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be dried up, and afford a fafe Paffage, if the Almighty fpeaks the Word; and this, fome People would do well to keep always before their Eyes.

But, to return from whence we have digreffed: The unhappy Belshazzar, being thus lulled again into a full and fatal Security, and instead of making a right Ufe of this awakening and merciful Warning, in breaking off his Sins by Repentance, and humbling himself before an angry GoD, which might poffibly have delayed the impending Judgment; having relapfed and plunged afresh into all Manner of Senfuality and Debauchery, thereby provoking anew the Difpleasure of the Almighty, the LORD determines no longer to have Patience with him, but to cut him off in the midst of his beaftly Pieafures, immerfed, as he was, in Drunkenness and Uncleanness. Accordingly we find, in the very fame Verfe, wherein it is faid, as by the King and his Courtiers; Prepare the Table, watch in theWatchTower, eat, drink: There immediately follows, as the Voice of GOD himself, Arife, ge Princes, anoint the Shield.

The great Commanders, and mighty Men of War, march under the Conduct and Guidance of the Almighty himtel; they meet with no Opp fition; they enter the City, and penetrate even to the Palace, which is in the Heart thereof, and feveral Miles from the Gates, before any Notice is given of their Approach; the numerous Garrifor, which confifts of a mixed Multitude of different Nations, furprized and difmayed, instead of making any Refiftance, betake themfelves to flight, and efcape as fast as they can to their own Countries; whilft the Babylonians, who continue faithful, and are devoted to Destruction, undergo a general Mafficre, themfelves, their Wives, and Children; and their Houfes are given up to be plundered.

Nay,

Nay, as if it is not enough for the Punishment of fo impious a Nation, and their facrilegious King, that no Mercy is to be extended to any one of them, not even to fucking Babes, or Infants in the Womb, the Women are likewife to be abandoned to the Licentioulness and Luft of the Soldiers, before they have the Confolation of being put to Death: Ot all thefe Particulars, though no Mention is made thereof in Daniel, we are minutely informed in the Prophet Ifaiah; even to the total Extinction of the Royal Family, and the Denial of fo much as Burial to Belbazzar himself; fee Chap. xiii. to the End, and Chap. xiv. from Verse 4, to 27 inclufive. Such was the Chaftisement and Defolation of that vaft and magnificent City in general, for their inhuman Cruelty to the Ifraclites, and of their haughty and fuperlatively wicked Tyrant in particular, for his unparalleled and more than monftrous Attempt to infult over the Majefty of Heaven, and his therein notorious Breach of the First Commandment.

The next Instance we fhall produce, of the fignal and exemplary Vengeance of Heaven, upon the Trangreffors of this Law, fhall be that of Holofernes, that haughty and blafphemous General of the Affyrians, in the Reign of a former Nebuchadnezzar ; for this feems to have been the Name affumed by all the Affyrian Monarchs, as Pharaoh was by thofe of Egypt, and Cafar by the Emperors of Rome. This Prince, who is called in Prophane Hiftory, Saofduchinus, having gained a great Victory overArphaxad, or Aphraartes, King of the Medes, where. in the latter was himfelt flain; after having dedicated tour Months to Feafting and Revelling, recal. ling to Mind, how he had vowed to take Revenge. upon all thofe Nations, who, having been fent to for that Purpose, had refufed to join him with the r Forces in his Expedition against the Medes, appointed the beforementioned Holofernes General of

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his Armies; and fent him with a prodigious Body of Troops to put that his Vow in Execution: Giving him, at the fame Time, a ftrict Charge not to fpare any who offered to make the leaft Refift

ance.

Having received this Command then, this General fet out at the Head of an Hundred and Twenty Thoufand Foot, and Twelve Thousand Horfe, fully determined punctually to execute the Will of his Mafter. Accordingly, having over run a great Part of Afia Minor, and all Syria, with incredible Rapidity, and having put all to the Sword, who dared in the leaft to oppofe him, he ftruck fuch a Terror into Tyre and Sidon, and all the neighbour. ing Nations, that they fent Ambaffadors to him, with the humbleft Offers of Submiffion, imploring him for Peace, even upon his own Terms. And it is very poffible, the Jews themselves might have followed their Examp'e, but that Holofernes, in or der to curry Favour with his Mafter, and willing even to exceed his Commands, at leaft, as far as appears, had fubjoined another Condition of Obe dience, to which all those who were inclined to lay down their Arms, were to fubmit.

This was, that all the Nations who acknowledged Nebuchadnezzar as their Sovereign, fhould likewife worship him as their GoD. Now this was an Article, with which the Jews of thofe Days, who had lately feverely fuffered for Idolatry, and were then zealous for the Living LORD, neither could nor would by any Means comply; wherefore they prepare in Time for their Defence, by ftoring themfelves with Provifion, and fortifying the Paffes, fo that it was no eafy Matter to get at them. Befides this, they have recourfe to another Method, no lefs effctual and prevalent than the former; which was to humble themfelves before Heaven by Fafting

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and Prayer, and fervently to implore its Protection against their impious and idolatrous Enemies.

The haughty General of the Affyrians, who had before met with little or no Oppofition, being informed of these martial Preparations of the Jews, and of their Refolution to withffand him, was greatly furprized and incenfed thereat, and therefore immediately calls a Council of War, wherein he enquires who, and what they were; wherein their Strength confifted; who was their King, and who commanded their Army?

Now it happened, amongst thofe who had fubmitted to Holofernes, and joined him with the'r Forces, was one Achior, Captain of the Ammonites, who gave him a full, but fuccinct Account, of the Origin, Religion, Tranfactions, Sufferings, and aftonishing Deliverances of the Jews, from their being in Bondage to Pharaoh, till that Day; concluding the whole with this falutary Advice, to attack them if they had any way finned againft their God; but, if not, to let them alone, and pass them by, left he fhould defend them, as he had fo often done before, and they fhould be defeated fhamefully, and become the Scorn of the World. This ingenuous, bold, and fincere Anfwer, not only highly difpleafed Holofernes, but the whole Affembly, infomuch, that they demanded to have him put to Death; and declared on the contrary, efpecially the Moabites and Edomites, their Neighbours, but moft inveterate Enemies, that the Jews were a despicable People, who had no Strength in them, and whom H.. lofernes, with his Army, might not only eafily defeat, but utterly deftroy, or carry away captive.

The Tumult, however, being at laft appeafed, the proud Holofernes, who had already come to a Refolution within himfeif what he would do; in or

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der to fhew the greater Contempt, not only of the Jews themselves, but of Achior, who had reprefented their Gon as able to defend them, and even of that God himself, thus haughtily addreffed himfelf to that Captain: And who art thou, Achior, and the Hirelings of Ephraim, that thou hast prophefied among us as Today, and haft faid that we should not make War with the People of Ifrael, because their GOD will defend them? And who is Gop, but Nebuchadnezzar? He will fend his Power, and he will deftroy them from the Face of the Earth; and their GOD fhall not deliver them: But we his Servants will. defroy them as one Man, for they are not able to sustain the Power of our Horfes

After this infolent and blafphemous Speech, with much more to the fame Purpose, to fhew how little Doubt he had of overcoming, and utterly extirpating the Jerus, in fpite of the Affiftance of their GOD, he tells Achior, "He fhall fee his Face no "moré till he takes Vengeance of that Nation;.

and bids him be of good Heart, if he verily "thinks they fhall not fall into his Hands, for he "will caufe him to be delivered up to the Jews, and "he fhall not be defroyed, till he is deftroyed toแ gether with them" Accordingly, he kept his Word, immediately ordering his Servants to convey him directly to the Paffes, and there leave him, that he might fall into the Ilands of the Inhabitants of Bethulia, which was done forthwith.

But what was the Effect of all this Infolence and vain Boafting in this impious and prophane Exalter of himself against the Almighty, his Creator? Why, the great Lord of Heaven and Earth laughs him to Scorn, and delivers him into the Hands of Judith, a weak Woman; making her Beauty a Snare for him, wherewith to intrap his Life, infomuch that, whilft he thought carnally to have en

joyed

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