1194 [ontemplationr. LIB.XVIIL fafe: Policywithout Religion,is too;fubtile to be good; Their match makesthem- A felvesfecure, and many happyOhdegenorated eftateoflfrael, anythingwasnow lawful! there ftving piety:It is well ifGods Prophets can find an hole to hide their heads in: Theymuft needs be harddriven when fifty of them are faine to croudtogether intoone Cave. There they had both Jhade & repaft: Good ohadi.h hazards his own life to preferv~theirs and fi)ends himfelfe in that exrreame dearth,upon theirneceffarydiet;Bread & wa~ rer was more now, thenotherwhiles wine,and delicares;Whether !halt we wonder more at the mercy of God in referving an hundred Prophets,or in rhus fufiaining them being referved;When did God ever leave his Ifrael unfurnifhed ofCome Prophets~ when did heleave his Prophets unprovided of feme ohadiAb( How worthy art thou, 0 Lord, to be trufied with thine.owne charge: whiles there are men B upo~ oarth, or birds in the ayre, or Angels in heaven, thy melfengers cannot want provilion. Goodnelfe carryes away rrufi, where it cannot have imitation. Ahah divides with ohadiah the furvey ofthe whole land;They,two fet theirowne eyes on work,forthe fearch ofwater,ofpafture,to preferve the horfes and mules alive: Oh the poore and vaine cares of Ahab: He cafts tokill the Prophet, to fave the cattle ; he never!eekes to fave his own foule, to defiroy Idolatry; he takes thought for graffe, none for mercy: carnal! hearts are ever either grovelling on the earth, or delving into it, nomore regarding God,ortheir Iouis, thenifthey either were not, or were worthlelfe. Elijah heares ofthe progreffe,and offers himfelfe to the viewofthem borh;Here C waswifedome in thiscourage: Firft, he prefents himfclfe to obadiah,ere he will be feene of Ahab;that Ahab might upon the report offo difcreet an informer, digefi the expefration ofhismeeting: Thenhe takes the opportunity of Ahahs prefence, when he mightbe fure Ieubel was away. ohadiah meets the Prophet,knows him,and(as if he had Ceen God inhim)fals on his face to him,whom he knew his malter perfecuted: Though a great Peere, he had teamed tohonor a Prophet. No refpett was too much fort he prelident ofthat facred colledge : To thejoore Boarder ofthe Sanptan, here was no leiTe, then a proll:ration; and, My Lor Elijah, from the greatHigh Steward of Ifrael: Thole that are trulygracious cannot be niggardly oftheir obfervances to the meffengcrs ~~~ D Elij•h receivcsthereverence,retumes a charge:Go ttllmJ Lord,behold,Eiijah is htrt; obadiah finds this load too heavy, neithe(ishe morell:riken withtheboldneffe, then with the unkindnelfeofthiscommand: boldneffein refpeet of Elij•h; unkindnelfe in refpefr ofhimfelfe : For, thus be thinks,If Elijah do come to Ahah,he dyes; Ifhe doe not come, I dye, If it be knowne that I met him,and brought him not,it is death: if I fay that he will come voluntarily,and God !hallalter his intentions,it is death: How unhappy a man am I, thatmufi be either Elijahs executioner; or my own~were Ahabs difpleafure but fmoaking,I might hope to quench it, butnow that the flame of it bath broken forth tothe notice, to the fearch of all the Kingdomes and Nations round about, it may confume me,I cannot extinguifh it: This melfage were for an enemy of Elijah; for aclient ofBaa/:As for me I havewell approved my 1J. true devotion to God,my love to his Prophets: What have I done,that I fhould be lingledout either to kill Elijah, or to be killed for him~ many a hard plunge mufi thatman needs be driven to, who would hold his confcience together with the fervice, and favour ofaTyrant : ltis an happy thing to ferve a jufi mafier,there isno danger, no ftayne in {uch obedience. But,when the Prophet binds his refolurion with anoath,and clears the heart of obadiah from all fears, from all fufpitions, the good man dares be the meffenger of that, which he faw was decreed in heaven: Doubtleffe Ahab fiartled to heare of Eltjahccimmingtomeethim; asonethatdidnotmorehate, then feare the Prophet. Weltmight hethink,rhuslong,thus far have I foughtEiijah,E/ijahwould~ot come tofeekeme,butvnderafureguard,and withfome firangecommitlion: hiS coorfe mantle
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