emnly renewed covenant with God at Shechem; which was a most affecting transaction. But after his departure, the Israelites had no regularly appointed governor, and appear to have acted in separate tribes. They soon fell into a state of anarchy and forgetfulness of God, for which they were delivered over, first to eight years bondage to Cushan, king of Mesopotamia and afterwards to the Moabites; the Canaanites; the Midianites; the Ammonites and the Philistines. When they were sufficiently chastened and humbled, and "the Lord repented himself for his servants," he raised up Judges to deliver them and guide them. Illustrious were their exploits. God was with them; and we behold in this conflict between the Church and the world many striking exhibitions of divine justice and mercy. 'ut this long period, is one on which the eye dwells with little complacency. The people were ignorant, and vicious. "The highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through bypaths." Few prophets were appointed to guide the people. Every one did that which was right in his own eyes." Yet, in the darkest seasons, Christ had a seed to serve him. In the characters of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jepthah,* we have illustrious examples of faith. Enlightened by the gospel, we may see in them many imperfections, but theirs was an holy confidence in God; and they "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises," and went triumphant to the rewards of heaven.

In the early part of this period the book of Joshua was written by Joshua himself, and subjoined, by him, to the law of God.

It is worthy of remark, that, during this dark period, though idolatry was prevalent, it never extended to the demolition of the Tabernacle; for it was never, as in later ages, commanded by the rulers.

In the 2868th year of the world, Samuel was born; and dedicated, by his mother, to the service of God. He became a faithful servant of Jehovah, supreme Judge in the land, and

* Infidel writers have considered the story of Jepthah's sacrificing his daughter, as an indelible blot on the Jewish religion, and utterly inconsistent with his being a good man. But for such a sacrifice the Jewish religion is not answerable, for it did not warrant it, but pointedly condemned it. His vow was rash; and if he acted consistently, his conscience was erroneous, through ignorance of the law of God, and too much intimacy with heathen customs. On conviction of sin, he might, like David, have become a true penitent. To this event may be traced the heathen story of Iphigenia sacrificed by her father Agamemnon.

was eminently endowed with the spirit of prophecy. He was much feared and respected by the whole nation, and was a great blessing to the Church. He doubtless wrote the book of Ruth, and the greater part of the first book which bears his name. It is supposed he died about the 98th year of

his age.

The most remarkabl event in his life, connected with the history of the Church, was the establishment of the School of the prophets.

Prophecy or the power of foretelling future events, belongs solely to God. The government of the universe is in his hands. He determines, in his own infinite mind, what shall be. He has control of the volitions and actions of men; and he only therefore can tell what will come to pass. The accomplishment of prophecy is one of the most striking proofs of the divine unity and of the inspiration of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. The heathen nations have ever been filled with diviners, who have professed to derive from their gods, a knowledge of futurity; and who have, in this way, been the chief supporters of pagan idolatry. But their whole system has been a system of lies—an abominable imposition upon the ignorance and credulity of mankind.

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By dreams, by flights of birds, by the entrails of beasts, by throwing dice, did the Grecian oracles, the most cunning the world ever saw, give their answers; and these were always se ambiguous, as to admit of different interpretations and save their credit if they failed of the truth.

We have seen that divine revelations were made to mankind in the earliest periods; and that, through Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Jacob, God was pleased, from time to time, to foretell future events. We have also contemplated Moses as a prophet, whom the Lord knew face to face. But no regular order of men, bearing the prophetic office, existed in the church until this period. We now find schools of them established at Bethel, Gilgal, ajoth, Jericho and Jerusalem, and "Samuel standing as appointed over them." In these schools of the prophets, young men of piety were collected, who were instructed by some eminent teacher in divine things, and fitted for the high stations of prophets, as God should call them. Their dress was plain and coarse; their food, pottage and herbs. They were designed to reprove, rebuke and reform a stupid and backsliding nation; and, by lively admonitions of impending judgments, by bold predictions of future events to cause kings, and priests and people, to turn with fasting and

mourning to the Lord. Many of them may have risen no higher than the business of composing and singing hymns to the divine honour, and instructing the people in the common principles of religion; but some of them were exalted, to the very highest rank in the nation, and made the most powerful princes tremble before them.

Their predictions were not confined to the Jewish nation, but extended to the rise and fall of all the great empires of the earth, and constantly directed the Church to Him who was to redeem her by his blood; overturn all the kingdoms of men ; and establish a spiritual dominion, which should never be destroyed, These extraordinary men were continued in the Church from the days of Samuel to Malachi-a period of about 700 years; when the prophetic spirit was withdrawn for about 400 years, until John the Baptist, the last of the prophets in the Jewish dispensation.

The Israelites having departed from God, demanded of Samuel a king, that they might be like the nations around them. Such ingratitude to Him, who, for centuries, had been their sovereign and had kindly directed all their concerns, might well have provoked immediate destruction, but, for his promise to their fathers, he bore with them and gave them Saul. About 2923 A. M. the monarch was publicly crowned, and God endued him with suitable qualifications for government. But he soon departed from the Lord and shewed himself unworthy of his exalted station. God therefore determined to dethrone him and his family; and, since the Hebrews would have a king to reign over them, He was pleased to advance the work of redemption and exalt the Church, by raising that family to the throne from which the Messiah, the promised seed, should descend. David, the youngest son, was selected and anointed by Samuel to succeed to the government, and be the distinguished ancestor and type of Christ. God brought him to the notice of the nation; to influence and royalty by a series of wonderful providences. He sanctified him early by his Holy Spirit; endued him with the power of prophecy; and brought him to celebrate, in a vast variety of beautiful songs, the divine character and government, and the glorious scheme of redemption by Jesus Christ.

David was the man after God's own heart. But, in common with all the ransomed of the Lord in this world, he was far from perfection. He sinned in numbering the people, and was guilty of a gross violation of the sixth and seventh commandments. His sin was of a scarlet dye and crimson hue ;

most offensive to God, and injurious to his own soul, and has been the sport of thousands of mockers and scoffers from that day to this. His heart too was greatly hardened. No man dared directly tell him his sin. Nathan declared it by a parable. It came upon him like a thunderbolt. Out of his own mouth was he condemned. And, upon conviction, he manifested, as every child of God will, a spirit of holiness. He did not, like a proud man, resent the charge. He did not, even as a self-righteous man, plead his meritorious services for a balance to his evil deeds; but he cast himself, in deep repentance, upon the mercy of God for pardon and life. The fifty-first Psalm, written on this occasion, exhibits the deepest penitential feelings.

With this eminent saint, did God solemnly renew the covenant of grace;—that covenant which had been established with Adam, with Noah, with the patriarchs and with the Church in the wilderness; and, in his zeal for God, David subdued the holy city, Zion-Jerusalem; bring into it, with joyful acclamation, the Tabernacle; perfect the national worship, especially its sacred music, and gather materials for a Temple which should fill the earth with its glory.

His character can never be contemplated, but with admiration and love. His writings have been a most precious inheritance to the Church. Here, Saints have, in all ages, read their own experience. Here, they have found their joys and sorrows accurately pourtrayed, and, as the delineation has passed before their eyes, their soul has been melted and comforted within them. Here, in multitudes of songs, the character and offices of Christ, his glorious work on earth and in heaven, the blessedness of the Church and its future enlargement and perfection are sweetly sung ;-and the pious have been furnished from that day to this, and will be furnished from this to the latest period of time, with the language and sentiments of devout praise. Forty years did David reign. He was a man of war and he subdued all the nations around him; but he lived solely for the glory of God, and he advanced that glory beyond any monarch that ever sat on a throne. Having made the most magnificent preparations for the national Temple, and appointed his son Solomon, his successor, he died A. M. 2985, "full of days, and riches and honour."

Soon after Solomon's advancement to the throne, God арpeared to him in a dream, and promised him wisdom and knowledge and riches and wealth and honour, granted to none of the kings that had been before or should come after him.

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He was accordingly a prince of great wisdom, splendor and glory. He reigned forty years; and, while he walked in the steps of David his father, he, in like manner, promoted the divine glory but in the latter part of his life, he was led, by his strange wives into idolatry and brought upon himself the wrath of Jehovah. There is reason, however, to believe that he became a penitent before his death, as the book of Ecclesiastes appears to be the production of a mind which had tasted the bitterness of sin and been reclaimed to duty.

His reign was chiefly distinguished for the erection of the Temple on which David had "set his affection."

The Tabernacle had remained the place of sacrifice. For about forty-six years it was kept at Shiloh. During the reign of Saul it was removed to Nob. In the time of Eli, the ark was taken from it and carried into the army; was captured by the Philistines and afterwards sent back to the city of Kirjathjearim. About seventy years after, it was carried back to mount Sion by David. His object in building the Temple, was to provide for it a permanent and noble abode. This building was probably the most magnificent and costly temple the world had ever seen. It was not so remarkable for its size, being but about one hundred and fifty feet in length and one hundred and five in breadth,* nor would it probably compare with modern Architecture. But the costliness of its materials and the splendours of its furniture almost exceed belief. David and his princes consecrated to it 108,000 talents of gold and 1,017,000 talents of silver.† About 180,000 men were employed in its formation. It was erected on mount Moriah, the place where Abraham offered up Isaac, and was seven years in building; but every thing was prepared at a distance, so that the sound of the hammer was not heard upon it. It looked towards the East; and had a porch in front twenty cubits wide, ten deep and one hundred and twenty in heighth. On each side of its entrance was a pillar eighteen cubits high and twelve in circumference, adorned with chapiters and two hundred pomegranates. Beyond this porch was the sanctuary or Holy place; which was forty cubits in length, twenty in breadth and thirty in heighth, containing ten golden candlesticks, ten tables, with twelve loaves of shew-bread on each, the gold

* Prideaux. Some say 90 feet by 30 and 45 in height.

A talent of gold is computed at £5475 and a talent of silver at £342. 3. 9. If this be a correct computation, it was indeed an immense

sum.