He looked, and behold there was at his head a hearthcake, and a vessel of water: he ate, drank, and he fell asleep again. The angel of the Lord came the second time, touched him, and said: "Arise, eat: for thou hast yet a great way to go." Elias arose, ate, drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, unto the Mount of God, Horeb. And when he was come to that place, he abode in a cave and behold the word of the Lord came unto him, and He said unto him: "What dost thou here, Elias?" He answered: "With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant: they have thrown down Thy altars, they have slain Thy prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it away." The angel said to him: "Go forth, and stand upon the Mount before the Lord, and behold the Lord passeth." When Elias heard this, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood at the entrance of the cave, and behold a voice said unto him: "What dost thou here, Elias?" He answered: "With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant: they have destroyed Thy altars, they have slain Thy prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it away." The Lord said to him: "Go, and return through the desert to Damascus: and when thou art come to that place, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; thou shalt anoint Jehu to be king over Israel; and Eliseus, thou shalt anoint to be prophet in thy place. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall escape the sword of Hazael, shall be slain by Jehu : and whosoever shall escape the sword of Jehu, shall be slain by Eliseus." Elias, departing thence, found Eliseus plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. When Elias came up to him, he cast his mantle upon him. Eliseus forthwith left the oxen, ran after Elias, and said: "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow thee.” Elias said to him: "Go back: for that which was my part, I have done to thee." A short time after this incident, Eliseus left everything and followed Elias. And it came to pass, that as the two prophets were walking and talking together, behold a fiery chariot and fiery horses parted them both asunder, and Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 1. Why did Elias denounce Achab? 2. How did he make the king feel the weight of his words? 3. Who was Jezabel? 4. When Elias was hungry, who fed him? 5. Tell about his experience at Sarephta. 6. How did he show his kindness and gratitude to the widow? 7. Give an account of the meeting of Elias and Abdias. 8. What did the prophet say to Achab? 9. How did he show the superiority of the God of Israel over the heathen gods? 10. What prayer did he say before he performed the miracle? 11. What did Jezabel say that she would do to him? 12. How did Elias escape from her? 13. What advice did the angel give him? 14. What did the Lord tell him to do? 15. How was Elias taken up to heaven? 16. In some sentences in this lesson, the quotations are preceded by a comma; in others by a colon. Can you give the reason for this? 17. Form nouns from the following verbs: feed, drank, died, remembered, afflicted. 1. Write a short story telling of the experiences of the prophet Elias related in the foregoing lesson. 2. Point out the Biblical expressions in this selection, give their meaning, and use them correctly in new sentences. WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), the distinguished poet and prose writer, was born at Cummington, Mass., - a small country town on the Westfield River. His early education was received at New Brookfield and Plainfield, Mass. Besides being a most diligent pupil at school, he spent much of his free time roaming among the forests, along the banks of the river, climbing the rocky hills, becoming acquainted with the wild flowers, and listening to the sweet notes of the song birds. At the age of nine Bryant began to write verses; and at thirteen he wrote and published The Embargo, a satire on President Jefferson's embargo on American shipping. Five years later he wrote his masterpiece, Thanatopsis. After practicing law for about ten years, he gave up that profession to devote all his time to journalism and literature. In 1825, he removed to New York and in conjunction with another gentleman established The New York Review and Athenæum Magazine, in which appeared some of his best poems. The next year, he became editor of the New York Evening Post, which he held till his death. - a position His literary work comprises a volume of lyric poems, translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and a number of letters, addresses, editorials, and reviews. Bryant was essentially a poet of nature. "It is indeed in the beautiful that his genius finds its prime delight. Others before him," said the North American Review, "have sung the beauties of Creation, and the greatness of God; but no one ever observed external things more closely, or transferred his impressions to paper in more vivid colors." |