a 1 Kings xix, 3. ^ Jam. v. 17, 18.
<= 1 Kings xviii. 37, 38. ^ 2 Kings i. 10 — 12.
e 1 Kings xvii. 3 — 6. ^ 1 Kings xvii. 9 — 16.
g 1 Kings xix. 4—8. '' 1 Kings xix. 11, 12.
' 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 sovd 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 war- ranted 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 Shem':" 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 emi- nent 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 o/his beheving people™," 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. As " 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 afiirm, 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 mito you p." 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 "J." Do we desire that our petitions may be heard? "We are reminded that "Elijah was a man of like
k 2 Kings ii. 1 ] . i Gen. ix. 26. «» Jer. xxxi. 33.
n Heb. viii. 10. See also 1 Chron. xvii. 24. ° Heb. xi. 16. p Matt. vi. 33.
1 Compare Isai. xxxiii. 16. with 2 Kings i. 10 — 12. and 1 Kings xvii. 3 — 6.
358.] Elijah's god. 4G3
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 us®;" and "as our day is, so shall also our strength be*." 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 conie to recommend the confident expectation expressed in the text —
[Behever, art thou just called forth, like Ehsha, to face a frovsTiing 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 over^V^ Thus must you call upon your God. You cannot ask too largely, nor expect too much at his hands. If difficul- ties are to be surmounted, or wants to be supplied, or lusts to be subdued, go forth and say, " Where is the Lord God of EHjah?"