in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barre with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on th wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. A they did it the third time. And the water ran about t altar, and he filled the trench also with water. And it can to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, the Elijah, the prophet, came near, and said, Jehovah, the God Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day th thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and thất / have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Jehova hear me, that this people may know that thou art Jehovah, th God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. The the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, 25 the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up t water that was in the trench.† And when all the people it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is t God; Jehovah, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them

The pagans (who have been imitated in such tricks by papists in all ages) used to conceal fire under their altars in fund so as to impose upon the vulgar. Elijah, by his precaution, has ever put this miracle beyond the reach of suspicion.-A. Clarke

ES

+ The process causing this consumption is very remarkable; 2° all calculated to remove the possibility of a suspicion that the was any concealed fire. 1. The fire came down from heaven. 2.T pieces of the sacrifice were first consumed. 8. The wood next, to shes that it was not even by means of the wood that the flesh was burst 4. The twelve stones were also consumed, to shew that it was common fire, but one whose agency nothing could resist. 5. Th dust, the earth of which the altar was constructed, was burnt 6. The water that was in the trench was, by the action of this fire entirely evaporated. And 7. The action of this fire was, in ever case, downward, contrary to the nature of all earthly and materia fire. Nothing can be more simple and artless than this description and yet how amazingly full, and satisfactory is the whole account. A. Clarke.

L

Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brock Kishon, and slew them there."

After this splendid miracle, and unequivocal declaration of what had been the real cause of the late dreadful famine, it was the merciful purpose of Jehovah to avert his judgments, and afford the famished land relief; and Elijah said to Ahab; Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain; and the monarch went up to eat and to drink, most likely rejoicing in heart at the prospect of deliverance, but Elijah went up to the top of Carmel to pray.

Having commanded his servant to look toward the sea, he perceived nothing till the seventh time, when there arose a little cloud like a man's hand; upon which Elijah told him to go to Ahab, and say, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass, in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went

to Jezreel. And the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.†

Notwithstanding the exhibitions of God's judgments, the miracle he had wrought in sending fire from heaven, and no less wonderful, though more frequent, in so mercifully sending a supply of rain, it does not appear that the heart of Ahab was at all affected; for he immediately went and related to his wife Jezebel, all that had taken place; and especially how he had slain all the prophets of Baal with the sword; when that wicked woman sent a messenger to Elijah, saying; So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.+

• 1 Kings, xviii. 21—40.

+1 Kings, xviii. 41-46.

The prophet having thus fulfilled the object of his missi was now permitted, by the wisdom of God, to retire again i obscurity; and in order to avoid the vengeance of Jezebe he fled for his life to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, # he left his servant there; but for greater security, hims went a day's journey into the wilderness.*

Agitated and fatigued, Elijah rested under a juniper tre and requested that he might die, and in that repining state mind fell asleep; when, behold, an angel touched him, said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, beb there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water his head. And he did eat, and drink, and laid him dur again. And the angel of Jehovah came again the seco time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat a drink, and went in the strength of that meat, forty days forty nights, unto Horeb,† the mount of God. And came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold," word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, W doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been jealous for Jehovah, the God of Hosts: for the children of Is have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, ≈ slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, ≈ left, and they seek my life, to take it away. And be s Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. Ar behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind ra

* 1 Kings, xix. 3, 4. Beersheba was the most southern extremity the promised land.

+ Jehovah intended that Elijah should visit Horeb, where Mos had fasted forty days and nights, (Exod. xxiv. 18.) that in him t miracle might be repeated; because as Moses was the lawgive. so Elijah was in some respects the chief of the prophets. Ma xvii. 3. Scott in 1 Kings, xix. S. So also did Christ fast, who> himself the end of prophecy. Matt. iv. 2.

the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind: and after the wind, an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.* And it was so, when + Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said; What doest hou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of Hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away. And Jehovah said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus : and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: and Jehu, the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel-mohelah, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael, shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth Yet I have left from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. ne seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not

bare

"And behold the Lord was revealed-before him was a host of the angels of the wind, tearing the mountains, and breaking the rocks before the Lord; but the majesty (Shechinah) of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of the wind. And after the host of the angels of the wind, there was a host of the angels of commotion; but the majesty of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of com. motion. And after the host of the angels of commotion, a fire; but the majesty of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of fire. And after the host of the angels of fire, a voice singing in silence," &c, that is, a sound with which no other sound was mingled."

bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed* him.t

Having left Horeb Elijah met with Elisha, who was plough ing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth; and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle up him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and the I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back agai for what have I done to thee? And he returned back fre him, and took a yoke of oxen and slew them, and boiled the flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto t people, and they did eat. Then he arose and went aft Elijah, and ministered unto him.‡

Benhadad, king of Syria, whose covetousness had proba been excited by the treasures he had received from Asa, ki of Judah,§ and the success of whose joint expedition agai Baasha, king of Israel, might lead him to expect that Ab and his kingdom would become an easy prey to him; gathered all his host together, and with thirty-two kings un his command, went up and laid siege to Samaria, sent messengers into the city to Ahab, saying, Thus s Benhadad, thy silver and thy gold is mine, thy wives a and thy children, even the goodliest are mine. To this ins lent message the intimidated king of Israel replied, My le

* Given a kiss to him, either by applying the mouth to the is the image itself, or by kissing the hand to it, as said by Pliny. adorando dextram ad osculum referimus, totum corpus circumagin when we worship we kiss our right hand and turn about our w body.-Bp. Patrick apud Anselm Bayley in loco. Cicero mention statue of Hercules, the chin and lips of which were considerably by the frequent kissing of his worshippers. In Verrem.

§ 1 Kings, xv. 1S. 2 Chron. xvi. 2. See p. 185.

1 Kings, xv. 21. 1 Kings, xvi. 5.