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those who shall be able, by a true and sound interpretation of the Scripture, to shew that he has been misled, to have the kindness to do so; and if the error should be sufficiently important to require it, he will be ready to retract it in any suitable method which may be pointed out to him.

When we have any knowledge of the weakness and imperfection of that measure of the Holy Spirit which we have received from above, and of the degree of light which the Lord may reserve for the “ latter days;" when we know how the slothfulness or feebleness of man leads him to rest upon the authority of another, rather than seek an opinion for himself by an examinatiou of the Scriptures; we feel, when we give, by means of the press, a fixed character to our present convictions of divine truth, the need of accompanying the publication of our thoughts with a notice such as this, lest we should be a snare to others, in such important concerns. May God enlighten each reader, and destroy the bad effect of all that may not be conformable to his Word.

MEDITATIONS

ON THE

HISTORY OF HEZEKIAH.

MEDITATION I.

THE NATURE AND EFFECTS OF HEZEKIAH'S TRUST.

“Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Ne. hushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the Lord and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him ; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth : and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.' 2 Kings, xviii. 1-7.

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HEZEKIAH, whose history we are about to consider, was the son of Ahaz, king of Judah and Benjamin, the two tribes which continued faithful to the house of David. Ahaz reigned sixteen years, and was one of the most wicked of the kings of Judah, so that his name became a proverb to denote an incorrigibly bad

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man ; doubtless in allusion to what is said of him in the second book of Chronicles, where we read, that " in the time of his distress he did trespass yet more and more; this is that king Ahaz.” 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. He introduced idolatry into his kingdom, and “burnt his children in the fire after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.” 2 Chron. xxviii. 244; and having been defeated by the Syrians, he sacrificed to their gods, saying, “ Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them that they may help me.” 2 Chron. xxviii. 23.

Such was the king whom Hezekiah his son succeeded, a pious prince, whose character formed a striking contrast to that of his father.

There are two lessons which we learn from this circumstance; first, it teaches us that faith or unbelief do not entirely depend on the influence of education or of the examples which we receive in our paternal home, and that we do not inherit them like the possese sions and blood of our parents. The Scripture tells us, that those who believe are “ born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John i. 13. David, the man after God's own heart, had many ungodly children, and Ahaz, the idolatrous Ahaz, was the father of the pious Hezekiah, to teach us, that“ it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy,” (Rom. ix. 16,) that it is God that maketh one man to differ from another, even among the children of the

same family, sayingi “Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated.” Rom, ix. 13. If any be disposed to raise difficulties to this, the answer which we give to all is to say with the Scriptures, that “ God hath mercy on whom he will,”: Rom, ix. 18 ; that this is not a question of debt,

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