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blessing, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. And as the redeemed multitudes come home to glory, one after another, the labourers shall shout and sing, "One planted, and another watered, but God gave the increase; to whom be glory, for ever and ever." Amen.

THE STILL SMALL VOICE.

REV. J. HAMBLETON, A.M.

CHAPEL OF EASE, HOLLOWAY, JULY 27, 1834.

And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks, before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."1 KINGS, xix. 11, 12.

WE this evening heard, in our first lesson, part of the history of a very uncommon man, who was very remarkable for faith and boldness; and yet, as we heard, even the faith of an Elijah was alloyed by unbelief, and his boldness by fear. How just the remark of Bishop Hall, "The strongest and holiest saint upon earth is subject to some qualms of fear and infirmity: to be always and unchangeably good, is proper only to the glorified spirits in heaven." Yet the infirmities of good men are no fit matter for the scorn of infidels, or the imitation of inconsistent Christians. They are recorded in God's word as warnings: they brought very much of discomfort to those who were their subjects: it was when Elijah was in that comfortless state of mind, that he witnessed the remarkable manifestation of God, described in our text.

We will, first of all, consider the occasion, or train of circumstances, which led to this manifestation of God: secondly, the manifestation itself, with its lessons to Elijah: and thirdly, its lessons to ourselves. May God humble us, that we may all receive the lessons which he intends us to learn by this portion of his truth.

The first point is, THE OCCASION, OR TRAIN OF CIRCUMSTANCES, WHICH LED TO THIS MANIFESTATION OF GOD TO THE PROPHET ELIJAH. In the preceding chapter we heard, in our morning service of the day, of Elijah's boldly rebuking king Ahab, facing the eight hundred and fifty idolatrous priests, obtaining fire from heaven in answer to prayer, to the honour of Jehovah and the confusion of Baal, before the assembly of Israel. Then, we heard of him slaying the idolatrous priests. After this came the long-wished for rain; first the cloud like a man's hand; then the heaven "black with clouds and wind, and a great rain ;" and Elijah full of zeal and boldness, running before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. There the preceding chapter left his history. But presently (who would have thought it from such a man?)-presently, when Ahab goes home, and tells Jezebel his wife all that Elijah had done, and how he had slain all the false prophets with the sword, and she, filled with rage,

swears by her idol gods, that ere to-morrow at that hour, his life should go for theirs. He shrinks with fear before the gathering storm: he who had faced Ahab, and reproved him boldly for his sins-he who had met eight hundred and fifty prophets, and had brought them to test their religion by an open sign from God-is now terrified at the threat of this angry woman, and runs for his life to Beersheba, there dismisses his servant, plunges into the solitude of the wilderness, and there, sitting down under a juniper tree, gives vent to his feelings, requesting that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers."

Had that prayer been granted, then Elijah would have died under a cloud, leaving a doubt whether his death were not a judgment rather than a mercy; or, perhaps I should say, leaving no doubt, but leaving it quite plain, that such was the case. How different such a departure from the world from the chariot of fire, and the horses of fire, with which he afterwards ascended to heaven! He there fell asleep in his sorrow; an angel provides him food, and once and again prevails on him to arise and eat. After this he wanders about for forty days and forty nights, fasting and comfortless, and then comes to Horeb, the Mount of God, so famous for the giving of the law there to Israel. On Horeb he finds a cave, probably the same in which Moses had been concealed in the clefts of the rock, while the divine glory was made to pass before him. The place suited Elijah's frame of mind at this time: it was solitary, it was wild, it was in a measure sacred: it reminded him of the law which he had seen Israel break, and Moses in whose faithful steps he had trodden; of the thunder of that same Sinai, which in his holy indignation against sin, he, perhaps, wished to see burst forth against Jezebel and the enemies of God. He lodges in this cave; and behold the word of the Lord came to him there. "And the Lord said unto him, What dost thou here, Elijah?" What a question that, to a man out of the way of duty! It is like that question to the first man that sinned, "Adam, where art thou?" Or like that to the first murderer, "Where is Abel thy brother?" Elijah's answer is not satisfactory; it is the language of petulance, of self-justification, of murmuring complaint: for he said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." To this peevish complaint the answer is, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord." Then followed the manifestation of the Lord to Elijah, which is to be our second consideration.

We now see the occasion, the train of circumstances, which led to this manifestation. The prophet, you have seen, was not acting up to his former professions, his principles, and his privileges: he was failing through fear; he was out of the way of duty; he was not trusting God as he ought: he was wishing for death rather than life; though not in that noble spirit in which St. Paul felt a desire to "depart and to be with Christ, which is far better;" but because he was tired of suffering, weary of trials, afraid of trouble and persecution. He had been wandering about in discomfort; he had taken up his lodging in this cave in Horeb, as though he had done with men, and done with life; he had almost accused God of neglecting him, and leaving him by himself. And here, while we see the sinful infirmities of Elijah, do none of us see a glass to shew

us yet greater infirmities of our own? Have none of us been in situations, and states of mind, in which we ought to hear the question, "What doest thou here, Elijah ?" thrill through the very conscience? When you were shrinking from plain duty, afraid of that angry trial, when you fled from a difficult service, when you were weary and disgusted with life, when you wished yourself among the dead (nay, start not, for some of you have wished it ere now; it is God's mercy that he did not take you at your word)—then, when you justified yourself before God, complained of hard usage, dwelt with complacency on your services-then your state of mind very much resembled that of Elijah's. Many a one who has never resembled Elijah in faith and boldness for God, has often resembled the faulty part of his character. Many an unconverted man, amid all his gaiety, has moments of disgust and chagrin; his pride makes him fancy himself neglected, both of God and of man; he is satiated with variety; he is averse from active duties; he thinks he would like to die, though he thinks little of what it is to die, and how unprepared he is to find that "to die is gain."

We see already that the subject may suit ourselves: let us then go on with the second part, Elijah is ordered to go forth from his cave, and not to make that his lodging or abode, but to stand upon the mount before the Lord. "And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord." How fearful this scene! What a display of the power of God, "wind and storm fulfilling his word!" How easy, evidently, how easy to him, to rend mountains to their base, and to break the rocks in pieces! Surely, as the whirlwind arose in its fury, and swept by the prophet, while fragments from the mountains, and masses from the rocks, scattered in wild confusion around, and told his power, the prophet must have thought, "The Lord is come in majesty and judgment to avenge his servant." It is thus that the ruin will he hurled at His foes, when he utters his voice of thunder. "But the Lord was not in the wind."

The prophet is lost in wonder at this; when lo, "after the wind an earthquake." No words can describe that scene: a hollow sound preceding; the earth heaving; the loud explosion; the mountains rocking; the wild birds shrieking. The prophet stands in silent wonder: "Surely the Lord is here?" "But the Lord was not in the earthquake."

"And after the earthquake a fire." It was thus, he might have thought with himself now-it was thus that this same mountain once burned with fire under the midst of heaven; it was thus the Lord spake to Israel out of the midst of the fire; it was thus that I saw him send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice before the priests of Baal. "But the Lord was not in the fire."

The prophet must have now been in perplexity and astonishment: he had seen signs and tokens from the Lord, the most fearful demonstrations of his power; but his presence and voice were still wanting. "And after the fire a still small voice:" and the Lord was there. It was a voice-a small voice-a still, gentle tone, which contrasted wonderfully with the whirlwind's rush, the earthquake's shock, the fury of the fire, which had preceded. Now all was still and calm, nature was hushed into silence; the voice was gentle, soft, and mild. On this the prophet felt the presence of the Lord, wrapped his face in his mantle

in reverence, and is again questioned with that same searching question, "What doest thou here?" Elijah again makes his murmuring complaint; he is left alone of all God's servants. He is bidden now to return to the way of duty, to go and anoint Hazael and Jehu, who shall execute vengeance for God in the state: he is also to anoint Elisha to the prophetic office, who shall carry on the reformation of the Church of Israel: and he is comforted with the assurance, that though he had thought himself alone, the Lord had yet seven thousand left to Him in Israel, of Israelites indeed who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and whose mouths had not kissed the impious shrine.

Such was the manifestation of God to Elijah, which seems to have been intended to teach him chiefly the great lesson, that God loves to manifest himself to his people in the way of grace and mildness. Elijah's spirit at this time was too exasperated and embittered: the whirlwind and the earthquake seemed congenial to his spirit; the fire without, seemed to have a fellow feeling with the fiery zeal that was burning within his bosom. But he was thus taught, that God rather loves to come in the still small voice of expostulation, gentle persuasion, and heavenly consolation. He is instructed to imitate this godlike temper, to remember that the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God, and henceforth to cultivate a more gentle, gracious, and persuasive disposition.

Another lesson for him probably, was, God's displeasure, not only against Israel's sin, but against this his servant, now out of the way of duty. And hence the whirlwind, the earthquake, and the fire, to strike awe into his soul; and then the still small voice of encouragement and consolation.

There is after all, and above all, intended a lesson of great grace; that though the whirlwind sweeps around him, though the earth quaked beneath his feet, though the fire burst forth from the caves and crevices of the earth, yet the Lord comes to Elijah, not in this tremendous visitation, but in the still small voice. He has the terrors of judgment reserved for his enemies; he has the still small voice of mercy for all his faithful people.

Let us now consider our third part, THE LESSONS FROM THIS SUBJECT TO OURSELVES UNDER THE GOSPEL DISPENSATION.

I begin with the man who has resembled the prophet in his failings, but not in his excellences: you, I mean, who have been out of the way of duty; discontented, murmuring, self-justifying see the lesson sent you this evening on this subject. The Lord often takes such as you, as if on Sinai where the law was given, and there begins with shewing the guilt of sin, the curse of death, the eternal wrath and woe which it deserves. Then oftentimes, at his bidding, the scenes of your past life come in terrible array before the mind: then the thunders of the law threaten; the earth burns beneath your feet, your vain confidence gives way, you have no firm footing to stand on; your righteousness you discover to be but filthy rags, your hopes mere phantoms, your expectations of safety mere shadows. The terrors of hell get hold upon you, the fiery wrath of God seems ready to burst forth, and the question is felt, "Who can dwell amidst everlasting burnings?" There are some, who in the process of conversion, and in preparation for conversion, have terrible alarms from conscience, a most fearful looking-for of judgment, dismay, and trepidation, arising from a sense of the tremendous power and majesty of God, against whom they have dared to com

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