CHAPTER VII.

THE HALT AT RAPHIA.

The caravan halted in the neighbourhood of the ruins of Raphia; their day’s journies had been short, on account of the quantity of merchandise which they carried. Raphia does not properly belong to Egypt, and was reckoned as a part of Syria; a hundred years before, Antiochus the Great lost here a great battle with the Egyptians. The space which lies between Egypt and Syria had been for ages past the theatre of war between the adjacent countries; a circumstance that, before the captivity, had been the source of frequent calamity to Israel, which could scarcely fail of being involved either in the war or its consequences. This thought occurred to the minds both of Helon and Elisama, as they crossed the field of battle—but they derived some consolation from the thought, that Judea’s conqueror had in his turn been conquered here. Jehovah had indeed visited his people with calamity, but their enemies, the instruments in his hands, had always been punished for their ambition. Antiochus after the battle fled into his own kingdom, and left Palestine again free.

When they all awoke after the sleep at noon, Myron began, “Venerable Elisama, will you not relate to us the remaining part of the history of your nation? The journey to Gaza will be the last that we shall make together. Let us then pass these hours in something more improving than listening to the noise of camels and the Phœnicians’ talk of buying and selling.” Elisama placing himself in a convenient posture for narration, thus began:

“When Israel sat and wept by the rivers of Babel, and hung their harps upon the willows, ‘the hand of the Lord was upon Ezekiel the prophet,[60] and carried him out in the spirit of the Lord, and set him down in the midst of a valley which was full of bones; and caused him to pass among them: and there were very many on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. And he spoke to me and said, Son of man, can these bones live? And I said, Thou Lord knowest. And he said to me, Son of man prophesy concerning these bones, and say unto them, Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall live! And I prophesied, as I was commanded, and as I prophesied they moved themselves, and the bones came together, bone to bone. And I beheld and saw that the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind; prophesy, O Son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied, as I was commanded, and the breath came unto them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great multitude. And he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; Behold I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.’

Footnote 60:

Ezek. xxxvii.

“Thus the prophet consoled Israel, on the banks of Chebar; but he lived not to witness the deliverance which he announced. Not long however after his death, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, the king of Persia, (who had conquered Assyria and Babylonia) by the means of the astonishment excited in him by the prophecies communicated to him by Daniel. Cyrus caused proclamation to be made through all his dominions, saying, 'Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia; The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah, and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, and with goods and with cattle, of freewill, for the house of God at Jerusalem.’

“Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all those whose spirit God had stirred up, to go and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. And all that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver and vessels of gold, with goods and with cattle, and with precious things, besides all that was freely given. And king Cyrus brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from Jerusalem, and had put them in the temple of his gods, to the number of 5400, both gold and silver.[61]

Footnote 61:

Ezra i.

“The word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, respecting the seventy years, was now fulfilled.[62] Forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty men, with 7237 servants and maidens, 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6720 asses went with Zerubbabel and Jeshua to the land of their fathers out of captivity, full of thankfulness and praise. The expression of their joy may still be heard in the 126th Psalm.

Footnote 62:

Jer. xxv. 11. xxix. 10.

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion We were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then said they among the heathen, “Jehovah hath done great things for them;” Yea, Jehovah hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Bring back, O Lord, our captives, Like streams in a parched land. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. The sower goeth forth with weeping, bearing the seed; He cometh back with rejoicing, bringing the sheaves.

“Thus they returned to the Holy Land, Israel and Judah one rod, according to the words of Ezekiel. They take possession of the country, build villages, and even raise Jerusalem out of her ruins, but without repairing her walls. In the next month, Tisri, the whole congregation assembled at Jerusalem, as one man, to the feast of tabernacles. They set up the altar upon its base, amidst the ruins of the temple, and offered thereon burnt-offerings, morning and evening, according to custom, as the duty of every day required; and afterwards the burnt-offerings of the new moons, and all the feasts of the Lord that were hallowed.[63]

Footnote 63:

Ezra iii.

“In the second month of the second year of their return, they laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, the expenses being supplied by their voluntary contributions. All set their hands to the work, and the Levites, from twenty years old and upwards, had the superintendence. The foundation being laid, the priests stood in their apparel, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord with the psalms of David, king of Israel, and they sung in responsive strains, praising and giving thanks unto the Lord, because he is good and his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a loud shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house was laid. But many of the aged priests, and Levites and chiefs, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, and many shouted aloud for joy; so that the people could not distinguish the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people.

“The prophets Haggai and Zechariah arose and encouraged the people to persevere—but difficulties were thrown in their way by the Samaritans, who, worshipping Jehovah along with their idols, had been desirous of partaking in the building of the temple.[64] As their proposal was rejected, they obtained an order from a king of Persia, a successor of Cyrus, that the work should be stopped. But Jehovah aided his people: the temple was at length completed; and Haggai prophesied: The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the glory of the former, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will give peace in this place.[65] The new temple was dedicated, and the passover kept with joy.

Footnote 64:

Ezra iv. 2.

Footnote 65:

Haggai ii. 9.

“Under that Xerxes, whose millions, you Greeks, Myron, boast to have overcome, Ezra, the priest and scribe, a teacher of the word of the Lord, came from Babylon to Jerusalem. An Israelitish maiden was Xerxes’ queen, a Jew his prime minister, and Ezra was sent as viceroy to Jerusalem, commissioned to appoint judges, superior and inferior, to correct abuses and enforce the observance of the law. He came with a company of not more than 6,000 men.[66]

Footnote 66:

Ezra vii.

“The work, however, proceeded slowly, and incessant wars interfered with it. After thirty years Nehemiah came, as viceroy from the court of Artaxerxes, and urged on the building and fortifying of Jerusalem, which the Samaritans, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, had hindered in every possible way. As Ezra had been the restorer of the worship of God, Nehemiah was the restorer of the civil constitution of Israel. On his arrival, he makes the circuit of the city in the stillness of the night; then addressing the people, he encouraged them to labour. Half the young men wrought at the fortifications, the other half kept watch in arms, and the rulers stood behind. If danger threatened any where, the trumpet was sounded and the people assembled from every part of the walls; for even the builders wrought with a sword by their side. Neither Nehemiah nor any other took off their clothes, except for the purpose of washing them.[67]

Footnote 67:

Nehem. ii. 12 iv. 13.

“Thus were the walls completed; but the space included between them was much greater than was necessary for the actual population, and very few houses had been built. The feast of tabernacles was approaching. The people assembled on the open space before the Watergate, and Ezra read the law there, from morning until evening.[68] And the people lifted up their hands and wept when they heard the words of the law. And Nehemiah and Ezra said, This day is holy unto the Lord, therefore weep not nor be sad: for the joy of the Lord is your strength! Finding from the law that the time of the feast of tabernacles was at hand, they went to the hills and fetched olive branches and pine branches, and myrtle branches and palm branches, to make booths; and they made them every one upon the roof of his house and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the Watergate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And the whole congregation of those who were come out of captivity made booths, and dwelt therein. For since the days of Joshua, the son of Nun, until that day, the children of Israel had not done so. After this the people cast lots, to decide who of them should occupy Jerusalem; and who take up their abode in the towns. A tenth part was destined to the city, where the chiefs already dwelt.[69]

Footnote 68:

Ibid. viii.

Footnote 69:

Nehem. xi. 1.

“When all these arrangements were made, the walls were consecrated. The Levites were sent for from all parts, to give solemnity to the consecration. The priests and Levites purified themselves and the people, the walls and the gates. The princes of Judah stood upon the walls. Two choirs, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, went round the walls, as far as the temple. On the same day great sacrifices were offered, and the people rejoiced greatly, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

“Nehemiah was compelled to return to court; but he revisited Jerusalem after some years,[70] and laboured earnestly to induce the people to put away their foreign wives, as Ezra had done at an earlier period.[71] Their children spoke a mixed dialect, half Hebrew, half the language of Ashdod, Ammon, or Moab. Malachi, the last of the prophets, enforced his advice with the words of the Lord. Such support was necessary, for some of the leading men were involved, and Manasseh, (the son of Joiada the high priest) who had married the daughter of Sanballat, refused compliance. Nehemiah expelled him from the city,[72] and as Sanballat had just obtained from Darius Nothus permission to build a temple on mount Garizim, Manasseh became high priest in it.

Footnote 70:

Nehem. xiii. 6.

Footnote 71:

Ezra ix. 10.

Footnote 72:

Nehem. xiii. 28.

“Thus Israel had been restored to the possession of the land of their fathers, had rebuilt the holy city, raised the temple from its ruins, and ordered the worship of God, according to the law. So far was the law from having been lost in their captivity, that in some parts it had never been fully practised by the people till now. The visitation of Jehovah had wrought the designed effect on the minds of the people. Since the days of Moses, an interval now of 1000 years, they had never manifested such zealous obedience to the law. They had learnt, by long and bitter experience, that obedience and national prosperity were inseparably connected together. In their captivity the better part of the people had sought each other out, had formed little associations, and had been strengthened by the words of the prophets, whom Jehovah sent to them for this purpose. These formed the chief strength of the nation which returned from the captivity. Their peculiar institutions, especially that of circumcision and the prohibition of eating unclean food, tended powerfully to keep them, even in the midst of strangers, a separate people; and the glorious prophecies, whose fulfilment they still expected, seemed to belong to them only so far as they were the pure unmixed descendents of those to whom the promises were given. The greater part of those who returned were besides of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who had before been most faithful to Jehovah, and most closely connected with the temple. The baser part of the people remained behind in foreign lands, just as they do now in Egypt. From this time, therefore, a new period begins in Israel, in which the fruits of the discipline which the people had undergone in preceding periods are displayed. The voice of prophecy is henceforth dumb: for they had learnt that lesson, which prophets were sent to impress upon them.

“It is true, that those revolutions in the kingdoms of the earth, which are preparatory to the coming of the Messiah, often interrupted the internal peace of Israel. The Persians, from whose subjection Judea was not entirely free, were engaged in wars, in which we were obliged to take part. The expedition of Alexander brought him to Jerusalem, but the conqueror of the world acknowledged the merits of Israel on the heights of Sapha, while Tyre sunk beneath his sword. In the division of his empire, Palestine fell to the share of Ptolemy, king of Egypt, who took many Jews with him into Egypt, and many emigrated thither of their own accord. Antigonus wrested our country from Ptolemy, and for more than a century it was the theatre of war between Syria and Egypt. But these wars were not so much punishments of Israel, as the ways by which Jehovah had decreed to weaken the heathen, and prepare the way for the complete emancipation of his people. This alone was still wanting to their happiness. Israel was obedient and walked all in the ways of the Lord.”

“Allow me, venerable Herodotus, for so I must call you,” said Myron, “to make a remark here. I know how much you dislike interruption, but this will not displease you. On the contrary, it will gratify you to find your own account confirmed by the mouth of a heathen. Hecatæus (it is true he was a native of Abdera) has written a book respecting your nation, in which he gives them the highest praise for the firmness with which they adhered to their law, when in the midst of foreign nations, in military service, and on other occasions.”

Elisama was pleased, and proceeded with his narrative. “At this time too a work was undertaken, which would never have been thought of at an earlier period, the collection of the oral traditions respecting the law. Antigonus Socho, president of the great council, collected them in a volume. In earlier times the simple law had been found too heavy a burthen; now the people eagerly adopted explanations and additions, by which it was enlarged and made more precise. Such obedience was occasionally rewarded by Jehovah’s disposing the hearts of neighbouring princes very favourably towards them. Antiochus the Great was so much pleased with the faithfulness of Israel, that he commanded victims, wine, oil, frankincense, meal, wheat, and salt, to be furnished for the sacrifices; gave them wood from Lebanon for the repairs of the temple; recalled the Jews who had left their country, and freed the nation from all tribute for three years.

“Still the yoke of foreign dominion pressed heavily, till at last Jehovah hardened the heart of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, who carried his cruelty to such a length, as to prepare the way for the complete emancipation of Israel. This Antiochus, whom the surname of Epimanes (_frantic_) would have better suited, bestowed on the wretched Joshua, the brother of Onias the third, the office of high-priest, and allowed him, in consideration of an enormous increase of tribute, to open a Grecian gymnasium in Jerusalem, and grant to the Jews the privileges of citizens of Antioch. A strange infatuation seized a part of the people, to witness the contests of this gymnasium; even priests, for this object, forsook their duties in the temple. His younger brother Onias, (who as Joshua, in his passion for every thing Greek, had called himself Jason, took the name of Menelaus) tempted Epiphanes by still higher offers, abjured in Antioch the religion of his fathers, promised an increase of three hundred talents of tribute, and by force of arms installed himself high-priest. A report being spread, that Antiochus had died in Egypt, Jason returned with 1000 men of the Ammonites, and possessed himself of Jerusalem. Antiochus hastened back from Egypt, took Jerusalem, plundered the city, cut to pieces 80,000 men, and sold as slaves, or carried away captive, an equal number. He added impiety to cruelty. Entering the temple with Menelaus, he reviled the God to whom it was dedicated, directed all the gold and silver, the table of shew-bread and the candlestick to be carried away, and then offered—I can scarce relate the horrible atrocity, a swine upon the sacred altar, and sprinkled the whole temple with the water in which a part of it had been boiled. This was not all that Israel was doomed to bear from the heathen. Some time after, being in Egypt, and being compelled to return home by an embassy of the Romans, he vented his ill-humour upon Jerusalem, sent thither 22,000 men, who marched in on the sabbath day, plundered the houses, pulled down the walls of the city, turned the hill of Zion into a fortification, and made the streets of Jerusalem flow with the blood of its inhabitants. The daily sacrifice ceased. The worship of the Grecian idols was commanded upon pain of death; the holy scriptures were cut to pieces or taken away; the temple on Garizim dedicated to Jupiter Xenius; that at Jerusalem to Jupiter Olympius. On the altar of burnt-offering another was erected to these idols, and groves and shrines of idolatrous worship were introduced into every town. To practise circumcision, or to observe the sabbath, was forbidden on pain of death. Two women were discovered to have circumcised their children; the infants were bound on their breasts, they were led round the whole city, and at last precipitated from the walls. Some had crept into caverns near the city, in order to keep the sabbath—they were all burnt alive. Every month, at the return of the day on which the king was born, the Jews were forcibly driven to perform a sacrifice. On the festival of Bacchus, they were made to appear in garlands of ivy in his honour. Eleasar, an aged man and learned in the law, had his mouth forced open, that he might swallow swine’s flesh; but in spite of force or fraud, he preferred to die, rather than violate the law. A mother with seven sons was taken, and scourging applied, to make them eat the unclean food, but in vain. The executioners then took the eldest of the sons, cut out his tongue, lopped off his hands and feet, and broiled him in the fire, while he exhorted his mother and brethren, who were standing by, to die undauntedly for the law. The other sons shared the same fate, and last of all the mother, who had thus addressed her last son, ‘My dearest child, whom I bore nine months beneath my heart, and three years at my bosom, have pity upon me! Fear not the man of blood, but die willingly, as thy brothers have done, that the God of mercy may restore you with them living to my embrace!’ What miracles of steadfastness under such torments! Israel was oppressed, as it had never been before; but it stood the trial nobly, and deserved to obtain its perfect freedom, which was at length accomplished in the following manner.

“There lived in Modin a priest of the name of Mattathias, who had five sons, and whose complaint it was that he had been born to behold the oppression of his people and the desolation of the holy city, without being able to give them aid. He rent his clothes, and he and his sons put on sackcloth. When the captains of Antiochus came to Modin, and seduced many of the people to apostasy from the law, and endeavoured by promises of all kinds to persuade Mattathias, who was one of the most considerable of the inhabitants, to offer sacrifice and burn incense, he not only openly refused, but when a Jew, at the close of his speech, went up to the altar and sacrificed to the idol, his zeal for the Lord of Hosts was so kindled, that he ran up to him, slew both him who had offered and the captain of Antiochus, and overturned the altar. This done, he cried aloud through the whole city, ‘Whoso is zealous for the law and will keep the covenant, let him go forth with me!’ This action decided the emancipation of Israel.

“Many followed him into the desert, and a multitude of pious Jews soon collected about him. They traversed the whole country, throwing down the altars of the idols, circumcising the children on whom that rite had not yet been performed, and attacking the ungodly. Mattathias succeeded in maintaining the law against all the power of the heathens. He was already far advanced in age, and having blessed his children, encouraged them to vigorous resistance, reminded them of the deeds of their fathers, and recommended his third son, Judas, for their leader; and the second, the wise Simon, for their counsellor; he died and was buried with his fathers at Modin.

“Judas, surnamed Maccabeus, or _the Hammer_, continued the good work which his father had begun. After gaining several glorious victories over the Syrians, he entered in triumph into Jerusalem. And when they saw how the sanctuary was laid desolate, the altar defiled, the posts of the gates burned, the space around grown over with grass and trees, and the cells of the priests fallen to ruin; they rent their clothes and made great lamentations, they strewed ashes upon their heads, fell down on their faces, and blew the trumpet, and cried towards heaven. The priests who were with them purified the temple. The desecrated altar was pulled down and a new one built. The sacred vessels were renewed, a golden lamp-stand, an altar of incense, and a table of shew-bread made. They placed the incense on the altar, lighted the lamps, laid the shew-bread on the table, hung up the curtains, and restored the temple to its former state. On the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, they arose early and offered again according to the law, on the altar of burnt-offering, with song and pipe, harp and cymbal. This was the first offering since the time when the heathen defiled the sanctuary. This festival of the new altar was continued for nine days, and there was great joy among the people, that their disgrace was taken away. It was resolved that it should be annually observed, as a remembrance for ever. They then built strong walls and towers around the sanctuary on the hill of Zion. Judas proceeded from victory to victory, till at length he lost his life in an unsuccessful battle, after he had made a league with the Romans. His brother Jonathan followed him, and maintained himself and upheld the law in very difficult circumstances. He was appointed high-priest. The heroic defender of Judea was made prisoner by stratagem and shamefully put to death. He was great in council, still greater in the field, and those who saw him were compelled to confess that Jehovah had raised him up to be the guardian of the people in their time of need. I saw him in my youth at Ptolemais, at the espousals of king Alexander Balas, of Syria, with the daughter of the king of Egypt. There sat the hero, in a robe of purple, among kings at table, and surpassed them all in royalty of mien.

“Simon, the last of the sons of Mattathias, now took the command of the army. It was he whom his dying father had called the Wise, and commanded his brethren to obey him. For four and twenty years he had served his brethren with counsel, and, though older than Judas and Jonathan, had filled a subordinate station with so much humility, as well to deserve the honour of finally establishing the independence of Israel. He had scarcely erected a monument at Modin, to his father and his valiant brothers, renewed the covenant with the Romans, and sent an embassy to Demetrius in Syria, when the Romans declared Israel free, and Demetrius formally renounced all claims upon them. This happy consummation, by which Israel has been placed securely on an eminence of prosperity unknown before, became an era to us, and we are now in the thirty-fourth year of freedom. The people dwell in the land, serve no foreign master, possess the temple and the law, and fulfil it gladly. Would that this same period had not also witnessed the erection of the Oneion at Leontopolis!

“I cannot refrain from adding a few events of the latest times. Simon retook Gaza; Jerusalem was purified. He besieged the garrison in the castle, and when they surrendered and retired, he entered with branches of palm and the sound of the harp, singing praises to God for having delivered Israel from tyranny, and commanded that this day should be kept as a perpetual festival. He built walls all around the temple-hill, made the castle still stronger, and took up his own residence there. The people, as an expression of their gratitude, chose him as their prince and high-priest, till God should raise up the true Prophet. While Simon lived, Judah had peace, every man cultivated his own field, the land was productive, and there was fruit in the vine. The elders exercised authority and preserved good order, and the condition of the citizens was greatly improved.

“What shall I say of John Hyrcanus, his son and successor? Thou wilt see him thyself, Helon, in all his majesty; and wert thou, Myron, to see him, thou wouldest never jest again at Israel’s expense. While we were enduring in Egypt the cruelty of the abandoned Ptolemy Physcon, and the men of science and eminence in the arts were flying from the country, Israel was happy under its wise and heroic prince. If the oppression of the Syrians was felt for a short time, Hyrcanus soon shook off the yoke, and himself conquered the Syrian cities, Madeba, Samega, and others. He next humbled the Samaritans, and removed that offence of every Jew, the temple on mount Garizim. He gave the Idumeans their choice, to expatriate themselves, or to receive circumcision, and thus united the seed of Esau with the posterity of Jacob. He has built the castle of Baris in the holy city. He is distinguished, above all the princes and fathers of Israel, by uniting in himself the threefold office which the Messiah is to bear, king, leader, and high-priest. At this moment he has just annihilated the power of the Samaritans by the conquest of their capital.

“To such a pitch of glory and to such hopes has Jehovah exalted his people; to him be the praise! He setteth us up on high. Since the days of Abraham, no period has occurred, in which Israel was so free and so pure. Great was indeed the splendour of the reign of Solomon; nor can we now boast, that silver and gold are like the stones of the street—but in his days neither sovereign nor people were strict in the observance of the law. Now, what zeal, what earnestness for the law is manifested! Our fathers in those days were little better in this respect than the Hellenists in our own.

“I praise my God that he has permitted me to behold the glory of his people, and to feast my thoughts with the contemplation of it, though I am not permitted to dwell with my brethren in the Land of Promise, under the sceptre of Hyrcanus. How important the present condition of Israel is, may be judged from the long preparations by which it has been brought about, and the difficulties which opposed and retarded it.

Had not the Lord been on our side May Israel now say, Had not the Lord been on our side, When men rose up against us, Then they had swallowed us up alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; The waters had overwhelmed us, The stream had gone over our soul, The proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord! He hath not given us a prey to their teeth, Our soul is escaped, as a bird out of the snare of the fowler; The snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of Jehovah; He made heaven and earth.—Ps. cxxiv.

“I perceive, Myron, that your eyes are turned towards the west, and I read your meaning. You think that the Romans, before whom already Carthage and Corinth have fallen, and to whom so many nations have bowed the neck, may threaten the liberty of Israel. But stern and implacable as they are to all their enemies, they keep faith with their friends and allies; and he whom they aid may think himself secure upon his throne. Besides, Israel has still higher hopes. Let me only remind you of the commencement of my narrative, in which I showed, that Israel was destined to communicate the faith of Abraham to all nations, by means of the law; and that the Messiah is to be the Patriarch of the human race. To bring this to pass, Israel became a nation in Egypt, received the law from Sinai, conquered the Holy Land under the judges, obtained a temple under its kings, and was taught obedience by the vicissitudes of calamity and prosperity in successive centuries. All now exists together—Israel is a nation, has the law and obeys it willingly. The time therefore cannot be remote, when all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham and the son of David. The sins which are still found in Israel alone prevent his immediate appearance. As soon as they repent, and keep but one sabbath as they ought, the expectation of Israel will come. For thus has Isaiah prophesied; ‘Thus saith the Lord; my salvation is near and my righteousness is about to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it, that keepeth the sabbath free from pollution, and restraineth his hand from doing any evil.[73] He that is promised shall come and that speedily. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee! The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.’[74] In this hope I conclude my narrative, which, long as it has been, is too short for the subject, with that psalm, so full of thankfulness and hope:

Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is comely. Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem, He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel; He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars, He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power, His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifteth up the oppressed. He casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto Jehovah with thanksgiving! Sing praises upon the harp unto our God! He covereth the heaven with clouds, He giveth rain upon the earth, He maketh grass to grow upon the mountains, He giveth to the beast his food, And to the young ravens when they cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse, Nor takes pleasure in the swiftness of a man: The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, In those that hope in his mercy. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise thy God, O Zion! For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates, He hath blessed thy children within thee; He maketh peace in thy borders, He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not done so with every nation, They have not known his judgments. Praise Jehovah!—Ps. cxlvii.

Footnote 73:

Isaiah lvi. 2.

Footnote 74:

Isaiah lx. 1.

“Amen!” exclaimed Helon. “Amen!” responded Elisama; and even Myron repeated “Amen!”

END OF BOOK THE FIRST.