never has been without enemies to the traveller, from the days of Ishmael to the present time. Then, as now, the wandering tribes of Arabs laid in wait to plunder and destroy. See the engraving, page 150.

Ezra and his train set forward on the twelfth day of the first month, and reached Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, after a journey of four months. They were the more exposed to dangers on the route, on account of the gold and silver they carried; but Ezra trusted in the protection of the Lord in whose service he went, and when God's work is to go forward the enemy shall not stop it.

From this period, when the rebuilding of Jerusalem, proceeded with vigour, several chronologers date the seventy weeks marked in the prophecy of Daniel.

Immediately on the arrival of Ezra at Jerusalem, he offered sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, burnt offerings and sin offerings. His attention was soon called to the intermarriages of the Jews with the surrounding idolaters. These unions were contrary to the Divine law, they threatened to bring down wrath again upon the nation, and were the more likely to be influential, as the princes and rulers were "chief in this trespass." If they were permitted, Israel would soon cease to be separated from other nations, it would no longer be God's heritage.

Ezra humbled himself before the Lord, seeking direction by humble prayer, acknowledging the offences of the people, confessing their sins, and casting himself upon the Divine mercy, leaving all with the Lord. It is a remarkable address; the people were deeply affected some of the leaders encouraged him to proceed at once with the work of reformation. The men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem in three days, upon being summoned to do so: this was in the ninth month. They agreed to separate from their idolatrous wives, and to give up their intercourse with the nations around them. Their attention seems

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to have been the more excited, by an outward sign of the Divine displeasure in the visitation of a heavy rain. A thorough investigation was made, which occupied two months. Among those who had contracted sinful alliances were the sons of the high priest.

Ezra continued to reside at Jerusalem as a preacher of righteousness, and a skilful scribe in the law of God. His attention was directed to the completing the canon of Scripture, that is, to collecting the inspired writings which form the Old Testament. The word CANON, was anciently used to designate a book, or catalogue. It was applied to Scripture to denote such writings as are to be received as an infallible RULE of faith and practice.

Before we proceed with this subject, let us pauseit is indeed an important subject. Is there any of equal importance? Can any mortal fully appreciate the value of the HOLY SCRIPTURES? The value of that word, which is a lamp unto the feet, and a light unto the path of the believer, in his passage through the wilderness of this life, and the dark valley which closes his mortal course! The wisest of men have admitted the vast importance of the Bible, and urged attention to its words. Listen to the testimony of that profound philosopher, Locke, who says, "Study the Holy Scriptures-therein are contained words of eternal life. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter. It is all power, all sincere; nothing too much, nothing wanting." Sir William Jones wrote in his own Bible, "I have carefully and regularly perused these Holy Scriptures, and am of opinion that the volume, independently of its Divine origin, contains more sublimity, purer morality, more important history, and finer strains of eloquence, than can be collected from all other books, in whatever language they have been written." Are these deliberate opinions of wise men to be set aside by the coarse jest or flippant sarcasm

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of the unholy infidel? Surely not : and if viewed merely on human grounds, it claims the highest regard. But of how much greater value is the BIBLE, when viewed as the word of God to the believer, as being the word of the Parent to the child, and that Parent one who is all-wise and all-powerful! One who knows even the thoughts and intents of the heart, who has here provided answers full and satisfactory to every sincere inquirer. Did any believer, oppressed with doubt and uncertainty, ever humbly and prayerfully seek for direction or instruction in this word without finding it ? Surely not. The words of our blessed Lord are applicable; "Every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened," Matt. vii. 8. Apply also the words of the apostle; Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss," James iv. 3.

Let us look at the character of Ezra. He was highly respected and revered by the Jews, also by the Persians; the state papers and royal decrees, in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, are full evidence of the view taken of the Jews, by the different monarchs by whom they were issued, and also of Ezra himself. In the decree inserted Ezra vii., Artaxerxes speaks particularly of Ezra, as "a scribe of the law of the God of heaven ;" and, when authorizing him to appoint magistrates, expressly desires it may be done "after the wisdom of thy God," further directing punishment to be inflicted upon "whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king." It is evident, from thence, that one main object Ezra had in view, when going to Jerusalem, was to promote the knowledge of the word of God; the importance of this was recognised by Artaxerxes.

The Jewish writers say, that Ezra collected together and set forth a correct edition of the Holy Scriptures; thus uniting the Pentateuch, or books of Moses, with the historical books and the writings of the prophets;

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including also the Psalms, Proverbs, and all the books comprised in the Old Testament; except a few written subsequently. These books, and a few detached passages, might be added after his time, when the whole work was revised finally by Simon the Just and the great synagogue or Jewish council, about a hundred and twenty years later. There is no reason to doubt that Ezra was the honoured instrument, under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to effect this work of fixing the canon of the Old Testament. At first, it consisted only of the Pentateuch, afterwards the historical books were added, then the Prophets and what are called the Hagiographia. Henderson has explained the order in which it is probable these were added, in his valuable work on "Divine Inspiration," to which the reader may be referred for many important statements on the subject. He shows the full and decisive evidence in support of the inspiration of the books called canonical, to the exclusion of the apocryphal books, which the church of Rome vainly has decreed shall be considered as inspired and sacred Scripture.

The Jews reckoned Ezra as the second founder of the law. He admitted nothing but what was clearly and undoubtedly to be accounted the word of God. Upon this strictness the Jews afterwards grounded their traditions, pretending that Ezra had also recognised what they call the oral law, as being of authority to interpret the written law. But, as our blessed Lord told the Scribes and Pharisees in his day, they made the word of God of none effect by their traditions. For further particulars concerning the oral law, with some account of the Mishna and Talmuds, which contain these traditions, the reader may refer to "The Rites and Worship of the Jews." It is enough here to say, that none of these vain, and in many respects foolish traditions, can be ascribed to Ezra; and we may add, that whenever tradition has been brought forward to claim authority in matters of religion, an

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inclination to set aside the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures ever has been decidedly manifested.

Some writers, even among the Christian fathers, have gone into another error. They have considered that all the Scriptures were lost and destroyed in the Babylonish captivity, and that Ezra restored them all by Divine revelation. But there is no occasion to suppose such a needlessly miraculous interposition. Many copies of the law, doubtless, perished in the destruction of the temple and city, but some were preserved and carried away by the captives. Daniel evidently quotes from a copy of the law, Dan. ix. 11, 13. He also mentions the prophecies of Jeremiah, as being well acquainted with them. Ezekiel and Daniel were inspired to write parts of the Holy Scriptures in the land of captivity; many of the Psalms were penned there, or subsequently on the return to Judea, as well as the later historical books. Ezra brought forth a copy of the law to read to the people, at their desire.

Prideaux sums up the labours of Ezra, in this allimportant work, under these heads. 1. He corrected the errors which had crept in by the negligence or mistakes of copyists. In this he would proceed with much caution, comparing different copies; and we may also believe he was divinely directed in cases of difficulty. 2. As already mentioned, he collected the writings of the prophets, the historical books, and the others esteemed canonical or inspired. Prideaux considers that the books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Malachi, were added afterwards, when the canon, or body of Jewish Scriptures, was fully and finally completed. 3. In his review of the Holy Scriptures, Ezra was doubtless taught to make some additions in the historical books, which are scattered through them and easily observed. This will explain any difficulty from such passages as Deut. iii. 14, where the words "unto this day," imply a period long after the context was written. Let us not hesitate to conclude that Ezra was divinely inspired in this work of