LIB. XIX. A the_one upon the worlhippersofthe golden Calfe, rhe other upon the foure hundred Bulitts: :Bothquenched the drought oflfrael, the one outoftheRock, the other our ofthe Cloud: both divided rhe waters,the one ofrhe Red Sea, the other ofltrd.,,; Both of them are forewarned of their departure :BOth muft be fetcht away beyond Iorda11; The body of Elijah is tronflared,the body of Mofts is hid: What Mofts doth by his Rod, Elijah doth by his Mantle; with that he !mires the Waters, and they(as fearing rhe divine powerwhich wrought with the Prophet) run away from him, and ftand on heapes, leaving the dry channell for the palfagc ofrhofe awfull feet : Jr is not longlince he mu!C!ed themwith agenerall exliccation: now be onely bids them ftand alide, andgivewaytohislaftwalke1 that he might with dry feet mount up into the celeftiall chariot. B The waters doe not now firft obey him : they know tb.r Mamle ofold;which harh oft given laws to their falling, riling, ft:inding: they are paft over ;andnow, when Elijah findes him(elfe treading on his !aft earth, he profers a munificent boone to his faithfull fervant,Ask wh4t I {balld"for thee before I am takenfmn thet. I doe not heare him fay, Askt ofmewhen I amgont;in myglorijitri conditiM, ljhaO ~t moreabletobtjltadthtt; but,asktbefore Ig". We have acommunion with the Saincs departed not a commerce :whenthey areinabled to doe more for us,rhey are le!Th apt robe follicited by us. lt is a fafe fuing wherewe il'C fure that we are heard.Had not Elijah received apeculiar inftinll for this profer, he had nor been thus liberal!: Ir were prcfamption robe bountifull onanothers coft,withour leave ofthe owner: The mercy of our good God allmves his favourites not onely to receive, but to C give: not onely to receive forrhemfelves, but to convey bleffings to Otbers: What can that man wantthat is befriended ofthe faithful!~ Elifhaneedcs not goe farce to fee~ fora fuit; Ir was in his heart, in his mouth: Let ,.doubie'portionoj thyJfirit bwpon me. EveryProphet muft be a fonne to Elijah; but Elifb• would be his heire,and craves the happy right ofbispiimogeniture, the double full'< to his brethren: le was not wealth, nor fafety, nor eafe, nor honour that Elif/>A cares for,theworld lies open before him, hemaytake hischoice:the reil be contenlnetb1nothing wil ferve him but a largemeafureofhisMafters fpirit : No carnall thought was guiltyofthis facred ambition: Affectation ofeminence was too bale a conceit to fa! into that manofGpd:He fawth&r the times needed ftrong convi<'.Hons, be faw that hecould not ocherwifeweild the fucceffion ro fuch a MaD fter,chercfore he fues for a double portion of fpirit: the fpiritofprophecy eo foreknow, the fpiritof powt:r eo worke:We cannot be too covetQus, too ambitious of fpirituall gilts,{uchefpecially asmay enable us to win moft advantage to God in ourvocations. our wjlhes are tbecrue touch-ftone ofour eftate;fnch as we with to be, we are:worldly hearts affeCt eanhly things; lpiritualldivine:wecinnoc better know what we ue indeed,then by what we would be. Elijahacknowledges che difficulcy,and promifes the gmnc offogrmarequeft; fu!pended yet upon the conditionof £/t(bmeye-fight. lfthiU (et mt ,.hm I am taktn from thu,it fba/! be J• IIRto thte;b•tif not, itJha/1 not bt: What ore theeyestothe furniture ofthe foule~ What power is there in chafe vilive beamestb drowdown a doubleporrion of Elijahs fpirit~ God doth not alwaieslookat efficacy & meritin the conditions ofour a11ions, but at the freedome ofhis own appointments : The E eye was onely to be imployed as the fervanr ofthe heart, chat the delires might be fo much more intcded with the light:Vehemence is the way to fpeed both in earth and in Heaven;Ifbutthe eye-lidsof Elifh• fall,ifhis thoughts flacken, his hopes are dalhed 1 Thcte muft be fixednelfe and vigilance, in chofe that delire double graces. - Elijah was going on, and talking, when the Charet ofbeavenc~metofecch him; Surely, had not that conference been needful! and divine, it bad given way to meditation : and Elijah had been taken up m her from his knees, then from his feet. There can bee no better pofture, or ftace, forthemclfenger ofour dilfolution to finde us in, then in a diligent profecutionofour calling.The bulie attendance ofour holy vocationisnolefle plealingtoGod then in immedio,te deL 1111 ~ votion:
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