Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 14. TTu hit^ plaeee were not remeoetC\ Ha «aa not able to make a thorouc'h reformation i this was reserved for his son JehosbaphaL

A«a'« heaH toaspsi^%e(j He vroishipped ibe true Ood; and zealously prot&oted hu service; sea on ver. 3. And even the high pheeo vdlich be did not remove vrara tauhabiy those wiere the true Ood alone 'was worshippeo; for, that there were such hi^ places, the preceding hiatory aihply proves; and Jardlti intimates that these were placea which individuals bad Nocted for the worabip of Jebovalk Verse 15. mick hie foAer had dedieatedi Onwfaat acooont be and bis fadwr dedicated the diinga n»ts«ionsd below we know not} but it appean that Ah thswgfct himself bound by the vow of his father.

Verse 16. 7We was war] That ia, there was eoalini»l enmity; see on ver. 6. But there was no open war till the thlrty-eixth ymr of Asik when Baasha, king of Israel, began to build Ramah, that he mi^t prareBiaU communication between Israel and Judah; sea t Clm^ rv. 19. and xvi. 1 [ but this docs not agree wiA what is said here, cht^ rvi. 8; 9. that Baasha waa kiUed I7 Zimri, in the twnty^ffi year ef tfas reign ai Aaa. Chr<molc««rs endeavoor to reooneile this, by saying ijhu

T^pS^ up agslmt Jodaht and built i Ramah, m.4hS "tbathemiffhtnotraSeranrtogooat I Wr*-*-,, or oome. in to Asa kinff of Judah. -

18 Then Asa took all the idver, and the cold that were led io the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the kill's house, and delivered them into the hands of his servants: and King Asa sent them to "Ben-hEidad, the eenof Tabrimcwit theeonofHe Kion, king of Syria, that dwelt at " Dainaseua

"^S^Aere it a leasne between me and thee and between my ktbei and thy father: behold I have sent unto thee a present of silver aw jfpld; come and break thy league with Baasha ki^ of Israel, that be may ^depart from me.

a) So Ben-hadad hearkened unto KinEf Asa and sent the captains of the hosts which ne ha< B<ainst the cities of Israel, and smote 1 1jon, and 'Dan, and * Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.

22 ' Then KinF Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah, none woe " exempted: and tbev took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereofV wherewith Baasha had builded; and King Asa built with them ' Geba of Benjamin, and * Mispah.

23 1| The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all faia nught, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah 7 Neverthdees ■ in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet

Vc.«if 24 And Asa slept with his fathers, Am t qi: and was buried with his &thers in the ArrnkSZ' city of David his father; ^ and ■ Jehoehapbat his son reigned in his stead.

25 f And Nadab.the son of Jeroboam ■ began to reign over Israel in the secona vear of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.

36 And be did evil in the sight of the Lord,

lh« ycv* •bould be reckoned not from th« be«nning of the reign of Am, but from (he Mpsncioii of the nngwima of Isrsel Mid Jodah. It ii moat- certain that Bauha eould not make war upon Am in the Airiy-aixA year of his reign, when it is evident firom thia chapter tbst ne was ■faun in the hptnt]f-»ixlk year of that kmg. We mual citber sdwt As mode of etdulion given by chronologisli^ or giant that there ia amialake in some oftbs numben; most likely in the parallel plaoea in Chronidea, hut which ws have do direct mean* of correctii^. But the reader may oompare 2 Chron. xiv. 1, wilh xv. 10; 19. and XVI. 1.

Tone 17. And Baaaka—huUi Ramah] Aa the word signifies a hLrhplae*, vbct ta here termed Bamah waa prolmbly a httl (eommanding • d^tU thmq^ which lay tfae principa] rond to Jentaalen,) whieh Baulia fortifiei^ in order to prevent all intercauise with the kingdom of Judah, leet hia aubjecU abould cleave to the houae of David. llRmah waa about ftao leagues northward of Jenualem.

Verse la A»a took att t/u tilver) Shiahak, king (rf Egyf>*f had not taken the whole, or there bad been aome traatfurea brought in since that time.

S0n^uuiad] Thia waa the giandaon of Rezoo, called Iwre Heaion, who founded the kingdom of Danuaeiab See chap. xi. 23, 24. and Calnet.

Verae 19. niare ia a Uagaa beiaem me and thee} Or, Let there be a league between me and thee; aa there waa between my ftoher and thy {iuher. Here waa no reaaon why Aaa ahould have emjitied his Ueaaures at tltia time u pTDcMre the aid of the Syrian king; as it doea not appear that there waa any danger which himaelf could not nave.turned aaide. Ue profaaoly wiahed to destroy the kingdom oif Israel i and, to effect thn purpoae^ even robbed the nouae of the Lord.

Verae 20. ^Jon, and Dan, Ae.] He ^peara to have attacked aitd taken those towna whicb eooatituted the prin- ApaJ atrragth of the kiiwdom of larael.

and walked in the war of his fttther, and in ^hif sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.. 27 J "And Baasha the son of Ahi- ^»?:!!«' jah. or the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at

Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.

28 Even in the third year of Asa king o( Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in bis stead.

29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam: he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he bad destroyed him, actHwding nnto * the sayine of the Lord, which he spake oy his servant Alujab the Sbilmlte:

,30 'Because of the Bins of Jeroboam which h« sinned, and which be made Israel sin, \n his cn-ovocation wherewith he {nvvoked the Lobo God of Israel to anger.

31 Now the re« of the acts of Na- '-.Hid^ dab, and all that he did, are they not a ciat-itaa. written in the book of the ChromcleB t.^^%s of the kings of Israel? —

Judah began Baasha the eon of Anijah to reigo over all Israel in Tirsab, twenty and four year*.

34 And he did evB in the sight of the XiORb^ and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and mhv sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

the royoi city.- see ver. 33. and chap. xiv. 17. And ia dua Baoaha waa probably obliged to Hiut himae^ up,

Verae 22. Nont waa txemptad] Every man waa (ddigad to go and help to diamande the fortreaa at Ramah which Baaaha bod built. Thia was a general let£e m maut of the pe<^ie: every one was obligea to lend a helpiiw han^ aa the atale waa then supposed to be in danger, aadwezemptioiu neceaaarily ceased. This ia a maxim of civil poller: Ubi advernu hottem munimdi nait KmUttf omnu immunilaa etssat: " Where the boundaries are to be fortified agamat an enemy, then all exemptiona oeaae."

Verae 23. And t/u cities lejUcA he buM] Such as Qeba and SSsepah, whieb he built out of tbs ^soila of Ramah.

iM« dUeaaed in hitjiut.] ProbaUy be bod a atrong rheumatic oSectton, or the goui. TioM took place iq. the Ikirty-KhUh year (n his reign, Ihrte yeua before bia death: and. It ia aat^ that he aowat to phyaiciana rather (ban to the Lord, 2 Chron. xvi. 12: 13.

Verse 24. Am »ltpt with hiafaUien] Qt hia aplendid and coatly funeral we read,! Chron. xvi. 13.

Verae 26. Nadab — began to rdrn over brael] He began hia reign in the tecond year m the reign of Aas, and emied two years.

Verae 27. Smait him at €Kbbt&on\ Thia waa a city in the tribe of Dan, and general!^ in the poaaeasion of As VbiliBtiiwa.

Verse 29. Be tmofe all (he house qf Jerohoam] Hia was according to Ahijah's prophetic deelarationa; aes cIm^ xiv. 10, 14. Tbua God made uae of oite wicked man to deatrojr another. Verae 32. Thwre waa irar] See on ver. 16. Verae 34. Walked in the way 4)f Jeroboam] The entail of iniquity cannot be cut off but oy a thorou^ converaion of the Boul to God; and, of this^dieae bed xtnea seem to have had no adequate notion. The wicked foSowed the ■Icpa of the wicked, and became atill mora wkksd) sin gainera atrength by txtrdee and age.

Jle Israd; ud ^ thou hast walked in th« war of oroboam, and hut made my people larael to •hi, to provoke me to anger with their siiu;

a Behold, I will 1 take awa^ the posteritj of Baaaha, and the posterity of his house: and win make thy house lite " the house of Jeroboam the ■OD of NebaU

4 " Him that dieth of Baasha in the citj; shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields snail the fowls of the air eat. ^-JSw!" 5 T Now the rest of the acts of «Lc.tn-m Baasha, and what he did, and his L^!Jrm might, 'are they not written in the — book of the Chroniclet of the kings of

6 3° Baasha slept with his fathers, oiuL aiul was buried in p Tirsah: and Elah ImTjISm hi* son reigned in his stead, g*^* 7 And also by the hand of the prophet 4 Jeha the son of Hauajii came the word of the Loan against Baasha, and against his house, even ibr alt the evil that he did in the si^t of the Lord, in prorokiog him to anger with the work of his hands, in neing like tne bouse of Jeroboam: and because ' he killed him.

8 ir In the twenty and sixth year of Asakinf of JudahoeganElah Ae sen 1"^^!% of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tir-

^aS* ^ * his servtmt Zimri, eaptain AMtt^M. of half chariots, conspired against £Uf!utm him, as he was in Tirsah, drmking **■ himself drunk in the house of Arxa, ■ steward of house in Tirzafa.

10 And Zimri went in and smote fafan, and lolled him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa kins of Judah, and reigned in his stead.

11 ^ And it came to pass, when he be«an to nign, as soon as he sat on his throne, tnat he dew all the house of Baasha: he left him " not one that pisseth against a wall, ' neither of his kinsfelkfl, nor of hie fViends.

12 Thns did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, * according to the word of the Lono, which he spake against Baasha ■ 1^ 'Jehu the prophet,

Y«ne 1. 7%«n tht word Vu Loid came to Jdm^ Of ihia prophet we know nothing bat from thu eiTCumitanoe. It appe&ra from 2 Chroa xvi. 7, 10. thU hit father HanaM vu also A prophet, and luffined impriMnment in eonsefaence of the uithml ducharge of his miniatir to Km.

Tens 2. Made Oue pritux over my ptopU] TTiat m, in the coarse of my proriiHeoee, I mjirid thee to become king: for it ia imposaiUe diat God should make a rebel, a Initor, and a murderer, king over hda people, or over Any people. God ia ever rwpraaeDted in Senpture aa ^Ing oioee thing! which, in me ooone of his providaaus, he uarmiit to bo done.

Vtrntl. AndbecmueheMledhiin.] I^ii die Vulgate understands of Jdai the prophd, put to death by Bsaahs: Ob hone cotuam oeeitfti cum, noc erf, Jehu lUium Ha- Roai prapftctomf "on this account he killed him, that ie, Jeha the prophet, the aon of Hanani" Some think Baaeka la intended; others Jeroboam f and other* Nadab, die son of Jeiobo&m. This last is the sentiment of Rob. SaL Jartihi, and of some good critics. Itie order ii here oonfiised; and the seventh verse should probably be placed between the fourth and fifth.

Vena 9- Capiain. ha3f bis (AorMs] It is probable dut Zimri, and some other who is not here named, were eommsoders of the eavaW.

Verse 11. A tleie o/f meftotiwo/'^aacfta] Heendeavowed to exterminate his memory: and the Jews my, when such a matter is determined, they not only destroy dw house of the person himseK but As jCm M^nfotiHnjf Aou*««, diat the memory of ■oai a perspn may peridi from ttw earth.

Versa 13. For all the $liu of ffoosfca] We sse why it was that God permitted such judgments to Ml on this luni^. Baniha was a ariavous offender, and so also was ^16

13 For aU thb sins of Baasha, and the sias of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by whioh they made Israel to sin, in provokinc the Lou God of Iwael to anger ■ with their vanities.

14 Now the reft of the acts of Elnh, *■ JSiT and all that he did, ore they not writ- "-^^J* ten in the book of the Chronicles of the l im kirurs of Israel?

15 IT In the twenty and seventh year t ^ S of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign 4mi lwim. seven days in Tirzah. And the peo- j£i.*52f pie to«re encamped ■ against Gmbe-

16 And the people tJixtt vere encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slaia the kkigi wherefore all Israel made Orori, the captain of the host, king over Ispael that day in the camp.

17 And Omri went up from OStbethon^andaB Israel with him, and they besieged Tirsah.

18 And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the p^aee of the king^s house, and hnrnt the king^i doom over him with fire, and died,

19 For his sins which he sinned in doinf; evfl in the sight of the Lord, * in walking in th* w^ of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

20 Now the reat of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are thar not written ia the book of the Chromeles of the kings of leraet?

21 If Then were the people of lawA divided into two paru; half of the people followMl Tibni the son of Qmath, tomake him king; and half followed Omri.

22 But the people that followed Omri prevailed aoainst the peome that followed Tibni the aon oTOinath: so Tibni lUed, and Omri rewned.

23 If In the thirty and first year of ^iSJ» Asa king of Jod^ began Omri to reign a cjm~mt over Israel^ twelve years: six years l aSu*!* reigned he m Tirsah.

24 And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and bnllt on the hill, tmA called the name of the city iriucSi he built, after the name of Sbemer, owner oT the hffl. ■ Samaria.'

Verse 15. Tlu p»opU were etuampai agatmal Ofiko Aon] It appears that, at this time, the luMtitas had w* with the Piulietinea, and were now bo«egiDg OibbeibA one of their dtios. TYum army, hearing that Zuari had rebelled, and killed Slah, made Omri, their gtneml^ kia^ who immediately raiwd the sieKe of OifabetiMTL and wtat to attack Zimri, in the n^al city of TinsA; wbo) findtag his sfikirs desperate, chose rather 10 eoneome himself m hii palace than to flUl tou> the hands of fats atenias.

Verse 21. Divided into iwo porU] Why dtis di<iisiea tookplace we cannot tell; the people appear to have bsaa for libni, the amy for Omri: ena the latter ptwailed.

Verae 23. In the thirty mdjtrtt yMrtifAoa} then must be a mistake het« in the number (Mriy-ene; fcr, is verse 10 sod 16. it is said that Zhnri slew hw — b^an to reign in the twenty-seventh year ^ Aam t aid as Zimri reigned only setfen day*, uuf Omri ImmvtM^ succeeded nim, this eouM not be in the Ihiriif-firwl^ bat in the fteenJy-wwnJA mw ^ Am, as related above. HA. Sol. Jaraxi reconciles the two places tiws t "n>e dinsioa t>f the kingdom between Tibni and Omri begaa ia the twntyevtHth year of Asa: this divisioB lasted jCrsjMrsk during which Omri Ind but asAors of the kitisdeia. iftsa dying, Omri came into the possCMon of AeiefafatisgdeM, whiui he held MVen years; thia was ia the fUrly-jIrel year of Asa. £Ieeen yattre be reigned atoKe; jCve 3MDr* ha reigned over part vt Israel; tttelve wars ia IM wlksla lie two dates, the twenly^etenffi and thirly jtrol of Asa, answering, die first to tne be^nning of the (Kvisia^ tha second to die sole reign of Omtl." JanM quote* BbJar Obm for diiaaohitkm.

Vei«eS4. He tetuftl A« MIf Ssmoria ^ Ommt] Tito riumM be read, "He bought the hin oT Sbomeiea from

25 5 But • Omri wrousht evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worae than all that wer9 before him.

26 For he <■ walked in allthe way of Jeroboam the sou of Nebat, and in his lin wherewith he made Israel to nn, to provoke the Loan God of Israel to anger with their « vanities.

27 If Now the rest of the acts of Omri which

he did, and his miffht that he showed, are they not written in the Dook of tha Chronicles of the

28 So Omri sle^t with his fathers, and Ahab

-«oi year of Asa km^ of Judah befcan Ahab the son of Omn to reign over Israel: loirt^M and Ahab the son of Omri reigned — z!s.- overlsiaelinSamariatwentyandtwo

30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the

Sbomer, and caJled it Shonieron; (i. 6.. Little Shomer,) after the name of Shomer, owner of the hill." At first the king! of Israel dwelt at Shechem, snd then at Tu^ah; but this place liaving suffered much in the civil broils, and the palace having been bunit down bj Zimri, Omri purposed to Ibund a now city, to which he might transfer the seat of gOTarnmeiiL He find on a bill that belonged to a person of Uie name of i^iomer; and bought it from him for two laUnU ntvtr, about 707/. 3». ScCT Though this was a large sum in those days, yet we cannot suppose that the hill was very large which was purchased for so little; and probably no other building upon it than Shomer's house, if indeed he had one there. iSftomeron, or, aa corrnptly written, Samaria, it situated in the midst of the tribe of Ephiaim, not very tax from the coast of the HeditBmoean mOl sad sbout midway between Dan and Beerd)d«: thus Samaria became die capiuU of the ten tribes, die metropolis of the kingdom of Israel, and the residence of its kings. The kings of Israel adorned and fortified it: Ahabbuilta 'louM^/'tvorjr in it, chap. zxU, 39; the kings of Syria had magazliua or ttorehoUMta in it, for die pur>

Kse of oomraareei chap. xx. 31 And it sppMn to ▼e been a plaes oonnderable importaikee aud great strength.

Samaria endured several sieges: Ben-hadad, king of Syria, beaieged it twiee, chap. xx. 1, Ac.; and it cost Shalmanexer a siege of diree years to reduce it, 2 Kings zvii. 6, Ac After the death of Alexander the Great, it became the property of the kings of Egypt: but Antiochus the Great took it front the Egvpiians; ai»l it continued in the possession of the kings of Syria till the Aamoneans took and razed it to the very fbundation. Oabinius, proeonsul of Snia, partiaUy rebuilt it, and called it Oabiniana. Herod die Ur^ restored it to its ancient splendour, and placed in it a colony of thmuand men, iSai gave it the name of &b<uKf in honour of At^puttu. It is now a plaice of little consequence.

Verse 25. Did worte than all — bff^e him] Omri was — 1. An idolater in principle — ^3. An idolater in practice— 3. Ha led the people to idolatry by pracept and example— And 4. wtueh was that in v^ich he did vor$e than all before him, he made ttatutu in favour of idolatry, and obliged the people by law to commit iL' See Mic. vi. 16. where this seems to be intended; i%r the tlatulea Omri are kept, and all the wrkt qf the houaeqf Ahab.

Verse 31. He took to v^e Jtxebe£\ This was the head fuid chief of his offending: he toolc to wife not only a Jteathen, but one whose twstili^ to the true religion was well known, and carried lo the utmost extent. 1. She was the idolatrous daughter of an idolatrous king — 2. She practised it openly— 3. She not only countenanced it in others, but protectedit,andgaveiUpartisanshono(inand rewards —A. She used every means to persecute the true religion — 6. She was hideously cruet; and put lo death the prophets and priests of Ood— 6. And all this site did wtdi the most zealous pemveraac& and relentless cruein'.

Notwithstaading Ahab had built a temine, and made an altar for Baal, and act up the wor^ip of Aihtrah, the Sidonian Fenus, which we (ver. 33.) have transformed into a groee i yen so well kown was the hostility of Jexebel to all good, that his marrying her was esteemed the biffbest mtcn of vice, and on act the most provoking to Crad, ana destructive to the prosperity of the kingdom.

sight of the Loan above all that trsre before lum.

31 And it earae to pass. as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, > that he took to wife Jezebel_ the daughter of Ethbaal king of the ^ Zidonians, i and went and served EStal, and worshipped him.

33 And he reared up an altar for Baal in "the house of Baal, which he had built In Samaria.

33 And Ahab made a ffrove: and Ahab " did more to provoke the Uord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

34 IT In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite bnild Jericho: belaid the foundation thereof in Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest ton Seeub, i> according to the word of theXoBD, which he spake by jMhuathe son of Ntm.

tarte, or Vemu: what the Striae calls an idol, and the Arabic a tall tree; probably meaning by the last an image of Priaput, theoUcene Keeper ofgrovesjorotaards, and. gardens.

Verse 34. Did Bid Ou BethreliU buiid Jeridut} 1 wish the reader to refer to my note on Jodi. vi. 26. far a genera] view of this eul^t I riiall add a few ohsenrations. Joshua's cune is well known; "Cursed be the man before the Lord that nseth up and buildeth this city Jerieho; he shall lay die foundation thereof in his firsttxjrn; and in hiavoimgest son rfiall he set up the gates of it."— Josh. vi. 26. "nis is the curse, but the meuting of its terms ore not very obvious. Let us see bow this to to be understood, from the roanQer in which it was acoompltriied.

" In his days did Hiel the Betb-elite build Jericho: ha hud the founaation thereof in Abiram his first-bom, and setup the gates thereof in his youneeat son Segvb; according to the word of the l^ord wfatcn he sroke by Joshua the son of Nun." lliis prediction was delivered upwards ot five hundred years before the event; and, thou^ it was moat circumstantially Aitfilled, yet we know not the precise meaning of some of the terms used in the original execration, and in this place, where its fulfilment is mentioned. There are mree opinions on the words, lay the Jbundatim in hie firet-bom, and eet up the galea in Me youngest eon.

1. It is thought, when he laid die foundation of the city, his eldest son, the hope of his femily, died by the hand aiid judgment of Ood, ana that all his uiildren died in succession; so that when the doors were ready to be hung, his youngest and last child died, and thus, instead of securing nimself a luunc, his whole femily became extincL..

2. Hiese expressions signify only great delay in the building: — that he who dioulduoaertake it should epend nearlv hie whole life in it; all the time in which he was capable <n procreating children; in a word, that if a men laid the foundation when hisflrst-bom came into the world, his youngest and last son should be bom before the walls should be in readiness to admit the gates to be set up in them; and thatths expression is of the proverbial kind, intimating greatly protracted labour, occasioned by multiludimnu hindrances and delays.

3. "niat he who rmuilt this city should, in laying the foundation, elay, or sacrifice, his first-bom, in order to consecrate it, and secure the assistance of the objects of his idolatrous worship; and should slay his youngest at the completion of the work, as a gratilude-oS'eriag for the assistance received. Hiis latter opinion seema to be countenanced by the Chaldee, which represents Hiel as slaying his first-bom, Abiram, and his yotmgrst son, Se^ib.

But who was Hul the Beth-elUe? The Chaldee calls him £Re/ of Beih-Uhmi, or the Bethmomite; die Vidgate, Hiel of Beth-el; the Sepluagint, Hiel the Baithelite 1 the Syriac represents Ahab as the builder, "Also in his days did Ahab build Jeridio, the place of execration i" iht Arabic, "Also in his dmdid Hiel buildihe houaea idobK-to wit, Jeri^Ato." Iiie MS9. give us no hHp. None of these versions, the Chaldee excepted, intimates that the children were either slain, or died; which eir^ eumstance seems to strengthen tlie opinion, that the passage is to be understood of delays and hindrancM. Add to this, Why should the innocent children of Hiel mxtfor for their fiuber's presumption 7 And is it likely that, if unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lireth, ■ before whom I stand, ' there shall not be dew nor rain " theae years, bat according to mv word. 2 Aod the word of the Lord came unto him, t thee heuoa^and turn thee eastward, and hide thV^elf l^ nie brook Gherith, that is

4 Aniii it Kliti.II \w, lhat thou ehalt drink of the brook; ax\A I have commaiided the ravens to feed LliG€ thoro.

5 3d he vrent, and did according unto the wnrd oJ' ilif Lonn: Tor he went and dwelt by the bruLik L'heriLli. iJidtts before Jordan.

6 Aad the ru.vLiiEi brought him bread andflesh in the marnine, and bread and flesh in the eveniiw: and he uraiik of the brook.

105? ■'^"'^ came to [Mbb 'after a faytj* ig. wliJle, lhat the brook dried upbecause iJ^Toii there hn^ been no rain in the land. ^> 8 H And the ward of the Loan came

Hiel loat his firat-born when he laid the foundation, he voiUd have proceeded under this evidence of the divine dimleMare. and at the risk of looting hia whole family 7 Which of theae opinion! is the right one, or whether any of them be correct, is more than I can pretend to Mate. NOTES ON CHAPTER XVII.

Verae 1. Stijah IH* 7\»libUe] The hislorjr of thitgreat man ia introdueiBd very abruptly; hia origin is enveloped with perCect obscurity. He is here said to be a Tidibile. Tiihbeh, says Calinet, ia a city beyond Jordan, in the tribe of Oad, ma ia the luid of GTiieaa. Who was his father, or from what tribe he sprang, is not intimated: he seems to have been the prophet of iToel peculiarly, as we never find him proohesyin^ in Judah. A number of apocryphal writers nave tnfled at large about his parentage, miraculous birth, of his continual celibacy, hia academy of the pnqdketa, A«. dkc. all equally worthy of credit. One opinioiL «4nch at first view appears strange, bean more resemblance to truth than any oTthe above, vix. that he had no earthly parentage known to an; man; that he was on angel of Ood, united for a time to a human body, in order to csil) men back to perfect purity, both in doctrine and nuuums, from which they had totally swerved. His Hebfev oaine, which we have corrupted into Elijah, and SU€U, ia VT>jH Aliltu; or, according to the vowel points, JS%aftM; and signifies he is my God. Does this give oountenanee to the auppoaition that this great personage was a manifestation in the fiesh of the Supreme Beinel He could not be the Messiah; for we find him with Moses on the mount of tnuisfiguradon with Christ. The conjecture, that be was ao angel, seems countenanced by the manner of his departure from this world; yet, in James T. 17. he is said tobeaman &fuisr«0qt, t^Uke poMimu, ot niher loiA real human propensUUt I this, however, ia reconeileable with the conjecture.

tVUre thaU not be dea nor rain theae years] In order to remove the abruptness of this address, R. S. Jarchi dreams thus: — " Elijah and Ahab went to comfort Hiel in his grief^ concerning his sous. And Ahab said to Elijah, Is it possible that the curse of Joshua, the son of Nun, who was only the servant of Moses, should be fulfilled; and the ourse of Moses, our teacher, not be fulfilled; who said, (Doit. zi. 16| 17.) ffye turn aside and terte other goda, and vorMp them, tkenthe LonTt wrath »ltall be kindled againat you; and he viU Aut up the heaven that there be no rain? Now all the Israelites serve other gods, and yet the rain is not withhekl. Then Elijah said unto Ahab, As tho Jjord Ood qf Itrael livelh, b^ore whom J stand, there thaU not be dea nor rain these years, but according to my uwrd" This same mode of connecting this, aim die precediru- chapter, ia followed by the Jerusalem and Babylonish Talmuds, Sedor Olom, Aborbane), &c.

V«f>e 3. Bide thyself by the brook CherUh] This brook, and the valley through which it run, are Hipposed

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman wom there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, (hat I may drink.

1 1 And as she was going to fetch U, he called to her, and said, Brin^ me, I pray thee, amorsel of bread in thine hand.

12 And she said. As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, hut a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruise; and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it fbr me and mv son. that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah saiu unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thcreofa little cake flrst, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son:

14 For thus saiththe Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal ehall not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail, until the day that the Loso * sendclh rain upon the earth.

15 And she went, and did according to the saying of Elijah: ans she, and he, and her boose, did eat ^ many days.

16 And the barrel of meal wasted '^J^J^ not, neither did the cruise of oil fail, a aj»«a according to the word of the Lobd, toiMts which he spake * by Elijah. — =* —

to have been on the western aide of Jordan, and not lu firom Samaria. Others nippoaed it to have been oo the eastern side, because the prophet is commaitded to go eastward, ver. 3. It was necesnry, after such adeclaraiion to this wicked and idolatrous kine, that he should immediately hide himself; as, on the &rst drought, AJiab wouM undoubtedly seek his life. But what a proof was this of tiie power of God, and the vanity of idols! As Gtxfs prophet prayed, ao there was rain or drouzbt; and all the gods of Israel could not reverse it! Was not this sof- Ecient to have converted all Israel 1

Verse 4. / have commanded the rarens to feed A«J Hiou shalt not lack die nc»saaries of life: thou sbalt be supplied by an especial providence. See more on this sul^ ject at the end of the chapter.

Verw 6. And the ravens brought him bread andjledtl The Septuagint, in die Codex Vaticanus, and some ancient fathers, read the passage thus— Kai it nasnt e^fss aMnt apToef n xpuT, xai xpta rn &iXw, Ana As crow brought him bread in the morning, andfisA in the erosing: but all the other versions agree with the Hetvvw texL Hiia is the first account we have of fieeh-meat break&a^ and fleab.meat suppers. And, as this was the food appmnted by the Lord, for the sustenance of the prophet, wc may naairally conjecture lhat It was the food of the people at lai^^

Verae 7. The brook dried up] Beesuse there had been no rain in the land for some time; God having aent iIdb drought as a testimony against the idolatry of me people. See Deuu xi. 16, 17.

Verse 9. Get thee to Zarephath] This was a town between l^re and Sidon, but nearer to the latter, and ia therefore called in the text Zarephath, which behmged to Sidon; or, as die Vulgate and other versions expren Sar^ita qftks Sidontans. Sorepta is the name which it goes in the New Testament; bat its preaeu name is Sarphan. Mr. Maundrel, who viaited 11, describes ii «• consisting of a few houses only, on the tops of die mountains; but supposes lhat it anciently stood in the |riain below, where Uiere are still ruins to a conaiderable extent.

Verae 12. A kamfful ef meat in a barrel] The wwd ts ead, ia to be underatood aa implying an earthen Jar; aM a wooden vessel, or barrel of any kind. In the East Aej preserve their corn and meal m such veascle; wiihowt which precaution the inaects would destroy them. Tmvellers, in Asiatic countries, abcmnd with observaboos at this kind.

The word cruise, mn tsiphhoA, saya Jardu, sicuncn what, in our tongue, ia expressed by boutsiUs, a Mttls^ Jarchi was a French rabbin.

Verse 13. But make me Aemfu KtHs eaktjbyt^nm waa certainly putting the widow's bith to an eztiaoraiiMy trial: to take and give to a atranger, of whom riie knew nothing, die small pittance requisite to keep her child 6m perishing, waa too much to be expected.

18 And she said unto Elijah, 'What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God 7 Eirt thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

19 And he sEiid onto her, Give me thy son. And he took hira out of her bosom, and carried him up into a lofl where he abode, and laid htm upon his own bed.

20 And he cried unto theJLoBD, and said, O Loro my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

Vem 16. Hu bamt meal vaated not] She continued to take Okii of her Jar, and out o( her bottle, the quantity of meal and oil retiuurite for the conmimption of her houaehold; and, without carefully eatimatii^ vhM waa left, ^e went with confidence ttuAi time for a ■upply, and wa> never duappointeH. Thii miracle waa veir like that worked by Jenu at the marriage at Cana in Galilee: ai the wrvanu drew the water out of the pota, they foand it tuntad iota wine t and thus tbey continued to dmwwin« from the mUr-poU till the gueita had been rafficiently auaplied.

Verae IS. To call my tin to remembrance] She seeniB ta ba now eratcioua of aome aecret Bin, which ahe had eilhw fbr^tten,.or too earelewly pasted over; and. to punish Ihiu, she suppoaes the life of her son was taken away. It is mmtly in times of adversity that we duly consider our moral state: outward afflictions often bring deep searchinga of heart.

Verse 21. SrebAed himMdf upon Ike ehild three Kmes] It is supposed that he did this in order lo communicate aome natural warmth to the body of the child, in order to dimose it to receive the departed spirit SKmtj his dtseiple, did the same, in order to reatara the dead child of the Sliunammiie, 2 Kings iv, 24. And St. Fhul appears to have stretched hiroBelf on Eutycbus, in order to restore him to life, Acts xx. 10.

ifci Ikis AikPt tout come into kim again.} Surely this means more than ibe breath. ITiouzh the word neyftesft, may sometimes signiftr the tifSi yet, does not Aiis imply that the spirit wast taJce woasesaion of the body in •roar to produce and maintain tho flame of animal hfe 1 The expressions here are singular; L4t his md vai ne-

Versa 22. And the mu/] vu nathe^ "of the child oune into him again Wir^ir il Hrbo, " into the midst of him and ha revived, '>m va yedtai, " and he became alin." And did he not become alive &^m the ciroumstanee of the immaterial fn-inciple coming again into him T

Although rm ruaeh, ia aomeiimes putibr the breath, yet vol generally means the immortal spirit; and where it •eems to refer to antnui^ life alone, it u only such a life u is the immediate and neeeaiary e&et of the presence of the immortal spirit

The words and mode of expression here appear to me a Btnmg proot aot only of the existence of an immortal and iamateriaJ spirit in man; but also that that spirit con emd does exist in a separate state from the body. It is here represented as being tit the midst at the child like a tpring in the centre of a machine, which gives motion to every part, and without which the whole would stand atill.

Verse 24. TTte word of the Lomd in thynumihia truth.] ITiree grand efiects were produced by tnis temporary affliction.— 1. Thewomanwaslodtoexamineherneart,and try her ways — 2. The power of God became highly manifest in the resurrection of the child— 3. She was convinced that tlie word of the Lord was truth, and that not one syllable of it could &11 to the ground. Through a little flnlTeriag all this good was obtauted.

Tub subject in the fourth verse of this charter deserves a more partiealar connderation:

/AoM emtmandad As- raMiw to feed Ihee. — It is contended thai, if we eonskler D^a^ orebim, to signify ravens, we shall find any interpretation on this ground to be elogged with difficulties. I need mention bat a few: the raven is an nrvulfftn bird, And thtte yt thaU have in abonUnalUm WHOng AeJifwU — every reeen «/Ier kit kind, Lev. xi. 13 — iKt dtat is, every tpteiet of this renut shall be conaidarad by you wteUan and abominahlt. Is i^ dierefon^

21 ''And he" stretched bimaelfupon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and luid. O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this udld's soul come into him a^ain.

^ And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the bouI of the child caiBe into him again, and he • revived.

23 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.

34 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 ia truth.

hV"]',- Oiflc flofi wmilti ^rtjfiloy this mosi mKienn bird \a fei 'l Ilii |'rLif^j]|h>i 7 Beiiduii, vfiflre €auM the rsvens gel any ^'..■'i ili ii viofl not unelenn? Carrion la their fixxli oiii y/iM\]i Ot-ii HL'ivS any ihlng af this kind lo his piopbel) AgKii\, if ths fip.ah wFis rlenn wbicli God sanv wAsrs oodd ravens il 1 Hem mual be at IeobI thmvttrtnriasi pn^ to bring Itom (ante laliU die flesh lO iLa ravnns; mnihtrn to induce the rsvenati? Urd to ^ve il iIp; am! itie tAird, Ut conr|ti^r ite timi'Jiiv ri.n-nri) mfin, bu ihat ri r.iiiltl come to plov a i'oAL Ju,: L.i^u.ii LuiL-j.uj[y Eta.i; to pruy ou iiic ilcui, and oblige ii, cootiory to its nature, to give it up; yet it is by no means likely that he would employ a bird that bia own law had pronounced abotiunabu. Aeain, he could not have employed this means without working a variety of miraeltt at the same time, in order to accomplish one timpte end: and this is never Qod's method; his plan ia ever to accomplish the greatest puiposet by the simplest means.

The original word orebim has been eonsidered fay some as meaning merchanli, penoat oceasionally trading throurii that country, whom God directed, by inapinttion, to suroly the prophet with food. To get a constant supply from such haitds in an extraordinary wur was m jroele enougft; it showed the superintendence of God, and that the hearts of all men ore in his hands.

But in answer to this, it is said, that " the original word never signifies merchants; and that the learned Sothart has proved this." I have carefully read over cap. 13. part ii. lib. 2. of the Bitroxieon of this author, where he discusses this subject j and dunk that be bos never succeeded leas dian in his attempt to pnn that ravens are meant in this passage. He allowa tmt die Tyrian merchanu are described by this periphraflia laipo ^3tp Ezek, xxvii. 27. Me oeatpiert qf Iky maxhandixe; and asserts that cr<3->]i orebim,pertt, mercatoret nutquamtignifieat, by itself never signifies memhantt. Now, with perfect deference to so great an authority, I assert dial <rv orebey, the contracted form of tpryf orcMm, doea ligniiy merekantt, both in xzvii. 9, 27. and that snfo meonb, signiflea • ploe* /or msrdumtax*, the markei-place or bazaar, in Exek. xxvii. 9, 13, 17, 19; as also the goodt aold in such ptaea^ Ezek, xxvii. 33; and therefore may, for aught proved to the contrary, signify merehanit in the text

As to Bochart'a objections, that the profdiet beiiw ordered to go to die biook Clierith, that he mi^t lie hit^and the ptaee of his retreat not be known, if any traders or merdianU supplied his wants, they would most likely discover where he was, &c.; I think there ia no weight in it; for the men might be as well bound by the secret inspiration of God, not to discover the place m his retreat, as diey were to supply his wonts: besides, they might have been of the number of tkote seven thousand men wAo had not bowed their kneet to the image qf Baal, and eonsequentiy would not inform Ah^ ana Jezebel of their proidiet's biding place.

Some have aupposed that the original means ApoMdns; but Bochart contends that there wen no Arabians in' thai district: diis is certainly more than he or any other man can prove. Ccdoniea of Arabs, and hordes and families of die same people, have been widely scattered over different places, for the purpose of temporary ■owumment and trade t for they were a wondering people, and often lo be fbund in diSbrent districts remote enough from the place of their Inrdi. But, letting tliis pass merely for what it ia wwlb, and feeling as I dothe wei^t of the objections that mi^ be brodgfat against the aupposilion of ravens being the agents employed to feed the prophet, I would observe, that there was a town or city of the name of Orfro, that was net &r from the place where Elijah was commanded to hide himself. In Berethith ffoWo, a rabbinical comment on Gene-

"k c w?" A NU it came tr> pivaa nfler f many AaSk'^i I-" -f*- dnye, that ihft word of tjie Lord riinie to EKjah in the third year, oayyrf"- jng. Go, tAiavf ihysfill'unlo Aimb, and

S AuhJ E5lijakwetit to ehcuvJuniBeirunto Ahab. And there icasn eort fiicuiiip in Samaria.

3 TI And Ahub called i OhiiJinh, wluVh wo* 'the ^I'venior of Ai» houRC; (ht.v Ohadiah feareii the Lobti greaily:

ij Ami Ahab Fi;iid Qoto Obaillali, Gt* uUo the lu.n<i, uiit.. all t'nininiiu of -water, and uoto all brookft; pi-r.uU-^'ibi ni'i' w-^ may find graas to save Iko hcir:.!,^ niiii iiiiili T:i!iic. thai wc lose not

^ So lln;>' diviilc-d the land b«tiv<:Ln them to pafl€ throuehont it: Ahabwent oneway by hiraaetf, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7 \ And aa Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijati met him: and he knew him^ and fell on hifl face, and said, ArUhou that my lord Elijah?

9 And he said. What have I sinned, tlwt thoa wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to alay mc 7

10 Ab the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation nor kiogdom, whither mv lord hath not Bent to seek thee: and when thev said, He iM not there, he took an oath of the kinsdom, and nation, that they found thee not.

12 And it ehall come to pass, as soon of I am gone from thee, that "the Spirit of the LoBD shall carry thee whither I know not; and ao when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee,' he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear Uie Lord from my youth.

13 Was it not told my lord what I did mien Jezebel slew the prophets of the Loed, how I hid a hundred nien of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord. Behold, Elijah ig here: and he shall slay me.

15 And Ktijah said, Ac the LoBD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day.

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and Uud him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, ■ Art thou he that F troubleth Israel 1

18 11 And he answered, I have not trooWed Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, * in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou haet followed Baalim.

19 Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel unto mount ' Carmel, andlhe prophets of

Am, we hsvs then worda: u-^ no«n invn-a cnnna m\ Jar JUa hiUdutm B^AAan, vetiitmo orba; " Tbttt, is & town in the vicinity of Bethdian, (Scythopolit,) and ite n&me ie Orbo." We may add to this from St Jerom, Orbim aeeol^ viOm in _finibu» Art^mm, Elite dederunt uHmaUa; " The (Mnm, inhabitenu of a town in the confines of ihe Arabs, gave nouridunent to Elijah." Now, I eoDsider Jerom's testimony to be of neat worth, because be spent severaJ yeers in the Holy Laod, that he migbt ■eonire the most correct noti(m poanble of the Isngiiige am Keo^n^y of the country, as well as of Am customs •ad nabita of the people, in order to his tnuisbrting the Saered Wrilingi, and explaining them. Had there ttot be«i luoh a place in his time he could not have written as above: and, although in this place die common printed editions of the Vuigatt have eorvi, erows or ravens; yet, in 2 Ohron. xxi. 16. Sl Jerom maslates the same word wamp Orbim, "the Arabians i" sad the same in Nah.iv. 7: it therefore, most likely that the inhabilsnts of Ortb, or Orbo, as mentioned above, famished the aliment by which the prophet was sustained) and that they did this, being specially moved thereto by the Spirit of the Lord. Add to all these testimonies that of the Arabic version, which oonsiders the word as meaning a people, f^^fC OrfMm, and not ravens or fowls of any kiiid. In su« a <msa this verakm is hi|^ authori^.

It is contended, that those who dtink the niracls is lost if the ravnu be not admitted, ere bound to show — 1. With what proprietythe raven, on unclean animal, could be employee! 1 2. Why the dove, or some such clean creature, was not prefbrrea 1 3. How the ravens oould get properly df-Mfsd flesh to bring to the prophet 1 4. From whose table it was taken; and by what mesnsi 6. Whether it be coosislent with the wisdom of God, and his general eondue^ to work a (i«*u« of roiraelas where one was sufficient? 4. And whether it be not best, in alt cases of this kind, to «dopt that mode of interpretation which is most simple; the wisdom, goodness, ttad providence of Ood, being as aqunlly apparent aa in those oases where a multitude of ■trsews ore resorted to, in order to solve difficulties 1 NOTES ON CHAPTER XVHI.

Terse 1. After many dsjw — in Ou OUrft year] We lesan from our Lord, Luke iv. 25. that the drou^t, which brought on the (amine in Israel, lasted thru yara aad aix mmHu, Sl James, v. 17. gives it the same duration. Probably Elijah spent six months at (he brook Cberith, aad ihrw years with the widow at Sarmta.

ritould be translated lh« ground, or, Uu land t IwbleihU this droagbt did not extend benai

Vene 3. Obadiahfeared Ote Lou grealbf] He was a sincere and zealous worshipper of the trae God; and his conduct toward the oersecuied prophets was the ftill proof both of his jriety and Ausianify.

Verse 4. Fed thtm wUh bread and waUr} B^f these ore signified the neeesaories of life, of whatsoever land.

Terse 6. Unlo all fottntairu of tealer] All muwbj or well-watered districts, where grvss was most likely » be preserved.

Verse 10. TTure it no nation or kingdomj He had sent through all his own states, and to the neighbauring governments, to find out the prophet; as he knev, (rass his own declaration, that both rain and drouglit were to fae the effect of his prayers. Had he found him, he no doubt intended to oblige him to procure min | or pumah him ftr having brought on this droughL

£fe took an oath} Ahab must have had considerable power and authority among the nei^ibouring iwtions, to require and exact this; anoElijah must have kept himsetf very secret to have shunned such an extensive and minute search.

Verse 13. Tike Spirit qf Ou Loon AaU carry Am Obadiah supposed that the Spirit of the Lord had eafriea him to some strange country, during (he three yean and a half of the drought: end, as he- had reason to think dai Ahab would slay Elijah if he found him, and that the God of the prophet would not su^ his servant to fall into such murderous hands; he took for granted that, as soon as he should come into danger, so soon would the Spirit of the Lcrd carry him away, or direct him to some hiding-plneai

Terse 13. H'Aen Jartbet aim tkt proph^o] This persecution was probably during the dearth; for, as this bad woman would attribute the public calamity to Elijah, not being able to find him, she would natnnlty wreak bsr vcogeance on the prophets of Jehovah, who were within her reach.

Verse la /Aav« not tnmbltd Aroef] Here die e«ue of the deardi is placed on its true ground: the kins the people had forsaken the Inie Ood; and Ood dbtX ike AsoMRs that Owro was no rate. EUijoh was only Ots minister whom Ood used to dinense thismdgmeoL

Verse 19. OiUer to me o^J biW) The beads of tribes andfomiUes) the rulers of the people.

Uu propluU qf Baal fiur hundrtd and Mjf.tit ^rvjAsfs 4/ As jrevM four Jkan^sif] The king md

fiaal four handred and fifty, 'and the propheti of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

20 So AhiAsentiintoantheehildreaoflerael, and t gathered the prophets together onto mount Carmel.

21 If And Elijah came unto all the people, tind said, " How long halt ye between two ' opinions 1 If the Lord oe God, follow him; bot

22 Then said Elijah unto the people, ' T, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; 'but BaaTB prophets are four hundred and fifty men,

23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one buUoek for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and t will dress the other bullock, and laT it on wood, and put no fire under.

24 And coll ye on the name of your sods, and I will call on the luime of the Lord: and the €tod

queen hod diferent ntisioiw eatalilighiMdata: the Icing and his Bervaou worshipped BuaL the rapfeme lord and master of the world, ine min. For thii eit^liriuaent four hundred and fifty priesta were maintained.

The queen and ber women worahipped mtnc A/Surah, AstarK, or Vmut; and for thii ealabliihmem /bur Anntired prieata were maintained. These latter were in hig^ hoQour: they mte u Jexebel'e table i they made « part o( her bouMhold. It appears that thoae tight kmuirtd attd Jiftf priests were the domestic »^hapi»H*t of the king and rn; and, probabir, not all^ priesta Oat belonged to ritea of Baa] ana Asherah in the hikt; and yet, from the following verse, we learn that Ahab had sent to all the children of Israel (o collect these prophets: but Jezebel had certainly _fimr kandrtd cpf them in ber own honse, who were not at Ae assembly mentioned here, "nime' of Baal might have a more exteosive jurisdiotioa than thcwe of ^sherah, the latter being constantly resident in Samaria.

Verse 21. Bow tmg halt ye hOmm tm oiOitioiu?] Literally, "How long nop ye about upon two boughs?*' ITtis is a metaphor taken from Inrds hopping about from bou^ to bough; not Inowing on which to settle. Perh^n the idea of limping, throughlant«nc«#, should not be overlooked. Thty were hait, ihey could not walk uprightly; they dreaded Jehovah, and therefore could not totally ■buidcmhira;they(lMi«ddiaktnraD(l queen, and therefore dMHigbt they mutt embrace the religion of the state. Heir conscience forbade them to do the lormer; their fear of man persuaded them to do the latter: but io neither were they heartily engkgedi aod, at this juncture, their minds seemed in equipoise, and they were waitinr for a favourable opportunity to make their decision. Such an opportunity aow, through the mercy of Ood, presented itself.

Terse 22. Ionly,TtinainaprophtttiflheLom] That is, I am the only prophet of Qod prettrU, and con have but the influence of an indnidaal; while the prophets of Baal an four hundred and fifty to onel It apmars that die aueen'i prophets, amounting to four }fundred, were not at lis great assembly; and mese are they whcHO we meet, chap. zxii. 6. and whom the king consulted relative to the battle at Ramotb-aileai].

Verse M. TV fforf Aof MSissretft &yjlr«] Elijah gave dwm everv advantage when he graoted that the Qod who ■nswered vrjlre should be acknowledfred as the true God: for as the BmI who was wonhipped here was incontest- ^Iv ApoUo, or the sun, he was tnerefbre the god <^ fire, ana had only to work in hU own eUmmt.

Terse 26. /Vr y« are many) And therefore shall have the preference; and the advantage of being first in your application to the Deity.

Tene 26. ^Vovn tnomiitg tvm until noon] It seems that the priests of Baal employed the whole dty in their desperate rites. The time is divided into two periods: — 1. From morning unHi nom; this was employed in pre- [nring and offering the saerifioe, and in earnest soppfication for the celestial fire. Still there was no answer: and M Mom Elijah began to mock tod ridicule them, and diis Meitsdthemloeommenoeanew. — ^And,2. They continued Jfhrm noon to the tiau t{f ofiMng tk» noning soerl/Iee, aaikcing up and down, catting themselves with knives, muhgling their own blood with their sacrifice, {nayiag, •iipViicwiig, and aetii^ in die laost frantic mamier.

that ■ answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, "It is well spdcen.

25 IT And Elijah said unto the profits of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yoorselves, and dresB it first; for ye are many: and eaU on the name of your gods, but put no fire ttn^tfr.

26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dreseed U, and called on the name of Baal from morntos: even imtil noon, saying) O Baal, * hew us. But there wot • no voice, nor any thM answered. And th^ ■ leaped upon the altar whiidi was made.

27 And it came to nase at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said. Cry ' aloud: for he t« a god: either > he is talking, or he is purstring, or he is in a journey, err perad venture he

28 And they cried aloud, and ■ cut thesMelveH, after their manner, with knives and lanoBta, till ^ the blood gmhed out upon them.

And they leaped upm Ou altar} Perhaps it wilt bs more correct to read with the margin, Asy leaped up and down at Ou attar; they danced round it with strange and hideous cries and gesticulations: tossing Iheir heads to and fro, with a great variety of bodily ccmtortions.

A heathen priest, a hi^ priest of Budhoo, has been put riiowing me the manner in which (hey dance and jump up and down, and from side to side, twisting iheir bodies in Banner of ways, when making their ttfiierinjp to their demoo-godst a person all the while beating fiinously on a tom-tom, or drum, to excite and sustain those frantic attitudes) at the same time imploring the succour of their godi freqn^tly in some such language as this — " O lovmg dier devil, hear me, and receive mv offering." To perform these sacrificial attitudes they nave persons who are taught to practice them from their earliest years, according to (urectioos laid down in religious books; aiM to make the jmnta and body pliant, much anointing of the part^ and mechanical maiagemcnt, are used} £id ihev have masters urtiose business it is to teach these attitudes and contortions, according to the rules laid down in those books. It seems, therefore, that was a very general practice of idoLatiT'i as, indeed, are the others mentioned in this

Terse 27. At noem—BUSah notked ikem\ Had not Elijah been eonaeioua of the divine proteetioiLlH certainly would not have used snch freedom of speech, while enrcompassed by his enemies.

Ctyaioad\ Hake a grsat noise i oblige him by your voeifirationa to attend to your suit.

Pot fte is a god\ irm crnVK ki Elokim hu; be is the supreme god; you worship him as such; be must needs be sum I aiM, iko doubt, jeaJous of his own honour, and the credit of his votaries I '

Be is lotttngl Ha may be giving audience to some others: let him know that he has other worshipper^ and must not give too much of his attention to one. Perhaps the word ffv »iaeh, should be interpreted as in the mar^m, he mMUiateih; he is in a profound reverie; he is making some godlike projects; he is considering how he may best keep up his credit in the nation. Shoui! let him know that all u now at stake.

He w pursuing] He may be taking his pleasure In bontingt and may eontinue to pursue the game in heaven, till he nave lost ul his credit wid reverence on earth.

The original words, fv gig h, are variously trsn*- lated: Be is in a hotel, in diveraorio, Tvloats. Perhapo he ia delivering oracle* fiq mrt x^>ffian^« snrvt, Ssptoaaijrr. Or, be is on some special business. Therefore, cry aloud.

BeiMina journey] He has left his audience-chamba*, and is making some excursions: call aloud to bring htm back, as his ul is at stake.

Pa-adventure he tlwptih] Rab. S. Jarchi gives this the most degrading meaning: I will give it in Latin, because it is too coarse to be put in English; — PntattU ad loeum Mcretumabiit,utventreviUnexoa^tl. "Perhapa he ia gone to the This certainly reduces Bsal to the lowest degree of contempt, and widi it the ridicule and sarcasm are completa.

S9 And it came to poaa, whea mid-day was paet, I and they prophesied until the time of the " offering of the evening eaeriiice, that there was " neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any " that r»ardeiL

30 V And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. c And he repaired the altar of the Lord thai was broken down.

31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according Co the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Loan came, saying, 4 Israel shall be thy name:

32 And with the stones he built an altar ' in the name of the Loitn: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measuree of seed.

33 And he ■ put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and ' pour it on the burnt-sacrifice, and on the wood.

34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

3d And the water " ran round about the altar; and he filled * the trench also with water.

36 And it came to jhub at the lime q/'the ottering of the evening sacrifice, that ElijEUi the

according to the rtia of that barbaroua religion: if die tiood of the bullock would noi move Iiim, they thooght their own blood migfat; nai trith it they emeored tbem- ■ftlvei ftnd their aacnfice. "niia was not only the eustom of the idolatrotw Iiraelitea, but of the Syrian^ Peniaiu, Oreeka, Indian^ and in short of all the heathen wof Id.

VerM29. Tney prophentd] They made ineesaant prayer and mpplteatitm.' a farther proof that to pray, or mtpplieate, ia the proper ideal meaning of the word m3i nabo, which we conitanlly Iranilate to propkety, when «ven all the circuautancei of the [ime and place are against such a meaning. See what is said on toe case of Saul amotig the praphO*, in tbe note oa 1 Sam. x. 6.

Terse 30. Bte repatrtd the altar of th» Loin] llere had been an altar of Jehovah in this place, called, even among the heatheno, the altar of Carmel, probably built in the time of the Judges; or, as the rabbins imagine, by SavL Tatihtt and Suebmiut mention an altar on mount Carmel, which Vespasian went to consult; there was do temple nor statue, wit simply an altar that was respectable for ita antiquity. " £!tt JwUam inter Syriam^ Carmelus; itavocant tuoniem Deumquei nec aimuiachrum Deo, mtt bn^um tUum tradidere ma^et: aram tonMm, tt reoereniiam." Tacit. Hist. lib. ii. o. 78. A priest, named Baeilidta, oiSciated at that altar: and assured Vespasian that all bis projects would be crowned with success.

Sueloniva speaks to this purpose: — Aptid Judaam Carmeli Dei oraculum eonnjeniem ita amfirmavtre tarlet, 111 qviemsid eogitaret voherelawe animo, qaamlihet magmmtideneproventvTum pouieermtur. Suvr, iu Veesos. eui. 6. 'Hie mount, the absence of a temple, do image, but a simple altar, very ancient, and which was heldin reverence on account of the true answers whidi had been given there, prove that this was originally the altar of Jehovah; though, in the time of Vespftaian, it seems to have been occupied by a heathen priest, and devoted to lyingvanities.

Verse 31. Took heelve stones] He did this to show that all the twelve tribes of Israel should be joined iu the worship of Jehovah.

Verae 32. He made a trcnA] His was to detain the water that might fttU down from the altar, when the barrets Aould bepoured upon it, ver. 36.

Verae 33. fwfour barreU} Ttas waa done to prevent any kind of auspicioo that there was Jtre conceaied uiuUr As aiiar. An ancient writer, under the name of Cftryaoetom, quoted by Calmet, says, that he had seen, under tbe altars of the heathena holes dug in the earth, with funnels proceeding from them, and communicating with openings on the tops of the altars. In the former the firieets concealed fire, which, communicating through the unoels with the holes, set fire to ibe wood, and oonsumed the sacrifice; and thus the simple people were led to believe that the sacrifice was oonsumed by a miraealoua fire. Elijah riiowed that no such knaveiv could be practised in

prophet came near, and said, Lord * Qod of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, * let it be known this day that thou art God in lerael, and that I am thy servant, and that ' I have done all these thiiiga at thy word.

37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that these people may know that thou art the Lokd God, and that thou hast turned their heart bade

38 Then < the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the btimt-sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, ■ The Lord, he t« the God; the Lord, he is the God.

40 And Elijah said unto them, Take * ihe prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew then

41 IT And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drmk; for there i« ■ a sound of abundance of rain.

42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; ' and be cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

the present case. Had there been a txmceaJed fire imder the altar, aa in the ease mentioned above, the water that was thrown on the altar must have extinguirfied it moal efieetually. lUs very precaution has for ever put this miracle beyond the reach of nispicion.

Verse 36. Losd God qf Abraham\ He thus addnased the Supreme Being, that they might Know, when tbe answer was given, that ii was the same God whom tbe patrtar(^s and their bthera worshipped; and thus have tktir hearta turned back again to the true religion ef their ancestors.

VerK! 38. Tften th£ fire the Loan feU] It did not frursf out from the altar i this might slilL notwiibrtanding the water, have afibi4ed some ground for susptcioo thai fire had been concealed (afler tbe manner of the heathens) under tbe altar.

Consuineii the 6urn^«ae^i/tee] The process ot dua consumption is very remarkBUe; and all calculated to remove the posaibilily of a suspicion that there was any concealed fire. 1. The fire came down &om heaven. 1 TTupiecee qf the eacrijlee were firtt consumed. 3. The woos nasi; to diowlbatit was not even bv Means ^Ifcc vx>od that the flesh was burHt. 4. The fwdrs sImus wase also consumed, to show that it was no eommm Jtre, bvt one whose agency nothing could resist. B. The dust, the earth of which the altar was constructed, was burm up. And, 6. The wxter that was in the trench was, by the tion of this fire, entirely evaporated. 7. The actioa of this fire was, in every ease, dovnward, oootrary to tbe nature of all earthly and material fire. Nodiing can he more simple and artless than this descriptioa t and yet how amazingly full and saiislactory is Ibe whole account!

Verse 39. FeU on their /aeee} Strock with aweaikd reverence at the sight of this incontestable miracle.

And they eaid] We should translate the words thus; JmnoYAa.IfetetheGod! Jbkot ah, HetMlkeOadl Baal is not the Glod; Jehovah alone ia the God of Isnel I

As our term Lord is very equivocal, we dKutd erety where insert the original word mrr which we should wme Yev( or Yeheveh, or YahvaK or YAtuh; or, aecortbig to the points, Yduaah.

Verse 40. Let net one ^ them eaeape] Titey had committed the highest crime against the state and the people, by introducing idolatry, and bringing down Ood's judgments upon the land: therefore their livea were forfeited to that lav which had ordered eveiy idtdaicr M ha slain. It aeema alao that Ahab, wbo was ptamv consented to this act of impartial justiee.

Verse 41. Get Hue up, eat and drink] It appears most evidently that Ahab and the prophet wen now on good terms; and this is a fiu-ther evidence that the slaying of the false prophets waa by the king's conaent.

Verse 42. Put Mtjiue btt»em hie hues] He kneM down, and then bomd his head to the earth; ai» dyo. while his face was between hia knaes, hia forehead tovdisa tbegroond.

43 And said to hia aerront, Go up now, look toward the sea. Aod lie weal up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

44 And it came to pass, at the seventh time, that he said. Behold, there arieeth a Uttle cloud out of the sea, tike a man's hand. And he said

Up, say unto Ahab. ' Prepare thy chariot, and thee down, that tbe rain stop thee not.

45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was btook with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Aliab rode, and went to Jezreel.

46 And tbe hand of the Lord was on £lijah; and he ^firded up his loins, and ran before Abab I to uie entrance of JezreeL

aThSX and Ahab told Jezebel all that Eliju£^aZ.' 7i- jah had done, and withal how he piipw-* jjaj k alain all the prophets with the aword.

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

3 And when he saw thai, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

V«rM43. hook toward Ou wo.] From the top of mouDt Cvmel dw Hediiemuieu sea wu fiiU in view.

V«rM 44. Uiert aritih a little elaud out qf the mo, ' fa'Ac a iman'» hand.] trtt ipo ke caph iah, like tbe holloa 4^ a man't hand. In the form of the hand beat, the concave side downmoM. I have witneMcd a reaemblance of this kind at lea, previously to a violent aturm. A hule ekud, the eize oif a man's hand, firtt appeariiurt and this ioereasuiK in size and density every moment tiu at lut it covered me whole beavens, aod then burst forth with incredible fury.

Mr. Btuce mentions a similar appearance in Ab^snnia: — " Every morning, in AbyMiniil, is clear, and the sun ■hioea. About nine a tmali ehud, not above Jour fttt hroad^ af^iean in tbe eaat, whirling violently round, aa if upon an uis) but arrived near the zenith, it Srat abates iti motMM, iben low its form, and extendi itMlf greatly, md Menu to call up vapours from all opposite quartera. "nteae clouds, having attained Dearlj; the same height, rush against each oiLer with great violence, and put me always in miod of Elijah forelelline rain on ctouot Cormel.'' 7Vavd«, vol. v. page 336. ediL 1806.

Venw 46. Ran h^ort Ahab] Many think diat Elijah ran before the king, in order to do hinChonaar: and much learned labour bos been wfisaX oo this passage, in order to ■bow that Elijah had put himself at die heodof a com|nny of ebantera, who ran before tbe king, reciting his praises, or the praises of Ood) a custom which still exists in Arabian countries I I believe all these entirely mistake the writer's meaning. Ahab yoked his chariot, and made all ■peed to Jezreel. 'Hie hand of the Lord, or, as the Tatgum says, tbe mirit of tlrength, came upon Elijah, and be girded up bis loins, that ii^ tucked up his long gor- Rtents in bis girdle^ and ran t and notwithstanding the advantage the king bad, fay means of his chariot, tbe prophet reat^ied Jezreel befiwe him. There is no intimation here that he ran before the horses' heads. All this was intended to show tliai he was under the peculiar inflnanea and inspiration of the Almighty, that the king might respect and fear liim; and not do, or permit to be

v«rae 2. SoUtlht f^od* do] If I do not alay thee, let thegods alay roe with the moat ignominious death.

Vsne 3. He arotc, and went for hit l\fc\ He saw it was best to give place to this ntorm, and go to a place of uRin Hs probably thought tluU the miracle at Carmel wfliud have been the neons of effecting the conversion of

the wilderness, and came and sat down under »

juniper tree; and he ■ requested ■ for himseir that he mieht die; and said. It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life: for I am not better tbaii my fathers.

5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him. Arise and eat.

6 And he looketi, and behold, <A€reira«acake baken on the coalst and a cruise of water at his " head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down acain.

7 And the angel of the Lobd came tigain the second time, aul touched him, and said, Arise and eat; becauBe the journey i$ too great for

8 And he arose, and did eat aod drink, and went in the strength of that meat r forty days and forty nights unto ^Horeb the mount of God.

9 1[ And ne came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and. behold, the word of the L(hid came to him, and ne said unto him. What doest thou here, Klijah?

10 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 th^ seek my life, to take it &wv^.

1 1 And be said, Qo forth, and stand * upon the mount before the Loan. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and * a neat and strong wind rent tbe mountains, aud^brake in pieces the rocks

the whole court, and of tlie countrv: but, finding bimself mistaken, lie is greatly discouraged.

To Beor-AeSa] This being at the most soulhem extremity of the Promised Land, and under the juriadiction of the king of Judah, he might suppose hinuelf in 'a plocs of safety.

Lejl hia atnutU thereJ} Being alone, he would be the more unlikelv to be discovered: besides, he did not wish to risk the life of his servant.

Verw 4. A day's journey into the wildemese] Probably in his way to mount Horeb. See verae 8.

It ie eTiough] I have lived long enough; I can do no more good among this people, let me now pnd my days.

Verse 6. As he lay ana nept] Bzcessive anguish of mind frequently induces sleep, as well as great fiitigue of body.

An angel towhed Aim] He needed reftesbraent, and God sent an angel to bring him what was necessary.

Verse 6. A cake baken on the coale] All this seems to have been aupemaiurally provided.

Verse 7. "rhejoumey is too great for Ihee.'J From Beer-sheba to Horeb was about one hundred andj^fty miles.

Verse 9. Forty day andjbrlif nteAts] So he bated just the same time as Hoses did at iuwcl) i and as Christ

Verse 9. He came thUker unto a eave] Conjectured by some to be ihe same cave in which God put Moies, that he mi|;ht give him a glimpse of bis glory. See Exod. xzxiiL 22.

What doet thou here, EHjah?] Is this a reproach for his having fled from tbe fitce of Jezebel, thro(^;b what some call tmMfeving.^re, that God wcwJd ^widon him to her race?

Verse 10. I have bua toy Jealoiu ^ At LoMo] Hie picture which bs draws here of instate Israel is very affecting:

1. 7ney have forsaken tliy cotenani] Hiey have now cleaved to and worshipped other gods.

2. TJirovn down mine attart] Endeavoured, as much as they poaubly could, to abolish thy wordiip, and destn^ its remembrance from the land.

3. Andttain thy propheie} That there might be none to reprove tlieir iniquity, or leach the truth; so that the Testorotion of the true worship might be impossible.

4. I only, am t^fl} "ntey nave sueceeded in desttDytng all the rest of ihe prophets, and ibey are determined noLto rest till they slay me.

before the Lord; but ihe LoBO rtuu not in the wind: and alter the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

13 Aod aller the earthquake a fire: but the Lord «w not in the fire: and after the fire a Btitl snudl voice.

13 And it was when Eiyah heard it, that ■ he wrapped bis lace in his mantle, and weot out, and stood in the entering in or the cave. 'ADd^behold, there came a voice unto hinii and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

14 ■ And he said, I have been very jealoiM for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down Uiine altars, and riaJa thy ivopheta with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and Uiey •eek my life, to take it away.

15 And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: ■ and

Vem 11. Stand upon Ih* vwuni b^fort Uu Lobd.] God «u now tnating Elijah nnrlv in be nine wf that be keated Moms: and it ia not umikaly that Elijah wai now •taodinc oo the ■ame place where Hosm itood, when Gk>d nrealca himself to him in the giviiur of the lav. See Exod. ziz. 9, 16.

The Loan patatd 6y] It appean that the pawing hy of the Lord occanoaed me ttrmg vAnd, the mrtkqiSikey and ihejtn r but to none of these waa God to malce « discovery of himaelf uato the prophet; yet tfaeee, in eome sort, prepared his way, and prepared Elijidi to hear the mad mU voke. "Hie appantoa, indicating dw preaenee of die Divine Kajtatf, is neaiiy the nine si diat emidoyed to minister the law to BfoeeB! and maiqr hm snppMed Aat God intended Iheae things to be onderstood thni: that God intended to display himaelf to mankind, not iaju^- tMnl^butinnMf-cy; and that as the wf mi, the rarlAtfua*^ and UMjb-e, were only the fbrenmners at the maU ttiU voice, wakh proclaimed the benignity of the Fadier o€ ■pirita; ao the law, and all ita terron. were only intended to hitroduca the mild spirit of Ihe Cnspel ni Jems, proclaiming glorv to God in Ihe highest; and on ewlh, peace and good will unto men. Others think that all this was merely natural; and that a real earthquake, and its aecompaniments, are described. 1. Previoualy to earthquakes the atmosphere becomes greatly diaturbetT mirii^ winds and tompaiu taking place. 2. This is followM oy the actual agitation of the earth. 3. In this agitation, ^re frequently eec^ws, or a burning lava ia poured out, often accompanied wUhthmuUrviAligktnimg. 4. After these the air becomes ssmM^ the thunder eeaaes to roll, the forked lightnings no longer play, and nothing remains but a gentle bruxe. However correct all this may be, it seems most pnifaably evident that what took place at this time was out of th« ordinary oourae of nature: and although the things, as mentioned here, may often be the aceomponiments of an earthnu&ke that has nothing supematunu in it j yet here, though every thing ia produced in iu natural ordenvet the exciting cause of the whole is aupemabtraL Thus the Chaldee understands the whole passage; " And behold the Lord was revealed; and before him was a host of the angels of the wind, tearing the mountains, and breaking the roeks before the Lord % but the Majesty (jSAdtinoft) of the Lord wes not in the host of the angels of the wind. And after the host of die angels of the Wind, there was a host of the ai^ls of commotion) but the Hajes^ of the Lord was not in the host of the ai^ls ofeoinnotion. And after the host of the an^ls of commotion, a fire; but die Hajeaty of the Lord was not in die host of the angels of fire. And after the host of the angela of fire, a voice ainging in atlenee," &c.; that is, a sound with which no other sound was mingled. Perhaps dte whole of this is intended to give an embiematicai rqnreseniadon the various displan of divineprovidence and grace.

verse 13. Wrapptd kia face in hia ma^Mel This he did to signify his retpteti so Hoses hid his mce, for he dared not to look upon God, Exod. iii. 6. Covering Ou face was a token or respect among the Aaiatica { as uncovering the head ia among Europeans.

Terse 16. Tb t&s wilderntn DamoMetai] He does not desire him to lake a road W which he mipit be likely to meet Jeiebel, or any other oi his enemiesL

Anoini BaxatXi For what reason the Lord was about to make all these reoalutiona, we are told in ver. 17. God was about to bring his judgments upon the land, and espe- ^ly on the house m Ahab. This he exierminaied by of Jehu: and Jdiu himself was a aeourss of dw

16 Aad >> Jehu the son of Nimsbi sbalt tboa anoint to be king over Israel; and ' EUaha the sod of ShE^hat, of Abel-meholab, ibalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

17 And <■ it shall come to pass, that him that escapelh the sword of Hazael shall Jehu clay: and him that escapeth irom the sword of Jena •shall EUaha slay.

18 ' Yet > I have left me aeven thousand in Israel, all the Imeea which have not bowed unto Baal. " and every mouth which tuith not kissed

19 t So he departed thence, and found Blisha the son of Sbaphat, who was plouKbinir in<k twelve yoke of oxen before him. and fie with the twelflh: and Elijah passed by him, and east hk mantle upon him.

Lord to the people. Hazael also grievously aiBided Inael: see the aocompliahment of Ibese purposes, 2 Kmga vitt. and ix.

Terae 16. EUtha—Aalt Ihmt anoint to be proflut ta tJiy room.] JdnJii gives a strai^ turn to these words. "Tbj prophecy, (or execution of the prophetic office,) docs not pleaae me; because thou art the constant acetaai cf my children." Widi all dwir abomination, this mUnt vouM have US believe that those vile idolaters and mutderaa wue slill the bdmtd thitdron qf Oodl And whyl— Because God had stade a eovtnont with their facbera; tbsa- Anre, anid the ancient as well aa the modern £b-m oomg: "Oiwein the covenant, always in the covenant; ooesa BOi^ and a son for «v«r." And yet we hn« hsie tba tvliiBoiiy of God's own pro(4tet, and the leslissBsy et Asir hisuuy, that they had Tbraa/ren Ae eovetiatU; aod, eoow quentfy, renounced all their interest in it.

Terse ir. ShaUEliiltattay ] WedonotfinddistBUdba either used die sword, or commissianed it to be need, dMaifl^ he delivered solema prophecies against this disehuiiuM people; and this isprobaUy the sense ia which this ^mmU be understood, as Elisha was prophet before Haael «w kin^, and Hazael was king before Jehu; and the heavy famine irtiicb he browdit on the land took ptaee befcre lie reign eiiherof Jehu or Hazael. Hie meaning of the prnplwty may be thia: — Hazael, Jehu, and Elizas, shall be the sa^ iaters of my vengeance aninst diia dieoeedient and refcai lioua people. Tim ortUr iff tinu, here, is not to be regarded.

Terse 18. iSsssb thotaand tn ispset.] Hmt is, —ay thousands; for seven is a number «f parfeetioii, as we have often seen: en Ou barren kaa hom*»*9en; bashsda numerous ofiapring. Ooid sewn ttmoopmrytod; porified till oU A« dron {tparfoettyaeparotoafma iL TW court, and multitudes of the people, had gone after Baal; but perhaps the roaioritv of the common people still wersbiroed, in secret, tne Qod of their fathers.

Every meuOt vhiA hath not kiooed him,} Idolasew often Mas fMr Aottii in honour of their idols; and benoe lha origin of Mforaffon; bringingdw hand tothe mouih, sAw touching the idol, if it were widiin reach; and, if not, they kissed the right hand, in tc4cm of ranect and subjeeiica. The word is compounoed of ad, lo, and os, oris, the momlk. DexUrA fflanu dam eontin^entet, ori admvookmmti "Touching the god with dieirnghtJuiod, theyapplied it lo their mouth." So kiooing the hand, and odsration, Baaaa the same thing: thus Pliny, Inter adonnd^cm, dctMrcsa ad oeeubim rtferrimtu, Nat. Hist lib. xzviii. can. 2. — " In the act of adoration we bias the right hand." CStMra mentions a statue of Herculea, the ^in and lipe of which were conaider^ly teomby the frequent kissing of his worshippera; Ut rietuM efue, et menUm pmdo tit ottrHim*, guoainjrrecilnu et graiulationibao, wmmlimidwtm^ rari, eodetiam oeauari eolent. — OraL in Vuskh. - Terae 19. TWeeysfoof oxen] EliAs mast hav* had a oonsiderable estate, when he keptlwalsa yoke of onai so till the eround. If, therefore, he obeyed the praphscie call, he did tt to considerable secular loss.

He wUh the twelfth} Bveiy owner of an iahni imaw among the Hrtirew^ and iodaad among the nciCTtta in general, was a principal agent in ita ciiltrvatioiL

CaH hie mantle upon him,} Either thia was a eersMsnyused hi a call to the pcopheiie office, or it indi naiad ifaat hewascalledtobe theserwuilof diepnnhet. Thewasm tie, or palHum, was the peculiar gari> oi the pmjhDt^ we may learn from Zech. xiiL 4 1 and dus was pre ' made oi ektn draued with th* kair on. See alao 2 ] i. B. It is hltely, dierefnra^ dial Elijah threw has

30 And be left the oxen, and »□ i^fler Elijah, and aaiil, ' Let me, I pray thee, kitfa my father and mv motlier, and then I will follow thee. Aod he said unto him, ^ Qo back agaia: for what have I done to thee?

21 And he returned back from htm, and took a yoke of oxen^ and slew them, and ' boiled their flesh with the uisLruments of the oxen, and gave onto the people, and they did eat. Theo he arose, and went alter Elijah, and ministered unto him.

huu ud falasMrUin, Mim fikalj^ liiilipil Ih *pM, NWl DuUt in ncapa, ■■wnlw ihnf vnti On lUM lubw, BnlMn oa iMikMa; Ek«

AND Bcn-finihiil (L-i' kiriL- □i'^^yria ealliireJ nil hia hosf togriLlicr: a£il and ^ere were thirty and two kings on Eliaha to Bignify xo him that he was coiled to the pro- ]ilietic office. See more oa this aubject below.

Verao 20. Lei me—k'ua my /at/ur and my moUter] ElLdu fully understood that he was called by this ceremo' Dj to the f>r<H)hetio office: and it ia evident that he conferrad not with nedi and blood, but reaolv«], immediately refeuWed, to obey; only bs wished to bid fiunrell to hit TClattves. See below.

. What hate Idoneto OmT] lliycaU is nOtfrom nu, but from Gad: to Aim, not to ma, art thou accountable for ttav use or abuse of it.'

Verw 2L He retttmtd bade] He went borne to his house J probably he yet lived with his parents, for it appeart be waa a stngie men; — end be sleW a yun of the oxen: and he madea feaatforhkhousefaold, haying boiled the flesh of the oxea with hia agricultural implements, pro- Inbly in token that he had abandoned secular life; and, having bidden them an affectionate farewell, he arose, went after Elijah, who probably still awaited bis coming in the field, or vicinitv, and ministered unto him.

1. Elijah is commanded, ver. 16. to anoint Elisha prophet in his room. Thoueli it is generally believed that kings, prUtU, and prvpheia, were inaugurated into their respective offices bv the rite of unction, and this 1 have elsewhere supposed, yet this ia the only instance on record where a prophet is commanded to be anointed, and even this case is problematical: for it does not appear that Eliiah did anoint Eliaha. Nothing is mentioned in hia call to the prophetic office, but the caattng the mantle of Elijah upon him; wherefore it is probable that the word anoint, here, signifies no more than the eaU to tke qptce, accompanied by the aiptple riU of having the prophet's maniU thrown ovtrhia ahouldert,

2. A call to the ministerial office, though it completely sever from all secular occupations, yet never supersedes the duties of filial affection. Iliough Elisha must leave his oxen, and become a prophet to Israel, yel be may first go home, eat and drink with his parents and relatives, and bid them an affectionate farewell.

3. We do not find any attempt on the port of his parents to hinder him from obeying the divine call: they had loo much respect for the authority of God, and Qiey left their ■on to the dictates of his conscience. Wo to those parents who atrive for filthy lucre'a sake, to prevent their sons from embracing a call to preach Jesua to their perishing countrymen, or to the heathen, because they see that the lifs of a tnie evangelist is a Lfe of comparative poverty; and they had ratlier he Aoiild gain money than save louU.

4. The cloak, we have already observed, was the prophet's peculiar habit; it was probably in imitation of this that the Qreek philosophers wore a sort of maniU, Aat distinguished them from the common people i and by i^di ther were at once as easily known as certain academical cnaraeters are by their gomu and s^sre eapa. Toe paiUum was as common among the Oreeka as the toga was among the Romant, Each of these was so

5 And he sent roesBengers to Ahab Ung of

3 Thy " silver and thy gold is mine: thy wives also aod thy children, even the goodlieM, are mine.

4 And the king of Israel answered aod said, My lord, p king, aceordiog to thy nying, I am tmne. and ail that I have.

' S And the messengers came again. and said. Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Althoiigh I have sent unto thee, saying. Thou idialt deliver me thy silver, and thy goU, and thy wives, and thy children j

6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants, and it shall be, thai whatsoever is " pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh Pmischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; luid « I denied him not.

8' And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not uiUo Atnt, nor consent.

peculiar to those natioiiH, that PalliatuBfiB used to Mfp* Bi^ a Orae/t, as Togaliu is to signify a Soman,

6. Was it from this act of Elijah, conveying the pMphetic office and its authority to Eliaha, by ihrowiDg his* mantle upon him, that the popes of Home borrewra the ceremony of collating an orcablahop to the spiritualities and temporaUtiesof husM, and investing him widi plenary sacerdotal authority, by sending him what is well known in ecclesiastical history oy the namepo^h'um, paU,OT cloak t I think this is likely: for, es we leam frnm Zech. xliL 4. and 2 Kings I B. that this mantle was a rough or hairy garment, so we learn from Durandua that the palttum or ptdLvtM made of white wool, aher the following manner:

Tiie nuns of Sl Agnea annually, on the festiral of their patroness, offer two lohite Utmia on the altar of their church, during the time they sing Agnus Dei, in a solemn moss) which tombs ore afterwards taken by two of the canons of the I<ateran church, and by them given to the pope's Bubdeacons, who send them to pasture till shearing time; and then they are shorn, and the pall is made of their wool, mixed with other white wool. The pail is then carried to die Late ran churctL and there placed on the bigfa altar by the deacons, on the bodies of St Ptter and 8t Paul; and after on usual waldiing, or vigil, it is carried away in the night, and delivered to the subdeacons, who lay it up carefully. Now, because it was taken from the body of^ St. Peter, it signifies the plenitude of ee~ clesiastical power t and therefore, the popes assume it as their prerogative, being the professed suocessom of this apostle, to invest other prelates with it. This was at first confined to JRome, but afterwards it was sent to popish prelates in different ports of the world.

6. It aeema from the place in Zechariab, quoted abov& that this rough cloak, or garment, became this covering of hypocritea and deceivers; and that persons assumed the prophetic dreaa without the prophetic call: and God threatens to unmask them. We know that this became general in the popish church in the beginniog of the -Ifith century; and Gal stripped those fidse pimbets of Ibsir foJse and wicked nretensions, and exposed them to the people. Many <^ them profited by this exposure, and become reformed; and the whole community became at least more cautious. The Romish church should be thankful to the Reformation for the moral puriqr which is now found in it; for had not its vices, and usurpations, and supcr-scandolous sales of indulgences, been thus checked, the whole fabric bad, bydiis time, been probably dissolved. Should it carry its reformation still fiutber. it would have a more legitimate pretension to the title ot apostolic Lei them compare their ritual with the' Bible and common sense, and they will find cause to lop many cumbrous and rotten branches from a good tree.

ITOTES ON CHAPTER XX- Terse I. Bsurhttdad] Several HSS. and some early |«inted editions, hav» Bsnrhadart or< ths son qf Hadar, as the Septusgint Hs issi^^ed tobetbe same whom

9 Wherefore he aaid unto messengera of Bea-ha4ad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didet send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I mav not do. And the mea- ■engers departed, and oruught him word again.

10 And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, ' The gods do so unto me. and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls fbrall the people thai * follow me.

11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell Aim, Let not him that girdeth on Atr harnest boast himself as he that putteth it off.

12 And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this t message, as he -aaa " drinking, he Ekod tho klOig-s in the ' pavilions, that he said unto hiR servants. yourselves in arrat^. And they pct ihi^m-afir-^g tn array against the city.

13 1[ Ami, l>t.'liL>!d, there ' came a jirophet unto Ab&b king of lamel, saymg. Thus said the Lord, luwt tfaou. Been all this great multitude t behold, ^1 wiiraB!h''er it into thine hand this day; and Tlioii ftbmiU know that I am the Lohd.

14 A;i<l AliLtb By whom? And he said, Thus saith the Lobd, Even by the ■young men <)€ the princes of the provinces. - Then he said, Who shall * order the itattle 7 And he answered, Thou.

16 Then he numbered the vonng men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the childpen of Israel, being seven thoasand.

16 And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad wot ''drinking himself drunk in the iHivihonB, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

17 And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying. There are men come out of Samaria. -

Am Stirred up apunat the king of Israel, dtap. zv. 18. or, aa others, his ton or grand»on.

TTUrty and two Atn^jJ Tributary ehiefiiuna of Syria, aodlheaajacentefflintriea. Informer timeseveiy tovnand dtv had its independent cdiieQais. Both the Sepluagint ana JouepkuM place thii war after the history of NaboUi,

Versed, /am t^iine, ancfoU fhof /Aom. J He probably hoped, by this humiliation, to soften tUs barbsroua kinir, and peiiupa 10 get better conditiona.

Teree 6. Wkatmmtr it pUatant in Ikitit eye»} It ia not «a*y to diaeem in irtiat this tcond requisition differed from the Jlrtt I for surely hii wiher, gold, arfcw, and chUdren, were among his moet pUtuant or desirubte thing*. JartAi suppoKi that it was the Book of the Lav> of the Jjord whieb Ben-hadad meant, and of which he intended to deprive Israel. It is, however, evident that Ben-hadad meant to »aek At talVoZa eUu; and, after having taken the royal trtamirtt, and the wlvet and AUdren of the king, to deliver updie whole to be pillaged by his soldiers.

Teres 8. Haarken no* unto him!) The elders had every thing at stake j and thejr chose rather to make a desperate defence than tamely to yield to euch degrading and ruinous eonditioni.

Tene 10. J/" the dutt Sajnatia cAofi wuOct} This is variously understood. Jonathan translates duts: " If the dust ef Shomeron shall be aufficient for the soles of the feet of the people that ahall accompany me:" i. e. I shall brii^ such an army that there will scarcely be room for them to stand in Samaria and its vicinity.

Verse 11. Ltt ttot Mm thai girdtth, on] This was, no doubt, a proverbial mode of expresrion. JojuUhan translates, " Tell bim, let not him who girds himself, and goes down to the bottle, boast as he who has eonquered ana returned from it"

Varee \% In Hu pavUioru] Hiis word comes from papUio, a buUerfiy; because tents, when pitched or spread out, resembled such animali: partly because of the mode of their txpantiim, and partly because of the manner in which they were painttd.

18 And he said, Whether they be come oat for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the anny which followed them.

SO And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians tledj and Israel pursued ihem: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse witb the horsemen.

21 And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and cnariots, and slew the Syrians with great slaughter.

23 Ty And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him. Go, strengthen thjself, and mark, and see what thou doest: * for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

23 And the servants of the king of Syria sakl unto him, Their gods are goda of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; bat let us fight against them in the plaiD, fuiil sure^ we shall be stronger than they.

24 And do this thing; Take the kings awaj, every man out of his place, and put captains m their rooms:

25 And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot

for chariot: and we will fight against them m the plain, and surely we shall oe stronger than they. And he hotriiened imto their voice, sod did so.

26 And it came to pass at the return ^l*c.i» of the year, that Ben-hadad niimbered ayi tht. m. the Syrians, and went up to * Aphek, S^^jSmT' ''to fight against Israel pt**.

27 And the children of Israel were numbered* and ' were all present, and went agai'ust them: and the children of Israel pitched betbre them like two little flecks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

cannot tell: Jarcki says it was Mieaiah, ton qf Imlah. It is strange that, on such an occasion, we hear nothii^ of Elijah, or Elisha I Is It itot possible that this was one <rf' them disguised T

Versel4. By Ike yoang men of the prineet ^if iht proviTKtt.] These were protnbtjr Botne chosen persons out of the militia of different distnetsi laiaed bjr thapHKMsfT theprovineeBi theaome aswe winldcaU wrd-fieitfciiaiif* of counties.

Verse 15. Tvv hundred and thirty-hM] Thcte wero probably the kind's life or body guards; not all the militia^ but fuo hundred ana thirty of them who constituted the roya) guard in Samaria. They were, therefore, the king's own regiment; and be is commanded by the propbei to put himself at then- head.

Seven thmt»and.^ Huw low must the atsie of lenri have been at this time I These, Jdrdii thinks, were ibs ttven thousand who had not bowed the knee to BaaL

Verae IB. Take them alive.] He woe confident of victory. Do not slay them; bring them to me, they may give us some useful information.

Verse 23. TJieir gods arc gods of the hilU] It is very likely that the smalf Israel ili ah nrmv availed iteetf of the heights and uneven grounil, that Uiey might fi^t widi greater advantage against the Syrian eatalry; Tor Benhadad came up against Samaria wUft honea and dtaritlat ver. I. These, therefore, must soon be thrown into conSi- Bion when charging in such etreumstances; indeed the chariots must be nearly useless.

La usjtg/u against Oem tn the plain'] T^tm our horses and chariots will all be able to bear on the enemy j and there their gods, whose influence is confioed to iho hltlB, will not be able to help Ihem. It waa a geneial. belief in the heathen world, that each ({Uric< bad da tutelary and protecting deity, who eould do aoibbv out of his own sphere.

Verse 24. 7\tke the kin^s <nwy] Those were not so. qiminted with military afiiuri; or they had not oompeteot ■kill. Put experienced captains in their place, ana fight not but on thejpiains, and you will be sure of victory.

Verse 28. Ben-hadad numbered Ihtl^riatu, ana wetU upteAfiMt] There were sevendlow^ of this aansf ass

S8 IT And there came a man of God, and spake nnto the kin^ of tsraelj^and Raid, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Sfriana have said, The Lord ts God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleyB, therefore ^ will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Load.

29 And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was Joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day.

30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon tweni^ ami seven thousand of tlie men tfuU itere left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, > into ^ an inner chamber.

31 IT And his servants said unto him. Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, I put sackcloth on our loinSj and ropes upon our beads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

. 32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, at«l ptU ropes on their heads, and came to the kins of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, J pray thee, let me live. And he said, A he yet suive 7 he tf mr brother.

33 Now the men did diligently observe whether anp thin^ would come from him, and- did lustily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him-

the note oa Josh. xU. 18. It la ouppoaed that the town jnetitioned here waa aitiiaud in Libtums, upon iho river AtionU, between Holi&poH* and Biblo$.

Verse 28. Beeaut< Ine Syrians have cauTj Ood reseuU their blaaphemy, and ii determined to puuah it. "niey ■hall now be diacomfited in nich a way aa to ahow thu Qats power is every vbere; and that the multituife of a host is notbtnr againat him.

Verae 29. iSCe»— a hutidred thousand Aotmeti in ont day.} Thia number ia enormous i but Ute uSS. and maiona give no varioua reading,

Verae 30..A valiJtU upon tventy and stven tftoasand] From the firat view of ihia text it would appear that when (be Syiiana fled to A^k, and Aat themaelvea within the valla, ihs laroalitea immediatfily brou^t alt handi^ and ■apped the walla, in eonaequeace of which a large potUoq fell, and buried tiBtnty-sessn thousand men. But perbapa the hand uf Ood waa more immediately in this diaaster: probaUy a burning wind ia meant. See at the etxl of the

Came into the city, into an innsr chamber} However the paaaage above may be uoderatood, the ci^ wta now, io effect, uken; and Ben-hadad either betook himself vith his few follower*, to the citadel, or to some secret hidingplace, where he held the council with his aervanta immediately mentioned.

Verse 31. Put sacketoth on our loins, and ropes upon OUT head»\ Let ua ahow ourselves humbled in ihe deepest. manner; and let us put ropes about our necks, and go submitting to bis mercy, and deprecating his wrath. The eitixeoa of Calaia are reported to have acted nearly in the aame way, when they aurrendered their city to Edward IH. king of ^^and, in 1346 1 aee at the end.

VarseSZ. Tnyssnant Bsti'hadad} See Ihe virassitude oThuman afiaira*! Alittlebeforehewaadiehau^tiestofall ^ranta; and Ahab calls him his lord: now, so much la bo humbled, that be will be glad to be reputed Ahab** slate!

Verse 33. Did hastily eateh it] They were watching Io see if any kind word shouk) be apoken by him, from irtikb they might draw a bvourahle omen: aitd, when ihey heard him use the word brothsr, it gave Ihem much •DooangnBenL

Verse 34. Thou ihali make ttretUfor thse in Damascua} It appears that it was cuatomary for foreigners to have a place aaaigned to them, particularly in maritime tovo^ where tbey might deposiie and vend their merdiandwa. lUs waa the very origin of European settlements in Analie oountrias: " Hie people gave an inch to diose atningerai and, in eonsequoaee, Ihey took an eU." Uoder the pretesee of strengthening the place vfaere they kept tiwir wwrtt, to pravant depredUioDS, they built forts,

Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.

34 And Ben-hadad said unto him, ■ The ctties, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt malte streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Sama— ria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee awaj with this covenant. So he made a corenant with him, and sent him away.

35 IF And a certain man of " the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour <> in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. Ajid the man refused to smite him.

36 Then said he unto him. Because thou bast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as ihou art departed from me, a lion snail slay thee. And as sooo as he was dqxurted from him, >> a lion ibund him, and slew him.

37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man emobs him, ') to that m smiting he wounded him.

38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disgmsed himself with ashes upon his face.

39 And ■'as the kin? passed by, he cried unto the king: and he saiq. Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said. Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then ■ shall thy life be for his 1^, or else thou shalt 'pay a talent of silver.

40 And as thy servant was busy here and

and BOon ^ve lawa to their entertainera. In vain did the natives wiah them awav; ihev had got power, and would retain it; and at laat subjectea these countries to their own dominion.

It waa customary also in the time of the CruBBdee, to give thoae notions which were engi^ed in them, atretts^ Aurdus, and post dues, in those places which they asaiated to eonquer. The Qenoeae and Venitians had each a street in Aocon, or St. Jean d'Acre. in which iliey had their own jurisdiction i with oven, mill, bagnio, weights, and. measures. See WUliam. iff Tyre, und Banner' o Obeervations.

He made a covenant with him} According to the words recited above, putting him under no kind of disabilities whusoever.

Verse 36. In the word qf the Loan] By die word or command of the Lord; that is, Ood has commanded thee to smile me. Refusing to do i^ this man forfaited his li&^ aa we are informed in the next verse.

By this emblematical action he intended to inform Ahab^ diat, as the man forfeited his life who reliiaed to smite him vhta he had the Lord's command to do it; so he, (Ahab^l had forfeited his life, because he did not smite Ben-hadad when he tiod him in his power.

Verse 36. A lion /twtd him and slew Aim.] Hus searaa a bard meaaure; but there was ample reason for it. Thia peraon was ^Iso one of the sons of the prophets, and he knew that Ood frequently delivered bia counsels in diie way, and ahould have immediately obeyed j for the amiiii^ could have had no evil in it when Ood commanded it; and it could be no outrage or iiyury to his follow, when he bimaelf required him to do if.