commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not

unto me.

"I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

"Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened

unto me:

"Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

"And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

"Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever." (Jer. xxxv.)

So God made these Rechabites an example to those who lived at Jerusalem. He was their father, and He had ordered them to have peculiar customs of their own, and always to keep to them, and not to do as the nations around them, and not to serve idols or heathen gods; but they had not obeyed God's orders, like the Rechabites, who kept those of their father. The Rechabites still kept their old customs, living just as they used to live in the desert: but the Israelites got to live like the heathen, and to serve idol gods; so God said He would punish them.

QUESTIONS.

Who were the Kenites? How did they live? What had Jael done? What made them go to Jerusalem? What sort of people were they? Who were the Rechabites? What do you know of Jonadab? What had he ordered them? Whom did God send to them? What was he to do? Why did not they drink wine? What other orders of their father had they obeyed? How did God praise them for it? What did He promise them? How did He make them an example to the people of Jerusalem? How had the Jews neglected the orders of their father? Who was their father? What was to be their punishment?

MY FATHER.

GREAT GOD! and wilt Thou condescend
To be my father and my friend?
I a poor child, and Thou so high,
The Lord of earth, and air, and sky!

Art Thou my Father? Canst Thou bear
To hear my poor imperfect prayer?
Or wilt Thou listen to the praise
That such a one as I can raise?

Art Thou my Father? Let me be
A meek obedient child to Thee;
And try in word, and deed, and thought,
To serve and please Thee as I ought.

Art Thou my Father? I'll depend
Upon the care of such a friend;
And only wish to do and be
Whatever seemeth good to Thee.

Art Thou my Father? Then at last,
When all my days on earth are past,
Send down and take me in Thy love,
To be Thy better child above.

Taylor.

CHAPTER LXXIV.

THE PROPHETS OF THE CAPTIVITY.

HAB-AK-KUK (embrace) is said by the Jews to be that son of the Shunammite woman whom Elisha restored to life; nothing is known for certain about him.

He prophesied during the captivity; though some think it was in the reign of Manasseh, King of Judah. His book is poetry, and was set to music.

DANIEL (Judge of God) was not a priest, but one of the princes of the royal family of Judah, who was carried captive, when quite a young man, to Babylon, and was brought up in the palace.

He rose to high honour with the king, and in his old age he prophesied what should happen to all the great kingdoms of the world up to the coming of Christ, and how long Christ should live on the earth. Some people think he foretold when the end of the world should be. He died in Babylon when very old.

OBADIAH (worshipper of Jehovah) very likely prophesied between the fall of Jerusalem and the conquest of Edom, five years later. His book only contains one chapter, which speaks of the fate of Edom (the kingdom of the sons of Esau), who had always been such bitter foes to Israel.

EZEKIEL (God will strengthen) was the son of Buzi, of whom we know nothing but his name. Some people say he was the servant of Jeremiah. He was a priest like Jeremiah.

He prophesied quite at the end of Jeremiah's time, during the captivity. He was carried away to Babylon in the reign of Je-hoi-a-kim (eight years later than Daniel), with other noble prisoners, and settled on the banks of the River Che-bar, where he saw wonderful visions. His book is long and very hard to understand. He foretells the resurrection of our bodies, and the fate of many great nations.

HAGGAI (festive), ZECHARIAH (whom Jehovah remem

bers), MALACHI (Messenger of Jehovah) prophesied after the return of the Jews from captivity. They came back from Babylon either with the first lot of captives, in the time of Cyrus, or more likely a few years later. They found the people afraid to continue building the temple, and they stirred up a revival, and caused them to begin it again, and got the help of the king of Babylon; so the temple was finished.

а

QUESTIONS.

Name the prophets who lived during the captivity. Who was Daniel? Where did he die? What were his prophecies about? What is the shortest prophecy? When did Obadiah live? Who was Ezekiel? Where did he prophesy? Where did he live? What did he see there? Name the prophets after the captivity? What does Malachi mean? What good thing did the other

two do?

CHAPTER LXXV.

THE CAPTIVITY.-DANIEL.

THE prophet Daniel was descended from the royal family of David. When twenty years old he, with many others, was carried captive to Babylon. He was a good looking youth, and he resided at the court of Neb-u-chad-nez-zar with his three companions, Shadrach, Me-shach, and Abed-nego.

The four youths attained to high positions, and during the three years of their training abstained from meat and wine, lived on the coarsest fare, and yet proved comely and well-favoured. In time they became of the first rank and importance in Babylon, for God was with them.

"As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom." Neb-u-chad-nez-zar dreamt a dream which troubled

him much. All his wise men were ordered to explain it, but the king had forgotten it; and when they failed to recall and explain it he threatened them with death. On this being made known to Daniel, he, with his three companions, offered up earnest prayer to God, and He told them the dream and its meaning.

Neb-u-chad-nez-zar was filled with awe at their wonderful knowledge, and he heaped upon Daniel and his friends the highest honours. A few years after Daniel was called upon to interpret another dream of Nebuchadnezzar's.

DANIEL INTERPRETETH THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL.

Afterwards he was called upon to interpret the handwriting upon the wall of Belshazzar's palace on the occasion of an impious feast given by that monarch.

Bel-shaz-zar made a great feast for his nobles, and offended God by sending for the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem, and allowing his guests to drink from them to the honour of their gods. But suddenly a hand was seen writing