said Go up,' they meant either that he should go away from them, and not come to Bethel again, or else they meant to say, Go up to heaven, in the same way as you tell us that your master has gone.'

I feel sure, though we are not told so, that Elisha would turn round and beg these naughty children to be silent, and not to sin against the Lord. Perhaps he said to them, 'If you go on calling me names, I must pray to the Lord to stop you; I must ask God to punish you for your sin.' But they would not hearken to him, and so the prophet turned round and cursed them in the name of the Lord.' This does not mean that Elisha got into a passion, and swore at these children. God would never have sent the she-bears out of the wood in answer to a swearer's prayer; but Elisha was angry because these children were insulting and grieving God, and so he prayed God to punish their sin as it deserved.

You might ask whether it was right for Elisha to curse these children, when St. Paul says, 'Bless, and curse not.' And I would answer, that God had told Elisha to curse these children. He was angry with them and with their parents, and He made His servant Elisha to know that it was His will that these wicked children should be destroyed, and so Elisha cursed them in the name of the Lord. He prayed that God would punish them as He thought fit, and as they deserved. And then there came two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two children of them.'

Perhaps, when they saw the fierce beasts come growling after them, the children might call on Elisha to save them; but it was too late-the bears fell first on one child and then on another, and hugged and squeezed them in their great paws, and soon forty and two children were lying dead. A

few minutes before they were running, and laughing, and skipping about, and now forty and two of them were torn limb from limb, and lying, a ghastly sight, upon the ground. What a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God!

Perhaps you would hardly think it was sin at all to call people names because they are doing right, while you are doing wrong; but you see in this Bible story what God thought of it, and how He punished it.

Oh! then, children, never let your lips join in the calling of names or the hooting of anybody, even of the poor halfwitted people that we sometimes meet in the street. Be sorry for such people, and if you can do them no good, at least do them no harm.

Above all, never join in laughing or mocking at people, or in calling them names because they are good; if you do so, you may learn from the sad fate of these boys and girls at Bethel that the anger of God will rest upon you, and will surely punish you!