 528. . (c) Jer. xxii. 18. 19. || In 2 Kings xxiv. 6. we are told exprefsly, that Jehoiakim flept with his fathers, and yet it is very certain, that he was neither buried with them, nor died in his bed, but lay above ground unbu- ried, according to the prediction of the' prophet, Jer. xxxvi. 30. expofed in tbe day to the heat, and in the tight to the flroft ; from whence it appears, that to fleep with one's fathers, fignifies no rnorc than to die as they did ; Patrick's Commentary. || His fucceeding his father in the throne of Judah may fepm to difagree with the threat which the prophet denounces againft his father, Jer. xxxvi. 30. He fhall have none to fit upon the throne of David. But as Jehoiachin's reign lafted little more than three months, during which time he was abfolutely fubjedt to the' ChaU deans,, a reign of fo fhort a continuance, and fo fmall authority, may very juftly be looked upon as nothing ; Calmet's Commentary. (d) Jer. xxii.. 24. 30. ¦f It is very probable that Nebuchadnezzar heard that he had en tered into a Confederacy with the king of Egypt, as his fucceffor did ; and therefore fent an army againft him, in the very beginning of his' reign, to lay fiege to Jerufalem, againft Wiich he intended to come himfelf : But the Jews have a conceit, that Nebuchad nezzar's courifellors reprefented fo him, how unadvifedly he had acted in making him king, whofe father had been in rebellion , a- gainft him, and that, upon their reprefentation, he refolved to de pofe him. From an ill dog there never comes a good whelp, was the proverb, they fay, which the counfellors made ufe of on this occa fion ; and to make this more feafible, to the father and fon they generally apply that paffage in Ezekiel, She took another of her whelps, and made hirn a young lion, and he went> up and down a- mung 3 io The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI, A- "*• falem, (which was then blocked up by his lieutenants), cau- Ant? chrii. fed- tne P'ace t0 De begirt with a clofe fiege on every fide-. eio, ire. This fo terrified Jehoiachin, that f taking his mother, his 1JI0m ... princes, and his chief minifters with him, he went out to thfend t0 Nebuchadnezzar, and dehvered himfelf into his hand ; of i Chron. who, though he fpared his life, put him in chains, and fent *— %"" ** him to Babylon, where . he continued in prifon until the death pf his cpnquerpr : But when Evilmerpdach * fuc ceeded tp his father's thrpne, he not pnly releafed him from his imprifonment, (which had continued for feven and ' • thirty years), but treated him with great humanity and re- . foedt, allowing him an honourable maintenance, and giving him the precedence of all other princes in Babylon. At this time, Nebuchadnezzar carried away with him (befides the king and his family) a vaft number of other captives, (ampng whpm was Ezekiel the prophet), all the mighty men of valour, and all the ufeful artificers, out of Jerufalem, || to the number pf ten thoufand men, tp- gether mong the lions. 'He became a young lion, and learned to eatcb the prey, and devour men.— r- Then the nations fet againft him on eve ry fide, from the provinces : They fpread their net over him, and be was taken in their pit, chap. xix. 6. ire. ; Calmet's and Patrick's Commentaries. f It is very probable, that he made this furrender, at the advice of the prophet Jeremiah, who gave the fame counfel, more than once, to his fucceffor . Zedekiah, Jer. xxi. 9. xxvii. 17.—— xxxviii. 2. * During his father's, indifpofition, who fancied himfelf meta- morphofed into an ox, he took upon him the adminiftration of the government ; but after feven years, when his father recovered his underftanding, fo as once more to afeend the throne. Evilmerodach, as fome believe, was imprifoned by hi$ father, and, in his confine ment, contracted an acquaintance and intimacy with Jehoiachin; fo that, after his father's death, and his full acceffion to the throne, he releafed him out - of prifon, and heaped many favours upon him : And it was by his advice, (as the Jews tell us), that Evilmerodach rook his father out of the ground, after he was dead ahd buried, cut his body in pieces, and gave them to three hundred yavens, left he fhould return from his grave, as he had before rec/wered from his metamorphofis into an ox ; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Evilmerodach. || This muft be underftood of the whole number of the peo ple that were at this time carried captive, which (according te Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c 3 1 1 gether with all the treafures, and f rich furniture pf the A. M. temple, and pf the rpyal palace. What he left in the land J394, ire. were pnly the ppprer fort pf pepple, pver whom he^,"1 ™' made Mattaniah, the third fon pf Jofiah, king. Of him from he tppk a folemn path tp be faithful and true in his pbe- 'Kingsviii. dience tp the crown of Babylon ; and to engage him the '^ l^c^Qn more to be fo, he changed his name to Zedekiah, which - - _j fignifies the juftice of the Lord, intending thereby to put him iii mind of the vengeance he was to expect from the juftice of the Lprd his God, if he violated that fidelity which he had, in his name, lworn unto him. to Abarbinel) was thus made up ; Jehoiachin, and all his court, and great men, were feven thoufand j the craftfmen a-thoufand ; and other confiderable men in the country two thoufand, which com pleted the number. Jeremiah indeed computes them to be little a- bove three thoufand, that Were now carried away ; but he reckons only thofe that were carried from Jerufalem ; whereas in 2 King:: xxiv. 16 there is an account of thofe who were carried from other cities, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, which were feven thoufand: and this reconciles the difference ; Patrick's Commentary. \ Nebuchadnezzar carried away the veffels, and rich furniture ef the temple, at three different times. ift, lit the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when he 'firft to.'k Jerufalem, he carried part of the veffels of tbe houfe of God away, into the land of Shinar, and put them into thc houfe of his God, Dan. i. 2. Thefe were the veffels which his fon BeKhazzar profaned, Dan. v. 2. and which Cyrus reftored to the Jews, (Ezra i. 7.), to be fet up again in the temple when rebuilt. 2dly, In the reign of Jehoiachin, he took the city again, and cut in pieces a great part of the veffels of gold, which Solomon had made, 2 Kings xxiv. 1 3. and by fome chance or other had efcaped his former plunder. 3dly, In the ekventh year of Zedekiah, be pillaged the temple once more, when he brake in pieces the pillars of brafs, and the bafes, and the brazen fea, and took along with them all the veffels of filver and gold that he could find, and carried them to Babylon, 2 Kings xxv. 1 3. ire. It is fomc- whit ftrange, that amongft all this inventory, we hear no mention made of the^ark of the covenant, which, of all other things, was held moft facred ; but it is very probable, that it was burnt together with the temple, in this laft defolation. For what fome fay of its being hidden by the prophet Jeremiah, in' a certain cave in mount Nebo, is a mere fable ; Patrick's and Calmet's Commentaries ; and ' Differt. fur I' arche d' alliance. Vol.IV. S f Zedekiah 3^2 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVl. A. M. Zedekiah was but juft fettled in the throne, and Ne- 3-994, ire. buchadnezzar departed out of Judea, and Syria, when Ant. ciurf ^ feveral kings pf the neighbpuring nations, viz. the Am- from ' monites., the Moabites, the Edomites, the Zidonians, the i Kingsviii. Tyrians, cjc. fent their ambafiadors to Jerufalem, to con- to the end gratulate him upon his acceffion to the throne, and to pro- ^_ con' pofe a league againft the king of Babylon, in order tp Zedekiah fhake pff his ypke, and prevent his return into thofe parts made king any more. Upon this occafion, Jeremiah, by God's com- inhis,'°0"\'mand, made him bonds and yokes, which he fent by the by the^vo-feid ambaffidors to their refpedtive mafters, with this mef- phet Jere- fage from God, viz. " That he had given all their coun- miah.tolive « tries to the king of Babylon, and therefore their wifeft encetsthe " courfe would be to fobmit to his yoke, which if they re- king of Ba-" fufed to do, both they and their countries fhould moft bylon. 'i certainly be deftroyed : " But tp Zedekiah he went in perfon, and having perfuaded him to fobmit to the king of Babylon, and not to give credit to falfe prophets, who might flatter him with a deliverance frpm his power, he prevailed with him, for that time, npt tp enter intp the league that was propofed. lie had, before this, (f) under the emblem of two bafkets of figs, foretold Zedekiah the reftoration which God intended for thofe that were gone into captivity, and the mifery and defolation which fhould befal them who were ftill in the land ; and now, in purfuante of his pro phetic ' office, he * took the opportunity of the king's (e) Jer. xxxvii. (j ) Jer. xxiv. * At what time, and upon what occafion Zedekiah fent this em bafly to the king of Babylon, die facred hiftory is filent ( but it is very prefumable, that it was at the beginning of his reign, and that v as Judea was then tributary to the Chaldeans, the king's policy was to keep up a good underftanding with them. Ezekiel however was not as yet pnffe ffed of the fpirit of prophecy ; and for this reafon, Je remiah was obliged to take care of the jews who were gone cap tives into the find of Babylon, and to fend them inftructions in what manner they were to behave, viz. to feek lbs peace qfthe city, whi ther they were carried away, Jer xxix 7 ; purfuant to which in ftrudtion, wc find thofe in Babylon requiring their brethren zx. Jeru falem to pray for tbe life of Ndbtichzdonofer king of Babylon, and for the life of Belthafur his fon, that their days' 711 ay be upon emth as the days if heaven: -~- Thi.it they might live under the fhadow ef ' Nabuchodonofii , and under the fhadow qf hi; fin, and find fa- votir in their fuht, Baruch i. 11.12. fending, Chap. V. from the buiJciing of the Temple, (3c. 3 2 3 fending an embafly to Babylon to direct a letter to the Jews A. M. of the captivity, advifing them not to be deceived with fuch 3394, irc prophets *, as made them entertain falfe hopes of a fpeedy 6"0 ^ reftoratipn ; that by the prdinatipn pf Gpd, their captivi- from ty was tp laft feventy years ; and that the pepple left at Je- ' Kingsviii. rufalem wpuld be of little ufe to affift them in their deli- '°. ' £n'"n verance, becaufe God, in a fhort time, would afflict them 1 with the fword, with famine, and with peftilence, fo as to confume the greateft part of them, and leaner the reft over the face of the earth ; and therefore he exhorts them to live quietly and peaceably in the country, whither they were carried, without expecting any return, until the time which God had appointed. Upon the receipt of this letter, one Shemaiah, a popu- For which lar man among the captive Jews at Babylon, took upon tlie prophet him to write to Zephaniah, the fecond prieft, and to all the Ja\^i y priefts and people of Jerufalem, reprefenting Jeremiah as a mad man, and a falfe pretender. to prophecy, and advifing them to confine him : 1 Which Jeremiah hearing, was com manded by God to fend again to the captives of Babylon, to let them know, that he would punifh Shemaiah and his pofterity very feverely, for his having deluded them with falfe prophecies ; and at the fame time, (to convince thofe that were left in Jerufalem), he fhewed them, (g) by the emblem of a potter's veffel, that it was in the Almighty's power' to deftroy what natipn pr people he pleafed. But all this availed nothing. They ftill refolved to go pn in their * The two perfons mentioned in Scripture, who took upon them to be prophets fent from God, where Ahaz tbe fon of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the fon of Maafeiah, two of the captivity among the Jews at Babyjon ; who feeding the people with falfe promifes of a Ipee- dy reftoration, hindered them from making any fettlemcnts in the places affigned for their habitation : But as the prophet Jeremiah de? nounced their fudden and fearful deftrudtion, Nebuchadnezzar un derftanding that they difturbed the people by their vain prophecies, caufed them both to be feized, and roafted to death in the lire. The latter Jews fay, that thefe two men were the two elders who would have corrupted Sufinna, anj that Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to be burnt for this reafon : But the whole foundation of this conceit is, that Jeremiah (chap. xxix. 23. where he fpeaks of thefe hkji) fays, that they committed viflany in Ifrael, and adultery with their neighbours wives ; from whence they conjecture all the reft ; i ri- deaux's Connection, anno 597. (g) Jer. xviii. « S f 2 wkked 324 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. wicked ways : and, to avenge themfelves of the prophet, Vf*'c ,*? fWho gave them fome difturbance therein, they abufed him e in a bopk, and (i) delivered it ih, t Ezekiel to Seraiah || who was then going to Babylon uppn an em- byion. a baffy, with inftructions to read the contents of it to his captive brethren upon the banks of the river Euphrates ; and when he had made an end pf reading, to tie a ftone to it, (h) Jer 1. and li. (i) Chap. Ii. yg. 64. || The words in the text, according to our tranfiation, are, The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah, the fon of Neriah, &c. -when he went with Zedekiah ; the king of Judah, into Babylon-,, in t,hej fourth year of his reign, and this Seraiah was a quiet prince, Jer. li. 59.; andfrom hence fome Hebrew interpreters infer, thai Zedekiah went to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign, to make his court, and cultivate the good graces of his patron and pai amount Nebuchadnezzar. But this opinion, though followed by feveral, has no foundation in any other part 0/ Scrip ture j and the paffage how before us, may, "according to the original, be very properly rendered in this wife.-^- The word which Jere miah coiMnanded Seraiah, when he went to Babylon upon an embaffy from Zedekiah. The chief bufinefs of this embafly was to requeft of Nebticbadnezzar, a'reftitulion of the facred veffels of the temple which lie had taken away, when he canied Jehoiakim captive into Baby lon. "Our tranfiation, howevtr, is not at all figpificant in this place, whpn it ftyles this Seraiah a quiet ptince. The Septuagint have very properly rendered the words apx™ tapw the prince of the prefents, which fome apply to the prefents which King Zedekiah made to ihe temple, and others to the tilings he daily fupplied for facrifices ; but the moft natural fenfe- in ihis place is, that be was charged with thc prefents and tribute which Zedekiah was-obliged to fend to Nebu chadnezzar ; that his bufinefs was, to prefent them to the emperor, and, upon that occafion, to folicit the reftoration of the facred vef' fels ; upon which account, the Vulgate has rendered the words priny heps prophetic, the chief perfon in the embaffy, who, at the time of audience, Chap.-V. ' from the building of the Temple, [3c. 325 it, and * throw it intp the river, thereby to denote., that as a. m. it wpuld naturally fink, fo fliould the Babylpnifh empire be 3394, ire. totally deftroyed, and never- rife any mpre. Ant' c!"ir" At Babyfon, Ezekiel, by feveral types and prophetical fr'om revelations, foretold the taking of Jerufalem by the Chal 1 Kingsviii. deans; Zedekiah's flight from the city by night; the put- ,0 ' hJ;, end ting out pf his eyes ; his imprifonment and death at Baby- " \ Ion ; the carrying away the remainder pf the Jews intp cap tivity ; the defolation of their country, and the many and great calamities which fhould befal them for their iniquities. But tp thpfe of the captivity, who, avoiding thefe iniqui ties, did endeavour to keep themfelves fteady and faithful in God's fervice, God, by the mouth of his prophet, pro- mifed to become a fandtuary in a ftrange country, and tp bring them back again untp the land pf Ifrael, where they' fhpuld flpurifh in peace and righteoufnefs, and, once more (k) become his pepple, and he their Gpd. Thus did thefe two great prophets vifit the people which were ftill remaining in Jerufalem", with feveral warnings ; endeavouring, bpth by fignificant emblems, and direct pre- didtibns, tp reclaim them. But, when they ftill perfifted in their pbftinacy and, difobedience, Gpd at length brought upon them the calamities which he had fo often foretold, and fo feverely threatened. Before we come to the deftrudtion of Jerufalem, how- The ^^ ever, there is a memorable tranfadtion, * which preceded and Judith's it, great ex ploit in kill. ing Holo- audience, wastomake a fpeech to the emperor, in his prince's name ; fe™es- Calmet's Commentary. ¦, * We have an emblematical action of the like kind defcribed in the book of the Revelation of St John, And a mighty, angel tobk up a ftom, like a great mill- ft one, and eaft it into ihe fea, fay ing, Thus, with violence, fhall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and fhall be found no more at all, chap xviii. 2 ( . where the word Babylon is taken in an analogical fenfe, becaufe the deftrudtion of that great city and empire (as wc lhall fee hereafterj was fo re markable, as to afford a coinpirifon for any other great and opulent ftate brought to ruin and defolation. (k) Ezek. xi. 20. * It is a great difpute among the learned, whether this hiftory of Judith was tranfacted before or after the Babylonilh captivity. Thofe wh> maintain the latter opinion, found a great deal upon the words of the hiftory itfelf, wherein the author (according to the Greek ver- fien, chap, iv. 3-) exprefsly tells us, that the Ifraelites were newly * returned 326 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. it, viz. the fiege of Bethulia, and its deliverance by the cou- 3394, ire. , ra!re Ant. Chrif. b 610, ire. from i Kingsviii. *°f t!Chend reiurneii fr"m captivity, and all the people of Judea were lately ga. ' ' "°ajt hired together, and the veffels, and the altar, and the houfe, were fanttified after their profanation : and wherein it it farther affirmed, that they were led captives into a land that was not theirs, that the temple' of their God was eaft to the ground, and their cities taken by the enemies ; but now are they come up from the places where they were ficattered, and have poffeffed Jerufialem, chap. v. 18. 19 Jt is in vain, fay they, to endeavour to correct thc fenfe of'thefe paf- i'ages: the bare reading of them, and the firft impreflion they make upon the mind, naturally leads one to fay, that this hiftory was not tranfadted till after the return from the captivity, which, in a great meafure, is confirmed by the opinion of almoft all the ancients, and a great many of the moderns ; but then they widely difagree in their computations of the period pf time when this remarkable event hap pened. For fome place it under Cambyfes, the fon of Cyrus ; others under Xerxes ; others under Darius ; and others again under Antio chus Epiphanes, in the time of the Maccabees; which laft opinion is the moft tenible, if we will but allow, that a feaft was inftituted in commemoration of it, as we read in the Vulgate, but in none of the oilier tranflations. Thofe who maintain, that this tranfaction happened before the captivity, are, in like manner, divided : for fome place it under Manaffeh, and others under Zedekiah. Thofe who contend for Zedekiah's reign, make the Nabuchodonofor in the book of Judith, and the Nebuchadnezzar in the 2d of Kings, the fame perfon; and as it is pofitively faid in tbe 2d chapter of Judith, that he put his general Holofernes on this expedition, in the firft month of the eighteenth year of his reign, which was the ninth of Zedekiah king of Judah, Holofernes's death, and the fiege of Jeru falem, happened, tbey fay, in the fame year ; only it muft be fuppo- fed, that the attempt againft Bethulia was in the beginning of the year, and the fiege of Jerufalem at the end of it. The captivity therefore, from which the Jews are fsid to have newly returned, muft be that in Jehoiakim's time, for that in Zedekiah's continued feventy years, before which Nebuchadnezzar had quite fubdued Ar- phaxad king of the Medes, and demolifhed Ecbatana. And as for the Bethulians enjoying peace during the life of Judith, it may be fuppofed, that Nebuchadnezzar, being employed two years in the Gege of Je rufalem, might fpend fome years in reducing other parts of the coun try ; and feeing Bethulia was a place natur illy ftfong, and fituated ¦ among thc mouiuains, he might be unwilling to foil his army before it. Chap.V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. gij rage and dexterity of a woman, which muft f not be entirely A. M. omitted. „ 3 394, ire. The author of the book of Judith * relates, that Na- ^ C£" ' buchddpnpfor from 1 Kingsviii.- to the end of z Chron.. it, and (efpecially confidering the ill fuccefs of his general) to make "•— —V""""' any frefh attempt upon it, until he had fubdued all the reft. Thofe, again, who contend for Manaflch's reign, make the Nabuchodonofor in Judith to be, the fame with Saofduchinus in Ptolemy, and Arphax^ ad the fame with Phraortes, mentioned by Herodotus; and that, as thefetwo princes made war with one another, vvherein Phraortes was vanquilhed, and periflied with his army, all the other things recorded of Saofduchinus and his general might happen without in- confiftency. For the capiivity there mentioned might be that from whence Manaffeh, with fome of his fubjects, had lately returned, when the temple which had been profaned was purified again, and the fervice of the fandtuary reftored to its ancient dignity, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 1. ire. This is a fliort ftate of thc feveral opinions concerning the date of this tranfaction, and the laft of thefe, in our judgment, feems to be beft founded ; Prideaux' s Connections, anno 66?. ; Calmet's Preface a le livre de Jud. -j- For though the Jews and ancient Chriffians did not receive this book of Judith into their canon of Scripture, yet they always looked upon it as a true hiftory ; and accordingly Clement, in his epiftle to the Corinthians, has cited it as well is tbe author of the apoftolic con- ftitutions, which go under his name ; and as St Athanafius, or the writer of the Synoplis that is afcribed to him, gives a fummary ac count of ir, even as he does- of other facred books, from his exam ple we may be permitted to juftify the fliort abridgment which we have made of it in our Hiftory of the Holy Bible; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Judith. * Who this author was, it no where appears. St Jerom feems to think, that Judith wrote it herfelf, but produces no good authority for his opinion. Others will have it, that the high-prieft Jehoia- ' kim, mentioned in this book, was the author of it ; but this is equal ly a bare conjecture ; nor is there much more certainty in thofe, who, fuppofing the hiftory to have happened in the time of Cambyfes, afcribe it to Jofhua, the fon of Jofedek, who was high prieft at that time. But whoever the author was, he feems to be pofterior to the facts ' which he relates, becaufe he fpeaks of the feftival inftituted in me mory of Judith's victory, as ftill continued in his time, Judith xvi. 20. The book was originally written in the Chaldee language, which knot now extant; but from thence, at the 4,-firs of Paula and 3 2 8 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A- ^- buchodonofor f, king pf Affyria, in the twelfth year pf his Ant4'chiii re^Sn> fought a great battle in the plains of Ragau +•, with « an(^ afterwards returned in great triumph tp Ni- 610, ire. ' neveh : That, fome time after, inquiring pf his officers, from nobles, and counfellors,, what tributary countries had not 1 Kmgsviii gQne w:tn taem to tne warj , a ftrong town in the tribe which were ftrengthened with plates of gold ; Calmet's Commentary an*1 Dictionary, under the word; and Wells's Geography of the Old Te ft anient, vol. 3. * Some annotators are of opinion, that the word Holofernes is of Perfiaa extract, in the fame manner zsT'ifephernes, Intaphernes, ire. Bui others imagine, - ne received her with all the civility and refpect 61°, ire ' tnat ner appearance feemed tp demand; and, having under- from ftppd that the defign of her leaving her countrymen was, i Kings viii. Dotn tp efcape the deftrudtipn which fhe forefaw was cp- ef Tehran m'n§ uppn them, and tp inform him in what fituatipn their i .1-1- ._' affairs were, and hpw he might beepme mafter pf the place without the lofs of one man, he not only promifed her his protection, but appointed her and her maid an apartment proper for them ; for he was already enampured with her wit and beauty : That, having thus far fucceeded very prpfperpufly, fhe requefted pf him, that, as fhe was a ftridt obferver pf the religipn pf her cpuntry, fhe might be per mitted tp eat feparately + fuch prpvifipns as fhe had brought with her ; and, withput any mpleftatipn, tp have leave to gp put pf the camp at night, pr before it was day, in pr- der f tp perform her devptipns ; which accordingly was f There was no law of God that prohibited the Jews from earing feveral things that the Gentiles made ufe of. Bread, wine, and fruits were allowed them in common with other people ; but, either fome tradition then prevailing among the Jews, or fome religious vow that Judith might have bound herfelf under, the fear of givi.g fcandal to her countrymen wheii fhe returned, or the prayers and Pagan invo cations which were made over the meat; that was ferved up to Holo fernes ; fome of thefe reafons, I fay, very likely hindered her from accepting the offer which the general made, of provifions from bis table, and inclined her to defire to eat alone: A reftraiut which we find Daniel putting himfelf under in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, chap. i. S. and Tobit, in that of Salmanefer, chap. i. 10. ire. where he fays of himfelf, that- — when all my brethren, and thofe that were of my kindred, did eat of the bread of the Gentiles, I kept my felf from eating, becaufe I remembered God with all my heart ; Calmet's Com mentary. f As prayer, no doubt, is beft performed in places of retirement, and the hurry of a camp muft needs be inconvenient for religious offices, Judith, who profeffed herfelf a woman of ftridt piety, had a good pretence to requeft of the general a liberty to retke out of the camp, (when fhe thought proper, and without any queftions afked her), to perform her devotions, which fhe forefaw would be a means to favour her efcape, after fhe had executed the defign fhe came about. For it was on this precaution, rather than any obligation, either from the law or from cuftom, that this devotion of her pray ing without the camp was founded ,- Calmet's Commentary. readily Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 333 readily granted her : That having lived in this manner for A. M. three days, on the fourth Holofernes invited her to a fplen- ¥9*'fit*'r did entertainment, where fhe appeared in her choiceft or- 6lo' 6*. naments of drefs ; and the general, in hopes of enjoying from the beautiful ftranger that night; gave a loofe to mirth, »Kmgsvl'»- and drank more plentifully than ever he was known to do : 0f x chron. That in the evening, all the company being difmiffed, ex cept Judith, who was left alone with the general, intoxi cated with liquor, and now fallen faft afleep upon the bed, ihe thought this a proper opportunity to put her defign in 'execution ; and therefore approaching the place where he lay, and taking down his, feymitar, which hung by him, fhe firft prayed to God to ftrengthen her in the enterprife, and then, at two ftrokes, fevered his head from his body, which fhe gave to her maid, (who by her order was waiting -f- at her tent -door), to put in the bag wherein her provifions were brought : That having thus accomplifhed their . de fign, they paffed through the camp unobferved, and made the beft of their way to Bethulia,, where Judith, acquaint ing the governor and elders of the city with what fhe had done, and in teftimony thereof, producing the head of Holofernes, advifed them to hang it out upon the walls, as foon as the morning appeared, and then every one to arm, and fally out of the gates, as if they meant to attack the enemy, but, in reality, only to give them an alarm, that thereupon they might have recourfe to their general, (as fhe fuppofed they would), and fo come to know what fate had befallen him : That upon the Bethulians appearing in arms, the outguards gave notice to their officers, and the officers fent to their general ; but when they underftood that their geheral was dead, his head gone; and nothing left behind, but a fenfelefs trunk wallowing in blood, fuch 'a general confternation overfpread the camp, that inftead of preparing themfelves to fight, the Aflyrians threw away their arms, and fled ; while the Bethulians, and other neighbouring people (to whom Ozias had fent intelligence of this their difafter) attacked them, in fmall parties, from feveral quarters ; and having {lain a cpnfiderable number -f- Viz. To go along with her out of the camp to prayers, as fhe had done the nights before : For it does not appear, from the whole hiftory, that Judith had'communicafed her deligu to her woman, but rather that (lie took upon herfelf the rifk of the whole affair, which could not be conducted with too much fecrecy and prudence ; Cal met's Commentary. pf 33+ The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. 0f them, greatly enriched \ themfelves with their fpoils : 3394. &c. Tnat a deputation of the elders from Jerufalem, with their 610, fe-c' ' chief-prieft accompanying them, came to Bethulia to com- from pliment Judith upon this her great atchievement, with iKings viii. wnpm fhe repaired to the temple at Jerufalem ; -where pu- o°f '"chrom blic thanks were given, and burnt-facrifices offered to ¦, ,—r— _j God, for this fignal victory, and Judith's- oblation *, upon this occafion, was the plunder of Holofernes's tent, with all his rich equipage, which the, foldiers had prefented her with : And, laftly, that after thefe public 1 ejoicings f , fhe went back to Bethulia again, where flie lived in great fplendor and renpwn, and, after a gppd pld age, died, and was buried with her hufoand Manaffeh, much belpved, and much lamented, by the pepple. But tp look back to the affairs of Judea. Jwufilcm In the feventh year of his reign, Zedekiah being grown Mu^h h3" imPat'ent °f tne Babylonifh yoke, had fent his ambaffadors, nezzar, Je remiah pro- vphefies its \ So great was the number of thefe, that the text tells us, the deftruaion, ggthulians were thirty days in gathering them, chap. xv. ii. For baroufl u-" confidering the . largenefs of the camp of the Aflyrians, and the fe- fed for it. vcra' detachments they might have, fome on the mountains, and o- thers on the plains ; the many valuable things which might be hid, or thrown afide in their flight ; and the much time it would cod the Bethulians to fearch diligently, and collect them all, and to provide carriages to bring them home to the city, there to be diftributed equal ly among the people, and according to the prefcription of the law, Numb. xxxi. 27. ; confidering all this, I fay, thirty days may not be thought an unreafonable fpace ; though it muft be owned, that the Syriac verfion reads it only three : Calmet's Commentary. * Nothing is more common, both in facred and profane hiftory, than to meet with feveral kinds of fpoils taken in war dedicated to God, in acknowledgment of his goodnefs, and in n emoiy of the victory, which, by his blefling and affiftance, was then obtained ; Calmet's Commentary. f The joy which the people of Jerufalem expreffed upon Judith's entry, is thus related — Then all the women of Ifrael ran toge ther to fee her, ^and bleffed her, and made a dance among them for her; and fhe took branches in ber hand, and gave alfo to the women that were with her, and they put a garland of olive upon her, and on her maid that was with her, and fhe went before all the people in the dance, leadig the women, and all the men of Ifrael followed with garlands, and with fongi in their mouths; Judith XV. 1 2. 1 3. and Chap. V. from the building of the Templej (3c. 335 and made a confederacy with Pharaoh Hophra king of E- A. M. gypt ; which when Nebuchadnezzar underftood, he drew 3394, ire. together a great army out of all the nations that were un- A'lt- cJr,f' der his dominion, and, in a fhort time, marched towards fr'om Judea, to punifh him for his perfidy and rebellion. His ' Kingsviii. vidtprious army foon over-ran the country, and having to_ th«Len<1 taken moft of the cities, in the ninth year of Zedekiah's - - f reign, the tenth month of the year, and the tenth day of the month, it came before Jerufalem, and blocked it clpfe up Pn every fide ; fo that, in a fhort time, the famine began to prevail : And in memory of this, the Jews have v ever fince obferved the tenth day pf Tebeth, (the mpnth when this happened), as a day of folemn falling and humi liation even to this time. On that very day of the month when the fiege of Je rufalem began, Ezekiel, then a captive in Chaldea, had it revealed to him by the type of a boiling pot, what a difmal deftrudtion fhould be brought upopthat city; and, in the beginning of the next year, Jeremiah was ordered to declare to the king, that the Babylonians who were then belieging the town, would certainly take it, and burn it with fire, make him prifoner, and carry him to Babylon, where he fhould die : Which provoked Zedekiah to fuch a degree, that he ordered him to be clapped up clofe in prifon. As Nebuchadnezzar's army was approaching Jerufalem, Zedekiah, and his people, in dread of what might follow, made a fhew of returning unto the Lord their God. They entered into a folemn covenant thenceforward to ferve him pnly, and to obey his laws ; and in purfuance of that, agreed to proclaim a manumiffion, or liberty to all Hebrew fervants of either fex, according to what the law f in- joined; t The words of the law are thefe : If thy brother, an He brew man, or an Hebrew woman, be fold unto thee, and ferve thee fix years, then, in the feventh year, thou fhalt let him go free from thee ; and when thou fiendeft him out free from thee, thou fhalt not let him go away empty ; thou fhalt flurnifh him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy wine-prefis ; cf that where with the Lord hath bleffed thee, thou fhalt give unto him : And thou fhalt remember, that thou waft a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee. ft fl?all not feem bird un to thee, when thou fiendeft him away free from thee ; jor he hath been worth a dquble hired fervant to thee, in fining thee fix years, and (be Lord thy God fhalt blefs thee in all that thou doeft, Deut.xv. 12. &C; 336 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. joined ; but upon the coming of Hophra king of Egypt, to Ant4'chrif t'le reuef °f Jerufalem, and Nebuchadnezzar's raffing the 610, ire. fiege to meet him, and give him battle, the Jews were ge- from nerally of opinion, that the Chaldeans were gone for good i Kingsvm. an(i aji an£i tnereUp0n repented of their covenant of re- to the end r . , ,- , i ¦ /¦ j of i chron. formation, and caufed every man his fervant, and every i man his handmaid, to return to their fervitude : Which bafe and inhuman prevarication fo provoked God, that he ordered his prophet to proclaim liberty to the fword, and to the famine, and to the peftilence, to execute hjs wrath upon them, and thek king, and their princes, and all Judah and Jerufalem, to their utter deftrudtion. Jeremiah indeed, in all the anfvvers which he returned the king, (who uppn the departure pf the Chaldeans, fent frequently tp cpnfult him), was always ppfitive, that die ire. Now, for the better underftanding of this, we muft obferve, that there were two periods of time, wherein this releafe of Jewifh bond-flaves was injoined, the year of Jubilee, which was every fif tieth, and die fabbatical year, which was every feventh year. The fabbatical year is what is here intended : It now happened in thc eighth year of Zedekiah's reign ; but as Prideaux, in his preface, re marks, had not been obferved for above 360 years before ; for which reafon the Jews, being now in a ftate of compunction, were for reftoring it to its primitive inftitution ; but upon the removal of their fears, by the withdrawing of Nebuchadnezzar's forces, they repented of their good intentions, and recalled their fervants to their flavery again. Why the obfervation of fuch a year in feven was injoined, the reafons are pretty obvious : For befides the commemo ration of the Ifraelites releafe from the Egyptian bondage, which the text fpccifks, the general releafe of fervants, and the reftoration of lands and tenements to their firft owners, which were then to be tranfacted, were to hinder the rich from oppreffing the needy, and reducing them to perpetual flavery; that debts fhould not be too much multiplied, nor the poor, confequently, entirely ruined ; but that a liberty of people's perfons, an equality of their fortunes, and the order and diftindtion of their tribes and families (as far as it was poffible) might be preferved : And as it was fomething hke this that Lycurgus eftablifhed among the Lacedemonians, in his in- ftituting an equality among perfons, banifhing flavery, and (pre venting as far as he could) any one's becoming too powerful, or too rich ; Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 4. c. A ; and Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Sabbath." Egyptians Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3e. 337 Egyptians, whom he depended upon, would certainly de- A. M. ceive him ; that their army would return without giving \?ff'.cxft\r him any affiftance; and that the Chaldeans would there- 6lo\ ire.' upon renew the fiege, take the city, and burn it with fire, fro™ 'During their abfence however, he thpught it np improper «K"1gSV1"- time to endeavour to avoid the approaching fiege, by re- 0f ^ chron. tiring to Anathoth, his native place ; but as he Was pafling <«— y-««u the gate of the city which led that way, the captain of the guard feized him as a deferter, and brought him before the princes., who, in much rage, fell upon him, and beat him, and then cpmmitted him tp the common jail, where he continued for many days. In the mean time, the Egyptians not daring to engage Iscaftimoa the Chaldean army, retired before them into thek own dlfmal dun" country, leaving Zedekiah and his people, with their une- f)as jjjs |an. qual ftrength, to contend with Nebuchadnezzar, who- now interview returned more exafperated than ever, t© re-inveft the city ^v.lttl tns of Jerufalem. Nor had he been long before it, ere the m*>" Iking fent meffengers to Jeremiah to inquire of him, then fin prifon, concerning the fate of the prefent war : But his conftant anfwer was, " That God being highly provoked " againft him and his people, for their manifold iniqui- " ties, would fight againft the city, and finite it ; that " both king and people fhould be delivered into the hands " of the king of Babylon ; that thofe who continued in " the city, during the fiege, fhould perifh by the pefti- " lence, by the famine, and by the fword ; but that thofe " who endeavoured to efcape, though they fell into the " hands of the Chaldeans, would have their lives prefer - " ved : " At which feveral of the princes, and chief com manders, being very much offended, preffed the king againft him, as one who, by his fpeeches, difcouraged the foldiers and people, and was enough indeed to pccafipn a defedtipn. In this conjundture of affairs, the king was obliged to de liver him into their hands ; and they, with unrelenting cruelty, eaft him into a nafty dungeon f, where inevitably t Some think, that when he was in this difmal place, he made thofe mournful meditations, which are fet down in the 3d chapter of the Lamentations : They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and eaft a ft one upon me.— / called upon thy namej 0 Lord, out of the low dungeon, and thou baft heard my voice, &c. ver. JJ. 55. 56. ; Lowth's Commentary on Jer. xxxviii. Vol. IV. U u be 338 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. he rmift have periflied, had npt Ebed-Melech f, one of the 3394, ire k:ng's eunuchs, interceded with his mafter to have him re- 610] ire. leafed from thence, and fent him back tp his fprmer prifon ; from - for which favpur, the prpphet affured him frpm Gpd, that 1 Kings vm ne fhould not perifh at the facking pf the city. of z Chron &-s the C^J began tp be preffed mpre by the fiege, the u— v— , king defired a private conference with Jeremiah, who ac cordingly was fent for to an apartment of the temple ; but the prophet could give no other anfwer to his queftions, than what he had done before ; only he advifed him to furrender to the enemy, as the beft expedient to fave both himfelf and the city. The king, though urged by the pro phet, could by no means bring himfelf to think of that. At his breaking off the difeourfe, however, he obliged him to fecrecy, though he did not forget to remand him to pri fon : . And this is the laft interview that the prophet had with the king. jerufalem, In the mean time, the fiege began to draw towards a taken, and conclufion. The people within the walls, through the ; the kin? ftarcity of provifions, were reduced to the laft neceffity, e-t made pri- ven (/) to feed on one another ; and thofe without hadnowv foner, and finifhed their wprks, and prpvided all things for a general putout!yeSa^auIt; when in the eleventh year of king Zedekiah, and on the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the city was taken by ftorm, about midnight, and every place filled with blopd and {laughter. Through the favpur pf the night, Zedekiah and his friends * endeavpured tp make their •f- This charitable interceflbr for the prophet in his diftrefs, is, in the text, faid to have been an Ethiopian ; accordingly Huetius (in his treatife De navigatione Solomonis, cap. 7.) obferves from Jofe- * phus, that Solomon, in his voyage to Tarfhifh, (1 Kings x. 22 ), amongft other merchandife, brought flaves from Ethiopia, which Was likewife the pradtife of the Greeks and Romans in after ages, , as he there proves by feveral teftimonies : And fuch an one he (up- pofes' this Ebed-Melech to have been originally, though afterwards he was promoted to be an eunuch, or chief officer of the king's houfe ; Lowth's Commentary on Jer. xxxviii. (/) Lament, iv. 4. ;. ; and Ezek. v. 10. * It is a hard matter to conceive how the befieged could make their efcape, feeing that the Chaldeans had begirt the city round a- bout. Jofephus indeed gives us this account : ¦ " That as the "city was taken about midnight, the captains, with the reft of the " foldiers, went directly into the temple ; which King Zedekiah « perceiving, Chap.V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. ¦ 339 their efcape towards the wildernefs ; but he had not A. M. gone far, before he was taken, and carried to Nebuchad- i394,rjffi nezzar, whp was then at Riblah +, where, after fome fe- 6lf ^c' vere reproaches*, he firft caufed his fons, and the princes of from L c Kings vi to the enc of * Chron, Judah 'Kingsviii. to thc end " perceiving, he took his wives, children, commanders, and friends, " and they flipt all away together, by a narrow paffage, towards " the wildernefs." But then what this narrow paffage was, is ftill the queftion. The Jews indeed think, that there was a fubterra- neous paffage from the palace to the plains of Jericho, and that the king, and his courtiers, might endeavour to make their efcape that Way, Dion, it is true, tells us, lib. 66. that in the laft fiege of Je rufalem, the Jews had covert ways, which went under the Walls of the city, to a confiderable diftance into the country, out of which they were wont to fally, and fall upon the Romans that were ftrag- gling from their camp : But fince neither Jofephus, nor the facred hjftlJffifey^akes notice of any fuch fubterraneous conduit at this fiege,- we „4nay fuppofe, that the Chaldeans having made a breach in the wall, the befieged" got away privately between the wall and the outworks, ^n a pailajr^ which the enemy did not fufpedt. The words in the fe cund-hook of Kings are : They went by the way of the gate, be tween the two walls, which is by the king's garden, chap. xxv. 4. which in Jeremiah are thus expreffed : They went by the way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls : So that as the king's garden Taced the country, very likely there was fome very private and imperceptible gate, through which they might attempt to efcape, and the befiegers perhaps might not keep fo ftridt a watch at that part of the town, (efpecially in the hurry of ftorming it), be caufe it led to the plain, and m3de their efcape in a manner imprac ticable ; Jewifh Hift. lib. 10. c. 11.; Patrick's, Le Clere' s, and Calmet's Commentaries. I f Riblah was a city of, Syria, in the country of Hamah, which country is the neareft to Judea, and which city, according to St Je rom, was the fame with that which was afterwards called Antioch ; and as it was the moft pkafant place in all Syria, here Nebuchad nezzar lay, to attend the fuccefs of the fiege of Jerufalem, to fend his army proper fupplies, and to intercept any relief that might come to the befieged ; Patrick's Commentary. * Nebuchadnezzar no fooner'caft his eye upon him, fays Jo fephus, (Jewifh -\ntiq. lib. 10. c 11.), but he called him all the faithlefs and perfidious names that he couhi think of " Did you " not promife me to manage the power and authority that I put " you in poffeffion of, for my advantage and btho >f ? And im. " not 1 well requited, do you think, for making you a king in your " brother Jehoiakim's place, by your employing of the en .¦':.¦ and TJ u 2 *' intereft 34» • The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI i A. M. Judah taken with him, to be {lain before his face, and then 3394, ire. command his eyes ij to be put out, and himfelf to be bound A<5i Ch&li ln fetters °^ Dl'aiS' to be fent to Babylon, and put in prifon , from for life, to the full accomplifliment of * what the two pro- i Kiiigsviii. phets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, had foretold' concerning him. to the end ^s (ooa as Nebuchadnezzar had advice of the taking of ° a_ ' _"°1 Jerufalem, he fent Nebuzaradan, the captain of his guards, The citv w'1^ or ('"de more than, three months), that this hapBrieus monarch might look upon it as nothing at all. V || Jofephus takes notice, that the feeming contradiction^ in the pro- \ phecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah, concerning the fate of Zedekiah./ made that prince give no heed to what was foretold, Ezekfer's-jws' phecy is delivered in thefe words : I will bring htm to Ba. by Ion, to the land of the Chaldeans, yet fhall he not flee it, though he, diethere, chap. xii. 13. ; and Jeremjah's in thefe : He fhallbeds- liver ed into the hands of the king of Babylon, and fhall fpeak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes fhall behold, his eyes, chap, xxxii. 4. both pf which were literally accomplifhed : for Zedekiah was carried to Ri blah, where he faw the king of Babylon, and fpake to him, and be held his children executed ; but had afterwards his eyes put out, and was then carried to Babylon, where he was incapable of feeing the city, becaufe he had loft his eye-fight ; Jewifh Antiq. lib. 10. c. 1 1. ; Calmet's and Patrick's Commentaries. * The refledtion which Jofephus makes upon this occafion is very good and moral: " This may ferve to convince even the " ignorant," fays he, " of the power and wifdom of God, and of the " conftancy of his counfels, through all die various ways of his o- " perations. It may likewife fhew us, that God's foreknowledge of <' things is certain, and his providence regular in the ordering of " events ; befides that, it holds forth a moft exemplary inftance of "' ihe danger of our giving way to fhe motions of fin and infidelity, (t which deprive us of the means of difcerning God's judgments, <' which are ready to fall up«n us;" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 10. e. 11. For, Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 341 For, having taken all the veffels out of the houfe of the a. m. Lord, and gathered together all the riches that he could 1394, ire. find, either in the king's palace, or in any great mens hou- '^"o chff' fes, he * fet both the temple and city on fire, and over- fI0m threw all the walls, fortreffes, and towers thereunto be- 'Kingsviii. longing, until he had brpught the whple to a perfect de- t0 thLf nd folation : and upon thefe two fad occafions, viz. the ta- _ _ ,' king of the city, and the deftrudtion of the temple, the prophet Jeremiah compofed a mpurnful ppem, which is called liis Lamentations f, and the Jews obferve two an nual fafts, the one in the fourth month, which falls in with our June, and the other in the fifth monthr which anfwers part of our July, even to this day. - Having thus deftroyed the city and temple, Nebuzara- dan made all the people that he found in the place captives. Some pf the chief of thefe1, fuch as Seraiah the high-prieft, , Zephaniah 1 * The temple was burnt, from the time that it was built, four hun dred years, fays Sir John Marfham ; four hundred and twenty-four years three months and eight days, fays Primate U flier; four hun dred and thirty years, fays Abarbinel, and other learned Jews : but Jofephus computes the thing ftill higher ; for he tells us, that the temple was burnt four hundred and feventy years fix months and ten days, from the building of it ; one thoufand and fixty years fix months and ten days, from the Ifraelites coming out of the land of Egypt ; one thoufand nine hundred and fifty years fix months and ten days from the deluge ; and three thoufand five hundred and thirty years fix months and ten days from the creation of the world. Jofephus Hands amazed, that the fecond temple fhould be burnt by the Ro mans in the fame month, and on the very fame day of the month, that this was fet on fire by the Chaldeans, and as fome of the Jewifh doctors fay, when the Levites were tinging the fame pfalm in both deftrudtions, viz. xciv. 23. He fhall bring upon them their own ini quity, and he fhalt cut them off in their own wickednefs ; yea, the ¦ Lord our God fhall cut them off; Patrick's Commentary ; and Jew ifh Antiq. lib. 10. c. ir. f The Hebrews call this book Echa, (how) from the firft word in the text, Haw does the city fit, Sec. .or Kinnoth, which fignifies lamentations, and the Greeks call it 8/>!w», a word of the like import. In the two firft chapters, the author is employed in defcribing the calamities of the fiege of Jerufalem ; in the third, he deplores the perfecutions which himfelf had fuftered ; in the fourth, he bemoans the fate of the city and temple, and Zedekiah's fad misfortune ; and, in the . 342 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A- M- Zephaniah f the fecond prieft, and about feventy others, A3n9t4'ciirif he carried to Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar f caufed them, 610, ire. all to be put to death. The poorer and labouring part of the from people, fuch as could till the ground, and drefs the vine- toKtheSeVd'y,ai'ds' lie left b,ehind him- and made 'Gedaliah f their go of i Cliron. vernor ; but as for all the reft, he carried them directly a- *way to Babylon; pnly Jeremiah (of whom Nebuchad nezzar had given him charge to take particular care) he not only took out of prifon when he firft came to Jerufalem, but as the reft were upon their departure, gave him his op- the fifth, he addreffes his prayer to God in behalf of his brethren the Jews, under their difpt-rfion ind captivity The whole is wrote in a very lively, tender, and pathetic flyle, and all the chapters, ex cept the laft, (which feems to have btcn of later compofmon than the reft), are in acroftic verfe, i. e. every line or couplet be gins in an alphabetical order, with fome letter in the Hebrew alpha bet. In the third chapter, each letter is fucceffively thrice repeated ; but in the fecond, third, and fourth chapters, there is this thing pe- cnliar, viz. that the letter Pe is fet before Am; whereas, in the firft chapter, as well as in all the acroftic Pfalms, Am is continually firft; but the reafon of this is hard to tell : for what fome advance, viz. that as the letter Ain fignifies feventy, the tranfpofnion feems to denote the confufion which the prophet wa.s.in, when he confider ed that this captivity was to hd feventy years ; this has too great an air of a fiction in it ; Bedford's Scripture chronology, lib 6. c. 3 ,- and Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Lamentations ¦f- The Jews call their fecond prieft their Sagan, whofe bufinefs it was to fupply the function of the high-prieft, in cafe he was fick, or any other incapacity attended him. We find no fuch particular inftitutioii under the law; but Ekazar, the fon of Aaron, who is ftyled ihe chief over the chief of the Levites, and who had ihe over-. fight of them who kept the charge of the janttuary. Numb. iii. 32. and whofe authority was not much inferior to that of the high-prieft, may (not improperly) be deemed one of that order ; Calmet's Com- ' mentary. -J- Becaufe, very probably, he looked upon them as the king's principal counfellors, who advifed him to rebel againft him; Pa trick's Commentary . f Gedaliah, wc underftand, was the fon of Ahikam, Jeremiah's great friend ; and it is not unlikely, that, by the prophet's advice, who exhorted all,'both king and people, to furrender themfelves to the Aflyrians, Jer. xxxviii. 5. 1 7. he made his efcape from the city, and went over to the king of Babylon, and for this reafon was pro moted to the government of judea; Calmet's and Patrick's Common. (arics. tion, Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, &c. 343 tion, whether he would go with him to Babylon, where he A. M. fliould be maintained very plentifully at the king's charge, ^^'rtf'r or elfe remain in the country ; and when the prophet had flIOi &.'cf chofe the latter, he difmiffed him honourably, with an from handfome prefent, and with letters of recommendation to lKmgsvii|- the governor Gedaliah, wherein he gave him a ftridt charge 0f j chron. to take particular care of him. The Objection. " 13 UT how careful foever the Babylonians might be of " j) the prophet Jeremiah, becaufe they might fuppofe " that his predidtipns had done them fervice ; yet certainly " they would have entertained no great opinipn, either pf " him pr them, had they been informed, in what a wild " and frantic manner, both he, and. fome other prophets, " were accuftomed to deliver them. For, (m) what can we " faydcfs, of his making (n) bonds and yokes to put upon " his own neck, and to fend to feveral kings, neighbour- " ing upon Judea, by the hands of their ambafladors then " reftding in Jerufalem, to put them in mind of their fu^ " ture captivity to the king of Babylon ? A nptable pre- " fent for any great minifter tp make tp his prince, uppn " his return frpm abroad ! (0) What can we fay lefs, of (p) " his taking a journey, at two feveral times, from Jerufa- " lem to the river Euphrates, of about five hundred and " fifty miles, merely to hide his girdle in the hole of the " rock, that, when he fetched it again, he might find it all " mouldered and tattered, and upon that prefumption, " have it to fay to his countrymen, that (q) God would in " like manner, mar the pride : of \ Judah, and the great pride '' °f Jerufalem ? " (r) What can we fay kfs of his brother Ezekiel's draw- " irig figures Upon a flate, (the common amufement of " fools and children), and (s) pourtraying Jerufalem, with " a fort, * and mount, and camp, and battering-rams, and " an iron-pot, to, reprefent its walls ; and all this, for a " fign tp the pepple, that their city, in like manner, " fhpuld be befieged ? What lefs, of (t) his fhaving his " head and beard, (which was contrary to the law), his , (m) Chriftianity as old as the creation, p. 2 jo. (n) Jer. xxvii. 2. %. (oj Chriftianity, ibid p. 2S5. (/) Jer. xiii. 1. (q) Ibid. ver. 0 (r) Chriftianity, ibid. p. 255. (s) Ezek. iv. 1. (t) Ibid. v. 1. " dividing 344 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. AM," dividing and burning his hair, and his (u) baking his AntChrift " bread with human dung, to prefigure the fore famine, «io, &c. " that would fall upon them in the fiege ? (x) What lefs, from ... " °f his digging through the wall pf his hpufe.tp bear off toK'thSSV1Id " n's Soods at noon day, packing them up, 'and carrying a Chron. " them uppn his fhpulders, from place to place, to denote the fuddennefs of their flight ifrOm the vanquiflied city ? What lefs, of his lying three hundred and ninety days " on his left, and forty days on his right fide, without be- " ing once allowed to turn himfelf, to fignify the continua- " tion of Ifrael's and Judah's captivity ? " Thefe are actions, one would think, unbecoming the " wifdom of God to enjoin, or the gravity of his prophets " to perform ; and yet (y) there is fomefhing more abfurd " and indecent in requiring Hofea (z) to marry a known " whore, that he might (with a better grace) upbraid the " people with their apoftacy ; and (a) Ifaiah to go three ,( years together naked, to exemplify the captivity of the " Egyptians, when fhe Aflyrians fhpuld lead them away " prifoners, ypung and pld, naked and barefopt, even with " thek buttpcks uncpvered, tp the Ihame pf Egypt, as the " prpphet expreffes it. But allpwing that prpphets were " perfons extraprdinary, and that great allpwances fliould " be giyen to their actions, yet what fhall we fay, to thehi- " ftory of Judith ? ' " (b) It fpeaks of Nabuchodonofor as king of Aflyria; " whereas all hiftory makes mention of none under that " name, but only of the king of Babylon. It fpeaks of " Arphaxad as the firft builder of Ecbatana ; whereas He- " rodotus exprefsly tells us, that Dejoces was the founder " pf that fair city. It -makes Arphaxad tp be vanquilhed " and flain by Nabuchpdpnpfor ; whereas the fame hiffo- " rian affures us, that, after a lpngand prpfperpus reign, he " died in peace. It fpeaks pf Jpakim as high-prieft at this " time; and yet it is certain, that there was np perfon of " that prder fo named before the captivity. It places the " chief management pf public affairs .in his hands ; arid " yet it is evident, that, whether we fupppfe that this hap- *' pened in Manaffeh's, pr in Zedekiah's reign, the whole " adminiftration was in the power of the king. It repre- " fents Hplpfernes, as behaving rather like a Perfian, than (u) Ibid. iv. 12. (x) Ibid. xii. 3. ire. (y) Chriftianity as old as the creation, p. 256. (z) chap. i. 2. (a) chap, xx. 3. 4. {b) Calmet's Pieface fur le livre de Judith. Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 345 " a Chaldean ; and yet the name pf the Perfians was hard- A. M. " ly known in the days of Nabuchodonpfor. It gives him 3394, &' '' the honour of conquering more provinces in the fpace 'inot' i. " of three months, than another general would have ftom " marched through in that time; and yet it leaves upon ' Kings viii. " him the difgrace of having the career of his conquefts t0. thCnend " ftopped by the little towh of Bethulia. . " How the Bethulians durft adventure to oppofe fo fucceff- " ful a conqueror, or how one fingle woman could take it " in her head, to refcue her country from fo formidable an " enemy, it is hard tp cpnceive ; but certainly the authpr pf " the hiftory dpes npt his herpine juftice, tp make her adt " and talk in a manner npt fo well cpmpprting with all the " fenfe of virtue and religion (c) which fhe pretends to have. " For, to fay nothing of the bafe and perfidious murder " which fhe commits ; when he puts in her mouth fo ma- " ny lies and prevarications ; when he reprefents her as a " woman void of modefty, who endeavoured to enfoare " Holofernes in a finful paffion, and anfwered to the decla- " rations of that paffion with too little modefty and re- " ferve ; when, (d) in her prayer to God, he introduces " heir as commending Simeon's cruel perfidy tp the Sechemi " ites, (e) (though the patriarch Jacob held it in detefta- " tion), as requefting, that the (f) deceit of her lips might " be fuccefsful to the accomplishment of her bloody defign ; " as declaring, that her defign, in deferring the city (g) " was purely to deliver it up to' the general, without fo " much as the lofs of one man ; and as replying to the fug- " ge'ftions of the eunuch, in favour of his mafter's luft, (h) " Who am I, that I fhould gainflay my lord? flurely whatfoever ' *' pleafeth him, will I do flpeedily : When we find him pro- '\ ceeding at this ftrange and incongruous rate, I fay, we " cannot but agree with the learned Grotius, that the whole " is a parabolical fidtion, written in the time of Antiochus " Epiphanes, when he came into Judea tp raife a perfecution " againft the Jewifh church ; and that the defign of it was, " , under that perfecution, to confirm them in their hopes " of fome fpeedy and wonderful deliverance ; that, accpr- " dingly, by Judith, is meant Judea, which is called a wi-, " dow, becaufe fhe was deftitute pf relief ; by Bethulia, the " temple of God; by Nabuchodonofor, the devil; by Holofer- (e) Judith xi. 17. (d) Ibid. ix. 2. (e) Gen. xxxiv. (ff) Judith ix 10. (g) Chap. x. 13. (/;) Chap, xii, 14. VOL. IV, X X « ties, . 346" The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. " nes, the inftrument pf the devil in that perfecution, viz, 3*94, ire. " Antibchus Epiphanes ; and by Judith's word, the prayers To &cf " of tke faims which prevailed with God for their delivef| ftom ance. x Kingsviii. We who have not received the book of Judith in our ca< to the end non 0f Scripture, are not under the like neceffity of vindi- of i Chron. ..'. . >r . , , . , , , __ eating its divine infpiration and authority, as are they who, Anfwered, (*') Dy a public act of council, have thought proper to admit by fhowingit; but ftill we fee rro reafon why we fhould recede from the the truth, opinion of the ancients, merely becaufe fome modern com- divine a"0' mentat0rs (who, by the fame freak pf fancy, might have, thnritv, of tarned the plaineft narrative in Scripture intp an allegpryl the s06k of have adventured tp call it a- parable. Myfteries, indeed^ Judith. may ^g macie Qc any tningt anclj in a pregnant brain, fit allufipns will never be wanting, when once a fullfcope is gi ven to the imagination, and a writer is permitted to invent what he pleafes: but it would be madnefs to give up ths truth of hiftorical facts, merely becaufe the man has inge nuity enough to apply them to a foreign purpofe, efpecialbj whim upon examination, we find, that there are fufncien| proofs and teftimonies of their reality, and no iniuparablej objections to the contrary. j Let us fuppofe then, that the events contained in this hiftory happened before the Babylonifh captivity, and in:i thi" reign of Manaffeh king of Judah ; that Nabuchodonofor in Judith was the fame with Saofduchinus in Ptolemy, who, reigned over the Aflyrians and Chaldeans, having fubdueq El 1 1 haddon king pf Affyria ; that Arphaxad is the fame with Phraortes, mentioned in Herodotus, and that theft t'wn kings waged war with each other ; that Saofduchinus hiving overcome Arphaxad, refolved to reduce all the na tions fpoken pf in Judith, ( under his dominion, and, to that purpofe, fent Holofernes at the head pf his forces, to fubdue rhofe countries that would not fobmit ; that, at this time, Manaffeh, who had been a little before delivered frprri the captivity in which he had been carried tp Baby- fon, dwelt at Jerufalem, cpneerning himfelf but little with the gpvernment, and leaving the care pf public affairs tot J;akim the high-prieft; that the inhabitants pf Bethulk reiolved by Gpd's affiftance, tp preferve their religipn and liberties, and, accordingly, fhut their gates againft Holo fernes ; and that Judith, a woman of great courage and conduct, feeing the extremity to which the city was re- (ti!) £encil. Trid. feff. 4. dued; Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 347 duced, undertook to deftroy Holofernes, and, in her at- A. M. tempt, fucceeded. Suppofing all this, I fay, (and this is 3,,94%*-r the fubftance of the whple), where dp we find any thing 6lo[ ^.cf contrary to the rules either of hiftory or chrpnplpgy ? from The war, we fupppfe, commenced between Nabuchodo- ' Kl"8sv"u nofor and Arphaxad, in the year of the world 3347 ; the JJ 4 chrpn. expedition and death of Holofernes were both in the next year 3348 ; Manaffeh was taken and carried to Baby- Jon 3349; he returned fome years after, and died 3361 : So that here we find a proper fpace for the things related in this hiftory to be tranfadted ; and that they were really thus tranfadted, we have the concurring teftimony both of the. Jewifh and Chriftian church, who, though they deny the 00k a place in the, number of their facred and divine wri tings, yet did always efteem it as one of their apocryphal pieces, and a true and incontefted hiftory, well contrived for the edification of the vulgar, though not pf authprity e* nough tp determine any cpntrpverfy in matters of religiortv (k) Jofephus indeed makes no mention either of the book Of Judith, or of her famous exploit in killing Holofernes ; but his filence is no argument againft what we aflert, be caufe he no where profefles to take notice of every thing that occurred in the Jewifli republic; on the contrary, (/) he openly declares, that his purpofe was to relate only fuch things as were recorded in books wbich were originally writ ten in Hebrew, and declared canonical, which that of Ju- • dith never was. f It is fome confirmation of its genuinenefe, however, that, in writings which are of undoubted authority, we meet with fome citations out of it ; and therefore when we find St Luke, in Elifabeth's falutation of the Virgin Mary, ufing the words,- (m) Bleffed art thou among wo men, which are manifeftly taken from the compliment which Ozias makes Judith, (n) Bleffed art thou of the Moft High God, above all the women upon earth; and St Paul, in his exhortation to the Corinthians, ufing thefe, ¦ — (0) Neither murmur ye, as fome of them alfo mur mured, and were deftroyed of the deftroyer, which he cer tainly borrows from the tenth chapter of Judith,' according to the Greek interpretation ; we cannot forbear concluding, f: (k) Hnetius's Demonft. propof 4. (7) Jewifli Antiq. lib. 10. c. 1 r. i (w) Luke i. 42. (») Judith xiii. 18. (oj 1 Cor. x. 10. X x 2 that, 348 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VL A. M. that, in the apoftolic age, this book was looked upon as a A^94'ri 'r P'ece °f true anc^ uncontrovtrted hiftory. eio Vc. Difficulties, indeed, there will occur in relation to names, from dates, and other particulars, almoft in all hiftories, and i Kingsviii. efpecially in the Oriental (p), when we fhall find, not on- of z Chron. ty m writers of different charadters, the Greek and He- c — n^— brew, the facred and profane, but even in writers of the Why the fame nation, the fame perfon under different appellations, king of Though, therefore, ki ftridtnefs of fpeech, it may be ac- m.j;h-. be counted an error in hiftory to call the king of Nineveh by calted Ma- the name of Nabuchodonofor ; yet, as it was the ftyle and buchodono- mannei- of the Jews to denote any prince who lived be- ^°r' yond the Euphrates by that name, we need not wonder, that we find an author, who lived in an age when the fame and reputation of Nabuchodonofor the Great had quite ^ eclipfed the name of all his predeceffors, calling another prince, who lived at a far diftance, i. e. Saofduchinus the king of Affyria, by the name of the king of Babylon, which perhaps, at that time, might be the ftanding name of every great and diftant monarch. ¦Why Ar- Nor is there any great trefpafs againft the truth of hi- phawdmay ftory (q) in this authpr's afferting, that Arphaxad built the h^'built wails> t^ie towers, and the gates of Ecbatana; fince by Nineveh, Arphaxad he does not mean the Dejoces in Herodotus, but . his fori Phraortes, who fucceeded him in the kingdom 'of Media : For, that he muft mean fo, is plain, becaufe he . gives us to underftand, that this Arphaxad was defeated, and (r) and himfelf flain by the Affyrian archers, • which even Herodptus (s) himfelf makes tp be the fate, npt of Dejpces the father, but pf his fon Phraprtes, whp, ha ving fubdued the Perfians, (as he tells us), and made himfelf mafter of almoft all Afia, was npt cpntent there with, but cpming at laft tp attack Nineveh and the Affy rian empire, was pvercpme, and killed in the bpld attempt. His father indeed might lay the foundatipn pf Ecbatana, and, during his lifetime, carry pn the building ; but a wprk pf this kind is not fo foon effected, but that he might leave the completion of it to his fon, whp, being a prince pf a warlike fpirit, and having many forces under his com mand, is therefore, in the bppk pf Judith, npt improper ly faid tp have made the gates pf this rpyal city (tj in (f) Calmet's Preface fur le livrc de Judith. (f) Judith i. 2- ire. (r) Ibid. ver. 15. (s) Lib. I. c. 97. (') Ju dith i 4. height Chap.V. from the building of the' Temple, (3c. 349 'height feventy cubits, and in breadth forty cubits, for the going A- M. forth of his mighty armies, and for the fitting in array of his {"*'r^ footmen. 6lo', 6-c.' Whoever looks into the order and fucceffion of the Jew- from ifh high-priefts, as we have them delivered to us in the firft ' IH°ssvii'* book of Chronicles (u), in the books of Ezra (x), Nehe- 0° , chron. miah (y), and in the hiftory of Jofephus (z), will find — ./— J them fo intricate and perplexed, fo many omiffions and The frccef- miflocations, fuch a diverfity of names and numbers, and h°nh°frt*^, fuch feeming contrariety in the feveral accounts, as will coft is fo imp«- him no fmall pains to reduce them to any tolerable regula- feeuy re- rity. The reafon is, becaufe the Scripture no where pro- «>r iever the folly and impiety was in defiring to pafs for a god, yet the king of.Ninevi-h was not the only prince that we find infected with it. The flatterers of Nebuchadnezzar the Great propofed to him to make a decree, that, under pain of being eaft into the den of lions, no one mould dare to afk a petition of any god or man, but of him only, for the fpace of thirty days, Dan. vi 7. When Alex ander the Great took it in his head to exact the fame divine honours of his people, that they had formerly paid to the kings of Perfia his predtxcfTors, he found people about him bafe and proftitute enough to commend the defign, and to maintain, that thus to advance kings abovi; 35* The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BodkVI. A. M. fore the Bethulians, who could not, without impiety, and Ant*'cnr'i a renunciation pf their religion, fobmit tp the dpminkm «io, ire. of fuch a king, had reafon to promife themfelves the aflift- from ance of God, in the profecution of this war : And Judith, i Kings viu wn0 founci herfelf under a divine and irrefiftible impulfe to of» Chron. g° upon fo adventurous an exploit, had good reafon to V— v"—- * hope for fuccefs againft a prince, who had declared himfelf an enemy to the God of heaven, and an ufurper of that honour and adoration which belonged tp him alpne. 'Why fhe («') If thy brother, the fon ofl thy mother , or thy fon, or thy might juftly daughter, or the wife of thy bofiom, or thy friend which is as *y "' thine own foul, entice thee fiecretly, faying, Let us ferve other gods, which' thou haft not known, thou, nor thy fathers Thou fhalt not confent unto him, nor hearken unto him, neither fhall thine eye pity him, neither fhalt thou- flpare, neither. fhalt thou conceal him, but thou fhalt flurely kill him-: And, in purfuance pf this law, much mpre might Judith, pr any other inhabitant of Bethulia, whom God had infpired with the like courage and magnanimity, endeavpur tp cpunter- plpt the defigns pf any perfon, whp, in an hpftile man ner, fhpuld come, not only to invade their civil rights and liberties, but to extirpate their religion ; and, inftead of enticing, to compel them, by force of arms, to receive a form of idolatry which neither they nor their fathers knew. • tho" her Many things may be alledged againft Judith's method conduct in 0f proceeding in this affair, but they are moft pf them re- not to be ducible tp the common ftratagems of war, which not entirely ju- only the law of arms, but the commands of God in fonie SUfied. above the rank of morral men, was not only a pious, but a prudent and advantageous thing; for f» the hiftorian exprefTes it: Perfias non tantitm pie, fed etiam»prndenter,_reges fuos inter deos colere ; ma- je ft at em enim imperii fialutis effe tut elam. Quint. Curt. lib. 8. Thc Egyptians had their princes in the like veneration, and looked upon them as highly raifed above the condition of other men : But the Grecians, it muft be owned, had all thisbafenefs and nbjedt flattery in a jutt detcftition, infomuch that ihe Athenians put Timagoras to death,' for having proftrated himfelf before the king of the Perfians; and Sperchius and Bulis, two Lacedemonians, ihough then in a ftate of captivity, could not he brought to pay that adoration to Artaxer xes, which he required of every one that approached him ; PluU in Art ax. (i) Deut. xiii. 6. ire, cafes, Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 353 cafes, and the examples pf feveral pf the beft men in facred A. M. hiftory, have declared to be allowable. Whltt cpmes npt 3194, irt. under this denomination, we fhall not pretend to vindi- £™' *^"*' eate ; (k) for the notion of mental refervations and ironical from fpeeches, which are not allowed in common converfiition, « Kingsviii. are but the poor fubterfuges which commentators have ufed tof lll= eud to apologize for the cpndudt that they can by np means iu- 1 ', fiifyi _.' *^ The hiftory, indeed, reprefents this Judith as a woman of great courage ; bur it no where intimates, that flie was without fiults. Tne manner of her preparation for the undertaking, and the fuccefs wherewith it was attended, may make us prefume, that its defign was originally from God ; but then the continued train of falfehood and difli- mulation wherewith it was carried on, muft needs perfuade us> that the means of conducting it was left to the woman, who, pn this pecafion, has given us a very remarkable fpe- cimen pf the cunning and fagacity, the guile and artifice, of her feXi One thing however may be faid, and that without any Her anfwer forced explicatipn, in favour of her condudt : That to the .eu- her anfwer to the eunuch's foggeftion file might defign for fnme JjJei_ no mpre than a 'common compliment, which the fituation fure jufti- Of her affairs, at that time, Obliged her to make. (/) She fiea- might perceive, very likely, the bad defign which the AlTy- rian general had upon her ; but fhe did not think herfelf "concerned tp difepver that fhe perceived it. She pretended in feme meafure to be ignorant of it ; and to pretend an ig norance in what is propofed, when the thing is naughty, and will not bear examination, is a point of modefty as well as prudence ; as, where it will admit of a double conftruc- tion, there to take it in the betterfenfe, is even reputed an act nf candour and gpod breeding. Let not this flair damfel fear (fays the pld pander) to come to my Lord, and to be ho noured in his prefence, and drink wine, and be merry with us, and be made this day as one of the daughters of the Afly rians, who ferve in the houfe of Nabuchodonofor. How the daughters of Affyria, who ferved in this capacity, were ufed, Judith very probably had been informed ; but, fince the eunuch feemed to put it on the foot of a great favour "and dignatiOn done her, fhe could nut do lefs than return (k) Calmet's Commentary on Judith x. 13. (/) Calmet's Preface fur le livre de Judith. Vol. IV. Y y him 354 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVl A.M. him a cpmpliment : But, then we all knpw, (m) that the ?1M'fr' offers of fervice, which, upon every pccaffon, we are fo apt do ire', to make tp pne another, and thofe expreffions of fubmif- from . fion and refpect which fo cpmmcnly pafs among us, are i Kingsviii. not to be taken in a literal fenfe, becaufe they always imply of i Chron! a tac't condition : And therefore the anfwer which the hi- \ -„-¦_ ftorian puts in Judith's mouth, Surely whatever pleafeth him, I willdofpeedily, will fairly admit of this conftrudtipn, " Whatever Holofernes fhall defire of me, fofar as it is " confiftent with my duty, my honour, and my religion, " I will npt fail to dp." Why fome Thus we have endeavpured tp fatisfy mpft pf the pppular things m objections, and to reconcile moft of the feeming inconfift- cannot be encies, that pccur in the hiftpry pf Judith ; and if there accounted ftill remain any that cannpt fufficiently be cleared up, they for. pught in juftice tp be imputed to our ignprance and want , of better information. Had we the ancient books of the chronicles pf the kings pf Ifrael and Judah, (tp which we are fo pften referred in Scripture), pr had we the hiffories of the Aflyrians, Chaldeans, Medes, Perfians, and Egyp tians, (with whom the Jewifli nation had fo lpng an inter- cpurfe), perfect and entire, it is not to be doubted, but that many of the difficulties which at prefent feem unfurmount- able, would then eafi'.y fubfide and fink into nothing. The plain truth is, " There was fearce ever an hiftory written, " (according to our learned Prideaux's (n) obfervation), x< but what in the very next age will feem tp have inconfift- " encies enpugh in it as tp time," place, and pther circum- " fiances, when the memory of men concerning them be- " gins to fail ; and therefore we may be much mpre apt to " blunder, when we take our view at the diftance pf above " two thoufand years, and have no other light to direct us " to our object, but fuch glimmerings from broken feraps " of hiftory, as are in effect next to nothing." The pro- The like is to be faid of the feveral feeming abfurdities phets way that may be obferved in the writing and behaviour of the thought118 Prophets : — That were we fufficiently acquainted proper in with the ftyle and manner of writing that was in ufe in their days. ( thofe days, and efpecially in, the Eaftern countries, we fliould think it no itrange thing to find them expr effing themfelves by types and figures, parabolical reprefenta- (m) Calmet's Preface fur le Iivre de Judith. («) Cort- aedtiou, anno 6;;. tion*, Oiap. V. from the building of the Temple, &c. 355 tipns, and emblematical adtipns. Fpr, lipwever it cpmes A. M. abput, fp it is, that mankind have all alpng been marvel- 3 3P4, ire. loufly taken with ftpry and picture. (0) Thefe excite the ^lo^trcf curipfity pf pur nature : They tempt us to learn, help us from to remember, and cpnvey inftrudtion to the mind, in a»K'nfiST''i- mpre pleafing and effectual manner than plain dpcuments *°c Z . • « , 1 • / , r . of x Chron. can :. And hence it came tp pafs, that a great part pf the _ - --„j learning pf the wife men pf the Eaft cpnfifted in (p) pro phecies, in flubtle and dark parables, and in the fecrets of grave fentences, as the authpr pf the bpok of Ecclefiafti- cus has branched it out ; for (q) to underftand a proverb, and the interpretation ; the words of the wife, and their dark fayings, was the very beft defcription that Solompn himfelf cpuld give pf wifdom. (r) Among the ancients, indeed, mythology was in the higheft efteem. The Egyptians, who were in great reputation for learning, delivered their no tions in hieroglyphjcs ; and frpm them the Grecians tppk the mpde pf cpuching their* meaning in fable; Htfiod (s), Who contends with Homer for antiquity, is fuppofed by Quintilian tp be the author of the fables which go under the name of .SSfop ; but however this be, the very fuppo fition of his being fo, makes it probable, that }ie did write fables, as, perhaps, moft men of learning and note in thofe days accuftomed themfelves to this form of writing. (if) But, befides this parabolical way of writing which was in great vpgue ampng the ancients, and tp which the Jews, by a kind pf natural genius, were wpnderfully in clined, the pepple pf the Eaft had a way pf exprefiing themfelves by adtinns as well as wprds, and, to inforce the matter they were upon, would frequently make ufe of outward and vifible figns and reprefentatipns. (n) This, our learned Mr Mede fliews, was the practice pf the Indians, Perfians, and Egyptians ; and, even among the. Romans, (whp were a pepple that ufed great mpdefty pf ftyle, and mpre gravity in their adtipns, than many other nations)", it was a cuftomary thing in their orations and pleadings, to ufe all arts to raife the paflions, by actions and reprefentations as well as wprds ; infomuch, (x) that ¦ (0) Reeve's Sermons. x (p) Ecclus. xxxix. 1. fre. (q) Prov. i. 6. (r) Jenkins's Reafonablencfs of Chriftiani ty, vol. 2. c. 6. (s) Qmntil. Inft.it. lib. 5. c. 11. (/) Lightfoot's Heb.. and Talmud, exercit. in Matth. xiii. :,. (u) Cbmnieht. in Apocal. pan. 1. p. 470. (xj Cic. pro P. Sextio. ly 2 they 356 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A, m. they wpuld frequently hang up the picture pf the thing 3394, &i they were to fpeak to.. Cicero tells us of himfelf, that he Ant ci"i!. f0lT,etimes took up a child, and held it in his arms to move 6'°'Tam compaffion ; and to excite horror and indignation, bothing i Kings viii. was more common, than for the accufei s tp pi pduce, in to the endqpgn cpurt, a blpody fword, or the garments of the f^t^l!."" wounded : to fliew the bones that had been taken out pf the wound, or the fears that it had left behind it : Hhtarum rerum ingens plerumque vis eft, (fays (y) Quintilianj, veluti in rem prafentem animos hominum duceritium ; fpr it can hmd- ly otherwife happen, but that by this means tbey fhould fix the attention of 'their hearers, when, at one and the fame time, they fpeak to their eyes and ears both. The differ- From thefe few remarks, it appears in general, that the ent ways of figurative expreffions of the prophets, their actions, and 'tmer|hre~ types, and parables, were not incongruous to the cuftoms of the times and places where they lived, and yet very pro per means to give a lively and . affecting reprefentation pf the meffage they had tp deliver : And fo pioceed we tq the paflages which feem tp glvedifguft. Tp take feveral of thefe in their literal fenfe, wpuld be an effectual way tp difparage tbe divine precept, uhich, according to this acceptation, would put the prophet upon acting in a manner quite inconfiftent with common pru-; denpe : And therefore interpreters are generally agreed, that the things pf this kind, which will npt come under a literal cpnftrudtion, were either tranfadted in vifion, i. e, the prpphet in a dream, pr fome other deliquium, imagined that he did fuch and fuch things, and then related them to the people; or .that they were parables, which Gnd dicta ted to the prophet, and the prophet recited to the pepple : Only it muft be pbferved, (z) that the literal interpretation pf a text always claims the preference, if there be npt feme weighty reafon againft it, pr fome intimatipn in the text it-: felf, that the wprds are figurative and enigmatical. Jeremiah's The prophet Jeremiah (a) is ordered by God, to take tarrying ' the'- wine-cup of his fury at his hand, and tp carry it up fending*"' and down, far and near Jerufalem, and the cities of Judah, yokes, and and v the kings and princes thereof ; to Pharaoh king of carrying his Egypt, and his fervants, princes, and people ; to all the platned?*" Arabians, and kings of the land of Uz ; to the kings. of the land of the Philiftines, Edom, Moab, and Ammor. ; (y) Inflit. lib. y. c. i. (s) Scripture vindicated, part .3. p. 72. (a) Chap. xxv. 15. ire. to Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 357 to the kings of Tyre and Zidon, and of the ifiles beyond the flea. A- M. Dedan, Tema, and Buz; to the kings of Zimri, of the Medes > \n *'chiiJ; and Perfians, and all the kings oj the north. ISIow, fince it gio, ire. it was morally imppftible for the prophet to vifit all thefe .from... kings and nations in perfon, and the nature of the thing 'o ^P™^' would not admit of any real performance, it could be nopf x chron. Dtherwife done than in vifion. The cup of God's wrath, ~» 'y—^ is a common figure in Scripture, to denote the feverity of his judgments; and therefore, when the prophet fays, that he took the ciij. at the Lord's hand, and made all the nations drink thereof, he can mean no more, than that he prophe fied a^.iinft thefe feveral nations, and, by virtue of the fpi rit of foreknowledge which God had imparted to him, pro nounced their doom. (b) In like manner, his fending yokes and bonds to feve ral kings, whole ambafiadprs were then at Jerufalem, can hardly be underftnpd in a fenfe altpgether literal ; becaufe it is not probable, either, that the ambaffadors would take the yokes at his hands, pr carry them tp their refpedtive mafters ; but then, as yokes and bonds are common figures in Scripture, to denote captivity, and the miferies that do attend it, his fending the yokes and bonds may fignify no more, * than his declaring from God the fate of thefe princes, when the king of Babylon was let loofe upon them. Only "it muft be obferved, that the prophet might really make fome of thefe yokes and bpnds (as the Scripture fays exprefsly, that he put pne uppn himfelf) to enliven the idea, and make the imprefflon of what he was to fay more ftrpng and emphatical. Fpr thefe ornamental figures, and affect- < ing images interfperfed with it, added new force and dignity to the prophet's meffage, made it more awful and folemn in the delivery, and gave it the advantage of a deeper and more durable imprefliou. In like manner again, the whple affair pf this prpphet's girdle, his carrying it tp the Euphrates, hiding it in a rpek, and, at fuch a determinate time, going for it again, and' (b) Scripture vindicated, part 3. p. 88. * Poteft enim phrafeologia effe allegorica, Jeremiae haud infueta, ita ut dimiflio jugi et lorarnm per legatos fit regibus, per ipforum le- giitos, fignificare fervitutem hoc ipfo ligno'ipfius portendi ; cum pra- fertim vix oredibile fit harum gentium legatos (qui et ipfi hariolorum blautlities irritati erant, v. 9.) vel -volniffe, vel aufos fuifTe, juga a Jetemia oblaea dominis fuis perfefre; Hetiric. Michael Bib. Heb. in nofis ad locum. finding 3 58 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. 'A. M. finding it quite rptten and fppiled, can hardly be taken in a 3394, he. literal fenfe ; becaufe the vaft f diftance pf the place, and ^lo^&c' trivialnefs pf the errand, as well as the imppflibility pf get- from ting out pf Jerufalem, if it was then invefted by the Baby- i Kings viii. lonians, make ftrpngly againft it; and therefpre we may tftbchnd mPP°fe> tnat al* fhis was tranfadted in the prpphet's imagi- ^ _ _ natipn pnly ; that, in the night-time, God fent upon him a vifion, wherein all this feries of things feemed to be per formed by him, to imprint it the deeper uppn his under ftanding, viz. that the kingdpm pf Judah, which was pnce as nearly united tp Gpd as the girdle is tp a man's lpins, fhould be utterly ruined and deftrpyed ; and thpugh the ri ver Euphrates be at a wide diftance frpm the prpphet's place of abode, . yet, in the. vifion, (which is never confined to places), it might be more aptly made choice of than any o- ther, thereby to denote tp the Jews, that pver that river they were tp be carried captive tp the city pf Babyfon. Several The fbprt of the matter is, Several things which the commands prophets fet down as matters pf fact, might npt be actually never in- done, but only reprefented as done, to make the more •ended to lively impreflion upon their readers and hearers. Nay, there be done. £re feverai commands which God gives Ezekiel in particu lar,' fuch as, his lying for 390 days on one fide, (which was next to a thing impoffible), his baking his bread with man's dung, (which was a thing unfeemly), and his fhaving his head and beard, (which, as he was a prieft, (c) was a thing exprefsly forbidden him), that the prophet is never once faid to have performed, npr were they indeed given him with an intent that he fhnuld perform them, but pnly relate them tp the pepple, and fo make them figns untp the hpufe pf Ifrael, i. e. either refemblances pf things paft, pr prpgnofti- catipns pf things tp come. St Peter, we may obferve, (d) was commanded, in his vifion, to do what he never did ; Rife, Peter, kill and eat : f The learned Bochart has invented a new folution of this diffi culty. He fuppofes, that as it is a common thing for the initial letter to be dropped, in the names of places and perfons, the Hebrew word Phrath may be fuppofed to ftand for Ephrath or Ephratah, which is Bethlehem, about five or fix miles diftant from Jerufalem ; by which means the prophet's journey is greatly fhortened, and the pains of go ing thither once again is not much. But whether this folution (as in genious as it is) will bear the teff, is left to the examination iff the critics ; Calmet's Commentary^ and Scripture vindicated, in locum. '.(c) Levit. xxi. j. (d) Acts x. 13. 14. Nay, Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 359 Nay, by his reply, it appears, that himfelf did not think, A- M- that he was any wife bound to pbey the command ; Not fo, ^I'ctalf. Lord ; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or un- do, ire. clean. And yet the ufe which he made of this vifion was, ;rom ... tp report it to the church as a fign or emblematical indica- , lu5'^' tion of God's having accepted the Gentiles into the go- 0f t chroo. foel-terms of falvation. And, in like manner, when Eze- — -y— < kiel, in his vifion, received the command of fhaving his head and his face, his anfwer might have been in St Peter's ftrain, Not fo, Lord; for, by the law, I am forbidden to make baldnefs upon my head, or to Jhave off the corner of my beard; and yet he might relate this vifion tp the pepple, the better tp inforce the threats which God had authprifed him to denounce againft Jerufalem : (e) Therefore thus faith the Lord God, Behold I, even I am againft; thee, and will execute judgments in the midft of thee, in the fight of the na tions; and I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, becaufe of all thy abominations. In a word, the prophets; in their vifions, might receive And why feveral commands concerning things illegal or indecent ; (f) improper. but then they confidered thefe not as formal commands, but as types, emblems, and predictions, delivered tp them in a perceptive form, in order to imprint the things intend ed the deeper upon their minds, and tp make the reprefenta- tipn therepf tp the pepple with whpm they had tp do mpre lively and affecting; npr fhpuld it feem ftrange, that the di vine wifdpm, in this cafe, makes chpice pf things improper, and fometimes impracticable, fince his purppfe in fo dping is tp make the prpphet perceive at pnce, that it was all fym- bolical, and npt defigned tp direct him hpw and what tp act, but how and what tp apprehend, forefee, and foretel of things tp cpme. Whether the cpmmand given to Hofea to marry a wo- Hofea's man that either had been or would prove a proftitute, is to marryingan have a literal or figurative conftrudtion, commentators adult"efs», and critics, both ancient and modern, are not a little divi- ken either" ded : but fince in the figurative there is no violence pffered figuratively to Scripture, and in the literal there is npthing immpral pr or llteralry- abfurd, it matters' npt much in which fenfe we take it. In Scripture, it is a common thing to reprefent the defection (e) Ezek. v. 8. 9. (fl) Scripture vindicated, part 3. p. 94. of 3&> The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VL A. M. of a people from the fervice of God, (g) by the metaphors 3394, ire of adultery and fornication ; and therefore, to introduce A«i Ciir^ t'le prophet as marrying a woman that proved an adulter- from efs, as having feveral children by that marriage, and as call- i Kings viii ing thefe children by fuch names as denoted the deftrudtion t^th£hend of a rebellious nation, is no bad manner of expreffing the v ¦ _j near relation between Gpd and his pepple ; his cpnftant care in preferving and multiplying them ; their vile ingrati tude in revplting from him ; and the great feverity where with he intended to - punifh their revolt. Or. take the words in a literal fenfe, and that the prophet was really commanded to marry a woman of a bad repute ; yet might there not be many prudential confideratipns tp make fuch a match eligible ? The Scripture, we may pbferve, in the ap pellations which it gives perfons and things, has lefs regard tp what they actually are, than tp what they pncewere; and hence it is, that Mbfes's rod, when turned intp a fer pent, (h) is ftill called his rod ; and thofe whom our Sa viour healed of their feveral infirmities, are ftill the deaf (i), the lame, isc. even after they are cured. Now, if the wo man whom Hofea was ordered to marry, (though once fhe had lived an incontinent life), was now becpme chafte and virtunus, where was the great abfurdity pf his actually do ing it, fince (befides pther mptives tp us unknpwn) he was, in this action, to be a fign to the Ifraelites, and to fet an example tp them, who had gone a-whoring after other gods \k), that, if they wpuld forfake their falfe deities, and re turn tp their true Gpd, the Gpd pf their fathers, he wpuld ftill accept, ^tnd receive them, in the like manner as the pro phet had taken an adulterefs to his wife, upon affurance that i ever, for the future, fhe would prove faithful to his bed? EzeTciel's The account of Ezekiel's packing up his houfehpld-goods, goods"2 and removing them by night, and breaking through the walls delineating pf his houfe to carry them away more fecretly, though the fiege of fome interpreters have Ippked uppn it as the mere narration Je em" of a vifion, or the recital of a parable, yet to me it feems more probable, that the whole was tranfadted juft in the manner wherein it is dtferibed ; .efpecially confidering the near refemblance between the prediction and the event. (g) Levit. xvii. 7. Numb. xv. 00. Jer. iii. r. Ezek. xvi. Ij xxiii. 3. ire. (h) Exod. vii. ia.- (/) Matth. xi. 5. and John ix. 17. . (k) Jenkin's Reafonablejieft of Chriftia nity, vol. 2. p. 53. For Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 361 .For after that the prophet, by the fymbolical action of re- A. M. mpving his gppds in a fright,1 had typified the taking pf '394,rjf'j- Jerufalem, he prbceeds tp apply what he had dpne in this 6lot &f ' predidtipn. (1) I am your Jign; like as I have done, Jo ¦ from fhall it be done unto them: they fhall remove,, and go into Kw&v"1- captivity ; they fhall dig through the wall to carry out there- of % chron. by ; and the prince that is among them fhall bear upon his ¦_ — - j fboulder in the twilight, and fhall go forth. My net alfo will I fpread upon him, and he fhall be taken in myfnare; and I will fcatter, toward every wind, all that are about him to help him, and all his bands. And accprdingly the event happen ed ; for (m) when the city was broken up, fays thehiltprian, all the men of war fled by night, by the way of the gate, be tween, two walls, which is by the king's gardens, (for the Chaldees were againft thi city round about), and the king went the way toward the plain. But the army of the Chaldees pur- flued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho* and all his army were flattered from him. The like is tp be faid pf the fame prpphet's being ordered HU peur- by God to delineate upon a flue the city of Jerufalem, and '"Jfg thc the Babylonifh camp invefting it, viz. that the pourtrai gege' ture of the fort, the mount, the camp, and battering rams, againft it, (n) are 'fo very like tp what happened at the fiege, that we can hardly forbear prefuming, that the whple nar- ration is literal, pr that the prpphet did really draw afketch of the fiege of the city, as God commanded him. For fince (as we obferved before) it was a practice fometimes among the beft of orators to reprefent, in a picture, the particular thing they were to fpeak to, thereby to gain the readier at tention of their hearers, why fhould it be thought inconfift- ent with the character pf a prpphet, pr any diminutipn pf his difcretipn, pr gravity, tp dp the fame thing, in prder to gain the fame end I To walk naked indeed for three years together, as the and Tfaiah's prpphet Ifaiah (0) is faid tp have dpne, dpes not fo well^a'kinSn^" cpmpprt with the rules pf decency, and feems tp carry in it take'n \\le. an appearance pf frenzy pr madnefs ; but we are tp remem- rally. ber^ that, in Scripture-phrafe, thpfe are faid tp go naked, who either go without (p) their upper garment, or without (/) Ezek xii. 11. ire. (m) 2 Kings xxv. 4. c. («) Jo- fcphus's Jewifh Antiq. lib. 10. c. 11. (0) Chap. xx. 3 4. {/>) John xxi. 7. Acts xix. 16. Mark xiv. 5 1 . Matth. xxv 36. Vol. IV. Z z die 362 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. A M. 'he (q) the habit that is proper to their ftation or quality ; 3394. &i_ and ttrat the Hebrew text does not fay, that Ifaiah walked An Chni. ^ is manrier for tj^ree „ears t0nrether, but that he thus 610, ire ,, , Jr , P 1 • 1 ¦ 1 from walked as a type or fign of the three years calamity which « Kingsviii would come upon Egypt and Ethiopia. So that the fenfe of of thChrnd ttie Paffage is tIlis : — *— That !faiah w«nt about without his . - -_¦ upper 'garment, in token that the Egyptians and Arabians fhould undergp a calamity pf three years cpntinuance from the king pf Affyria ; but hpw lpng, pr hpw pften he did this, the Scripture is filent ; only it may be prefurned, that he did it in fuch a manner (whether three days together, or thrice the fame day) as might beft prefigure the three years calamity : and fince the action was to be typical, the prophet, who, through the iniquity of the times, could fcarce gain the audience of the people at any rate, was to appear in an uncommon garb, and with fomething particu lar in his manner, to ftrike the eyes and awaken the obfer vation of all around him : fpr, had not there been fome vifible impropriety in the action, fomething feemingly in continent with the character of fo grave a man, it would not have anfwered the purpofe of exciting the curiofity and attention of the people for which it was intended. The fum of Thus we have endeavoured to vindicate the actions of the the whole, prophets, or rather the wifdom of God which put them upon fuch actions, from all imputations pf weabnefs and folly ; and fhall pnly pbferve farther, that pur mifepneep- tions of thefe things muft, in a great meafure, proceed from our ignorance pf the prophetic ftyle, (fays a learned exa miner of this ftyle) : " (r) For all places of Scripture that " are expreffed in allegorical pr proverhial forms of fpeech, " or by types and refemblances of things, (as all -prophecies " mpre pr lefs are), muft needs .have been better under- " ftood in thofe times, when they were written, than they " can be now, becaufe we have but an imperfect notion of " many things, to which the allufion is made, and from *' whence the fimilitude is taken." (q) 1 Sam. xix 24. 2 Sara. vi. 20. (r) Jenkins's Reafon- ablenefs, vel. 2. c. 7. DIS. Ghap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c $63 DISSERT AfT ION V. Bl,l Am. Chril*. Of the facred Chronology, and profane Hiftory, during this from Period. . 1 King viii. to the 'id of x Chron. THE particular differences, and feeming incongruities, --.-~~J in point of chronolpgy, that have occurred in this To. what period- of hiftory, we have endeavoured tp folve and recpn- J-6"0^ & cile in the nptes that are annexed tp it : but there is a paf- mcniS paf fage in the prpphet Ezekiel, generally fupppfed tp relate to %e in Rze- this time, wherein fome learned chronplpgers dp npt fo relates. well agree. The paffage is this : — (s) I have laid upon thee the years ef their iniquity, according to the number of days, three hun dred and ninety days ; fo fhalt thou bear the iniquity of the houfe of Ifrael. And when thou fhalt accomplifh them, • lie a- gain on thy right fide, and thou fhalt bear the iniquity of the houfe qf Judah forty days. I have appointed thee each day for a year. The generality pf commentators, whp take "Gpd's laying uppn the prpphet the years of his peoples ini quity, tp denpte his forbearing tp punifh them for their of fences for fuch a determinate time, do agree, (t) that there is an exact fum of three hundred and ninety years men tioned in this place ; that this fum is to begin from the time that Jerobpam firft fet up the gplden calves ; and that the 390 and 40 years are npt diftinct numbers, but that the lefs is tu be included in the greater ; but then the queftion is, where we are tp end thefe 390 years ? pr tp which pf the captivities dp they extend ? Several learned men pf great authprity make thefe years tp end (u) at the laft captivity by Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards under Nebuchadnezzar king pf Babylpn, and four years after tbe laft deftrudtion of Jerufalem, which •happened in the eleventh year of Zedekiah; for, from the time of the fetting up the calves, (x) fay they, to this laft inftance of God's feverity, are juft 390 years ; from the eighteenth year of Jofiah (when the kingdom of Judah en tered into cpvenant with Gpd) tp this time, are juft 40 (s) Ezek iv. 5. 6. (t) Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c. 1. (u) Jer. Iii. 30. (x) Primate Ufher, Dr Prideaux, and Marfhal, in their chronological tables. Z z 2 years; 364 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. years ; and, by this laft captivity, all the predictions of the A9*'ch'i 'everal prophets, relating thereunto, were perfectly fulfilled. «io &cf It is to be obferved, however, that this laft captivity was from fo fmall, fo fudden, and attended wjth fo little difficulty, as 1 Kingsvm. can Dy no means come up tp the ppmp and folemnity of the o°f » Chron. Prophet's defcription, inthatveiy chapter wherein this e- y - - _ pocha is mentioned. The account which we have of the invafion is this : (y) " Whilft Nebuchadnezzar lay at " the fiege pf Tyre, be fent Nebuzaradan with part of his " army tp invade the land pf Ifrael, pn purppfe, as is fup- " pofed, to revenge the death of Gedaliah ; becaufe there " was no pther reafon for his falling upon the popr re- " mains pf thpfe miferable pepple, whpm he himfelf had " left, and fettled there. In this expeditipn Nebuzaradan " feized uppn all the Jews whpm he found in the land, " made them captives, and fent them tp Babylpn ; but " they all ampunted tp np mpre than feven hundred, and " forty five perfons." Here wais no refiftance made, no fiege maintained, no famine incurred. The people fell a cheap and eafy prey, becaufe they were ruined and deftroy ed before. But now, in the expeditipn tp which the pro phet (z) alludes, Jerufalem was befieged, and the. defend ants reduced tp the neceffity pf (a) eating bread by weight, and with care, and of drinking water by meafure, and with qftonifhmenf, as he exprefies it. Fpr this reafon, we fhpuld rather incline to the hypothefis of thpfe whuend both the computations at the deftrudtion of Jerufalem in the eleventh of Zedekiah ; who, according as they compute the time from Jerobpam's appftacy, make the peripd of God's forbearing the hpufe pf Ifrael, from thence to the deftrudtion of Jerufalem, to contain juft 390 yeats ; and who begin the 40 years of God's forbearance of the houfe of Judah, from the miffion of the prophet Je remiah to preach repentance to them, i. e. (b) from the thirteenth year of Jpfiah, when he was firft called tp this office; from which time, tp the laft year , pf Zedekiah, when Jerufalem was deftroyed, were exactly 40 years. For (c) fince the 120 years pf God's forbearing the old world is reckpned frpm the miffion pf Noah to preach' re pentance, there feems to be fome parity pf reafon, that his Cy ) Prideaux's Connection, anno 584. (z) Ezek iv. 1 . 2.3. (a) Ib|d. ver. 16. (b) Jer. i. 1. a» (c) Gtn. vi. 3. Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c 365 40 years forbearance of the kingdom of Judah fhould be *- **¦ reckoned from the like miffion pf Jeremiah. ta**eh,££. But there is anpther way of explaining this paffage : for era. iatt. }f by the word iniquity, which God imputes to the houfe of &m>-_^ ffrael and Judah, we are to underftand the punifhment of ^ J^^a* their iniquity, (which is very common, and feems to be»fa,cibioB- the mpft natural fenfe in this place), it is plain, that as the '¦- — v-1 «i whple tenpr of the prophet's difcourfe feems to denote an e- &B,!*^r vent future, and far diftant, it may not improperly relate ^La^d^, to the continuatipn pf Gpd's punifhment uppn the tribes of parage. Ifrael and Judah, for their great and manifold prpvpcatipns. (d) Npw the punifhment pf Ifrael for their iniquities may be faid to commence at the taking pf Samaria, in the xeign of Hpfhea ; as that pf Judah did, at the taking of Jerufalem, in the reign of Zedekiah. If then we reckoa frpm the deftrudtipn pf Jerufalem tp the time when Cyax- ares the Second (whpm (e) the Scripture ¦ calls Darius the Median) became king pf Babylpn, we fhall find it abput for ty years ; and as he was a knpwn favourer of the Jews, and, might therefore give them leave tp return hpme, we may be allnwed tp infer, that here the term pf their punifhment did expke. And, in like manner, if we reckon frpm Sal- manefer's taking Samaria tp the laft vidtpry which Alex ander the Great pbtained pver D.irius Codpmannus, where by he became fole mpnarch of all Afia, we fhall find it to be much about 390 years : And as his kindnefs to the Jews was very remarkable, we may here date the reftoration of their liberty, and confequently their releafe from the pu nifhment which God inflicted on them for their fins. Thus, accordingly as we take the fenfe of the wprds in the prophet, the hiffory which is alluded tp puts pn a dif ferent afpedt, and relates tp a different period : But proceed we now to the profane hiftory itfelf. What dealings and intercourfe, in the fpace of thefcTfce pro- laft four hundred years, viz. from the building of Splo-f,™eh^fto,y mpn's temple, tp the captivity of Babylon, the Jewifh people ^od. *** had with the Philiftines, tne Ammpnites, Mpabites, Phoeni cians, Syrians, and pther neighbpuring natipns ; and what relation and dependence they had pn the great and power ful kingdpms pf Aflyria, Babylon, and Egypt, has, in fpme meafure, been ubferved in the cpurfe of this hiffory. What (d) Caknet's Difftrt. ou l'on examine fi les dix tribus, ire. (e) Dan. v. 31* 3<56 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. we are farther cpncerned tp dp, is tp take nptice pf fome 3354. < fi' mpre remarkable events, which during this peripd pf time,- «io ire are fttppofed tn have happened in the wprld. •rom (/) In the thirty-fifth year pf the reign pf Uzziah king i Kings viii. pf Judah, and while there was an interregnum in the king- of i Chron ^om °f Ifrael, the Olympic games were inftituted in Greece^ t ,,»_ The life and defign of them was to train up the youth in The inftitu- active and warlike exercifes, that, if occafion required, they tion of the might be capable of doing their country fervice in the field : j^mcs?10 ^n^ lt was not from the mountain Olympus in Theffaly, but from the city Olympia, (fince called Pifa, near Elis, a city in Peloponnefus, where they were celebrated in the adjacent plains, near the river Alpheis), that they took their names. Here was the fplendid temple of Jupiter, which had vaft treafures belonging to it, by reafon pf the oracles which were there given put, and thefe games which were there celebrated in honpur of that deity ; and here was likewife that fampus ftatue pf Jupiter *, made by Phidias, (/) Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c. 2. * This ftatue of Jupiter is defcribcd by Paufanias, in the follow ing manner : " He is made fitting on a throne of gold and " ivory, with a crown on his head, which feems to be made of o- " live-branches. In his right hand he holds an image of victory; " made of ivory likewife, that has on its head -drefs a crown of " maffy gold ; and in his left a fceptre, made of all kinds of metals " mixed together, with an eagle on the top of it. His fhoes ixA " (lockings are all of gold, and the reft of the drapery is of the " fame metal, adorned with figures of various animal?, and a great " number of flowtr-de-luces. His thime is embellifhed with ivo- " ry, ebony, gold, precious ftones, and a multitude of emboffed fi- " gures. At the four feet, or pedeftals of the throne, are four vie- " tories, and two others at the"feet of the ftatue. At the two feet, " on the forefide of the throne, on one hand, are tbe figures of " fphinxes, who are carrying off fome Theban youths ; and on the " other fide, are rcprefented the figures of the children of Niobe, " whom Apollo and Diana fliot to death with their arrows. Be- " tween the feet of the throne is reprefented Thefcus, and the reft '^ of the heroes who accompanied Hercules tp the war againft the " Amazons, together with feveral Athle-* of diverfc kii.ds ; and " the place is all around adorned" Willi pidtuies, reprefenting the la. " bour;. of Hercules, together with ItveiaT orb- j- of t'.e molt re- " nowned hiitorical fubjects. Oiitlie u^m part of the tin one, on > " the Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 367 Phidias, which was accounted pne pf the wpnders pf the A. M. wprld, andfrom which he pbtained the name of Jupiter \>s*< Jrt- „, . - J r Am. Chrif. Olympms. 6l0y ^ It was abput four hundred and forty years before this from time, that thefe games and exercifes were at firft inftituted 'Kingsviii. by nne Hercules ; npt the fon of Jupiter and Alcmena, fo 0° x ch™. much celebrated by the Greek and Latin ppets, but one pf -^ — ,u the priefts pf Cybele called by that name, whp came intp Greece from Ida, a mountain in Phrygia, (whence he and his companions were called Idai, Datlyli, and Corybantes ), and brought in many fuperftitious rites with them. After the death pf this Hercules, thefe games were difcontinued for many years, till, by advice from the pracle pf Apollo, Iphitus eftablifhed them again, even in the lifetime of Ly- curgus, who is no where faid to have oppoled them ; and fo they continued until the time of Conftantine the Great, who, upon his profeffion of the Chriftian faith, firft flight ed the ludi feculares, and afterwards all pther games, as mpnuments of Pagan fuperftition ; fo that falling by de grees intp difefteem, in the time pf Theodofius the Great, if not before, they were utterly unfrequented, and dwindled into nothing. Thefe games were ufed tp be performed at the end pf Their prr, every four eyes, (and fo every four years made an Olym- niary, piadj, and lafted for five days ; when the youth of Greece contended for maftery in five forts pf exercifes, pne for each day, viz, the cseftus or whirle-bat, the coit, leap- " the one fide are engraven the Graces, and on the other the Hours, " becaufe, according to the poets, both thefe were the daughters of " Jupiter. On the footftool of tbe ftatue are golden lions, and a *' reprefentation of the combat of Thefeus with the Amazons ; and " on a bafis thereof, are innumerable golden figure1-, fuch as that of " the fun going into his chariot, of Jupiter and Juno, Mercury, " Vefta, and Venus, who has Cupid {landing by her; of Apollo, " Diana, Minerva, Hercules, Amphitrite, Neptune, and the Moon, " which is here reprefented filling upon an horfe." This is the fub- ftance of what Paufanias fays of this famous ftatue : But notwith standing that its workmanfhip was the wonder of all the ancients, and the curiofity of feeing it might increafe the number of thofe who came to the Olympic games, yet Strabo finds great fault with it for want of a due proportion, becaufe it- was of fuch a prodigious bignefs, that if it had ftood upright, it muft have made a hole in the roof of the temple ; Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib, 6. c. 2. in the notes. in?, The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI. •*- *£• ing, wrsftling, and racing, cither on fopt or horfeback, Aui?*Cbn£ or *n chariots ; all which exercifes were thought fo honpur* 6Mt>, tre. able, that even kings themfelves did npt difdain tp becpme fe™__ competitprs for the victory ; and accprdingly weifind Pin- tojjEdT ^ar' tlle mo^ celebrated ppet in thpfe days, addreffing bis of sCSiiion. rirft Olympic to Hiero king of Syracufe, for having won »- »v- - the prize in pne of the horfe-iaees. The prize however was not great : It was no more than a garland of palm, or olive : but the victor was treated with fuch tokens of refpedt and efteem, and was attended by the people with fuch loud acclamations, while he rode into, the city in a cpach through a breach in the wall, which, upon this pccafion, was made for his more ppmppus en trance ; and while he was fore tp have the beft pt ppets to celebrate his praife, and rank him even among the gods, that to come off conqueror, and be crowned in this place, was thought an honour not inferior to that of a triumph in Rome ; and this the rather, becaufe the inhabitants of Elis, who were the prefidcn's pf thefe games, were fo re markably impartial in giving fentence accprding to merit, that whoever was crowned by their order and determina tion was always thought juftly tp defei ve it. and fern-re- Thus (g ) it appears, that the original ufe pf thefe Olym- darjufc. pic games was tp encourage adtivity pf body : But in procefs of time, they came to be employed to a quite differ ent purpofe, even to fix the chronology of the liiltory pf the Greeks, ampng whom + it grew a cuftom to reckpn by Olympiads ; for before that cuftom prevailed, their hifto rians were vaflly negligent in fixing the date of fuch tranf- aetions as they related. Varro, the moft learned perfon ampng the Romans, bpth for hiftoi y and antiquity, reckons three forts of times. The I ft, from the beginning of mankind to the firft flood, which he calls uncertain, be caufe no account is given of it by any Heathen writer. The 2d, frpm the flood to the firft Olympiad, which he calls fabulous, becaufe many ftrange ftories are repprted of (g) Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib 6 c. 2. f It is to he obferveo howc-vi r, that it was not from the firft O- lympiad, that they began their computation, but from the 27th, when Chorasbus, a native of Eli- , was victor, becaufe there was no regi- fter kept of the preceding Olympiads ; and therefore the com. STencemeritof this aera was an hundred and eight year.-, after the e- ft-iblifhment of the gurus which occafioned it ; Calmet's Dictionary, wider, the word Olympiad. the Chap V. frorn^ the building of the Temple, (3c. g6cj the gods and demigods in thofe times, but without any A M. method or order. The 3d, from the firft Olympiad to his 3394- ire. time, which he calls hiftorical, becaufe thenceforward all no'' i. ' traniactions were laid in their proper places ; but before from the inftitution of this method of computation, every thing « Kingsviii. was confufled in the Grecian hiftory, (as Eulebius (h) tells l% t!l,e.hend US), and (i) no one thing written with any tolerable exattnefs. J In the eleventh year of Jotham f king of Judah,. wbich The hit o- was the twelfth of Pekah, king of Ifrael, another famous ry of the sera commenced, and was in ufe throughout all the empirr, r" . g upon the building of tbe city of Rome, the hiftory of which is as follows. After the deftrudtion of Troy (k), iEneas landing in I- taly, was at firft oppofed by Latinus, king of the Latins, or Abprigines ; but being pvercome in battle by the Tro jans, Latinus made peace with their leader, and permitted him, and his _ men, to live independent in his kingdom. Enraged at this treatment, T.irnus king of the Rutuli,. fomented a frefh war againft ./Eaeas ; but in the conclu fion, he was flain in fingle combat by the Trojan chief, and his miftrefs Lavinia (who was the occafion of all this contention) was, by her father, Latinus, given to the con queror for a wife, tineas (it muft be obferved) had another fon by a fprmer wife, named Creufia, whp was lpft in the fiege pf Trpy ; and after his death, his relict Lavinia, be ing great with child, and fearing the power pf Afcanfos, (for that was his name), fled intp the wopds, and was there delivered pf a fon, whp, for that reafon, was called Syl vius, and becaufe he was born after his father's funeral, was (b) Africanus, ad Eufeb. Prasparat. evan. lib. 10. c. 10. (i) Juftin Martyr, ad Graecos cohortatio. ¦f Of the time when this city was built, there are two accounts, the Varronian and the Capitolian. The Varronian places it in the year before, but the Capitolian in this year, and yet they may be both eafily reconciled j for as it was ctiftomary in thofe times, when they began to build a city, to go round it with a plough, and make a furrow where the walls were to be built, but leave a void fpace . for the gates ; the year before they might thus mark out the city, dig the foundation of the walls, and provide fiones, timber, am: o- ther materials, and this year lay the foundation ; fo that the compu tation might eafily begin from either year, though the i-jjpitolian is the general account ; Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c. 2. (k) Sir Walter Raleigh's Hiftory, lib. 2. c. 34, feet. 4. Vol. TV. q A likewife 370 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, . Book VI. A- M- likewife called Poflhumus. It was not long, however, be- Aiu4'chrii ^ore tne Pe0Ple began to exprefs their refentment of this eio, iref hard ufage pf Lavinia, fo that Afcanius was pbliged tp re- from cal her; and tp avpid all pccafipns of difagreement for the totfufcnd' future' ne le and her *°n Sylvius, the city of La- of * chron. vinia, which ^Eneas had built, and called after her name, whilft himfelf removed to Alba Longa, a city of his own e- redting, and where he lived for the remainder of his days, highly delighted with the fituation of the place. After the death of Afcanius, there happened a con tention between this Sylvius the fon of .iEneas, and lulus the fon of Afcanius, about the fucceffion to the kingdom ; but as the relations of Lavinia had the more prevalent in tereft in the country, the matter was fo compromifed, that ' lulus was made high-prieft, and Sylvius king, in whofe fa- ' mily the kingdom cpntinued for feveral generatipns, and every fucceeding prince was named Sylvius. Of this race was Latinus the Second, grandfon to Syl vius, who built feveral towns on the borders of Latham ; and their inhabitants, ftanding much upon the honour of their original, were afterwards called Priflci Latini. Of this race was Tiberinus, who, as fome fay, was drowned in the Tiber, and frpm that unhappy accident gave name tn the river. Of this race was Aventinus, whp, by being buried in the place, gave name tp pne pf the mpuntains pn which Rpme was built : and pf this race was Prpcas, whp, after his death, left his two fons, Numitprand Amulius, tp reign alternately every year : But Amulius the ypunger deppfed Numitpr, flew his fon iEgifthus, and tp cut off the whple race, cpmpelled his daughter Ilia tp enter into a vpw of perpetual virginity, by becpming a prieftefs tp the gpddefs Vefta. Her vow lipwever did npt laft lpng ; fpr a certain foldier found means to get her with child, but to cover the difgrace, a repprt was raifed, that all this was dpne by Mars, the gpd pf war. At length fhe was delivered of twp fons, Rpmulus and Remus, whpm their uncle Amu lius commanded to be drowned, and their mpther tp be buried alive, as being the punifhment which the law in flicted, when veftal virgins had viplated their chaftity. Whether the mpther underwent this punifhment, or, (as fome will have it), uppn the intreaty of Antho, the daughter of Amulius, obtained her pardon, it is certain that the two children were thrown into the Tiber, in order to be drowned ; But as the ftream was low, and much mud was Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 371 was in the place, a certain wpman, named Lupa, found A. M. them before they were dead, and having fuckled them for3*94' J^f- fome time, 'from whence the ftory pf their being nurfedfiI0' ^.' by a flie-wplf tppk its rife), brought them at length to Fau- from ftulus, the king's fhepherd, who recommended them to'^1^5™1' the care of his wife Laurentia, and fo they were both pre- ^ chron, ferved. As foon as they came to a proper age, they lived at firft in the capacity of fliepherds ; but being naturally of a brave and martial temper, they applied themfelves, not only to the bufinefs of hunting wild beafts, but of clearing the country likewife of fuch gangs of robbers, as came to plunder and infeft it ; fo that, in a fhort time, the fame of their adventures made multitudes of the neighbouring youth, who were of the like complexion, refort unto them. Enraged at their proceedings, a ftrong company of thefe robbers fet upon them at a certain time, and though Romu lus defended himfelf againft their attack, took Remus pri foner, and pretending that he had plundered the eftate of his grandfather Numitor, delivered him to King Amulius, who fent him to his brother Numitor to be executed for the fact. When Remus was brought before Numitor, he behaved with fuch courage and intrepidity, that he could not but fufoect fomething uncommon in him ; and thereupon hear ing that he had another brother, and that they were twins, and comparing their age with the time when his daughter Ilia's two children were expofed, he began to think, that thefe, without doubt, muft be the boys, whom fome gopd providence had wpnderfully preferved ; and being con- firmed in .his ppinipn by the informatipn of Fauftulus; who had brought them up, he entered into a confpiracy with them, againft his brother Amulius, wherein it was a- greed, that Romulus with his men fliould privately enter the city, and being joined with fuch forces as Remus could mufter up in Numitor's family, fhould, all on a fudden, at tack the palace, and feize the king. The plot fucceeded. Amulius was taken and killed : And after that Numitor had congratulated his grandfons upon their fuccefs, he afeended the roftrum, and in a full affembly of people, declared how wicked and inhuman- his brother Amulius had been ; that thefe were his two grand children ; hpw they were born, and bred up, and came to be difcovered ; and that by their contrivance it was, that the tyrant was taken off; whereupon the people immediately 3 A 2 came 372 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book Vii A. M. came to a refolutipn, that Numitpr fliould be their king, 3394. &(• .and that, next under him, Romulus and Remus fliould be fi'o &c -^e^ 1{i c^ie greareft veneration. tr'om ' As fopn as thefe matters were fettled and adjufted, the i kings viii. twp vpung princes (tp perpetuate the' mempry pf their f° ''if erK' prefervatipn) refolved tp build a city upon the foot where , i^,_fi they had been npurifhed and brought up ; and feveral pf the neighbouring people, as well as their own men, came in to their affiftance. It was not much dpubted, but that this new city wuuld, in procefs pf time, putvie all the other tpwns in Italy ; but then, as the twp brpthers were twins, and it was npt well knpwn which was the elder, they a- greed tp determine, by the flight of birds, who fhould give the name to the city, and upon the grandfather Numitor'sj (ieceafe, which pf them fhould reign firft. Tp this purpofe they went each pf them tp the top of an hill. Romulus afeended what was afterwards called Palatinus, and R.emus Aventinus, from whence he difco vered fix vultures firft ; but his brother afterwards faw twelve, fo that the difpute was never the nearer an end. Remus laid claim tp the fbvereignty, becaufe he faw the firft, vultures, and Romulus becaufe he faw the moft : infomuch that frpm words proceeding to blows, Remus was unhappily flain by his brother, and, in his dearh *, put an end to the contrqverfy. When the city was built, Romulus called it Roma, which, in the Greek tongue, fignified ftrength, and not by his own name Romula, becaufe it was a diminutive^ As the city, hpwever, when finifhed, had not a fufficient ft-ock pf inhabitants, he found out an expedient tp remedy this deftdt.. hy making a neighbouring grove an afylunlj or place of refuge, to all malefactors and diicontented per- - fons ; fo that, in, a fhprt time, vaft numbers pf all nations, that cpuld nor live in their pwn country with fafeiy. fled hither for prptectipn, and peppled the city. Thefe inha bitants hqwevqi- could laft hut for pne age, becaufe they were * Florns makes the occafion of the death of Remus to be another matter ; For having obferved that Romulus, by the greater number- cf the vultures which he faw, had got the better, and built his city, with good hopes th-" &.c. ' ftratagem or other. To this purpofe Romulus proclaimed from _ a feaft, and public games, in the honour of Neptune, to be lK"?ss vluj celebrated near his new city ; and when the virgins from 0f x chron. every quarter came thither to fee and divert themfelves, up- ^— -v~— } on a fignal given, they were all feized by force, carried in to the city, and compelled to become wives to thofe that wanted them. Exafperated with this bafe treatment, the neighbouring people immediately prepare for war ; but are repulfed with lofs by the Romans : Till the Sabines, who were their moft formidable enemy, and principally con cerned in the late affront, marched againft them, and, un der the command of their King Tatius, were juft upon gi ving them a total defeat ; when thek daughters, who were now become wives to the Romans, ran .between the two armies, and with their hair torn, and all other indications of forrow, acquainted their parents, that they had been u- ¦fed civilly, and that, if matters were carried tp fuch extre mities, npthing cpuld be expected pn their fide but ruin and deftrudtion. Hereupon their parents, being overcome by their prayers, and tears, and arguments, laid afide all angry refentment, and entered into a treaty with their fons- in-law, which fucceeded fo well, that feveral of them left their ancient habitations, and came with all their fubftance, and lived in Rome. From fo fmall a beginning did this city gradually increafe to be the feat of the weftern empire, and the miftrefs of the then known world ! One very remarkable event more, which happened the The dlflb- very next year after the building of Rome, viz. in the t^10^. twelfth year of Jptham king pf Judah, and the thirteenth r;an m0, of Pekah king pf Ifrael, was, the diflblutipn of the Afly- narchy. rian monarchy upon the death of Sardanapalus, as feveral Heathen authors have thus related it. This emperor ex ceeded all his predeceffors in {loth and voluptuoufnefs. He clothed himfelf in womens attire; he painted his face, and decked his body more like a ftrumpet than a king ; he af fected an effeminate voice; fpun fine wopl and purple a- mong his concubines, and proceeded to fuch a degree of luxury and fhameleffnefs, that he wrote verfes in comme moration of his diflblute manner of life, and commanded, after his death, to have them infcribed on his tomb. The 37+ The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VI. A. M. The kings of the Eaft feldom appeared in public : But 3394, ire. Sardanapalus was never feen by any, but fuch only as were dio ire. e'trier affiftants or affoclates in his lafcivioufnefs ; until Ar- from baces, the general of the Median forces, bribed one of his i Kingsviii. eunuchs, by giving him a golden cup, tp be introduced of Ch 'nto k's P1,efence 5 where, feeing his vile, degenerate be- ! haviour, he began to think it a difparagement, that fo ma ny brave and gallant men fhould be under the dominion of a worthlefs wretch, that affected to be a fpinfter rather than a king. This he communicated to his friends and ac quaintances, to the governors of feveral provinces, but more efpecially to Belefis the governor of Babylon, with whom he entered intp a clpfe cpnfederacy tp deppfe the prefent emperor, and to divide his dpminipns between them, whereof Belefis was to have Babylon, Chaldea, and Arabia, and himfelf all the reft. (/) When matters were thus agreed on, Arbaces endea voured, by all forts of arts and infinuations, to make him felf acceptable to the Medes ; to perfuade them to invade the Affyrian empire, and (in hopes of regaining their liber ty) to draw the Perfians into the, like confederacy. On the other hand, Belefis prevailed with the Babylonians to revolt, and gained the king of Arabia (with whom he had a very great intimacy) to his party ; fo that, when all their forces were jpined tpgether, the army is faid tp have confifted pf four hundred thpufand men. Sardanapalus, feeing fuch a ftrong cpnfederacy and cpmbinatipn pf arms againft him, thpught it high time to fhake off his floth ; and having drawn forth the forces of the reft pf the provinces, he engaged the enemy thrice, and as many times defeated them. In the firft adtinn he purfued them tp the mpuntains, feventy furlpngs be- ypnd Nineveh. In the fecpnd he fo defeated them, that they were all upon the point of returning home, had npt Belefis (whp was a Babylonifh prieft, and pretended to great {kill in aftrolpgy * and divination} given them aflurance, that (/) Bedford's Scripture -hiftory, lib. 6. c. 2. * Whatever fkill he might pretend to in aflrology, it is certain, that he was an excellent aftronomer, and, when he came to Baby- Ion, and was made emperor there, fet himfelf to rectify the Chal dean year, which feems to have ftood unalterable froni the flood till i that time. The ancient year of the Chaldeans confifted of three hundred and fixty days, or of twelve months, with thirty days to each ron. Chap. V. from the building of the Temple, (3c. 375 that God would at laft reward their labours with fuccefs. A. M. In the third encasement Arbaces himfelf was wounded, and \i9*'Jrc:, , . , j r1 j r , • r Ant. Chnf. his army routed, and purfued as far as the mountains pf 6lo> ^ Babylon ; fo that the chief officers were for difperfing and from fluffing- for themfelves, when Belefis gave them once more ,Kingsv«i. affurance, that if they wpuld but cpntinue tpgether for five 0f »chen' days longer, every thing, in that time, would have a dif ferent turn. With much intreaty was the army prevailed on not to difpeffe, when fuddenly news was brought, that a great in- ' forcement was coming from Badtria to join the king, fo that the only game which Arbaces had to play was, to march againft them, and by all means imaginable, prevail with them to revolt ; wherein he fucceeded beyond all mens hopes and expectations, and fo gave another turn to the face of affairs. each month ; but as this was five days and a quarter lefs than the re volution of the fun to the fame point of the equinox, the Egyptians, in the time of Thoth (their fecond king, and grandfon of Ham) added five days to the year, fo that every year confifted exadtly of three hundred and fixty-five days : But then, in four years, there was one day lets than in fo many Julian years, which in a great length of time (viz. in 1460 years) made the beginning of the year run through all the feafons. To prevent this inconfiftency, the Chal deans, about every fix years, added to their year of 360 days an intercalary month, which made their years unequal ; and therefore Belefis, being well acquainted with the Egyptian aftronomers, and finding that their year was equal, though not abfolutely perfect, re duces the Babylonian year to the fame flandard, /. e. he makes it confift of three hundred and fixty-five days, which were divided in to twelve months, of thirty days each, and five days, which were added at the end of the year. But then, becaufe, in each of thefe years there would be a redundant quarter of a day, and, in four years, one whole day, inftead of the Biffextile day (as it is in the Julian computation) he began every fourth year a day fooner. This alteration he ordered to begin in the firft year of his reign, and from thence it was called the famous arra of Nabonaffar, (forfo Belefis was likewife named), which continued in Egypt to the death of An thony and Cleopatra, and was afterwards in ufe among the mathe maticians and aftronomers to the time of Ptolemy, who made his ca non by this account, which is juftly efleemed the fureftand moft ufeful guide of ancient chronology, where the facred hiftorians are filent; Bedford's Scripture-chronology, lib. 6. c. 2. ; Whifton's Theory, lib. 2.; and Chronology of the OldTeftament, p. 12. Sardanapalus, yj6 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VI, A. M. Sardanapalus,' in the mean time, knowing nothing of An'4'citif t^'s' anc* De'nI e»ated whh his repeated fuccefles, was i-n- «io, ire. dulging his floth and luxury, and preparing beafts for fa- from crifice, with plenty of wine, and other things neceff*ar'y to ,KmSsylj'- foaft and entertain his foldiers ; when Arbaces, having in- of z Chron, telligence by deferters in what condition his army lay, fear- i lefs of any foe, and overcome already with iurfeiiing and drunkennefs, broke into their camp by night, and, having made a terrible {laughter of moft of them, forced the reft into the city. The king, after this defeat, took upon him the defence of the place, and committed the charge of the army to Sa<- lamenus, the queen's brother ; but Salamenus was worfted in twp pitched battles, pne in the ppen field, and the pther before the walls pf Nineveh, where himfelf was flain, and mpft. pf his men cut tp pieces ; fo that all the refource whkh Sardanapalus had, was to fuftain the fiege as long as he could, until the fuccours (which he had fent for put pf all his provinces) fhpuld cometp his affiftance : and this he had fome hppes pf being able tp dp, becaufe there was an ancient prophecy, " That Nineveh never cpuld be taken by force, " until the river became its enemy." Arbaces, pn the pther hand, was much encouraged by his fuccefles, and carried pn the fiege with the utmpft vif gpur ; but the prodigipus ftrength pf the walls, which were an hundred feet high, and fo very broad, that three cha- ripts might gp a-breaft uppn them, and the vaft plenty of all manner pf ftpres and prpvifipns, neceffary for a long de fence, hindered him from making any confiderable progrefs, Thus twp years were {pent, withput any prpfpedt of re lief on the one fide, or of taking the town on the other. In the third year, a continued fall of rains made theTygris overflow to fuch a degree, that coming into the city, it tore alpng with it twenty fathpm pf the wall, which Sardanapa lus cpncluding tp be the accomplifliment of the oracle, be caufe by diis means the river "-was apparently become an e- nemy to the city, he grew quite difpirited, and gave up all for loft. However, to prevent 'his falling into the hand* of the enemy, he caufed a large pile of wood * to be made it» * Concerning this pile, Athaeneus informs us, That it waS 400 feet high, upon which he placed 1 co golden beds, and as many golden tables ; that he had thrown into it fome millions of talents of gold Chap V. from the building of the Temple, (3c 377 in the court of his palace, and there heaped up together all A M. his gold, filver, and royal apparel, and having inclofed his <394. ire. eunuchs and concubines in the midit pf it, prdered it tp be *™' C,"'f' fet on fire, and fo burnt himfelf and them together. The V°om "' only action wherein (m) thefe hiftorians, who make no 'Kingsviii. mention of his victories, reprefent him as a valiant man ! t0 the cntl Arbaces, being informed of this, marched his army through ot l®™^ the breach of the wall, and took the city. After this he ~ ' rewarded his followers according to their merit ; made Belefis goverpor of Babylonia, Chaldea, and Arabia, accprding to their cpmpift, and took :he reft of the empire tp him felf; which put an end to the Affyrian mpnarchy, after it had governed all Alia (n) above thirteen hundred years, and (according to the vifion which Daniel (0) had of it) in it conqueft had been as fwift as an eagle, but npw its wings were plucked. gold and filver, befides the richeft furniture of purple, and the fineft garments ; and that this pile was fifteen days in ourning To which Diodorus adds, that Belefis, by craft, obtained leave of Arba ces to carry off* the afhes, under pretence of building an ahar With them at Babylon, by which means he gained an immenfe treafure. But all this looks more like a romance than a true hiftory. Bnlford's Scripture- chronology, lib. 6. c. i in the notes. (m) Jultin, lib. i. and ithasneus, fib. 12. c. ia. (n) Jufbn, lib. 1. (e) Dan. vii. 4. Vol. IV. 3 B T H E THE HISTORY O F T H E BIBLE. book vn. Containing an Account of things from the Baby* lonijh Captivity to the Birth of Chrifi / in all, 588 Tears. 1 11 . . - —*~ , CHAP. I. From the Captivity to the Death of Cyrus. The Histort. A. M. A FTER the return of Nebuchadnezzar, and his A*,7,rnr'j» f~\ victorious army, to Babylpn, all thpfe Jews who, Aft: via 587 ire. f°r fear °f him, had taken refuge among neigh- from Jer. bouring nations, or had hid themfelves in the fields and x,| '_"> ?lv- deferts of their own country, hearing that Gedaliah was and from ' mac*e governor of the land, reforted to him at Mizpah f, Ezra i. tov. . where made go- t In tne hiftory of Jacob, we read, that after a (lay of feve- vemor of ral yea s at Haran, making his efcape from thence, he was Judea, andovr-iken by Latwn, his father-in-law, in a mountainous tract, murthered wh c was afterwards called Gilead, i. e. an heap of ftones, as ylflimael. ai(-0 Mipeh, i t. a watch-tower, becaufe, at the covenant which, was made between Laban and him, an heap of ftones was Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 379 where he fet up his refidence. Ampng thefe were Jpha- A. M. nan and Jonathan, the fons pf Kereah, and Ifhmael, the M1 7, ire. fon of Nethaniahf, with divers others : But Ifhmael came Ang C^"f" to him out of a treacherous intent only ; for being of the from Jer.' blopd-royal, he reckoned to make himfelf king of Judea, *'-7- to xiv. now that .the Chaldeans were gone, and to that purpofe had *u Daniel, formed a confpiracy to kill Gedaliah, and feize on the go- Ezrai. tov. vernment, wherein Baalis f, king of the Ammonites, was 1 confederate with him. was gathered to remain a monument of it, and upon that occafien, Laban's expreffions are thefe, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are abfent one from another. If thou wilt afflict my daughters, or if thou wilt take other wives t befides my daughters, no man is with us ; fee, God is witnefis between me and thee, Gen. xxxi 49. 50. From that time, the place where this covenant was made, and where probably in memory of it a city in after-ages was built, was called Mizpah. It was fituate on the eaft fide of the river Jordan, and in the divifion of ihe land, fell to the tribe of Dan ; and here it was, that Gedaliah chofe to fix his habitation, or perhaps was ordered to fix it here, becaufe it lay neareft of any to Babylon, from whence he was to receive his inftructions as to the adminiftra- tion of the government ; Wells's Geography of the Old Teftament, vol. 1. •f- That Ifhmael, who was of the blood-royal of Judah, fhould attempt to take away the life of Gedaliah, is no wonder at all. His envy of the other's promotion, and his ambition to make himfelf a king, might be ftrong incitements to what he did ; but why Baalis Ihould have any hand in fo black a defign, we can hardly imagine any other reafon than the ancient and inveterate hatred which the Ammonites always had againft the Hebrews ; and therefore this king of theirs, feeing that the Jewifh nation was, at this time, in a manner, brought to nothing, was minded to take revenge for all thc injuries that his anceftors had received from them, and to give tbe finifhing ftroke to their ruin, by cutting off their governor, and fo difperfing all the remains of that unhappy people, which was now gathered together at Mizpah. But whatever their views might be, it is certain that they put their defign in fpeedy execution ; for the murtber of Gedaliah happened but two months after the deftrudtion of the city and .temple of Jerufalem, viz. in the feventh month, (which is Tifri, and anfwers in part to our September and Octo ber), and on the thirtieth day of the month : For that day the Jews have kept as a faft, in commemoration of this calamit^ (which in deed was the completion of their ruin) ever fince; Calmet's Com- ¦mentary en Jer. xl. 14. j and Prideaux' s Connection, anno 588. 3 B 2 His god The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book Vlf. A- Nt"- His defign however was npt carried on fo fecretly, but An-7'chC'f l^al Jonanan> tlie lon of Kereah, got notice of it, and ac- 5S7, ire quainted the governor with it : But he being a man of & from' jer. generous temper, and not apt to entertain jeaiOufifcs of o- ?!j? t0 lathers, took no nptice pf Jpharian's infprmation, but cbn- andDfrom ' ^nue<^ 'T^e fame friendly correfpondence with Ifhmael that Ezrai tov. he had ever done. This gave the traitor an advantage a- ' gainft him ; for pretending to pay him a vifit One day, he and his cpnfederates (at a time when the pepple were.gorie' out to harveft-work) fell upon him, and flew him, even while he was entertaining them at his table. With him he murthered all the Jews and Chaldeans that were at Mizpah, except fome few, whom he made captives ; and having kept the matter private, the next day but one, he deftroyed fouf an Vxprefs prohibition in the law, You Jh^ii not make any eiittings in your flefh for the dead, nor print an: marki upon you, Levk xix. 28. ; yet this fetms to relate only to fuch practices, when they became fuperftitious, and were done in honour to falfe gods ; for in cafes of ordinary mourn ing for the dead, or for any other grievous difafter, the words of the prophet fe«m to imply, as if they had been permitted in common ufe : 'oth the great and the fmall Jh all die in the land ; They fhall not be buried, ., neither fhall men 'lament for them, nor cut them felves, nor make themfelves bald for them, neither fhall men tear th.mfelves in mourning to comfort them for the dead, Jfr. xvi 6. 7. ^ *- rrcifnre- (iccoriing to' the common phrafe of Scripture) fig- .nify any thing that i- hid or kept in'referve, whether it be gold, fil ver, corn, wine, oil, apparel, or any other thing : And among the people of the eaft, it was an ufual thing to bury their corn, and o- thcr provifion:-, in deep holes, and caverns, which they dug and filled up fo very dextroufly, that no one could perceive that the earth had been moved, nor could any find them out, but thofe who made them ; Calmet's Commentary. cf Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 381 of his way tp the king pf the Ammpnites, when Jphanan A. M. and the reft pf the captains pf Judah, hearing pf this de- 34' 7, ire. teftable deed, made' after him with what forces they could ' c™''- get together: But when he perceived them cpming, he left fiom'jer. " all his train behind him, and with pniy eight men, made *l- 7- -0 /Iv. his efcape into the land of Ammon. ^Id^iT'* Jphanan, and the reft pf the captains, being thus left £zrai. tov. with allthe people, and npw reflecting pn what Ilhmael had ' . -v— . * done to Gedaliah, began to be apprehenfive, that the Chal- The Te»^ deans might poflibly revenge his death upon them ; and **' ™™ therefore, for fear pf the wprft, they retired tp Chimham -j-, his efcape not far frpm Bethlehem, that in cafe they were called tp an retre.it inr? account, they might more readily make their efeape into E- ^syv^t Jeremiah, frorh the time that he parted with Nebuzara- -dan, had taken up his abode with Gedaliah the gpvernpr; but after his death, ampng the reft of the captives, was carried from thence by Ifhmael the confpiratpr, and npw, uppn his defeat, accpmpanied Jphanan, and the reft pf his CPuntryinen, tp their new habitatipn at Chimham. Here they had not been long, before Johanan, and the other princes of the people, came to requeft of him, that he would confult the Lord cpncerning their intended jpurney intp Egypt, with warm prpfeflions hpwever pf a ready com- ' pliance With whatever he fliould think fit to enjoin them. The prophet did fo : And in ten days time, returned them this anfwer from Gpd, r- " That if they wpuld " tarry in Judea, and live peaceably under the king pf " Babylpn, he wpuld fereen them frpm their prefent dan - " ger, and incline the heart of their conqueror to be fa- " vourable tp them ; but that if they perfifted in their in- " tentinn pf going into Egypt, he would infallibly caufe " every thing they dreaded, the fword, die famine, and ¦J- This place may be fuppofed, from 2 Sam. xix 58. to have been anckntly given by King David to Chimham, the fon of old Barzillai the Gileadite, and which, at tits time, bore his name, though near five hundred year.-, after the firft donation. It was ia the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, about two leagues from Jeiufalem, and hither the poor people betook, themfelves, becaufe it was at a piuch farther diftance -from Babylon than Mizpah, and in their ftraight way to Egypt, in c«fe they fliould determine to go thither, as they feemed inclinable to do, brcsnfc there thev fuppofed they Ihould have no war, nor he »r the found of the trumpet, r.'.r have hunger of bread, Jer. xiii. 14, 5' the 382 the Hiftory of the" B I B L E, Book VII. A. m. " the peftilence, tp purfue them." But notwithftanding 3417, ire- both their own profeflions, and the prophet's declarations, ¦*nt- °^fl- (wherein they f blamed Baruch, as being acceflbry), they from' Jer. were refolutely bent upon going into Egypt ; and accord- si. 7. to xiv. ingly taking all the remnant of Judah, riien, wpmen, and all Daniel, children, the king's daughters, Jeremiah the prpphet, and £rat°tov. #aruch his lcribe, with them, they went and fettled in the »._ .,»— . cpuntry, until the judgments wherewith Gpd had threaten. ¦where they ed their difobedience came uppn them. fall into 1- The Jews j. were np fopner fettled in Egypt, than they are*rep'ro" 8ave themfelves whplly up tp idplatry, wprfhipping the ved by je- queen f of heaven, and the pther falfe deities, pf the land, remiah. whereupon Jeremiah made loud remonftrances ; but all the effect which they iiad upon them, was only tp make them more obftinaie in their impiety : So that the prophet was obliged to denounce God's fevereft judgments againft them in exprefs terms, and at the fame time to foretel, that ¦f- The words in the text are, The Lord our God hath not fent thee to flay , Go not into F.gypt to fojourn there; but Baruch, the fon of Neriah, fietteth thee on againft us, for to, deliver us into the bunas oj the Chaldeans, that tbey may put us to death, and car- ri us away captives into Babylon,- Jer xliii. 2. 3. But what foun dation thc people ihould have for tins their accufation againft Baruch, it is no eafy matter to conceive ; only we may fuppofe, that as Ba ruch was preferved, and taken care of by the Chaldeans, as well as his mafter, and was equally againft maintaining the fiege of Jerufa lem, when Nebuchadnezzar came before it ; and that as he had been fome time at Babylon himfelf, (Vid. Baruch i. 1. 3.), and was probably not fo virulent in hi:> fpeeches againft the Chaldeans as the other Jews were ; this, to a blind and mutinous mob, was reafon e- nough to fufpect him of being engaged in the enemy's party. ; Cal. tnet's Commentary. f The places in which the Jews are faid to have fettled them felves in Egypt, were Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and the counny ofPathros, Jer xliv 1. Migdol is the fame place in Egypt, which Mofes ma^es mention of, Exod. xiv. 2. over againft Baal-zephon, not far from the Red-fea. Tahpanhes is Daphne, not far from Pe- lufnim, 'he firft city in Egypt, in the road trom Judea, anci, as jt were, its key. Noph is Memphis, lituate above the parting of the Nile, or where the Delta begins, and not a little famous for its py ramids ; and the country of Pathros is the fame with Thebais, or the Upper Egypt, fo called from the city Thebes, which was the firft capital of it. -j- -By which is meant the moon at leaft, if not all the planets ; for wh.it we render queen, in the marginal note; is called the frame of heaven. the Chap. I. from the BabylorlilTi Captivity, (3c. 383 the king of Egypt (under whofe protection they lived fe- A. M. cure, as they thought) fliould be delivered into the hands i417*^^ of Nebuchadnezzar +, God's'agent for that purpofe, in like j"^ &Cm manner as Zedekiah was ; which, in the fpace of eighteen from Jer. years afterwards, accordingly came to pafs. xl. 7. to xiv. After this we have no more of the prophet Jere- ^nd f^rn miah *, and very little of his cotemporary, Ezekiel *. Ezrai. m, Some ac count of his prophe Ties, •f- It is very obfervahle, that in feveral places of Jeremiahs pro- and thofe of fihecy, (viz. chap. xxv. 9. chap- xxvii. 6. and chap.xliii. 10.), Ne- Ezekiel. buchadnezzar is called God's fervant, on purpofe to (hew us, that as great a prince as he was, he was no more than the executioner of his commands ; that he was the general of his troops, arid that all the victories he gained, and the conquefts he won, were by his di rection and appointment ; for no writers fpeak with fo much defer ence of God, as do the prophets, becaufe they only knew, by the infpiration of the divine Spirit, to exprefs, with a proper dignity,- what the greateft monarchs are in comparifon with the divine Ma jefty ; Calmet's Commentary. * St Jerom (in the life of this prophet) and Dorotheus (in his Sy- Bopfis of the lives and deaths of the prophets and apoftles) tell us, that he was ftoned to death in Egypt by his own renegado country men the Jews, for preaching againft their idolatry ; and of this fome interpret St Paul's ~\\&iur%wtk, (whether the Greeks took this word from the Babylonians, or the Babylonians from them); and therefore the Septuagint have rendered it by phitofipbers. Mec'afphim is thought by fome to be necromancers , fuch as pretend ed to raife the dead, to gain intelligence of things future ; but the Septuagint have rendered it by a word that denote fuch enchanters as made ufe of noxious herbs and drags, the blood of victims, and die bones of the dead, for their fuperftitious operations. The other word Chaf dim is the fame with Chaldeans, and here fignifies a fort of philoso phers among the Babylonians, who dwelt in a feparate part of the city,^ and were exempt from all public offices and employments. Their ftudy was natural philofophy, aftrology, divination, or the foretelling of future events by the obfervation of the ftars, the inter pretation of dreams, the fcience of auguries, the worfhip of thek gods, ire. as Diodorus Siculus, lib. 1. gives us an account of them ; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Magicians. -j- Magic is properly of three kinds, natural, artificial, and dia^ bolical. The firft of thefe is no other than natural philofophy, but 1 highly improved and advanced ; whereby the perfon that is well '{killed in the power and operation of natural bodies, is able to pro duce many "wonderful effects, miftaken by the illiterate for dkboli- .cal performances, but fuch as he perfectly within thc verge of na ture. Chap. I. from the Babylorrifh Captivity, (3c. gg* Under this denomination and fentence were Daniel and A- m. his three friends included; and therefore, underftanding '4'7' |':f the reafon of this fudden decree, Daniel applied himfelf to ssft &". ' Arioch captain of the guard, defiring a fhort refpite of itsfromJer.il. execution, in which time he did not in the leaft doubt but J)t0.x.lv,a'J to give the king full fatisfaction, both as to his dream t.ftom^Ezra and the interpretation of it : And fo proceeding to his three i. to v. friends, he acquainted them with, what he had undertaken, ' and defired their joint prayer to God, that he would be pleafed to reveal this great and important fecret to him ; which accordingly was done that very night. The next morning, after he had returned praife and thankfgiving to God for this fingular vouchfafement, he repaired to the palace, and, being introduced by the cap tain of the guard, was afked by the king, if he had found out his dream ? " You faw *," fays he, " O king, an i- " mage ture. Artificial magic is what we call legerdemain, or flight of hand, (the merry tricks of jugglers, as we corrupt the joculatores), far from exceeding the power of art, though many times they pafs with the vulgar for diabolical likewife. Diabolical magic is that which is done by the help of the devil, who, -having great (kill in natural caufes, may affift thofe that are in league and covenant with him, to do many ftrange and aftonifhing things. It feems, however, by the difcourfe which paffed between Nebuchadnezzar and his magicians, that they had no knowledge in the fences they pretended to ; that the king himfelf looked upon them as.no better than a pack of im- poftors : And that they had no familiarity with any wicked demons, who might have helped them out at this dead lift ; otherwife they would not have told the king, It is a rare thing which the king re quired, and there is none other, that can fhew it before the king, except the gods, whofe dwelling is not with flefh, Dan. ii. ii. Vid. Edward's Body of divinity, vol. I. f Some are of opinion, that Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and the interpretation thereof, were both revealed to Daniel, while he was afleep ; but others rather think, that it was in a vifion, while he was awake, becaufe the prayer and thankfgiving which he made to. God feem to infinuate, that he was awake ;- though we cannot fee, why he might not receive the revelation in his fleep, and return God thanks for it as foon as he awoke ; Calmet's Commentary. * Jofephus introduces Daniel as making this preamble to his dif covery and explanation of the king's dream : " It is not any high 'f conceit of my own wifdom, as if I underftand more than the " Chaldeans do, or any defigned reproach upon them for not being- 3 C 2 " aole g 8 8 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. « mage pf a vaft dimenfinn f» excellent in bright- AnV'ctrif. " nefs' ^ut terrible in afpect. The head of this image ssf.&c"'" was of fine gold, the breaft and arms of filver, the" from Jer. xl.« belly and thighs of brafs, the legs of iron, and the Di°t\v'nd" ^eet Partly *ron and part'y c'ay- ^ou ^aw» Iike* fromEzraj. " wife, O king, a ftone cut out of the mountain, but ' to v. « from whence it came you knew not. This ftone, fall- i,,y.< " ing upon the feet of the image, brake them into " pieces, and then the reft of the image mpuldered into " able to refolve a queftion which I am able to unriddle, that I engage " in this matter ; for I am not a perfon that pretends to more {kill " and knowledge than my neighbours ; but it is purely the work of " God, in pity to the miferable, and in mercy to my prayefs, for " the life and fafety. of myfelf and my friends, that has now laid " open this dream to me, and explained the meaning of it, Nor " have I been fo folicitous for the fafety of myfelf and my compa. " nions under your difpleafure, as for your own honour and glory, " left you Ihould tarnifli them, by putting to deaih (contrary to all " right and juftice) fo many worthy men, merely becaufe tbey " were not able to do a thing that is impoffible for flefh and blood " to perform;" Jewifh 'Antiq. lib. io. c. n. This is to be ob ferved, however, that though a great part of the book of Daniel be in Hebrew, yet this fpeech of his to the king, as well as the dialogue which paffed between the king and the magicians ; the king's decree, wherein he orders the golden ftatue to be worfliipped ; and that other, wherein he declares his dream of the vaft large tree, which Daniel expounded ; the hiflftry of the feaft which Belfhazzar made ; of his profanation of tire facred veffels, and the terrible vi fion of the hand-writing which he faw upon the wall ; the begin* ning of the reign of Darius ; the honours he conferred on Daniel, and the virion of the four beafts, denoting the four monarchies,; that all thefe, I fiy, (viz. from the 4th verfe of the 2d chapter, to the beginning of the Sth chapter), are wrote in the Chaldee or Syriac language, which, at that time, were both the fame, and both as fa miliar to our prophet as was his mother-tongue ; Calmet's Commenta ry on Dan. ii. .4. f Grotius accurately obferves, that the image appeared with a - glorious luftre in the imagination of Nebuchadnezzar, whofe mind was wholly taken up with admiration of worldly pomp and fplendor ; whereas the fame monarchies were reprefented to Daniel under the fhape of fierce and wild beads, (chap, vii.) as being the great fup- jiorters of idolatry and tyranny in the world ; Lowth's Cotnmentary on Dan. ii. " blefling f and praifing G6d ; fo that when the king from Jer. xl 7. ti ilv. all Daniel, + Nebuchadnezzar's expreffion upon this occafidn is, Lo ! I fee, and from flour men walking loofe in the midfl of the fire, and the form of the Ezrai. tov.jrourt/j ls [fa tj,e j~on tfCod, Dan. iii. 2 J. Whereupon fome have thought, that this prince, having little or no knowledge of the true religion, imagined that he faw fome demi-god, (an Apollo, an Her cules, a Mercury, for inflance), the fon of a fuperior god, walking with the three Hebrew youths in the fiery furnace. The notion, it muft be owned, agrees very well with the ancient theology of the Grecians, to which that of the Chaldeans had no fmall refemblance: But as angels are fometimes in Scripture called the fons of God, Job. i. ft. and xxxviii. 7. and moft nations had not only a belief of their exifti nee, but high conceptions likewife of their power, the king explains himfelf what he means by the fon of God, when, in joy for their deliverance, he cries out, Bleffed be the God of Ska- drach, Mefhach, and Abednego, who bath fent his angel, and de livered his fervants that irufted in him! Dan. iii. 28. For (as it is in the Song of the three holy children) , the angel of the Lordcame down into the oven, together with Azariah and his fellows, and fmote the flume oj' the oven, and made the midft of the furnace as it had been a moift and whiftting -wind, fo that the fire touched them not at all, neither hurt nor troubled them. -(- According to the vulgar Latin edition, in the third chapter of Daniel, between the 23d and 24th verfe, is added the Song of the three children; but being no where extant, either in the Hebrew or Chaldee language, and never received m the canon of holy writ by thc Jevyilh church, or by the ancient Chriftians, our church has thought proper to place it among thc apocryphal writings, where it {lands next to the book of Baruch, though thi- church of Rome, by a decree of the council of Trent, (feff. 4.), has not only given it, but the hiftory of Sufmna likewife, and of Bel and the Dragon, (which moft of the ancients looked upon as mere fables), a place a- mong the canonical Scriptures. The Song itfelf confifts of two parts ; a prayer, and a thankfgiving. The prayer is a devout confeffion of the fins of tht people, and acknowledgment of God's righteoufnefs, in bringing their captivity, and other calamities, upon ihem : And the thankfgiving i- a folemn excitation of all ci eaturcs whatever, but more efpecially of ihe three Hebrew ihidren, who were thus faved from the hand oj death, to biejs the Lord, praife him, and exalt him above all for ever. (who Chap. I. from the Babylonifli Captivity; (3c. 393 (who ftaid to fee the execution) perceived it, he ftart- A. M. ed up on a fudden, and, coming nearer to the mouth of tbe ]fff 1'c^\t furnace, called upon them to come forth, which they in-ss7, &c. ftantly did, in the prefence of him and all his attendants, f>'°m Jer- without * fo much as an hair of their heads being finged,*], D^;^v* or the leaft fmell of fire about them. Convinced by the and from ' greathefs of this miracle, the king himfelf glorified the God Ezrai. to v. of Ifrael, publifhed an edict in favour of the Jewifh religion, "¦ — V— ^ and gave thefe three glorious confeflbrs ftill higher promo tion in the province of Babylon. Not long after this, the judgments which the prophet Nebuchad - Jeremiah (b) had denounced againft his countrymen thenezzarcon" Jews, when they rejected the counfel of God, and fled imp que" ^~d Egypt for protection, (as they vainly thought), began to o-deftroysn;he perate : for, when Nebuchadnezzar uaderftood*, that the Jews who fubjects of Pharoah Hophra had revolted from him, andhJc,h':'heat* declared Amafis (an officer of his court) their king, he topk the advantage of the inteftine troubles enfuant there upon, and having, in a fliort time, over-run the country * " As if the flame itfelf (according to the expreffion of Jofephus) *' had been confcious of the injuftice of their fentence, and fuf* " pended the very nature of its confuming quality in favour of the " nnocent;" Jewifh Antiquities, lib. to.'c. 11. (b) Jer. xliv. 27. 28. * The occafion of this revolt is, to this effect, related by Hero* dotus, That Pharaoh Hophra, whom he calls Apries, having laft a great army in Libya, and, as fome imagined, on purpofe, that, being rid of them, he might, with more eafe and fervrity, govern the reft, fell under the refentment of his fubjects to fuch a degree, that feveral of them joined together in a body, and revolted from him ; that, to appeafe and reduce them to their duty, he fent Amafis, one of the •fficers of his court, to them, but, inftead of his perfuading them, they prevailed with him to be their king ; that hereupon Hophra fent Pai lerbamis, a perfon of the firft rank, to arreft Amafis, and bring him with him; but, when he returned without being able to execute his eommiliion, he commanded his ears and his nofe to be immediately e-ut off; which indignity, to a man of his wonh and character, fo ex- afperated the reft of his fubjects, that they almoft ail forfook him 1 fo that he was farced to hire an army of foreigners, wherewith he at tempted to give Amafis battle not far from Memphis ; but had the misfortune to be vanquilhed,, taken prifoner, and carried to the ciiy Sais, where he was ftrangled in his owli palace-; Herodotus, lib. 1. ; and Diodorus Siculus, lib. 1 . part. 2. Vol. IV. 2 D from 394 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVLi: A. M. frpm Migdol tp Syene, f, *'• e. from one end of Egypt td 3417, ire. the other, he plundered and laid it wafte ; and of the Jews .. Agnt c£"f who, after the murther pf Gedaliah, had fled thither, fome rrom Jer. he flew, and others he carried away captive to Babylon ; fo ¦A. 7. to xiv. that fcarce any efcaped but fuch as fled put pf Egypt, and all Daniel, afterwards fettled themfelves in their pwn land, at the end and rrom r , , . Ezrai.tov. of the captivity. '_—,— _»»- Having thus reduced the king of Egypt, and conftituted Daniel in- Amafis his viceroy, he returned to Babylon, where he had tcrprets an- anotner dream, which gave him frefh difquiet. This dream 01 Jus. he very well remembered ; and therefore he fent for his own magicians firft, in hopes that they could have inter preted it ; but when he met with no fatisfaction frpm them, lie was forced tp have recpurfe tp Daniel again ; and thus, uppn his entrance, he accpfted him : , " I law f a tree pf a prpdigipus bignefs, which feemed to " reach frpm earth tp heaven. It was fair, and full of " fruit ; yielded fhelter tp the beafts and fowls, and fufte- ", nance tp all flefh. I faw \ likewife an angel cpming dpwn " from -t- This is a city in the fouthern frontiers of Egypt, between Thebes and the great cataracts of the Nile, of which the ancients fpeak frequently, as the fartheft part in Egypt of any note towards Ethio pia . Calmet's Dictionary, under the word. f It is very ebfervable, that, in the writings of the prophets, prin ces are frequently compared to trees, (Ezek. xvji. 5. 6. and xxxi. 3. Jer. xxii. 15. Pfal. xxxvii. 35-)> and it is the notion of Gro tius, that a tree feen in a dream, according to the principles of the -Indians, Perfians, and Egyptians, denotes fome great and excellent perfonage ; but nothing is more precarious than thefe principles, or more uncertain than thefe obfervations, becaufe in the dreams which come from God, he may reprefent an eminent perfon under a thou fand different types, as well as that of a {lately tree ; Calmet's Com- , mentary on Dan. iv. 7. •f- The words, in our tranflation are, I faw a watcher, which, as it came down from heaven, could be no other than an angel. The Chaldee word is Nir, from whence St Jerom imagines, that the Pa gans derived their his, the meffenger of the gods ; and by £ome ex- preflions in Dan. iv. 1 7. it looks as if the Chaldeans had a notion, (for the king, we may fuppofe, fpeaks according to the common fentiments of the people), that thefe watchers, or holy ones in hea ven, did conftitute an affembly of judges, or were an order of bleff ed fpirits, who took under thek cognizance and decifion the fate of men; Chap. I. from the BSby lonifli Captivity, (3c. 395 " from heaven, who crie_d with a loud voice, Hew down A. 'M. " the tree, cut off the branches, fliake off the leaves, fcatter 3.4'7'cf''r " the fruit, and let all creatures depart from it ; but let the js", 6-r.' ' " ftump remain in the earth, and bind it with a band of from Jer. " iron and brafs, in the tender grafs of the field, and let it XJ: 7' toxlT- " be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be and from' " with thebeafts in the grafs of the earth : let his heart be Ezrai. toy. '* changed from that of a man, and a beaft's heart be given " him -f , and let feven times pafs over him." As foon as Daniel heard the dream, he was fo affected with the dreadful judgments which it portended to the king, that he ftood filent for the fpace of an hour ; but being en couraged by the king to expound the thing to him, be it what it would, he addreffed himfelf to him in thefe words : . " The tree, O king, which thou faweft in thy " dream, is thyfelf ; for thy greatnefs reacheth unto the " heavens, and thy dominions to the end of the earth : " but the angel which came from heaven with orders men ; for, by the decree of thefe watchers it was, that the tree (in the vifion) was ordered to be cut down ; Calmet's Commentary. •j- The ambiguity of this exprefEon (which the prophet, in his expofition of the dream, ftill adheres to) has occafioned a great va riety ofi opinions concerning it. Some maintain, that, as the Per fians diflinguifhed their years into twofeafons, winter and fummer, the feven years of Nebuchadnezzar muft be reckoned in this manner, which will therefore reduce them to the fpace of three years and an half. Dorotheus (in his Synoptis of the lives of the prophets and apoftles) tells us, that God did indeed condemn Nebuchadnezzar to feven years habitation with brutqs, but that, at the prayers and in- terceffions of Daniel, the feven years' were reduced to feven months. The word time, according to others, denotes no more than the fpace of a month ; fo that the king's diforder, of courfe, lafted no longer than ft ven months ; whereof (according to their computation) 'cy ¦];¦¦ firft forty days he continued in his frenzy, as a madman ; in ii < ty days following, he bewailed his offences; and, in tht i.-'t; ; days, he recovered by degrees from his infirmity : But all uv ,: idle conjectures. A year was a common meafure'of timr m-.v:. Chaldeans, efpecially in the chronicles of their kings ; .-iu.i fore, in this particular, we need no other interpreter foi f).t»;c Daniel himfelf, who, infundry phces of this- pi ophecy, paitii-u.V chap. xii. 7. has fet a time, and times, and the dividing, 01 !i„ time, for the fpace of three years and an half; Calmet's Ltd.. Wider the word Nebuchadnezzar. 3 D 2 396 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. " to cut down the tree, denotes the decree of the Moft 34 7, ire " High, which is determined againft thee, viz. that thou *«"' his father's hard ufage of Jehoiachin, the captive king of-Jfj""^^ Judah, he releafed him (as we faid before) froni an impri- ceeded by fonment that had lafted near 37 years, and promoted him Nerigl.flar, to great honour in his palace. His reign however was wu °red Tnd but fliort : For his lufts and wickedneffes had, in the fpace (lain by the of two years, made him fo intolerable, that even his pwn king of the relatipns cpnfpired againft him, and put him tp death ; Medes- whereupon Nerigliflar, his lifter's huiband, (who was at the head of the confpiracy), reigned in his ftead ; and as Jehoiachin f did not long furvive him, Salathiel, his fon, fucceeded as nominal prince f of the Jews. Upon his ac ceffion le) Dan. iv. 37. -* This prince died in the year of the world 3442, and before thrift 562; after he had reigned, from the death of his father, ac cording to the Babylonifh account, three and forty years. He was certainly one of the greateft princes that had appeared in the eaft for many ages before him, and according to Megafthenes, (as he is cited by Jofephus, Antiq. 1. 10. c. 11.), both for his enterprifes and performances, far excelled even Hercules himfelf. The fame hiftorian (as he is quoted by Eufebius, Prsep. lib. 9. c. 41.) in forms us, that a little before his death, he foretold his fubjects of the Coming of the Perfians, and their fubduing the kingdom of Baby- Jon ; but this he might gather from the prophet Daniel, and efpe cially from the interpretation of his dreams ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno $62- " f It is not unlikely, that Jehoiachin being a favourite, fell with him; for that beft agrees with Jeremiah's prophecies concerning him, where'iD it is denounced, chap. xxii. 30, that he fhould not profper in his days ; which could not be fo well verified of him, had he died in the full poffeffion of all that profperity to which Evil-me- rodach had advanced him ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 5 59. ¦f- Long after the lofs of all authority, the Jews kept up the title of a king among them, arid had a perfon defceijded of the houfe of David? 393 !]The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. ceflion to the throne, Nerigliflar made great preparations ^V'ctrif. to1" war againft the Medes, which obliged Cyaxares their Ts87i ire. ' king, to call in the affiftance of his nephew Cyrus \ out of from Jer. zl. 7. to ily. ail Danielj and from fjay'fd, who, by the name of the head of the captivity, was ac- Ejgrj.iao v^ jjnowje jgec| an(j ilonoUTed as a prince, and, as far as was confid ent with the government they lived under, was invefted with fome fort of jurifdiction over them. Nay, to this very day, the fame pageantry is faid to be kept np among the Jews, and chiefly with this view, that they may be furniihed from hence with an anfwer againft the Chriftians, urging ihe prophecy of Jacob againft them, viz. that the fceptre is departed from. Judah ; for thereupon their ufual reply is, That the fceptre is ftill preferved among them, in the head of the captivity ; . though fome ot them have modefty enough to give up this ; Prideaux 's Connection, anno 559. t It is on all hands agreed, that Aftyages king of thc Medes had a fon, whom profane hiftory calls Cyaxares ; and a daughter whofe name was Mandana, married to Cambyfes, a Perfian, by whom {lie had Cyrus ; but whether this Cambyfes was king, of the coun try, or only a private perfon, it is not fo well agreed. The two chief hiftorians who write of this matter, are Herodotus and Xe- Hophon ; but their relations in this regard are different ; forafmuch as the latter makes his father king of Perfia, the former a meaner man. The account of Herodotus indeed contains narratives that are much more ftrange and furprifing, and confequently more di- , verting and acceptable to the reader ; and for this reafon, more have chofen to follow him than Xenophon : But though Xenophon (4s being a great commander, as well as a great politician,) had cer tainly grafted many maxims of war and policy into his hiftory, yet - where nothing of this appears, he muft be allowed to be an hiftorian of much more credit in matters of fact than Herodotus. Herodo tus having travelled through Egypt, Syria, and feveral other coun tries, in order to the writing of his hiftory, did (as travellers ufed to do) put down all matters upon truft, and in many, no doubt, was impofed on : But Xenophon was a man of another character. He wrote all things with great judgment, and due confideration ; and having lived in the court of Cyrus the younger, a defcendent of the Cyrus whom we now fpeak of, had opportunities of being better in formed of what he wrote concerning this great prince than Herodo tus had ', and confining himfelf to this argument only, no doubt he examined all matters relating to it more thoroughly, and gave a more accurate and juft account of them, than could be expected from the other, who wrote of all things at large, as they came in his way; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 563. Perfia, Chap. I. from "the Babylonifh Captivity, &c. aoo Perfia, who, coming with a body of thirty thoufand Per- a. Mi fians, wsk by his uncle made general of the Medes likewife, 3417, ire. and thereupon, with his jpint forces, gave Nerigliflar bat- Ant- chrif- tie, flew him, and put his army tp the rput. ft^ Zf' The death pf this prince proved a great lpfs tp the Ba- xl.7. toslV. bylpnians, efpecially cpnfidering that his fon Labprpfoar- a!1 Daniel» chod (who fucceeded him) was in every thing the very Ezra?""1 v reverfe of his father, a man given to all manner of wicked" v— , j nefs.*, cruelty, and injuftice, for which he became fo odi- Laborofo- ous to his own fubjects, that they confpired againft him, archod frc- and flew him, after he had reigned only nine months. ^nd * beine Belfliazzar f (in all prpbability the grandfon pf the great murdered Nebuchadnezzar) fucceeded him ; in the firft year pf whpfe hy his .fub" relgn> fucceededby Belfliaz- * Two acts of his tyrannical violence towards two of his princi- Z3T' pal nobility, Gobrias arid Gadates, are particularly mentioned by Xenophon, viz. That the only fon of the former he flew at an hunting, to which he had invited him, for no other reafon but his throwing a dart with fuccefs at a wild beaft, when he himfelf had miffed it : And that the other he caufed to be caftrated, merely be caufe one of his concubines had commended him for an handfome man ; Cyropaedia, lib: J. f Great is the difference among hiftorians, and others, who this Belfliazzar (who is generally believed fo be the fame with the Nebon- nedus in Berofus, and the Labynetus in Herodotus) was. Some will have him to be of the royal blood of Nebuchadnezzar, and o- thers no way related tojiim. Some maintain that he was a Baby lonian, and others affirm, that he was a Mede ; and of thofe who aU low him to be of the royal family of Nebuchadnezzar, fome will have it, that he was his fon, and others, that he was his grandfon ; and therefore, to clear this matter, we muft obferve, iff, That Belfliazzar (be he who he will) was certainly of the feed of Ne buchadnezzar, becaufe he is exprefsly called h\s fon in feveral places of the jth chapter of Daniel, and in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 20. it is faid, that Nebuchadnezzar and his children, or offspring, reigned (in Babylon until the kingdom of Perfia commenced. '" 2dty, That, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah, (chap, xxvii. 7.) the na tions of the Eaft were to ferve Nebuchadnezzar and his foh, and his fon's fon ; and therefore he muft have had a fon, and a fon's fon, fucceffors to him in the throne of Babylon. %.dly, That as EvH-merodach was Nebuchadnezzar's fon, of all the kings that reigned after him at Babylon, none but Belfhazzar could he his fon's fon : For NeriglifTar was only his daughter's hufband, and Laborofoarcliod was Nerigliffar's fon ; fo that neither of them was , either foa or grandfon to Nebuchadnezzar, tstkly, That, accord ing 400 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A.M. reign, (d) Daniel had his dream of the four beafts, repre- ^'''chY fent'n§ the" four empires of the Chaldeans, Perfians, 587] &cf. Greeks, and Romans; and, in the third, the famous vi- ftom Jer..fion of the (e) ram and the he-goat, by the latter of which *ii ii'0-1*!7 was ^§nuied Alexander the Great, and by the former Da- and from ' rius,Codpmannus, the laft pf the Perfian kings, who were Eferai. to v. the fucceflbrs of Cyrus. Cyrus, indeed, who was to lay *— "V— »' the foundation of the Perfian monarchy, had feveral con flicts with Belfhazzar's armies ; but at length, having over- thrpwn him in a pitched battle, he fhut him bp in the city of Babylon, and there befieged him. To him Da- During the fiege, Belfhazzar, having' made a great m.e] ei" feaft for all his courtiers, ordered that the veffels of hand-wri- go'd and filver, which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar tingon the had taken out of the temple of Jerufalem, fliould be brought wall, which jnt0 [kg banqueting-houfe, that he and his princes, together h^deiu-uc- w"n his wives and concubines, might drink out of tkemj tion. which accordingly was done ; and (to add to their profane- nefs) in the midft pf their cups, they fang fongs in the praife pf their feveral idols. But it was nOt fong before Gpd j- put a damp to the king's mirth, by caufing an hand ing to Herodotus, lib. r. the laft king of Babylon (who, without doubt, was Bellhazzar, becaufe, immediately after his death, the kingdom was given to the Medes and Perfians, Dan v. 28. 30 ?t.) was fon to the great Queen Nitocris ; but now Nitocris, to have a child that was grandfon to Nebuchadnezzar, could be wife to no other than Evil-merodach ; and therefore, putting all this together, it appears, that Belfhazzar, the laft king of Babylon, was the fon of Evil-merodaca by Nitocris his queen, and confcquently fon's fon to Nebuchadnez- zar ; nor muft it feem ftrange, 'hat we find him, in Dan. v. called Nebuchadnezzar's fon, and hebuchadnezzar his father, becaufe it is the ufual ftyle of Scripture 10 call any anceftor upward, father, and any defcendent downward fin; Prideaux' 's Connection, anno $5$. (d) Chap, vii. (e) Chap viii + Next to murther, no fin h fo remarkably punifhed in this world as that.of facrilege. This appears from innumt rable inftances taken from all hiftories, both facred and profane. But in the Heathen ftory, remarkable examples of this kind are, the miferable end of the Phocians, who robbed the temple «t D< lphos, and were the oc cafion of that war, which was called from thence the holy war : The deftrudtion of the Gauls in their attempt upon the feme temple; and of Craffus, who plundered the temple of Jernfalem, and that of Chap. I. from the Babylon.'a Captivity, (3c. 401 hand to appear upon the wall, which, in three words, A. M. wrote the fentence of his condemnation. The king faw3.4 7' fff'-r it., , 1 • i> , nt- ^hnl. the hand that wrote ; and being exceedingly aflrighted and 5sy, ire. troubled at it, he commanded all his wifemen, magicians, arid ''om Jer. aftrplpgers tp be immediately called, that they might read xjj '' to **Y' the writing ; and explain its meaning ; but when npne f of ancj from ' them could do either, notwithftanding the great honours -j- Ezrai t0v. of the Syrian goddefs ; as thefe two laft flories are related by Pri deaux, part. 2. ; Lowth's Commentary on Dan. v. c ¦f The writing veiy probaoly might be in a character unknown to the Childeans, as the old Hebrew, Phoenician, and Samaritan were ; or if they were acquainted with the "character, yet fuch is the genius of nvft of the oriental languages, where fo little 11ft is made of vowels, and where the pronouueiation and fequel of ihe difconrje generally determine ihe fignification of the letters, that a man may be a perfect mafter of a language, and yet not able to read ant comprehend a word, when it Hands alone, and without any context, as it is in the cafe of Mene. TekeJ. Ufharftn. A man, for inftance, that underftands the Hebrew tongue never fo well, were he to meet dbr ftanding alone, would have much ado to read them, becaufe, according to the manner that we pronounce them, the let ters will admit of many different fignifications ; and it is much the fame in the Chaldee language, wherein the words we are now fpeak ing of were wrote ; Calmet's Commentary on Dan. v. 7. -f- The king's words are thefe, Whofioever fhall read this writing, and fhew me the interpretation thereof, fhall be cloathed with ficarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and fhall be the third ruler in the kingdom, Dan. v. 7. From whence it ap pears, that the kings of Babylon wore the fame ornaments, and, in rewarding rheir favourites, gave the fame marks of honour that the kings of Perfia and their fucceffors did. For purple, we find, iii feveral Greek authors, was the ordinary habit of the kings of Per fia, and. of the princes of their court that were in the higheft pofls of honour.- The chain or collar of gold was one of the greateft marks of diftinction that the Perfian kings could beftow upon their fubjects; and to be the third ruler of the kingdom, was the fame fublime office that Darius the Mede put Daniel in, chap- vi. 1. 2'. when he conftituted him one of the prefidents over the hundred and twenty princes that he had made governors over provinces ; Xenophon 's Cyrofadia, lib. 8.; Dio dorus, lib. 18.; Jofephus's Antiquities, lib. 11. c. 6.; Brijfon, De regno Per far. lib. 1 . ' 1 Vol. IV 2, E and 402 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. and prefents which he pffered them, at the inftance of the 34'7. fre || queen-mother, Daniel was fent for. A"8 ch£* As foon as he came into the king's prefence, he || re- from' jer. ceived him very courteoufly, and made him the fame offer xl. 7- 1 1 xiv. pf honours and prefents, that he had done to his own ma- andDfrani1, gicians> if he would but explain the writing. Daniel mo- Ezrai' toV deftly refufed the offers he made him ; but having under- < tpok tp perform what he required of him, he firft reproved him, with fome freedpm, for his ingratitude tp God, who had advanced him to the rank of a fovereign, and for the profanation pf the veffels which were cpnfecrated tp his fervice ; tond then proceeded tp the interpretatipn pf the wprds, which were thefe, Mene. Tekel. Upharsin. " Mene, fays he, which fignifies number, intimates, that " the days, bpth pf ypur life and pf ypur reign, are " numbered, .or that you have but a fhort time tp live, " Tekel, which fignifies weight, intimates, that you have " been weighed in the balance of God's juftice, and found " tpo light ; and Upharfin f, .which fignifies a fragment, " intimates, that ypur kingdpm fliall be divided, and given || In the 2d verfe of the eth chapter of Daniel, we read, that the king his princes, hi, wives, and his concubines were all at the feaft, which he made for thtm ; and yet in the ioth verfe it follows, that the queen, np>n hearing of the, news of the hand-writing, came in to the banqueting-houfe ; but th n it mud be obferved, that this queen was not one of his wives, but Nitocris his mother, and (lie fetms there to be called the queen by way of eminency. becaufe lire had the regency of thc kingdom under hei fon, for which her gieat wifdom duly qualified her. For this reafon Herodotus fpeaks of her, as if fhe had been fovereign of the kingdom, (in the fame manner as Srmiramis is faid to have been), and attributes to her all thofe works about Babylon which other authors afcribe to her fonj Prideaux' s Connection, anno 547. || And yet it is obfervahle, that when he came into his prefence, he afked him, Art thou that Daniel ? which feems to imply, that though he was one of the chief minifters of ftate, Dan. v 1 3. the king did not kinw him : But this only fliews, that Belfhazzar was a man who minded nothing but his pleafures, and left all things elfe to the management of others ; a conduct too often followed by fuch princes, as think kingdoms made for nothing elfe but to ferve their pleafures, and gratify thek lufts ! Prideaux' s Connection, an no J47- f I laniel, in repeating the words, inftt ad of Upharfin, puts in, Peres i but they both fignify thefame thing. " *9 Chap. I. from the, Babylonilh. Captivity, (3c. 403 " to the Medes and Perfians ;" which accordingly came tp A- M- pafs; for that very night, in die midft pf their feafting ^'''^fj. and revelling, the city * was taken by furprife, f Belftiaz- 587, ire.' zar flain,' and the kingdpm tranflated tp Cyaxares, whpm flom J^r. the Scripture calls Darius the Mede. *jj p^Id ' Darius, trpm his very firft acceflipn tp the thrpne, had and from ' a great efteem for Daniel, as knowing him tp be a perfpn Ezrai tov. of extraordinary parts and learning, and lpng verfed in af- -~-^-— ' fairs pf ftate ; and therefore having divided the whple em- arms s , ' , , , ° . , . , , greatelteem pire intP an hundred and twenty prpvinces, pver which he for Daniel, fet gpvernprs, and pver thefe three prefidents, as the king's which occa- chieffi0"ed f will, Ifaiah xiii. i 7. I will dry up her fea, and make her firings dry, Jer. li 36. Ba bylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of ~the Chaldees excellency, fhalt be like Sodom and Gomorrah, Ifaiah xiii. 19. For I will make it a poffeftion for tbe bittern, and pools of water, Ifaiah xiv 23. faith the king, whofe name is the Lord of Hofti ; Prideaux's Con nection, anno 547. f Of the manner wherein this was done, we find Xenophon (Cyropsedia, lib. 7.) thus relating tbe ftory, viz,. "That two de- " ferters, Gadatas and Gobryas, having affifted fome of the Per- " lian army, to kill the guards, and feize upon the palace, thy " entered into the room where the king was, whom they found " {landing tip in a poflure of defence, but that they foon difpatch- '*« ed him, and thofe that were with him, and thereby fulfilled the 3 E 2 " pra/h. cy 40+ The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book ^11. A. M. chief minifters, he made Daniel the firft pf thefe f ; but: it 3417, i\c. happened tp him, as it ufually dees tP all favpurites, tp be ng' ff ' ' maligned, and envied by pthers. from' Jer. His adminifh-ation of public affairs, lipwever, was fojuft, xl. 7. to xiv. that in that capacity, he gave them no room for any ac- andIfinie1' cufat'on againft him, and therefore they laid their plot an- Ezrai. tov. other way. He, they knew, was a ftridt obferver of the L-— y—^, religion pf his cpuntry, and a cpnftant reforter to Gpd in prayer; and therefore they applied themfelves tp Darius, in the name pf his whple cpuncil and pfficers of ftate, that he wpuld be pleafed fo far tp indulge his people, as tp pafs a decree, (only fpr thirty days), that whoever -f fhpuld afk any petitipn either pf God pr man, except pf the king pn ly, for that fpace pf time, fhould be thrown tp the lions ; which the king, taking it for a great teftimpny pf their af fection and loyalty to him, at his firft acceffipn tp the throne, without any manner pf hefitation, paffed intp an act, and iffued out his prpclamatipn to that purpofe. Daniel was npt ignorant that this wicked cpntrivance was defigned tp enfoare him ; but neverthelefs he cpntinued his ufual courfe of paying his adprations tp Gpd, three ¦ times every day, and that npt in any clandeftine manner, - but " prophecy of Jeremiah :" I will make drim* her princes, andher wife men, her captains and her rulers, and her mighty men ; and they fhall fleep a perpetual flcep, and no' awake, Jaith the king, whofe name i< the Lord of Hofts, chap. li. 5 7. ; Lowth's Commeniary on Dan. v. 50 -f For though the whole power of the army, and the chief eon- duct of other affairs were in the hands of Cyi lis, (and therefore we find him, in Ptolemy's canon, fet down, as immediate fuccefTor to Eelfhazzir, who is there called Nahnadius), yet as long at his un cle lived, Cyras allowed him a joint title with him in the empire, and out of deference to him, yielded him the firfl place of honour in it ; though, in reality, he had no more than ihe name and lha- dow of fovrreigmy, except in Media, which was his own proper do minion before any conqucfts were made ; Prideaux' s Connection, cm- no 5 28. f It may feem a little ftrange, that Darius fliould fo readily ac cept of an honour which was due to God alone : But we fee what a pitch of vanity and arrogance thefe enftf rn princes were arrived at, when we find Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel, afking the three Hebrew youth? , W ho is tf.:t Cod, that Jkall deliver you out of vy f hands? Dan. iii. 15, ; when we find it laid of another ol" that r.uir.e, in Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 405 but with his chamber-window open tpwards Jerufalem f . A. M. His enemies, whp had laid this fnare for him, were npt for 34' 7, ire. getful tp watch him diligently ; and therefore having taken An8'' °^ him in the act pf prayer, they immediately went to the from' jer. * king, accufed Daniel of a con tempt of his decree, and de- x!- 7- to xiv. fired that the fentence might inftantly be executed upon him, a]1 D*nier> The king too late perceived, that his eafy compliance jf,zl-a i. tov. with a fallacipus offer had betrayed him intp a miftake, that <— v—~ • was likely tp prpve fatal tp his fervant Daniel, and there- f^e >* cafl fore he laboured, what he could, to reverfe the decree ; i"t0 l!le but the grandees, pn the other hand, represented tp him, ;s rniracu-' that the royal decrees, according to the law of the Medes loufly deli- aud Perfians f, were unalterable, and confequently, the pe- v.ered from nalty which Daniel had incurred, irreverfible ; fo that what ' through the importunity of thofe wicked men, and a falfe notion- of honour in adhering tp his wprd, the king deli vered up Daniel tp their mercy, but npt without fome glim mering hppes, that the God whpm he ferved cpntinually, would, by fome means or other, preferve him. No in the book of Judith, Who is Cod; but Nabfichodonofor P He will fend his power, and deftroy th^m from the face of the earth, chap. vi. 2. 3. ; and more efpecially, when we find the Perfians making it a matter of ftate-policy to have the perfons of their kings, in the fame ve neration as they had their gods -, Quint. Curt. lib. 8. f It was a conftant cuftom among the Jews, for thofe that were in the country, or in any diftant land, to turn themfelves towards Jerufalem ; and for thofe that were at Jerufalem, to turn towards the temple, when they prayed : And thc probable reafon of this might be, the words of Solomon, in his prayer to God, at the con- fecration of the temple : If tht people, when led away captive, pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gaveft unto their father', the citf, which thou haft cbofen, and the houfe, whi:h I have built " for thy name ; then hear thou their prayers, and their fupplications in heavenfthy dwelling place, and maintain their cat/fie, I Kings viii. 4R. 40. f So Diodorus Siculus tells us (lib. 4 ) of Darius, the laft king ,,of Perfia, that he would have pardoned Chart - ftoration of "*he Jews. and xii. 9. : lowth's Commentary on Dan. vi. ; xni-Patrkk's Comr-i tnentary on Eflher i. •f- By this it feems, as if the Perfian government, at this time, i! was a kind of mixed monarchy, confining of a king and nobles ;' forafmuch as we find that the king could do nothing of importance without his counfellors, nor lud he power to alter any thing that was determined in council ; Calmet's Lommentary ¦f- The lex ialionis condemned all calumniators to the fame fort of punifhment which they intended to have brought upon others; and in this cafe, among the Perfians, it was a frequent, thing to include all the family in t ,e penalty inflicted on the lather ; bus a- bominandx leges (fays ,-Uiimianus Mar-cefiinni) per quas, ob noxam tinius, omnis propinquttas perit ; Caimct's Commentary. ¦f The particular prophcies, to which D-micl alludes, miv. the deliverance pf Judah frpm their temppral captivity under — - y-W the Babylpnians, but alfo pf a much greater redemptipn which Gpd wpuld give his church, by delivering them from their fpiritual captivity under fin and Satan, to be accom- plilhed at the end of feventy weeks after the going forth pf the cpmmandment tp rebuild Jerufalem, i. e. at the expi- ratipn pf 490 years, as we fhall have occafion to explain that remarkable paffage (g) hereafter. Upon the reduction of Babylon, (h) which put an end to Cyrus's ad- the Chaldean empire, after it L^d continued frpm the reign ^"jj^p"1. of Nahpnaflar, (whp founded it), 209 years, Cyrus went uanempire, intp Perfia tp make a vifit tp his father and mother, whp upon the were yet living ; and, on his return through Media, mar o^n^°° ried the daughter and pnly child of his uncle Darius, and byiomflu had, in dower with her, the reverfion of the kingdom of Media, after her father's death : fo that, in a fliort time, he fucceeded, not only to the Babylonifh empire, but to the two additional kingdoms of Perfia and Media likewife, and from hence the whole extent of his dominions tppk the name pf the Perfian empire. their iniquity : but I will vifit you, and perform my good word to wards you, in cauftng you to return to this place For I know my thought' that I think towardi you, faith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end Jer. xxv 8 ire. and xxix. io- II. But prophecies, he knew very well, were but con ditional, and, for their accompliihment, depended in a great mea fure upon the behaviour of thofe to whom they were made. One part of this prediction he had feen executed, in the punifhmi nt of thc king of Babylon, and the tranflation of his kingdom to the Medes and Perfians ;¦ but reafon good he had to fear, left the (ins of his coun trymen the Jews Ihould retard the completion of the oih< r part, viz, thtir return from captivity,, beyond the compafs of feventy years; and this was both the caufe of his grief and the motive of his prayer ; Calmet's Commentary. (f) Chap. ix. (g) Dan. ix. 24. ire. (h) Pridcanx's Connection, anno J40. Al 408 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A M (i) As foon as Cyrus was come into the full poffeflipn pf Aat'chnft tne emPu'e> he publifhcd a decree f , wherein he gave free 587, ire. liberty to the Jews to return to their own cpuntry, and tp from jer. rebu'dd the huufe pf the Lprd at Jerufalem. \ Many of xf. 7. to xiv. all Dani -.-!, and from Ezrai. tov. (i) Ezrai. 1. ire. 1 — — \'—> f It is a good deal more than probable, that this decree in favour Hskind- of the Jew« was, in a great meafure, owing to Daniel's good offices. eefs tc the Cyrus, at his firft coming to Babylon, after he had taken the city, found ;£"?.'. af"' him there an old minifter of ftate, famed for his great wifdom over their 'refto- a" 'hc E-'ft an^> in many things, for a knowledge fuperior to tbe ration.. reft ol mankind ; and accordingly we find, that he not only em ployed him as fuch, bar, upon the fettling of the government of the wiiile empire, made him tirft fuperintendent or prime minifter of flare ov r all the provinces of it. In this ftation of life, Daniel muft have hern a perfon of great authority at court, and highly in tbe e- fteem of his prince ; and therefore, as we find him earneft in his privr 10 God for the reftoration of his people, Dan. ix. we cannot but think, that he would be equally warm in his interceflions for it with the king To which purpofe, it is not improbable, that he might fhew him thofe paflagcs in Ifaiah, which fpeak of him by name, (i so years before he was born), as a great prince and con queror, the ruler of many natrons, and the reftorer of his people, by canling his temple to be built, and the city of Jerulalem re-inhabited. For, that Cyrus had feen thofe prophecies, the thing is plain, not only from the teflirmuy of Jofephus, Antiq. lib. xi. c. 1. but from the recital that is made of them in the decree itfelf, Ezra i. 2. ; and if fo, who (honld he fo proper to fhew them to him, and to recom mend the accompliihment of them to his princely care, as Daniel, who, had fo great credit with him, and fo paltionate a concern for the reftoration of Sion ? Prideaux' s Connection, anno 5 38. ¦f Some are of opinion, that, among the facred things which Cy rus ordered to be reftored, the ark of the covenant was one ; hut ip no where appears, that this ark was carried from Jcru'falem to Baby lon. They tell us. indeed, that, in the fecond temple, facrifices were offered, as in thc- firft, and all folemn days obferved, efpecially the great day of expiaion, when the law ordained, that the blood -fhould be fprinkkd before the mercy feat; and the mercy-feat, fay they, was part of the ark : but befides that thc ark, without tbe She. chinah, or divine gUry, (which was then withdrawn), would have been of no great hgnificance, the Je \vs n-iverfally acknowledged, that the ark was one of thc live things that weie wanting in the fe- pp:id' temple. the Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 409 the facred veffels, (to the number of 5400 ||), which Ne- A. M. buchadnezzar had taken- out of the former houfe, brpught \n't7'chrif. tp Babylpn, and placed in the temple pf his god Bel, he pr- S8-/, iref dered his treafurer to reftore ; and wrote letters * recpm- ftom Jer *i. mendatpry to the governors of feveral provinces to affift the Z: t0,*|vand Jews in their undertaking. from Ezrai. The encouragement which was given them by virtue of to v. this decree, made the Jews foon gather together out of the ~— ^V"™J feveral parts of the kingdom of Babylon, to the number of 42,360, which, together- with their fervants, (who were 7337 more), amounted in all to 49,697 perfons. For, not only thofe of Judah and Benjamin, but feveral alfo pf the pther tribes that had been carried away by Tiglath-Pile fer and Efarhaddpn, yet ftill retained thc true worfhip of Gpd in a ftrange land, tppk the benefitof this decree to re turn tp their own cpuntry. The | The fum total of the vefftis, as they are named in Ezra i. 9. 10. do not amount to half this number j and therefore fome have thought, that there muft be a numerical error either in one place or the other ; whilft others fuppofe, that as, in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 18. Nebuchad nezzar is faid to have carried away all the veffels, both great and fmall, in this detail the larger vefTels only, and fuch as were of great value, are mentioned, bat that the grofs fum comprehends all, and amounts to the number fpecified ; Patrick's Commentary on Ezra i. ti* Jofephus has recorded one, which is directed to the governors of Syria; in the following manner. " Cyrus, the king, to Syfina and Sarabafan, fendeth greeting. " Be it known unto you, that I have given leave to all the Jews " that are in my dominions to return into their own country, and " there to rebuild their capital city, with the holy temple at Jerufa^ " km, in thefame place where it flood before. I have likewife fent " my treafurer Mithridates, and Zerubbabel the governor of Judea, ¦" to fiiperintend the building, and to fee it raifed fixty cubits upward " from the ~'-ound, and as many over ; the walls to be three rows " of polifheii ftone, and one of the wood of the country, together " with an altar for facrifices, and all this to be done at my charge. . " It is my further pleafure, that they receive entire to them- " felves all the profits and revenues that were formerly enjoyed by " their predeceffors, and that they have an allowance paid them of " 205,500 drachmas, in tonfideration of beafts for facrifices, wine, " and oil, and 2500 meafures of wheat, in lieu of fine flour, and all Vol. IV. g F " this 4 to The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book V1J, ^' M. Tne chief leaders pf thefe returning captives were Ze- i4nt7'chrif rubbabel and Jofhua. Zerubbabel f (whpfe Babylpnifh S87, ire: name was Sbefhbazzar) was the fon of Salathiel, the fon of from Jer xl xJehoiakim king pf Judah, whp was kept fo fong captive in Caniel'and Babylpn ; and Jnfhua was the fon of Jozadach, the fon pf from Ezra Seraiah, whp was high-priefbwhen Jerufalem was deftrpyed, >• ' ' v- and put tp death by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah in Syria ; fo ^,"'TVT?°'' that the former pf them was defcended frpm the regal, and leaders, 'fed at court. Zerubbabel was born in Babylon ; and his name; which fignifies a'n exile or ftranger in. Babylon, imports the mifery of the people of Ifrael at that time ; but Sbefhbazzar, which is a compound of two words, fignifying fine linen and gold, feems to be a name of a better omen, and to denote their future more flourifhing condition ; Patrick's Commentary. f The firft day of the month Tizri was the beginning of the Jewifli civil year, and on it was the feaft of trumpets, fo called, be caufe Chap. I. from the Babyfanifh .Captivity, (3c 411 was the great day. of expiation t, when the high-prieft A- M. made atpnement for all the pepple: and pn the fifteenth ,'4'7' *'-, r ¦ r , int. Chnf. bePn S87, ire. from Jer. xl. 7. ;oxlv, all Daniel, and ca'ufd it was proclaimed by found of trumpet ; but, upon what occa- from h.zr.ii. fiin it was at firft inftituted, the Scripture is filent. Thco. or t to v.- (queft. xxxii. in Levit.) i? of opinon, that it w.i-> in memory of — ~v^— * the thunder and lightening upon mount Sinai, wh.:ii God gave his law from thence. The ancient Rabbins will have it, that it was in remembrance of the deliverance of- Ifaac, in whofe ftead Abraham facrificed a ram; but fome modern Jews maintain, that it was in memory of the world's creation, which they accordingly alfert was in the beginning of autumn ; and, as ihey hold it by tradition, that on this day God particularly judges all the acihns or the foregoing year, and difpofes all the events of the year following, for this reafon they generally apply ihemfclvesj for the whole rig-it day- preceding ihis reaft> to the works of penance and mortification. On the feaft itfelf (which Iafts for two days) all labour and bufinefs is fufpended, and (while facrifices were in ufe) the Jews offered, in the name of the Whole nation, a folemn holocauft of a calf, two rams, and' feven lambs, all of the fame year, together with the flour and wine that ufually went along with fuch facrifices : but. inftead of that, they now go t6 the fynagogue, where they repeat feveral prayers and be nedictions, and havirig taken the Pentateuch very folemnly out of the cheft, and read to five perfons the fervice that ufed to be per formed on that day, they found twenty times upon an horn, fome times very low, fometimes very loud ; and this, they fay, makes ' them think of the judgments of God, to intimidate finners, and put them upon repentance ; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Trum pet. \ This was one of the principal folemnities of the Jews, and the ceremonies to be obferved hereon were fuch as thefe, The high-prieft, after he had wafhed not only his hands and feet, (as ufiafin com mon facrifices), but his body likewife, dreffed himfelf in a plain li- .nen garment like one of the priefts, and had neither his purple robe, his ephod, nor his pectoral on, becaufe he was going to ex piate his own as well as the peoples fins. He firft of all offered a bullock and a ram for his own lins, and thofe of ti.e other priefts, putting his hand upon their heads, - and confeffing his own tins, and the fins of his houfe ; then he received turn the princes of the people two goats for a fin-offering, and a ram lor a burnt- offering; to be offered in the name of all the people. Ly lots it was determined which- of the two goats fhouid be facr^.ed, and which fet at liberty ; and-therefore, after that he had penuitied the 3 F 2 fanctuary 4 1 * The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. began the feaft of tabernacles f, which lafted till the An'J'oirii", twenty-tr>ird. During all which fplemnities, the pepple say, ire. ' - ' ftaid from Jer. xl. 7. to xiv. and from ' fanctuary with fome burning incenfe, he took of the blood of th«' Ezra i. to v. bullock which he had facrificed, and dipping his finger in it, fprin- >,n^y»— » kled it feven times between the ark and the veil, which feparated between the holy of holies, and the body of the tabernacle or tem ple. After this he came out again, and having facrinced the goat upon which the lot was fallen, he returned with fome of its blood; into the fanctuary, and there fprinkled it, as he had done before : Then coming out again, he fprinkled both fides of the court with the blood of the goat, and f > proceeding to the altar of burnt -offer. ings, he wet the four horns of it with the blood of the goat and the bullock, and fprinkled it feven tiroes with the fame. After all thefe ceremonies were finiflied, the goat that was to '.>e fet at liberty (which was commonly called the fieape-goat) was brought to tbe high prieft, who put both his hands upon its head, and having con- fefled all his own fins, and the fins of the people, delivered it to per fons appointed to that office, who carried it into the wildernefs, and left it upon the brink of a precipice, at twelve miles diftance from Jerufalem. After all which, the high-prieft wafhtd himfelf alt 0- ver again in the tabernacle or temple, and putting on his pontifical) drefs, facrificcd two rams for a burnt-offering, one for himfelf, and the other for the people ; and fo concluded the day, with reading the law, and giving the blefling to the people, who all, upon this. occafion, beluved with great devotion, faffed punctually, and re turned home with a full perfuafion and afliirance that their fins were entirely done away, and expiated. The modern Jews, who have no ficrifices, content themfilves with reading fn Leviticus what relates- to- the folemn fervice of this day, and the cert monies concerning the fcape-goat. They, in like manner, faft very ftrictly, and pray very de- votv.ly, until the conclufion' of the day, when having received the Rabbin's blefling, ihcy go home, fully fatisfied that all their iniqui ties are pardoned : For their ftanding maxim is, that repentance, though accompanied with a refolution of living well, does but fuf- fpend fins ; whereas the feaft of expiation does ahfolutely abolifh ihem. The reader that is defirous to know more of this, may con- fniL Bafnage's Hiftory of ihe Jews, and Calmet's Dictionary, under thc word Expiation. fi This was one of the great fokmniiies of the Jews, wherein ail the males were obliged to prefent themfelves before the Lord. In Hebrew it is called Chug bcfj'u, both, the feaft of tents ; becaufe it was kept under green tents, and arbours, ::i"rr;niory cf tfceir dwell- Chap. I. from the Babyloftiih Captivity, (3c. 4rj ftaid at Jerufalem, and to promote the reftoration- of Al" M- God's worfhip in that place, the free-will offeriflgs, 3£t'ckiik which they made upon that occafion (befides an hundred 587! ire. V veftments for the priefts) amounted to fixty-one thoufand from Jer. drachms of gold, and five thoufand minas of filveF,. which, *!: 7rl*0-x1,*" in all, comes to about -t- feventy-five thoufand five hun- *nd ft°J£ * / dred Ezra i. to v«- kg in tents in thek paflage through the wildernefs, and immediately after the harveft, in grateful acknowledgment to God for the fruits of the earth, whkh they had lately gathered in- It was obferved for feven days ; and of the feveral facrifices which were appointed for each day, we have a punctual account in the book of Numbers, chap. xxix. 12. ire. The modern Jews, not having now an op portunity of going to the temple, and performing all the ceremonies prefcribed by Mofes, make (each for himfelf) in fome open pkce, a bower, or arbour, of the branches of trees of fuch a determinate height, hung round about, and adorned, as much as they can ; where they eat and drink, and pafs at leaft as much time as they do in thek houfes, for all the days of the feftival ; but fuch as are old, or fick, are excnfed, and when it rains very hard, they are permitted to retire to their houfes. On the firft day of. the feaft, they take one branch of palm, three of myrtle, and one of willow,, bound together, which they cany in their right hand, and having a branch of citron, with iis fruit, in their left, they thus make four turns about the reading-defk, in their fynagogues. On the feventh day, (which is accounted more holy than the reft), they rife with the fun, and going to tbe fynagogae, fing abundance of prayers (which they repeat all the feaft) with prodigious rapidity, as fuppofing, that during their journey, they were obliged to make hafte even in the fervice of God On the eighth, (for they have added two days to what Mofes at firft prefcribed), they get their friends together, and give them an entertainment ; and on the ninth, which they call the joy of the law, they complete the reading of the Pentateuch, according, to the order of its fections ; Bafnage's Hi ftory of the Jews ; and Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Taber nacles. f For every drachm of gold is worth ten (hillings of our money, and every mina of filver nine pounds ; for it contained fixty Ihe- kels, and every fhekel of filver is worth three (hillings of our money. — — From whence it appears, that the Jews were not made fuch poor flaves in Babylon, as wrought for their lords and maftets, but had fome of them very confiderable offices at court, and all liberty »e trade, and get riches for themfelves ; and confemiently that there may 414 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book Vlt A. M. dred ppunds pf pur mpney ; and with this fund they be- 34'7i <&t- gan the wprk of rebuilding the temple. 587' ire. T° this purpofe, having employed the firft year in pre* from Jer. paring materials and prpviding wprkmetr, in the fecond si. 7. tjxlv. mpnth pf the fecpnd year, (which anfwers in part tp our at^from' April and May), they laid the foundatipn pf.it with great Ezrai. tov. joy and folemnity ; only the old men, who had feen the *— — v—— * glory of the firft temple, and had np expectatipn, that this, which was npw a-building by a few pppr exiles, lately returned frpm their captivity,- wpuld ever equal that which had all the. riches pf David and Spfompn (twp pf the weal- thieft princes pf the eaft) expended pn it, Wept at the re membrance pf the old, -whilft the others rejoiced at the laying the foundations of the new temple. Th« Sama- Whilft the Jews were gping pn with this wprk, die . ritans offer Samaritans, who were planted in feveral cities pf Ifrael in *"eir abut* the i-ppm pf the Ifraelites whom Salmanaflar, king of Af- bemg Tefu- fyria, had long before carried away captive, hearing that fcd,obftru and £be deatQ of tixear 8reat benefactor Cy- 58^' ^''nis *, which happened not long after, it was quite inter- from Jer. mitted, until the fecpnd year pf the reign pf Darius the al. 7- to xiv. r-on 0f Hyftafpes, wherein it was re-aflurhed. ' all Daniel, J * and from Ezrai. tov. The OBJECTION. " ~T\ U T what credit foever Daniel might have with " j~j Cyrus the Perfian, and with the kings pf Babylon " his predeceffors, as a ftate-minifter and pplitician, it is " certain, that he never was Ippked uppn, even by his pwn " cpuntrymen, as a prpphet ; npr was the bppk which " gpes under his name, ever received into their canpn of " hply writ. The truth is, the methpd pf his educa- " huddle of contingencies. For, when I confider the prophecies of " Daniel, (fays he), I cannot but blame the ignorance or irreve. " rence of thofe who make it their profeffion to decry providence, " as if God took no care of us, fince it is impoflible to conceive, *' how there fhould be fuch a eorrefpondence between the things u foretold at one time, and fulfilled fo many ages after, if, accor- " ding to their opinion, every thing were left to run at random, " and fall out at hap-bazard ;" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 10. c. 12. * It is generally agreed by hiftorians, that Cyrus was much about feventy years old when he died ; but then they widely differ among themfelves as to the manner of his death. Some fay, that he was ta ken in an engagement, and hanged ; others, that he died of a wound which he received in his thigh ; and others, that he was killed in a battle with the people of Samos. Herodotus, Juftin, and Valerius Maximus relate, that, in his war againft the Scythians, falling into an ambufh which Queen Tomyris had laid for him, he was taken prifoner, and, wilh infult enough, had his head cut off by her order ; but Xenophon's account is, that he died peace ably in his bed, amidft his friends, and in his own country; as, indeed, there is little reafon to think, either that fo wife a man as Cyrus fhould, in his advanced years, engage in fo defperate an un dertaking as this Scythian expedition is reprefented on all hands, or that, had he died in Scythia, his mangled body could have ever been got out of the hands of thefe barbarians to be buried at Pafar- gada in Perfia, as moft authors agree it was, and where his monu ment was to be feen in the time of Alexander the Great : Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Cyrus ; and Prideaux' s Connection, anno " tion Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 4 1 7 " tion was abhorrent to the fpirit of prophecy. He was in- A- M. " ftructed in the learning of the Chaldeans, and (k) bred \Vf'rt% , r r y. r ' \ 1 Ant. Lanl. " among a iet of magicians, forcerers, and aftrologers, j87, ire. " whom, in their different faculties, he is faid (/) to have fronl Jer- " vaftly furpaffed, and was therefore (m) made their pre- *}} u^^' " fident : But thpugh, with thefe qualificatipns, he might and from' " have fet up for a top conjurer, yet who would ever have Ezr» '¦ t0 «¦• •' fufpedted his7 taking upon him the character of a pro- " phet ? " (n) The law of Mofes threatened with immediate death, " not only the profeflbrs of magic, but every one who re- " forted to them. The people whom God had expelled '" from Canaan, were diviners, fouthfayers, obfervers of " times, and interpreters pf dreams, (0) whom he declares " to be his abomination ; and therefore me may juftly won- " der, that Daniel, whp feemed tp be fo ferupulous in other " matters, (p) as npt to dare to eat of the meat which the " king had appointed for him and his companipns, for " fear of pollution, fhould not much more fear to be de- " filed, by living in community with fuch as taught thefe " black arts, and by becoming himfelf one of their dif- " ciples ; and much more may we wonder, how he comes " to deferve fo high a commendation for that very thing, " viz. (q) his underftanding vifipns and dreams, for which " " other pretenders to that kind of knowledge were ac- " counted an abomination. " (r) In all matters of wifdom and underftanding that the " king inquired' of them, his companions, he found them ten " times better, than all his magicians and aftrologers, -and " yet Daniel is reprefented as a proficient far forpafling " the reft ; which perhaps may help to unfold the fecret " why, when the other three were eaft into the fiery fur- " nace, it was thought proper to exempt him, namely, be- " caufe the college of magicians might be loth to lofe an " adept, fo renowned for his age, and who was. like to " prove fo great an prnament to their body. " However this be, it is certain, that the author of the '' bopk which gpes under Daniel's name, was never a prp- " phet, but a certain hiftorian, who lived fome hundred " years after Daniel's time ; and, relating events which a " long while before were paft and gone, made ufe of atle- (k) Dan. i. 4. (/) Ibid. ver. 17. (w) Chap. ii. 48. (n) Levit. xx. 6. (0) Dent, xviii. 12. (p) Dan, i. 8, (q) Ibid. ver. 17. (r) Ibid- ver. 20. Vol. IV. 3 G " gories, 4r8 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. " gories, and a fymbolical way of exprefling himfelf, 3417, &c_ « merely to give his writings the air of prophecies, (s) Fpr jsT £c"f' " if the ancient Daniel, who was carried away in the Ba- from Jer. " bylonifh captivity, was the author of this book, how xl. 7. to xiv. » cpmes it to pafs that he miftakes the very names of the " andfrom ' " Princes whofe courts he lived in, and ufes fo many Ez«tiI.°tov. " words derivative from the Greek, which was a language unknown to the Jews, till a long while after this capti- ' vity ? How comes he not to be found (as well as other ' bppks of the Old Teftament) in the verfion of the Se- ' venty ; not to be named among the prpphets recited ifl ' Ecclefiaftitus (t) ; npr fo much as taken notice of by Jo- 1 nathan, who is fuppofed to have made, fome time before ' our Saviour's coming, his paraphrafes upon the books ' of the prophets ? " Had he been thought of canonical authority, it is :t fcarce imaginable, how he could have been paffed by in ' this difhonourable manner : But the truth is, the Jews, to " do themfelves credit, were great compofers of books un- " der the names of their prophets, and particularly under " the name of Daniel. We have feveralfpurious pieces, " fuch as the Song of the three children, the ftories of Su- " fanna and the two elders, and of Bel and the dragon, " extant at this day ; and, in like manner, have reafon " to believe, that the author of the book of Daniel was a " counterfeit, who lived about the time of Antiochus Epl- " phanes, and wrote of things paft in a prophetical ftyle; " efpcially cofifidering, that the way of representing large " fcenes of affairs by fuch images and fymbols as he makes " ufe of, is entirely unlike the books of the other pro- " phets, but yaftly conformable to the mode of writing " which at that time prevailed in the fehools of the Greeks. " iEfop's lion, indeed, maybe a fit emblem of a kw- " lefs tyrant, or his fox of a crafty politician ; but where " is the fenfe of (u) a lion with eagle's wings, or a bear (s) Coflins's Scheme of literal prophecy. (/) Chap. xl«. (u) Dan. vii. 4. . ' Humano capiti ccrvicem pietor eqninam Jungere fi velit, et varias inducere plumas, UndiqUe collatis membtis^ ut turpiter atrum Definat in pifcem, mulier formofa fupeme, Spectamm admifli rifum teneatis, ainici ? Hor. de Art. Poet, " with Chap.L from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 419 *' with three ribs in his mouth ; of a leopard with four A. m. " heads; or another beaft, different to all thefe, with eyes 3fi'','n&Cf " in his horns ? A ram with two horns (though the one s8£ ^." " " may chance to be higher than the pther) is not fo incon- from Jer. *' gruous a matter ; but an he-goat cafting down the hoft xfj '' toriv- " of heaven, and trampling upon the very ftars,. is a mad andfrom' " hyperbole, and can have nothing refemblant of it in na- Ezra i. to v. " ture. (x) The angel indeed may pretend to unfold the ' — v— "^ " myfteries couched under thefe dark hieroglyphics, but " what he fays upon that head conveys no more know- " ledge to the reader than does his (y) famous explication " of the feventy weeks, which has ever fince been a rack " to commentators, and enough to crack brains innume- " rable to comprehend it. '' The truth is, the very notion of a revelation implies, " that all things in it fhould be made plain. An obfcure " difcovery of this kind feems to be a contradiction in terms; " And therefore; we can hardly blame thofe of the Jewifh " Sanhedrim, who were for fupprefling the prophecies of " Ezekiel, (as well as his brother Daniel's), (z) becaufe the " vifion of the myfterious chariot, in the firft chapter, and " the ftory of Gog and Magog towards the conclufion of " the book, they could not but look upon as a ftrange " rhapfody of unintelligible jargon. " But it is not a greater flaw in a revelation to be un- " intelligible, than it is to be abfurd and contradictory ; " and therefore, when, in comparing the grofs fum and " particulars together, of the people that returned from the " captivity, we find the latter fall fhort to the number of " above twelve thoufand perfons, we cannot but think, " that fome error has crept into the text itfelf. When " we find (a) fourfcore Ifraelites coming with offerings " and incenfe in their hands, to bring them to the houfe of " the Lard, when they could not but know that it was ut- *' terly deftroyed above fix months before, we cannot but " conceive, that herein muft be fome fmall flip of me • " mory in the facred penman; and, (b) to introduce the " elders of Ifrael, as difturbing the public joy, at the " laying of the foundation ef .the temple, with their cries " and tears, when thankfulnefs (though but for fmall be- " ginnings) would have much better becomed them, is far (x) Dan. vii. 17. and viii. 19. (y) Dan. ix. 2 J. (2) Chap, xxxviii. and xxxix. (.-.) Jer. xii. J. (b) Ezra iii. 12, 3 G 2 i *' fronx 42 o The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book'VII. A. M. u frorn placing thefe venerable rulers of the people in, any Ati'J'cW. " advantageous light." 587, ire. ' That there was fuch a perfon as Daniel, of the Jewifli from Jer captivity in Babylon, famous for hhV difcovery of future e- lj7Dt0- 1 vents, and for his great piety and devotipn tpwards Gpd, and from ' can hardly be denied ; that the difepurfes and predidtipns of Ezra i, to v. a perfon fo highly in favpur with Gpd, fhould be put in iT~T'^~~ writing, either by himfelf or fome other, and," when com- by fhewine mitted tp writing, fhpuld be carefully preferved, is reafon-: the ge- able tp believe ; and that the bppk, which has defcended to miinenefs _ US) contains the revelatipn, and Pther accpunts of things, bo k fr' 1 W^'C^ ®oc* was P^eafe(l to communicate to him, will fuffi- an. ient te- cieptly appear by the fequel. itimonfes, The chara&er which the prophet Ezekiel gives his, co- temporary Daniel (c) is, his fingular prevalence with Ged in prayer ; and whpever Jppks into the book that goes under his name; will find its author verifying (d) this cha racter, and his fuccefs in this particular exemplified in feve ral inftances. (e) His deliverance out of the den of lions, and that of his companions out of the fiery furnace, (facts tharare recorded in the prefent bpok), are exprefsly men tioned in the prayer of (/) old Eleazar in Egypt under the rage of Ptolemy Philppater againft the Jews, and (g) of Mattathias (the father pf the Maccabees) in Judea, under tl,ie perfecution pf Antiochus Epiphanes ; and their exam ples (amung other Scripture-inftances), are prpppfed as mo tives tp cpnfidericc in God, and cpnftancy in their religion; (h) fo that the Jews, in thpfe times, tppk this bppk tp be written by Daniel himfelf, and accprdingly made ufe pf it. Nay, long before thefe times, (/) we find Nehemiah begin ning his folemn prayer tp Gpd in Daniel's own words, al- ¦ moft with np variatipn. 0 Lor a, the great and dreadful Goi,. keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him and keep his commandments, which is a plain prppf, npt pnly that he looked uppn this bppk pf Daniel as true and authentic, but . that he efteemed his manner of praying likewife not un worthy his imitatipn. j;.micuiai]y Jofephus, we know, was a prieft well verfed in the law, and iphuf/0" in thp ^cred writings> whofe authority he profeffes to fol- (<••) Ky.il;. xiv. ,4. (d) Dan.ii. 6.9. (e) Chap vi and iii. (./) J"*cph. Jewifli Antiq. (g) 1 Maccah. ii. 60. (h) Bifliop Chandler's Vindic'aiion ot his Defence of Chriftianity. ti) Com- p.ire Ni']iem. i. 5. with Dan. ix. 4. lew Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, &c. 421 0 low through all his Antiquities ; and yet he feems to prefer a. m. Daniel above other writers of that kind, and to give us 3417, ire. a more particular account of his than of all the other pro- ^lt" c)f\r. phecies of the Old Tettanaent put together : for he informs from jer.il. us, (k) "That! Daniel not only foretold future things, 7- 'o xiv. all " (which was common to him with other prophets), but ]?am ^' an? " that he fet the time likewife for their coming to pafs; t0 ™ " (/) that this book therefore was held ampng the facred ——y— »j "writings, and (m) read in public affemblies (which, is the " peculiar privilege pf canpnical bpoks) in his days, be- " caufe the completion of the events he foretold gained him " belief with all mankind." Nay, if we will give credit to this fame Jofephus, this book of Daniel's was looked upon as genuine, and of divine authority, even in thc days of Alexander the Great ; otherwife the high-prieft had put a banter upon him, when, (n) at his coming to Je rufalem, and going into the temple, he {hewed him a paf fage in it, wherein it was foretold, under the emblem of an he-goat with one horn, overcoming a ram with two, that a certain king of Greece would cpnquer the Perfians ; which Alexander tppk tp himfelf, and perhaps, uppn that very accpunt, might treat the Jewifh natipn with mpre clemency than he did their neighbpurs. But however this be, it is certain, that in and before the and the time of our bleffed Saviour, the Jews received the book of]);™*j£1wI'0 Daniel as authentic Scripture, without any fufpicion to the Saviour's contrary. For, whereas the name of the Meflias, and of tiaie- the Son of man, which they applied to the Deliverer whom they expected, the title of the kingdom of God, and of hea ven, ufed for the ftate of things under that Deliverer, his coming in the clouds of heaven, his taking all judgment upon himfelf, and the refurretlion of the dead, purfuant upon that his coming, are expreflions manifeftly borrowed from Da niel : thefe expreflions were, at that time, the current lan guage of the Jews, infomuch, that we find none of them furprifed •when- they heard the Baptift telling them, that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, or our Saviour calling himfelf fp frequently the Son of Man, and citing Daniel the prophet byname 5 which they certainly would have been, and there upon raifed no fmall clamour, had they perceived that he was obtruding a fpurious book* upon them for canonical. (k) Antiq. lib. 12. c. 11. (/) Ibid, lib, 10. c, 11. (m) Ibid. c. \%. (n) Ibid. fib. a. c. 8. Uppn 422 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. Upon the whole, therefore, we may conclude, that, fince 3417, irt. there confeffedly was fuch a perfon as Daniel, whofe cha- ssl' irl rac^ter m tne prophet Ezekiel agrees with what we find in from Jer. our prefent Daniel ; fince this bopk pf his has the teftimony xl. 7. to xiv. pf Jpfephus, (np incpmpetent judge in a matter of this na- Pfmel' ture), was commonly cited in the times of our Saviour, was Ezra i. to v. referred to before the times of the Maccabees ; nay, was thought genuine in the times of Alexander, and has recei ved no fmall confirmation from the ufe and application which Nehemiah makes of it ; either we muft fuppofe, that 'all thefe perfons, in their different generatipns, were miftaken, or elfe we muft allow, that pur prefent book of Daniel is no fictitious piece of later date, but the work pf the prpphet whpfe name it bears, and who lived in the age which the facred records have afligned him. To which I£ is no valid, objection, either againft his perfonal or pro- his educa- phetic character, that he was educated in the learning of non m the tne Chaldeans, and became a remarkable proficient therein. leainine ^le learmng °f tne Chaldeans confifted chiefly in what they call aftrology, or the knowledge of the celeftial motions, the art of building, and the art of war. Some curious and fuperftitious arts that were abhorrent to the law of Mofes, they were famous for pradtifing ; but there is no neceflity for us tp infer frpm thence, that Daniel and his friends were ever initiated in thefe ; pn the cpntrary, we may be ' allpwed tp argue thus : That, had there been any thing criminal in the methpd pf their educatipn, they who refu fed to defile themfelves with the king's meat, would never have complied with it. They refufed the king's provifions, not only becaufe he might probably have fuch things ferved up. at his table as were prphibited by their law, but becaufe it was cuftpmary likewife in mpft nations, before tlieir meals, tp make an pblation pf fome part of what they eat or drank, to thrir gods, as a thankful acknpwledgment, that whatever they enjoyed proceeded from their bpunty: fo that every entertainment had in it the nature of a facri fice ; and therefore Daniel and his friends lopked uppn the' prpvifions which came frpm the king's table as meats offer ed to idols, and upon that accpunt efteemed them, unclean. 'But the fame principle that mpved them tp this, would have reftrained them frpm the ftudy pf the Chaldean learning, had any pf their impious or unwarrantable fciences been im- pofed upon them. The Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 413 The king indeed is faid (0) to have found them ten times A.M. better, than all the magicians, and aftrologers, that were in **'"''(%"% Ms realm : But thefe words, in ancient times, were not ap- '^f ^ propriated to the evil fenfe which they now bear, but figni- from* Jer. ' lied, in the general, men of wifdom and learning, {killed *'• 7- ».^»N in the knowledge of things natural and divine, (p) Thofe a^from' who in St Matthew are called faeyn, our tranflation has Ezrai. to v- rendered wife men, becaufe the Evangelift feems- to have ' given them that name, not as a note of infamy, but as an honourable title. And in like manner, why may not the words be here underftood of fuch perfons as employed themfelves in the lawful fearch of natural caufes and ef fects, of the curious products of the earth, and the regu lar motions of heavenly bodies ? For when Daniel made interceflion to the captain of the guard, that (q) the wife men of Babylon might not befflain, we can hardly fuppofe, that all of thefe were foch as ftudied unlawful arts and feiences, fince he himfelf was afterwards made mafter and prefident over them. Nay, even fuppofing that thefe wife men of Babylon made profeflion of fome feiences, whofe only foundation was fuperftition and deceit, yet why muft their Hebrew difciples be obliged to purfue the fame ? Might they not follow fuch ftudies as beft fuited their genius, and the prin ciples of their religion ? . The fame indulgence which they obtained from the mafter of the eunuchs} with regard to their provifions, may well be fuppofed to have been grant ed them in relation to their ftudies, in cafe any difficulty of this kind had been impofed upon them. But there is no occafion for our imagining this. The mafters of thefe oc cult feiences (as they call them) had many good reafons for not obtruding them upon their difciples ; and Daniel, and his companions, who were defigned to attend in the king's prefence, were more properly tp be educated in another way, viz. in the knpwledge of the purity of the Chaldee tongue, of the art9 of war and policy, of the ftate and re venues of the kingdom, and fuch other lighter and more polite accomplifhments, as would make their perfons and fervices mpre acceptable at cpurt, than any proficiency in thefe abftrufe matters cpuld dp. But put the cafe, that they were at any time called to lectures in any of the feien ces that were not fo ftrictly warrantable, we cannot fee why (0) Dan. i. 20. (p) Whidiy's Paraphrafe on Matih. ii. t. (q) Dan. ii. 24. thev 424 A. M. 3417, ire. Ant. Chrifi 587, ire. from Jer.. xl. 7. to xiv. all Daniel, and from Ezra i. to v. exemption from the fiery fur nace, his know ledge in dreams, The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. they might not be permitted to attend to them with the fame fpirit that (r) Mofes was learned in all the wifdom of the Egyptians, viz. (s) not with a purpofe to follow them, or to fquare their lives or fentiments according to them, but purely to put themfelves into a capacity, upon a pro per occafion, to confute them, and with more advantage to expofe their falfenefs and abfurdity. It was not for any more excellent proficiency therefore in thofe black arts, which were prohibited by the law of God, that Daniel pbtained an exemptipn from the punifh ment of the fiery furnace, but either becaufe he was abfent upon fome pretence pr pther, (as mpft pf the Jews might chufe tp be abfent uppn this pccafipn), or becaufe he was not accufed to the king, at this time, for refufing to wor fhip the idol which he had fej up, though he might be pre fent at the dedication. Nebuchadnezzar, (t) we read, had fummoned all his princes, counfellors, governprs, captains, and all other his officers and minifters, to be prefent, and aflifting, at the folemnity pf this dedicatipn ; and therefpre it is npt likely that Daniel, whp was one of the chief of them, fhould be allowed to be abfent ; but his enemies thought it more ad- vifeable, not to begin with him, becaufe of the great au thority he had with the king, but rather tp fall firft uppn his three friends, (whpfe promotion ih the province pf Babylpn raifed their envy), that thereby they might mpre fuccefsfully pave the way tp his ruin : But the miraculpus interppfitipn pf providence in behalf pf his friends, quafh- ed all farther accufatipns againft him ; and for this reafon it is, that np mentipn is made pf him in this whple tranf- adtipn. It is faid indeed pf him, (u) that he had underftanding in all vijions and dreams, and dreams, we knpw, ampng the eaftern pepple, were held in great regard. They pb- ferved them much, and applied tp fuch perfons as pretended rp explain them, for their interpretatipn : Npr can it be de nied, that in the earlieft ages of the world, it was the re ceived opinion, that fuch dreams as were attended with unufual circumftances, did portend and fignify fome future event ; that they were frequently fent from God, (x) who (r) Aits vii. 22. (s) Calmet's Commentary on Dan. i. 17- (t) Dan- iii. 2. (n) Ibid. i. 17. (x) Job xxxiii. 14. 15. IB Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 425 in a dream, in a vifion of the night, fpeaks once, yea twice, A. M. to men, as Elihu affirms in Job. Now, if dreams be figni- 3417, ire. ficative, and often fent from God, it can hardly be thought, A"'' cl\rlf- 1 • ,1 r 1 • r , A , . , J87> ire. that in all cafes, the interpretation ot theai fhould be un- from jer. lawful; and therefore we may obferve, that in that very xl. 7- to xiv. place, where Mofes forbids the Hebrews to confult magi- a!1 ^.ln,cl» cians and interpreters of dreams, he neverthelefs tells £zra;. tov. them, (y) that the Lord their God would raifle up to them ¦ from among their brethren, a prophet like unto him, whom theyfhould confult, and hearken to. So that though the If raelites were forbidden to make ufe of foothfayers, or di viners, as the cuftom of the nations was, to whofe poffef- fions they fucceeded ; yet they were permitted to addrefs themfelves to God, and his prophets, in order to learn the explanation of thefe dreams, and the prediction of future e- vents ; confequently there could be no crime in Daniel's applying himfelf td this kind of knowledge, fince whatever excellency he had this way, the Scripture takes care to a- feribe it to the peculiar giftof God. Daniel indeed lived in great profperity* and in the capa- his ufing city of a prime minifter, under fome of the Babylonian names dif- and Perfian monarchs ; and therefore, if through ignorance ^jf1^"™ he has miftaken their names, or recorded any thing of hiftorians, them that is not true, this we allow will have a fufpjcious afpeet upon the authprity pf his writings : But when it is confidered, hpw common a thing it was for the princes of the eaft, upon one pccafion or other, to multiply their names, and not only by foreigners, but even by their own people, to be called fometimes by one name, and fome times by another ; how ufual it was for them to continue the titles of honour which were conferred in confederation of thofe great exploits, whereby the dignity of their fami ly was originally raifed, and to adopt them into the num ber of their own ; how cuftomary it was, upon their ac ceffion to the kingdom, for them to change their names, and yet the firft and private name be ftill retained by moft 1 other people, while the imperial name appeared in public acts, and was ufed at home only : "Whoever confiders this, I fay, will ceafe his wonder, when, amidft fuch a variety of appellations for one and the fame perfon, he finds this hiftorian making ufe of one, and that of another, accord ing as his fancy, his pronounciation, or the cuftom of the country where he lived, led him. Daniel, in all probabi- (y) Deut xviii. iy. Vol, IV. 3 H " 426 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. m. fity, calls the fame perfon Darius Medus, whpm the Greek 3/,I7'/-tc-V hiftprians call Cyaxares the Second: But when it Is pbfer- 587, ire. vea> that thefe hiftprians agree with Daniel as to the main from Jer. points of his narration, viz. (z) that Babylon was taken *li r/0-"']7' ty an armv °f Medes and Perfians, whereof the Medes be- and from ' mg tD;e' fuperior, were, at that time, named firft; that Ezrai. to v. Cyaxares, king of Media, affifted at the fiege, and was *»-— V— — ' treated by Cyrus as his chief; that after a day of riot and revelling, the city was taken in the night-time, by diverting the courfe pf the river Euphrates, and the king pf Baby lpn flain in his palace ; that Cyaxares being pld, and natu rally unactive, chofe rather tp live at Ecbatana, the capi tal pf Media, while Cyrus attended the affairs pf the go vernment pf Babylpn ; and that Cyrus, upon his death, fucceeded to the whole empire : If we obferve, I fay, the exa£t agreement between thefe hiftorians, as tp the chief matters of fact, we may eafily difpenfe with fome fmall dif ference in point pf names ; efpecially cpnfidering, that the authors lived at np lefs a diftance than Babylon is frpm Greece, and that the Greeks cpnfequently might make ufe of the name which he went by in Media, as beft knnwn to them, which the Babylpnians, after he had taken their ci ty, changed intp Darius Medus, pr the victorious Mede, and which Daniel, being a captive in the place, might) in cpn- formity, call him. jil t:chni- It (a) may happen indeed, that there is now and then a eal terms, v/ord or two, in the book of Daniel, which may feem to have fome analogy tp the Greek tongue, and with fome little variation, may be derived from it; but then it is to be obferved, that the wprds of this kind are, fpr the moft part, technical terms, fuch as might flip intp any language, without being perceived, and fuch as a writer might pro perly enough ufe, withput underftanding any mpre of the tpngue from whence they are borro wed. Architects and mechanics, we knpw, ufe tp this day feveral Greek and Arabic terms pf art in their refpective prpfeflipns ; and yet they dp not pretend to underftand the language from - whence they came : And why might npt Daniel, fpeaking in terms of? art, (as he certainly dpes,. when he f names the (z) Xenophon, lib. 5. and 8. ; and Herodotus, lib. I. (a) Bifhop Chandler's Vindication of the Defence of Cbrifb'anity. f Our learned Bifhop Chandler is fully of opinion, that the mines of t'jc infirumenrs mentioned in Dan. iii. J. are not GrceK» Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity; (3c . 4^7 the mufical inftruments, very probably pf the Grecian make, A. M. which were ufed at the confecration of Nebuchadnezzar's A4'7'of?i golden image); why might not he, I fay, make ufe ofS87^ &f! " words of'a foreign extract, and at the fame time, be fop- from Jer. pofed a ftranger to the other parts of the language ? This *!. 7ntn-x,','" I think is the common privilege of moft writers : Nor is ,n(i fron; ' the mixture of fome Greek terms in the Chaldee language Ezrai. to w fo difficult a matter to account for, if we will but allow, *— " "v"—"*^ what Grotius, upon the place, pbferves, viz. " That be- " fore Daniel's age, manycplonies bpth pf the lonians, and " .iEolians, having fettled themfelves in Afia Minpr, (which " lies cpntigupus tp fome provinces of the eaftern king- " dpms); might, that way, communicate the names of what " they invented, pr improved, even as far as Babylpn it- " felf." The tranfiation of the Septuagint has been held in fuch His being efteem, that tp have any part pf Scripture pmitted in it, omitted m would give a juft fufpicion, as if it had nut been extant, or *e vc™°u npt knpwn at the time when thpfe learned men undertpok tuagm% " the wprk : But this is fo far frpm being true in the cafe pf Daniel, that we find the Septuagint verfipn pf him read publicly in our Saviour's time ; that we find Juftin Martyr (b), and Clemens Ptomanus (c), (who bpth wrote before Theodotian's verfion was made), citing paflages out of Greek, but eaftern derivations, and that from thence they did pais to the Greeks, who, with a little alteration, adapted them to their pronounciation, or termination of wo^'s. For (as he argues) " That " their names were at firft given them in thc country where the " inftruments themfelves were invented, can hardly be doubted ; if " therefore fuch inftruments as are herefj^cified were ufed in the eif; ; " if their names be proved to, be btrrbaroas; and if an eaftern root " can he affigned for their derivation, whicii no Greek theme wilt " fuit fo well," (all which he endeavours to prove in feveral inftan ces), then may we be allowed to infer, that the names of thefe in ftruments, (whatever affinity they may feem to have to the Greek language), were originally oriental ; which opinion is confirm' d by the teftimony of Strabo, lib. 10 who afhires us, that the nan es of mufical inftruments, fuch as nablia, fiimbuca, and barbitos, were derived from barbarous languages, by which the Greeks denote the eaftern tongues. Fid. Vindication of the Defence of Chri ftianity ; and Lowth's Commentary on Dan. iii. (b) Dial, cum Tryph. p. 87. ' (c) Ad Corinth, ep. I. 1 3 H 2 it ; •Licus, 428 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. it ; that We find St Jerom (d) giving us feveral various read- 341 7, ire . ingS different from thofe in Thepdptian, and fometimes from *nt- and particularly under Daniel's name, it cpneerns us nut tp inquire ; fince the very fupppfitipn im plies thus much, that with the Jewifh church, at that time, the writings pf Daniel were held in high efteem, (for, in fuch a cafe, whp wpuld chufe, an inglpripus father ?), when thefe bafe pieces came Put in his name. The having impn- ftures fathered pn bim therefore is fo far frpm being any prejudice tp Daniel's genuine writings, that it rather re- dpunds tp the cpnfirmatipn pf their authprity ; fince what. was fpurious did no fopner appear in the light, but it was defpifed, rejected, and cpndemned. The prayer pf the three children was npt read in all the eppies pf the Septua- giiit ; the ftory of Sufanna, in feme manufcripts, ftppd a- part frpm the book pf Daniel, in pthers after it ; and as for the fable pf Bel and the Dragpn, it was npt intended by ¦ its firft inventpr tp pafs under the name pf Daniel,, but pf one Habakkuk, the fon of Jefus, of the tribe of Levi, till Theodotian, in his Greek edition of the Bible, thought proper to change its title. The truth is, the Jewifh church always lopked upon thefe pieces as fpurious, and therefore allpwed them much the fame place in their Scriptures that the appcryphal books have in our Englilh Bibles; but the genuine book pf Da niel they held always in the greateft veneratipn, efteeming the authpr pf it as pne of the chief of their prpphets, until Maimpnides, a learned Jew pf the twelfth century, in order to bar all proofs that might be drawn frpm him in favour of Chriftianity, thought fit to degrade him frpm his pro phetic character, and place him in the number pf f hagio- graphal writers pnly. Hard -f- It is much to be queftioncd, whether fuch a diflinction, as hagiographal books was known in our Saviour's time. All ihe partition that we read of, is, the law, and the pro phets, and thc reft of thc books [Proleg. to Ecclus.J which in Luke Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 43 1 Hard is the fate of a prophet," when the very clearnefs A. M. as well as obfeurity 6f his writings muft be imputed as an i4'7,rf% objection againft his authority; but certainly we muft al- fs7, ] fi." low, that it is as eafy for an all knowing God to foretel all fr->m Jer. circumftances of an event, or to reveal the whole feries of xj: 7' to.xW- events, in their proper connection and fucceffion, as tp ^dfrom' declare pne fingle pccurrence. Such knowledge and fuch Ezrai. tov. wifdpm are eflential attributes of God : Nor can there be v~~ ' any abfordity in his imparting his knowledge of future e- T1J.C c!eaLr" .. , V r , ne's of "is vents, with more or lefs relerve, to one man than ano- prophecies; ther.; only one would think, that the fr< (r foe 1 communi cations were, and the more confpicuous the revclatipn, the mpre excellent fhpuld the prpphet whpm Gpd pleafed to honour in this manner be accounted. So unreafonable are the prejudices of thofe who make the clearnefs of prophe cies an argument againft them, and endeavour tp exclude Daniel frpm the number pf prpphets, fpr a reafon that beft intitled him tp that character ! " But what fhall we fay (i), tp his dark and abftrufe way their ob, " of writing in other places, his figurative and parabolical, fcurity; " his enigmatical and emblematical ftyle, his uncputh ima- " ges and fymbpls, entirely unlike the writings pf the Pther " prpphets, but vaftly agreeable to that turn which the " Jews took up, when they came to be formed in the " fchools of the Greeks ?" All the Greek authors that we are acquainted with, are ftrangers to this manner of wri ting : they abound, indeed, in figures and allegories; but the fymbolical and emblematical form was purely oriental, and what pther prpphets as well as Daniel, as pecafipn re quires, purfue. Fpr, dpth npt Ifaiah foretel tbe deftrudtion of the Egyp tians under the image of God's (k) ftriking with a great Luke (xxiv. 44.) are called the Pfalms; and according to Philo (De vit. Conft.) " are hymns and other books, conducing to the " promotion of piety and knowledge." This threefold diftribution of the books of Scripture is taken from the nature and fubjects of the books themfelves, and not from any fuppofed degrees of facred- nefs between them : And, if the word Cethubim, or Hagiographa, was then, or rather in the next century, made ufe of, it was applied only as a general name for the poetical and moral books of Scripture, to which clafs neither Daniel nor any hiftorical book was reducible ; Bifhop Chandler's Vindication, &c. , (i) Vid. Collins's Scheme of literal prophecy. (k) Ifaiah xxvii. 1. 43Z The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. 3417, M. ire. Ant. Chrii S87, ire from Jer. *1. 7. to xiv, all Daniel, and from Ezrai. to v their fym bolicalturns, are not valid objections. and ftrong fword the leviathian, (or crocpdile), and flaying the great dragpn that is in the fea ? Dpes npt Jeremiah (/) fpeak pf the Aflyrians under the name pf a dpve, becaufe \m) Semiramis had made that bird the fymbpl of her na tion ? Does- not Ezekiel prophefy of Pharaph under the figure pf (n) a great dragon, that lives in the midft of the rivers ; of the king of Babylon, under the emblem of a (0) large eagle with great wings ; and of the Affyrian, under the fimilitude of (p) a tall cedar in Lebanon, ex alted above ail trees, and reaching the clouds with its top, cbc . the very fame figure (q) whereby the kingdom of Ne buchadnezzar Was reprefented ? It is the genius of the Eaftern people to be delighted with fiction and imagery, and (as Sir Jphn Chardin, in his defcriptipn pf Perfepplis, tells us) nothing is mpre common ampng their authors, than to call countries by the names of their emblems, which are, as it were, the arms pf that natipn ; and, in forming thefe em blems, tp make ufe not only pf natural animals, but pf fuch as are chimerical and fabulous likewife, beafts with wings, and birds with four feet and lpng ears. " (s) Ampng the figures uppn the walls and pillars " pf an ancient temple in this * pnee fampus metropolis " of Perfia," fays he, " there are fome very monftrous for " figure (/) Jer. xlviii. 28. (m) Diodor. Skill, lib. 3. («) Ezek. xxix. 3. (0) Chap. xvii. 3. 12. (p) Chapi xxxi. 3. ire. (q) Dan. iv. 10. ire- (s) Bifhop Chandler's Vindication, ire. p. 152. * While Alexander lay at this place, he gave himfelf much to feafling and drinking, for joy of his great fucceffes. In one of thefe feafts which he made for his chief commanders, he invited their miftreffes likewife to accompany them ; among whom was one Thais, a famous Athenian courtezan, who was then miftrefs to Ptolemy, afterwards king of Egypt. This woman, in the heat of her caroufals, propofed to Alexander the burning down of the city and palace of Perfepolis, in revenge to the Perfians ; efpecially for their burning of Athens under Xerxes "and, as the whole company was drunk, the propofal was received with a general applaufe, fo that every man took a torch, and (with Alexander at the head of them) fetting fire to the city and palace, in a fhort time, burnt tticm both to the ground. Thus, at the motion of a drunken ftrumpet, was deftroyed, by this drunkea king, one of the flnefl palaces in the world ; for that this at Perfepolis was fuch, the ruins of it fuf ficiently (hew, which are ftill remaining at a place near Shiras, na med Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, &c. 433 " figure and fize.' A winged lion with a crown on his head; A. M. " a winged lion flying on the back of a bull ; the body of \+I7^p «' a horfe whh wings on his back ; and a man's head co- ^"'j &" ' " vered with an high bonnet crowned, Antigpnus had Afia tp the nprth ; Seleucus 5hf, ire had Syria tp the eaft; and Antipater Greece and Macedo-r- from jer. nia tp the weft, ?'• ?• toflv. iZj ^ little hprn cpming put pf one of thefe, and wax? and tom ' mS exceeding great towards the fouth, and eaft, and plea* Ezra v tov. fant land, nay, waxing fo great as to eaft down fome of ^'""¦V"""- the holt of heaven, and of the ftars to the ground, and fo trample uppn them, may feem a wild extravagant rant ; but when it is confidered, that all this is meant pf Antio chus, whu was afterwards called by his flatterers Epiphanes, though himfelf a vile perfon, and ufurper pf the kingdom ; that it is to reprefent him, as foon as he gpt ppffeflipn of the Syrian kingdom, fairing advantage pf the yputh of Ptolemy Philometpr, and invading Egypt tp the fputh, Armenia and Perfia tp the eaft ; and Judea, which is here fly led the pie af ant land and frequently defcribed as a land flowing with milk and hpney, that it is tp reprefent him pcriecuting the Jewifli church and natipn, here ftyled the hoft of. hectven ; rhurthering the principal men pf bpth, here called the ftars; deppfing their high-prieft, whple title is the prince 'oj the hoft ; profaning their temple, pnlluting their altar, abolifhing their law, and eftabiifhing idplatry by a folemn edict, (a) as whoever has read of the mad and im- pipus adtipns pf Antipchus * muft know : When this is con- fkfered,' tliftinct kingdoms, whereof Ptolemy had Egypt, L\bia, Arabia, Ca-io Syria, and Paltfline; t'aflander, Macedonia and Greece; Lyiirnachus, Thrace, Bithynia, and feme other provinces beyind the Hellefpont and the Bofphorus ; and Seir ucus all ihe reft; Pri deaux' s Connection, anno :oi. But others have made the divifion of his empire enfuant immediately upon his death ; Calmet's Com mentary on Dan vii. : ' - (z) Daniel viii. 9 ire. (a) 2 Maccab. v 24. ire. * Many of the Hi athen writers give us this account of him, viz. that he would frequently get out of the palace, and ramble aboilt the ftreets of Antioch, with two or three perfons only accompanying him ; that, in his rambles, he would drink with ftrangers and fa*- reigners, and even with the meaneft and vileft of them ; that, when. he heard of any young compmy met together to make merry, hfe would intrude himfelf among them, and revel away the time with fhim h cups, and fongs, and oihcr fn-lics, withcut any regard to common decency, or* his own royal character ; drat, in thefe fro. lies. Chap. I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. p 435 fidered, I fay, a fmall allpwance for the Oriental manner of a. M, pompous writing will reduce thefe images tpa tplerable fize. 14*?, ire- The plain truth is, princes and ftates were in old times *¦"'¦ c]fl painted by their fymbols, which are therefore called their f.omjer! tympltr/uelct, and, in after-ages,- came to^be diftinguifhed by. n.1. 7- to xiv. writers under the name pf fuch fymbols as well as by a!1 D»mel» their proper appellations: And therefore the lion with kzra;, t0 v. eagle's wings, fignifying the ftrength of the Affyrian em pire, and the celerity of its Conquefts ; the beaft with three ribs in his mouth, intimating the reduction which Cyrus made pf Babylpn, Lydia, and Egypt, to the Perfian mo- narchy ; the leopard with four wings and heads, denpting Alexander and his four fucceffors ; and the' other beaft with iron feet and ten horns, reprefenting the Roman em pire, and the ten kingdpms*, pr principalities, into which it lies, he would often go but in the ftreets, and there fcatter his mo ney by handfuls for the rabble to fcramble for; that, at other times, he would go about with a crown of rofes upon his head, and, in a Roman gown, would walk the ftreets alone, carrying a parcel of ftones in tiis lap,, to throw at thofe that mould follow after ; that he was much addicted to drunkennefs and lafcivioufnefs j was fre quently found in the company of Pathics, and common proftimtes, bn whom he would gratify his luft publicly, and in the fight of the people ; and that, having for his catamites two vile perfons, called Timarchus and Heraclides, who were brothers, he made the former of them governor of Babylon, and the other his treafurer in that pro vince. The fhort is, his freaks, follies, and vices were fo many, that men were in a doubt whether he was a madman or a fool, though the former of thefe was generally thought bis tmeft character ; and therefore, inftead of Epiphanes, the fllujkioui, they commonly called him Epimanes, the 'madman; Prideaux' s Connection, an no 17 5. * BiftV-p Lloyd hath given us the following lift of the ten kingdoms .Which arofe out of the diffolution of the Roman empire, and the time of their rife. I . Hunns erected their kingdom in that part of Pano- nia and Dacia, which from them was called Hungary, about A. D. 356. 2. Oftrogoths fettled themfelves in the countries that reach from-Rhetia to Maefia, even as far as Thrace, about 377, and after wards came into Italy under Alaricus in 4ro. 3. Wiligoths fettled itl the fouth parts of France, and in Catalonia, about 378. 4- Franks feized upon part of Germany and Gaul, A. D. 420. J. Vandals fettled in Spain, and afterwards fet up their kingdom in Africa, 2 I 2 A- D- 4 ,6" The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII* A. M. It was divided, was a language as well knpwn to ikilful Ant7'chr''i rea^ers at that time, as are the arms, the colours, and the J87, ire. field of efcutcheuns, in thefe latter days, tp heralds. from Jer. * Porphyry, np dpubt, was well acquainted with this \\ n'toxliV hieroglyphic way uf writing, becaufe all the objection and from ' which he makes tp thefe prophecies pf Daniel,. concern- Ezra i. to v. ing the foul- empires, is, that they were too plain and ¦""• perfpicuous, and mpre like hiftpricai narratives of facts al- feventy reHCjy done, than prophetical predictions of tilings to come. plained." ^ut however this enemy of Chriftianity might urge the plainnefs of the prophet's predictions, in order to invalidate A. D. 407. 6. Suevians and Alans feized the weftern parts of Spain. A. D. 407, and. invaded Italy 457. i. Burgtmdians came out of Germany into that part of Gaul, called from them Burgundy, 407. 8. Rugians, and Thuringians fettled in Italy under Odoactr, about 476. 9 Saxons made themfelves mafters ef Great Britain, aboiit the fume time 476, And 10. Longobards fettled firft in Germany, A D. 28?, and afterwards fucceeded the Heruli and Thuringi in Hungary ; Lowth's Commentary on Dan. vii. 24. * This Porphyry was a learned Heathen, born at Tyre, in the year of Chrift about 2 30, and there called Malchus ; hut upon his going among the Greeks, he changed it to Porphyry, which, is much of the fame fignification ; for Malchus in the Phoenician lan guage (which was then fpoken at Tyre') fignifies a king, as, *-°f ww, in the Greek denotes one that wore purple, which none but kings., and royal perfons were then permitted to do. He was a bitter ene my to the Chriftian religion ; and therefore wrote a large volume againft it, containing fifteen books, whereof the twelfth, was whol ly levelled againft the prophecies of Daniel : But becaufe the pre dictions of this prophet, concerning the feveral empires, were ac knowledged, on all bands, to have been fulfilled, he did not go a- bout to di [prove it ; on the contrary, he endeavoured to maintain, by the teftimony of the beft Greek hiftorians then extant, that they were fulfilled fo exaftly, and fo minutely, that it Was impoffible for them to be the predictions of the Daniel who belonged to the Baby-* lonith captivity, and muft therefore be the fpurious compofition of fome later author. But this argument St Jerom, in his comment upon Daniel, fully turns upon him. It is much to be lamented, how ever, tint not only this whole work of Porphyry is loft, but that alfo.ths b .oks of Enfebius Appollmarius, and Methodius, which. were wrote in anfwtr o this Heathen adverfary, (to the great damage both of divne and human knowledge;, have all undergone the fame fate ; trideaux's Connection, anno 164. the Chap. I. from the Babylonifli Captivity, (3c. 437 the authority of his book, it muft not be denied, but that A- M» God, in his great wifdom, has fo ordered the matter, (for i^'7'c' tf:r the exercife of our faith and induftrj), and fo framed the ?a7, &c. prophetic ftyle, that there fhould be ftill fome fhade and from Jer xl. remains of obfeurity, abiding upon the face of almoft e- '' t0.xlv a11 very prophecy, even after the time of its completion : And ^omE^i! therefore, inftejtd of being furprifed at the great variety to v. of computations, which chronologers, and other learned - ¦»" ¦¦* men have put upon the (b) feventy weeks mentioned in Da niel, we may much rather wonder, how, at this diftance of time, they have been able to come to any tolerable exact- ' nefs. The words of the prophecy are thefe ; — — Seventy weeks ¦ere determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, tofi- vifh the tranfgrefiion, and to make an end of fins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlafting righ teoufnefs, and to anoint the Moft Holy. Know therefore and Underftand, that from the going forth qf the commandment to reftore, and to build Jerufalem, unto the Meflidh the prince J, Jball be feven weeks, and threefcore and two weeks ; and the ftreet fhall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times; and after threefcore and two weeks, fhall Meffiah be cut off, hut not for himfelf: And the people of the prince that Jhall come, fhall deftroy the city, and the fanctuary, and the ¦end thereof fhall be with a flood; and at the end of the war, defblations are determined; and he fhall confirm the covenant •with many, for a week ; and, in the midft of the week, he Jball caufe the facrifice and the oblation to ceafe ; afid for the overfpreading of abominations, he fhall make it defolate, even until the confurnmation, and that determined fihall be pour ed upon the defolate. Now, to fet thefe words in a right light, we muft con fider, 1 ft, That the main defign and intendment of them is, to foretel the coming of the Meffiah, his abolifhing the Jewifh, and fetting up a new and more perfect religipn ; which is fo manifeft to every common reader, that later Jews (to avoid the force of this one prophecy) have even adven- tured to exclude the whole book pf Daniel from the num- (b) Dan. ix.^4. j Thc colon, which, in our Englifh Bibles, is placed after feven weeks, in the middle of this fentence, fliould be placed after two weeks, at the end of it, which wrong punctuation inay poffibly lead r fome people into an error in thek computation. ber 438 fThe Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. ¦*• M. ber pf infpired ^writers, and to prpripunce a curfe uppn an^ Ant'cnr'i t'iat "ia^ Preten(l to cpmpute the time pf the Mefliah's co- 587, ire mihg. 2d!y, It is agreed by mpft interpreters, that the fe- ii-om Jer venty weeks here fpoken pf (.accprding tp - the prophetic . *ii rit0lJiV %*e) are t0 ^e taken fpr weeks pf years, every pne pf which ind froni ' cpntained feven years, and fo the feventy weeks will a- Ezrai. tov. mpunt tp 490 years, at the expiratipn pf which term, the *— ' "" V-— matters cpntained in this prophecy were to have their ac- cpmplifhment - But then the queftipn is, at what ppint pf time thefe feventy weeks," pr what is all pne, the 490 years, either began or expired ? For if we can but find put one of thefe peripds, there will be lefs difficulty in ftating the p- ther. Npw, 3dly, It feems pretty plain, that the leverale- vents fpecified in the beginning pf this prophecy, viz. To ffinifh pr reltrain tranfgreffions ; 2. Tp make an end pf fin ; 3. Tp make expiatipn, pr recpnciliatipn for iniquity ; 4, To bring in everlafting righteoufnefs ; 5. To fleal up, pr cpm- pleat, and fulfil vifion and prophecy ; and 6. To anoint, ot cpnfecrate the Moft Holy, were all accpmplifhed in the great wprk pf pur falvatipn, by the death and paffipn, and by. " the doctrine and refurrection, of our Saviour Chrift. For being born withnut priginal, and having lived withput ac- ' tual {in, he truly was the mpft holy pf all that eVer bpre' our nature, and being thereby fully fitted for this great wprk, he was anointed with the Holy Ghoft, and with .power, ¦ tp be pur prieft, pur prpphet, and pur king. As pur prieft, he offered himfelf a facrifice uppn the crofs, and thereby made atpnement for pur fins, which is. making an end of them, by taking away their guilt ; and in fo dping, working reconciliation for us with God. As our prophet, he gave us his gofpel, a law pf everlafiting righteoufnefs, anrJ the pnly revelation we are to expect: And as our king, he fent his Holy Spirit intp pur hearts, to guide and influence us according tp this law ; whereby he has taken an effectual methpd tp reftrain, and extinguifll in us, all manntr pf tranfgreflipn ; and in dping all this, he has fealed up, i. e. fulfilled, and thprpughly finiflied all, that by vifipns and prophecies had been before revealed con- ceiniiiB him. o Since (c) therefore all thefe events were brought to panielVand tne worc's °f tne prophecy feem to denote a real building of from Ezrai. the city, fince it makes mention of its ftreets and walls 5 to v. whereas that work was executed upon the decree by Cyrus, *"" '"V""'"- feveral years before Ezra was in commiffion. But this ob- jerftipn will appear of little force, if once it be confidered, that figurative expreflions are, in a manner, necefiary irt prophecies, and that nothing is more common in Scripture, than by Jerufalem, in particular, to mean the whole poli tical and ecclefiaftical ftate of the Jews. There is another difficulty obfervable in this prophecy* which deferves our attention, and that is, the divifion of the feventy weeks into three diftinct periods, i. e. intp feven weeks, fixty-two weeks, and pne week, to each of which a different event is afligned. In the feven weeks, or 49 years, frpm the gping forth of the commandment, the ftreets and walls of Jerufalem, i, e. the reftpratipn and e- ftabliffiment pf the church and ftate pf the Jews, is tp be accpmplifhed. In the flxty-twp weeks, pr 434 years more, the Meffiah is tp come, and make his appearance in the wprld ; and in pne week, pr feven years after this, he is. to confirm a covenant with many, and caufe the facrifice and ob lation to ceafe : all which were literally fulfilled. Fpr, in the fpace pf 49 years, which anfwers tp feven weeks, the reformation and eftablifhment of the Jewifh church and ftate was carried on, and cpmpleted, firft by Ezra, in vir tue pf a decree granted in the feventh year pf Artaxerxes, and afterwards by Nehemiah, jp virtue pf anpther granted him by the fame prince, in the twentieth year pf his reign. Frpm that time, in the fpace pf 434 years, which anfwers tp fixty two weeks, our bleffed Saviour appeared in the world as the Meffiah ; and for feven years after that, (which anfwers to the one week in the prophecy), firft, by his fore runner John the Baptift, for the fpace pf three years and an half more, he cpnfirmed the cpvenant pf the gpfpel with as many pf the Jews as were cpnverted, and embraced thefe laws pf everiafting rightepufnefs which he publifhed ; and at length, by the facrifice pf Jiis mpft precipus bfppd, made all pther victims and pblatipns (which were but types and emblems pf his) for ever ceafe and be abplifhed. As tp the other part pf the prophecy, it relates fo evidently to the de- ftruction- Ckap.I. _ from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 44I ftrudtion of 'Jerufalem, that it needs no explanation. Who- A. M. ever his read Jofephus cannot but obferve, that, by the de- ,4T7' &c.' ftruction of the city and fandtuary, by the people or the 'jg, ChfjC prince that Was to come, who, with their armies and ddb r"™ l«.' lating abominations, fhould invade Judea as with a flood "'•?¦ ">xhr- and, by a terrible and confoming war, bring utter ruin and alld^rn™' deftraction upon it, and upon all the pepple of the Jews that Ezrai »v, fliould dwell therein, can be meant nothing but Titus at the — *v-«^ head of the Roman army, executing the wrath of God for the murder of his Son, our Saviour, upon that devoted city arid people, in fuch a terrible and tragical manner as their hiftorian has related. Ezekiel indeed, according to the fentiment of fome rab- Ezet el's bins, was a prophet of more obfeurity than Daniel, and, e- £n"«>t; fpeeially in the defcription of the chariot, (as they Call the firft chapter), fo very intricate and abftrufe, that they would not permit it to be read by any until they were arrived at the age of thirty. The defign of the prophet in that chap- ' ter is, to reprefent, the great and glorious appearance of God coming to give him inftructions in the management of his prophetic office ; ana, to this purpofe, he makes ufe of images foreign indeed to our manner of writing, but what are all fignificant and full of majefty. He feats himfelf on a radiant throne, fuppofted by cherubims, moved by wheels of an uncommon make, covered with the canopy of heaven, and encircled with the rainbow: and though, in the defcription of the cherubims and wheels, there may be fomething not fo agreeable to our way of thinking, yet we are not to fuppofe, but that, in the whole, it was adapted to the age wherein the prpphet wrote, and in each part per* haps did include an excellent moral. Angels, of what rank Or denomination foever, are all miniftering fpirits, and the inftruments of God's providence in the government o> the world ; and therefore are reprefented here as fupporting his thrbne, and in allufion, (d) very likely, tp the triumphal chariots of eaftern princes, which are drawn by feveral forts of beafts, they are faid (e) every one to have four fa ces. Their wings denote their readinefs and alacrity ; their eyes, their fagacity and vigilance ; their hands, their pru dence and dexterity ; thek feet, their fteadinefs and refo- ( where they had been difperfled ; which can be meant ftom' Jer. of npne but the Jews ; but (a) that it cpuld not happen af- *1. -/.toilv, ter the time of the Maccabees, becaufe the Jewifli hiftory 1)1 ,D*niel' is, from thence, fo very well known, that a tranfaction of Ezrai. to v. this nature could not well efcape us ; and therefore we may u. .-y.-.- conclude, that it was between the return frpm the captivi* ty, and the firft appearing pf the Maccabees, (a very ob fcure interval as tp the Jewifh affairs), that what the pro phet relates pf Gog, and bis adventures, came to pafs ; and if fo, we can fee no prince or pptentate tp whpm the characters which the infpired writers give pf him, can fo properly belpng, as tp Cambyfes the fon pf Cyrus. According to the accounts pf all hiftpry, he was cruel and barbarous, exceffively impious, and infatiably cove.tpus. H>s indignation againft the Jews he expreffed (b) by a re- vpcatipn pf a grant which his father gave for the rebuild ing pf their city and temple. He led a large army into Egypt, cpmppfed pf all the different nations (c) that Eze kiel mentions, who were overwhelmed (a great many of them at leaft) by the driven fands pf the deferts. In his return frpm Egypt, (d) he died at Ecbatana in Palefline, at the fopt pf Mpunt Carmel, which faces the Mediterranean fea, pf a wpund which he received by his fwprd's falling accidentally put of the feabbard ; fo that a great many lines of the picture which the prophet draws of Gog meet in Cambyfes, though it muft be acknowledged that all do not. (e) What bids fair fpr this ppinipn, however, is the pr* -der and ferigs pf events which Ezekiel feems tp have ob. ferved in his prophecies : Fpr haying firft foretpid the ta king of Jerufalem, the captivity of Babylon, and the defo lation pt Tyre, Egypt, and fome other countries neighbour ing upon Judea, he proceeds, in the next place, tp the diflblution of the Chaldean monarchy, and the return of the Jews frpm their captivity : But before they are well fealed in their native country, Gog and his numerous ar my are introduced to trouble their reppfe, and threaten their ruin ; but that Gpd interpofes to rid them of this (a) Calmet's DifTert. ibid. (J)VEzra iv. 19. ire. (c) Ezek. xxxviii. 2. ire. (d) Herod, lib. 3. le) Calmet's Differt. ibid. fierw Giap.I. from the Babylonilh Captivity, (3c 445 fierce enemy, who is faid to have fallen in the mountains of A M. Ifrael, he, and all his army. 1 It muft be owned, indeed, j.417- &e- that the writers of the life of Cambyfes make mention of J?^, *£ no intention in this prince to fall foul upon the Jews, nor from jer. do they fay any thing of the deftrudtion of his army, en- *}• 7- to xiv. fuant upon his death ; but upon the fuppofition, that the anagram* prophecy relates to him, God, who knew the evil difpofition Ezra i. tov, of that prince's heart towards the Jews, (which no profane '— -v-"* author could penetrate)/ has given us this part of his hiftory : (/) Thus faith the Lord, it fhall alfo come to pafs, that at pie fame time, thou fhalt think an evil, thought, and fhalt fay, I will go up to the land of unw ailed villages; I will goto them that are at reft, that dwell flafely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a fpoil, and to take a prey, to turn my hand upon the defolate places, that are now inhabited, and upon the people, that are now gathered out of the nations. > What became of his army, after he was dead, we cannot tell, Herodotus, who gives us the largeft accounts of him, im mediately after his deceafe, panes to the hiftory of the Ma gian who ufurped his throne : And therefore we may fuppofe, (g) that as they confifted of fo many different na-i tions, and followed him only by compulfion, when once their head was gone, they crumbled into parties, quarrel led, and (as (h) the prophet had foretold) turned their arms upon one another ; which was no more than what (i) the Philiftines did in the time of Saul, and (k) the Midianites, when Gibeon judged Ifrael. We have been fo large in our anfwers to fome of the some feem- kft objections, that we have lefs room left for the recon l0S *n<; »«»- ciliation of fome feeming inconfiftencies that* are alledged reConCcaed. in this period of hiftory : But a little will fuffice for this. For, 1, Whereas the number of the people, returning from the captivity, is much larger in the general fum than it is in the particulars, it is to be remembered, that not only thofe of Judah and Benjamin, but feveral alfo of the other tribes, took the benefit of the decree which Cyrus granted in favour of the Jews, to return again into their own land. That they did fo, is plain from the tenor of the decree itfelf, which extends (/) to all the people qf the God (f) Ezek. xxxviii. to. ire. (g) Calmet's Differt. (h) Ezek. xxxviii. 21. (i) I Sam. xiv. 2Q. (k) Judg. vii. 22. (I) Ezrai. 3. f 44<* The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VIL A. M. °f Ifrael, whereof (as Jofephus infprms us) Zerubbabel fent 3417, ire. a eppy intp Media, tp the reft pf the ten tribes, who A™' cJS£r' (together with the reft of the fathers of. Judah and Benja- from'jer.' min) are fupppfed tp be thpfe, (m) whofe flpirit God had rai- ¦iX.7.tox\vrfledup to go : And therefore the difference between the a11 D*nieI> grofs and the particular fums arifes frpm hence, (n) Ezrai. tov. That in the latter, the tribes pf Judah, Benjamin, and Le- 1 vi, only are reckoned by their families ; whereas in the fprmer, all thpfe pf the pther tribes that acepmpanied them in their return tp Jerufalem are added. This accuunts for the difference between the general and particular fums in Ezra : And then why the particu lars in Ezra differ frpm the particulars in Nehemiah, the. matter (accprding tp a very cpmpetent (0) judge) is tp be cpneeived and apprehended thus, " That Nehemiah " found the lift and catalpgue pf thpfe that came up in " the firft pf Cyrus, as it was then taken, and that he called " pver the names pf the families, as they lay in prder " there ; that he obferved the order of the old fift, in-call- " ing them over, and lifting them, but tppk the real num- " ber pf them, as thev were at the time, when he num- " bered them ; that fome families were now mpre in " number than they were when the firft lift was made, " and fome fewer ; and fome that were in that lift were " npt tp be found now ; for fome had more pf the fame " ftpek come up from Babylon, fince the firft numbering, " and others, whp had come up at firft, and were then " numbered, were npw gpne back again." 2. Whereas it is faid of the fourfcore Ifraelites, that they were (p) carrying their offerings to the houfe of the Lord, when the houfe of the Lprd at Jerufalem had, for fome time before, been deftroyed by the Babylpnians ; (q) why may we npt fupppfe, that the place where the temple ftppd, (even after its deftructipn), was held in fuch vene- ratipn, that the pepple whp were left in the cpuntry, af ter the general captivity, chpfe tp pffer their facrifices and pblations there, as bong as they remained in the land ; and that having np priefts at Jerufalem, they might gp tP Miz pah (where thefe fervants pf the Lprd had, very probably, (m) Ibid. ver. 5, (n) Patrick's Commentary on Ezra ii. 6. ; and Prideaux's Connection. (0) Lightfoot's Chronology, p. 14$. (p) Jer. xii. j. (q) Prideaux's Connection, in the notes, anno 58S. put Chap. I. from' the Babylonifil Captivity, (3c. 447 put themfelves under the governor's protection) to fetch, a. M. one from thence, in order to affift them in their religious 3417,' ire. offices ? Ant. Chrif. . (r) Samaria indeed, and the other parts from whence ^ t^. , thefe devout, perfons came, lay to the north, and Mizpah xl. 7. to xiv. to the fouth of Jerufalem, a little too far diftant for them a11 Daniel, to go for a prieft ; and therefore others have imagined, Ezraf"^ ' that after the deftrudtion of the temple, Gedaliah, by the 1 advice of the prophet Jeremiah, and the priefts that were with him, had eftablifhed a tabernacle, and built an altar at Mizpah, where the people, for the prefent, might refort tp pay their devotions, and prefent their oblations, until, by. fome happy turn of affairs, their temple might come to be built again ; and that this tabernacle and altar might, with propriety enpugh, be called the houfe of 4he Lord. We can hardly believe indeed, that after the temple was gpne, the pepple were tp live withput any place pf religipus wurfhip ; and therefore, cpnfidering that Mizpah was all along efteemed a place of more than ordinary fanctity ;. that after the return of the ark, there (s) Samuel gathered together all Ifrael before the Lord ; that there he built an al tar, and (t) offered a facrifice ; and that in the time of the Maccabees, when the Jews were in the fame cafe as now, withput a temple, and withput an altar, they here (u) afi fembled themfelves together ; for Mizpah (as the authpr pf that hiftory tells us) was the place where they prayed aforetime in Ifrael; we cannot but think, that there is fomething of rea lity in the fuppofition, and that thefe eighty pious mourn ers were going to Mizpah, and not to Jerufalem, (x) when the bloody and perfidious Ifhmael circumvented them. 3. Once more : Whereas it is faid, (y) that the priefts and Levites, and elders of the fathers, who had feen the firft temple, wept when the foundation of the fecond was laid, thpugh it is manifeft, that the latter temple was (z) 40 cubits larger than the fprmer ; it muft be remembered, that the reafon of their weeping was, not fo much becaufe it was like to prove far inferior to that of Solomon as to its outward ftructure, but becaufe it was to want thofe extra- (r) Calmet's Commentary on Jer. xii. y. (1) 1 Sam. vii. 5. 6. (t) Ibid. ver. 9. (//) 1 JVlaccab. iii. 46. (x) Jer. xii. 6. (y) Ezra iii. 12. (z) Compare Ezra vi. 3. with 1 Kings vi. 20. and 2 Chron. iii. 3. ordinary 44* The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. ordinary marks of the divine favour, wherewith the oth« J41 7, irt. temple was honoured. The fecond temple was built upon ^s C^r' tne ^ame f°un Chsp. I. from the .Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 449 "" ;and the mercy-feat-]-, which was upon it, the hply fire f up- A- **. 011 Ani, 'cin-if. 587, ire. fiom Jer. procefs of time, Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, and the original vo- xl. 7. to ilv. lume of the law, written by Mofes's own hand, came to be likewife. a'l Damet, put in it, Heb. ix. 4. The Jews have a traditii >n, whkh Epipha- "•. -,m,, nius (ia Vita Jerem prophetse) takes notice of, that Jeremiah, fore- ._ ' j feeing the approaching ruin of the temple, carried the ark of the co venant into a cave, and by his prayers prevailed that it might be- fiutk, and fwallowed up in the rock, fo that it might never m ire be feeni and this, though a fiction, is defigned to inform us, that, in the -deftruction of Jerufalem, this facred piece of furniture was loft. The Jews, indeed, upon the building of the fecond temple, made aa ark, of the fame thape and dimenfions with the firft, and put k in the fame place : butrit had none of its honours and prerogatives ; no tables of the law, no Aaron's rod, no pot of manna in it, no ap pearance of the divine glory over it, no oracles given from it; the only ufe that was made of it wjs, to be a reprefentative of the fir mer on the great day of expiation, Jnd to be a repofitory ofthe Holy Scriptures, i. e. of the original copy of that collection which was made of them after the captivity, by Ezra, -and the men of tbe great fynagogue; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 535. f This was the cover of the ark of the covenant. It was made of folid gold, and at the two ends of it were fixed two cherubims of the fame metal, which, by tlipir wings extended forwards, feemed' to form a throne for the Majefty of God, who, in Scripture, is re-_ ?refented to us as fitting between the cherubim^, and the ark itfelf was, as it were, his footftool. The Hebrew word Capboreth, by being tranfl tied propitiatory, feems to imply, that from thence the- Lorrl heard the vows and prayers of his people, and pardoned them their fins; and by its being, at other times, tranfkted oracle, feems farther to imply, that from thence he manifefted his will and plea fure, and gave refponfes to Mofes; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word. f This fire came down from heaven, firft upon the altar in the tabernacle, at the confecration of Aaron and his fonb to the pritft- hood, Levit. ix. 24. : For the Biby.lonians having revolted from him, and, in confidence of their ftrong walls, flood out againft him in a long fiege, afier he had taken thc place, (in order to pre vent their rebellion for the future), he took away their gates, and b.-:it'dnwn iheir w.dls >o 'he origin :;bi."e ¦ :v limed, an:1 beyond this- they were never after railed ; Pr.dtuux's ConneCutn, anno 570. towers Chap I. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 453 towers f between each of thefe corners, and the next gate A- M- on either fide three towers ; and every one of thefe towers ^ ehrif was ten feet higher than the walls. j87, ire'. Anfwermg to every pne pf thefe gates, there was a ftreet from Jer which led from gate to gate: fo that there were fifty in all, *}j 1Y£sfffff\ each fifteen miles long ; whereof 2 5 going one way, and and from * 25 another, they croffed each other at right angles, and fo Ezrai. to v. cut the whole city out into 676 fquares, each of which was """"" V*""' iour furlongs and an half on every fide, i. e. two miles and a quarter in compafs ; and round thefe, on every fide to wards the ftreet, ftood the houfes, all built three or four ftories high, with fronts adorned with all manner of em- bellifhments, and with yards and gardens thrown back wards. Befides thefe, there were four other ftreets, built only on one fide, becaufe they had the wall on the other, whkh went round the four fides of the city, and were all of them two hundred feet broad, though the other ftreets were but an hundred and fifty. Quite crofs the city ran a branch of the river Euphrates, which entered in on the north, and went out on the fbuth fide ; and over it, in the very middle of the city, was a bridge of a furlong in length, and thirty feet in breadth, built with wonderful art, to fupply the defect of a founda tion in the bottom of the river, which was all fandy. By this bridge a communication was kept up between the two parts of the city ; and, at the two extremities, of it, ftood two palaces, the pld one on the eaft, and new pne pn the weft fide pf the river. The fprmer pf thefe tppk up four pf the fquares abpve mentioned, the pther nine ; and the temple pf Belus, which ftood near the pld palace, tppk ¦ up anpther. 2. The temple pf Belus, which was pne pf the moft won- of the tern- derful works in the worid, was a fquare of a furlong pn Ple oi Be_ eachfide, i. e. half a mile in the whole compafs; and con fifted of eight towers (or what feemed like towers) built one above another. Herodotus tells us, that the way to f This is to be underftood only of thofe parts of the walls where there was need of towers; for fome parts of them lying againft mo- rafTes always full of water, where they could not be approached by any enemy, had no need of any towers at all for their defence ; and therefore in them there were none built : For, whereas the Whole number of them amounted to no more than two hundred and fifty, had the fame uniform order been obferved in their difpofition all round, there muft have been many more ; Prideaux' s Connection, Serine J70. go 454 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. gb up it was by ftairs pn the putfide rpund it ; frpm 3417, ire. whence it feems mpft likely, that the whple afcent tp it was 8" £.c ' by the benching in, drawn in a floping line, from the bot- from'jer. torn to the top; eight times round it, and that this made si. 7. to xiv. the appearance of eight towers one above another. The and fro ' c'§kt towers (as they are called) being like fo many ftories* Ezn i. to v. were each of them -j- feventy -five feet high, and in them *-—«/"¦">¦•' were many great rooms, with arched roofs, fopported with pillars, which, after that the place was confecrated to an idolatrous ufe, were all made parts of the temple : But the moft facred part of all, and where the chiefeft devotipns Were performed, was the uppermoft ftory, over which (on the top 01 the tower) was an obfervatpry, by the benefit of which the Babylonians advanced their knowledge in aftronomy beypnd * all pther natipns. This •j- Some, following the miftake of the Latin verfion of Herodotus, wherein the lowed of thefe towers is faid to be a furlong thick and a furlong high, will have each of thefe towers to be a furlong highj which, amounting to a mile in the whole, is enough to fhock any one's belief. Kut the Greek of Herodotus, which is the authentic text of that hiftorian, fays no fuch thing, but only ^hat it was a fur long long and a furlong broad, without mentioning any thing of its height at all. And therefore Strabo, in his defcription of it, call ing it a pyramid, becaufe of its decreafing and benching in at every tower, fays of the whole, that it was a furlong high and a furlong on every fide, which, without any farther addition, makes it exceed the gn-ateft of the pyramids of Egypt, I mean for its height. For, whereas the height of the talleft pyramid was no more than 481 feet, that of the temple of Belus was 000, ;. e. higher by 119 feet, which is one quarter of the whole ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 51°. * The Babylonians made great boafts of the antiquity of their knowledge in this kind of learning. They reckoned four hundred and feventy-tluee thoufand years, from the oblervations of their firft a- ftrdlogers to the arrival of Alexander the Great; but Ariftotle, who Was curious hi inquiring into the truth of what was related of thefe obfervaiions, defired of Califthenes, his fchokr, who accompanied Alexander to Babylon, to fend him the moft certain and exact ac count that he could gather of this matter ; and accordingly, he fent him aftronomical obfervations that had been made for one thoufand nine hundred and three years, which came within an hundred and fifteen year? of thc fl.iod, or fifteen after the rower of Babel was built, but fell infinitely fhort of their other monftrous computatiwi, though Chap. I. from the Babylonilh Captivity, &c. 455 This tower, and the feveral rooms in it, were all that A. M. was called the temple of Belus, until Nebuchadnezzar en- \4'7'(,f cfi larged it with vaft buildings, which were erected in a fquare j8'"' £.ff of two furlongs on every fide, or a mile in circumference, from Jer. On the outfide of thefe was a wall inclofing the whole, in x[: t- t0.d^ which were feveral gates leading to the temple, all made of ^ f,°J£ ' folid brafs, very probably from the brazen fea, the brazen Ezrai. to v. pillars, and the other brazen veffels, which, (e) from the -— V*^ temple of Jerufalem, were carried to Babylon. This temple ftood till the time of Xerxes : But he, on his return from the Grecian expedition, having firft plun dered it of its immenfe riches, among which were feveral images or flames of maffy gold, demolifhed the whole of it, and laid it all in ruins. Alexander, upon his return to Babylon from his Indian expedition, propofed to have rebuilt it, and, to that purpofe, fet ten thoufand men on work to clear away the rubbifh : But his death, in a fhort time after, put an end to all further prpceedings in that defign, and (as modern travellers allure us) the knpwledge of the very place where it pnce ftppd is at this time Ipft. 3. Near to this temple, on the eaft fice of the river, as The pa- we faid, ftood the old palace of the kings, of Babylon, four 'accsand miles in circumference ; and exactly over-againft it, on „arJenf, the other fide of the river, was the new palace, built by Nebuchadnezzar, eight miles in compafs, and furrpunded with three walls pne within another. But the moft won derful things belonging to it were the hanging gardens, which Nebuchadnezzar made in complaifance to his wife Amylis, daughter of Aftyages king of Media : For fhe, re taining a ftrong inclination for the mountains and forefts pf her pwn cpuntry, defired tp have fomething like it in Babylon; and therefore, to gratify her, he erected this mpnftrous work of vanity. Thefe gardens contained a fpace of four hundred feet fquare, and were carried up aloft into the air, in the man ner of feveral large terraffes, one above another, until the higheft of them cape up to the height of tbe walls of the though this of Cilifthenes feems to be a little enlarged ; becaufe, according to our chronology, we reckon no more than eighteen hun dred years from Nimrod and the tower of Babel, -to the reign of Alexander at Babylon; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Baby- lop. le) Dan. i. a. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 7. city, 45« The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII, A. M. city, that is to fay, was three hundred and fifty feet high. 54 r7, 6-c The afcent was from terrafs to terrafs, by ftairs ten feet A8Dt ' &lnC wide> and tlle wb-ole Pile was fuftained by vaft arches built from Jer. upon arches, one above another, and ftrengthened by a si. 7. to xiv. wall furrounding it on every fide, of two and twenty feet aUP^' in thicknefs. On the top of the arches were firft laid large flat ftones fixteen feet long, and four broad ; over them was a laypr of reed, mixed with a great quantity of bitumen ; over this were two rows of brick clofely cemented tpgether by plai- fter ; pver thefe were laid thick fheets pf lead, and all this tp keep the mpifture of the mould from draining away ; and then, laftly, upon this lead was laid fuch a large quan- , tity of eardi heapeid together, as afforded depth enough for the largeft trees to take root in it. Fur, in this garden there was every thing that could either delight the eye, or gratify the curiofity, beautiful and large trees, flowers, plants, apd fhrubs ; and to keep every thing verdant and gay in the upper terrafs, there was an aqueduct or engine which drew up water out of the river into a kind of a re- fervoir above, and from thence watered the whole garden. The banks ^% The river, indeed, at a certain feafon of the year, £thcnv"' viz. in the months of June, July, and Auguft, by the fun's melting the fnow in the mpuntains pf Armenia, ufed tp pverfipw its banks, (in the fame manner as the Nile in Egypt dpes); tp the great damage pf the city and country of Babylon ; and therefore, to prevent this inconvenience for the future, Nebuchadnezzar had two artificial canals cut, on the eaft fide of the Euphrates, in order to carry off the fuperfiuous water into the Tygris. One of thefe canals difcharged itfelf near Seleucia, and the other over againft Apamia : and, for the farther fecurity of the country, from the head pf thefe canals dpwn tp the city, and fome way fower, he made vaft banks pf brick and bitumen ; but the moft wonderful part of the wprk was within the city. There, on each fide of the Euphrates, he built, from the very bottom of the channel, a great wall of the fame thicknefs with the walls of the city, i. e. eighty-feven feet thick, and of an hundred and fixty furlongs (which are f twenty miles pf pur meafure) in length ; and over-againft every 4 And therefore this work muft have begun two miles and an half above the city, and continued two miles and ajj half below its becaufe Chap. I. frorri the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 457 every ftreet that croffed the river, he made on each fide a a m. brazen gate in the wall, and ftairs leading down to the ri- 3417. ire. ver, from whence the inhabitants ufed to pafs by boat from '*"' cl'rif> from one part of the city to the other. from' j^r? 5. It was neceffary, however, that while this work was xl. 7 to xiv. carrying pn, the ftream fhould be diverted fome other way ; aM DanieI, and therefore, to this purpofe, he had a vaft artificial lake eL-J^oV made to the weft of Babylon, which, according to the loweft . fi computation, was forty miles fquare, and an hundred and And thear- fixty in compafs ; and being of a proportionabk depth, was tlficjaI lake> able to contain all the water until the work was finifhed.. When this was done, the river was returned to its former chinnel ; but the lake, and the canal which led to it, were ftill preferved, becaufe they were found of ufe, not only to prevent the danger of all overflowings of the river, but to keep water likewife all the year round, as in a common re- fervatory, which might be let out upon proper ocoifiems, by fluices, for the improvement and fertilizing of the ground. Thefe are fome of the vaft works f which the generality "^ nature of hiftorians aferibe to Nebuchadnezzar, and, upon the .hadnez- view and contemplation of which, he grew fo arrogant and zar's cr.me, elated, as to think himfelf equal, if not fuperior to God : an Vol. IV, 3 M Holoferne?, The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVII.' A. m. Hplpfernes, (g) That all nations fhould worfhip him only, and 341 7, -ire that all tongues and tribes fhould call upon him as god. ^T °&f ^'c meref°re " was» tliat nach hupious pride fhould be f10m jer .xi.abafed, and that he who fet himfelf above the rank of men, 7. to xiv. all upon a level with God, nay, in an elevation fuperior tp Daniel, and G0d, fhould be made "fenfible of his dependent ftate, and 10m u. tau^jlt hum,iity and felf-annihilation, by being degraded to 1 the condition of a brute. He had faid in his heart,_ (for of him is that prophecy in Ifaiah), (h) I will afeend into hea ven, I will exalt my throne above the ftars of God; / will afeend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Moft High. But how art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucfier, fon of the morning ? How art thou cut down to the ground, who didft weaken the nations ? They that fee thee fhall narrowly look upon thee, and confider thee, faying, , It this the man that made the earth to tremble, that tiid fhake all kingdoms, that made the world as- a wildernefs, and de ftroyed the cities thereof? And Well they might, when they faw (i) him dwelling with the beafts of the field, eating grafs like oxen, and wet with the dew of heaven, with his hair ' grown like eagles feathers, and his nails like jYrus died, when he was feventy years old, after he end7, a11 V--i nad reigned, from his firft being made commander Efth. Neh. of the Perfian and Median armies, thirty years ; from his and part of taking 0f Babylpn, nine years ; and from his heepming nd Mai. ' f°le monarch of the eaft, feven years ; and was fucceeded »__-^— J by his fon Cambyfes, whom the Scripture calls Ahafuerus. Cambyfes (or Ahafue rus) fuc- « What Nebuchadnezzar fays of himfelf, with regard to this du- ce<=dsCyrus, (y^ ^ very. remar]sahie> _, / fajj-gj ty pyiBfl pitffi} An£ praffed h Samari- an^ honoured him, that liveth for ever, whofe dominion is an ever- tans appli- tafling' dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. cation puts. AH ihe inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, for he doth a flop to the according to his will, in the army of heaven, and among the inhabi- building °£(arits of the earth; and none can flay his hand, or fay unto him, Jeru a em. jpfai d0j{ t/,ou p j therefore now praife ', and extol, and honour the King of heaven, al( whofe works are truth, and his ways judgment, and thofe that walk in pride, he is able to abafie, Dan. iv. 34. ire. Which is enough, one would imagine, to make us think charitably of the converfion and final end of this prince ; and with St Auftin, to conclude, that whatever happened to him, by way of punifh ment, was defigned by providence for his foul's health : Hoc enim erat in occulta judicio, et mifiericordia Dei, ut huic regi eo modo con- fuleret ad fialutem ; ^pift. 3, if) Jer. ix. 23. ire. As Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 463 As foon as he was well fettled in the throne, the Sama- a. M. titans (inftead of applying themfelves fecretly to the mini- 347*, .-ire. fters and officers of his court) prefented their petition (a) Ant- Ch"f' to him openly, defiring that the rebuilding of Jerufalem "^ ^'i might be ftopped ; and tho' they did not prevail with him iv. .7. to the to revoke his' father's decree, yet by the feveral difcourage-^! *u ments which he put upon it, he, in a great meafure, de-and' tof feated its main defign, fo that the work went on very hea- Hagg. Zech. vily in his reign. But his reign was not long : It was butand Ma1, feven years and five months, before hecame to an untimely v end, and was fucceeded, for a fhort time, by the Magian *, who . (a) Ezraiv. 6. * The word Magian, or Mige-gufh, in the old Perfian language, fignifies a perfon that had his ears cut off, and was a name of con tempt given to the whole feet, upon account of a certain impoflor among them, who had the misfortune to lofe his ears, and yet had the confidence toufurp the crown of Cyrus ; but before this incident they went under another name, and were held in great reputation among the Perfians. Tbey were indeed their chief profeffors of philofophy, and in matters of religion, made -thefe the great articles of their faith : " That there were two principles or gods, the " one the caufe of all the good, and the other the caufe of all the " evil in the world ; but in this they were divided ; that fome of " them held both thefe principles to have been from all eternity, " whereas others maintained, that the good principle only was e- " ternal, and the evil one created, in the like manner as we bc- " lieve, that the devil is a creature, who is fallen from his original " purity and perfection. Thefe two principles, they believed, " were in continual oppofition to each other, which was to continue " till the end of the world ; but then the good principle having 0- " vercome the evil, they fliould each of them have a diftinct world "_ to himfelf ; the good reigning over all good beings, and the evil " over all the wicked. They imagined farther, that darknefs was " the traeft fymbol of the evil, as light was of ihe good, god; and " therefore they always worfhipped him before fire, as being the " caufe of light, and before the fun more efpecially, becaufe they " accounted it the moft perfect light. They paid divine honours, " in fliort, to light, to the fun, to the fire in their temples, and to " fire in their,houfcs ; but they always hated darknefs, becaufe " they thought it a reprcfentation of tbe evil god, whom they e- " ver had in the utmoft deteftatiori." Such were the Magi araong^ the ancient Perfians, and fuch are the Guebres, or worfhippers of fire, 464 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII; A. M. who * pretended to be his brother Smerdis, and whom An/'ctrif l^e b'1*01'? °£ Ezra t caus Artaxerxes. To him the 5»9|, &c. ' Samaritans from Ezra iv. 7. to the Efth' Neh firc> ?mong tne prefent Perfians and Indians ; Prideaux' s Connection ; *nd part of and Calmet's Dictionary, under the word. Hagg. Zech.. ' * Ihe manner in which this Magian came to ufirp fhe Perfia^ and Mai. throne, is thus rekted by moft hiftorians. Cambyfes had a bro- ' ther, the only fon of Cyrus befides himfelf, and born of the fame mother. His name (according to Xenophon) was Tanaoxares, but Herodotus calls him Smerdis, and Juftin Margis. He accompanied him in his wars for fome time j bat upon a pique of jealoufy, the king fent him back into Perfia, and there caufed him to be murdered privaicly. The king, when he went upon the Egyptian expedition, had left tbe fupreme government of his afiiiirs in the hands of Patizithes, one of the chief of the Magian*, (for the king was addicted to that feet of reli gion), who had a brother that did verymuchrefemble Smerdis, thc foil of Cyrus, and was, for that reafon perhaps, called by the fame name. Patizithes, hearing of the young prince'.s death, and fuppofing that this, and fome other extravagancies of Cambyfes, had ma'e him odious to his fubjects, placed this brother of his on the throne, pretending that he was the true Smerdis, the f n of Cyrus, and fo fent heralds through the empire to proclaim him king. It was the cuftom of the eaftern princes, in thofe days, to live retired in their palaces, and there tranfact all their affairs by the intercourfe of their eunuchs, without admitting any elfe, unlefs thofe of the higheft confidence, to have accefs to them. This conduct the pretended Smerdis exactly obferved: But Otanes, a Perfian nobli man, having a daughter, (whofe name was Phedyma), who had been one of Cambyfes's wives, and was now kept by Smerdis in t'nr fame quality, md be ing defirous to know whether he was the red fon ot Cyrus or no, , fent her inftructions, that thc firft night fhe lay with him, fhe fliould feel whether he had any ears, (becaufe Cyrus, fer fome crime or other, had cut oft this Magian's ears), and 'die acquaint ing her father that he had none, he immediately took fix others of the. Perfian quality with him, (among whom Darius was one), and entering thc paUce, flew both thc ufurper, and his brother who had been the contriver of the whole plot ; Prideaux' s Connection, anm J22. f That Cambyfes was the Ahafuerus, (as we faid before), and the falfe Smerdis the Artaxerxes who obftructcd the work of the temple, is plain from hence, That they are faid in Scripture (Ezra iv. J. ire.) to be the kings of Perfia that reigned between the time of Cyrus, and the time of that Darius by whofe decree the temple was finifhed : But as that Darius Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 465 Samaritans, in like manner, addreffed themfelves, and in A. M. a memorial, reprefented, " That f- the Jews were rebuild- s-m, ire. " ing their city and temple at Jerufalem, which might be a Anf ch/if- <* matter of pernicious confequence to his empire ; that from 'Ezra' " thefe Jews had always been a rebellious people, as he>v. 7. tothe " would find, if he confulted the records of his anceftors ; ™£j ^, " that therefore there was reafon to fufperft, that in cafe and par* of " they were permitted to go on, when once they had fi- Hagg. Zech. u nifhed the work, they wpuld withdraw their pbedience, and Mal' " pr refufe tp pay tribute f ; and that, by their example, ^f^ff^f " very prpbably, all Syria and Palefline would be tempted .port of tht-Lr " to revolt ; fo that, in a fhort time, his Majefty would memorial " be excluded from having any benefit from his territories t0 Smeldis» " on that fide of the river Euphrates." Ies Upon confuhing the records which the Samaritans re ferred the king to, it plainly appeared, that the Jews had defended themfelves with great valour, and had been fub dued by Nebuchadnezzar, not without much difficulty ; Darius was Darius the" fon of Hyflafpes, between whom and Cyrus there reigned none in Perfia, but Cambyfes and Smerdis, it muft follow from hence, that none but Cambyfes and Smerdis could be the Ahafuerus and Artaxerxes who are faid in Ezra to have put a flop to this work; Prideaux 's Connection, anno' 522. •J- After the return from the captivity, the people in general came to be called Jews, becaufe, though there were many Ifraelites a- mong them, yet they chiefly confifted of the tribes of Judah and. Benjamin ; and though the edi& of Cyrus gave all permiffion to re turn, when they pleafed, yet the facred writers take notice only of thofe who returned in a body ; Patrick's Commentary on Ezra. •f- For this there are three expreflions in the text, toll, tribute, and cuftom. By the firft of thefe, Grotius underftands that which every head paid to the king, which we call poll-money : By the fe cond, the exeife (as we now fpeak) that was upon commodities and merchandife ; and by the laft the land-tax. But Watfius (in his Mifcell. part. 2.) is of opinion, that the firft word rather figni fies that part which every man paid out of his eftate, according as jt was valued ; the fecond, that which was paid for every head ; and the third, that which was paid upon the highways, by every traveller that went about the country with any kind of merchan dize ; Patrick's Commentary. Vol. IV. 3 N whereupon 466" The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVlL A, M. whereupon he iffued out an edict, wherein he prohibited 347J. '"• the Jews to proceed any farther in their building, and or- Aju Chrii. jjgpg^ n;s 0f£cers in Samaria to put it in execution. They fro: 11 Ezra immediately went up to Jerufctem with an armed force, and iv 7. to the having purfued the king's orders with the utmoft rigour, Efth Neh Put a ^u11 ^°P to any fartIler proceeding in the work, until and part of the fecond year of -j- Darius Hyftafpes. Hagg. Zech. Darius, upon the death of the pretended Smer- and Mai. ^ ^j^ wa9> # by a ftratagem, chofen king of Perfia ; and Tb2 tarn- tll0USh. pering with Tatnai, the faiTtn°r °f ^ T^ere ire fome who take the Darius here mentioned, not to ¦ Ule' - be Darius the Second, who was the fon of Hyftafpes, but the Da rius who is commonly called Nothus ; but then they are prefled with this. diffi-. oky, which may well be called infurmountable. For, from the firft year of Cyrus, who gave orders for the building of die temple, tc> the fixth year of Darius Nothus, in which they fuppofe that it was finifhed, there were, at kafl, an hundred and thirteen years; according to fome, an hundred and feventeen ; and accord ing to others, an hundred and forty-two. But now, if all this time, Zerubbabel was in the government of Judea, and Jofhua in the high- priefthood, fo long an authority in church or ftate was never heard of in any age before. Nor muft it be fprgotten, what ihe prophet Haggai (chap, ii 3.) fuppnfes, viz. That fome then alive, remem bered the glory of the firft temple, and compared it with the glory of the fecond ; which upon the fuppofition, that this was in the fixth year of Darius Nothus, will make them at leaft an hundred and fourfcore years old, a thing almoft incredible And therefore the moft probable opinion is, that the Darius here meant, was Da rius Hyftafpes, whofe fecond year wai the e ightei nth after the firft of Cyrus, as Huetius reckon- ; Patrick's Commentary. * The feven piinces. who had flain the uiurper Smerdis, and his brother, eonfulting together about the fettling of the government, came at length to this refolution, that the monarchy fliould continue in the fame lhanner that it had been eftablhhed by Cyrus, and that, to determine which of them fliould afeend the throne, they Ihould aU meet at a certain place, the next morning, againft the rifing of the fun, and that he whofe horfe firft neighed, fliould be appointed king. For as the fun was the great deity of all the Perfians, they fetm- ed, by this method, to refer ,their election to it : But Da rius's groom, being informed of this, tied a mare, on the night before the elec tion, to the place where, the next morning, they were to meet,' and fought his mafter's horfe to cover her. As foon therefore as the jrinces Chap. II. from the Baf,y]on;/h Captivity, (3c ' 467 though the edict which prohibited the buildingof the ten- a M. pie, expired with the ufurper, yet had the prophets Zcchi- i47s, ire. riah and -J- and Haggai much ado to prevail with the peo- *'"' c'"''- plC fiom Ezra iv. 7. to thc end ; all Elch. Neh. princes met together at the time appointed, Darius's horfe remem- j"d P"' °f bered the place, ran immediately cliither, neighing and prancing all an^f Mai. along ; whereupon the reft difmounting, falated him as their king, .-, - lmj an J accordingly placed him on the throne ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno <2l •f- Zechariah was the fon of Barachiah, and grandfon of Iddo; but the time and place of his birth are unknown. Some will have him to be born at Babylon, during the captivity ; but others think th.it he was born at Jerufalem, before the tribes of Judah and Ben jamin were carried away. It is certain, however, that he return ed from Babylon with Zerubbabel, and very probable, that he be gan to prophefy in the fecond year of Darius, the fon of Hyftafpes. The number, excellency, , and precifenefs of his prophecies made him be ftyled, the fun among the leffer prophets, and as he began his predictions about two months after Haggai, with him he encou raged the Jews to go on in the rebuilding their temple, and gave them affnrance of the divine protection. But thefe prophecies were inconfiderable, in comparifon of thofe which foretel the coming- of ihe Meffias in the plaineft terms ; the cruel war which Antiochus Epiphanes waged with the Jews, and God's fevere judgments a- gainft this tyrant ; the Jewilh war with the Romans, and the liege of Babylon by Darius ; the diffolution of the old covenant, and the fiibflitution of a new one under Chrift ; the glorious ftate of the Chriftian church, and the converfion of the Gentiles ; the perfecu* tioas which the Chriftians fhould endure, and the fevere punifhment of their perfecutors, and other fuch like events, contained, in the ninth and following chapters of his prophecies. Some critics how ever are of opinion, that the ftyle of this prophet is a little inter rupted, and without connection, and that the 9th, 10th, and 1 ith chapters, which go under his name, were originally written by Je remiah ; becaufe in Matthew, (chap, xxvii. 9. 10. ), under the name of Jeremiah, -we find Zechariah xi. 12. quoted; and as the aforefaid chapters make but one continued difcourfe, they conclude from thence, that all three belonged to Jeremiah. But it is much more natural to fuppofe, that thc name of Jeremiah, by fome un lucky miftake, has dipt into the text of St Matthew, inftead of that of Zechariah. Cotemporary with him was the prpphet Haggai, who, ia all probability, was born at Babylon, and returned with 3 N 2 Zerubbabel 468 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book Vll A. M. pie to reaffume the work. They were fearful of the intereft 347s, ir> which the Samaritans were prefurned to have at court ; and 510 i" accordingly found, that no fboner had they provided them- fromEzra felves with ftone and timber, and other materials, in order iv. 7. to ihe to proceed in the building, but thefe implacable enemies be- Efth Neh *Qo^ themfelves to their old practices, and endeavoured to and part ,f poffefs Tatnai (whom Darius had made chief governor o- Hagg Zech. ver . the provinces of Syria and Paleftine) with a notion »nd Mai. ^^ wnat the Jews were doing was without authority, and 1J~V"'"-- would prove prejudicial to the king. Tatnai, upon this information, came to Jerufalem, and' having called the governor and elders of the Jews to gether, * he underftood from them, that they had a de cree Zerubbabel to Jerufalem. They both, with united zeal, encoura ged the people to go on with the work of the temple, which, by the envy of tbe Samaritans, who were their enemies, and the ill offices of fome at the court of Cyrus and Cambyfes, whom they in fluenced, was difcontinued for fome time : But upon the acceffion of Darius to the throne, Haggai, in particular, by reproaching the people with their indolence and infenfibility, by telling them, that tbey were careful enough to lodge themfelves very commodioufly, while the houfe of the Lord lay buried in its own ruins, and by putting them in mind, that the calamities of drought and famine, wherewith God had afflicted them lince their return, were owing to their neglect in repairing the temple, prevailed with them to fet about the work in good earneft ; fothat, by virtue of thefe reproofs, as well as fome encouragements which God occafionally authorifed him to give them, they brought the whole to a conclufion in a fhort time ; Calmet's • Dictionary, under the words ; and Unwerfal Hiftory, lib. 2. c. I. * The plea which Jofephus makes Zerubbabel the governor, and Jofhua • the high prieft, make upon this occafion, is to this effia, — : " That they were the fervants of the great "God, to whofe honour this temple was built, and to his " fervice dedicated by the greateft, the happieft, and the wi- <( left prince that ever fat on that throne ; that it ftood for ma- " ny ages, till, by reafon of the wickednefs of their forefa- " triers, the city, by God's permiflion, was taken by Nebtichad- " nezzar, the king of Chaldea, the temple pillaged, and laid " in allies, and the people carried away captives into Babylon ; " that when Cyrus came to be poffcfTed of the throne of Per- " li-. an! Babylon, he ordered, by his royal proclamation, the *' rebuilding of the temple, and the rcftoring of all the facred " veffels pon. Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c . 469 cree from Cyrus, which impowered and authorifed them in A. M. what they did : Whereupon the governor wrote to court, 347S, ire. acquainting the king with thtf true ftate of the cafe, and 'Vl"' ch£f" defiring that fearch might be made into the public records, frS0m' Ezra whether the Jews really had any fuch decree from Cyrus, iv 7. to the and, upon the whole, that he would be pleafed to fignify^5 ^ his will, what he would have him to do in this affair. and part of Darius, (a) who, the better to fortify his title to the Hagg. zech. crown, had married two of the daughters of Cyrus, thought and Mal- himfelf concerned to do every thing that might tend to the ~ "\ , , .- , ' " e> Darius sde- nonour ot that great prince ; and therefore confirmed the cree in fa- decree which he had granted to the Jews, with a frefh one ™ur of the of his own, wherein he gave them an affignment upon his Je%Ys'an? r , ° . r , ° r , their fimlh- revenues in leveral provinces for whatever money they ;ng the tem. wanted, to enable them to go on with the work, and to pie tfyere- provide them facrifices for the fervice of the temple, that UP° the priefts, in their daily offices, might * put up their prayers " veffels. that had been taken away by Nebuchadnezzar, which ac- " cordingly were tranfported to Jerufalem, and laid np again in the " temple ; that, by the command of the fame king, AbafTar was " fent to fee the work expedited, and accordingly was prefent at " the laying of the foundation ; but that, ever fince ihat time, by one *' artifice or other, their enemies had found means to obftruct and " retard it; and that, for the truth of thefe allegations, they defired " that Darius might be wrote to, that, by confuhing the public re- " cords, it might be known, whether or no thefe fads were accor- " ding to this their reprefentation;" jewifh Hift. lib. ti. c. 4. (a) Prideaux's Connection. * Though the Jews were not allowed to defire the Heathen to pray to their deities for their profperity, becaufe they were forbid. den to acknowledge any other God but one,- yet the Heathen, if they thought fit, might worfhip their God ; nor did the Jews den/- them that privilege, or refufe the offerings which they brought for that purpofe, until, in the time of their wars with the Romans, the faction of the zealots grew to be predominant : For then (as Jofe phus tells us, lib. 2. c. 7.) " one Eleazar, the fon of Ananias the " high-prieft, a defperate daring young man, and a military officer " then in command, preffed fome of his friends'among the priefts " to receive no offering or facrifice but from the Jews only ; by " which means it came to pafs, that the very offerings of Casfiir, " which' were ufed conftantly to be made for the welfare of the " Roman people, came to be rejected; and this proved the very " ground 470 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book MI. A. M. prayers for the profperity of the king and the royal fami- 3475, &c ly : And wherein he ordered, that the man fhould be hanged, Ant. Chrif. and nis jjoufg pUiieci down f for timber to make him a gal- from Ezra fovvs, who fhould pretend to put any lett or obftruction iv. 7. titheto this his injunction. Efth Nh Upon the publication of this decree, and the great care and par? of ^^ was taken to have it fully put in execution, the work Hagg. Zech. of the temple went on fo very foccefsfuUy, that, in the and Mai. fjXtn year Qf Darius, (according to the Jewifh account), and 'on the third day of the twelfth month, (which is called Adar, and anfwers in part to our February and March), the whole of it was finifhed, and its dedication celebrated by the priefts and Levites, and all the congregation of Ifrael, with great joy and folemnity. By the next month, which was the month Nifan, the firft in the Jewifh year, the , temple was made fit for every part of divine fervice ; and therefore, on the fourteenth day of that month, the paffo ver was obferved in it, according to the law of God, and, by all the Jews that had returned from the captivity, fo- lemnized with great joy and gladnefs of heart, becaufe the Lord had made them joyful, (as it is expreffed in the book of " ground and foundation of the war with that nation. The high- " prieft, however, and the men of the beft quality, declared them- " felves extremely diffatisfieif with the novelty of this prohibition, " and, with great importunities, defired the continuance of fo pious " a cuftom, as offering up prayers for princes and governors." But all is in vain, though this place in Ezra, chap vi. 10. one would think, fets the duty in a clear light ; Le Clere' s Commentary on Ezra. f The moft ohvions fenfe of the words in the text (chap. vi. ri.) feefns to be this; but Lud. De Dieu, obferves, that, in the words which we there render being fet up, there is'no proper conftruCtion ; and therefore he would ruher have them tranilated, according to the Septuagint, And ftanding, let him be beat upon it, i. e. whipped, as we fay, at a poft, tor that was a punilhii-ent among the Perfians and other nations. But if a greater punifhment than this fhould here be intended, then he makes the firft words refer to the timber, and the latter to the man, in this manner, And from above', let it fall upon him, i e the flake being lifted np, thall be ftruck into his' body, and come out at hi > fundament, which was a cruel punifh ment among the Eaftern people, and continues ftill in ufe to this day ; Patrick's Commentary, Ezra), Chap. II. from the Babylonifh. Captivity, (3c. 471 Ezra), and turned the heart of the king of Affyria \ unto A. M. them, toftrengthen their hands in the houfe of God, the God qf ^' ChriG ?frael- sx9, irl. ' By the decree of Cyrus, which was thus confirmed by from Ezra that of Darius, the tribute of Samaria had been afligned x^ff\ to thc for the reparation of the temple ; but now, that the body £ftn' Nen. of the temple was finifhed, (though the outworks remained and pan of ftill untouched), the Samaritans pretended, that the end of Ha|S Zech- this afiignment was ceafed, and thereupon refufed to pay . '_j the tribute any longer. But the Jews, upon fending Zerub The Sama- babel their governor, with two other principal men, to "tans com- Shufhan, or Sufa, (which was then the refidence of the Pelled t0 , Perfian monarchs), in order to complain of this unjuft de- bute-mo- tention of the royal bounty, met with a proper redrefs ; and ney to he returned with the king's order * to his officers of Samaria, temple. requiring them to take an effectual care, that, purfu'ant to his edict, the Samaritans paid their tribute to the temple, and gave the Jews for the future no caule to complain of their refiifal herein : Which put a full end to all conteft about that tnatter, and was the laft good office we find ¦f- Darius is called the king of Affyria, as now reigning over all the kingdoms which were formerly under the power of the Afly rians; and from hence. Archbifhop Ufher infers, that Babylon (which, in the beginning of his reign, had revolted) muft neceffa- rily have been reduced by Darius before this time, otherwife he thinks he could not have here been ftyled king of Affyria, whereof Babylon was then the metropolis ; Patrick's Commentary ; and, Pri deaux' s Connection, anno 5 1 j. * Ac ipy of the king's order, or the letter which he fent back by the Jewifh commiflioners to the officers and lieutenants of the province, and the fenate pf Samaria, Jofephus has recorded in thefe words. " King Darius, to Tangar and Sambaba, mafters of our horfe " at Samaria, and to hadrach, Bobelon, and ihe reft of their " fellow-fubjecti there, fendcth greeting : " Whereas I am given to underftand by Zerubbabel, Ananias, " and Mardoch,eus, on the part of the Jews, that you ftand accufed " of interrupting and difcouraging the rebuilding of tbe temple, " and of-refnfing to bear your part in the charge of the facrifices, f which, by my order and command, you ought to have done : " This is to will and require you, upon light of this letter, forthwith " to fupply them, out of my treafury at Samaria, with whatfoever • " they fhall want for the ufe of their facrifices and worfhip,. 10 tha " end that they may offer up daily prayers and oblations, both for f myfelf and all my people;" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 11. c. 4 recorded 472 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. recorded in Scripture, that Darius did the Jews. For, in 3475, ire. the fix and thirtieth year of his reign * he died, and was Anx9C1^ fucceeded by Xerxes, the f eldeft of his fons by Atoffa, JromEzra daughter to Cyrus, the great founder of the Perfian mo- iv. 7. to the narchy. Ffrh' n'Ii Xerxes, (c) according to Jofephus, (for we have but and part of Hagg. Zech. and Mai. * The character which our celebrated Connecter of the Old and New Teftament has given us of this Darius is, That 1 he was a prince of great wifdom, clemency, and juftice, and has the honour to be recorded in holy writ, for a favourer of God's people, and a reftorer of his temple at Jerufalem, and a promoter of his worfhip therein For all this God was pleafed to make him his inftrument ; and, with refpect to this, I doubt not, it was, that he bleffed him with a numerous iffue, a long reign, and great profperity. For, tho' he was not fo very fortunate in his wars againft the Scythians and Grecians, yet every where elfe he had full fuccefs in all his under takings, and not only reftored and fully fettled the empire of Cyrus, after it had been much (haken by Cambyfes, and the Magian, but alfo added many large and rich provinces to it, efpecially thofe of In dia, Thrace, Macedon, and the ifles of the Ionian fea ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 486. f Darius had three fons by his firft wife, the daughter of Go- brias, all born before his advancement to the throne, and four others by Atoffa. the daughter of Cyrus, who were all born after it.- Of the former Artabaianes was the eldeft ; of the latter, Xerxes : -\nd, as Darius advanced in years, between thefe two was the competition for the fucceffion. Artabafanes urged, that, as he was the eldeft fon, according to the cuftom and ufage of all nations, he ought to be preferred before any that was younger. But Xerxes replied to this, That he was thc fon of Darius by Atoffa, the daughter of Cy rus, who was the firft founder of the Perfian empire ; for which reafon he held it juft and reafonable, that the crown of Cyrus fhould rather come to a defcendent of Cyrus, than tc> one that was not 5 and to this he added, that though Artabalanes was the eldeft fon of Darius, yet he was not the eldeft fon of a king ; that he was born when he was only a private perfon. and could therefore claim nr> ir.ore than to be heir cf his private fortunes; but that, us to himfelf, lie was the firft-boni after his fuher was king, and had therefore the beft right to fucceed huti in the kingdom. Whereupon he was nominated to the fucceffion, hut not fo much tor tht ftrength of bis plea, as for the influence which his m-ither Atoffa had over thc incli nations of her hufband ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 486. (c) Jewifh Antiq. lib. n. c. 5. Where we have a copy of his letter to hi? governors and lieutenants ot Syria, but too long to. be in- ferted here. little Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 473 little account of him in the facred records), confirmed to A. M. the Jews all the privileges that his father Darius had i4"'rfv granted them, and particularly that which afligned them *",; £ the tribute of Samaria, for the charge of the facrifices ftom Ezra that were to be offered in the temple of Jerufalem. It is W' »• tothe of him that the words of the prophet Daniel are meant : "^ ^ (d) Behold, there fhall ftand up yet three kings in Perfia, and pan 'of (which were Cyrus, Cambyfes, and Darius Hyftafpes), and Ha«g' Zech- the fourth fhall be far richer than they all; and, by hisa^J"f^mJ ftrength, through his riches, he fhall ftirr up all againft the Xewltba realm of Gracia : For the ftory is well known, with what favours the * a prodigious armament, both by fea and land, he fet Jews> but out againft the Greeks, • but with what foul difgrace he tyTh/cTp'! returned tain of hi? guards. (d) Dan. xi. 2. 3. * After he had paffed-over the Hellefpont, his land-army, upon the mufter, was found to be one million and feven hundred thou fand foot, and fpurfcore thoufand horfe, befides his chariots and ca mels, for which allowing twenty thoufand more, the whole will a- mount to one million and eight hundred thoufand men. His fleet confifted of twelve hundred and twenty (hips of the line of battle, befides gallics, tranfports, victuallers, ,and other forts pf veffels that attended, which were three thoufand more ; and on board of all ' thefe were reckoned to be five hundred and feventeen thoufand, fix hundred and ten men : So that the whole number of forces, by fea and land, which Xerxes brought with him out of Afia, to invade Greece, amounted to two millions three hundred and feventeen thou fand fix hundred and ten men. After his paffing the Heliefpont, the nations on the other fide that fubmkted to him added to his land- army three hundred thoufand men more, and two hundred and twen ty fhips to his fleet, on board of which were twenty-four thoufand men ; and the fervants, eunuchs, women, futtlers, and all fuch o- ther people as followed the camp, were computed to be no lefs than as many more. So that the whole number of the perfons of all forts that followed Xerxes in this expedition, were at leaft five millions. This is Herodotus's account of that armament : And, confidering that he is the molt ancient author that. has written of this war, was himfelf alive when it happened, and has treated of it with greater appearance of exactness than any other, there is reafon to believe, that his computation is the trueft; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 480. . * For, having loft moft of the forces which he left behind him at the battle of Plataea, and a great many 1 of his fhips at the fight in the ftreights of Salamis, and bein£ frightened with Vol. IV." 3 Q aiv 474 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVIL A M .returned home from the inglorious expedition, when, fall- Aa!-Sciirtfl *nS mto contempt with his own fubjects, not a long while 519, ire. after, he was murthered by the captain of his guard, and from E:ra fucceeded by his fon f Artaxerxes Longimanus, whom the IV' 7; te lhe Scripture calls Ahafiterus, and was the fame + who had the Efth. Neh. beautiful Hebrew Efther for his queen. and part of UpQH, Hagg Zech. and Mala- an apprchenfioB, left the conquerors fhould fail to the Hellefpont, ' and there obttruct his return, he fled ijiither with all the hafte and precipitation that be could ; but, at his coming thither, finding the bridge of boats which be had left there broken by floras, he, who. had paffed over that fea but a few months before with fuch pomp ami pride, was forced to repafs it in a poor fifher-boat. A piece of hiftory this which Juvenal has not badly reprefented in thefe word?. file tamen qurlis rediit, Salamine relicta, ' In Coram atque Eurum f ilitus fasvire flagellis, Barbaras, jEoIio nunquam hoc in carcere paffos ? 1 Sed quahs rediit ? nempe una nave cruentis Fluctibus, ac tarda per denfa cadavera prora. Sat. to. ¦J- This prince, to diftinguifh him from other;, of that name, was calk'1 Xxxpox.i.p. or Longimanus, upon the fuppofed length of his hands, with which it is laid that he could have touched his knees, even when he flood upright ; but this notwidiftanding, it is reported of him, that he was both the handfbmcft perfon of the age in which he lived, and a prince likewife of a very mild and generous difpofi- tion ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno ifr 5. '+ Our learned Ufher is of opinion, that Darius Hyftafpes was the King Ahafuerus who married Efther, viz. That Atoffa was the Valhti, and Artyftom the Efther of the holy Scriptures But He rodotus pofitwely tells us, that Artyfton^ was the daughter of Cyrus, and therefore cpuld not be Efther ; atid that Atoffa had four fons by. Darius, bt fides daughters, all bom to him after he was king ; and *. therefore (he could not be that Queen Vafhti who was divorced from the king her hqfband in the third year of his reign, Efther i. 3. ; nor he that Ahafuerus that divorced her. Jofeph Scaliger h- like- wife of opinion, that Xerxes was the Ahafuerus, and Hameftris his queen the Either of the Holy Scriptures : But whatever feeming fit militude there may be in the names, (and this is the whole founda tion of his conjecture), it is plain from Herodotus, . that Xerxes had a fon by Hameftris, who was marriageable in the feventh year of his reign ; and therefore it is impeiffible tint he fhould be Efther's, becjqfe Either was not married to Ahafuerus until the feventh year of 1 Ijis reign, (Efther ii. 10.) ; and, confidering that the choice pfvir-r . gins was made for him in the foiirth of his reign, and a whole year employed jn thek purifications^ the fooneft that file could have a for; Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, &c. 47^ . Upon f fome occafion Or pther, Ahafuerus appointed a A- M- iblemn rejoicing in the city of Shufhan f , which lafted for fau'ctrif. an hundred and eighty days; and in conclufion theredf, for Si9, cc. feven days fuccefllvely he rhade a great feaft for all the from E«a princes and governors of his provinces ; as the Queeii ^d7,' *°tJ e Vafliti Efth'. Neh. and part of Hagg. Zech. by him, niuft be in the fixth ; and'tfierefore we may conclude, (with ™ ^ \iJt jofephus, the Septuagint, and the Apocryphal additions to the book Artaxerxes oi Efther), that the Ahafuerus in Scripture was Artaxerxes Longi- (called like- minus, and Efther an Hebrew virgin, as (he is all along reprefented ; wife Aba- Prideaux's Connection, anno ^6;. feerus)Ai- + The occafion of this great feftival is, very likelv, intimated to ™ce" as in the phrafe, When the King Ahafuerus fiat on the throne of his Vaihti. kingdom,' chap. i. a. i. e. enjoying peace and tranquillity through his large dominions ; for the hiftory of his acceffion to the throne is this: -Xerxes, his father, was privately murthered by Arta banus, captain of His guard. He commg to him, (who wasthin but .the third fon), made him believe, that Darius, his eldeft brother, had done it, to make his way to the' throne, and had a defign likewife to cut him off, to fecure himfelf in it. This Ahafuerus believing, went immediately to his brother's apartment, and, by the affiftance of the ¦wicked Artabanus and his guards, flew him, thinking all the while that he acted but in his own defence. Artabanus's drift was to feize on the throne himfelf; but, for the prefent, he took Ahafuerus, and 'placed him thereon, with a defign to pqll him down as foon as mat ters were ripe fpr his own afcent : but when .-riiafuerus underftqod this from Magabyzm, who had married one of his lifters, he toik care to counterplot Artabanus, and to cut him and his whole party off before his treafon. was come to maturity ; and for this, and fonu o- ther fucceffes againft his brother Hyftafpes, which fettled him in a peaceable poffeffion of the whole Perfian empire, very probably it was, that a feftival-fcafon of above an hundred and fourfcore da/s continuance was appointed, which, even to this day, (according to - fome travellers), is no uncommon thing in thofe pans, of the world ; . Prideaux' s GonnecTiam, anno 465,- and Patrick's Commentary on Efther, chap, i f Cyrus, and thc reft of the Perfian kings, after the conquett ef the, Medes, (whofe country lay remote), fettled their royal fat at . Sbufhan, that they might not be too far from Babylon, and made it , the capital' of Perfia. It ftood upon the river Ulai, and was a pL.ce. of fuch renown, that Strabo calls it rU*,, ^myelini, a city moft worthy to be praifid. The whole country bout it -vas wonderfully - fruitful, producing an hundred and fometimes two hundred fold, as ^ l a O 2 *• the 476 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. k. M. Vafhti f, in her apartment, did for the ladies of the beft S4TS, ire. diftinction. In the laft day of thb feaft, the king, either ~Vt- ^"cout of a frolic, or fondnefs to his queen, fent feven of from Ezra his chamberlains to conduct her into his prefence, that he iv. 7 to the might fhew her to the company, for fhe was extremely $."„*? ! ?}\ beautiful ; and ordered, at the fame time, that fhe fhould Efth. Neh. ¦ 1 , , ,_ j and part ofcome Wltn r"e crown on her head. Hagg zech. This was an order fo contrary to the ufage of the Per-. and Mai. fians, and fo little becpming her dignity and high ftation iii life, that rather than be made a public fpectaele, fhe ad ventured to difobey the king's command ; which f incenfed him the fame author informs us, lib. I J. Pliny indeed fuppofes, that Darius Hyftafpes was the firft founder of it, but he only enlarged and beau* titled it with a moft magnificent palace, which Ariftotle (in his book De mundo) calls ©hu/mk-ov jiartxtm oiwv, a wonderful royal palace, fhining with gold, amber, and ivory. Nor is it altogether foreign te this purpofe, what our learned Lightfdot (Detemplo, chap. 5.) tells us, viz. That the outward gate of the eaftern wall of the temple, was called the gate ofl Shufhan, and had the figure of that city carved on it, in acknowledgment of thc decree which this Darius granted in that place, iii order to permit and encourage the Jews to rebuild their temple at Jerufalem ; Patrick's Commentary on Efther, chap. i. ; and Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Shufhan. f It has been a great inquiry among the learned, who this Vafhti Was. Thofe who who make the Ahafuerus in Scripture to be Darius the fon of Hyftafpes, fuppofe that fhe was Atofla the daughter ef Cy rus, who was firft married to Cambyfes, her own brother, then to the Magian, who would have paffed for Smerdis, and laft of all to Darius. Others fuppofe, that fhe was Ahafuerus's own fifter, becaufe the Perfians, in thofe days, made no fcruple cf thefe kind of marriages ; though there is much more reafon to think, that before her marriage, there had been fuch a collection of vkgins made for the ufe of the king, as was before Efther's, {this is implied in cbap. ii. io.),ahd that having the good fortune then of obtaining the pre ference in the king's efteem, ; {he was created queen ; but being per haps a woman of no high defcent, her family-extraction, for that reafon, might be concealed ; Calmet's Dictionary, under the name. f Thc expreffion in the text is, That tbet king was very wroth, and his anger burned in him, Efther i. ra. It was more immode rate, becaufe his blood was heated with wine, which made his paffion teo ftrong for his reafon ; otherwife he would not have thought it de cent Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 477 him to fuch a degree, that, + advifing with his counfellors, a. s*. in what manner he was to punifh her for this public af- mis, ir*> front, he came to this refolution, (which was afterwards *nt- (^u:lf• paffed into an irreverfible decree), that, for fear that Vafhti's fto^ ta% ill example fhould encourage Other, women to contemn and iv. 7. to the f them, one might be chofen andMal. . whom the king fhould like beft to be queen in the room of *"*** the devorced Vafhti. At this time there lived at Shufhan a certain Jew of the Andmarries tribe 'of Benjamin, named Mordecai, a defcendent of thofe Efther in * who had been carried captive to Babylon with Jehoiachim ousmanner. king of Judah, and by his attendance at (e) the king's gate, feems to have been one of f the porters of the royal palace. cent for thq queen, nor fafe for himfelf, to have her beauty (whieh was very great) expofed in this unufual manner ; efpecially if there be any thing in what the Jewifh Targum feems tofuggeft, viz. That he commanded her to be brought quite naked, that her comely pro portion might be ' feen as WeU as her face ; Patrick's Commentary on Efther, chap. i. f The words in our tranfhtion are, the wife men who knew the times, chap. i. 13.; and from hence fome have obferved, that as the Perfian kings did noting without their magi, who were great pretenders to aftrology, men of this fort were called, to knovy whe ther it was a proper time to fet about tbe thing which the king might have then in his mind. For fuch was the fuperftition of the , eaftern people, that (as the Satyrift remarks), Quicquid Dixerit aftrologus, credent a fonte relatum Ammonis. Juv. Sat. 6. The explication, however, which Vitringa gives us of the original Words, Jodeht habitim, is far from being improper, viz. That they were men well verfed in ancient hiftories, and in the laws and cu ftoms of their country ; and were therefore abletogive theking coun- fel in all extraordinary and perplexed cafes, as this certainly was ; Patrick's and Le Clere' s Commentaries on Efther i. if) Efther ii. 19. •f- But perhaps he might have been an officer of an higher rank, becaufe it was an order inftituted by Cyrus, (as Xenophon, in his Cyropaed. lib. 8. informs us), that all perfons whatever, who had any 47 8 Thc Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. .palace. He, having no children of his own, bred up Ha- J47J, &<¦¦ daflah f« his uncle's daughter, who, being, a very beautiful szo ire youn8 woman, among other virgins, was made choice of from Ezra upon this occafion. As loon as fhe was carried to court, fhe iv, 7. to the was committed to the care of an eunuch, who was to have Efth' N h tne cuft°°y °f 'hefe virgins, and by her fweet and engaging and part of behaviour, made herfelf fo acceptable to him, that he af- .Hagg Zeeh. figned her the beft apartment in the houfe appointed for andMal. tneir habitation, and gave heiWpreference in other matters ' ~ before all the reft of the virgins. It was thc cuftom, at this time, that every virgin, thus taken into the palace for the king's ufe, was to go through f a courfe of purification, by fweet oils and per fumes, for a whole year ; which, when Hadaflah had done, and fo prepared herfelf for the king's bed, the king was fo iny employment at court, fnould attend at the palace-gate, (where there was, doubtlefs, a p-oper waiting-room for their reception), that they might be in readinefs, whenever they were wanted .or call- cdTor: and that this cuftom was afterw-irds continued, we may learn, from Herodotus, lib. 3. c. 120.; Le Clere' s Commentary on Efther, chap. ii. f This woman was born in Babylon, and therefore, in analogy to that language, they gave her the name of Hadaffah, which, in Chaldee, • fignifies a myrtle ; bnt her Perfian name was Efther, whick fome (a httle incongruoufly) derive from '*rhp, a ftar, and others from fatar, which fignifies hidden, becaufe fhe was concealed in Mordecai's houfe ; or rather, becaufe her nation was concealed, and fhe not known, until Mordecai's merit and fervices to the crovtn came to be rewarded ; Patrick's Commentary. f The reafon is afligned in the following verfe, for their being kept fo long in this courfe, viz. that for fix months they might be anointed with the oil of myrrh, which, befides the fragrancy of its fmell, was good to make the fkin foft and fmootb, and clear it from all manner of fcurf j and for fix more with fweet odours, which, in thefe hot countries, were neceffary to take away all ill fcents. and , (as fome think) to make the body more vigorous. Hut befides this, there might be fomething of ftate in making thofe vaffals (for fuch they were accounted) wait, before they were admitted to the honour of the king's bed ; and fomething of precaution too, in heepingthem feclufe'for fo long a time, that the king might be fatified, that he was not iropofed upon by a child begotten by any other man; Pa trick's Commentary ; and Pool's Annotations on Efther ii. 12. highly Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. . 479 highly delighted with her, that intending to make her f a. m. more than a concubine, he continued her in his own palace, 347s, ire- and in a fhort time fet the royal diadem upon her head, *"'• c*rir: and made her queen in the room of Vafhti. The nup from' Ezra tials were celebrated with great magnificence. A fplendid iv. 7. to the entertainment was made, which, in honour to the new"**; ^ queen, was called Efthef s feaft, (for that was the Perfian ^1 part, of name which had lately been given her), and the king, up- Hagg.Zech. on this joyful occafion, not only gave f rich prefents to the and Mal- queen, and largefles to the guefts, but granted pardons ~w~ ~-* likewife to his fubjects, and a relaxation of tribute for fome time to all the provinces of his dominions. At Efther's firft going to court, Mordecai had given her Haman'j a ftricl caution, not to difcover that fhe was a Jew, left the wdjgnatioa king fhould defpife her for being a captive, which fhe care- Mordecai fully obferved ; and he, for the fame reafon, concealed his and the relation to her, contenting himfelf with the little employ- kin2's de* ment he had at court, until a more favourable opportuni-^r^"* ty fhould prefent itfelf. In the mean time, he had thc f According to this account of things, this Perfian monarch feems to have had but one wife, at leaft but one in chief favour and efteem with him, though it is certain, he could not fail of having an infinite number of fecondary wives or concubines. This Was the name of every one that was taken from among the virgins, (who had a feparate houfe for themfelves), and conducted to the king's bed ; where having paffed a night, fhe returned no more to the vir gin's apartments, but was, the next morning, received into the houfe of the concubines, aHd there treated in the ftate and port of one of the king's wives ; for fuch they were accounted. No man was per mitted to marry them, as long as the king lived; and upon his de- mife, they generally fell to his fucceffor. Of thefe Darius Nothus is reckoned to have had no lefs than three hundred and fixty; Pool's Annotations. t The manner of the Perfian king was, to give his queens, at their marriage, fuch a city to buy them cloaths ; another for their hair ,¦ another for their necklaces ; and fo on for the reft of their txpences. And as it was cuflomary for him, (according to the te ftimony of Herodotus), upon his acceffion to the throne, to remit the tribute, that was due to him from all the cities ; fo he might, up on this occafion, out of his abundant joy, make a releafe to the provinces, and forgive them fome of the duties and impofts that they typre bound to pay him ; Patrick's Commentary. good 48a The Hiftory of thc B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. good fortune to difearer a confpiracy, which f two of the An/'chrif king's chamberlains were forming againft his life. This he sij, ire. communicated to the queen, and the queen acquainted the from Ezra king with it in Mordecai's name, fo that the confpirators "¦*• to.thewere feized, convicted, and executed: But though the Eflh! Neh. whole affair was recorded in the Perfian annals, yet Mor- and part of decai, for the prefent, was no more thought on, until his Hagg- Zech merit and great fervices came.ro be remembered, upon this and Mai. r , occafion. Haman, an Amalekite, of the pofterity of Agag, king of Amalek, in the time of Saul, was become the king's chief favourite, and all the fervants at court were ordered to fhew him great refpect and reverence ; which every one readily did, except Mordecai, who, upon his parting to and fro, took no manner of notice of him. * This fo ex- afperated the proud Amalekite, that being informed that Mordecai was a Jew, he was refolved, in revenge of the affront, not to deftroy him only, but his whole nation with him : But becaufe there might be fome danger in fo bold an undertaking, he called together his diviners, to find out what day would be moft lucky for his putting his de^ fign in execution. The way of divination, then in ufe among the eaftern people, was by cafting lots ; and therefore, having tried, in this manner, firft each month, and then each day in e- very month, they came at laft to a determination, that f Thefe w Antiq. lib, n. e.b. the Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 481 the f thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is called A. M. Adar, would be moft fortunate for his defign. Where- ws, &e. upon he went to the king, and having infinuated to *"• c'?rif- him, " That there were a certain people aifperfed all o- fromEzra " ver his empire, who called themfelves Jews, and who, iv- 7- to the " haying laws and ordinances of their , own, defpifed all ^1; *" " his edicts and injunctions; that their principles, in fliort, and u^ '.f " tended to the difturbance of the good order of his go- Hagg Zech. " vernment, and the breach of all uniformity ; that upon and Ma1, " thefe accounts, it was not confiftent with the rules of * "-' " policy, to allow them any farther toleration ; and there- " fore hepropofed, that they fhould be deftroyed, and ex- " tirpated all out of the empire of Perfia ; and left the " lofs of fo many fubjects fhould be thought a diminu- " tion of the king's revenue, he propofed .to make up the " defect out of his own private fortune." The king was eafy enough to be wrought upon by. this court-minion ; who having obtained his royal confent, ordered the fecre- taries of ftate * to form a decree purfuant hereunto, which when f It was in the firft month in the year, when Haman began to eaft lots, and the time, for the execution of the Jews, was, by thefe lots, delayed until the laft month in the year ; which plainly fhews, That though the lot be eaft into the lap, yet the whole difipoftng there- of is from the Lord, Prov. xvi. 33. For hereby almoft a whole year intervened between thc defign and its execution, which gave time for Mordecai to acquaint Queen Either with it, and fer her to intercede with the king for the revoking or fufpending the decree, and thereby difappointing the confpiracy : For we can hardly think, (what Le Clere fuggefts), that Haman gave the Jews all this time, that they might make their efcape out of the kingdom, and not flay to be (lain, which poffibly might bring an odium upon himfelf, when it came to be known by whofe inftigation this malfacre was commit ted ; Patrick's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. * The decree itfelf (according to Jofephus) was to this effeift. — " The great King Artaxerxes, to the hundred and feven and twen- " ty governors of the provinces, between India and JEthiopia, " greeting. " Whereas it hath pleafed Cod to give me- the command of fo " many nations, and a dominion over the reft of the wo Id, as large * as I myfelf defire, I being refolved to do nothing that may be ty- Vol. IV. jP " rannical, 48 z The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book V 11; A M when it was figned, he fent +" by pofts to all lieutenants, 3475,- ire and governors of provinces, with ftrict charge to deftroy, Am.Chrii. and Sip, ire. fion^Ezra iv. 7. to the end ; all Eflh. Neh. " rannical, or grievous toward my people, and to bear a gentle and and part of fays our author, they did night and day;, fo that no rain or hard weather being to flop thenr, in the judgment, of many, they, went {"after than cranes could fly. The like is faid by Herodoius, lib. 8. And he acquaints usfaithcr, that Xerxes, in his famous expedition againft Greece, planted Chap IL from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 483 and caufe to be killed, all the Jews, of whatever fex or A- M- condition, both young and old, that were any where with ^"chijf in their jurifdjction, on the thirteenth of Adar following. j,9j ire. The publication of this horrid decree occafioned an rr01» Ezra univerfal grief and lamentation, where ever the Jews in- ",,'/. "(V6 habited; and, in the city of f Shufhan, (which was not Efth. Neh. well pleafed with it), Mordecai in particular having put on and part of fackcloth, and covered his head with afhes, went along the j^aJ *j^h" planted pofts from the ^gean fea to Shufhan, at certain diftances, ts qaeca as far as a horfe could ride with fpced, that thereby he might fend EfthcnTpon notice- to his capital city of whatever might happen in his army, interceding The Greeks borrowed the ufe of pofts from the Perfians ; and, in with the imitatien of them, called them iyyaptu. Among the- Romans, Au- ^a°' guftus was the perfon who fet up public pofts, who at firft were run ning foot-men, but were afterwards changed into poft-chariots and horfes, for the greater expedition. Adrian improved upon this ; and having reduced the pofts to great regularity, difcharged the people from the obligation they were under before of furni filing horfes and chariots.' With the empire the ufe of pofts declined. .About the year 807, Charlemagne endeavoured to reftore them ; but his defign was not- profecuted by his fucceffors. , In France, Lewis XI fet up pofts at two leagues diftance through the kingdom In Germany, Count Taxis fet them up, and had, for his recompence, in i6t6, a grant of the office of poftmafter-general, to himfelf and b^ heirs for ever. Above eight hundred' years ago, couriers were fet up in the Otto- man empire : and, at this time, there are fome among the Chinefe ; but their appointment is only to carry orders from the king, and the governors of provinces, and, in a word, for public affairs, and thofe ..pfthe greateft confequence '; Calmet's Dictionary, under the word. f Not only the Jews, but a great many others in Shufhan,' might be concerned at this horrid decree, either becaufe they were related to them, or engaged with them in worldly concerns, or perhaps out of mere humanity and compaffion to fo vaft a number of innocent people, now appointed as fheep for the flaughter. They might ap.. prehend likewife, that, upon the execution, of the decree, fomefedi- tion or tumult might enfue ; that, in fo great a fkurrhrer, it was hard to tell, who would efcape without being killed or plundered, becaufe thofe who were employed in this blopdy work would be more mindful to enrich themfelves than to obferve their orders ; Pool's Annotations; and Patrick's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. •2 P 2 ftreets, 4 U The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. ftreets, f bemoaning h's and his countrymens hard fate, A47J'chr''V even unt'^ ne came to tne Pala"-gate ', which, when the 519, ire. queen underftood, and fent to inquire the caufe, he re- from Ezra turned her a copy of the king's decree, whereby fhe might ,v 7;t0Mhe plainly perceive, what mifchief was intended againft all the Efth! Neh. nation, unlefs, by a timely interceffion with the king, fhe an- part of would endeavour * to prevent it. Hagg. Zech. and Mai + The latter Targum, upon the book of Efther, gives ns this account of Mordecai's behaviour upon thisfad occafion, viz. That in the midft of the ftreets he made his cbmplaint, faying, What an heavy decree is this, which the kinf and Haman have paffed, not a- gainft a part of us, but againft us all, to root us out of the earth! Whereupon all the Jews flocked about him, and, having caufed the book of the law to be brought to the gate of Shufhan, he, being co vered with fackdoth, read therein thefe words out of Deut. iv. 20. 3 1 . When thou art in tribulation, and all thefe things are come upon thee, in ihe tatter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God and fhalt be obedient to his voice, (for the Lord thy God is a merciful God), he will net forfake thee, nor deftroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which he fiware unto them > After which he exhorted them to f .fling, humiliation; and repentance, according to the exam- pit of the Ninevitrs ; Patrick's Commentary. * Ever fince the reign of Dejoces king of Media, Herodotus, lib. t. informs us, that, for the prefervation of royal majefty, it was enacted, " That no one fhould be admitted inio the king's prefence; " but that, if he had any bufinefs with him, he fhould tranfact ic " by the intercourfe of his minifters." The cuftom paffed from the Medes to the Perfians ; and therefore we find it in the fame hir ftorian, lib. n. that after tbe feven Perfian princes had killed the Ma gian, who had ufurped the threne, thiy came tp this agreement, that whoever fhould be elected king, fliould allow the others to have at all times a ready accefs to his prefence, (which is an implication, that they had it not before), whenever they fhould defire it, except only when he was accompanying with any of his wives. This, then lore, was the ancient law of the country, and not procured by Haman, as fome imagine ; though it cannot be denied, but that tht reufoh of the law at firft might be, not only the prefervation of the majefty and fafety of the king's perfon, but a contrivance likewife of the great officers of ftate. that they might ingrofs the king to themfelves, by allowing admittance to n-'ne but whom they fhould think proper tq introduce ; fool's Annotations ; and Le Clere' s Commentary. |lfther, Chap. II. from the Babylonifli Captivity, (3d 485 ~ Efther, at firft, excufed herfelf from engagifag in this af- a. M. fair, becaufe an ordinance was paffed, inhibiting any per- 347J, ire. fon, whether man or woman, upon pain of death, from v"t' ®fflf' appro ching the king's prefence without a fpe cial order, from Ezra But when he returned her in anfwer, " That the decree iv. 7. to the " extended to the whole Jewifh nation, without any excep- ini!; ?J'. ... „, .c. J . Z „ J rs r Efth. Neh. " tion ; that it it came to execution, fhe muft expect to e- an ire. which fhe had prepared for him. Haman, who'happened from Ezra then to be abfent, Was called to attend the king ; and jv. 7. to the when the king and he were at the banquet, he afked her a- Efth' Neh Sa'n concerning her petition, promifing that he would grant apd part of it her, even were it to extend to half his kingdom : But f Hagg. Zech. her and Mai. J •¦ •J- A fceptre was the enfign of the higheft and moft abfolute au thority ; and therefore fome have obferved, that when Mordecai was advanced to the greateft dignity next the king, having the roya!. robes on, and other enfigns of royal dignity, no mention is made of any fceptre, for that was proper and peculiar to the king; and the queen's touching, or, as fome fay, kitting it, was a token of her fubjedtion, and thankfulnefs fpr his favour. But Jofephus has mightily improved upon the ftory ; for he tells us, " That as the " queen, with her two handmaids, approached the room where the " king was, leaning gently upon one, and the other bearing up her " train, her face being covered with fuch a blufli, as expreffed a " graceful majefty, but at the fame time fome doubtful apprehen- " fions upon her approaching of diei king, mounted on his throne, " and the fparkling glory of his robes, that were all over-embroi- " dered with gold, pearl,' and precious ftones, fhe was taken all on " a fudden with a trembling at fo furprifing a fight ; and upon " fancying that the king looked upon her as if he were uneafy, and ',' out of humour, fhe fell into the arms of one of her maids in a (i direct fwoon. This accident, (fays he), by the intervention of " God's holy will and providence, put the king into a fright, for " fear fhe might not come to herfelf again ; fo that making what " hafte he could from his throne, he took her up in his arms, and " with the kindeft words that could be,, gave her this comfort : — > " That no advantage fhould be made of the law to her prejudice, " though fhe came without calling, becaufe the decree extended " only to fubjects ; whereas he looked upon her as his companion " and partner in the empire ;"< Jewifh Antiq. lib. 1 r c. 6. -j- Her intention in defiring thus to entertain the king twice at her banquet, before (he made known her .petition, was, that there by (he might the more endear herfelf to him, and difpofe him the better to grant her requeft ; for which reafon fhe thought it a piece cf no bad policy to invite his firft favourite to come along wiih him. But in the whole matter, the fingular providence of God is not a little confpicuous, which fo difpofed her mind, that the high ho nour which the king bellowed upon Mordecai the next day, might fall Chap II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 487 her requeft again was no more, than that he and Haman A. M. would favour her again, the next day, with their company '47S,jfY:, at the like entertainment, and that then fhe would not fail ^ ffc' to difclofe her requeft. from' Ezra Haman * was not a little proud of the peculiar ho- iv- ?• t0 tn« nour which both the king and queen had done him ; but ^^' ^eh upon his return home, feeing Mordecai fitting at the pa- and part of lace-gate, and 1 refufing to fhew him the leaft obeifance, Hagg.Zech. though f he reftrained himfelf at prefent, yet fo moved was ^f^1*'. he with indignation againft him* that when he came hoirie, Hainan's and related to his family the favours whkh that day he ftefli indig- had received, he could not forbear complaining of the af- nation a-. front and difrefpect which Mordecai had put upon him ; ^'cnai_ fall out in the mean time, and fo make Way for her petition, which would come in very feafonably at the banquet of wine : For as then it was moft likely for the king to be in a pleafant humour, fo it, Was moft ufual for thc Perfians to enter upon bufinefs of ftate, when they began to drink ; Le Clere' s and Patrick's Commentary ; and Prideaux' s Connection, anno 4^3. * ^thenasus mentions it as a peculiar honour, which no Grecian ever had before or after, that Artaxerxes vouchfafed to invite Ti- magbras the Cretan to dine even at the table where his relations eat, ahd to fend fometimes a part of what was ferved up at his own ; which fome Perfians looked upon as a diminution of his majefty, and a proftitution of their nation's honour. Iii the life of Artaxer xes, Plutarch tells us, that none but the king's mother, and his real wife, Were permitted to fit at his table ; and therefore he mentions it, as a condefcenfion in that prince, that he fometimes invited his brothers : So ' that this particular favour was a matter that Haman had fome reafon to value himfelf upon ; Le Clerc'S Commentary. \ It may feem a little ftrange, that fo proud a man as Haman Was, fhould not be prompted immediately to avenge^ himfelf on Mor decai for his contemptuous ufage of him, fince he had enough about him, no doubt, who, upon the leaft intimation of his pleafure, would have done it ; and fince he, who had intereft enough with his prince to procure a decree for the deftrudtion of a whole na tion, might have eafily obtained a pardon for having killed one ob fcure and infamous member of it. But herein did the wife and powerful providence of God appear, that it difpofed Haman's heart, (contrary to his own inclination and intereft), inftead of employing his power againft his enemy, to put fetters, as it were, upon his own hands ; Pool's Annotations. infomuch. 488 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VIL A. M. infomuch, that his wife, and others that were prefent, ad- 347*. &' vifed him to have a gibbet of f fifty cubits high inftantly Ant. Chill. ereQcdf anci tne verv next morning, to go to the king, and from Ezra obtain a grant of him to have that infolent fellow hanged Iv. 7. to the upon it. end; all This project, he liked very well, and therefore caufed the Ett-h. Neh. ... r, J r „ J , , . .. . . and part ofglDDet to ^ *ent UP : *>ut wnen ne came to COUrt in the Hagg. Zech. morning, he found that things had taken quite another and Mai. turn. The king, that very morning, happened to awake ^Tr*"™"' fooner than ordinary, and being not able to compofe him- ced'o wait felf to "eeP again, he called for f the annals of his reign, on him as a and ordered a perfon, that was then in waiting, to read them lacquey, to him. The reader went on, until he came to the paffage which made mention of Mordecai's difcovery of the trea fon of the two chamberlains ; and when the king upon ' inquiry was given to underftand, that the man, for fo fig nal a'fervice, had received no reward at all, he called un to Haman, (who was waiting for admittance upon a quite different intent), and afked him, What it was he would ad- vife him to do to the man, on whom he defigned to con fer fome marks of his favour ? Hamanr -(- That men might at a great diftance fee him, to the increafc of his difgrace, (as Haman might think), and that ftruck with, the greater terror by that fpectacie, they might not dare, for the future, to defpife or offend him ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool's Anno tations. f In thefe diaries (which we now call journals) wherein was fet down what paffed every day, the manner of the Perfians was, t» record the names of thofe who had done the king any fignal fervice. Accordingly Jofephus informs us. " That upon the fecretary's read- *' ing thefe journals, he taok notice of fuch a perfon, who had great " honours and .poffedions given him, ab a reward for a glorious and " remarkable action ; and of fuch another, who made his fortune " by the bounties of his prii*:e, for his fidelity : But that, when " he came to thc particular ftory of the confpiracy of the two eu- " nuchs againft the perfon of the king, and of the difcovery of " this treafon by Mordecai, the fecretary read it over, and was paf. " ting forward to the next, when the king ftopped him, and afk-, " ed if that perfon had any reward given him for his fer- " vice ?" ire. Which fhews indeed a finguiar providence of God, that thc fecretary fhould read in that very part of the book, wherein the fervice of Mordecai was recorded. But thc latter Targum (to make a thorough miracle of it) tells us, that w hen the Chap. II. from the BabyJonifli Captivity, (3c. 489 Haman, who never dreamt "but that the perfon he A- M- meant of was himfelf, was refolved to lay it on thick ; and {*7S'a&ci •therefore he gave advice, * that the royal robe fhould be ffg] J."' brought, which the king, on folemn occafions, was worn ftom ts-ra to wear: the horfe, which was kept for his own riding * 1V' 7' l° 'i,= 0 end ; all Efth. Neh. and part of the reader opened the book at the place where mention was made of ^%, ef '' Mordecai, he turned over the leaves, and would have rearl in oil- ... ' . other, but that the leaves tlew back again to the fame place where "" he opened it at firlt, fo that he w.is forced to read that (lory to the kingi Patrick's Commentary ;. and Jewifh /mi.q. lib n. c. 6. * To form a nation of that height of pride and arrogance,, to' which Himan (who thought all the honours he fpecified were defign ed for him) was arrived, we may obferve, that, for any one to put on the royal lobe, without the privity and confent of tke king, was, among the Perfians, accounted a capital crime. To which purpofe Plutarch, in his life of Artaxerxes, has related this ftory: " That one day, when in hunting, the king happened to tear his " garment, and Tiribazus was telling him of it, the king atked him, " what he fhould do ? Why, put on anodic r, fays Tiribazus, and " give that to me. That I Will, fays the king, but then I injoin " you not to wear it. Tiribazus ho.vever, (who was a good kind " of a man enough, but a little weak and (illy), adventured to put " it on, with all its fine ornamt n^s ; and when fome of the nobles " began to rcfent it, as a thing not lawful for any fubject to do I " allow him, fays the king, laughing at the figure he m,ide, to wear " the fine trinkets as a woman, aultlie robe as a madman;" L* Clere' s Commentary . * There was a caftom, not unlike this among the Hebrews, (as appears from the hiftory of Solomon, r Kings i. 33.), for the p;r* fon that was to be declared fucceffor to the crown, on the day ot hk inauguration, to be mounted on the king's horfe : and, to the like cuftom among the Perfians, it is highly probable, that the p 'tt Sw- tius, in his defcription of a young king fuccceding to his father's throne, may allude. Sicut Ahaemenius folium gentefque paternas E^xcepit fi forte puer, cui vivcre patrem Tutius, incerta formidine gaudia librat. An fidi proceres, an pugntt vulgus habenis, Cui lams Euphratas, cui Cafpia limina mantlet, Steierenunc arcus, ipfumque onerare verctur Patris cqnum, vifufque fibi nee fceptra capaci Suftcntare manu, nee adhuc inrpkre tiaram. Thebaid. lib. S. F-oi. IV. 3 Q^ and 4Q0 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A- m. and the crown, which was ufed to be fet upon the horfe's Am^'chi'i ^ea^ *' an<* taat» w'tn l^'s r.°^e> *hc Pei"f°n whom thc ji», ire king thought proper to diftinguifh fhould be arrayed, and vfrom Ezra the chief man in the kingdom appointed to lead his horfe by 1V d- "if" tae re*ns> walking before him in the quality of an officer, Efth! Neh. an<^ proclaiming, Thus fhall it be done to the man whom the and part of king delight sA to honour. " Take then the horfe and the Hagg Zech « robe> fayS tne king, and do all that thou haft mentioned *n . a'_f " to Mordecai the Jew, who has not been yet rewarded for " the difcovery of the treafon of the two eunuchs that in- " tended to have taken away my life." is handed Nothing certainly could cut a proud man more to the at lad upon heart, than to be employed in fuch an office ; but the the fame king's command was pofitive, fo that Haman was forced h- intended t0 ^° '*' now much foever it might go againft the grain : for Morde- and when the irkfome ceremony was over, he returned to cii. his houfe, lamenting the difappointment and great morti fication he had met with, in being forced to pay fo fignal an * Commentators are not agreed, whether this crown was placed upon the king's head, or his horfe's. Thofe who refer it to thc king, Will have it to be what we call a turbant, made of fine white and purple linen, which it was death for any one to put on his head, Without the king's exprefs ordi-rj to which purpofe Arrian (Alex. exped. lib 7.) tells us this ftory: " That as Alexander was *' failing on the Euphrates, and his turbant happened to fall off a- " mong fome reeds, one of the watermen immediately jumped in *' and fwam to it; but as he could n it bring it back m his hand " without wetting it, he put it upon his head, and fo returned with " it. Whereupon moft hiftorians that have wrote ot Alexander " (fays he) tell us, that he gave him a talent of filver for tins ex- " prefficn of his zeal ta ferve him, but, at the fame time, ordered ¦" his head to be ftruck off, for prefuming to put on' the royal dia-' " dem." Other commentators are of opinion, that this Keter, which we render crown, being a word of a large fignification, will equally denote that ornament which thc horfe that the king rode wore upon his head : As it muft be acknowledged, that this application of the thing agrees better with the fignification and order of the Hebrew words ; with the following verfes, wherein no mention is made of the Keter, first, only of the robe and the horfe to which this crown belonged; and with the cuftom of the Perfians, who ufed to put a certain orna ment (in Italian called fiocco) upon the head of that horfe whereon the king was mounted ; Lc Clere' s and Patrick's Commentaries; and Pool's Annotations. honour Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 40 r honour to his moft hated enemy, liut while he was rela- a. M. ting this to his family, and they thereupon exprefling ome ws, ire. uneafy apprehenfions, as if this were a very bad omen, one Ant- chr^- of the queen's chamberlains came to his houfe toh ften him "0'; %^ to the banquet ; and, having feen the gallows which had iv ,. fl \. been fet up the night before, he fully informed hmfelf of e»d; *ii the intent for which it was prepared. Eflh- Neh- When the king and Haman were fet down to the enter- Ba^'zedf tainment, the king afked Efther again, what her requeft and Mai. was ; renewing his promife, that he would not fail to gi ant it her, even though it extended to the half of his kingdom. " But my petition, O king, fays fhe, is only for my own " life, and the life of my people, becaufe there is a defign " laid againft us, not to make us bond-men and bond- " women, (for then I fhould have been filent), but to flay " and deftroy us all. If therefore I have found favour in " thy fight, O king, let my life, and the life of my people, '* be given at my requeft." At this the king afking, with fome commotion, who it was that durft do any fuch thing ? the Haman then prefent, fhe told him, was the contriver of all the plot : whereupon the king rifing up from the banquet in a paffion, f went into the garden adjoining ; and Haman taking this opportunity, -f fell proftrate oh the bed where the queen was fitting, to fupplicate his life; but the king, coming in the mean time, and feeing him in this pofture, What, will you ravifh the queen before my eyes ? cried out aloud s whereupon thofe that were in waiting f Partly, as difdaining the company of fo audacious and ungrate ful a perfon ; partly, to cool arul allay his fpirit, boiling and ftrug- gling with fuch a variety of paflions ; and, partly, to confider within himfelf the heinoufnels of Haman's crime, the mifchief which him felf had like to have done by his own rafhhefs, and what punifhmeru was fit to be inflicted on fo vile a mifcreant.; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool 'j Annotations. f It was a cuftom among the Perfians, as well as other nation?, to fit, orrather to lie upon beds, when tbey eat or drank ; and therefore, when Haman fell down, as a fupplicant at the feet of Efther, anfl (as the inanner was among the Greeks and Romans, and not improbably among the Perfians) embraced her knees the king might pretend that he was offering violence to the queen's chaftity. Not that he belie ved t^at this was his intention, but, in his furious paffion, he turned, every thing to the worft fenfe, and made ufe of it to aggravate his crime ; Patrick's Commentary. 3 0^2 came 492 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A- M- came, and covered his face, as a token of the king's indig- An75'ci f nat'on againft him ; and when the chamberlain, who had jz9, ire. been to call him. to the banquet, acquainted the king of ftom Egra the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, who had JV' 7; t0 the faved the king's life, he gave immediate orders, that * he Eirh' Neh fhould be hanged thereon, (which accordingly was done), an«i pm i,f and his whole eftate given to the queen, whereof fhe ap- Iia^Mz"n- pointed JVlordecai her fteward, At the fame time {he in- v_^_^_ formed the king of her near relation to Mordecai ; fo that he took him into his royal f.ivour, advanced him to great power, riches, and dignity in the empire, and made him keeper of his fignet, in the fame manner as Haman had been before. And the de- But though Haman was thus removed, yet the decree hep ocujed wh'ch he had procured remained ftill in full force; nor ag ui;.rt the co:,ld it be repealed, becaufe the laws of the Medes and Jew* N Perfi.tns were fuch, that nothing written in the king's 7 %u 1 n'ltne' ant' fignccl Wlth the royal fignet, could be reverfed. All therefore that the king could do (upon the queen's fe cond petition, to have the decree cancelled) was, to grant the Jews (t>y another * decree) fuch a power to defend them- * Jcfrp'us indeed tells us, that he died on the crofs : but others have ubfen'p'l, ihat crucifixion Was not a Perfian punifhment; and Sahvafius (ji his book De cruce) {hews, that it was the manner of the Perfians, fitf, to tut 'off thc heads of malefactors, and then M> hang them on a s'ibbet. However this be, " I cannot pafs over the " wonderful lui nionv of Providence, (fays Jnft-phus), without a " rer.irrk upen the almighty power, and ihe admirable juftice and *' Wifdom of GuJ, not only in bringing Haman to his cltferved pu- '' nilhir.cnt, but intrapping him in the very f.me fnare that he had ** laid for another, and, turning a malicious invention upon the head (' of ihe inventor." , Nee lex eft jnflior ulla, Quam in ci:> artifices arte perire fua. Antiq, lib 9. c. 6. * Jofephus lias given us a true copy, as he fays, of this decree, or (as he calls itj of the krrrs, which Artaxerxes fent to the magittrates of all thc nations that lie between India and Ethiopia, under the command pf an hundred and feven and twenty provinces : " Whertinhr re- «' prefents the abiife which favour.tes are v.cnt to make «.f their " prvin and credit with their prince, by infulting their inferiors, by f? flying in the face of thpfe that raifed them, and (to gratify their " refeiitments) Chap. II „ from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 4g$ themfelves againft all that fhould affault them on the day A. M. f when the former decree was to be executed, as might '47s'> &c: render it, in a great meafure,, ineffectual. s "^ £, To this purpofe, a freih edict was drawn up in the third from Ezra month, figned by the king, and tranfmitted to the pro- iv f toth« vinces : So that, when the thirteenth day of Adar came, ^j ^eh and part of Hagg. Zech, " refentments) calumniating the innocent, and putting honed men and Mal' " in danger of their lives : Wherein he makes mention of the un- " common favours and honours which he had beftowed upon Ha» " man, the Amalekite, who had notwithftanding taken meafures " to fnpplant him of his kingdom, to deftroy Mordecai, the pre- " ferver of his life, together with his deareft wife the queen, and " to extirpate the whole nation of Jews, who were good and peace- " able fubjects, and worfhippers of that God to whom he was in- " debted for the poffeffion and prefervation of his empire : Where- " in he acquaints them, that for thefe wicked and treafonable prac- " tices, having caufed him and his whole family to be executed be- " fore the gates of Sufa, his royal pleafure, by thefe prefents, was, " that they fhouid not only difcharge the Jews from all the pains " and penalties to which they are made liable by his letters which " Haman had fent them ; but that they Ihould likewife aid and af- *' fill them in vindicating themfelves upon thofe that fpitefully and " injurioufly opprefTed them ; and wherein he tells them, that " whereas the time appointed for the utter deftrnction of thefe peo- " pie was to have been on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, his " further pleafure was, that the fame month and day fhould be em- *' ployed in their refcue and deliverance ; and tjiat if any perfon, " either by difobedience or neglect, fliould act in any thing con- " triry to the tenor of this his imperial command, he fhould be lia- u ble to military execution by fire and fword." f It might be prefurned that fome, out of hatred to the Jews, might be inclinable to obey Hainan's decree : For though he him felf was gone, yet it cannot be imagined, that all thc friends and creatures that; he had made periflied with him. He might haVe a freat party every where, and fome of them fo furioufly enraged at is fall, as (even at the hazard of their own lives) would not fail to fhew their indignation at thofe who were the occafion of it : And ' therefore this fecond decree, procured tiy Mordecai, give them au thority, if any attempt was made upon them, cither in great bo dies, or fmall parties, not only to defend themfelves and repel them, but to make as great a (laughter of them as they were able, and e- ven to take poffeffion of then- goods, as Haman hat procured than licence, (chap. iii. 13.) to feize the goods of the J«ws ; Patrick's ' Commentary. 494- The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII: A. M. •by the means of thefe different and difcordant decrees, a 3*7S, ire. war was commenced between the Jews and their enemies, j"' Ch"«f through the whole Perfian empire ; but as the rulers of from Ezn the feveral provinces, and other officers of the king, well iv. 7 to the underftood what power and credit Either and Mordecai Eftl ' Nh tnen ^ w'£k k'm' t'ie^ ^° favoure(i fhe Jews every where, and part or that on that day they flew, in the whole empire, feventy- Hagg. Zech. five thoufand perfons, and in the city of Shufhan, on that and Mai, wlth dieir anceftors ; and in the third, they blefs his holy name, for ha- C°™ °*^ ving continued their livedo the celebration of another feftival in co je'rufa- commemoration of it. Then they read over the whole hiftory of lem with Haman from the beginning to the end, but not out of any printed the king's book, (for that is not lawful), but out of an Hebrew manufcript, commiffion. written on parchment. There are five places in the text, wherein the reader raifes his voice with all his might : When he comes to the place that mentions the names of the ten fons of Haman, he repeats them very quick, to fhew that they were all deftroyed in a moment ; and every time that the name of Haman is pronounced, the children, with great fury, ftrike againft the benches of the fynagogues, with the mallets that they bring for that purpofe. Af ter that the reading is finiflied, they return home and have a flip per, not of flefh, but of fpoon-meat ; and early next morning they arife, and return to the fynagogue ; where, after they have read that paffage in Exodus, which makes mention of the war of Ama- lek, they begin again to read the book of Efther, with the fame ceremonies as before ; and fo conclude thc fervice of the day, with curfes againft Haman and his wife Zereth, with bleffings upon Mordecai and Efther, and with praifes to God, for having prefer- ved his people. Their refting on this day is ohferved fo relfgioufly, that they will not fo much as fet or fow any thing in their gardens, with full perfuafion that it would not come up, if they did ; and therefore they either play at chefs, and fuch like games, or fpend the time in muftc and dancing, until it be proper to begin their feafting, wherein they indulge themfelves to fuch an immoderate de gree, that their feaft of Purim has, with great juftice, been called the Bacchanals of the Jews. They allow themfelves to drink wine to excefs, nay, even to fuch a'pitch, as not to be able to diftinguifh between the blefling of Mordecai, and the curfe of Haman, as themfelves fpeak ; and amidft the other fports and diverfions of the day, they ufed formerly to erect a gibbet, and burn upon it a man made of ftraw, whom they called. Haman; but herein it was thought, that they might have a defign to infult Chriftians, upon the death of our crucified Saviour ; and therefore Thcodoiius the Second (anno Dom. 408.) forbad them to ufe this ceremony, unr der 496 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book V IL A. M. who was flain by Nebuchadnezzar, when he burnt the tem- AnV'chrif P^e' anc* cny oi Jei"ufaleni) a man of great learning, and S%9, ire. excellently f fkilled in the knowledge, of the Scriptures, from Ezra who had hitherto continued in Babylon, with others of the ,V a- t0|!he captivity, that had not yet returned, obtained leave of the Efth.' Neh. king to go to Jerufalem, and to take as many of his own and part of Hagg. Zech. and Mai. v —„-,¦_ der the penalty of forfeiting all their privileges. We have only far ther to remark concerning this feftival, that it is always kept for two days together, and the reafon heieof i. this: The Jews at Shultun had two days allwwed them to revenge themfelves of their enemies, Efther ix. 13. but the reft of ihe J< ws in other nations had hut one. This caufed, at firft, fome difference in ihcir time of feafting ; for :he Jews, in all other parts of the kingdom, having done execution on their enemies on the thirteenth day, kept their icj licing feaft on the fourteenth ; but the Jews at Shufhan, be ing engaged in this work both on the thirteenth and fourteenth days, kept their feftival for their deliverance on ihe fifteenth. When Mordecai however had made a record of thi? great deliver ance, he ft n't letters to all the Jews throughout the dominr ns of A- hafuerus, to eftablifh it as a ftanding ordinance among them, that they fhpuld keep both the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month A- der every year, ar, the days whereon the Jews retted fn>m their t- nemies : And this is the reafon why the feftival continues for two days, though the former of them is only kc pt with great folcmnity ; Patrick's Commentary; Howell's Hiftory, in the noies ; and Cal met's Dictionary, under the word Purim. \ Both thc Septuagint, Vulgate, and our tranflation, render the words Sophen Mqhir, a ready fcribt, Ezra vii. 6. as if to ha\e a quick hand at writi;^ out thc law, were any great perfection, or that any aged, man (as Ezra was) fhould be renowned tor it. It was not then for writing, I ut for explaining the thii gs contained in the Scriptures, that Ezra was fo famous. Tor as Stplur fignifies a book, fo Sopher denotes one skilled and learned in that book ; and as there was no book comparable to the book of the law, therefore Se- pher became a nami- ot great dignity, and fignifi' d one lhat taught God's law, and inflructed the people out of it ; in which fenfe we find the word j-pa^rfs?;, or Scribes, ufed in thc New Tefta- ment. For when our Savicur is faid to have taught the- people, as one having authority, and net as ihe ficribes, this plainly (hews, that thefe (bribes were not tranferibers, but teachers and expound ers of ihe laws, though they did not do it witli a proper authority ; Patrick's and Le Clere' s Commentaries. nation Chap. If. from the Babylonifh Captivity, tiff. 497 nation with him, as were willing to accompany him dii- &• *£ *'""• ""'ciuif. On the firft day of the firft month (which is called Ni- $ig, ire. fan, and might fall about the middle of our March) he fet from Ez" forward on his journey from Babylon, + with an ample '^j.' ^\ K commiffion, and authority to reftore and fettle the ftate, re- Efth. Neh. form the church of the Jews, and regulate and govern and PaIt of both, according to their own laws. When he came to the Jf^/i'i ' river Ahava j-, he there halted, until the reft of his company . .,— — ^ was come up ; and then, having, in a folemn faft, f recom mended \ It can hardly be imagined, but that fome more than ordinary- means were ufed to obtain fo great a favour from the king, as this commiffion was ; and therefore we may fuppofe that k was grant ed at the folicitation of Efther, who was beaome the beft beloved erf the king's concubines, though not as yet advanced to the dignity of queen : for being it was ufual for the kings of Perfia, on fome particular days and occafions, to allow their women to afk what boons they pleafed, it is not unlikely, that, by the direction of Mordecai, upon fome fuch time and occafion as this, Efther (though fhe had not difcovered her kindred and nation) might make this the matter of her requeft ; Prideaux' 's Connection, anno 459. f This was a river of Aflyria, and, very probably, that which ran along the Adiabene, where the river Diava, or Adiava, is known to be, and upon which Ptolemy places the city of Abane, or Aavane. Here, fome imagine, was the country which, in the fecond book of Kings xvii. 24. is called Ava, from whence the king of AfTyria tranflated the people called Aviies, into Paleftine, and, in their room, fettled fome of the captive Ifraelites. It was a common thing for thofe that travelled from Babylon to Jerufa lem, in order to avoid the fcorching heat of the defert of Arabia, to lhape their courfe northward' at firft, and then, turning to the Weftward, to pafs through Syria intp Paleftine ; but Ezra had a farther reafon for his taking this rout : for as he intended to get to gether as many Ifraelites as he could to carry along with him to Je rufalem, he took his courfe this way, and made an halt in thc coun try of Ava, or Ahava, from whence he might fend cmifTaries into the Cafpian mountains, to invite fuch Jews as were there to come and join him ; Le Clere' s Commentary on Ezra viii. and Calmet's Dic tionary, under the word Ahava. f This they had the greater reafon to do, becaufe they carried things of confiderable value along with them ; were apprehenfive •f enemies that lay in wait for them ; and were afhamed to afk Vol. IV. 3 «¦ al,-v , 498 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII, A. M. mended himfelf, and all that were with him, to the divine Ant* Chrif Protection, on the twelfth day he fet forward for Jerufalem, %fg, ire where they all fafety arrived on the firft day of the fifth from Ezra- month, called Ab, i. e. about the middle of our July, ha- " •/• 'V*6 v'n§ fpent f°ur whole months in their journey from Baby- Eflh.' Neh. Ion thither. and part of Upon his arrival, Ezra delivered up to the temple the Hl8^e!:n' offerings which bad been made to it by the king, his nor \!L-v,-«^ hies, and the reft of the people of Ifrael that ftaid behind, and mikes which \ amounted to a very large fuin ; and having com- a reforma- punicated his commiffion to the king's lieutenants and go- tion among vernors throughout all Syria and Paleftine, he betook him- in relation felf to the executing of the contents of it. \o their He had not been long in his. government, before he marriages. fouuci tnat mairy 0f the people had taken wives of other nations, contrary to the law of God ; and that feveral of the priefts and Levites, as well as other chief men of Judah and Benjamin, had tranfgreffed in this particular. And therefore after he had, * in mourning and failing, and , any guard of the king, who being not much inftructed in divine matters, might poflibly think, that what they faid of God's favour towards them, and the prophecies concerning their reftoration, were but vain boafts, in cafe they fhould feem to diftmft his power and favour, (pf whom they had fpoken fo magnificently), by making application to the king, for his protection and defence. Rather. therefore than give any fuch urnbrage, they were refolved to com mit themfelves entirely to God ; but then it was neceffary that they fliould befeech that of him, which, without giving offence, they could not requeft of the king ; Patrick's Commentary. \ According tp the account we have qf them, (Ezra viii. 26. 27 ), there were fix hundred and fifty talents of filver, which, at three hundred feventy-five pounds to the talent, make two hundred forty-three thoufand feven hundred and fifty pounds. The filver veffels weighed an hundred talents, Which came to thirty -feven thoufand and five hundred pounds. The gold in coin was an hun dred talents, which, at four thoufand five hundred pounds per ta lent, mide four hundred and fifty thoufand pounds : and, befides all this, there were twenty batons of gold of s, thoufand drachms, and two veffels of fine copper, as valuable as gold ; Howell's, Hiftory, jit the notes. * The manner in which Ezra is faid to have cxpreffed his con cern for the people's unlawful marriages, is, by rending his gar ment, and his mantle, chap. ix. 3. i. e. both his inner and upper garment ; which was a tok n, not only of great grief and forrow, hu of his apprchculions likewife of the divine difpleafure ; and by pulling Chap, II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 499 and f prayer, deprecated God's wrath for fo fad an apofta- a.. M. cy, he caufed proclamation to be made, for all the people 34VS, ire. of the land, that had returned from the captivity, to meet Al"' c^' together at Jerufalem, under the penalty pf excommunica- from' Ezra tion and confifeation of their goods ; and when they met, iv. 7 wihe he endeavoured to make them fenfible of their fin, and en- e"f. ' Ji , gaged them in a promife, and covenant before God, to de- aiK| palt 0"f part from it, by putting away their ftrange wives, and the Hagg Zech. children that were born of them, that the feed of Ifrael and Mal' might not be polluted by fuch an undue commixture ; arid -"""v""*** accordingly commiffioners were appointed to infpect this affair, who, in three months time, made a proper inquiry, and a thorough reformation of this enormity. Upon the death of Zerubbabel, the adminiftration, both Nehemiah 6f civil and ecclefiaftical affairs, devolved upon Ezra ; 'sovse"nors but in the twentieth year of Ahafuerus, f Nehemiah, a very and with a religious commiffionto rebuild the walls .of pulling-off the hair of his head and beard, which was ftill an higher Jerufalem. fign of exceed-ng great grief, am-mg other nations,' as well as the jews ; and therefore we find in Homer, that when Ulyffes and his companion bewailed the death of Elpenor, 'EJo'iKevoi J' lHaXiia yean, ti\mjv7o te xfi-rsi.;. Odyfl", 10. + The prayer We have in Ezra ix. 6. ire. the purport of which is this: " That he was confounded when he thought of xt the greatnefs of their fins, which were ready to overwhelm them, " and of the boldnefs and infolence of them beyond meafure, even " though they had feen the divine vengeance upon their forefathers, " in fo terrible a manner, that they had not yet worn off the marks " of his difpleafiire. He had begun indeed. to fhew favour to fome " of them ; but this fo much the more aggravated their wicked- " nefs, in that, fo foon after their reftoration, and fettkment in " their native country, they had returned to their old provocations, " notwithftanding the many admonitions in the law and the pro- " phets, to have nothing to do with the people of Canaan, except it " were to expel and root them out. What then can we expect, " fays he, but the utter deftruftion of the fmall remriaht that is left " of us, if, after all the punilhments which God has inflicted on " us, and his beginning now to be gracious unto us, we relapfe " into the fame offences, for which we have fo fevcrely fuffered ? «' For while we remain monuments of his mercy, and yet appear " " before him in our abominations, we muft be dumb, and have 110- " thing to plead in excufc of our deteftable.itigratitude; " Patrick's Commentary. , 4 It may well be queftioned, whether this Nehemiah be the tame/ that is mentioned in Ezra, (chap. ii. s. and Neh. vii, 7.), as on« 3 R 2 "lit £do The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book \H. A. M. religious and excellent perfon among thofe of the captivky, 347s, «Src."and who was a great favourite with that prince, fucceeded *»' ire k'm 'n tae g°vernment °f Judah and Jerufalem. He had from' Ezra informed himfelf, from fome people that were come from iv 7. to the Jerufalem, of the miferable ftate and condition of that city ; Ffti ' n 'l tnat ^ lts wa"s we*€ ^n'°^en down, and its gates burnt, fo and p that its inhabitants lay open not only to the incurfions and Hagg. Zech infults of their enemies, but to the reproach likewife and #nd Mai. contempt of their neighbours. This mournful relation affect- ""* " " — ' ed the good man to fiich a degree, that he applied himfelf in fafting and (f) prayer to God, and humbly befought, that he \«ould be pleafed to favour the defign which he had conceived of afking the king's permiffion to go to Jerufa- » ' lem. By his office \ he was cup-bearer to the king; and therefore," that returned from the Babylonifh captivity under Zerubbabel ; fince from the firft year of Cyrus, to the twentieth of Artaxerxes Longi manus, there are no lefs than ninety-two years intervening ; fo that Nehemiah mnft, at this time, have been a very old man, upon the loweft computation, above an hundred, and, confequently, utterly incapable of being, the king's cup-bearer, of taking a journey from Shufhan to Jerufalem, and of behaving there with all that courage and activity that is recoreied of him. Upon this preemption, there fore, we may conclude^ that this was a difierent perfon, though of the fame name ; and that Tarfhatha (the other name by which he is called, Ezra ii. 63. and Neh. vii. 6j.) denotes the title of his office, and, both in tbe Perfian and Chaldean tongues, was the ge-. lieral name given to all the king's deputies and governors ; Le Clere' s and Pool's Annotations on Neh* i. f The commiffions which had hitherto been granted to the Jews were fuppofed to extend no farther than to the rebuilding of the temple, and their own private houfes; and therefore the walls and gates of their city lay in the fame ruinous condition in which the Chaldeans left them after that devaflation ; Patriik's Commentary ; and Pool's Annotations. (f) Neh. i. j. f This was. a place of great honour and advantage in the Perfian court, becaufe of the privilege which it gave him that was in it, of • being daily in the king's prefence, and the opportunity which he had thereby of gaining his-favour, for the obtaining of any petiiion that he fliould make to him. And- that it was a place of great ad vantage feems evident, by Nehemiah 's gaining thofe immenfe riches-, which enabled him, for fo many years, (Neh v. 1.4. 19.), out of his own private purfe only, to live in his government with all that fplendsr Chap, II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 50 1 therefore, when it came f to his turn to wait, the king, a. M. obferving that his countenance was not fo chearful as at H7S, ire. other times, and being told, that the diftreffed ftate of his.*"'- ^'£ country, and of the city where his anceftors were buried, :rom Ezra were the only caufe of it, gave him, at his requeft, through iv- 7- to die the interceffion of the queen, (who (g) was then fitting' g1^' ^h with him), leave to go to Jerufalem, and a full commiffion and part of (as his governor of the province of Judea) to repak the Hagg.ZecU, walls, and to fet up the gates, and fortify the city again in fnd_M the fame manner that it was before it was difmantled and deftroyed by the Babylonians ; but, upon this condition it was, that he fhould return to court again, at fuch a f de terminate time. The king, at the fame time, wrote letters to all the go vernors beyond the Euphrates, to be aiding and affifting to him in the work. He fent his order to Afaph, the keeper ¦of his forefts in thofe parts, to furnifh him with whatever timber he fhould want, not only for the reparation of the towers and gates of the city, but for the building of him felf an houfe likewife, as governor of the province, to live in : and (to do him ftill more honour) he fent a guard of horfe, under the command of fome, of the captains of his army, to "conduct him fafe tojfts government. With fplendor and expence, (that will hereafter be related), without bur- tnening the people at all for it ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 44$. ¦f- Commentators have generally obferved, that it was almoft four months between his hearing of the difeonfolate condition wherein Je rufalem lay, and his requefting leave of the king to go thither. But (befides that it might not come to his own turn of waiting foon- er) there might be thefe farther reafons afligned for this his long fitence and delay t As, that he could not take fo long and dange rous a journey in the winter ; that he could no fooner meet with a feafonable opportunity of fpeaking widi the king upon fo critical an affak; or (as others will have it) that he retired all this interme diate while, and fpent it in rafting and prayer ; Pool's Annotations; and Patrick's Commentary. ' (g) Neh- ii 6. f How long this was, it is not certain. It is faid, indeed, that he was governor in the land of judahfor twelve years, chap. v. 14. to xiii. 6. But confidering what hafte he made in difpatching the kildinfr of the walls, which he finifhed in two and fifty days, * ' thc. 5 62 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Boofc VII. A. M. With thefe letters and powers, Nehemiah arrived at Je- 347i'rt"f'f rufa^em' anc* was kindly received by the people : but it was eio ire. three days before he acquainted any one with the occafion from Ezra of his coming. On the third day at night, he, with fome iv. 7. to the few attendants, went privately round the city, to take a Efth!Neh. v'ew °^ ^le waus> which he found in a ruinous condition ;. and part of and, on the next, called together the chief of the people, Hagg.Zech. and, * having reminded them of the defolate manner in fad M_1' 1 which the walls of their city lay, and exhorted them to fet - about the reparation of theni, he produced his commiffion and letters to that purpofe, which, when they were read, fo gladdened and revived their drooping fpirits, that they joyfully and unanimoufly cried out, Let us rife and build. Which he In carrying on the building, Nehemiah divided the pea- carried on ple into feveral companies, and afligned to each of them the with Sreat quarter where they were to work, referving to himfelf the withftand- reviewal and direction of the whole. But they had not ing Sanbal- ' lat's defigns to defeat him. the leave which he afked might be hot for a year, or perhaps half fo much ; after which time, it is likely, that he returned to Shu fhan, according to his promife ; but, fome time after, was fent back again by the king, (who found his prefence there ferviceable, or perhaps neceffary, for the better regulation of that province), to be his governor for twelve years ; Patrick's Commentary. * The fpeech which Jofephus puts in ihe mouth of the governor, upon this occafion, is to this effect. "You cannot but fee and " underftand, you men of Judea, that we ourfelves are, at this " day, under the power and providence- of the fame almighty and " merciful God, that did fo many things for our forefathers Abra« " ham, lfeac, and Jacob, out of a graciops regard to their piety " and juftice : And it is by the favour of that God, that 1 have " now obtained leave from the king to enter upon the rebuilding of " your wall, and the putting of an end to the work of the temple " that is yet unfinished. But taking this for granted, that you live " among a fort of malicious and fpiteful neighbours, who would do " all that is to be done in nature for the eroding of your defign, " when they come once to fee you heartily intent upon the under- " taking, I (hall therefore recommend it to you, in the firft place, " refolutely and fearlefsly to eaft yonrfelves upon God, who will *' moft certainly defeat all the practices of your enemies ; and, in " the next place, to ply your bufinefs day and night, without any " intermiffwn cither of care .or of labour, this being the proper " feafon for it;" Jewifh Antiq. lib. 11. c. 5. long Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3,e. 5Q2 Jong proceeded in the work, before Sanballat, an officer of a. M. the Moabites, andTobiah, a man of note among the Am- J47S, ire. monites, two bitter enemies to the Jewifh nation, began to Ant> ch/1'' feoff and ridicule thejr undertaking, As the work, how- [(„„ Ez7a ever, advanced, they changed their note, and apprehend- iv 7- w ih^ ing themfelves in danger from the growing greatnefs of the ^"m^Neri Jews, were refolved to put a flop to their future progrefs. and* part of To this purpofe they entered into a confederacy with Hagg.Zech. fome neighbouring nations, to come upon them by fur- and Mal- prife, demolifh their works, and put them all to the fword; """"V""* but the governor having notice of this their defign, and fending out feouts daily to obferve their motions, placed a guard well armed to defend and encourage the workmen ; and ordered, that each workman fhould have his arms nigh ' at hand, in cafe they were attacked; while himfelf went of ten in perfon among them, by his precept and example, en couraging them to truft in the Lord, and, in his fpeeches and exhortations, putting them frequently in mind, that it was for their wives, their brethren, and children, (in cafe, they were compelled to it), that they fought : So that, by thefe means, they fecured themfelves againft all the attempts and defigns pf their enemies, until the work was brought to a conclpfion. , Sanballat, and the reft of bis confederates, perceiving that their plot was difcovered, and not daring to attack Ne hemiah by open force, had recourfe to craft and ftrata- "gem." To this purpofe, under pretence of ending the dif ference between them in an amicable manner, they fent to invite him to a conference, in a certain village, in the plain pfOno, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, intend* ing there to do him a mifehief ; but Nehemiah, very pro bably fufpecting their wicked defign, returned, in anfwer to the four meffages of the fame import, which they fuccef- fively fent, " That the work wherein he was engaged reqni- '' red his perfonal attendance, and therefore he could not f come." Sanballat, perceiving that Nehemiah was too cautious to be infnared by a general invitation, fent, by his fervant^ a letter, wherein he informed him, that the current re port was,- 1 — f That he was building the walls of ¦ ' Jerufalem only to make it a place of ftrength, to fup- " port his intended revolt ; that, to this purpofe, he had " fuborned falfe prophets to favour his defign, and to en- '? courage the people to chufe him king ; and that there- f 'fore, tp ftop the courfe of thefe rumours, (which in a. • ' " fhort 5°4 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. " fhort time would come to the king's ears), he advifed him 347s, *•«¦ « t0 corne to him, that they might confer together, and Ant. Chrii. , „ . r . • • „ ti Z-r i - $i», ire. ta'£e 'ucn refolwtions as were convenient. {Jut Nehe- from Ezra miah, knowing his own innocence, eafily faw through this w- *• t0,!ne fhallow contrivance, and returned him for anfwer, That 'all Efth! Neh. thefe accufations were falfe, and the inventions only of his and part of own naughty heart; fo that finding himfelf difappointed Hap Zech. j^g lik.CVvife, he betook himfelf to this laft expedient. . There was one Shemaiah, the fon of Delaiah the prieft, a great friend to Nehemiah, whom Sanballat had bribed to his intereft. This man pretended to the gift of prophecy : And therefore, when Nehemiah came to his houfe one day, he roretold, that his enemies would make an attempt to murther him that very night, and therefore advifed him to go with him f into the inner part of the temple, and fo fecure themfelves by {hutting the doors. But though Ne hemiah did not apprehend the other's defign, (which he came to find out afterwards), yet, out of a fenfe of honour arid religion, he declared pofitively, " That, come what would f, « he •f By the houfe of God within the temple, (as it is in the text, Neh. vi. 10.), Shemaiah certainly meant the fanctuary; and to ad- vife Nehemiah to retreat thither, he had a good pretence, becaufe it was both a ftrong and a facred place, being defended by a guard of Levites, and by its hohnefs, privileged from all rude approaches. But his real defign herein might be, not tmly to difgrace Nehemiah, and difhearten the people, when they faw their governor's cowar dice, but to prepare the way likewife for the enemies affaulting and taking thc city, when there was no leader to oppofe them ; to give countenance to the calumny th it had been fpread abroad, of his af fecting to be made king, becaufe he fled upon the report of it ; and perhaps, by the afiiftance of fome other priefts, that were his con federates, either to deftroy him, or to fecure his perfon, until the city was betrayed into the enemies hands ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool's Annotations. ¦f The words of Nehemiah, , upon this occafion, are very fignifi- cant, as well as magnanimous. Should fuch a man as I flee ? " I, " the chief governor, upon whofe prefence, and counfel, and *' conduct, the very life and being of the whole city and nation - " does, in a great meafure, depend : I, who have profeffed fuch " refolution, courage, and confidence in God ; I, who have had " fuch eminent experience of God's g> acious and powerful affift - " ances, of his calling me to diis employment, and carrying me " through Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, &c. 505 " he would not quit his ftation, becaufe it would badly be- a. M. '* come a man in his character, to feek out for refuge, when 147s, &c. " he faw danger approaching!" ^n'- Chrifi Thefe, and many more difficulties, the good governor ftom Em had to contend with ; but by God's affiftance, he over- iv 7 to the came them all, and in the fpace of two and fifty days, ha- end s a11 ving completed the whole work, he afterwards held f a de- and patfof dication of the walls aad gates of Jerufalem, with fuch fo- Hagg Zech. lemnity and magnificence as a work of that nature required. and RIal- To this purpofe he feparatedthe priefts, the Levites, and lT^/~7""' the princes of the people, into two companies, one of which "on^/t'he" walked to the right hand, and the other to the left, on the walls, and top of the walls. The two companies, which were to meet wife •°rdeI'5 at the temple in their procelfion, were attended with mu- fe^ion"^ fie, both vocal and inftrumental. "When they came to the the citv. temple, they there read the law, offered facrifices, and made great rejoicings ; and as the'feaft of tabernacles hap pened at the fame time, they failed not to celebrate it with great fofemnity. When the walls were finifhed, Nehemiah, to prevent a- ny treachery from his enemies, either within or without the city, \ gave the charge of the gates to his brother Hanan-i, " through it, when the danger was greater than now ; fhall I dif- " honour God and religion, and betray the people and city of God " by my cowardice ? God forbid." f Dedication is a religious ceremony, whereby any temple, al tar, and veffel thereunto belonging, is, by the pronunciation of a certain form of blefling, confecrated to the fervice of God ; and this dedication, we may obferve, extends not only to things facred, but to cities and their walls, and fometimes to private houfes, Deut. xx. s- As therefore Mofes in the wildernefs dedicated the taberna- cle, and Solomon the temple, whenhe had finifhed it ; fo Nehe miah having put things in good order, built the walls and fet up the gates, thought proper to dedicate the city, aj a place which God himfelf had chofen, and fandtified by his temple, and gracious pre fence ; and by this dedication, to reftore it to him again, after it had been laid wafte, and profaned by the devaftation of the Hea thens ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool's Annotations. f Nehemiah, very likely, was now returning to Shu (han to give the king an account of the ftate of affairs in Judea ; and therefore Vol. IV. 3 S hs fio6 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. H- Hanani, and to Hananiah, marfhal of his palace f, two Amf'chrjf. men m whom he could confide -/commanding them ~ not Si9, ire. to fuffer the gates to be opened till fome time after fun- from £zra rifing, to fee them fafe barred at night, and to fet the end7-" 'all 8watcri, which fhould confift of fettled houfe-keepers, Ei h' Neh. that were careful and diligent men : And for the ftill far- and part ofther fecurity of the city, obferving that the -j- number of dM 1 'ts inhabitants was tod few, he ordered that the princi pal men of the nation fhould there fix their habitations, and, at the fame time, caufed the reft, to -j- eaft lots, whereby he took care to place fuch men in the city, as he knew would faith fully fecire it in his abfence. Hanani is faid to h. his Brother ; but he chofe his officers, not out of partial views to his own kindred, but becaufe he knew that they would acquit themfelves in their em ployment with a ftrict fidelity. Hanani had given proof of his zeal for God and his country, in his taking a tedious- journey from Jc-. rufalem to Shufhan, 10 inform Neh' miah of the fad efta e of J ru- falem, and to implore his helping hand to relieve it, chap. i. ind tb reafon why Nehemiah pat fuch truft nnd confidence in Hana niah, was, becaufe he was a man of confidence, nd acted upon re ligious principles, which would keep him from thpfe temptations to perfidioufnefs, which he might pr hably meet with in his abfer.ee, and againft which a man, defliiurc of the fe r of God, has no fuffi cient fence; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool's Annotations. + So the houfe wl neh wa.- built for Nchemiah's lelidence might juftt ly be called becaufe he lived there- in great fplendor, though wholly at his pwn charge, and a< the king's v-ceroy, there gave audience to the people, as a king is wont in his palace ; Patrick's Commen tary ; and Pool'] Annotations. ¦\ One reafon why the bulk of the [ews (who -\ere originally paftors, and lover of agriculture) might rather chufe to live in the country than at Jerufah m was, becaufi it wa- more fuite-d to iheir genius and manner ol life : But it this tirm- their enemies were fq enraged to fee the walls built again, and fo reftleCs in their defigns to keep the city from rifing to its former fplendor. that it terrified manyfrqm coming^o dwell there, thinking themfelves more fafe. in fhe country, where their enemies had np pretence to diflurb them; Le Clerc's and Patrick's Commentaries. f Though the cafting of lots be certainly forbidden, where the thing is done out of a fpirit of fupcrfliuVn, or with a defign V? tempt God ; yet, on fome occafions, it is inioined "by God himfelf; Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 507 whereby a tenth part of the whole people of Jud^h and A< M. Benjamin f became obliged to dwell at Jerufalem^ though J47S, ire. thofe who came voluntarily were better received. ;lm' clui^ While the walls of the city were building, there from' Ezra happened a kind of mutiny among the common people, iv- 7 to the .which might have been of fatal confequehce, had it not <\nd ' al! been timely compofed : For the rich taking the advantage and 'pan of of the meaner fort, had f exacted heavy ufury of them, Hagg Zech. infomuch, that they made them pay the centefima for all and Mal- the money that was lent them, i.e. one per cent, for H- ""^T"-1 every month, which amounted to vnt\\e per cent, for theprefiioriof whole year. This oppreffion reduced them fo low, that ufury, and they were forced to mortgage their lands, houfes, and£enerous tenements, and even to fell their children into fervitude, 1;^™" ° to himfelf; and the moft holy perfons both in the Old and NewTefta- ment, in particular cafes, have practifed it. The wife man ac knowledges the ufefulnefs of this cuftom, when he tells us, that the lot caufeth contention to ceafe, andparteth between the mighty, Prqv. xviii 18. ; and therefore it was no bad policy (as things now floor) to take this metiod of decifion, fince the lot (which all allowed was under the divine direction) falling upon fuch a perfon, rather thari another, would be a great means, no doubt, to make him remove more cont-ntedly to the city ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Lot. f Thtfe were the two tribes, that anciently poffeffed jerufalem, which ftood partly in one tribe, and partly in the other ; for which reafon, in fome places of Scriptuie, Jerufalem is reckoned as he- longing to the children of Judah, Jofh. xv. 65. and Judg x>iii. and in others, to the children of Benjamin, Judg. xxi. 28. ; but What part of the city belonged to the one, and what to the o- ther, is not fo well agreed among learned men. Since tbefe two tribes, however, were the ancient inhabitants of tbe city, there was all the reafon in the world, why, in this fcarcity of inmates, they, above *ny others, fhould be obliged to come and dwell there ; Pa trick's Commentary. f This ufury was the more grievous, becaufe it was not only con trary to thek law aid demanded at a time when they were hard at Work, and their enemies threatening to deftroy theni all ; but (as fi me have obferved) that the twentieth of Ahafuerus (whei einthis was done) hegan about the end of a f.ibbatical year after the law, which forbad every creature ;o exact any debt of his neighbour or his brother, Deut. XV. z had been fo frequently read. Thn railed the cry of the poor to a greater height, havirg been forced to fell their children, t, S 2 'and 508 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book "VII. A. M. to have f wherewith to buy bread for the fupport of them- An/'ch- k'ves an0* their families; which being a manifeft breach 519, ire " of the law of God, (for (h) that forbids all the race of from Ez.-a Ifrael to fake ufury of any of their brethren), Nehemiah,. 1V'f. t0,!^e as foon as he was informed thereof, refolved to remove fo Efth'. Neh. great an iniquity. And accordingly having called a general and pan of affembly of the people, wherein he fet before them the Hagg. Zech. nature 0f the offence, how great a breach it was of the divine law, and how heavy an oppreffion upon their bre thren ; what handle it might give their enemies to reproach them ; and how much it might provoke the wrath of God againft them all ; he caufed it to be enacted, by the general fuffrage of the whole affembly, that every one fhould re turn to his brother whatever he had, exacted of him upon ufury, and fhould likewife releafe all the lands, houfes, and tenements, that he had, at any time, taken Of him upon mortgage ; which act prefently removed all uneafi- nefs, and pacified the minds of the people. The governor himfelf indeed was fo far from counte nancing any manner of oppreffion, that he did not exact the daily revenue of forty fhtkels of filver, and the con- ftant furniture of his table with provifions ; but remitted thefe, and all other advantages of his place, that might any way be troublefome and chargeable to the people. Nay, he not only refufed the allowance which was due to him, and deprived now of all power of redeeming th-'m, becaufe their lands were mortgaged to tbefe opprefkrs ; Patrick's Commen tary. ¦\ Not long before this there had been a great fcarcity for want of rain, which God thought proper to with-hold, in punifhment for the people's taking more care to build their lv.ti houfes, ihan his, as we. read, Hag. ir 9. ire. In which time' the rich had no compafli n on their' poor brelhien, but forced them to part with all they had for bread ; and n< w (what made- ihem ftill more miferable) anciher dearth was a me upon them, which might eafily happen, firm the multitude ol people that were employed in the repair' ol the walls ; from the buikinj>-wo'h, which hindered them from providing for their iamilies fome other way ; and from the daily dre^d they had of their enemies, which might keep them from going abroad to fel;ch in provifion, and the country- people from bringing it in; Patrick's Lcn.v.ent'ary ; and Pool's Annotations . (h) Exod. xxii. 25. as Chap II. from the Babylofnifh Captivity, (3e. 5og as governor, but, at his own charge f, kept open houfe, A. M. entertaining every day at his table an hundred and fifty of ws< ire the Jews, and their rulers, befides ftrangers ; for which he £"" CtlC conftantly allowed an ox, fix fat fheep, and fowl in pro- from Ezra portion, and, oo every tenth day, wine of all forts. Be- '"¦ ' to the {ides this, he gave (/), many rich prefents to the temple ; ™ft^; ll\ and, by his generous example, encouraged othere, both and part of princes and people, to do the like. Hagg.Zech. _ Thus Nehemiah, with great honour and applaufe, ha- and Mal' ving executed the commiffion with which he was fent to Be/c^rne""* Jerufalem, at the expiration of the time which was allow- remTns to ed him, he returned to Sufhan, according to his promife court> he to the king. . But before he did that, ¦f Ezra the learned S^"^-. fcribe, at the requeft of the people, produced the book of pal people the law, which he had now completed, and having divi- £gn a cove- ded the company into feveral parts, he (with thirteen. nant' priefts more) read from a wooden pulpit f, and as he went + From this great and daily expence, it feems moft probable, either that Nehemiah had large remittances from the Perfian court (even befides his own eftate) to anfwer it, or that he did not con tinue at Jerufalem for the whole twelve years together ; or that, if he did, he did not continue this expeniive way of houfe-keepinu all the time, but only during the great and prefent exigencies and^dif- trefles of the Jews, which ceafed in a good meafure after that the walls Were, built, the act againft ufury palled, and thc people dif charged to their ordinary courfe of maintaining themfelves and fa milies'; Pool's Annotations; and Le Clere' 's Commentary. (i) Neh. vii. 70. ire. f This Ezra, without all controverfy, was the fame Ezra who came from Babylon to Jerufalem, in the feventh of Artaxerxes, with a full commiffion to affift Zerubbabel in the reformation of the whole ftate of the Jewifh church. After the death of Zerub babel, the whole adminiftration devolved upoii him ; but rs his com miffion lafted but for twelve years, upon its expiration Nehemiah fucceeded to the government, and we hear no more of Ezra, until he is here called upon to read and expound the law to the people ; Whether (as fome think) he returned to Babylon, to give the peo ple an account of affairs in the province of Judea, or whethr, in this intermediate time, he employed himfelf (in fome retirement) in the great work of preparing a new and current edition of ihe Holy Scriptures, of which we (hall give a full account in our next diflertation ; Patrick's Commentary ; and Pool's Annotations. ¦f- This pulpit was to raife him up higher than the people, the better to be feen and heard by them ; but we are not to think, . that 5 1 o The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book \<1I. A. M. went along, expounded it to them. This they all liftened Ant Chrift t0 w"'1 a very devout attention, J and celebrated the en- sis, ire. ' fuing feaft of tabernacles with great gladnefs of heart ; and from Ezra on a day appointed for a folemn faft, confeffing their own ,V A- % ^ns' anc* deprecating the judgments due to the iniquity of Efth. Neh. their fathers ; acknowledging the omnipotence of God in and part of creating and preferving all things, and enumerating his gra- HaSS^ech- cious mercies in their fundry deliverances from their ene- , mies and perfecutors, they made a covenant with him, that they would walk in his law, which was given by Mofes ; and (to oblige themfelves to a more -J- ftrkt performance of this covenant) it was ordered to be ingroffed, that the princes, priefts, and Levites, might fet cheir -f hands _and feals that it was made in the faihion of ours, which will hold no mors than one perfon ; for (as we may obferve by the very next words) it was made large and long enough to contain fourteen people at once ; Patrick's Commentary on N'h. viii. 4. % The words in the text are, Since the days of Jofisua, the fon ef Nun, unto that day, had not the children of ifrael done fo, and there was very great gladnefi, Neh viii. 1 7 But it can hard ly be thought, that this ieftival had never been obferved fn.ee Jo- Ihua's time ; becaufe we read in the foregoing book 01 Kzri, that it was kept at their return from Babylon ; but the meaning is, that the joy fince that time had never been fo great, as it was upon this occafion ; for which the Jews themfelves affign this reafon, viz. That in the days of Jofhua they rejoiced, becaufe they had got pof feffion of the land of Canaan, and now they equally rejoiced, be caufe they were reftored, and quietly fettled in it, after they had been long eaft out of it ; Patrick's Commentary. f The obfervances, \\ hich they chiefly obliged themfelves to in this covenant, were, ift, Not to make interman inges with tbe Gentiles. 2dly, To obferve the Sabbaths and Sabbatical years. 3dly, To pay their annual tribute for the reparation and fervice of the temple. Aiid, 4thly, To pay their tithes and firft- fruits for the maintenance of the priefts and Levites : From which particulars thus named in this covenant, we may learn what were the law:- of God, which hitherto they had been moft neglective of, face their return from the capiivity ; Prideaux' s Connection, anno 444. f It fignified little indeed what fuch untoward people pro niifed ; for what regard would they have to their own hand writing, who regarded not the ten commandments, wriiten on tables of ftone by ihe finger of God ? It was very uleful however, that there, Ihould be a public inftrument to cenvince them Chap. II. from the Babylonifli Captivity, (3c g 1 1 feals to it; and thofe who did not fet their feals, of what A. M. age, fex, or condition foever, did bind themfelves with an 347S, &e. oath punctually to obferve it. Ant' <™rlf' But, notwithftanding all this precaution, Nehemiah had from Ezra not been long come from Jerufalem, before the people re- iv- ?• tottie lapfed into their old corruptions; which, in a great mea- ^h; ^ fore, was owing to the mifmanagement of f Eliafhib the and "pan of high-prieft, who, being by marriage allied to Tobiah, the Hagg- Zech. Jews great enemy, had allowed him an apartment in the a"dMal. temple, in the very place where the offerings, and other rjponhis things appertaining to the priefts and Levites, ufed' to be coming a- repofited. So that when Nehemiah returned from the Per- gain, he ei- fian court with a new commiffion for the reforming of all jjj T "J""' abufes, both in church and ftate, he was not a little furprifed monite, to find fuch a grofs profanation of the temple, and that fromhaving chambers fhould be provided in the houfe of God for one an aPart" , , , , , • n ¦ ment in the who was a declared enemy to his worlhip. tejnpk them of their impiety, and that they might be publicly confound ed when they proved perfidious deferters, by fhewing them, un der their own hands, their engagements to future fidelity ; Patrick's Commentary. •j- Some are apt to imagine, that this Eliafhib was no more than a common prieft, becaufe he is faid to have had the overfight of the thambers of the houfe of God, Neh. xiii. 4, which was an office too mean (as they think) for the high-prieft. But we cannot fee why the overfight of the chambers of the houfe of Cod-may not import the whole government of the temple, which cettainly belonged to the high-prieft only ; nor can we conceive how any one that was lefs than abfolute governor of the whole temple could make fo great an innovation in it. He was afliftant indeed in the reparation of ihe walls of the city ; but excepting this one act, where do we read of his doing any thing worthy of memory, towards the reforming of Whai was amifs either in church or ftate, in the times either of Ezra or Nehemiah ? And yet we cannot but prefume, that had he joined with them in fo good a work, fome mention would have been made of it in the books written by them. Since therefore, inftead of this, we find it recorded in Ezra, (chap, x 18.), that the pontifical houfe was, in his time, giown very corrupt, and, not improbably, ny his connivance, began to marry into Heathen families, (Neh. xiii. 28.), it feems moft likely, that it was Kliathib the high-prieft, who was the author of this great profanation of the honfe of God ; but as he might die before Nehemiah returned from Babylon, for this reawn, We hear nothing of the governor's reprehending him for it; Pri- ftwux's Connection, anno 428. He 5i2 . The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book "VII. A. M. He therefore refolved td put an end to this ; but found AnV'ch Y himfelf under a neceffity of proceeding with caution in the 519, &c.' affair, becaufe f Tobiah had infinujited himfelf into the from Ezra good opinion of moft of the people, and efpecially thofe of iv. 7. to ihe note> The firft ftep therefore that he took towards this entl; all .. . I ,- . . , Efth. Neli. reformation was, to convince tnem ot their error, by cau- and part of fing the book of the la.v to be read publicly, and in the Hagg.Zech. hiring of all the people ; fo that when the reader came to , _ * , that place in Deuteronomy, wherein- it is commanded, that (k) an Ammonite or Moabite \ fhould not came into the con gregation •J- By his making two alliances With families of great note among the Jews : For Johanan his fon had married the daughter of Mefhul- lam the fon of Berechiah, (Neh. vi. 18. — iii. 4-), who was one of the chief managers of the building of the wall of Jerufalem, under the direction of the governor ; and he himfelf had married the daugh ter of Shecaniah the fon of Arah, another great man among the Jews ; by which means he had formed an intereft, and was looked upon as a worthy man, though (being an Ammonite) he could not but bear a national hatred to all that were of the race of Ifrael ; Pri- deaux's Connection, anno efie\. (k) Deut. xxiii. 3. ¦f- They who, by the congregation of Cod, in this place, do under ftand the public affemblies for divine worfhip, lie under a gr^Jt mif- take ; for no man of any nation was forbidden to come and pray unto God in the temple. Men of all nations, indeed, that were will ing to become profelytes, were admitted into the Jewifh communion ; and, if they fubmitted to be cirorncifed, were allowed to cat the paffover, and to enjoy all the privileges that true Ifraelites did, except only in the cafe of marriage; and therefore this phrafe of not enter-> ing into the congregation oj the Lord, muft be underftood to mean no more than a prohibition of marriage : for this (according to their rabbins) was the cafe of fuch prohibitions. None of the houfe ot If rael, of either fex, were to enter into marriage with any Gmtiles, of what nation foever, unlefs they were firft converted to their reli gion, and became entire profelytes to it ; and even in that cafe, , fome were debarred from it for ever; others only in part; and others again only for a limited time. Of the firft fort were all .-.f the' feven nations of the Canaanites, mentioned in Deut. vii ; of t] e fe cond fort were the Moabites and the Ammontes, whofe males were excluded for ever, but not their females; and of the third fort were the Edomites and Egyptians, with whom ihe Jews might not marry nfjtil the third generation: but with all others who were not of thefe three Chap. II. fi-oro the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 5i? gfegation of God, even to the tenth generation for ever; they' a M. being fenfible of their tranfgreifion in this refpect, fe^irated nit, ire. themfelves immediately from the mixed multitude, which 4nt' rllri/* gave Nehemiah an eafy opportunity of getting rid' of To f/om'Ezra biah, who was an Ammonite ; and therefore he ordered iv. 7. to the the people, while they were in this good difpofition, to calt emi ; a11 his furniture out of the facred chambers, and f to have diem ™' ^rf^f cleanfed again, and reftored to their former ufe. Hagg!zech. Among other corruptions that grew up during the go and MaI- , vernor's abfence, there was one of which (as he was a con- ~fi — ^ ftant frequenter of the public worfhip) he could not but °Pa"mehnCt take notice, and that was, the neglect of carrying on the of tithes. daily fervice of the houfe of God, in a proper and decent manner. For the tithes, which were to maintain the mini fters of the temple in their offices and ftations, being either embezzled by the high-prieft, or with-held by the laity, for want of them the Levites and fingers were driven from the temple into the country, to find a fubfiftence fome other way : and therefore, to remedy this abufe, he forthwith ordered the people to bring in their tithes of corn, wine, and oil, into the treafury of the temple ; and having ap pointed proper officers to receive and diftribute them, three excepted forts, they might freely make intermarriages when ever they became thorough profelyies to their religion. At prefent, however, becaufe, through the confufious which have fince happen ed in all nations, it is not to be known who is anAmmoniie, who an Edomite, a Moabite, or an Egyptian, they hold this prohi' ition to have been long out of date, and that now, any Gentile, as foon as profelyted to their religion, may immediately be admitted to make intermarriages with them ¦, Prideaux's Connection, anno 428. •f- The method of purifying any thing or perfon that was legally unclean, is thus defcribed : For an unclean perfon, they jhall take of ihe afhes of the burnt heifer of purification for fin, (i e. of the heifer that was facrificed on thc great day of expiation)-, and running water fhall be put thereto in a veffel, which being after wards {trained off and kept for this purpofe, a clean perfon, i. e. the prieft, (for to him the work of purifying is appropriated, Lev. xiii.) fhall flprinkle upon the unclean perfon; and on the feventh day at even, after having bathed himfelf, and wafhed his cloaths, he fhall be deemed clean ; but it is very likely, that things inanimate were, immediately upon their- being fprinkled with this water of fepa ration, as it is called, (Numb. xix. o.), repined clean; Patrick's Commentary. Vol. IV. 3 T he 5 14 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book \ II. A. M he recalled the abfent minifters, and reftored every thing to 347s, j^' jts former order. sio &'¦ The negle£k of the fervice of God had introduced a pro- fi-oin Ezra fanation of the Sabbath : for, during Nehemiah's abfence, iv. 7. to ihe the Jews had not only done all manner of fervile works on Ffth Neh tkat c'a7' ^ut ^a^ permitted ftrangers, Tyrians, and and part -.f others, to come and fell their fifh, and other commodi- Hagg Zech. ties, publicly in the ftreets of Jerufalem. Againft thefe anc. Mai. ^^(-.j an(j irregular practices, Nehemiah remonftrated to A more t'le chief men of the city with fome warmth ; and, to let ftri&obfer- them fee that he was refolved to make a thorough refor- vat-on of mation in this matter, he gave a ftrict order, that, towards tie abbautjie eveniTig, before their Sabbath began, the city-gates fhould be fhut, and not opened, until the Sabbath was o- ver : And to have this order more duly executed, he ap pointed f fome of his own fervants for the prefent to guard the gates, that no burthen might pafs through on the Sab bath-day. So that when the merchants and other dealers came, and, finding the gates fhut againft them, took up their lodgings without the walls in hopes of felling to the country people, (though they could not to the citizens), the next day he threatened to take them into cuftody, if they did not go about their bufinefs ; and to this purpofe, appointed a guard of Levites f to take up their ftation at the gate, and to flop all comers in, that might any way profane the Sabbath. And a dif- Another reformation, and the laft indeed that we find nlawful° recorded of Nehemiah, was his diffolution of unlawfulmar- nurrijges. riages among the Jews. Their law ftridtly forbad them to make intermarriages with any foreign nations, either by giving their daughters to them for wives, or by taking their daughters to themfelves ; but, fince their return from f It feems as if matters were come to that pafs, that he could not truft the common porters of the gates ; and therefore appointed fome of his own domeftics (who, he knew, would neither be carelefs nor corrupted) to fee that the gates were kept fhut, and all traffic prohi bited ; Patrick's Commentary. f There afon why he appointed the Levites to this office of keeping the gates on the Sabbath-day, was, becaufe he not only thought, that, by virtue of their character, they would meet wih more defe rence and refpect than his domeftic fervants, but that when he and his fervants were gone from Jerufalem, he was refolved to have this watch continued, until this evil cuftom of admitting dealers into the city on the Sabbath-day was quite broken; Patrick 's Commentary. captivity, Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 515 captivity, people of all conditions had paid fo little regard A- M- to this command, that even the pontifical houfe (which °f W/ciit'f all others ought to have fet a better example) was become Sif, ire.' polluted with fuch impure mixtures, infomuch that Joiadarrom Ezra the high-prieft had a fon, who married the daughter of ^'d7 t0(t]he Sanballat the Horonke, who, at that time, very probably Efth. Neh. was governor of Samaria. and part of Thefe mixed marriages (befides many other damages Hi!f^e]':l1" that accrued to the ftate) would in a fhort time (as he ob ferved to them) quite corrupt their native language f, be caufe he perceived, that the children already began to fmat- ter the fpeechof their foreign parent ; and therefore he re- . quired them all, under the penalties % (which he inflicted upon ¦f What the natural language of the Jews at this time was, whe ther the Hebrew or Chaldee, is matter of fome inquiry among the the learned. Thofe who fuppofe that it was Hebrew, produce the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Efther, befides the prophecies of 'Daniel, which, for the moft past, were written in Hebrew, and •which they fuppofe the authors of them would not have done, if Hebrew at that time had not been the vulgar language. But to this, it is replied, That thefe Jewifli authors might make ufe of the Hebrew language in what they wrote, not only becaufe the things which they recorded concerned the Jewifh nation only, among whom there were learned men enough to explain them ; but chiefly becaufe they were minded to conceal what they wrote from the Chaldeans, Who at that time were their lords and mafters, and, confidering all circumftances, might not perhaps hive been fo well pleafed with them, had they underftood the contents of their writings. Since it appears then, fay they, by feveral words occurring in the books of Maccabees, the New Teftament, and Jofephus, that the language which the Jews then {poke was Chaldee ; that this language they learned in their captivity, and, after their return from it, never affumed their an cient Hebrew tongue, fo as to fpeak it vulgarly, it hence muft follow, that what is here called the language, of the Jews, and their native tongue, was at that time no other than the Chaldee, for the ancient ¦Hebrew was only preferved among the learned ; Le Clere s Com mentary. % There are fome things in the text, which, as they are made to proceed from Nehemiah's own mouth, and appear in our tranfla tion, found a little oddly : / contended with them, and curfied ¦them, and fmote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, chap. ¦ xiii. 2,. But the fenfe of thefe words is no more than this : / intended with them, i. e. I expoftulatcd the matter with them. / 3 T 2 cwrhd 5} 6 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book V Hi A. m. upon feme: that were obftinate) to put away their wives, 347 s, •&"• and to have no more communion of that kind with any fo- Ant C^"' reign nation : In which he proceeded with fuch impartiali- from Ezra ty, that when the fon of Joiada refufed to quit his wife, he iv. 7 to the ordered him immediately to depart the country f ; which Fnt ' xr\, accor(lingly he did, and, with feveral others that were in and part of the like circumftances, went, and fettled under his father- Hagg Zech. in-law in Samaria. andVMal. Thefe were fome of the reformations which Nehemiah, as a wife and pious governor, made in the Jewifh church and ftate. But, after his death, it was not long before the people relapfed into the fame enormities ; for which reafon we find Malachi f , the laft prophet under the law, , and curfied them, i. e. excommunicated them, in tbe doin£; of which I denounced God's judgments againft them. I fmote certain of them, i. e. ordered the officers to beat fome of the moft notorious offend ers, either with rods or with fcourges, according to Deut. xxv. 2, And I plucked off their hair, i e. I commanded them to be fhaved, thereby to put them to Ihame, and make them look like vile fkyes : For, as the hair was eftctmed a great ornament among eaftern na tions, fo baldnefs was accounted a great difgr^ce ; and, to inflict thefe feveral punifhments upon them, Nehemiah had a fufficient pro vocation, becaufe, in their marrying with Heathen nations, they had aJted contrary, not only to the exprefs law of God, bui to thek own late folemn covenant and promife, Ezra x 19. ; Pool's Anno tations. f • Jfifepbus relares the matter, as if this expulfion had been ef fected by the power ot the great Sanhedrim : But whether the Sr.n- heirim was at this time in being or no, (as we have no clear f nor fa daughter fhalt thou take to thy -fon. And the reafon of the* law is afligned in die following verfe : For " very maid-fervants and concubines fhut up at home, from feeing " any hut their own family ; ' and when they travel, they, carry th m " in covered waggons, and lodge them under tents fhut >up, and " quite clofed round ;" Le Cterc's Commentary. (r) Le Gere's Commentary on Efther vi. 10. (s) Ibid, on ver. i;. / (t) Chap. ix. 5. 16. (u) Chap. iii. 9. (x) Neh. i. 15. (y) Dent. vii. 1. 3. 4. they Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 521 they will turn away thy fons from following me, that they A- M- may ferve other gods : For did not Solomon, (z) king of Ifrael, ^"'cW; (as Nehemiah argues with the people), fin by thefe things ?5\f, ire. ' And if fo great a man as he, who excelled all mankind in from Kzrl wifdom, was not fafe from the feducement of thefe out- ^c,7.' ta°11tte landifh women, how fhall ye be able to preferve yourfelves Rfth. Neh: from their enticements ? And yet (as Mofes goes on in his and Part of reafoning) (a). Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; "af^jch' and the Lord hath chofen thee to be a fpecial people unto him- j felf, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Here then is an exprefs law, enforced with weighty rea- fons, againft thefe Pagan marriages : And therefore, finee whatever is done contrary to law, is ipflo facto null and vqid, thefe marriages with idolatrous women, which were ftrictly forbidden by God, were (properly fpeaking) no mar riages at all ; and the children, which proceeded from them, were in no better condition than thofe whom we call ba- ftards. (b) No interpofition of civil authority was there fore needful to diflblve thefe marriages. The infidelity of the party efpoufed was as much an interdiction^ as any of the moft proximate degree of confanguinity, which, by the laws of all civilized nations, is known to vacate the marriage; But even fuppofe that the civil authority thought pro per to interpofe in this matter, yet wherein had the Jews any reafon to complain, if, in juft punifhment for their wilful breach dff a known and pofitive law, they were excluded from cohabiting with thefe illegal wives ? The Jews, I fay, efpecially, who for every light and trivial caufe \ made: no feruple to give even their lawful wives a bill of divorce ment, and might therefore, with much lefs difficulty, be fuppofed willing to repudiate thofe whom the laws of their (z) Neh. xiii. 26. (a) Deut. vii. 6. (b) Patrick's Com- i|ieatary on Ezra x. 2. ' ' f The fchool of Shammah, who lived a little before our Saviour, taught, that a man could not lawfully be divorced from his wife, < unlefs he had found her guilty of fome action which was really in famous, and contrary to the rules of virtue. But the fchool of Hil- lel, who was Shammah's difciple, taught, on the contrary, that the leaft reafons (fuch as, if fhe did not drefs his meat well, if fhe was not agreeable to him in perfon or tempt r ; or if he found any other woman that he liked better) were fufficient to authorife a man to put away his wifej Selden s Uxor. Hebraiea, lib. 3. c 18. Vol. IV. 3U God 522 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. Ri. God (for fear of their catching the infection of idblatry) 3475, ire had forbidden them to live with ? Ant. Chrii. gt paui indeed, is not for turning away an unbelieving from Ezra wife, in cafe fhe is willing to dwell with her hujhand ; but iv 7. to the then he fuppofes, that this couple were married when they Efth'Nh were bot!l heathens, and in a ftate of infidelity, in which and pan of cafe there was no law, either divine or human, forbidding Hagg.Zech. them to marry, (whereas in thefe Jewifh marriages with and Mai pagans, the prohibition is ftrict) ; and therefore, as there ^fffif^TfT was no fin in their coming together at firft, and the Chri- The differ- „. ,..,,,., 1 1 ence oftheft^n religion (whether it was the man or the woman that cafe which embraced it) made no alteration in the cafe, his advice is, StPaul puts. tiiat tiiev continue to dwell together, even though they be of different perfuafions in matters of religion ; becaufe (as he farther adds this reafon) (c) The unbelieving hufhand is fandtified by the wife; and how know eft thou, 0 man, [but that by thy peaceable cohabitation with her, thou mayft convert, and fave thy wife ? Though therefore the apoftle is not for encouraging a- ny feparation between hufhand and wife upon account of their difference in religion, when their marriage was pre vious 'to either of their converfions to Chriftianity • yet (if we will make him confiftent with himfelf) we muft allow, that he is utterly averfe to all mixed marriages with infidels, when, in his following epiftle, he advifes all Chriftians, (d) not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers ; for what communion, fays he, has light with darknefs, or what concord has Chrift with Belial? &c. Whereby he gives us to think, that he efteemed all marriage with Heathens illegal, and that had the apoftle, at that time, been either of Ezra's or Nehemiah's council, he would have given his vote for their diffolution among the Jews. In what We own indeed, that it is a very gracious ^declaration of fenfe chil- God, Behold all fouls are mine, as the foul of the father, fuffer °or° f° a-^ f^e f0U^ °f ^e -f0n *s m*ne ' *^a1: fiU^ ^at flnneth, their pa- it fl>all die ; but then we are to confider, that as jife fig- lents offen- nifies, in general, all that happinefs which attends God's ces* favour, fo death denotes all thofe punifhments which are the effects of divine difpleafure ; and among thefe, the miferies of the next world are chiefly intended. Thefe indeed fhall be allotted to men, according to their own ; demerits, without any regard to the faults of their fore fathers, which .fhall neither be laid to their charge, nor (c) 1 Cor. vii. 16. (d) 2 Cor. vi. 14. made Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, tiff. 523 made an aggravation of their guilt ; but as tojemporal e- A. M. yils and calamities, it cannot well otherwife be, but that, 3475, ire, ki the very courfe of things, children ihould fuffer for the kai' chJ}c inquiries of their parents. f ^ Ez£ Though therefore it may feem a little hard, that the chil- >v. 7 'o the dren fhould be included in their mother's divorce, yet the S.'jjj ; alj laws of moft. nations have determined this point: and" part of That children are to follow the condition of their mothers, Hagg.Zech. be it what it will, and confequently as they are unlawfully aud MsL born, they muft of courfe be alienated from the family, at ^P^tT"' the fame time that the mother is repudiated, and in virtue children by of that very law which declares her marriage to be null, mixed mar- So that it was no arbitrary act in Ezra to abdicate the j^?'Jj"r'.ght children, as well as tbe mothers : though (e) to prevent the away. danger of their corrupting the other children of the family, (if they were allowed to ftay), and of fofinuating themfelves fo far into their fathers affections, as to prevail with them in time to recall their ejected wives, might be motive e* aough to a prudent ruler (confidering the then fituation of affairs) to put the law rigidly in execution. As this however was an act of the government, wherein Ezra, and other good men who feared the Lord, were concern ed, we may reafonably prefume, that fome provifion was made for the maintenance, and perhaps the education of thefe poor children, in the principles of the Jewifh religion, at the public charge. How long Nehemiah was in finifhing the walls of Jeru- And how falem, interpreters are not agreed ; becaufe fome of them 'lle ™alls °^ fuppofing the fpace of two and fifty days, (f) mentioned m;ght be in the Scripture, to be too fhort for the perfecting of the built in fif- whole, have- begun their computation from the time that jy-two Nehemiah returned his anfwer to Sanballat's firft rrieffage, a* ' and others from the time that the ftone-wall was finifhed, and fo allowing the whole fifty-two days fpr the perfecting of the reft. But if we look into the compafs of time, from Nehemiah's being at Shufhan, to the day of the month when the walls are faid to have been finifhed, we fhall find, that no more than fifty-two days could well be allowed for the perfecting of the whole. It was (g) in the firft month called by the Jews Ni- fan, that Nehemiah was at Shufhan, and obtained of the king leave to go to Jerufalem : And though we have no exprefs account, what time he {pent in his journey, and (e) Pool's Annotations, (f) Neh. vi. 1 j. (g) Chap. ii. 1. 3 U 2 when 5 2 4 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. when he game to Jerufalem ; yet if we may make a con- J47Ivf"-rjccture from the time that Ezra expended in the fame jour- j "s, &c. ne7, we can fcarce fuppofe that he arrived at Jerufalem be- fro.n Ezra fore the end of the fourth month. Ezra fet out on the iv. y. to the f]rfl. jay 0f tne nrft month. He made a (h) fhort ftay in- fcftiV Neh. deed at t'ie "ver A-hun ; but it was the firft day of the and part of fifth month before he reached Jerufalem. Nehemiah Hagg.Zech. Could not poffibly fet out fo foon in the year, becaufe his j^d_M^' commiffion (i) from the king, and inftructions to the "TVW~^ neighbouring governors, muft have taken fome time in paf- fing through the feveral offices : and therefore we can fcarce fuppofe that he reached Jerufalem fooner than the time fpecified ; and from thence to the twenty-fifth day of the fixth month, (including the three days of reft that he gave himfelf before he began), the fpace will be much about fifty-two days, wherein we fuppofe that the whole work was finifhed : (k) For if Alexander the Great (as Arri- anus and Curtjus relate) built the walls ,of Alexandria (which were feven miles in compafs) in the fpace of twenty days , why fhould it be thought a thing incredible, that a vaft number, not of hired but voluntary men, full of zeal for the work themfelves, animated by the example of their rulers, and ranged and diftributed in a proper manner for difpatck, fhould, in almoft thrice that fpace of time, be ^ble to finilh a work of lefs cornpafs ; when they had long fummer-days for it, plenty of ftones, and other materials hard at hand, the foundation of the wall unrazed, fome parts of it ftanding entire, only fome breaches here and there to be amended ; and when their defign in the whole , was, not to ftudy curiofity but ftrength, and to provide themfelves with fuch a fortification for the prefent, as would fecure diem from any fudden invafion of their enemies ? The amhor How (/) long Nehemiah continued at the Perfian court, °" ^ehho0^ after his return from Jerufalem, the facred hiftory nowhere ah, not pro- informs us. It tells us indeed, that he came back again after fufc .in his certain days ; but fince the word Tamin, which we render praife. days, does equally fignify years, and in many places of the Hebrew Scriptures is ufed in that fenfe, we cannot but won der how the generality of chronologers, as well as commen tators, came to overlook this fenfe of the word, and in fo doing, to make Nehemiah's flay at Shufhan much fhorter (/;) Eiraviii. iy. o,\. (i) Neh.ii. 6. ire. (k) Patrick's Commentary, and Pool's Annotations on Neh. vi. if. (/) Pri- ^efiux's Connexion, anno 458. rhau Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 525 than it poffibly could be. For fince he bad been twelve A. M. years in reforming what he found amifs among the Jews, 3475, ire. and Ezra had been doing the fame fo. thirteen years before 4nt CJ^'1* him ; they muft, one would th.nk, have brought their re- (^m Ezra formation to fuch a ftate and ftability, that a little time iv- 7- to the could not been fufficient lo totally to have unhinged it : ^}S; £u. ' And therefore we may conclude, th it hU abfence at court, and part of which gave room for thefe irregularities to grow to fuch Hagg.Zech. an height, was not for certain days, but for fome years and Ma1, , continuance ; and confequently that the author of this part "'* " of his life had no intention, either to magnify his good of fices, or to relate any thing incredible concerning him ; fince, though he acquaints us with fundry corruptions that had fprung up, yet he makes the time of his abfence (if we take his words in their proper fenfe) long enough for that purpofe. That Nehemiah was the writer of the account of his own Though he government in Judea, (for that is the fubject of his book), ""gnt >n moft interpreters are agreed : (m) And, as he appears in COmmend that character, it cannot mifbecome him to give the world him ; a narrative how himfelf behaved in that high ftation ; tho', in doing of this, he could not avoid the faying of fomething in his own commendation, unlefs he had been minded, out of his exceffive modefty, to conceal from pofterity (which it had been invidious to do) an excellent example of his extraordinary virtue, and love of his country. St Paul, no doubt, was a very modeft man : (n) He durft not, as he tells us, make himfelf of the number, or com pare himfelf with fuch, as commended themfelves ; and yet, in the very next chapter, (that (0) he might ftop the mouths of falfe apoftles, and covetous people), we find him telling the Corinthians, that he preached the gofpel to them freely, and without defiring any contributions of them for his ne- ceflary fupport : (p) I robbed other churches, fays he, ta king wages of them, to do you fervice ; and when I was pre fent with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man ; / For in all things I. have kept myfelf from being bur- denfiome to you, and fo will I keep myfelf ; and as the truth of Chrift is in me, no man fhall ftop me of this boafting in the regions of Achaia ; for what I do, that I will do, that I (m) Patrick's Commentary on Neh. v. 19. (n) 2 Cor. x. 12. (0) chap. xi. 7. (p) ibid. ver. 8. ire. may 526 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. ttiay cut off occafion from thofe that defire occafion, that where- 3475, i>c. in they glory, they may be found even as me ¦¦ And after all Ant' C^'f' mis, can any find fault with Nehemiah, for telling his read- from' Ezra er» that (q) what was prepared for me daily, was an ox fv. 7. to the cvid fix choice fheep, fowls in proportion, and once in ten days, FfWi' n h ¦ftore °f a^ f6rts f w'ne ' yet for a^ ^'s' re9u're^ not I t^,e and part of bread of the governor, i. e. the allowances which were made Hagg. Zech to the governors appointed by the kings of Perfia, to pro- and Mai. yyg them a table, becaufe the bondage was heavy upon this ~^""""" people, and they not in a condition, without much difficul ty, to maintain themfelves : Wherefore think upon me, O God, for good, according to all that I have done for this peo ple. And es- To ferve God for nothing, or purely for his own fake, peels a re- js a not;oa tnat perhaps may comport with our glorified God well ftate, where our fervice will be attended with vifion ; but, •nough. at prefent, it is too romantic, and what the author of our beings expects not from us. He who made us, and fet the fprings in our nature, knows very well, that we are princi pally moved by hopes and fears, and for this reafon has propounded rewards and punifhments to us ; nor did we ever find it (till now) accounted a flaw in the character of the worthies of old, or an indication of their mercenary fpirits, that in all their good works or fufferings, they (r) had a reflpeB to the recompense of the reward which God the rig hteous judge had promifed to give unto his faithful fer vants. Why Ezra Ezra, no doubt, was at this time a man of great efteem n"? a 4,e among his brethren, and no lefs favoured in the Perfian icnbcofthecourt » otherwife Artaxerxes would never have granted God of him a commiffion to reform and regulate the affairs of the heaven. Jewifh church, fraught with fuch ample powers. Ever fince that time, the Jews have looked upon him as ano ther Mofes, who (as Mofes was the giver of the law) re vived and reftored it, after it had been in a manner quite loft and extinguifhed in the Babylonifh captivity. There is fome reafon to believe therefore, that (s) this fcribe of the law of the God of heaven, was the ufual title or appella tion of honour, whereby Ezra was dignified and diftin- guifhed among his countrymen ; and that Artaxerxes might take it upon common report, and fo infert it in his commiffion as the name, whereby he was generally ftylcd a- (q) Neh. v. 18. (r) Heb.xi. 36. (j) Efther vii. 12. ninng Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 527 morig the Jews, without ever giving himfelf time to confi- a. m. der what wa$ the full purport and intendment of it. 3475, ire. But if even tie did attend to this, yet, as the Heathens Ant- a^{' had different kinds of gods, celeftial, terreftrial, and in- from' Ezra feraal, he might eafily reconcile this to his own principles, iv. 7. to the only by fuppofing that this God of the Jews was one of the e£*'> *", celeftial order, and (though a deity peculiar to them) aad *paret ^ might neverthelefs be reverenced and worfhipped by him in Hagg.Zech. conjunction with his other gods. and Mal- But, after all, if we reflect a little on the eafe and indo lence, and, in a manner, total fequeftration from all bufi nefs, wherein thefe great monarchs of the eaft were ufed to indulge themfelves, we fhall find reafon to believe, that Artaxerxes knew nothing of the matter. If he be the fame who goes under the name of Ahafuerus in the book of Efther, he had been impofed on by Haman to confent to a bloody decree againft the Jews with fo little thought and confideration of what he was about, that (t) he did not fo much as remember the perfon at whofe inftiga- tion it was done : And yet, notwithftanding the great Hiifchief which this negligence of his might have brought upon him, we find him inftantly finking into the like fleepy and carelels temper, (u) Write ye for the Jews (fays he to Mordecai and Efther) as it liketh you, in the king's name, and fleal it with the king's ring, and whatever is ihus wrote and fealed, no man may reverfe. And, by pa rity of reafon, why may we not fuppofe, that when Ezra applied to court for his commiffion, the whole form of drawing it up was referred to him, and fuch other Jews, as he thought proper to take into his council ? For, Write ye, as it liketh you, -in the king's name, might (in one cafe as well as in the other) be all that the king had to fay to the matter. And indeed, if we look into the contents of the commiffion itfelf, we fhall foon perceive that, it muft have been drawn by fomething more than a Heathen hand. For rf Ezra himfelf had been to dictate the words, ftow could he have expreffed the tenor of his commiffion more fully than in thefe : , (x) Forafmuch as thou art fent by the king, and his feven counfellors, ta inquire concerning Judah and Jerufalem, according to the law of thy God, which is in thine hand:. What Jewifh king could have given more pious inftructions than thefe : (y) And thou Ezra, after the (t) Either vii. y. (it) Ibid. viii. 8. (x) Ezra vii. 14. fyi Ibid. ver. 25. wifdom 528 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. wifdom of thy God, fet magiftrates and judges, fuch as know A*" 'ch'i the ^aws °f {fy G°d> and teac^ ye t^em tha* kmw the™ not ? sz9 ire. And where can we find a livelier fenfe of God's lupreme from Ezra authority, and of that regard which is due from the greateft iv- 7; toche kings and potentates to his commands, more emphatically Efth.' Neh. expreffed than here : Whatfoever is commanded by the God of and part of heaven, let it be diligently done for the houfe of the God qf hea-. |lag Zech. ven ? q verba, i (as Jacobus Capellus, in a kind of rap- f" . * ' ture, cries out)," Uteris aureis regum palatiis inferibenda, at- w que adeoftylo adamantine fidelium omnium animis inficulpenda : Words fit to be written upon the palaces of kings in letters 'of gold, and engraven on the minds of all the faithful with a ftyle of adamant. The author (z) Who the author of the fix firft chapters of Ezra of the book waSj js a matter of fome uncertainty ; though it is general ly agreed, that the fame hand which compofed the two books of Chronicles was concerned in writing that pait of Ezra, becaufe the Chronicle concludes with the very fame words wherewith the hiftory begins, which, in ancient au thors, to connect the thread of the difeourfe, (as Grotius obferves), is no unufual thing. The Jewifh doctors indeed are chiefly of opinion, that thefe Chronicles were written by Ezra. But this can hardly be, becaufe the author (who ever he was) continues the (a) genealogy of Zerubbabel to the twelfth generation, which is lower than Ezra lived. Nor can Ezra be the author of the fix firft chapters of the book which bears his name, becaufe iht perfon who, wrote it (b) is faid to have been at Jerufalem in the time of Darius Hyftafpes; whereas Ezra fc) did not go thither-until ihe xeign of Artaxerxes. It is moft likely, therefore, that Ez ra, upon his coming to Jerufalem, might meet with certain annals or memoirs kept of ihe feveral tranfactions that had happened fince the tin e of the people's return from capti vity, and that to thefe (after he made an extract of fuch i as were true and authentic) he added a farther continua tion of the hiftory of his own government. For, that the four laft chapters of the book were of his own com- pofing, is evident from this teftimony. (d) And at even ing facrifice, I arofe up from my heavinefs, and having rent my garment, and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and fpread out my hands unto ihe Lord. Then follows the prayer (z) Hnetii Dcmonft. prop 4. (a) 1 Chron. iii. 19, (b) Ezra v. and vi. (<:) Chap. vii. (d) Chap. ix. 5. which Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 529 which he made, and immediately it is fubjoined, (e) Now A. M. •when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confeffed, and eaft 3*7 s, ire. himfelf down before the houfe of God: Which plainly fhews, ^ £1"if' that Ezra was the author of that part of the book, which from Ezi-a fpeaks of himfelf in the firft perfon. iv- 7 to die And, in like manner,, that Nehemiah was the writer of gnfth' ^h What is reputed his, feems to be evident, (/) not only from and part of his Own declaration in the front of it, (which was the HaiK Zecn- practice of Herodotus, Thucydides, and other ancient hi- and M*1- ftorians in thofe days), but from the teftimony of the Jew ifh church likewife, which all along received it into their canon, and from the approbation of the feventy interpre ters, .who, from the very firft, gave it a place in their tranf lation under that name. There is fome difficulty, indeed, in reconciling the ac- a grofs count of Jofephus concerning Sanballat, and what is re-m'ftikein corded of him in Nehemiah. Jofephus (g) tells us, " That ]c°C^™i' " he, being made governor, of Samaria under the laft sanballat " Darius, married his daughter to one whofe father had- and the age " been high prieft of the Jews, and that when his fon in " n lie " law was thereupon driven out of Jerufalem, he obtained " leave of Alexander to build a temple on mount Geri- " zim, like that at Jerufalem, and to make him the " prieft thereof." Now, to make this accord with what we read in Nehemiah, (h) the general opinion is, that there were two Sanballats, the firft the Sanballat of the Holy Scriptures, and the other the Sanballat of Jofephus ; and that there were two marriages contracted by two different perfons, fons of two different high-priefts of the Jews, with two different women, who were each daughters of two dif ferent Sanballats ; the firft the daughter of the Sanballat of the Scriptures, and the other the daughter of the San ballat of Jofephus, and that he who married the firft of them was the fon- of Joiada, but he who married the fe cond of them was the fon of Johanan, and brother of Jad • dua. But there is no reafon to have recourfe to this per- plexed folution, feeing that Jofephus has incurred a pal pable miftake in point of chronology. For, (i) fince this marriage was confummated while Joiada, the fon of Elia- (e) Ezra x, r. (/) Hnetii. ibid. (g) Jewifh Antiq: lib. t i , c. 7. and 8. (h) Prideatix's Connection, anno 409. (i) Neh xiii. 28. Vol. IV. 3 x fllib' 530 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book Vll. A. M. fliib, was the high-prieft of the Jews, even in the fifth 347S, ire. year of his pontificate ; (k) and fince he entered upon that An» C&cl omce> in the eleventh year of Darius Nothus, who reigned froinV.zi-a in all nineteen years, it muft follow, that the licence which iv. 7 to the Sanballat obtained for the building of a temple at Samaria, Ffth N t was not fr°m Alexander, but from this Darius, in the fif- andpart of teenth year of his reign, and above eighty years before the Hagg Zech. Darius Codomannus whom Alexander vanquifhcd was andMal- known. There is no occafion, therefore, to fuppofe any i ~*~"~ more Sanballats than one, or to extend his life to any im moderate length ; only we may perceive, that Jofephus was under a miftake in placing this Sanballat under the reign of Codomannus, who fliould have been placed under a for mer Darius, firnamed Nothus ; and confequently, that all he tells us of this Sanballat's attending Alexander in his wars, and obtaining of him a licence to build a temple, is a mere fiction founded on that miftake ; becaufe, in Alexander's time, tbe Samaritans, by murdering Andromachus, his governor of Syria, had fo incenfed that great conqueror againft them, that, inftead of granting them any favours, (/) we find him making all the havock of them that he could. The author Who the author of the book of Efther was, the opi- of the book n;ons 0f tiie learned are various.. Some afcribe it to Ezra, unknown. otners to Mordecai, others to Mordecai and Efther in con junction, and others again to the joint labours of the great fynagogue, who, from the time of Ezra to Simon the juft, fuperintended the edition and canon of Scripture. Thofe who contend for Mordecai have thefe words to al ledge in his behalf ; (m) And Mordecai wrote thefe things, and fent letters unto all thc Jews, that were in all the pro vinces of King Ahafuerus, and the Jcivs undertook to do as Mordecai had written to them : (n) But the thing is evident, that thefe words relate, not to the book itfelf, but to the circular letters which Mordecai fent to the Jews, in all the provinces of the Perfian empire, fignifying what a mighty deliverance God had vouchfafed them, and, in commemo ration of it, inftituting an annual feftival to be obferved for ever1. Jt^enu'mc- A.ncl '"deed the inftitution of this annual feftival, and its nefs. continued obfervation, is a ftanding proof that this hiftory of Efther is real, and not fictitious ; fince we can hardly (i) Pa.'iick's Commentary. (/) Jofeph. contra Apion, lib. 2. (m) Either ix. 20. 23. (7;) Huctii Demonft. propof. 4. conceive. Chap. II. from the feabylonilh Captivity, (3c. 531 conceive, how a wife nation fhould at firft appoint, and A.'M. afterwards continue the celebration of this folemn time of i475' t'': feafting and rejoicing every year, merely becaufe a certain ^9 °^f man among them had once the good fortune to write an a- fromEzra greeable fable or romance; much lefs can we conceive, iv 7 tothe from what motive a whole affembly of learned doctors p^fj Neh fhould receive a writing of no better character into the ca- and part of . non of their Scriptures, or (to make it of more univerfal HaKg-«ch. ufe) fhould honour it with a Greek tranflation. "^l^Lj It muft be owned, indeed, that no foreign author has objections taken any notice of this piece of hiftory ; but the reafon againft it hereof is obvious, viz, (0) becaufe the authors who wrote ani"ue,cd- of the affairs of Perfia at thi:. time, entered no farther into them than as they were coincident with the affairs of Greece ; and though the fix laft chapters of this hiftorvare not tq be found in any Hebrew copy, yet Origen is of opi nion, (p) that once they were extant, though now loft, and that from it the Septuagint formed their tranflation ; though others (with more probability) think, that (as the hiftory of this memorable tranfaction might be recorded by divers hands) there were once two Hebrew copies of it, one in a larger, and the other in a lefs volume, and that, as the lefs is what we have at prefent, from the larger has pro ceeded the Greek copy, with its fundry additions. Haman, we read, was an Amalekite, one of that na- Why Mor- tion (q), againft which God had pronounced a curfe ; and decaiwould therefore, upon this confideration, Mordecai might think "ence "jHa- himfelf not obliged to pay him the reverence which he ex- man. pected ; and, if the reft of the Jews had the like notion of him, this might be reafon fufficient for his extending his refentment againft the whole nation. But there feems to be fomething more in the reverence which the people were commanded to pay him, than what is the effect of civil re fpect. The king of Perfia, we know, expected a kind of divine adoration from all that approached his prefence ; (r) as we read of one Timagoras, upon whom the people of Athens paffed fentence of death, for his worfhipping of ^ Darius, accounting the honour of their whole city debafed by this mean fubmiffion of one of their citizens, though at that time Darius was one of the greateft monarchs upon earth. And as the kings of Perfia did arrogate this to them^ felves, fo they fometimes imparted it to tueir chief friends , (0) Huetii Demonft. propof. 4. (p) Patrick's Com mentary, (q) Exod. xvii. 14- (r) Valer. Max. lib. 6. c. 3. 3X2; and 5 3 2 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII* A- M. and favourites, as it feems at this time to have been the cafe An't'chr'T. w't!l Hainan. For we can hardly conceive, why the king sif, ire fhould give a particular command, (j) that all his fervants from Ezra fhould reverence him, it by this reverence no more is in- iv-fi t0 the tended than that they fhould fhew him a refpect irritable to Efth. Neh his ftation: But now, if we fuppofe that the homage ex- and pan of petted from them was fuch as came near to idolatry, (t) We Hagg- Zeih- need not wonder, that a1 Jew fhould deny that honour, or i1; ,_. tf the outward expreflions of it, to any man, fince the wife and fob.er Grecians did pofitively refufe to give it to the very kings themfelves. And that this was the cafe before us, the author of the apocryphal additions to the book of Either feems to imply, when he introduces Mordecai as praying in ¦ thefe words. -¦' — («) Thou knoweft, 0 Lord, .that it is not Contumacy, nor pride, nor defire of vain glory, that makes me not worfhip Haman ; for I would willinglf kifis his feet for the fafety of Ifrael. But I tjo it, that I may not .prejer the glory of a man, to the glory of God, nor adore any one but thee, my Lord, alone. . \ The con- Though we are far from pretending to apologize, either duct of A- for the injuftice of Ahafuerus in abdicating his queen, or Efther^and ^or tric conduct of Efther in going to his bed, yet a good Mordecai, deal of this might be refolved into the cuftom of a nation, in fome where the king was abfolute, and his fubjects mere vaffals; ^'™e *f" where the wil] of the prince, I fay, was a perfect law, arid a plurality of wives and concubines reputed honour able. This, however, may be faid in behalf of Ahafuerus, that he did not divorce his wife without firft confuhing his counfellors, and fuch as were heft acquainted with the laws! "* . of their country ; and therefore, if there was any iniquity in it, they were the perfons chiefly to be blamed, who repre fented the queen's difobedience as a crime of fuch a dan gerous nature, that it would have had a noxious influence upon the whole -nation, had it not been feverely pnnifhed; And this may be faid in excufe for Efther. that the words which we render (x) fhe was brought, may equally fignify fhe was taken away, viz. by violence ; (y) for (as the Tar gum upon this paftage^relates the matter) " Mordecai, " hearing of the king^s edi& for tbe colle&ion of all the " beautiful virgins in his dominions, hid his coufin in a « private place, where the officers could hot find her ; but (s) Either iii. 2. (?) Pool's Annotations on Efther iii. (u) -Efther xiii. 12. ire. (x) Efther ii. 8. ly) Patrick's Comincntary. " when Chap. II. from the Babylonifli Captivity, (3c. «? '''"when Efther (whom all the neighbourhood knew to be a A. M. " great beauty) was miffing, an order from the king to 347; , ire- " Mordecai was procured, which, upon pain of death, ob- 4nt' S^"1" " liged him to produce her." However this be, it is cer- from Ez'ra tain, that the perfons whom the king took to his bed in iv- 7- to the this manner, were not reputed harlots, but became his p"dh; a11 lawful wives, though wives of an inferior degree ; and there- lnd p!^t of fere it is no great wonder, that Efther, in thefe circum- Hagg.Zech. ftances, (though a very virtuous woman), fhould confent ; and Mal- nor can we tell, but that Mordecai and fhe mighT have a *~" ""*"— "^ difpenfition from God, (as God, no doubt, can difpenfe with his own laws), fuppofing there were any contrariety to the divine laws in this tranfaction. To account for the humour of princes, and their ma- "Why Aha- tiagement of public affairs, is next to a thing impoffible. fuerus did We fee, even among us, that great men are fometimes un- Mordecai' m.ndful of the higheft fervices tbat are done them, andatfirft. take no care to reward them, efpecially if the perfon be in himfelf obfcure, and not fupparted by a proper recommen- duion. And therefore we are not at all to wonder, if a prince that buried himfelf in indolence, and made it a part o^ his grandeur to live unacquainted and unconcerned wuh what paffed in his dominions, (as this was the cuftom of moil eaftern kings), fhould overlook the great fervice which Mordecai had done him, or if he ordered him a reward, that, by the artifice of thofe at court, who were no well- wifhers to the Jews, he might be difappointed of it. There feems, however, to have been a particular direc tion of Providence, in having his reward delayed till this time, when he and all his nation were appointed to de- ftruction, when the remembrance of his fervices might be a means to recommend them to the king's mercy, and the honours conferred on him a deep mortification to his ad- verfary. Thefe honours indeed were very remarkable; but by Haman's manner of propofing them, they feem to have been the ufual marks of diftinction and efteem, that the kings of Perfia conferred on thofe whom they were minded to make confpicuous ; and fo far was Mordecai from being elated with them, that as foon as the folemnity was over, we read, that (z) he returned to his duty, and attendance at the king's gate. Wily Ha- . He had declared himfelf a Jew, to fatisfy the people at.™^.™* court, that he could not, with a good confcience, comply predict- Ms ruin from (z) Efther vi. I2. Mordecai's with being a Jew. 53+ The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book "VII. A. M. with the king's command relating to the reverence which AnVchrif was t0 '3e Pa'^ to Haman : and the interpofition of Provi- szg, ire. dence in behalf of die Jewifh nation, even during their from Ezra captivity, had been fo vifible, that the wife men about Ha- IV'7; t0.. man might, from experience, form a conjecture, that if Efth! Neh. their God was become their friend, (as by this ftrange turn and part of of affairs in favour of Mordecai it looked as if he was), HaS8-Zl:cn' no weapon forged againft them would profper ; becaufe they v - — ^_. had feen fo many plots, which would have crufhed any other nation, turn to their advancement, as well as their enemies deftrudtion. The advice (a) which Achior gave to Holofernes, is founded upon the known experience of thofe times, and befpeaks a man well acquainted with the ftate of the Jews : Now, therefore, my lord, and governor, if there be any error in this people, and they Jin againft their God, let us confider, that this will be their ruin. But if there be no iniquity in their nation, let my lord now pafs by, left their Lord defend them, and their God be for them, and we become a reproach before all the world. Confidering, then, that Mordecai was of the feed of the Jews, a people whom God had wonderfully raifed from under great op- preflions, and that, at this time, there was a defperate de fign, by Haman's management, carrying on againft ihem, Haman's wife men might eafily, and without the fpirit of prophecy, divine, (b) that as Mordecai (whom they knew to be a man of great courage and wifdom) was now got in to the king's favour, it would not be long before he would find an opportunity of applying to him (who was a perfon of a mild difpofition) for a revocation of the bloody decree which Haman, by impofing upon his credulity, had pro cured, and confequently of ruining Haman in the king's good graces. For the known inftability of court- favours, and the little quarter that diere is given to rivals or ene mies, made it no hard matter, from Mordecai's advance ment, to read Haman's deftiny. That Ha- Haman, indeed, was outrageoufly bent againft the Jews, have alftneand what he offered the king in lieu of the damage which his money that revenues might fuflain by the deftruction of fo many of his the Scrip- fubjects, is a prodigious fum for any private man to be owner tions. " °^ > but we read °^ feveral fuch perfons in hiftory, who, in (a) Judith v. 20. 21. (b) Pool's Annotations, and Patrick's Commentary on Efther vi. 13, thofe Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 535 thofe ancient times, were poffeffors of much greater. Pi- A. M. thius the Lydian, for inftance, (c) when Xerxes paffed in- ^'ct^c to Greece, was poffeffed of two thoufand talents of filver, s "^ fr"1 ' and four millions of daricks in gold, which, together, a- from Ezra mounted to near five millions and an half of our Sterling iv- '¦ tothe money : And (d) Marcus Craffus, the Roman, after he ^h. Neh. had confecrated the tenth of what he had to Hercules, and part of feafted all the people of Rome at ten thoufand tables, and HaSS Zech- given a donative of corn to every citizen, as much as would anc . *'j laft him three months, found the remainder of his eftate to be feven thoufand one hundred Roman talents, which amount to above a million and an half of our money. This may feem a little ftrange to us at prefent ; but our wonder will ceafe, if we confider, that, from the time of David and Solomon, and for fifteen hundred years afterwards, the riches of this kind were in much greater plenty than they are now. The prodigious quantities of gold and fil ver which Alexander found in the treafures of Darius ; the vaft loads of them which were often carried before the Ro man generals, when they returned from conquered pro vinces ; and the excefiive fums which certain of their em perors expended in donatives, feafts, fhows, and other in ftances of luxury and prodigality, are of this proof fuffi cient : (e) But at length the mines of the ancient Ophir, which furnifhed all this plenty, being exhaufted, and by the burning of cities, and devaftation of countries, which followed upon the eruptions of the Goths, Vandals, and Huns, and other barbarous nations in the Weft, and of the Saracens, Turks, and Tartars, in the Eaft, a great part of the gold and filver, which the world then abounded with, being wafted and deftroyed by this means, the great fearcity of both, which afterwards enfued, was occafioned ; nor have the mines of Mexico, Peru, and Brafil, been, as yet, able fully to repair it. The great fum which Haman would have given to gra- How the tify his revenge againft the Jewifh nation, was an addi- Jews ,«ne tional provocation to them, no doubt, to flay every one t0 flay fo who came to annoy them ; but then, it muft be confider- ?" ed," that, in this, they acted by virtue of an edict, which authorized theni to ftand upon their own defence ; that they were not the firft aggreffors, but only oppofed thofe (c) Herodotus, lib 7. (d) Plutarch, in Craflb. (e) Pri- deatix's Connection, anno C43. that 536" The tfiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A- M. that openly affauked them, and were for putting an unjuft A47l-Ch 'f decree m execution againft them ; and -as the Amalekites, 5x9] ire. who might be difperfed throughout the Perfian dominions, from Ezra were the known and inveterate enemies of the Jews, and, 1V- 7- m Jhe following now the fortune of Haman, might be for- Efth.' Neh. w*rd enough to execute the decree which he had procured and part of againft them, it is therefore reafonably prefurned, that moft Hagg. Zech. 0f thofe whom the Jews, in their neceffary defence, both "fif -fffi m Shufhan and in the provinces, did deftroy, were of that "" devoted nation ; and that, by this their {laughter, the pro phecies againft Amalek were accomplifhed. And the .However this be, we cannot take leave of this wonder- wonderful- ful deliverance of the Jewifh nation, without making this nefs of their one reflection upon it, viz. (f) "That though, in the efcape. (t wnoie) there was no extraordinary manifefiation of God's " power, no particular caufe or agent, that was, in its " working, advanced above the ordinary pitch of nature ; " yet the contrivance, and fuiting thefe ordinary agents ap- " pointed by God, is, in itfelf, more admirable, than if " the fame end had been effected by means that were truly " miraculous. That a king fhould not fleep,, is no unu- " foal thing, nor that he fhould folace his waking thoughts " by hearing the annals of his own kingdom, or the jour- " nals of his own reign, read to him, n, that this defect was foon remedied ; that copies were taken of the original law that was then found in the temple ; that fearch was made in the fchools of the prophets, and in all o- ther places where they could be found, for the other parts of Holy* Writ, and tranferipts formed out of thefe like- wife ; fo that, in a fhort time, all that were defirous to know the law of their God, either bjr writing them out themfelves, or procuring others to do it for them, were ( g) Ezra vii. 6. (h) Vid. Chald. Paraph, in Malach."; and Buxtorf in Tiberiade, c. %. (i) Vid. Irenxum adverfus Hasref. Jib. 3. c. ic. ; Tertul. be habitu mulierum, c. 3.; Hieronym. .contra Helvidium ; Angnft. De miraculis Sacra: Scrip, lib. 2. ; and Chryfoft. Hom. 8. in Ep. ad Hebrseos. Vol. IV,. 3 Y furnifhed 538 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, BookVIi; A. M. fornifhed with copies both qf the law and the. prophets. An" Chrif. Within a few years indeed, the city and temple were det S19, ¦ire. ftroyed, and with them was the authentic copy of the lav/s_ from Ezra which was repofited in the temple, burnt and confumed ; end7- tal|ae'3Ut before this calamity befel the Jews, all the facred wri- E1 h' feh. tings then extant were got into private hands, and carried and part ofaWay with them into captivity. anUvfal0'1 That Daniel had a copy of the Holy Scriptures with him k_— — ^j in Babylon, is certain, becaufe (k) he not only quotes the law, but makes mention likewife (/) of the prophecies of the Prophet Jeremiah, which he could not have done, had he not had them by him. That, at the finifhing of the tem ple, (which was in the fixth of Darius, and above fifty years before Ezra came to Jerufalem), copies of the law were in common ufe, no one can doubt, who reads, how the priefts and Levites were fettled in their refpective func tions, (m) according as it is written in the books of Mofes : and that when the people called for the Scripture, to have it read unto them, they did not requeft of Ezra to get it a- new dictated to him, but that he (nj would bring forth the book of the law of Mofes, which the Lord had commanded If rael; which plainly implies, that all the people well knew, that this book was then extant, and needed not fuch a mii raculous expedient as that of a divine revelation for its re covery. lint only But if Ezra did not reftore the Scripture in this man^ published a j queftion is, what he did towards it ? Now, to ' corrt-a edi- .'. 1 • . » tion of this it may be anlwered, that, upon his coming to Je- $hem. rufalem, (0) he ¦ got together as many copies as he could meet with, either in private hands, or public re- pofitories; that, by comparing thefe copies one with ano ther, he found out the true reading, and fo corrected all the miftakes that had crept into them, either through the negligence or ignorance of tranferibers ; that, having thus made the copies perfect, he collected from them all the books of which the Holy Scriptures did then con^ lift, (for fome books that appear later were admitted after this time), difpofed them in their proper order, and fo far fettled the canon of Scripture, that, for the illuftration, connection, and completion of thefe books, (k) Dan. ix, 1 r. 13. (/) Ibid. ver. 2. (m) Ezra vi. 18, {») Neil, viii, J. (0) prideaux's Connection, anno 446, (efpecially- Chap. II., from the Babylonifh Captivity, &e. 529 (efpecially fuch as were hiftorical), he added fome paffages A. M. that were not in them before, and changed fome names 34-7J, &r. that were then grown obfoletej -for fuch as were more mo- * "t- °"''- dern, and better underftood, which, as he was a prophet, from Ezra he was authorifed to do ; that having thus made the books, iv- 7- tothe in all their parts, perfect and intelligible, for the ftill great- ^ $lh er eafe and convenience of the vulgar, he caufed the whole and pan of to be wrote out in the Chaldee character, which (after the Hagg.Zech. Babylonifh captivity) was in general ufe among the people, and Mal' fo that the old Hebrew letters were, from that time, laid """"V"-"*9 afide among the Jews, and only retained by the Samaritans ; and laftly, that to afcertain the reading of this introduced character, he added the vowel-points that are now found in our Hebrew Bibles : But whether this was of his doing, or the work of fome later hand, is a matter of much debate among the learned. Thofe who maintain that Ezra (whom all held to be whetherhe a prophet) was the author of thefe points, and that they, added the confequently, are of the fame authority with the text itiV0]^ct"; ^r- felf, argue in this manner, That when the Hebrew guments on language ceafed to be the mother-tongue of the Jews, (as both fides. all agree it did after the Babylonilh captivity), it thence be came in a manner impoffible to teach it, without the affift ance of the vowel-points ; and therefore, at leaft, they- muft have begun in the time of Ezra, and continued iii ufe ever after ! That two ancient books, called Bahir and Zohar, which are faid to have .been written, the one a little before, and the other a little after the time of our Saviour, make exprefs mention of thefe points in more places than one : That whereas it is faid, on the other fide, that the Maforites of Tiberias (above five hundred years after Chrift) were the inventors of thefe points ; this appears unlikely, becaufe the fchools which the Jews once had in Judea were at this time all fuppreffed ; nor was there any number of learned men left in the nation, of fufficient ability for fuch a work : And, laftly, that if it be allowed that the prefent points are not of the fame authority with the letters them felves, but only of a late and human invention, this will weaken the authority of the Scriptures, and leave the fa cred text to an arbitrary arid uncertain reading and inter pretation. • . Tf Thofe who maintain the contrary opinion, viz. that thefe vowel -points are of a later date than Ezra, fortify themfelves with fuch arguments are thefe, — That the fa- 3 Y 2 cred 54° The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. cred books, which the Jews make ufe of in their fynagogue- A^Chnu ferv'ce> neither have, nor ever had, any of thefe points in j»9, ire. them, which can only be imputed to this, • That when from Ezra the Holy Scriptures began firft to be publicly read in the fy- ,v- ft- 1» the nagogues, (which was prefently after this edition which Efth. Neh. Ezra made of them), there were no fuch vowel-points then and part of in being: That if we compare the tranflation of the Sep- Hagg Zech. tuagint, the Chaldee paraphrafes, or the Latin verfion of , St Jerom, with the prefent pointed Hebrew Bibles, we fhall in feveral places find, that they read the text otherwife than according to the prefent punctuation ; which is an argu ment that thefe points were either not in being, or not in any great authority in thofe times : And laftly, that if we confult Philo Judseus, or Jofephus, who are two of the oldeft authors of the Jews, or any of the ancient Chriftian writers, for feveral ages after Chrift, we fhall not find one word mentioned of thefe points, though they could not but have fondry occafions to take notice of them, if either they had been in ufe, or of fuch great credit and authority with the Jews, as is pretended. And therefore (to anfwer the arguments on the other fide) they alledge, that the books of Bahir and Zohar are not near fo ancient as they are repu ted ; that for above a thoufand years after their pretend ed compofure, the Jews themfelves knew nothing of them, nor were they once mentioned by any author whatever du ring that interval ; and therefore there is reafon to think, that a falfe date of antiquity was fraudulently put to then, to give them fome fanction, and to recommend them to the world with a better credit. That the Maforites of Tiberias were certainly in being a long time in Judea, and in their way of learning were not a little eminent ; for St Jerom himfelf informs us, that he made ufe of them : That though there may be fome diffi culty in reading without points ; yet fince we find that the Samaritans, who underftand Hebrew no better than the Jews, have no points to this day, yet can read the Hebrew text, in the Samaritan character, we need not doubt but that cuftom, good fenfe, and the coherence of the dif- courfe, will fupply rules for the remedying of thefe incon- veniencies. And laftly, fince there is no language in the world, wherein there are not feveral equivocal expreflions, which may occafion an ambiguity in the fenfe ; tho' points in this cafe may be of fome ufe, yet they cannot totally fe cure us from error, becaufe faults in tranferibing or print ing, and variations in pointing, are unavoidable. Ta Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c 541 To accommodate the matter then, as well as we can, be- a. M. tween thefe contending parties ; though thefe vowel-points 347s, ire. were never anciently efteemed any part of the facred Scrip- Ant- <^ciC ture of the Old Teftament, but only additions of human in- f/0m' Ezra vention, for the more eafy reading of the text, becaufe iv. 7 to the they were never received by the Jews (to whom were com-c.nd; a11 mitted the oracles of God) into the books which were read ^'^ in their fynagogues ; yet we have good reafon to conclude, Hagg.Zech. that upon the Hebrew's ceafing to be a vulgar language, (as ""d Mal- it certainly did in the time of Ezra), they muft of neceffity -ff^^fT^* have been introduced. fio^of X When every child learned the Hebrew tongue from controver- his cradle, it was no hard matter for thofe who thus un- {1- derftood it by rote, to learn to read it by the letters only, without the vowels ; but when it became a dead language, the cafe was altered : (p) For then, inftead of underftand ing it firft, in order to read it, they were firft to read it, in order to underftand it ; and therefore having not the previous knowledge of the language to direct them herein, they muft neceflarily have had fome other helps, in order to know with what vowel each fyllable was to be pronounced; and to give them this help, the vowel- points feem certainly to have been invented ; aud therefore the time of this invention cannot be placed later than the time when they became neceffary, i. e. when the Hebrew became a dead language, and fo was acqukablc no other way than by ftudy and inftrudtion. From this necellity of inftrudtion, and probably not long after Ezra's edition of the Holy Scripture, there fprung up a fet of men" among the Jews, whofe profeffion it was to write out copies of the Hebrew text, and to preferve and teach the true reading of it. What they did of this kind, is called by the Jews the Maforah, i. e. the tradition; be caufe they pretend to have the true reading (as the Talmu- difts pretend to have the true interpretation) of the Scrip tures handed down to them from generation to generation. However, as their whole bufinefs was to ftudy the true , reading of the Hebrew text, to preferve it from being corrupted, and to teach it to others, it is highly probable that they were the firft inventors of vowel-points, becaufe the whole ufe of thofe points was to be fubfervient to this purpofe. (fi) Prideaux's Connection, anno 446, X ' But 542 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VII. A. M. But though thefe points might be invented by the Hebrew AotS'ciiriC grammarians> whom we call Maferites, much earlier than. S19, ire. fome will allow ; yet, from their late appearance in the from Ezra world, it feems very probable, that as at firft they might 1 "'f- '"if16 invent them only for their private ufe, fo, for fome time, Efth. Neh. they might referve them to themfelves, and teach them on- and part of ly to their fcholars. For the Jews, we muft know, had Ha&j^cn- aneiently two forts of fchools, thofe of the Maforites, and , thofe of the Rabbins : The former taught only the Hebrew language, and to read the Scriptures in it ; but the other taught their pupils to underftand the word of God, and all; the interpretations of it. Thefe were the great doctors of divinity among them, to whom the Maforites were as much inferior, as the teachers of grammar-fchools among us are to the profeflbrs of divinity in our univerfities. As long therefore as thefe vowel-points went no higher, than the fchools of the Maforites, they were not much re garded among their learned men ; and this is the reafon why we find no mention made of them either in the Tal mud, or in the writings of fome ancient fathers, from whom it might have been expected. But after. the publication of the Talmud, the Jewifh doctors thought it advifeable, in order to preferve the right reading of the text (as the Mifh- na and Demara were fuppofed to preferve its right interpre tation) to take this punctuation of the Maforites into their, divinky-fchools, and having reviewed and corrected it with great care, they added it to the text, and fo gave it all the venerable afpedt that it now bears. But though thefe vowel-points were added to the text by fuch perfons as underftood the language perfectly, and har ving fince undergone the review and correction of many a- ges, may be juftly accounted a work, as complete in its kind, as can be done by human art ; yet fince it was only done by human art, it is no authentic part of the Scrip tures : And therefore thefe points are not fo unalterably fixed to the text, but that a change may be made in them, when the nature of the context, the analogy of grammar, or the ftyle of the language, fhall give a fufficient reafon for it ; efpecially confidering, that notwithftanding their exact fixation at firft, they are ftill liable to the miftakes of tranferibers ancLprinters, and by reafon of their num ber, the fmallnefs of their figures, and their pofition under the letters, are more liable to fuffer by them than any other fort of writing whatever. ' So Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, &c. e±? So that, upon the whole, it appears, that though thefe A. m. vowel-points were not affixed to the Hebrew text by Ezra U1S' irc: himfelf ; yet were they of early date after his edition of the *,"' j C^i£ Holy Scriptures : that, though they did not immediately from' Ezra appear in the world, nor are taken notice of by any writer iv ' toche of repute for many ages after ; yet this was occafioned by j^' Jl11, their being confined to the fchools of the Maforites, who in and part of all probability were the firft inventors of them : And tho', Hagg Zech. being of human invention only, they cannot be fuppofed and Mal- of equal authority with the text itfelf ; yet are they of excel- ThTr^ihlt' lent ufe for the prefervation of its right reading, and for of \hl " ' the prevention of innumerable perplexities and ambiguities, whole. that would otherwife be incident to it. The learned are not a little divided concerning the rife The origiB and antiquity of the Jewifh fynagogues : For fome contend, of fyna" that they were in ufe under the tabernacle and firft temple, S0^"- whilft others affert, that they had no being until the times of the captivity. The former, in behalf of their opinion, urge, (q) that, as in the wildernefs, the court of the taber nacle could not contain the hundredth part of the worfhip pers of the God of Ifrael, and, as in the promifed land, the temple was too far diftant for devout perfons of every tribe to refort to it every Sabbath-day ; there was a necef fity for other places to be appointed for the fervice of God, that the fenfe of religion might not be extinguifhed and loft. To this purpofe they obferve, that the Levites were difperfed in feveral cities, and the prophets and fons of the prophets fettled in their refpedtive colleges, that they might be ready at hand, upon all occafions, to expound the law, arid inftruct the people in their duty, whenever they met together for that purpofe. And therefore we find the Shunamite's hufband thus expoftulating with his wife ; (r) •wherefore wilt thou go to the man of God to-day, feeing it is neither new-moon, nor the Sabbath ,• which plainly implies, that at fuch ftated feafons as thefe, the cuftom was' to re- fort to fuch teachers for inftrudtion : And, if this was the cuftom, there is no queftion to be made, but that proper places were appointed for their reception. It is an unworthy imputation therefore to think, that fo many temples fhould be built for idol-worfhip, and yet none- fhould have zeal or piety enough to ere_dt a fynagogue for the God of hea ven, or that the Pharifees fhould fet up thefe ufeful inven tions, and yet the elders and prophets, and holy men un der the Old Teftament, fhould want them. ¦ * (q) Mede's works, lib. 4. p. 10,49. W 2 Kings iv. 23. Thefe 544 The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book\ll. A. M. Thefe are the principal arguments on that fide ; but the An/chrif mence °f Scripture feems to be a itrong confutation of S2.9, ire. them : For had. thefe places of religious worfhip been in from Ezra ufe among the Jews in the time we are now fpeaking of, end7- t0n we cannot conceive why there fhould not as frequent a Efth! Neh. mention have been made of them in the Old Teftament, and part of as there is in the New. The common therefore, and indeed Ija2 *LZjctl' the moft probable, opinion is, (s) that there were no fuch , things as fynagogues built before the captivity of Babylon and the deftrudtion of the temple ; that the Jews feeing themfelves carried away into a ftrange country, where they had no temple for divine fervice, came to a refolution of building fuch houfes as were afterwards called fynagogues, there to be inftructed in the law, and to worfhip the God of their fathers, in the beft manner they could, on every Sabbath-day ; and that, upon their return, finding the great cbnveniency of fuch like buildings, they erected the fame in their own country, as they had done before in the land of their captivity, and herein were followed by the Jews of the difperfion, in all parts of the world wherein they lived. After Ezra had fet forth a correct edition of the law, the prophets, and oiher facred writings, that were extant in his time, his next care was to appoint proper perfons, viz. the moft learned of the Levites, and other feribes, that were well {killed in thefe writings, to read and ex pound them to his people, (t) This, no doubt, they did at firft in the fame manner that himfelf had done, i. e. by gathering the people together in fome wide ftreet, or open place of the city, that was of the fitteft capacity to receive them. But, in the wet and winter feafons of the year, the inconvenience of this came to be felt ; fo that, in procefs of time, they erected houfes and tabernacles, wherein to meet for th\s purpofe : And this was the true caufe and Original f of fuch edifices in Judea. Synagogues (s) Jurieu Hiftoire des dogmes, parti, c. 17. (/) Prideaux's Connection. + Mr Baftiage, in his hiftory of the Jews, is of opinion, that the origin of fynagogues was not until the reign of the ^.fmonseans, fome few ages before Chrift, and he imputes it to this occafion : The zealous traditionifts, who made long commentaries up on the law, thought it a crime to keep the people (whofe applanfc they mightily defired) in ignorance of them ; and inftead of con fining Tlie Jewifli Synacrocrue . Oiap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 545 Synagogues were public edifices, fituate either within a M. or without their city, and generally- in an elevated place, ws, ire. (u) They were ufually raifed above any private houfe, (ex- 4nt' c*lrif' 1 cept when there was an interdiction from the civil power), ftom'Ezra . becaufe the Jews have a notion, that it is a diflionour to iv. 7. to the God to have his houfe inferior, nay, fo much as .equal, to ent}; a" thofe of men, and in whatever city this happens, they fmfpim'of threaten it with a fpeedy deftrudtion. They are always Hagg.Zech. roofed, and covered over, and by this are diftinguilhed and Ma!- from the profeucha, which were commonly in the fields, f^Tf~^J and open to the heavens. In the midft of them there is a tionoT?~ defk, or pulpit, made very probably in imitation of that, them. which (as (x) we read) Ezra made ufe of, from whence the book of roll of the'law is read very folemnly, and from whence both he that expounds it, or he that- preaches to the congregation at any time, always delivers himfelf. At the upper end of the fynagogue, and over againft the door, which ever ftands to the weft, there is a cheft, or prefs, "wherein the book qf the law is kept, wrapt in a fine em broidered cloth, and (what is uncommon in our churches) during tbe time of divine fervice the women are feparated from the men, and feated in a gallery inclofed with lat tices. • Every town, wherein there were ten Batelnim, i.e. ten where they ..perfons of full age and free condition, always at lejfure wel'f built> .fining their explications to Jerufalem, where they found themfelves .too much (lighted and confined, they carried them into everv city, where there were oratories, and public places of afTcmbly. Befbre this, private perfons made their prayers to God in their houfes, where they had a place fet a-part for that holy exercife It was generally upon the top of the houfe (for their hnnf-s were flat-roof ed) that the family and their friends met together, to read fome portion of the law on the Sibbath-day ; and, when there was any prophet in the city, the devout people afTembled at his houfe. But after di at the doctors had added their traditions and commentaries to the law, the bufinefs of interpreters became fo, much thc more ne ceffary, becaufe thofe traditions were not written ; fo that thc num- •' ber of interpreters and interpretations increafed daily For this rea fon convenient places were made choice of^ that the people might 'the better meer together to be*inftructed ; and from hence, in all probability, it is that they derive their fynagogues ; lib. <;. c 4. , (u) Bafnage's Hiftory of the Jews. (-v) Nth. viii.^4- Vol. IV. 3 Z on 54^ The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. on week-days, as well as Sabbaths, to attend on divine fer- 3475, in vice, was thought large enough to have a fynagogue built ft* C&cC m n '• otherwife it was not ; becaufe the Jewifli notion is, from Ezra that lefs than fuch a number could not make a congrega- iv 7 to the tion, and, without a congregation, no part of the fyna- Efth Neh §°Sue fervice could be performed. But as their notion andpart of was farther, that any perfon. Gentile as well as Jew, might Hagg Zech. be permitted to erect a fynagogue, becaufe the holinefs of andMal. tiie p]ace ^s tney thought) confifted not fo much in the """*" fabric, as in its being fet a-part and dedicated to holy ufes ; it thence came to pafs, that, though there were but few at firft, yet in procefs of time they became fo numerous, that, in our Saviour's time, there was no town in Judea, but what had one or more in it ; that, in Tiberias a city of Galilee, there were no lefs than twelve, and (if we may credit the Jews) four hundred and eighty in Jerufalem. The buildings were contrived much after the fame manner as our parifh-churches ; had over their door or entrance • this infeription written, This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous fhall enter into it ; and upon the walls within, were thefe, or fuch like fentences, Remember thy Creator : Keep thy foot when thou goeft into the houfe of the Lord : Silence is commendable in the time of prayer ; And, Prayers, without attention, are likp a body without a foul, &c. The fervice (y) I . In the fynagogue-fervice the firft office was prayer. performed Their prayers at firft were but very few, but have fince in- m t lem. creafec[ to a very large bulk, which makes the fynagogue- fervice very long and tedious. What they reckon the moft folemn part of their prayers are thofe, which they call She- moneh Ejhreth, i. e. the -\ eighteen prayers, which, accord- »Pg (y) Prideaux's Connections. -f- Thefe prayers were originally no more than eighteen, but R.Gamaliel, a little before the deflrufftion of ' Jerufalem, added the nineteenth (which is the 12th in thc fubfequent order) againft Chriftian?, who are therein meant by the names of apoftates and heretics ; and that we may judge of thc merit of thtfe prayers, a very learned hand has given us the following tranflation of them, in the fame order as they are in the'Jcwifh liturgies. I. " BkfTed be thou, O Lord, our God,, the God of our fathers, " the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob, " the'giefit God, powerful and 'remendous ; the high God, bounti- "' fully difpenfing benefits; the Creator and Poffeffor of the uni- " verfe, Chap. II. froni the Babyloriifh Captivity, (3c. 54.7 ing to them, Were cOmpofed, and inftituted by Ezra, and A. M. the great fynagogue ; and therefore they enjoin all that are K*15t be' > 4 An Cii.-iC at Ji9, ire. from kzra i". 7. to die " verfe, who remembered the good deeds of our fathers, and in thy V^'-^u « love fended a redeemer 10 thofe who are defcended from them, and p« of for thy name's fake, O King, our helper, our Saviour, and our Hagg Zech. ' fhield. Bleffed art thou, our Lord, who art the Qiield of Abraham " an4' Mjl- II. " Thou, O Lord, art powerful for ever. Thou raifeft the dead -— V"— J "to life, and art mighty "to fave. Thou fended down the dew, " ftilleft the winds, and makeft the rain to come down upon the " earth, and fuftained »wkh thy beneficence all that live therein } " and of thy abundant mercy, miked the dead again to live. Thou " helped up thofe that fall ; thou cured the fick ; thou loofed them " that are bound, and nuked good thy word of truth to thofe that " fleep in the duft. Who is to be compared to thee, O thou Lord *' of might ? And who is like unto thee, O our King, who killed, " and maked alive, and maked falvation to faring up a the herb " out of the field ? Thou art faithful, to make the dead -rife again " to hfe. Bleffed art thou, O Gud, who-raifeft the dead to life." III. | " Thou art holy, and thy name is holy, and thy faint-- do " praife thee every day. Selah. For a great king, and an holy " one art thou, O God. Bleffed art thou, O Lord, God mod holy." IV. u Thou, of thy mercy, gived knowledge to men, and teach - "' ed them underdanding ; give gracioufly unto us knowledge, wif* " dom, and underdanding. Bleffed art thou, O Lord, who gracioufly " gived knowledge unto men." V. •' Bring us back, O our Father, to the obfervance of thy law, " and make us to adhere to thy precepts ; and do thou, O our King, " draw us near to thy worfliip, and convert us unto thee by perfect " repentance in thy prefence. Bleffed art thou, O Lord, Who " vouchfafefl to receive us by repentance." VI " Be thou merciful to us, O our Father, fdr we have finned : " pardon' us, O our King, for we have tranfgreffed againd thee, " for thou art a God, good and ready to pardon. Bleffed art ihou, " O Lord mod gracious, who multiplied thy mercies in the forgive- " nefs of fins." . VII. " Look, we befeech thee, upon our afflictions : Be thou on " our fide, in all our contentions ; and plead thou our caufe in aU " our litigations ; and make hade to redeem us with a perfect re- *' demption, for thy name's fake : For thon art our God, our king, "' and a dfong redeemer. Bleffed alt thou, O Lord, the redeemer « of Ifrael." VIII. " Heal us, O Lord our God, and we fhall be healed ; fave " us, and we fhall be faved ; for thou art our praife. Bring unto 3 Z a « us 5+8 The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VU. A. M. at age, of what fex or condition foever, either in private 347;, &c. or public, to repeat them three times a day, and on every j"o ire" fynag°Eue-day, they offer them up, with the greateft fo- from Ezra kmnity, in their public affemblies. Thefe prayers, howe- iv. 7 to the ver are but of the feme nature that the Lord's prayer is EftI ' n i 'n om Pubhc fervice, i. e. the fundamental and -principal and part of P2rt '< for befides thefe, they have fome prayers going be- • Hagg Zech. forer fome following after, and. others interfperftd between andAjat. them,, which make the liturgies very tedious, and juftify ***"' our Saviour's finding fault with their long prayers. 2. In the fynagogue-fervice there are three things that are read, the Shema, the Law, and the Prophets. The Shema confifts of three portions of Scripture ; the firft is, from the beginning of the 4 th verfe of the 6th chapter of Deuteronomy, to the end of the 9th verfe : The fecond, from the beginning of the 13th verfe of the nth chapter of Deuteronomy, to the end of the 21ft verfe: And the ' third, from the beginning of the 37th verfe of tbe 15th chapter of Numbers, to the end of the chapter-: And be caufe ti\e firft of thefe portions, in the Hebrew Bible, be gins with the word Shema, i. e. Hear, therefore the read ing of the whole is called the reading of the Shema, which, next to their faying of the Shemonch Efhrcth, or the famous eighteen prayers, is reckoned the moft folemn part of their religious fervice. *' us found health,' and a perfect remedy for all our infirmities, for " all our griefs, and for all our wounds ; for thou art a God, who " healed, and art meiciful Bleffed art thou, O Lord, our God, " who cured the difeafes of thy people Ifrael." IX. " Bl-fs us, O Lord, our God, .in every work of our hands, " and blefs unto us the fea fons of the year, and give us the dtw, " and the rain to be a blefling utito us upon the face of all our " land, and filiate the world with thy bkffings, and fend down " meiflure upon every part of the earth that is habitable. Blefted " art thou, O Lord, who gbeft thy bleffing to the years." X. " Convocate us together by the found of the great trumpet, " to the enjoyment of our liberty ; and lift up thy cnfigns to call to- " gether all of the captivity, from the tour quarters of the earth, " to our own land, Bleffed art thou, O Lord, who gathered ioge- " ther thc exiles of the people of Ifrael." But this is enough for a ipecimen. Tlie reft are much of the fame drain ; but the reader that is defirous 10 fee them, will find them n Dr Pridcaux's Connection of the Old and New Tefta- mcut, part 1. lib. 6. The Chap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, (3c. 549 The five books of the law were divided, as fome fay, by A. M. Mofes himfelf, but not improbably by Ezra, into fifty-four 347s, ire. fections, becaufe in their intercalated years, (when a month at' 9 ' was added to the year), there were fifty four Sabbaths, and frorn £zr4 fo a fection, being read every Sabbath-day, completed the iv- 7. to the whole in the fpace ofea year ; but when the year was not e"£} ?!' thus intercalated, thofe who had the direction of the fyna- and'partof gogue-worfhip, reduced the fections to the number of Sab- Hagg.Zech. baths, by joining two fhort ones feveral rimes into one, and Mal- J becaufe they held themfelves obliged to have the whole ~'~*' la'w, from the beginning of Genefis to the end of Deutero nomy, read over, in this manner, every year. • , In the perfecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, when the reading of the law was prohibited, in the room of the fif ty-four fections of it, the Jews fubftituted fifty four fections of the prophets, which were ever after continued ; info much that when the reading of the law was again reftored by the Maccabees, the fection which was read every Sab bath out of the law, ferved for the firft leffon, and the fection out of the prophets for the fecond ; for that is the meaning of (z) St Paul's ftanding up to preach, after, the reading of the law and the prophets; i.e. after the reading of the firft leffon out of the law and the fecond leffon out of the prophets. 3. The expofition of the law and the prophets went a- long with the reading them : For after that the Heorew language had ceafed to be the mother-tongue of the Jews, and the Chaldee grew up into ufe inftead of it, the cuftom of the fynagogue was, that one fhould firft read a paragraph of the Scriptures to the people in the Hebrew tongue, and then another interpreted it in the Chaldee, which they bet ter underftood. And this feems to fuggeft the reafon why thefe fections of Scripture came to be divided into verfes, viz. that by this means the reader might certainly know how much he was to read ; and the interpreter how much he was to interpret at every interval. 4. After that the reading and expounding were over, any perfon of learning, and knowledge in the Scriptures, might addrefs himfelf to the people, upon what moral or divine fubject he thought proper ; only we may obferve, that this was a compliment ufually paid to ftrangers ; and therefore when St Paul and his company came to Antioch in Pifidia, and went into the blace of divine worfhip on the Sabbath-day, (a) after the reading of the law and the (z) A&> xiii. 16. (a) Ibid. 15. v prop he's, 55o The Hiftory of the B I B L E, Book VIL . A. M. prophets, the rulers of fhe fynagogue fent unto them, faying> 3475, i*c.< Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for SZ, ire- ' the PeoPle> fa °«- ' from Ezra From what has been faid it appears, that the miniftration iv. 7. to the 0f the fynagogue-fervice was not confined to the facerdotal Mh Neh. order ; for the priefts were confecrated only to the fervice and part of of the temple, which was widely different from this, as Hagg.Zech. confuting chiefly in the offering up of facrifices and obla- andMal. tjons . ^M tQ tlijs jQ tne fynag0gue> any one that by learn- The offi- lnS was qualified for it, was admitted. Only for the pre- cers belong- fervation of order, there were in every fynagogue fome ing to them. flxec} officers, whofe bufinefs it was to take care that all re ligious duties were therein decently performed. The firft of this kind, are thofe whom the Scriptures of the New Teftament call 'Afx'^^yy'- rulers qf the fynagogue : But how many of thefe belonged to each fynagogue we cannot tell, only we may prefume, there were more than one, becaufe they are mentioned in the (b) plural number in refpect of the fame fynagogue. Next to them (and perhaps one of them) was the minifter of the fynagogue, whofe bufinefs it was to offer up to God the public prayers of the congregation ; and being for this purpofe delegated (as it were) by them to God, is therefore, in the Hebrew lan guage, .called Shellac h Zibbcr, i. e. the angel of the church, or congregation ; from whence the name of the Bifibops of the feven churches, mentioned in the Revelations, is mani- feftly borrowed. Next to this angel of the church, were the deacons, and inferior minifters of the fynagogue, called in Hebrew Cbazanhn or overfleers, who, under the rulers of the fynagogue, had the charge and overfight of all things in it, and kept the books of the Holy Scriptures, the litur gies, and utenfils, which they brought forth, and carried away again, as there was occafion : And next to thefe over- feers, was the interpreter, whofe office it was to recite in Chaldee the leffons (as they were read in Hebrew) to the congregation ; and becaufe a good deal of {kill in both lan guages was requifite for fuch an undertaking, whenever the rulers of the fynagogue found a perfon fit for this pur pofe, they retained him by a falary, and fo made him a ftanding minifter among them. T'-nei of We kave nothing more to add concerning this fynagogue- -.voifliip. ' worfhip, but that the times appointed for it, were three days a week, befides their holidays, whether fafts or feftivals, and thrice on every one of thofe days, i. c. in (b) Mark v. 3 J. ire. ; Luke viii- 41. — xiii. 14, the Crfiap. II. from the Babylonifh Captivity, &c ' $$i the morxiing, in the afternoon, and at night : and that, a. M. when at any of thefe times, the blefling was to be given, if 347J, ire. there was a prieft prefent in the congregation, he always did ^nt- Chnf. the office ; but if there was none there, the Sheliach Zibber, from Ezra. who read the prayers, in a form of benediction made pro-iv. 7. to the per for him, difmiffed the people. end; all Before we difmifs this fubject, there is one common in- and'partof quiry which, by this time, we may be able to fatisfy, and Hagg. Zech. thit is. ¦ How it came to pafs, that the Jews were folnd Mal; ¦prone to idolatry before the Babylonifh captivity, and fofifT^T~ ftrongly bent againft it (even to a degree of fuperftition) jew{ w(£e after that captivity was ended I which can hardly be imputed fopronebe- to any other caufe, but that they had the law and the pro-foie'andfo f. 3. ver 1 c to phets every week read unto them, after that captivity, which idolatry af- they had not before. Before the captivity, they had no fy- ter, the cap- nagogues for public worfhip or inftrudtion, nor any places tiv"y- to refort to for thefe. purpofes, but either the temple at Je rufalem, or the cities of the Levites; and from hence great ignorance grew among the people : God was little known among them, and his laws in a manner wholly forgotten : and therefore, as occafions offered, they were eafily drawn ^nto all the fuperftitions and idolatrous practices of the Heathen nations that lived about them. But now, when, after the Babylonifh captivity, fynagogues were e- rected in every city, to which they conftantly reforted for public worfhip, and where, every week, they had the law at firft, and, afterwards, both the law and the prophets read to theni ; and where, by fermons and exhortations, they were, at leaft every Sabbath-day, inftructed in their duty, and excited to the performance of it ; this kept them in a thorough knowledge of God and his laws, as the com- minations in the prophets, (when once they came to be read among them),- deterred them from tranfgreffing againft them; for (c) all Scripture (as the Apoftle fpeaks) is given by infpiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for rer proof, for correction, for inftruilion in righteoufnefs, that the man of God, or every man who refolves to be godly, may he perfect, wife unto falvation, and thoroughly furmfhed un to all good works. One thing we may obferve farther: That, fince our Sa- there was a public liturgy eftabliflied in the Jewifh church, viour's es- and forms of prayer though very empty and jejune in^ffte£ comparifon of thofe that are in ufe among us ; our bleffed rat;011. Saviour, when upon earth, was contented to join with the (<•) 2 Tim. iii. 16. 17. public 55* The Hiftory of the BIBLE, Book VII. A. M. public in thefe forms, and to frequent the fynagogue (d) Ant* CI 'l eveiT Sabbath-day. And this may inform' us, that to break s%9, ire. the union of a church, upon the account of better edifica- from Ezra tion; or more ecftatic prayers, is a refinement, that the lv' v totnc great teacher of all righteoufnefs knew nothing of. In the Efth.' Neh. courfe of his preaching, he fpared not to tell the Jews free- and part of ly of all the corruptions that, in his time, they had run in- Hagg.Zech. t0 . an(j therefore, had it been contrary to the will of God, , to ufe fet forms of prayer in his public fervice, or had it been difpleafing to him, to be addreffed in fuch mean forms, when much better might have been made, we may be fore he would have told them both, and joined with them in neither : but, fince he never found fault with them' for ufing fet forms, but, on the contrary, taught his own difciples a fet form to pray by ; fince he no where expreffed a diflike of the forms then in ufe, upon account of their meannefs, but, on the contrary, teftified his approbation of them, by joining with them in their fynagogues ; this fhould convince our feparatifts, one would think, that neither our ufing fet forms of prayer in our public worfhip, nor the ufing of fuch as they think not fufficiently edifying, can be objec tions fufficient to juftify them in their refufal to join with us in them, becaufe, in both thefe cafes, they have the ex ample of Chrift directly againft them. The truth is, whether there be a form or no form, or whether the form be elegantly or meanly compofed ; no thing of this availeth to the recommending of our prayers unto God. It is the true and fincere devotion of the heart alone that can make'them acceptable unto him : for it is this only that gives life and vigour, and a true acceptance, to all our religious addreffes. Without this, how elegantly, how movingly, foever the prayer may be compofed, and how fervently, how zealoufly, foever it may feem to be poured out, yet all this is dead matter, and of no validity in the prefence of our God. But, on the contrary, the veiy Heathens can tell us, that, be our prayers and oblations ne ver fomean, they will be a facrifice of a fiweet-fmelling fa-.