dants should possess it. Joshua established them in Canaan, though they did not destroy all the people but only a portion; enough of the original inhabitants remained for the Israelites to quarrel with, and what is worse, to instruct them in the worship of false gods.

11. Besides the heads of the tribes, the Israelites had military leaders who also judged or governed in civil affairs. The Judges acted in this double capacity, till the sons of Samuel, the last Judge, were entrusted by their father with the public concerns. These deputed judges "perverted judgment," or governed badly; and the people demanded of the venerable Samuel to give them a king. Samuel dissuaded them from this, however they replied, "Nay; but we will have a king to reign over us ;" and he anointed Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to be king, B. C. 1075.

12. Saul's kingdom comprehended all the tribes, and was called the kingdom of Israel. Saul, David, and Solomon reigned over it successively, one hundred and twenty years. Solomon was succeeded by his son Rehoboam. Ten of the tribes revolted from Rehoboam, and left only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to his government. The ten revolted tribes were still called the kingdom of Israel, and were governed by kings of their own. The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed another kingdom, called the kingdom of Judah. This separation of the tribes is called the Division of the kingdom, and took place B. C. 975.

13. Though it had pleased God to reveal himself to Moses, and to give the Israelites laws and commandments to be observed, so that they might know that he alone was God; and though

he had forbidden them to make graven images, and to bow down before and worship other gods, yet in despite of this, they imitated the idolatries of their neighbours of Egypt and Syria, so that they brought upon themselves the punishments which God had denounced against them if they forsook the worship which he enjoined.

14. The people of the kingdom of Israel addicted themselves more especially to idolatry than they of Judah; and though God instructed the Israelites by his prophets, Elijah and Elisha, of their folly and wickedness, yet was this instruction lost upon them, and they exposed themselves to his just displeasure.

15. For two hundred and fifty-four years Israel subsisted as an independent kingdom, but at the expiration of that time the king of Assyria laid waste the country, and carried the inhabitants away into his dominions, where their descendants were dispersed and lost among the nations of Asia.

16. Judah continued an independent kingdom till B. C. 588, when Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and the people of Judah were carried away to captivity. They continued in this condition seventy years, till Cyrus king of Persia became master of Babylon, and permitted them to return to their own land. Zerubabel led fifty thousand of his countrymen back to Canaan: these were chiefly of the kingdom of Judah, though some Israelites accompanied them, B. C. 536.

17. The people who returned were afterwards called Jews, and their country Judea. Jerusalem was their capital-it was anciently Jebus-David took it from the Jebusites, a people of Canaan, en

larged and beautified it, and there Solomon erect, ed the temple. Samaria was a city north of Je rusalem, and the capital of the kingdom of Israel: it was built by Omri one of the kings.

18. While the land of Israel lay desolate, abandoned by its former inhabitants, colonies from the east settled there, and were instructed by a Jew ish priest in his religion. These colonists were called Samaritans from their chief city, Samaria. When the Jews returned to Judea, and were employed in rebuilding their temple, which was destroyed by the Chaldeans, the Samaritans offered to assist them, but the Jews refused to allow this, because the Samaritans were in part idolaters, and a quarrel ensued between these people, which was kept up for many ages, and produced that mutual hatred between Jews and Samaritans which is often mentioned in the gospel.

19. Ezra, a priest of the family of Aaron, led a new colony of Jews from Babylon, and brought gifts from the king to rebuild Jerusalem, B. C. 457. Nehemiah was afterwards sent, and these good men together, re-established a remnant of their nation in peace and prosperity. This concludes the Old Testament four centuries before Christ, but other books bring down the history of the Jews to the present age.

Illustration.

i. The last lesson contains an imperfect account of the Old Testament History: the Bible

itself is the only book from which the whole can be properly learned, but the Bible will be better understood, if this little introduction is comprehended and remembered.

2. One of the most eminent men in all history is Moses. The religion which God taught Moses, and which he taught to his countrymen, is called by his name-The Mosaic Dispensation. The religion which Jesus Christ taught to the same people, but for the benefit of all mankind, is called The Christian Dispensation.

3. The religion of Moses related to the Hebrews principally, and spoke of this world only; the religion of Christ mentions another life: he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, to prove to us that we shall rise from apparent death, and inherit eternal life; therefore is it written in the New Testament, that "The law (the Jewish law) came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

The most valuable part of the law of Moses is the Decalogue.

In the nineteenth chapter of Exodus it is related that God commanded Moses to repeat to the children of Israel the benefits they had received at his hands, and his will that they should obey his laws and be a "holy nation;" and moreover, God, in a sensible manner, declared his will from Mount Sinai. God's declaration from Mount Sinai is the ten commandments, or the Decalogue, which follows: