CHARLES. How indeed could such a supply take place so soon as the very next day?

MRS. M. By means of an event unexpected, indeed, but very far from incredible. A supernatural noise in the night was made to disturb the besieging camp-the air was filled with terrific sounds---chariots and horsemen, and the hosts of confederated nations, seemed to approach ---darkness increased the universal panic, and the Syrians, unprepared for resistance, fled precipitately for their lives, leaving their tents stored with provisions and gold. Four men, who, being infected with the leprosy, were lodged without the walls, had concluded that death from the enemy's hand was not more to be dreaded than that which awaited them from famine, and perhaps they might be preserved by going over to them. To the Syrian camp, therefore, they went by the dawn of day, and found it completely abandoned! After satisfying their hunger, and concealing such articles of plunder as they chose for themselves---they returned with the joyful news to the city. The famishing inhabitants rushed out in crowds to the providential banquet: the charge of the gate was accidentally given to the incredulous lord who had despised the prediction of Elisha---and there he received the punishment of his infidelity, for he was trampled to death by the impetuous multitude, whom no authority at such a moment could restrain.

Such substantial benefits following the prediction of Elisha, he commanded some reverence even from Jehoram himself for we are ever ready to do homage to the talents that promote our own interests. One day, whilst he talked with Gehazi, the prophet's servant, of the miracles which his master had performed, and was listening to the inte

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resting story of his having restored the son of the Shuramite to life, the mother herself appeared in the presence of the king! Before the pressure of the famine, she had refired, by the advice of the prophet, into the country of Philistia, to avoid the approaching evil. Returning when that was past, and after an interval of seven years, she found her house and land in the possession of another, and now came to the king to entreat his interposition for the recovery of her property. Gehazi fortunately being present, and pleading the friendship of his master for the Shunamite, she received at once the royal order, and was reinstated in her lands.

Elisha flourished in Israel more than fifty years, and although his ministrations produced no permanent effect upon their morals, he was yet highly respected by the people. Indeed it was impossible to withhold their assent to the divinity of his mission, because his prophecies, relating chiefly to the events of his own times, were fulfilled before their eyes. Nor did his wondrous influence entirely cease with his life. Some months after his death, his decaying corpse was seen to re-vivify a dead body, which but touched it accidentally!

CHARLES. Accidentally! was not the dead body put into the grave of the prophet, in the expectation of this happy consequence ?

MRS. M. Nothing similar to this miracle had ever occurred, to give birth to such a hope. The funeral of a man was proceeding to another place of burial, when the attendants were alarmed by the sudden appearance of a band of plundering Moabites. Consulting only their own safety, they hastily put the corpse into the sepulchre of Elisha, which chanced to be at hand, and would have fled

from the apprehended violence of the marauders---but astonishment must have rivetted them to the spot, when they saw their friend awakened from the sleep of death, on touching the bones of Elisha!

Elisha lived to see his prophecy against the house of Ahab, executed by Jehu; and Hazael, the Syrian, according also to the prediction, became the oppressor of Israel--dismembering the kingdom of the land of Gilead, and treating the inhabitants with great barbarity. The posterity of Jehu possessed the throne of Israel, to the fourth generation, agreeably to the promise made to him, as the reward of his obedience in some important particulars. In the reign of Jehoash, the grandson of Jehu, a successful war was carried on against Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael, and the cities which his father had taken were recovered---but the history of the ten tribes is but the continued history of vicissitude and war---of idolatry, usurpation, and murder: preparing the way by rapid steps to that complete extermination, which had often been foretold.

About thirty years, from the deposition of Jehu's family, including the reign of four kings---all of whom (excepting one) were subjects, and obtained the crown by putting their respective sovereigns to death,---bring us down to the reign of Hoshea, another assassin and usurper.

In the preceding reign, Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, had taken some of the finest provinces of Israel, and carried the inhabitants into captivity. His son and successor, Shalmaneser, attacked the remainder, and laid Hoshea under tribute. Confederating with Egypt, which was now very powerful, the king of Israel vainly hoped to

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shake off the ignominious yoke, and withheld the tribute. But Shalmaneser hearing of the conspiracy, came again into Palestine, and besieged Samaria, which, after three years defence, was taken---the conquered king was imprisoned, and the inhabitants were all carried into the cities of the Medes, which had before received their unhappy brethren.

Thus ten of the twelve tribes which took possession of the land of Canaan, literally exemplified the prophecy of Moses.* "It shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day-the Lord shall bring thee and thy king, which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, and there thou shalt serve other gods, wood and stone." (B. C. 677.)

The land of Israel thus stripped of her native sons, was re-peopled by Assyrians, whom the conquerer sent thither. Finding their new habitations infested by wild beasts, by whom some of the colonists were killed, they were seized with religious terror, and ascribed the visitation to their ignorance of the manner in which the deity of that place ought to be worshipped. A priest of the captives was therefore sent to instruct them; but if he taught them at all, to know the God of Israel, they only received Him amongst the number of their own deities: thus a mongrel religion was introduced, and was perpetuated to their posterity, who were denominated Samaritans. They were also called Cutheans---because some of the strangers came from a place called Cuth.

* Deut. xxviii. 15–36.

CATHERINE. Were there any prophets in Israel, in the times of which you have been speaking, beside Elijah and Elisha?

MRS, M. Several of those who are called the minor prophets lived in this period. Amos and Hosea foretold the destruction of Israel, in the reign of the second Jeroboam, the great-grandson of Jehu, because there was "no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land;"-that Samaria should become desolate, and the Assyrian should be her king. Amos stood boldly in the temple of the golden calf, at Bethel, and told the people that "their impious feasts should be turned into mourning-their songs, into lamentations ;"-that " Israel should be led away captive out of their own land, and scattered amongst the nations." His warning was called a conspiracy; the king and his priests were uneasy; but not choosing to lay violent hands on him, entreated that he would go from them, and prophecy in Judah. But the faithful pastor replied, that he was expressly sent unto Israel-that he had not been educated in the sacred college, nor did he call on them in the casual exercise of a profession-" I was no prophet," said he, "nor the son of a prophet; but a herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit; and as I followed the flock, Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophecy unto my people Israel." And Micah, in the reign of Hoshea, declared to them, that sacrificial rites, however multiplied, would not atone for their transgressions. They were required" to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with their God;" that having neglected these commands, and "kept the statues of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab," the Assyrian should desolate their land.

As I propose to give you a general view of the prophetic