nian t?_wer-buildars on the monuments: "Babylo1;1 corruptly to sin went"(' Records,' etc., v11. 131). Jotham stood alone, or nearly so, man extremely degenerate age• like Noah in the antediluvian world (Gen. vii. 1), Lot in Sodom (2 Pet, ii. 8), and Daniel in Babylon (Dan. vi. 13); which heightens one's idea. of both the nobility of hie cha.meter and the strength of his piety. It requires a strong man, intellectually and morally, to be singular, and especially to be good, when goodness is unpopular and immorality with irreligion holds the field. "This king was not defective in any virtue but was religious towards God and righteous towards men" (Josephus). ' II. JoTHAM, A suoCESSFUL XING. 1. The duration of his success, Throughout his entire reign of sixteen yea.re. If his father's reign was longer and more brilliant his was more symmetrical &nd complete. If he was a more obscure monarch tba~ his father, be was probably as good a. man. 2. The nature of his success, (1) His build- ings were important. (a) He restored and beautified the upper gate of the temple (ver. 3), i.e. the northern ge.te, which led into the inner court (Ezek. viii. 8, 5, 14), and was called "upper" probably because it stood upon higher ground than the gates upon the south (Ezek. ix. 2). His reason for such architectural ornamentation most likely was, either that it formed the principal entrance to the temple (Berthea.u), or that there the burnt offerings were washed; cf. Ezek. xl. 38 (Bahr). In beginning with the temple, Jotham observed the right order; first the things of God, and then those of man ; first religion, and then business; first the claims of Heaven, and then those of earth. (b) He added to the city fortifications. "On the wall of Ophel," which ra.n along the southern slope of the temple hill and joined the temple wall at the south-eastern comer, at the turning of the wall (eh. xxvi. 9), where his father before him had raised erections, "he built much." As Solomon's pa.lace, on the southern slope, was considerably lower than the temple, Jotham may have had a good deal of building. (c) "In the mountains of ,Judah," on the military roads, be erected fortified cities or garrisons; nnd in the forests or wooded hills, where such" cities" could not be placed, he constructed" castles and towers" (ver. 4). Thus, while like a good man he honoured God, like a. prudent sovereign he looked well to the safety of his kingdom. (2) His wars were victorious. "He fought with the A=onites, and prevailed against them" (ver. 5), compelling them to resume payment of the tribute which Uzziah had imposed upon them (eh. xxvi. 8), but which they had discontinued. If, after two payments, the tribute(" a. hundred talents of silver," equal to £50,000, with "ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley") ceased, this was probably due to the incursions of Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel (2 Kings xv. 37) having enabled them to suc- cessfull_v assert their independence. Probably in close connection with this subjection of the A=onites was his annexation to the kingdom of Judah of the trans-Jordanic tribe of Gad, of whose population he made a registration according to their genealogies, doubtless for the purpose of imposing an assessment (1 Chron. v. 17). (3) His reputa- tion was high. If ha.rely realizing the idea.I of uprightness or perfection contained in his name (Jotha.m, equivalent to" Jehovah is upright," or" perfect)," he yet maintained an untarnished escutcheon. Though a man's funeral cannot always be accepted as an index to his moral excellence (Luke xvi. 22), yet the circumstance that when Jotham died he was interred in the royal mausoleum, "in the city of David," was a proof he had done nothing to forfeit the good opinion of his subjects. Contrast the burials of Joa.eh (eh. xxiv. 25), of Uzziah (eh. :xxvi. 23), and of Ahaz (eh. xxvii. 27). 3. The explanation of his success. Neither the wealth of his kingdom, which was "full of silver and gold" (Isa. ii 7), nor the size of his army, "The land [in his day] was also full of horses, neither was there any end of chariots " (Isa.. ii. 7), nor the splendour of his merchant navy, which consisted of ships of Tarshish (Isa. ii. 16), accounted for the remarkable prosperity of this sov~reign's ~ei_gn. If, on t_be one hand, these were rather signs. and results of the flourishmg cond1t1on of the nation ; on the other band, they were ommous of and contributory to, the nation's decay. Not only did these in no way diminish, b~t. on the contrary, fostered and increased the worst characteristics of the people-a love of luxury, which evinced itself amongst the women in a. passion for finery and dress (Isa.. iii. 16-24), amongst the men in licentiousness and oppression, witchcraft e.nd soothsaying (Ise.. ii. 6; iii. 9), amongst both in haughtiness and self-conceit (Isa. ii. 17), a thirst for war (Isa. ii. 7), and an infatuation for idolatry (Isa. ii. 8). The real llllCret of the kingdom's prosperity lay in the piety of its king. Judah was blessed on. :xxvm. 1-27.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 831
becl\uee J othnm II prepnred [or, •ordered'] hie ways before the Lord "-o. clear case of imputo.tion of merit and of vicarious blessing. Jotham systematically and studiously guided his personal and official actions by a regard to the Divine Law, and Jehovah caused him to become "mighty." " Them that honour me I will honour" (1 Sam. ii. 30). No piety likely to be either deep or permanent that does not spring from well- considered choice and lead to scrupulous obedience. A good man may pray, " Order my etepe in thy Word" (Pa. cxix. 133), knowing that "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (J er. x. 23), and that a good man's steps are ordered by the Lord (Ps. xxxvii. 23); if a truly good man, he will try to answer his own prayer (Ps. ci. 2), in doing which he has God's encouragement (Ps. 1. 23). Rehoboam prepared neither his heart nor his way, and consequently went astray (eh. xii. 14). LESSONS. 1. The best men are often the least known. 2. A life short in years may be long in influence. 8. The danger of inferring inward stability from outward prosperity.-W.