Even these instances might be enough to confirm our present position; but the lover of good thoughts must yet not neglect what follows. The people of the Hebrews, as we learn, after many sufferings, and after accomplishing their weary course in the desert, did not enter the land of promise until it had first been brought, with Joshua for its guide and the pilot of its life, to the passage of the Jordan25    See Josh. iii. But it is clear that Joshua also, who set up the twelve stones in the stream26    See Josh. iv, was anticipating the coming of the twelve disciples, the ministers of Baptism. Again, that marvellous sacrifice of the old Tishbite27    See 1 Kings xviii., that passes all human understanding, what else does it do but prefigure in action the Faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and redemption? For when all the people of the Hebrews had trodden underfoot the religion of their fathers, and fallen into the error of polytheism, and their king Ahab was deluded by idolatry, with Jezebel, of ill-omened name, as the wicked partner of his life, and the vile prompter of his impiety, the prophet, filled with the grace of the Spirit, coming to a meeting with Ahab, withstood the priests of Baal in a marvellous and wondrous contest in the sight of the king and all the people; and by proposing to them the task of sacrificing the bullock without fire, he displayed them in a ridiculous and wretched plight, vainly praying and crying aloud to gods that were not. At last, himself invoking his own and the true God, he accomplished the test proposed with further exaggerations and additions. For he did not simply by prayer bring down the fire from heaven upon the wood when it was dry, but exhorted and enjoined the attendants to bring abundance of water. And when he had thrice poured out the barrels upon the cleft wood, he kindled at his prayer the fire from out of the water, that by the contrariety of the elements, so concurring in friendly cooperation, he might show with superabundant force the power of his own God.

Ἱκανὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ταῦτα εἰς βεβαίωσιν τῆς προκειμένης πραγματείας ἡμῖν, πλὴν οὐδὲ τῶν ἑξῆς ἀμελητέον τῷ φιλοκάλῳ. πολλὰ γὰρ παθὼν ὡς ἐδιδάχθημεν ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων λαὸς καὶ τὴν μοχθηρὰν διανύσας τῆς ἐρήμου περίοδον οὐ πρότερον τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀπέλαβε, πρὶν ὁδηγοῦντος Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὴν ζωὴν αὐτῷ κυβερνῶντος καὶ κατευθύνοντος εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἐπεραιώθη. Ἰησοῦς δὲ καὶ τοὺς δώδεκα λίθους ἀποθέμενος ἐν τῷ ῥεύματι πρόδηλός ἐστιν, ὅτι τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητὰς τοὺς ὑπηρέτας τοῦ βαπτίσματος προηυτρέπιζεν. ἡ δὲ θαυμαστὴ ἱερουργία καὶ πάντα νοῦν ἀνθρώπων ὑπερβαίνουσα τοῦ Θεσβίτου τοῦ γέροντος τί ποτε ἄλλο ἢ πρακτικῶς προμηνύει τὴν εἰς πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα πίστιν καὶ ἀπολύρτωσιν; ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἅπας ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων λαὸς τὴν πατρῴαν πατήσας εὐσέβειαν εἰς τὴν πολύθεον πλάνην ἐξέπεσε καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀχαὰβ παρὰ τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας ἐπαίζετο κακὴν τοῦ βίου κοινωνὸν καὶ παμμίαρον τῆς ἀσεβείας ἔχων διδάσκαλον τὴν δυσώνυμον Ἰεζάβελ, πλησθεὶς ὁ προφήτης τῆς πνευματικῆς χάριτος ἐλθὼν δὲ εἰς συντυχίαν τῷ Ἀχαὰβ ὑπὸ μάρτυρι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τοῖς τῆς Βάαλ ἱερεῦσιν ἀντικατέστη πρὸς ἀγῶνα θαυμαστὸν καὶ ἐξαίσιον: καὶ προβαλλόμενος αὐτοῖς τὸ χωρὶς πυρὸς ἱερουργῆσαι τὸν βοῦν καταγελάστους ἔδειξε καὶ ἀθλίους μάτην εὐχομένους καὶ κράζοντας τοῖς οὐκ οὖσι θεοῖς. τέλος ἐπικαλεσάμενος αὐτὸς τὸν ἴδιον καὶ ἀληθινὸν θεὸν ὑπερβολαῖς πλείοσι καὶ προσθήκαις θαυμαστῶς ἐξετέλεσε τὸ προβληθὲν ἀγώνισμα: οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εὐξάμενος ἤγαγε τὸ πῦρ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ τῶν ξύλων ξηρῶν ὑπαρχόντων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὑπηρέταις ἐγκελευσάμενος καὶ προστάξας ὕδωρ κομίσαι πολύ, τρίτον δὲ τῶν σχιδάκων καταχέας τοὺς ἀμφορίσκους εὐχῇ τὸ πῦρ ἀνῆψεν ἐξ ὕδατος, ἵνα ἐκ τῆς φυσικῆς τῶν στοιχείων ἐναντιότητος ἐκ τοῦ παραδόξου συνδραμόντων εἰς φιλίαν καὶ συνεργίαν μετὰ πολλῆς ὑπερβολῆς τοῦ ἰδίου θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἐπιδείξηται.