Earlier text: A PRAYER OF FAITHUNDER the title “Apparent Success of Millionaire Gamblers and their Agents,” the Christian Advocate, in a recent issue, speaks concerning the failure of the race-track bill in the New York legislature in these plain words:— By an immense majority, the house of representatives of the State of New York passed the bill to prohibit race-track gambling in that State. The Senate defeated it by a vote of twenty-five to twenty-five. Is there a man in the State of New York who doubts that a vast amount of money passed into the hands of some of those senators? Is there a man who doubts that some of them voted as they did under the mental whiplash of local political bosses? It will be difficult for the Advocate to find many doubters on this subject. The debauching of legislatures by the use of money and by a corrupting political influence has become notorious. There are many signs of this sort; but we see no signs of an approaching millennium of righteousness. Rome in the Church of England
THE power and influence of the Roman element in the English state church has been growing steadily for years, and the sympathizers with the Romeward tendencies in the English rituals are becoming bolder in their declarations of purpose. This was strikingly shown in a recent congress of the Church of England when Lord Halifax declared:— The principles of the Reformation are things to be repented of with tears and ashes. There can be no question as to the direction of Lord Halifax’s sympathies, and he was but speaking the feelings of many another influential member of the High Church. The Romeward drift, though not yet so outspoken, is plainly evident in many of the popular, formal churches of America at the present time. Roman prelates keep watch of the movement of this tide. Rome is looking anxiously to the time when she can say, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” Converts from Mohammedanism
A CORRESPONDENT of the New York Sun, Mr. S. M. Zwemer, replying to the statement of another correspondent of that journal to the effect that there were practically no results from mission work among Mohammedans, gives the following interesting statistics in reference to work among that people:— The fact is that there were converts from Islam to Christianity even before the death of Mohammed, and have been ever since in all countries where the gospel has been preached to Moslems. In North India there are over two hundred Christian preachers and pastors who once were followers of Islam; in North Africa at one station thirty Moslems became Christians in 1906; in Sumatra the Rhenish mission has 6,500 converted Moslems, 1,150 catechumens, and eighty organized churches; while in Java there are to-day 18,000 living converts from Islam, and between three hundred and four hundred adults are baptized every year. Mr. Zwemer closes his article with the following pertinent remarks:— The work of reaching Moslems with the message of Christianity and Christian civilization is sufficiently difficult without the cry of defeat being raised by those who are at home, while those at the front are winning the battle inch by inch. THE officials of the United States have found, in the recently acquired insular possessions, conditions which seemed to demand alteration for the good of the people. In these islands so long under papal domination the illegitimate birth-rate has been extraordinarily large. The fee which the priest demanded for the performance of the marriage ceremony has been so large that thousands have lived together as husbands and wives without the performance of any marital rites or sanction of priest or law. To remedy these conditions, civil marriages have been legalized, and are being performed by justices. This has been very displeasing to officials of the Catholic Church, largely, no doubt, on account of the loss of the large marriage fees. In this connection we quote the following news item from San Juan, Porto Rico, dated March 23:— Last week the federal grand jury indicted Rev. Fathers Vega and Janices for printing in the Ideal Catholic an article stating that marriages celebrated by judges constitute a state of concubinage, and that the children of such marriages are illegitimate. Judge Robey quashed the indictments to-day on the ground that the offense is not covered by the federal statutes. The Promise of the Spirit
By Ellen G. White
I HAVE felt that we do not pray as much as we should. There is nothing more needed in the work than the practical results of communion with God. We should hold convocations for prayer, asking the Lord to open the way for the truth to enter the strongholds where Satan has set up his throne, and dispel the shadow he has cast athwart the pathway of those whom he is seeking to deceive and destroy. We have the assurance, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” We need a firm reliance upon God if we would be saved from the power of Satanic influences. If we will keep close to the teachings of the Word, its truths will be our safeguard from the delusions of these last days. We need to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Why do we not rely more trustingly upon the grace and power of Christ? Why do we not believe with all our hearts? We have a Friend in the courts of heaven who assures us, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” The Christian church began its existence by praying for the Holy Spirit. It was in its infancy, without the personal presence of Christ. Just before his ascension Christ had commissioned the disciples to preach the gospel to the world. “Ye shall receive power,” he said, “after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” In obedience to the word of their Master, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, and for ten days they prayed for the fulfilment of God’s promise. These ten days were days of deep heart-searching. The disciples put away all difference that had existed among them, and drew close together in Christian fellowship. As they prayed, they realized what a privilege they had had in being permitted to associate so closely with Christ. Sadness filled their hearts as they thought of how many times they had grieved his heart of love by their failure to understand the lessons that for their good he had been trying to teach them. At the end of the ten days the Lord fulfilled his promise by a wonderful outpouring of his Spirit. When they were “all with one accord in one place” in prayer and supplication, the promised blessing came. “Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” In the heavenly courts, Christ, with the angels who had accompanied him to heaven, had been received. All the heavenly intelligences joined in this coronation service of their Lord. The pentecostal outpouring upon the disciples was heaven’s communication to them that his inauguration was complete. The multitude who had come together, when they heard the disciples “speak with other tongues,” were amazed at the divine manifestation. Some were in doubt, and said one to another, “What meaneth this?” Others mocking said, “These men are full of new wine.” But this was the power of the Holy Spirit. “Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and harken unto my words: for these men are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my hand-maidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will show wonders in the heavens above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” “And the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and of prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added unto the church daily such as should be saved.” Christ has made provision that his church shall be a transformed body, illumined with the light of heaven, possessing the glory of Immanuel. It is his purpose that every Christian shall be surrounded with a spiritual atmosphere of light and peace. There is no limit to the usefulness of the one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon the heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. What was the result of the outpouring of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost? — The glad tidings of a risen Saviour were carried to the utmost bounds of the inhabited world. The hearts of the disciples were surcharged with the benevolence so full, so deep, so far-reaching, that it impelled them to go to the ends of the earth, testifying, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As they proclaimed the truth as it is in Jesus, hearts yielded to the power of the message. The church beheld converts flocking to her from all directions. Backsliders were reconverted. Sinners united with Christians in seeking the pearl of great price. Those who had been the bitterest opponents of the gospel became its champions. The prophecy was fulfilled, that the weak shall be “as David,” and the house of David “as the angel of the Lord.” Every Christian saw in his brother the divine similitude of love and benevolence. One interest prevailed. One subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The only ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character and to labor for the enlargement of his kingdom. Notice that it was after the disciples had come into perfect unity, when they were no longer striving for the highest place, that the Spirit was poured out. They were of one accord. All differences had been put away. And the testimony borne of them after the Spirit had been given was the same. Mark the word: “The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul.” The spirit of Him who died that sinners might live animated the entire congregation of believers. Christ declared that the divine influence9 of the Spirit was to be with his followers to the end of time. But the promise is not appreciated as it should be; and therefore its fulfilment is not seen as it might be. With many the promise of the Spirit is a matter little thought of; and the result is only what might be expected,—spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Minor matters occupy the attention, and the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in its infinite plentitude. It is the absence of the Spirit that makes the gospel ministry so powerless. Learning, talent, eloquence, every natural or acquired endowment, may be possessed; but without the presence of the Spirit of God, no heart will be touched, no sinner won to Christ. On the other hand, if they are connected with Christ, if the gifts of the Spirit are theirs, the poorest and most ignorant of his disciples will have power that will tell upon hearts. God makes them channels for the outflowing of the highest influence in the universe. My brethren and sisters, plead for the Holy Spirit. God stands back of every promise he has made. With your Bibles in your hands say, “I have done as thou hast said. I present thy promise, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’” Christ declares, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” The Sabbath
By MAY WAKEHAM
’Tis Sabbath eve, and in the west
The golden sun has sunk to rest.
Now silent falls the evening shade
O’er vale and hill, o’er field and glade. The graceful fir bends in the breeze;
The birds chirp softly in the trees;
A sacred hush, a gentle peace,
Bid man from earthly cares to cease. A call to praise, a call to prayer,
Seem floating on the quiet air;
And angel whispers from above
Bring messages of hope and love. ’Tis holy time, God’s day of rest;
’Twas made by him, by him ’twas ’blest;
In paradise this boon was given,
A binding link ’twixt earth and heaven. O Sabbath eve! in thy sweet calm
The troubled spirit finds a balm,
And Heaven bends low the soul to greet
Alone with God in converse sweet. May all thy hours, sweet day of rest,
Be welcome to this troubled breast
Until, life’s voyage forever o’er,
We greet thee on yon golden shore. Preparation to Meet God
By S. B. Whitney
A PREPARATION for the Lord's coming is of the first and greatest importance to every human being just now. In it is included every duty and privilege connected with Christian life and experience. No development nor activity of Christian living can be named which is not included in the character of one who is ready to meet the Lord when he comes. The sum total of this preparation is expressed in the one word, holiness, or wholeness; in another word, perfection. This wholeness, or perfection, is nothing short of the righteousness of Christ, of which the perfect and holy law of God is the standard. Therefore it must consist in a perfect obedience to that perfect law, or keeping the “commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The eternal purpose of God is that ultimately the inhabitants of this world shall be “holy and without blame before him in love,” and this is the object for which the elect are chosen. Eph. 1:4. “God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Rom. 8:3, 4); and without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12:14. The one hundred forty-four thousand will be “without fault before the throne of God.” Rev. 14:5. But how is this righteous character to be obtained? Not by any good deeds that we may do. Any attempt to secure that righteousness by efforts of ours, will be only to put on “filthy rags” instead of “white raiment,” to linger in bondage, instead of emerging into the liberty of the children of God. But when by faith we take Christ with his righteousness into our hearts and lives, the “law of the Spirit of life,” which is in him, makes us free from the “law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2); and we enter into the relations of the new covenant, whereby the law of God is put into our minds and written on our hearts. Heb. 8:10. Then, and then only, there will be no condemnation; then the fruits of faith will appear; then shall we have a righteousness which will be witnessed by the law and the prophets (Rom. 3:21), and will give us a “right to the tree of life,” and an entrance “through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14. Probably no people in civilized lands move more than do Seventh-day Adventists. Many churches are weakened, and some broken up each year, because of this moving spirit. Large sums of money are expended in this way every season in transportation. Much time is also consumed, and business given up, because of their moving. Household goods and other belongings are injured, or sold at a sacrifice in every exchange of the family home. Our churches and conferences are frequently discouraged and embarrassed by this unsettled spirit. But it is urged that our people should get out of the cities with their families, and establish schools in the country. This is correct; still the cities are not to be abandoned by us; for there are thousands living in them who must yet be reached, and saved by the everlasting gospel that is to be brought to them through the preaching of the third angel's message. Nothing in the Testimonies is more emphatically urged than the importance of laboring now for the people in the large cities of America. The whole situation should be weighed, and all the Testimonies bearing on the subject studied together. The object of our schools is to provide laborers for the gospel field, and advanced students while attending these schools are to do evangelistic work for the people in the cities. Moving is necessary in order that laborers be properly distributed in different parts of the great harvest-field; but such moving should be directed by churches, conferences, and mission boards, so that qualified persons may be placed in the various fields according to their needs. Divine wisdom is required for such appointments, and they should by all means be made in harmony with the gospel plan of organization and with wise counsel. Abraham was separated from relatives, and moved out of his native country, but the Lord gave special directions about it. The children of Israel were moved from Egypt to Canaan, but God planned the Exodus and led in the moving. Present truth must now be given by messengers preaching it unto all the world; but the question still to be asked is, “How shall they preach except they be sent?” The sending should be done by proper authority. The membership of the early church at Jerusalem was allowed to be scattered because it became congested, and was too local in its operations; but the Lord kept his hand upon the situation, and took care of the result, so as to bring good to his cause out of it; those who “were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.” In our own times, and connected with our own work, there has been some well-advised moving for the betterment of the cause. The Battle Creek College was moved from Battle Creek to Berrien Springs, but the Lord gave specific directions both as to the moving and the location. The Review and Herald publishing interests and the General Conference headquarters were moved from Battle Creek to Washington, D. C.; but the Lord through his Spirit gave definite counsel, which was followed by his servants who had that work in charge. Scores of missions have been established, and hundreds of laborers have gone abroad, but plans have been followed, and system has been observed, in doing these things. The burden of moving workers should and will continue, but the best interests of the cause can not be well served by irregularities in this matter. The Lord may sometimes bless an independent move because of his supreme goodness and for the truth's sake, which at times is carried in this manner; but order and harmony is the Lord's established way, and it is better at all times to follow God's order. The Testimonies advise moving some members when churches become congested, or when one has imbibed the habit of criticizing others, yet it would be better for all concerned to follow kind counsel in all such cases. “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” “Without counsel purposes fail.” But aside from all the moving which is after the Lord's regulations, there is a much larger volume of it done by the people without counsel. And here is where the injury is seen. Some move to a far-off place, where but few people live, because cheap land can be secured in such places. In this way many are leaving densely populated districts where there are multitudes who should hear the truth, and are locating where they can have but little opportunity in the way of giving the message. They read some glowing advertisement written by hired experts about lands which are described as exceedingly fertile, with a climate all that mortals could wish.10 These lands are usually said to be so rich, and the seasons so favorable, that several bountiful crops can be grown from the same acreage in one season. Then the price on the produce yielded is fabulous, because the few inhabitants now living in this desirable country are too indolent to till the soil that they may grow crops to supply the great market demand which is said to exist locally at that place. These questionable circulars find customers among our people who claim to be advancing the interests of the third angel's message when they move from our small churches, where their help is needed, to take up their abode in these out-of-the-way places. It is difficult to trace a missionary motive in some of these moves. Some leave conferences where the membership is small, and the population great, and move into other conferences where the membership is large, and the population comparatively small, thereby taking support away from where it is greatly needed, and placing it where the cause is already strong. One conference president told me a little while ago that he had recently organized a church of forty members who had moved into that locality from eight conferences east of his territory, and that not one of the number had embraced the truth in the place where the church was organized. There are conferences in the United States composed of only a few hundred members; and yet from these same conferences more than a thousand members have moved into the boundaries of other conferences, and probably in the great majority of cases the moving has been done without counsel or appointment, simply for social or commercial considerations. Should not this matter of moving, which tends to unbalance the work in our cause, have serious consideration? TRUE prayer is the outpouring of a burdened soul into the bosom of God. It is the spontaneous expression of a deeply felt want. It is an outburst of faith. It is the laying of one's hand on the horns of the altar. It is the satisfaction of the hunger of the soul, the felt consciousness of the nearness of God, the confidence of self-conscious childhood in the Father's family. It is the highest and best thing in all our Christian experience. Written forms of prayer do not meet its true needs, for all true prayer is individual. It is the soul, reaching out its own hand for the acceptance of every gift implied in the promises. In all this wide world there is nothing more precious than prayer. There are moments in the experience of every child of God when we want to be alone with him; when the presence of even the best and truest of our companions is a felt incumbrance; when, with Joseph, we cry out: “Cause every man to go out from me.” And then, in our solitude, we meet God; then we are deeply conscious that prayer enters into the constitution and economy of the universe; then we are strengthened in our weakness, consoled in our grief, enlightened in our darkness. One such hour, spent with God, becomes a lifelong memory, and gives us a glimpse of the upper and better kingdom, where prayer ceases forever, and adoration takes its place.—Christian Observer. Seed Sowing
By E. K. SLADE
That “faith which worketh by love” will lead every believer of the truth to embrace the opportunities still offered of sowing seed which is promised to give such results in the great harvest-time soon to come. Every one who has received the good “gift” is required to minister the same as a faithful steward of the manifold grace of God. The most precious gift that God has bestowed upon his children is the truth contained in his Word. There are many forms of ministry in which the children of God may engage, but that which calls for our passing on to others the light of truth that we have received is a ministry in which every true believer is permitted to engage. It is a lack of faith that leads so many of our people to fail in the good work of passing out books, tracts, and papers from time to time to those who know not the truth. Because immediate or visible results are not seen, or because prejudice and indifference exist, many have refrained from this all-important work. Every one who has received the precious light of present truth ought to engage in sowing the seed. There need be no fear or serious question as to the results. It is promised of this seed that it will not fail nor prove ineffective. The conditions of the soil or climate often result in the decay of the seed sown by the farmer, yet it is a notable fact that under such circumstances he usually displays more real faith than is manifested by those who should have all confidence in the unfailing qualities of the seed that Christians are permitted to sow. All are required to sow this seed, and they are enjoined to do so all of the time: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand.” While engaged in other pursuits, every opportunity is to be embraced of planting seeds here and there in the great fields surrounding us. Not only are we to sow all the time, but we are required to sow in all places. We are directed to “sow beside all waters,” which, according to Scriptural interpretation, refers to all peoples. It is not for us to question the propriety of sowing the seeds of truth among certain classes of people. An intelligent faith will lead us to embrace every opportunity of scattering such seed. If our church-members in all our conferences were following the requirements set forth in what the Lord has said about seed sowing, a mighty work would be in progress wherever there are believers. Our publishing houses would be found more busy than ever in their endeavors to supply the printed page. Our tract societies would be doing a much larger volume of work than they have ever done as yet. The work thus carried on by wisely distributing our books, tracts, and papers, would no doubt result in bringing many more into the truth than will be brought in by all of the paid laborers of our various conferences. There are those who are carrying out this instruction, who are embracing every opportunity week by week and month by month to scatter the printed pages of the third angel’s message. What an encouragement to true faith to know that one has large quantities of this unfailing seed liberally sown as directed by the great Husbandman, the results of which will be seen in the harvest-time! There is another thought in connection with seed sowing that the sower should bear in mind. First of all he is to heed the instruction, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness.” Thus he becomes a receiver of the good gift which will fit him to minister the same to others. Such seed sowing results in that new birth referred to by Peter in the statement, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” The results of such sowing will lead to that regeneration that will make possible the missionary activity so much needed in the ranks of God’s people. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” “Freely ye have received, freely give.” Historical quotations and extracts from various writers which may assist the thoughtful student of the Scriptures. NEBUCHADNEZZAR is the great monarch of the Babylonian empire which, lasting only eighty-eight years—B. C. 625 to B. C. 538—was for nearly half the time under his sway. Its military glory is due chiefly to him, while the constructive energy, which constitutes its especial characteristic, belongs to it still more markedly through his character and genius. It is scarcely too much to say that, but for Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians would have had no place in history. At any rate, their actual place is owing almost entirely to this prince, who to the military talents of an able general, added a grandeur of artistic conception and a skill in construction which place him on a par with the greatest builders of antiquity. We have no complete or even general account of Nebuchadnezzar’s wars. Our chief, our almost sole, information11 concerning them is derived from the Jewish writers. Consequently, those wars only which interested these writers, in other words those whose scene is Palestine or its immediate vicinity, admit of being placed before the reader. If Nebuchadnezzar had quarrels with the Persians, or the Arabians, or the Medes, or the tribes in Mount Zagros, as is not improbable, nothing is now known of their course or issue. Until some historic document belonging to his time shall be discovered, we must be content with a very partial knowledge of the external history of Babylon during his reign. We have a tolerably full account of his campaigns against the Jews, and some information as to the general course of the wars which he carried on with Egypt and Phenicia; but beyond these narrow limits we know nothing. It appears to have been only a few years after Nebuchadnezzar’s triumphant campaign against Neco, that renewed troubles broke out in Syria. Phenicia revolted under the leadership of Tyre; and about the same time Jehoiakim, the Jewish king, having obtained a promise of aid from the Egyptians, renounced his allegiance. Upon this, in his seventh year (B. C. 598,) Nebuchadnezzar proceeded once more into Palestine at the head of a vast army, composed partly of his allies, the Medes, partly of his own subjects. He first invested Tyre; but, finding that city too strong to be taken by assault, he left a portion of his army to continue the siege, while he himself pressed forward against Jerusalem. On his near approach, Jehoiakim, seeing that the Egyptians did not care to come to his aid, made his submission; but Nebuchadnezzar punished his rebellion with death, and, departing from the common Oriental practise, had his dead body treated with indignity. At first he placed upon the throne Jehoiachin, the son of the late monarch, a youth of eighteen; but three months later, becoming suspicious (probably not without reason) of this prince’s fidelity, he deposed him, and had him brought a captive to Babylon, substituting in his place his uncle, Zedekiah, a brother of Jehoiakim and Jehoahaz. Meanwhile the siege of Tyre was pressed, but with little effect. A blockade is always tedious; and the blockade of an island city, strong in its navy, by an enemy unaccustomed to the sea, and therefore forced to depend mainly upon the assistance of reluctant allies, must have been a task of such extreme difficulty that one is surprised it was not given up in despair. According to the Tyrian historians, their city resisted all the power of Nebuchadnezzar for thirteen years. After receiving his crown from Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah continued for eight years to play the part of a faithful vassal. At length, however, in the ninth year, he fancied he saw a way to independence. A young and enterprising monarch, Uaphris—the Apries of Herodotus—had recently mounted the Egyptian throne. If the alliance of this prince could be secured, there was, Zedekiah thought, a reasonable hope that the yoke of Babylon might be thrown off, and Hebrew autonomy re-established. The infatuated monarch did not see that, do what he would, his country had no more than a choice of masters; that by the laws of political attraction Judea must gravitate to one or other of the two great states between which it had the misfortune of lying. Hoping to free his country, he sent ambassadors to Uaphris, who were to conclude a treaty and demand the assistance of a powerful contingent, composed of both foot and horse. Uaphris received the overture favorably; and Zedekiah at once revolted from Babylon, and made preparations to defend himself with vigor. It was not long before the Babylonians arrived. Determined to crush the daring state, which, weak as it was, had yet ventured to revolt against him now for the fourth time, Nebuchadnezzar came in person, ‘he and all his hosts,’ against Jerusalem, and after overcoming and pillaging the open country, ‘built forts’ and besieged the city. Uaphris, upon this, learning the danger of his ally, marched out of Egypt to his relief; and the Babylonian army, receiving intelligence of his approach, raised the siege and proceeded in quest of their new enemy. According to Josephus a battle was fought, in which the Egyptians were defeated; but it is perhaps more probable that they avoided an engagement by a precipitate retreat into their own country. At any rate the attempt effectually to relieve Jerusalem failed. After a brief interval the siege was renewed; a complete blockade was established; and in a year and a half from the time of the second investment, the city fell. Nebuchadnezzar had not waited to witness this success of his arms. The siege of Tyre was still being pressed at the date of the second investment of Jerusalem, and the Chaldean monarch had perhaps thought that his presence on the borders of Phenicia was necessary to animate his troops in that quarter. If this was his motive in withdrawing from the Jewish capital, the event would seem to have shown that he judged wisely. Tyre, if it fell at the end of its thirteen-years’ siege, must have been taken in the very year which followed the capture of Jerusalem, B. C. 585. We may suppose that Nebuchadnezzar, when he quitted Jerusalem and took up his abode at Riblah, in the Coele-Syrian valley, turned his main attention to the great Phenician city, and made arrangements which caused its capture in the ensuing year. The recovery of these two important cities secured to the Babylonian monarch the quiet possession thenceforth of Syria and Palestine. But still he had not as yet inflicted any chastisement upon Egypt; though policy, no less than honor, required that the aggressions of this audacious power should be punished. If we may believe Josephus, however, the day of vengeance was not very long delayed. Within four years of the fall of Tyre, B. C. 581, Nebuchadnezzar, he tells us, invaded Egypt, put Uaphris, the monarch who had succored Zedekiah, to death, and placed a creature of his own upon the throne. Egyptian history, it is true, forbids our accepting this statement as correct in all its particulars. Uaphris appears certainly to have reigned at least as late as B. C. 569, and according to Herodotus, he was put to death, not by a foreign invader, but by a rebellious subject. Perhaps we may best harmonize the conflicting statements on the subject by supposing that Josephus had confounded two distinct invasions of Egypt, one made by Nebuchadnezzar in his twenty-third year, B. C. 581, which had no very important consequences, and the other eleven years later, B. C. 570, which terminated in the deposition of Uaphris, and the establishment on the throne of a new king, Amasis, who received a nominal royalty from the Chaldean monarch. Such—as far as they are known—were the military exploits of this great king. He defeated Neco, recovered Syria, crushed rebellion in Judea, took Tyre, and humiliated Egypt. According to some writers his successes did not stop here. Megasthenes made him subdue most of Africa, and thence pass over into Spain and conquer the Iberians. He even went further, and declared that, on his return from these regions, he settled his Iberian captives on the shores of the Euxine in the country between Armenia and the Caucasus! Thus Nebuchadnezzar was made to reign over an empire extending from the Atlantic to the Caspian, and from the Caucasus to the great Sahara. The victories of Nebuchadnezzar were not without an effect upon his home administration, and on the construction of the vast works with which his name is inseparably associated. It was through them that he obtained that enormous command of ‘naked human strength’ which enabled him, without undue oppression of his own people, to carry out on the grandest scale his schemes for at once beautifying and benefiting his kingdom. From the time when he first took the field at the head of an army, he adopted the Assyrian system of forcibly removing almost the whole population of a conquered country, and planting it in a distant part of his dominions. Crowds of captives—the produce of his various wars—Jews, Egyptians, Phenicians, Syrians, Ammonites, Moabites, were settled in various parts of Mesopotamia, more especially about Babylon. From these unfortunates forced labor was as a matter of course required; and it seems to have been chiefly, if not solely, by their exertions that the magnificent series of great works was accomplished, which formed the special glory of the fourth monarchy. —“Seven Great Monarchies,” by George Rawlinson, M. A., Three Volume Edition, Vol. II, pages 242–246.