punishment instantly inflicted by the supreme and invisible King. Uzziah was seized by incurable leprosy, and was shut up, all his future days, in a palace reared apart from society.

His son and successor Jotham imitated his father's excellencies, and became mighty during a reign of sixteen years. Ahaz, his son, entered on his reign in apparently favourable circumstances; the cities were multiplied and the fortifications strong. The people, however, continued to degenerate; idolatrous rites were observed, and immorality prevailed. Ahaz conformed to the manners of the nation, and the storm of Divine vengeance seemed about to destroy the kingdom of Judah. This was the avowed object of a league recently made between the kings of Israel and Syria. God had compassion on Judah from respect to the covenant made with their fathers. Their enemies in vain attempted the conquest of Jerusalem, but they inflicted dreadful calamities on the country. Ahaz, instead of renouncing superstition and licentiousness, and imploring pardon and assistance from the Lord, gave himself up to the most barbarous practices of idolatry, and procured the alliance of Assyria, at a vast expense, and substituted the symbols of Assyrian superstition for those Divinely established in the holy temple. Thus he demoralised his people, and weakened his kingdom, which was only saved from total destruction by the Divine mercy conferred on his son Hezekiah.

This pious prince ascended the throne of Judah about six years before the captivity of the Ten Tribes. He was successful in obtaining one of the most remarkable revivals of religion which had been witnessed from the days of Joshua, and the strength of his kingdom was exceedingly increased by the multitudes among the Ten Tribes who were reconciled to Judah, and joined in the great festivals at Jerusalem. Hoshea, king of Israel, had evidently granted entire religious toleration, either from a secret love of the laws of Moses or entire indifference to idolatry. He not only permitted his people to go up to Jerusalem, but did not prevent the servants of Hezekiah from removing every relic of idolatry in several places in the kingdom of Israel; 2 Chron. xxx. 1, 10, 11;

xxxi. 1.

Hezekiah having restored order in Judah, exerted all his energies to procure the independence and maintain the honour of his kingdom. Being successful in recovering from the Philistines more than they had taken from Judah in the

reign of his father, he declined to send the tribute which the king of Syria demanded; but, threatened by Sennacherib the new king of Assyria, whose warlike powers were known and dreaded, he stripped the temple of its ornaments, and impaired his treasury to pacify the indignant monarch. His submission was of no avail, and nothing remained but to fortify Jerusalem and trust in Jehovah. He was encouraged thus to act by the faithful prophets, especially by Isaiah, and he was miraculously delivered. The overthrow of the Assyrians was complete, and no event in the history of the race of Israel more illustriously displayed that they were under the special protection of the supreme Ruler in heaven and eaith.

After a reign of twenty-nine years, Hezekiah died, leaving a happy and prosperous people to the care of his son Manasseh, who was only twelve years of age. This unhappy youth was most probably seduced, as Joash had been, by wicked counsellors. He became the most depraved of all the race of David, and the most cruel tyrant that ever occupied a throne. Enthusiastically devoted to idols, he sacrificed to them his family and the faithful worshippers of God, and filled Jerusalem with their blood. When he had reigned twenty-two years, his country was invaded by Esar-Haddon, who carried him captive to Babylon. Then Divine mercy visited him; his humble and contrite prayers were heard, and he was liberated and restored to his throne. "From the greatest sinner he became the greatest penitent, and from the bloodiest tyrant one of the best of kings." He zealously promoted true religion and the welfare of his people; he reigned fifty-five years, and was succeeded by his unworthy son Amon, who was killed by his chief officers. The citizens of Jerusalem inflicted on the conspirators just punishment, and raised his son Josiah to the throne.

This prince was only eight years old when he began to reign, and in his twelfth year he appears to have actively engaged in the administration of his kingdom. But from his eighth year, (the year of his father's death,) he had feared and served the God of his fathers, and to honour him was evidently the principal object of his life. His grandfather's labours, in the last and happy period of his life, to subvert the idolatry he had spent his life to establish, were, it is most probable, comparatively fruitless; for it is scarcely credible that, had he succeeded to persuade all ranks to renounce idolatry, they could have lapsed, during the short

and eventful reign of his son Amon, into that frightful state of superstition and wickedness from which Josiah attempted to rescue them. In personal religion this prince appears to have excelled all his ancestors; and in fidelity to Jehovah, whose deputy he was, he was equal, if not superior to his father David, "the man according to God's heart." He had his reward; for Judah enjoyed profound peace and uninterrupted prosperity till the thirty-first year of his reign. Assisted by ministers animated by a kindred spirit, and encouraged by the faithful prophets Jeremiah and Zephaniah and the prophetess Huldah, Josiah was honoured to accomplish a reformation the most perfect conceivable, to the utmost extent at least which human means and efforts could effect. Hence we may see the Divine propriety in making his name and work the subject of prediction in the days of Jeroboam, more than three hundred years before he was born; 1 Kings xiii. 2.

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In his time Babylon and Egypt contended for the possession of Syria, if not for universal empire. Egypt had been long celebrated; and its present sovereign Necho was one of the most distinguished of its kings, as a warrior and conqueror. Babylon was ruled by an able prince, who had already extended his dominion over many countries. Probably Judah had been tributary to his kingdom from the time of Manasseh. And, on this account, Josiah may have considered it his duty and the interest of his country to oppose Necho, when he marched from Egypt to conquer Carchemish, supposed to be the ancient Circesium and the modern Kirkesich. This was a strongly fortified city on the Euphrates, and the defence of Syria on its eastern frontier. most solemn assurances of Necho that he had no design of attacking Judah, were insufficient to induce Josiah to live in peace. He led his troops against the Egyptians, was defeated at Megiddo, and mortally wounded. On reaching Jerusalem he died, exceedingly lamented by all his people; and with him vanished the last rays of the sun whose light had long cheered the house of David.

The

It is plain from the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zephaniah, that the reformation by Josiah was, in respect of the community in general, and especially of the chief men, merely external and superficial. In heart they remained the abject votaries of idolatry, and were only restrained by the authority and power of government from every species of immorality and impurity. Hence the king was no sooner

buried than the fountain of iniquity overflowed the land. Anarchy, strife, and contention reigned; and an unprincipled faction set aside the heir, and raised to the throne the younger brother, Jehoahaz, a young man after their own heart. He had reigned only three months when Necho, having captured Carchemish, returned through Syria, and summoned Jehoahaz to meet him in Hamath, where he made him prisoner, and intrusted the government to his elder brother Eliakim, whom he named Jehoiakim. This prince, by accepting the dignity and the new name from the king of Egypt, confessed himself his tributary; and as such, presented him an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold, which he compelled the people to furnish. His brother was carried a chained captive into Egypt, where he died; and Jehoiakim submitted to Egypt eight years. At that period he acknowledged the superiority of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the founder of the first of the four great empires of prophecy. Three years later he revolted from Babylon, probably at the suggestion of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar speedily conquered all the surrounding nations, the hereditary enemies of Israel, and found them more than willing to join the Chaldeans and Syrians, to reduce Judah to slavery. The united army laid waste the whole land, took possession of Jerusalem, and threw the king in chains. Nebuchad nezzar proposed to carry him to Babylon; but according to Josephus, he was put to death, or died suddenly before the departure of the Babylonians, when they probably undesignedly fulfilled the prediction by Jeremiah, that his body would be exposed to the beasts of the earth and the fowls of heaven, and buried in Jerusalem.

The enemy spoiled the city and temple of all its riches, made captive above three thousand of the young nobles, most admired for their personal beauty and mental and physical accomplishments, and appointed Jehoiachin, called also Coniah, son of Jehoiakim, king, on condition of an annual tribute. Nebuchadnezzar adhered to this arrangement only three months. He returned to Jerusalem; and was met on his approach by the king and his court. They were made prisoners, and the city was again sacked; all were seized for slaves who were most distinguished for intelligence, or for knowledge of the most useful or ornamental arts; the former were about ten thousand, and the latter one thousand, These with the king and his ministers were removed to Babylon. The government was now committed by Nebu

chadnezzar to Mattaniah, whom he named Zedekiah, one of the sons of Josiah, and consequently uncle of Jehoiachin.

This prince was certainly disposed to maintain his fidelity to Babylon, and to this he was strongly urged by Jeremiah the prophet, as indispensable to the permanence of the dynasty of David, and preservation of the nation from a slavery of seventy years duration. But almost all whom the king chose for counsellors and companions were ignorant, proud, and self-sufficient. They boasted that they alone were true patriots, who sought the independence of Judah, and that they must prosper, for God would never suffer his holy city and temple to be destroyed. The prophet and all who reverenced God and trembled at his word, were regarded and treated as the traitors of their country. The king, if not wicked, was weak and irresolute; and was at last seduced by the specious reasonings of his real or pretended friends, and the deceitful promises of the ambassadors from Egypt, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon; Jer. xxvii. 3. They prevailed on him to enter into a league with them against Babylon. He declined sending the usual tribute; and in the ninth year of his reign, his land was again covered by the army of Nebuchadnezzar, who found the city strongly fortified; and, notwithstanding his vast resources he had no alternative but to return, or, by a tedious siege, compel submission by famine or assault. For some time the besieged cherished the hope of aid from their allies. And their delusive expectations were, for a moment, flattered by the rumour of the approach of an army from Egypt. The Babylonians raised the siege, and marched to repel them; but Pharaoh Hophra, called also Apries, king of Egypt, soon retired into his own kingdom, and the siege was renewed and prosecuted with vigour. It was commenced on the very day predicted by Ezekiel, who lived hundreds of miles distant; and in the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, in the ninth day of the fourth month, E. c. 588, the city was broken up, and the king and court arrested in their flight; Ezek. xxiv. 1, 2; 2 Kings xxv. 1—4.; Jer. lii. 4-7. Then followed the vengeance of the enraged conqueror; and the fire of Divine jealousy and justice sent forth its flames on every side; for the long-suffering of Jehovah had come to an end. The city was given up to pillage; no compassion was shown for the rich or poor, the old or young, the mother or infant; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17; Psa. cxxxvii. 8, 9. Every thing val uable in the temple and city was seized; and the whole set