תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

less of the pleasures and some-ance has not the dark shades of times destitute of the comforts of austerity; his meekness does not life, he never provokes our disgust degenerate into apathy; his huby the sourness of the misanthrope, mility is signal, amidst a splenor our contempt by the inactivity dour of qualities more than huof the recluse. His attention to man; his fortitude is eminent and the welfare of mankind was evi-exemplary in enduring the most denced not only by his salutary in- formidable external evils, and the junctions, but by his readiness to sharpest actual sufferings. His paembrace every opportunity of re-tience is invincible; his resignalieving their distress, and adminis- tion entire and absolute. Truth tering to their wants. In every and sincerity shine throughout his period and circumstance of his whole conduct. Though of healife, we behold dignity and ele- venly descent, he shews obedience vation blended with love and pity; and affection to his earthly pasomething, which, though it awa- rents; he approves, loves, and kens our admiration, yet attracts attaches himself to amiable qualiour confidence. We see power; ties in the human race; he rebut it is a power which is rather spects authority, religious and ciour security than our dread; a vil; and he evidences regard for power softened with tenderness, his country, by promoting its and soothing while it awes. With most essential good in a painful all the gentleness of a meek and ministry dedicated to its service, lowly mind, we behold an heroic by deploring its calamites, and by firmness, which no terrors could laying down his life for its beneshake, and no opposition could re-fit. Every one of his eminent virstrain. In the private scenes of tues is regulated by consummate life, and in the public occupa-prudence; and he both wins the tions of his ministry; whether the love of his friends, and extorts the object of admiration or ridicule approbation and wonder of his of love, or of persecution; whe-enemies. Never was a character at ther welcomed with hosannas, or the same time so commanding and insulted with anathemas, we still natural, so resplendent and pleassee him pursuing with unwearied ing, so amiable and venerable. constancy the same end, and pre-There is a peculiar contrast in it serving the same integrity of life between an awful greatness, digand manners." White's Sermons, nity, and majesty, and the most conciliating loveliness, tenderness,

ser. 5.

"He sets an example," says and softness. He now converses bishop Newcome, "of the most with prophets, law-givers, and perfect piety to God, and of the angels; and the next instant he most extensive benevolence and meekly endures the dulness of his the most tender compassion to disciples, and the blasphemies and men. He does not merely exhibit rage of the multitude. He now a life of strict justice, but of over- calls himself greater than Soloflowing benignity. His temper-mon; one who can command le

gions of angels; the giver of life mitive Faith concerning the Deity to whomsoever he pleaseth; the of Christ; Owen on the Glory of Son of God, who shall sit on his Christ's Person; Hurrion's Christ glorious throne to judge the world. Crucified; and Bishop Newcome's At other times we find him em-Observations on our Lord's Conbracing young children; not lift-duct. ing up his voice in the streets, not JEWS, a name derived from the breaking the bruised reed, nor patriarch Judah, and given to the quenching the smoaking flax ; cal-descendants of Abraham by his fing his disciples not servants, eldest son Isaac. We shall here but friends and brethren, and present the reader with as comcomforting them with an exube-prehensive a view of this singular rant and parental affection. Let people as we can,

us pause an instant, and fill our 1. Jews, history of the.-The Alminds with the idea of one who mighty promised Abraham that he knew all things, heavenly and would render his seed extremely earthly; searched and laid open numerous: this promise began to the inmost recesses of the heart; be fulfilled in Jacob's twelve sons. rectified every prejudice, and re- In about two hundred and fifteen moved every mistake of a moral years they increased in Egypt from and religious kind; by a word seventy to between two and three exercised a sovereignty over all millions, men, women, and chilnature, penetrated the hidden dren. While Joseph lived, they events of futurity, gave promises were kindly used by the Egyptian of admission into a happy immor-monarchs; but soon after, from a tality, had the keys of life and suspicion that they would become death, claimed an union with the too strong for the natives, they Father; and yet was pious, mild, were condemned to slavery; but gentle, humble, affable, social, the more they were oppressed, the benevolent, friendly, and affec-more they grew. The midwives, tionate. Such a character is fair-and others, were therefore ordered er than the morning star. Each to murder every male infant at separate virtue is made stronger by the time of its birth; but they opposition and contrast: and the shifting the horrible task, every union of so many virtues forms a body was then ordered to destroy brightness which fitly represents the male children wherever they the glory of that God who in- found them. After they had been habiteth light inaccessible." See thus oppressed for about one hunRobinson's Plea for the Divinity of dred years, and on the very day Christ, from which many of the that finished the four hundred and above remarks are taken; Bishop thirtieth year from God's first proBull's Judgment of the Catholic mise of a seed to Abraham, and Church; Abbddie, Waterland, Haw-about four hundred years after ker, and Hey, on the Divinity of the birth of Isaac, God, by terriChrist; Dr. Jamieson's View of the ble plagues on the Egyptians, Doctrine of Scripture, and the Pri-obliged them to liberate the He

brews under the direction of Mo-bers of them, who inticed them ses and Aaron. Pharaoh pursued to wickedness, and were somethem with a mighty army; but times God's rod to punish them. the Lord opened a passage for them For many ages they had enjoyed through the Red Sea; and the little prosperity, and often relapsed Egyptians, in attempting to follow into awful idolatry, worshipping them, were drowned. After this, Baalim, Ashtaroth. Micha and we find them in a dry and barren the Danites introduced it not long desert, without any provision for after Joshua's death. About this their journey; but God supplied time the lewdness of the men of them with water from a rock, Gibeah occasioned a war of the and manna and quails from hea-eleven tribes against their brethren ven. A little after they routed of Benjamin: they were twice the Amalekites, who fell on their routed by the Benjamites, and rear. In the wilderness God de-forty thousand of them were slain. livered to them the law, and con- In the third, however, all the firmed the authority of Moses. Benjamites were slain, except six Three thousand of them were cut hundred. Vexed for the loss of off for worshipping the golden calf; a tribe, the other Hebrews proand for loathing the manna, they vided wives for these six hundred, were punished with a month's at the expense of slaying most of eating of flesh, till a plague brake the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead. out among them; and for their Their relapses into idolatry also rash belief of the ten wicked spies, brought on them repeated turns and their contempt of the pro- of slavery from the heathen among mised land, God had entirely de- or around them. See books of stroyed them, had not Moses's Judges and Samuel. Having been prayers prevented. They were governed by Judges for about condemned, however, to wander three hundred and forty years, afin the desert till the end of forty ter the death of Joshua they took years, till that whole generation, a fancy to have a king. Saul was except Caleb and Joshua, should their first sovereign, under whose be cut off by death. Here they reign they had perpetual struggles were often punished for their re- with the Ammonites, Moabites, bellion, idolatry, whoredom, &c. and Philistines. After about seven God's marvellous favours, how-years' strug ling between the ever, were still continued in con-eleven tribes that clave to Ishducting and supplying them with bosheth, the son of Saul, and the meat; and the streams issuing tribe of Judah, which erected from the rock of Meribah, fol- themselves into a kingdom under lowed their camp about thirty-nine David, David became sole moyears, and their clothes never narch. Under him they subdued waxed old. On their entrance their neighbours, the Philistines, into Canaan, God ordered them Edomites, and others; and took to cut off every idolatrous Ca-possession of the whole dominion naanite; but they spared vast num-which had been promised them, VOL. I.

3 D

from the border of Egypt to the fall. Josiah however again probanks of the Euphrates. Under moted it, and carried it to a highSolomon they had little war:er pitch than in the reigns of Dawhen he died, ten of the Hebrew vid and Solomon. After Josiah tribes formed a kingdom of Israel, was slain by Pharoah Necho, king or Ephraim for themselves, under of Egypt, the people returned to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, in idolatry, and God gave them up opposition to the kingdom of Ju-to servitude to the Egyptians and dah and Benjamin, ruled by the the Chaldeans. The fate of their family of David. The kingdom of kings Jehoaz, Jehoiakim, JehoiaIsrael, Ephraim, or the ten tribes, chin, and Zedekiah, was unhappy. had never so much as one pious Provoked by Zedekiah's treachery, king: idolatry was always their Nebuchadnezzar invaded the kingestablished religion. The kingdom dom, murdered vast numbers, and of Judah had pious and wicked reduced them to captivity. Thus sovereigns by turns, though they the kingdom of Judah was ruined, often relapsed into idolatry, which A. M. 3416, about three hundred brought great distress upon them. and eighty-eight years after its See books of Samuel, Kings, and division from that of the ten tribes. Chronicles. Not only the kingdom In the seventieth year from the of Israel, but that of Judah, was begun captivity, the Jews, accordbrought to the very brink of ruining to the edict of Cyrus, king after the death of Jehosophat. of Persia, who had overturned the After various changes, sometimes empire of Chaldea, returned to for the better, and sometimes for their own country. See Nehemiah, the worse, the kingdom of Israel Ezra. Vast numbers of them, who was ruined, two hundred and fifty-had agreeable settlements, remainfour years after its erection, by So,ed in Babylon. After their return king of Egypt, and Halmanaser, they rebuilt the temple and city of king of Assyria, who invaded it. Jerusalem, put away their strange and destroyed most of the people.wives, and renewed their covenant Judah was invaded by Sennache-with God.

rib; but Hezekiah's piety, and Isa- About 3490, or 3546, they esiah's prayer, were the means of their caped the ruin designed them by preservation: but under Mannas- Haman. About 3653, Darius seh, the Jews abandoned themselves Ochus, king of Persia, ravaged to horrid impiety; for which they part of Judea, and carried off a were punished by Esarhaddon, king great many prisoners. When Alexof Assyria, who invaded and re-ander was in Canaan, about 3670, duced the kingdom, and carried he confirmed to them all their Mannasseh prisoner to Babylon.privileges; and, having built AlexMannasseh repented, and the Lord andria, he settled vast numbers brought him back to his kingdom, of, them there. About fourteen where he promoted the reforma-years after, Ptolemy Lagus, the tion; but his son Amon defaced Greek king of Egypt, ravaged

Judea, and carried one hundred | Simon was succeeded by his son thousand prisoners to Egypt, but Hircanus, who subdued Idumea, used them kindly, and assigned and reduced the samaritans. In them many places of trust. About 3899 he was succeeded by his eight years after, he transported son Janneus who reduced the another multitude of Jews to E- Philistines, the country of Moab, gypt, and gave them considerable Ammon, Gilead, and part of Araprivileges. About the same time, bia. Under these three reigns Seleucus Nicator, having built alone the Jewish nation was indeabout thirty new cities in Asia, pendent after the captivity. After settled in them as many Jews as the death of the widow of Janneus, he could; and Ptolemy Philadel-who governed nine years, the phus, of Egypt, about 3720, nation was almost ruined with cibought the freedom of all the Jew-vil broils. In 3939, Aristobulus ish slaves in Egypt. Antiochus invited the Romans to assist him Epiphanes, about 3834, enraged against Hircanus, his elder browith them for rejoicing at the re-ther. The country was quickly port of his death, and for the pe- reduced, and Jerusalem took by culiar form of their worship, in force; and Pompey, and a numhis return from Egypt, forced his ber of his officers, pushed their way into Jerusalem, and murder-way into the Sanctuary, if not ed forty thousand of them; and into the Holy of Holies, to view about two years after he ordered the furniture thereof. Nine years his troops to pillage the cities of after, Crassus, the Roman geneJudea, and murder the men,and sell ral pillaged the temple of its vathe women and children for slaves. luables. After Judea had for Multitudes were killed, and ten more than thirty years been a thousand prisoners carried off; the scene of ravage and blood, and temple was dedicated to Olym-twenty-four of which had been pius, an idol of Greece, and the oppressed by Herod the Great, Jews exposed to the basest treat- Herod got himself installed in the ment. Mattathias, the priest, with kingdom. About twenty years behis sons, chiefly Judas, Jonathan, fore our Saviour's birth, he, and Simon, who were called Mac-with the Jews' consent, began to cabees, bravely fought for their build the temple. About this religion and liberties. Judas, who time the Jews had hopes of the succeeded his father about 3840, Messiah; and about A. M. 4000 gave Nicanor and the king's troops Christ actually came, whom Herod a terrible defeat, regained the tem- (instigated by fear of losing his ple, and dedicated it anew, restored throne) sought to murder. The the daily worship, and repaired Je-Jews, however, a few excepted, rusalem, which was almost in a rejected the Messiah, and put him ruinous heap. After his death, to death. The sceptre was now Jonathan and Simon, his brethren, wholly departed from Judah; and successively succeeded him; and Judea, about twenty-seven years both wisely and bravely promoted before, reduced to a province. The the welfare of the church and state."Jews, since that time, have bee

[ocr errors]
« הקודםהמשך »