THE Old and New Testaments CONNECTED, &c. BOOK I. Anno 747. THE ancient empire of the Assyrians, which had governed Asia for above thirteen hundred years, being dissolved on the death of Sardanapalus, there arose up two empires in its stead; the one founded by Arbaces, governour of Media, and the other by Belesis, governour of Babylon, who were the two principal commanders that headed the conspiracy, whereby the former empire was brought to an end; which they having, on their success, parted among themselves, Belesis had Babylon, Chaldea, and Arabia, and Arbaces all the rest. This happened in the seventh year after the building of Rome, and in the second year of the eighth Olympiad, which was the seven hundred and forty-seventh year before Christ, i. e. before the beginning of the vulgar era, by which we now compute the years from his incarnation. с Arbaces is in Scripture called Tiglath-Pileser and Thilgath-Pilneser; in Elian, Thilgamus; and by e Castor, Ninus junior. He fixed his royal seat at Nineva, the same place where the former Assyrian kings had their residence, and there he governed his new erected empire nineteen years. Belesis is the same with Nabonasser, from the beginning of whose reign at Babylon commenceth the famous astronomical era, from him called the era of a Diodorus Siculus, lib. 2. Athenæus, lib. 12. Herodotus, lib. 1. Justin. lib. 1, c. 3. b 2 Kings xv, 29; & xxvi, 7, 10. VOL. II. d Hist. Animal. lib. 12, c. 21. e Euseb. Chron. p. 46. Nabonassar. He is by f Nicolas Damascenus called Nanibrus, and in the holy Scripture Baladan, being the father of Merodac or Mordac-Empadus, who sent an embassy to king Hezekiah, to congratulate him on his recovery from his sickness; which will be hereaf ter spoken of. And these two empires God was pleased to raise up to be his instruments in their turns to punish the iniquities of his own people; the first for the overthrowing of the kingdom of Israel, and the other for the overthrowing of the kingdom of Judah; as shall be shewn in the sequel of this history. In the sixth year of Tiglath-Pileser,h Ahaz began to reign over Judah; who being a very wicked An. 742. and impious prince, God stirred up against him Ahaz 1. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, who, confederating together, invaded his land with a great army, and having harassed it all over, pent him up in Jerusalem, and there besieged him. i Their design was, on the taking of that city, to have wholly extirpated the house of David, and to have set up a new king over Judah, the son of Tabeal. Who this person was, is no where said in Scripture; but he seemeth to have been some potent and factious Jew, who, having revolted from his master, the king of Judah, excited and stirred up this war against him, out of an ambitious aim of plucking him down from his throne, and reigning in his stead. But it being the will of God only to punish Ahaz for his wickedness, and not the whole family of David, for which he had always, for the sake of David, expressed mercy and favour, he was pleased to prevent the mischief, by blasting the whole design; and therefore he sent the prophet Isaiah unto Ahaz, to encourage him valiantly to withstand the enemy in the defence of the city, and to assure him that they should not prevail against him; and for this he gave him two signs, the one to be accomplished speedily, and the other some ages after. f In Eclogis Valefii, p. 426, &c. Isa. xxxix, 1. g h 2 Kings xvi. 2 Chron. xxviii. i Isa. vii. The first was, that the prophet should take him a wife, who should immediately on that marriage conceive a son, and that, before that son should be of age to discern between good and evil, both these kings should be cut off from the land; which accordingly came to pass: for the prophet f immediately after taking a wife, before Maher-shalal-hash-baz, the son born to him of that marriage, arrived at the age of discerning between good and evil, both these kings were slain; Rezin in the third year of Ahaz, and Pekah the next year after. The other sign was, thats a virgin should conceive, and bear a son, who should be called Emmanuel, that is, God with us, the Messias that was promised, God manifested in our nature, and for a while here dwelling with us to accomplish the great work of our salvation. Which prophecy was then delivered to comfort and support the drooping and desponding spirits of the house of David; who seeing so great a force armed against them, and intending their destruction, were under terrible apprehensions, as if their utter extirpation were then at hand. From which despair this prophecy fully relieved them, in assuring them, that their house should stand, and continue, till this prediction should be accomplished, and the Messias born of their race, in such manner as was hereby foretold. After this, the two kings, according to the words of the prophet, failing of their design, were forced to raise the siege, and return home, without prevailing in the enterprise which they had undertaken. Buth Ahaz, after this, instead of being reformed by the mercy, growing more wicked and perverse than before, in absolutely rejecting the God of Israel, and cleaving to the worst abominations of the heathen nations round him, even to the making of his sons pass through the fire to Molech; the next year Ahaz 2. after, God brought again upon him the same two confederated kings, from whom he had delivered him the former year, who, coming with forces better f Isa. viii. g Isa. vii, 14. Matt. i, 23. An. 741. h 2 Chron. xxviii, 2—5. appointed, and councils better concerted than before, divided themselves into three armies; the first under Rezin, king of Syria, the second under Pekah, king of Israel, and the third under Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim; and with these three armies, the more to distract him, they invaded him in three different parts of his kingdom at the same time. Rezin, in his ravage, having loaded his army with spoils, and taken a vast number of captives, returned with them to Damascus, thinking it his best interest there to secure what he had gotten. Pekah with his army marched directly against Ahaz, who had got together the main strength of his kingdom to oppose this invasion, and thereby for some time did put a stop to the progress of this part of the enemies forces; but at length being encouraged by the departure of Rezin to give them battle, he was overthrown with a most terrible destruction, an hundred and twenty thousand of his men being slain in that day. Of which blow Zichri taking the advantage, led his forces to Jerusalem, and took the royal city, where he slew Maaseiah the king's son, and most of the chief governours and great men of the kingdom, whom he found there. And both these armies of Israel, on their return, carried with them vast spoils, and above two hundred thousand persons, whom they had taken captive, with intention to have sold them for bond-men and bond-women. But a prophet from God having severely rebuked them for this their excessive cruelty against their brethren, whom God had delivered into their hands, the elders of the land, fearing the like wrath upon themselves for the punishment hereof, would not permit them to bring the captives to Samaria; whereon they were clothed, and relieved out of the spoils, and again sent back unto their own homes. And the land was no sooner delivered from these Ahaz 3. enemies, but it was again invaded by others, An. 740. who treated it with the same cruelty: for the Edomites and the Philistines, who next bordered on it, the former on the south, and the other on the west, seeing Judah brought thus low, took the advantage to seize on those parts which lay next unto |