of him is that he is an unknown He- and purpose of the whole Book. The brew sage, the son of an equally un- variety of the opinions held respecting known Jakeh, and that he lived after it indicates sufficiently that it is as far the time of Hezekiah. Lemuel, like removed as possible from the characAgur, is unknown. It is even uncer-ter of a formal treatise. It is that tain whether he is to be regarded as which it professes to be the confesa real personage, or whether the name sion of a man of wide experience lookis merely symbolical. If the present ing back upon his past life and looktext be retained it is difficult to see ing out upon the disorders and cawhat other conclusion can be arrived lamities which surround him. The at. If Lemuel were a real personage writer is a man who has sinned in giv. he must have been a foreign neigh- ing way to selfishness and sensuality, bor-king or the chief of a nomad who has paid the penalty of that sin in tribe, and in this case the proverbs satiety and weariness of life, but who attributed to him must have come to has through all this been under the the Hebrews from a foreign source, discipline of a divine education, and which is highly improbable and con- has learned from it the lesson which trary to all we know of the people. God meant to teach him. It is tol The proverbs are frequently quoted erably clear that the recurring burden or alluded to in the New Testament, of "Vanity of vanities" and the teachand the canonicity of the Book there- ing which recommends a life of calm by confirmed. The following is a enjoyment, mark, whenever they oclist of the principal passages: Rom. iii. 10, 15, Jam. iv. 6. cur, a kind of halting-place in the suc cession of thoughts. The writer concludes by pointing out that the secret of a true life is that a man should consecrate the vigor of his youth to God (xii. 1). It is well to do that before the night comes, before the slow deThess. v. 15; 1i cay of age benumbs all the faculties of sense (xii. 2, 6), before the spirit returns to God who gave it. The Matt. xv. 4; Mark thought of that end rings out once Rom. xii. 17; 1 1 Pet. iv. 8. 1 Pet. iv. 18. 66 1 John i. 8. XX. 20 66 xxii. 8 (LXX.) Pet. iii. 9. Jam. i. 19. vii. 10. 2 Cor. ix. 7. XXV. 21, 22" Rom. xii. 20. xxvi. 11 2 Pet. ii 22. more the knell of the nothingness of all things earthly (xii. 8); but it leads also to "the conclusion of the whole matter," to that to which all trains of thought and all the experiences of life had been leading the seeker This Book is called in Hebrew Ko- after wisdom, that "to fear God, and heleth, or the Preacher. Commenta- keep his commandments" was the tors differ most widely as to the plan highest good attainable. III. BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES. 1 Sebustîyeh, the ancient Samaria, from the E.N.E. Behind the city are the mountains of Ephraim, verging on the Plain of Sharon. Ta Mediterranean Sea is in the farthest distance. BOOK VI. THE DIVIDED MONARCHY. THE CAPTIVITY AND THE RETURN. B.C. 975-400. CHAPTER XXIII. THE KINGDOMS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. FROM THE DIVISION OF THE MONARCHY TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HOUSE OF AHAB. B.C. 975-884. § 1. Kingdoms of Judah and Israel-Their respective characters-Superi ority of Judah. § 2. Accession of REHOBOAM-Assembly of Shechem -Revolt of the Ten Tribes under Jeroboam-Judah and Benjamin adhere to Rehoboam-War forbidden by the prophet Shemaiah-Government of Rehoboam-Religious declension-Jerusalem taken by Shishak-Death of Rehoboam. § 3. Reign of ABIJAH, second king of Judah-Defeat of Jeroboam-Prosperity of Judah. § 4. JEROBOAM I. king of Israel-Extent of the kingdom-Idolatry of the golden calves The prophet at Bethel-Abijah, son of Jeroboam-The prophet Ahijah. 85. NADAB, second king of Israel-His murder, and extinc tion of the house of Jeroboam. § 6. BAASHA, third king of Israel The prophet JEHU-War with Judah and Syria--ELAH, fourth king of Israel-Murdered by Zimri-Extinction of the house of Baasha. § 7. ZIMRI, fifth king of Israel, reigns only seven days-Deaths of Zimri and Tibni, his competitor-OMRI, sixth king of Israel-Building of the new capital Samaria-Dependence of Israel on Syria-Wickedness and death of Omri. § 8. Asa, third king of Judah-Reformation of religion -Asa's great army-Defeat of Zerah the Ethiopian-the prophet AzARIAH-Second reformation-War with Baasha, and alliance with Benhadad I. The prophet HANANI reproves Asa-Religious persecutionDeath of Asa. § 9. JEHOSHAPHAT, seventh king of Judah-His piety and prosperity-Alliance with Ahab. § 10. AHAB, seventh king of Israel, and his wife Jezebel-Worship of Baal, and persecution of Jehovah's worshipers - ELIJAH THE TISHBITE denounces a three years' drought-Elijah nourished at Cherith by ravens, at Zarephath by a starving widow-His appearance to Ahab, and contest with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel-Victory of Elijah—The people confess Jehovah-The prophets of Baal slain-Elijah's prayer for rain-Fury of Jezebel-Flight of Elijah to the Wilderness-His vision of Jehovah's glory -His mission to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha-The murder of Naboth, and the judgment pronounced by Elijah. § 11. Wars of Ahab with Syria-Benhadad II. defeated at Samaria and Aphek-Expedition of Ahab and Jehoshaphat to recover Ramoth, in Gilead--The prophet MICAIAH-Defeat of the two kings, and death of Ahab. § 12. Jehoshaphat reproved by Jehu-His great reformation of Justice-War with Moab and Ammon-The prophet Jahaziel-Great victory of Berachah -Alliances with Ahaziah and Jehoram-Maritime enterprise of Jehoshaphat, denounced by the prophet ELIEZER - Death of Jehoshaphat. § 13. AHAZIAE, eighth king of Israel-Last appearance of Elijah-His Translation-Ministry of ELISHA. § 14. JEHORAM, ninth king of Israel -Allies with Jehoshaphat against the revolt of the Moabites-Miracle of Elisha, and defeat of Moab-Siege of Kir-haraseth and human sacrifice by the King of Moab-Elisha and the widow-The Shunammite woman-The healing of Naaman's leprosy-War with Syria--Elisha and the Syrians-The siege of Samaria miraculously raised. § 15. JEHORAM, fifth king of Judah-Marriage with Athaliah, daughter of Ahab Idolatry and wickedness-Revolts of Edom, Libnah, the Philistines, and Arabians. § 16. AHAZIAH, sixth king of Judahı — Elisha anoints Hazael, who murders Benhadad II.-Anointing and revolt of Jehu-Slaughter of Jehoram, Jezebel, Ahab's seventy sons, the princess of Judah, the worshipers of Baal, and Ahaziah. § 17. Usurpation of ATHALIAH, and murder of the royal family of Judah, except Joash, who is saved by Jehoiada-Restoration of Joash, and death of Athaliah -Extinction of the house of Ahab in both its branches of Israel and Judah. - § 1. VERY shortly after the death of Solomon, the prophecy of Ahijah was fulfilled; his kingdom was rent in twain, and the parts, both greatly weakened by the disruption, formed the separate kingdoms of JUDAH and of ISRAEL. It may be well to take a preliminary view of the somewhat intricate annals of those kingdoms, and of the very different character which marked each. To a superficial observer, the northern kingdom, including ten tribes, about two-thirds of the popu lation, and, with the region east of Jordan, more than the same proportion of the land, and that much the best in quality, would seem to have had all the elements of greater strength. But, on the other hand, Judah retained the capital, the centre of the organized system of government and of the material interests of the nation, together with the accumulated treasures of Solomon. And, to say nothing of the energy of the tribe of Judah, which was perhaps equaled by Ephraim, Zeb-lun, and Naphtali, all the moral and religious elements of greatness were on the sides of the southern kingdom. From the very first, the blot of rebellion clung to the cause of Israel; the divine selection of Jeroboam to punish the sins of Solomon was not held to justify his rebellion. He was indeed assured that obedience to God's law would be rewarded by the establishment of his kingdom and his dynasty; but his very first acts severed every religious bond to Jehovah and his worship, and his course was followed by his successors, of whom, with scarcely an exception, we read the emphatic sentence, "he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin." 3 On the other hand, the kingdom of Judah was preserved from the defection of the other tribes, expressly for the sake of God's covenant with David, and to maintain His worship at its chosen seat; and the immediate consequence of Jeroboam's religious revolt was to drive all the priests and Levites to Jerusalem. With the line of David remained God's promise of a permanent kingdom, made doubly sure by its ultimate reference to the Messiah; in that family the crown was handed on, generally from father to son; while, in Israel, the dynasty of Jeroboam ended with his son; and there followed a series of murders and usurpations, amid which the longest dynasties, those of Omri and Jehu, only numbered four and five kings each. From the disruption to the epoch at which Ahaziah, king of Judah, and Jehoram, king of Israel, were killed at the same time by Jehu, a period of ninety years (B.C 975-884), Judah had only six kings (though Ahaziah reigned but one year), while Israel had nine; and, in the whole period of 255 years, from the disruption to the cap The areas of the two kingdoms ter a little less than Northumberland, were respectively, Israel about 9375 Durham, and Westmoreland. The square miles, Judah about 3435. The whole of Palestine was nearly equal former was a little less than Yorkshire, in area to Holland. 2 1 K. xi. 38. Lancashire, and Cumberland the lat- 2 Chron. xi. 13. 14. Y 8 Б tivity of Israel, twelve kings of Judah occupy the same space as nineteen kings of Israel; a striking indication of the greater stability of the former dynasty. The moral superiority is equally striking, not only in the preservation of the worship of Jehovah at Jerusalem, while Israel was sunk in idolatry, but even on the comparatively weak ground of the personal character of the kings. It is true that the house of David was deeply corrupted, chiefly by its connection with the wicked house of Ahab; but it boasts the names of Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Jotham, the godly Hezekiah, the penitent Manasseh, the pure Josiah; while not one of the kings of Israel is free from the blot of foul wickedness; for even the fierce zeal of Jehu had no purity of motive. The two kingdoms were equally distinguished in their final fate. The sentence of captivity was executed upon Israel about 130 years sooner than on Judah; and while the ten tribes never returned to their land, and only a scattered remnant of them shared the restoration of Judah, the latter became once more a small but powerful nation, not free from the faults of their fathers, but worshiping God with a purity and serving Him with a heroic zeal unequaled since the days of Joshua, and preparing for the restoration of the true spiritual kingdom under the last great son of David. The part of the history thus reviewed, down to the Captivity at Babylon, may be marked out into three great periods:-I. From the disruption to the simultaneous deaths of the kings of Judah and Israel by the hand of Jehu, in B.C. 884-II. To the captivity of Israel by Shalmaneser (or Sargon), in B.C. 721-III. The remaining history of Judah, down to the Captivity at Babylon, in B.C. 586. We return to the thread of the history from the death of Solomon. § 2. REHOBOAM® or Roboam (LXX.) was the son of Solomon by Naamah, an Ammonite princess. As he was fortyone at his accession, he must have been born about the time of his father's association with David in the kingdom. The luxury in which he was trained seems to have given him a light and headstrong character, on which his father's precepts were thrown away; he was quite unequal to the difficulties bequeathed to him by Solomon; and he was scarcely seated on the throne, before the old jealousy between Judah and the |