The Tupelo journal., 1908-04-10

Elijah walked, 30 that peopi6 may
know as they see the mantle of Elijah
resting upon me that the God of Eli.
jah still lives and Is mighty in his
works among men!"
With this prayer upon his lips he
again stopped and this time picked ur
the mantle.
TN the spirit and power Of Elijah,
o Lord" he ~fervently whispered as
he turned and retraced the pathway
towards the Jordan over which but
so short a time before he had passed
with Elijah. So intent had he been
in watching Elijah lest the Lord
should snatch the prophet from him
ere he knew it, that he had not real
lied how far they had come, and dur
ing the walk back to the Jordan he
had ample time to recall all the re-
markable incidents of the long Jour-
ney from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel
to Jericho and then to the Jordan and
on through it's divided waters. AS
he drew near to .Aa banks of the
river he suddenly recalled the fact
that the sons of the prophets from the
school at Jericho had followed him
and his master out as far as the high
bluffs overlooking the Jordan, and he
now lifted his eyes in that direction to
see If they were still there.
Yes, there they were, the group be.
ing sharply ~silhouetted against the
western sky which was all aglow with
the red and gold of the setting sun,
and it was evident from their gesticu-
lations and excitement that they saw
him.
The splash of his feet as he dipped
into the water at the edge of the
river suddenly recalled him to a con-
Eciousness of his surroundings, and,
lowering his eyes from the excited
group on the bluffs opposite, he looked
upon the surface Of the broad river,
barrier between him and the continual
ton Of his journey. For a moment
Elisha paused, but only for a moment,
for as he looked out beyond him and
again lifted his eyes to the opposite
bluff he became conscious that here
was the place of the first testing. The
sons of the prophets were watching
him. The broad Jordan separated
him from them. Would he be able
to go to them? If the power Of
Elijah rested upon him could he do
less than cross upon the dry bed of
Jordan &C tho propbot Eliioh hod
done?
Yea" he exclaimed, looking up to
heaven, 'and the mantle of Elijah is
with me as token that the God of
Elijah is still present to work his
mighty works in Israel. Did not
Elijah smite the waters and did not
they obey his will?"
Even while he was thus speaking
with himself he was carefully folding
the garment which he held in his
hands, and as he finished his solilo-
guy he raised it above his head and
then brought it down upon the waters
before him, exclaiming as he did so, in
a voice which rang out on the still air
SO that 1t was audible to the group Of
men on the bluff opposite:
where is the Lord God Of Elijah?"
Hither and thither sprang the
waters as though suddenly imbued
with life and soon a dry lane banked
with water on either side stretched
out from shore to shore, and through
which Elisha passed.
With GREATNESS, intense interest the
son of the prophets beheld the won
derful sight. Their eyes never for an
instant left that majestic figure as it
moved with such confidence through
those towering waters. 1t was as
though there was being borne in upon
their hearts the consciousness that
though Elijah was not there, the
same mighty God in whom Elijah had
trusted was present to work his mir
acles. Nearer and nearer came Elisha,
and as his foot pressed the bank of
the Jordan and the waters returned to
their wonted channels, a cry broke
from their lips, and, springing down
the steep pathway of the bluff, they
shouted as they ran:
Surely, the spirit of Elijah doth
est upon Elisha! Surely the spirit
of Elijah doth rest upon Elisha!"