so God declared that he would punish and destroy this proud and wicked city."

"And I read the account of its destruction in Rollin, the other day."

"I know you did, Harry. The historian has well described the fulfilment of the prophecy."

"Where is the prediction you refer to, father?"

"In Ezek. xxvi. 4, 5. We read, 'They shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets, in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.""

"This prophecy has indeed been most completely fulfilled. Bruce, the celebrated traveller, tell us, that when he passed by the spot where this flourishing city once stood, all he saw was, 'two miserable-looking fishermen, who had just closed their labours, about to spread their nets upon the rocks.""

"You say, father, that the Jews were not engaged much in commerce; but Solomon had ships."

"It is true, Harry; but Hiram, king of Tyre, sent workmen to build them, and sailors to manage them.

What did God declare? Repeat the prophecy of the destruction of Tyre. Has this prophecy been fulfilled? What does Bruce the traveller tell us? Were the Jews much engaged in commerce? What did Hiram do?

It appears that Solomon took much interest in this business, because he went himself to Ezion-geber, and Elath, to witness the fitting out of the vessels, 2 Chron. viii. 17. These were the only sea ports the Hebrews possessed; and by means of the traffic which was carried on through them, silver was so plentiful in Judea, that 'it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.' This famous king also traded in horses, and chariots, and linen, very extensively, with the Egyptians, 1 Kings x. 28, 29; 1 Kings iv. 26. But the sea-ports which I have alluded to, were taken away from the Jews by Ziglathpileser, the Assyrian

2 Chron. viii. 17. Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Elath, at the sea side in the land of Edom.

1 Kings, x. 28. And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

29. And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty.

1 Kings, iv. 26. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

Where did Solomon go? Repeat a verse from Chronicles. Which were the only seaports of the Hebrews? How was silver accounted in Judea ? In what did king Solomon trade? Repeat verses from Kings.

monarch, and thus their foreign traffic was completely destroyed."

"If Solomon brought so much silver into his kingdom, money must have been very plentiful."

"It does not appear, Harry, that the Jews coined any money, till long after their return from Babylon, in the time of Judas Maccabeus. It is true, money is often mentioned in the Scriptures; but there is reason to believe that it merely consisted of pieces of metal, which were valued according to their weight, as is still the case in many parts of the East. After the Jews were subdued by the Romans, their money was common among them, as appears from the piece which the enemies of our Lord showed him, and on which was impressed the image and superscription of Cæsar, the Roman Emperor. Matt. xxii. 20. I have seen in the cabinets of antiquaries, some Roman medals, or coins, representing Judea, under the figure of a female captive sitting under a palm-tree, with the inscription,

Matt. xxii. 20. And he saith unto him, Whose is this image and superscription?

How was the foreign traffic of the Jews destroyed? When did they coin money? What did money probably consist of? What of money after the Jews were conquered by the Romans? Repeat a verse from Matthew. What do the Roman medals or coins represent ?

JUDEA CAPTA. These medals are remarkable proofs of the truth of Scripture, and of history in general."

"You were asking me, yesterday, Harry, about the musical instruments mentioned in the Scriptures. I had not time then to answer your question; but now we can talk a little about them.

What are proofs of the truth of Scripture ?

"Music appears to have been much cultivated from the earliest periods. Thus Laban, in the Book of Genesis, speaks of his wish to have sent Jacob away 'with the sound of the tabret and of the harp.' Isaiah speaks of the harp, the viol, the tabret. and the pipe,

ASA

as having been used in feasts, Isaiah v. 12. Music was generally used to celebrate victory over enemies,

Isaiah v. xii. And the harp and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts.

What appears concerning music? What does Laban say? Of what does Isaiah speak? Repeat a verse from Isaiah. For what was music generally used?