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tans the retreat of the Syrians, the cessation of the famine, and unexampled cheapness and abundance of provisions on the morrow. The morrow came. Four leprous persons, excluded from the city, determined with the desperation of men ready to perish, to yield themselves to the mercy, or to die by the swords, of the Syrians. To their unutterable astonishment they found the camp completely deserted. An awful noise of the rolling of chariots, the trampling of horses, and the rushing of a mighty army, had been heard by the Syrians in the dead of the night; they imagined that the kings of the Egyptians and of the Hittites were upon them; they precipitately abandoned their tents, their treasures, and their provisions; the lepers communicated the intelligence to the Samaritans; the fact of the tumultuous retreat of the enemy was soon ascertained; the whole population of Samaria poured forth to seize upon the immense stores with which the camp was filled; the prediction of Elisha was accomplished; and a nobleman who had ridiculed the assertion of the prophet, was trampled to death by the multitude as they rushed through the gate.

What revolution took place in the kingdom of Syria according to the prediction of Elisha?

For some unknown reason, Elisha visited Damascus, and Benhadad who was then confined by severe indisposition, sent Hazael, one of his servants, to the prophet, to ascertain whether or not he was to recover. Elisha having declared to Hazael that his master would not live, began to weep; the Syrian courtier was astonished, and inquired the cause of his grief; the prophet replied, that he wept in anticipating the calamities which Hazael would inflict upon the inhabitants of Israel, and the enormities which he would commit when he came to the possession of the supreme authority. "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?" was the reply of Hazael; but with all his affected abhorrence of the cruelties which it was declared he would perpetrate, he returned to his master, first told him a falsehood to pacify his mind, then secretly murdered him and usurped his throne. Between Hazael and Joram king of Israel war soon commenced. Joram was assisted

by AHAZIAH son and successor of Jehoram sovereign of Judah. He succeeded in taking Ramoth-Gilead; but being dangerously wounded in the contest, he was compelled to return to Jezreel for cure, leaving his army under the command of Jehu, a brave, skilful, and enterprising warrior.

SECTION IV.

FROM THE REIGN OF JEHU TO THE CAPTIVITY OF THE TEN TRIBES.

BY whom were the denunciations of God upon the family of Ahab executed?

THE doom which had been pronounced against the house of Ahab was now to be executed.

Elisha sent one of the prophets to anoint A. C. 884. JEHU king of Israel; Jehu raised the standard of revolt, and the army at Ramoth-Gilead espoused his cause, and joyfully proclaimed him by sound of trumpet. Jehu rapidly advanced upon Jezreel; his chariot was soon discovered from the walls; Joram, after some ineffectual parleying, went out to meet him, accompanied by his ally Ahaziah; they encountered in the field of Naboth; Jehu upbraided Joram with the abominable wickedness of his mother Jezebel; the unfortunate king instantly perceived his danger, he cried to his companion, "There is treachery, Ŏ Ahaziah!" he had scarcely uttered the words when the arrow of Jehu pierced his heart; his carcass was ignominiously thrown into the field of Naboth, where the fatal meeting had taken place; Ahaziah was overtaken and slain as he fled to his own dominions; and Jehu triumphantly entered Jezreel. Painted and decorated with gaudy apparel, the infamous Jezebel, either infatuated in wickedness, or expecting to inspire admiration, looked from a window of her palace, as Jehu was passing by, and obliquely upbraided him with being a regicide after the example of Zimri; but Jehu

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commanded her attendants to hurl her from the window; the faithless eunuchs obeyed; his horses trampled upon her body, and when afterwards Jehu, from respect to her rank, commanded some of his retinue to commit her remains to the sepulchre, they found only her skull, the palms of her hands, and her feet; the rest had been devoured by the dogs according to the prophecy of Elijah. Seventy of Ahab's sons were living in Samaria, Jehu sent to the elders of the city, and they were all put to death. Forty-two of the sons of Ahaziah were met by the stern usurper, as he was proceeding from Jezreel to Samaria; and because of their affinity to the house of Ahab, they also were put to the sword.

How did Jehu exterminate the priests of Baal?

He pretended a higher reverence for Baal than any of his predecessors, and proclaimed a great festival to be held in his honour, with the annunciation, that if any of the priests absented themselves from the sacrifice, they were to suffer the penalty of death. From every province of Israel, the worshippers of Baal came, and their numbers completely filled his temple; a burnt-offering was presented; and when the sacrifice was finished, the guards of Jehu burst in upon the multitude; the whole congregation was destroyed; not one person escaped from the massacre; all the idols of Baal were broken; his temple was levelled with the dust; and the whole of his abominable worship was prohibited by law.

Name an eminent personage by whom, in these transactions, Jehu was accompanied.

In these transactions, Jehu, if not assisted, was accompanied by a personage, who was the founder of a considerable sect among the Jews. Jonadab the son of Rechab, laid an injunction upon his followers to abstain from wine, never to build houses, to sow no grain, to plant no vineyards, to possess no land, and continually to dwell in tents. Three hundred years after this period, the Rechabites were found observing with the utmost strictness the institutions of their founder. Jeremiah (Chap. xxxv.) relates at length some transactions with them, demonstrative of their

conscientious integrity, and long afterwards their existence is discoverable among the numerous sects and parties of the Jews.

What revolutions at this period took place in Jerusalem?

A. C. 884.

While Jehu was fulfilling the divine predictions relative to the house of Ahab at Jezreel and Samaria, Jerusalem was a theatre of crime and blood. After the death of Ahaziah, ATHALIAH his mother usurped the government; extirpated the whole royal race with the exception of JoASH the infant son of Ahaziah, who was concealed by his aunt in the temple; attempted to subvert the religion of God and to establish the worship of Baal; and for the period of six years, exercised an unbounded tyranny over the unhappy people. But Jehoiada, the highpriest, collected a strong military force in A. C. 878. the temple, produced Joash the rightful heir to the crown, obtained the allegiance of the multitude, while the sacred edifice resounded with the acclamation, "Long live king Joash! God save the king!" The rage, the shrieks, the frantic accusations of Athaliah produced no effect upon the assembly; she was hurried out of the temple, and put to death. Jehoiada availed himself of this favourable opportunity, to induce the people to renounce the worship of Baal, to renew their covenant with God, and again to adhere to the divine institutions of their holy religion. He then excited the liberality of the people for the repair of the temple, and for the replacing of the sacred 'utensils and vessels which were essential to the celebration of worship. A chest of capacious dimensions was placed in a conspicuous part of the temple for the contributions of the multitude; a sufficient sum of money was speedily collected and prudently applied; and the Mosaic ritual was again performed, not only with decent consistency, but with splendour and magnificence.

How did Joash reign in Judah?

When Jehoiada, at the age of one hundred and thirty years was committed to the grave, Joash displayed all the wickedness, meanness, and pusillanimity of his

character. The idols of the heathen were again presented to the adoration of the people, and Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, was murdered, because he denounced the apostacy and impiety of the king. Defeat and disgrace followed this atrocious action. The troops of Hazael invaded Judah, and the dastardly Joash purchased their retreat with the treasures of the temple. Again a small body of the Syrians advanced into the territories of Joash, and, notwithstanding their limited numbers, defeated his troops. The indignation of his subjects was aroused, Joash was slain in the house of Millo, and such was the opinion of his character, that his remains were not deposited in the sepulchre of his fathers.

Who succeeded Jehu in the kingdom of Israel?

A. C. 856.

The close of the reign of Jehu over Israel was darkened with misfortune and defeat. Hazael conquered a very considerable portion of his dominions, and threatened the entire extinction of his kingdom. When Jehu had swayed the sceptre twenty-eight years he died, and was succeeded by his son JEнOAHAZ. This monarch, following the steps of Jeroboam, was delivered into the hands of Hazael and his son Benhadad; overwhelmed with calamities he implored the merciful interposition of God; his prayer was heard; the Syrians were compelled to retire; and their disastrous career of success and devastation was terminated.

Who was the successor of Jehoahaz, and what interview had he with Elisha?

Jehoahaz was succeeded by his son JoASH A. C. 841. in the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah. When Elisha the prophet was dying, Joash visited him in his chamber; the expiring prophet predicted the defeat of the Syrians, and told the king to take a bundle of arrows and to strike the ground; Joash did so three times, and then ceased. Elisha reproved him for withholding his hand; he told him that each stroke upon the ground was emblamatic of a victory over the Syrians; and that had he, instead of striking three times, done so five or six times, he would have completely broken the power of his enemy. The

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