cent array which marked all the proceedings of King Solomon, the monarch listened with patient and sympathising attention to the tale of affliction boldly spoken before him. It was a sad and a strange one, and seemingly so difficult for a just decision on the part of the youthful judge, that interest was in no slight degree excited. Two women dwelt in the same house, to each of whom a child was born, the one within three days of the other. They were alone within the house, and the child of the one woman died, and she arose at midnight and changed the dead for the living; and when her companion awoke in the morning, to nurse her child, behold it was dead; but when she had looked on it attentively, it was not her child which she did bear. And when the complainant narrated this tale, her opponent denied that it was so, saying, "Nay, but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son! And this said, No, but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son; and thus they spake before the king." In a modern court of justice we think a similar case would be found somewhat difficult to solve. Solomon made no pause; repeating the charge and its denial, so as to make it clear to all who heard, he continued, "Bring me a sword," and when obeyed, pronounced that memorable sentence which first revealed his godlike wisdom to his subjects:"Divide the living child in two, give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned unto her son : Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it! But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it! And the king answered and said, Give her [the first

speaker] the living child, and in no wise slay it, she is the mother thereof!" And if all Israel, when they heard of this judgment, feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, how deeply, how gratefully, must the real mother have rejoiced in the courage which brought her before the monarch, and, through his sentence, received back her son!

Solomon's wisdom, in this instance, proceeded simply from a profound knowledge of human nature. He tested the truth or falsehood of the relation by an appeal to the heart, and decided according to its unguarded witness, demanding nothing more for his own satisfaction or that of his hearers. The incident is a trifling one; but it is valuable in demonstrating the social position of the women of Israel at the period. We have already seen that to obtain the monarch's ear was quite accessible to woman, in the narration of David and the widow of Tekoah; but the present instance is, if possible, still more convincing, from the fact of the women being of the lowest classes, and having no friendly influence to bring them forward; nothing in fact to plead in their favor, but their privileges as women of Israel, which of course gave them admission to their earthly sovereign, who was but the vice-regent of Him by whom all Israel, men, women, and children, were heard, judged, and answered: and when the law of the land permitted, nay commanded, impartial judgment on all who claimed it, women as well as men, it surely cannot be accused of either degrading or enslaving; many an afflicted and oppressed one of the Gentile lands might be found to wish it were in action still.

And how beautifully does this simple narrative display the power of nature! It was far far easier to resign her babe than see him die, even at the risk of her previous recital being disbelieved. She could feel nothing but the fatal command of the king to slay the child; little could she think those agonised words of entreaty were expressly called for by the king, for the discovery of the truth; and that the burst of natural feeling would be the means of giving her back her child. How forcibly does this little anecdote confirm our reiterated assertion that the Word of our God guides and pourtrays feeling as well as action, and that all our purest, best, and noblest affections will always find their reflection there. And this is one of the widest distinctions between the Bible and Profane History. The latter narrates events, actions; the palpable and striking parts of man, if we may so express it, but touches not that immaterial and subtle essence of thought and feeling, whence alone all that is palpable and striking comes. words will give the key to actions, will simply pourtray a feeling, an impulse which flashes on the heart, awakening, as by electricity, the links of nature which unite the present with the past in the history of humanity; and we know such record is divine, else the darkly hidden, rarely penetrated, mysteries of the human heart could not have been so forcibly revealed.

The Bible in a few brief

Nor are they the only illustrations of feeling. How touchingly illustrative of that affection is Elisha's first address to Elijah! When the latter threw his mantle upon him, as symbolical of his elevation to the prophetical calling, a rush of strange yet ecstatic feeling must have taken possession of him: perhaps the aspirings of

many years, the heart's hopes and longings for such spiritual election, unknown to any but his own heart, were gratified. It must have been some extraordinary and incomprehensible impulse, actuating the resignation of all early employments and associations, simply to follow Elijah-feelings probably overwhelming in their suddenness; yet we find him in the midst of them thinking of his parents. "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee."

It is in truth only a feeling. Not any momentous incident or striking illustration which these simple words betray but it is often from little things like these, that we may form an estimate of the social condition and feelings of a people. The Jewish law, as we have seen, peculiarly and affectingly touches on the conduct and even emotions of children for their parents, and parents for their children. Elisha, we may feel sure, both from his being the anointed prophet of the Lord, and from the whole course of his after-life, had been brought up strictly as an Israelite. He had, as is often the case, received an education which, in the very midst of idolatry and misery, preserved him undefiled and fitted to supply Elijah's place. His exclamation strongly proves how completely the affections were blended with spiritual gifts; while from his lingering yearning towards his parents, we feel what they must have been to him-his mother as well as his father. There is no such thing as filial reverence and love in nations where woman is degraded. In the Jewish nation, on the contrary, we find repeated instances of both reverence and love-such could not fail to have been the case when "honour thy father

and thy mother " was one of the first commands of God Himself.

We trace, too, much of a mother's nurture and influence in the peculiarly sweet and loving character of Elisha during his prophetical career. His mission was almost all of love; and the feeling and sympathy which he manifested to all who sought him, especially towards women, as we shall see in more than one instance, display a manly character formed by a woman's hand.

One of the first miracles performed by Elisha was for a woman, evincing the tender kindness of his disposition, and proving that woman was not considered unworthy to receive relief, through him, from the hand of her gracious God. She was a poor widow, whose only claim to the compassion of the prophet appeared to be, that he knew that her husband, "thy servant, did fear the Lord.” But he died poor, and in debt, and, in exact illustration of the law, the creditor came to demand the service of his two sons, in lieu of the sum that was owing,—a hard trial for the poor woman, left in her bereavement with but two sons, from whom the justice of the law compelled her to part, unless she could raise money sufficient to discharge her debt; and so without fear she approached the prophet, and stated her case. "What shall I do for thee?" was the commiserating reply; "tell me what hast thou in thy house." And what a picture of uncomplaining poverty does her answer bring! "Thine handmaid hath nothing in the house but a pot of oil." The prophet felt for and relieved her; but how much of childlike and trusting faith must she have needed, in the obedience to his strange command,