sence, and the people being visited with great plagues— 1 Sam, v. 2-12.

When the divine pity was excited, "because of their groanings," God raised up a succession of Judges, thirteen in number, from Othniel, of the family of Caleb, to Samuel; who defeated their enemies, and gave rest to the land. The Judges exercised the sovereign power about 300 years, somewhat like the Roman dictators, the office being rather of a military, than a civil nature.- Abimilech only was complimented with the title of king, by the Sechemites-Judg. ix. 6.—The supreme authority had generally been possessed by the first born of the families of the Patriarchs, in hereditary succession, but the Judges were raised up by God at his discretion, and appointed by him according to the exigency of the public affairs.

On the termination of this government the Monarchy commenced, which was again hereditary, except in the family of Saul, the first king, whom God set aside for disobeying his commandment, in offering a forbidden sacrifice-1 Sam. xiii. 9-14. Although the people had affronted and rejected God, -1 Sam. viii. 7—by desiring a king before the time of his own appointment, (for a time was to come, when they were to be permitted to have one,-Deut. xvii. 14-) so that he " gave them a king in his anger," who ruled over them tyrannically, as predicted; and " took him away in his wroth,"-Hosea, xiii. 11 -yet he did not withdraw the divine communication from them,- God still dwelt amongst them in his Tabernacle, and his Temple; and frequently raised up a prophet, through whom he more expressly declared his will.

The monarch did not presume to interfere in the priest's office, till the setting up of idolatrous worship by Jeroboam; though Solomon deposed Abiathar from the High Priesthood: -but this was not on account merely of his conspiracy against him, but in fulfilment of God's denunciation against the House of Eli, of whom Abiathar was a descendant-and in favour of Zadok, a descendant of Phineas, to whom the covenant of the priesthood seems to have been confirmed,-1 Sam.ii. 27—36—

with-1 Kings, ii. 27-and-Num. xxv. 13.—But whatever was the nature of the government, the nation was still prone to idolatry-worshipping that which was not God-planting "groves," after the manner of the idolatrous worshippers; adopted originally perhaps from the example of Abraham ;— Gen. xxi. 33—making High places," and following all the abominations of the Heathen, from whom they had been so carefully separated. Being therefore abandoned by God, they were frequently vanquished by their enemies, with great slaughter; and even when they were conquerors, their victory became a snare, and the cause of pollution,-2 Chron. xxv. 14, &c.-God, in his just judgment, making the Heathen the instrument of his vengeance. These evils were aggravated by civil commotions, and rebellions;-by great famines, and various plagues: the crimes of the monarch being punished by awful visitations on the people.

The Monarchy began with Saul, B. C. 1095, and three sovereigns only, Saul, David, and Solomon, reigned over the whole united nation of the Hebrews (a term first given to Abram,-Gen. xiv. 13-either from his ancestor Heber, or as meaning "a stranger.") For after the death of Solomon, and on the accession of Rehoboam, his son, ten, out of the twelve tribes, separated themselves, and made Jeroboam their king, an officer of Solomon, and to whom the prophet Ahijah had predicted, by the rending of his mantle, that he should reign over the ten tribes,-1 Kings, xi. 26-40.-This portion of the nation, constituting the kingdom of Israel, was immediately plunged into open idolatry, by Jeroboam himself; who, notwithstanding the hand of God was so conspicuous in his elevation, acted under the wicked, and mistaken policy, that if the people were suffered to direct their attention back to the Temple worship, they might return to their allegiance to the kings of Judah.—He, therefore, neglecting the God that dwelt "between the cherubims," made two golden calves, in conformity to the Egyptian idolatry, and set them up for worship in two distant parts of the kingdom, saying "BEHOLD THY

GODS, O, ISRAEL, which brought thee up out of the land of "Egypt,"-1 Kings, xii. 28-and "he made a house of high places," and burnt incense, and ordained him priests of "the "lowest of the people," "whosoever would," which were not of the sons of Levi, "for the high places, and for the devils, "and for the calves which he had made,"—1 Kings, xii. 25-33. xiii, 33-2 Chron. xi. 15.-Thus he "made Israel "to sin ;" and it " became sin unto the House of Jeroboam, even to cut it off and destroy it"—1 Kings, xiii. 34. xiv. 16. -Some have imagined that these "golden calves" were, in fact, nothing more than an imitation of the " Cherubim," as they are described by Ezekiel, i. 10, &c.—and St. John-Rev. iv. 7-and that he did not thereby institute the worship of false Gods. If this were the case, then his "sin" consisted in merely performing an established worship in a place not auhorized, and sanctified by God.

The nineteen kings who succeeded to the throne of Israel, were of different families; and none of them appear to have continued in the true worship, not even Jehu who destroyed the priests and worshippers of Baal.-God, thus provoked, delivered them at different times into the power of the Assyrians; and at length Shalmaneser took Samaria, their chief city, B. C. 721, and carried away all the people that remained after former conquests, into captivity in Assyria.-Here they still worshipped the false Gods, and becoming mixed with the idolaters, the greater part of the ten tribes ceased to exist as a peculiar people, and as a part of the visible Church of God. The kings of the house of David, also nineteen in number, reigned over the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin-God giving one tribe to Rehoboam, in order, as he had declared, “that David "my Servant may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen me to put my name there,' 1 Kings, xi. 36.—Of these some were religious, and zealous for the service of the true God, but others of a different character; who fell into all the abominations of idolatry, and provoked God's vengeance on the nation; so that after the reign of

F

Josiah, one of their most devout kings, but in whose time even, the Book of the Law appears to have been unknown, till found by Hilkiah the High Priest,-2 Chron. xxxiv. 14-22—the nation fell successively under the power of the kings of Egypt, and Babylon; and in the reign of Zedekiah, B. C. 588, Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar—the Temple was plundered and burnt, according to the threatening,-2 Chron. vii. 21, 22 -and the sacred vessels were removed-the king was made prisoner, and had his eyes put out, and Seraiah, the High Priest, was slain :-while the people were carried away captive, divided into small bodies, and dispersed throughout the Empire of Babylon.

Thus terminated the monarchy, after it had existed somewhat more than 500 years. From this time there was no more an independent sovereign in Judah, and only a shadow of government remained under officers called "princes of the captivity."-The land continued desolate 70 years, as predicted by the prophet Jeremiah,—2 Chron. xxxvi. 1–21—Jer. xxv. 11, 12-a judgment in consequence, amongst other things, of their neglect of the Sabbatical years, according to the express denunciations against them in—Lev. xxvi. 1, 2, and 33—35, and see Deut. xxviii. 36, and Ezek, xx. 12-24.

It was during this captivity that Daniel predicted the time when MESSIAH should "be cut off, but not for himself," and "the people of the Prince that should come," should "destroy "the city, and the sanctuary,"-Daniel, ix. 26.

TABLE IV.

SUCCESSION OF THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD
IN THE LEVITICAL CHURCH;

(1 CHRON.

FROM THE CONSECRATION OF AARON, TO THE CAPTIVITY,
vi. 4-14. EZRA, vii. 1-5. Usher, Bedford, &c. &c.)

1. AARON,

Great grandson of Levi;-born, B. C. 1574;-consecrated, B. C. 1490,-died, B. C. 1452,-aged 122; and in the 38th year of his priesthood.

[Nadab and Abihu, his two elder sons, were struck dead for offering strange fire, B. C. 1490,- the same year they were consecrated.]

2. ELEAZER, his Third Son,

consecrated at the same time as Aaron-invested with the High Priest's garments, B. C. 1452 - died, B. C. 1406; in the 46th year of his High Priesthood.