The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-08-19
Iayard's Confirmation Of Scripture.


IayaTd's Confirmation Of Scripture.
After all the attention which has been
given to Layard's discoveries among the ru-
ms Of Nnetah, We doubt whether the pub
lie mind in general is fully aware of the ma:
ture and extent Of the confirmation which
they bring to the truth Of Scripture history
II may be useful here to set out, in the brief
est form, specimens of some Of the general
results of these discoveries.
They show, in conformity with the tenor
Of Scripture, that the earliest ages were not
as many think, barbarous ages but the
race of men, originally enlightened from u
divine source, had, at FIRST high degree Of
general knowledge, which they gradua "
lost through their detection to idolatry. II
has been demonstrated by these excavations,
not only that a high state of the arts existed
in Nineyah thousand years before Christ
but, also, that in the earliest ages Of that
city, dating but few centuries from the
food, their sculptures were the best. In
this remarkable result the Egyptian and As,
syrian antiquities agree.
1t is also proved, contrary to the general
impression, that idolatry was introduced
when men had better knowledge Of the
did not grow up religion Of nature by the
Intellectual attempts Of man TO find the true
God. But it was introduced as an cSpedcnt
Of men, in order to obscure what knowledge
Of God they possessed, because they did not
like TO retain God in their knowledge. This
is shown IN the fact, that the earliest repre-
sentations Of God, found in these sculptures,
are the best, and immeasurably exceed every
thing Of the kind existing i'll after ages
especially in their approach t. the true idea
of God. So that idolatry came in not for
want of light, but by an abuse of light,
Men knew God, and yet not willing to gloIi-
ly him as God, became vain in their iinagin-
ations, and their foolish heart was dark
encd.
The Scripture accounts of the great anti
qnity OF Ninevah, aud the Assyrian empire
agree with these records dug out of the ru-
ins Of Ninevah. TIL Scriptures date the
building ofthc city not long after the food
and by the fact that the same marble ma
terials have been used in successive struc-
tures, and that ancient u.llings have been
placed on the ruins Of those still more an
cicnt, and other unmistakable Indications,
the conclusion is made clear, that the city
had all the antiquity which the Scriptures
ascrbc
The monuments also bear upon them the
records Of the fnli,nent Of prophecy. Ma.
than prophesed that the city would be plum.
dercd Of all its treasures so that none would
be left. Layard has found, in all his excava-
tions, nothing in the form of gold or silver
4 fact which is remarkable, if the city had
not been thoroughly plundered before it
was burnt. The prophet forctold that the
invaders would obtain easy access to some
portions Of the city and that, wherever the
inhabitants should resort to the strongholds,
they would be burnt. Now, the ruins show
just this result that some parts of the city
were destroyed by fire, and others escaped.
But a more striking confirmation is found
in the fact, that inscriptions, on the ruins of
one OF the palaces, gives the records Of the
military career Of Scnnacherlb, with Just
such series Of conqucstS, and Just such
boasting Of them, as the Scriptures ascribe
to him. For instance, the Bible tc!lsu that
llczckah rcbclled against the king Of Assy.
ria: that in the fourteenth year Of lleze'
kiah's reign, Sennacherib came up against
all the fenced cities Of Judah, and took from
IleZckiah three hundred talcns of silver,
and thirty Of gold. Now, compare this with
the historical inscription on Sennacherib's 5
palace: because Hezekiah, king Of Judah,
did not submit to my yoke, took and plum
dcred forty-siX Of his strong fenced cities
and innumcrable smaller towns but | left
him Jerusalem his capital cityi and because
llezekiah Still refused 10 pay homage, at
tackled and carried off the whole population
which dwclt around Jerusalem, with thirty
talents Of gold and eight hundred talents Of
silver This agrees with the Bible ac-
count except in respect to the quantity Of
silver. As to this, the one account may de-
scribe what was delivered 10y Hezokiah and
the other the whole product of his plunder
One chamber Of Scnnacheribs palace pre-
sents in sculptures and inscriptions, the
siege ofthe Jewish city, Lachish. The king
is sculpturcd in royal pomp, on his throne,
and over his head is this inscription;
"Scnnachcrib the mighty king, king of
the country ofAssyria, sitting on the throne
Of judgment before the city of Lachish; !
give permission for its slaughter In the
Scriptures, the destruction Of the city of
Lachish is represented to have been his
most difficult work and Of course, it was a
victory on which he would most plume him
self, as the sculptures show that he did.
Another instance appears in this, that in
the historical sculptures there are marks OF
sudden and final interruption Of the work,
such as would naturally follow from the vio-
lent death of the king os described in the
Bible.
In the ruins Of Babylon there is no sculp-
tnrcd marble. The city was built all of brick.
Yet the bricks often have characters stamped
on them. In one instance huge palace is
formed Of bricks thus stamped; and the
same characters repeated, upon one and an
other; and these characters exhibit the
name f"Nebuchadnczzar." The prominent
characteristic of Nebuchadhczzar was his
pridc-such as was revealed in that speech /:
as not this great Babylon that have built,
by the might of my power and for the hon
or Of my majesty" Now, these ruins orthe
palace, in every brick of them, give just the
echo of that boastcd speech. Thus, after so
many centuries, God has brought, forth
from the ruins Of these cities voices in re.
sponsc to what the inspired penman had re-
corded SO inany centuries before.
n SrhL LvE."--Lord Byron onrc re-
marked 'glory consists in being shot in bat
tic, and having ones name reported wrong
! On the dead and wounded list ~