and Solomon no doubt thought it so utterly absurd and foolish that there was no need of guarding against it; but when he had surrounded himself with these fair women, daughters of heathen princes, he could not withstand their entreaties for the rites of their childhood. One wife, and she the virtuous woman of his mother's poem, would have been the crown of his reign; but these childish Eastern females had probably little mind to understand him and his religion, even if he tried to teach them, and he seems to have thought it could do no harm to gratify the ignorant creatures by letting each serve her own idol in her own way. Perhaps his largeness of heart became a snare to him, by letting him think it mattered little whether they remained heathen or not; and, moreover, that if he drew numbers of strangers to trade at Jerusalem, it was hard to deny them their favourite idols. So he who had built the House of God, reared three idol temples on Mount Olivet, above the slope of the beautiful gardens where his apes and peacocks disported themselves. The temples were to Astarte, or Ashtoreth, the moon goddess; to Chemosh, the god of the star, said to have been the same as Baal-peor; and to Milcom, or Molech, the "horrid king, besmeared with blood," to whom children were offered, though no doubt Solomon hindered the more frightful parts of the ritual, and very possibly thought himself purifying and refining it when, to gratify his favourites, he even shared in the observances he despised. But, behold, there was something interesting and engaging in these rites when he came to try them; the women charmed him, and he found everything more delightful than the grave temple worship. Could it be so very wrong, after all, to act the allegory of the fair Earth weeping the death of Spring, and rejoicing in his return, or to describe in figures of stone Time devouring his offspring? After all, the Israelite sternness was unjust and unkind! And so the heart that had once been so wise and so devoted was drawn more and more to those heathen rites, and, meanwhile, health and strength of mind and body failed, and at an age when his father was still a mighty man of valour, Solomon was feeble and led away by foolish women. Then came an awakening. God again spake to him. He was destroying the very purpose for which Israel had been chosen to provide a pure race, a witness and guardian of the truth. God did not want

another great merchant city, the resort of all nations, and with a little of all their religions to suit everybody. Jerusalem could only be saved from corruption by taking away her wealth and power, and leaving her only her own poor rocks. So the greater part of the kingdom should be rent away-not, however, in Solomon's own time, but in his son's, in whom, for David's sake, the family should be continued; though, probably, Solomon already saw how weak and foolish was this only son, Rehoboam.

And in earnest of this disaster, the Edomites, whom David had conquered and almost destroyed, began to "break the yoke off their neck." One child of the royal family had been taken into Egypt, and, returning when grown to man's estate, lived among the rocks and caves of Mount Seir, collecting together the broken nation, and raising it up to be again a thorn in the side of Israel.

So, as Solomon fell from the truest wisdom, he lost those gifts that had been added to it, length of days, honour, and peace.

LESSON CXLI.

THE APPOINTMENT OF JEROBOAM.

B.C. 984.-I KINGS xi. 26-40.

And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.

And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo,* and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father.

And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.

And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way, and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they too were alone in the field:

And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

*The citadel.

But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel: Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:

But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.

And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.

And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

COMMENT.-Another enemy who rose up against Solomon was a runaway Syrian outlaw, but the worst of all was Jeroboam. It appears that among Solomon's buildings was the strengthening of Millo, or the citadel, and closing up the line of walls between the Temple hill and Mount Zion. From what follows, it would seem that he had become oppressive when he became proud, and the old jealousy between Judah and Israel that had begun in the time of Ishbosheth, and shown itself again after Absalom's overthrow, produced discontent at thus toiling for a city that was chiefly the strength and glory of Judah. The person who was put in charge of the labourers, summoned from the great tribe of Ephraim, and perhaps also of Manasseh, was a strong and brave young man named Jeroboam, and it was he who was marked out to form the new kingdom that was to be separated from the present.

The same probation was given to him as had been to David. Ahijah, a native of Shiloh, where the tabernacle had originally becn pitched, and, like himself, of Ephraim, came to him inspired by God. Jeroboam was wearing a sort of soldier's mantle, a great

square of cloth. This the prophet rent into twelve pieces, and gave Jeroboam ten, retaining two. It was a visible token that God would give him ten tribes, and that only two, namely Judah and Benjamin, should remain to the house of David. There were many promises of the glory of Ephraim: Joseph had been treated as Jacob's firstborn, and Ephraim as Joseph's, and the parting prophecies of both Israel and Moses had promised him prosperity exceeding even that of Judah. Joshua had partly enjoyed the fulfilment of those promises, and still greater prospects were held out to Jeroboam if he would faithfully keep the covenant. If he would follow David's example, he should have David's blessings, and his family should reign after him in glory. It does not appear that Jeroboam failed at first in patience, but Solomon, hearing of the prediction, forgot the lesson which the example of Saul might have taught him, and tried to put Jeroboam to death. He fled into Egypt, where a new race of kings had risen to the throne different from the Pharaoh whose daughter Solomon had married, and Shishak, or Sheshonk, an able and powerful king, was glad to encourage any foe to the mighty sovereign of Israel, and as he had before sheltered Hadad of Edom, so he now received Jeroboam; and it may be supposed that during this time the faith of the Ephraimite gave way amid the idolatries of Egypt, and though he did not cease to believe in the Lord God of his fathers, he no longer considered it needful to pay Him honour in the manner he himself had appointed.

The words of the Preacher the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

*Not for the younger ones.

A few modern critics dispute this book be ng by Solomon, but there is no reasonable ground for so doing.

The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly : I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

I said of laughter, It is mad and of mirth, What doeth it?

I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits :

I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me.

VOL. II.

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