them all there was "none like Ahab, who had sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel, his wife, stirred up." What was to be the fate of that wretched woman?

MARY. Mama, dogs were to eat her by the wall of Jezreel?

MAMA. Jezreel, was not that the scene of Naboth's murder?

MARY. Yes, Mama.

MARY. Remember this, Mary, when you come to see it remarkably fulfilled in this haughty queen and proud beauty. You will better appreciate the threat if you are told how far, even beyond ourselves, the Jews valued decent burial; the want of which was looked upon as equally melancholy and disgraceful. And what was to happen to Ahab himself?

MARY. His blood was to be licked by dogs in the very spot where they had licked the blood of Naboth.

MAMA. Ay, Mary, God often makes the very theatre of our crimes witness their punishment! But, in the mean time, we read of something which, though it did not finally avert the sentence, yet for some time delayed its execution. What was it?

MARY. Mama, who would have thought it? Ahab repented!

MAMA. Ah! Mary, may we not rather say, who could have thought that the Lord would accept such tardy repentance, and from such a confirmed sinner? Let us beware of drawing undue encouragement from this example. God forbid "we should continue in sin because grace hath abounded!" But it may serve to display, in stronger colours, those unsearchable riches of God's mercy, which would delay even temporal judgments on such late and inefficient repentance. If Ahab, by clothing his body in sackcloth, and " going softly" for a few short weeks, could rescue his latter days on earth from impending calamity, shall not we, if we cover our sins with the ample robe of Christ's righteousness, and in his strength "walk humbly with our God,"-be blessed with "peace at the last," and escape from the unrevealed terrors of the second death? When tempted to despair, let us think of the case of Ahab; but when, as is far more dangerous, we feel inclined to presume, let us remember that his sentence on earth was not remitted, and that his doom beyond the grave is worse than doubtful!

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MORNING ELEVENTH.

LESSON.-1 Kings, Chapter xxii. to 51st Verse.

MAMA. We have here, my dear Mary, one of those unhappy instances, too common in Scripture and the world, of unhallowed connexion for purposes of mere temporal advantage, between those who fear God, and those who fear him not." Such alliances can seldom be, even humanly speaking, profitable; while, in a spiritual point of view, they must ever be presumptuous and unsafe. "Can a man touch pitch and not be defiled?" is the emphatic language of Scripture on the subject; yet sooner may this be the case, than a believer unnecessarily join himself (like Jehoshaphat here) to the wicked, without imminent peril to his person or principles, or probably both. We have had too much painful reason to know, Mary, what sort of a person Ahab was ; but what do we read in this chapter of Jehoshaphat?

MAMA. Mama, it says in the 43d verse, "that

he walked in all the ways of Asa his father: he turned not aside from doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord."

MAMA. A comprehensive, though brief character! But, as the mistakes and shortcomings of good people are fully more calculated to edify and instruct us, than accounts of unmixed wickedness, I wish to bring you still better acquainted with one, who, though, like ourselves, no stranger to God, yet suffered himself to be ensnared into evil company. Let us turn to the book of Chronicles, a very useful supplement to the one we are reading, and always much fuller, where the kings of Judah (to whom it chiefly relates) are concerned. We have there, through several chapters, a delightful account of Jehoshaphat, of his steadfastness in the worship of God, and hatred of idolatry; of his piety in prosperity, and faith in peril; of his sending through all the land of Judah, teachers, furnished with the book of the law of the Lord; and of his appointing judges, and not only charging them to deal faithfully between man and man; but to warn their brethren not to trespass against God; in short, as bright a record of kingly virtues, and their glorious reward in the favour and protection of God, as the Bible furnishes! What, then, my dear Mary, could tempt such a monarch to join himself with Ahab?

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Well might a prophet meet him on his return, and say, 'Therefore is wrath upon thee from the Lord." But, he adds, "Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee," &c. &c. Now, Mary, let us try and discover, from the chapter before us, in addition to what we have gathered elsewhere, one at least of these good things. What was the remarkable difference between him and Ahab, when they had agreed to go together to battle?

MARY. Mama, Jehoshaphat would not stir without inquiring of the Lord.

MAMA. Mary, do we always " inquire of the Lord," before we engage in any promising scheme or favourite enterprise? I fear not, else we should not see such numerous and lamentable failures.

MARY. But, Mama, we have no prophet now to let us know what God chooses us to do.

. MAMA. No, Mary? I thought we had all the prophets, "yea, and more than a prophet," in our Lord Jesus Christ, the great end and subject of all prophecy. The prophets of old were men of like passions with ourselves, who could only tell us, when the Spirit of the Lord was upon them, what he would have men to do, or abstain from; Christ, our King as well as Prophet, can give us power to perform what he first shews us to be right. After the example, then, of good Jehosha