and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,

3 And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,

4 And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.

5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of 'the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.

6 So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

7 And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.

8 And his princes 'gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred

10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.

11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

12 And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.

14 And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the

priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

16 So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.

18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

20 ¶ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the 'temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

10

21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore 11 wounded.

24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried 12in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations

THE character of Josiah, as opened in the foregoing chapter, is very delightful. Oh, that we could see many such rising up in our own day; and that our own heart were more influenced by the grace of God, after his example! The testimony given at the end of the last chapter is most important. He gave himself up to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul (v. 31). He caused others to stand, or witness, to this surrender. He took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel. He made all that were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers. Here is an illustrious pattern for all princes and rulers to follow in the government of their kingdoms; and for all parents, masters, and ministers, to imitate in the order of their families and dependants, and in the due regulation of their flocks and their own souls. You must follow the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul. You must cause others to witness the truth of your sincerity. You must take away all abominations around you; and, as far as may be, bind all under your influence and authority to love and serve the Lord. No true Christian can neglect these things: neither can he be satisfied without aiming to effect them. Less than this rule falls far below the standard of the gospel of Christ our Lord; and leaves the professing Christian bereft of his truest glory.

In regard to Josiah, this was the foundation of all his proceedings. There was a great work at the bottom. The heart was under the dominion of divine grace.

If you

look over this chapter, you will see that all he did in the public service of God, in setting it in order, seeing to its due performance, and observing the several ordinances of God's appointment, sprung from this source; namely, that he took the Word of God for his guide; and that he followed that Word with all singleness of mind and sincerity of heart (v. 1-20). This is the beauty of all true religion. Only in proportion as the truth of Christ is followed, can men be right. Only in proportion as that truth is thus followed in all honesty and simplicity of heart, can there be the evidence of a right mind, or a state of acceptance and peace. Let the Holy Spirit be poured out upon nations, localities, parishes, families, or individuals; and something of the same sort as Josiah did and witnessed, will be seen again. It is said of that season thus blessed, that there had been no passover like that kept by Josiah from the days of Samuel the prophet to that time (v. 18). What brought that happy day to pass? The Word and the Spirit of God. When, from that time, on to the day of pentecost, can we find another such a season as is here recorded? What brought that happy day to pass? The Word and the Spirit of God. When, again, from that period, up to the era of the reformation, can we find another such a season as that so recorded? What brought that happy day to pass? The Word and the Spirit of God. These are the grand instruments for purifying the service of God, and for the conversion of souls. When was a sinner ever converted, but by the same means? Where do we find the minds of men awakened; the hearts of men broken; the souls of men washed and made clean; and the ways and works of men changed from sin to holiness, and from the service of Satan to the ways of God? Where the blessed Word of God is faithfully made known; where the glorious gospel of Christ is faithfully proclaimed; and where the Spirit of the living God is graciously given for that happy end. Let all, then, love that precious Word. Let all prize that gracious gospel. Let all pray for that lifegiving Spirit. Then will the wilderness of our own land blossom as the rose; and the desert of this wicked and miserable world

You are

WE have seen the death of Josiah. told in the last chapter, when he died, that all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him. Jeremiah, also, the prophet lamented for him. So did all the singing men and singing women speak of him in their lamentations to this day. The fact was, a mighty prince had fallen in Judah. A great saint was removed from earth to heaven. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." May such be our blessing when we pass that gloomy vale! The death of eminent saints may well excite our sorrow and joy. We mourn, when we reflect upon the loss which survivors sustain in their removal. We rejoice, when we think upon the happy termination of all their labours and all their sorrows; and of the unutterable bliss and glory with which they are crowned.

We proceed with the narrative. The history of Judah, as a nation, is speedily drawing to its close. After Josiah, Jehoahaz reigned in his stead. Little is here said of him; except that the king of Egypt deposed him from his throne, and put another, Jehoiakim, in his room (v. 4). This man also did evil in the sight of the Lord. Against him came the king of Babylon, and carried him away out of the land. His successor was Jehoiachin, for a few months only, on the throne. He, too, did evil in the sight of the Lord; and he was carried into Babylon, and another was placed on the throne in his stead. That person was Zedekiah; wicked as others before him. He, also, and his people, were carried away into Babylon. Here, then, you see, in the short space of a few verses, are no less than four kings of Judah, in rapid succession, one after another, raised up to the throne, and then laid aside by the hand of their enemies (v. 1-13).

Why was this? They all did evil. The measure of Judah's sins was nearly full; and these, the last kings of that nation, filled it up to the brim, and made it overflow. Their life was wicked; and their deeds were abominable. They humbled not themselves before the Lord; they transgressed very much; they mocked the Lord's messengers; they despised his words; they misused his prophets; and this they continued to do until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, and there was no remedy. Such was the character of their personal sins and their national wickedness. Such was the consequence of their personal wickedness and their national crimes (v. 15, 16).

Nor must we omit to notice another lamentable fact recorded in this alarming history. It is said in verse 14, that the "priests," as well as the people and their kings, "transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he hallowed in Jerusalem." Instead of resisting these wicked proceedings, and teaching the princes and people the knowledge and fear of the Lord, they yielded to the increasing torrent of national sin, and, with very rare exceptions, took the lead in every evil word and work. So, too, has it generally been ever since. Whenever the wrath of God hath been poured out on guilty nations, the sins of the

priests" have greatly aggravated the fearful visitation. And one chief cause of the ignorance and wickedness of large numbers everywhere, who live and die in their sins, may be laid to the charge of those who ought to have known and taught them better. Nor can we think of a heavier doom, than that which will be called forth by the cry of lost and neglected souls.

And why are these things written? For our admonition: to shew us the dreadful nature, and the sure and certain consequences of unrepented sin. And if God so visit the sins of nations and individuals in this world, what must be the doom of the impenitent and wicked in the next? Dreadful as are the visitations and the judgments of God here; how much more dreadful must the wrath of God be hereafter! Of that wrath no tongue can tell the terrible effects. Fire

and sword, famine and pestilence, with all the thousands swept off in their train, are but feeble pictures of the miseries of the wicked in hell. There the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. There is no rest, day nor night, for ever and ever. There will be nothing heard but weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. There the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. Here, amidst the most terrible national visita

tions, as we shall soon see in this case, there is some prospect of mitigation or removal. There, in that place, there is none. That captivity never ends; that misery never passes away. After millions of ages are gone by, it is still everlasting punishment; everlasting misery; the bitter pains of eternal death. May God give us all grace to ponder these things, and consider our latter end!

CHAPTER I.

1 The proclamation of Cyrus for the building of the temple. 5 The people provide for the return. 7 Cyrus restoreth the vessels of the temple to Sheshbazzar.

N Persia, that the word of the LORD by

OW in the first year of Cyrus king of

the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem,

which is in Judah.

3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.

4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

5¶Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

6 And all they that were about them 3 strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.

7¶ Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;

8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,

10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.

11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

THE former book closed with the captivity of Judah for their sins. But there was an inti

mation of mercy. It was not a hopeless captivity. It would last only for a time. When that period was expired, God would bring about their restoration. The instrument, whereby that would be brought to pass, was Cyrus, the king of Persia. Long foretold by the prophet Isaiah, as designed, in the providence of God, for this work, the time is now arrived for its being done. This chapter opens, as the preceding one had closed, with the proclamation made by him for this purpose. And according to the tenor of that decree, so it came to pass. (Is. xliv. 28.)

Now, here are many things to be noted and improved concerning this decree.

First, the preparations provided for it.