The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-20
EI,iah on Mount Carmel.


 EIiiah on Mount Carmel.
 Carmel Gas been called the Park of Palestine. It Is fragrant and lovely. Its foliage Is luxuriant. It commands a superb view of mountain, sea and plain. The battlefield of the Holy . Land is at the foot of 1t. It Is as the names of Deborah. Barak, Gideon and Saul were graven with an iron pen on the rocky side of the mountain. But a greater battle was to be fought on the height than was ever waged upon the plain. It was duel of gods Jehovah and Baal.
 Jezebel had organized Israel. The very multitude of her priests proves it. Four hundred and fifty to the male god Baal and four hundred to the female Astarte. All Jehovah's priests had gone into exile and his prophets into the caves of the mountains. The las- civious Zidonian worship, like a pois- ouous weed, covered the whole land. It had the prestige of the court. The sensualism of its pompous ritual ap- pea1ed to the Oriental mind. The chains of a hideous and polluted wor- ship seemed riveted forever upon an apostate nation.
 One heroic soul stood against the ap- parently irresistible stream. As An tony denounced the prefect of Alexan- drfa, Athanasius seized the bridle of Constantine. Knox rebuked Mary, so Elijah. as if consciously under the shield of divinity, fearlessly rebuked king. queen. courtiers and people. A sharp sword proceeded out of his mouth. The grandeur of his solitude Is indescribably impressive.
 All against his will Ahab issues a royal proclamation for the assembly of all Israel. As if designed for the very purpose Carmel afforded a stage for a fascinating and awful drama, a triai of gods by fire. The dread scene is described in a magnificent narrative in every way worthy of it. It fairly lives again before the eyes of the reader.
 The priests of Baal were devil-pos- sessed. They did not sham. Tn their extremity the darkest sorceries of blood and self -mutilation were resort ed to. As modern fakers eat glass and bite living snakes. so these devil dancers went through every conceiv- able contortion and fantastic gesture. :. No more vivid description of idolatrous customs exists in literature.
 With the proverbial stoical patience of the Arab the people had been sit ting hour after hour looking on as these spirited scenes were enacted The denouement is at hand. The cli- max is reached. The conduct of Elijah Is the best comment on that Scripture ''The righteous is as bold as lion" With that absolute assurance which inspiration never fails to give, Elijah stepped to the fore. There is large significance in his smallest act or word. He mocked the prophets of Baal It is one of the few examples of Irony in the Bible. He is not friv- olous in this His object is to make tdolatry contemptible. His sarcasm is plying and whitening. His words are addressed to the people rather than tn the priests. He cries Make him attend! for he Is the supreme god. Make him know that everything is now at stake. If he Is gone away call him back" A coarse meaning at. taches to the phrase. He Is pursuing" The reference Is to an act of the toilet and would not be tolerated in Western speech, but indicates vividly the low. est degree of contempt
 Just at the hour of the evening sacri- hce under the Mosaic ritual, Elijah repairs the old altar of Jehovah--pre- viously exyisting on that spot That marks him as the Restorer He takes twelve stones. That is his protest against schism. The twelve tribes should be in one state and in one na- tion. Then comes that Divine bugle- call, How long halt yer The awe obuSh peOple the silence or guilt to this lofty challenge. An ideal prayer follows. with its Urine invoca- ton of Jehovah's name and its seven rythmic lines.
 The assembly of the nation is con- vineed beyond all cavil both of the impotence of Baal and the omnipo- tenee of Jehovah. Allegiance to God is renewed by popular and unanimous voice. A th-blow is struck to for eign supersttions. The recovery from apostasy showed itself in the mind affection and conduct of the people.
 The winding Kishon runs red with the blood of the fanatical priests. who joined to their idols miserably perish with them that very day. The self indulgent nature of the king shows itself in that he gives himself up to the pleasures of banquet The heart searching events of that mem- orable day seemed not to have touched the quick of his sluggish nature. But while the king ate. the prophet prayed The prophets servant, who may, as tradition says, have been the son of the Sareptan widow and also the