means of accurate information, and fully con firm the accounts of the facred writers.

And it fall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to obferve and to do all his command ments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will fet thee on high above all the nations of the earth. The Lord fhall caufe thine enemies that rife up against thee to be fitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee feven ways. The Lord fhall open unto thee his good treafure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his feason, and to bless all the work of thine hand and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. The Lord fhall command the bleffing upon thee in thy Store-boufes, and in all that thou fetteft thine hand unto: and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord Shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath fworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth Shall fee that thou art called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of thee..

e

Jofephus contra Apion. lib. i. fect. 22. Taciti Hift. lib. v. Newton on the Prophecies, vol. i. p. 228, &c. Strabo, p. 763, 749. Edit. Paris, 1620.

For

For the fulfilment of these promises we may look to many of the most interesting parts of the Old Teftament. The

2

B. C.

1296.

time of the government of the first Judges was remarkable for the happinefs of the Jewish people. The promifes made in the wilderness relative to the rains, the harvests, the fabbath-day, and the seventh year of reft to the land, were then fulfilled: whilft the people, impreffed with the novelty of these efpecial bleffings of divine Providence, walked with little interruption in the commandments of their God. The reigns both of David and Solomon were distinguished by much profperity and happiness. The government was then firmly established, the Jews were victorious over their enemies, enjoyed a long continuation of peace, and great temporal comforts attended their obedience to the divine commands. The building of the Temple was a fignal indication of the piety of its founder, and the favour of the Almighty. The fubjects of Solomon lived in fecurity, reaping the fruits of plenty and opulence, and every one repofed under his own vine, and his own fig-tree: this was the moft fplendid era of Jewish glory. The riches and magnificence of the court of Solomon was fuperior to those

B. C.

1014.

of

of all the kings of the earth. His renown was extended to diftant countries; "His name went far unto the islands, and for his peace he was beloved." He was celebrated, and still continues to be fo, among the inhabitants of the Eaft, for his power, his wisdom, his extenfive territories, and his fuppofed control over evil fpirits and the elements. They ftill give his name, as a title of the highest honour, to their moft powerful fovereigns; and they believe that this illuftrious. monarch of Ifrael poffeffed an universal empire.

The reign of Jehofhaphat, who was remarkable for his zealous attachment to the religion of his ancestors, was likewife attended with various bleffings. Hezekiah, preserved in a wonderful manner from the invasion of the Affyrians, and under fuch circumstances as had a peculiar reference to a deliverance from dangers foretold by Mofes, united with his people in the obfervance of the Divine commands with the moft fervent devotion. During this aufpicious, period the Jews en

1 Kings iv. 5, 6, &c. Ecclus. xlvii. 16. Univ. Hift. vol. i. p. 802. Calmet's Dict. Art. Solomon. g 2 Chron. xvii.

h 2. Kings xviii, xix. Isaiah xxxvi, xxxvii.

joyed

joyed the feftivity and the grateful repose of of the fabbatical and jubilee years.

Jofiah,

The fabbatical year was celebrated every feventh year, when the land was left without culture. At that time flaves were fet at liberty, debts were remitted, and every one regained the inheritance that had been alienated. Its obfervance was appointed by God to preserve the remembrance of the creation of the world, to enforce the acknowledgement of his fovereign authority over all things, and particularly over the land of Canaan, which he had given to the Hebrews by delivering up the fruits of their fields to the poor and the ftranger. Exod. xxiii. 10. Levit. xxv. 2, 3, &c. Calmet, vol. ii. p. 569.

The jubilee year was the fiftieth year which happened after seven weeks of years, or seven times seven years. Levit. xxv. 10. The proclamation of this happy season was made by the priests and people, who reforted to the Temple in a grand proceffion, attended with every circumftance of pomp and feftivity. Its commencement was celebrated with the greatest demonstrations of joy. Several privileges belonged to this, which did not belong to the fabbatical year, and the latter had likewife fome fsmall advantages over the former. The fabbatical year annulled debts, which the jubilee did not; but the jubilee restored slaves to their liberty, and lands to their original owners: befides, a reftitution of lands was made immediately upon the beginning of the jubilee whereas in the fabbatical year, the debts were not difcharged till the end of the year. The eftates which had been purchased, or given, were returned to their old mafters; those which came by right of fucceffion, continued with those who enjoyed them; contracts of fale, wherein a certain number of years was expreffed, fubfifted during all thofe years, notwithstanding the approach of the jubilee. But it annulled ab

H 2

foluté

t

Jofiah, emphatically styled the good, by his profound humility and exemplary piety, fufpended through a reign of more than 30 years, the evils that were hovering over his idolatrous fubjects. It is exprefsly mentioned in this period of the Jewish history, that they were deftined to fuffer the calamities: denounced in their laws, against their departure from the worship of Jehovah.

B. C.

The unhappy times of the Babylonish captivity were fucceeded by that aufpicious epoch of Jewish happiness, when Cyrus, the most renowned monarch of the Eaft, permitted the Jews to return from captivity, in order to rebuild their City and Temple. The lively pictures

536.

folute and unlimited contracts. It was the principal defign of its inftitution, to prevent the deftruction of the partition of lands, that was made by Joshua, and the confufion of tribes and families. After the Babylonish captivity, these points could no longer be attended to many who returned into their native country, fettled as they could; and a number of families, perhaps whole tribes, continued in the place of their captivity. Archbishop Usher places the firft jubilee obferved after the promulgation of the Law, Y, W. 2609, B. C. 1395. Calmet, vol. i. p. 888.

k 2 Kings xxii, xxiii.-2 Chron. xxxiv, xxxv.

1 Ezra i, ii, &c,