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pieces of ancient poesy, and he was called The Sweet Psalmist of Israel, 2 Sam. xxiii. 1.

70 Q. Wherein doth it appear that he had the gift of prophecy?

A. Because these Psalms were written by divine inspiration, for in some of them there are many things evidently foretold concerning Christ, Luke xxiv. 44. Acts ii. 29, 30.

71 Q. What further evidences are there of his being a prophet?

A. He had a particular revelation made to him by the Spirit of God, of the pattern of the temple, which Solomon his son was to build, and of the orders of the priests and Levites, and of several things relat ing to the worship of God, which he gave to his son Solomon, 1 Chron. xxviii. 11-13. 19.

72 Q. What did David do towards the building of this temple before his death?

A. He made a vast preparation of gold and silver, and jewels, and other materials, and gave the pattern of every thing to his son Solomon, as he received it of God, I Chron. xxii. 5. 14. and xxviii. 11. 19. and xxix. 2.

CHAPTER X.

Of the Reign of Solomon and Rehoboam over all Israel, and the division of the Nation into two Kingdoms.

1 Q. WHAT was the general character of Solomon?

A. That he was the wisest of men, 1 Kings iii. 12. and iv. 31.

2 Q. Wherein did his wisdom towards God appear?

A. In that he asked not long life, nor riches, nor

honours, but understanding and knowledge to govern so great a people, 1 Kings iii. 7, &c.

3Q What was the first instance of his wisdom in the government?

A. His deciding the quarrel between two women who contended about a child, and in giving the child to the true mother, 1 Kings iii. 16--28.

4 Q. How did he find out the true mother?

A. He commanded the child to be divided in two, that each woman might have half: then the tenderness and love of the true mother appeared, in yielding up her pretensions to it, rather than see it divided, 1 Kings iii. 25.

5 Q. What special care did Solomon take for the worship of God?

A. He built that temple for which David had made so large a preparation. It was a most glorious palace, built of cedar and fir, and olive-wood, and hewn stone, with most amazing expence of gold and silver, and brass, and precious stones, both for the adorning of the house itself, and for the holy vessels thereof, 1 Kings vi. and vii. He built also two distinct courts about it, one for the people of Israel, and one for the priests, all which were called The Temple, 2 Kings xxiii. 12. and 2 Chron. iv. 9. Note, In this temple of Solomon there does not seem to be any court of the Gentiles, but only the court of the priests, in which the house of God or sanctuary stood, and the court of the people to which all Israel resorted: nor can I find the Gentiles forbidden by any express word of God. See Chron. vi. 32. One was the outer court, and the other the inner court, 2 Chron. iv. 9. and 1 Kings vi. 36. Nor were the people excluded from the inner court. See 2 Chron. xxxiii. 10. In the second temple, which was built by Zerubbabel, after the captivity, we do not read of any court of the Gentiles at the building of it. But in following years, when there were more frequent communications and transactions with Gentiles, there was a partition made, called Chell, to divide them from the Jews, and the

other part of the outer court was left for the Gentiles. In the temple which Herod built, and which was in our Saviour's time, there was a court made on purpose for the Gentiles, and those Jews which were unclean. But this division does not sufficiently appear to be of divine appointment, though it must he confessed, the partition wall in Eph. ii. 14. seems to refer to it.

6 Q. In what form did he build it?

A. In imitation of the tabernacle of Moses and the court thereof, but with vast and universal improvement in the grandeur, riches, and magnificence of it, by the pattern that David his father received from God, and gave to him, 1 Chron. xxii. 5. and xxviii. 11. 19.

7 Q. On what spot of ground did he build it?

A. On Mount Moriah, not very far from Mount Zion in Jerusalem: it was the place where Abraham was called to offer his son Isaac, and where God appeared to David when he stopped the pestilence, 2 Chron. iii. 1. and Gen. xxii. 2. and gave him a miraculous token of his acceptance, by fire from heaven consuming his sacrifice, 1 Chron. xxi. 20. Note, Though the temple was built on Mount Moriah, yet the name of Zion is still preserved by the following holy writers, as the place of the sanctuary; partly because David had written so much in his Psalms concerning Zion, where the ark and tabernacle stood in his days, and made the name familiar to the people; and partly because Zion was literally the city of David, and, in a typical sense, the city or residence of Christ. And indeed Zion and Moriah may be accounted but two distinct heads of the same mountain; and though there was a valley between them, Solomon joined them by a bridge, that he might easily pass from his palace in Zion to the temple. Josephus makes mention of it more than once.

8 Q. How did Solomon dedicate this temple to God?

A. By assembling all the men of Israel, by bringing thither the ark and the holy things from Zion, by a devout prayer to God, by music and praises, by a feast of seven days, and a vast number of sacrifices, 1 Kings viii. and 2 Chron. vi. and vii.

9 Q. In what manner did God shew his approba tion of it?

A. He filled the house with a cloud of glory, to represent his taking possession of it; he sent fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifices; and he appeared in the night to Solomon, and assured him he had heard his prayer, and chosen that place for a house of sacrifice to himself, 2 Chron. vii. 1— 3. 12.

10 Q. Wherein did God bless the reign of Solomon?

A. By giving him prodigious treasures and magnificent state, and spreading the fame of his greatness and wisdom over all nations, 1 Kings x.

11 Q. What peculiar honours were done to him on this account?

A. The princes round about him coveted his friendship, and gave him their assistance and many presents, and the queen of Sheba came to visit him, 1 Kings ix. and x.

12 Q. What satisfaction did she find in this visit? A. She was astonished at the sight of his grandeur and wisdom, and confessed that the one half of it was not told her, 1 Kings x. 1-10.

13 Q. Wherein did Solomon displease God afterwards?

A. In process of time he forgot his great obligations to God; he took wives and concubines in multitudes, and that out of the idolatrous nations; and by them his heart was so far led away after other gods, that he built places of worship for them very near Jerusalem, and offered sacrifices to them. See 1 Kings xi. 1-9.

14 Q. How did God punish him for it?

A. He stirred up several enemies against him, and particularly Jeroboam, his own servant. See Kings xi. 14. 23. 26.

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15 Q. What was Jeroboam's own pretence for disturbing the government?

A. The building of some expensive palace for Pharaoh's daughter, who was his queen, and the raising heavy taxes for that and other buildings, 1 Kings ix. 24. xi. 27. xii. 4.

Note, Jeroboam doth not appear to charge Solomon with promoting idolatry, or with breaking the laws of God in divine worship; for he himself did so afterwards, when he was king of Israel; which was a high provocation in the eyes of God, both in Solomon and Jeroboam.

16 Q. And how far did God encourage Jeroboam in this opposition to Solomon?

A. Abijah the prophet, being sent of God, caught hold of Jeroboam's garment when he met him in the field, and rent it into twelve pieces, and gave ten of them to Jeroboam, 1 Kings xi 22, &c.

17 Q. What was the meaning of this?

A. The prophet told him, that God had given him ten of the tribes of Israel, and had left the posterity of Solomon one tribe, that is, Judah and Benjamin, which were afterwards united into one, under the name of Jews 1 Kings xi. 31. and xii. 20, 21. and 2 Chron. xi. 12.

18 Q Was this fulfilled in Solomon's day?

A. No; for it pleased God to withhold these calamities from the house of Solomon till the days of his son, ver. 23.

19 Q. Did Solomon ever repent of his sins that provoked the anger of God against him?

A. It is generally supposed that the book of Ecclesiastes is a sort of proof that Solomon repented, because he there describes the vanity of every labour and every enjoyment under the sun, and sums up all in the Fear

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