him pretence for the attack; or grieve the people, and dishearten When at any time we them by his further rage and blasphemy. have to do with proud and domineering men, silence is best; not rendering railing for railing. To exhort them, is to cast pearls beThere is a time fore swine. Herein wisdom is profitable to direct. to speak, and a time to keep silence: but it is always prudent to keep silence when pride and passion have got the better of reason and

common sense.

CHAP. XXXIII.

The wicked reign of Manasseh, who is carried to Babylon bound in fetters; upon his earnest entreaty he is released, and reforms '; Amon succeeds him, and is slain by his own servants.

1

ANASSEH [was] twelve years old when he began

2 lem: But did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had 3 cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all 4 the host of heaven, and served them. Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusa And he built altars for all the 5 lem shall my name be for ever. 6 host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom : also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, 7 to provoke him to anger. And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, 8 will I put my name for ever: Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers: so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes 9 and the ordinances by the hand of Moses. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, [and] to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

10

And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but 11 they would not hearken.* Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, (Esarhaddon, who had lately conquered Babylon, and to secure his conquest

• We have seen in 2 Kings xxi. Manasseh's wickedness, and the judgments that were threatened for it; here we see the execution of them; in which God intended at once to make im a monument of his justice and his grace.

had fixed his royal seat there) which took Manasseh among the thorns, in a thicket, where he had hid himself, and bound him 12 with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself 13 greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him : and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. God touched the emperor's heart, and he released him. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he [was] God. He was convinced of his power, wisdom, and goodness, and immediately set about a refor mation; he fortified the city, and removed his idols and altars from the temple; made Eliakim priest, Isa. xxii. 15. and turned out Shebna; offered sacrifices to God himself, and brought the people to do so too.

14

Now after this he built a wall without the city of David on the west side Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fishgate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of 15 Judah. And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast 16 [them] out of the city. And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and 17 commanded Judah to serve the Lord GOD of Israel. Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, [yet] unto 18 the LORD their God only. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, 19 they are written] in the book of the kings of Israel. His prayer also, and [how God] was entreated of him, and all his sins and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they [are] written among the sayings of the seers.

20

So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in 21 his own house :† and Amon his son reigned in his stead. Amon [was] two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and 22 reigned two years in Jerusalem. But he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; he imitated his father's 23 wickedness in the worst part of his reign: And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, did not imitate his father's repentance in his best days, but 24 Amon trespassed more and more. And his servants, his cou. tiers, conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.

We are here referred to some other history then extant, for a larger account of his sin and repentance. Particular notice is taken of his prayer; it is to be found in the Apocrypha but whether genuine or not is uncertain: it is not unlikely but it may be so, for it is a good prayer, and much to the purpose.

Perhaps he had given directions to be buried privately, as an expression of humility God continued him very long; he reigned fifty five years, which was longer than any king of Israel or Judah.

25 But the people of the land avenged his death, and slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead, in opposition, probably, to some other son, whom the courtiers would have set on the throne.

1.

TH

REFLECTIONS.

HE degeneracy of the children of good parents is much to be lamented. Hezekiah, amidst his zeal for God, for his House and worship, no doubt took care of his children; but Manasseh proved very wicked. This is a very common case, and much to be lamented; especially as such are generally worse than others. Let this caution young people, and induce them to know the God of their fathers, and to reject the counsels of those who would corrupt, ensnare, and, in the end, ruin them.'

2. Those who resemble others in their wickedness must expect to share in their miseries, v. 13. As they were like Ahab and Samaria, so they were punished like them. The miseries attending vice are designed as warnings. If men will presumptuously walk in an evil way, keep bad company, and say and do like them, they must expect to be punished with them, or with heavier calamities, as their guilt is aggravated by what they have seen and known of the sufferings of others.

3. See the usefulness of affliction to bring men to repentance. Manasseh, while in prosperity, acted most wickedly and abominably; but when he got into prison, he began to think on his ways. The pleasures of the court intoxicated him; but the horrors of a prison brought him to himself. God's design in afflicting his people, is to take away sin, and bring them to repentance; which will show itself, as Manasseh's did, in humiliation, prayer, and reformation to undo the mischief they have done, and strive to reform those they have corrupted, are fruits meet for repentance. The wisdom and goodness of God in sending afflictions for this purpose, should be acknowledged. There seems to be an allusion to this story in Job xxxvi. 7, 8. He will release kings upon the throne, (as it should be rendered,) and if they be bound in fetters, and holden in cords of affliction, he shows them their transgressions. He opens their ears to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.

4. This story affords great encouragement to repentance. We can scarce conceive of a viler sinner than Manasseh, who was so wicked himself, and did so much mischief: yet when he repented, and prayed, God was entreated for him, heard his supplication, renewed his prosperity, and lengthened his life; and, one would hope, saved his soul. This was designed as a pattern of divine long suffering. Let the wicked, therefore, forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly fardon.

CHAP. XXXIV.

An account of Josiah's reign: his early piety, and care about repairing the temple; the discovery of the book of the law, and the imfiression it made on the king; and the awful answer given to his inquiry.

2

Jos

JOSIAH [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined [neither] to the right 3 hand nor to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; that is, when he was sixteen years of age he worshipped God publicly, like David; and in the twelfth year of his reign, when he was twenty years old, he began to purge Judah, and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the 4 carved images, and the molten images. And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that [were] on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust [of them,] and strowed [it] upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them; to show his detestation of 5 those idols, and their worshippers. And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and thus polluted them that they might 6 not be used again; and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, where many poor people were still left by the 7 king of Assyria, with their mattocks round about. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem : for he went about the country himself to see the work effectually done. Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. He sent those officers of his court, to give orders and assist the priests, and to keep an account of what offerings were made by the 9 people. And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; for they had made a collection through 10 the whole nation and they returned to Jerusalem. And they put [it] in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that

His mother's name was Jedidah, 2 Kingsx xii. 1. probably a good woman, who took great care of his education.

wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the 11 house: Even to the artificers and builders gave they [it,] to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed: that is, the chambers and buildings about the temple, where the priests lodged, and the 12 stores were kept. And the men did the work faithfully; and the overseers of them [were] Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set [it] forward; and [other of] the 13 Levites; all that could skill of instruments of music. Also [they were] over bearers of burdens, and [were] overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service and of the Levites [there were] scribes, and officers, and porters. The principal Levites were overseers, to see that the work was well done and they were probably assisted and encouraged in it by Jeremiah, who began to prophesy in the thirteenth year of Josialt's reign; and also by Zephaniah, who lived at this time.

14

And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the LORD [given] by Moses. While they were repairing the temple, Hilkiah the priest found a copy of the law, which had been secretly hid when the idols were set up there s probably it was the authentic copy, which Moses had directed to be laid by the side of 15 the ark, Deut. xxxi. 26. And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Sha 16 phan. And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to 17 thy servants, they do [it.] And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of 18 the workmen. Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And when the king perceived what it was, he 19 was greatly affected with it. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes for grief 20 and fear. And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan 21 the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found, ana what can be done to avert this evil: for great [is] the wrath of

It cannot be supposed that all the copies of the law were lost: Hezekiah had taken care to furnish the people with many; and their being and polity as a nation, as well as their religion, depended on the knowledge of the law. But probably Manasseh, in his worst days, and Amon, had destroyed many, so that there were but few left, and those corrupted and imperfect. Perhaps there was only an abstract of the chief laws, for the use of the priests, like our abridgment of the statutes; without the promises and threatenings, with which the king seemed so much affected. The reading of the law had been neglected; the king had not written a copy with his own hand, as had been commanded: his reformation might have been according to these abstracts, or hints from some good people about it. The king. being impatient to know the contents, began to read immediately, and, as their books were written upon long scrolls, and rolled upon a stick, the latter end of Deuteronomy would come first in course, where he found those terrible threatenings, which so greatly impressed him; threatenings upon the king, as well as upon the people. Deut. xxviii. 36.