"still in store for him, and I shall live to fee the fame hand hereafter crown ٢٠ "his head with glory and honour?" We may naturally suppose her innocently carried away with such thoughts, when The is called back by an unexpected distemper which surprises her fon, and in one moment brings down all her hopes - for his fickness was fo fore that there was no breath left in him. The expoftulations of immoderate grief are feldom just - For, though Elijah had already preserved her fon, as well as herself from immediate death, and was-the last cause to be suspected of so sad an accident; yet the paffionate mother in the first transport challenges him as the author of her misfortune; 2 - as if he had brought down forrow upon a house, which had fo hofpitably sheltered : sheltered him. The prophet was too full of compaffion, to make reply to fo unkind an accusation. He takes the dead child out of bis mother's bofom, and. laid him upon his own bed; and be cried unto the Lord and faid, O Lord my God! bast thou brought evil upon the widow with whom I fojourn, by laying her fon? " Is this the reward of all her charity " and goodness ? thou haft before this" robbed her of the dear partner of all " her joys and all her cares; and now " that she is a widow, and has most rea" son to expect thy protection; behold "thou hast withdrawn her last prop: "thou hast taken away her child, the " only stay she had to reft on." - And Elijah cried unto God, and faid, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul. come into him again. The 3 The prayer was urgent, and bespoke the distress of a humane mind deeply suffering in the misfortunes of another; moreover his heart was rent with other paffions. He was zealous for the name and honour of his God, and thought not only his omnipotence, but his glorious attribute of mercy concern'd in the event: for, oh! with what triumph would the prophets of Baal retort his own bitter taunt, and fay, bis God was either talking, or be was pursuing, or was in a journey or peradventure be fiept and Should have been awaked. He was moreover involved in the success of his prayer himself; - honest minds are most hurt by scandal. - And he was afraid, left fo foul a one, so unworthy of his character, might arise amongst the heathen, who would report with pleasure, "Lo! "the widow of Zerephath took the mef" senger "senger of the God of Ifrael under her " roof, and kindly entertained him, and " see how she is rewarded; surely the prophet was ungrateful, he wanted "power, or what is worse, he wanted "pity!" 1 Besides all this, he pleaded not only the cause of the widow; it was the cause of charity itself, which had received a deep wound already, and would fuffer still more should God deny it this testimony of his favour. So the Lord hearkned unto the voice of Elijah, and the foul of the child came into him again, and be revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijab faid, see thy son liveth. It would be a pleasure to a good mind.. to stop here a moment, and figure to its felf the picture of so joyful an event. To behold on one hand the raptures of the parent, overcome with surprize and gratitude, and imagine how a fudden stroke of such impetuous joy must ope rate on a despairing countenance, long accustomed to fadness. - To conceive on the other fide of the piece, the holy man approaching with the child in his arms full of honeft triumph in his looks, but sweetened with all the kind fympathy which a gentle nature could overflow with upon fo happy an event. It is a fubject one might recommend to the pencil of a great genius, and would even afford matter for description here; but that it would lead us too far from the particular purpose, for which I have enlarged upon thus much of the story already; |