and the inhabitants but few, it was agreed, that part of the people which did not dwell at Jerusalem, should by lot choose one out of ten, * to come and live at the metropolis, to be an additional strength to the place. This was looked upon as so tender a mark of affection to the public good, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem thanked these men, who had thus readily offered themselves to come and dwell with them.

The affair of genealogies thus settled, the governor† and people made their free-will offerings for the work of the Lord. The governor presented to the treasury a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, and five hundred and thirty priests' vestments. Some of the elders gave twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand two hundred pieces of silver; and the rest of the people gave twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pieces of silver, and sixty-seven vestments for the priests.

The affairs of the Jews being reduced to this happy condition of peace and order, Ezra, the learned, pious scribe and priest, at the request of the people, produced the book of the law, which the Lord by Moses had commanded the children of Israel to observe; and standing in the street, before the water-gate, upon an eminence, that he might be seen and heard by the people, he opened the book in sight of them all; at which they stood up and having given thanks to the Lord, they all lifted up their hands, and cried, Amen, Amen; and bowing their heads, they worshipped the Lord with most profound reverence. The company being divided into several parts, Ezra, with thirteen more, read and ex

Ten. See Nehemiah xi. 1.

+ Governor. He is called in Nehem. vii. 70, and also in Ezra, Tirshatha, which in Nehemiah viii. 9, is explained: The word Tirshatha in the Persian and Chaldean tongues signifies a governor or president. Some will have it to be a Cognomen; though among the Chaldeans it was taken for a name of magistracy or dignity.

pounded the law to them, which they heard with such attention and devotion, that being sensible how much they had transgressed it, they mourned and wept. But Ezra and his assistants comforted them, telling them, that it was not a time for them to mourn and weep, because it was a day * holy to the Lord God; but bid them be cheerful, and eat and drink of the best, and send part of their provisions to the poor, for whom nothing was provided. The people readily obeyed, and went their

way.

The next day, the chief of the fathers of all the people assembled again to be further instructed in the law; and upon search it was found, † that the children of Israel should dwell in booths, in the feast of the seventh‡ month, and that they should cause proclamation to be made in all other cities, as well as in Jerusalem.-That the people should go forth and gather olive-branches, pine-branches, myrtle-branches, palm-branches, and branches of trees thick with leaves, to form booths.

The people, who were now become very sensible of the danger of transgressing the law, by the woful experience of their ancestors, and some by their own, immediately went out and collected branches to make themselves booths; some upon the tops of their houses, others in their courts; some in the courts of the temple, and others in the streets. And this feast they celebrated with great solemnity and joy; and so much the more, because it had not been observed from the days of Joshua till now; which was above a thousand years.

On the four and twentieth day of the same month the Jews assembled again, but upon a different occasion; for they appeared in sackcloth, with earth upon their heads,

fasting and mourning, confessing their own sins, and deprecating the judgments due to their iniquities, and to those of their fathers. Then, acknowledging the omnipotence of God, in creating and preserving all things, and enumerating his gracious mercies to their fathers, from the time of the covenant made with Abraham, they recognized all the grand instances of his providence, in delivering them from their enemies and persecutors; and deploring their fathers' and their own disobedience and rebellion, they acknowledged that they were deservedly liable to his justice. Finally, they made a covenant with the Lord, that they would walk in his law, which was given by Moses. And to oblige them to the more strict performance of this covenant, it was engrossed, and the princes, priests and Levites set their seals to it. And those who did not set their seals, of whatever age, sex or condition, bound themselves with an oath to observe it.

Nehemiah having settled the affairs both of church and state in Jerusalem, according to his promise to the king, returned to the court at Babylon; where he had not continued above a year at most, before the Jews relapsed into their old corruptions, and became very irregular. All which was owing to the mismanagement of Eliashib the high-priest; who having the charge of the treasury, and being allied to Tobiah, the Jews' great enemy, had prepared an apartment for him in the temple, in the place where they used to deposit the offerings, and other holy things, appointed for the service of the temple and priests.

This intimacy between Eliashib and Tobiah, was the occasion of much mischief and confusion; for by conversing with the heathen, they soon broke the covenant they had so lately made, profaning the sabbath, and mixing in marriage with them. So that when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he found all in the utmost disorder. It was matter of great concern and grief to him, to see the people led away, and debauched in their principles, by a man that was an open enemy to them; and that an apartment should be prepared in the house of

God, for one that was a declared enemy to his worship. This so inflamed the zeal of good Nehemiah, that he was resolved to put an end to these irregularities; but the corruption having become so general, he found himself under the necessity of using caution in his design, to prevent tumult; for he found that Tobiah had insinuated himself into the good opinion of most of the people, and especially those of note.

The first step which he took towards this reformation, to convince them of their errors, was, in causing the book of the law to be read publicly in the hearing of the people; in which it was found, "That the Ammonite*

and the Moabite should not come unto the congrega"tion of God for ever; because they met not the chil"dren of Israel with refreshment of bread and water, when

they came out of Egypt, but hired Balaam against them, "to curse them; though God turned the curse into a "blessing."

The people no sooner heard this part of the law, but they were sensible of their transgression; and to shew their readiness to reform, they separated from the mixed multitude. This gave Nehemiah an easy opportunity of getting rid of Tobiah, who was an Ammonite: for the law being positive, and the people, by his prudent conduct, disposed to obey it, he threw Tobiah's furniture out of the sacred chamber, caused it to be cleansed, and brought the vessels of the temple, with the offerings and incense, into it again. And finding that, in his absence, the allowance of the Levites had been withdrawn, and that they were forced to quit the ministerial service and betake themselves to the country for maintenance, Ne'hemiah expostulated with the rulers concerning this neglect of the service of the house of God; and bringing back the Levites to their offices, he ordered the people to bring in the tithes of corn, wine and oil into the treasury, and appointed treasurers and deputies to receive and distribute them.

Ammonite. See Numb. xxii. 5, 6, and Deut. xxiii. 3, 4.

The next grievance the pious governor had to redress, was the profanation of the sabbath; on which day the Jews had, during his absence, done all manner of servile work, treading their wine-presses, and bringing in their corn, wine, grapes, figs, and all manner of burdens into Jerusalem upon asses, as on common days: and they not only did this, but suffered strangers, the Tyrians, to bring fish, and all manner of wares, and sell them on the sabbath in Jerusalem. Against these irreligious and profane practices Nehemiah warmly protested, saying, "What an "evil thing is this that you do in profaning the sabbathday! Did not your fathers do thus; and did not our "God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city for "such things? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel, "by profaning the sabbath." And to convince them that he was determined to make a thorough reformation amongst them, he issued a strict order, that towards the evening before the sabbath, the city gates should be shut, and not opened till the sabbath was over; and that this order might be duly observed, he appointed some of his own servants to guard the gates, and suffer no burden to be brought in on the sabbath-day. The chapmen and merchants, who came, as usual, over night with their goods, were surprised to find the gates shut against them; and being thus disappointed were obliged to take up their lodging without the walls of Jerusalem. This they did once or twice, though Nehemiah reproved them for it; wherefore he at last told them, if they attempted to repeat the offence, he would apprehend them. Upon which they desisted but, suspecting that they might, by some contrivance or other, attempt it again, he commanded the Levites to cleanse themselves, and take up their station at the gate, and guard it diligently, that the sabbath-day might be kept holy. Thus with great care and difficulty this good man once more established the worship of the Lord at Jerusalem.

Nehemiah, as was observed, upon his return from Babylon to Jerusalem, in order to convince the Jews of their transgressions, caused the book of the law to be read before the people, which expressly declared against all