The record-union., 1896-09-21
OF TICKLE HUMAN NATURE
Withholding the Souls Worship From
the True God.
Last Nights Sermon by Rev. Mr.
Hoskinson of the Sixteenth
Street Church.

Ia his sermon last evening at tne
Sixteenth-street Church, Rev. w. A.
Hoskinson selected for his text: How
long halt ye between two opin1onsE II
the Lord be God, follow Him." etc. H.
Kings xviii, 2O-21.
Matters which cause lawsuits, said
the reverend speaker. become source OF
reference when once settled. All the
circumstances and evidence are care
fully recorded. When similar circum-
stances cause trouble they may be
quickly settled by turning to the stat
utes. Much In the future, then, hinges
on such settlements. Lawyers, courts
and clients Will be guided by the de-
cisions rendered.
This Is what makes the meeting OF
Elijah and the people on Mount Carmel
an important one. 1t was no fooush
gathering Of people and prophets that
day. Weighty matters came up Tor
settlement, and we should expect that
when once 1t Is made there would be
no cause for future difficulty.
It was a contest between gods that
had drawn the people here. Things had
been going wrong in Israel for some
time The people were confused in
their worship. King Ahad was weak
and vacillating and could not be de-
pended on for directing the people. His
wife was the power behind the throne,
but she was an idolatress. She had
come from Assyria, where they wor-
SHIPPED Baal and Astarte, and she wor-
SHIPPED them still. All around the high
hills were smoking with pagan sacri-
fees. The people became confused and
did not know what to do. Whom must
they worship? Who was the true God?
And now the controversy was on. 1t
was the Lords controversy, and the
slopes of Mount Carmel were thronged
with people to witness it. Far down
on one side rolled the waves of "the
Great Sea-; on the other was he rocky
bed of the Kishon Creek, dry now these
many months and seeming like some
deep chasm dug out of the valley by
winter storms. Far away up the stream
lay the valley of Esdraelon, the scene of
many hard-fought battle. And every
where was famine-famine throughout
all the land.
The leaves Of all the trees were shriv-
eled and charred. A dusty brown COW
cred all the vineyards and olive trees.
and hills and valleys. The meadows
We're scorched as If some fiery breath OF
heaven had swept them. Three years
had passed away since Elijah had ap-
peared suddenly in the Kings palace
one day and said: LAS the Lord Nveth,
1t shall not rain except by my word. "
Think Of this Sacramento Valley three
years without drop Of rain! 'The
days passed, and the months, and the
heavens were as brass" Not a bit of
rain, no mists rising from the Mediter-
ranean; not any dew. 1t was a land of
utter desolation that greeted the eyes
Of all who looked upon it from the
slopes Of Mount Carmel that day.
The priests of Baal had gathered
there 450 strong. They represented
Jezebel and stood for the State re-
lgion. The people had hardly yet ac-
cepted this religion. They clung shame
facedly to the God who had so Won
drously brought them from Egypt.
The pillar of cloud and of fire, the
Quails, the smitten rock and gushing
water, the brazen serpent and the tot
tering walls Of Jericho were things hard
10 forget. Down yonder in the plain
of Esdraelon it was hard to forget
how the very stars fought against ST.
zera. But it was q hard matter to
resist the State religion. Many rites
and ceremonies used in Baal worship
We're impressive. The Queen and all
her courtiers used all their influence to
make the people say: ''Baal, he is Cod
X was a popular thing to do.
But this day a settlement was to
be made. Two gods so opposite can
not certainly be- Let it be settled which
one is the true God. The Lords altar
shall have a bullock and Baals altar
shall have one. Let each side call upon
their god. The god that answereth by
fire, let him be God. 1t was fair
enough. All the priests Of Baal are
on our side-on the other the solitary
prophet of God. Elijah stands forth
and says to the people: How long
halt ye?" etc. How long will ye skip
from branch to branch as bird? And
the people said: 1T Is we'll spoken"
Baals priests began their cry early
in the morning, keeping up through
the forenoon and on till the sun had
crossed the meridian. Hoarse and
frenzied they kept on and received no
answer, save that which echoed back
from hollow caves and beetling cliffs:
90 Baal, hear u.s.
In the afternoon Elijah begun to
taunt them: Cry aloud. for he is a
god" Either he is on a hunt or he is
upon a journey, or he IS engaged in
conversation, or peradventure he sleep
eth and must be awaked." This aroused
them to jumping and leaping and
shouting and cutting themselves till
the sun was fast going down toward
the Western sea, and nothing was done
Then Elijah stepped out and made
this simple prayer: 20. God of my
fathers, hear me this day. and let all
the people know that thou art God -
Silence reigned. Then 1t came-a
little fleece Of cloud from heaven, all
ablaze. Nearer and nearer 1t came
until it fell on the altar, and the bull
lock was consumed and the stones OF
the altar were burned up and the fire
Tapped up all the water in the trench
round about. The flames cease and
silence reigned again.
Then one loud cry that almost shook
the mountain: THE Lord is God