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"ftill in ftore for him, and I fhall live 966' "' to fee the fame hand hereafter crown his head with glory and honour?" We may naturally fuppofe her innocently carried away with fuch thoughts, when The is called back by an unexpected diftemper which furprifes her fon, and in one moment brings down all her hopes - for his fickness was fo fore that there was no breath left in him.

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The expoftulations of immoderate grief are feldom juft For, though Elijah had already preserved her fon, as well as herfelf from immediate death, and was the laft caufe to be fufpected of fo fad an accident; yet the paffionate mother in the first transport challenges him as the author of her misfortune; -as if he had brought down forrow upon a house, which had fo hospitably fheltered

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fheltered him. The prophet was too full of compaffion, to make reply to fo unkind an accufation.. He takes the dead child out of his mother's bofom, and laid him upon his own bed; and he cried unto the Lord and faid, O Lord my God! haft thou brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son ? "Is this the reward of all her charity "and goodness? thou haft before this"robbed her of the dear partner of all "her joys and all her cares; and now "that he is a widow, and has most rea"fon to expect thy protection; behold "thou haft withdrawn her last prop:

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thou haft taken away her child, the "only stay fhe had to reft on. And

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Elijah cried unto God, and faid, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's foul. come into him again.

The

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The prayer was urgent, and bespoke the diftrefs of a humane mind deeply fuffering in the misfortunes of another;

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moreover his heart was rent with other paffions. He was zealous for the name and honour of his GOD, and thought not only his omnipotence, but his glorious attribute of mercy concern'd in the event: for, oh! with what triumph would the prophets of Baal retort his own bitter taunt, and fay, his God was either talking, or he was purfuing, or was in a journey or peradventure be fiept and Should have been awaked. He was moreover involved in the fuccefs of his prayer himfelf; honeft minds are most hurt

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by fcandal. And he was afraid, lest fo foul a one, fo unworthy of his character, might arise amongst the heathen, who would report with pleasure, "Lo! "the widow of Zerephath took the mes

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86 fenger of the GoD of Ifrael under her "roof, and kindly entertained him, and

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fee how fhe is rewarded; furely the prophet was ungrateful, he wanted power, or what is worse, he wanted "pity!"

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Befides all this, he pleaded not only the cause of the widow; it was the cause of charity itself, which had received a deep wound already, and would suffer ftill more fhould God deny it this testimony of his favour. So the Lord hearkned unto the voice of Elijah, and the foul of the child came into him again, and be revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the boufe, and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah faid, fee thy fon liveth.

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It would be a pleasure to a good mind. to stop here a moment, and figure to it; felf the picture of fo joyful an event. →→→ To behold on one hand the raptures of the parent, overcome with furprize and gratitude, and imagine how a fudden ftroke of fuch impetuous joy muft ope,; rate on a despairing countenance, long accustomed to fadness. To conceive

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on the other fide of the piece, the holy man approaching with the child in his arms full of honeft triumph in his looks, but fweetened with all the kind fympathy which a gentle nature could overflow with upon fo happy an event. It is a fubject one might recommend to the pencil of a great genius, and would even afford matter for defcription here; but that it would lead us too far from the particular purpose, for which I have enlarged upon thus much of the ftory

already;

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