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 thee ^ ? 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.
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 —
[EHjah was eminently endued with grace : he was pious in the midst of a general defection ; he was courageous under
358.] Elijah's god. 4(51
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 Cherith^. Wlien 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