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considered an infringement on the rights of God.

celibacy, whom he called his wives and concubines : we will not include Pharaoh's daughter, his queen, among the number, as he was entitled to one wife by the laws of nature and common sense, and only one. Manassa the penitent, caused the streets of Jerusalem to run down with innocent human blood. Ahab the wicked, in conjunction with his wicked wife Jezebel, robbed one of his subjects of his paternal inheritance, and his life. Herod the cruel, put a great many little children to death, merely to gratify his jealous and barbarous disposition. I could mention many more instances of the villany of the Jewish kings, and of the great injury they were to the Israelites, but my limits will not allow it; suffice it therefore to add ano. ther thought on the case and character of Solomon the wise. Had this mighty, wise king, clothed himself with 1000 suits of beautiful clothes, every body would call him a fool; it was then no less foolish'as well as tyrannical, to procure 1000 women, when one was sufficient. This also shews the futility, as well as villany of monarchy; for it appears that Solomon, although king of Israel, was such a booby as to bow down and worship the wooden gods of his ungodly wives.

« Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways, now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us: and Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods ; so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice : howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people,

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that asked of him a king. And he said, this will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for bis chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instrumėnts of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectioners, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your mena servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put

them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his

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servants. And ye shall cry out in that day, because of your king which ye shall have chosen you ; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us : that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, go ye every man unto his city.”

I scarcely know which to wonder at most, the stupidity, or the servility of the Jews! As for their ingratitude, it was proverbial, and this was only one instance of it out of thousands : But that they should persist in revolting from the government of Jehovah, after Samuel plainly pointed out to them, the tyrannical government of

the king which they desired, is matter of astonishment. The subsequent appeal of Samuel, even to the people themselves, shews the baseness of their hearts, in despising his equitable administration, under the immediate direction of God; which they most assuredly did by asking a king :-" And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe, to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. Now therefore, stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do

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