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fate, as Jeremiah forewarned the messengers of Zedekiah, whom he sent to inquire of the Lord, Jer. xxxvii. 2-10. On the return of the Chaldeans to the siege, they pursued it vigorously, until after a siege of eighteen months from the beginning, they stormed the city about midnight, and put the inhabitants to the sword, 2 Kings xxv. 2-4; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17-19; Jer. xxxix. 1, 2. Zedekiah, his sons, and officers, and the remnant of his army, were captured in the plains of Jericho, from whence they were conducted to the king of Babylon at Riblah, in Cœlo-Syria. Nebuchadnezzar upbraided him for his ingratitude and breach of faith; then caused his sons to be slain before his eyes, and his eyes to be put out; after which, he commanded his officers to carry him in fetters of brass to Babylon, where he died, 2 Kings xxv. 6, 7; Jer. xxxix. 4-7: fulfilling the prophecies of the prophets Jeremiah, chap. xxxii. 4, 5; xxxiv. 3-5; and Ezekiel, chap. xii. 13.

After this, Nebuchadnezzar left Gedaliah governor of Judea, who was treacherously slain by Ishmael, and a party of ten men, who slew also the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpeh, his residence, and then escaped to the Ammonites, Jer. xli. 1—15.

The year after the conquest of Judea, B. c. 585, Nebuchadnezzar resolved to revenge himself upon all the surrounding nations, who had solicited the Jews to a confederacy against him, or encouraged them to rebel. Among these may be enumerated the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Arabians, Sidonians, Tyrians, Philistines, Egyptians, Abyssinians, etc., Jer. xxvii. 3; Ezek. xxv. 1-3; xxvi. 1, 2; Jer. xxxvii. 7; etc. The subjugation and desolation of these countries by this servant of the Lord, and rod of God's anger, as he is termed in Scripture, was foretold in general terms, Jer. xxv. 11; xxix. 10; xxvii. 7; Isa. xxiii. 15: and the punishment of each was particularly foretold by the prophets as follows: The Ammonites, Amos i. 13-15; Ezek. xxv. 1-10; etc. The Moabites, Ezek. xxv. 8-11; Jer. xxv. 21; xlviii. 40-47; etc. The Edomites, Amos i. 13 -15; Obadiah 10-16; Jer. xlix. 17; etc. The Arabians, Jer. xxv. 24; etc. The Sidonians, Jer. xxv. 22; xlvii. 4; Ezek. xxviii. 21-23; etc. The Tyrians, Isa. xxiii. 1—15; Jer. xxv. 22; Ezek. xxvi. 7-14; xxvii. 2-36; etc. The Philistines, Jer. xxv. 20; Ezek. xxv. 16; Zeph. ii. 5. The Egyptians, Isa. xix. 4-23; Jer. xlvi. 13-26; Ezek. xxix. 2-12; xxx. 20—26; xxxii. 2-16; Joel iii. 19. The Ethiopians or Abyssinians, Isa. xviii.; Ezek. xxx. 4—11.

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After having subdued the eastern and western states in the first campaign, Nebuchadnezzar commenced the siege of Old Tyre, in the second year after the destruction of Jerusalem, or B. C. 584.

It was not till after an interval of thirteen years, according to the Tyrian annals, recorded by Josephus, that the Babylonian monarch reduced this celebrated city. And during this time, his troops suffered incredible hardships. According to the prophetic declaration, indeed, in achieving this mighty enterprise," every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled," by the labours they had to undergo.

Before the city was reduced to the last extremity, its inhabitants retired, with the greatest part of their effects, into a neighbouring isle, a mile from the shore, where they built a new city, the name and glory whereof extinguished the remembrance of the ancient city, which became a mere village. At the present moment, it is

"A rock, and waters, and a waste
Of trackless sand."

Nebuchadnezzar, during the siege of Tyre, sent Nabuzaradan with an army into Judea, to revenge the death of Gedaliah. The country, however, was so thin of inhabitants, in consequence of a recent secession to Egypt, for fear of the Chaldeans, that he carried away captive only 745 persons. This may be dated B. C. 582.

About the same time, the king of Babylon invaded Elam, or Elymais, and took Shushan, or Susa, its capital, from the Medes, according to prophecy. See Jer. xxv. 25, 26; xlix. 34-38; and Ezek. xxxii. 11-24.*

As a recompence for the service which Nebuchadnezzar and his army had served against Tyre, the prophet Ezekiel promised them the plunder of the land of Egypt, her multitude, her spoil, and her prey, Ezek. xxix. 18-20. Accordingly, B.C. 570, after the Tyrian war was finished, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt, and quickly overran the whole extent of the country, from Migdol, its northern extremity, near the Red Sea, to Syene, the southern, bordering on Ethiopia, or Abyssinia, which he also reduced, according to prophecy, Ezek. xxx. 1—12. Pharaohhophra, or Apries, became his vassal, and soon after was slain by the Egyptians, fulfilling the prophecies of Jeremiah, chap. xlvi. 25, 26; xliv. 30; and Ezek. xxxii. 32.

When Nebuchadnezzar had finished all his wars, he employed himself in embellishing Babylon, the greatness of which has been before described.

In the first year of peace, according to Dr. Hales, that is, B.C. 569, Nebuchadnezzar had the celebrated dream, recorded Dan. ii., and which is so clear, as explained by Daniel, and with the illustration derived from his own future visions, that it has been explained, with little difference of opinion in essential points, except as to that portion which yet remains to be accomplished.

Daniel declares the head of gold to represent the Babylonian empire; and the other parts, downward, the great empires which should follow in succession. The breast and arms of silver must, therefore, denote the empire of the Persians; the belly and thighs of brass, the empire of Alexander and his successors; the kingdom of iron, which broke in pieces and subdued all things, must mean that of the Romans; and the toes, partly iron, and partly clay, the various kingdoms, some strong, and some weak, which arose upon the ruins of the Roman empire.

The last empire, which is typified by the stone cut out without hands from the mountain, and breaking in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, subduing all kingdoms, and enduring for ever, is by the Jews referred

* For more extended remarks on this subject, the reader is referred to "The Captivity of the Jews," published by the Religious Tract Society.

to the kingdom of their still expected Messiah. Christians also apply it to the kingdom of Christ, under various modifications of explanation and hypothesis; and there can be little doubt that it has reference to our Saviour's dominion upon earth. In what way this dominion shall be established, whether by the soft influences of his grace, ruling in the hearts of all men, or, as some conclude, by his personal reign upon earth, futurity will develope; but of this we are assured, that

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"The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay, Rocks fall to dust, and mountains melt away; But fix'd His word, His power will yet remain ; His realm will ever last, His own Messiah reign."

After Daniel had explained this dream, the king of Babylon prostrated himself before him, and offered him incense, according to the usual mode of adoration to kings and superiors in the east, and confessed that the God of Daniel was a God of gods, and a Lord of kings;" and he appointed him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and also chief governor over his "wise men.' These were the highest civil and ecclesiastical employments in the state. At his request, also, he promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were three friends of Daniel, over the affairs of the province of Babylon," while he acted himself as privy-counsellor to the king, to advise him in the administration of justice.

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But Nebuchadnezzar's adoration of the one true God was transient. Not more than a year after, elated with pride, he erected a golden statue in the plain of Dura.* Dr. Hales, indeed, suggests, and with great plausibility, that this image of gold may have been made and erected by the haughty and arrogant conqueror, in opposition to his dream, and the foregoing interpretation thereof. He says: "The whole image, and not the head only, was made of gold, to denote the continuance of his empire; and it was conseerated to his tutelary god, Bel, or Belus, Dan. iii. 14; iv. 8; whose power he now considered as superior to that of the God of the Jews, revoking his former confession." Some think, however, that the image was intended as a statue of Nabopolassar, whom he proposed to rank among the gods; and others imagine that the image represented Nebuchadnezzar himself, who intended to be adored under this form. Be this as it may, he was brought again to the acknowledgment of the greatness of Jehovah. When he had set up his image, he commanded all his subjects to worship it, threatening to cast those that should refuse into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Three Hebrew youths, those whom he had exalted with Daniel, faithful to their religion and their God— oh, what a noble example of piety is here displayed!-refused to obey the royal mandate, and they were cast into a furnace, seven times hotter than it was wont to be made, to appease the fury of the haughty monarch.

When found in the path of duty, the Christian

* Herodotus seems to allude to this image, when he says, "There was formerly in this temple (that of Jupiter Belus) a statue of solid gold, twelve cubits high; this, however, I mention from the information of the Chaldeans, and not from my own knowledge."

may expect, according to promise, the guidance and protection of his God. Thus it was with these Hebrew youths. In refusing to bow down in worship to the idol, and expecting the fulfilment of Nebuchadnezzar's threat, they expressed themselves thus piously: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king." Their expectations were not ill-founded. Although the fire slew the men who executed the monarch's evil command, they walked in the midst of the fire, unharmed. Did not we," said the trembling and astonished monarch, "cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

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The haughty monarch, now humbled, called the youthful martyrs forth; and he was again compelled to confess, that the God of the Jews was superior to any other, "because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort," Dan. iii. He showed his conviction to be, at the moment, sincere, by promoting those whose destruction he had sought, in the province of Babylon, as he had done before.

Pride has a very strong foundation in the human mind. It springs from self-love, which is the most deeply rooted part of our nature, and therefore most difficult to be eradicated. In the case of the king of Babylon, it showed itself proof against miracles. But, as Solomon was inspired to write, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall," Prov. xvi. 18. While Nebuchadnezzar exalted himself against Heaven, he was visited by a most remarkable dream. He saw a tree in the midst of the earth, whose height was great. This tree grew, and was strong; the height of it reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of the earth. The leaves were fair, and the fruit abundant it was meat for all. The beasts of the field took refuge under it, and the fowls of heaven nestled in its branches, and all flesh was fed of it. Then a watcher, and a holy one came down from heaven, and cried: "Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."

This, says Dr. Hales, was a merciful warning to this great prince, when at rest in his house, and flourishing in his palace, to break off his sins, especially his inordinate pride, and his

iniquities; especially his capricious cruelty, by showing mercy to the poor, that it might be a lengthening of his tranquillity, according to the sage and honest advice of his chief counsellor Daniel, after the king had told his dream, and the prophet had given the interpretation thereof from God.

The tree denoted the monarch himself, and his extensive dominions: the holy watcher, who came down from heaven, and commanded to hew the tree down, but to bind the stump of its roots that was left in the ground with a band of iron and brass, that it might be wet with the dew of heaven, and have its portion with the beasts of the field, until the expiration of seven times, or seven years, signified the decree of the Almighty, for depriving him of his reason, and banishing him from human society, to associate with the beasts of the field, until he should acknowledge the supremacy of God, who "ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will," Dan. iv. 4-27.

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It was thus that Daniel interpreted the dream, and thus that the dream was fulfilled. At the end of twelve months, as he was walking in his palace, and admiring the beauty and magnificence of Babylon, he exclaimed, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" While the word was in his mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, “O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." In the same hour his understanding departed from him; "he was driven from men, and ate grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like the claws of a bird," Dan. iv. 28-33.

The malady by which the Divine judgment punished the pride of Nebuchadnezzar, is a subject on which opinions are much divided. Without adopting any, the following is transcribed, as one of the most probable, from the "Medica Sacra" of the learned and pious Dr. Mead. He says: "All the circumstances of Nebuchadnezzar's case agree so well with an hypochondriacal madness, that to me it appears evident that Nebuchadnezzar was seized with this distemper, and under its influence ran wild into the fields; and that, fancying himself transformed into an ox, he fed on grass, after the manner of cattle. For every sort of madness is the disease of a disturbed imagination; which this unhappy man laboured under full seven years. And through neglect of taking proper care of himself, his hair and nails grew to an uncommon length; whereby the latter growing thicker and crooked, resembled the claws of birds. Now the ancients called people affected with this kind of madness, 'wolf-men,' or 'dog-men,' because they went abroad in the night imitating wolves or dogs; particularly intent upon opening the sepulchres of the dead, and had their legs much

ulcerated, either from frequent falls, or the bites of dogs. In like manner are the daughters of Prœtus related to have been mad, who, as Virgil

says,

'With mimic howlings filled the fields,' Ecl. vi. 48. For, as Servius observes, Juno possessed their minds with such a species of fury, that, fancying themselves cows, they ran into the fields, bellowed often, and dreaded the plough. Nor was this disorder unknown to the moderns: for Schenckius records a remarkable instance of it in a husbandman of Padua, who, imagining himself a wolf, attacked and even killed several people in the fields; and when at length he was taken, he persevered in declaring himself a real wolf, and that the only difference consisted in the inversion of his skin and hair. But it may be objected to our opinion, that this misfortune was foretold to the king, so that he might have prevented it by correcting his morals; and therefore it is not probable that it befel him in the course of nature. But we know that those things which God executes, either through clemency or vengeance, are frequently performed by the assistance of natural causes. Thus, having threatened Hezekiah with death, and being afterwards moved by his prayers, he restored him to life, and made use of figs, laid on the tumour, as a medicine for his disease. He ordered king Herod, upon account of his pride, to be devoured by worms. nobody doubts but that the plague, which is generally attributed to Divine wrath, most commonly owes its origin to corrupted air.”

And

It was thus that Nebuchadnezzar spent full seven long years; an awful example of the madness of pride and ambition. At the expiration of that time, his reason returned. In the language of Holy Writ, he lifted up his eyes unto heaven, and blessed the Most High; he praised and honoured Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation; confessing, that all the inhabitants of the earth are as nothing before him, and that he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou ?”

The courtiers of Nebuchadnezzar now sought to him again; he was restored to his throne, and became greater and more powerful than before, inasmuch, as humbled and instructed by his sufferings, he gratefully acknowledged the signs and wonders which the most high God had wrought towards him, and praised and extolled "the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment," and who is able to abase those that walk in pride, Dan. iv. 34-37.

Having thus humbled the pride of this mighty monarch, God was pleased to show that he did not need his services here; for shortly after this, B. C. 561, Nebuchadnezzar died, and was succeeded by his son,

EVIL MERODACH,

or Ilvarodam, in Ptolemy's Canon, whose first act was the enlargement of the Jewish king Jehoiachim from his prison, whom he treated kindly all the days of his life, setting him above all the other kings that were at Babylon. See

Jer. lii. 31-34; 2 Kings xxv. 27-30. But the reign of Evil Merodach, or "foolish Merodach," was brief. According to Xenophon, on his accession to the throne, he set himself to form a powerful confederacy of the neighbouring states, the Lydians, Cappadocians, Phrygians, Carians, Paphlagonians, and Cilicians westwards, and the Indians eastwards, against the Medes; alleging, that by their union with the Persians by marriage and alliance, they were grown great and powerful, and unless they were opposed with the united force of the confederates, they would be finally subdued, separately. But the designs of Evil Merodach were frustrated. Cyrus, who was appointed general of the combined army of the Medes and Persians, by Cyaxares, his uncle and father-in-law, anticipated the threatened invasion, attacked the Babylonians, routed and pursued them to their camp, and slew Evil Merodach, B.C. 558. He was succeeded in his kingdom by

BELSHAZZAR,

his son, the common accounts of whom appear to combine with what is said of the Neriglissar of profane historians.

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By the prophet Isaiah, who represents the Babylonian dynasty as the scourge of Palestine, Nebuchadnezzar is styled a serpent," Evil Merodach," a cockatrice," and Belshazzar, "a fiery flying serpent," which is the most evil and destructive of all, Isa. xiv. 29.

The character of Belshazzar, as described prophetically by Isaiah, and the accounts of Xenophon, are found to agree. According to that writer, his barbarity was such as is rarely recorded in the annals of history. A wanton sporting with the lives and persons of his subjects, appears to have ever inflamed his breast. Thus he slew the only son of Gobryas in a transport of rage, because, at a hunting match, he hit a bear with his spear, and afterwards a lion, when the king had failed in the attempt.

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But none could read, and none interpret, and confusion prevailed in the palace, and an awful uncertainty in the bosom of all its inmates. At length, however, the queen-mother reminded her son of the eminent wisdom of Daniel, who had been long despised, and he was sent for into the royal presence.

The prophet came, and the king offered him the highest rewards and honours if he would interpret the inscription. But Daniel knew too well the empty nature of sublunary honours to be dazzled by such an offer. This his answer to the monarch proved: "Let thy gifts be to thyself," said he," and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation."

Before the prophet did this, he boldly charged the monarch with the impious deeds of profaning the holy vessels of God's sanctuary, and of committing a flagrant act of rebellion against the Majesty of heaven. He then read aloud, and interpreted to his terrified auditory the mystical writing, a view of which has thus been taken by Dr. Hales.

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TEKEL "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. See Job xxxi. 6; Rev. vi. 5.

PERES-"Thy kingdom is divided."

UPHARSIN-" And given to the Mede and the Persian" [Darius and Cyrus].

Belshazzar heard this dreadful sentence, and however unwelcome it was to him, he nevertheless bestowed upon Daniel the promised rewards: he caused him to be clothed in scarlet, with a chain of gold about his neck, and to be proclaimed the third ruler in the kingdom.

The whole life of Belshazzar appears to have been one continued scene of riot and intemperance. His last, and most heinous offence, was the profanation of the sacred vessels belonging to the temple of Jerusalem, which even his grandfather and father had respected. great festival he made a feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before them. While at the board, surrounded by parasites and concubines, he had the audacity to send for these holy vessels, for the purpose of prostituting them to debauchery. And to aggravate sacrilege by ingratitude against the Author of all their enjoy-ing the truth of Scripture. ments, he and his nobles, etc., "praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone."

"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain," Dan. v. 25-30. This is the brief statement of Holy Writ. No circumstances are detailed. All inquiries, therefore, into the particulars are only conjectures, or to be supported by such evidence as may be found in common writers. If these contradict each other, we may adopt which we think best grounded, without in the least departing from, or impugn

But this desecration was marked by the eye of God, nor did their impiety escape punishment. As they were indulging in their mad revelry, the finger of God penned the monarch's doom upon the wall opposite his seat. His eye caught the part of the hand which wrote, and, alarmed at the apparition, and the mystical characters, he called aloud for the magicians, of whom he required an explanation, and an interpretation of the writing.

According to Xenophon, Belshazzar was slain by conspirators; for he states, that Gobryas and Godatas, who led the band that broke into his palace, were the first who adored the gods for having punished the impious king. Dr. Hales conceives it probable that Daniel's interpretation of the handwriting upon the wall hastened his doom, since the conspirators, with their most injured leaders, would now consider him as devoted to immediate destruction by God himself for his "sacrilege." "The great feast," adds this excellent writer, "on the night of which he was slain, appears to have been a season of pro

found peace and tranquillity, when a thousand of his lords could freely come from all parts of his empire without molestation or interruption from a besieging enemy, and when the king would be most apt to forget God, after he had eaten, and was full." The death of Belshazzar occurred B.C. 553, and he was succeeded in his kingdom by

LABOROSOARCHAD,

A boy, who, according to Berosus, was slain in a conspiracy, nine months after, when, according to Dr. Hales, the Babylonian dynasty became extinct, and the kingdom descended peaceably to "Darius the Mede," or Cyaxares; who, on the well-known policy of the Medes and Persians, appointed a Babylonian nobleman named NABONADIUS,

Or Labynetus, to be king, or viceroy. According to Rollin, and other writers of ancient history, this person was the Belshazzar of Scripture; but Dr. Hales, who is here followed, has satisfactorily shown, that the succession of Darius the Mede to the Babylonian throne, was not attended with war. After recording the death of Laborosoarchad, he says: "The family of Nebuchadnezzar being now extinct, and the Babylonian dynasty ended, according to prophecy, who had so good a title to the crown as Cyaxares, or 'Darius the Mede?' 1. He was pointed out as the next successor by the prophet Daniel, whose interpretation of the Divine inscription must naturally have had the greatest weight with the grandees and the whole nation. 2. He was the queen-mother's brother, and the next of kin, by her side, to the crown. And, 3. He was by far the most powerful competitor for it, and also a prince of an easy and amiable disposition. Upon all these accounts, therefore, we cannot hesitate to admit, that the Babylonians

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made him, soon after, a voluntary tender of the sovereignty, and that 'Darius the Mede' took, or accepted the kingdom, with their free and full consent." According to this, it would appear that Belshazzar was not the king in whose time the city was taken by Cyrus; and consequently the events which took place on the night on which Belshazzar was slain, were distinct from, and anterior to the siege and capture of the city by the Persian king.

Nabonadius, it would appear, held his office for the space of seventeen years, at the end of which time, B.C. 536, he revolted against Cyrus, who had this year succeeded to the united empire of the Medes and Persians. Cyrus could not attend immediately to him, but at length he marched to Babylon, and took the city, during the drunken festival of the Sakea, as predicted by the prophet Jeremiah, ch. li. 28-41. This event took place in the first year of the sovereignty of Cyrus, after which the proud city mouldered into dust. It is known only in the pages of history, and there it is exhibited as a monument of God's wrath, and as testifying to the frailty of all sublunary affairs.*

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