The Lord grant that at whatever hour we shall be called hence, we may be found thus labouring in the way most suited to our respective spheres, and our several capacities !]
2, How he was removed —
[" A fiery chariot and horses of fire," that is, angels under that appearance, were sent to convey him to heaven, without his ever tasting the bitterness of death. What a blessed change
a Acts XX. 17—38. ^ 2 Pet. i. 12—15.
<= John xiv. XV. xvi. ^ John xvii.
did he then experience! But such is indeed the change
which every saint experiences at liis departure hence. The body, it is true, must die, and be consigned to the grave ; but the soul shall be carried by angels into Abraham's bosom : and the body itself, after returning to its native dust, shall at the last day be re-united to the soul, and enjoy all that Elijah now enjoys, in the presence of its God This was by the ex- altation of Elijah assiired to men : for the honour conferred on him was not that he alone should have a glorified body, but that he shoidd possess it now, whilst others must wait for it till the resurrection of the just.]
We cannot wonder that the removal of such a man should call forth,
II. The lamentation of Ehsha —
So deep and unfeigned was his grief, that he rent his clothes as the accustomed expression of it. He lamented the departure of Elijah,
1. As a private loss —
[" My father, my father!" cried this afflicted saint. He regarded the departed prophet with all the reverence and affec- tion due to a beloved parent. Indeed the prophet was his spiri- tual father ; for it was by him that EUsha was first called to the service of his God : and to such there is an affection due, as much as to a 7iatural parent : for to our natural parent we owe the existence of our bodies only ; but to our spiritual parent, the salvation of our souls'*. And how great is the loss of one who has opened our eyes to eternal things, and by his watchful care and salutary advice has led us forward toward the posses- sion of everlasting bliss !
It might have seemed indeed, that, as Elisha expected to receive the benefit he had asked, he needed not to have laid so much to heart the loss he had sustained : but no considerations of personal benefit ought to divest us of the finer feelings of our nature. The benefit, it is true, was exceeding great : he had asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit ; that is, (re- garding Elijah as his father,) he desired to have the 2^(^'>'tion of his eldest son, ivhich ivas double that of the younger chil- dren^: but still he had been ungrateful m the extreme, if he had not bewailed the loss of so faithful a master, and so dear a friend.]
^ Pliilem. ver. 19.
' Deut. xxi. 17. with Numb. xi. 17, 25. As for his asking for twice as much as Elijah himself possessed, and actually doing by virtue of it twice as much good as Elijah did, it is all fanciful and absurd.
357.] Elijah's translation to heaven. 459
2. As a public loss —
[Horses and chariots composed the chief strength of armies in that day : hence Elisha, judging that now the best friend and most efficient protector of his country was gone, exclaims, " The chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof!" And true indeed it is, that the faithful servants of God do deserve the character here given them. Look at Moses, and see how often he preserved the whole nation of Israel from ruin. Had there been ten pious men found in Sodom, aU the cities of the plain should have been spared for their sake. Little do the world imagine how much they are indebted to the very men whom they revile and persecute : but God has declared that even one single individual who humbly intercedes for his country, may be the means of preserving it from utter destruction s. Well then may such persons be honoured while they live, and deeply deplored when removed to a better world.]