ELIJAH walked for forty days in the wilderness quite alone, till at last he came to a mountain. There he found a cave: and he went into the cave, and slept in it. While he was in the cave, God spoke to him, and asked him why he was come there.

You know, dear children, the reason why. You know that Elijah had left Canaan because of wicked Jezebel, and God knew this; but he chose Elijah to tell him why.

Then Elijah said, "The people of Israel have thrown down God's altars, and killed God's prophets and I am the only one left: and they try to kill me."

cave.

Then God told him to come out of the Then Elijah came out, and stood upon the mountain. And God made a very great wind blow, that tore the mountain: then God made the mountain shake: and then God made a fire come. How dreadful it must have been to have

seen and heard these

things! But God wanted to show Elijah how strong he was: so that Elijah might know that God could take care of him, and could punish the wicked people who tried to hurt him. Then God spoke to Elijah in a very gentle voice, and when Elijah heard this voice, he covered his face with his cloak, and went and stood inside the cave.

It was kind of God to speak to Elijah in such a gentle voice! God loved Elijah, and

wished to comfort him. But Elijah remembered what a great God he was; so he hid his face. The angels who stand round God's throne in heaven, hide their faces between their wings.* Ought not all people to fear the Lord? My dear child, when you pray to God, do you remember what a great God he is? How can children be so bold, as to look about and to play at prayer-time?

God asked Elijah again why he came there, and Elijah told the Lord again, that the people were wicked, and that they wanted to kill him.

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Then God told Elijah that he would soon punish the wicked people for worshipping idols and God said that all the people did not worship Baal; and that there were a great many in Israel who had never bowed their knees to Baal, nor kissed his image with their mouths.

Elijah thought that no one loved God but himself. How glad he must have been when he heard there were many other people be

* Above it stood the seraphims; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face. Is. vi. 2.

sides, who loved God. God knows who loves him, and who does not. He counts them, and remembers them.*

God told Elijah to go and find a man called Elisha, and to anoint him to be a prophet.

Would not Elijah be pleased that there should be another prophet to teach people about God?

Then Elijah left the cave, and he went to look for Elisha. At last he came to a field where a man was ploughing. There were twenty-four oxen, drawing the plough. They were harnessed two and two; and each two had a great piece of wood over their necks, called a yoke. A man was walking by the side of the two last of the oxen. The man's name was Elisha.

Elijah came up to the man, and taking off his own cloak, threw it over the man's shoulders. Why did he throw the cloak over the man? He wished to show him that he was to come with him, and the man knew what Elijah meant, and he left his oxen, and ran after Elijah and said, "I will come with thee:

*The Lord knoweth them that are his. 2 Tim. ii. 19.

only let me first go and kiss my father and mother."

It was right of Elisha to be ready to go with Elijah; because Elijah was a prophet of the Lord's. I do not wonder the man wished to go first to take leave of his father and mother, and his friends. Dear children, would not you wish to take leave of your parents, if you were going away from them?

Elijah allowed the man to go home for a little while. When the man went home he made a feast for all his friends. He killed two of his oxen: and he made a fire with the wood that was upon their necks, and roasted them, and then asked his friends to come, and eat their flesh.

Then he left his home, and went after Elijah and he was Elijah's servant. It was very right of the man to go with Elijah. Do you think it would be pleasant to live with Elijah? Yes, it would be pleasant to hear Elijah talk of God, and to hear him preach and pray. But you know that wicked people hated Elijah, and so Elijah was often obliged to hide himself. If this man had not loved