by which religion advanced were, First, He took away the HIGH PLACES and GROVES, as well as brake down the monuments of idolatry. The learned are not quite agreed as to the meaning of the terms; so far as we can form a judgment of them, they were of two kinds: One species of them was destined to the purposes of idolatry; and the other facred to the Most High God. With respect to those high places, which were feats of idolatry, there is not the least ground of doubt but that Jehoshaphat demolished them. This diftinction may serve to remove the feeming difficulty: Where, on the one hand, it is faid, " He took away the high places and the groves:" On the other, " Howbeit, the high places were not taken away *." The former importing fuch as had been prostituted to the purposes of idolatry: The latter such as had been facred

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* 2 Chron. xvii. 6. compared with 2 Chron. xx. 33. No one thing is more certain than that there were high places and groves confecrated to idols: And it is equally plain, that good men worshipped the living God in high places. "The grand difficulty is, how to reconcile their facrificing in other places besides the national altar; as, Gideon, at Ophrah; Manoah, in the country of Dan'; Samuel, at Mispeh, and Bethlehem, &c. with the Law, "Take heed to thy felf, that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest. But in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, there thalt thou offer thy burnt-offerings, and there shalt thou do all that I command thee," Deut. xii. 13, 14. best solution, I apprehend, is, That it was done by spe. cial divine direction and command, God having an undoubted

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to the true God. Or, if this do not fuffice, the first may denote the conduct of the prince, and the latter that of the people; as it follows, "For, as yet, the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers:" Whereas the heart of this good prince was lifted up in the ways of the Lord. Thus idolatry was discouraged at court, though retained and practised in some diftant places of the country. -Again, Jehoshaphat ftirred up the Levites to diligence in giving instructions to the people: "And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them: and went about through all the cities of Judah, and taught the people." -Thirdly, He restored the courts of judicature, both civil and sacred, which had gone into disuetude : "In Jerufalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief fathers of Ifrael, for the judgment of the Lord, and for controverfies. Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the King's matters." These were bound to inspect the morals of the people; and their care seems to have been crowned with a blessing.

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2. THE reformation, which was so happily advanced, had been awfully crushed by the affinity of the family of David with the house of Ahab. The edge of the Church's teftimony, in Afa's reformation, pointed directly against the idolatry of the ten tribes. But, for political reasons perhaps, Jehoshaphat got his fon Jehoram to marry Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, and she introduced idolatry into his family; which was greatly displeasing to God, and feverely punished by him. Jehoshaphat probably meant to put a period to the war which had long subsisted between Ifrael and Judah ; but he broke the peace with heaven, and brought a bloody sword into his own house. His heir flew all the rest of his fons as foon as he afcended the throne; and Athaliah murdered all the feed-royal when she understood that her firstborn had died by the hand of Jehu. Thus, though the law condemning idolaters was not duly executed, yet vengeance did not fuffer them to live. Athaliah, however, meant not fo, neither did her heart think so: She intended to make the house of David like the houfe of her father Ahab; and, at once, to gratify her ambition, as well as secure herself from the victorious arms of Jehu, she grasped at the throne and fceptre of David. This gave additional security to the worship of Baal, which was practifed during the fix years of Athaliah's ufurpation. This idol had his temple, to rival that which was built by Solomon; and his priest, to rival the priest of the Most High after the order of Aaron: But both fell a facrifice to an injured people. Now it was neceffary to make a reformation from fuch flagrant corruption; and to confirm this reformation by folemn covenanting. It was proper to remove the rubbish of idolatry, and also restore such parts of reformation as God had bestowed on their fathers; as well as to make fuch alterations in the sacred bond as their cafe, and the circumstances of their time required.

3. THE Lord had accomplished a most favourable revolution in the State, -profpering the enterprize of Jehoiada to restore the family of David unto the throne of Judah. The scheme was wifely concerted and vigoroufly executed, as well as faithfully concealed until it was ripe for execution: And every thing succeeded even to the most sanguine expectation. Now, such remarkable fuccess called for a grateful acknowledgment; and covenantrenovation was the fittest for their circumstances, and the best improvement of their deliverance.

LASTLY, I shall now make some REFLECTIONS on the whole.

I. SEE the justice of Heaven in avenging the shedding of innocent blood. God requires the blood of the children of Jehoshaphat at the hand of their brother: And that of the innocents of Jerufalem at the hand of Athaliah.

2. God over-rules the providential changes in kingdoms and nations for the good of his Church; and makes the efforts of the people, in favour of law and civil liberty, subservient to a work of reformation. The restoration of David's line was accompanied with the renovation of the Church's engagements to the Lord.

DISSER