merly overshadowed the tabernacle, visibly descended upon the priests, while they prepared the victims for sacrifice. The king then publicly dedicated the building to God in a devout prayer, and, having seen the offerings consumed by supernatural fire, pronounced a blessing on the assembly and retired. After the completion of his father's grand design, the king erected two magnificent palaces, one for himself, and another for Pharaoh's daughter; rebuilt twenty cities in Galilee; surrounded his metropolis with a strong wall; and fortified all the places of consequence in Judea. He also built a navy at Ezion-Geber, and put it under the care of some skilful Tyrian mariners, who, ogether with a number of his own subjects, ailed to Ophir, and returned, in about three ears, richly laden with gold, silver, and preous stones; beside ebony, ivory, spices, and arions curiosities. Nothing has hitherto appeared in this Prince's fe, that does not convey the highest idea of his visdom, piety, and magnificence; but the latter art of his reign exhibits a melancholy reverse. blomon, emphatically styled the Wise, beloved his Creator and admired by all nations for is numerous virtues, became such a slave, in is old age, to the passion of love, that he mar led a surprising multitude of women, without istinction of country, faith, or family, and peritted himself to be seduced by them into all he gross and abominable idolatries of the age; isomuch, that the holy city was surrounded ith altars, in open defiance to the God of Istel; and temples were erected in various places dumb idols. VOL. II. This This infamous defection was, consequently, displeasing to the Almighty; and Solomon was assured in a dream, that his successors should mourn the loss of the kingdom, as the result e his ingratitude, except the tribe of Judah, which would be left them in consideration of the sacred promise given to David. The effect of this awful denunciation is not recorded in Scripture, nor is there any farther account of this monarch, but that he died in the fortieth year of his reign, and about the fifty-eighth of his age; and was buried in the sepulchre of hi royal father. B. C. 975 Rehoboam, Solomon's son and sug cessor, went, upon his accession, with hi court, and the elders of all the tribes, t receive their homage at Shechem; but they re fused to acknowledge his sovereignty, unless h would promise to redress some popular griev ances, which had crept into the administratio during the latter part of Solomon's reign. Th king took three days to meditate on their quest, but having listened to the advice of som rash youths, who had been brought up with him in ease and luxury, he answered the people i a haughty tone, that he designed to rule the with greater severity than his father ever exe cised; and threatened to chastise the slighte murmur with scorpions instead of whips. A reply so harsh, and unsuitable to a peop who regarded themselves as the peculiar fav rites of Heaven, occasioned an immediate revoli and ten of the tribes, disdaining all further a legiance to the house of David, chose Jeroboam an enterprising youth of the tribe of Ephraim to be their sovereign. Judah and Benjamin however, resolved to remain beneath the government of Rehoboam, whom they conducted with all speed to Jerusalem. An army was then raised to reduce the rebels to obedience, but on the assertion of the prophet Shemaiah, that this defection was strictly consonant with the Divine will, the intended hostilities were laid aside. Jeroboam embraced the first opportunity of rebuilding Penuel and Shechem, which he made the seat of his residence. But he was still apprehensive that the custom of going thrice in he year to Jerusalem might, in time, reconcile is new subjects to the house of David. He herefore sacrificed religion to his security, and et up two golden calves at Dan and Bethel, the xtremities of the kingdom, whither he ordered he people to repair with their offerings instead f going to the temple. He also built some idoatrous edifices, and selected priests for his imainary deities from among the lowest class of he people. At the dedication of the two calves a prophet enounced the destruction of the new altar by a ature king of Judah; and as a proof of his diine mission, told the spectators that they should mmediately witness an instance of God's disleasure. Upon these words the altar burst sunder, and Jeroboam's arm, then stretched ut to seize the prophet, was suddenly withered. n consequence of his submission, however, his fiction was withdrawn, and the stranger dearted hastily from the contaminated city. Notwithstanding this miraculous event, and he awful threatenings of the prophet Ahijah, he king persisted in debauching the people 02 from from the worship of their Creator, and filled Israel with idolatry. Rehoboam, in the mean time, built and fortified several places in Judah and Benjamin. while multitudes of persons, who abhorred the infamous practices of his revolted rival, flocked to his metropolis, and voluntarily renewed their former allegiance. But this weak prince, instead of expressing his thanks to God for the favourable turn of his affairs, abandoned him self to the most absurd idolatries, and even exceeded the abominations of the apostate Is raelites. B. C. To reward these enormities, the Al 972 mighty stirred up a formidable enemy i the person of Shishak king of Egypt who took several fenced cities; reduced Jeru salem, and pillaged the temple and palaces c their most costly ornaments. After this disas ter Rehoboam retained the regal dignity twelv years, and died in the eighteenth year of hi reign. B. C. Abijah, the succeeding monarch, ha no sooner ascended the throne, than he 958 took the field with four hundred thou sand men, and Jeroboam went out to meet him with an army of double that number. Whe the two kings were within hearing of each other. Abijah upbraided his rival with the baseness c his extraction, the grossness of his idolatries and the extreme sinfulness of his conduct, in deluding the Israelites from the worship of thei: God. Jeroboam pretended to listen attentively to these just reproaches, but in the mean time had ordered a detachment of his forces to whee! round and surprise the enemy in the rear, whi he should prepare for the attack in front. This base stratagem was immediately executed, to the consternation of Abijah's army; but at length the idolaters were put to flight, and Abijah pursued his victory with such success, that his abandoned competitor could not recover his strength for the space of three years. B. C. Asa, the successor of Abijah, was a 955 pious monarch, who applied himself zealously to the work of reformation, and even deposed his own mother for patronizing idolatry. He also put his kingdom in a good posture of defence, by fortifying several important places, and entertaining a numerous army. His riches augmented so rapidly under the blessing of Providence, that he was soon enabled to adorn the temple with a quantity of gold and silver vessels to supply the loss occasioned by Shishak; and he utterly destroyed all the monuments of irreligion except the high places, which he endeavoured in vain to abolish. In the second year of this reign, Nadab succeeded to the throne of Jeroboam, but no particulars worthy of notice are transmitted respecting him, except his adhering to the iniquitous practices of his father, and his being slain at the siege of Gibbethon by a man of the tribe of Issachar, called Baasha, who seized upon the kingdom and destroyed the whole race of Jeroboam, according to the threatening prediction of Ahijah. B. C. 941. About fourteen years after Asa's accession, his kingdom was attacked by a numerous army of Cushites, under the command of Zera, an Ethiopian. The king of Judah was however by no means alarmed at 03 'their |