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hibit a great shew of grandeur and pomp, encourage such songs and toasts as are likely to enslave the mind, and suffocate reflection. From the govern ment of Nimrod, to that of Bonaparte, war (or rather robbery) has been their trade, plunder their object, and personal aggrandizement their pursuit. Hence the peace and tranquillity of millions of servile wretches, have, from time immemorial, depended on the whim, the caprice, the pride, even the nod of one arbitrary man. Let any person view the history of ancient times, and say, if it is not a continued scene of war and bloodshed, murder and devastation, human butchery and wickedness: surely then, he must be either a rogue or a fool, who will think or say, that monarchy was ordained by heaven; and whoever he is, the Bible gives him the lie in form. Although some people will presume to assert from Scripture, that monarchy was established by God himself, yet 1 can prove by a few scriptural quotations, that their requiring a king was one of the most fatal sins

the Jews* ever committed; and was considered an infringment on the rights of God.

The curse of monarchy is cogently delineated in the resolute remonstránce of the prophet Samuel, and for a literal fulfilment of his prophecy, we have only to take the most superficial glance at the histories of the Jewish kings. The very best of them, David the just, not only robbed one of his most faithful servants of his beautiful wife, but also, (which was tenfold worse) bereaved him of his existence. Solomon the wise, doomed 999 beautiful women to perpetual celibacy, whom he called his wives and concubines: we will not include Pharaoh's daughter, his queen among the number, as he was entitled to one wife by the laws of nature and common sense, and only one. Manassa the penitent, caused the streets of Jerusalem to run down with innocent human blood. Ahab the wicked, in conjunction with his wicked wife Jezebel, robbed one of his subjects of his paternal inheritance, and his life. Herod the cruel, put a great many little children to death merely to gratify his jealous and barbarous disposition. I could mention many more instances of the villany of the Jewish kings, and of the great injury they were to the Israelites, but my limits will not allow it: suffice it therefore, to add another thought on the case and character of Solomon the wise. Had this mighty, wise king, clothed himself with 1000 suits of beautiful clothes, every body would call him a fool; it was then no less foolish, as well as tyrannical, to procure 1000 women, when one was sufficient. This also shews the futility, as well as villany of monarchy; for it appears that Solomon, although king of Israel, was such a booby. as to bow down and worship the wooden gods of his un godly wives.

"Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways, now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us : and Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods; so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people, that asked of him a king. And he said, this will be the manner of the king that

shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectioners, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day, because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. Never

theless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us: that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, go ye every man unto his city."

I scarcely know which to wonder at most, the stupidity, or the servility of the Jews as for their ingratitude, it was proverbial; and this was only one instance of it, out of many thousands but that they should persist in revolting from the government of Jehovah, after Samuel plainly pointed out to them, the tyrannical government of the king which they desired, is matter of astonishment. The subsequent appeal of Samuel, even to the people themselves, shews the baseness of their hearts, in despising his equitable administration,

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