buildings, destroyed; and the king's sons slain before his eyes. He was then blinded, bound with fetters of brass, and carried to Babylon, and the land lay in its threatened desolation for seventy years. It was this that gave occasion to Jeremiah's pathetic lamentations, which should be perused together with this part of the sacred history. O what a melancholy scene is that described, when the holy and beautiful house, where God had been worshipped, and had graciously manifested himself to his people, was made a heap of desolation and ruins! Let it never be forgotten, that sin makes God angry, and draws down his judgments on nations and individuals; nor let us forget that the guilt of every individual goes to make up the guilt of a nation; and though we cannot, nor are we called upon, to work a general reformation, we are bound, each for himself, to put away that abominable thing that Jehovah hateth. So shall we prove ourselves true partiots, and friends to our country. In the judgments thus brought upon Judah and Israel, we are called upon to observe the exact fulfilment of what Moses declared should come upon them, if they forsook the Lord their God, and returned to idolatry Deut iv. 25–28. viii, 19, 20. xxviiii. 15-68. xxix. 19-29. Observe especially how God takes notice of, and punishes, the breach of the sabbath. He had commanded, in the land of Canaan, the observance of a seventh or sabbatical year. From a spirit of covetousness and distrust, this ordinance had been neglected, almost entirely,

from the first entrance of Israel into Canaan; and now, during a seventy years' captivity of the inhabitants, the land had rest, in proportion to the extent in which the law had been violated. Surely such instances, and many others which are daily passing under our own observation, demonstrate the impolicy, as well as the crime, of robbing God of His sabbaths. 588.-Events which occurred at Jerusalem after the Capture of Zedekiah. 2 Kings xxv. 22—26.

After the destruction of the temple, Gedaliah was appointed governor of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar ; but was treacherously slain by some of the royal family. The remnant of Israel, contrary to the advice of Jeremiah, who assured them of safety in Judea and destruction in Egypt, determined to retreat into Egypt. Thither Jeremiah accompanied them, and continued warmly to remonstrate against their idolatry and evil practices, and to warn them of the consequences that would follow.

It is supposed that the prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah were interchanged, both having for their object the consolation of the pious Jews, to which end the restoration of the Jews is predicted, and the destruction of their insulting enemies. Among these are interspersed some historical facts, and many occasional intimations of the coming and reign of the Messiah. Many of the Psalms also belong to this period, especially 74, 79, 83, 94, 130, 137, 80. The fidelity and zeal of Jeremiah are generally

supposed to have cost him his life; his reproofs having so enraged his countrymen, that they stoned him to death at Tahpanhes in Egypt. Soon after the taking of Jerusalem, and carrying the Jews into captivity, Nebuchadnezzar brought upon the Tyrians, the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Philistines, and other nations, the destruction foretold by the prophets of God. He also ravaged Egypt, and either killed or enslaved all the Jews who had fled there for refuge. Thus things stood with respect to the Jews, until, at the very time foretold by Isaiah and the other prophets, the Babylonian monarchy was overthrown, and the Jews restored to their liberty and country by Cyrus.

666.-Events at Babylon, from the Commencement, to close of the Captivity. These are intermingled with the prophecies of Daniel, or related in the books of Nehemiah and Esther, Dan. i.

The book of Daniel, which records the earliest events of this period, begins with the carrying away of many of the young princes and nobles of Judah, among whom Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were afterwards the most distinguished. These were committed to the care of an officer of the king's household, a portion of meat assigned them from the king's table, and their education provided for, in order to their being employed about the court. They received the names of Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These youths,

to avoid luxury and idolatry, forbore to partake of the royal dainties, and preferred rather a slender diet of pulse and water, on which their health and strength were sustained, to the full satisfaction of those who had the charge of them.

This was a noble and delightful instance of the strength of principle; and it was especially honoured of God. The luxurious and idolatrous heathens, of whose fare they forbore to partake, were compelled to acknowledge, after a trial of ten days, that they were farer, and fatter in flesh, than those who fared sumptuously from the king's table. The more temperate food was, doubtless, the most favourable to health of body, cheerfulness of mind, and improvement in study; but the reliance of Daniel and his companions was on the special blessing of God, to render it so nourishing, that they might no more be tempted to defile themselves with forbidden meat; and they were not disappointed.

570.-Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. Dan. ii.

Daniel and his companions having arrived at maturity, and having made great attainments in science as well as in piety, were regarded at Babylon as among the wise men, or magicians. The king having had an extraordinary dream, the (circumstances of which had escaped his recollection, but the impression of which was deep and painful,) demanded of his wise men, that they should give him both the dream and the interpretation. This they declared their

inability to do; and the king was so exasperated, that he ordered them all to be slain. Daniel, however, requested a respite, and, after joining with his pious companions in fervent prayer to the God of heaven, received from Him such communications as enabled him fully to satisfy the inquiries of the king. This was not only the means of preserving the lives of those who were condemned to death, and of advancing Daniel and his companions to important posts of trust and honour, but also of exalting the name of Jehovah, who had given such wisdom to men. The dream was prophetic, and related both to the immediate events that were coming upon the great empires of the world, and had reference also to the establishment and extent of the Messiah's kingdom,

570.-The Trial of the three Jews. Dan. iii.

Shortly after this, Nebuchadnezzar having completed his conquests, set up a golden image in the plain of Dura. At its consecration to the idol Belus, he commanded all his subjects to assemble together, and prostrate themselves before the image, sentencing to death in a fiery furnace any who should fail to comply. Daniel's three companions firmly adhered to their principles, and refused to bow down to the idol. Daniel himself is not mentioned in this affair, but we cannot for a moment suppose that he swerved from his principles, either for safety or