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ABOUT KING HEZEKIAH.

Ir would not interest you to be told of all the kings who reigned over Judah and Israel, many of whom forsook the Lord their God, and did not remember the mercies which He had shown to their fathers. They walked in their own evil ways, and did that which was pleasing in their own eyes, forgetting that it was their duty to serve the Lord, and to ask his blessing on all their actions, if they hoped

to prosper.

There are, however, a few whose names attract our notice, because they did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. There was also a king named Amaziah, whose history we should look upon as a warning not to think too much of ourselves.

He began to reign well, and gave promise of much usefulness; but his heart became very proud and lifted up, because he gained a victory over his enemies. He forgot to humble himself before the Lord, and thank Him for His protection, but turned away from the only God, and bowed himself before idols.

From this time his actions never prospered. He was put

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to flight by the king of Israel, and, some little time after, was slain.

Thus we may see how needful it is for us to be humble and lowly in heart, to think little of ourselves, and place our whole trust in God, who will enable us to do what is most pleasing to Him, if we pray for His help with our whole hearts. We must not be satisfied with doing well for a time, and then grow careless, and begin to think better of ourselves, for if we do, we shall be in danger of forsaking the Lord altogether.

We find mention of Hezekiah, king of Judah, in the book of Kings, where we read, ' He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David, his father, did.'

He took away all the idols of the people, and, by his good example, called upon the whole nation to return unto their God, in whom he placed his trust, and who was with him wherever he went, and gave him power over his enemies. In the fourth year of his reign, the Assyrians came up against Samaria, and carried Israel away into captivity, because they had not obeyed the Lord their God.

When Hezekiah had been king of Judah fourteen years, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came against him, and Rabshakeh tried to make the people of Judah rebel against their king.

When Hezekiah heard this, he rent his clothes, and went into the house of the Lord.' He did not go to meet his enemies in his own strength, nor without first seeking help from on high: and he found that he had not trusted in vain, for the prophet Isaiah comforted him and sent word to him not to be afraid at what he had heard, for that the Lord had promised to destroy the Assyrians.

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And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote, in the camp of the Assyrians, an hundred four score and five thousand; and when the people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead corpses.

'So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and went, and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass that as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch, his god, that he was slain with the sword by his two sons.

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In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death, and the prophet Isaiah came and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die and not live' but the Lord heard the prayer of his servant Hezekiah, when he prayed that he might recover, and He granted his request, and sent word by His prophet, that on the third day he should go up to the house of the Lord.

God also said, 'I will add unto thy days fifteen years: 1I ---ill deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the

king of Assyria: and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.'

And as a sign that all these things should come to pass, the Lord caused the shadow on the dial to go back ten degrees.

When Hezekiah recovered, the king of Babylon sent letters and a present unto him, for he heard that he had been ill; and the king of Judah showed the messengers all the treasures that were in his house.

We may suppose that Hezekiah was vain of his riches, and that the prophet Isaiah was sent to him with the following message by way of reproof, for he said to the king, 'Hear the word of the Lord, Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto thee this day, shall be carried into Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.'

Thus was foretold the captivity which, not many years after, befel this people, when they were taken prisoners into Babylon, and once more bade adieu to the land of promise.

After Hezekiah's death, his son Manasseh was king, who did much wickedness. He built up all the idols that his father had destroyed, and caused the people again to forsake their God: he also was very cruel, and shed much innocent blood, till at length the Almighty declared that He would give his people into the hands of their enemies.

Amon was the next king; he also did evil, and his servants slew him in his own house. Then was Josiah, his son, king in his stead, who did all the works that the man of God had prophesied of him to Jeroboam.

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He was very young when he came to the did what was right in the sight of the Lord. together the elders of Judah, went up to the his people, there read to them the book of the and made a covenant* with the Almighty. stroyed the altars, and burnt upon them dead men's bones, even on the very altar upon which Jeroboam had offered incense.t

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This young king turned unto the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, yet the Lord remembered his just anger against his people which he had declared in the reign of Manasseh.

After the death of Josiah, the king of Egypt made war against them, and the king of Babylon carried away their princes, and their great men captives, spoiled the temple

*Covenant.-An agreement, a bargain.

+ Incense.-A kind of gum having a pleasant scent, it burns with a bright flame, which is not easily put out. The sweet incense spoken of in the Bible was a mixture of several drugs. As so many animals were slain for sacrifice, it was necessary to have some pleasant perfume to hide the unpleasant scent which must have been caused by the sprinkling of so much blood, and the burning of so much flesh.

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