that are left in it: behold, [I say,] they [are] even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed :) and let us send and see. The horses and men are almost all consumed with hunger, few of either are left, and those are likely to perish; therefore we shall run no great hazard by sending out a few if they should be taken and destroyed: there is little difference between that and 14 staying here to perish by famine. They took therefore two chariot horses, and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, say. 15 ing, Go and see; he would venture no more than two. And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way [was] full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king. 16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was [sold] for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD; they found such plenty, that there was more than sufficient for those that went out, and they brought it home and sold it to others.

17

And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate, being a post of great importance and honour, to see that no disorders were committed, and that they did not leave the city quite naked; and the people running out in such crowds to the spoils of the Assyrian camp, threw him down, and trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God 18 had said, who spake when the king came down to him. And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, say. ing, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be tomorrow about this time in the gate 19 of Samaria: And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, [if] the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it 20 with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died. This was so remarkable an event, that it is here repeated with the prediction, to show the truth both of God's promises and threatenings.

1.

FR

REFLECTIONS.

ROM hence we infer, that there may be a strict form of re. ligion where there is great wickedness. The lepers were kept out of the gate, and a strict regard was paid to some ceremonies of the law, while idolatry and wickedness were tolerated and countenanced. A remark which we have often occasion to make; and it is very needful, considering how many rest in a form of religion, without the power of it.

2. The reasoning of these lepers is applicable to our spiritual concerns, and the method to be taken for the security of our souls. When the hearts of penitents are ready to be overwhelmed with sorrow and despair, let them venture on Christ, and the terms of the gospel; they must perish without him, and can but perish at his

feet. He is not an enemy, however Satan and the world may represent him, but a friend. He who applies here, is sure to live. But if there was only a chance, or probability, yet surely it is the wisest way. If we must perish, let it be at the feet of Christ, confessing our sins and imploring mercy.

3. See here a remarkable instance of the power of God. The Syrians heard a great noise, which impressed them with fear; a dreadful sound was in their ears; and they fled without inquiring whether there was reason for fear or not. What little reason have we to be afraid of men, when God has so many ways of confounding them, and disappointing their most artful devices.

4. It is natural to impart joy, and it is our duty to publish good tidings to others. We should be willing to impart temporal pleas ures, that others may share with us; and especially spiritual pleasures; tell them our experience of God's goodness, and the pleasures of religion; tell them our joys and hopes; and say, O Zaste and see that the Lord is gracious.

5. Let us learn, as the chief lesson, the fatal consequence of unbelief. This nobleman thought himself very witty upon the prophet; but he was trodden down as mire in the streets his greatness, and rank, and the king's favour, were no security to him. Thus men of unbelieving hearts, by despising the word of the Lord, dishonour and displease him; deprive themselves of good, and are wretched at last. They shall view eternal life at a distance; shall see others partake of it, while they miss it, and are trodden down to hell. Thus the rich man lifted up his eyes in torments, seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. They may see, but shall never taste, the heavenly banquet. This will probably be the case of the freethinkers of our day; who treat the gospel as a cunningly devised fable. They despise the prophets of the Lord, and harden their hearts against the God of heaven; and thus judge themselves unworthy of eternal life. Let us humbly submit to the authority of God, and heartily receive his whole will, without cavilling or disputing. Take heed, brethren, lest there be found in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

CHAP, VIII.

'Elisha, from a principle of gratitude, here advises his good friend the Shunammite to leave the country, on account of the seven years of famine which were coming upon it; upon her return, her land is restored to her; Benhadad's death, who is succeeded by Hazael; and Joram's wicked reign.

TH

HEN spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come

upon the land seven years. As former calamities and deliverances had made little impression, a longer and heavier fumine is brought 2 upon them. And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourn ed in the land of the Philistines seven years. There was plenty, and though the enemies of God and Israel, yet they allowed them to 3 live quietly among them, And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house 4 and for her land.* And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. It was lawful to talk with a leper at a distance; and the kings great curiosity made him not 5 very nice on this occasion. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, Õ king, this [is] the woman, and this [is] her son, whom Elisha 6 restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him she confirmed what Gehazi had said, and perhaps added other circumstances to it. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that [was] her's, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land even till now. He ordered the land to be restored, with an equivalent for all the profit made of it since she had left it.

And Elisha came to Damascus, at the beginning of the famine and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. The fame of what he had done for Naaman gave the king a great opinion of his 8 power with God; And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 9 So Hazael went to meet him, as he came into the city, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him,† and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall 10 I recover of this disease? And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover, there is nothing in thy disease that is mortal: howbeit the LORD hath showed me that 11 he shall surely die by some other means. And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he, Hazael, was quite ashamed and put out of countenance; perhaps imagining that the prophet suspected something very evil in him: and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered,

• Upon leaving the country, her land was seized by some near relation, or confiscated. There was a strange alteration from what she was before, when she said, I dwell among my own people.

This seems to have been only a present of food, which at that time would be very acceptable. It is probable he had some of the sons of the prophets with him.

Mr. Addison takes notice of this, as a beautiful instance of love to his country, that calamities coming upon it, probably after his time, should afflict him so much.

Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child; which was the highest degree 13 of barbarous cruelty. And Hazael said, But what, [is] thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?* And Elisha answered, The LORD hath showed me that thou [shalt be] king over Syria; and when thou hast power, thou wilt discover thy bloody disposition, and hatred to Israel, though others see no probability of it, and thou thinkest thyself not capable of such wickedness. 14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me [that] thou shouldst surely recover. He said this to keep up the king's spirits, and prevent his suspecting any evil design. 15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped [it] in water, and spread [it] on his face, so that he died and Hazael reigned in his stead. His great desire to reign would not suffer him to wait for his master's death; but he dispatched him the next morning.†

16

And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat [being] then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of 17 Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight 18 years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was 19 his wife and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, [and] to his children.

20

In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, 21 and made a king over themselves. So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the cap22 tains of the chariots and the people fled into their tents. Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time, acccording to Isaac's prophecy, Gen. xxvii. 40.

23

:

And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 24 Judah? And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Ahaziah his son reigned in

his stead.

Song understand this, as if he had said, I am so inconsiderable a ereature, that it is not likely I should have power to do it.' But it is rather an expression of great abhorrence of such inhumanity and cruelty.

Josephus says, the king complained of heat, and that Hazael, under pretence of cooling his face, stified him. Thus he made no noise, there were no signs of violence, and Hazael was not suspected of the murder; upon which, being in great favour with the people and the sol diers, he was chosen king. How he behaved, we shall read of hereafter.

For a larger account of Jehoram's wicked reign, see 2 Chron. ch. xxi. which should be tead next.

25. In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. 26 Two and twenty years old [was] Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Athaliah, the daughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as [did] the house of Ahab : for he [was] the son in law of the house of Ahab.

28

And he went with Jorain the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wound29 ed Joram. And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

1.

REFLECTIONS.

BSERVE another instance of the power God over uni

is a remarkable phrase in v. 1. for the Lord hath called for a famine. So in Psalm cv. 16. Moreover he called for a famine on the land; he brake the whole staff of bread. All calamities are from God, and come at his call, where and when he bids them, and he appoints how long they shall continue. Let us regard his hand in all our calamities and deliverances. They who despise or overlook it, may expect greater and heavier afflictions.

2. Learn how much of the providence of God is to be seen in apparently little contingencies: the Shunammite came in just as Gehazi was telling her story. Those who observe the dealings of God, have often seen such things. His wisdom and goodness have timed certain events, so as to make them peculiarly remarkable, and in their consequences peculiarly comfortable and happy. In the mount of difficulty, the Lord is seen. Psalm cvii. 43. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.

3. See how afflictions, especially those of sickness, change men's minds. When Benhadad was sick, Rimmon was nothing; he then wanted the help of a prophet; of that same prophet he had sent a detachment to seize and intended to destroy. He now reverences him as a father, and sends him a present. Afflictions show men the vanity of their idols, their riches, and pleasures. Then they will seek God early, have other thoughts of his ministers, and value the counsels and prayers of those whom before they despised. Many have reason to say, Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but since I have kept thy law.

4. How much may men be mistaken in themselves! they do not know how a change of circumstances may alter their temper and conduct. Hazael expressed great abhorrence at the evil which isha prophesied he would do to Israel; but he afterward did as