33 Q. How did Ahaz the son of Jotham behave himself?

A. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, made images for Baal, and offered his children in sacrifice by fire, after the abominations of the heathen. 2. Chron. xxviii. 1—4.

34 Q. How did God shew his displeasure against Ahaz?

A. His land was invaded by the king of Syria, and by the king of Israel; multitudes of his people were slain, and many captives were carried to Damascus and. to Samaria, though the Israelites restored their captives again at the word of the prophet Oded. ver. 5-15.

35. Q. What further iniquities of Ahaz are recorded? A. That he set aside the brazen altar which was before the Lord, and set up another in the court of the temple, according to the pattern of an altar he had seen at Damascus, and at last fell in with the idolatry of the heathen nations. 2 Kings xvi. 10. 2 Chron. xxviii. 36 Q. What was one particular aggravation of his crimes ?

A. That even in the time of his distress, he sinned the more against God; and because God did not help him, he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus; he cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, shut up the doors of the temple, and set up idols in Jerusalem, and through all the land. 2 Chron. xxviii. 22-25.

37 Q. Did Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, continue in the sins of his father?

A. No; but he made a great reformation, not only in Judah, but also in Ephraim and Manasseh; he brake the images, cut down the groves, destroyed their altars, repaired the temple, and restored the worship of the true God there. 2 Chron. xxix. and xxxi.

38 Q. What peculiar instance did he give of his zeal against all manner of idolatry?

A. He brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness, because the people burnt incense to it. 2 Kings xviii. 4.

39 Q. In what manner did he keep the pass-over ?

A. He sent to all Israel, as well as to Judah, to invite them to keep the pass-over at Jerusalem, according to the appointment of God. 2 Chron. xxx.

Though Hezekiah king of Judah, began this reformation in the first year of his reign, yet it might not be carried to this height till the sixth or seventh year, at which time there was no king in Israel; Hoshea, the last king, being taken and imprison. ed by the king of Assyria, and a great part of the people being carried into captivity, in the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign. See 2 Chron. xxix. 3, and 2 Kings xviii. 9-11.

40 Q. Did the other tribes of Israel come at his in`vitation ?

A. Some mocked the message, but many out of several tribes came to the pass-over, so that there was not the like since the time of Solomon. ver. 18-26.

41 Q. Were all these people sufficiently purified to keep the pass-over?

A. No; but at the prayer of Hezekiah, the Lord pardoned and accepted them, though several things in this pass-over were not exactly conformable to the holy institution. ver. 18-20.

42 Q Wherein did God shew his acceptance of Hezekiah's zeal and piety?

A. God prospered him in his wars against his ene, mies, and enabled him to cast off the yoke of the king of Assyria while he trusted in him. 2 Kings xvii. 7, 8.

43 Q. What weakness was Hezekiah guilty of afterward, when Sennacherib king of Assyria invaded Judah? A. He bribed him to depart, with gold and silver taken from the house of God. ver 13-16..

44 Q. What success had this conduct of Hezekiah ?. A. Very ill success; for some few years after, Sennacherib sent an army to take Jerusalem. 2 Kings xviii. 9-13, 17.

45 Q. What did Hezekiah do in this distress?

A. When Sennacherib sent Rabshakeh with blasphemies against God, and threatenings against the people, Hezekiah humbled himself greatly, and spread the railing letter before the Lord in the temple, and prayed earnestly to God for deliverance. 2 Kings xviii. and xix.

46 Q. What was the success of Hezekiah's prayer? A. Isaiah the prophet assured him of deliverance; and the angel of the Lord slew in the camp of the As syrians, one hundred and fourscore and five thousand men at once. 2 Kings xix. 20-$5.

47 Q. What further favour did Hezekiah receive from God?

A. When he was sick, near to death, God heard his prayer, and assured him he should live fifteen years longer. 2 Kings xx. 1—16.

48 Q. What sign did God give him to confirm his faith in this promise?

A. The shadow returned backward ten degrees upon the dial of Ahaz. ver. 8-11.

49 Q. Wherein did Hezekiah misbehave himself af-ter he had received all this mercy?

A. In the vanity and pride of his heart, he shewed the messengers of the king of Babylon all his treasures. ver. 12, 13, and 2 Chron. xxiv. 31.

50 Q. How was Hezekiah's pride punished?

A. God told him by the prophet Isaiah, that all these treasures should be carried into Babylon: but because Hezekiah humbled himself, God deferred the execution of it till after his death. 2 Chron. xxxii. 25, 26.

51 Q. What was the character and the government of his son Manasseh ?

A. He forsook the good ways of his father Hezekiah; he brought in idolatry of many kinds; he worshipped the sun, moon, and stars; he made his son pass through the fire; he used enchantments, and shed much innocent blood. 2 Kings xxi. 2—16. 2 Chron. xxxiii.

52 Q. How were his transgressions punished?

A. The captains of the host of Assyria came up against Manasseh, took him among the thorns, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 11. 53 Q. How did Manasseh behave in his affliction? A. He humbled himself greatly before God in prayer, whereupon God restored him to his kingdom, where he wrought a great reformation. ver. 12-16.

54 Q. What is written concerning Amon the son of Manasseh?

A. Amon restored the idolatry which Manasseh had once set up, but he never repented or returned to God as his father had done, and he was slain by his own servants. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 20-25.

55 Q. What is worthy of notice in the reign of Josiah the son of Amon?

A. At eight years old he began his reign, at sixteen he sought after God, and at twenty he destroyed the altar and idols which his father Amon, the son of Manasseh, set up. 2 Kings xxiii. 3-14. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 1—7.

56 Q. How did he carry on this work of reformation? A. He repaired the temple, and restored the worship of God; and finding a book of the law of the Lord by Moses, he rent his clothes, and mourned to think how little this law had been observed. ver. 18, 19.

57 Q. What further use did he make of this book?

A. He read the words of it in the ears of all the elders of Judah, and the people, the priests, and the prophets, and made a covenant with the people of Judah, to perform what was written in this book. 2. Kings

xxiii. 2, 3.

58 Q. Did he make also any reformation in Israel? A. The kingdom of Israel being now destroyed by the king of Assyria, Josiah spread his influence over those who remained in the land, and many of Israel as well as of Judah, came to keep the pass-over. 2 Chron. xxxv. 17. 59 Q. Were not many of Israel present also at Hezekiah's pass-over? Wherein then did this pass-over of Josiah exceed that in the days of Hezekiah?

A. In the exact conformity of it to all the rules ap pointed by Moses, so that no such pass-over had been kept since the days of Samuel the prophet. 2 Chron.

XXXV. 18.

60 Q. Did Josiah destroy all the remainder of the idolatry of Israel, which Jeroboam set up at Dan and Bethel ?

A. Yes; and he slew the priests of the high places, and burnt the bones of the priests that had been buried there, upon the altar, according to the word which the old prophet spake to Jeroboam. 2 Kings xxii. 15—20. 1 Kings xii. 2.

61 Q. How came Josiah by his death?

A. He went out to fight with the king of Egypt, without the direction of God, and he was slain, and great lamentation was made for him. 2 Chron. xxxv. 20—25« 62 Q. Who succeeded Josiah in the kingdom?

A. His son Jehoahaz, who when he had reigned three months, was put in bonds by the king of Egypt, was carried thither, and there he died. 2 Kings xxiii. 31–34. 63 Q. Whom did the king of Egypt make king in his room ?

A. Eliakim his brother, and gave him the name of Jehoiakim. 2 Kings xxiii. 34.

64 Q. What sort of governor was Jehoiakim and what was his end?

A. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, several neighboring nations beset him round about, and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, sent up his forces against him, took some captives, bound the king in fetters, and he died in shame, his dead body being cast without the gates of Jerusalem, and without a burial: and his young. son Jehoiachin reigned in his stead. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 5-8. Dan. i. 1-3. Jer. xxii. 18, 19.

65 Q. What became of this Jehoiachin, who is also called Jechoniah and Coniah?

A. When he had reigned three months, Nebuchadnezzar took the city of Jerusalem, and carried him to Babylon, together with ten thousand captives, and rich treasures of silver and gold that remained in the temple and in the king's house. 2 Kings xxiv. 8-17. Jer.

xxii. 24-30.

66 Q Was there any king in Judah after Jehoiachin? A. Yes; the last king was Zedekiah, his father's brother, whom Nebuchadnezzar made king in Jerusalem. ver. 17, 18.

67 Q. What fell out in the days of Zedekiah?

A. He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, to whom he had sworn subjection by the name of the true God, whereupon Nebuchadnezzar came up and took the city of Jerusalem again, after a siege of two years. 2 Kings

XXV. 1-4..