Babylonish captivity and the date of the birth of Christ, at which time there was a general expectation throughout the world of the coming of some illustrious prince. At the time of the advent of the Saviour there was outward peace at least throughout the earth, the Roman empire having more or less subdued beneath its sway all the nations of the known world, which rendered it comparatively easy to preach the gospel among them. The Greek proselytes, who came to worship at Jerusalem, had heard of the fame of Jesus, John xii, 19-21; and the dispersion of the Jews in distant lands, which prevented many of them from the strict observance of the ceremonial laws, was likely to prepare them for learning of the better and more perfect righteousness, which was to be brought in by the Mediator of the New Covenant, or Testament, Heb. vii, 22; viii, 6.

CHAPTER XVI.

WARFARE.-MILITARY AFFAIRS.

THE reader will not expect to find much in this work about wars and military proceedings; but there are some allusions to those subjects in the Bible which must not be passed by. In the Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, there are many accounts of battles and warfare. We find, in general, that those who are described as good characters stood upon their own defense, while the kings who first attacked others were bad characters. course, we do not here refer to the conquest of Canaan by Joshua. We are expressly told that the inhabitants of that land were exceedingly wicked, and that God saw it needful they should be destroyed, and the Israelites were the executioners of this just sentence, Gen. xv, 16; Exod. xxxiv, 10-17; Lev. xx, 23; Deut. xii, 29–31; Josh. xxiv, 11.

Of

We may observe, that, when attacked by their enemies, the true followers of the Lord, while they exerted themselves, did not trust in an arm of flesh. They looked to the Lord of hosts earnestly in prayer, for a blessing on their arms. Thus Moses, when the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites, Exod. xvii, 11; David, 1 Sam. xvii, 37; 2 Sam. v, 19; Abijah, 2 Chron. xiii, 5, 12, 14; Asa, 2-Chron. xiv, 11; Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx; Hezekiah,

2 Kings xix. Other instances might be mentioned; Ezra viii, 21-23, must not be forgotten.

The walls of Jerusalem are spoken of in many places. In the Book of Nehemiah we read of the care that was taken to repair them after the return from the captivity. The walls of Babylon were sixty miles in circuit, nearly ninety feet broad, and three hundred and fifty feet high. Not a decided trace can now be found of these immense masses. Fortified towns were attacked by battering-rams, and other engines of war, (2 Sam. xx, 15,) or by building forts to shelter the besiegers, 2 Kings xxv, 1. Fortified towers are often mentioned in Scripture, Judg. ix, 51. There also were towers in their vineyards and gardens, to defend the property against robbers, Isa. v, 2; Matt. xxi, 33; Cant. vii, 4. Such are now found in the East. The tops of craggy rocks were often fortified, Gen. xxv, 16; Judg. xx, 47; 1 Sam. xiv, 4. The strongholds were rocks, or more frequently caves, 1 Sam, xxiii, 29; xxiv, 2, 3. Flying to hills and mountains for refuge is often mentioned in Scripture.

Our readers will remember, that gunpowder was not discovered till a few hundred years ago; consequently, fire-arms and cannon were not known in ancient warfare. The mis

sile weapons then used were darts and javelins, thrown by the hand or by engines: also bows and arrows, and stones, thrown by slings or machines. Those used by Uzziah, (2 Chron. xxvi, 15,) must have been similar. Arrows are very often mentioned in Scripture. As for slings, the reader will at once remember David's encounter with Goliath, (1 Sam. xvii,) and how God enabled David to prevail, with a few smooth pebbles gathered from the brook. But sometimes stones were hurled by the hand, as those among David's men, mentioned 1 Chron. xii, 2.

The numbers of the armies mentioned in the Bible often seem to be very large; but in the East there are a great many servants and other followers to an army: the numbers mentioned probably include these. Also, in those days, every man able to bear arms went forth to war when required. Of the miseries caused by war there are many striking descriptions in the Bible; perhaps none stronger than that which speaks of the interference of Oded (2 Chron. xxviii) in behalf of the people of Judah when taken captive; see also Deut. xxviii, 49-58.

Though the Bible contains many accounts of war and battles, they are given in a very different manner from the accounts of poets or common historians. There is nothing to make war attractive, or sufficient to cast a glare over the deeds of the conquerors. War, indeed, cannot be too much abhorred by the real followers of Christ. Remember the words of our Lord, Matt. xxvi, 52, "They that take the sword shall perish with the sword."

In ancient times, the warriors wore armor made of plates of metal. We read of the armor of the Philistine, and of Saul, 1 Sam. xvii. But the most particular and important reference to armor is Eph. vi, 11-17. The apostle there speaks of the warfare in which the Christian has to engage against the enemies of his soul. He describes each piece of armor separately, and applies it to some Christian qualification or grace. Thus the girdle is to be truth; the breastplate, righteousness; the shoes, or defenses for the legs, the gospel of peace; the helmet, the hope of salvation. But above, or over all, the necessity for the shield of faith is described, as the means wherewith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one-the temptations and doubts of Satan. The only weapon of offense appointed for the Christian is

the sword of the Spirit, "which is the word of God." Now these things show us the defenses to be used by the followers of Christ, and the only weapon they should employ to attack their adversaries-THE BIBLE. A soldier who was not skilled in the use of his sword, was very easily overcome in ancient times; so we shall do little against the enemies of our souls, or the adversaries of the truth, unless

we are well versed in the Scriptures. In this respect every Christian should be "a man of war from his youth."

The panoply, or complete armor, copied from an ancient Greek vase, is here represented. See Eph. vi, 13.

The insufficiency of all human means, of armies or armor, is shown in the case of Goliath, slain with a pebble from the brook; the army of Midian and others, as grass-hoppers for multitude, "without number," (Judg. vi, 5,) overcome by three hundred men with pitchers, torches, and trumpets; all the host of the Syrians flying at a mere noise, 2 Kings vii, 6; and especially the destruction of 185,000 men in one night, by the angel of the Lord, without a blow from any mortal hand, 2 Kings xix, 35.

The Jewish polity and laws respecting warfare were peculiar to themselves, and, as well as their other institutions, indicated that they were under the Divine government. The object and manner of their warfare were expressly directed, and not left to the mere will of their ruler. This is the more remarkable, as their nation of old was brave, and distinguished for courage and military power; though on their first deliverance from Egypt they were fearful and cowardly, and needed repeated encouragements, Num. xxxii, 7; Deut. i, 29; Psa. xliv, 3. Still, their great ancestor, Abraham, stands in history as the chief hero in the first contest upon record, and his conduct in that contest was thoroughly disinterested, Gen. xiv ;—a sufficient reply to those enemies of the Jewish state, who declare that no act of generosity is recorded to have been performed by any of their race.

The warfare of the nation, in its early age, was undertaken by them as executioners of the Divine justice on the sinful nations of Canaan, whose atrocities were such as to call for their destruction. By this war they gained possession of the land given to their forefathers, but which had been usurped by the Canaanites, who were originally from the borders of the Red Sea. The account of their proceedings occupies the books of Joshua and Judges, but the conflict continued until the days of David, (Acts vii, 45,) whose conquests subdued the Philistines, with other enemies, who, though not of the number of the devoted nations, had encroached on the land, and sometimes occupied it as conquerors.

In reference to these enemies, as the Moabites, Philistines, Ammonites, and Syrians, war was never to be undertaken from the mere desire of conquest, or dominion; though, when the time came, the Israelites might enlarge their coasts to the limits specified Exod. xxiii, 31; Num. xxxiv, 3; which they came the nearest to in the reigns of David and Solomon, 1 Kings iv, 21-24. These nations might give occasion for hostilities; when that came to pass, the Israelites would proceed according to the rules recorded, Deut. xx. In the first place, they were to offer terms of peace, and to allow the nations to become tributary to them, or if this were refused, and a contest followed, the men might be slain, but women and children were to be