ed the Babylonian empire. Thus was destroyed the golden head of Nebuchadnezzar's image, 539 years B. C. and thus were fulfilled the many prophecies which Isaiah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk and Daniel had delivered against it.

Of the new kingdom of the Medes and Persians, the arms and breast of the great image, Daniel was made prime minister. His exaltation excited the envy of the presidents and princes; and, when they could find nothing against him, they artfully laid a plan to destroy him for his religion. To the great grief of Darius, he was cast into the den of lions because he would go to his chamber and three times a day, pray to the God of heaven. But God shut the mouths of the lions and he was brought forth in safety. His enemies were destroyed and his influence at court was greater than ever.

In a few years Cyrus succeeded to the throne. Daniel had carefully computed the seventy years of Judah's captivity predicted by Jeremiah, and had made earnest supplication unto the Lord that he would remember his people. He shewed the king, we have reason to suppose, the predictions of Isaiah respecting him and the purpose for which God had raised him up, and earnestly interceded with him to effect the deliverance on which his heart was placed The king's heart was in the hands of the Lord, and He stirred up this heathen prince to make this wonderful proclamation, "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, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people, his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem."

Atheists ascribe all things to chance, and earthly politicians glory in developing the secret springs of actions; but the Bible shews us an Almighty governor sitting on the throne of the universe and wielding the destinies of nations at his pleasure. Nothing is of so much consequence in the eyes of men as a vast, splendid and powerful empire. But the mightiest kingdoms are raised up and destroyed in entire subserviency to the good of the Church. The whole history of the world is but a history of the divine decrees. Babylon the glory of kingdoms, was raised up to be a furnace for the Church and when it was sufficiently purified, Babylon was destroyed that the Church might not perish in bondage. Her deliverer was predicted ages before his birth and was conducted to princely power by the hand of God. His acquaintance with the Israelites and the divine purposes was through the eminent prophet who had been miraculously preserved from death. How awful and glorious is the sovereignty

of God! He called the ravenous bird from the east to execute vengeance upon Babylon and deliver his people. How weak and contemptible are they who fancy they control the affairs of nations! Surely the princes of Zoan are fools." The balance of power is in his hands who weigheth kings and nations.

Forty-two thousand people, chiefly of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with seven thousand servants, returned the first year, under Zerubbabel, to the holy land;-535 B. C. Though of two tribes, they were blended together under the name of Jews-an appellation which they have, from that day to this, sustained. They carried with them all the golden vessels belonging to the Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had pillaged. After providing themselves suitable habitations, they assembled at Jerusalem; celebrated the feast of trumpets; restored the altar of the Lord for burnt offerings, and commenced rebuilding the Temple. But they soon met with a powerful opposition from the Samaritans.

The Samaritans were a people who were brought by Shalmaneser, when he carried the ten tribes out of their own land, from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Ava, from Hameth, and from Sepharvaim, and made to dwell in the desolate cities of Samaria. These foreigners intermingled with the lower classes of the Israelites, who remained in the land; and formed a mongrel race, claiming connexion with the Jews and Heathen. Being harrassed by lions, they sought protection from Jehovah the God of the country, and obtained from an exiled Hebrew priest, a copy of the five books of Moses.*

Hearing of the return and undertaking of the Jews, this people came and offered to unite with them; but as they were not of the children of Israel, would not put away their idols and cared but little about the true religion, the Hebrews would have no connexion with them; which so enraged the Samaritans that they opposed them with bitterness, bribed some of the counsellors of Cyrus to act against them, and, for many years, greatly retarded their work. And when Cyrus and Daniel

*This being the most ancient translation of the Pentateuch, has been considered of great importance in relation to biblical criticism. It differs in about 2000 instances from the Jewish copy. But it has been shewn, in a late learned work of Gesenius, that the Jewish is the original copy and that all the variations of the Samaritan may be easily accounted for. The Samaritans are now reduced to less than 200 persons. They reside at Neplos, the ancient Sychar or Sychem.

were dead and a new monarch was upon the throne, they made such representations to him of the former rebellious character of the Jews, that he issued a decree against the rebuilding of the Temple, and the work ceased. In opposition to the Jewish Temple they built one on Mount Gerizim, where they said men ought to worship. Between them and the Jews has ever subsisted the most bitter animosity.

Under a succeeding reign, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah exhorted the Jews to go on with their work. And when the Governor asked for their warrant in undertaking it again, they appealed to the decree of Cyrus. This appeal was sent to Darius, the king, who caused search to be made. The decree was found; liberty was granted them to finish the Temple and means were furnished from the king's treasury. In twenty years from their return, the building was completed and dedicated to God with great solemnity and joy, B. C. 515.

This second Temple, however had but little of the magnificence of the first. The aged men who beheld it, wept at the contrast. Besides its inferior workmanship and covering, it was destitute of the Shechinah or cloud of glory over the mercy seat; of the holy oracle, or approach to God by Urim and Thummim; of the perpetual fire which came down from heaven in the wilderness; and of the two tables of the testimony on which God wrote, with his finger, the ten commandments. But yet the glory of this latter house was to be greater than that of the former; for into it the Desire of all nations was to come who would fill it with his praise.

Two eminent prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, returned with the children of the captivity. They were raised up to reprove the people for their sins; to call them to repentance and encourage them in building the second Temple. The most eminent prediction of Haggai was of the Messiah's coming into his Temple, when God should shake the nations. Zechariah predicted with wonderful minuteness, his riding into Jerusalem on an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass; his being valued at thirty pieces of silver; and his death, by the avenging sword of Jehovah. He also described the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; the conversion and bitter grief of the Jews for having pierced the Messiah, and their final admission by baptism into the privileges of the gospel covenant. His style is much like that of Jeremiah, whose spirit, the Jews said, had descended upon him.

This dreadful captivity cured the nation of idolatry. They never more went after the gods of the heathen.

It was but a remnant that was restored to their native land, and this was from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The ten tribes were doomed to a long dispersion among the eastern nations. Their descendants, it is supposed, are still distinctly visible.

In a subsequent period, in the reign of Ahasuerus, called also Artaxerxes, this whole people, embracing the Church of God, came near an utter extermination. For Haman, the prime minister of his court, unable to brook the contumely shewn him by Mordecai, a Jew, who probably only refused to render him certain honours because he viewed them as due to God alone, procured a royal decree, for their entire destruction throughout the whole world. But Esther, a Jewess, had been exalted to royalty; and through her intercession the plot was defeated and the Jews were saved. This great event happened 452 B. C. In commemoration of it, the Jews instituted the feast of Purim, or lot, because Haman ascertained by lot the day on which the Jews were to be destroyed.

In no part of the sacred writings do we more clearly behold the wonderful steps of divine providence for the preservation of the Church. The most trivial circumstances paved the way for the accomplishment of the most important events. A Jewess orphan became the queen of the greatest empire on earth, through the whim of a monarch in a drunken revel. A restless night of the king, brought to the highest honors the object of Haman's implacable rage, and the man on whom the salvation of the Church rested. The uncertain humour of a despot, was overruled to regard favorably the petition of his queen, who approached him at the hazard of her life, for the safety of her people. And when the Church was actually consigned to ruin, it was only saved by a counter decree which gave the Jews liberty to defend themselves against their enemies. all this concatenation of circumstances there was nothing miraculous. All happened according to the ordinary course of human affairs, and yet all was directed by the finger of God. God brought Esther to the kingdom "for such a time as this." She saved her people, and made this mighty Ahasuerus favourable to the Church during the whole of his reign. By whom the book of Esther was written is unknown. It has been as

cribed to Mordecai, to Ezra, and to Nehemiah.

In

Seventy-eight years after the decree of Cyrus, 457 B, C. Ezra was commissioned by Artaxerxes (the Ahasuerus of the

book of Esther,) governor of Judea.* He went up to Jerusalem with about 1700 persons, bearing a munificent present of silver and gold from the king and his counsellor, to the Lord God of Israel, and a proclamation to all the treasurers beyond the river, requiring them to furnish whatsoever should be commanded by the God of heaven, for his house ;—all, probably, obtained through the intercession of queen Esther. Like a truly pious man, who placed his dependence on the God of heaven; Ezra observed, at the river Ahava, a day of fasting and prayer, and God was with him, and made all his way prosperous before him. He found the people in a low state. They had intermarried with the Gentiles in the land. Ezra convened them, severely rebuked them, compelled them all o put away their strange wives, and publicly read to them, from a pulpit of wood, the law of God. The Holy Spirit was poured out, and the people turned to the Lord with weeping and fasting and mourning; entered into solemn covenant with God, and became greatly reformed.

Ezra was of the sacerdotal family, and was an eminent scribe. He not only wrote the book, which bears his name; but compiled, from ancient records, the books of Chronicles, collected all the books of which the sacred scriptures did then consist, made such additions to them as were necessary for their completion and placed them in their proper order. In transcribing, he put the Hebrew writings into the square character of the Chaldeans, after which the ancient Hebrew character fell into disuse excepting with the Samaritans, who have retained it to this day. Ten years after, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem with a commission from the same king to repair the walls and set up the gates of Jerusalem. He was a Jew, of exalted heroism and piety, who had obtained the place of cup-bearer to the king; not improbably through the influence of queen Esther. der him the people fortified the city, though they were so opposed by the Samaritans, as to be obliged to carry arms to their work. Nehemiah returned to the Persian court, but he soon came back with a new commission, and entered with great zeal upon the business of re-peopling Jerusalem and of reforming the nation; especially in their abuses of the daily worship and of the Holy Sabbath. His government continued near forty years. His last act of reformation was in the year 409 B. C. He died, probably, soon after this, about 70 years of age.

Un

*From the decree granting this commission, are to be dated the 70 weeks of Daniel.