own people,” to offers of reward, had not changed. As a woman and a widow in Israel, her sole plea was the justice of her cause.

But though with true feminine delicacy she had shrunk from appealing to Elisha in this emergency, the Eternal had so ordered events, that the prophet was in fact the true cause of the king's instant attention to her suit. It so chanced that the king was talking to Gehazi, and demanding a recital of the great things Elisha had done; and at the very time the young man was repeating the restoration of the dead child, the Shunammite herself appeared before the king, led into his presence by that very beloved child, now grown into manhood, of whom Gehazi spoke. "Behold, my lord, O king," he exclaimed, "this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him." And so strong an impression did the narrative make, that without hesitation he appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, " Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field, since the day that she left the land, even until now."

Gratefully must the Shunammite have recognised the hand of God in this instant judgment, from one whose character was noted for impotence and indecision-one whose very justice was ever likely to be sullied by caprice; for though we are expressly told in Holy Writ that Jehoram's character was not of the actively evil, as his father and his mother, Ahab and Jezebel, his whole history marks him one of those fainéants, whose indolence and weakness wrought almost as much evil in Israel as wickedness itself.

The energy which had urged the prosecution of her

suit was indeed rewarded. Not only were all her possessions restored, but their full value, during her seven years of absence. Through her exertions, her boy received his inheritance; and, from his non-interference, though he must have been quite of an age to assert his own right, what a powerful proof have we of the deep veneration in which the mothers of Israel were regarded by their sons. We hear no more of the Shunammite; but we have become sufficiently intimate with her sweet character to picture her declining years, full of piety, of that calm and beautiful dignity, which, if woman's in her youth, will never forsake her in her age. Full of love to God and man, of good deeds and blessed thoughts, it was for her, and for seven thousand such as her, who had not bowed the knee to Baal, that the Eternal, in His loving mercy, still restrained His avenging wrath.

but to give

The peculiar charm of the Shunammite's character is its unity, its harmonious blending of parts. In every position, adversity or prosperity, or that period of often greater trial than either-the uninterrupted routine of daily life-still we see her in the same calm and beautiful light, never turning aside from the beaten path of duty, never seeking more than the day may bring, and finding enough there, not only to occupy her, her grace and favour in the sight of God. never apparently disturbed, her calmness was not indifference. All that we read of her betrays an undercurrent of intense feeling, which while it caused her to suffer deeply, also endowed her with the purest susceptibility to joy. Feeling it was, that inspired that constantly working energy which never permitted her to sit down and weep when she could act, or remain satis

But though

fied with the mere expression of kindness, when she could manifest it in deed: and of that intensity of feeling, piety was the spring. No heart can rest indifferent when once awakened to a love of God, and, as must follow, a love of man. It was with no thought of reward she showed such warm hospitality to Elisha, yet from that one deed all her after-happiness sprung. He was the chosen servant of the Eternal; and a service done to him was an offering to his God. From first to last, the character of the Shunammite offers the beautiful lesson of example. Her good use of wealth and greatness-her moderation in all circumstances--her firmness in affliction her absolute control of every emotion till her child was restored-her unselfish endurance of anxiety and anguish, rather than impart them to her husband— her calm, yet energetic prosecution of her son's rightsall these are points which every young daughter of Israel may admire and imitate, even though her position in life be different. We must exercise energy and selfcontrol in little things, even in daily employments, or we shall never find them when most needed. We must set out in life with a conviction that we are destined for something worthier and nobler than the mere routine of frivolous employments and unmeaning recreations— that we are endowed with a heart and mind, for the proper use of which an account will be demanded; and sad will it be if we then feel, that the impulses and usefulness of both have been neglected, and opportunities, alike of virtuous deeds and beneficial feeling, have long passed us by unused.

And as women of Israel, even more powerfully should the history of the Shunammite affect us; her elevated

character-her domestic and social influence-nay, the very mention of her as a "great woman"-the mention of her, instead of her husband or son, as the principally concerned in the whole narration-all convince us that, even in such an era of national anarchy and discord, the women of Israel were in the full enjoyment of all the liberty and privileges, spiritual and temporal, granted them in the law of God. Her very piety, which obtained her such favour in the sight of God and of His prophet, is unspeakable comfort to us now. She had, indeed, the friendship and counsel of a prophet, which we cannot have; but her piety had life and influence at a period of much darker misery and sin, and rebellion and idolatry, than we have to encounter now. To retain purity and faithfulness, to walk firmly in the very midst of vast multitudes who so derided all true piety and adherence to the law of God as to endanger even personal safety, was a position of infinitely harder trial than is ours now. The Shunammite's being blessed with Elisha, raises no barrier between us. What the prophets were to the faithful in the olden time, the word of the Lord is now to us. We cannot too often dwell upon the truth, that the same gracious God who manifested Himself through prophets and miracles to our ancestors is ours still, and has granted us a record of His words and works, to give us strength, and hope, and comfort, till that glorious day when we shall be restored to our own land, and His almighty presence be again revealed.

The natural powers and endowments of the Shunammite were not superior to woman's capabilities now; and, therefore, that she found such grace and favour in the sight of God, as for Him, in his infinite mercy,

to restore her child from the dead, should encourage us to follow in the same holy and rejoicing path. Events so marked as those in the Shunammite's history, may never be ours; but the piety of thought and deed is never passed unheeded by our God. The Shunammite was one of the seven thousand, who alone remained faithful amid countless millions. Let each of Israel's daughters determine to prove herself one of the faithful, which in every age is found, unseen, unrecognised, perhaps, by man, when mourning over apparent universal indifference, and falling away from the rock of righteousness; but known, recognised, ay, and upheld by God. Let her not think that, as a woman, her prayers and deeds are unavailing, save perchance unto herself. No! as a woman of Israel, she is one of the supporters of a temple which will last for ever; nationally, as well as individually, she is bound to forward the holy cause; and she may rest assured that her piety and faithfulness, even as those of man, will hasten "the great and glorious day of the Lord.”