During this period of their existence as a republic, an ecclesiastical republic--the theocracy, as it is called--they had to contend and struggle, and undergo many vicissitudes. It was barbarian fighting against barbarian. Regardless of their having on the one side Jehova and the ark, and on the other side Dagon & Co., the victory always remained with the best-disciplined or more numerous army, which also possessed good generalship. CHAPTER XIV. THE END OF NATIONAL LIFE. The Hebrew monarchy established under Saul 1095 B.C., continued and cemented under David, and weakened and ruined under Solomon, terminated in the year 975 B.C., lasting altogether one hundred and twenty years. This marks the culmination of national greatness and glory--and the rapid decline and disintegration. We now come upon the rise of a new class of men, prophets of a new school--visionary men, dreamers and agitators, reformers--besides miracle-mongers and fault-finders. Discontent reigned. Men began to sing the glories of their past greatness, the wonders of Jehova, the miracles of Moses, and the promises that the Lord had made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of the land that flowed with milk and honey. It seems almost unaccountable, even from a theological, Christian standpoint, that God, Jehova, the Lord almighty, should not be able to exhibit his wonderful powers regularly, systematically, instead of by fits and starts, on special occasions, after intervening centuries. Why should a God come and go by leaps and jumps, appearing and disappearing at distant ages, now helping and then punishing? Why lead and mislead? Why permit people to be so foolish and senseless as to create rival gods? Why should he be jealous of a wooden god, or of any other kind of an idol? Why should it be necessary to whip people into understanding God, knowing him? Why were there so many thousand people slaughtered to force conviction of his marvelous powers? Is it not an outrage on common sense for a God to stoop to mountebank tricks, subterfuge, and delusion, so-called miracles, in order to establish his existence, or his presence? If God made man, why did he not make him properly to begin with, so as to suit himself at least? Why did he not make him so as to know the father right from the start? Why should this almighty God, this Jehova, keep his chosen people continually on the rack of transgression, crime, and folly? Why did he create them so that they should so easily forget him, and devote their reverence, their veneration, their sacrifices, and their prayers to some brass or wooden image?