and the crown. Elisha, soon guessing the reason of such unwonted condescension, prevents his illustrious guests from speaking, by addressing them himself. I doubt whether the monarchs were highly offended at this breach of etiquette. Distress can place things in a very different aspect. A heart that is trembling with painful anxiety, is not very easily offended. Still less ought we to feel surprise that our friend of Abel-Meholah is not at all disconcerted on receiving such distinguished visiters. The majesty of the Lord of the whole earth shone too brightly into the spiritual eye of men of God of his description and standing, whether they were, to suffer human dignity to make an undue impression upon them. They lived almost uninterruptedly at the court of the King of kings, whose private secretaries and whose heralds and stewards they were upon earth; and by this means, something was imperceptibly imparted to them, of the manner in which God and his holy angels contemplate mankind, in whose eyes, all human greatness and glory generally appear very dif ferent to that which they are wont to do, when measured by our limited standard.

When

Elisha directs his first words to Jehoram. This weak. minded ruler deserved to be openly put to shame. had he ever before inquired of Jehovah and his prophets? But now on a sudden, when the Almighty has laid his hand upon him, he accommodates himself to a forced compliment, and no longer deems it beneath his dignity to apply, in the humblest manner, for advice, mediation, and aid to the farmer's son of Meholah. You think, however, that Elisha should at least have been gald of it; but I know not for what reason. If Jehoram ever trembled before God, it was only as the devils tremble. If he desired supernatural aid, he did so merely from selfish motives, and would have

accepted it as gladly from Satan as from Jehovah. The king was in want of water, and not of grace. In that season of helplessness, he intended to employ the Lord and his prophet only once, and after attaining his object, to care neither for the one nor the other. But this manner of hiring and employing God is impious. Desire the Lord himself first, and after that his blessings.

After Elisha had fixed his eye severely upon the monarch-the lips of the man of God, which were otherwise so friendly, are changed into a tight-drawn bow-string, which darts arrows instead of words. "What have I to do with thee?" says he, "Get thee to the prophets of thy father and thy mother." It is now Elisha's turn to act haughtily and triumphantly. Let us rejoice at it. For it is not the triumph of human self-love, which is here celebrated; it is a triumph of Jehovah over Baal, and the victory of truth over lies. Idolatry appears in its nothingness. But that which rejoices and triumphs in the breast of Elisha is love to the Lord, and zeal for his cause.

When the hour of affliction arrives, and the life of the individual clothes itself in the garments of night, the moment has also arrived, when Jehovah and Jehovah's Word not unfrequently assume wreaths of honour, even in the circle of their foes. It is certainly a heart-rending spectacle, when the proud philosopher suddenly becomes tremblingly conscious that the boasted truth, in which he had intended to confide, turns out to be nothing but a vessel of paper amid the raging billows of the ocean; when the bold atheist lifts up his hands in agony to the clouds, and when terror forces from him the confession, that he had mocked Him, who is now alone able to help; when the betrayer of Christ and his cross utters, time after time, the name of Jesus in anxious ejaculation, and is constrained to envy

those who have believingly resigned themselves to this deliverer; and when the infuriated villifier of the people of God, feels himself compelled, in his pit wherein is no water, openly to declare that the people whom he has calumniated, are in happy circumstances, and that he would give a world, if he possessed it, could he only purchase with it a drop of that consolation, which those people enjoy in abundance.

But however, deeply affecting are such spectacles of de. spair and confusion of face, they have nevertheless their pleasing and exhilarating side. In such catastrophes, Jehovah is magnified, and the Gospel celebrates days of victory and exultation. It is only dreadful, when these miserable wretches, whilst wringing their hands in supplication to that God, on whom they had hitherto turned their backs, experience the same thing which befel Jehoram in our text; and when the house-doors of the Almighty, which they seek, are closed against them without mercy; when their scorning is repaid them with the same coin, and the words of thunder are heard from on high, “ What have ye to do with me?-get ye gone to your idols; let them help you." Thus it happened to those, to whom the Lord said in Jeremiah ii. 27, "They have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they say, Arise, and save us.' "Where are now thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble." Horrible repulse! O that none of us may ever experience it.

If the knees of the king of Israel trembled on appearing before Elisha, he is scarcely able to keep upon his feet after the prophet's cutting salutation. "Nay," stammered the deeply-perplexed monarch, "not to the prophets of my father and mother, but to Jehovah we must turn." "The

Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab." He knew very well, however perverted he might be, that Jehovah was God. The conviction had already become tangible to him. But the idea of the Holy One of Israel was oppressive, and interfered too powerfully with his shameful and vicious life; hence he sought forcibly to expel it from his soul, and preferred giving place to the more tolerant images of Deity at Dan and Beth-el. But now when death is at his heels, he refuses to hear anything more of the golden calves; Jehovah shall now have the glory. But what has the Lord to do with such vaccillating souls? What account does he make of homage which is the result of the most hateful selfishness? He dislikes mercenary friends as much as we. He who only loves his blessings and not himself, may as well never cross his threshold.

Elisha, little affected by the confession of his monarch, opens his mouth again, in terms of greater severity, and filled with holy indignation, says, "As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely where it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee." This is indeed speaking without reserve. Jehoram now knew how matters stood. If help appeared, it would not be on his account, but for the sake of the pious Jehoshaphat; and that in this case the ungodly man by particular favour, would be permitted to eat at the table of the righteous, although the food was not served up for him. What a humiliation of the idolatrous Prince! But it probably did not affect him very deeply. If help is but obtained, the mean-spirited man is satisfied.

But here observe, that in a certain sense, the Lord, like Elisha, assuredly regards the person. How very often

does the same thing recur in the world, which then took place in the desert? An army is preserved or conquers, as people say, because it is well disciplined, or ably commanded; and yet in the end, the entire cause of the suc cessful result lies in the presence of a single pious man, who marches quietly and unobservedly in its ranks; but God regarded his person, and for his sake, spread his protecting wing over the whole host. A menacing scourge suddenly passes by a place without entering it. The deliverance is ascribed to some fortunate accident, or to some prudent measure of the civil authorities; but the true reason is probably to be found in the poorest and meanest cottage of the place. A man dwells there, whom the Almighty loves; and this man prayed. It is impossible to express how much the Lord does to please his children. Thus, for instance, for the sake of a few sheep that feed in this valley, he felt inclined to avert from the whole district, the dreadful pestilence which threatened it from the east. Yea, if only one of these, who are dear to him as the apple of his eye, had courage to request any favour of him with filial unreservedness, and whilst enveloping himself in the beauty of Christ, he would doubtless do it for him. They are once for all in possession of his heart. "I say not unto you," are the extremely significant words of Jesus, when comforting his disciples, "that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God."

II.

After Elisha had spoken to king Jehoram what he had to say to him, a scene presents itself, which at first sight, certainly exhibits something peculiar, striking and inexplicable. Elisha, without stating any reason, requests a har