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THE ASS

Is found in most parts of the world, and it is not right to call it stupid, for it is one of the most gentle and patient of all animals.

The first time we hear much about it in the Bible is when Jacob lived; his having twenty she-asses helped to make him rich. Jacob was afterwards called by God, Israel, and all his children or descendants, Israelites, and they were also called the children of God.

Now I will tell you how God once made the ass save a man from death, and also made him ashamed of having treated her badly.

There was a king called Balak, who wished to kill the Israelites, but as he knew God

took care of them, he was afraid of trying even to hurt them; so he thought if he could get a prophet to curse the Israelites, or to tell him to go and fight them, that he might do so, and be able to kill them. A prophet, you know, was a man whom God allowed to tell of things that were going to happen, and sometimes to bless good people, and curse those who were wicked, and did not do what God told them.

So Balak sent to Balaam, a prophet, who lived among his people, and told him to come and curse the Israelites. Now the men Balak sent were princes, and had rich presents to give the prophet if he would go to him; and Balaam wished to go, though God had said to him, "Thou shalt not go with them, thou shalt not curse the people,

for they are blessed."

Balaam sent the

princes away telling them God told him not to go. The king was angry when they came back to him without Balaam, and sent other greater princes, and richer presents to Balaam to tempt him; to these he said, "if Balak give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God to do less or more."

Balaam knew he must speak the words God put into his heart, and he knew that those words would not please Balak, yet still he wished to go, to get all the presents promised him; therefore he told the princes to wait that night, and he would ask God again. He did so; and God told him that if the men came to call him, then he might go. No one came to call him, but so anxious was

he to go, that he rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and set out with the princes to go to Balak.

God was angry, and sent an Angel with a sword in his hand to let Balaam know he could not go without His leave. Now as he was riding along, the ass saw the Angel, but Balaam did not; he was thinking of all the gold he should get, and not of his disobedience, so God hid the Angel from his eyes. The ass was frightened, and turned off from the road; all Balaam's beating could not get her on it again; now she went a little way on amongst vines where there was a wall on both sides; the Angel again stood before her, and again the ass saw, and Balaam did not; the poor thing was so frightened, she ran against

the wall and crushed Balaam's leg, and he beat her again. Do not you wonder that Balaam did not begin to think that he was going against God's will? but no, he still beat his poor ass, and made her go on. Presently they came to a very narrow path, where there was no way to turn to the right or to the left; and the Angel of the Lord again stood before her, and the ass fell down under Balaam.

And Balaam was now so angry he beat her with his thick stick, but God would not allow her longer to be so cruelly treated; so He opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done unto thee that thou hast smitten me these three times ?" And Balaam said unto the ass, "Because thou hast mocked me (or not

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