cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work. 18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:

19 And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and three

LECTURE 636.

Of striving for heaven, and escaping endless burnings. Jerusalem, the holy happy city, is a second time besieged and taken. Let this remind us, that there is a sense, in which "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Matt. 11. 12. Let us press forward with the earnestness of those, who have the heavenly Jerusalem, and all its treasures, set before them as the prize of their exertions. "Without weight," that is to say, above all price that we can put on them, are the joys and glories of the city which is above, of the temple wherein God is to be worshipped for ever. Oh may God's faithful servants never cease to watch, and never shrink from working and contending, with all the arms and arts of holy courage and prevailing love; until the everlasting gates shall lift up their heads, to them as to their Lord, and they shall enter in with Him into his glory! But that day, so full of triumph to the conquerors, is a day of desolation to the wicked. With Zedekiah they must stand before the throne of judgment; and in their miserable lot must be fulfilled all the warning words of God, which they have long been used to set at nought. See Jer. 32. 5. Ezek. 12. 13. Like the earthly temple, and the earthly Jerusalem, "the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Pet. 3. 10. Oh ere those flames of vengeance fiercely rage, may God be pleased to gather in yet many many more of sinners, who with us may join to praise his grace, and magnify his love in our redemption, throughout all of eternity!

the

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PART IV.

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Gedaliah is slain. Jehoiachin is set at large.

23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their

men.

24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.

30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life. LECTURE 637.

That God's judgments should awaken us to fear and diligence. How lamentable was the condition of the remaining men of might in the kingdom of Judæa! They were afraid to dwell at peace under the king of Babylon. And when they had slain his officer, they were afraid to be at war with him. And in the case of Jehoiachin, how miserable was the end of all the glory, which was the inheritance of this son of David! to have his city in ruins, his subjects in exile and captivity, and himself first to be kept long in close confinement, and then released only to be promoted to the melancholy eminence of a captive exile king, fed at a daily rate, by a continual allowance, through the bounty of the conquerors! How are the haughty humbled! How wretched, in time of trouble, is the state of those, who have forgotten God in their prosperity! Lord, when we see thy judgments against those whom Thou hast loved, let us tremble at the thought of displeasing Thee! When we see thy holy city a heap of ruins, thy temple burnt, thy people and their kings put out of thy sight; let us take tenfold pains to secure the gain and glory of dwelling in the light of thy countenance for ever!

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES, 1. 1–54.

The genealogies of Noah and of his sons.

1 Adam, Sheth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, 3 Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

5 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Jaban, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

6 And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

7 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

8 The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

9 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.

11 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

12 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.

13 And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,

14 The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, 15 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

16 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

17 The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech. 18 And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.

19 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.

20 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

21 Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,

22 And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

23 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 Abram; the same is Abraham.

28 The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.

29 These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

30 Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,

31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.

32 Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and MeNn 2

dan, and Midian, and Ishbak, the children of Israel; Bela the and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.

LECTURE 638.

Of our common brotherhood in Adam and in Christ. In the books of Kings we are often referred to the chronicles of the kings of Judah and of Israel. registers, which were regularly kept, of all the

which happened in either kingdom. And from these registers, and other public documents, the books of Chronicles now before us were compiled, after the return of the Jews from Babylon. They commence with several important genealogies, or lists of fathers and children in succession; which were not only very valuable to the Jews, when they returned into Judæa, in the reestablishment of their church and state, but are also deeply interesting to us, as throwing the light of the most authentic of all records, on the first periods of the history of our race. And especially this first chapter brings home to us the profitable conviction, that all mankind are of one family; all children of the same first parents, all related by brotherhood to each other. Let us then be brethren in deed as we are in kindred. And when we think of our common origin, as a motive to mutual kindness, let us quicken ourselves further to acts of brotherly affection, by remembering, that whilst we all derive from Adam the same mortal nature, we all through Christ are made heirs of the same life eternal.

O God, who hast made all nations of one blood, grant that all may be united in one faith! And as they are already one family by descent from Adam, Oh grant that they may become one family by grace in Christ Jesus!