away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold you your peace.

"And Elijah said to him, Tarry, I pray thee, here, for the Lord sends me to Jordan; but he answered, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

"And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood to view afar off, whilst they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither; so they two went over on dry land.

"And when they were gone over, Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what shall I do for thee, before I am taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

"And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: yet, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it will be so to thee; but if not, it will not be so.

"And it came to pass as they went on and talked, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which

parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

Many years afterwards Elijah (called also Elias) came and talked with our Saviour at His Transfiguration (Matt. xvii. 3).

NOTES.-Sons of the Prophets were young men taught in a college to be prophets, or teachers of God's will, by older prophets.

QUESTIONS.

Why were the soldiers sent to Elijah? Who sent them? Where was Elijah? What happened to the first band of soldiers? What to the next? How did the captain of the third company act? Where did Elijah go after he came down from the mountain? For what purpose? Who spent much of his time with Elijah? On what occasions did he say he would not leave his master? What miracle did Elijah work at the Jordan? After crossing the Jordan, what conversation took place between Elijah and Elisha? Give an account of Elijah's translation. On what occasion do we read of him after his translation?

CHAPTER LXVI.

ELISHA.

ECCLES. xlviii. 13.-After his death he prophesied; he did wonders in his life, and at his death his works were marvellous.

ELISHA, the son of Shaphat, was born in a village, called Abel-me-ho-lah, belonging to the tribe of Issachar. He was taken from the plough, and anointed by Elijah to be his successor.

"So Elijah departed thence and found Elisha, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him; upon which he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, saying, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. "And he said unto him, Go back again: for what

have I done to thee? So he returned back, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they did eat: then he arose and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him."

He was with Elijah in his last journey to the schools at Bethel and Jericho, and when he crossed the River Jordan. He saw his translation, caught his falling mantle, and received a double portion of his spirit.

On his return to the Jordan, he smote the water with his master's mantle, and so divided the stream. When at Jericho he sweetened the unwholesome water near the city, by throwing salt into it.

As he was going to Bethel some little children mocked him. Elisha, angry that reproach should be thus cast upon his message or upon the Master whom he served, turned and cursed them, when two she-bears rushed out of the woods and tare forty and two of them to pieces.

When the armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom, were perishing for want of water, he procured them a miraculous supply.

A widow of one of the sons of the prophets was in debt, for which her two sons were to be sold as slaves. On making her distress known to Elisha, he caused her "cruse of oil" to multiply, till she had filled all the vessels she could borrow. He then ordered her, "Go sell the oil and pay thy debt; afterwards live thou and thy children on the rest."

QUESTIONS.

Where was Elisha born? What was the name of his father? How was he employed when Elijah called him? What is a yoke of oxen? Give an account of his call. What were the schools at Bethel and Jericho? What miracle did Elisha work at the Jordan? and what at Jericho? What took place at Bethel? What lesson should this teach us? How did the prophet assist the armies of Israel? How did he help the widow of one of the sons of the prophets?

CHAPTER LXVII.

ELISHA (continued).

AT Shunem, in the tribe of Issachar, a rich woman's

son had been struck dead by a sun-stroke in the harvest field. Elisha restored him to life.

At Gilgal, in a time of dearth, some of the sons of the prophets shred wild and poisonous gourds into a caldron or pot. Elisha cast meal into it, and so made the pottage fit for food.

At Jericho, as the sons of the prophets were felling trees near the Jordan, the head of an axe flew off from the handle and fell into the water. Elisha "cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim." And the man who had borrowed the axe put forth his hand and took it.

He cleansed Naaman, captain of the hosts of the King

of Syria, of his leprosy, by directing him to wash seven times in the Jordan.

He afterwards struck his servant Gehazi with leprosy for his covetousness and deceit.

He smote the Syrian army, sent to seize him, with blindness.

He foretold the departure of the Syrians from Samaria, and that Benhadad, King of Syria, should die, and Hazael should be king.

"And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming of the year.

"And it came to pass as they were burying a man, that behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood upon his feet."

QUESTIONS.

What miracle did Elisha work at Shunem? and at Gilgal? and at Jericho? What are gourds? Who was Naaman? and Gehazi? What other miracles did Elisha work? Shew that "he did wonders in his life, and at his death his works were marvellous."

CHAPTER LXVIII.

KINGS OF JUDAH.

THERE were twenty kings who reigned over Judah, after the kingdom which Solomon governed was divided into two.

1. RE-HO-BO-AM, the son of Solomon, was a weak and foolish king. During his reign "Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins, which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built them