blinded disciples, regard as Divine truth the most absurd and incredible opinions; a curious review of which may be seen in "The Traditions of the Jews," published in 1742, by J. Peter Slehelin, London. Nothing has assuredly more concealed from mankind, the excellence of the true religion, or alienated their minds from its Divine Author and Object, than the demand on his worshippers to believe doctrines, and sacredly to observe ceremonies, merely sanctioned by human authority or antiquity. And nothing has been a more productive cause of the divisions and animosities, strifes, contentions, revilings and murders, which have disgraced and ruined the communities who have avowed themselves the worshippers of the True God, the God of love, of order, of holiness, and of peace.

An instructive illustration of this is afforded by the Pharisees, the first known and the most influential recognized sect of the Jews. Enough is recorded of them to show that they took their rise among the Masorites, whom they, perhaps, rivalled, and at length far exceeded, in their zeal for the traditions of the elders. The appellation was apparently limited to a class of religious teachers, whose disciples embraced, almost all who pretended to fervent devotion; see the article Pharisees in the Biblical Pocket Dictionary. Many have supposed that they originated in the introduction of the philosophy of the Stoicks, because they admitted with that philosophical sect, that all things were decreed by God. This doctrine, which is often called fate, if correctly understood, was common among the Jews in all ages. The most pious acknowledged God in all things; and while they repudiated the idea that God was the author of any moral evil, directly or indirectly, they firmly believed that every being owed its existence, capacities, and continuance to Him, and that he permitted nothing to be thought or done, but what he would render subservient to accomplish his purposes. Thus they viewed all things of God; he was not only the universal Creator, but also the superintender of all his works, performing in heaven and earth, and the invisible state, whatsoever he pleased. Nor were any of the other doctrines peculiar to the Pharisees borrowed from learned pagans. They were the truths of revelation, either disguised or perverted. Thus they taught the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection and eternal duration of the transformed body; the future rewards of the righteous, and future eternal punishment of the wicked; and that good and bad angels existed; the former

ministering for God on earth, and the latter under their chief, Satan or Beelzebub, deceiving or inflicting evil on man in the present world. It seems also, probable, that they believed in the transmigration of souls, at least to the extent of their passing from one human body into another. This opinion was, however, much more ancient than the Grecian or Roman philosophers; it was prevalent among the ancient Egyptians and Asiatics.

No doctrine was more dear to the Pharisees, or had more influence on their life, than that God had pledged himself to accept, protect, bless with special favour in this life, and eternally exalt the Jews, on account of Abraham's excellence, if they carefully observed the law and the traditions. They believed that he hated every other people, and purposed to reduce them to a state of slavery under them, when Messiah. appeared and ascended the throne of David his father. They extended ceremonial washing far beyond the laws of Moses, and declared the neglect of the most unmeaning of them, such as the washing of hands before meals, a crime equally great as fornication, and worthy of death. They refused to eat with Gentiles or any who adhered not to the traditions. They assumed the appearance of extreme gravity and devotion, making broad their phylacteries, fasting twice a week, praying frequently in public places, and ostentatiously supplying the wants of the poor.

A few of them were distinguished by integrity, steadfastly obeying the laws of justice, truth, and purity; according to the letter of the law, as interpreted by the traditions, they were "blameless." But the leaders of the sect were generally destitute of moral principle, and unmoved by the dictates of conscience. Their ambition, thirst for applause, covetousness, and sensual habits and pursuits, were unbounded, except by whatever was necessary to prevent the multitude from detecting their real character; for they omitted nothing that was calculated to induce all ranks to venerate them for piety and zeal towards God, and to confide in them as the only safe guides in religion and the affairs of life. To augment their authority and power, they laboured and travelled to disseminate their opinions, they compassed sea and land to make proselytes who, might be prepared to execute any scheme, however immoral or atrocious, which they conceived would advance their worldly interests or gratify their malignant and licentious desires and appetites. They indeed claimed to be the legitimate successors of the holy prophets; their fathers

had killed them, but their monuments they carefully preserved and profusely ornamented.

Nothing satisfied these rabbins short of completely enslaving the minds of the multitude. To effect this they undermined the authority of the Scriptures, and exalted their own as that alone which was infallible. Thus, Like the corrupt Christian teachers of later centuries they maintained that the written law could not be understood without the Mishna, or traditions of the church The spirit of the pharisees pervades the Talmuds and their expositors. The oral and written laws, remarks a rabbi, “depended on each other like two twins of a roe. And to him who separateth the one from the other, are directed the words, 'A whisperer separateth chief friends.' He is as one that hath no God." Others thus write: "To study the Scriptures is neither virtue nor vice. It is something of a virtue to study the Mishna; but the greatest of all virtues is the study of the Gemara. The Scripture is like water; the Mishna like wine; and the Gemara spiced wine. The words of the scribes are more delightful than those of the prophets. You must believe the judge, should he say that thy right hand is the left, or the left the right. He who murmurs against his rabbi, doth as much as he who murmurs against God. He who transgresses the precepts of one learned in the law is worthy of death. It is duty to respect the disciples of the wise, but much more their instructions. The fear due to the rabbins is equal with the fear of God. It is proper for every man to honour his father, but much more his teacher; for the former is merely the instrument of bringing him into this life, while the latter guides him to the life hereafter, which is eternal. He who teaches a Talmud ordinance in the presence of his instructor, is guilty unto death. Every one who partakes of a feast where a wise man is present, doth as much as if he shared in the presence of the Divine glory. To receive the disciple of a rabbi into one's house, is a service equal to offering daily sacrifice; and to do him any service, or suf fer him to enjoy and use your goods, is, as it were, to be linked to the Divine glory."

CHAPTER IV.

STATE OF THE PAGAN WORLD IN THE REIGN OF
ARTAXERXES LONGIMANUS.

CYRUS stands in the system of prophecy on a loftier eminence than any other king, if we except good Josiah, king of Judah : the name of each was announced hundreds of years before his birth, by Him to whom all things are ever present. And it is worthy of notice, that the principal work performed by each is described by the prophetic Spirit with a particularity which occurs very frequently in Divine predictions, 1 Kings xxii. 2; Isa. xliv. 27, 28; xlv. 1-3. Whether we can perceive it or not, doubtless these kings discovered, in character or conduct, some peculiar excellence, to show the Divine propriety of the exclusive honour conferred on them. No king of the chosen people exhibited a life as blameless, or a reformation as perfect, as did Josiah. We can speak with less certainty of the character and deeds of Cyrus. But in two things, and these the most interesting to the true religion, he surpassed all the former kings who reigned over the Pagan world. He was the first, and perhaps the last, who, without any apparent service received from the race of Jacob, bestowed on them the greatest and most valuable favours, which sovereign, ample, and uncontrolled power, and overflowing wealth, can command. He generously and spontaneously liberated them from slavery,-restored them to their land, and, from his treasures of state, for which, as a despotic monarch, he was responsible to no man, he supplied them with means to rebuild their city and re-establish their religion. But his exaltation had, we conceive, a still more extensive influence on the true religion; for he was the first of a succession of Pagan sovereigns who exposed idol-worship and idols to the scorn and derision of the human race.

Cyrus appears to have been the first conqueror who laid the basis of that political connexion between Asia and Europe,

which eventually produced, or was followed by, exceedingly great and permanent changes in the principles and conduct of mankind. The only Europeans probably known to the Asiatics were Greeks; and for them they do not seem to have entertained much respect. They, however, soon learned to admire and fear them. The Grecian race had been for a number of ages rising in rank among the nations. Colonies from Egypt had early brought into Greece the learning, arts, and religion of their native country; and several of the most talented Greeks, by persevering investigation of the state of knowledge in Egypt, and other countries which they visited, enriched their minds; and, on returning to their own country, successfully laboured to advance its civilization. Even before the age of Cyrus, the Grecian race had filled Greece Proper, and established large and prosperous colonies along the coast of the Ægean sea in Asia Minor, and towards Thrace, on the Italian coast, south-east from Rome, and in Sicily. The principal kingdom in Western Asia at this period appears to have been Lydia, whose capital was the magnificent Sardis, situated at the foot of Mount Timolus, in Asia Minor. Its reigning sovereign, Croesus, celebrated for his immense wealth, had formed an alliance with Babylon, whose king, Nabonadius, or Labynatus, instead of defending his throne against Cyrus, fled to Sardis, and persuaded Croesus to raise a vast army to subdue the Persians. He collected at Thymbra, a city not far from Sardis, more than four hundred thousand men, consisting of Egyptians, Thracians, Greeks, and natives of all the nations of Asia Minor, who were his allies. Cyrus quickly led his army to Thymbra, obtained a complete victory, and Crœsus was among the captives; but he was liberated by the generous conqueror, on condition of becoming a tributary king to Persia. From this time many Greeks served in the Persian armies, and were acknowledged to excel in war all their companions in arms. "Cyrus, after the conquest of Lydia, continued in Lesser Asia till he had subdued the several nations inhabiting that great continent, from the Egean sea to the Euphrates. From thence he marched into Syria and Arabia, and having reduced those nations likewise into subjection, he again entered Assyria, and marched towards Babylon, the only city in the East that now held out against him; the king Labynatus, having blocked himself up in the capital. Cyrus, however, by perseverance, after a vigorous siege of two years, surmounted all difficulties, and became master of the kingdom, B. c. 538. The taking of Babylon