182 BOYS OF THE BIBLE.

were they? Would life be brighter and gladder for them
because they had brought these princes to a shameful, cruel
death?

Would the ghastly vision on Gibeah’s hill be a pleasant
memory in after years? Would they tell their children and
their grandchildren of this shameful slaughter as a thing to
be proud of?

We know how natural it is, if we have been wronged,
to resolve in the hour of our anger that we will “be even” with
those who have wronged us. And perhaps we have some-
times waited long and patiently to “get even” with our
adversaries. But what joy ever came to us in getting even?
Did the sufferings of our foes ever fill our hearts with glad-
ness? If so, our hearts must have been cold, and pitiless,
and cruel. This gracious book, so full of charming stories,
is also full of lessons of tenderness and love, and teaches us
to love our enemies, and to do good to those who spitefully
use us. Perhaps you will say that this is a very hard lesson
to learn. So it is. All good lessons are hard to learn. The
more important the lesson, the harder it is to learn. Let a
boy start out in life resolved to follow the law of kindness,
and he will have very little trouble with enemies. Let him
be kind even to those who are unkind to him, and he will
soon hunt in vain for enemies, while his friends will increase
on every hand. Hatred to enemies only strengthens their
enmity, while a kind word or a generous deed will often
change an enemy into a fast and faithful friend.

But now a sight both sad and strange appears on this
sad hill of Gibeah. The execution is over—the sons of Saul
are dead. It is at this point that Rizpah, the mother of two
of these young men, and the friend of all the rest, appears
upon the scene. She was almost certainly a woman well on