been as secret as good. Policy and religion do as well together, as they do ill asunder. The dove, without the serpent, is easily caught; the serpent, without the dove, stings deadly. Religion, without policy, is too simple to be safe; policy, without religion, is too subtle to be good: their match makes themselves secure, and many happy.

O degenerated estate of Israel! any thing was now lawful there, saving piety. It is well if God's prophets can find a hole to hide their heads in; they must needs be hard driven, when fifty of them are fain to crowd together into one cave: there they had both shade and repast. Good Obadiah hazards his own life to preserve theirs, and spends himself in that extreme dearth, upon their necessary diet: bread and water was more now, than other while wine and delicacies. Whether shall we wonder more at the mercy of God in reserving a hundred prophets, or in thus sustaining them being reserved? When did God ever leave his Israel unfurnished of some prophets? When did he leave his prophets unprovided of some Obadiah? How worthy art Thou, O Lord, to be trusted with thine own charge! While there are men upon earth, or birds in the air, or angels in heaven, thy messengers cannot want pro

vision.

Goodness carries away trust, where it cannot have imitation. Ahab divides with Obadiah the survey of the whole land; they two set their own eyes on work, for the search of water, of pasture to preserve the horses and mules alive. O the poor and vain cares of Ahab! He casts to kill the prophet, to save the cattle; he never seeks to save his own soul to destroy idolatry; he takes thought for grass, none for mercy. Carnal hearts are ever either grovelling on the earth or delving in it; no more regarding God or their souls, than if they either were not, or were worthless.

Elijah hears of the progress, and offers himself to

the view of them both. Here was wisdom in this courage; first, he presents himself to Obadiah, ere he will be seen of Ahab, that Ahab might, upon the report of so discreet an informer, digest the expectation of his meeting; then he takes the opportunity of Ahab's presence, when he might be sure Jezebel was away.

Obadiah meets the prophet, knows him, and, as if he had seen God in him, falls on his face to him, whom he knew his master persecuted: though a great peer, he had learned to honour a prophet. No respect was too much for the president of that sacred college. To the poor boarder of the Sareptan, here was no less than a prostration, and My lord Elijah,' from the great high steward of Israel. Those that are truly gracious cannot be niggardly of their observances to the messengers of God.

Elijah receives the reverence, returns a charge; "Go, tell thy lord, behold Elijah is here." Obadiah finds this load too heavy; neither is he more stricken with the boldness, than with the unkindness of this. command; boldness in respect of Elijah, unkindness in respect of himself: for thus he thinks, if Elijah do come to Ahab, he dies; if he do not come, I die: if it be known that I met him, and brought him not, it is death; if I say that he will come voluntarily, and God shall alter his intentions, it is death. How unhappy a man am I, that must be either Elijah's executioner, or my own! Were Ahab's displeasure but smoking, I might hope to quench it; but now that the flame of it hath broken forth to the notice, to the search of all the kingdoms and nations round about, it may consume me, I cannot extinguish it: this message was for an enemy of Elijah, for a client of Baal. As for me, I have well approved my true devotion to God, my love to his prophets: what have I done, that I should be singled out either to kill Elijah, or to be killed for him? Many a hard plunge must that man needs be driven to, who would

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hold his conscience together with the service and favour of a tyrant. It is a happy thing to serve a just master; there is no danger, no stain in such obedience.

But, when the prophet binds his resolution with an oath, and clears the heart of Obadiah from all fears, from all suspicions, the good man dares be the messenger of that which he saw was decreed in heaven. Doubtless Ahab startled to hear of Elijah coming to meet him, as one that did not more hate than fear the prophet. Well might he think, Thus long, thus far have I sought Elijah; Elijah would not come to seek me, but under a sure guard, and with some strange commission; his coarse mantle hath the advantage of my robe and sceptre; if I can command a piece of the earth, I see he can command heaven. The edge of his revenge is taken off with a doubtful expectation of the issue; and now when Elijah offers himself to the eyes of Ahab, he, who durst not strike, yet durst challenge the prophet, "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" Jeroboam's hand was still in Ahab's thoughts; he holds it not so safe to smite, as to expostulate. He, that was the head of Israel, speaks out that which was in the heart of all his people, that Elijah was the cause of all their sorrow. Alas, what hath the righteous prophet done? He taxed their sin, he foretold the judgment, he deserved it not, he inflicted it not; yet he smarts, and they are guilty: as if some fond people should accuse the herald or the trumpet as the cause of their war; or, as if some ignorant peasant, when he sees his fowls bathing in his pond, should cry out of them as the causes of foul weather.

O the heroical spirit of Elijah! He stands alone amidst all the train of Ahab, and dares not only repel this charge, but retort it; "I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim." No earthly glory can daunt him, who hath the clear and heartening vi

sions of God; this holy seer discerns the true cause of our sufferings to be our sins: foolish men are plagued for their offences; and it is no small part of their plague that they see it not. The only common disturber of men, families, cities, kingdoms, worlds, is sin; there is no such traitor to any state, as the wilfully wicked: the quietest and most plausible offender is secretly seditious, and stirreth quarrels in heaven.

The true messengers of God carry authority even where they are maligned; Elijah doth at once reprove the king, and require of him the improvement of his power, in gathering all Israel to Carmel, in fetching thither all the prophets of Baal. Baal was rich in Israel, while God was poor; while God hath but one hundred prophets hid closely in Obadiah's caves, Baal hath eight hundred and fifty; four hundred and fifty dispersed over the villages and towns. of Israel, four hundred at the court; God's prophets are glad of bread and water, while the four hundred trencher-prophets of Jezebel feed on her dainties they lurk in caves, while these lord it in the pleasantest groves. Outward prosperity is a false note of truth. All these, with all Israel, doth Elijah require Ahab to summon unto Carmel. It is in the power of kings to command the assembly of the prophets; the prophet sues to the prince for the indiction of this synod. They are injurious to sovereignty who arrogate this power to none but spiritual hands. How is it, that Ahab is as ready to perform this charge as Elijah to move it? I dare answer for his heart, that it was not drawn with love: was it out of the sense of one judgment, and fear of another? He smarted with the dearth and draught, and well thinks Elijah would not be so round with him for nothing. Was it out of an expectation of some miraculous exploit which the prophet would do in the sight of all Israel? or, was it out of the overruling power of the Almighty? "The heart of kings is in

the hands of God, and he turns it which way soever he pleaseth."

Israel is met together, Elijah rates them, not so much for their superstition, as for their unsettledness and irresolution. One Israelite serves God, another Baal; yea, the same Israelite, perhaps, serves both God and Baal: "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." Nothing is more odious to God than a profane neutrality in main oppositions of religion: to go upright in a wrong way, is a less eye-sore to God, than to halt betwixt right and wrong. The spirit wisheth that the Laodicean were either hot or cold: either temper would be better borne than neither, than both: in reconcilable differences nothing is more safe than indifferency both of practice and opinion; but, in cases of so necessary hostility as betwixt God and Baal, he that is on neither side is the deadliest enemy to both; less hateful are they to God that serve him not at all, than they that serve him with a rival.

Whether out of guiltiness, or fear, or uncertainty, Israel is silent, yet, while their mouth was shut, their eyes were open. It was a fair motion of Elijah; "I am only remaining a prophet of the Lord, Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty; let them choose one bullock, let me choose another; their devotion shall be combined, mine single; the God that consumes the sacrifice by fire from heaven, let him be God." Israel cannot but approve it; the prophets of Baal cannot refuse it; they had the appearance of the advantage, in their number, in the favour of king and people. O strange disputation, wherein the argument, which must be used, is fire; the place whence it must be fetched, heaven; the mood and figure, devotion; the conclusion, death to be overcome!

Had not Elijah, by divine instinct, been assured