other person, is of no importance. His hav ing received the knowledge of God, estab lishes the fact, that amidst the royally established idolatry, and consequently prevailing corruption, the true religion was not totally extinct in the apostate kingdom of the ten tribes. Perhaps it was not extinct at any period while they remained in the land of Canaan. Many of the prophets belonged to one or other of the idolatrous tribes, and they laboured with little success to turn them from their backsliding. The worst of their kings were not able to extinguish the know.. ledge of the God of Jacob, or entirely to suppress his worship. Ahab and his wife Jezebel established a still more abominable idolatry than Jeroboam had done, which oc casioned a still greater defection among the people, insomuch that Elijah supposed he was left alone to worship the God of his fathers. But what saith the answer of God to him? "I have reserved to myself seven thousand in Israel, who have not bowed the knee to Baal." God had still his dwelling-place at Mount Sion in Jerusalem, and his worship was

maintained there with much imperfection, and many deviations in favour of idols and high places. That worship was still accessible to all the tribes of Israel, of which those who feared the Lord among them would continue to avail themselves; for though this was contrary to the will of the idolatrous kings of Israel, it does not appear that ever they took violent measures to prevent it; and in point of fact, we are informed by the passage in second Chronicles already referred to, that, besides the priests and the Levites, "Out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers." Thus the Lord kept alive his work in the souls of individuals, not only in Judah, but also in Israel, notwithstanding the defection of Jeroboam, who sinned and made Israel to sin.

The Lord was pleased, in a very remarkable manner, to interrupt the worship of Jeroboam, at his own great festival, by sending a prophet from Judah, to declare his righteous judgment against the idol worshippers;

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and he confirmed the words of the prophet by the miraculous rending of the altar before the face of the king and all the people; then by the equally miraculous withering and restoration of the king's hand, that had been stretched out, commanding to lay hold of the prophet. (see chap. xiii. 1-6.) The proud idolater was reduced to the humiliating necessity of intreating the prophet to pray to his God for the restoration of his hand. prayer was instantly offered, and answered, and the cure effected. Surely this ought to have convinced him of the vanity of his idols, who could not preserve him from such an infliction, and could not help him in the hour of his extremity; and surely this ought to have inclined his heart to turn to the God of his fathers, who only was able to deliver after this sort, and who had shewn himself so ready to answer a prayer on his behalf. Truly God is slow to anger as well as great in power. The language of this miracle, done in the sight of all the people, was, O Israel, if thou wilt return, return unto me; return to the Lord thy God, for thou hast

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fallen by thine iniquity; thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help. But it appears that neither the frightful judgments denounced by the prophet, nor the example of divine mercy performed on himself, before the eyes of all the people, had any salutary effect on that infatuated king. He perP severed in bis course of wickedness; and God began to inflict punishment in another

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way.

It will appear to some very remarkable, that this punishment should begin with Abijah, of whom we have said so much, the only one of the family who was not guilty of the sin which procured the judgment to the house of his father. But we shall see in the sequel that it was not punishment, but mercy to Abijah, while it was the commencement of frightful calamity to his parents and all the rest of the family. "At that time," that is, soon after the event already mentioned, " Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, fell It must have been a disease that baffled every human means of recovery, else the king would not have sent to a prophet of

sick."

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God to inquire about it. Numerous and healthy families were among the blessings which God promised to Israel, while they continued to serve him, "Blessed," said he, "shall be the fruit of thy body." cordingly, the death of young persons was comparatively rare in the time of their prosperity; and when it did happen, it was un.. derstood as an expression of the divine displeasure against their parents, as we see in the case of David. On the other hand, " Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body," was one of the punishments of disobedience; and this was connected with deadly diseases. which the Lord would bring on them and their families. When Jeroboam saw his son dying, he must have perceived something of the anger of God in it. His heart, must have been moved with some degree of com-, punction. He did not remember God as Jonah did, when he felt the punishment of his sin, else, like Jonah, he would have returned to the Lord, and the punishment might have been averted. But he remembered the prophet Ahijah, who had foretold