peculiar, which if we cast upon any creature, we defy it. Whence have herbs, and drugs, and physicians, their being and efficacy, but from that divine hand? No marvel then if Asa's gout struck to his heart, and his feet carried him to his grave, since his heart was miscarried, for the cure of his feet, to an injurious misconfidence in the means, with neglect of his Maker.

CONTEMPLATION VI.

ELIJAH WITH THE SAREPTAN.

WHO should be matched with Moses in the hill of Tabor but Elijah? surely, next after Moses, there was never any prophet of the Old Testament more glorious than he; none more glorious, none more obscure the other prophets are not mentioned without the name of their parent, for the mutual honour both of the father and the son: Elijah, as if he had been a son of the earth, comes forth with the bare mention of the place of his birth. Meanness of descent is no block in God's way to the most honourable vocations; it matters not whose son he be, whom God will grace with his service. In the greatest honours that human nature is capable of, God forgets our parents: as when we shall be raised up to a glorious life, there shall be no respect had to the loins whence we came; so it is proportionally in these spiritual advancements.

These times were fit for an Elijah; and Elijah was fit for them; the eminentest prophet is reserved for the corruptest age. Israel had never such a king as Ahab for impiety, never so miraculous a prophet as Elijah; this Elijah is addressed to this Ahab. The God of spirits knows how to proportion men to the occasions, and to raise up to himself such witnesses, as may be most able to convince the world. A mild Moses was for the low estate of afflicted Israel; mild

in spirit, but mighty in wonders; mild in spirit, because he had to do with a persecuted, and yet a touchy and perverse people; mighty in wonders, because he had to do with a Pharaoh. A grave and holy Samuel was for the quiet consistence of Israel; a fiery-spirited Elijah was for the desperatest declination of Israel. And if, in the late times of the depraved condition of his Church, God have raised up some spirits, that have been more warm and stirring than those of common mould, we cannot censure the choice, when we see the service.

The first word that we hear from Elijah is an oath, and a threat to Ahab, to Israel: "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." He comes in like a tempest, who went out in a whirlwind; doubtless he had spoken fair and peaceable invitations to Israel, though we hear them not; this was but the storm which followed his repulse, their obstinacy. After many solicitations and warnings, Israel is stricken by the same tongue that had prayed for it; Elijah dares avouch these judgments to their head, to Ahab. I do not so much wonder at the boldness of Elijah, as at his power; yea, whoso sees his power, can no whit wonder at his boldness: how could he be but bold to the face of a man, who was thus powerful with God? As if God had lent him the keys of heaven to shut it up, and open it at pleasure, he can say, "There shall be neither dew, nor rain, these years, but according to my word." O God, how far it hath pleased thee to communicate thyself to a weak man! What angel can ever say thus? Thy hand, O Lord, is not shortened; why art thou not thus marvellous in the ministers of thy Gospel? is it for that their miracles were ours? is it for that thou wouldst have us live by faith, not by sense? is it for that our task is spiritual, and therefore more abstracted from bodily helps? We cannot command the sun with Joshua, nor the thunder with

Samuel, nor the rain with Elijah; it shall content us if we can fix the sun of righteousness in the soul, if we can thunder out the judgments of God against sin, if we can water the earthen hearts of men with the former and latter rain of heavenly doctrine.

Elijah's mantle cannot make him forget his flesh; while he knows himself a prophet, he remembers to be a man; he doth not therefore arrogate his power, as his own, but publisheth it as his Master's; this restraint must be according to his word, and that word was from a higher mouth than his. He spake from him by whom he sware; whose word was as sure as his life; and therefore he durst say, "As the Lord liveth, there shall be no rain." Man only can denounce what God will execute, which, when it is once revealed, can no more fail than the Almighty himself.

He that had this interest and power in heaven, what needed he flee from an earthly pursuit ? could his prayers restrain the clouds, and not hold the hands of flesh and blood? yet, behold Elijah must flee from Ahab, and hide him by the brook Cherith. The wisdom of God doth not think fit so to make a beaten path of miracles, as that he will not walk beside it; he will have our own endeavours concur to our preservation. Elijah wanted neither courage of heart nor strength of hand, and yet he must trust to his feet for safety; how much more lawful is it, for our impotence, to fly from persecution? Even that God sends him to hide his head, who could as easily have protected as nourished him. He that wilfully stands still to catch dangers, tempteth God instead of trusting him. The prophet must be gone, not without order taken for his purveyance: oh the strange caterers for Elijah! "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there." I know not whether had been more miraculous, to preserve him without meat, or to provide meat by such mouths. The raven, a devouring and ravenous fowl, that uses to

snatch away meat from others, brings it to him. He that could have fed Elijah by angels, will feed him by ravens. There was then in Israel an hospitable Obadiah that kept a secret table in two several caves, for a hundred prophets of God. There were seven thousand faithful Israelites, in spite of the devil, who had never bowed knee to Baal: doubtless, any of these would have had a trencher ready for Elijah, and have thought himself happy to have defrauded his own maw, for so noble a prophet; God rather chooses to make use of the most unlikely fowls of the air, than their bounty, that he might give both to his prophet and us, a pregnant proof of his absolute command over all his creatures, and win our trust in all extremities. Who can make question of the provisions of God, when he sees the very ravens shall forget their own hunger, and purvey for Elijah? O God, thou that providest meat for the fowls of the air, wilt make the fowls of the air provide meat for man, rather than his dependence on thee shall be disappointed! Oh let not our faith be wanting to thee; thy care can never be wanting to us!

Elijah might have lived for the time with bread and water; neither had his fare been worse than his fellows in the caves of Obadiah; but the munificence of God will have his meals better furnished. The ravens shall bring him both bread and flesh twice in the day. It is not for a persecuted prophet to long after delicates; God gives order for competency, not for wantonness; not out of the dainty compositions in Jezebel's kitchen, not out of the pleasant wines in her cellar, would God provide for Elijah; but the ravens shall bring him plain and homely victuals, and the river shall afford him drink; if we have wherewith to sustain nature, though not to pamper it, we owe thanks to the Giver. Those of God's family may not be curious, not disdainful. Ill doth it become a servant of the Highest to be a slave to his palate. Doubtless, one bit from the mouth of

the raven was more pleasing to Elijah, than a whole tableful of Ahab's. Nothing is more comfortable to God's children, than to see the sensible demonstrations of the divine care and providence.

The brook Cherith cannot last always; that stream shall not, for Elijah's sake, be exempted from the universal exsiccation: yea, the prophet himself feels the smart of this drought, which he had denounced. It is no unusual thing with God to suffer his own dear children to be enwrapped in the common calamities of offenders. He makes difference in the use and issue of their stripes, not in the infliction. The corn is cut down with the weeds, but to a better purpose.

When the brook fails, God hath a Zarephath for Elijah; instead of the ravens, a widow shall there feed him, yea herself by him. Who can enough wonder at the pitch of this selective providence of the Almighty? Zarephath was a town of Sidon, and therefore without the pale of the church; poverty was the best of this widow; she was a pagan by birth, heathenishly superstitious by institution. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto this Zarephath, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. He that first fed the prophet by the mouth of unclean fowls, will now feed him by the hand of a heathenish hostess; his only command sanctifies those creatures which, by a general charge, were legally impure.

There were other birds besides ravens, other widows besides the Sareptan; none but the ravens, none but the Sareptan shall nourish Elijah. God's choice is not led in the string of human reasons; his holy will is the guide, and the ground of all his elections. "It is not in him that wills, nor in him that runs, but in God that shows mercy."