pain, and in trouble. He had no friends. God, was not his friend; for Joash had forsaken God, and, therefore, God forsook him. His servants and his people were not his friends; they could not love him, because he was so cruel, and so ungrateful. The priests and prophets were not his friends; for he had driven them all away, and they could not come to see him now. When he thought of his sins,-his ingratitude, his cruelty, his forgetfulness of God, he must have felt miserable indeed. Once he had been happy; he had friends to love him, and God to bless him, and all was well then. But now, he had lost all. Why? Because he had forsaken God. And then came the end of Joash. very dreadful end it was. His own servants conspired against him, and killed him in his bed! God had seen Zechariah's death, and now he was avenging it. Joash was justly punished for his murder; though his servants were very wicked to kill their king.

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We may learn something from this sad story. There are many people now, we may fear, very much like Joash. Children are often brought up, as he was, in the fear and love of God. Kind parents and friends teach them.

what is right, as Jehoiada taught Joash; and, perhaps, the children attend, and are pleased with what is taught them; and their teachers hope that they are really beginning to love and serve the Lord. But, after a time, these kind friends die, perhaps, or are taken away. The young people are very sorry to Jose them, as sorry as Joash was when old Jehoiada died; and they think, "We will never, never forget what our kind friends taught us, but always remember them, and love them." And, perhaps, they do remember them for a little time; but soon they begin to trust in their own power and goodness, forgetting how weak and sinful they are; they neglect to pray to God, and to ask him for help and strength; Satan tempts them to be careless about holy things, and they do not resist him. They love the world more and more, and God less and less, every day. And, at last, they forget all their kind friends taught them; they do not like to remember it, and they are angry with those who kindly warn them, as Zechariah warned Joash. What must be the end of these young people? If God in mercy does not make them repent and turn to him, their end must be as sad as the end of

Joash. They may not be killed in their beds, as he was; but they will die, as he died without comfort, without hope. Pray to God to keep you; because you cannot keep yourself. Say to him, "My father, thou art the guide of my youth." Then he will keep you all your life long, and bring you at last to his eternal home in Heaven.

CHAPTER XI.

AMAZIAH.

And this

AMAZIAH, the son of Joash, reigned now in Judah. The first thing he did was to kill the servants who had killed his father. was right, for they were wicked murderers, and the Bible tells us, that murderers must be put to death. Then Amaziah gathered together a large army from Judah, and hired some men of Israel to help him to fight against his enemies. But a prophet came to Amaziah, and said, "Let not the army of Israel go with thee; for God is not among them; and, if they go, he will make thee fall; for he has power to help, and to cast down." Then Amaziah

said, "I have hired the men of Israel, and paid them; what shall I do for the money?" Amaziah loved money too much. Money can do us no good without God's blessing, and if we have God's blessing, we need not care for money. The prophet told Amaziah this. He said, "The Lord is able to give thee much more than that money. So the king obeyed, and sent away the army of Israel. The Israelites were very angry; but God's blessing was upon Judah, and therefore they had no need to fear Israel's anger.

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Amaziah smote the Edomites, and took away their idols, and brought them to Jerusalem; but there he bowed down to these new gods and worshipped them. This was a sad end of his victory. God had given him power to conquer his enemies; yet he showed no gratitude no love to God, for all his mercies. The prophet came to Amaziah to warn him about his sins. He said, "Why hast thou sought these new gods? Can they deliver thee? Can they save thee?" But Amaziah had grown so wicked, that he did not like to be reproved; and he was angry with the prophet who spoke to him. When the prophet saw that Amaziah did not

like reproof, he said no more; but one thing he told him, as he was going away, and a very fearful thing it was. He said "I know that God will destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and not hearkened to my reproof." How foolish and wicked it is, not to receive reproof! If Amaziah had attended humbly to the prophet, he might have been saved; but now, it was too late. Solomon says, "He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Learn to attend to the reproof of wise and kind friends, and to be thankful for it.' "He that heareth reproof getteth understanding."

Soon after this, Amaziah sent to the king of Israel, and told him he wished to fight with him. Jehoash was now king of Israel; he was the son of Jehoahaz, and grandson of Jehu. Israel's army was stronger than Judah's. Jehoash knew this, and advised Amaziah not to come to a battle. He said, "Abide quietly at home; why wilt thou come and fall in the battle; thou and Judah with thee?" This was wise advice; but Amaziah was so obstinate and self-willed, that he attended no more to the advice of Jehoash, then he had to the