THE HISTORY OF THE ISRAELITES. 47 



beings riding upon the flood, hovering for descent 

 as the waters subsided, until no longer supported 

 in tbe fluid it rests on the mount. After the fur- 

 ther subsidence of the waters, and the necessary 

 preparations, behold the seed of the new world 

 come forth.- Noah and his family, with the differ- 

 ent genera o? animals advance from their confine- 

 ment to breathe the air of liberty, and to display 

 the wonders of Providence in their after dispersion 

 over the face of the globe. 



The sacred history then proceeds to give a cir- 

 cumstantial detail of the descendants of Abraham, 

 whose great grandson Joseph, settling in Egypt 

 with his eleven brothers, became with their families 

 slaves to that powerful and idolatrous people. Mul- 

 tiplying in numbers, they migrated from their scene 

 of bondage, and settled in Palestine; and after many 

 conflicts, expelled the old inhabitants, and were 

 known afterwards by th6 name of Israelites, or child- 

 ren of Israel. They divided their country amongst 

 the twelve tribes, distinguished by the names of the 

 twelve sons of Jacob, from whom they were sever- 

 ally descended. 



Their government was various, but it was such 

 as was divinely appointed, and shews the necessity 

 of subordination without a head, the body is net 

 complete. At first they were governed by judge?, 

 and after that by Kings. In the reign of Kehoboam 

 their fourth King, the son of Absalom, and grand- 

 son to David, ten of the tribes revolted under a 

 leader named Jeroboam, leaving two tribes only 

 Judah ami Benjamin under Kehoboam, vvhos* 



