eat." At his head there was a cake and a cruse of water. This is repeated, and we cannot but be impressed with its importance.

The cake and water, of which he twice partook, are to give him strength for his journey. Has he forgotten his meat and water at Cherith? or at Zarephath? Is he to go back there, and learn how, through this journey of life, he is in the power and Spirit of the covenant? However, constituted as we are, we are taught wherein is life, and how to walk.

When he approaches the mount of God, he, in his despondency, betakes himself to a cave; and the word of the Lord came again, saying unto him, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" He is commanded to go and stand upon the mount, before the Lord, and learn, that however zealous he may have been to testify to Jehovah, He is not in the stormy wind, the engulphing earthquake, or the destroying fire. He may, in his zeal, call down fire from heaven, and destroy men's lives; but God is not there, but in the still small voice that hushes into calm the fierce storms and unruly passions within.

If we would be jealous for God, it must be as the fruit of a resting or abiding in the covenant. The principles of which become the joy of our heart, and God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. He reveals Himself, and we know how and where to look for Him. All the extraordinary works of Elijah, in his jealousy for the covenant, are nothing to an abiding trust and continual rest in God. Elijah is not alone in respect of this, for there are 7,000 that have not bowed the knee to Baal. Herein we learn the covenant of God; and we repeat, that the failings of men are no plea for our shortcomings. Elijah arose, and did eat, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb,

the Mount of God. In these words we read the testimony of God to this holy man, that the boast of his life was a hungering and thirsting after the blessings of the covenant, until he reached the mount of holiness in the chariot of fire. Elijah, though clothed in a garment of hair and a leathern girdle, possessed the true inheritance, and was rich toward God. Like the Baptist, he had renounced the world, and took no thought what he should eat or what he should put on. Sitting loose to earthly things, his heart was where his treasure was, and he inherited a sure reward.

Ahab and Elijah, king and prophet, would together witness to the covenant and express the truth. The king going before, putting away the evil out of the land, and the prophet following as revealing the mind and will of Jehovah. But Ahab denied his kingship, therefore was the hand of the Lord upon Elijah, who girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab; for he took the king's place, and executed judgment upon all the enemies of the Lord.

The wickedness of Ahab was not only that he halted between two opinions, and made Israel to sin, but he sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord Jehovah.

Two very expressive incidents indicate this. With respect to judgment, he made covenant with the enemies of Israel, and let go out of hand him whom Jehovah had appointed to utter destruction (1 Kings xx. 42). With respect to righteousness the inheritance of the true Israelite, that with which none should part-he worked evil: he killed and took possession (1 Kings xxi. 19). He who would destroy the paternal blessing-all that it represented and testified toshall have his life's blood given to the dogs, and his posterity taken away. The judgment of a Holy God is upon the house

of Ahab, whose son walks in the steps of his ungodly father. Ahaziah sends a captain with his fifty to the prophet, commanding him to come down; but Elijah is a man of God, and the word in his mouth is truth. Does then Ahab's wicked son pour contempt on that man of God? Does he despise that Word? Elijah realises his true condition, and vindicates the holiness of his God; he cannot come down, he cannot submit to evil, and so calls down fire from heaven, and the men are consumed. It is repeated, with the like result. But a third comes with his fifty. He submits. It is the subjugation of evil, and Elijah acts accordingly. We have seen in three instances where this holy man appeared to fail, and was instructed by the providence of God; we now find him standing, and wherein he stood. By these outward symbolic acts, Elijah exhibited how every enemy must be destroyed, if we would be men of God, and the Word of the Lord be in our mouth truth. In thus calling down fire from heaven, he testified to the utter destruction of his enemies-the purpose of a holy and covenant God-while, in the Spirit which he possessed, he witnessed to that purpose as for all

men.

Finally, we see him, at Jordan, dividing the waters hither and thither, that he and Elisha went over on dry ground. Here he reaches the end of his journey, and attests the truth of the psalmist's words: "Though I walk through the valley and shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thy sceptre and thy staff comfort me" (Ps. xxiii. 4). He reaped the full blessing of his holy life, as his soul is borne away in the glory of a covenant God into the bosom of the Everlasting Parent.

The life Ahab possessed is only fit for dogs: that of Elijah for fellowship and communion with Jehovah. How simple

then is the Truth of God. If we perceive and grasp the realities, we need not stumble at the Word, but see how, through earthly things, Jehovah reveals himself, a God of mercy and love, desiring all to come to the knowledge of the Truth.

VI.

JONAH iii. 4, 10.

"Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and He did it not."

THE history of Jonah is regarded not only as beginning and ending with difficulty, but as of a very exceptional and extraordinary character. But we shall see that however singular it is as to one event, yet it is simply the history of many.

Here we have the covenant in its relation to sin and transgression; not only as respecting the believer and the prophet of the Lord, but also the great city, as representing the world, whose wickedness came up before Jehovah, calling down his sore judgments upon it.

We find Jonah uttering like words with Elijah, who, because it was not after his own way, would give up his life and die. Their history, however, begins differently. Elijah stands before God. Jonah flees from his presence. The former has a mission to the ungodly Israelites; the latter, to the ungodly Ninevites.

Whatever be the calling or position of men, be they born in Jerusalem or Nineveh, be they vessels of honour or dishonour, each and all stand related to the everlasting covenant. And here we perceive that God is no respecter of persons, and that according to His covenant are all His gracious dealings to be interpreted.

If we understand the scope of this short but compendious history, and the important truth it reveals, we shall clearly