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that there is a constitution that can be stretched to meet the

need at the time.

“And Elijah took the child, and brought him down from the

upper chamber into the house, and delivered him to his

mother; and Elijah said, See, thy son lives”. What a

demonstration!

How it would affect this woman—“See, thy son lives”. The

word of God is not empty of power, never; nor is its power

directed towards death, it is directed towards life, as this

instance so clearly shows. How sorrowfully sometimes the

bearing of death shows itself in the pressures that come in, but

there is an answer to it, dear brethren; there is a God who has

met the power of death in the dying of His only Son, in view of

the whole need of man, despite the way he is constituted,

being met by His delivering power. And so the prophet

delivered the child to his mother, and Elijah said, “See, thy son

lives”. The woman is affected accordingly. If we follow through

the line of this passage I venture to say we shall see

something coming in on God’s side that resolves things; not at

once maybe; not in one action maybe; but God honours the

concern of the prophet as to His creature, and honours the

way the prophet takes to deal with it; no light matter, but it is

carried through, and this child is delivered alive to his mother.

What a wonderful experience, dear brethren, to see life come

in where the power of death has been seen to reign, to see life

come in. It is not possible in human account, but it is

characteristic in Christianity. I think we see it to be so, and if

we prove it, so

it will be of the deepest strengthening to us as facing the

issues of a severe kind which we find ourselves in.

Now when we come to Acts 20 we have a particular

happening of a severe kind. What is in question in Acts 20 is

the ministry of Paul. He comes into this situation in a company.

His company is there, those who companied with him in the