the seed of Abraham, to whom the promises were made, "of the tribe of Benjamin, and lived, as touching the righteousness of the law blameless," Rom. xi. 1. Phil. iii. 5, 6. Yea he was not only religious as were others of the strict sect of the pharisees, "but more exceedingly zealous than many of his equals in his own nation, and at Jerusalem,” Gal. i. 14. But yet all this was not enough to bring him to heaven; all would not do: when he was convinced of his sin, as he was journeying to Damascus, he cried out in the bitterness of his soul, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Acts ix. 6. Neither did he rest from crying, neither would he eat or drink, till Ananias brought him that glorious message, "Why tarriest thou? arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord," Acts xxii. 16. So also it is written of Joshua, the high priest, that when he stood before the Lord in his own righteousness, it was as filthy garments; but when the Lamb of God had said to him,

Behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass away," he had clothed him with a change of raiment, that is, the righteousness of Christ, and then he was no more before the Lord as unclean, but clean to a wonder; so as the angel owned of him and his fellow saints, "Ye are men to be wondered at!" Zech. iii. His covering was then the covering of the Spirit of the Lord," Isaiah xxx. 1.

Remark the first. When Naaman's anger was a little appeased, his servants reasoned with him; "If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?" which may be figurative of that reasonable way of salvation by Christ; as it is all of grace, what can sound reason object against it? But thus God often chooses to let wise men err in their own prudence, when he reveals his truth to babes, Luke x. 21. Then let not, dear reader, your soul turn away in a rage; but be intreated to venture to bathe in Christ's blood: it is better than all the rivers of Damascus than all the cries and tears of every saint in the world; for they cannot wash away one sin: but the blood of the Lamb will cleanse you of all, if you have ten thousand thousands, yea, if every sin that has been committed by all the children of God, since the foundation of the world, were to be charged upon any one of you, and I knew it, I would yet say to you, "Come, wash and be clean! there is still room!" Luke xiv. 22. and they shall come that are ready to perish.

If the Lord had bidden you do some great thing, would you not have done it? Methinks I hear you say, 1 would, if I knew what the will of the Lord was? I would do

it, though I went through hell for a time, so that I might but be saved. O poor soul, only believe, "wash and be clean."

Secondly. No sooner had Naaman put off all that fine apparel, and entered the river, but "his flesh returned like the flesh of a little child;" he found his distemper was taken away, and he came out of the water whole and rejoicing. So if the Lord prevail upon you to put off your own righteousness, lay down your own wisdom, and come to the Lord Jesus, wretched and undone as you are, and wholly trust the merits of his blessed blood, and believe on his name, you would find your sin, that hateful leprosy, washed away, and yourselves converted and made like a little child, Matt. xviii. 3. If, dear reader, you feel yourself impure, burdened, yea, nothing but sin and uncleanness, stay not away. Why do you doubt your right to wash in this blood, when you may read upon the fountain head, "This fountain was opened for sin and for uncleanness?" Zech. xiii. 1. If you have surely seen your sin, surely you may see the Lamb of God invites you compassionately to come unto him. The Spirit entreats you, saying, Come: the church, the people of God, the Lamb's wife, say, Come. "Yea, (saith the Lord,) let him that heareth, consent and say, Come, O my soul come. And let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," Rev. xxii. 17. At this spring poor weary sinners may drink and be washed; it is here the Holy Ghost will put away the evil of your doings, and make you white as snow: the Lord saith, "From all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you," Ezek. xxxvi. 25.

Thirdly. When Naaman was cleansed, he would have been glad if the whole world could have proved, like him, the power of the God of Israel. So the woman of Samaria (when she had found Jesus, the "fountain of living waters,") left her water-pot by the side of the well, and was for having all the city come and draw water out of this well, CHRIST. So you (when you have known what it is to have the "love of God shed abroad in your hearts,") will be of the same mind. O you will be for telling all your friends and neighbours, what great things the Lord hath done for your souls, and how the Lord hath had compassion upon you. Then, as Naaman after his cure wanted to make Elisha amends, so you will desire and long to praise the Lord our Saviour, and to live to his glory in time and in eternity.

Ver. 25. "And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said thy servant went no whither."]

-Gebazi thought to impose upon Elisha, the man of God; which was sin, folly, and ignorance in him; for could he think to hide any thing from the prophet in Israel, with whom the secret of the Lord was? It shews the depravity of our nature, and bespeaks our ignorance and folly to attempt to sin in hopes of secrecy for when a person, like Elisha's servant, goes aside into by-paths, does not his conscience, his constant companion, go with him? and is not the eye of God upon him? And, as the wise man observes, "He that covers his sin shall not prosper," Prov. xii. 19. and xxi. 6. for there is a wheel within a wheel in providence, that does not only bring the truth to light, but sometimes in a surprising manner, which paves the way for the condemnation of the guilty.

CHAPTER VI.

In this chapter we have, (1.) A farther account of the wondrous works of Elisha. 1. His making irou to swim, ver. 1-7. 2. His disclosing to the king of Israel the secret counsels of the king of Syria, ver. 8—12. 3. His saving himself out of the hands of those who were sent to apprehend him, ver. 13-25. (2.) The besicging of Samaria by the Syrians, and the great distress the city was reduced to, ver. 24–33. The relief of it is another of the wonders wrought by Elisha's word, which we shall have the story of in the next chapter. Elisha is a great blessing both to church and state, both to the sons of the prophets, and to his prince.

VER. 5. "Alas, master! for it was borrowed."-This shews that many of the servants of the Lord are poor in this world: for "it was borrowed," saith the prophet. Secondly, when the children of God meet with any losses that they cannot repair, especially in what is borrowed, it is a great grief to them.

Ver. 15-17. "And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us, are more than they that be with them."] -Elisha's servant thought they were undone, and that they must certainly fall into the hands of their enemies: dangers appear more dreadful at the first view than they often really are; for Elisha, the man of God, soon reminds him of their safety, and said to him, "Fear not." They whose faith is strong ought tenderly to consider and compassionate those who are weak and of a timorous spirit, and to do what they can to strengthen their hands. Elisha saw himself safe, and wished no more, but that his servant might see what he saw,

a guard of angels round about him; such as were his master's convoy to the gates of heaven, were his protectors against the gates of hell-" Chariots of fire, and horses of fire;" fire is both dreadful and devouring; that power, which was engaged for Elisha's protection, could both terrify and consume the assailants; as angels are God's messengers, so they are his soldiers, his hosts, Gen. xxxii. 2. His legion, or regiments, Matt. xxvi. 35. for the good of his people. For the satisfaction of his servant, there needed no more but the opening of his eyes, that therefore he prayed for, and obtained for him, "Lord, open his eyes that he may see;" the eyes of his body were open, and with them he saw the danger; Lord! open the eyes of his faith, that with them he may see the protection we are under. Observe, the greatest kindness we can do for those that are fearful and faint-hearted, is to pray for them, and recommend them to the mighty grace of God. The opening of our eyes by his grace will be the silencing of our fears in the dark we are most apt to be frightened; the clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of heaven, the less we shall fear the calamities of this earth.

Ver. 33. "And he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?"]The city of Samaria was in great distress through famine, and was also besieged by their enemies: and the king said, "This evil is of the Lord;" in which he was right: for there is not a personal, national, or congregational evil, but what the Lord for sin may justly inflict: but the consequence he drew was rash and sinful; and this shews the corruption and rebellion of our nature against the will of God under long and great trials; for even the christian finds at times the same rebellious nature as the wicked do, and stands in need of great grace in the time of great trials.

CHAPTER VII.

Relief is here brought to Samaria and her king, when the case was in a manner desperate, and the king despairing. (1.) It is foretold by Elisha, and an unbelieving lord shut out from the benefit of it, ver. 1, 2. (2.) It is brought about, 1. By an unaccountable fright which God put the Syrians into, ver. 6. which drove them to their heels, ver. 7. 2, By the seasonable discovery which four lepers made of this, ver. 3—5.

and the account they gave of it to the court, ver. 8-11. 5. By the cautious trial which the king made of the truth of it, ver. 12-15. Lastly, the event answered the prediction, both in the sudden plenty, ver. 16. and the death of the unbelieving lord, ver. 17-20. for no "word of God shall fall to the ground."

VER. 2. "Then a lord on whose band the king leaned, answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?"]-There seemed no human probability of the blessing foretold by the prophet: but is there any thing too hard for the Lord? and as the prophet said to the king's servant, "Hear ye the word of the Lord," it was a proper foundation for him to believe, though he could not see how the blessing was to be accomplished. In which respect, the answer of the king's servant may be figurative of the language of the soul under a sense of want and deep distress, and shut up in unbelief. When the servants of Christ say, like the prophet in Israel, "Hear ye the word of the Lord," that is, the word of pardon, peace, life, and salvation, that Christ died for such as thee, that there is hope for thy salvation, how often will the soul under the power of unbelief, and not seeing any appearances of mercy, say, "If the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?" O how apt are we to doubt the divine power, and the promises of the gospel!

Ver. 4. "And if we sit still here, we die also."] -These lepers may be figurative of the soul, under a sense of all its wants, miseries, fears, and sorrows, venturing to cast itself at the feet of mercy, "to lay hold on the hope set before it." Note, a soul that is through grace resolved, if it perisheth, to perish at the feet of Christ, shall never be lost, but shall obtain mercy and salvation.

Ver. 9. "This day is a day of good tidings."]-These lepers were relieved, supplied, and saved from perishing; and there was relief for all the captives in Sainaria, which made it good tidings to them. This may point out the good tidings those souls have to declare, who have found mercy, grace, and peace, through the blood and atonement of Christ: they can tell others that are in distress, that there is mercy for them, and grace sufficient in Christ, and that they shall not perish for hunger.