for(; that, Joash, ignominiously bringing upon it, in other places, viz. to connect the •• Amazinh to Jerusalem" (ver. 23), oon- rise and the operati vcness of tho conspire.oy t,,mptuouely left him there, with e. present with the fact that (though not the exact do.te of his life, though less his honour e.nd muoh at which) the king bad turned aside from wealth. Jehovah to idols. They made a oonapiraoy. Ver. 26.-The book of the kings of J'udah When el"ery deduction is made, it mny be that and Israel. The parallel he.s " the book of the conspiracy was one that was long h11toh- the chronicles of the 1,,--ings of Judah." Con-- ing, and one whioh began in embryo from sidering the e.mount and the character of the d11te of Amnziah's ignominious return the resemble.nee that we have noticed be- to Jerusalem. Very certnin it is thnt this tween the ne.rre.tives in Kings and in our would be historic oertainty with the Paris of own text, and e.esuming that the work to the past century or more. The Frenoh which each compiler calls attention for the would have required a deadly explanation fuller elucidation of his subject of biography of such an affront, if brought upon them by is the work which he bas himself most any ruler of theirs. He fied to Laohish. In largely laid under •contribution, then we the Shefele.h of Judah, and a strongly forti- should justly feel in this instance that we fied place (oh. xi. 9; Josh. x. 3, 32; xv. 39: had no feeble argument for the identity of 2 Kings xiv. 19: xvili. 14; xix. 8: Isa. the two works, c-alled by rather different xxxvi. 2: Jer. :xxxiv. 7; Micah i. 13). titles-by the writ.er of the pre--Captivity, Ensebius places it seven Roman miles south "the book of the chronicles of the kings of of Eleutheropolis. Judah," and by him of the post-Captivity, Ver. 28.-They brought him upon horses ; " the book of the 1.·i.ngs of Jude.hand Israel." Hebrew text, "upon the horses," i.e. those Ver. 27.-Now after the time that Ama- same royal horses presumably with which lliah did turn away from following the Lord. he had fled to Lachish. This seems the Let it be particularly noted that the entire most natural suggestion arising from the of this sentence (which is a strong anachron- memorandum made here, and may indicate ism BtJi generis) is wanting in the parallel. that they visited him with no additional It is, of course, fo its matter intrinsically gratuitous disrespect. In the oity of J'udah.. true, but none the less misleading in its Probably an incorrect text for that of 2 form. The object of the writer cannot be Kings xiv. 20, "the city of David," which cloubted, e.e so many a cross-light is thrown is found in some of the manuscripts.
HOMILETICS. Vera. 1-28.-.Another type of uncertain character. We are at once advised, in refer- ence to Amaziah, that he " did right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart." The expression might be supposed to cover the description of a man whose life was in the main right, but who was betrayed by temptation into some serious sins, of which, like David, he bitterly repented, but genuinely repented, and was restored to peace and favour. No such interpretation, however, is here possible. And as there are some very marked features in the character of the folly and sin of Amaziah, they must not be overlooked or missed, having due regard to the brevity and exactitude of Scripture biography. We have here, then- I. A MAN WHOSE DISCERNMENT WAS SUCH THAT HE WAS EQUAL TO SEEING AND 'l'AKING WAR:t."ING A?-'l> GODLY ADVICE. It is in the heart of Amaziah to fight with tho Edomites. It is a temptation with him again, as with predecessors of his on the throne, to borrow and pay for the help of the separated kingdom of Israel. Certain kinds of frieudship are certain to turn out certain snares. Our safety is often simply a complete separation from persons or things that have been found to partake of the nature of a snare. These two things look strange-only too natural, if we know enough of our own weak, self-deceiving hearts-in the attitude of Amaziah at this moment, He listens to the teaching of the prophet, is no doubt startled and vexed thus to be called on to forfeit his methods and arrangements for the warfare that he would war, but seems to take his stand rather on the money that he perceives he will forfeit for nothing, as it seems to him I This is one side of the matter. But the other shows hiru, happily, both amenable to the prophet's reminder that God was "able to givo him much more" than tbat hundred talents; and also equal to the effort of dismiijsing his hired mercenaries of Israel, and of encountering thereby their fierce indignation. Amazie.h had heeded the warning of the prophet (ver. 8), and he now heeds the cu. xxv. 1-28.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES.
assurance with trustful faith of the same prophet; he goes up to war, and has a splendid success. II. A MAN WHOSE DISCERNMENT, UNDEB SOME UNTOWARD INFLUENCE, SEEMED ALMOST SUDDENLY TO DEOOME BO BLUNTED THAT HE CANNOT BROOK A GODLY PROPHET'S REMONSTRANCE, BUT DEFIANTLY AND WITH MENACE REJECTS IT. There is scarcely room to doubt what had wrought in the interim the disastrous change. Success l Boastfulness and self-confidence had bee,n the untimely growth of the very ground where gratitude, obedience, self-distrust, and the profoundest disposition of reliance on God and hie prophet should have been found. Success had more than turned the brain of Amaziah. He worships the gods who had not delivered him. He worships the gods who had not delivered "their own people," whom he had destroyed. He worships not, and glorifies not, his own God and the God of his fathers, but is a marvel of an apostate, and a monster of blinded ingratitude, and a. monument of blunted discernment, of perverted fatuity! III. A MAN FOR WHOM ms TOWERING SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND SELF-GLORIFICATION EXCITE THE PITY, BEG THl!l WARNING, AND RECEIVE THE BEST AND THE HONEST ADVICE OF THE VERY FOE WHOM HE INSULTINGLY CHALLENGES TO FIGHT. It is evident that the King of Israel was able to read the human nature that was in Amazia.h of J uda.h ( vers. 18-20). And it is evident that the King of Israel did not desire to be answerable for the blood of the ~ame Ama.ziah. He "puts him to the worse," takes much spoil of him, breaks down the walls of his city-the holy city; and., bathos of humiliation for Amazia.h, "took him," "brought him to" that, his own city, and left him there, in all his fallen glory and mulcted wealth, to meditate on "the wages of sin," even when they fall short of death. Men's enemies sometimes love their lives and souls better, alas! than they do themselves.