The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-03-20

hSSeSEStT from TIE king
by his distinguished garb.
~"Perchance the king hath sent for
me to consider matters of reform"
was the first thought of the prophet.
and rising he took a step eagerly for
ward and then stopped as the messen-
ger threw himself at his feet and
cried:
Evil hath been spoken against
thee, and Jezebel hath SEN me to
say that ere to-morrow's sun hath set
she will have made thee as one OF
the prophets whom thou didst slay at
the brook Kishon."
Such a revulsion Of feeling as swept
over the prophet only those who have
been suddenly plunged from the high
est aspirations to the lowest depths Of
disappointment and despair can I'M
derstand. The citation and hope
which had been his but a moment
before died within him and in its
place came a of u~nutterahle
loneliness and weakness.
DNN ZIG 10 LOt tOIStHlllk 10
this?" he exclaimed at last.
He raised nc protest when Jezebel
sent me-"
But it cannot be that he will so
soon forget the experience on Mount
Carmel, and his acknowledgment of
the true God before all the people,"
protested Elijah, clinging desperately
to the hope that Ahab would certain.
ly stand between him and the threat
which Jezebel had made.
Yea, perhaps he would desire to
save thee, but thou little knowest the
awful fury Of this woman Jezebel,"
said the messenger, lowering his
voice and stepping ear the prophet
as though he feared some one might
oyerhea.r his words.
Sick at heart, the prophet turned.
He had no heart to ask more ques.
tons or to make further protest. ST.
lently he retraced his steps to
the place where he and his servant
had spent the night, and at every
step the panic of fear and discourage
ment grew upon him. He looked with
suspicion upon everyone he met, fear.
ing they might be the avenger sent
from Jezebel to fall upon him and slay
him, He made a wide detour to es.
cape a man he saw coming in the dis
lance, and when the man called to
him and proclaimed himself a mes
senger from the king with important
tidings for him, he babe him stand at
a distance and deliver his message.
1T hath been told thee what Jeze-
bel hath sworn she would do to thee"
cried the messenger. Now, therefore,
the king hath sent saying: Flee for
thy life ere the queen find some hand
to do her bidding and strike thee
down. Make haste! Flee!"
Poor Elijah! With one cry of anguish
and despair he turned and sped
toward his lodgings and paused only
long enough to bid his servant follow
him, and then taking the road south.
ward towards Beersheba, he fed with
desperate haste, looking eve and
anon behind him to make certain that
he was not being pursued. On and
on he went, resting neither day nor
night until he had come to Beersheba,
where he left his servant and then
pushed on into the wilderness and at
last fell from sheer exhaustion under
the shade of a juniper tree.
1T is enough" he exclaimed, in
anguish of spirit. Now, o Lord, take
away my life; for am not better than
my fathers"
And then unconsciousness came to
relieve him of the anguish and sor.
row which filled his soul.
And while the prophet slept with
the angels to guard him, what Of the
Jezebel back in Jezreel? In
the frenzy of her mad passion she
sought hither and thither for one who
would carry out her threat against
the prophets life, not knowing that
he had fed. All the prophets of Baal
were dead and the awe and fear which
came at Mount Carmel still rested
upon the people, SO that there was no
one who dared undertake the des.
commission. In vain she
searched everywhere for one who
would obey her commands and then In
The wild frenzy of her wicked heart
she declared she would do the deed
II there was one who would
bring the prophet before her. But
% her queries as to the whereabouts
If the prophet there came the an.
that he had gone and no one
inew whittier.