not even pray for the judgments as one under the influence of revenge, but merely denounced them according to the will of liis Di\ane Master. The terms in which they were denounced are worthy of notice. The captains, in calling him " a man of God," did not mean to honour, but insult him: it was as though they had said, ' Thou boastest of Jehovah as thy Master ; but we come to thee in the name of a greater king than he: King Ahaziah says. Come down, come down quickly.' Then says Elijah, ' If I be a man of God, you shall have a proof of it, and of the greatness of that King whom I obey.' He had before desired fire from heaven to consume the sacri- fice, and it produced no permanent effect upon them : now therefore he declares from God, that they shall be the sacri- fice, and fall a prey to the devouring flames.
What was there here that can in any way reflect upon the character of Elijah? He was but the organ to declare, what a holy and ofiended God saw just occasion to inflict.
If it be said, that the soldiers themselves acted under the orders of another, we answer, that they could not but know the character of Elijah, who had confounded all the wor- shippers of Baal ; and that they should rather have submitted to have military law executed upon them, than be the instru- ments of man to fight against God.]
3. The ends for which it was inflicted —
[Almost the whole nation of Israel had rejected God: and all the means which had been used to bring them back to their allegiance to him, had failed. Now they had an evidence which, it might be reasonably hoped, they could not with- stand. The information, conveyed by Elijah to the king's messengers, was sufficient to convince both the king and his people, that Elijah's God was omniscient: and, when they still refused to acknowledge him, and rose up in arms against him, the judgment he inflicted was sufficient to convince them that he was omnipotent : and had it produced this salutary effect, the judgment, how severe soever it may appear, would have been an act of mercy. The temporal destruction of a few would have been a merciful expedient for the salvation of a whole people. If it produced not this happy effect, the fault was not in God, but in them.]
Thus justifiable in every view was this conduct of Elijah. Let us then proceed to shew,
II. How it may be improved —
As the dispensation appears dark, it may be proper to throw some further light upon it : and, when our