whatever princes or great men may command or desire. Once

more,

4. Those who in their distresses trespass more against the Lord, are abominably, and, it is to be feared, incurably wicked. This is that king Ahaz; his name has a mark of infamy upon it. Afflictions are intended to bring men to thought, to repentance, and amendment; but if they are made worse instead of better by them, it is a sign of great hardness of heart, and that they are in the broad way to ruin. Let it be our concern to keep our consciences tender, to humble ourselves under God's hand, and improve our afflictions aright; that by the sorrow of the countenance the heart may be made better.

CHAP. XVII.

The reign of Hoshea; the captivity of the ten tribes, for their sins ; and the religion which their successors in the land set up.

1

1IN

N the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.* 2 And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him; he was not quite so bad, for we find in the history of Hezekiah, that he did not hinder 3 the people from going to Jerusalem. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria, the son of Tiglathfileser; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents, became tributary to 4 him. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, he refused paying the tribute: for he had sent messengers to So, or Sabacon, king of Egypt, to assist him, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as [he had done] year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

5

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years; he first took and destroyed Moab, to prevent any disturbances on that side, as 6 we find Isaiah xv. xvi. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes; but many were still left in the land, 7 who were afterwards carried away by his son. For [so] it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, (his goodness in bringing them out of Egypt is mentioned, as 8 an aggravation of their ingratitude,) And walked in the statutes There was an interregnum of nine years; so long there was confusion after the death of Pekah.

↑ We have no particular account of the siege; but by many of the prophecies it appears that the people were treated very cruelly. The whole prophecy of Hosea relates to this; and also the beginning of Micah.

VOL. III.

Xx

of the heathen, of the Canaanites, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they had made; this relates to the calves and their worship. And the children of Israel did secretly [those] things that [were] not right against the LORD their God; they had secret retirement's for their idolatrous worship and wicked rites; and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city, from the shepherd's lodge, where country people secured their flocks and their grain. There were great multitudes of them, scarce a farm without an high place for idolatry. 10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree; wooden images, or the idols to which the 11 grove was dedicated: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as [did] the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD 12 to anger: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing; it was another aggravation of their crime, that it was contrary to the command of God, 13 especially as given by a succession of prophets. Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments [and] my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you 14 by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like a resty bullock that will not bear the yoke, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God; did not believe what God said by the 15 prophets, but hearkened to deceivers. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, stupid, idle, and insensible, like them, and went after the heathen that [were] round about them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged them, that they 16 should not do like them. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, [even] two calves, and made a grove, in which lewd and abominable rites were practised, and worshipped all the host of heaven, that is, the 17 stars, and served Baal, that is, worshipped the sun. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger; they were as incessant and industrious, as if they were hired and receiv18 ed wages to do such work. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight, from the holy land, which was especially under his eye and care: there was none 19 left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. It was an aggravation of the sins of Israel that they set an ill example to Judah, and infected them with 20 their idolatry; therefore both at length were ruined. And the

LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them 21 out of his sight. For he rent Israel from the house of David

and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great 22 sin. The foundation of their ruin was Jeroboam's iniquity. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; not one of their kings, but 23 followed the iniquity of Jeroboam; Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets, whose threatenings they regarded not. So was Israel car ried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day, and never returned any more. Thus the kingdom was destroyed, after it had subsisted distinct from Judah two hundred and fifty four

24

years.

And the king of Assyria brought [men] from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avah, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed [them] in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. These were inhabitants of some nations which he had conquered, whose fidelity he suspected, and therefore made this exchange, and put them into the cities where the ten 25 tribes formerly dwelt. And [so] it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, [that] they feared not the LORD; they did not sa much as pretend any respect for him, as the Israelites did: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew [some] of them; which showed that it was not for want of power that God 26 delivered his people captive. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. They thought Jehovah was a topical god, like the gods of their country, whose power extended only to their 27 own land. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the man28 ner of the God of the land. Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. He was probably an idolatrous priest, by his settling at Bethel, who taught them 29 the idolatrous customs that were practised there. Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put [them] in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt; they worshipped their own 30 country gods, as well as the gods of Israel. And the men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, tabernacles of Venus, where young people prostituted themselves in honour of Venus, who has her name

It appears, by his bringing men from thence, that he was now king of Babylon also; but they quickly after revolted, and set up a king of their own.

from hence; and the men of Cuth made Nergal, which signifies fire, another name for the sun, which was worshipped under differ31 ent forms; and the men of Hamath made Ashima, And the Avites made Nibhaz, and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the 32 gods of Sepharvaim: these are different names for Molech. So they feared the LORD, acknowledged Jehovah to be a God, and performed some outward worship to him, lest they should be destroyed; and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of 33 the high places. They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, as the Israelites did, who worshipped God and Baal too, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from 34 thence, or, who carried them away from thence. Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; they continued the same practices, and were not reformed, as the Jews were at Babylon. The historian then takes notice again of their disobedi-. 35 ence and ingratitude. With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to 36 them: But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for 38 evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods; this was the principal thing in the covenant. 39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. This is repeated, to show that idolatry was a provoking sin; if they had served the true God, 40 they might have escaped this calamity. Howbeit they did not 41 hearken, but they did after their former manner. So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.*

SE

REFLECTION.

EE what wretched work sin makes in a nation. These people had all the advantages they could have desired from miracles.

This medley of religion lasted about three hundred years, till the temple was built on mount Gerizim, and the people were brought to worship the true God. They were afterward called Samaritans. Here their history concludes, there being no account afterward of what became of them. Some say, they were lost among the nations. Many of them no doubt settled together, and may subsist to this day, probably among the Tartars. There are many similar customs among some of the East Indians. Wherever they went, they would carry some general knowledge of the true God; and as James directed his epistle to the twelve tribes, some think it very probable they will be restored at last.

and prophets: had full evidence that Jehovah was the supreme and only God; had great and wonderful deliverances; but all had no effect. Though there was something peculiar in their circumstances, as God was their temporal king, yet it is an awful lesson to all, that righteousness exalteth à nation, secures the favour and the friendship of God, and national prosperity; but sin is the reproach and ruin of a people. May we of this nation take warning in time. All these things happened to them for ensamples, and are written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the world are come.

CHAP. XVIII.

In Hosea xi. 12. the Lord says, Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah yet ruleth with In the last chapter we beheld God, and is faithful with the saints.' Israel in desolation, which was indeed a melancholy scene ; here we have a more pleasant one opening upon us; we see Judah in great prosperity, under a zealous and pious king,

1

NOW

TOW it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king 2 of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also [was] Abi, the daughter 3 of Zachariah.* And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did; he was a genuine son of David, a second David in his day,

He removed the high places, which none even of the good kings of Judah had zeal and resolution enough to do, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, which their fathers had multiplied, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made, which was preserved to keep up the memory of that fact: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it, as to a god, or to Jehovah through this medium; and he called it Nehushtan, a mere piece of brass, which had no divinity in it, no power or skill to 5 help them. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, and not in any foreign force; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor [any] that were before him, since the king6 doms were divided. For he clave to the LORD, [and] departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses: he persevered in it, and was not like 7 some others, who began well, but fell off at last. And the LORD was with him; [and] he prospered whithersoever he went forth and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not; he cast off his subjection to him, which the king of Assyria

This was probably that Zachariah who had so great influence in Uzziah's time to keep him steady. His pious mother contributed much to keep Hezekiah pure in the midst of a very corrupt court,