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Whom did God raise up from time to time?

What did the prophets oppose?

With what did they threaten the people? What did they foretell? Who was one of the most eminent of these prophets? What did some good kings endeavour to do? Who were they?

In what did the people notwithstanding continue?

What did God at last do with the kingdom of Judah? Who besieged Jerusalem? In whose reign?

Who was Nebuchadnezzar ?

What did Nebuchadnezzar do to the city?

To what place did he carry away the people?

How long after Solomon had laid the foundation of the temple of Jerusalem, did this happen?

How long before the birth of our Lord?

CHAPTER VI.

During what time did the circumstances mentioned in the 6th chapter happen?

How long did the Babylonish captivity last?

Who foretold it would? When the seventy years were expired, to what place did the Jews return? By whose leave?

threatened them with the judgments of God, and foretold the coming of the Messias. Isaiah was one of the most eminent of these prophets. There were also some good kings, who endeavoured to abolish idolatry, as Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah, and some others. But the people continuing (a) in their sins, God, after he had long threatened them and afflicted them at sundry times by the neighbouring kings, destroyed also the kingdom of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem in the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. He took it, and burnt it, with the temple, and carried away the people to Babylon, about four hundred and twenty years after Solomon had laid the foundation of the temple of Jerusalem, and five hundred and fourscore years before the birth of our Lord.

CHAPTER VI.

Of the time between the Captivity of Babylon and Jesus Christ.

The Babylonish captivity lasted seventy years, as the prophet Jeremiah had foretold (b) it should. When

(a) 2 Kings xxv.
(b) Jer. xxv. 11, 12.

Who was Cyrus? Under whose conduct did they return?

For what purpose?

By whom were they interrupted?

How long was the work delayed?

What did Darius command?

Who were the prophets that lived at that time? What did they exhort the Jews to do?

Who went some years afterwards into Judea?

By whose permission did he go?

What did he cause to be done?

What did he restore in that city?

What space of time was there from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the destruction of that city?

How much is seventy weeks of years?

Why do seventy weeks of years mean four hundred and ninety years?

A. Because in the prophecies a day stands for a year, and seventy times seven make four hundred and ninety.

Who predicted or foretold this circumstance?

To whom were the Jews subject after they returned into their own country?

these seventy years were expired, the Jews (a) returned into their own country by the leave of Cyrus, king of Persia, under the conduct of Zerobabel, to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. But in this they were interrupted by the neighbouring nations, and this work was delayed to the time of Darius, king of Persia, who commanded that the temple and the service of God should be set up again. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah lived at that time, and they exhorted the Jews to labour in building the temple. Some years afterwards (b) Nehemiah went into Judea by the permission of king Artaxerxes. He caused the walls of Jerusalem to be built, and restored order and civil government in that city.

From the rebuilding of (c) Jerusalem, in the reign of Darius, to the destruction of that city, which happened after the coming of Jesus Christ, there were seventy weeks of years; that is to say, four hundred and ninety years, according to the pre

(a) Dan. ix. 2. Esd. i. iv. v. &c.

(b) Neh. i. &c.

(c) Dan. ix. 24. Matt. xxiv. 15. Luke xxi. 2.

To whom afterwards? To what were they exposed?

Which was the last and most cruel of the persecu tions?

What did king Antiochus do to the temple of Jerusalem?

What did he make use of in order to force the Jews to renounce their religion?

Where may this be seen? What did Mattathias and many Jews do in consequence of this violence?

For what purpose were they to enter into a covenant?

By whose courage and conduct did they gain many victories?

Under whose government were they after they recovered their liberty, and had again set up the exercise of their religion?

Whom did they succeed? What title did they take? What are they called? Under whose dominion did the Jews at last fall?

diction of the prophet Daniel. The Jews, being returned into their own country, were for some time subject to the kings of Persia, and afterwards to the kings of Syria. They were exposed to divers persecu tions; whereof the last, and most cruel, was that of king Antiochus (a) who plundered and profaned the temple of Jerusalem, and made use of torments in order to force the Jews to renounce their religion, as may be seen in the history of the Maccabees. This was he that forced Mattathias, and many Jews to enter into a covenant together for the preservation of their religion and liberty. They gained many victories by the courage, and conduct of Judas Maccabeus and Jonathan, both sons of Mattathias. Having recovered their liberty, and again set up the exercise of their religion, they were for a long time under the government of the priests, who succeeded Judas and Jonathan, and took the title of kings. These are they who are called Asmoneans. At last, the Jews fell under the dominion of

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Whom did the Romans make king over Judea ?

Who came into the world while this Herod reigned?

CHAPTER VII.

Of what do we read an account in the 7th chapter?

Where was Christ born? Did any thing remarkable happen at his birth?

Did he quickly make himself known to the Jews?

At what age did he begin his ministry?

What ceremony did he then submit to?

By whom?

Where have we the history of the life of Jesus Christ?

Which are the three things principally to be considered in this history?

What was the doctrine he preached?

To what did it tend? What did the miracles which he wrought, manifest or show?

Whom did he make it appear by these miracles that he was?

What was his life? What may we find therein ?

Can you name any in particular?

the Romans, who made Herod king over Judea; and it was this Herod that reigned when Jesus Christ came into the world.

CHAPTER VII.

Of the birth of Jesus Christ; of his life and death; his resurrection, and ascension into heaven.

The time in which God had resolved to send his Son being come, Jesus Christ was born in Judea; and many things fell out, that made his birth remarkable. Nevertheless, he did not quickly make himself known to the Jews; nor did he begin to exercise his ministry before he was thirty years of age, and that he had been baptized by John the Baptist, his forerunner. We have the history of the life of Jesus Christ in the Gospel, and there are three things principally to be considered in this history, viz. the doctrine of Jesus Christ, his miracles, and the holiness of his life. The doctrine he preached was most holy, and tends only to the glory of God, and the good of mankind. He wrought a great number of miracles, which manifested an infinite power and goodness: by the miracles he has made it appear that he was the Son of God, and that his doctrine w

How long did Jesus live after this manner among the Jews?

What did they then do to him?

At what time did they put him to death?

What happened after that?
A. He arose again.
On what day?

How long after his resurrection did he ascend into heaven?

?

Where does he sit now What do you mean by "the right hand of God?" 4. The highest place of power.

Whom did he send to the Apostles? On what day?

CHAPTER VIII. What do we read an account of in the 8th chapter? Who were the apostles? A. Twelve disciples chosen by Christ to be his constant companions, and sent or commissioned by him to preach the Gospel.

Where did the Apostles receive the Holy Ghost? What did they then begin to preach there?

How did they confirm their doctrine?

Where did they at first preach, and to whom?

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We may find therein an example of all kinds of virtues, and particularly of an admirable charity and humility, of an extraordinary zeal, and of a perfect indif ference for the world.

Jesus having lived after this manner among the Jews, for about the space of four years, they crucified him, and put him to death at the feast of the passover; but he rose again the third day after his death, and forty days after his resurrection he ascended into heaven, where he sits at the right hand of God; and from whence he sent the Holy Ghost to his Apostles upon the day of

Pentecost.

CHAPTER VIII.

Of the preaching of the apostles, and the establishment of the Christian religion.

The Apostles, having received the Holy Ghost in the city of Jerusalem, began to preach the Gospel there, and to confirm their doctrine by miracles. At first, they preached only in Judea, and to none but Jews: but God having made known to them, that the Christian religion ought to be taught to all men, they went to preach the Gospel throughout the

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