anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. "Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hand; (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian : "And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother ;) "If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: "But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo: and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. "And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother." (Judg. ix. 6-21.) NOTE.-Glory means "boast," or "be proud." QUESTIONS. What was the parable of the "thistle and cedar?" Who spoke it ? To whom? On what occasion? With what result? Who was meant by the cedar? Who by the thistle? What did it mean? Who was Jotham? What was his parable? Where did he speak it? To whom? Who are meant by "the trees?" Who by "the bramble?" What curse did Jotham call down on Abimelech? Why did he deserve it? How did Jotham escape? To what place? What became of Abimelech ? JUSTICE AND MERCY. I SAW in my dream a countless throng Hurried along through boundless space Till they met their Maker face to face. Then consciousness waked in each dark eye, When they saw the throne of judgment blaze. "Justice!" they cried, with sound so clear, The stars of the universe needs must hear; "Justice!" again, again rang out, As of those who felt the hour had come When earth-choked lips should no more be dumb, And all God's world must hear their shout. They were the souls of myriad men Who had died, and none cared how or when, They were the men by death set free, And flocking they came from their million graves, They who on earth had scarce dared be, Shaking the bonds from their half-crushed souls, Uttering a cry that rent the poles, For they knew that God would hear them then. And afar I beheld a smaller band, With hands clasped over their downcast eyes, They knew themselves and their deeds at last; From their quivering lips to the throne of Right A faint low cry of "Mercy !" passed. Justice and Mercy! hear them both! Now pass from my soul, thou dream of fear. Louisa J. Hall. CHAPTER XCI. PARABLES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (continued). 3. THE VISION OF MICAIAH, THE SON OF IMLAH, Is thought by some to have been a real vision which the prophet saw; but by others it is thought to have been only a parable which he spoke of his own mind, to warn Ahab of his death, when all the false prophets promised him victory in the attack he was going to make on Ramoth-gilead. Ahab had been very prosperous, and had beaten the Syrians many times by God's help. He wanted to get back a strong city that stood by the River Jordan, and the King of Judah promised to go with him to the battle and help him; but he would not go till he knew what God's will was, for he was a good man. So they sent for the prophets and asked them. They all cried out, "Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.' But Je-hosh-a-phat, King of Judah, was not satisfied. He thought they all spoke too much as if they flattered Ahab, so he asked if there were not any other prophet besides, of whom they might inquire. Then Ahab said there was one, but he said, "I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." However, they sent for him, and the man who fetched him tried to persuade him, as they came along, to speak pleasantly to Ahab, "saying, Behold now the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth; let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. "And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak." At first Micaiah mimicked the others, and cried out, "Go and prosper; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.' Then Ahab put him on his oath, and he spoke this parable : "And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd; and the Lord said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace." And Ahab was very angry, and turned to Jehoshaphat and said, "Did I not tell thee, that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?" Then Micaiah told the prophets another vision that God had shewn him. "And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. "And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. "And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. “And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. "Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. "But Zedekiah the son of Che-na-a-nah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee? "And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. "And the King of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son. "And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction, and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. "And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace the Lord hath not spoken by me, And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you" (1 Kings xxii. 19-28). QUESTIONS. Who was Ahab? What king joined him? What place did he want to take? Whose was it? Whom did he consult? Who wished him to do so? What was the answer? Why was it not satisfactory? Who else was sent for? What was Ahab's feeling towards him? What did the messenger say to him? What was his first answer to Ahab? Why did he say so? What was the true answer? How did Ahab receive it? What vision did he relate? What were Ahab's orders about him? Do you know which prophet told the truth? CHAPTER XCII. MIRACLES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. THERE are a great many miracles in the Old Testament. First there is the miracle of the Creation: the making of man out of the dust of the ground, and of woman out of one of Adam's ribs. Then there is that wonderful preservation of Noah and his family in the ark, when all the rest of the world were drowned. Next there is the birth of Isaac, and the angel staying Abraham's hand when he was just going to sacrifice him. Then, again, there is the destruction of Sodom, and all the events which belong to it: such as the two angels smiting the men who were breaking open Lot's door with blindness; the turning of Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. You will also call to mind the appearance of God to Moses in a bush, which burned with fire, but was not consumed; and the change of Moses' rod into a serpent, then back again into a rod. So, too, there were the ten plagues in Egypt, which we have named already ;* * See Book I. chap. xxv. |