. ~ LIB. XVIII. Elijah Dith the Sareptan. nS£1 ---- 1\ with the barementionof the placeofhis birth; Meanne!fe ofdefcent is no block in Godsway tothe moll: honourablevocations; Itmatters not whofe fori he be whOm God wil:Jrace with his fervice: In thegreate!l: honors that humane riature is capabkof,G forgets our parents:As when we lhal be raifed uptoagloriousJife,there lhal be no refpe<!t had to the loyns whencewee came;fo it is proportionally in thefe fpirituaU advancements. .. .. . Thefe times were fit foranE/~•h;an Elt]ab was fit fouhcm;The emmenteft pro· phet is referved f?rthe corruptc!l: age; Ifra~l had n~ver f~ch ~Kin~ as Ahab,for im. piety,ncvcrfomtraculousa ProphetasElsJ•h;Thts ElsJahts ad re!fedto this Ahab1Tbe God of fpirits knows how to proportioa men to the occalions1 and to raife up to himfelfe fuch witne!fes,as may be moll: able to convince the world. A B mildM•(<swasfor the low ellateof affiided lfracl; mild of fpirit, but mighty in wonders; mild offpirir, becaufe he bad_to doewith a pcrfecuted, and yet a rechy and pcrverfe ~ople; mighty inwonders,becaufe be had to doe with a PharaDh: A grave and ho y Samuel was forthe quietconlillenceoflfrael; A fiery fpiritedEiijah was forthc defpcratell declinationoflfrael: and ifinthe late times ofthe depr&· ved condition ofhis Church,God have raifed "£ fome fpirits thot have been more warme, and llirring,then thofe ofcommon mou d, we c;w~not cenfure the choyce, when we fee the fervice. . The firll word that we heare from Elij•h, is an oatb,and a threat to Ahab ro Ifrael:As the L"dG•doflfraelliveth,beforewhom Ijfalfd,therefoa/1 not bedew, 11/JT ~aint tht{tyeuts but •ccording to my word: He comes inlike a TembJll,who went oat in~ c whirl-winde; Doubdetfe be bad fpoken faire,and peacea leinvitotionsto Ifrael (though Y!e hearethem not;{, ~h!• ":as butthe llor.mewhich follo_wed his repulfe, theirobllmacy;After many ohCttotiOns,andwarrungs,Ifrae!ts finken by the famo tongue that had prO:yed for it; Elij.b dares avoucb tbefe judgement> to theirHead to Ah•b:I doe not fo much.wondeta.t tbe.hol<l,ne•ofElij.b,asat his power;yea wh~ fees his power,can nowhtt wonder at ht$ boldnes:How couldhe be butholdto the face of a man,whowas thus powerful! with God~ As if God had lent himthe keys of heaven to tbut it up, and open itat pleafure; he can fay, There fo•U6t neither dew ,., ,.;,,theft yeers bMt ~eeording to my w1rri. 0 God howfarreit bath pleafcd the~ to communicate th~felfe to aweak man~ What AngeUcouldever fay thus~ Thy hand,O Lordis not onened;Why art tbounouhus marvellous in theminillers of D thy Gofpell~ Is it forthattheir miracles wereoursas it forchat thou would'll have us live by faith, not by'fenfe! Is it for that our taske is fpirituall, and therefore more abllraded from bodily helps~ we cannot command the Sun with I•fh.,, nor the Thunder with SAmMtl, nor the rain with El~•h;It tball content us ifwe can fixe theSun of r~hteoufnetfe in the foule,ifwe canthunder out the judgments ofGod again!t lin,i wee can water the earthen hearts ofmen with the former, andlarter raine ofheavenly doCtrine. E/ijahs mantle cannot make him forget his llelh,whiles he knows himfelfe aProphet, he remembers to be a man; he doth not thereforearrogate his power, «s his own,but publitbeth it ashis Mallers; This rellraint mull be according to hisword; 1 and that word was from an highermouth,thenhis:He fpakefrom him bywhom he E fware;whofe word was fureas his life;and therefore he durllfay, As the Lord/ivttli thereJbaUbe no raine. Man onely can denounce what God will execute;whichwhen it is once revealed, canno more faile, then the 1\lmighty himfelfe. He thot bad this interell & power in heaven, what needed he flee from an earth· ly aurfuit~ Could his prayers rel\r&ioe the clouds, a.nd not hold the hands offletb an blood~ Yet behold Elijah mull Aee from Ahab,and hide him by the brook• Cherith; the wifedome of God doth not thinkefitfotomakeabeatenpath<>f miracles;as that he will not walke betide it;He wil have our owne indeavours con-. curre to our prefervation1 Elijah w•nted neithercourage of heart, nor llrength of hand,and yet he mull trull to his feet for fafety; How much mote lawful~ Js ii for our impotence to Aee from perfecution~eventhat God lends him to hide his head; who could a• eafily have prote<!ted, as nouritbed him: Hce that wilfully ftands Hhhhh _ ftill
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