ria."

=Manasseh's persecution.=--Manasseh therefore proceeded to introduce
the worship of the moon-god, and the sun-god, and other deities of
Nineveh. He even set up altars to these divinities in the temple of
Jehovah at Jerusalem. When the disciples of the prophets spoke against
all this he had them seized and killed, until he had "filled Jerusalem
with innocent blood." Many a good man who had listened to the reading
of Isaiah by candlelight in one of those reading circles now had to
hide himself in some closet or cistern from the soldiers of Manasseh.
There is a tradition that the aged Isaiah himself was put to death
during this persecution.

Not all of those who opposed Manasseh were killed, although they were
finally compelled to keep silence. Those little study circles still
held meetings in secret to read and talk and pray; and they kept
looking forward to a time when a different kind of a man would be
king, and when they would be able once more to lead the people into
the way of justice and true worship.

In one of these little groups a remarkably wise plan was suggested.
Let us take the laws which have been handed down to us from Moses, it
was said, and work them up into a sermon. Every one reverences Moses.
Let it include the farewell address which Moses is said to have spoken
to his people just before he died, and put into it all the laws of
Moses, and let us show what they really mean. And by and by when
Manasseh is dead we may be able to read it to the people, and perhaps
they will listen.

THE WRITTEN LAW

=The new law book--Deuteronomy.=--So they wrote the new book, and it
is preserved in our Bible as the book of Deuteronomy. We find in it
all the old laws which had been handed down from early times, and
which were called the "laws of Moses." And we find on every page
sentences which show the influence of the great prophets, from Amos to
Isaiah. Isaiah's influence is perhaps the most plainly seen,
especially his teaching that the people should worship Jehovah alone
as the one ruler of the world. In Deuteronomy also we find a very
solemn and emphatic commandment bidding us love and worship only
Jehovah, the one true God. This is the commandment which Jesus called
the first and greatest of all.

="Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy might."=

Such a law as this of course forba