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camp of the Affyrians an hundred fourfcore and five thoufand, 2 Kings xix. 19, 35. which was the fulfilling of the Prophecy of Ifaiah, delivered to Hezekiah, in a Meffage to Him from God, in Answer to his Prayer: And Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, and there fell by the Sword, as the fame Prophet had foretold, and never came before Jerufalem, ver. 7, 33, 37. And afterwards Embassadors came from the King of Babylon, to enquire of the Wonder, or Miracle, that was wrought in his Recovery from his Sickness, 2 Chron. xxxij. 31. And at laft, the Captivity of the Jews, for Seventy Years, in Babylon, made their Religion almost as well known there, as in Ferufalem it felf. Feremiah had foretold the Captivity of the Jews, and the Conqueft of all the adjacent Countries, fo long and fo plainly, before-hand, that all the neighbour Nations must be fenfible of it, as Nebuchadnezzar himself also was; for which reafon, he gave a strict charge concerning Jeremiah, to Nebuzaradan the Captain of the Guard, who declares the reafon of their Captivity to be, their fins against the Lord, or Jehovah, Jer. xl.3. and, as the Jems fay, he became a Profelyte. Their Enemies were fenfible of the cause of their Destru&tion: Their Adverfaries faid, we offend not, because they have finned against the Lord, the habitation of Fuftice, even the Lord the hope of their Fathers, Jer. 1. 7. God profeffes, that he had a regard to the Honour of his Name among the Heathen, in his Mercies vouchfafed to the Children of Ifrael, or elfe he had utterly confumed them, Ezek. xx. 9. xxxvi. 22, 23, 36. and the Judgments upon the feveral Nations prophefied againft, were to this end, that they might know him to be the Lord, Ezek. xxv. 7, 17. xxvi. 6. xxviii. 22, 23, 24. xxix. 6. xxxv. 9. xxxvi. 23. xxxvii. 28. Í am a great King, faith the Lord of hofts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen, Mal. i. 14. The Jews, in their Captivity, are commanded to make an open Declaration against the Heathen Gods; and because they

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understood not the Chaldee Tongue, the Prophet Jeremiah fupplies them with fo much of the Language as might ferve them for that purpofe; Thus fhall ye fay unto them, Jer. x. 11. that is, Ye fhall fpeak to them in their own Language, and in the words which I now fet down to you, to bid Defiance to their False Gods. Thus did he fulfil his Commiffion and Character, who was fanctified and ordained a Prophet unto the nations, Jer. i. 5. And Jeremiah was put to death in Egypt, and Ezekiel in Babylon, for appearing against the Idolatry of thofe Places."

During the Captivity, Jehoiachin was reconciled to the King of Babylon, and in great favour with him : His throne was fet above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, 2 Kings xxv. 28. The Jews were commanded to take Wives for Them, and for their Sons, that they might be encreased there, and not diminifhed, (Jer. xxix. 6.) and they were not only confiderable for their Number, but were in great Esteem, and in Places of great Honour and Truft; and their Religion was extolled and recommended by Publick Edicts to all under that vaft Empire. The Almighty Power of God was manifested by Miracles, and by the Interpretation of Dreams and Prophecies; and his Majefty and Honour was acknowledged and proclaimed in the most publick and folemn manner, throughout all the Babylonian Empire, at the Command of Princes who were Idolaters, and were forced to it by the meer convictions of their own Confciences, wrought, in them by the irresistible Power of God, Dan. ii, iii, iv, v, vi.

Daniel had acquainted Cyrus (as Jofephus fays) with the Prophecy of Isaiah, in which he was fo long before mention'd by Name: However, the Lord stir

2 Lingua Aramaâ dicunt Interpretes Prophetam idcirco locutum effe, quia Judæos cum Chaldan difputantes Jeremias inftruebat, quomodo iis refpondendum effet Linguâ Chaldaicâ. Abravanelde cap. Fidei. c. 20.

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red up the Spirit of Cyrus, by this or fome other means, to accomplish the Prophecy which he had made both by Ifaiah and Jeremiah, concerning the Reftoration of the Jews, after a Captivity of Seventy Years; and Cyrus fent forth his Proclamation, declaring that he had received his Kingdom from God, with a charge to rebuild the Temple at Jerufalem, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 23. And this Decree of Cyrus was reinforced by Darius and Artaxerxes, Ezrå vi, vii. Now so many feveral Decrees, put forth in favour of the Reli-gion of the Jews, and the miraculous Power and Wifdom which gave occafion to them, and the Advancement of Daniel and others, and the long life and continuance of Daniel in that Power and Efteem, muft leave all the Eastern part of the World without any excufe, who were not converted to the Knowledge and Worship of the True God. The Advancement of Efther and Mordecai under Abafuerus, and of Nehemiah under Artaxerxes, gave the Jews great Authority, and great opportunities of propagating their Religion from India even unto Æthiopia, over an hundred and feven and twenty provinces; for this was the extent of the Dominions of Abafuerus, Efth. i. 1. and the Jews were difperfed in all the Provinces of the Kingdom of Babylon, chap. iii. 8. And they wanted no Care nor Diligence to improve every Opportunity; as we learn from the Books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Efther; and the very Names of fuch Perfons are enough to convince us, that that part of the World could want no means of Converfion : Confefs him before the Gentiles, ye children of Ifrael; for he hath fcattered us among them: there declare his greatnefs, and extol him before all the living: for he is our Lord, and he is the God, our Father for ever. In the land of my captivity do I praife him, and declare his might and majesty to a finful nation, Tob. xiii. 3, 4,6. This was the Practice of Pious Men among the Ten

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Tribes, of whom fome were likewife in great Place and Authority, chap. i. 13, 21, 22.

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And as the Ten Tribes were firft carried away Captive; fo, upon the Restoration of the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, all but a few, in comparifon, of the other Tribes, remained in the places of their Captivity, and many of thofe Two Tribes alfo chofe rather to continue in Babylon, than forfake the Poffeffions which they enjoyed there: It is fuppofed, that not much more than half of them returned; and there were afterwards three celebrated Universities of the Jews in Babylon, Nehardea, Pombeditha, and Soria, befides feveral other Places famous for Learning. The Jews relate, that the Ten Tribes were carried away not only into Media and Perfia, but into the Northern Countries beyond the Bofphorus; and Ortelius finds them in Tartary. The Odomantes, a People of Thrace, were Circumcifed; and the Scholiaft of Ariftophanes fays, that they were reported to be Jews. In procefs of time they went as far as China.

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The Reftoration of the Jews by Cyrus, who had been fo long before appointed and named by God himself for that Work, was ordained for this end, that they might know, from the rifing of the fun, and from the weft, that there is no God befides him, Ifa. xlv.6. The Conquefts of Cyrus opened a great correfpondence between the Nations of the World, and his particular Favour to the Jews made them much taken notice of by other Nations. And it is obfervable, that after the Captivity, the Jews were never given to Idolatry; and tho' they were before too much addicted to it, yet this gave occafion to Prophecies and Miracles to withdraw them from it; and thefe, with the Judg

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Jofeph. Antiq. 1. 11. c. 1. Mede's Difcourfe, 20. p. 75. Buxtorf. Tiber. c. 6. Lightf. Harm. N. T. p. 335. Exercit. on Acts, p. 681, 799.

e. Hier. in Zech. 10.

Ariftophan. Acharnenf. A&. 1. Scen. 4

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ments of God which befel them for their Iniquities, gave continual Manifeftations to the World of the Truth of their Religion.

When the Ten Tribes were carried from Samaria, and strange Nations were tranfplanted thither in their room, God would not fuffer his Name and Worship to be quite neglected and forgotten among them, but they were forced to fend for a Priest back again, to teach them the fear of the Lord, 2 King. xvii.

And after the taking of Jerufalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and the Death of Gedaliah, who was set over them that were left behind in the Land of Judah, all the People that were not before carried to Babylon, fled into Egypt, Jeremiah being forced along with them, who there prophefied against Ægypt, and foretold its Destruction by the Babylonians, Jer. xliii. and at laft fuffer'd Martyrdom. Their going into Egypt, was indeed contrary to the Word of the Lord by feremiah; but the Providence of God. fo order'd things, that Jeremiah fhould be carry'd thither with the rest, to teftifie against their Wickednefs and Obftinacy, and to denounce God's Judgments upon them, and upon the Ægyptians, in whom they placed their confidence, rather than in the Living God, and then to die in teftimony of the Truth of what he had delivered.

Cyrus and Darius defired the Prayers and Sacrifices of the Jews, in behalf of themselves and their Kingdoms. Alexander the Great, Ptolemæus Philadelphus, Auguftus, Tiberius, and Vitellius, fent Victims to be facrificed at the Temple of Jerufalem, (as we learn from Philo and Jofephus.) The Jews conftantly offer'd Sacrifices and Prayers for the Kings and Emperors under whom they lived, and for their Allies and Confederates, 1 Maccab. vii. 33. and xii. 11. and it was expected of them: for the omiffion of this, contrary to their known and approved Cuftom in all former Times, was the thing which haftened their final Deftruction by the Romans.

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