should be firmly established. But he forgets this and goes on in the
foolish fashion of all doubt and unbelief.


FALSE GODS SET UP.

"Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and
said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold
thy gods, oh, Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt,

"And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan."

He reasoned that if there were to be two kingdoms, there must also be
two religions: at least, the citizens of one kingdom should not get
their religion from the worship and service held in another kingdom. On
the face of it this looked like the very essence 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