(11) And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: (12) And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (13) And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
What an awful display of the divine power and the divine presence! Moses stood within the cave when the Lord passed by. But Elijah is commanded to go forth, and stand before the Lord upon the mount. Do observe, Reader, the Lord's passing by, and the strong wind rending the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces, the earthquake, and the fire; but the Lord was not discovered by the prophet in either of them: neither did he cover his face in his mantle until he heard the still small voice. So is it with the sinner; Not the most dreadful things of God's wrath, the terrors of the law, the alarms of threatening justice, nor even the apprehensions of hell, and everlasting misery, though passing before his view, will compel him to cover his face in shame and confusion, and make him tremblingly cry out, Lord! save or I perish; until the Lord himself speaks to him in the still small voice. Reader! have you heard that voice? Hath your soul passed under the condemning sentence of God's law, and are you fled from it to the Lamb of God for salvation! if so, you will know by your own feelings, better than by any words that I can make use of, to convey a sense of these grand things. A soul that hath so been led, and both from the sentence of death in himself, and a manifestation of life, and pardon, and peace in Jesus and his righteousness, hath been enabled to venture and rest his eternal welfare on this sure foundation, will read this passage of the prophet with such enlightened eyes as none but such exercised souls can ever discover. Blessed Reader! I may say if this be your happy case, oh! what a precious thing it is to have a Christ to plead, and a Christ to justify, when both law and justice give in a verdict against the soul.