and gave them into the hands of their most cruel enemies. For the kings of the Chaldees came against them, who being victorious, slaughtered them without mercy, "and had no compassion upon young man, or maiden, old man, or him who stooped with age." And they destroyed the house of God, brake down the walls of Jerusalem, and set fire to her towers; they likewise took away from the temple all the holy vessels of gold and silver, and all the king's treasures, and never ceased their work of destruction, until they had consumed and brought all to nought, and those people whom they had not destroyed with the sword, they took captive and brought to Babylon, who became slaves and servants to the conquerors, to whose use likewise all the treasures they had brought away were converted, and this dreadful oppression (brought upon them for their neglect of duty) continued until the Persians reigned, which was the term of seventy years.

Cyrus, the great monarch of Persia, was most favorably inclined (through the mercy of God) to the suffering Jews, so much so, that he became determined to alleviate their condition, and also to rebuild the temple of God, and restore Jerusalem to its former beauty and magnificence; and to send back all the beautiful and costly vessels of

gold and silver, which his predecessor had plundered the demolished temple of, to replace in the one he was resolved to erect. The number of these curious and valuable vessels, were "A thousand golden cups, and a thousand of silver, censers of silver twenty-nine, vials of gold thirty' and of silver two thousand four hundred and ten; so that all the vessels of gold and silver which were carried away into Babylon, were five thousand four hundred threescore and nine." And with these precious relics, he likewise sent all the remaining Jewish captives, that they might aid and assist in the great work he contemplated, and again be restored to their religion and rights.

Before however this great undertaking was accomplished, Artexarxes became king of Persia, and that prince being full as well disposed as Cyrus was to proceed with the restoration of Jeru salem and her temple, he continued the same encouragement. But his secretary and ministers who evidently were inimical to the proceedings wrote to the king to caution and inform him, that if it should be completed, he would severely repent of the indulgence he had shown; as the Jews were

It is said that some of these vessels are now in Rome, taken by the Roman Emperor Titus, and ever since preserved there with the ntmost care, for the service of the church.

now, and ever had been, a rebellious and unworthy people, who would never acknowledge him, or pay tribute to him; and requesting him not to be regulated by their words only, but to have the records searched, and in the records of his kingdom he would find that their words were true, and fully discover from those pages, what an unruly and seditious people they had always been.

King Artaxerxes, much moved by this disagreeable intelligence, 'gave immediate command for the records to be examined, and there found that the accounts given by his vigilant officers was perfectly correct, upon which, being greatly dissatisfied with the Jews, he countermanded his previous order, and declared that the buildings and the repairs of Jerusalem should totally cease; which they did the Jews being compelled by an armed force of soldiers to desist from the work, and in that forlorn and unfinished state it continued until the second year of the reign of Darius, five hundred and twenty-two years before the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

About this period of his reign, king Darius made a most sumptuous entertainment to all his governors, captains, and lieutenants that were under him, from India unto Ethiopia, and unto all his subjects and household, and to the princes of Media and Persia. The immense numbers which

must have been at such an entertainment, must have been almost incalculable; when of the governors alone, it is said there were invited those over an hundred and twenty seven provinces, with all the inferior officers and attendance; and how such a multitude could possibly have been supplyed with a feast, is wonderful to contemplate.

The company had departed after this great banquet was concluded, and king Darius had retired to his bedchamber, when three young men, (of much consideration from the place which each held) who were of the king's guard, and who kept watch in his chamber; by way of amusement, whilst employed on that duty, proposed that each one should write a sentence, which should be sealed up, and laid under the king's pillow; and that when the king arose, they should be opened and read before him, and that sentence which should be declared best and wisest, that the king should bestow upon the writer great gifts and honours, such "As to be clothed in purple, to drink in gold, to sleep upon gold, to have a chariot with bridles of gold, and an head tire of fine linen, and a chain about his neck;"

"To be seated next Darius, because of his wisdom, and to be called Darius his cousin."

Then each wrote his sentence, and arranged them as they agreed under the king's pillow, that

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as soon as he was risen, the sealed papers should be given him for his perusal; that he himself, and the three princes of Persia might judge to which of the three, from the wisdom of his sentence, the victory should be given.-The first wrote, "Wine is the strongest."

The second young man wrote,

"The King is the strongest."

And the third wrote,

"Women are strongest; but above all things, truth beareth away the victory."

When the king arose in the morning the sealed papers were given to him, and each of the writers stood in anxious suspence for the success of his own sentence. The king perused the papers, and was so much pleased with these specimens of the young men's abilities, that he again assembled the princes of Media and Persia, and the governors, and all his officers, and placed himself in the royal judgment seat, and made his secretary read the sentences before them all; which when done, he commanded that each one should come forward of the writers, and defend his own sentence, and prove before them that his was best: and give his reasons for that opinion.

The first, who had written of the strength of wine, supported his assertion by saying, "Wine was the most strong, because it overpowered the