and debased his moral principle, and he laid the foundations of the ruin of his nation, and intercepted all its farther progress, by allowing his favourite women to seduce him to establish that paganism which his people had been specially raised and miraculously aggrandized in order to subvert and extinguish.* From that time the sun of Israel began to set; the kingdom was divided into two parts by the Divine interference.† This depravation of mind and conduct increased upon them in every succeeding reign. They became useless in their intended instrumentality of enlightening and governing the world, and preparations were then made, on this continued defection, for the destructive fulfilment on them of all the denunciations which had been predicted on such misconduct, and for the succeeding operations on other nations, which would, by other means, produce the improvement and promote the progression of human nature. The Divine wisdom proceeded gradually in its operations to abase and remove the offending nation, and to produce its downfall by such successive events as would most benefit the rest of mankind. He raised up a new Syrian kingdom on their northwestern frontier at Damascus, to prevent their farther conquests, and to be an instrument of discipline upon them. He caused Jeroboam, one of Solomon's bravest officers, to be anointed by a prophet to separate ten of the tribes from the rest, and to form of them a new kingdom, apart from the two others, which Solomon's son and successors would govern. Thus the Jewish nation was broken into two kingdoms on account of their adopted idolatry. These * "Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom (Molech), the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.. Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech; and likewise did he for all his strange wives which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods."-1 Kings, c. xi., v. 5-8. "Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, I will surely rend thy kingdom from thee, and will give it unto thy servant. I will rend it out of the hand of thy son, but will give one tribe to thy son for my servant David's sake."-Ib., v. 11–13. "And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon, who fled from his lord, Hadadezer, king of Żobah. He gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band; and they went to Damascus, and dwelt there, and reigned in Damascus. He abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria." -Ib., v. 23-25. "And he said to Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel becoming jealous of each other and mutually hostile, precluded all further aggrandizement of their dominion. The fears and cowardice of ambition, and love of power, induced Jeroboam to set up a new idolatry in his new kingdom, to prevent the people from attending three times a year at Jerusalem, at the great annual sacrifices appointed by Moses to be celebrated there in a national congregation.* Paganism became then the habitual religion of the country, with a successive addition of the most offensive forms and ceremonies. The Deity, by his prophets, by affliction, and by repeated changes of dynasties as each transgressed, endeavoured to recall them to the paths of reason and duty. But no discipline or exhortations availed; and therefore he prepared the means and instruments for their overthrow, after an admonitory struggle of two centuries and a half. The nation appointed to subvert them was the kingdom of Assyria, on their northeastern frontier. In the 254th year after Solomon's death, Shalmaneser, after a siege of three years, took their capital, Samaria, and carried all the population away into his own dominions.‡ The division which forms the smaller kingdom of Judah was not for some time so totally perverted, and had occasionally some kings of ability and true piety. Hezekiah and Josiah were the most distinguished of these. But at length they became irrecoverably immersed in the same pernicious delusion which had destroyed their severed sister nation. They survived her fall 133 years, and were then, after all the prophets had failed to reclaim them, overwhelmed by the new conqueror of Asia, specially raised up to found a new empireBehold, I will rend the kingdom, and give ten tribes to thee: BECAUSE that THEY have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom, and have not walked in my ways."-1 Kings, c. xi., v. 31-33. Ib., c. xii., v. 26-33. † Elijah and Elisha were the prophets who were commissioned to display the reality of the Deity they had abandoned, by miracles which proved his power and agency in opposition to their powerless idols; but the contrast did not overcome the attractive infatuation which misled them. 2 Kings, c. xvii., v. 3–6. "And carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes."-Ib., v. 6. From this time we hear no more of these ten tribes, nor is it known whether any of their descendants are in the world at present, though it is thought by many that there is a remnant in some region yet unvisited. Solomon died 975 years before the Christian era. Israel fell in the 721st. 1 Nebuchadnezzar-the King of Babylon, whom the history of Daniel has so interestingly delineated to us. Jeremiah forewarned them of the certainty of this visitation in this admonitory prophecy. "Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, "Behold! I am the Lord: the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? "Therefore thus saith the Lord. I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he shall take it; and the Chaldeans that fight against this city shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink-offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and daughters to pass through fire to Molech."* The first Babylonian army sent retiring on the approach of an auxiliary force from Egypt, the Jews thought they were safe; on this mistake Jeremiah was directed to exhort them not to be misled by the temporary deliverance. "Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah: Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. The Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire." This was reasserted with a peculiar emphasis: "Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet they should rise up every man in his tent and burn this city with fire."t The Babylonian conqueror, on his first invasion, deposed the Jewish king, and placed one of his sons, Zedekiah, on the throne in his stead, to be subordinate to himself. But when this prince, trusting to the Egyptian succours, had revolted from him, Nebuchadnezzar came with that vindictive army which, after two years' siege, took the strongly-fortified Jerusalem, and burnt it to the ground, with the magnificent temple which Solomon had so sumptuously erected. This catastrophe is thus described to us : Their last king, Zedekiah," was one-and-twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet, speaking from the mouth of the Lord; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning to the Lord God of Israel. Moreover, all the chief of the priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the * Jeremiah, c. xxxii., v. 26-9, 35. † Ib., c. xxxvii., v. 7–10. heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. "And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling-place. "But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. "Therefore he brought upon them the King of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, or him that stooped for age. Into his hand he gave them all. "And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, they brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof; and them that escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia. "TO FULFIL the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate, she kept Sabbath to fulfil threescore and ten years.' This captivity Jeremiah had predicted to be appointed to last for seventy years.† To this period it was limited; and the celebrated Cyrus was the sovereign designated by Isaiah, one hundred and twenty years before the destruction, as the person named and chosen, and who would be raised up and supported by the Divine agency, to overthrow the Babylonish empire, and to release them from their captivity, and permit and assist them to rebuild their metropolis. Such predictions are demonstrations of the reality, and of the operation of Divine agency on the human minds which utter them, and in the national movements which accomplish them, and in the results and revolutions which they produce.‡ * 2 Chron., c. xxxvi., v. 11-21. † Jeremiah, c. xxv., v. 12, and c. xxix., v. 10. The prophecy of Isaiah on this subject is a stream of sublime eloquence, as it is of a supernatural inspiration: for no human mind could of itself have formed such an exact and particularizing foresight "Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I AM THE LORD THAT MAKETH ALL THINGS; That turneth wise men backward, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; LETTER XLII. The History of the Jews presents a series of the Supernatural Agency of Providence on their Nation and on the Kingdoms of the Earth.Of two sorts, Sensorial and Intellectual.-The latter displayed in its Operations in the Rise and Fall of Nations, and in the Prophecies concerning them.-Review of these.-Conclusion of the Work." MY DEAR SON, The history of the Jews, from the death of Solomon to the Babylonian captivity, is, in almost every succeeding reign, a history of the supernatural agency of the Providential ruler of the earth, made perceptible to the mind and senses of those to whom it was addressed. The interferences were directed, in the most gracious manner, for their benefit and improvement in the immediate effects; but as the omniscient foresight of their deserted Benefactor anticipated their determined averseness to his guidance, they were successively performed for the instruction and advantage of all other nations and ages to which they should become known. That saith to Jerusalem And I will raise up the decayed places thereof;' and I will dry up the rivers;" That saith of CYRUS He is my Shepherd, And shall perform all my pleasure: Even saying to Jerusalem Thou shalt be built; and to the Temple Thy foundation shall be laid."" Isaiah, c. xliv., v. 24-8. This comforting promise of deliverance to his people from their captiv ity was introduced by this beautiful effusion : "Sing, O ye heavens ! For the Lord hath done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the earth! Break forth into singing, ye mountains! VOL. III.-O. Tb., v. 23. |