the principal subject of the story of this chapter, where we are told, 1. What passed between him and the new king. (1.) The prophet threatened Jeroboam's altar, ver. 1, 2. and gave him a sign, ver. 3. which immediately came to pass, ver. 5. (2.) The king threatened the prophet, and was himself made another sign, by the withering of his hand, ver. 4. and the restoring of it upon his submission, and the prophet's intercession, ver. 6. (3.) The prophet refused the kindness offered him thereupon, ver. 7-10. 2. What passed between him and the old prophet. (1.) The old prophet fetched him back by a lie, and gave him entertainment, ver. 11-19. (2.) He for accepting it in disobedience to the divine command, is threatened with death, ver. 20, 21, 22. And 3. The threatening is executed, for he is slain by a lion, ver. 23, 24. and buried at Beth-el, ver. 25–32. 4. Jeroboam is hardened in his idolatry, ver. 33, 34. "Thy judgments, Lord, are a great deep."

VER. 4. "And his hand which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him."]-This was a just judgment upon Jeroboam, as he stretched forth his hand to order one of God's prophets to be seized or smitten. Instead of trembling at the message, as he should have done, he fell foul on him that brought it, in defiance of the message of the Lord. "Rebuke a sinner, and he will hate thee," and do thee a mischief if he can; yet God's prophets must rather expose themselves than betray their trust: he that employs them will protect them, and restrain the wrath of man, as he did Jeroboam's here, by withering his hand, so that he could neither hurt the prophet, nor draw it in to help himself. When his hand was stretched out to burn incense to his calves it was not withered but when it was stretched out against a prophet, he shall have no use of it till the Lord gives it him. Of all the wickedness of the wicked there is none more provoking to God than their malicious attempts against his prophets, of whom he hath said, "Touch them not, do them no harm." As this was a punishment of Jeroboam, and answering the sin, so it was the deliverance of his prophet. God has many ways of disabling the enemies of the church, to execute their mischievous purposes. Jeroboam's inability to pull in his hand, made him a spectacle to all about him, that they might see and fear.

Ver. 18. But he lied unto him."]-That is, there was a lying spirit in the mouth of this prophet, which the Lord permitted for the trial of the man of God.

66

Ver. 21. Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord."-In which declaration the old prophet appears to be under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but it is uncertain whether he was a good

prophet; for a person may have the spirit of prophecy, and not the spirit of grace, and of a sound mind.

CHAPTER XIV.

The kingdom being divided into that of Judah, and that of Israel, we must henceforward in these books of kings, expect and attend their separate history, the succession of their kings, and the affairs of their kingdoms accounted for distinctly. In this chapter we have, (1.) The prophecy of the destruction of Jeroboam's house, ver. 7-16. The sickness of his child was the occasion of it, ver. 1-6. and the death of his child the earnest of it, ver. 17, 18. together with the conclusion of his reign, ver. 19, 20. (2.) The history of the declension and diminution of Rehoboam's house and his kingdom, ver. 21-28. and the conclusion of his reign, ver. 29-31. In both which we may read the mischievous consequences of sin, and the calamities it brings on kingdoms and families.

VER. 13. "Because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel."]-The good thing here spoken of was a principle of grace in the heart, which was found in Abijah, Jeroboam's son, though his father was an idolater. Where God is pleased to implant his grace, it will be seen or found in seeking after the Lord, and delighting in his name, in his word, and in his ways. God will honour those that through grace honour him.

CHAPTER XV.

In this chapter we have an abstract of the history, (1.) Of two of the kings of Judah. 1. Abijam, the days of whose reign were few and evil, ver. 1-8. 2. Asa, who reigned well and long, ver. 9-24. (2.) Of two of the kings of Israel, Nadab the son of Jeroboam, and Baasha, the destroyer of Jeroboam's house, ver. 25-34.

VER. 14. "Nevertheless, Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days."]-Though Asa's zeal and love to the Lord was great, and appeared very eminent in many respects, in destroying the idols, and putting the sodomites out of the land, and in removing his mother from being queen, because of her idolatry; yet we find he left the high places standing: but his heart is said to be perfect with the

Lord all his days: which shews that a christian may be sincere in his heart where there are many frailties in his life. We are apt to condemn a person upon seeing one frailty, but we see several in Asa, and yet the Holy Ghost stiles him perfect; which shews that the perfection of the children of God mentioned in scripture, is not to be understood of a sinless perfection, but only of sincerity, and true love to God.

CHAPTER XVI.

This chapter is wholly concerning the kingdom of Israel, and the revolutions of that kingdom, many in a little time. The utter ruin of Jeroboam's family, after it had been twenty-four years a royal family, we read of in the chapter before. In this chapter we have, 1. The ruin of Baasha's family after it had been but twenty-six years a royal family, foretold by a prophet, ver. 1-7. and executed by Zimri one of his captains, ver. 8-14. 2. The seven days reign of Zimri, and his sudden fall, ver. 15-20. 3. The struggle between Omri aud Tibni, and Omri's prevalency, and his reign, ver. 21-28. 4. The beginning of the reign of Ahab, whom we shall afterwards read much of, ver. 29-33. 5. The rebuilding of Jericho, ver. S1. All this while in Judah things went well.

VER. 34. "According to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun."]-That is, Hicl the Bethelite did attempt to build Jericho in defiance of the curse Joshua had long since pronounced on him that should attempt it. It comes in as an instance of the height of impiety men were then arrived to, especially at Bethel, where one of the calves was; for of that city this daring sinner was. Observe, first, how ill he did; like Achan, he meddled with the accursed thing; turned that to his own use, which was devoted to God's honour: he began to build, in defiance of the curse well known in Israel, jesting with it perhaps as a bugbear, or fancying its force worn out by length of time; for it was above five hundred years since it was pronounced, Josh. vi. 26. He went on to build in defiance of the execution of the curse in part; for though his eldest son died when he began, yet he would proceed in contempt of God, and his wrath revealed from heaven against his ungodliness. Secondly, how ill he sped; he built for his children, but God wrote him childless; his eldest son died when he began, the youngest when he

finished, and all the rest, it is supposed, between. ever hardened his heart against God and prospered. keep us back from presumptuous sins!

None
God,

CHAPTER XVII.

So sad was the character of both the princes and people of Israel in the foregoing chapter, that one would expect God should cast off a people that had so cast him off; but as an evidence of the contrary, never was Israel so blessed with a good prophet as when it was so plagued with a bad king; never was king so hold to sin as Ahab, never was prophet so bold to reprove and threaten as Elijah, whose story begins in this chapter, and is full of wonders; scarce any part of the old testament history shines brighter than this of "the spirit and power of Elias;" he only of all the prophets had the honour of Enoch, the first prophet, to be translated, that he should not see death, and the honour of Moses, the great prophet, to attend our Saviour in his transfiguratiou: other prophets prophecied and wrote, he prophecied and acted, but wrote nothing, and his actings cast more lustre on his name than their writings on their's. In this chapter we have, (1.) His prediction of a famine in Israel through the want of rain, ver. 1. (2.) The provision God made for him in that famine. (1.) By the ravens at the brook Cherith, ver. 2-7. (2.) When that failed, by a widow at Zarephath, who received him in the name of a prophet, and had a prophet's reward; for, (1.) He multiplied her meal and her oil, ver. 8-16. (2.) He raised her dead son to life, ver. 17—24. Thus his story begins with judgments and miracles, designed to awaken that stupid generation that had so deeply cor rupted themselves.

VER. 7. "And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up."]-If Providence calls us, as he did Elijah, to solitude and retirement, it becomes us to acquiesce: when we cannot be useful, we may pray for patience and a gracious support; for here Elijah was fed, though he could not work there, having nothing to do but to meditate and pray, which would help to prepare him for his usefulness afterwards, yet he shall eat, for he is in the way of his duty, and "verily he shall be fed; in the day of famine he shall be satisfied:" when the woman, the church, is "driven into the wilderness," care is taken that she be fed and nourished there for a time, times, and balf a time; that is, three years and a half, which was just the time of Elijah's concealment; see Rev. xii. 6, 14. Elijah must drink of the brook, and the ravens were appointed to "bring him meat," ver. 4. and did so, ver. 6. Here, first, the provision was plentiful, and good, and constant, bread and flesh twice a day, daily bread and food convenient. We may suppose he

fared not so sumptuously as the "prophet of the groves," that did eat at Jezebel's table, chap. xviii. 19. and yet better than the rest of the Lord's prophets whom Obadiah fed with bread and water," chap. xviii. 4. It ill becomes God's servants, especially his servants, the prophets, to be nice and curious about their food, and to affect dainties and varieties; if nature be sustained, no matter though the palate be not pleased; instead of envying those who have daintier fare, we should think how many there are better than we, who live comfortably upon coarser fare, and would be glad of our leavings: Elijah had but one meal brought him at a time, every morning and every evening, to teach him not to take thought for the morrow; let those who have but from hand to mouth learn to live upon providence, and trust that for "the bread of the day in the day," thank God for bread this day, and let to-morrow bring with it.

Ver. 16. "And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah."]-Observe, the widow had great confidence in the word of God; it was a great trial of her faith and obedience, when she told the prophet how low her stock of meal and oil was, and that she had but just enough for herself and her son, and he bid her "make a cake for him," and make his first, and "after prepare for herself and her son:" if we consider, it will appear as great a trial as could be in so small a matter; "Let the children first be served," (might she have said) charity begins at home; she was not on the giving hand, had but a little, and when that was gone, knew not where to have more; a great deal more reason she had than Nabal to ask, Shall I take my meal and my oil, and "give it to one that I know not whence he is?" He did indeed make mention of "the God of Israel," ver. 14. but what was that to a Sidonian? if she had a veneration for the name Jehovah, and valued the God of Israel as the true God, yet what assurance had she that this stranger was his prophet, or had any warrant to speak in his name? But she gets over all these objections, obeys the precept, in dependence upon the promise, "she went and did according to the saying of Elijah." O woman great was thy faith, one has not found the like, "no not in Israel:" all things considered, it exceeded that of the widow, that, when she had but two mites, cast them into the treasury; she took the prophet's word that she should not lose by it, but it should be repaid. Those that through grace venture upon the promise of God, make no

Or