as king of Israel by the favour of GoD, and honoured the LORD, as it was his duty to do, he was the greatest monarch upon earth; for all surrounding nations were either in subjection to him, or in friendship with him; and he lived in the greatest splendour imaginable, and built a most magnificent temple for the worship of GoD at Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered up his son Isaac. This temple remained for many years, and was called Solomon's Temple. Solomon used to sit upon a fine throne, made of ivory and gold, when he judged the people.

At length, Solomon became vain of his wisdom; and he married a great many wives out of different nations, who prevailed on him to set up idols in the land of Israel, and worship them; on which account GOD was angry, and told Solomon, that he would take the kingdom from his family, and that he would have taken it from him, but for his father David's sake. So Solomon lost the favour of GOD, and was unhappy in his old age, to the end of his life.

The History of Rehoboam.

KING Solomon had a son named Rehoboam, who was a very foolish prince; for instead of

taking the counsel of wise old men how to govern his kingdom, when Solomon was dead, he took the advice of young persons, and told his subjects he would use them ill; on which a great many of them made Jeroboam, one of Solomon's officers, their king.

The kingdom of Israel was now divided into two parts; that under Rehoboam was called the kingdom of Judah, because the tribe of Judah kept to him, and so did the tribe of Benjamin. The other ten tribes under Jeroboam were called the kingdom of Israel.

The History of Jeroboam.

JEROBOAM was very proud and wicked; and he made two golden calves for the people to sacrifice to instead of GOD, and set up one in Dan, and the other in Bethel; for he was afraid that if they should go to the temple at Jerusalem, they would forsake him, and return to Rehoboam. But as Jeroboam was offering a sacrifice to the calf at Bethel, in the same manner as the priests of the LORD did to GOD in the temple, there came a prophet to him, who was sent from GOD, to tell him that his altar would certainly be

destroyed on this, Jeroboam put out his hand to lay hold on the prophet; but God caused Jeroboam's hand to wither, and the altar was immediately split in pieces.

Terrified by these miracles, Jeroboam entreated the prophet to pray for him; who did so, and his hand was restored: yet Jeroboam did not return from his evil ways, but taught the Israelites to be idolaters. This king built the city of Samaria.

After the death of Jeroboam, a number of kings reigned over Israel.

And after the death of Rehoboam, a number of kings reigned over Judah; but the glory of the nation was taken away, because the king and people did not serve and obey GOD truly.

The History of the Prophet Elijah.

ONE of the kings of Israel was named Ahab ; he was a wicked man, and his queen, who was named Jezebel, hated the LORD, and worshipped idols. In the days of Ahab and Jezebel, lived Elijah, who was a very good man; and GOD made him a prophet-that is, God sent him to foretel things that were to come to pass at a future time; and also to tell the king and people

of Israel, that they must worship and serve the LORD, and forsake idols. Ahab and his wicked queen Jezebel were so angry with Elijah for this, that they wanted to kill him; so GoD bade him go to a certain place, where they could not find him. Here Elijah had nothing to eat ; but God made ravens carry to him, every morning and evening, bread and meat.

After this, the LORD commanded the prophet to go to Zerephath, a city of Zidon, where he would meet with a widow who would sustain him. When Elijah arrived at this place, he found a poor woman gathering up sticks; and he begged her to give him a little water to drink; and as she was going to fetch it, he asked her to bring him also a morsel of bread : but the poor widow told him, the famine was so great in the land, she had nothing left for herself and her son, but a mere handful of meal and a little oil, which she was going to make into a cake, and bake it, that she and her son might eat their last morsel together, and then lie down and die. But Elijah, being inspired of the LORD, desired her to make him a cake first, and promised her, in the name of the LORD, that if she did so at his command, the barrel of meal should not waste, nor the cruse

of oil fail, till the LORD sent rain on the earth. This poor woman, though she was a heathen, believed the LORD's word, and did as he commanded by his prophet; and her meal and her oil held out, as the prophet foretold, till the famine ceased, though she, and Elijah, and her son, had nothing else to live upon; and afterwards, when the widow's son died, he was restored to life again at the prayer of Elijah. So the woman knew by these miracles that he was a man of GOD, that is, a prophet.

Elijah taken up to Heaven.

ELIJAH Continued faithful to GoD all his life; and, though he knew the king and queen wanted to kill him, he went wherever GoD bade him, and did all GoD commanded him to do, and was a prophet a number of years. At length, because he had been so good, GOD told Elijah he should not die; but he would take him up into heaven and Elijah was taken up in the clouds, as in a chariot of fire; so his enemies knew that GOD could save his servants from their rage; and those who loved Gop learned that there was a place of glory for them.