nd to
the hopes of his enemy; so he chose him an army out of the two tribes,
and met Jeroboam at a place called Mount Zemaraim, and pitched his camp
near the other, and prepared everything necessary for the fight. His
army consisted of four hundred thousand, but the army of Jeroboam was
double to it. Now as the armies stood in array, ready for action and
dangers, and were just going to fight, Abijah stood upon an elevated
place, and beckoning with his hand, he desired the multitude and
Jeroboam himself to hear first with silence what he had to say. And when
silence was made, he began to speak, and told them,--"God had consented
that David and his posterity should be their rulers for all time to
come, and this you yourselves are not unacquainted with; but I cannot
but wonder how you should forsake my father, and join yourselves to his
servant Jeroboam, and are now here with him to fight against those who,
by God's own determination, are to reign, and to deprive them of that
dominion which they have still retained; for as to the greater part of
it, Jeroboam is unjustly in possession of it. However, I do not suppose
he will enjoy it any longer; but when he hath suffered that punishment
which God thinks due to him for what is past, he will leave off the
transgressions he hath been guilty of, and the injuries he hath offered
to him, and which he hath still continued to offer and hath persuaded
you to do the same: yet when you were not any further unjustly treated
by my father, than that he did not speak to you so as to please you,
and this only in compliance with the advice of wicked men, you in anger
forsook him, as you pretended, but, in reality, you withdrew yourselves
from God, and from his laws, although it had been right for you to have
forgiven a man that was young in age, and not used to govern people,
not only some disagreeable words, but if his youth and unskilfulness in
affairs had led him into some unfortunate actions, and that for the sake
of his father Solomon, and the benefits you received from him; for men
ought to excuse the sins of posterity on account of the benefactions
of parent; but you considered nothing of all this then, neither do you
consider it now, but come with so great an army against us. And what is
it you depend upon for victory? Is it upon these golden heifers, and the
altars that you have on high places, which are demonstrations of your
impiety, and not of religious worship? Or is it the excee