become a weariness, and all his efforts would be to little purpose. Now, God seems to act on the same principle with regard to us His children. The Bible is our great lesson-book for eternity and how many means does our heavenly Father use to bring home instruction to our dull hearts!

Sometimes, for instance, He gives us plain commands for our daily conduct. Sometimes He sets warnings before us, that we may be kept back from committing sin. Or else He threatens us, plainly showing us the danger we are in, if we live unholy lives. Or, on the other hand, He puts before us some precious promise, to heer us on in His happy service. But there is yet another method

Sometimes adopts, which is

certain men called Judges), there was a Jewish family living in the town of Bethlehem, who were tolerably well off, and belonged to the upper ranks of life. This family consisted of four persons, Elimelech, and his wife Naomi, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion. The land in which they were living was a very fruitful country. It was often spoken of as " a land flowing with milk and honey," that means, "abounding in all the richest productions of the earth." This, you know, was the chosen country, which the Lord had made over to Abraham, six hundred years before, and to his family after him. It was the finest spot in the whole earth, the spot which God fixed upon as the dwelling-place of His own peculiar people, the Jews.

The quiet little town of Bethlehem was about ten miles from Jerusalem.

This was the very place which was afterwards honoured by becoming the birth-place of our blessed Lord. And here, we may suppose, Elimelech and his family lived happily enough. They belonged to a people who were under God's special protection - the only people at that time who knew anything at all of the one true God. The bright rays of His truth seemed to shine upon them, whilst "darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people."

In those days of ignorance, the Jew had reason to thank God that he was born a Jew. It was no small privilege to be numbered among the Lord's peculiar people, to be one of His family, and to live under His imme

diate care. Happy were the Jews! To them belonged "the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises." Elimelech and his family!

Happy was

They could

read those six Books, which now stand first in our Bible, and which were the only ones then written. And from these they could learn what great things God had done for their nation; how He had made known to them His will; and taught them in what manner they should serve Him. They had also in the land of Israel the opportunity of assembling at stated seasons for public worship, when they could pour out their hearts together in prayer and praise.

But if the Jew had reason to be