L1s.XIX. Elifha ll!ith the Shunamite. A greater mattersmay yet be ignorant ofthe leffe: It is no difparagement to any finite creature not to know fomething. By hermouth will God tell the Prophet,what by vifion he hadnot1Tbenfbe [aid, Did!dejire afonne ofmy Lord~ Did! not fay, doe not deceive met Deep forrow is fparing ofwords;Theexpoftulation could not bemore lhort,more quick, more pithy: Had I begged a fonne, perhaps my importunity might have been yeelded to, in anger; Too much defire is juftly punilhed with loffc. It is no marvell ifwhat we wring from God, profper not; This favour to me was ofthine ownmotion;Thy fuir, 0 Elifba, made me a mother:Couldft thou intend to torment me with a bleffmg~ How much more eafie had thewant ofa fonne been,then the mi!-carriage~Barrenneffe thenorbation ~ Was thete no other endof my having a fon,then that I might lofe him~ 0 manofGod,let me ootcomplain of B a cruell kindneffe;tbyprayers gave me a fon,let thy prayers reftore him, let not my dutifull refpects to thoe be repaid with an aggravationofmifery 1 give not thine handmaidtaufe to wilh that 1 were bur fo unhappy as tbou foundeft me;Oh woful fruitfulneffe, if I mull now fay, That I had afonnel I know not whether the mother,or the Prophet were more afllicted,the Prophet forthe mothers fake,or the mother for her owne; Nota wordof reply d..., we heare from the mouth of Elijba, his breath is onely fpent in the remedy; Hee fends his fervant with all fpc:ed,tolay his ftalfe upon the face ofthe child; charging hi111 to avoideall the ddayes oftheway: Had not the Prophet fuppofed that llalfe ofhis able to beateaw•y de:th,why did he fend it~ and ifupon that fuppofition he fent it, howwas itchat it failed of effect~ was thisaCl done out of humane conceit, not C out of in!linClfrom God~ Or did the want ofthe mmhers faith hinder the fucceffe oftharcure~She not regarding the ftalfc,orthe man,holds fall to Eltjba;Na hopes ofhis meffagecan loofe her fingers: As the Lord liveth, and as thy[oulelivtth, Isvi/1 notlta11e tbee: She imagined that the fervant, the ftalfe might be levered from EliJba, 010 knewthat where ever the Prophet was,there was power; It is good relying on thofe helpos that cannot faile us. Merit and importunity have drawn Elijbi from CarmeltoShtmem: He findes his lodging taken up by that pale carkaffe;he !huts his doore,& falls to his prayers; this fi•tre ofhis (whuever became of the other) was long enough (he knew) to reach up to heaven to knocke at thofe gates,yea to wrench themopen; He applies his bodytothofe cold and fenfelelfe limbs; By the fervour ofhis foule he reduces D that foule, by thf'heat of his body heeduceth warmth out ofthat corps: The child neefcth feven times,and as ifhis fpirit had been bm hid for the time,not deparced,it fals towork ~frelh; the eyes lookeup, the Iippes and hands move; The mother is called in eo receive a new life, in her twice-given fonne: lhc comes in, full of joy, full of wonder,andbowes her felfe to the gcound,and fals downe before thole feet, which lhehad foboldly laid hold of in Carmel. Oh ftrong faith ofthe Sbunamite that could not be difcouraged with the feizure,and continuance ofdeath;raifing up her heart tl:illto an expectation ofthat life, which to the eyes ofnature had beene impollible,irrevocable,Oh infinite goodnelfe ofthe Almighty,that would not {uffer fuch filith to be fruftrate,that would rather reverfe the !awes ofnature,In returning a gueft from heaven, and railing a corps from death, than the confidence ofa E beleeving heart lhould be difappointed. Howrruean heire is E/ifha ofhismafter,not inhisgraces only,but in his actions~ Bothofthemdivided thewatersoflordan,the one as his !aft aet,the other as his firft: Elijahs curfe was the deathofthe Captaines,and their troups;Elifbm curfe was the death of the children: ElijA!J rebuked A 1Mb to hls face; Ebfba Iehoram: Elijah [upplied the drought of lfr•eiby raine from heaven;Eii/La fupplied the drought ofthe three Kings by waters gu01ing out of the earrh1 Elij•h increafcd the oyle of the Sa· reptan; Elijba increafi:d theoyle ofthe Prophets widow: Elijah rayfed from duth the Sareptam [on; Elijbathe Shunamites : Bathof them had o11emantle,one fpirit; both of themclimbed up one CAr71ul,onc heaven. Mmmmm• Elifha
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