is" love, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost." Let us pray and strive to have it established in our hearts; int us seek to be promoters of it wherever our influence er reach; let us desire and resolve, through grace, to partakers of it. Then shall we finally obtain an inte ritance with the Israel of God; then shall we finally fee in sweet pastures, as members of that one great fel. under the one Great Shepherd Christ Jesus, who is G over all blessed for ever. Amen.

317

NOTES.

A.

Divination by arrows, as used by Nebuchadnezzar on this asion, was performed in the following manner: Several arvs, having the names of the different cities to be assaulted itten on them, were put into a quiver, and from thence taken : separately: as is usual in drawing lots. The cities were sieged in the same order as the arrows inscribed with their mes were drawn forth. This proceeding of the king of Balon was foreshown to the prophet Ezekiel. See chap. xxi. -22.

B.

The priests were not allowed to mourn excepting for their ear relations. The tokens of mourning among the Israelites ere expressive of the most poignant grief. “They wept, tore heir clothes, smote their breasts, fasted, lay upon the ground, nd went bare foot. The time of mourning was commonly even days; but sometimes this was lengthened or shortened, ccording to the state or circumstances in which they found hemselves. The whole time of their mourning, the near relaions of the deceased continued sitting in their houses, and eat apon the ground. Their faces were covered, and all that time they could not apply themselves to any labour. They did not dress themselves, nor make their beds, nor uncover their heads, nor shave themselves, nor cut their nails, nor salute any body." -Cruden's Concordance.

C.

The city of Tyre taken by Nebuchadnezzar was situated on the coast of Phoenicia. It was built by some of the people of Zidon, who escaped from that city, when it was taken by the Philistines, about 240 years before the building of Solomon's temple. During the siege, the Tyrians contrived to remove all their wealth to an island about half a mile from the shore; where

they built a new city, which afterwards became as opulent and famous as the old one which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, The city on the island was also taken and burned by Alexander the Great, in the year 332 A. C.

D.

"The Jews were very exact in their genealogies, partly from their own choice and interest, that they might preserve the distinctions of the several tribes and families, which was necessary both to make out their claims or titles to offices or inheritances, which might belong to them by death, or otherwise; and to govern themselves thereby in the matter of marriages, and some other things wherein the practice of some laws required the knowledge of these things. It is observed in Ezra ii. 62, that such priests as were not able to produce an exact genealogy of their families, were not permitted to exercise their function. This their exactness was likewise ordered by the special providence of God, that so it might be certainly known of what tribe and family the Messiah was born."-Cruden's Concordance.

St. Paul in his epistle to Titus condemns the study of genealogies as unprofitable and vain; and it doubtless has been so since the coming of Christ, however important it was before his appearance in the flesh, as the seed of Abraham, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the horn of salvation raised up for us in the house of David.

E.

1

The glory of the first temple exceeded that of the second, not only in the costly ornaments with which it was adorned by Solomon (for on the account of them alone it is not likely the pious elders would have wept), but in the manifestations of the Divine Presence, which were withheld after their return from captivity. The Jews reckoned five particulars in which the Glory was departed; namely

1. The ark of the Covenant, and the mercy seat which was upon it; the tables of testimony, &c. which were in it.

2. The Divine Presence which filled the house when Solomon had made an end of praying (See 2 Chron. vii. 1, 2.), and which afterwards rested abidingly "in the cloud upon the mercy seat."

3. The Urim and Thummim, which God commanded Moses to put in the breastplate of judgment to be worn by the high priest. (See Exodus xxviii. 15-30. Leviticus viii. 8.)

The words Urim and Thummim signify light and perfection; 1 in the Septuagint version of the scriptures they are transed manifestation and truth. What Moses put into the breastate to be the tokens of light and perfection we are not told. it the use made of it, conveys to our minds a clear intimation at those terms are to be applied not to the breastplate, or y thing put into it, but to the answers which God vouchsafed s people, when by this his appointed means, they asked coun1 of the Lord.

4. The Holy Fire, which "came out from before the Lord" consume the burnt offering when Aaron and his sons were onsecrated; and which again "came down from heaven" hen Solomon had made an end of praying, at the dedication f the temple. This fire was carefully maintained by the priests 1 the tabernacle, and in the first temple. But when the latter vas destroyed by the Chaldeans, it was lost; and was never fterwards restored.

5. The Spirit of Prophecy was the fifth manifestation which he Jews lamented as lost. This, however, was not wholly withheld after their return from Babylon: since the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi prophesied under the second temple.

F.

The four fasts observed by the Jews, in memory of their national calamities, were as follows. The first on the tenth day of the tenth month; being that on which Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem, in the ninth year of king Zedekiah. The second on the ninth day of the fourth month; as the day when the city was taken, in the eleventh year of Zedekiah.

The third on the tenth day of the fifth month; because on that day the city and temple were burned by Nebuzar-adan.

The fourth on the third day of the seventh month, to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah and the desolation of the land which was the consequence of it.

G.

The Jewish year contained twelve lunar months, the first of which was Nisan or Abib, and the last Adar. These months consisted alternately of twenty-nine and thirty days; but as the sum of them fell short of the solar year, another month called Veadar (the second Adar) was added every three years to rectify the difference.

The ancient Hebrews began the year at the autumnal equi

nox; and this was the time from which their descendants the Jews also reckoned in civil matters. But the period of their departure from Egypt, which was in the month Abib or Nisan * (about the vernal equinox), was thenceforth appointed as the beginning of the year,+ and still continues to be observed as such in their ecclesiastical affairs.

The seven counsellors of the kings of Persia were seven of the nobles, who had peculiar privileges above all others. The appointment of them originated in that revolution effected by the seven persian lords who deposed the impostor Smerdis. Darius Hystaspis, one of their number, was elected king of Persia, the rest were admitted to the highest privileges next to the monarch, and from that time the kings of Persia had always seven such counsellors.

I..

བར

The people of Israel were not permitted to make marriages with the Gentiles of any nation whatever, unless they became proselytes to the Jewish religion. Among these proselytes, however, all were not permitted to intermarry with the people of Israel for the seven nations of Canaan were excluded for ever, as were the males of Moab and Ammon; and the Edomites and Egyptians were not admitted to this privilege till the third generation.

The Ammonite and Moabite being mentioned in the mascu line gender only, an exception is made on behalf of their women, for the sake of Ruth, who was a Moabitess.

The Jews of the present day, being unable to make these distinctions, intermarry with all who become proselytes. ]

J.

The service of the synagogues consisted in prayer, reading of the Scriptures, expounding them, and preaching from them. The prayers anciently used in these assemblies were but eighteen in number, none of which are very long: they are said to have been composed by Ezra and the great synagogue; but the style of them does not resemble that of Ezra, though they are doubtless very ancient. The Jews hold them in great veneration, scarcely allowing the name of prayers to any others;

* Abib signifies green fruits or ears of corn; Nisan signifies flight.

+ Exodus xii. 2.