THE CHILD AND THE WIND. "FATHER, father! are you listening," "When I hear it in the chimneys, When it sweeps along the ground, 'Tis to me as if deep voices Mingled strangely with the sound. "Now they louder swell and nearer, "Nay, my child, they are not speaking, "And that murmur deep and awful, "While for thee the red fire burneth, "Many mothers, sitting watchful, For some distant sailor son. "They might tell of Him who holdeth, In the hollow of His hand, Gentle breezes and rude tempests, Coming all at His command. "He provideth our home shelter, He protecteth on the seas When the wild winds seem to whisper, Thus replied the shepherd father, Mrs. C. Alexander. CHAPTER CV. MIRACLES OF ELISHA. THE miracles of Elisha are more in number than those of Elijah; but are not so striking. They are chiefly these 1. He divided the Jordan. 2. He cured the water of the fountain at Jericho. 3. He cursed the children of Bethel. 4. He brought water in the wilderness. 5. He multiplied the widow's oil. 6. He restored to life the Shunammite's son. 7. He healed the poisonous pottage at Gilgal. 8. He fed 100 men with twenty loaves. 9. He healed Naaman of his leprosy, and transferred it to Gehazi. 10. He made the iron head of the axe to swim. 11. He smote the Syrian army with blindness. It is easy to remember these, though not in their proper order. There are five worked on the water, (two in the Jordan, one beyond it, and two at Jericho,) viz. (1.) Dividing the Jordan, and (2.) healing Naaman in the JORDAN. (3.) Healing the fountain, and (4.) making the axe swim at JERICHO. (5.) Bringing water for the army in the wilderness. Three were punishments, viz. : (1.) On the forty-two children at Bethel for disrespect. (2.) On Gehazi for lying and deceit. (3.) On the Syrian army for disbelief. Two shewed compassion on women, in giving oil to the widow and restoring a son to the Shunammite. Two refer to food-one driving away poison from the pottage, the other feeding 100 men with twenty loaves. All of these are interesting, and they all teach us some lesson, for they were written for our instruction. Elisha had prayed that seven times the spirit of Elijah might rest upon him, and his prayer was granted: so that he worked more miracles. 1. HE DIVIDED THE JORDAN. His first attempt was to repeat what his master had done; and, taking up the cloak that fell from Elijah as he went up, he smote the Jordan with it, and called upon it, in the name of the Lord God of Elijah, to part, so that he might go back to his own home. 2. HE CURED THE WATER OF JERICHO. "And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. "And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. "And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters: there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. "So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake" (2 Kings ii. 19-22). 3. HE CURSED THE CHILDREN AT BETHEL. "And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. "And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. "And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria" (2 Kings ii. 23-25). 4. HE PROCURED A MIRACULOUS SUPPLY OF WATER FOR THE ARMIES OF ISRAEL. Jehoram, King of Israel, went against the King of Moab, who refused the tribute he had paid to Ahab. And Jehoram sent to Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, to join him and their two armies were united together; and they went through the wilderness of Edom. they went round a seven days' journey to come behind the army of the King of Moab, and catch him by surprise and there was no water for the host, nor for the cattle that followed them. And "And the King of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab ! "But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the King of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. "And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the King of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the King of Edom went down to him. "And Elisha said unto the King of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the King of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. “And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the King of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. "But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. "And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. II. "For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. "And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: He will deliver the Moabites also into your hand, "Ánd ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. "And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. "And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border. "And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: and they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. "And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country. "And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees; only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it" (2 Kings iii. 10-25). NOTE.—To pour water upon the hands of another was the work of a servant: so Elisha was the servant or assistant of Elijah, his master. QUESTIONS. How many miracles of Elisha are there? How many worked on water? Name them. How many were punishments? Name |