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now standing able to check it. In the days of Josiah, about A. M. 3394, the Egyptian empire was revived again. Necho king of Egypt went and fought against Carchemish by Euphrates,' and in his return to Egypt put down Jehoahaz, who was made king in Jerusalem upon Josiah's death, and condemned the land of the Jews to pay him a tribute, and carried Jehoahaz captive into Egypt, and made Eliakim, whom he named Jehoiakim, king over Judah and Jerusalem." But here we meet a final period put to all the Egyptian victories; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem; and the king of Babylon took from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt, and the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his own land. Whatever the empire of

2 Kings xxiii. 29. 2 Chron. xxxv. 20.

2 Chron. Xxxvi. 3, 4.

a 2 Chron. xxxvi. 10.

2 Kings xxiv. 7.

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Egypt over any parts of Asia had been, here it ended, about A. M. 3399, about three hundred and sixty-six years after its first rise: under Sesac. Its nearest approach upon the dominions of Assyria appears to have been the taking of Carchemish, but even here it went not over the Euphrates; however upon this approach, Nebuchadnezzar saw the necessity of reducing it, and in a few years' war stripped it entirely of all its acquisitions. This is the history of the empire of the Egyptians, and I submit it to the reader, whether any argument can be formed from it against the being of the ancient empire of the Assyrians.

5. Sir Isaac Newton contends, that there was no ancient Assyrian empire, because none of the kingdoms of Israel, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Philistia, Zidon, Damascus and Hamath were subject to the Assyrians until the days of Pul. I answer: the profané historians have indeed presented this Assyrian empire to be of far larger extent, than

• Usher's Annal.

•Newton's Chronol. p. 269.

it really was. They say that Ninus conquered Asia, which might more easily be admitted, if they would take care to describe Asia such as it was, when he conquered it. It does not appear that he conquered all this quarter of the world; however, as he subdued most of the kingdoms then in it, he might in general be said to have conquered Asia. All the writers who have contended for this empire, agree that Ninus and Semiramis were the founders of it; and they are farther unanimous that the successors of Semiramis did not make any considerable attempts to enlarge the empire, beyond what she and Ninus had made it.' Semiramis employed her armies in the eastern countries; so that we have no reason to think that this empire extended westward any, or but a little way, farther than Ninus carried it. We read indeed that the king of Elam had the five cities on the

Diodor. Sic. 1. 2. Justin lib. 1.

Id. ibid. what Justin says of Ninyas may be applied to his successors for many generations; contenti a parentibus elaborato imperio belli studia deposuerunt. Id. ibid.

borders of Canaan subject to him;" but upon Abraham's defeating his army, he lost them,' and never recovered them again. But I would observe, that even whilst he had the dominion of these cities, in the full stretch of his empire, it did not reach to the kingdoms of Israel, or which then were the kingdoms of Canaan; for he never came any farther, than to the five cities; neither was he master of Philistia, for that was farther westward; nor does he appear to have come near to Sidon. As to the other kingdoms mentioned by our learned author, namely, the kingdoms of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, and Hamath, they were not in being in those times. Moab and Ammon were the sons of Lot, and were not born until after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the countries which were planted by them and their descendants could not be planted by them until many years after this time. The Emims dwelt in these countries in those days, andChedorlaomer subdued them; 1 but as he lost all these countries upon Abra

h Gen. xiv.
k Deut. ii. 10.

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i Gen. xix. 37, 38.

1 Gen. xiv. 5.

2

m

ham's routing his forces, so I apprehend that he never recovered them again. The Emims after this lived unmolested, until in after-times the children of Lot conquered them, and got the possession of their country; at which time the Assyrians had nothing to do in these parts. The same is to be said of Edom; the Horites were the ancient inhabitants of this land," and Chedorlaomer smote them in their mount Seir;. but as he lost his dominion over these nations, so the Horites or Horims grew strong again, until the children of Esau conquered them; and the Assyrians were not masters of this country until later ages. As to Damascus, the heathen writers thought that Abraham first made a plantation there; probably it was planted in his times, The Syrians had grown up to two nations in David's time, and were conquered by him,' In the decline of Solomon's reign, Rezon made

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Damascenus apud Joseph. Antiq. lib. 1. c. 8.

* 2 Samuel viii.

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