was a chest or press wherein the law was kept wrapped in embroidered cloth. The seats for the men and women were separate. The women sat in a gallery inclosed with lattices. The door-posts without and walls within, were inscribed with some significant texts of scripture.

Besides the law, they used to read the Shema or certain portions of scripture out of Deuteronomy and Numbers; and the prophets also, from the time that Antiochus Epiphanes prohibited the reading of the law. After the reading and expounding were finished, any person of learning or knowledge in the scriptures might address himself to the people on moral or divine subjects.

The fixed and principal officers of the synagogue were called rulers; the minister was to pray in the name of the

congregation; he was also called the Sheliach Zibbor or angel of the church or congregation. The next degree was the Chazanim, overseers or deacons, who had the charge and oversight of the synagogue, and all the things in it. Under them were the interpreters, who, upon reading the law in Hebrew, inmediately rendered it in Chaldee which became the most common and intelligible language after the captivity.

The times for assembling in the synagogue, were morning, noon and evening, on all fasts and feasts; and thrice a week besides at the same times of the day; which practice greatly contributed to preserve the Jews after the captivity, from that proneness to idolatry, which their forefathers had always shewn, by their so perpetually falling into this sin.

Great.

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The form of Alexander the

The Jews con

The War and Zeal of the Maca

You must remember, that upon the expulsion of those whom Nehemiah had banished; because they would not part with their strange wives; many of them settled in Samaria. Among these exiles there was the son of Jehoiada the high-priest, whose name was Manasseh. He having married the daughter of Sanballat, put himself under the protection of his father in-law; who after the death of Nehemiah, revolted from Darius, and found means ta

Nehemia h's death was followed with a change of government at Jerusalem. Judea had no longer a governor of its own. It was united to the prefecture of Syria; the rulers of which committed the adininisration of both civil and ecclesiastical affairs to the

high-priest for the time being. By this means the high-priesthood became an office under the appointment of the heathen power; and towards the latter end of Artaxerxes Mnemon's reign, who succeeded his father Darius Nothus, was conferred and disposed of by the governor of Syria and Phonicia. ForBagoses, the governor, took upon him to displace Johanan, the high-priest, in favour of the said priest's brother, Joshua. But this nomination and appointment did not take place, for Johanan slew Joshua in the inner court of the temple, as he endeavoured by force to possess

himself of the high-priest's office, in virtue of the governor's commission; yet it was attended with this bad consequence, that Ragoses incensed at the news of this murder, came to Jerusalern, and imposed a heavy fine. upon the nation, which continued seven years, or during all the rest of his government.

Artaxerxes Mnemon died of grief, at the brutality of his son Ochus, who had SO terrified his eldest brother

Ariaspes, that he poisoned himself, and had his younger brother Arsames assassinated. So that Ochus succeeded to the dignity and empire of his father. In the third year of Ochus, about 356 before Christ, Alexander the Great was born at Pella, in Macedonia. Ochus having reigned twenty-one years, was poisoned by his favourite, Bagoas, who, in hopes of getting the power of the government into his own hands, put the crown upon the head of Arses, his youngest son; whom also he poisoned soon after; and raised Codomannus, a distant relation of the late king, to the throne. This new king took the name of Darius, and when Bagoas had also prepared a poisonous draught for him, he obliged him to drink it himself; by which means he saved his own life, and punished the traitor.

Alexander the Great, about this to the kingdom of time succeeded Macedon, on the death of his father, Philip, (who was slain by ausanias, as he was celebrating the marriage of his daughter, with Alexander king of Epirus) before he set out upon the Grecian expedition against Persia, in which he was chosen captain-general of the united forces of Greece. He also succeeded to that

In

two

command, by a new election. one campaign he over-run all Asia Minor; vanquished Darius in battles; took his mother, wife and children prisoners; and subdued all Syria as far as Tyre.

During the siege of Tyre, he demanded the submission of the neighbouring provinces of Galilee, Samaria and Judea. The two former submitted to him: but Judea adhered in their allegiance to Darius, so long as he lived. This brought upon them the wrath of the conqueror; who, after he had taken Tyre by stratagem, by carrying a bank from the continent to the island on which the city stood; and burnt the city to the ground, and destroyed the inhabitants in a barbarous manner; he marched to Jerusalem, with vengeance in his heart. Upon his approach thither, the high-priest Jidua and all the city, were under dreadful appre hensions. And having no other resource but God's providential interposition to fly to, they fasted and prayed; and God was pleased in a vision, to direct the high-priest, clad in his pontifical robes, and attended with the priests in their proper habits, together with the people, in white garments, to go and meet Alexander

an eminence beyond the city. When Alexander saw this procession moving towards him, and the high-priest in the front, he was overwed, drew near, bowed down and aluted him in a religious manner; lleging that he did so in regard to that God whose priest he was: addg, moreover, that a person habited ke the high-priest, had appeared to him in a dream, at Dio in Macedonia, encouraged him to invade Persia, and assured him of success. Jad

ua conducted him into the city;

and, having offered sacrifices in the temple; shewed him the prophecies of Daniel, concerning the overthrow of the Persian empire, by a Gre cian king.

Alexander was well satisfied with his reception at Jerusalem; and, at his departure, granted the Jews the free exercise of their religion, and an exemption from tribute every seventh year. The Jews were so well pleased with this behaviour, that upon his signifying that he would receive as many of them as would enlist into his service, great numbers entered themselves, and followed him in his other expeditions. The Samaritans also went to meet him with great pomp and parade, after he left Jerusalem, and invited him to their city. But Alexander deferred their invitation, and giving answer to their petition for certain privileges they sued for, until his return from Egypt; and left his favourite Andromachusgovernor of Syria and Palestine.

Andromachus coming afterwards to Samaria, to transact some business, was burnt to death in his house, which was purposely set on fire, it was thought by the Samaritans, in revenge of the slight which they imagined Alexander had shewn them. But as soon as Alexander heard thereof, he caused all to be put to death, whom he apprehended had any hand in the murder, banished the rest of the inhabitants from Samaria, and transplanted thither, a colony of Macedonians, and the residue of the country he gave to the Jews.

Upon the ruins of the Persian, Alexander had erected the Grecian or Macedonian monarchy. But

coming to Babylon, after having conquered the greatest part of the then known world, he gave himself up to drunkenness and gluttony which soon put an end to his life.

With regard to the character of Alexander, it may be proper to observe to you, that he was of a bold and enterprising spirit; but more full of fire than discretion. His actions, though successful, were executed with a furious and ext avagant temerity. His virtues, few in themselves, were obscured with many and much greater vices. Vain-glory was his predominant passion; and the tables of the ancient Greek heroes were the only charts by which he steered his conduct. His dragging Betis round Gaza; his expedition into India; his drunken procession through Carainania, and taking to himself the name of the son of Jupiter, are so many vouchers of this assertion. And were all his actions duly considered and estimated, he would be properly characterized the great cut-throat of the age in which he lived; those are such, who delight in blood-shed, and who will sacrifice ALL to obtain universal monarchy. Whereas, they only are the true heroes, who most benefit the world by promoting the peace and welfare of mankind. In a righteous cause, or a just defence of a man's country, all actions of valour are worthy of praise; but in all other cases, victory and conquest are no more thau murder and robbery. Therefore Alexander's heroism is to be avoided, and not to be followed, and deserves abhorrence and ignominy, instead of honour and glory.

as all

Alexander was no sooner dead than Ptolemy Soter seized upon Egypt. He had for some time endeavourod to gain Syria, Phoenicia and Judæa, out of the hands of Laomedon, whom Alexander had ap-` pointed governor in the room of Andromachus, who was burnt; but having invaded them by sea and land together, he took Laomedon prisoner, and made himself master of all those provinces, except Judca; which upon account of allegiance to the surviving governor, refusing to yield, felt afterwards the severity of the

conqueror. For he, understanding that the Jews would rather suffer death than take up arms to defend themselves on their Sabbath, stormed Jerusalem, took it without resistance on that day, and carried above 100,000 of them captives into Egypt.

From this time we may date the Jews subjection to the kings of Egypt. In the fifth year of this Ptolemy's reign, Onias the Jewish high-priest died; and was succeeded by his son Simon the Just, who was high-priest nine years, and completed the canon of the Old Testament; adding to it the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Malachi, and the two books of Chronicies; he was assisted herein by the great synagogue. His son Onias being a minor, Eleazar his brother succeeded to the high-priesthood.

Ptolemy Soter was succeded by his son Ptolemy Philadelphus, who finished the museum or college of learned men, and the famous library at Alexandrta, begun by his father, and which contained 700,000 volumes; amongst which he placed an authentic trans