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PREFACE.

IN presenting to the public a new work upon a subject, which has recently excited so much attention, and employed such able pens, it is of course necessary to state the principles upon which it has been composed, and the motives which have induced its publication.

The principles upon which the HISTORY OF THE Jews in all AGES has been composed, are the following:

The statements of the Holy Scriptures, as the inspired word of God, however irreconcilable with human maxims and inconsistent with human opinions, are to be received with all the submission which their divine authority demands; and without hesitation, and to their fullest extent, are to be implicitly credited.

Since the dispensations of the Almighty to the Hebrew nation in every age, involve the accomplishment of one grand design of infinite importance to the

And lastly, the moral lessons for individuals, for nations, and for the world, which are furnished by the history of the Jews, are so important and impressive, so awful and affecting, that they demand the investigation, and ought to be retained in the memory, of all who believe in the doctrine of a providence, or anticipate the decisive transactions of a judgment day.

Such are the principles upon which this work has been composed, and which are directly or incidentally illustrated in the following pages. The author has no doubt, that as they are clearly deducible from the word of God, as they are essential to the consistency and credibility of the narrative itself, and as they are indubitably subservient to the great purposes of personal advantage and practical utility, they will commend themselves at once to the approbation and to the serious attention of the reader.

To present to the public in a condensed form, and in a lucid arrangement, a HISTORY OF THE JEWS IN ALL AGES, founded upon the preceding principles, and embodying and illustrating them, is the exclusive object of the present publication. Such a work, it is conceived, is particularly required by the circumstances of the present times, and by the fact that no other, upon the same plan, with the same design, and within similar limits, is accessible to the ordinary reader.

Almost two years ago, indeed, a History of the Jews was published in a popular form, which soon

acquired an extensive circulation. But that work was composed upon principles, which, in the humble opinion of the present writer, are directly subversive of the authority of revelation, and are calculated to lead the superficial and unwary, more especially, to the worst extreme of infidelity. It is to be regretted that the work alluded to, abounding as it does with passages of great power and brilliancy, and indicative as it is of the knowledge, the industry, and the genius of its author, should contain opinions, and communicate representations, of the most erroneous character and pernicious tendency; while some of the most important facts and considerations connected with the History of the Jews, arc either only incidentally mentioned, or are kept completely out of sight. The writer of the following pages trusts, that whatever may be the imperfections of his work, he will not be found chargeable with such errors or deficiencies, and that he will not at any rate deserve to be numbered among 66 those, who whether from an indiscriminate desire to adapt their work to the public taste, from the vain pursuit of some favourite theory, or from mere prejudice and misapprehension, disguise the genuine features and native dignity of Scripture history, and throw a veil of confusion and doubt over the sacred truths of revelation, may be tampering with the faith of thousands, and incurring a responsibility which it is fearful to contemplate."*

The reader will perceive by referring to the tenth and eleventh chapters of this work, that no detailed

• Jewish History Vindicated by Godfrey Fausset, D.D. p. 43.

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IN ALL AGES.

THOU HAST CONFIRMED TO THYSELF THY PEOPLE ISRAEL, TO
BE A PEOPLE UNTO THEE FOR EVER AND THOU, LORD, ART BE-
COME THEIR GOD.

BY THE AUTHOR OF

"HISTORY IN ALL AGES."

DAVID.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETORS OF PUBLICATIONS ON
CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES,

AND PUBLISHED BY

HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO., PATERNOSTER-ROW,
AND J. Y. KNIGHT, LEEDS.

MDCCCXXXII.

PRICE SEVEN SHILLINGS.

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