A. She was brought up in Shushan, the palace of the king of Persia, by Mordecai her first cousin, for her father and mother were dead, ver. 7.

3 Q. To what honour was she advanced? A. King Ahasuerus took her and made her queen, in the queen, Vashti, ver. 16, 17.

into his royal house, room of his former

Note, This Ahasuerus is supposed by Dr. Prideaux, and that with great probability, to be that second Artaxerxes, king of Persia, who was called Longimanus ; and who, perhaps, being influenced by Esther and Mordecai, gave a decree for Ezra to promote the building of the temple of Jerusalem, after the captivity in Babylon. -See chap. xiii. qu. 9, and 13.

4 Q. What was the occasion of Vashti's disgrace? A. When the king had made a most magnificent feast for all his nobles and princes, he sent for Vashti, to show the princes her beauty, and to grace the festival, but she refused to come, Esther i. 10-12.

5 Q. What service did Mordecai do for the king, which laid a foundation for his future advancement?

A. He gave information against two of the chamberlains, who had conspired against the king, upon which they were tried and hanged, Esther ii. 21-23.

6 Q. Who was made the king's chief favourite a little after this time?

A. Haman, of the seed of Agag the Amalekite, Esther iii. 1, 2.

7 Q. Wherein did Mordecai offend Haman ?

A. He refused to bow before him, and to do réverence to him, as the king's servants did at court, ver. 2. 8 Q. How did Haman attempt to revenge himself? A. By persuading the king to send orders to destroy all the Jews that were in all his dominions, ver. 6, &c. 9 Q. What did Mordecai do on this occasion?

A. He desired Esther the queen to venture into the king's presence, though she were not called, in order to petition the king for the lives of her people the Jews, Esther, iv.

10 Q. Did Esther comply with his request?

A. Though she knew it was death by the law to venture into the king's presence, unless he held out his golden sceptre to her: yet having first fasted and prayed to God three days, and appointed the Jews in Shushan to fast and pray, she ventured to approach the king, Esther v. 1.

11 Q. What success did queen Esther find?

A. The king held out his golden sceptre to her, and promised to grant her request even to the half of his kingdom, Esther v. 1-3.

12 Q. What was Esther's first request to the king?

A. That the king and Haman would come to a banquet which the queen had prepared for them: which request also she repeated the next day, Esther v. 3-8.

13 Q. How was Haman employed on that day?

A. He rejoiced at the invitation that Esther gave him, and he set up a gallows for Mordecai, fifty cubits high, expecting that at his desire the king would order Mordecai to be hanged thereon, ver. 9-14.

14 Q. How did the king pass the time that night? A. He could not sleep, and he had the book of records read to entertain him, wherein was written Mordecai's information of the conspiracy against the king, Esther vi. 1, 2.

15 Q. What effect had this on the king?

A. When he inquired and found that Mordecai had received no recompense for his faithfulness, he ordered Haman to array him in royal apparel, to set him on the king's own horse, and do the highest honours to him in a public procession through the city, ver. 11.

16 Q. In what remarkable hour did Haman receive this order from the king?

A. At that very time when he was come to court to speak to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had set up, ver. 4, 5.

17 Q. When the king and Haman were come to the banquet, what was queen Esther's further request?

A. That the nation of the Jews, which were her kindred, might be delivered from the general massacre that Haman had contrived for them, Esther vii. 1—7.

18 Q. What change of affairs ensued on this petition to the king?

A. The king commanded Haman te be hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai: he put Mordecai in Haman's place at court; and sent orders throughout his dominions for the Jews to defend themselves, Esther vii. 9, 10. and viii. 1-17.

19. Q. Why was not the order for the slaughter of the Jews rather reversed?

A. Because what was written in the king's name, and sealed with his ring, could not be reversed, according to the laws of the government, ver. 8. and God ordered it thus in his providence, for the public destruction of their enemies.

20 Q. How did the Jews defend themselves in the day designed for their general slaughter?

A. They slew seventy-five thousand of those that rose up against them, and the ten sons of Haman among the rest, Esther ix. 1-16.

21 Q. What memorial of this great deliverance was preserved among the Jews?

A. All the Jews agreed, by and with the authority of Esther and Mordecai, to keep the 14th and 15th day of the month Adar every year, as a day of thanksgiving for this salvation, ver. 20-32.

22 Q. What was the name of this festival?

A. These two days were called the days of Purim, from Pur, which signifies a Lot: because Haman had cast lots in a superstitious manner, to find out what month or day was the most lucky to execute his bloody device against the Jews, Esther ix. 26, 27, and iii. 7.

23 Q. How does this history appear to be a true account of things, since there is not the least hint who was the writer of it, nor is the name of God in it?

A. Because it is delivered down to us among the sacred writings by the Jews themselves, who "were the keepers of the oracles of God," Rom. iii. 2. And be

cause this feast of Purim is observed by the Jews to this day, in memory of this deliverance.

The end of the Histories of the Old Testament.

CHAPTER XIX.

A CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF THE GOVERNMENT AND CHURCH OF THE JEWS, FROM THE END OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, TO THE TIME OF CHRIST.

INTRODUCTION.

The learned Dr. Prideaux hath written two large and valuable volumes, which he calls the Connexion of the History of the Old and New Testament: wherein he gives us an account of all the most credible things that he can find in ancient historians, relating to the Jews and their customs, as well as their his tory, during that period of time between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New: he intermingles also a large collection of historical matters relating to Persia, Babylon, Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Rome, and all the more known and remarkable nations of the earth, wherein the great affairs of the four monarchies of the world were transacted. This renders his work a little too tedious to those who expected nothing more than a mere continuation of the Jewish history to the times of our Saviour.

Now it is only a very brief abstract of the history of the Jews which I endeavour here to set before the reader, that he may gain a little acquaintance with the affairs of the Jews, or the church of God, from the days of Nehemiah, when Scripture history ends, to the beginning of the Gospel, and the times of Christ, A great part of it must be taken originally from Jo

H

sephus, the Jewish historian, and from the Books of Maccabees, which I have consulted upon this occasion; but I have borrowed much further light and assistance from Dr. Prideaux in this matter, whose laborious collection from heathen writers, and judicious determination in many dubious points, have rendered his work more complete and accurate, and mine more easy.

SECTION I.

Of Nehemiah's further reformation, synagogues, Targums, Samaritans, proselytes, &c.

Note, This chapter being so long, the questions of each section shall be numbered apart.

1 Q. What further reformation did Nehemiah. make in Israel?

A. It is reported by the Jews, that he himself, together with Ezra the scribe, having found a great want of the knowledge of the law among the people, did about this time appoint the reading of the law in the several towns and cities; and, on this occasion, it is supposed that synagogues began to be built throughout the land, or at least to be restored and renewed, if there had been any built before.

2 Q. Where were the synagogues to be built?

A. According to the account which the Jews have given us, they might be built in any town where ten persons of full age, and of such condition and easy circumstances of life, could be found as to be always at leisure to attend the service.

3 Q. What was the service performed in the synagogues?

A. Prayer and praises to God, reading the holy Scriptures, and preaching and expounding them.

4 Q. In what manner were the Scriptures expounded?

A. The Jews and their posterity, having lost much