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ELIJAH THE TISHBITE.

BY

F. W. KRUMMACHER, D.D.

Of Elberfeld, in Prussia

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN.

LONDON:

THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY,
Instituted 1799.

SOLD AT THE DEPOSITORY, 56, PATERNOSTER-ROW;

AND BY THE BOOKSELLERS.

MDCCCXXXVI.

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IN preparing this translation, some of the least important passages have been omitted; which has made it necessary, in some instances, for the sake of preserving the consecutiveness, to make some alterations in the context. The peculiar style of Dr. Krummacher has also made it requisite to use considerable freedom in the translation of some parts, in order to do justice to the spirit and liveliness of the original.

ELIJAH THE TISHBITE.

I.-ELIJAH'S FIRST APPEARANCE.

66

Ir is a brilliant description, my friends, which the Lord gives us of his true church here on earth, when, in the Song of Solomon iv. 4, he says, Thy neck is like the tower of David, builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men." He compares it to that strong hold of the jebusites, on mount Zion, which David took. Thus the church of God also stands founded on a rock, and that rock is Christ and his blood. It rests upon the power and word of God; the eternal triune Jehovah bears it in his hands, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The tower of David was builded for an armoury, whereon hung the shields of his heroes by thousands. And when was ever the fortress of the church of Jesus Christ unprotected? For nearly six thousand years has the infernal adversary bent his bow against it, and shot at it with his fiery darts; but it stands unimpaired to this day. For there is one shield over it, which is better than a thousand; where is the lance that will penetrate it? that shield is He who is the Alpha and the Omega, and his protection who can disannul?

But David's tower was hung with all kinds of weapons of mighty men of valour. The weapons of vanquished foes were there displayed, as trophies, to be made a show of openly; and there were also the arms of crowned conquerors, who had combated for Zion, and which were hung up as encouraging mementos for children's children. The living tower of the church of God is hung with similar decorations for the spiritual eye; behold them hanging upon the turrets, the scathed and broken weapons of many thousand vanquished mighty ones; here, the two-handed sword of the murderer from the beginning, the old

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