of true religion, four centuries before his birth. "O altar, altar, thus faith "the LORD-Behold, a child shall be " born unto the house of David, Jofiah by name-by him fhall men's bones "be burnt upon thee!" The hour is come-the word is accomplished. Jofiah remembers with joy, that God had fo long before ordained him to the task of piety, and called him by name to this acceptable service. THE prophet who foretold thefe events had his tomb in Bethel-that tomb was inscribed with fome portion of his hiftory. The Ifraelites themselves had referved the monument of their own conviction. Though the bones of the prophet were amongst the fepulchres of idolaters, his epitaph preferves them from defecration, The lion was not fuffered to tear him, at his death-the multitude are restrained from violating his bones, in his grave. Jofiah commands them them to rest in peace—he will not suffer thofe relics to meet with indecent contempt, or fuperftitious reverence. THE false worship is removed-Jofiah haftens to celebrate the paffover. The book of the law informed him of the time, the place, the circumftances of this facrament. His zeal fo carefully follows it, that, fince the days of Samuel, the feaft had never been fo punctually celebrated. Jerufalem is the place the fourteenth day of the first month, the time-the Levites are appointed to minister-a fpotlefs lamb is felected-no bone of it is broken-the blood is fprinkled on the door-pofts-the paffover is eaten with bread unleavenedthe remainder is confumed with fire. Every true Ifraelite participates with joy in the monument of past deliverance— the pledge of future falvation-the type of the expected Meffiah, XLVIII. THE CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH. WHAT caufe, O GOD, led thee to reject thine own inheritance? What errours on the part of thy people demanded this awful difplay of thy justice? What, but the fame crime by which an hoft of angels loft their celeftial thrones? Pride, rebellion, apoftafy, fins which fet thy mercy at defiance, and provoked the severity of thine almighty vengeance! Like the backfliding Ifrael, the treacherous Judah went aftray in the paths of delufion." The people forfook the "commandments of their GOD, and "made them molten images-they "worshipped all the hoft of heaven "they "the ferved Baal-they caused their "fons and their daughters to pass thro' "the fire-they used divination and en"chantments-they fold theinfelves to "do evil in the fight of the LORD"they provoked him to anger with hor"rible abominations.” NOR were these the fruits of ignorance. They were wilful crimes-obstinate impieties continued, notwithimpieties—continued, standing the efforts of more than one religious king-increased, notwithstanding the reproofs, the menaces, the doctrines, the miraculous works of thefe holy prophets, which GOD in his mercy had fent amongst them. Thy calamity is of thyfelf, O Judah! What could the just hand of Omnipotence do lefs, than destroy a nation fo incorrigibly flagitious?a nation fo unthankful for mercies, fo prone to disobedience, fo devoid of lasting repentance?—a nation so favoured, fo warned, and yet fo fhamelessly, fo daringly wicked? WHAT can WHAT people under heaven. deem themselves fecure from all danger of punishments, when Jerufalem itself is made a defolation? What Church could record fuch inftances of the peculiar favour of God as this, his divorced, his faithless spouse? It is not for us finners of the Gentiles to be high-minded; let us rather fear. If GOD fpared not the natural branches, we alfo must take heed, left we through our unfruitfulness be cut off. FIRST, and chief among the authors of those horrid impieties, which drew down the vengeance of Heaven, was the cruel and execrable Manaffeh. Not content with his perfonal guilt, he feduced the people of GOD to his abominations he fpared not his innocent child from the idolatrous fires-he fhed the blood of the prophets, till he had filled Jerufalem with flaughter and maffacre. THE |