PERIOD VI., OR TIME OF THE TWO KINGDOMS, 254 YEARS. FROM B.C. 975 to 721.

THEN it came to pass that Roboam, King David's grandson, refused the just demands of the people to diminish the very heavy taxes imposed on them by Solomon.

Ten of the tribes of Israel separated themselves from Roboam and took Jeroboam as king. This made a complete split in the kingdom. The tribes of Juda and of Benjamin formed the kingdom of Juda, of which Jerusalem continued to be the capital2 or chief city; whilst Samaria3 formed the kingdom of Israel.

It was at Jerusalem that the temple of Solomon was built in honour of God. Its magnificence 4 placed it amongst the wonders of the world. It was consecrated 5 B.C. 1004.

The kings of Israel withdrew themselves and their subjects from worshipping in the temple, and from serving God, as they feared the people might return to their allegiance to the kings

1 De or Di, from; minuo, I lessen.

2 Capital, from caput, head.

3 Samaria, the most central of the four provinces into which the Romans divided Palestine. Its chief city was Samaria, the capital of the kingdom of Israel. The Samaritans had their chief temple on Mount Garizim.

Magnum, great; facio, I make.

5 Con, together; secro, I make holy.

Ad, to; ligo, to bind. Old French word.

of the house of David. Samaria.

Thus idolatry was established in

But even in the midst of all these wars and offences God did not forsake His people. He sent them prophets from time to time, who announced to them coming events, and who proved, by miracles, their mission2 to be real.

Thus mercifully did God act towards them, that they might not forget Him or His commandments.

Elias the prophet was first sent to reprove the impiety 4 of Achab, king of Israel, and to destroy the worship of Baal;5 and he was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire.

His disciple, Eliseus,6 delivered Samaria from the Syrians.7 These two prophets have left us no written instructions.

There are, however, a good number of books by the other prophets. The four principal of these, called the Great Prophets, have predicted the most important events relating to the fall of Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah.

Isaias writes so vividly 9 of these events, and, above all, of Christ, (the God-Man,) that he appears rather an historian than a prophetical writer. He began to prophesy in the year B.C. 776, at which period the Greeks date their first Olympiad.10

Jeremias 11 laments the crimes of Jerusalem, and weeps over its ruins. These lamentations are very beautiful; and Baruch, his secretary, has written some admirable things upon the Babylonish captivity.

Ezechiel12 (E-ze'ch-i-el) and his revelations carry us into the very presence of the Deity. All that is mysterious would seem to have been revealed to him.

1 From a compound Greek word, meaning serving of images.

2 Sending, from mitto, I send.

3 Elias, My God is Jehovah.

4 In, not; pietas, piety.

5 Bel meant, The Sun, also Lord, in Chaldee.

Eliseus, To whom God is salvation.-Gesenius.

7 Syria, called in Scripture Aram, extended along the Mediterranean, from Asia Minor to Egypt. It embraced Phoenicia and Palestine.

It con

tained the two mountain-chains, called Lebanon and Anti-Libanus. Its chief river was the Orontes; and its principal cities were Laodicea, Antioch, Palmyra, and Damascus.

8 Isaias, The Salvation of Jehovah.

Vivus, alive. Vividly, life-like.

10 Olympiad, so called from the national games of the Greeks, which occurred every four years.

11 Jeremias, Whom God appointed.
12 Ezechiel, Whom God strengthens.

Daniel, a sublime2 prophet and an able minister, predicted the exact epoch3 at which the Messiah would come, and proclaimed, in the midst of idolaters, the only true God. He was cast into a den of lions; but God sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths, and Daniel was taken out unhurt; and Darius, king of the Medes and Persians, made a decree, that in every dominion of his kingdom, men should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, "for He is the living God."

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE twelve Lesser Prophets had each his mission. Osee recounts 5 and denounces the crimes of the children of Israel, above all, those of their priests and princes.

Joel predicts the ruin of Jerusalem and the coming of the Holy Ghost.

Amos foretells and bewails the desolation of Juda, and of the neighbouring people; the ruin of the temple, and its restoration.

Abdias announces the coming of Christ and of His Church (the reign of the Saviour).

Jona, who had consoled Juda and prophesied a defeat7 of the Syrians, is sent to preach repentance at Nineve (Nin'-e-ve).

Micheas named Bethlehem 8 as the place of Christ's nativity. At this time Rome, destined to be the centre of the Christian religion, was founded in the West, B.C. 753.

Nahum prophesies the ruin of Nineve and the desolation of Alexandria and Egypt.

Habacuc (Hab'-a-cuc) is astonished at the prosperity of the wicked. He is shewn by God that the just must live by faith, and that the prosperity of the wicked is not to be trusted. Sophonias exhorts 10 Israel to repent, and predicts 11 its conversion.

1 Daniel, The Judge of God. 3 Epoch, division of time.

2 Sublime, very high, lofty. A Greek word, meaning a pause or stop. 5 French, raconter, to tell.

+ Pro, before; clamo, I call.
• Con, together; solor, I comfort.

7 De, from; factus, done. Undone, worsted.
8 Bethlehem, The House of Bread.

• Pro, before; spero, I hope. Thriving.

10 Ex, out of; hortor, to urge.

11 Pra, before; dico, I say.

Aggeus (Agg'eus) is witness of the rebuilding of the temple, and promises greater glory to the second temple than was given to the first.

Zacharias foresees the priesthood of Christ and the mission of the apostles,1 the overthrow of idolatry and the triumph 2 of the Church. The Messiah was to come as the Prince of Peace, and was to be sold for thirty pieces of silver.

Malachias3 speaks of a new sacrifice, and of a pure oblation,4 which was to follow the abrogation 5 of the old law.

It was thus that God kept alive the true worship amongst the children of Jacob, and the belief in the coming of the Messiah. But He severely punished their infidelities.6

PERIOD VII., OR TIME OF THE Kingdom of Juda and of THE CAPTIVITY, 185 YEARS.

FROM B.C. 721 To 536.

THIS period commences with the destruction of the ten tribes, and their being carried captive into Assyria, and there dispersed among the heathen. It ends with the return of the two tribes of the race of David from captivity, B.C. 536.

The kingdom of Israel had been destroyed under the seventeenth king, Osee, by Salmanasar, (Sal-ma-na ́-sar,) who led 1 Apostles, from a Greek word, The sent.

2 Means a victory, or victorious march.

4

3 Malachi, Messenger of Jehovah.

Ob, before; fero, I carry. Offering is the same as oblation.

5 Ab, away; rogo, I ask. To do away.

• In, not; fidelis, faithful.

the ten tribes captive, and dispersed them throughout Assyria.1 This was towards the year B.C. 721.

Ezechias then reigned in Juda. He served God, and was delivered from the invasion of Sennacherib, the son and successor of Salmanasar. The army of this mighty king was smitten by an angel of the Lord, and totally annihilated,2 and he himself was assassinated by two of his sons.

But, a century after, the kings of Juda also deserved punishment, and Nabuchadonosor, (Nab-u-chad-on'-o-sor,) king of Babylon and Nineve, took Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and carried away all the people. Then began the captivity of Babylon, or of the two tribes of the race of David, B.C. 606. The king, Jechonias,3 or Joachin, was also led captive. And it came to pass, in the seven-and-thirtieth year of his captivity, that Evil-merodach, son of Nabuchadonosor, took Joachin of Juda out of prison, and treated him as a king. Thus "the sceptre did not depart from Juda."

Towards the time of the captivity, the Holy Scriptures relate many wonderful events which testify to the power of the Almighty, as well as to His love for His chosen people.

Whilst Israel was in captivity, and dispersed throughout the kingdom of Assyria, Holofernes (Hol-o-fer'-nes) was sent into Judea to complete its conquest. He besieged Bethulia, 4 (Beth-u'-li-a,) and reduced it to the last extremity,5 when a virtuous widow, named Judith,6 determined to devote7 herself to save her country. She went over to the camp of the Assyrians, and cut off the head of Holofernes whilst he slept, and carried it back with her to Bethulia. His army was then easily put to flight and dispersed.

Tobias was one of the Israelitish captives, and he served God

1 Assyria, one of the most ancient empires in the world. It was at first confined to a district north-east of Mesopotamia, stretching along the east bank of the Tigris. It was afterwards greatly enlarged by conquest, embracing Babylonia, Mesopotamia, Armenia, &c., and reaching to the Persian Gulf. Its chief city was Nineve, on the Tigris, founded, according to tradition, by Ninus.

2 Ad, to; nihil, nothing. Means reduced to nothing, or destroyed.

3 Jechonias, Whom God appointed.

Bethulia perhaps means Virgin City. It appears to have commanded one of the passes to Jerusalem.

5 Ex, out of; exterus, outside, last. Extremity, end.

• Judith means, when used adverbially, Jewishly.-Gesenius. 7 De, from; voveo, I vow.