Without any mention of his parentage, or extraction, Elijah is first introduced, (1 Kings xvii. 1,) as threatening to impious Ahab a drought upon the land of Israel. According to the word of the prophet, for three years and a half the heavens gave no rain, and the earth denied her increase. He in some measure partook of the general distress; but, at the same time, was under the immediate care of heaven. With parental tenderness the Lord provided for him; and that his bread might not fail, the course of nature was overruled; "Get thee hence," said God, "and hide thyself by the brook Cherith; and thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook." How unlimited is the sway which God exercises over all his creatures! He has a thousand ways of ministering to the necessities of his servants. To effect the former, we see, as in this case, the rain of heaven withheld, and the fruitful land become a wilderness: to effect the latter, birds the most ravenous, are made to forego their own indulgence, and by regular supplies to sustain the prophet. Let the wicked fear, since God can soon dry up all the sources of their enjoyment: and oh! let the children of the most High ever confide in his care and protection. "The young lions may lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the Lord shall not want any good thing."

The excessive drought so prevailed, that the waters of the brook which supplied the Prophet failed. This was a most alarming circumstance; but the Lord being his helper, an expedient was not wanting: "Arise," said the Lord, "get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there; behold I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee: so he arose and went to Zarephath;" and when he came to the gates of the city, behold the widow woman was there gathering of sticks.

The salutation of this poor widow, appears to have been extremely distressing. In answer to the request of the Prophet, she exclaims, "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruise; and behold I am gathering a few sticks, that I may dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and then die. And the Prophet said, Fear not, but go and do as thou hast said; for thus saith the Lord, (how infinitely condescending in Deity, thus to regard a worm of the earth!) thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did as Elijah said unto her, and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days: and the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah." How wonderfully were all these circumstances ordered! the brook dried up, nearly at the same time when the poor widow's store was almost exhausted. At this time of need, the Prophet is sent to her; she came out of the city just as the Prophet arrived there: she appears disposed to forego her own support for his assistance, and he, in return, announced to her the consolatory tidings, that God would take care that all her wants should be supplied by the riches of his bounty. Oh, let us ever trust in the watchful providence of the universal Parent, who feeds the young ravens when they cry. He who clothes the grass of the fields, shall he not much more feed and clothe the children of his peculiar care? Oh! let us "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all needful blessings will be added unto us. God is still the same, still looks upon his servants with tender regard, and he still has the fulness of the earth at his command.

After this, we find the prophet, in obedience to the command of God, appearing before the wicked Ahab. Fear

lessly he charged him and his house as wicked apostates from the true religion, as shameful violators of the commandments of the Lord, and as worshippers of Baalim. At the instance of Elijah, this idolatrous king is made to summon the priests and the people to Mount Carmel. What is the object ?—That the vanity of the idols which they worshipped might be exposed, and the divinity of the God of Israel demonstrated. "How long, (said the magnanimous Elijah, upon this occasion,) how long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him." Then, with holy fervour, addressing himself to Jehovah, he prays-" Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day, that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word." Immediately the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the sacrifice : the priests of Baal were confounded; the people fell on their faces, crying out " The Lord, he is God! the Lord, he is God!" After this signal triumph, we find him pouring out his soul before God, imploring rain; and in answer to this intercession, the heavens became black with clouds and winds, and there was great rain. How powerful is faithful prayer with God! Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth, by the space of three years and six months. He prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (James v. 17, 18.)

Notwithstanding these many and convincing proofs of his divine authority, as a prophet of the Most High; and notwithstanding the seasonable supply of rain, when the nation was almost ruined for lack of it, which through his intercession was granted; the infamous Jezebel, instead of being grateful, thirsted for his life. To escape her implacable resentment, he flies into the wilderness. He appears in this situation, to be almost ready to sink. In the

time of trial, however, God appeared to his comfort; and as before, he commanded the ravens and the widow to support him, so now he sends an angel to give him food. "The angel of the Lord, (saith the scriptures,) came the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise, and eat, because the journey is too far for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat, forty days, and forty nights, into Horeb, the Mount of God."

After the death of Ahab, we find this wonderful man, announcing to the messengers of Ahaziah, Ahab's son, that the death of their master, (concerning whom they had been sent to inquire of the idol god of Ekron,) was just at hand. This enraged the dying prince; and to apprehend the prophet, he sent a band of fifty armed men. These, by fire from heaven, were destroyed: and another fifty, for the same presumptuous temerity, met with the same fate. With the third fifty, despatched upon the same errand, he was directed by the angel of the Lord to go: he went, and with undaunted courage stood before the king, declared the anger of the Lord against him, and pronounced the dreadful mandate :- "Thou shalt surely die." The effect which this had upon the king, we know not; but certainly his fury appears to have been turned away, and probably his purpose of violence defeated. Let us fear no danger in the path of duty: God will keep the feet of his saints; and by strength shall no man prevail against him.

As the life of this singular man was marked with a variety of wonderful incidents, so his end was extraordinary. In company with Elisha, his successor, he crossed the River Jordan-the waters obeying the mandate of the prophet, and leaving to him and his companion a passage on dry ground. And as they still went on, behold a glorious convoy was prepared for the translation of the prophet. A chariot of fire, and horses of fire, appeared, and parted them both asunder: and Elijah went up by the whirlwind into heaven. He, like Enoch, was translated that

he should not see death; and this too, in a public, visible manner, as a testimony of God's approbation, and a proof infallible to those few godly persons who remained, that it is not in vain to serve the Lord.

Do we desire, my readers, to ascend with Elijah to heaven? Then let our affections be fixed on the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Let us give ourselves to the Lord; let us serve and love him and though our bodies must awhile sleep in the dust, our spirits shall be conveyed by the ministry of angels, into the mansions of the blessed.

OUR HEAVENLY INHERITANCE.

Let us consider some of the names given to it in scripture: every one of them is full of comfort to the christian. 1. It is called eternal life. Life is a mysterious thing, and so indeed is heaven. Oh! the immensely vast reserve of glory in the other world: we cannot know it; eye cannot see, ear cannot hear, the heart cannot conceive of it. The eye of man has seen a great many things, but never any saw the happiness that is in reserve for the people of God. The ear has heard many things, pleasant sounds, exquisite melody; but the ear of man never heard the accented hallelujahs of the higher house. The conception of man will go beyond all that he could ever learn by sense. Imagination can conceive that God can make a better world than this; but it never entered into the heart of man to conceive of what God has laid up for them that love him: the most exalted idea that even faith and revelation can give, falls infinitely short of the superlative excellency of the thing itself: we but lisp and stamper when we speak of the things of the other world. However, the Bible has furnished us with some thoughts which have helped to bring in the knowledge of