not have made the following complaint, “bécause the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I even I only am left; and they seek my life to take it away."*

Having thus traced, in a concise manner, the moral history of the ten tribes, we shall now direct our attention to the tribe of Judah.

Rehoboam had taken the resolution to wage war with the revolting Israelites, but he was forbidden by Shemaiah, the man of God. He received the priests and Levites that belonged to the disaffected tribes, whom Jeroboam had dismissed. His conduct during the three first years of his reign was approved, but "when he had established his kingdom and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord; and it is said, that as a punishment "Shikah king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all. He carried way also the shields of gold which Solomon had made."t

Abijah his son who succeeded, adhered to the service of the true God. He engaged in a contest against the hosts of Jeroboam and was triumphant; so that Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah." "The children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers."

Asa was eminently pious. He exerted himself, with a well-directed zeal, to destroy idolatry in all its forms. In his days the kingdom acquired great strength. He was enabled to resist the attack of Zerah the Ethiopian, who came against him with a mighty host. By the advice of Oded the prophet, and of his son Azariah, he endeavoured to recover the ancient forms of worship; "Israel having been for a long season without the true God, without à teaching priest, and without the law;" and he entered into a solemn covenant to maintain the principles of true religion. Many subjects of the rival kingdom, who retained a veneration for the service of the true God, engaged also in these solemn acts. "They fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him."t

* 2 Chron. ch. xiii.

S

† 2 Chron. ch. xiv. xv.

His son and successor Jehoshaphat, continued the work of reformation. He gave orders to men of high authority to instruct the people, in all the cities of Judah; sending "Levites and priests who taught the people, having the books of the law with them." He appointed judges also who should "judge righteously, without taking bribes or respecting persons." The happy result was, that "the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and tribute silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats."*.

It was this sovereign who, in an alliance with Ahab king of Israel against the Samaritans, doubted the veracity of the prophets of Baal; and in the issue of the contest he escaped unhurt, while Ahab was slain by the enemy. Upon the devout humiliation of his people before the Lord, they were delivered from the powerful host of Moabites and Ammonites, who were collected together with a determination to destroy them.

* 2 Chron. xvi. xvii.

Of the humiliation and piety of this king, his dependence upon God at a season of extreme danger, when multitudes of the children of Ammon, Moab, and the inhabitants of mount Seir, combined together to invade and lay waste Judea, the animating promise of divine aid, and the prosperous result, we have an interesting account in the book of Chronicles.*

In two instances Jehoshaphat acted contrary to the usual tenor of his conduct. He associated both with Ahab, and with Ahaziah, the abandoned kings of Israel; which displeased the Lord.

" In

Jehoram his son, formed an intimate alliance with the house of Israel, by marrying the daughter of Ahab: "and he wrought that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the ways of the house of Ahab." his days the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah." Elijah the prophet predicted a plague that should fall upon the people, as a punishment for the wickedness of their sovereign, in which they concurred; and also the premature death of Jehoram by a painful disease. Jehoram was buried in the city of David, but-was not deemed worthy of being

* 2 Chron. ch. xx:

buried in the sepulchres of their kings." His eldest son having been slain by the Arabians, Ahaziah his youngest son, assumed the reins of government. His mother was Athaliab, daughter of Omri king of Israel. He also "walked in the ways of the house of Ahab ; for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly."*

1

Jehu, who had overthrown the house of Ahab for its wickedness, was likewise appointed to be an instrument in the hands of Providence, to avenge the apostasy of Ahaziah. For when he went with Jehoram, the son of Ahab, to war against Hazael, king of Syria, Jehoram was slain' by Jehu, "because he was the son of that Jehoshaphat who had sought the Lord with all his heart."

Athaliah, when she knew that her son was dead, destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah, excepting Joash, who was secreted by the daughter of king Jehoram. Athaliah was guilty of this slaughter, that she might usurp the throne in security. The young prince was concealed for the space of six years; when Jehoiada the priest, and several of the nobles, opposing the usurpation of Athaliah, by a wellconcerted plan, restored to Joash the throne of

*2 Chron. ch, xxii.