that ye may be the children of the light." Above all, take care that your eye be single, and that spiritual blessings have their due preponderance in your hearts. If God should say to you, as in truth he does, What shall I do for theeh? then let your soul be ever ready to reply, "Grant that a double portion of thy Spirit be given to me." Yes; let spiritual blessings be the one object of your desires; and "covet earnestly the best gifts."] h John xiv. 13, 14. CCCLVIII. ELIJAH'S GOD. 2 Kings ii. 14. Where is the Lord God of Elijah? WHEN bereft of those whom we love, and with whose continuance in the world our welfare was intimately connected, we are ready to think that our all is gone. We forget that, while Jehovah liveth, he can repair our breaches, and make up to us all our losses. When Elijah was taken up into heaven, Elisha cried, "My father, my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof!" He supposed that Israel's defence was utterly departed from them. But he soon found, that God had mercy in store for Israel; and that the spirit of the departed prophet now rested upon him. Recovering therefore from his desponding fears, he took up the mantle which had fallen from Elijah, and, in full expectation of seeing the waters of Jordan separated by means of it, as they had just before been, he smote them with it, and said, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” From these words we shall take occasion to shew, I. By what means God shewed himself to be the God of Elijah The whole history of Elijah might be adduced to illustrate this point: but, to avoid needless prolixity, we observe, that God shewed himself to be his God, 1. By the communications of his grace [Elijah was eminently endued with grace: he was pious in the midst of a general defection; he was courageous under the most cruel persecution. The whole nation of Israel were become idolaters: but he dared to stem the torrent of iniquity, and to confess Jehovah as his God. There were indeed seven thousand persons who had not conformed to the worship of Baal; but as they were totally unknown to him, the effect, as far as it related to him, was the same as if there had not been one; because he derived no comfort from their countenance or example. But he was not contented to do what was right himself, without bearing his testimony against what was wrong. He therefore reproved with boldness and severity the king himself: and though on one occasion his courage seemed to fail him, yet on the whole he was an undaunted champion for his God, and an invincible sufferer for the truth's sake. As for the spirit of prophecy which he had, or his power to work miracles, these were no proofs that God was his God; for then God must have been the God of Balaam, who was a prophet; and of Judas, who wrought miracles. But the graces which he exercised and maintained in the midst of a wicked generation, incontestably shewed, that he was elevated in God's esteem far above the generality of mankind.] 2. By the interpositions of his providence [Such was his interest with God, that by his prayers he shut up the heavens for three years and an half, and then opened them again by the same means. When he lifted up his voice to God, instantly came fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice; yea, to consume also, and that repeatedly, the enemies who were sent to apprehend him". While all the surrounding nations, together with Israel, groaned under the calamitous effects of a drought, he was miraculously sustained with bread and meat, twice a day for a long time together, by ravens at the side of the brook Cherithe. When that brook failed, he was supported by a poor widow, whose barrel of meal never decreased, nor did her cruse of oil fail, till a return of rain brought plenty to the famished land'. On another occasion (when perhaps he could least of all expect such an interposition) an angel was sent to feed him; and on taking a second meal of the food provided, he was enabled to go in the strength of it for forty days. Waving all mention of visions imparted to him, or miracles wrought by him', let us pass on to the period of his departure from the world. Then we see not only the sting of death taken away, but the law relating to 1 Kings xix. 3. c 1 Kings xviii. 37, 38. 8 1 Kings xix. 4-8. b Jam. v. 17, 18. d 2 Kings i. 10-12. f 1 Kings xvii. 9—16. h 1 Kings xix. 11, 12. i 1 Kings xvii. 19–23. and 2 Kings ii. 8. the dissolution of our bodies cancelled; and the man of God taken in body and soul into heaven without ever tasting of death; the only person thus honoured in the new world, as Enoch had been in the old world. Can we doubt but that the person for whom God so interposed both in life and in death, was a distinguished favourite of Heaven?] Yet were not these favours from God so peculiar, but, II. That believers at this time may expect similar tokens of his regard We readily grant, that no one at this day is warranted to expect a miracle; but yet every believer, 1. Shall have God for his God [God has been the God of his people in every age. He is called "The Lord God of Shem1:" and it is needless to say how often he is spoken of as "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." That this honour was not confined to a few eminent saints, is manifest; for he is called by no name more frequently than "The God of Israel." Indeed he has expressly covenanted that he "will be the God of his believing peoplem," or, as that term is varied and explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews", He "will be a God unto them," and do every thing that an Almighty Being can do for their benefit. "he was not ashamed to be called the God of his people" of old, so neither will he be ashamed to be called our God.] 2. Shall have all the proofs of it that can conduce to his welfare [Think of any thing that a believer can need, for body or for soul, for time or for eternity; and we do not hesitate to affirm, that God has made it the subject of a special promise, and that it is the believer's privilege to expect it at his hands. Do we need temporal blessings? God has said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you"." Are our privations accompanied also with great dangers? "Our place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; bread shall be given us, and our water shall be sure." Do we desire that our petitions may be heard? We are reminded that "Elijah was a man of like ¶ Compare Isai. xxxiii. 16. with 2 Kings i. 10-12. and 1 Kings xvii. 3-6. passions with us;" and are taught to conclude from the answer given to his prayers, that " the prayer of every righteous man availeth much." Do we need to be strengthened for our manifold trials and conflicts?" His grace shall be sufficient for uss;" and " as our day is, so shall also our strength bet." True, we shall not be exempt from death, or carried in a fiery chariot up to heaven: but the sting of death shall be taken away; and we shall be "carried by angels into Abraham's bosom"." In a word, if only we seek God as our God in Christ, "he will give us grace and glory, and withhold no good thing from us" either in time or eternity. What then had Elijah more than this, or what can we desire more?] Having proved our point, we come to RECOMMEND the confident expectation expressed in the text [Believer, art thou just called forth, like Elisha, to face a frowning world? Fear not: take up Elijah's mantle, and smite the waters that obstruct thy path, and expect Elijah's God to open thy way before thee. Think "not any thing too hard for God." Remember that he is thy God, as well as Elijah's: and as "his ear is not heavy, that he cannot hear; so neither is his hand shortened, that he cannot save." See what confident expectation was manifested by God's Church of old: "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old! Art thou not it which hath dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass overz?" Thus must you call upon your God. You cannot ask too largely, nor expect too much at his hands. If difficulties are to be surmounted, or wants to be supplied, or lusts to be subdued, go forth and say, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" Even to unbelievers methinks this subject is not without its appropriate use: for, who was Elijah more than others? Was not he once 66 a child of wrath even as others?" and may not those who are now children of wrath, become even as he? Yes, there is a cloud of witnesses to prove, that, though Elijah is gone, Elijah's God remaineth, and that he is the same gracious, merciful, loving, and almighty Friend as ever. O seek him then as your reconciled God in Christ; and you shall soon be able to say, "He is my God, and I will praise him; my father's God, and I will exalt him."] 8 2 Cor. xii. 9. Jam. v. 16-18. u Luke xvi. 22. z Isai. li. 9, 10. a Exod. xv. 2. t Deut. xxxiii. 25. y Isai. lix. 1. CCCLIX. ELISHA HEALING THE SPRING WITH A CRUSE OF SALT. 2 Kings ii. 19-22. The men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. THE miracles recorded in the Old Testament are replete with most important instruction. Many of them are typical; such as, the deliverance of the first-born through the blood of the paschal lamb; the passage of Israel through the Red Sea; the guidance of them by the pillar and the cloud; their supplies of manna from the clouds, and of water from the rock; their healing by the brasen serpent; and many others. Some, which were not strictly types, were of an emblematical nature, and well calculated to convey instruction beyond the mere exhibition of power or grace contained in them. Amongst these may be ranked the miracle which is recorded in my text. It cannot properly be considered as a type; yet, I think, it may well afford occasion for the following observations. I would observe then, I. That there is no evil so great, but God is both able and willing to remove it The evil experienced at Jericho was great [I do not conceive that the water had originally been bad, or the ground barren: but that God had sent a curse both upon the one and the other, on account of the wickedness of those who had rebuilt the city, in direct opposition to his recorded will. Joshua having destroyed the city, had declared that the man who should presume to rebuild it should lay the foundation in the death of his first-born, and put up the gates with the loss of his youngest son. And till the days of Ahab, no one had dared to contravene the will of God respecting it. But at last Hiel, the Bethelite, presumed to restore the city: |