been effected by the single iufluence of David, because he scrupulously conformed himself to the theocracy of the Hebrew state.

"But in the midst of all this splendour, Solomon fell short of the virtues of his father. At first, indeed, while the example of David and the instructions of his preceptor Nathan, were yet fresh in his mind, he showed himself as faithful to the theocracy as his father, and wished for nothing more than wisdom and understanding, that he might govern his subjects well. The severity with which he treated Joab and Adonijah, is not to be blamed; for they were seditious men who would otherwise have instigated a civil war. Also the removal of the high priest Abiathar, (by which a prophecy was fulfilled,) was not a violation of the law, for the law did not determine by what power the high priest should be appointed. While there was no statute on the subject, it was a matter of policy that the nomination of so important and influential an officer should be retained in the crown. The people willingly offered their service for the building of the temple, and did not esteem it a burden. The administration of justice was also faithfully attended to.

"Notwithstanding all this, Solomon, after the example of other orienntal monarchs, governed in rather an arbitrary manner. His numerous harem, which consisted of one thousand females, was an express violation of the law of Moses. The introduction of a body of cavalry, which amounted to twelve thousand men, might perhaps be excusable in an empire so extensive; and in this view it may be considered as not counteracting the law of Moses, which forbids the multiplication of horses. But the increase of the imposts to defray the expenses of the royal household, which in the East are always great, and in Solomon's court were extravagant, were burdens such as had been predicted; and which the Hebrews after the death of Solomon wished to have diminished. Even the decision respecting the two prostitutes, which called forth so many eulogies on the king's knowledge of mankind, betrays a leaning towards that arbitrary exercise of the royal power which is so common among the eastern despots. Solomon, as he grew older continually receded farther from the law of Moses, which every king of the Hebrews was bound to obey. That he as well as David, should tolerate idolatry in the foreign countries, they had conquered, was not a violation of the law, which was enjoined on the Hebrews only; but that he should allow the idolatry of his wives in his own dominions, and even in his own capital; that he should build temples to the gods, if he did not himself offer them sacrifices; this was a breach of the fundamental law of the Hebrew state; it was a seduc

ing of the Hebrews to idolatry; it was encouraging them to rebel against Jehovah their king. On this account the prosperity of Solomon was interrupted by disquiets in Idumea and Syria, and it was foretold to him that only one tribe, (Judah and Benjamin, mentioned as one because the capital Jerusalem was situated on the borders of each,) should remain to his heirs. The dominion over the other ten tribes was promised to Jeroboam by Ahijab the prophet. Solomon died in the year 975 B. C.; and notwithstanding his glory was but little lamented."

Here, several of the most remarkable features in the character and history of this distinguished Hebrew king, are either passed over in entire silence, or mentioned so cursorily as to leave the portrait comparatively indistinct. His pre-eminent wisdom; the reason why he, and not his father. David, was selected by Jehovah to build a Temple to his name; the erection of that far-famed and unparalleled edifice; the nature and circumstances of his defection from duty; the reason we have to believe that he afterwards repented, and returned to a sense of duty-are none of them made to stand forth with that prominence which the sacred history gives to them; and some of them are wholly unnoticed.

In other cases our author is more happy, as well as more instructive. The 163d section of chapter XV. entitled, "Survey of the Theocracy," is a comprehensive and well

executed sketch.

SURVEY OF THE THEOCRACY.

"The attentive reader of the preceding history, who has preserved the thread of the narration unbroken in his own mind, and can comprehend at one view the principal subjects embraced in it, cannot fail to perceive a connected plan running through the whole. This plan commences with the call of Abraham, is sustained by the Theocracy of the Hebrew state introduced by Moses, is gradually developed by subsequent occurrences, and finally brought to perfection by Jesus Christ and his apostles. It is a plan which men oculd never have

devised, nor have prosecuted without interruption through so many ages, nor have finally executed in so remarkable a manner, with such important results, and to so great an extent.

"Abraham received the promise of a numerous posterity, who were to possess the land of Canaan and preserve the true religion in the world; Gen. xii. 1—4: xv. 1—21: xxii. 16-18: and xviii. 17-22, compare xvii. 4-14; and by means of these descendants, or the seed of Abraham, all nations who were then almost entirely given up to idolatry, were to be blessed, or, to esteem themselves happy. This benediction, or blessing, according to Gen. xvii. 4-14, and xviii. 16-22, must have had principal reference to the propagation of the true religion, which the posterity of Abraham were to preserve, but which was at that time mostly, and soon after, entirely lost among the other nations of the earth. The prophets of later times, whenever they have predicted the spread of true religion among the heathen, have understood the promise given to Abraham, in this sense. But the words of the promise are susceptible of a more extensive meaning; and, as was shown by the result, they really did refer to something more than the mere propagation of religion. Gal. iii. 16. This promise was transferred to Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 1-4; and by him, to Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 12-18; and Jacob pronounced the same benediction principally on the tribe of Judah, Gen. xlix. 8-10, to which he had given a part of the privileges of primogeniture; so certain was he of the complete fulfilment of the promise, though the posterity of Abraham had increased to only seventy souls in two hundred and fifteen years, and though he had himself forsaken the promised land.

"This little tribe of the descendants of Abraham, however, during their residence of four hundred and thirty years in Egypt, increased to two millions and a half; and thus this part of the promise was accomplished, while the other part, respecting the preservation of religion, was in some degree counteracted; for the Israelites had for the most part become deeply infected with the Egyptian idolatry, and they would have become entirely idolatrous, had not God interposed to prevent it. They, indeed, always cherished a hope of settling, at some future time, in the promised land of Canaan; but, to judge from their subsequent conduct in Arabia Petrea, they would never have had the desire nor the courage to leave the fruitful land of Egypt, had they not been oppressed by the murderous edict respecting their male children and by the services which they were compelled to render to the king. Thus, even this oppression which the Egyptians designed as a means of retaining them in the country, was that which first excited

in them a desire to withdraw from Egypt, and which at last actually gave occasion to their departure.

"The miracles which were wrought both before and after their departure from Egypt, and the establishment of their theocratic constitution, were very appropriate, and indeed, necessary means of confirming their already wavering religious principles and of securing them for the future. We have seen in the preceding history, how well these means answered their purpose during the four hundred and fifty years under the Judges, the one hundred and twenty years under Saul, David, and Solomon, the two hundred and fifty-three years under the kings of Israel, and the three hundred and eighty years under the kings of Judah; for, during all these periods, the nation was always treated according to the sanctions of the Theocracy, and God himself frequently interposed by means of his ministers. An eternal kingdom and an everduring throne were promised to king David, 2 Sam. vii. 12-16. 1 Chr. xvii. 11-14; and in Ps. lxxxix. 27-38, this promise is explained by the assertion that the throne of David should stand as long as the sun and moon should endure in the heavens. Accordingly, the family of David was always preserved, though it was three times, (namely, under Jehoram, Athaliah, and Hezekiah,) in the utmost danger of extinction. Therefore the prophets, even in those times when the kingdom of Judah was overthrown and the posterity of David degraded and obscured, were always looking for some great descendant of that king, to whom even the heathen would submit; a hope which was derived from the blessing pronounced on Abraham. See Isa. ii. 2-4: xi. 1-12: 6. XLIX-LV. lx. 18-20: lxv. 1-66: 24. Amos ix. 11. Mic. iv. 1-7: vii. 20. Hos. iii. 4, 5. 6. Ezek. xxxiv. 23-31. Compare Zech. ix. 9, 10. iv. 2-6. Compare Ps. cx. 1: lxxxix. 26, 35-40. "After the captivity, the family of David sunk still lower, as was necessarily the case, since the promised son of David was not to appear as a temporal prince. But the theocracy did not cease during this period. We have already observed how it was manifested during the captivity, and after the captivity to the time of Malachi, 410 B. C. The promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, respecting the possession of the land of Canaan, was fulfilled according to the condition prescribed in the theocratic constitution; and exactly as those conditions were, subsequently, more accurately defined by Moses, Deut. xxviii. xxx. 1—5, and by the later prophets. Even the duration of the Chaldee- Babylonian dominion did not exceed the predicted period of seventy years. After the captivity, the prophets

Jer. xxiii. 5,

Mal. iii. 1, 2 : Gen. xv. 8-22.

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, made the necessary disclosures for the future; and, as these prophecies were continually fulfilling, by the building of the temple, by the victories of Alexander, by the Greek kings of Syria and Egypt, particularly by Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabees; and later, by Jesus Christ, and the last war with the Romans, (which Christ himself more clearly and definitely foretold, Matt. xxiv.)—so, the divine government over the nation was continued without interruption.

"It may at first appear unaccountable, that God, during the last four hundred years from Malachi to Christ, never interposed in a supernatural manner for his people, not even in the times of the Maccabees, when men of the highest rank, and priests and high priests, did all in their power to abolish the worship of the true God and introduce heathenism. But what we have remarked above, respecting the constant fulfilment of prophecies during this period, is sufficient to prove the uninterrupted continuance of the Theocracy; not to mention, that even in more ancient times, there are long periods, in which we find nothing of supernatural intervention, and the people appear to have been left to themselves; as, for example, the four hundred and thirty years in Egypt, and the four hundred and fifty years under the Judges, during which later period, supernatural interposition was very unfrequent, as is remarked in 1 Sam. iii. 1. The divine government of the Hebrews always proceeded in the ordinary course of providence, so long as that was sufficient for the preservation of religion; and it was only when natural means failed to effect this purpose, that supernatural methods were employed. But the history in the Books of Maccabees shows, that religion could then be maintained without the miraculous intervention of God, and consequently, that supernatural aid was unnecessary, and would have been superfluous. The fulfilment of the ancient prophecies respecting the Babylonian captivity, the return to Palestine, and the building of the city of Jerusalem and the temple, had so confirmed the Hebrews in their religion, that without any new miracles, they were ready to die as martyrs for its sake. Still even during this period, the footsteps of divine providence, especially in some very dangerous conjunctures, are too plainly marked to be mistaken.

The absence of supernatural occurrences, therefore, during this period, is not to be explained on the supposition, that the Hebrews had then become wiser and more intelligent; and consequently, that those events which were anciently regarded as the supernatural