The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 465

and mother and make a farewell feast with his household before following Elijah. Natural affection and social endearments, within proper limits, are respected by religion. 4. Elisha's parents do not seem to have hindered him. Those parents incur fearful responsibilities who, under worldly influences, hinder their sons from responding to a call of God to enter His ministry.-J. A. M. Vers. 1-18.-The Desponding Prophet. A marvellous change has come over Elijah. It is difficult to imagine a more complete contrast than is presented by his moral attitude in this ~d the previous chapters. He who just before he.a so boldly confronted the proud kmg, and defied the priests of Baal, standing without fear before his flaming altar, and sternly carrying out the judgment of God on the cor- rnpters of His people, is now filled with dismay, and flies from the post of duty and of danger. So unstable are the grandest forms of human virtue, and so weak are the noblest of men when God is pleased for a while to leave them to themselves. Con- sider (1) The prophet's state of mind. (2) The way in which God deals with him. I. THE PROPHET'S STATE OF MIND. It is one of deep despondency. Feo.r of the queen's revenge is not enough of itself to explain it. There is disappointmont at the apparent result of the events of the previous day, weariness of life, disgust at the condition of the land, a sense of powerlessness before the difficulties of his position, perhaps doubt as to the wisdom of what he has done. He speaks and acts as a dispirited, broken-hearted man. Note some of the manifest causes of this despondency. We can never thoroughly understand the feelings of a man unless we take into account the sources and occasions of them, and try to put ourselves in bis place. 1. Physical ezhaustion. His bodily frame was worn and weary, His nnimal spirits had had a great strain upon them, and now suffered a corresponding relapse. U nwonted exertion of strength was followed by unwonted weakness. The relation that exists between the state of the body and the sto.te of the mind is very mysterious, but very real. The elation or depression of our religious feeling depends far more on mere physical conditions than we often imagine. A diseased body will often cause a dark cloud to come over the spirit's firmament; much that is morbid in the religions thoughts and emotions of good men needs to be dealt with by the physician of the body rather than of the soul. 2. Loneliness. He was without the com1mnionship and sympathy of those who would share his labours ancl perils. '' I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to destroy it." It is a single-handed conflict in which he is involved. There are none to stand by him, none whom he can trust. Such isolation is the severest possible test of fidelity. As the rock never appears more mo.jestic than when seen standing alone, with the ocean billows rolling round it, so with one who is " faithful found among the faithless," cut off from all natural and hnman supports, isolated in a surrounding sea of indifference or iniquity. (Think of Paul: " At my first answer no man stood with me, but all forsook me," 2 Tim. iv. 16; above all the Christ. "I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me," Isaiah !xiii. S.) Supernatural help will often come for special emergencies, and will make the soul sublimely inde- pendent of external aid ; but it is hard to carry on a long, patient conflict with ditli- culties alone. 3. Want of auccesa. Hie ministry seems all in vain. His words are but as the dreams of the false prophets. The solemn testimony given on Ca1mel bas passed away without effecting any real change in the condition of things. The fire that consumed his sacrifice has gone out. Righteous vengeo.nce has been in- flicted on the idolatrous prophets, and the Kishon has swept away their blood. The drought has done its work, and the rain has returned upon the land. And now all seems to be ioing on just as it was before. Ahab and Jezebel are as hostile and treacherous and full of cruel hate as ever; and as for the people, there is no kind of security for their constancy to their recent vows. Surely he is living his sn.cl life in vain I That dreariest of all thoughts to a man of high and holy purpose-that his labour is utterly fruitless-sweeps like a withering wind through bis soul, and he wishes he were dead. '' 0 Lord, take away my ,life, for I am no better than my fathers." 4. The sense of having foraaken the poat of responsibility. It may have been a naturo.l impulse that moved him to "fly for his life,'' but no wonder (llt, XlX, 1-21.] THE FlRS'r BOOK OF KINGS. 47;,