God that did wonders by it before, can do the same again, on whose shoulders soever, by divine appointment; even so the ordinances of God are to be prized for the Lord's sake, not slighted for the sake of the instruments, though they are not like to fill the room of those that went before them. (2.) He smote the waters with it. He was to go back to the schools of the prophets in Jericho. Though the Lord take away eminent instruments, his work must not be neglected, they that are left behind must bestir themselves to carry on the Lord's work. Jordan was between him and them, as oftentimes depths of difficulties will be found in the way of duty. He might have boated it over; that was the easiest way, and to the carnal eye the safest. But it was not the way his godly predecessor took before him; therefore, having the same spirit as he had, he will rather believingly venture on the waters, in the faith that God would carry him through, as he did Elijah before him. So he "smote the waters."

2. We have what he said when he smote the waters: "Where is the Lord God of Elijah ?" It is a vehement exclamation for the presence of that God that was with Elijah: "Where is," &c.; or a most ardent prayer for it: where art thou? as some read it; for neither "is" nor "art" is in the original. He inquires no more after Elijah, he has no petitions to that saint when once he was departed; that had been impious; what he had to ask of him, he asked while he was on earth. He does not sit down and weep, and pore on the loss of Elijah, as if there had been no more hopes of good days since he was gone, but he betakes himself to Elijah's God. Though Elijah was gone, his God still remained. Elijah's experience of good from Elijah's God, kindled in Elisha's heart a surprising desire after him, and fills him with hope of good entertainment at the door where Elijah had come so good speed; for these are not words of diffidence, but of mighty earnestness, and strong faith; as appears by considering,

3. The issue of the whole, which was according to his wish. God was present with him the same way he had been with Elijah before, Jordan is divided, &c. These words, (he also) some make Elisha's answering to himself, and read them, even he, viz. Elijah's God, yet endures; but though there is no doubt Elisha believed this, yet that reading does violence to the points and stops, without regarding of which there can be no certain sense of any language: therefore our translation is preferable; and these words (he also) are emphatical to shew the freedom of God's grace, which is tied to none, but open and free to all that come to him for it in the way that others received it. From these words, I take this

DOCTRINE, That the consideration of God's presence with his people in former days, should bring the succeeding generation to the same God for the same entertainment.

In speaking to which, I shall,

I. Instance a few of these experiences of God's people in former days.

II. Shew how we should come to God for the same entertainment. III. Give the reasons of the doctrine.-And,

IV. Add the improvement.

I. I shall instance a few of the sweet and desirable experiences of the Lord's people, which should bring us to the gracious Giver for the same, and such like; and I shall instance none but these of Elijah, who, you must remember, was a man subject to like passions as we are, James v. 17, and to these I think the text leads me. Some instances of sweet entertainment this holy man had; such as,

1. The God of Elijah gave him the sweet experience of keeping warm and lively in a very cold and dead generation; so that he was best when others were worst. His zeal for God burnt most vigorously when the generation was turned most coldrife, halting betwixt God and Baal, like true fire that burns most keenly in the winter frost, when a chill and cold air was the only air about him. By the warm blowings of the Spirit from above upon him, he was kept warm within. When nothing but deadness was on every hand, the Spirit of life from above kept him lively. So it was with Noah in the old world: Gen. vi. 9, "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generation." And Lot, 2 Pet. ii. 8, “For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds."

But where is the Lord God of Elijah in these dregs of time, wherein professors generally are carried away with the stream of impiety from all their liveliness and tenderness that sometimes have been among them, when the more wickedness sets up its head, piety is made to hide its head the more? a sad evidence that God is gone from us, when the standard of wickedness makes such advances, and that of shining holiness is retreating, and can hardly get hands to hold it up. I will tell you two sad experiences, common at this day.

(1.) The fulfilling of that scripture, Matth. xxiv. 12, “ And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." It is a time when atheism, deism, and immorality, make prodigious advances, and practical godliness is under a deep decay. I doubt if ever Satan had more hands at work to overthrow revealed religion,

and to raze the foundations of it, than at this day; and this effort of Satan's against the church, has joined with it a most lamentable decay of the vitals of practical religion in those that are called by the Lord's name; so that we are like to be exposed to this furious attack, wanting the best piece of our armour against it; that is, an experience and feeling of the power of truth on our own souls: ah!"where is the Lord God of Elijah ?"

(2.) What heat there is, strikes all outward, while in the meantime folks are key-cold within; a sad sign of a distempered body. It is not hard to discern severals shewing a great deal of concern in the lamentable occurrences of our day; but how hard is it to find a man that is truly awakened to the exercise of godliness by all the alarming dispensations of our day, that is moved with fear, and busy preparing an ark for the evil day, labouring to get the particular controversy between God and his soul removed, putting out of his way the stumbling-block of his iniquity, and setting matters in order for the day of the Lord? Nay, sirs, though some talk in their sleep, it seems we will all sleep together, till God's heavy hand give us a fearful awakening: "Where is the Lord God of Elijah ?"

2. The God of Elijah gave him the sweet experience of the power of prayer: James v. 17, "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months; and he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." He was mighty in prayer; by his prayers the bottles of heaven were opened, the key of the clouds turned, nay, the bands of death loosed, 1 Kings xvii. He was a great favorite of Heaven, whose cries pierced the clouds, got in to the throne, and returned, like Noah's dove, with an olive-branch of peace in his mouth. Such experience of the power of prayer had Jacob; Hos. xii. 4, "Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed;" Gen. xxxii. Many times the Lord's people, when closed up on every side, have found a sweet outgate, their souls flying upward in prayer. The prayers of the saints have been the great ordinance of the church, have frustrated the plans of enemies, and turned them back on their own heads.

But where is the God of Elijah, while the trade with heaven by prayers is so very low? Alas for the dead, cold, and flat prayers, that come from the lips of professors at this day! so weak and languishing, that they cannot reach heaven. Sometimes the Lord lets loose enemies on his people, tosses them from vessel to vessel, and then the way betwixt heaven and them was well occupied. They had still some particular suits lying before the throne, and they

could have given a good account of their receipts. But long ease has made them lose their tongue; so that the experience of many in that point now can hardly be named, unless they turn back to former days. There is one experience of Elijah's, which, I fear, is not uncommon among praying folk at this day, and that is, a restraint laid on them, that they cannot wrestle with God for the averting of wrath from the generation of God's wrath, 1 Kings xvii. 3-9. Such a sad experience had Jeremiah also, before the Babylonish captivity, Jer. xiv. 11, and xv. 1. And though God doth not so reveal his mind now in particular cases, yet I suppose that it will be found, that those who live near God, and have the spirit of prayer in such cases, may find something equivalent thereto in their liberty and confidence with the Lord, and that according to the subject of their requests: Ezek. xxxvi. 37, "Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them."

3. The experience of the sweet fruits of dependance on the Lord, and of a little going far, with his blessing: 1 Kings xvii. 16, " And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord." Elijah saw so very few for God in his day, that he thought he was alone; and the Lord strengthened his faith by such experiences. Many times God's people have had such experiences of the Lord's bringing great things about by small beginnings, as the cloud like a man's hand, according to the promise, Prov. iv. 18, "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Hos. vi. 3," His going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” God has many ways of working in the experience of his people; and when he works by means, sometimes he does great things by small means, as the feeding of Elijah, the widow and her son, so long on an handful of meal, and a little oil in a cruse; Haman's bellish plot is overturned by the king's falling from his rest one night, Esth. vi. 1. Sometimes by contrary means, as Elijah was fed by the ravens who were more likely to have picked flesh from him, than to have brought it to him.

But where is the God of Elijah at this day, when what we have seems to be blown upon, that it goes in effect to nothing? Our table is plentifully covered, yet our souls are starved; our goodness sometimes looks as a morning cloud, it blackens the face of the heavens, and promises a hearty shower, but quickly proves as a little cloud, like unto a man's hand, which is ready to go to nothing; yea, the generation is blinded by the means that have a natural tendency to give light. Ah! "Where is the God of Elijah ?"

4. The experience of a gracious boldness to face the most daring wickedness of the generation he lived in, though it was one of the worst. This eminently appeared in his rencounter with Ahab, 1 Kings xviii. 1; his standing alone against four hundred and fifty of Baal's prophets; whatever was his natural temper, he owed this to the grace of God, for when he was left to his natural courage, it failed him, chap. xix. 2-4; but the Lord spirited him then for the hard work he had to do, that he feared nothing in his master's cause, Acts iv. 13, "When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they marvelled, and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

But where is the God of Elijah now, while the iniquities of our day meet with such faint resistance, while a brow for the cause of God, a tongue to speak for him, and a heart to act, are so much wanting. The wicked of the world, though they have an ill cause in hand, yet they pursue it boldly; but, alas! the people of God shame their honest cause, by their cowardice and faint appearing in it. If God give us not another spirit, more fitted for such a day, we will betray our trust, and bring the curse of the succeeding generation on us.

5. The experience of a glorious and powerful manifestation of himself, in a solemn ordinance, even at the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, which was ushered in with the spirit of prayer in Elijah, 1 Kings xviii. 37-39, "Hear me, O God, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, The Lord he is the God, The Lord he is the God." That was a glorious day's work, when Satan fell like lightning from heaven, from which day, no doubt, many dated their conversion, some their revival, and the people there generally felt somewhat divine on their spirits. Such glorious days the church has often had in ordinances, which have been as a high stream-tide of the gospel; so that three thousand were converted at one sermon, Acts ii. 41.

But where is the God of Elijah, when so little of the Spirit's influences is found in ordinances, even solemn ordinances? Here is the mantle, but where is the God of Elijah? Here are the graveclothes in which sometimes the Lord was wrapt up, but where is he himself? Communion-days have sometimes been glorious days in Scotland, and sometimes the gospel hath done much good; so that ministers have had almost as much to do to heal broken hearts, as now to get hard hearts broken; but "where now is the God of Elijah?"