Him who was to come, meant 'The one appointed by the Lord to hold the high and holy office of King and Saviour of His people.'

Christ was the anointed of the Lord, as no other man was. For He was anointed to be a king, and a priest, and a prophet. As a prophet, He declared God's will to men, and gave them a new law from heaven, and foretold things to come. As a king, He has established and still rules over a kingdom, His Church. And as a priest, He offered up to God the sacrifice of Himself, and 66 ever liveth as a Great High Priest in heaven, to make intercession for His people." He was both a king and a priest, as was Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who blessed Abraham; and therefore He is called by David, in a psalm of prophecy 8, "A priest after the order of Melchizedek." But He was, as Melchizedek was not, a prophet also. David was a king and a prophet, but not a priest. Our Lord Jesus Christ alone, the Anointed of the Lord, was Prophet, Priest, and King.

8 Psalm cx.

1015.

Chapter CXXXVEIE.

THE BEGINNING OF SOLOMON'S REIGN.

B.C. AFTER the death of David, Solomon his son reigned in his stead over all the tribes of Israel. And all the princes and the mighty men of Israel, and all the sons also of king David his father,

submitted themselves to him; and his kingdom was firmly established over all the land.

Solomon was about eighteen years old at the time that he was called to sit on the throne of his father David, and rule as king over the people of the Lord. But "the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such majesty as had not been on any other king before him in Israel." Therefore he prospered, and his kingdom was strengthened, and all Israel obeyed him.

As soon as Solomon was established in his kingdom, he assembled all the elders of Israel, the judges, and the governors throughout the land, and the captains of the army, and went forth with them to Gibeon, to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord. For the tabernacle of the Lord which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the brasen altar of sacrifice, were still at Gibeon. And Solomon offered upon the altar a thousand burnt offerings.

And on that night, while Solomon slept at Gibeon, the Lord appeared to him in a vision,

and said, "Ask what I shall give thee?" And Solomon said, "Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people ?"

And it pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said to Solomon, "Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people over whom I have made thee king: wisdom

and knowledge is granted unto thee. And I will give thee also riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had, that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days."

And on the morrow, Solomon returned from Gibeon to Jerusalem; and there he offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings, before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, which was in the tabernacle which David had prepared for it on the hill of Sion.

1 Kings iii. 1-15. 1 Chron. xxix. 23-25. 2 Chron. i.

To magnify, is to make great ; to magnify the name of the Lord, is to praise the greatness of God.

Majesty, is greatness.

Chapter CXXXEX.

THE WISDOM OF KING SOLOMON.

SOON after Solomon had returned from Gibeon, where the Lord had appeared to him, and had

R

promised that He would give him a wise and understanding heart, it was made known to all Israel that the wisdom of God was in Solomon their king.

For there came two women to king Solomon to Jerusalem, to ask him to give judgment between them. They lived in the same house, and each had had a child born to her. And the one woman said, "O my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house. And this woman's child died in the night, because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold it was dead; but when I had considered it, behold it was not my son." And the other woman said, "Nay, but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son." And the first woman said, "No, but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son." Thus they spoke before the king.