73 lines
5.6 KiB
XML
73 lines
5.6 KiB
XML
<div2 id="iiCh.i" n="i" next="iiCh.ii" prev="iiCh" progress="79.59%" title="Introduction">
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<h2 id="iiCh.i-p0.1">Second Chronicles</h2>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="iiCh.i-Page_915" n="915"/>
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<div class="Center" id="iiCh.i-p0.3">
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<p id="iiCh.i-p1"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="iiCh.i-p1.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="iiCh.i-p1.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="iiCh.i-p1.3">OF THE SECOND BOOK OF</h5>
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<h2 id="iiCh.i-p1.4">C H R O N I C L E S.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="iiCh.i-p2">This book begins with the reign of Solomon
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and the building of the temple, and continues the history of the
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kings of Judah thenceforward to the captivity and so concludes with
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the fall of that illustrious monarchy and the destruction of the
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temple. That monarchy of the house of David, as it was prior in
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time, so it was superior in worth and dignity to all those four
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celebrated ones of which Nebuchadnezzar dreamed. The Babylonian
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monarchy I reckon to begin in Nebuchadnezzar himself—<i>Thou art
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that head of gold,</i> and that lasted but about seventy years; The
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Persian monarchy, in several families, about 130; the Grecian, in
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their several branches, about 300; and 300 more went far with the
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Roman. But as I reckon David a greater hero than any of the
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founders of those monarchies, and Solomon a more magnificent prince
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than any of those that were the glories of them, so the succession
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was kept up in a lineal descent throughout the whole monarchy,
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which continued considerable between 400 and 500 years, and, after
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a long eclipse, shone forth again in the kingdom of the Messiah,
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<i>of the increase of whose government and peace there shall be no
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end.</i> This history of the Jewish monarchy, as it is more
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authentic, so it is more entertaining and more instructive, than
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the histories of any of those monarchies. We had the story of the
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house of David before, in the first and second books of Kings,
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intermixed with that of the kings of Israel, which <i>there</i>
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took more room than that of Judah; but here we have it entire. Much
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is repeated here which we had before, yet many of the passages of
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the story are enlarged upon, and divers added, which we had not
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before, especially relating to the affairs of religion; for it is a
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church-history, and it is written for our learning, to let nations
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and families know that then, and then only, they can expect to
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prosper, when they keep in the way of their duty to God: for all
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along the good kings prospered and the wicked kings suffered. The
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peaceable reign of Solomon we have (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.1" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.1.1-2Chr.9.31" parsed="|2Chr|1|1|9|31" passage="2Ch 1:1-9:31"><i>ch.</i> i.-ix.</scripRef>), the blemished reign
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of Rehoboam (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.10.1-2Chr.12.16" parsed="|2Chr|10|1|12|16" passage="2Ch 10:1-12:16"><i>ch.</i>
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x.-xii.</scripRef>), the short but busy reign of Abijah (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.13.1-2Chr.13.22" parsed="|2Chr|13|1|13|22" passage="2Ch 13:1-22"><i>ch.</i> xiii.</scripRef>), the long and
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happy reign of Asa (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.4" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.14.1-2Chr.16.14" parsed="|2Chr|14|1|16|14" passage="2Ch 14:1-16:14"><i>ch.</i>
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xiv.-xvi.</scripRef>), the pious and prosperous reign of
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Jehoshaphat (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.5" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.17.1-2Chr.20.37" parsed="|2Chr|17|1|20|37" passage="2Ch 17:1-20:37"><i>ch.</i>
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xvii.-xx.</scripRef>), the impious and infamous reigns of Jehoram
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and Ahaziah (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.6" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.21.1-2Chr.22.12" parsed="|2Chr|21|1|22|12" passage="2Ch 21:1-22:12"><i>ch.</i>
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xxi.-xxii.</scripRef>), the unsteady reigns of Joash and Amaziah
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(<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.7" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.24.1-2Chr.25.28" parsed="|2Chr|24|1|25|28" passage="2Ch 24:1-25:28"><i>ch.</i> xxiv.,
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xxv.</scripRef>), the long and prosperous reign of Uzziah
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(<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.8" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.26.1-2Chr.26.23" parsed="|2Chr|26|1|26|23" passage="2Ch 26:1-23"><i>ch.</i> xxvi.</scripRef>), the
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regular reign of Jotham (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.9" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.27.1-2Chr.27.9" parsed="|2Chr|27|1|27|9" passage="2Ch 27:1-9"><i>ch.</i>
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xxvii.</scripRef>), the profane and wicked reign of Ahaz (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.10" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.28.1-2Chr.28.27" parsed="|2Chr|28|1|28|27" passage="2Ch 28:1-27"><i>ch.</i> xxviii.</scripRef>), the gracious
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glorious reign of Hezekiah (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.11" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.29.1-2Chr.32.33" parsed="|2Chr|29|1|32|33" passage="2Ch 29:1-32:33"><i>ch.</i> xxix.-xxxii.</scripRef>), the wicked
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reigns of Manasseh and Amon (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.12" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.33.1-2Chr.33.25" parsed="|2Chr|33|1|33|25" passage="2Ch 33:1-25"><i>ch.</i> xxxiii.</scripRef>), the reforming reign
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of Josiah (<scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.13" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.34.1-2Chr.35.27" parsed="|2Chr|34|1|35|27" passage="2Ch 34:1-35:27"><i>ch.</i> xxxiv.,
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xxxv.</scripRef>), the ruining reigns of his sons, <scripRef id="iiCh.i-p2.14" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.36.1-2Chr.36.23" parsed="|2Chr|36|1|36|23" passage="2Ch 36:1-23"><i>ch.</i> xxxvi.</scripRef> Put all these
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together, and the truth of that word of God will appear, <i>Those
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that honour me I will honour, but those that despise me shall be
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lightly esteemed.</i> The learned Mr. Whiston, in his chronology,
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suggests that the historical books which were written after the
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captivity (namely, the two books of Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah)
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have more mistakes in names and numbers than all the books of the
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Old Testament besides, through the carelessness of transcribers:
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but, though that should be allowed, the things are so very minute
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that we may be confident <i>the foundation of God stands sure</i>
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notwithstanding.</p>
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</div2> |