habited the land of Canaan, he established the people of Israel in it.

After the death of Joshua this people was governed by judges, whom God raised up successively, till the prophet Samuel, who was the last-who gave place to Saul, the first king of the people of Israel. After Saul, reigned David, a king and a prophet, who was succeeded by Solomon his son, who built the Temple of Jerusalem 480 years after the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, and about 600 years before the coming of Jesus Christ.

SECTION 5. From the building of Solomon's Temple, to the Babylonish captivity.

After the death of Solomon, Rehoboam, his son, having ascended the throne, ten Tribes of Israel revolted from him; so that he reigned over only two tribes, which were Judah and Benjamin. Thus was formed two separate kingdoms; the one called the kingdom of Israel, was composed of the ten revolted tribes, the other, called the kingdom of Judah, consisted of the two tribes who adhered to Rehoboam. The kingdom of Israel subsisted about 250 years. Jereboam was the first king: this Prince fearing that his subjects would be drawn into subjection to Rehoboam, king of Judah, if they went to Jerusalem to attend their religious solemnities, to worship God, and sacrifice in the Temple, established a false worship in his kingdom. He caused two golden calves to be made, which they worshipped under the name of the God of Israel; he established so

lemn festivals, and Priests, so that under Jereboam and his successors, Idolatry was established in the kingdom of Israel. God sent prophets to the ten tribes to reclaim them from their vices, and to preserve his knowledge among them. The most considerable of these prophets was Elias. He prophesied in the time of Ahab, who was one of the most wicked of the kings of Israel. This kingdom was destroyed, and the city of Samaria, its capital, was taken by Salmanezer, king of Assyria, in the reign of Hoshea, the last king of Israel, and the ten tribes were carried captive into Assyria, whence they were dispersed through different countries, and were never again established in their own land.

The kingdom of Judah subsisted 130 years longer than that of Israel. The capital of this kingdom was the city of Jerusalem, where the true God was worshipped in the temple of Solomon. But idolatry was introduced into the kingdom of Judah likewise. God raised up from time to time, Prophets, who remonstrated against these crimes, threatened them with the judgments of God, and foretold the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah was one of the most illustrious of these prophets. They also had pious kings, who strove to destroy idolatry, as Jehosophat, Hezekiah, Josiah, and others. But the people continuing in their sins, God, after having for a long time threatened them, and at different times afflicted them by neighbouring kings, at length destroyed their kingdom. Nebuchadnezer came and besieged Jerusalem,

under the reign of Zedekiah, their last king. The city was taken, the temple burned, and the king and the people taken prisoners to Babylon, about 420 years after the building of the Temple, and 580 years before the birth of Christ.

SECTION 6. From the Babylonish captivity, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Babylonish captivity was of 70 years duration, as the prophet Jeremiah had predict→ ed. When these 70 years were accomplished, the Jews returned into their own country, by permission of Cyrus, king of Persia, under the conduct of Zerobabel, to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem. But they were thwarted by neighbouring nations, and this work continued to be retarded till the time of Darius, king of Persia, who ordered the temple to be rebuilt, and the worship of God to be restored. The prophets Haggai, and Zechariah lived at this time, and encouraged the Jews in the prosecution of their labours in rebuilding their temple.

Some years after, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, by permission of king Artaxerxes. He caused the walls to be rebuilt, and re-established order and government. From the re-establishment of the Jews under Darius, till Christ, was the period of seventy weeks of years; that is, 490 years, according to the prediction of the prophet Daniel.

The Jews after their restoration, were for some time under the dominion of the kings of Persia, and afterwards of the kings of Syria.

They were exposed to various persecutions, of which the last and most cruel was that of Antiochus, who pillaged and profaned_the Temple, and used tortures to oblige the Jews to renounce their religion, as is recorded in the book of Maccabees. It was he who obliged Matthias and a number of Jews to unite for the defence of their religion and liberty. They gained many victories by the valour and wisdom of Judas Maccabeus, and Jonathan, both sons of Matthias. Having recovered their liberty, and re-established their religion, they remained for a long time under the government of the priests, who succeeded to Judas and Jonathan, and who took the title of kings.

At last the Jews fell under the power of the Romans, who established Herod as king of Judea; the same who reigned at the time of Christ's coming into the world.

SECT. 7-Of the birth of Jesus Christ; his life, death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven.

The time which God had appointed for sending his Son into the world being come, Jesus Christ was born in Judea. Many things conspired to render this event illustrious. Notwithstanding, he was not at first made known to the Jews, and did not commence his ministry, till the age of 30 years, after being baptized by John the Baptist, his fore-runner.

We have the history of the life of Christ in the gospels. There are three things principally to be considered in this history.

The doctrines of Jesus Christ, his miracles, and his perfect life. He preached doctrines most pure and holy, tending solely to the glory of God, and the good of man. He performed a great number of miracles, in which he displayed infinite power and goodness; and by these miracles he proved himself to be the Son of God, and that his doctrine was true. We find in his life, examples of every virtue. The most ardent charity and zeal, humility, and detachment from the world. Having thus taught and thus lived among the Jews, for the space of three years-they crucified, and put him to death at the feast of their passover; but he arose the third day after his death, and forty days after his resurrection, he ascended to heaven, to be seated at the right hand of God, from whence he sent his holy spirit to his apostles on the day of Pentecost.

SECT. 8. Of the Preaching of the Apostles, and the establishment of the Christian Religion.

The Apostles having received the holy spirit in Jerusalem, began there to preach the gospel, and confirmed their preaching by miracles. At first they only preached in Judea, and to the Jews, but God making known to them that this religion was to be announced to all men, they carried it throughout the known world. The apostles met with Jews in every country to which they went-this nation having for a long time been dispersed in different countries. It was to these dispersed Jews that the apostles first preached, as we learn from.