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Hamor, the father of Shechem." Jeroboam appears to have rebuilt the city: it was subsequently called Sichem, or Sychar, and was contiguous to that which was afterwards. built by Omri, king of Israel, and called Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. Samaria became a magnificent city, and was the capital of the kingdom of Israel. After a reign of seventeen years, "Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and Abijam his son reigned in his stead." He swayed the sceptre only three years," and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as the heart of David his father." He was succeeded by his son Asa, who reigned in Jerusalem forty and one years, and did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. There were continual wars between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel; and Jerusalem and the sacred temple were stripped of the treasures which had been accumulated by David and Solomon. But Asa prospered greatly, because he was faithful to the law of the Lord; and when his country was invaded by the Ethiopians, who came against him-a mighty host-he cried unto God and said,

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"Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with those that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah:" And " they were destroyed before the Lord and before his host:" the people of Judah also "carried away very much spoil." "And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the Lord is with you while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, He will forsake you." "And when Asa heard these words of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin:" He also "renewed the altar of the Lord." And Asa gathered his people together; and with them the strangers who "fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him." And they entered

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into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul." And the Lord

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was found of them," and " gave them rest round about." But, "in the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah;" on which Asa "sent to Benhadad king of Syria, who dwelt at Damascus," and, by a present of much treasure, induced him to smite many cities of Israel. Hanani, the seer, came to Asa and reproved him, because he had "relied on the king of Syria," and not on the Lord his God: for, said the prophet, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." But "Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison-house," and he " oppressed some of the people the same time."

CHAP. LXIV.-It is mournful to contemplate the evidences, which all the history of man supplies, that even the favoured servants of the Most High are prone to seek their consolations from perishing objects; and that,

without a close adherence to the preserving grace of God, their sense of dependence on divine power becomes weakened, if not destroyed. We have an affecting illustration of this truth in the record concerning Asa. "In the thirty and ninth year of his reign" he became "diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great; yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians." And he died, after two years of suffering; and was buried with unusual splendour: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead."

"The Lord was with Jehoshaphat," because he "sought not unto Baalim, but sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel: therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand." And "the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah:" and Jehoshaphat prospered and became great, and "had riches and honour in abundance." By his command the princes of his people, with the priests and Levites, took "the book of the law of the Lord," and went "through

out all the cities of Judah, and taught the people." And Jehoshapat And Jehoshapat "built in Judah castles and cities of store." He appointed

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'judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah," and "said to the judges, Take heed what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment: wherefore now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it; for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts." This good king was beguiled into the great error of forming alliance with Ahab, the wicked and idolatrous monarch who, at that time, ruled in Israel. For this Jehoshaphat was reproved by the word of the Lord, through the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani:-but he had promised to assist Ahab, and they together fought against the Syrians: they were discomfited. Ahab was slain, and his people were scattered

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sheep that have no shepherd;" as it had been foretold by the prophet Micaiah, the son of Imlah, whom Ahab hated and persecuted, because he declared unto him the word of the Lord, and testified against the lying spirit

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