O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came. into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house,

and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

Question.-Where was Zarephath?

In

Answer. It was situated near the coast, about midway between Sidon and Tyre, the two famous seaports the Gospel of St. Luke the name appears as Sarepta ; ruins of it may yet be seen. A small village near the spot is now named Sarafend.

Q.-Does the miracle of the barrel of meal and the cruse of oil resemble any other recorded in the Bible?

4.-A miracle of a similar kind was performed by our Saviour when he fed a vast multitude on five loaves and two fishes, as described in each of the four Gospels.

Q. Why did the widow speak so complainingly to Elijah when her son died?

A.-She was probably conscious of having committed some great sin, and thought that Elijah had been sent to punish her by bringing about the death of her son. Q.-Did the act of Elijah in praying that the lad might be restored to life exhibit any peculiarity in his character?

A.-It showed that, stern and unrelenting as he could be when praying that there might be no rain in the land, or when destroying the priests of Baal, he could be tenderhearted and kind to the poor woman who had shared what she believed to be her last little store of food with him, and who had given him shelter.

AN

ND it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain

upon the earth. And Elijah went to

shew himself unto Ahab.

And there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: For it was so when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the

land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation er kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from

And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or pervadventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him.

And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, the LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

And Elijah said unto them, take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Question. Where is Mount Carmel, and what is the meaning of the name?

Answer. It is the name (signifying either a wood or a

vineyard-like garden") given to a mountain range which forms the loftiest and most striking headland on the Mediterranean coast of Palestine, on the south side of the Bay of Acre. The highest point, about 1,700 feet above the sea, is in the north-eastern part of the range, and it was no doubt near this summit that the altars were built. The modern inhabitants of the district name it Mar Elijas, or the Mount of Elijah. It is a very

beautiful spot and the view from the summit extends over the most fertile parts of Palestine.

Q. Why did the priests of Baal cut themselves with knives when they found that their prayers received no answer?

A. They believed, as the heathen did in old times, and as many do now, that their god delighted in witnessing human suffering, and would be so pleased with the wounds they inflicted on themselves, that he would hear and grant their prayer. Another of the so-called gods of some of the people of the country is Moloch, to

please whom, as it was supposed, parents burned their children. The sacrifice of human beings, common among most of the heathen nations of antiquity originated in the same idea, the unhappy priests and worshippers being unable to conceive the existence of a God of Love.

Q. What altar was it that Elijah repaired? A.-In the book of Joshua it is stated that among the thirtyone kings of the country conquered by the great Hebrew leader when he took possession of the Promised Land, was "the King of Jokream of Carmel," no doubt the territory around the mountain, and also that in the division of the land among the tribes, Carmel is included in the possession of the tribe of the children of Assur. The altar, broken down in the time of Ahab, was probably erected after the division of the land.

Q. Why did Elijah dig a trench around the altar he had built, and direct that water should be three times poured on the bullock he had prepared?

A. For the purpose of showing to the people that natural fire could not possibly be applied to the offering, and to remove any doubt in their minds as to the reality of the fire from heaven. That the people were convinced is shown by the fact that, overcome by terror, they fell on their faces and acknowledged that the Lord whom Elijah had called on was the true God.

Q. How was it that Ahab and his great officers made no attempt to protect the priests of Baal against the terrible punishment inflicted by Elijah?

A.-Most likely they, like the people generally, were terrorstricken at the awful display of Divine power; but their consciences were hardened, and they made no effort to regain the Divine favour. The king allowed the priests of Baal to be killed for preaching an imposture which he had himself encouraged. He was a weak and, it would appear, a cowardly-hearted man, who perhaps thought that, if he agreed to the slaughter of the priests, he would obtain the favour of God, whom all his life he had defied.

ND Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a

little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee

not.

And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Question.-Why did Elijah ascend to the top of Mount Carmel, and then crouch down on the earth with his face between his knees?

Answer.-That position is common in Eastern countries when a person is in deep thought. Eiijah was, no doubt, greatly excited by the great acts he had been called on to perform, and sat in this manner to recover his self-possession, while anxiously waiting for the fulfilment of the promise he had received of the coming rain, of which he had assured Ahab. He sent his servant (a lad from his own country, who seems to have followed his master faithfully, however dangerous it might have been) to note the appearance of the clouds, while he waited, praying, perhaps, to the Lord for strength and direction.

Q. In what direction did the servant see the little cloud arise?

A.-It appeared to come out of the sea-that is, from the Mediterranean, and was therefore carried by a westerly wind, which generally brings rain in that part of the world.

Q. What reason could Elijah have had for running before the chariot of Ahab, through the great rain, to the royal city of Jezreel, a distance of

sixteen miles?

A.-Although so Divinely favoured as to be made the means of announcing the will of the Lord, and endowed with strength to do mighty works, he does not appear to

to have been permitted to know what was in the future. He seems to have thought that Ahab, after witnessing the awful events on Mount Carmel, would at once acknowledge the true Lord, and forbid Baal-worship in his kingdom, and he was anxious to be with him and assist in the good work. In his eagerness to serve the

66

Lord, he thought nothing of the distance, the exertion required, or the fierce storm of rain. Binding up his loins" means drawing up his long outer garment and securing it to the girdle he wore, so that it should not interfere with swift running.

AND Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah

had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there, and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant,

thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.

And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and break in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away.

And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus : and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay and him that escapeth from the