Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-03-27

The Unity oil the lSrae1tish Nation De-
stroyed-Rapid Decline and Demoral-
ization of the Two Sections Despite the
Labors of Elijah, Elisha and Others.
The quarter Just completed and the next
together cover one of the saddest passages
in history. Borrowing a term from pro
fame history, it might be called the Ode
cline and Fall" of the divinely established
nation. Every gracious promise to Israel
had been coupled with a condition, eN-
pressed or clearly implied Again and
again had the people been warned; again
and again had they disregarded the warn
ing, violated the laws against idolatry and
entangled themselves with neighboring
nations, until their measure of iniquity
was complete and the judgment came.
For convenience it is customary to divide
the history of the kingdom into three
stages. Samuel may be said to have organ
lied the nation, but with so poor an instru
ment as Saul he could not organize the
| kingdom That was the work of David
| who was, in the broadest sense. a man of
war He brought the national spirit to its
| highest development He repealed all the
| attacks of his neighbors and compelled
them to respect Israel. To his son and
successor he left united people, whom no
other nation dared to attack, and n fair
| field for the arts of peace. Solomon brought
the kingdom to its highest point of glory.
| Education, agriculture and commerce were
| brought to flourishing condition. This
was the golden age of Israel. The fame Of
| Solomon filled the earth He is still the
theme of a thousand legends among the
nations of southern Asia, and the Jews
| oil ha mi,
since his day have pointed with mingled
pride and sadness to the glory of Solomon.
The third stage-the four centuries of al
most continuous decay and decentralization
began with Rehoboam, though the seeds
Of decay were thickly sown before. For
some reasons not well understood there
had long been a division in feeling, the
tribe of Judah and some fractions of other
tribes standing together, and the rest of
the nation occasionally breaking away.
Again and again during the life of David
did this spirit produce dangerous or bloody
results, nor did David succeed in uniting
the tribes till the heir of Saul, Ishbosheth
had been assassnated Twice during that
reign there were bloody Instructions. 1t
is but reasonable to conclude that the men
Of Judah were greatly favored at the court
of Solomon, and that the jealousy of other
tribes smoldered all through the forty
years of his glorious reign.
Nevertheless the kingdom left by Solo
mon extended northeast to the Euphrates
and south as far as the Red sea His death
was the signal for the old jealousy to re
vive, and the folly of Rehoboam completed
the division. There were thenceforth two
kingdoms and internecine strife, and the
hatred on both sides was so intense that
even the prophets were affected by it, as
we see in many of their utterances Against
the dark background of war and apostacy
stand out the mighty figures of Elijah and
Elisha, heroes and patriots, almost mar
tyrs, yet miraculously sustained and pre-
served. struggling nightly but in vain to
bring back deuded people to their duty
to God and their native land.
AS the northern kingdom began its
career under Jeroboam 10y systcmatical. Y
excluding the Mosaic institutions, so it,
downward career was most rapid. Idol
airy, despotsm and corruption were its
methods; conspiracy, revolt and regicia
determined the choice of rulers through
most of the $50 years of its troubled exist.
ence. Once Elisha succeeded in restoring
a faint spirit of piety and patriotism, and
under the dynasty of Jehu (who was an.
ointed by Elisha) there was a show of order
during the reigns of Jehoahaz, Joash Zero
boam III and Zachariah but the latter was
murdered by Shallum (113 B. c., who was
murdered month later by Meuahem,
whose son Pekahiah was slain by Pekah
who was in turn assassinated by Hos hea
with whom the kingdom was destroyed
amid unspeakable miSeries. The ten tribes
were taken into captivity, and so disap-
peared from history. Many fancifu ac
counts of them have appeared, and many
learned men, whose learning was not TEN
pered with judgment, have maintained ex
travagant theories concerning 'The Los;
Tribes" but there is every reason to be
lieve that they were never reunited. Their
dolatry and neglect of the Mosaic law
would naturally cause them to be absorbed
and lost as race in the nations among
whom they settled
The history of the other kingdom, com.
monty called Judah, is far more important
and interesting; for it continued "A king
iom till 5SS b. c., was partially restored
after the captivity, and maintained IA DIES
crate struggle for nationality for nearly
I'VE centuries longer Nor was the Jewish
community completely broken up and the
people scattered till the reign of the Ro
man emperor, Hadrian, about l3l \. d
when the last instruction under Bar Cox
heba was suppressed in frightful maSsa
ores, a1tef winch the Jews were forbidden
to enter Jerusalem under penalty of death
and the dispersion was complete. Never
theless it is Judah that has preserved the
national name and blood, and the Jews re-
main people apart among all nations t.
this day.
1t is fitting to cite here few facts as t,
that portion of Jewish history between the
close of the Old Testament and opening o
the New. Cyrus decreed the return of tn,
Jews, but of the whole dispersion certainly
not more than a third, and some think NJ
more than IA fifth, came back, and thes,
completed the new temple about $40 b. c
Ezra somewhat later brought colony from
beyond the Euphrates, and Nehemiah
another in 445 b. G. There was Ions
peace, during which the sacred books wer,
completed, and the canon of the Hebrew
Scriptures made up. Nor was this peac,
broken till Alexander the Great conquereC
the Persian empire 1884 to 33l b. c..
Palestine remained Greek province
though under various rulers for Il century
and a half; all the educated people reaC
and to some extent spoke Greek aud tn,
ScriDturpS were translated into that