NISROCH, flight, standard, thy

the wall. This city was early very over the enemy. When the king of much noted for its wealth, idolatry, it, whose name we suppose was Sarand whoredom. When Jonah the prophet, about he shut up himself and his family, danapalus, heard the city was taken, A. M. 3142, warned the inhabitants, and wealth, it is said, to the value of that if they did not repent, they about 25,000 millions sterling, in the should be destroyed within 40 days, palace, and then set fire to it, and they were greatly affected: a fast destroyed all that was in it. It is of three days both for man and beast reported it was 15 days before the was appointed, and they cried migh-flames were quenched. This happened tily to God for the preventing of adout A. M. 3403. The city was this stroke. He heard their prayers, never rebuilt; but another Nineveh and long delayed their ruin. Some or Ninus was built near it, which say it was destroyed about a hun- continued till the first ages of Chrisdred years after Jonah, but for the tianity, but at present there is scarcereasons given in the article Assy-ly a vestige to be discerned, either RIA, we cannot believe it; and the of the one or the other, Nah. i. ii. rather, because the scripture express-iii. Zeph. ii. 13, 15. ly declares, that Nineveh's ruin would be so complete as to need table, an idol of the Assyrians. no repetition. The kings of Assyria What he was, or how represented, is had collected into it most of the hard to determine. Perhaps Vitringa wealth of the east, Nah. ii. 9, 12. is in the right, who thinks he was BeNahum describes the ruin of Nine-lus, worshipped under the habit of a veh in the most graphical manner, Mars, or god of war, 2 Kings xix. 37. that the rivers should break through NITRE, now called Nitrate of potthe walls, chap. i. 8. and ii. 6. that ash. their troops and inhabitants should cients is a genuine, native, and pure, The nitre or nitron of the anbe quite dispirited, chap. iii. 13. and salt, extremely different from our niseized in their drunkenness, chap. tre, which has ranked among neutral i. 10. and iii. 11, 18. their allies salts, the other being a fixed alkali, should desert them, or their mer- found in a standing lake in Egypt and chants forsake the city, chap. iii. other lakes; it is black, very sharp, 15. and their own officers through and when thrown into an acid makes drunkenness or stupidity, desert their a strong ebullition or fermentation. station, chap. iii. 17. and the Medes It is used in bleaching, but is previ and Chaldeans ride with torches ously mixed with a milder ash to through the city in the night, chap.

ii. 3. 4.

prevent its burning the linen. It is The Medes and Persians had se- our version is translated nitre. That called nether in Hebrew, which in veral times laid siege to this city, and which we now call so, is saltpetre, were diverted by various accidents; a well-known substance, whitish in but after the massacre of the Tartars colour, and of a sharp bitterish taste. in Media, they repeated the siege. In its crude state, it seems to have Cyaxares and Nebuchadnezzar be-no acidity at all, but affords an acid ing the commanders. After they had spirit, capable of dissolving almost lain before it three years, the river any substance. Saltpetre is naturalTigris or Lycus, exceedingly swol-ly blended with particles of earth, as len, broke down two miles and a the ore thereof. Nay, any kind of half of the wall. When the water earth well moistened by the dung or assuaged, the besiegers rushed into urine of animals, will yield it in conthe city, and murdered the inhabi-siderable quantities. tants, who lay buried in their drunk- the ancients seems to have been The nitre of enness, occasioned by an advantage quite different from ours, and being which they had just before gained dissolved in vinegar, washed out

spots from people's clothes or skin. ¡lation, the son of that Lamech that There were mines of it southward of was descended of Seth. He was the Memphis in Egypt, Prov. xxv. 20. ninth in descent from Adam, and it "Though thou wash thee with nitre, seems the eighth preacher of rightand take thee much soap, thine in-eousness, 2 Pet. ii. 5. At his birth, iquity is marked before me;" thy his father Lamech expressed his hopes guilt is so great, that no pretences to that he would be a signal comfort to reformation can turn away thy pu- him and his family, and so gave him a nishment, Jer. ii. 22. name signifying rest and comfort. In NO, stirring up, or forbidding, his time, wickedness universally prea populous city of Egypt; but where, vailed. Noah not only walked piis not agreed. It could not be Alex- ously himself, but urged his neighandria, as that was not built when bours to do so likewise. To reward No was ruined. Calmet will have it his strict piety, amidst so many tempto be Diospolis, in the Delta, which tations to the contrary, God preservhad Busiris on the south, and Men-ed him and his family from the unidesium on the north. But we can versal deluge. To affect this, he, by see no reason why this should be God's direction, built an ark sufficalled populous, in an eminent de- cient to accommodate himself and fagree. Vitringa inclines to think it mily, and a sample of all the animals Noph or Memphis; but we rather that could not live in the water. It is think it was Thebes or Diospolis; thought he spent 120 years in buildwhich is much the same as No-am- ing it, that the corrupt Antediluvians mon, the habitation of Jupiter-am- might have the more time to repent mon, as that idol had a famous temple of their sins ere the flood should be here. It was the capital of Upper sent. In A. M. 1656, and when Egypt, and was built chiefly on the Noah was 600 years of age, he, with east of the Nile. In its glory, it is his wife, and three sons, Shem, Ham, said to have had a hundred gates, and Japheth, and their wives, and each capable to issue forth 20,000 seven of all clean animals, male and men, and that 700,000 soldiers had female, and two of unclean animals, their residence in it; but these ac- entered the ark, and were shut up in counts are too pompous to be credit-it by the Lord. When Noah, almost able. It is certain it was very popu- a year after, found that the waters. lous, and No-ammon may signify the mightily decreased, he sent out a radwelling of multitudes. Under Sen-ven to see if the earth were dry. It nacherib, or his son, the Assyrians lived probably on the floating carcastook Thebes, and reduced it to a de- ses, and never returned to him. solation, while Egypt and Ethiopia next sent a dove, which finding no were under one king, Nah. iii. 8.- dry place to rest on, returned, and 10. It was rebuilt, but Cambyses, Noah put out his hand, and took the Persian, destroyed it when it was her into the ark: after seven days, about 52 miles in circumference, or he sent her out a second time, and as some improbably say, in length. she returned with a fresh olive-leaf The wealth they found in it was im- in her mouth. When he sent her mense. It was again rebuilt, but far out a third time, she returned not. less in extent, and was destroyed by After he and his family, and the Cornelius Gallus, the Roman general. other animals, had lodged a year The ruins of the four noted temples and ten days in the ark, they came that were here, were long very dis-out. Noah offered a sacrifice of cernible, if they be not so still. The thanksgiving for his preservation, and city Said, or perhaps Luxxor, is the Lord accepted it, and promised built near to where the ancient that no wickedness of men should Thebes stood. hereafter provoke him to destroy the. NOAH, NOE, repose, rest, conso-earth, or the animals thereof, or to

He

deny the regular return of the sea-the building of Babel he might have sons. The Lord also charged Noah removed eastward to China, and been and his sons to multiply and reple- their Fohi, or founder of that kingnish the earth; he allowed them to dom, though we cannot apprehend eat the flesh of clean animals, pro- the arguments of Shuckford and others viding they did not eat them with in favour of this journey, to be the blood: and he ordered that every really conclusive. It is said, that murderer of a man should be put to Noah is the Saturn, or old god of death. To mark the establishment the Heathen; and that Ham is their of his covenant for the preservation Jupiter, god of Heaven; Japheth of the world, he promised to set his their Neptune, or god of the sea; rainbow in the cloud, in wet wea-and Shem, Pluto, or god of hell. Perther, as a token that the waters haps their Ouranus or Cœlus, their should no more cover the earth. Ogyges, Deucalion, Janus, PromeSoon after the flood, Noah com-theus, &c. are no other than Noah menced a husbandman, and cultivat-dressed up in fable.

ed the vine; and it seems, insensi- Did not this patriarch prefigure Jeble of the intoxicating virtue there- sus the Saviour? His name is a name of, took of the wine till he was of rest, and source of consolation. drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. Amidst a crooked and perverse geneHam, his younger son, perhaps in-ration, he was singularly upright and formed by Canaan, went and saw him holy, and preached righteousness in in this condition, and in a sportive the great congregation. Through him, manner told his two brethren of it. how the patience of God is displayThey took a mantle, and going back-led towards men! By him, the ark of ward, that they might not behold the church is gradually reared; and their father's shame, spread it over in it are Jews and Gentiles saved him. When Noah awoke, and from eternal ruin. His sweet-smellwas quite sober, he, understanding ing sacrifice removes the curse and the behaviour of his sons, denounced vengeance of God. With his seed a curse of servitude upon the pos-is the new covenant established, and terity of Ham, chiefly the descend- on them is the true heirship of all ants of Canaan. These he predicted things bestowed. Such as despise should be slaves to the offspring him, and turn his grace into licenof the two brothers who had covered tiousness, or the infirmities of the him, and be oppressed by the He-saints into ridicule, he condemns to brews, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Per-endless slavery and wo; such as sians, Saracens, and by the Greeks, love his person, and hide the infirRomans, Vandals, and Turks; that mities of his saints, he blesses with of Shem's posterity should the Mes-high advancement, and delightfu! siah proceed; and that the posterity fellowship with God.

of Japheth should be exceedingly nu- NOB, prophecy, a small city merous, and at last seize on the ter- not far from Jerusalem. Here the ritories of Shem, and enter into a tabernacle for some time contistate of church fellowship with God. nued. Here Doeg, by Saul's order, At last he died, aged nine hundred murdered all the families of the 84 and fifty years, a little before the priests who were slain with Abimebirth of Abraham. lech, 1 Sam. xxii. Here SennaWhether Noah consented to the cherib halted in his march to the building of Babel, or whether be- siege of Jerusalem, Isa. x. 32. The fore his death he assigned to his children of Benjamin dwelt here three sons their different shares of after the captivity, Nehemiah xi. the then known world, we know not. 32.

Nor after perusal of the arguments NOBAH, that barks, or yelps, a on both sides, dare we say, but after city beyond Jordan, named from ar