scenes of life, he was at length called to the severe trial of offering up his son Isaac at the command of the Deity. All his lofty hopes were reposed in that son, yet he hesitated not to execute the divine behest.

Just at the moment, however, in which he stretched forth his hand, to take the life of his son, God interposed, and satisfied with Abraham's intention, accepted that in room of the deed, rescuing Isaac and commending the faith of the patriarch. Abraham died at the age of 175 years.

2. Little is known of Melchisedec. When Abraham was returnmg from the destruction of Chedorlaomer and his confederates, Melchisedec met and blessed him. The scriptural account is the following: "And Melchisedec, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth. And he (Abraham) gave him tithes of all."

The apostle says, in his epistle to the Hebrews, "Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils."

3. Sesostris was a king of Egypt. His age is so remote from every authentic record, that many have supposed that the actions and conquests ascribed to this monarch are wholly uncertain and fabulous. The amount of what has come down respecting him, as has already appeared in part, is the following. When he ascended the throne, he became ambitious of military fame, and accordingly, at the head of a numerous army, he proceeded to make the conquest of the world.

He subdued the most of Asia, and even invaded Europe, bringing the Thracians into subjection; and, that the fame of his conquests might long survive him, he placed columns in the subjugated provinces; and, many ages after, this pompous inscription was read in several parts of Asia: "Sesostris, the king of kings, has conquered this territory by his arms."

At his return home, the monarch employed his time in encouraging the fine arts, improving the revenues of his kingdom, erecting temples, building cities, and digging canals. He committed suicide when he had become old and infirm, after reigning 44 years. His era was 1722 years B. C.

4. Joseph is celebrated in sacred history, and no one's life was more eventful in itself, or has been described with greater felicity than his has been, in scripture. It is unnecessary to say over again what has been said respecting this eminent person, especially since the reference to scripture is so easy, and the reader who once begins the story of Joseph, can seldom feel disposed to leave it until it be finished. The triumph of innocence, and the success of piety, in this instance, show the care of God over good men, and may well lead them to put their confidence more and more in

him.

5. Cecrops was a native of Egypt. He led a colony to At

tica, and reigned over part of the country. He married the daughter of a Grecian prince, and was deemed the first founder of Athens. He taught his subjects to cultivate the olive, and was the first who raised an altar to Jupiter, in Greece, and offered him sacrifices.

After a reign of 50 years, spent in regulating his newly formed ingdom, and in polishing the minds of his subjects, Cecrops died, and was succeeded by Cranaus, a native of the country.

6. Cadmus was a Phoenician. He laid the foundation of Thebes. This fact is very much invested with fable, which needs not to be detailed. If Thebes, according to some, sprang up at the sound of Amphion's lyre, i. e. by encouraging the workmen, still Cadmus built a citadel which he called Cadmea, and thus formed the com mencement of a city.

Cadmus was the first who introduced the use of letters into Greece, though some maintain that the same alphabet was in existence among the native inhabitants. This alphabet consisted only of 16 letters, to which 8 were afterwards added. The worship of several of the Egyptian and Phoenician deities was also introduced by Cadmus. His era is reckoned to be 1519 years B. C.

PERIOD IV.

The Period of the Trojan War, extending from the de parture of the Israelites from Egypt, 1491 years B. C. to the dedication of Solomon's temple, 1004 years B. C.

ISRAELITES.

SECTION 1. The history of the ISRAELITES at this era assumes a very marked character. Oppressed by the Egyptian monarch, they cried unto God for deliverance, and a divine deliverance they experienced..

Moses, selected as the instrument of saving his countrymen, was in due time called to his work; and, after a series of miracles, which he performed by the divine assistance, he led the people out from before Pharaoh, into the borders of the promised land.

The consequence to many of the Egyptians was their destruction; for Pharaoh and his army pursuing the Israelites through the Red Sea, were overwhelmed with its waters.

After wandering in the wilderness 40 years, and frequently rebelling against God, the Israelites were conducted by the hand of Moses in sight of Canaan, when he died, without entering it himself, 1447 years B. C

§ The story of Moses, and of his agency in delivering the Israelites, is very interesting and instructive; but we have no room for its particulars. We will, however, mention some incidents, subsequent to the retreat of the Israelites from Egypt.

The Israelites were no sooner delivered from the Egyptians, than they murmured against Moses, on account of the want of food; to satisfy them, God sent first a great quantity of quails, and the next morning manna, which fell regularly every day, except on sabbath days, during the 40 years they remained in the wilderness.

Again the people murmured for water, and Moses, by the Lord's command, made a supply to issue from a rock. At this juncture, the Amalekites attacked Israel, and were defeated by Joshua. The people soon after arriving at Mount Sinai, God gave them his law. During, however, the absence of Moses in the mount, they fell into idolatry, in consequence of which 3000 of them were put to death.

In the course of the second year after the retreat from Egypt, Moses numbered the children of Israel from 20 years old and upwards, and there were found 603,550 men able to go to war, besides the Levites.

About this time, 12 men were sent to spy the land of Canaan, who, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, reported unfavourably which caused the people to murmur. Upon this offence, God condemned all those who were twenty years old and upwards when they came out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb.

As a punishment for their murmurs, the Israelites began to trave in the wilderness 1489 years B. C. At this time Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, revolting against Moses, were swallowed by the earth, with 250 of their associates. In 1452 years B. C., the Israelites began their conquests, by the defeat of the kings of the Amorites, Bashan, Moab, &c.

At the age of 120 years Moses died on Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, having first taken a view of the promised land.

2. The successor of Moses was Joshua, who conducted the people into the promised land, having, by the divine command, mostly destroyed the wicked nations that inhabited it.

After this event, the Israelites, with some intermission, were directed by leaders, called Judges, for the space of 356 years. They paid a high respect to these officers, and also to the priests, but they acknowledged no other king than God.

As the people at length became weary with this state of things, and desired a king, so as to be like the nations around them, a king was, in the divine displeasure, granted to them.

§ Joshua having led the Israelites to the banks of the Jordan, whose waters divided to afford them a passage, conducted them safely over

D

it. He conquered 31 cities in the course of six years. He died 1426 years B. C.

The people were perpetually inclined to forsake the worship of Jehovah, and to pollute themselves with the abominations of the hea then. For this they were repeatedly brought into bondage, and consequent distress. Their Judges were the instruments of delivering

them on these occasions.

One occasion was as follows. The Israelites, being brought into the power of the Midianites, after seven years of suffering, they cried unto the Lord, who sent an angel to Gideon to announce to him that he was chosen to deliver Israel from their oppressors.

By divine direction, Gideon retained of 32,000 men whom he had collected, only 300 men, and with them, each carrying a lamp concealed in an earthen vessel, to be broken at a proper opportunity, he so terrified the Midianites, that they fled in confusion, and turned their swords against one another.

Samson also, on another occasion, delivered his countrymen by a series of extraordinary efforts of strength and courage which we cannot particularly recount. It may be only mentioned, that, at the conclusion of his course, having been betrayed by his wife, and deprived of his strength-upon its return, he pulled down, by a single exertion of his muscular energy, the temple of Dagon on the heads of his enemies, the Philistines, with whom he perished in the general ruin.

Samuel, the last and most eminent of these leaders, and a prophet also, rendered signal service to his countrymen, especially by the moral influence which he exercised over them. When old, however, he took for his assistants in the government, his two sons, whose mismanagement occasioned murmurs among the people, and a desire to have a king.

3. Saul, the son of Kish, was the first king of Israel. Hav ing been privately anointed by Samuel, he was afterwards publicly proclaimed, 1079 years B. C. His reign was prosperous at first, but at length was characterized by crime and ill success. He perished miserably.

He was succeeded by David, who, though he erred in several instances, was a man of distinguished talents, bravery, and piety; he raised his people to the highest pitch of national prosperity and happiness. The wise and rich Solomon was his son and successor. He laid the foundation of a magnifi · cent temple, 1011 years B. C.

§ Saul, having spent an unhappy life, and being at war with the Philistines, had his army routed, and three of his sons slain, and he himself, having received a wound, and fearing to fall into the hands of his enemies, took a sword and fell upon it.

David had been previously anointed king, but he at first reigned only over the tribe of Judah. But after the death of Ishbosheth, a

son of Saul, who had assumed the government of the tribes, he reigned over the whole of Israel.

He spent a very active and perilous life, and among the conquests he made were the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Syrians. He had at length some domestic troubles, and was in danger from an insurrection of his subjects, but he lived to see his enemies destroyed, and he left a rich and flourishing realm to his

son.

CANAANITES.

4. The history of the CANAANITES, and some of the neighbouring nations or tribes, is involved in that of the Jews during this period. They were mostly subdued by Joshua, but seemed to revive at different times, to the great annoyance of the Israelites. From the time of Solomon, they can scarcely be said to have had a national existence. The remnants of them, except the Canaanites, properly so called, who afterwards went under the appellation of Phoenicians, were swallowed up in the great monarchies that successively existed in Asia.

PHOENICIANS.

5. The PHŒNICIANS are known in history principally as a navigating and commercial people, among whom the arts were early cultivated. Their country was divided into several small kingdoins; but the most considerable of their sove reignties were the cities of Sidon and Tyre. We know nothing of the kings of Sidon till the present and succeeding periods. Hiram was king of Tyre, and contemporaneous with David and Solomon.

§ Sidon, according to Josephus, was built by Sidon, the eldest son of Canaan. Tyre was founded by the posterity of Sidon. Herodotus gives to the older Tyre a great antiquity. The new city, reared opposite to the ancient, on an island, is said, by Josephus, to have been built in the year B. C. 1255.

The Phoenicians are regarded as the earliest navigators, merchants, and workmen, of the world. We learn from ancient records, that they carried on trade, not only over all the coasts of the Mediterranean, but even over the ocean, as far as England, whence they exported tin.

The early kings are not known, except those who had some commerce with the Jews. To Hiram, king of Tyre, both David and Solomon applied when proposing to build a temple to the Lord. He helped them by furnishing, not only precious materials, but also a great number of workmen. After a glorious reign, Baleazar, his son, succeeded him.