ssence of wisdom. It was
worldly wisdom, but it was religious folly because it was putting policy
above principle.

After he had thought this matter over for some time, Jeroboam took some
of his friends and counselers into the secret of his reflections, and
they agreed with him. Thereupon he proceeded to establish home rule in
religion as in everything else, and his whole course is an exhibition of
great shrewdness. It is a pity that so bright an intellect had not been
united with a better heart.

He set up objects of worship and established shrines for them at two
places in his kingdom, Bethel and Dan.

Bethel was located in the tribe of Benjamin's territory, but had been
taken as part of the land embraced in the revolt of the ten tribes. The
name meant the house of God, and was so called by Jacob at the time of
his vision (Gen. 28: 11-19.)

As long ago as Abraham's time, an altar had been built here (Gen.
12: 8.) Samuel had also judged Israel here (1 Sam. 7: 16.) It was,
therefore, shrewdly selected, for the people of those days were readily
and deeply impressed with the sacred associations of places, especially
old places.

The other place, Dan, was in the extreme northern part of the land, so
that the expression from Dan to Beersheba means from one end of the land
to the other, north to south.

There was no city here at this time, but at a spot about four miles from
where the city of Dan was afterwards located, there is a remarkable cave
in one of the ridges at the base of Mount Hermon. This cave had been a
sanctuary or place of worship from the earliest times (Gen. 14: 14.)

Having thus selected the localities, Jeroboam set up there the objects
for their worship. It was not his intention so much, perhaps, to teach
the people the worship of images--he would hardly have ventured to do
that in its bald form--but it was his intention that these calves or
oxen should be the symbols representing the presence of God just as the
ark and the cherubim did in the temple.

They were made of wood and covered with plates of gold. The ox was an
old object of worship. Aaron had set it up in the wilderness, and
Jeroboam used almost the very words of Aaron so long before (Ex. 32: 4).

The Israelites were made familiar with this image in the decorations of
the temple of Solomon, including colossal cherubim. Also the great
molten sea of brass was supported upon oxen of the same material.

THE DAMAGING RESULTS.

"And