oes
Osan
ce
See
aes
ie eae SEA
ines Cc Ce ener aes
Be :
ox
S
4)
oe EES =n
Seo at
DeLeon
MEO
ae S
eS
ee ee
DS ESA EEO : oy
ee
See Gees eee Ste
Sb. SSS
iene
CPi tome ees
eos
?
Tks
TAIT eats pais SaaS,
Ao pect Bo
by fe BSALS Rectang
eae 0 hit AAA tr fp
oe
oe, _ |
P
A
5
ale
a i =
4 oi i)
frog.
= a)
x NI
e a.
we
4 tae f {ff}h; : an. oP ele
—— Ss eet N , ‘
LTE TSC OI Me pee
ALPS STO SS SSN AMI, LOOPGI DN ! NO
THE ACCEPTED SACRIFICE
THE ACCEPTED SACRIFICE.
* The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice.†—
1 Kins, chap. xviii., verse 38
Berors Cunist, 906 YEARs.
We have seen how the followers of Baal failed.
When they had waited many hours, and
exhausted their strength in senseless appeals to
a wretched idol, the true prophet Elijah took
twelve stones, the number of the tribes of
Israel, and built with them an altar, or rebuilt
one which had been broken down. A bullock
was killed; it was dressed, and the pieces
placed on the altar, and a great quantity
of water was poured on and around the sacri-
fice; and this was repeated a second, and
even a third time.
The hour for offering the evening sacrifice
had arrived, when Elijah earnestly addressed
himself to prayer. ‘‘ Lord God of Abraham,
Isaac, and of Israel,†he exclaimed, ‘let it
be known this day that thou art God in Israel,
and that I am thy servant, and that I have
done all these things at thy word. Hear me,
O Lord, hear me, that this people may know
that thou art the Lord God.â€
157
THE ACCEPTED SACRIFICE.
To confound the arrogance of the prophets
of Baal, to prove that Elijah was the true
servant of the Most High, and to set at rest all
doubts that might have been entertained by the
Israelites, ‘‘ The fire of the Lord fell and con-
sumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and
the stones and the dust, and licked up the
water that was in the trench.â€
Such a manifestation of the favour of the
Supreme Being when solemnly invoked by a
sacred prophet, was not to be resisted. ‘‘ When
all the people saw it, they fell on their faces:
and they said, the Lord, he is the God; the
Lord he is the God.â€
Their indignation was then turned against
the misbelieving priests of Baal. At the word
of Elijah not one of them was suffered to
escape. They were seized, and being carried
to the brook of Kishon, Elijah for their false-
hood and wicked presumption, “slew them
there.â€
In this, as in many parts of Scripture, we
are taught the vast efficacy of prayer. A
prayer from holy lips for a good and important
object is seldom breathed in vain
ELIJAH
2
,Y
SLEN
LAK
7 nA
, ,
(
EARTH
AN
AN EARTHQUAKE SEEN BY
ELIJAH.
“The Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the
mountains and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord.â€
—1 KinGs, chap. xix., verse 11.
Brrore Cnrist, 905 YEARS.
Tus life of the prophet Elijah was one of great
vicissitude and peril. . He was a man of extra-
ordinary determination, and the daring acts he
performed necessarily exposed him to the
fierce resentment of those whose views he
thwarted and whose impostures he exposed.
When Jezebel, the queen of Ahab was
informed that Elijah had put the false pro-
phets who fed at her table to death, she
was greatly incensed, and sént a messenger
to him to say in her name, “So let the gods do
to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as
the life of one of them by to-morrow about
this time.â€
In consequence of this threat from such
a quarter, Elijah withdrew and journeyed in
the wilderness. There, it is probable, that
he suffered much distress, for he prayed that
he might die. His wants were heard, the
houseless wanderer lay down to sleep under a
159
ee
ee er ee eee
AN EARTHQUAKE SEEN BY ELIJAH,
juniper tree, and while he was there an angel
touched him, and told him to arise and eat,
and looking up he saw ‘‘a cake baken on
the coals, and a cruse of water at his head.â€
Of these he partook and slept again. He
then, sustained by the food thus miraculously
supplied, journeyed on to Horeb, the mount of
God.
There the Lord came to him, and Elijah told
of what he had done, and how the children of
Israel had forsaken the covenant of their
God, thrown down his altars, and slain his
prophets, and were even then seeking his life.
He was directed to go forth and stand
upon the mount before the Lord. ‘‘ And
behold the Lord passed by, and a great and
strong wind rent the mountains, and brake
in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but
the Lord was not in the wind; and after the
wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in
the earthquake.â€
Such wonders the God of Israel performed
to reassure his prophet. Elijah journeyed
on, and found the invisible arm of the Lord an
effectual safeguard—a shield that could ward
off every danger
160
HEAVEN
FROM
[RE
F
-ALLING
(
ELLIAH
ELIJAH CALLING FIRE FROM
HEAVEN.
“Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, IfI be a man
of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume
thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire’ from heaven,
and consumed ‘him and his: fifty."—-2 Kinas, chap. i.,
verse 10.
BeEroreE Curist, 903 YEARS.
Kine Anazian, through a fall, suffered from
disease, and in consequence he sent messen-
gers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to
inquire whether or not he should recover. .-
The unworthy homage thus paid to an. idol
an angel authorised Elijah to rebuke. The
Prophet, accordingly, met the messengers of
Ahaziah, and said to them, ‘“‘ Go, turn again
unto the king that sent you, and say unto him,
Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there
is not a God in Israel. that thou sendest to
inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’� To
this stern interrogatory he added, ‘therefore
thou shalt not come down from that ‘bed-on
which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.â€
This message being carried by the messen-
gers to the king, he inquired what manner of
man it was who had told them these words,
VOL. I. ¥ 161
era
ELIJAH CALLING FIRE FROM HEAVEN.
They’ described Elijah to be a hairy man,-with
a girdle of leather about his loins. By this
description Ahaziah knew the awful message
proceeded from no other than Elijah the Tish-
bite. Thereupon he sent a captain and fifty
men to the Prophet, who called on him to
come to them. Elijah did not obey the man-
date, but, with the proud dignity of an out-
raged prophet, replied, “If I be a man of God,
then let fire come down from Heaven and con-
sume thee and thy fifty.†At his call fire
came from heaven and consumed the captain
and his men. A second officer with a like
force, sent for the same purpose, shared the
same fate, and a third only escaped death by
humble solicitation.
Elijah now, having been called to by an
angel not to be afraid, went with the third
captain to the presence of Ahaziah, to whom
he repeated the awful announcement which he
had sent by the messenger, and Ahaziah soon
died.
The decree of the Eternal, when it has once
gone forth, no mortal power can -successfully
oppose. The captains and their fifties arrayed
against one man protected by God were wholly
powerless.
TLE
AN’
f
\
[JAH'S
4
i
ELIJAH’S MANTLE.
“ Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote
the waters, and they were divided thither and thither.â€â€”
2 KinGs, chap. ii., verse 8.
BEronre Curis, 892 YEARS.
Towarps the latter part of Elijah’s earthly life
Elisha had become known to him. He was
found ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and
) on seeing the Prophet he left the oxen, and
prayed him that he might kiss his father and
mother, and then he would follow Elijah. This
; he did, though at first he was earnestly advised
to go back by the venerable sage to whom he
) aspired to minister.
It may be presumed that congenial piety
united them thenceforward ; as we find Elisha
journeying with the Prophet from Gilgal when
the moment approached in which he was to be
taken up into Heaven. ,
That Elijah was speedily to be taken away
was known. The sons of the prophets at Je-
richo inquired of Elisha if he were aware of it,
) and his answer was, ‘‘ Yea, I know it, hold
) your peace.â€
) Elijah, forewarned that he was to be snatched
) from the world, might not expect that he
163
SS
Nn
2
ELIJAH’S MANTLE.
would be removed in a glorious chariot, and it
is even possible that his friendship sought to
spare Elisha a shock, when he wished him to
tarry behind while he went to Jordan. The
answer of Elisha indicates the fixed resolution
of sincere regard and devoted attachment: “ As
the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will
not leave thee.†The solemn determination
not to be severed from his friend in his last
days, reminds the Scripture reader of the
tender affection manifested for Naomi by Ruth.
The friends reached the river Jordan, which,
being touched by the folded mantle of Elijah,
its waters divided that he and Elisha might
pass over its bed on dry ground.
And now, willing to requite a friend so
attached while the power of doing so remained
to him, “ Ask,â€â€™ said Elijah to Elisha, ‘ what I
shall do for thee before I be taken away from
thee.†‘(I pray thee,’’ was the answer of
Elisha, “let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me.’
Standing by the highly-favoured servant of
God, piety, wisdom, and love prompt Elisha
to ask no boon of a worldly character, but a
double portion of his spirit; greater mental
illumination, greater powers to honour the God
of Israel.
164
Sl
I OO
('
ELIJAH TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN LY)
a
ELIJAH TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN,
As they still went on, and talked, behold, there appeared
a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both
asunder; and Elijah went up ina whirlwind into heaven.â€
—2 Kinas, chap. ii., verse xi.
BEFORE CHRIST, 892 YERAS.
Tue answer given by Elijah to the entreaty of
Elisha was, ‘‘ Thou hast asked a hard thing;
nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken
from thee it shall be so unto thee.â€
Having crossed the river Jordan they still
advanced, and we can easily conceive most
solemn, most affecting, must their thoughts
and speeches have been, while friends so at-
tached felt that on earth they would be permit-
ted to converse no more.
They walked on, when there suddenly ap-
peared a chariot of fire and horses of fire.
Elisha saw this wonderful sight, and exclaimed,
in the surprise of the moment, ‘‘ My father,
my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horses
thereof.â€â€ Elijah made no reply. The moment
was come when he was to leave the world; his
thoughts could no longer stoop to mortal cares,
to him who is “light ineffable†he went up by
a whirlwind into Heaven,
165
ELIJAH TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN.
But as he commenced his glorious transit his
mantle fell on his faithful friend. Elisha took
it up as a precious relic of the departed seer,
and when he touched the waters of Jordan with
it “they parted hither and thither,†as they
were divided in the presence of its late pos-
sessor. ;
Since the date of this memorable scene, it
has not been given to mortal eye to see the
righteous lifted bodily from earth to Heaven.
Yet, happily, we often behold the consumma-
tion of a virtuous life, in the perfect serenity
and holy joy, with which the parting inhabitant
of earth resigns himself to the grave, ‘‘in sure
and certain hope†that it is but a passage to
Heaven. When friend is doomed by the law
of nature to separate from friend, the survivor,
while he sees the pure spirit disengage itself
from the trammels of the flesh, cannot but feel
that
« ______ the parting sigh
Consigns the just to slumber, not to die,â€
and rests consoled.
166
SONS NN EE
4 &j ‘
NE)
a
>
. rN
SSS (=~
SSN )
SSNS
Coe
ee
et
Np ip D>
Fo ae
ELISHA MOCKED BY CHILDREN.
“As he was going up by the way,.there came forth little
children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto
him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.â€â€”
2 KrnGs, chap. ii., verse 23.
BErorE CHRIST, 892 YEARS:
Tue Prophet Elisha was gifted by God with
the power of purifying the waters of a city, so
that they should no more cause disease, but
should benefit mankind by fertilizing barren
land.
But, while thus dispensing blessings above
all price, the man of God, absorbed with the
high duties he had to perform, was, perhaps,
unnecessarily regardless of his personal appear-
ance. To the eye of youth, age, with its
attendant failings, appears anything but lovely,
and often ridiculous. So Elisha appeared to
the children of Jericho, and they irreverently
mocked the Prophet, and followed his steps,
rudely calling out, ‘‘Go up thou bald head, go
up thou bald head.†.
Elisha felt this was not merely an affront
offered to him, but to the Being whose favoured
servant he was, and who had caused him to
bear on his person the marks of age, which
167
(POO eee eee
ELISHA MOCKED BY CHILDREN,
fixed the attention of the young scoffers. He
turned back, looked on them, and ‘cursed
them in the name of the Lord.†The conse-
quences were frightful. Two she-bears came
out of a wood, and tore forty-two of the irrev-
erent mockers to pieces.
The judgments of Heaven are awful. Let
the young be slow to laugh at those who, in
the course of nature, are doomed to know the
infirmities of age. They, if permitted to live,
must in time succeed to them; and though the
dreadful fate of the children who scorned Elisha
may not be theirs, yet bitter reflection and
great suffering will overtake those who, in the
days of their youth, indulge in heartless inso-
lence to the aged. The children of to-day will
become the parents of to-morrow, and what
will console them under the insults of their
Juniors, if they are so unhappy as to remember
that while young they were weak and wicked
enough to laugh at the weakness of their
friends and parents in the decline of life, instead
of soothing their sorrows with tender care and
generous sympathy?
2
\
if
EF
H
AND
SHUNAMMITE
THE
ee
ae.
SS
THE SHUNAMMITE AND HER
SON.
“ She went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the
ground, and took up her son.â€â€”2 Kinas, chap. ib,
verse 37,
BEFORE Curist, 890 YEARS.
A uapy, or, in the language of Scripture, “a
great woman,†lived in the land of Shunem.
She admired and reverenced Elisha, and not
only desired him to eat with her whenever he
passed that way, but she prevailed upon her
husband to build a chamber for his especial use.
He was grateful, and wished to requite her
kindness. This, in the relative situations of
the partics, seemed a matter of some difficulty;
but Elisha was enabled, by the spirit of God
and of prophecy which was in him, to announce
to the lady, till then childless, that at a cer-
tain period, which he indicated, she should
embrace her son.
This came to pass as he had foretold. The
lady found herself a parent; but her son, a
growing youth, going into the fields in harvest-
time, was suddenly taken ill. He complained
of his head to his father, who directed a lad to
carry him home. There all a mother’s care
VOL. I. Zz 169
a
i ad)
THE SHUNAMMITE AND HER SON.
failed to relieve him, and on her knees he
died.
In great distress the bereaved mourner sought
the Prophet. She told him of her ldss, and
reminded him that she had not asked to be
blessed with offspring, and had prayed in this
matter that she might not be mocked with a
deceitful hope. Elisha pitied her affliction, and
immediately sent forward his servant, Gehazi,
directing him to make all speed, and to lay his
staff on the face of the child. He soon fol-
lowed, and having shut himself up in the
chamber with the lifeless son of the Shunam-
mite he prayed to the Lord. Then he stretched
himself upon the child, and soon found that
the petition he had addressed to the Omnipo-
tent for his restoration was heard. The child
grew warm, opened his eyes, and was again
given to his mother’s joyous embrace.
The prayers of the good are potent. God
listens to petitions addressed to him in purity
and truth.
170
NAAMAN CURED OF LEPROSY
GOD'S PROPHET SKILLED, TO J
\ CELLS NAAMAN IF HF HEA
Ar [TO WASH AWAY IN JORDANS WA
Y i
( 4 Lt
f
' ‘
\ ) >
\ J OO) Oy 5b
oO tt lg
Ve
;
|
|
(eo we
eee EE
NAAMAN CURED OF LEPROSY.
“ Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Sama-
ria! for he would recover him of his leprosy."—2 KINGs,
chap. v., verse 3.
Beroreé Crrist, 890 YEARS.
Tue king of Syria had a general or captain of
his hosts, whose man was Naaman. He was
in favour with the king his master; had ren-
dered eminent services to his country, and was
renowned for valour, but he suffered from dis-
ease: Naaman was a leper. —
Seeing her master’s affliction, a Jewish maid,
who had been captured by him, expressed a
wish that Naaman would seek the Prophet
Elisha in Samaria, as she was impressed with a _
belief that if he did so, his leprosy might be
healed.
The Syrian monarch, anxious that his con-
quering general should be relieved from the
affliction under which he laboured, gave him a
letter with presents to the king of Israel, en-
treating him to cause Naaman to be cured of
his leprosy. The Jewish king was greatly
disturbed at this. Non-compliance, he feared,
would offend the Syrian, and what was required
seemed impossible. ‘Am I a god,†said he,
71
Pe LR,
SS Ee REE
oo ee )
ena
NAAMAN CURED OF LEPROSY.
“to kill and to make alive, that this man doth
send unto me to cure a man of his leprosy?â€
The conclusion he came to was, that the king
of Syria sought for a pretext to quarrel with
him.
Elisha, informed that the king of Israel was
much distressed on this account, desired that
Naaman might be sent to him, declaring he
should thus know that there was a prophet in
Israel.
In consequence of this, the chariot of Naa-
man was soon seen at the door of Elisha, who
sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘“‘Go and
wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall
come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.â€â€™
Naaman was offended. He thought the
Prophet would have waited on him personally,
and healed him with a touch of his hand. ‘Are
not,â€â€™ said he, ‘‘ Abarra and Pharpar, rivers of
Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?
May I not wash in them and be clean?†He
was, however, in the end prevailed upon to
wash seven times in Jordan, and his leprosy
was no more.
The good often effect by simple means
mighty things, which to idle scoffers would
seem impossibilities.
172
Soe
kr THE TEMPLE OF BAAL
)
(
DESTRUCTION
DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
OF BAAL.
“ And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal,
and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in
pieces.â€â€”2 Kin@s, chap. xi., verse 18.
BErorRE CHRIST, 877 YEARS.
Tue son of Athaliah had been slain, and she,
in a spirit of revenge, or moved by ambition,
‘“‘arose and destroyed all the seed royal, with
the exception of one Prince Joash, or Jehoash,
who was saved by Jehosheba, the daughter of
king Joram. hat lady stole Jehoash while an
infant, from among the king’s sons, who were
slain, and concealed him in her chamber.
In the mean time Athaliah had placed her-
self on the throne. The cruel policy which
she had pursued she fondly hoped would give
her security. Six years Athaliah held the power
she had usurped without interruption, but in
the seventh she learned to her cost that an all-
seeing eye was upon her, and a violent death
requited her guilt.
The young prince Jehoash, long hidden,
) was in his seventh year produced to the
/ people by Jehoiada the priest. He summoned
’ the adherents of Jehoash to assemble at various
173
SS
(
\
(Gee ee ey
DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE OF BAAL.
points, and armed the captains over hundreds
with King David’s spears, which were in the
house of the Lord. He then brought forth the
royal child, and put the crown upon his head,
while all the people clapped their hands, and
cried, ‘‘ God save the king.â€â€™
The wicked Athaliah heard the shouting,
and coming into the temple of the lord, she saw
the king standing against a pillar, while the
trumpets sounded and the people rejoiced.
Dismay in that sad moment came over her;
she rent her clothes and cried “ treason,’ ’ but
the people seized her ‘ by the way of the gate
of the guard to the king’s house,†and put her
to death. Then they went to the house of the
idol Baal, which they broke down, and all that
was in it, and they slew Mattan, the high priest
of Baal before the altars, and officers were
appointed over the house of the Lord.
Jehoash then “sat on the throne of the
kings,†and commenced his reign doing that
which was right in the sight of the Lord, while
the faithful priest Jchoiada remained by his
side to teach him his duty.
174
:
|
|
|
NV, : -
\ (or ELISHA ON HIS DBATH BED
|
ELISHA ON HIS DEATH BED.
“Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness, whereof he died.
And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him.â€â€”2
K1vGs, chap. xiii., verse 14,
Berore Cunist, 830 YEARS.
Wirn two exceptions, those of Enoch and
Elijah, all the human race, however great in
their day, were doomed to die. Elisha having
performed many wonders since the mantle of
his friend the Prophet was bequeathed to him,
now found the hour of his departure near, when
Joash, the King of Israel, went to him and
| wept over his face.
Though life was fast ebbing, the spirit of the
Prophet and the love of his country were strong
in the dying Elisha. ‘ Put thine hand,†said
he to the monarch, “upon the bow.†Joash
questioned not the purpose of the seer, but
submissively obeyed, and then the Prophet put
his hands on those of the king.
An important and gratifying revelation was
next made by Elisha. Having directed the
king to open the window eastward, which was
done, ‘‘Shoot,â€â€™ he cried, and the king shot
accordingly. Then the Prophet declared it to
be “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and
175
ELISHA ON HIS DEATH BED.
the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for,â€
he added, ‘thou shalt smite the Syrians in
Aphek till thou have consumed them.â€
‘Take the arrows,†he then said. The king
took them, at Elisha’s bidding to “‘ smite upon
the ground. And he smote thrice and stayed.â€
The man of God, we read, was wroth with
Joash. ‘Thou shouldest,†said he, ‘ have
smitten the ground five or six times, then hadst
thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it;
whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.â€
Elisha died, but as in dying the spirit of pro-
phecy remained to him, so when he was in the
grave his remains were distinguished from those
of common mortals. The bands of the Moa-
bites having invaded the land, we read that ‘‘ it
came to pass, as they were burying a man,
behold, they spied a band of men, and they
cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha; and
when the man was let down, and touched the
bones of Elisha, he revived and stood upon his
feet.â€â€™
The Prophet, gifted to foresee the future and
to perform miracles, could not be spared the
necessity of death, but the virtue which re-
mained to his bones even in the grave proved
that he was not like the beasts that perish.
176
BO a
YW fA
AN
ISRAEL’S TRANSGRESSIONS.
‘They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through
the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold
themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord.â€â€”-2 KiInGs,
chap. xvii., verse 17. .
BEFORE CuRrisT, 690 YEARS.
Tue history of mankind presents a mournful
series of facts, at once ridiculous and melan-
choly. How absurd must it appear to every
child of common understanding, to learn that
grown men and women could bring themselves
to worship “‘ molten images, even two calves !â€â€™
how mournful is it to read that they ‘‘ sold
themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord,
to provoke him to anger.â€
Yet this the chosen people of God, the
Israelites, were mad and wicked enough to do.
They neglected the commandments of the
Lord, and all that he had taught them by his
prophets, and ‘“‘ hardened their necks like to
the neck of their fathers, and did not believe
in the Lord their God.†We are further
told that they rejected his statutes, and his
covenant that he made with their fathers, and
his testimonies which he made against them;
and they followed vanity, and became vain, and
VOL I, 2a 177
a a aaa
ISRAEL'S TRANSGRESSIONS.
went after the heathen that were round about
them. They, moreover, worshipped all the
host of heaven and served Baal.â€
Thus the Jews wilfully turned aside ungrate-
ful for all that the God of Israel had done for
their fathers. Their misconduct brought upon
them a heavy visitation, causing their sons and
daughters to pass through the fire, and to use
divinations and enchantments, and in fact, to
turn from the true God to worship the powers
of darkness.
Therefore we read ‘‘The Lord was very
angry with Israel: he rejected all the seed of
Israel and afflicted them, and delivered them
into the hands of spoilers, until he had cast
them out of his sight.â€
The dispersion of the Jews over all the
world, is regarded by many as a standing
miracle. The devout Israelite of to-day, while
reverting to the past, must often sigh for the
wanderings of his ancestors, and breathe the
lament to the Deity, so touchingly rendered by
Sir Walter Scott :—
“ Our fathers would not know thy ways,
And thou hast left them to their own.â€
178
THE
ASSYRIAN
H)s
sy
ee
) AN ANGEL DESTROYS THE AS.
SYRIAN HOST.
“Tt came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went
out, and smote in the.camp of the Assyrians an hundred
fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early
in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses.â€â€”2
Kinas, chap. x1x., verse 35.
BEFORE Curist, 700 YEARS.
Tue haughty Assyrian monarch, Sennacherib,
incensed against king Hezekiah, the king of
Judah, who had risen against him anxious
to relieve his country from the thraldom of a
foreign yoke, sent a great host against Jerusa-
lem. Gold and silver were given to him,
to turn his wrath aside, but in vain. The
Assyrian messengers taunted Hezekiah with
his weakness, told him how the gods of other
lands had been incapable of protecting them,
and warned him against confiding in the God
of Israel. The servants of the King of Judah
understood the Assyrian language, and wished
the messengers of Sennacherib to converse
in it, that the men on the wall might not hear
their menaces, but this courtesy was refused,
and utter destruction to the city was threat-
ened.
NN ee
eae
THE ANGEL DESTROYING THE ASSYRIAN HOST.
King Hezekiah was much distressed, and
in this emergency sent for the prophet Isaiah,
who exhorted him, in the name of the Lord,
not to be cast down, for a heavy judgment
would fall on the Assyrians.
Sennacherib sent new messengers and a
letter to Hezekiah in the same spirit as before.
The latter went tothe house of God, and
‘OQ Lord God of Israel,†he prayed, ‘‘ thou
art the God, even thou alone, of all the king-
doms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and
earth. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: |
open, Lord, thine eyes and see: and hear the |
words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to
reproach the living God.†Other lands had :
fallen, whose gods were the work of men’s ,
hands, but now the royal suppliant concluded,
““O Lord our God save thou us, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art
the Lord God, even thou only.â€
After that he was again reassured by Isaiah
that the city should not fall, and that same
night the angel of the Lord smote of the Assy-
rian host a hundred and eighty-five thou- «
sand men, who were all found dead in the |
morning. i
It was thus that Divine vengeance requited .
presumptuous pride and bold impiety. (
180
(
megan)
(C : DEATH OF SENNACHERIB ‘a
va 9)
a.
DEATH OF SENNACHERIB.
“Tt came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nis-
roch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons
smote him with the sword.â€â€”-2 K1NGs, chap. xix., verse 37.
. BEFORE CHRIST, 700 YEARS.
Tue Bible in the startling history of King
Sennacherib, gives us a solemn lesson against
pride. Man, however splendid his future
destiny, while passing through this life, and
before ‘ corruption has put on incorruption,â€
is a weak dependent being. Just reflection,
however exalted his lot as compared with
those about him, would not fail to teach him
that his present power, or splendour, or impor-
tance, are but momentary. His intellects may
fail, his power may cease, his splendour may
vanish in a moment, and under circum-
stances the most favourable, he cannot endure
for a very long period in this world.
“ The sceptred king, the burthened slave,
The humble and the haughty die,
The rich, the poor, the base, the brave,
In dust, without distinction lie.â€
Vain of his strength, the proud Sennacherib
had dared to say by the messengers sent from
him to Hezekiah, ‘‘ Let not thy God, in whom
181
!
|
DEATH OF SENNACHERIB.
thou trustest, deceive thee, saying Jerusalem
shall not be delivered into the hands of the
King of Assyria.’â€â€ Soon he saw his strength
withered, and his army destroyed, he himself
glad to return to Nineveh.
Nor was this all, the monarch, who in the
plenitude of his fancied strength had dared
to speak scornfully of the God of Israel, after
his army had perished, humbled himself, not
before the Most High, but bowed the knee to
an idol called Nisroch. Thus was _ this
wretched king engaged when his own sons,
Adrammelech and Sharezer, entered the temple
of the false god, and with their swords put
an end to Sennacherib’s life.
So closed Sennacherib’s career: thus mad
pride and ‘ vaulting ambition’? were visited.
The history of every age has furnished instances
almost as striking, in which we see, by the will
of God—
“The proud are taught to taste of pain.â€
Hence we see it behoves those who are called
the great, and those who are looked up to as
fortunate, to put aside pride. He who does this,
and bends before his Maker with appropriate
humility, will find in that humility a source of
strength.
182
THE COVENANT ¥
fe
CEIVING
Rs IOSIAT RE
(aly
HY ) P
OY
«hi
JOSIAH RECEIVING THE COVE-
NANT.
“The king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the
Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his command-
ments. And all the people stood to the covenant.â€â€”-2
Kinas, chap. xxiii., verse 3.
BEFORE CHRIST, 620 YEARS
Nor all the wonderful relations which were
made to them of the power and glorious attri-
butes of the living God, could prevail on the
Israelites totally to abandon idol worship.
Like foolish and untractable children, who
neglect their lessons and turn to their idle
games the moment the eyes of their school-
master or father are withdrawn, they, as soon
as an eminent teacher was removed by death,
fell off in the worship of the Lord.
Josiah, King of Judah, was a good monarch.
He was but eight years old when he came
to the throne, but unlike many youthful
princes, the possession of power did not lead
him astray. He ‘“ did that which was right in
the sight of the Lord,â€â€™ and among other things
he ordered the house of the Lord to be
thoroughly repaired.
While the masons and builders employed
183
JOSIAH RECEIVING THE COVENANT.
were engaged on the works which had become
necessary, Hilkiah the high priest, by a happy
chance discovered the Book of the Law. On |
its being reported to the king that such a (
discovery had been made in the house of the
Lord, Josiah caused it to be read before him.
He was shocked at finding how the law had
been neglected, and rent his clothes in dismay,
from fear that the consequences would fall
heavily on his people. His pious alarm caused
him to receive the soothing assurance of the
prophetess Huldah, that he should not live to
see the land become a desolation and a curse,
but should be gathered to his fathers in peace.
Josiah then caused the elders of Judah
to be called together and all the people, and in
the house of the Lord he caused the words
of the Covenant to be read in their ears. Then
standing by a pillar, he made a solemn cove-
nant that he and all his people should duly
observe the law, as it was written in the book
found in the house of the Lord. The idolatrous
priests he pursued with rigour, and destroyed
the objects of their insane worship.
The Book of the Law, thus found, was pre-
served for our benefit.
=a
| 184
ee eo
I
|
'
(
;
)
)
(
(
ee
FALL OF JERUSALEM.
s All the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen
and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for
war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to
Babylon.â€â€”-2 KINGs, chap. xxiv., verse 16.
BEFORE Curist, 606 YEARS.
Now arrived the fatal day, long before an-
nounced by the prophets of Israel, when proud
Jerusalem must fall before her enemy. Her
people had been sinful, and Jehoiachin, a
vicious prince, filled the throne, doing evil
in the sight of the Lord, as his father had done
before him. When Nebuchadnezzar, the
King of Babylon made war upon and laid siege
to Jerusalem, Jehoiachin went out to the
King of Babylon with his mother, his servants,
and his princes. The Bible, however, says
nothing of his fighting men. "We may there-
fore infer that he approached Nebuchadnezzar,
not as a warrior at the head of his army, but
that he ingloriously surrendered to the
Babylonian monarch.
A melancholy scene was prepared for the
humbled Jews. The proud victor seized “all
the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the
treasures of the king’s house, and cut in
23 185
FALL OF JERUSALEM.
pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon,
King of Israel, had made in the temple of the
Lord, as the Lord had said.â€
Thus we see in contempt for the vanquished,
Nebuchadnezzar wantonly destroyed the sacred
vessels which Solomon had prepared for the
temple. This sacrilegious act must have
caused pious Hebrews to experience great afflic-
tion, but not content with that, we are told,
that ‘he carried away all Jerusalem, and all
the princes and all the mighty men of valour,
even ten thousand captives and all the crafts-
men and smiths.’â€â€™ It is added, ‘none re-
mained, save the poorest sort of people in the
land.â€
Such destruction wicked kings and wicked
people brought on the once superb city of
Jerusalem. In the ordinary course of events
severe visitations are from time to time known
in all countries, but such terrible desolation as
was in this case deplored, has rarely been wit-
nessed. The Jews had so much to be grateful
for at various periods, that when the wrath,
long provoked, at length fell on a guilty land,
its effects were such as to offer a signal solemn
warning to all the nations of the earth.
186
IR TY RRS
ot ne et NR at
5 ‘Ny,
qr Way RX a A
Wiwong
fy
Po
RY
a
’
‘
EN¢
4
BRENEVOI
S
DAVID'
DAVID’S BENEVOLENCE.
“He dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to
every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of ficsh, and a
flagon of wine.â€â€”-1 CuRONICLES, chap. xvi., verse 3,
BEFORE CHRIST, 1020 YEARS.
Tue Book of Chronicles gives us some details
connected with the bringing of the ark from the
house of Obededom, which we do not find in
the former notices of King David.
) A grand spectacle celebrated its arrival.
An offering was made of seven bullocks and
) seven rams. On this august occasion, David
) wore an ephod of fine linen. All Israel brought
up the Ark of the covenant of the Lord with
\ shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and
| with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a
) noise with psaltery and harps. The ark was
) set. in the midst of a tent which had been pitched
for it, burnt sacrifices and peace offerings were
| made before God, and David then blessed the
people in the name of the Lord.
Then we are further told, “ he dealt to every
one of Israel, both man and woman, to every
one a loaf of bread and a good piece of flesh
) and a flagon of wine.†When we read ‘to
every one of Israel,’’ we must understand
187
Se
————— oe EE EE
ee
Ne ee Te
DAVID’S BENEVOLENCE.
to every one present, who wanted or would
accept the benefit. He, in this instance,
furnished an edifying example, which happily
has since his time often been followed in closing
a religious ceremony with an effort to relieve
distress. Religion never shines with more
appropriate lustre than when its solemn obser-
vances are associated with charity.
The fitness of these, was in effect long after
the time of David taught by Jesus Christ. He
showed by the whole tenor of his life, that
acts of love and mercy were best calculated to
propitiate the Almighty. Let this ever be
borne in mind by the young, as well as the
aged. Compassion is one of the distinguish-
ing peculiarities of the human race. The in-
ferior animals are for the most part incapable
of feeling it ; it was reserved, at all events, in
its greatest force to give dignity to man, and
it ought to be assiduously cultivated, not only
by the pious and the serious, but—
* Let’the laughing son of mirth
Who mocks the puritan’s grave tone,
Shew, if unclaimed the second birth,
That he can pity sorrow’s moan.â€
; 188
( JS)
(p- DAVIDS TRANSGRESSION AND PENITENCE.* <=?
DAVID’S TRANSGRESSION AND
PENITENCE.
“ And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord
stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn
sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem.â€â€”1 CHRoN-
ICLES, chap. xxi., verse 16,
BEFORE CHRIST, 1020 YEARS.
Kine David ordered Joab and the rulers of
Israel to make what in our time is called a
census; he wished the people over whom he
reigned, ‘‘to be numbered from Beer-Sheba
even to Dan;†Joab ventured to advise his
royal master against acting on the resolution he
had formed, but the king could not be prevailed
upon to lay it aside.
The people accordingly were numbered, and
at this, we read, God was displeased, and
“‘ therefore he smote Israel.â€
Then David acknowledged that he had sinned
greatly, and besought the Most High to do
away the iniquity of his servant. His prayer
was heard, and Gad, David’s seer, was ordered
by the Lord to tell the king that of three evils
he might choose one, three years of famine,
three months’ discomfiture before his foes, or
three days’ pestilence throughout the land.
189
ON ON Gat
In this mournful strait he preferred the last.
Of the evils before him, that visitation appeared
to be the least terrible. An angel was there-
upon sent to destroy the people of Jerusalem,
but while he was executing his mission the Lord
was mercifully pleased to command him to stay
his hand, and David, lifting up his eyes, ‘‘ saw
the angel of the Lord standing between the
earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword
in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem.â€
At this appalling sight, the king and the elders,
whoin token of mourning had previously clothed
themselves in sackcloth, fell on their faces, and
David humbly prayed that as he was the
offender, his people might be spared, and that
the wrath he had provoked might fall upon
him, and on his father’s house alone.
The pestilence then ceased, and on the spot
where it was stayed, David, by divine com-
SS le
DAVID’S TRANSGRESSION AND PENITENCE,
mand, built an altar to the Lord.
In this instance the sin of the king brought
suffering on his people. Monarchs have been
thought to represent the majesty of heaven ; to
be God’s vicegerents on earth. Their position
is one of awful responsibility, as misconduct
on their part causes a whole community to
suffer.
190
eS
A
: = ac NUR esata
: : NNW na
va ASL ,
iy
a
eee
LZ Z
MK XALT RD
SOLOMON
SOLOMON EXALTED.
‘When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his
son king over Israel.â€â€”—1 CHRONICLES, chap. xxiii., verse 1.
BEFORE Curist, 1014 YEARS,
Frew monarchs can brook the thought of lay-
ing aside the regal power; commonly they
grasp the sceptre with increased eagerness in
old age, and even in death.
Such was not the case with David. “Full
of days,†he felt that his strength failed him,
and that he could not hope to effect all he had
desired to do, and he therefore prudently
wished a young and vigorous successor to carry
out his designs, and bring to completion what
he had failed to accomplish.
Having this purpose in view, he called for
Solomon, his son, and charged him ‘“ to build
an house for the Lord God of Israel.â€
“My son,†he said, ‘it was in my mind to
build a house unto the name of the Lord my
God, but the word of the Lord came to me
saying, thou shalt not build an house unto my
name, because thou hast shed much blood upon
the earth in my sight.â€
The aged monarch then charged his son to
191
SOLOMON EXALTED.
do that which he himself could not perform,
and breathed a pious hope that the Lord would
give him wisdom and understanding, and give
him charge concerning Israel, that he might
keep the law of the Lord his God. ‘ Then,â€
said he, ‘“‘shalt thou prosper, if thou takest
heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which
the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel;
be strong, and of good courage, dread not, nor
be dismayed.â€
The counsel David gave to Solomon, when
about to place him on his throne, was such as
every king—as every father might wisely be-
stow on his future representative. Those who
would enjoy real happiness must keep the sta-
tutes of the Lord; doing this, whether filling
an exalted or a humble station, they may look
for support from above, and with reason be of
good courage, know no dread, and rest strangers
to dismay.
Weakness and ignorance complain of the
duties imposed upon them; the wise know
there is no greater enjoyment than that which
the heart feels when duty has been faithfully
performed.
AS .
NaN
SSNs
Sy guy
\
ONS ob Jt†Yop,
OD 6 ow pa » 2 yy 7 Lily». ; _ /
: SZ | BAS jj Uy ©) 8 J4A_L
S ‘Oh iM 7 Uy Vi : 1
il
|
Hh
y
Vv J
y
\
AS
—RPVVIPS RN " .
f a SS
a
SS
>
DAVID APPOINTING "THE SINGERS & MUSICLANS
SSSSS55
DAVID APPOINTING THE SING-
ERS AND MUSICIANS.
“David and the captains of the host separated to the service of
the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who
should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cym-
bals.â€â€”1 CHRONICLES, chap. xxv.,’verse 1. | |
_ BEFORE Curist, 1018 YEARS,
Tue history of David’s appointment of .musi-
cians and prophets as set forth in the book of.
Chronicles, opens to us an interesting view of
the course’ of education which in ancient ‘days
had obtained in the Hebrew nation.
Some’ learned: men have maintained that
poetry is more ancient than. prose. \.By this
they meant not to contend, that’ men, women
and children engaged in the ordinary concerns
of life, talked in verse; but were of opinion that
in connexion with public observances, at their
feasts, sacrifices, and great assemblies, that
which was necessary to be imparted was given
by Priests and others in the earlier ages in a
poetical form. ‘‘ All science human and divine,â€
says a modern writer ‘‘seems to have been
deposited in the treasury of the Muses,†and
Bishop Lowth considers this to have been ‘‘the
only mode of instruction adapted to human
VOL. I. 2c 193
DAVID APPOINTING THE SINGERS.
nature in an uncivilised state.†It was sup-
posed that precepts delivered in poetry, and
associated with music, would captivate the ear
and make a lasting impression. The solemn
truths intended to be perpetuated, once com-
mitted to memory, were less liable to be cor-
rupted and varied than if simply expressed in
prose, the vulgar tongue of the day.
But David in regulating and appointing the
sons of Asaph, it will be noted, set apart some
who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries
and with cymbals. In those days it was com-
mon to bring up youths to study prophecy asa
branch of learning, and when their education
was complete, devoted solely to religious exer-
cises, they offered themselves as candidates for
the prophetic professorship or office. Their
duty was to hymn the praises of the Almighty,
and thus devoutly occupied they became more
holy than the rest of the sons of men.
Poetry, music, and prophecy we find were
united in the celebrations of the Jews. To this
day the two former assist the worship of most
Christian congregations. They not only relieve
services which to some minds would be found
wearisome, but they kindle a gentle enthusiasm.
which elevates the thoughts and fills the heart
with solemn joy.
194
—
NNN
\ V
Ye GY9
¢ IO fe
LC 5) ey
AE )
©
® ]
&
m . f s
‘iy Ne y
“
st
\ c ,
(ye) T ITLL DING OF 'T
y THE BUILDING OF ‘TADMOR
THE BUILDING OF TADMOR.
“He built Tadmor in the wikterness, and all the store cities.†—
2 CHonicies, chap. vili., verse 4.
Brrore Curist, 996 YEARS.
Soetomon is known to most young readers as
the wisest man. Would they know in what
his wisdom was greatly conspicuous? It was
in this:—he was a lover of peace.
To David it was not given to erect the temple
of the Lord, because he was stained with blood.
That happiness was reserved for Solomon.
Though not without his failmgs the son of
David constantly sought to exalt the glory of
Israel, by cultivating the arts of peace.
He had reigned twenty years, and besides
completing the temple, had erected a kingly
residence, when he turned his mind not to
conquering cities but to building them. We
indeed collect that he had some cause of strife
with Hamath-zobah, for he marched thither
and prevailed against it. Then it was in the
day of his success, that he built Tadmor in the
wilderness and all the store cities.
By “store cities†we perhaps may conclude
that places in which provisions were reserved
195
THE BUILDING OF TADMOR.
to be resorted to in case of famine, or some
other public calamity are meant. To form such
establishments was a most important pre-
caution; several cities Solomon seems to have
raised as a rampart to guard the rest of his
dominions against a sudden irruption from an
enemy. Thus we are told he built ‘ Beth-
horon the upper and Beth-horon the nether,
fenced cities with walls, gates, and bars.†Other
places are mentioned as being “the chariot
cities and the cities of the horsemen.â€
It was thus that the wisest of mankind aimed
at promoting the welfare of his people, and
gained for himself undying renown. He seems
not to have coveted the stormy joy of victory.
He knew that—
“Reason frowns on war's unequal game,
‘Where thousands bleed to raise a single name;â€
and this led him to prefer the triumphs of
industry to those of valour; this made him
solicitous to give peace to the children of
Israel, and this caused him to build Tadmor in
the wilderness.
196
(loo
I
HE
T
SOLOMON AND
KING
|
I
EBA
SI
QUEEN OF
KING SOLOMON AND THE QUEEN
OF SHEBA.
“When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she
came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem,
with a very great company.â€â€”2 CHRONICLES, chap. ix.,
verse 1,
BEFORE CHRIST, 991 YEARS.
Wuewn letters were but little known, when
the means of diffusing knowledge were few, and
the mass of mankind was much less informed
than at present, men of shining parts were
perhaps more conspicuous than they could be
in a more polished age. Eminent men were
almost deified, and after death were absolutely
worshipped. The wisdom which Solomon had
displayed:and the wealth and power which he
possessed, gave him great fame, and this induced
the queen of Sheba to visit Jerusalem. She
went in proud state, largely attended, and taking
with her ‘‘ camels that bare spices and gold in
abundance, and precious stones.â€
Having communed with the king of Israel,
and seen the houses which he had built, and the
splendour in which he lived, ‘“‘ and his ascent
by which he went up into the house of the
Lord,â€â€™ she was so amazed that it almost took
19
KING SOLOMON AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA.
her senses away; in the words of Scripture
‘there was no more spirit in her.â€
Recovering from her surprise she declared
that all she had heard of him fell far short of the
truth ; and happy, said she, “are thy men, and
happy are these thy servants which stand con-
tinually before thee and hear thy wisdom.â€
The compliment was no ordinary one, yet it
was not extravagant. Solomon was beyond all
doubt a wise prince, and his royal visitor in
the exclamation above quoted, only showed a
just appreciation of his character and a capacity
for reducing the greatest of all earthly advan-
tages. Happy, indeed, are they who can hear
the language of wisdom, of true wisdom—which,
while it gives comfort to the heart of the
sojourner on earth, prepares the humble but
aspiring spirit for the unfading glories of
heaven.
Let the aged, as well as the young, imitate
Solomon in praying to be endowed with wis-
dom from above.
198
. WADORAM STONED TO DEATH BY THE i \
) SK CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Je G>)
7 40)
eo Ope 2 Bo c%?e OOese «Oe
HADORAM STONED TO DEATH
BY THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
“King Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute;
and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he
died.â€--2 CHRONICLES, chap. x., verse 18.
BeroreE. Curis, 974 YEARS.
Wiss fathers have too often foolish sons. The
expenses attendant on building the temple and
the other great} works accomplished by king
Solomon, notwithstanding the general prosperity
which marked his reign, caused some of his
people to complain: of the burdens imposed,
and when his son Rehoboam had succeeded to
the throne, they made application to him for
relief. He first applied to the old men who had
stood by his father for their advice, and they
wisely counselled him to use his subjects kindly,
telling him in that case, they would be his
servants for ever.
It is to be presumed that he set little value
on. their opinion, for he next applied to the
young men ‘who had been brought up with
him,†and they flattered his pride by recom-
mending him to use severity, and to tell those
who had claimed: relief that far from granting
what they asked, he would compel them to pay
199
HADORAM STONED TO DEATH.
more than had been previously demanded; he
would increase their burdens so largely that
‘this little finger should be thicker than his
father’s loins.â€
Rehoboam rashly acted on the extravagant
ideas of his youthful companions, and the bad
effects of their pernicious counsel were soon
visible. When his subjects found that he would
not listen to their prayer, they indignantly
asked ‘‘what inheritance have we in the house
of Jesse?†They raised the cry, “every man to
your tents,. O Israel,’ adding the threat, “ and
now David see to thine own house.â€
Rehoboam heeded not these signs, but obsti-
nately persevered. Hadoram, who presided over
the tribute or taxes, was sent among the people
to enforce the king’s demand, when they rose
tumultuously against him, and not only refused
compliance, but stoned him to death.
Israel rebelled, and refused longer to acknow-
ledge the house of David, and the pride of Re-
hobcam was severely chastised. The authority
of good kings all good men join to respect, but
when those who should be as fathers to their
people degenerate into tyrants, resistance is just,
and if the consequences are sad, the blame
must fall on the foolish Princes who forget their
duty.
200
EY
ae 4 ey 4: <4
gy lp Wy |
1TAH,
)
AB
y
DEFEAT TD B
AETL
i
ISh
“ CHILDREN OF
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DE-
FEATED BY ABIJAH.
“The children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered
them into their hands. And Abijah and his people slew
them with a great slaughter.â€--2 CHRONICLES, chap. xiii.,
verses 16, 17.
BEFORE CHRIST, 956 YEARS,
Suisuak king of Egypt, in consequence of the
vices of Rehoboam, was permitted to humble
the unworthy son of Solomon and to -despoil
Jerusalem. When Rehoboam died his son
Abijah ascended the throne, and proved himself
a true worshipper of the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob.
But the throne of Israel was possessed by
Jeroboam, and war broke out between him and
Abijah.
The hostile armies were arrayed against
each other and ready to engage, when Abijah
‘*standing upon mount Zemaraim which is on
mount Ephraim,†called to Jeroboam, and
reminded him that God had given the kingdom
of Israel to David for ever; he reproved the
Israelites for worshipping golden calves, and
for the abuses which degraded their priesthood,
and finally, in the spirit of peace, he solemnly
VOL I. 2D 201
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DEFEATED.
admonished Jeroboam, saying, ‘‘ Behold God
himself is with us for our captain, and his
priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm
against you. O children of Israel fight not
against the Lord God of your fathers, for you
shall not prosper.â€
The wicked are not easily turned from their
evil ways. Jeroboam heeded not the voice of
Abijah, but confident in his own strength, and
in an ambush which he had artfully prepared,
expected to gain a great victory. The battle
began, and the men of Judah found themselves
at once attacked in their front and in their
rear. It was a moment of extreme peril, and
the people of Abijah called upon the Lord.
They shouted, and the mighty arm of the
Omnipotent stretched forth to save them,
smote Jeroboam and all Israel. In that awful
day, we read that five hundred thousand chosen
men of Israel, were numbered with the dead.
It is thus that in numerous instances God
has been pleased to humble the proud before
those over whom they fondly hoped to triumph.
Let the possessor of power remember God can
withdraw it from him in a moment; let the
humble in the hour of danger call upon the
Mighty One, who will not suffer the weak to
appeal to him in vain.
202
‘ — » f\ A |
Re V7 NOH
; Ss wad? > RYT]
aed , ao Up
A YL) .
SON
wes ih
UG
; Nia
\
S
ANON
AHAB ORDERS MICAIAH TO PRISON Cs
AHAB ORDERS MICAIAH TO
PRISON.
“The king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back
to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s
son; and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the
prison.â€â€”2 CHRONICLS, chap. xvill., verses 25, 26.
Berore Curist, 897 YEARS.
Tue prophets of old who predicted happy events,
when that which they had foretold came to
pass, were largely rewarded. Hence some of
them to gain royal favour, pretended to have
revelations of the will of heaven which in truth
they had not. Their guesses, however, pleased
the king who listened to them for the moment
and if not falsified by events, would in the end
prove a source of profit.
Micaiah was really what many pretended to
be, one to whom the power of announcing
coming events had been given by the Almighty.
When Ahab and Jehoshaphat contemplated
acting against the king of Syria, certain pro-
phets attended and declared that if they ad-
vanced to Ramoth-gilead, God would deliver it
into their hands.
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah doubted the
prophecies of these courtly seers, and asked if
203
[aang A a tt
AHAB ORDERS MICAIAH TO PRISON.
there were not a prophet of the Lord besides,
of whom they could inquire. The reply of Ahab
was, that there was indeed one man, but he
hated him, for he never prophesied good.
This man was Micaiah, and he, by desire of the
king of Judah, was now called, and exhorted by
the messenger sent for him to concur with the
others. The determined answer of Micaiah was,
“as the Lord liveth, even what my God saith
that will I speak.â€
Faithful to his word and to duty, when he
stood before the king he denounced the false
prophets, and declared that they were animated
by a lying spirit. One of them named Zede-
kiah, incensed at this, smote Micaiah on the
cheek, and sneeringly asked ‘‘ which way went
the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto
thee?†“Behold,†replied the prophet of God,
‘thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go
into an inner chamber to hide thyself.â€
The king of Israel then commanded that
Micaiah should be sent to prison, there to be fed
with the bread and water of affliction. It was
soon seen that Micaiah was a true prophet.
A battle was fought in which the king of Israel
received a mortal wound. The false prophets
were thus put to shame, and the prophet of the
Lord memorably vindicated.
204
ont
aS ,
JEHOSHABEATH CARRIES OFF
THE INFANT PRINCE JOASH.
“ Jehoshabeath, the: daughter of the king, took Joash the son
of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that
were slain.â€â€”2 CHRONICLES, chap. xxii., verse 11.
BEFORE CurisT, 877 YEARS.
In the narrations of the destruction of the temple
of Baal, it has been seen that queen Athaliah
was a very wicked woman. The second Book
of Chronicles gives some facts connected with
her story, which do not appear in the former
notice. She was rendered furious by the death
of her son Ahaziah, who having been found
hidden in Samaria, was brought to Jehu, and
then slain and buried, because he was said to be
“the son of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord
with all his heart.â€
Ahaziah, however, did not resemble Jehosha-
phat in seeking the Lord. On the contrary
he walked in the. ways of the house of Ahab,
for ‘his mother was his counsellor to do
wickedly.â€
But though she was a bad woman, she might
be greatly afflicted at the death of her son.
Mothers, however depraved in their general con-
duct, are often devotedly fond of their children.
205:
—— -\)
JEHOSHABEATH CARRIES OFF PRINCE JOASH.
The God of nature has so firmly established
maternal love in a woman’s heart, that vice
itself can hardly eradicate it.
Feelings which in a virtuous mind would have
prompted gentleness and pity, moved Athaliah
to awful deeds of blood. She conceived the
murderous design of destroying all the royal
children of the house of Judah, and she accom-
plished her detestable object with one exception,
that of the infant Joash.
No doubt it was her intention to kill him also,
but Jehoshabeath (she is called Jehosheba in
other places) took pity on him. She withdrew
him from among the king’s sons that were slain,
and put him and his nurse ina bed chamber.
There this lady, who was the wife of the priest
Jehoiada, concealed the infant, and in the house
of God he remained for six years.
The saving of Joash proved in the end fatal
to the murderess. Thus those who plunge into
crime accomplish enough to secure their own
ultimate ruin, but failing in a single instance,
they lose the immediate prize which had
dazzled and deluded them, and to secure which
they had not feared to offend the majesty of
heaven.
206
ATHALIAH
LN
DISMAY
ATHALIAH IN DISMAY.
“She looked, the behold, the king stood at his pillar: and all
the people of the land rejoiced."—-2 CHRonicies, chap.
Xxili., verse 13.
BrErorE Cunist, 871 YEARS.
Jenorapa, the good priest, to whose care the
little boy Joash had been entrusted by the kind
lady who had snatched him from death, watched
carefully over him while he remained in the
house of the Lord. Not only did he take care
that the royal child should be properly fed and
attended to, but he laboured to place him on
the throne of his fathers, his right by birth.
Joash had entered his seventh year when the
priest thought fit to make the last great effort
in his behalf. Athaliah had caused herself to
be proclaimed queen, and little suspected what
was going on against her interest. Jehoiada
having duly armed all his friends, produced on a
certain day the young prince to them, placed a
crown of gold on his head, and they joyously
and loyally greeted him with shouts of “ God
save the king.â€
The sound of their rejoicing reached the ears
of Athaliah, yet still she was at a loss to guess
what it meant, and in this state of doubt she
207
ATHALIAH IN DISMAY.
directed her steps to the temple. There she
saw a sight which filled her with anger and
dismay. She beheld the king who “stood at
his pillar at the entering in, and the princes
and the trumpets by the king: and all the
people of the land rejoiced and sounded with
trumpets, also the singérs, with instruments of
music, and such as taught to sing praise.â€
This was a spectacle which might well shock
a proud woman, who had not scrupled to stain
her hands with blood, that she might sit upon
a throne. She saw her reign was over, and
trembled for what was to follow. In the
anguish of despair the wicked queen tore her
clothes, and cried aloud, ‘‘ Treason treason.â€
Too late the sinful Athaliah found that
though crime may triumph for a season, there
is a God of justice who beholds all the dwellers
upon earth, and who permits vice for a time to
triumph, that its ultimate fall mav be the
greater and the more deplorable.
208
ett Ol OP al tO a ON a
~~
ee tN tlt a gt ac
= a
a a ae ie
. 4
pO s
I]
ATHALILA
fe
(
MATH
)
THE
|
THE DEATH OF ATHALIAH
“They laid hands on her; and when she was come to the
entering of the horse-gate by the king’s house, they slew
her there.†—2 CHRONICLES, xxiii., verse 15.
BEForRE Curist, 871 YEARS.
Wuen those who have been sovereigns are
deposed, when they see their sceptre transferred
to other hands, it has been often remarked they
may not unreasonably conclude that death is
near at hand. So it proved in the case of
Athaliah, as mentioned in the history of the
destruction of Baal’s temple.
It was in vain that on seeing Joash greeted
as king she shouted treason. The people armed
by Jehoiada, were resolved to defend their young
monarch. None appeared disposed to take her
part. Ata word or a signal from the priest,
“the captains of hundreds that were over the
host†appeared, and Jehoiada then directing
their attention to the murderess Athaliah, said
to them “‘ Have her forth of the ranges: and
whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the
sword.†For the queen herself, he added,
** Slay her not in the house of the Lord.â€â€™
How sad! how awful was that moment!
The shedder of human blood now saw that her
VOL. I. 25 209
THE DEATH OF ATHALIAH.
turn was come to suffer. She could murder
helpless children without pity or remorse, and
truly dismal and horrid must the prospect of
the grave have been to one so degraded by
crime.
Athaliah could not escape from those who
were prepared to take her life. She could not
hope to wake compassion in their hearts;
nothing remained for her but to submit to the
fate she had so much reason to dread.
And accordingly we find that when she had
reached ‘‘ the entering of the horse-gate by the
king’s house,†a spot on which no doubt grand
cavalcades and joyous groups had often met her
in the day of her pride, she was seized and put
to death.
In this world divine justice is often seen to
strike the sinner, when its approach is least
suspected. Providence is especially watchful to
punish the crime of murder, and cruel kings
pass not to their tomb in peace. Like Athaliah
such great offenders have often been doomed to
expiate their misdeeds with their blood.
= = i
. ) i ;
\
—_ "
Ss ! é‘ 7
eee eo — * ¥—— = A\\\\\ .
=: ; a (
ee
~
en, Oa
en iB Sines
J ST Oe
N i SY :
JOASH CALLS FOR THE LEVITES’
COLLECTION.
“ The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why
hast “thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of
Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the
commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord.†—2 CHro-
NICLES, chap. xxiv., verse &.
BeErore Curist, 861 YEARS,
In the earlier period of Jewish history, while
yet the Israelites were wanderers in the wil-
derness, an impost or collection had been
claimed by Moses, to keep the house of the
Lord in repair, and to maintain those who minis-
tered therein. During thé reign of Athaliah,
this had been neglected, or the money so raised
had not been properly applied. The house of
God had even been broken up, and the conse-
crated vessels, used for purposes of idolatry, had
been ‘“‘bestowed upon Baalim.â€â€™
To put astop to this evil, king Joash now
called upon the venerable priest Jehoiada, to see
the money duly collected, and put in a chest
which he caused to be made. This was done,
and masons and carpenters, and those who
wrought in iron and brass were employed to
renew the building. It was completely restored,
211
JOAB CALLS FOR THE LEVITES’ COLLECTION.
and the people rejoiced to see the pious worship
of their forefathers again solemnly performed.
Israel in the renovation of the house of the
lord felt itself renewed as in its earlier and
better days. Well might the people exult in
this holy triumph.
This was the last great work of Jehoiada, who
now growing old and ‘“‘full of days,â€â€™ being a hun-
dred and thirty years of age, was called away.
He died rejoicing in the thought that he had
fulfilled his duty to his sovereign and his God.
Happy is the man who, living in eventful
times, is enabled thus gloriously, to perform
deeds of such high merit. For him death can
have no terrors. The approach of his last hour
brings with it no appalling horror. He feels
that he is not sinking to the earth in mournful
decay, but visions of undying felicity assure
him, that he is ripening for heaven.
212
a a Oe a tae ata ta eae eal
Ce ca re ge ca pra re re ae rae ra ta
eee ee
(
: MW
, oe
=
5 5
IY
THE DEATH OF ZECHARIAH.
“ They (the people) conspired against him, and stoned him with
stones at the commandment of the king.â€â€”2 CHRONICLES,
chap. xxiv., verse 6.
"BEFORE CHRIST, 846 YEARS
WueEn the virtuous priest Jehoiada was no more,
the princes of Judah gained the favour of king
Joash. They gave him evil counsel, and he
turned to that sinful idolatry which in his
younger days he had zealously and successfully
laboured to repress. .
Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, saw with
sorrow the king and his people act thus
wickedly. God sent them prophets,.but the
hardened sinners would not attend to them.
Then it was that Zechariah, animated by the
spirit of God, boldly admonished and told them,
“Thus saith God, why transgress ye the com-
mandments of the Lord that ye cannot prosper ?
Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath
also forsaken you.â€
Far from repenting what they had done, the
timely warning was despised, and the people
conspired against Zechariah and stoned him to
death, by command of the king, in the court of
the house of the Lord.
213
fo
WR
a ee
THE DEATH OF ZECHARIAH.
It was a scene of dreadful profanation. The
house of God was stained with the blood of
his faithful servant. Joash forgetful of duty,
remembered not how Jehoiada protected him in
his helpless infancy, and requited the kindness
of the father by dooming the son, in all respects
worthy of him, to a cruel death.
The dying Zechariah declared in his last
moments that ‘the Lord would look upon the
murderous deed, and requite it.â€
His words were soon fulfilled. A small army
of Syrians overthrew the host of Judah because
they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.
Miserable disease attacked the wretched king,
who had fallen from virtue, and finally his
servants, avenged Zechariah, by slaying Joash
in his bed.
In the mournful story of this king we see a,
man great and happy while he remained good.
When in evil hour he yielded to vice, and
acted with base ingratitude, he was justly
punished with deep humiliation, miserable dis-
ease, and a violent death.
214
N\
N\)
UZZIAH STRUCK WITH LEPROSY.
“ All the priests looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous
n his forehead, and they thrust him out.â€â€”-2 CHRONICLES,
chap. xxvi., verse 20.
Berrort CHRistT, 765 YEARS.
Pxacep on the throne, when but sixteen years
of age, king Uzziah favoured by the Most High,
was for a time successful in war, and still more
happy, he improved victory, by advantageously
cultivating the arts of peace. He built towers,
he dug wells, he had much cattle, and his vine
dressers were employed in the mountains and
in Carmel, for he loved husbandry.
But man, unhappily, when most favoured, is
almost always found thankless to the hand
which exalted. He forgets the mercies ex-
tended to him, he forgets the dependent con-
dition of all mortals; foolish pride swells his
heart and prepares the way for his downfall.
So it fared with Uzziah. The Bible tells
us that ‘his heart was lifted up to his destruc-
tion, and he transgressed against the Lord his
God.â€
Presuming on his high rank, the monarch
went into the temple of the Lord to burn in-
cense. Such an act he had no authority to
215
tt ON ON OO AN
UZZIAH STRUCK WITH LEPROSY.
perform. It was especially reserved to the
priests who were consecrated to God, and the
interference of the king with their solemn duties
was a gross profanation. They accordingly
remonstrated with him, they called on him to
go out of the sanctuary.
Indignant at receiving such a reproof he was
slow to attend to it, and while expressing the
wrath which it had called forth, he seems to
have been still bent on completing the act of
burning incense on the altar, when he was sud-
denly struck with leprosy.
The priests he had outraged looked on him
with surprise. In the state to which he was
now reduced by a dreadful disease, he was still
more unfit to remain. They forcibly thrust
him out. Humbled, by this visitation he
desired to withdraw, that he might hide his
affliction and shame from every eye. He re-
mained a leper till the day of his death, and
while he lived cut off from the house of the
Lord, he saw himself deprived of the kingly
power, and his son reigned in his stead.
The ceremonies of religion are not to be
trifled with. It is only for those who have been
duly called and solemnly ordained to assume
the august functions of the ministers of God.
216
KINDLY
KATED
)
\
ARE TI
TDAH
J
THE
)
LEN ¢
HILD!
(
YS)
ZG
THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH ARE
TREATED KINDLY BY THE
ISRAELITES.
“The men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the
captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked
among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave
them to eat and to drink.â€â€”2 CHRONICLES, chap. xxviii.
verse 15.
BEFORE CHRIST, 610 YEARS.
Sucu is the proneness of mankind to sin, that
in all ages of the world, brother has risen
against brother, and cruel wars have spread
desolation far and wide, where God and nature
had placed within view of the combatants the
strongest inducements to live in union, peace,
and charity.
The Israelites became the foes of the children
of Judah, and triumphed over them in battle.
Returning from the strife they brought many
captives with them, but certain of the heads of
the house of Ephraim objected to their being
detained. They interfered in consequence of a
solemn admonition which they had received
from ‘‘a prophet of the Lord, whose name was
Oded,†the Lord God of their fathers, he said,
had been ‘“wroth with Judah,†and had de-
VOL I. 2F 217
|
:
THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH KINDLY TREATED.
livered the men of Judah into their hands,
but now he called upon them to deliver the
captives.
His words, and the wish expressed by the
children of Ephraim, had such an effect, that
the armed men left the captives and the spoil
before the princes and all the congregation.
Subsequently, becoming still more kind, they
took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all
that were naked among them, and gave them to
eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried
all the feeble of them upon asses to Jericho,
the city of palm trees, to their brethren.
The glory of a conqueror is never so great as
when it is associated with the gentler emotions
of humanity. Worldly policy to the observant
victor would suggest moderation in the day ot
success. Almost all the renowned warriors in
ancient and in modern times, have known their
season of adversity, discomfiture, and humilia-
tion. How greatly must the horrors of defeat
be aggravated by the recollection of past
cruelty. It was a prophet of the Lord who
wisely moved the Israelites to treat their
well suggested, and the suggestion was well
responded to, ‘‘ Blessed are the merciful ,for
they shall find mercy.â€
218
vanquished brethren with kindness. It was
|
sa we
Vd
3 * CAN
> sell
a TT ni W
LAX
Sp “)
AS
yan
[HE LEVITES ORDERED TO SANCTIFY THE
—_ HOUSE OF THE LORD.
_K _
f+
,< \ ] CG )
VANS :
A y x —
<=,
THE LEVITES ORDERED TO
SANCTIFY THE HOUSE
OF THE LORD.
«Ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of
the Lord.â€â€”2 Curonic zs, chap. xxix., verse 5.
BEForE Curist, 600 YEARS.
Nor all the judgments they had witnessed, nor
all the mercies extended to them, could induce
the wrong-headed Israelites to offer appropri-
ate homage to the God of their fathers, for
a very lengthened period. The temple of the
Lord, it appears, had been neglected, before
Hezekiah succeeded to the throne, but when
he became king, he opened the doors of the
house of the Lord, and repaired them; the
priests and the Levites he next assembled in
the east street, and there addressing them, said,
“Hear, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and
sanctify the house of the Lord God of your
fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the
holy place.†.
The king spake further on the solemn ob-
servances of Jewish worship, which had been
neglected, which he told them had brought the
wrath of the Lord upon Judah and Jerusalem,
219
THE LEVITES ORDERED TO SANCTIFY THE LORD.
had caused their fathers to fall by the sword.
and their daughters and wives to be led into
captivity.
He now, at the commencement of his reign,
called upon them to sanctify themselves, as it
was in his heart to make a covenant with the
Lord God of Israel, that his former wrath
might be turned away from the nation.
The words of Hezekiah were not uttered in
vain. The Levites hastened to sanctify them-
selves, and then proceeded to cleanse the temple.
]
This occupied them more than a fortnight, after
)
|
which solemn sacrifices, burnt-offerings, drink-
offerings, peace-offerings, and thank-offerings
were made, and Hezekiah rejoiced when the
ceremonies concluded, that God had prepared
his people for such a change.
When men approach the house of God they
ought to endeavour so to sanctify themselves
as not to fear the penetrating glance of an all-
seeing eye. They should act as if the words
of Hezekiah were addressed to them: ‘My
sons be not now negligent, for the Lord hath
chosen you to stand before him to serve him.â€
AND
/
"WY
PLUNDERED
DESTROYED
GOD
= 7 Up if e
Pg meee
oe
OF
. HOUSE
SS
THE HOUSE OF GOD PLUNDERED
AND DESTROYED.
“They burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of
Jerusalem.â€â€”2 CHRONICLES, chap. xxxvi., verse 19,
BEFORE CHRIST, 604 YEARS.
Tue several records handed down to us of the
destruction brought upon Jerusalem, through
the sad wanderings of the Israelites, show her
humiliation to have been great in the extreme.
Though warned of the coming danger, they still
continued madly to sin: they mocked the mes-
senger of God, and despised his words.
Vengeance long deferred fell upon that re-
nowned city at last. Having been overpowered
by the king of Babylon, the king of the Chal-
dees followed. The young men, we are told,
were slain with the sword in the house of the
sanctuary, to which we may conclude they had
fled, expecting that the deadly vengeance of the
foe would not pursue them there, but the foe
had no pity; in the expressive language of Scrip-
ture “had no compassion upon young men,
or maidens, old men, or him that stooped for
ee,â€
They carried away the sacred vessels, and
THE HOUSE OF GOD PLUNDERED AND DESTROYED
the house of God itself the cruel invaders
destroyed by fire. They broke down the wall
of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof,
and those that escaped the sword were carried
as prisoners to Babylon. ~
Language can but imperfectly describe the
woe at that period, witnessed within the limits
of the once-happy Jerusalem. Let the youth-
ful reader, looking at this affecting page of
history, reflect how truly awful is the wrath of
a God abounding in mercy, when his goodness,
having been long abused, obstinate wickedness
at Jength in a manner extorts signal chastise-
ment. The pride of Jerusalem was not humbled
fora moment. Many ages have since passed
away, and still the children of Israel are wan-
derers in a foreign land. Happily, the fierce
persecution to which they were long exposed,
has been in modern times largely abated in
Europe. The hand of mercy, we may be per-
mitted to hope, will ere long be extended to
end their suffering and lead them into pleasant
ways.
S
_
HT 1 | hh
a 3 a. iS
sh ¥ bs : |
L
dle eg
r\
——— \
oN
q
\
REBUILD THE TEMPLE
>
CYRUS PROCLAIMS THAT HE WILL (-
wv,
Ei
CYRUS PROCLAIMS THAT HE
WILL REBUILD THE TEMPLE.
“The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of
the earth; and He hath charged me to build him an house
at Jerusalem.â€â€”Ezrka, chap. 1., verse 2.
BEÂ¥FoRE Curist, 536 YEARS.
Cyrus, according to Xenophon, was king of
Persia, and a warrior whose arms were crowned
with astonishing success. Unlike many con-
querors, he was anxious not to abuse the power
he gained by victory, but aspired, by kindness
and mercy, to vanquish the hearts of those
whom he had first subdued in arms.
It was, we are told, in fulfilment of a pro-
phecy uttered by the prophet Jercmiah, that
the Lord stirred up a spirit in Cyrus, to re-
build the temple. He was indeed the ap-
pointed avenger of the fallen Hebrews; it was
by him that haughty Babylon was to be
humbled.
Cyrus was specially raised up by the Eternal
to accomplish mighty things. Centuries before
his birth he was thus mentioned in prophetic
relations of Isaiah.
“Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to
Cyrus whose right hand I have bidden to subdue
223
CYRUS PROCLAIMS TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE,
nations before him.†The inspired writer de-
scribes the Lord as declaring to Cyrus that he
will go before him and make crooked things
straight, and he adds, “‘I will give thee treasures
of darkness and hidden riches of secret places,
that thou mayest know that I the Lord which
call thee by name am the God of Israel.â€â€™
When he had become king, and crushed the
power of Babylon, in gratitude to the Deity
who had given him so much, he proclaimed
throughout the land, that the Lord had charged
him ‘‘to build him an house in Jerusalem: He
ordered his people accordingly to go to Jeru-
salem to assist in rearing a building the worthy
successor of the ruined temple. He called on
the people generally to assist, according to their
means, with silver and gold, with goods, and
with beasts, besides a free-will offering.
In consequence of this large contributions
were raised, and many of the sacred vessels
which had been taken to Babylon were restored.
Cyrus, a wise prince, had no faith in the idols
which were worshipped in his own country, but
when placed on a throne, and in the pas#tion of
a conqueror, he was anxious to render appro-
priate honours to the God of Israel. He
reigned in glory, and is believed to have died
happy.
224
ge ge ee
\
[SQ AQ) 3
a} SGsl, PE
Aft if SOE
FEAST OF TABERNAC
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
“From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer
burnt-offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the
temple of the Lord was not yet laid. "Ezra, chap. iii,
verse 6.
BEFORE CHRIST, 535 YEARS.
Tue prophet Ezra had the merit of collecting
and arranging much of the important matter
contained in the Old Testament, and he has
in the chapter before us, given.a very interest-
ing account of the proceedings: of the Israelites,
after, by favour of Cyrus, being returned from
Babylon, they were invited to rebuild the
house of the Lord.
To accomplish an object so dear to the heart
of every patriotic Jew, the Israelites, it appears,
repaired ‘“‘as one man to Jerusalem.†. Then
each, according to his means, laboured to pro-
mote the undertaking.
The actual commencement of the work, was
preceded by many solemnities. . Jeshua, the
son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests;
and Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and his
brethren, built the altar of the God of Israel,
to offer burnt-offerings thereon. Morning and
evening sacrifices were made, and they kept the
VOL. 1. 26
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES,
feast of tabernacles, as had been directed by
the book of the law. They then offered “ the
continual burnt-offering, both of the new moons,
and of all the set feasts of the Lord, that were
consecrated. On this occasion, the offering of
every individual disposed to make a free-will
offering, was accepted. It was from the first
day of the seventh month, that the ceremonies
began ; but we are informed that at this period,
the foundation of the temple was not yet laid.
Immediately after the foregoing period,
we see the work made rapid progress. Money
was paid to the carpenters and masons, but
meat and drink, and oil, requited those of Zidon
and Tyre, who brought cedar-trees from Leba-
non. The excitement thus created, did not
soon subside; and at length the foundation
was completed, when the priests attended in
their robes, with trumpets; and the Levites,
the sons of Asaph, with cymbals to praise the
Lord, after the ordinance of David king or
Israel.
Then all present rejoiced, and joined to
praise the Deity—they praised the Lord as all
the pious do now, “‘ because he is good, and his
mercy endureth for ever.â€
NEHEMIAH AT JERUSALEM.
“T arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither
told I any man what.my God had put in my heart to do at
Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the
beast that I rode upon.â€â€”-NEHEMIAH, chap. ii., verse 12.
BEFORE CHRIST, 535 YEARS.
Tue prophet Nehemiah deplored the humilia-
tion of Israel. His was no selfish, no personal
sorrow, for he resided in the palace of king
Artaxerxes and had free access to that monarch,
to whom he was cup-bearer, but he wept as a
Jewish patriot, for fallen Jerusalem.
And he prayed to “‘the Lord God of heaven,
the great and terrible God, that keepeth cove-
nant and mercy, for them that love him and
keep his commandments,†for the children of (:
Israel who had sinned. ,
Artaxerxes remarked that his countenance
was sad, and demanded the cause of it. ‘Let the
king live for ever,†was the reply of Nehemiah,
“why should not my countenance be sad, when |}
the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres |
lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed
with fire.’ He then ventured to petition
Artaterxes that he might visit Jerusalem, and
have permission to build it. 7
22
NEHEMIAH AT JERUSALEM.
Provided with proper letters, he went and
took up his residence in the ruined city. There
having remained three days, he went forth in
the night, as mentioned in the verse quoted
above. He relates that he proceeded ‘“‘ to the
gate of the valley even before the dragon well,
and reviewed the walls of Jerusalem which
were broken down, and the gates thereof which
were consumed with fire.†He also went to
the gate of the fountain and to the king’s pool,
but there was no room for the beast which
carried him to pass.
Other parts of the city he visited, and made
anxious efforts to commence the rebuilding
of it.
The tender and pathetic description penned
by the prophet of the city of his forefathers,
in the day of her abject desolation, breathes
the true spirit of that love of country which is
common to all the good. Personally distin-
guished, the favourite of a king, living in a
palace, Nehemiah still wore a sad countenance,
still wept and prayed for Jerusalem in ruins.
228
en
ee ee ee
a oa et tt
EZRA ENS THE
OPENS THE BOOK OF THE LAW
> O-TKAT
a ‘
I
EZRA OPENS THE BOOK OF
THE LAW.
“Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he
was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the
people stood up."—-NEHEMIAH, chap. viii., verse 5.
BeFrorE CurisT, 535 YEARS.
Nor in vain were the labours of Nehemiah.
He succeeded in getting the wall of Jerusalem
raised. The inhabitants however, were not
numerous. He tells us the people were few,
and the houses were not builded.
Some of the principal edifices had been
spared, and he called together the nobles, and
rulers, and a most important ceremony was
performed in their presence, and that of the
Jewish people generally, who from various
parts attended that day in Jerusalem.
It was then, that Ezra the priest brought
the law before the congregation, both of men
and women, and all that could hear with
understanding, upon the first day of the
seventh month.
On this occasion the prophet presented
himself to the congregation in a pulpit. The
place in which he appeared Nehemiah very
exactly describes ; Ezra read from the book of
229
ERE EEE
EZRA OPENS THE BOOK OF THE LAW
the law, before the street, that was before the
water gate, from the morning until mid-day,
before the men, and the women, and those
that could understand; and the ears of all
the people were attentive unto the book of
the law.
This it will be seen was a solemnity of no
common moment, standing in the presence of
a multitude in that city which had suffered so
severely for the sins of its ungrateful inhabi-
tants, while he pointed to the wall which had
been restored, he laboured to give each of
them what was infinitely more valuable, an
intimate knowledge of the book of the law,
the law handed down to them by Moses;
and from Moses to us, the law of God.
The people, Nehemiah writes, ‘‘ were atten-
tive; Ezra blessed the Lord the great God,
and all the people answered, Amen, amen, with
lifting up thew hands: and they bowed their
heads, and worshipped the Lord with their
faces to the ground.â€
Such was the joy of the Israelites at regain-
ing that sacred volume, which through many
successive ages men have learned to view with
reverence, as that which could best teach them
how to live and how to die.
230
QUEEN
ESTHER
a
")
rh
ip
ry
p
BEFORE
QUEEN ESTHER BEFORE KING
AHASUERUS,
“When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court,
she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out
to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand.â€â€”
EsTHER, chap. v., verse 2.
Kine Ahasuerus, who reigned from India unto
Ethiopia, by some learned men supposed to be
the ancient Xerxes, having put away his queen
Vashti, and the fairest young females in his
dominions having been brought before him,
Esther, a Jewish maiden, he deemed the most
beautiful, and she became his queen.
This Esther, her father and mother being
dead, had been brought up by her cousin
Mordecai. He had treated her as if she had
been his own child, and was of course greatly
rejoiced to see her the beloved consort of a
mighty king.
Her kindred and even her nation, Esther did
not make known to Ahasuerus, but on her
becoming queen, Mordecai sat in the king’s
gate, and by a fortunate accident, became ac-
quainted with a treasonable conspiracy that
had been formed, and in consequence of infor-
231
QUEEN ESTHER BEFORE KING AHASUERUS.,
mation which he supplied, the guilty parties
were brought to justice.
Haman, an officer at court, gained favour
with the king, who greatly promoted him. The
servants of Ahasuerus all bowed to him, but
Mordecai refused to do so. At this Haman,
who was a very cruel man, became furious.
In his rage, he was not content to punish
Mordecai alone, but he wished to destroy all
the people of his nation, and-he obtained an
edict or order from the king, to murder the
Jews found in his dominions.
Greatly distressed at this, Mordecai wore
sackcloth, and called upon Esther to solicit the
king’s favour for those who had been doomed
to die. She replied that a law had been made
under which any man or woman, who passed
into the inner court, was to be punished with
death, those only excepted, to whom the king
might hold out the golden sceptre. She, how-
ever, passed into the presence of Ahasuerus.
A gracious Providence watched over the brave
and gentle being, who thus exposed herself to
extremest peril to save others. She obtained
favour in the sight of the king, who extended
to her the golden sceptre.
232
ee et A
"
Ny)
m
peisewvsttilfy
C3 "oy cage
Oe
INVITATION
THER S
io
(
i
i
iy /
it
HW
soe rancrmer rr
ESTHER’S INVITATION.
“If I have found favour in the sight of the king, let the king.
and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for
them.â€â€”-Estuer, chap. v., verse 8.
Wuen Ahasuerus held out to Esther the golden
sceptre, she drew near and touched the top of
it. The danger she had encountered in pre-
senting herself uncalled before him was now no
more, and the king graciously said to her,.
‘What wouldst thou, Queen Esther, and what
is thy request?†He added, that whatever:
she might desire should be granted to-her even
to the half of his kingdom.
Careful not to ask too much, she for the
present only prayed that the king would come
that day. with Haman to a banquet, which she
had prepared for them. Her suit was promptly
granted, and, attended by Haman, Ahasuerus
partook of Esther’s ‘“ banquet of wine,†when
the king again promised that any petition she
might prefer should be granted. She at that
time prayed that the king and Haman would
come to another banquet on the following day,
when she would submit her petition.
Haman was greatly rejoiced at finding him- |
self apparently thus favoured by the queen as
well as by the king; but as he went forth he
2H 233
Sea
ESTHER’S INVITATION.
| saw Mordecai, who proudly forbore to rise at
his approach. On this account. Haman was
very angry. He however went home, and
) boasted to his friends, and Zeresh his wife, of
the promotion he had gained, and of the ban-
quets to which he had been invited by Esther.
Yet all these failed to satisfy him while he saw
Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.
) The wife proposed that a gallows should be
made fifty cubits high, and that Haman should
ask the king to cause Mordecai to be hanged
thereon.
Weak and wicked people are often too ready
to seek a cruel revenge. Such was the case
with Haman. He approved of the bad counscl
offered by his wife, and caused a gallows to be
forthwith prepared, and determined on the
following day to pray the king that Mordecai
might be put to death thereon.
Had he been wise, had he been humane, for
a much greater offence than he had received
from Mordecai, he would not have desired to
inflict so dreadful a punishment. He would
have reflected that God in his justice could not
fail to visit wickedness, and have remem-
bered that the blood of the innocent cries up
to heaven for vengeance.
\
‘y
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
oo
aga
ee an ae ee
a I ee
ee
—
234
IO IO
ee en ee
HONOURED
MORDECAI
MORDECAI HONOURED.
“Let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of
one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array
withal the man whom the king delighteth to honour.â€â€”
EsTHER, chap. vi., verse 9.
On the mght following the day on which
Haman had adopted the sinful resolution to
pray the king that Mordecai might be put to
death, Ahasuerus could not sleep. While thus
restless he called for the book of the Chroni-
cles, and there he found a record of the im-
portant services which Mordecai had formerl
rendered in discovering the plot which had
been formed against his life. He inquired
what honour and dignity had been conferred
upon Mordecai, and learned with some surprise
that nothing whatever had been done for him.
Haman at this time had come to the outer
court of the king’s house, for the purpose of
preferring his petition that Mordecai might be
doomed to die. The monarch ordered him to
be called in, and on his entrance he put this
question, ‘‘ What shall be done to the man
whom the king delighteth to honour ?â€
It immediately struck Haman that some
new favour was intended for himself, and he
therefore answered as follows :—‘“‘ Let the
235
aan
eee aes
. i
MORDECAI HONOURED.
royal apparel be brought which the king uses
to wear, and the horse that the king rideth
upon, and the crown royal which is set upon
his head, and let this apparel and horse be
delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most
noble princes, that they may array the man
withal whom the king -delighteth to honour,
and bring him on horseback through the streets
of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus
shall it be done to the man whom the king
delighteth to honour.â€â€™
The king upon this gave command that all
which Haman had suggested should be done.
“Do,†said he, ‘even to Mordecai the Jew that
sitteth at the king’s gate, let nothing fail of all
that thou hast spoken.â€
This was a sad blow for Haman. He was
compelled to render such great honours to the
man whom he had desired to hang on the
gallows he had ordered to be made. He went
ome mourning.
Thus it is the mean and the cruel are often
defeated, and their craft and their cruelty serve
but to ennoble the just whom they seek to ruin.
236
a
— ie
are
HAMAN
SES
ACCU
ESTHER
ESTHER ACCUSES HAMAN,
“The king returned out of the palace garden into the place of
the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed.â€
—ESTHER, chap. vii., verse 8.
Tue order of king Ahasuerus that Mordecai
should receive all the honours whieh Haman
had suggested, should be lavished on the man
the king delighted to honour, was sbeyed.
Mordecai again sat in the king’s gate, and He-
man went home mourning. His wife, who had
before urged him to seek the death of the
eousin of Esther, now said it would be his fate
to fall before Mordecai. They were yet talking, |
when Haman was summoned to attend the ‘king
to Esther’s banquet. To her palace he pro-
ceeded. The king again invited Esther to
prefer her petitions, and again promised to
grant what she might ask, even to the ‘half of
his kingdom.
Thus encouraged, Esther prayed the king
for her life and :that of her people. We are
told, said she, ‘that I and my people are to ‘be
destroyed, to be slain, and to perish, but if
we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen
I had held my tongue, although the enemy
could not countervail the king’s damage.â€
Ahasuerus was amazed at what he heard.
237
a
ne
at
ESTHER ACCUSES HAMAN.
| *¢ And who,†he demanded, ‘“‘ who is he, and
where is he, that durst presume in his heart to
do so?†‘‘The adversary and enemy,’’ she
exclaimed, “is this wicked Haman.â€
Had a thunderbolt fallen at that moment, it
could not have filled the enemy of Israel with
more horror and alarm. The wretched man,
) thus denounced, stood up to beg for his life,
but afterwards in his agony fell on a bed, which
was that of the queen. At this the king was
\ greatly incensed. Those who were present
| then covered Haman’s face, and one of the
chamberlains mentioned the gallows fifty cubits
high, on which he had proposed to hang Mor-
) decai who had rendered Ahasuerus such good
service. This sealed the unhappy man’s fate.
The king at once gave command that on that
same gallows Haman should forthwith be
hanged, which was done accordingly, while
new benefits and honours were granted to
Mordecai.
Thus, those who seek the destruction of
others, prepare their own downfall.
.
“There came also another and said, The fire of God is fallen from
; heaven, and kath burned up the sheep, and the servants,
\ and consumed them.â€â€”Jos, chap. i., verse 16,
) |
JOB’S AFFLICTION.
Tue book of Job the most learned divines re-
_ gard as a solemn drama or parable. By some
- it has been treated as a real history; and Job
is supposed to have lived before Moses. The
» balance of evidence is in favour of the former })
} opinion. Viewing it in that light, we find Job ('
represented to be an upright man, and one who
)
feared God.
He is described to have lived in the land of
Uz, and to have had a family of seven sons and
three daughters ; he possessed great riches,
“ Nor saw the sumptuous East a prince so great.â€
~
x <=
Job not only lived virtuously himself, but
he was anxious to sanctify all about him. Is
was, however, said of him by satan, who it
spoken of as appearing before the Lord, that
he was good only because he was in the enjoy-
ment of many blessings, and because his sub-
stance was increasing in the land. These bene-
fits withdrawn, and sharp affliction known,
Satan scrupled not to say Job would “ curse
the Almighty to his face.â€
Te
239
ma Ne)
I a A Ne NN i a | ee gh
ee eee
him with great afflictions. While his sons and
daughters were feasting a messenger made
known to Job that the Sabeans had carried off
his oxen from the plough, and his asses from
the field, and put to death his servants.
These sad tidings had scarcely reached his
ear, when other messengers appeared to an-
nounce that the fire of God had fallen from
heaven on his lands, and had burned up his
sheep and his servants, while three bands of
Chaldeans had seized: his camels, and killed
those who attended on them.
Nor was this all: it was next reported to
him that while his sons and daughters were
eating and drinking wine in their eldest bro-
ther’s house, a great wind from the wilderness
smote the four corners of it, and the building
had fallen and killed the young men.
Such mournful news could not but shake the
father and the man. It was not unusual in
ancient days for those who were in distress to
tear their clothes. Job made this sign of an-
guish, he rent his mantle, and otherwise
exhibited pitiable despondency.
JOB’S AFFLICTION.
To prove this, Satan was permitted to visit
/
|
240
Ee
BeNOR LR A A
SIGNATION
LE
's
>
)
\ \
JO]
\
BONS
BOSS : % Hy i
Wha â€
JOB’S RESIGNATION.
“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord.â€â€”-Jop, chap. i., verse 21.
Tue mournful events brought to the knowledge
of Job in one sad hour, we have seen filled his
bosom with inexpressible dismay.
But even in that season of bitter sorrow, he
forgot not the God who made him. Humbly
prostrating himself, he worshipped the Lord.
He reflected that as he came naked into the
world it was the doom of nature that naked he
should return to the dust from which he had
been raised. He added, ‘‘The Lord gave and
) the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name
' of the Lord.â€
Even the good, as they journey through life,
often experience distress. In such cases they
must seek relief in prayer. If there are
“No wounds like these a wounded spirit feels,â€
there is—
“‘No cure for such, till God who makes them, heals.â€
And submissive to the Divine will, the christian
should say with Job, ‘‘The Lord gave and the
Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of
the Lord.â€â€™
In the reflection of Job there is as much
VOL. I. 21 241
em)
Se
a a a aoa a
Lo
=
a
wo ee . ee
On TA mt. :
on ae SA,
NN
ee
Me ER
)
}
|
)
A
\
(
!
(
/
\
\
\
Nee
JOB’S RESIGNATION.
ee ee
profound policy as virtuous resignation. No
rational mortal can for a moment suppose that
the Deity is, or ever was, his debtor, and con-
sequently whatever he may possess, he holds as
a gift or a loan from Providence. Viewed only
as the latter, there would still be abundant
room for gratitude. Ifa man of wealth should
lend a poor neighbour a considerable sum of
gold, all who witnessed the act would say it was
noble and kind, and deserved to be remembered
through life with thankfulness, even though
after a lapse of several years its repayment were
demanded. That which God may bestow he
has surely a right to resume. We see that in
many cases he is pleased to do so. Doubtless
this is ordered to teach the son of man, that he
has nothing of which he can rationally be proud.
When apparently secure in the enjoyment of
riches, the wise student of the Bible will not
risk being taken by surprise should he be over-
taken by adversity. He will profit by the
important lessons there furnished. ‘Talk no
more so exceeding proudly ; let not arrogancy
come out of your mouth. The laws of the
mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled
are girded with strength. They that were full
have hired out themselves for bread ; and they
that. were hungry ceased.â€
242
ee a aaa a aaa areca
ee ne ae er gt en mer GIO
See
eee
al eae eee)
bee RL eR ee EEE
SR OE ST
TENDS
,
\
II
HLS
AND
SOB
a ee ee ae
eae
ee ee ee
JOB AND HIS FRIENDS.
“When Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had
come upon him, they came to mourn with him and to com-
fort hima.â€â€”JoB, chap. ii., verse 11.
Tue trials of Job already described, were not
all that he had to endure. He had lost his
wealth, his servants had been slain, and his
sons had perished, but new evils came over
him, and Satan smote him with sore boils
‘* from the sole of his foot unto his crown.â€
In this melancholy condition, not knowing
what to do in order to obtain relief, he ‘‘ took
a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he
sat down among the ashes.â€
Seeing him in this condition would seem to
have taken his wife’s senses away, for she
tauntingly asked him if he still preserved his
integrity ? wickedly and presumptuously add-
ing, ‘‘ Curse God and die.â€â€™
The answer which Job promptly returned to
her shocking advice, ought to live in the me-
mory of every mourner, whatever may be the
cause of grief. It expressed that humble and
entire resignation which the creature should
never cease to feel under the most awful dis-
pensations of the Creator. “Whats he de-
43
TTT TTT TET TE TT
en
{
a
LE
Ce ee ne ee ee ee
ae
|
|
SN
JOB AND HIS FRIENDS.
/
manded, ‘‘ shall we receive good at the hand
of God, and shall we not receive evil ?â€â€™
The lesson cannot be too deeply impressed
on every youthful reader. Is the selfish heart
to hope for benefits from the Giver of all good, |
and when these have been graciously, bounti-
fully conceded for a longer or a shorter period,
is it wickedly to repine, and instead of feeling
grateful for the past, complain of God’s Provi-
dence, because the present is not equally fruit-
ful of profit and enjoyment ?
. Job felt differently, and thought wisely; but
he suffered greatly. This is clear, for when
his three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad
the Shuite, and Zophar the Naamathite, came
to mourn with him, such was his deplorable
a
appearance that they knew him not.
They sat down upon the ground for seven
days and seven nights, and appeared to share
his sorrow. None spoke to him. But in this
extremity of suffering no speech escaped him
at variance with the sentiments which he had
previously breathed. He had in his time re-
ceived good at the hand of God, and up to
this time he felt that it behoved him patiently
to endure the evils which he had to deplore.
ee XIN }I
—[_———————————————————————E——————————————EE EEE EEE
oe
tthe
244
Nee en TE Se Le ee ee
Ne a NG NR ON A Nt
—~
EIN
INN
ale
i Soe
4 AS RS SS
ISS
JOB IN DESPAIR.
“ Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which
it was said, There is a man child conceived.â€â€”-JoB, chap. iii.,
verse 3.
We have seen the heavy affliction which God
permitted to fall upon Job, and the patience
with which he bore up against visitations
as distressing as they were uncommon. It
will now be seen that the courage which sus-
tained him at first eventually gave way. The
Bible here brings before us a startling picture
of the wretched despondency which may come
over a mortal when God withholds from him
his blessing and support.
In the presence of friends who had come from
afar to visit him, Job asserted his truth and up-
rightness, and the course of his sorrows ran
thus: ‘‘ Let the day perish wherein I was born,
and the night in which it was said, There is a
man child conceived. Let that day be dark-
ness ; let not God regard it from above, neither
let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and
the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell
upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
As for that night, let darkness seize upon it;
let it not be joined unto the days of the year,
245
ON
)
}
)
)
)
}
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
a7
—})
eR
er ER Oe RAT nS A
SAR LR
)
:
(
{
(
(
{
|
(
\
\
JOB IN DESPAIR.
let 1t not come into the number of the months.
Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice
come therein. Let them curse it that curse
the day, who are ready to raise up their mourn-
ing. Let the stars of the twilight thereof be
dark ; let it look for light, but have none ;
neither let it see the dawning of the day.â€
In this dismal strain did Job deplore his hard
case ; now lamenting that ever he was born;
now weakly wishing that he had long since
been dead.
We are here taught how helpless, how truly
wretched is the natural man, left wholly to
himself in a season of adversity. God often
suffers his faithful servants to bear sharp trials,
but he who is sustained by faith in the darkest
hour, rejoices in strength not his own, not ot
earth. An unseen arm upholds him; the con-
sciousness that an omnipotent Creator watches
over him, dispels the dungeon’s gloom, and
uplifts the christian sufferer above the fear of
death. ‘Whatever his losses, whatever his pre- «
sent sorrows, he is still resigned, and still dis-
posed to say as Job did in the earlier stage of
his grief—‘‘ Shall we receive good at the hand
of God, and shall we not receive evil,†with
dutiful submission to the divine will ?
eee
ane
NN
NN NN
Fe ee
ee
Ne
REL.
WIR
\
:
)
|
)
246
FRIEND
Y
“ JOB'S
O}
—_
VISION
THE
Pa ~~
.
s QS TT ees \
N No
\ Wy é
SS N SS
; SS
SS
)
)
|
!
)
|
a aE a Nae
ON ee tl
)
(
(
}
OS Ot Ot
ee aE ee ta eT St a a
t
Ni
a Na CaN NE ON AI ea
|
THE VISION OF JOB’S FRIEND.
“Then a spirit passed before my face: the hair of my flesh
stood up, —JoB, chap. iv., verse 15.
One of Job’s friends, Eliphaz the Temanite,
on witnessing the extreme despondency of Job,
admonished him on the weakness thus mani-
fested. He reminded him that in other times
he had strengthened weak hands, but now that
sorrow came upon him, he himself pitifully
fainted beneath the load.
These friends of Job are nearly like the
friends as they are called, who, in our time,
assemble round a man in his distress. They
seek not to cure his sickness or to restore his
fortunes, but in the spirit of Job’s comforters,
enlarge on his failings, and pointing out the
happy lot of those who have acted well, by
inference charge him with gross misconduct.
Eliphaz now called upon him to task his
memory if he could recal any one who had
ever perished, being innocent, or any righteous
man that had been utterly cut off.
For others, he remarked that ‘‘he had
seen those who ploughed iniquity and sowed
iniquity, reaped the same, and perishes by the
A OT
)
|
)
5
\
SOT
ama aaiaatl
a pp ee ee eee
.
) THE VISION OF JOB’S FRIEND.
blast of God, and by the breath of his nostrils
were they consumed.â€
Eliphaz went on to say, “In thoughts from
the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth
on men, féar came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones to shake. Then a
spirit passed before my face ; the hair of my
flesh stood up ; it stood still, but I could not
discern the form thereof: an image was before
mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice,
saying, Shall mortal man be more just than
God? shall a man be more pure than his
maker? Behold he put no trust in his servants;
and his angels he charged with folly.â€
In those sad moments, Job, if he could feel
the reproach insinuated, was incapable of pro-
fiting from the advice they administered. He
wished ‘that it would please God to destroy
him—that he would let loose his hand and cut
him off.â€
This is the course which weakness often
takes. Mortifying disappointments and serious
losses sour the mind, and the trembling sufferer
does not reflect that he who can bring forth
good out of evil, has ordered these very calami-
ties which so weigh on his mind, for some
gracious purpose.
248.
|
»)
,
’
}
aa
RR
te et ta
Se EEE
Nae enn
JOB REASSURED.
“Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind.â€â€”
Jos, chap. xl., verse 6.
Mew of the world too frequently flatter them-
selves that, because they avoid the flagrant
crimes which degrade the most vicious of their
race, that therefore they should be regarded as
blameless and exemplary. Such had been the
error of Job, but sharp suffering, and the grave
thoughts which it induced, had now made him
sensible of his defects, and no longer asserting
his uprightness through life, he humbly, peni-
tentially confessed his weaknesses and his sins,
while he exclaimed, ‘‘ Behold I am vile, what
shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon
my mouth.â€
The course of the drama then represents the
Lord of Glory as speaking to him out of a
whirlwind, and breathing comfort into the ear
of the sufferer, seeing that his pride was no
more.
And thus the Lord speaks to him, ‘‘ Gird up
thy loins now, like aman. Deck thyself with
majesty and excellency ; and array thyself with
glory and beauty. Cast abroad the rage of thy
wrath ; and behold every one that is proud and
VOL. I. 2k 249
JOB REASSURED,
abase him. Look on every one that is proud {
and bring him low; and tread down the wicked |
in their place.â€â€™
To raise up the humble is often seen to be the
good pleasure of the Eternal. So it was in the
case of Job. Calamitous experience had taught
him to feel his own nothingness ; in the day of
his greatest sorrow, he had felt the coldly cruel
taunts launched against him by those who
called themselves friends, and affected anxiety
to comfort him. He might have said,—
“ And what is friendship, but a name;
A charm that lulls to sleep ;
A sound that follows wealth or fame,
And leaves the wretch to weep.â€
For those that came to him as friends, proved
that to them the gentle, generous sympathy
which is inseparable from true friendship, was (
wholly unknown.
Hypocrisy provokes the anger of the Deity.
Here we find the fine speeches of Job’s friends
could not save them from his displeasure. ‘
Many who now live and affect great reverence |
for sacred things, have no better claim to divine /
favour, than Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, for (
God can only be acceptably worshipped “in
spirit and in truth.â€
250
OO I ta |
Ty
ER
»
TO PROSI
RESTORED
)
)
y
LO
ees oy faz
ttt, <—
ez Cj, ec 5
JO]
JZ
7
io
a
A
oe =
Ze
—/
CBee
er pe ee ee
ee Eee
ee a ee hee
pe pa pe a
)
)
)
)
JOB RESTORED TO PROSPERITY.
“There came unto him all his brethren and all his sisters, and
all they that had been of his acquaintance before.â€â€”Jon,
chap. xlii., verse 11.
Gop’s mercy, at length, put an end to the
sufferings of Job. The friends who had ga-
thered round him, to give him their advice,
stood rebuked, as not having spoken what was
right of the Lord. They had counselled Job,
and he was now directed to pray for them.
“This in Job,†says Philip Henry, “is ap-
plicable to Christ ; that after he had patiently
gone through his sufferings, he was appointed
an intercessor for his unkind friends. If any
one hath an errand to God, let him go to
Jesus Christ, and put it into his hand, for
there is no acceptance to be hoped for with
God but by him, who is his beloved Son.â€
Great was the change witnessed in his home.
We read, ‘‘ Then came there unto him all his
brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that
had been of his acquaintance before, and did
eat’ bread with him in his house, and they
bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the
evil that the Lord had brought upon him:
every man also gave him a piece of money, and
every one an earring of gold.â€
251
Naa
JOB RESTORED TO PROSPERITY.
This is a true picture of the world, even as
it now is. They who desert the sad broken-
hearted man, on whom ruin has fallen, when
returning prosperity enables him to resume
his place in society, are ready again to “eat
bread with him,â€â€™ and to make him presents.
Great wealth is said to have eventually be-
longed to Job. We are told, ‘“‘The Lord
blessed the latter end of Job more than his
beginning, for he had fourteen thousand sheep
and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke
of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had
also seven sons and three daughters.â€
His daughters were fair, he gave them an
inheritance ; and Job lived to see his sons, and
his sons’ sons, even four generations, and lived
till he was an hundred and forty years of age.
By the history of Job we are taught more
than one important lesson. From wealth and
splendour we see him suddenly reduced to
miserable poverty. At first he is resolute to
endure without repining; but, at length, yields
to circumstances—mourns that he ever saw the
light, and wishes for death. The sequel shows
that, however cheerless the prospect imme-
diately before us, we ought never to despair.
God who has humbled our pride, can restore
our comfort.
252
eI TT
ae ee tN tt tN, A
ae a eB EE EE oe
<=
DAVID REJOICING.
' “His anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life.â€
~—PSALM xxx., verse 5.
Berone Cunist, 1620 YEARS,
SoLeMn strains commemorating the mercy and
bounty of the Lord, it was the delight of king
David to compose. They vary in their tone ;
some call for the punishment of the wicked,
some deprecate wrath, while others gratefully
celebrate the abounding mercy of God.
The psalm here illustrated belongs to the
class last described. The royal musician com-
mences by declaring that he will extol the Lord,
for that he has lifted him up, and has not
suffered his foes to rejoice over him.
He then exultingly tells, that in sickness he
had ‘‘ called upon the Lord, and that he had
healed him.â€
Strong indeed were the elaims which the
Giver of all good had to his gratitude and love,
for thus the laudatory song continues :—
“O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul
from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that
I should not go down to the pit.
‘Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and
give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
253
Oe
aw
eee eee
(.
ae
DAVID REJOICING.
‘For his anger endureth but a moment, in
his favour is life: weeping may endure for a
night, but joy cometh in the morning.â€
The language of the psalmist must not be
taken literally to mean, that after a single night
of sorrow, joy comes in the morning. He speaks
metaphorically, likening the gloom which some-
times comes over the mind, to the darkness of
night, and which the relenting mercy of a
gracious Father eventually causes to give place
to joy.
When writing this psalm, the Jewish king
had to acknowledge such a deliverance, for he
says—
“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into
dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and
girded me with gladness.â€
‘What follows, deserves to be most carefully
noted and treasured up in every youthful heart.
David tells that the Almighty had been thus
gracious to him—‘‘To the end that my glory
may sing praise, and not be silent.â€â€ He adds
the pious and appropriate resolution, in which
all his readers should join with heart and with
voices,—‘‘O Lord my God, | will give thanks
unto thee for ever.â€
See
bt Shad
DAVID CALLING ON GOD
HIS ENEMIES
(SR
)
{
f
DAVID CALLING ON GOD TO
DEFEAT HIS ENEMIES.
“Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against then
that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.â€â€”
PSALM Xxxyv., verse 3,
Berore Curist, 1620 YEARS.
Tuovuau raised by the Almighty from a humble
station to be a mighty king, David’s career
was far from being one of continued joy. He
had many enemies to encounter, and some
whom, from their having been near and dear
to him, it was affliction to vanquish.
It was when he had to meet cruel foes in
arms raised up against him by treachery and
ingratitude, that he thus called upon the God
of his fathers :—
‘** Plead my cause, O Lord, with them. that
strive with me: fight against them that fight
against me.
“Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand
up for mine help.
‘‘ Draw out also the spear, and stop the way
against them that persecute me: say unto my
soul I am thy salvation.
‘* Let them be confounded and put to shame
that seek after my soul: let them be turned
255
CT ee wee,
aan
fe
ET
DAVID CALLING ON GOD TO DEFEAT HIS ENEMIES.
back and brought to confusion that devise
hurt.
Let them be as chaff before the wind :
and let the angel of the Lord chase them.â€
He tells of the unkind return he had met
with from those for whom he had formeily
been anxious. Exalted as he was, the shafts
of ingratitude could reach him ; but it will be
remarked, that a good action is_ still seen
to be its own reward. He refers to it with
satisfaction and comfort in his animated appeal
to heaven.
In the progress of his strain, he calls on
the Lord to judge him according to his righteous-
ness; and in the end, he desires to magnify
or render great homage to his Creator, and
declares, in acknowledgment of his protection,
that he will speak of his praise all the day
lo:
He thus teaches those who trace the course
of his thoughts, to appeal to God for aid in
the day of danger and distress, and to honour
his holy name with hymns of gratitude when
the peril shall be ended.
(
(
ee |
Nt a tO ga ag at pt at
Wishihiiitu3t
Ge Z BEE) ip
NOT FALL
WICKE
4
SHALI
THE
RIGHTEOUS
BEFORE
THE
D
ween ee
2)
er
ats qe
a
ll
aoe
aa reason
THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT
FALL BEFORE THE WICKED.
(
“The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their
bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to glay such (
as be of upright conversation.†-—PsaLMs, XXXVil., verse /
14, . (
(
(
ee oR Re eR ee
De
THE thirty-seventh psalm is rich in grave ad-
monition and in religious consolation. Judge (
Park, when near his death, spoke in strong |
terms of the comfort which he had derived
from reading it.in moments of difficulty.
It teaches the pious not to fret because of :
(
evil-doers, not to be envious against the
workers of iniquity, for it adds they shall be
cut down like grass, and wither as the green
herb; and then it supplies the wholesome, (
soul-sustaining counsel, ‘“‘Trust in the Lord |
and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land,
and verily thou shalt be fed.â€
Hence the pious man will learn, that though
evil-doers may seem powerful, though his wel-
fare may to human eyes appear to depend upon
the will of those who fear not God, yet relying
upon his goodness, he may confidently reckon
on support from above. If depressed for a
while, he may, nevertheless, live to see the
wicked arrested in their sinful career and ‘cut
VOL. 1. 2 1 257
eS Ee eee eee
a a et nt ee
Se ae tt tt et tt et a,
eT I SS
ee.
a
ee aaa
ea ea eA
SSS ee
THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT FALL.
(
down like the grass,â€â€™ while their righteousness
“is brought forth as the hight, and their judg- (
ment as the noon-day.†The evil-doers, it {
assures us, will eventually be cut off, but those
who wait upon the Lord shall inherit the |
earth.
The Psalmist proceeds, ‘ * Cease thou from }
anger, and forsake wrath.†This is in the
spirit of the lesson vubtequently taught by |
Jesus Christ. He knew the weakness of man,
and solemnly enjoined his followers to prove ,
their faith in him, and not to press too hardly ;
on an offending brother.
Though the wicked have drawn and bent |
eee
area
their bow against the good, we are told their
malice shall be foiled, and their bow broken.
In proof of this, the inspired writer refers to
his own experience. Deeply impressive is the
lesson which it affords. ‘‘ I have been young,â€
he says, ‘‘ but now am old ; yet I have not seen
the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging
bread.â€â€™
——————————E——E—
SSS ee
258 1
So T we EET TEE
NE Ee
ee a ee
ee ne Ee
{
\7
Ww Ooy
[CCUM OHH OO OOO OO
ZS
D
o>
THE CHILDREN ISRAEL
THE WATERS OF BABYLON
OF
SP 2
On) OG f bdo®d © @ 4
ry
t <
x»
a @ Ow
~~
I [ IS RAE Lio
=
eo & 7%) HILE HAUGHTY
‘eee ee
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BY
THE WATERS OF BABYLON.
“By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down, yea we wept
when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon
the willows in the midst thereof.â€--PsaLM, oxxxvii., verses
1, 2.
BerorE CHRIST, 500 YEARS.
Remors as is the period when the Israelites, car-
ried to Babylon as captives, sighed at the re-
membrance of Zion, the vivid picture of their
sorrows, preserved for our instruction in the
beautiful psalm before us, cannot be contem-
plated by any reader of moderate sensibility
without emotion.
Crystal streams, sunny fields, and all the
glories of nature, are incapable of giving that
comfort to the forlorn wanderer who gazes on
them, at all comparable to that which in days
of peace, he might hope to know in his own
native land.
This the broken-hearted Israelites were
doomed to prove. At the thoughts of Zion they
were moved to tears, and those who were their
captors mocked their distress. Their mournful
situation is thus beautifully described :—‘‘ We
hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst
259
}
\
\
(
(
|
(
(
(
:
{
(
(
(
(
(
|
|
|
EE EE
ae
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AT BABYLON.
thereof, For there they that carried us away
captives required of us a song; and they that
wasted us required of us mirth, saying, sing us
one of the songs of Zion.’ The sad response
of the sufferers was thus breathed, ‘‘ How shall
we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land.â€
This simple appeal to the heart has been often
rendered in modern verse by the poets of vari-
ous nations. One of our own elder bards, Sir
John Suckling, is among those who come
nearest to the striking pathos of the original—
‘Now while our, harps were hanged so,
The men whose captives then we lay
Did on our griefs insulting go,
And more to grieve us thus did say—
e who of music make such show,
Come give us now a Zion’s lay.
O! no, we have no voice nor hand
For such a song in such a land.â€
Kindly regard for the country in which we
first saw the light, has always been honoured
as one of the virtues which ennoble man. It is
one that youth should learn to cherish. Doing
this, the heart awake to religious impressions,
cannot feel other than grateful to the Giver of all
good, when it may exult in the thought, that
peace, comfort, and security can be enjoyed at
home, and that we are spared the sorrows which
the unhappy Jews had to deplore at Babylon.
260
a ee
ce ee ee ee
SOA GSA FRB Owes -
ON eS
C
aN
IODA OWN OONTMaALL Zales ASS
nnn
S 3
=
Neu be 5
(
( Si Fa]
a
SA YAS
a Flats
(5 ick rf ik
iL
SS ¢ oN, eA OSES Ss = ay |
PITY THE POOR.
“Tf thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed
from under thee ?â€â€”PROVERBS, chap. xxii., verse 27
)
:
! Tue Proverbs of Solomon embody much prac-
tical wisdom. If carefully studied they will
(
(
(
d
i}
i
OO ee
a ee.
greatly benefit the well-disposed youth. They
warn him not to be carried away by pride, not
‘| to give loose to anger, and not to forget the
( just claims of the poor to pity and forbearance.
» They at the same time guard the thought-
| less against rashly mixing themselves up with
) the concerns of others. The unreflecting
, man who makes himself responsible for what
, another owes, frequently indulges weakness or
| vanity, instead of exhibiting generosity. True
generosity must be associated with reason, and
not lose sight of justice. The wise man says,
“Be not thou one of those who strike hands,
or of those that are sureties for debts.â€
But thus warning us against imprudence, he
, does not teach men to harden their hearts. On
the contrary, in the next verse, he points re-
proachfully to those who have no feeling for
the sad necessities of others. ‘‘ If,’’ he writes,
|
a Nt A ON tN Nt
WOE a ee ne ee
“thou hast nothing to pay, why should he
(the creditor) take thy bed from under thee.â€
261
ce ee ee et
ea NT eT Tome
og tage
yet ae ee
*
The gentleness and compassion here sug-
gested, are forcibly inculcated in a preceding
part of the same chapter, where a solemn warn-
ing is given against oppressing the needy.
‘‘Rob not the poor, because he is poor;
neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
“For the Lord will plead their cause, and
spoil the soul of those that spoil them.â€
It would be well if these impressive lessons
were more carefully treasured up in the minds
of rich men whose superior means give them
power over their neighbours. In our day, we
frequently read of the heartless proceedings of
the wealthy, or those who act under their
orders, against humble beings, whose sad con-
dition should check rapacity, and induce the
beholder to pity and to spare. The widow and
the fatherless, the sick and the dying, have
sometimes been heartlessly stripped of their
last rags, which, worthless to the spoiler, de-
fended the helpless owners from the chill
of winter. The claims of justice must be at-
tended to, but those who engage to support
them ought not to steel their hearts against the
voice of misery, for eventually ‘“ the Lord will
plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those
that spoiled them.â€
: PITY THE POOR.
TINS LE ALINE IN
as
ETE EE
a ae ee
Ne ee
NT
SN
262
ee
ee ee
(
A
TS
ED
| eves ceet)
Yy
\
.
PUNISHED
Ad
— an
A x
t - /
= J '
. A
~" . 4
oe 9
= 13
+ be .
=% - Sbsel
a % be nh
eee POE _
Â¥ 9 amt i/o oe
ZY
ae
cn
: | > Q
‘di . sy - a ° a
)
)
!
|
\
}
i
)
a a a I TT
pee aoe
Ree EE EEE
VIOLENCE SHALL BE PUNISHED.
“A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person
shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.â€â€”PRovmrss,
chap. xxviii., verse 17.
In reading the Holy Scriptures, to understand
a particular passage, it is very necessary to read
what is termed the context, or that which im-
mediately precedes or follows the passage
quoted. For more convenient reference the
subject matter of each chapter is divided into
verses, and they sometimes interpose divisions
of a lesson, which cannot be correctly under-
stood unless taken as a whole.
When we read that. ‘‘a man that doeth vio-
lence to the blood of another shall flee to the
pit,’ some doubt may be entertained of what
is meant by the ‘‘ pit.†It has been supposed
that it, in effect, tells that the shedder of blood
should be consigned to the grave. Various
passages in different parts of the Bible may be
quoted in support of this opinion, but it admits
of no question that outrage is hereby sternly
denounced. The verses which precede, con-
demn cruelty in rulers. It is declared that
“he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into
mischief ;â€â€™ and then we are told ‘‘ As a roaring
lion and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler
263
ee
Ne Nr ee Se SS SI
SE)
IT
ee ee ee a a ae a ee
ISL AL SE A RS Tm
~—-
VIOLENCE SHALL BE PUNISHED.
over the poor people. The prince that wanteth
understanding is also a great oppressor, but he
that hateth covetousness shall prolong his
days.
Now, in most cases, covetousness prompts
violence. While the shedder of blood is pun-
ished, those who may be tempted to seek inor-
dinate gain are admonished. This is carefully
taught in many parts of the Scriptures. Avarice
pointed at as a fearful vice, is also described to
be a fruitful source .of evil, even to those who
are weak enough to give way to its seductions ;
while a blessing is promised to the charitable
who remember that ‘giving to the poor is
lending to the Lord.†‘A faithful man shall
abound with blessings; but he that maketh
haste to be rich shall not be innocent.â€
Engaged in the active business of life, men
are too apt to be excited to unseemly. eager.
ness. Here we are counselled by Solomon to
rest content with little. The rich find that
wealth brings its attendant evils. True wis-
dom enjoins us to be satisfied with moderate
gain, that we may not be tempted to commit
violence ; that we mav remain innocent.
264
OO tt
a ae te
te ga a NN ltt a na Ag
.
|
|
|
GIVE FROM YOUR ABUNDANCE.
“ Give a portion to seven and also to eight; for thou knowest
not what evil shall be upon the earth.â€â€”-EcCLESIASTEs,
chap. xi., verse 2.
We have here another of the many admonitions
furnished by the Bible, which tend to urge the
affluent to deeds of benevolence.
An ancient heathen poet remarks, “ the
man of wealth can personally consume no
more food than the poor man.†The wise
provision of the Creator is seen in this. It
has set a limit to the real wants of men.
Were it not so, sad as are the scenes which we
now from time to time witness, still more ter-
rific discord would depopulate the world. The
greedy rich would devour so large a portion of
the produce of the earth, that the poor, ren-
dered frantic by starvation, would rise in ven-
geance against their wealthy neighbours, or
turn their murderous arms against each other.
How noble, how illustrious are they who,
blessed with abundance themselves, are not
unmindful of the wants of others, and who
kindly “‘ give a portion to seven, and also to
eight !â€â€™
This is generous ; but it is also wise. The
VOL. I. 2M 265
a Oe
Ee EO EEE
oe
ee ea eee
a a a
\y
ceo ee
——
—
RS
( reason is suggested in the words ‘for thou
‘ knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.â€
Not a year passes without bringing before
) the eye of the thoughtful observer of passing
events, some startling case of humbled pride.
Those who are still young, are likely to have
beheld some haughty neighbour whose bloated
) arrogance laughed to scorn the sorrows of the
poor, brought down to the level of the suf-
ferers he once despised. No amount of trea-
sure, no elevation of rank, no extent of power,
can secure the haughty mortal from the blow
which a righteous Providence may deem fitting
GIVE FROM YOUR ABUNDANCE. |
:
}
)
| to requite the cruelty and the folly which, in-
) stead of giving a portion “to seven or to
) eight,†claims all for its own selfish gratifica-
tion. In such cases
)
)
“Tis a fit question to be put to man,
When he would trample hearts already sad,
Reckless what pressing trials crowd the span
Of others’ days—so that his own is glad;
*Tis a broad taxing, but the chainless mind
Will dare to raise the doubtings that shall thrill it,
Inquinng oft, mid factions base ana plind— '
Did God so will it?†)
266
eS I at A
aS ee
N
: ; WY)
YD
if /
Vip
TT)
I att se A ee AN OE Pt i ln ln artnet et a Ee tee
Se
OOS SS a ee EE EE
coon
CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH.
“] charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and
by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my
love till he please.â€â€”-Sona or Sotomon chap. ii., verse 7.
Tut Song of Solomon presents us with a rare
assemblage of beautiful images. ‘“‘It is not,â€
says Matthew Henry, “the song of fools, as
many of the songs of love are, but the song of
the wisest of men.†‘It is,†continues the
same learned commentator, ‘‘ a song, an epitha-
lamium or nuptial song, wherein, by the expres-
sion of love between a bridegroom and his
bride, it sets forth and illustrates the mutual
affections that pass between God and a distin-
guished remnant of mankind. It is a pastoral;
the bride and bridegroom, for the more lively
representation of humility and innocence, are
brought in as a shepherd and a shepherdess.â€
Henry then shows from various passages in the
sacred volume, that ‘‘ God sometimes spoke of
himself as the husband of the Jewish church,
and rejoiced in it as his bride, but more fre-
quently is Christ represented as the bridegroom
of his Church, and the church as his bride.â€
Many parts of the Scriptures are not to be
taken im a literal sense. The Song of Solomon,
267
ON I Se ee ee
)
AO
PERO
ee N
TS Ee —————E—I Ta)
ee eR nee eee ee
CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH.
the eminent minister above quoted, shows, is to
be regarded as an allegorical poem, in which
Christ is imaged by the Rose of Sharon. In
this character the Saviour speaks of his love,
that is to say, his church, as being a “lily
among thorns, among the daughters.†Then
the church, as the bride, is supposed to say,
“As the apple-tree among the trees of the
wood, so is my beloved among the sons.â€
Other words of endearment follow, and the
bride sighs, ‘‘I charge you, O ye daughters
of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of
the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my
love till he please.†In a rapturous strain she
exclaims, ‘‘The voice of my beloved! . behold
he cometh leaping upon the mountains skip-
ping upon the hills.†os
“This,†in the words of Matthew Henry,
“may very well be applied to the prospect which
the Old Testament saints had of Christ’s coming
inthe flesh. Abraham saw this day at a distance
and was glad. The nearer the time came, the
clearer discoveries were made of it; and they:
that ‘waited for the consolation of Israel with
an eyé of faith, saw him come, and triumphed
in the sight,†as Christians now exult in the
marvellous revelation.
268
â„¢~ Sr
THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
“ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and
the farting Jopethens and a little child shall lead them.â€â€”
Isa1aH, chap. xi., verse 6.
Tue inspiring language of the prophet Isaiah
commands universal admiration. Animated
by divine intelligence, he brings before us
images of surpassing beauty, rich in tender-
ness and power.
Knowing what Christians know, it is impos-
sible to read with indifference the language of
his prophecy. ‘' There shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall
grow out of his roots; and the Spirit of the
Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom
and understanding, the spirit of counsel and
}
)
might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear /
of the Lord.â€
Announcing that “a great coming†is on
its way, Isaiah tells that this offspring of the
house of Jesse shall be of quick understand-
ing ; and he adds, “‘ with righteousness shall he
judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the
meek of the earth; and he shall smite the
earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips shall be slay the wicked.â€
269
OT
ee a Nt
CO
a a ee
THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
It is considered that to the prophet had been
revealed what in future days was witnessed,
the advent of the Son of God. Christ came
from the stem of Jesse; he came with righte-
ousness to judge the poor, and reprove with
equity. When we read that with the breath
of his lips he shall slay the wicked, it is not to
be supposed that the prophet meant to assert
he would thus destroy the natural man, but
that his holy precepts in destroying sin, would
put an end to the wicked man, by giving him a
new being, and making him live to virtue.
The blessed effects which are to follow are
finely typified, where we read that the mon-
sters of the desert shall lie down in peace with
the most helpless and most innocent of domes-
tic animals. How perfect is the image which
it suggests of the reign of universal peace,
when it is added that “a little child shall lead
them.†Such happiness is to be known
‘when the earth shall be full of the know-
ledge of the Lord,†for then we may be sure
His will must be “done on earth, as it is in
heaven.â€â€™
a eee eT TT EEE
NN ee
bes
ee
a a ee ee ee
DIAL.
THE
OF
>
=
~~
~
a
j
ST)
‘THE
a
a
THE SHADOW OF THE DIAL.
“ Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which
is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz; ten degrees backward.
So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was
gone down.â€â€”Isa1AH, chap. xxxviii., verse 8.
BEFORE CHRIST, 679 YEARS.
Kine Hezexiay, unlike some of the degenerate
princes who had occupied and degraded the
throne of David, was anxious to live a life of
piety, it was announced to him by the prophet
Isaiah, that it was the will of the Almighty
that he should die.
To die, to pass away from the world, to be
dissolved into dust, is an awful thing. It is
natural for the most courageous mortal to feel
some alarm when the fitful moment is at hand :
alarm, which philosophy cannot repel, or reli-
gion itself wholly subdue. The former indeed
at this juncture fails, and the latter soothes,
but still doubts and misgivings are hkely to
arise. Hezekiah, believing his death was at
hand, ‘‘ wept sore, turned his face to the wall,
and prayed to the Lord.â€â€™
Happily he was able to say, ‘‘ Remember
now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have
walked before thee in truth and with a perfect
271
(
|
£
|
|
Fee ie ngem gge p gee amaee
a a a aE ein
|
THE SHADOW OF "um anapow or THE pian. = t(«S DIAL.
heart, and have done that which is good in thy
sight.†Happy, thrice happy, is the man who
when he believes his dissolution is at hand, can
thus confidently appeal to the Lord of all for
the uprightness of his conduct! In the case of
Hezekiah, God was pleased to make known
by Isaiah that. fifteen years should be added to
his life; and asa sign that this important boon
was conceded, the divine message ran thus,
‘J will bring again the shadow of the degrees,
which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz,
ten degrees backward.†We are then told,
“So the sun returned ten degrees, by which
degrees it was gone down.â€
This was a miracle—a wonder at which
seeptics may scoff, but, says Matthew Henry,
“He that set a clock agoing, can set it back
when he pleaseth, and make it to return, for,
the father of all light is the director of them.â€
272
Fa ea ee
et tt tt
III ILLES)
,
SS NE ere Nes
~ ~ NN Ee
HOPE FOR ALL THE RIGHTEOUS.
IS. CH 56. V. 6,7
STRANGERS WHO KEEP THE SABBATH-DaY,
TATOO RATM TFT IT TOP
iN 4 45udN 4 u PON THE
LORD TO CALL,
| FROM. GOD'S HOUSE NEVER SEND AWAY;
See WHICH OPEN WIDE SHOULD BE TO ALL
(a
4
(
(
{
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OI OO
HOPE FOR ALL THE RIGHTEOUS.
« The sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord, to
serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his ser-
vanta, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting
it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring
to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of
prayer : their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be
accepted upon mine altar ; for mine house shall be called an
house of prayer for all people.â€â€”Isatau, chap. lvi., verse 67,
‘“‘Krep ye judgment and do justice,†is the
opening injunction of the chapter of the pro-
phet Isaiah which is here illustrated. Hence
we learn that to do justice is that which is
agreeable in the sight of God. He who has
bountifully given so much to men, requires
them to be kind and just to one another.
The holy teacher proceeds most impressively
to show that strangers, and the humblest and
most despised of men, if they duly observe the
Sabbath, and avoid doing evil, will share the
benignant smile of the Lord of all. He will
make them joyful in his house of prayer, and it
is his divine pleasure that his house shall be
called ‘‘an house of prayer for all people.â€
We thus learn that all who act an upright
part will be acceptable in the sight of God.
His bounty is not confined within such narrow
limits as ignorant but presumptuous men have
VOL, I. 2N
ea gage meen
|
!
i.
bo
HOPE FOR ALL THE RIGHTEOUS.
at various periods reported to be its boundaries.
The Eternal Father, we here see, regards all |
his children, so they endeavour to act an up-
right part, with mercy and compassion. He
distinctly tells that the offerings of strangers,
of all that live, will be accepted. Abounding
goodness accords no niggard grace, no sordid
boon. The heart that is pure,—that sighs to
prove itself grateful for benefits received, may
live in holy hope and die in peace. What
Isaiah announced the Saviour confirmed. ‘He
who comes to me I will in no wise cast out.â€
Though humble his condition, though manifold
his errors, the penitent sinner who seeks to do
justice may here find comfort. It is by studying
to attain such a frame of mind that we shall
promote general harmony, tending to that happy
state of things when all shall rejoice while they
render ‘‘glory to God on high,†at pohoiding
“peace on earth,†breathing ‘good will to
men.’
|
:
|
EET
ee
PAS
Qe
nue ee oR eet
aS
OL a ee
ee
STOCKS.
THE
OM
>
\
FORTH FE
BROUGHT
LE MIAH
Jkt
JEREMIAH BROUGHT FORTH’
FROM THE STOCKS.
“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought
forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto
him, The Lord hath not called thy nae Pashur, but Magor-
missabib.†JEREMIAH, chap. xx., verse 3.
Brrore Curist, 620 YEARS.
From reading the Bible, we have constantly
brought before our eyes the important fact,
that good men are not always permitted to go
through the world in peace. The valour of a
soldier could not be proved if he were never
opposed to an enemy; and the virtue of a
pious man could not be fully established if no
present evils and no temptation beset the path
of him who boldly adheres to the truth.
Gifted by the Almighty with knowledge
surpassing that ordinarily possessed by the
sons of man, the prophet Jeremiah saw with
sorrow the vices which prevailed in Israel.
He raised his voice to condemn the wickedness
he could not check, and foretold the awful
judgments which would follow. An ungodly
race, encouraged in their wanderings by a
corrupt priesthood, could not but resent
language which spared not their evil doings,
275
=
ae
JEREMIAH BROUGHT FORTH FROM THE STOCKS.
and we find that Pashur the son of Immer the
priest, who was also chief governor in the
house of:the Lord, heard what Jeremiah had
prophesied, and in his rage this cruel . and
haughty man, who ought to have been the
meek servant of God, smote Jeremiah and put
him in the stocks that were in the high gate of
Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.
It was not till the following day that the
prophet was released. Then, undismayed by
what he had suffered, and turning with just
disdain on the wretched man who had so
meanly pursued him for telling the unwelcome
truth, he wounded the persecutor’s ear with
more awful language than he had previously
used. He announced that Judah and all its
treasures should become the prize of an enemy,
‘and thou Pashur,’’ he added, ‘‘and all that
dwell in thine house, shall go into captivity,
and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there
thou shalt die and shalt be buried there, thou
and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophe-
sied lies.â€
He who knows his duty must not be deterred
from fulfilling it by the frowns of those in
power. Pashur might basely resent, but he
could not subdue the man of God who feared
not to vindicate the truth.
ee SRT ann:
SSS Eee
|
Qk
—
it 5
a.
oF.â€
a
cc
©
[oy
‘
a
q
~~
5
el
k
b
ry
~O
x
oa
TRIUMPH OF
THE
a
a a EO a Ne
eT EEE
| gEgeaeeece®,
THE TRIUMPH OF BABYLON
FORETOLD.
“Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; behold, I will turn back
the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye
fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans,
which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble
them into the midst of this city. And I myself will fight
against you with an outstretched hand.â€â€”-JEREMIAH, chap.
Xxi., verses 4, 5.
BEFORE CarisT, 620 YEARS.
RepeaTEDLy the prophets of the God of Israel
-apprized the Jews of the awful judgment
impending over their land. If the solemn
warning had not the effect of turning them
aside from their evil doings, it created no small
alarm. When king Zedekiah filled the throne,
he sent Pashur the son of Melchiah, and
Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest,
to Jeremiah, calling upon him to “ enquire of
the Lord for him.†The prophet complied,
and the revelation made to him was most
astounding. Far from gratifying this monarch
with a declaration that the decree had been
reversed, which he had probably been encou-
raged by followers or false prophets to hope
might be the case, he is assured that all the
energies he may exert against, the foe wr prove
ae a ee a i a eS ee
near cage ag at Oe tt a tN il Nt =
os een
=
THE TRIUMPH OF BABYLON FORETOLD.
ot no avail, for the God of Israel himself “ will
fight against him.â€
The man of God further proceeded to make
known that the Lord would smite the inhabi-
tants of the city, that they, both man and beast,
should die of a great pestilence; and after that,
he would deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and
his servants, and the people, and such as were
left in the city, from the pestilence, from the
sword, and from the famine, into the hands of
the king of Babylon; who should smite them
with the edge of the sword without pity.
These fearful calamities were to overtake
the king and people of Judah for their neglect
of duty. God had set before them “‘ the way
of life, and the way of death.†They neglected
the timely warning which divine goodness had
permitted them to receive. The consequences
were fatal, and they continue to be felt to
this day.
ged
aati
4 7
RELEASED FROM PRISON
LAH
TEREM
ttt
eee
ee eee ee
a a ena aa TE ET aN ae
JEREMIAH RELEASED FROM
PRISON.
“They drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of
the dungeon.â€â€”-JEREMIAH, chap. xxxviii., verse 13.
JeremiaAH was gifted to foretel the triumph
which the king of Babylon was shortly to gain
over the Jews, and he accordingly prophesied
that their city should surely be given into the
hand of the king of Babylon’s army. Princes
are slow to believe unwelcome truths, and
because Jeremiah had spoken:as above, it was
told to the king that he weakened the hands ot
hands of all the people, in speaking such words
as he had uttered, and therefore king Zedekiah
was prayed to order that he should be put to
death. In consequence of this the unfortunate
Jeremiah was thrown into a dismal prison.
At that time there was an Ethiopian in the
king’s house whose name was Ebed-melech.
He pitied the hard fate of the prophet, and told
the king that the princes who had treated him
as an enemy had done evil. He said, “ They
have cast him into a dungeon and he is like
to die for hunger in the place where he is:
for there is no more bread in the city.†y
279
|
the men of war who were in.the city, and the
am me ae NE
}
)
)
)
)
t
)
|
JEREMIAH RELEASED FROM PRISON.
Zedekiah upon this was moved to compassion
and commanded that the prophet should’ be
released.
Ebed-melech then took thirty men with. him
to the prison, and looking from above on
Jeremiah in the dungeon, called to him to put
some old rags under his arm holes that the
cords which were to be used in drawing him up
might not hurt him; Jeremiah did so, and then
the men drew him up from the wretched place
in which he had been confined by the cruel
princes.
A good man: who fears God, and is resolved
to speak truth, is often hated. by cruel men, but
as in the case-of J eremiah, he who does his duty
without regard to what may follow, often finds
a friend where he least expects it, to snatch him
from peril. Jeremiah, in the dungeon, did not
know that any mortal would speak for him to
the king, but a poor Ethiopian at that moment
kindly came forward, and was the means of
saving his life and restoring him to liberty.
Oe
=
2
BABYLON
F
FALL O
THE
THE FALL OF BABYLON.
“The slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that
are thrust through in her streets."—JEREMIAH, chap. li.,
verse 4.
Huma ep in the dust, the vanquished Israelites,
captives in a foreign land, mourned their past
transgressions. Those who had _ subjected
them, not content with exulting in their
triumph, took pleasure in aggravating the
sorrows of the fallen—
“ And mocked the tear they caused to flow.
But in this long and dismal night of anguish
and despair, a gleam of heart-cheering hope
was vouchsafed to sustain the fainting sufferers,
and the prophet Jeremiah was commissioned
to declare that though justly punished, the
chosen people were not utterly abandoned by
their God. He announced that the oppressor
would soon find the day of retribution was at
hand; his words were, ‘‘ Thus saith the Lord ;
Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and
against them that dwell in the midst of them
that rise up against me, a destroying wind ;
and will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall
fan her, and shall empty her land : for in the day
of trouble they shall be against her round about.
VOL. I. 20 281
ea peta tml
Se
THE FALL OF BABYLON.
Against him that bendeth let the archer bend
his bow, and against him that lifteth himself
up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her
young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.â€
Thus the foes of Israel were to perish in the
land of the Chaldeans. The just severity of
the Omnipotent was to fall on cruel men, on
those who had persecuted the ill-fated Jews.
‘“‘For,â€â€™ added the prophet, “Israel hath not
been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the
Lord of hosts; though their land was filled
with sin against the Holy One of Israel.â€
The baseness which could labour as the
Babylonians did, to add to the bitterness of
woe, and that in the case of unhappy captives,
must ever bring upon itself the heavy penalty
of God’s displeasure. For a season he in his
wisdom may suffer the wicked to prevail
against his offending children; but ultimately
the evil-doers will have cause to mourn their
inhumanity, when in his own good time the
avenger shall say, ‘‘ Against him that bendeth
let the archer bend his bow.â€
282
—
~
oo
TSALEM IN RUINS
JERUSALEM IN RUINS.
“The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the
midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush
my young men. Mine eye runneth down with water,
because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far
from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy pre-
vailed,†—LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH, chap. i. verses 15, 16.
Ir was tne lot of Jeremiah to see Jerusalem
overrun by a proud and vindictive enemy, and
while he condemned the sinful doings of her
children, he mourned as a Jewish patriot over
the melancholy fate of the devoted city, which
had “‘ become as a widow.â€â€™. He sadly recalled
her former glory, and contrasted it with her
present woe, while he sighed, ‘‘ She that was
great, among the nations, and princess among
the provinces, how is she become tributary?â€â€™
He goes on to tell, ‘‘She weepeth sore in
the night, and her tears are on her cheeks:
among all her lovers she hath none to com-
fort her.â€â€™
The case of a fallen nation, like that of a
ruined individual, rarely fails to prove how
mean, how treacherous, and how ungrateful
they can be who were once anxious to pass for
friends. In the case of the Jews it has been
seen they had wickedly deserted the God of
ye 283
JERUSALEM IN RUINS.
their fathers to worship wretched idols; they
had forgotten the most solemn ordinances of
the Lord, and the book of the law was opened
to them in vain. Then it was that Divine
vengeance fell on Jerusalem, and she had to
mourn the yoke of her transgressions, imposed
by a hand which she had no power to resist.
Her mighty men were called upon to fight her
battles, but they were trodden under foot,
and her young men were crushed. “For
these things,†Jeremiah pathetically exclaims,
‘““T weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down
with water.â€
When the vial of God’s just indignation is
poured on a guilty land, distress and deep afflic-
tion overtake all the inhabitants. To avert such
a calamity, wisdom would ‘“‘cry aloud in the
streets†to thoughtless individuals to reform
their lives, that thus appealing to the goodness
of their common parent, they may escape
the peril. ,
DEATH
OF
EZERKIEL'S
ATHERING WOES
Gi,
WHE:
THE DEATH OF EZEKIEL’S
WIFE.
“T spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife
ied; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.â€
EzeEKIEL, chap. xxiv., verse 18.
THE judgments which it was the province of
the seers of old to declare were ere long to fall
on a guilty city, were of so grave a character
that nothing like them can be instanced in
modern history ; they were such as not merely
to cause the downfall of a king, or the hum-
bling of a people, but they went to unhinge
the whole frame of society ; and to change, not
only the general condition of a state, but the
habits, thoughts, and feelings of all its inhab-
itants.
Charged to announce that Almighty wrath
was ere long to descend on the Jews to requite
their sinful doings, the word of the Lord which
came to Ezekiel enjoined him under such sad
circumstances not to act as he would have done
in former days. It told him that the desire
of his eyes should be taken away; yet he was
forbidden to mourn, or to weep, and denied
the mournful comfort of letting “‘ his tears run
down.†The injunction laid uvon him added,
( 285
THE DEATH OF EZEKIEL’S WIFE.
“‘Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the
dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee,
and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover
not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.â€
The prophet then relates what had occurred
to himself, and says, ‘‘So I spake unto the
people in the morning: and at even my wife
died ; and I did in the morning as I was com-
manded.â€
The people to whom he spake desired to
know how these things applied to them? He
explained by thus describing the charge which
had been given to him:—‘‘Speak unto the
house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God;
Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excel-
lency of your strength, the desire of your eyes,
and that which your soul pitieth; and your
sons and your daughters whom ye have left
shall fall by the sword.†He further told them
they should do as he had done, and ‘‘ pine away
for their iniquities, and mourn one towards
another.â€
The dreadful gloom which was to cloud the
prospects of the nation from the anger of an
offended Deity, was to press so heavily on the
living, that mourning for themselves, none
could weep for the dead!
ne,
|
286 |
Te
OO os
Ee
THE FALL OF TYRE.
“Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake
at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the
slaughter is made in the midst of thee?â€â€”EZEKIEL, chap.
Xxv1., verse 15.
Prrusine the Bible, we are agreeably surprised
with many interesting facts connected with
ancient history. Called upon by the Lord to
‘take up a lamentation for Tyrus,†the prophet
Ezekiel recounts many things, which the most
thoughtless would be struck with as curious,
but which a reflecting mind will find pregnant
with solemn instruction. ne
Tyrus proud and boastful, dreamed not that,
a day was at hand when all that constituted
her greatness would be withdrawn. Nations,
like individuals, are exposed to mighty changes.
Those who at one period are in a condition to
lord it over their neighbours, are often reduced,
and brought below the level of. feeble states
they had been accustomed to despise. The
borders of Tyrus were in the midst of the sea ;
builders had perfected her beauty. Her ships
were made of the fir trees of Senir, their masts
of the cedars of Lebanon. The oaks of Bashan
furnished oars, fine linen with broidered work
287
ee ae eae eee
THE FALL OF TYRE.
was brought from Egypt which was spread
"forth as their sail, ahd purple from the isles of
Elishah was used as awnings. From Zidon
and Arvad she obtained mariners; her own
wise or skilful men acted as pilots, and “all
the ships in the sea with their mariners were
occupied with her merchandize.†Men of war
from other states were her defenders. The
merchants from Tarshish with silver, iron, tin,
and lead, traded in her fairs. To these horses
and mules were brought from ‘‘the house of
Togarmah.†From many isles she received
presents; emeralds, coral, and agate, were
brought: into her by the Syrian trader, and
Judah and the land of Israel sent their mer-
chants who “traded in the wheat of Minnith
and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.â€
From many other places she was ‘“re-
plenished and made very glorious in the midst
of the seas.â€
Such was Tyre, but the decree went forth
against her, we may conclude to punish the
sinfulness and arrogance of her people, and the
prophet was commissioned to declare that all
her prosperity should cease, that she should be-
come “‘a terror,†and should never be any more.
scurity of Tyre, we see the prophecy fulfilled.
288
Looking at the present comparative ob- |
SA ee ee
mA) Ti)
mut
—-NEGO
ABED
AND
MESHACH,
SHADRACH,
~/S
J
lg ee
mee
nee
en ae eam
)
a
SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND
ABED-NEGO.
“Because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the fur
nace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire slew those men
that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.â€â€”
DAnik£L, chap. iii., verse 22. :
Brrore Curist, 580 YEARS.
In the history of the prophet Daniel, the
power of God is awfully, and his mercy sub-
limely displayed. Daniel had brought king
Nebuchadnezzar to honour the God of Israel.
The monarch had rewarded the prophet, and
had made Daniel ruler over the whole province
of Babylon, and at his request had given an
important trust in charge to Shadrach, Me-
shach, and Abed-nego.
But the king relapsed into -idolatry ; he
formed an image of gold, and ordered by his
herald, that the people on hearing the cornet,
flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,
should prostrate themselves and worship it.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, failed to
do this, upon which the wicked prince told
them he would have them cast into a fiery
furnace. Bold in virtue, they replied, “if it
be so, our God, whom we serve, ‘is able to de-
VOL. I. 2P 289
ee en
SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABED-NEGO.
liver us, and he will deliver us out of thine
hand, O king.â€â€™
They continued to refuse to offer that ho-
mage to the golden image which was only due to
the living God, and Nebuchadnezzar, glowing
with unholy fury, thereupon ordered the fur-
nace ‘‘to be heated seven times more than it
was wont to be heated,Չۉ۪ and these poor men
being first bound, were thrown into it, wearing
their hosen, their hats, and their other gar-
ments. So dreadfully fierce were the flames
that the executioners who were employed to
cast them into the fire, were killed by the heat.
The king was restless, and told his coun-
sellors that he saw four men walking in the
' fiery furnace, and the fourth was the Son of
God. He went to the mouth of the furnace
and called on them to come forth, which they
did; not so much as a hair of their head or
their garments being in the slightest degree
injured. Seeing this the king blessed the God
whom they adored, and promoted the men he
had proposed to destroy.
Those who put their trust in God are safe,
though cruel tyrants seek to take their lives.
His almighty arm can baffle the rage of their
foes, and snatch his faithful worshippers from
the most appalling danger.
290
a ec AS aaa aaa a IE ET EE AE I
OO
Ne ee ON NL
|
|
|
|
;
!
|
See 7
— ERS
|
ee tt a
I
NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
“Nebuchadnezzar was driven from men, and did eat grass as
- oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his
hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like
birds’ claws.â€â€”—DaNIzL, chap. iv., verse 33.
BEFORE CuHRIst, 570 YEARS.
Wuar a lesson for the proud of the earth is
taught by the fate of king Nebuchadnezzar!
He was the king of Babylon, a mighty mon-
arch, whom none could approach but with fear ;
but he had sinned, and it was the will of God
to humble him.
His mind was disturbed by a fearful dream ;
the magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers
were called in, but none of them could inter-
pret it.
Anxious to know what it might portend, he
then sent for the prophet Daniel, who boldly
told him that the images he had seen in his
‘sleep meant this: that great and powerful as he
was, he should be brought down, not merely
to the level of the humblest subject in his wide
dominions, but that he should be driven to
dwell with the beasts of the field, and ‘to eat
grass as oxen.â€
The good Daniel therefore waited upon him
291
Go
Ne
eae
Na ana
we ON ee
ol ,
oo ae
4
m=
i
NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
hoping to turn him from his sins, and per-
suade him to shew mercy to the poor.
Had he aeted upon this wise counsel he
might have been spared the dreadful humilia-
tion which awaited him.
A year passed away and he still exulted in
his might, when a voice from Heaven was
heard, which said, ‘‘O king Nebuchadnezzar,
the kingdom is departed from thee.â€
And in that very hour, by the power of God,
his nature was so changed that he lost his
senses, and was driven forth into the field like
a poor brute. There he remained through the
long and dreary nights, ‘“‘and his body was
wet with the dew of Heaven, while all his hairs
grew to be like great feathers, and the nails on
his fingers and toes took the form of bird’s
claws.â€
Thus was the sinful king turned into a
frightful helpless monster.
But after a time the Most High was pleased
to restore to him his understanding. Hecom-
pletely recovered and was seated on his throne.
Then he praised ‘“‘ the king of Heaven†for
his ways, who had been pleased in his cause to
show “those that walk in pride he is able to
abase.â€â€™
292
a
2 NT MLE NN Se ee St ee ee
WALL,
IITING ON 'THE
WI
THE
THE WRITING ON THE WALL.
“In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and
wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the
wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the
hand that wrote."—-DANIEL, chap. v., verse 5.
.BEFORE Cunist, 538 YEARS.
Brrsuazzar, the king of Babylon, who reigned
after Nebuchadnezzar, gave a great feast to a
thousand of his lords, with whom he drank
wine.
On this occasion, the revellers used the
golden vessels which had been taken out of the
ouse of God in Jerusalem, and weakly and
wickedly they worshipped not the Mighty
Being who created them, but gods of gold,
silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone.
They were still drinking wine, making merry,
and praising the idols whieh had been set up
as gods, when a strange appearance arrested
their attention. The fingers of a man’s hand
were seen over the candlestick which was against
the wall, and it wrote certain mystic charac-
ters, which neither the king nor any one of
those about him could understand. The astro-
logers, and soothsayers were invited to explain
293
Nom e
' what the unknown hand had traced, but none (
of them were equal to the task.
At length the Queen mentioned Daniel the |
prophet, as one animated by the spirit of the
holy gods, and full of wisdom, and advised that (
he should be sent for, which was done.
Daniel came; and unmoved by power, told !
Belshazzar that his father, Nebuchadnezzar,
being lifted up with pride, was driven from the |
haunts of men to dwell with the wild asses, (
and to feed with the oxen, till he knew there ,
was a great and over-ruling God; yet though (
aware of all this, Belshazzar had not feared to
sin against the Almighty. The writing, he
went on to tell, gave the words, ‘“‘Mene, Mene,
Tekel, Upharsin,’’ which conveyed this dread
sentence, ‘‘God hath numbered thy kingdom,
and finished it; thou art weighed in the ba-
lance, and found wanting; thy kingdom is
divided and given to the Medes and Persians.†(
Sad as the intelligence was, the prophet re-
ceived a rich reward, but the doom could not
be averted, and that night King Belshazzar was
slain.
The folly of man is so great, that the judg-
ments of God, as in the case of Belshazzar,
are often disregarded till the sinners find them
selves overtaken by ruin, misery, and death.
294
le ee
ae
al
\ * ; ~ a 4 “AQ? ry " - aN \ N ; : _~“A v ‘ a
\ : 4A ‘ ae DA Nit | ( AS] LN'L¢ | He DEN -O2 7 ( y \
y
OF LIONS Yt GQ \] au
{ 4 .0.V > “ ; x
M 4 A : NS Va
See ee eee
DANIEL CAST INTO THE DEN
OF LIONS.
“ The king commanded and they brought Daniel, and cast him
into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto
Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually he will
deliver thee.â€--DANIEL, chap. vi., verse 16.
BeEForeE Curist, 506 YEARS,
Arter the fall of Belshazzar, Darius, the Me-
dean, was set over his kingdom. Daniel held
a high post under him, but the king, like those
who reigned before him, did not profit as a
wise man would have done from the counsel
and example of the man of God. Instead of
doing so, he suffered wicked flatterers to make
him issue w decree, or law, which forbade his
subjects to offer any petition to any God or
man during thirty days, save to King Darius.
This impious edict the prophet could not
obey. To the Lord of all, he felt that his gra-
titude and homage were alone due ; and brav-
ing all consequences, three times each day he
offered, in his chamber, praise and supplications
to the God of his fathers.
Such conduct wicked men treated as a crime, |
and reported to the King, that Daniel regarded
not him or his decr-e.
295
Oe
,
|
raven}
ee
s
DANIEL CAST INTO THE DEN OF LIONS.
Darius was weak rather than cruel. He was
not willing to hurt the prophet, but having
declared that whoever so offended should be
cast into the den of lions, he was persuaded by
those about him, that the decree could not be
set aside, and he therefore ordered Daniel to .
be so disposed of, but pityingly breathed a hope
that the God he adored would save him.
The foes of the prophet now thought he
must surely die; but the same mighty power
which had enabled Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego to remain in the flames unhurt, ren-
dered the lions harmless while Daniel was in
their den, and when Darius came near, he told
him that God had sent his angel to shut the
mouths of the brutes, because he was innocent.
Upon this Darius was furious against those
who had sought to compass the death of the
prophet, and he ordered them, their wives and
children, to be thrown into the den. The
monsters who had refrained from attacking
Daniel, sprang at his enemies in a moment,
and “ broke all their bones or ever they came
at the bottom.â€
God’s mercy is seen to be great to those
who love and fear him, and those who seek to
destroy others, often perish thmselves, while
their intended victims escape unharmed.
296
WICKED
rH
=
ON
aC
INTS
t
L.
%
MI
& Wher
aafgrng
IUDG)
é: 3 ee eet 5 FEED oe , — 7 ~ in hy ~_\ '
£5
S ge me. oe NS Yy rr || . . . i Z ». \
eA oe NYA " . ) 2 } i
AVL. me ‘ TOV }
MI a\X
JUDGMENTS ON THE WICKED.
“They return, but not to the most High: they are like a de-
ceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the
rage of their tongue.â€â€”HosEA, chap. vii., verse 16.
BeErorE CuRIsT, 725 YEARS.
Tur word of the Lord came to the prophet
Hosea, who was commanded to make known
the judgments that were to fall on the wicked.
It is here stated, that when the Deity
‘would have healed Israel, the iniquity of
Ephraim was discovered and the wickedness of
Samaria. They,†it proceeds, ‘‘ commit false-
hood ; and the thief cometh in, and the troop
of robbers spoileth without.â€
In the chapter which is here illustrated, the
wickedness of the tribe of Ephraim is especially
dwelt upon. It is, however, intimated that
mercy may be found by those who desist from
sinning. This, indeed, is taught in almost
every part of the Bible. However awful the
visitations reserved for those who obstinately
persevere in evil, it depends upon themselves to
forsake their wickedness and live; for,—
While the lamp holds out to burn,
The vilest sinner may return.â€
It must, however, be always remembered
VOL. I. 2a 297
GQ OT Gt Pt tO DO At Ot nl At eg
JUDGMENTS ON THE WICKED.
that penitence, to be effectual, must be earnest
and sincere. Ephraim, that is the tribe of
Ephraim, is described to be ‘‘ like a silly dove,
without heart,’’ and therefore, the prophet
proceeds, speaking in the name of the Lord,
‘< T will chastise them as their congregation has
heard.� He continues, ‘‘ Woe unto them! for
they have fled from me: destruction unto
them! because they have transgressed against
me: though I have redeemed them, yet the
have spoken lies of me.â€
The want of sincerity is thus noted, and the
course pursued by ungodly men is described,
“They have not cried unto me with their
heart, when they howled upon their beds.â€â€™
It is further told, that assembling for corn
and wine, wretched men rebel against Heaven.
Failing to return to the Most High, it is pre-
dicted of the sinful tribes here noted, that
“their princes shall fall by the sword, for the
rage of their tongue.â€
The wickedness of a God-forsaking people
has in all ages frequently caused their princes
to fall by violence, and anarchy to prevail
in the land.
298 4
en Oka
rg ee
> 7 —
3 ae
4 a ae
_, See
(
La“ \ @ res = —— LAr eee -%
af AW a ; = acai. Vii ; \ &
A) OFFERING INCENSE TO IDOLS
{ oe
/
~
(
(
“2
>
Fi‘ LF ALI
Cae ert wero
C) SARA Pr TITY
OFFERING INCENSE TO IDOLS.
« As they called them, so they went from them : they sacrificed
unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.â€â€”~
Hosea, chap. xi., verse 2.
Berore Curist, 750 YEARs.
How happy would the Jews have been had
they been faithful to virtue! The Lord says,
by the mouth of his prophet, “When Israel
was a child, then I loved him, and called my
Son out of Egypt.â€
The Jews were a highly-favoured nation, It
was the pleasure of God even to suspend the
laws by which he regulates the world, to rescue
them from peril. He brought them out of
Egypt, and great miracles were wrought in
their favour, during their journey through the
wilderness, on their way to the promised land.
Yet such their wickedness, such their folly
and ingratitude, that while they could not deny
that the Micury Ons had manifested himself
in so many ways to them and to their fathers,
still instead of hymning His praise, and singing
Hosannas, in honour of the Omnipotent Jeho-
vah, they were disposed to forget him and all his
goodness, and to bow the knee before images the
work of mortal hands. To Baalim they sacri-
299
sei
OFFERING INCENSE TO IDOLS.
ficed, and they burned incense to graven
images.
We stand amazed at finding that men could
thus daringly risk their lives, their souls, their
all, by madly provoking the wrath of the
Creator, and almost wonder that his awful bolt
did not punish such mad impiety with instant
death. We find, however, from reading Hosea,
that while he beheld their sin, God pitied the
weakness of the sinner, and thus he speaks :—
“T will not execute the fierceness of mine
anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim :
for I am God and not man; the Holy One in
the midst of thee; and I will not enter into
the city.â€
Hence we learn how great, how enduring, is
the mercy of our common father: ‘I am a
God,†he says, ‘‘and not man;†in other
words, I can pity and forgive, and will not
mercilessly punish. After this the transgressor
ought not to harden himself in wickedness,
believing that he is already lost for ever.
Rather let him address the Eternal, and say :—
« Prostrate before the mercy seat,
-I dare not if I would despair ;
None ever perish’d at thy feet,
And I will lie for ever there.â€
>
Ld
Ye.
&
&
WK
Sp ‘
Usss>
ED
2
i
STO]
’
4s
R
restart
YY
\
|
|
eee
Ve
a NN ee
ISRAEL TO BE RESTORED.
“T will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into
the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for
my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have
scattered among the nations, and parted my land.â€â€”JoEL,
p: iii., verse 2.
Berore Curist, 720 YEARS.
Tue Israelites having, for their manifold sins
against their God, been overrun by neighbour-
ing nations, were carried into captivity. In the
book of Joel we read some facts connected with
their sufferings which we do not meet with
elsewhere. Those who were masters of their
fate, it appears, cast lots for them, that they
might hold them as slaves. They were treated
as brutes, and sold for wine by their captors;
but, notwithstanding their deep humiliation,
the Lord made known that they were still re-
garded by Him, and that He would raise them
again.
A time, we read, is coming, an awful time,
when ‘The sun and the moon shall be dark-
ened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining,
and the heavens and the earth shall shake;â€â€™
but this, fearful as it is, we find is but a pre-
lude to a great display of mercy. The object
301
ISRAEL TO BE RESTORED.
of these signs is thus explained: ‘So shall ye
know that Iam the Lord your God, dwelling
in Zion, my holy mountain.â€
As a part of the prophecy we are told, that
‘* Jerusalem shall then be holy, and there shall
no strangers pass through her any more.â€â€™
Nor is this all. The prophet goes on to say:
“It shall come to pass in that day that the
mountains shall drop down new wine, and the
hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of
Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain
shall come forth of the house of the Lord.â€â€™
The language here employed seems to foretel
that Jerusalem shall regain its former impor-
tance. Possibly the sentence should not be
taken literally; it may point to that happy
state which many good men have hoped to see,
when the chosen people shall be reclaimed from
error, and, being the honoured source of im-
mortal blessings to others, rejoice in finding
that their past wanderings are remembered
no more, and, themselves viewed by all nations
as God’s people, feel truly blessed.
302
po ee eee ee ee
aS ee
3ASKET OF
I
THE
FRU
HE .“RHEARTLESS
THEIR
OR ee
a
oe
a Ae eon
rr . ce
THE BASKET OF FRUIT.
“ Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket
of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what seest thou ? And
I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto
me, the end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not
again pass by them any more.â€â€”Amos, chap. viii., verses
BEFORE Cuntst, 787 YEARS.
A sBasxer of summer fruit presented to the
view of the prophet Amos by the Lord, was a
most extraordinary sight. It seemed, with the
accompanying announcement, to say, ‘the
good things of the world are mine; I give them
for the sustenance and enjoyment of men,’’ that
they may be equitably shared; but this not
being done the consequences will be terrible.
Those consequences are thus described:—
“The songs of the temple shall be howlings in
that day; there shall be many dead bodies in
every place; they shall cast them forth with
silence.â€â€™
The prophet then gives this thrilling ad-
monition—‘‘ Hear this, O ye that swallow up
the needy, even to make the poor fail in the
land.’ He further describes the greedy ava-
rice, which he reproves, as. inducing men to
wish for the new moon and the sabbati to be
303
THE BASKET OF FRUIT.
passed, that they may sell corn, and falsify
their weights and measures.
Such things are here shewn to be most hate-
ful in the sight of God. It is said that the
land shall tremble for such doings, and that
God to punish them will cause ‘‘ the sun to go
down at noon, and darken the earth in the
clear day;†and, moreover, it is threatened that
with regard to those who so offend, God will
turn their feasts into mourning, and all their
songs into lamentations.
Still more fatal is that which may be ex-
pected to follow. The land is threatened with
a famine, ‘‘not a famine of bread, nor a thirst
of water, but of learning the words of the
Lord.â€
To want food is sad, and great distress is
- experienced where water fails, but how much
more to be dreaded is the failure of opportuni-
ties for hearing the words of the Lord. These
intercepted, what must be the fate of weak,
erring, bewildered man! The youth of these
favoured lands, have no small reason to rejoice
that such a judgment has not fallen on them,
and that in various shapes the words of the
Lord, as preserved in the Holy Bible, are
plentifully supplied.
Sone Rep ee ree
, u Us iN 8
REGAL ON GN Nee
MOUNT ZION'S DELIVERANCE.
ORA] Cn m7
See
MOUNT ZION’S DELIVERANCE.
«“ But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be
holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their pos-
sessions.â€â€”OBADIAH, chap. i., verse 17.
BEForE Curist, 587 YEARS.
Tue book of Obadiah is the shortest in the
Bible, as it consists of only one chapter. It
contains, however, some passages with which
the searcher after sacred knowledge, will do well
to store his mind.
In a vision, it is written, the prophet Obadiah
was informed by the Lord of matters affecting
Edom, and the Edomites. From this it appears
that ‘‘Edom had sinned against his brother,â€
that is, that the land of Edom had been hostile
to Judah, and had rejoiced in the humiliation
of the latter. For this the pride of Edom is
threatened with a severe visitation. ‘‘ Though
thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though
thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will
I bring thee down, saith the Lord.â€
Thus we find in countless instances, the God
of Israel directs his severest displeasure against
heartless pride; Edom is reproached for hav-
ing coldly looked on while strangers carried
VOL. I, 2R 305
ce ea
eee
aaa 4
| MOUNT ZION’S DELIVERANCE.
( away captive the forces of Judah, and “cast
)
\
'
?
\
t
\
|
(
os
lots upon Jerusalem.â€
“Thou shouldest not,’’ the prophet con-
tinues in the language of keen reproach, ‘“‘have
looked on the day of thy brother in the day
that he became a stranger; neither shouldest
thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah
in the day of their destruction ; neither should-
est thou have spoken proudly in the day of
distress.â€
It is then announced that Edom and the
cruel heathen shall have their appropriate re-
ward; but hope, here as elsewhere, is held out
to the chosen people. “Upon Mount Zion,
it is distinctly told, there shall be deliverance,
and there shall be holiness, and the house of
Jacob shall possess their possessions.â€
Cold unsympathising men are here taught,
that to gaze unmoved on the distress of ano-
ther, is to offend the God who made them, and
they are also reminded that those who are
humbled for a time, will not always be cast
down. Turning from their evil ways, they
may look for deliverance and expect mercy.
a nee ie.
aa ae
oo ee ee ee ee
Og
306
nn a ee ee ee
bee RL A a
ee ee
Due eee
£ A( ) TONAH CAST INTO THE SEA nH r
eee —— cet ee =
EEE
JONAH CAST INTO THE SEA.
“They took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea.â€â€”
JONAH, chap. i., verse 15.
a,
BEFORE Curist, 862 YEARS.
eee a nea
Tue people of Nineveh were great sinners.
To warn them of wrath that must pursue them
if they continued in their evil ways, the Pro-
phet Jonah was ordered by the Almighty to (
go to that city, to “cry against the wickednessâ€
)
)
)
)
)
;
)
)
:
j
which prevailed.
Jonah had the folly to disobey the command.
He resolved to go to Tarshish, and went to
Joppa, where he took his passage in a ship !
TN pt ett np
ee a —————————
eee
which was about to proceed to the place he
desired to visit. |
aan
The all-seeing eye of God was on the weak
sinful prophet : he ‘‘ sent out a great wind into
the sea.â€â€™ A fearful storm arose, and the sea-
ee
men, frightened at the lowering clouds and roar-
ing waves, prayed to their gods for relief.
Jonah had gone below, and was sleeping.
The shipmaster then went to him and said,
‘What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call
( upon thy God, if so be that God will think
upon us, that we perish not.â€
307
SRR Eee
te
—— a Nae
i
JONAH CAST INTO THE SEA.
Then they cast lots to determine on whose
account they were placed in jeopardy, and
‘the lot fell upon Jonah.†He was viewed as
the sinner whose offence had endangered all
their lives. There appeared no escape for him.
The anger of an insulted Creator pursued the
wretched man, and being in this situation,
Jonah told who he was, and what he had done,
and, sorry for his misconduct, owned that it
was on his account the tempest was then
raging. He even called upon them to cast
him into the sea, which, he said, would then
become calin.
They tried to row to land but could not, so
at last they threw Jonah overboard. The
storm then ceased, and a great fish swallowed
the disobedient prophet ; but sincerely repent-
ing his fault, he prayed to the Lord, and after
three days and nights, the fish threw him on
dry land.
In his marvellous history, we see that Divine
wrath will pursue the sinner wherever he may
hide ; but however cast down, sincere repen-
tance may yet save him from being lost for ever.
EE EEL Tie ee EEE
SNS Oe Rn eR re
aa aan
308
pO ee
oa
eee
EE ENE LET ee eel
\
IDOLATRY SHALL FALL.
“ And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces,
and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and
all the idols thereof will I lay desolate.â€â€”Micau, chap. i,
verse 7.
BEForE Curist, 700 YEARS.
Tue Lord from his holy temple, his prophet
Micah announces, will witness against idolaters.
It was against the sins of the house of Israel
that this threat was especially directed, but it
may not unreasonably be supposed to apply to
every part of the world, where such blind be-
sotted impiety and folly are found.
We may further conclude that the threatened
visitation will not be confined to those who
madly bend the knee to graven images, like
those doomed in this chapter to be destroyed.
It may extend, and this is a fearful thought,
to those who, by a love of gold, a thirst for
pleasure, or a too eager pursuit of any earthly
good, are drawn away from God, and content
with present enjoyment, entertain no thought
of Heaven.
However proud and haughty the evil-doers,
the Bible shows us they can never be secure.
‘For behold the Lord cometh forth out of his
309
eee
ee ee ee ee
te em NE 7 =
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
een ae venti
OO O_O
a eee
ee
(Oo RS
IDOLATRY SHALL FALL.
place, ana will come down and tread upon the
high places of the earth.â€
Bearing this in mind, the truly wise will be
careful not to make idols for themselves or
any of the glittering toys which dazzle their
eyes and wake their desires in this life. A
higher, more glorious, and everlasting prize is
held out to the good. Seeking this we need
no more, and may prudently give up all we can
possess here to secure it, and rest with perfect
resignation to the Divine will. Much as we
may rejoice in those gifts which we have re-
ceived from a kind and loving parent, men
ought not to repine if all are withdrawn, but
should be prepared with patient cheerful devo-
tion to say,—
“ Take, all great God, I will not grieve, .
But still will wish that I had still to give.
I hear thy voice, thou bidd’st me quit °
My paradise, I bless and do submit.â€
310
Le Ne ee Te mE
NN NNT en ER
—~S
we,
TN I Tt et Ne A A tt ttt tl aâ€
ee A NS CN A A a eg a aE rE en
ee a eae
|
[TY
C
GUILTY
TO THE
WOE
eS
ee OO
WOE TO THE GUILTY CITY.
“ Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the
prey departeth not.â€â€”NauHuwy, chap. iii., verse 1.
BEForE CuRIsT, 630 YEARS.
Nineveu, in ancient days, was a proud and
rich city. Thither merchants resorted, and
there the affluent indulged in all the varieties
of luxury.
The gifts of God are, alas! ever abused.
Men cannot enjoy with moderation and pru-
dence. They greedily take the gift and forget
the giver, and hence, the source of unnumbered
blessings, the gracious Author of all mortal
enjoyment, neglected and despised by mortals
who ewe him so much, withdraws the light of
his countenance from those who have shewn
themselves unworthy of his bounty, and his
anger is aroused.
Dreadful is the fate of that people who be-
come the objects of his wrath. The sinful
Ninevites proved it ; the prophet Nahum made
this known. He warned the guilty being he was
authorised to admonish, that ‘‘ God is jealous,
and the Lord revengeth ; the Lord revengeth,
and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance
311
OT
we ee
ee
Ot Ot
a Ee,
WOE TO THE GUILTY CITY.
on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for
his enemies.†He further told that ‘the Lord
is slow in anger, and great in power, and will
not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath
his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and
the clouds are the dust of his feet.â€â€™
The strongest mind must shrink while con-
templating such tremendous power, and shud-
der at the wicked doings of men who could
provoke Omnipotence.
Happily, while the prophet gave this appal-
ling picture of God in his wrath, he was en-
abled to assure us that ‘‘ The Lord is good, a
stronghold in the day of trouble: and he
knoweth them that trust in Him.â€
To escape the horrors and the hopeless ruin
which ungodly doings brought upon Nineveh,
we have only to trust in Him. Faith in His
goodness will give peace of mind and perfect
security. God did not create to torture and
destroy. If we confide in His bounty, and
so far as in us lies, join to honour His name,
peace of mind will sustain us here, and journey-
ing through life, we shall be cheered with bright
visions of happiness beyond the grave.
312
We NSN ED Se Te LT ee
!
THE GREATNESS OF GOD
—=
“The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the
light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy
glittering spear.â€â€”HABAKKUK, chap. iii, verse 11.
THE GREATNESS OF GOD.
BEFORE CHRIST, 626 YEARS.
Tue prophet Habakkuk deplored the evi-
dences of sin which were presented to his eyes,
but found holy consolation in recalling the
mighty deeds of the Eternal Being he had been
taught to adore. Swelling with the grandeur
of the subject, he exclaims, ‘“ Art thou not
from everlasting, O Lord, my God, mine Holy
One!†And then, his ideas thus exalted, he is
evidently penetrated with the conviction that
this life is but a preparatory stage, an imperfect
state of being, and he adds, “‘ We shall not
die.†That¢hought is subsequently confirmed,
and the Lord himself directs him to write the
vision gwith which he is favoured, ‘‘to make
it plain upon the tables, that he may run that
readeth it ;†and accordingly he writes, ‘‘ The
just shall live by faith.â€
To live by faith, and to be sustained by the
Almighty, must be supreme felicity. Can the
children of men, knowing this, be so blind to
VOL. I. 2s 313
eR
ON TN ee Tt et
DR eee)
—_—
oe
oo ON
|
eNO OT ee ee
FN ON og
THE GREATNESS OF GOD.
their own interest, so careless of their own
good, as not eagerly to seek by all means in
their power to honour the name of Him {
“whose glory covered the heavens ;†while in {
the sublime vision of the seer, ‘‘ the earth was
full of His praise.â€â€™ )
Of the greatness of the Deity Habakkuk |
}
| gives us a noble picture, in the following words,
, “He stood and measured the earth: he beheld
) and drove asunder the nations: and the ever-
) lasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual »
hills did bow.â€â€ What poet out of the sacred |
, volume, ever presented men with images so
) magnificent, so simple, yet so grand?
) How mighty, how grand is He who can thus
) dispose of nations, and scatter the everlasting :
, mountains. How happy, how truly blessed ‘|
are they, who are taught betimes to secure His >
} love, by treading in the paths of virtue! Doing {
this, the weakest, the humblest, may exclaim
in the exulting strain of the prophet, ‘I will |
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of |
my salvation. The Lord God is my strength.†(
}
| Dh Les Te # Fhe
Re
> Se 4
ere
WIA SE SE
(
‘
THE DESTRUCTION OF ASSYRIA
AND NINEVEH FORETOLD.
“He will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy
Assyria ; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like
a wilderness.†ZEPHANIAH, chap. ii., verse 13.
et
BEFORE Cnrist, 6380 YEARS.
Wauite making known vy His gifted prophets,
the sad doom which impended over the idol-
atrous and wicked nations of antiquity, God
caused salutary warnings and wise admonitions
' to fall from their lips, which might, being duly
attended to, benefit not only those to whom
they were first addressed, and their children’s
children, but all the human race to the end of
time. .
Zephaniah in declaring what would be the
fate of Assyria and Nineveh, prepares every
one to expect the day of the Lord. When that
day shall arrive, ‘‘ The proud will be humbled.
I will punish,†says the Lord, ‘‘the princes and |
the king’s children, and all such as are clothed «
with strange apparel.â€
By ‘strange apparel,’’? no doubt we are to
understand that gorgeous attire in which the
CT
ee ee
OE LR
sere EN TR OR RS
vain and the ungodly like to deck themselves.
wo —~
NN NN a a |
THE DESTRUCTION OF ASSYRIA _
But the day of the Lord will not only bring
suffering to greatness, wealth, and power;
humbler sinners will not be permitted to
escape. While haughty rulers are abased,
faithless servants will not be spared. We read—
“In the same day also will I punish all those
that leap on the threshold, which fill their mas-
ters’ houses with violence and deceit.â€
That day, when it shall arrive, will indeed be
awful. The careless will then repent their in-
difference, for Divine justice will ‘‘ punish the
men that are settled on their lees: that say in
their heart, the Lord will not do good, neither
will he do evil.†“The mighty men shall cry
bitterly.†And further, He declares, ‘‘] will
bring distress upon men, that they shall walk
like blind men, because they have sinned
against the Lord.â€
For the cities particularly named, they have
» Jong since sunk beneath the frown of the
avenger. It may be said, that their names
have alone survived, while nations then unheard
of, have risen into power and greatness. Happy
») would it be, if these, made wise by the instruc-
tive lessons placed before them in the histories
of sinners who lived in former ages, were con-
stantly awake to the importance of attending
to the word of God.
316
CIEE TMC“ TI Ei a: UIT EEE
A Ne eS ST Se
VISION
Y
<—
ny
fr
Y
a
~"
—
——
HOSEA’S VISION.
“T turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold,
there came four chariots out from between two mountains;
and the mountains were mountains of brass,’— ZECHARIAH,
chap. vi., verse 1. :
BEFORE CHrRIsT, 800 YEARS,
THE prophet Zechariah describes a vision which
presented to his view objects of extraordinary
magnificence.
He saw four chariots as mentioned above ;
‘in the first chariot were red horses; and in
the second chariot black horses. And in
the third chariot white horses: and in the
fourth chariot grizzled and bay horses.â€
Some of the visions recorded in Scripture
are mysteries which prophetic lore can alone
correctly interpret. On the subject of this
vision, the learned Matthew Henry remarks,
“We are very much in the dark.†He adds,
“some by the four chariots understand the
four monarchies. The Babylonian monarchy
they think is here represented by the red
horses ; the second monarchy, represented by
black horses, is the Persian monarchy, which
went forth northward against the Babylonians,
and quieted God’s spirit in the north country
317
= ee
OT I Ol tO A I A Pl
HOSEA’S VISION.
by executing the judgments on Babylon, and
freeing the Jews from their captivity. The
white, the Grecians, go forth after them into
the north, for they overthrow the Persians.
The grizzled, the Romans, who conquered the
Grecian empire, are said to go forth towards
the south country, because Egypt, which lay
southward, was the last branch of the Grecian
empire that was, subdued by the Romans.â€
The reverend commentator, however, inclines
to the belief'that they represent the providence
of God, in the government of the world.
We are hence led to suppose that what the
prophet saw was a sort of allegorical picture, of
that unceasing care which combines infinite
wisdom with irresistible power, and governing
all the kingdoms of the earth; which sends
forth its ministers to every part, and will con-
tinue to do so in justice and in mercy, till all
the human race shall find their evil desires con-
trolled, and eventually have but one heart, one
hope, and one God.
SA
bens
)
4
j 6
co
we 3
i“ Cy St Me ‘ef a
ij
Mh
7)
WARNING
PRIESTS
\
i â„¢
y
\
/
DL
Sw
â€
—
~~
A~
-
mH.
~
ee
WARNING TO PRIESTS.
* And now, O ye priests, tnis commandment is for you. If ye
will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory
unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a
curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have
eursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.â€â€”
Maxacui, chap. ii, verses 1, 2.
BEFORE CHRIST, 436 YEARS, ©
Prizsts and ministers are here impressively ad-
monished that blessings for them shall be
changed into curses, if they do not faithfully
perform their duty.
it is most especially required that those who
take upon themselves the important office of
teaching men the will of the Most High, should
be active, zealous, and sincere.
They must not think that the Eternal can
be imposed upon; and that devout exercises
will pass with him, which fall from the lips, but
which come not from the heart.
The words of the prophet ought to live in
the memory, and be constantly present to the
mind of every minister of religion. It is sa-
cred truth ; it is the pure heart, that gains the
favouring smile of the God of Israel.
Many make great professions of faith, and
319
a
WARNING TO PRIESTS.
seem to be persuaded that formal attention to
certain public observances is all that can be
required from them. This is a fatal‘error. It
supposes the Judge of all the Earth can be duped.
How often has late conviction flashed on the
mind of the dying sinner! He has then felt
that he was about to appear before ONE whom
no cunning could deceive ; and sad indeed is
this conviction when it comes with the mourn-
ful thought, that it is then too late to correct
the error.
It is in the spring-time of life, in the day of
youth and health, that the homage of praise
and gratitude ought to be offered. Let this be
done with earnestness ; let the heart, filled with
love and thankfulness, be zealously engaged,
from the days of infancy upwards and the re-
ward will not be delayed, for—
‘Where the Lord has planted grace,
And made his glories known ;
There fruits of joy and heavenly peace
Are found, and there alone.â€
320
ee
)
-
tt tlt et
ea
SOS Se
CS RISE SIRE Ree
5; ee aes
s
ISS eS Tes
> 3 SIAR
x
eee
ETRE OTS
Sie es
ss REAR RE ee
S
ener:
BOSS ES
EE Se RNS
Bree SSS Sa
i foes . $ 4
ee KORO Eset eat Nees Sete: Sterns
Saban . eee y re Sha eran.
BRS Sree nte eae ieee eee eet et
SE across ot hg ists Pasar