W

XII.

THE ASCENSION.

2 KINGS ii.

E have a false idea of the work of Elijah if we suppose that it was restricted to such public appearances as that which he made on Carmel, or such denunciations of iniquity in high places as those which he uttered in the vineyard of Naboth and the palace of Samaria. In the history of a nation it has often been noted that the periods of its highest prosperity are those which furnish fewest materials for the public annalist; and similarly in the life of a minister of God, the years of his most potent influence and most enduring work are frequently those concerning which his biographer can find least to say.

Controversy, like war, is noisy and demonstrative, and forces itself on the attention of the chronicler; but growth is a thing of quietness, and is withal so gradually manifested that it eludes the observation of the historian. I say not this by way of undervaluing controversy, for it has its own place and importance; and he who shrinks from it when the honor of Christ's name or the purity of Christ's church is concerned, is as much to be condemned as is the man who is an ecclesiastical Ishmaelite, with his hands against every one, and every one's hands against him. After all, however, the benefit of controversy is only temporary.

It is an expos

ure and defeat of error for the time; but unless it be followed up by the adoption of some measures for the permanent conservation of the truth, the evil will come back, and the whole

battle will have to be fought over again. Therefore, though less note may be taken of their quiet exertions, those who, after times of strife and debate, have sought to erect and maintain educational institutions for the perpetuation of liberty and truth, have done a work as needful and as important as that of the valiant hero who, in the hour of battle, stood forth as the champion of the Lord.

Now, it is an evidence of the real greatness of Elijah that he rendered both of these kinds of service to his country. For the reason which I have already assigned, there is less said of the educational than of the controversial portion of his work by the historian. Yet, from sundry incidental allusions, we are led to the conclusion that much of the Tishbite's labors, especially in the later years of his life, were given to the superintendence of the education of the sons of the prophets throughout the land. The first mention in Scripture of "schools of the prophets" is in the history of Samuel, and it is probable that he was himself the founder of that at Naioth. It is likely, too, that David bestowed considerable attention on these important seminaries, but, during the years that intervened between Solomon and Ahab, we have no reference made to them in the sacred books. And it is not unreasonable to conclude that in the widespread defection of the tribes, both in Judah and Israel, from the Lord, they had fallen into neglect. But, after the stirring controversy of his earlier ministry, Elijah seems to have set himself to the fostering, if not indeed to the refounding, of these establishments. Either he himself set up such schools at Gilgal, at Bethel, and at Jericho, or, finding them existing there in a languishing condition, he labored to give them prosperity and permanence. These ancient colleges were under the superintendence of a recognized prophet, who was called the father, while the students were styled his children, or sons. They were places of retire

ment adapted for study and devotion; yet they were not monasteries, as we now understand the word, for the students were permitted to marry. They seem to me to have resembled rather the seminary of the ancient Culdee church, the ruins of which still awaken the interest of the traveler in the island of Iona, and which was not a place of education merely, but also a great missionary centre from which laborers went forth in every direction to do the work of the Lord. The subject of study at these institutions was the law of Moses; and along with that, but subsidiary to it, attention was given to music and sacred poetry, while, alike for purposes of recreation and preparation for after-usefulness, the young men were trained in various handicrafts, like those who to-day are in the seminary of the venerable Spittler, near Basel, on the edge of the Black Forest.

In going to and fro among these schools, Elijah found the labor and the happiness of his later years. His form was familiar to the students, and they cherished for him a peculiar affection, which was as warmly reciprocated. So, when the close of his sojourn on the earth drew near, and it was intimated to him that he should be taken up to heaven by a whirlwind, it was natural that he should wish to pay a farewell visit to those interesting institutions in which were gathered the young men who were the nation's hope. Indeed, from the narrative before us, it would seem that he was already at Gilgal when he said to Elisha, who had been for years his constant attendant, "Tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel." But a similar intimation to that which had been given to Elijah had been vouchsafed to the son of Shaphat, and he, resolved to abide by his master to the last, replied, "As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee." So they went both down to Bethel. As they approached the site of the sacred seminary, the well-known form of the man of God was recog

nized by the students, to whom also a knowledge of what was about to happen had been divinely communicated, and they came forth in a body to meet him with a greeting which was all the more tender because they knew it was their last. In response, we may imagine that he gave to them a few earnest counsels, bearing on their character and work; but he said no word of that which was most heavy on their hearts; and eager to talk to some one on the subject, they whispered to Elisha, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day?" But he was as reserved as his master, and merely indicated that he was aware of what was about to take place, while he enjoined them to be silent, out of respect to the feelings of Elijah.

When they were about to depart from Bethel, the prophet renewed his request that Elisha should remain behind. It is difficult to account for this earnest wish of the Tishbite to be alone in the last and most glorious incident of his career. Perhaps its very solemnity made him desire to go apart from his fellows and his friends. We know that extreme agony or severe anxiety produces in the soul this longing for solitude, and it may be that at the other end of the scale the same law holds good, and that the highest raptures of triumph isolate a man from others as really as do the deepest trials. Or the prophet may have been prompted by a laudable modesty, and may have shrunk from seeming to make that a spectacle to others which was so full of honor to himself. Or, as in the case of Jesus, with the earnest suppliant, he may merely have designed to test and stimulate the faith of Elisha, so that at the critical moment he might be ready to receive the valuable legacy which he wished to leave him. But, whatever may have been his motive for asking Elisha to stay, his request was earnestly deprecated; and so they went on together to Jericho, where the incidents which had occurred at Bethel were substantially repeated.

Again the students spoke privately to Elisha of his master's departure, and received an answer identical with that which he had given to their brethren. Again Elijah desired him to remain behind, and the former reply was given with deeper and more earnest emphasis.

So out from Jericho they two went on. Fifty students followed them till they came to an eminence which overlooked the Jordan, and there they remained "to view afar off." But the two pilgrims wended their way on toward the river, and when they reached the bank, Elijah, taking his mantle from his shoulders, and wrapping it up into a roll, smote the waters with it, and immediately they were parted hither and thither, so that they went over on dry ground. Up from the opposite bank they still held on their way; and now, breaking the sacred silence which they had both maintained concerning that which was yet so vividly before their minds, Elijah said, "Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee;" to which Elisha made reply, "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me."

How wisely, how divinely taught the son of Shaphat was! He seeks not riches, nor worldly honor, nor power, nor any thing that is in its nature earthly. He desires a double portion of his master's spirit. A double portion—the expression is peculiar. It does not mean that Elisha wished to be twice as great a prophet as his master had been. It is the formula which is used in the law to denote the portion of the first-born son in the family; and its employment here by Elisha is very much as if he had spoken after this fashion: "Thou hast been visiting, at Gilgal, at Bethel, and at Jericho, thy spiritual sons; let me be as the first-born among them. Let me be, indeed, thy successor, the inheritor of thy spirit, and the continuer of thy work."

To this request Elijah made reply: "Thou hast asked a hard thing nevertheless, if thou see me taken from thee, it