The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-12
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
THE CHARIOTs AND HORsEMEN SEEN
BY ELISHA AND JOAsH.
BY Rev. Alexander Mac1aren, ID. D.,
Pastor OF Oxford-Street Baptist
Temple, Manchester, England.

"And Elisha saw it. and he cried. My
father. my father. the chariot OF Israel ana
And Joash. the King of Israel, came
| down unto him. and wept over his face ana
| of Israel and the horsemen thereof" III
| Kings, xiii, II.
The scenes and the speakers are strangely
/ different in these two Incidents The one
| scene is that mysterious translation on the
| farther bank of the Jordan, when mortal
was swept up to heaven in a fiery whirl-
| wind; and the other is ordinary sick
| chamber, where an old man was lying, his
| life slowly ebbing away. The one speaker
is the successor of the great prophet Elijah,
| and on whom the latters spirit in large
measure fell; the other. young and head
| strong king, who had despised Elisha s
teaching while he lived, but was now for
the moment awed into something like seri-
| BUSINESS and reverence, and moved TO tears
by the prophets approaching death
| Now, the remarkable thing is that this
unworthy monarch should have strength
ened and cheered the dying prophet by
| quoting his own words, spoken so long ago
! AS if he would say to him, 'All that thou
| didst mean when thou didst stand there in
rapturous alteration, watching the ascend
| Ing Elijah. is as true about thee, dying here
| OF common and lingering sickness. My
| father, my father. the chariot of Israel and
the horsemen thereof, Seen or unseen
| same, though the appearances were so diff
| ferent.
THE ORIGINAL MEANING.
First-We have in the first case the chariot
| and horsemen seen.
To feel the force of the words as used by
Joash, We must try to make clear to our
selves what the original meaning was. Eli
sha's exclamation was one of surprised ado
ration as he gazed with wide-open eyes on
| the burning angel-hosts, and saw his master
hinged round by these flaming squadrons,
! standing unscathed on the floor of the char
lot, and swept with it and all the celestial
pomp by the whlrlwind into heaven.
But why should he say 1.-The chariot Of
1srael?' You will remember that Israel
was not originally the name of the nation
out or It's progenitor and founder, Jacob,
ana we get nobler Specification for the
words before Us if instead of applying the
name TO the nation, We apply it here 10 the
INDIVIDUAL. When Elijah and Elisha crossed
Jordan, they were not far from the spot
Where that name was given to Jacob, whom
ulsclpllne and communion with God had ele-
waited into Israel. And they were near an
other or the sites consecrated by his history
| the place where, just before the change of
his name, the angels of God met him and
he called the name Of the place Maha-
nalm. That means the two camps.-the
and children; the other, their celestial
! guards.
1t seems reasonable to suppose that a
"reminiscences of that old story of the mani
| festation Of the armed angels of God the
| defenders and servants of His children
breaks from Elisha's lips here. As he looks
| upon that strange appearance OF the chariot
| and horses of fire that parted him and his
| friend, he sees once more ''the chariot of
| Israel and the horsemen thereof" the reap
| pearance OF the shining armies, whose pres
| ence had of old declared that 1.-The angel of
] the Lord encampeth round about them that
| fear him and delivereth them" And now
/ the same hosts in their immortal youth, un-
| weakened by the ages which have brought
! earthly warriors to dust and their swords to
rust, are flaming and flashing there in the
| What was their errand, and why did they
| appear? They came as Gods messengers to
tested the commission and devotion of the
| prophet. Their agency was needful to lift a
| mortal to skies not native to him-guards
| of honor, not only for tokens OF his pro-
| phetic work, but for witnesses OF the UNI
| seen world, and, in some sort, suited to that
stage of revelation, pledges of life and i'm
mortality.
How Striking is the contrast between the
! translation of Elijah and the ascension of
| Christ! He slho assembled up where ne was
! before needed no whirlwind, no chariot of
| fire extraneous power to elevate MIN
| to His home. To Him, but-clad no longer
| in fiery armor, but "in white apparel" the
emblem of purity and peace-they stood by
| the disciples and cOmforted them with hope.
Elijah was carried to heaven Christ went.
The angels disappeared with the prophet
/ and left Elisha 10 grieve alone. They I'm
| gered here after Christ had gone, and turned
! tears into rainbows flashing with the hues
Of hope. ,,>,e,r,,,>,
| Second-We have in our second text the
chariot and horsemen present, though I'M
| seen.
When the king, young and impossible,
1 fo1nl
came down to the prophets home and,
standing by the pallet of the dying man, re-
peated the words, so strangely reminiscent
of such different event-what do they now
mean? Two things, plainly. One is this, that
the angels of the divine presence are with
MS as truly in life, when unseen, as If seen.
So far as we know, it was only to Elisha
| that the vision Of that chariot of fire had
| been granted. We read that at EliJah
| translation there stood, at no great distance
/ off, a company of the sons or the prophets
! from Jericho to see what would happen; out
! thew evidently did not see. ON the contrary,
/ they were inclined 10 believe that Ethan
| had been caught up and flung away some
/ where on the mountains, ana lndt IL was
| worth while organizing search parties TO go
/ after him. 1t was only Elisha that saw,
| and even Elijah did not know whether ne
| would see or not for he said to him, If
| thou shalt see me when L am taken from
! thee" then thy desire shall be granted.
| The angels of God are visible 10 the eyes
| tha. are fir to see them; and those eyes can
| aIwavs see them. 1t does not matter whether
/ iD a miracle or in n common event, whether
| NV Jordan's side or in a sick-chamber, they
| are there for those who by pure hearts and
| hoIv desires have had their vision pUrged
! from the intrusive vugarities and dazzling
| brightnesses of this poor, petty present, and
| can therefore see beneath all the apI aren't
! the real that blazes behind It..
| II is interesting TO note that these two
| scenes are not the only times in Elisha's life
| when we read about chariots and horses of
| FIRE There was another incident In his
| career i'm which the same phrase occurs.
| Once his servant was terrified at the sight
/ of a host encompassing the little city where
| they were stopping, and he came with
alarm and despair, crying. Alas my mas
| ter. how shall do?" The prophet
| answered with superb calmness, Fear not:
| for they that be with us are more than they
| that be with them. LORD, pray
| thee open his eyes that he may see" And
! the Lord opened the eyes of the young man.
/ and he saw the mountain full of horses and
! chariots of fire round about Elisha. They
| were no more there when the young man
saw them than they had been before. They
| did not cease TO be there when the film
| came over his eyes again, and the common
! round took him back to the trtvalities of
daily life
| If a man can but look into the realities of
| things will he see only the work of men and
! the forces OF nature? Will there not be-far
more visible as they are far more real than
! any of theSe-the forces of the eternal pres