The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-02-09

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PLACE-The Great meeting was on
Mount Carmel near its summit The sit
uation so far from the capital would
leave the meeting unmoested by the city
hoodlums. and Jezeb"l's influence.
St James In his epistle tells us that
Elijah had prayed earnestly that "it
might not rain,' because the famine
seemed to be the only way by which
people cotad be brought to repentance,
rad that now. at the end of three
years and a half, he again prayed that
It might rain.
His heart was full Of pity. He saw
signs of repentance. The time was
ripe for reform; and Elijah prayed to
God for the blessed rain. God saw
too But IL was wisest and most ef
fective for all that the rain should |
come from God in answer to the proph- |
cts prayer For the fact that the |
relief came from the true God through |
his prophet would complete the work |
of the famine and draw men to the
giver of the blessing
Elijah sent for the king to some to
him. The prophet was the greater
and had more power. That Ahab came
at all, shows that he recognized the
power Of the prophet, and of the true
God and that he had been humbled
by the famine experience. Ahab's first
words we're: Are thou he that trou-
bleth Israeli" He had no word to say
of his own sin; he forgot the iniquity
of the people of the land, in which
he had been the leader; he took no
note Of the hand of Jehovah In the ca
lamty and spoke as If the whole mat.
ter had been a mere personal differ.
ence between him and Elijah Elijah
replied, 81 have not troubled Israel
but thou, and thy fathers house" Eli
jah then proposed that the question as
to who was the true God should be
put to a fair and satisfactory test
They built an altar, placed the sac
rihcial bullock upon It. and put no
fire under 1t. There we're too many eyes
upon them for any trickery. and not
knD~ing what kind Of a test was to be
expected. they had no opportunity to
prepare for any deceit. II would al.
most seem as II tricks not unlike tha
pracuced year after year at the
Greek Easter at Jerusalem were IA.
miliar to that age Some Of the ia.
theirs expressly state that the idola.
trous priests of an earlier time were
accustomed to set fire to the sacri.
fee from hollow places concealed be.
meath the altar, and II was an old ira.
dition that the Baal prophets had con
cealed man for that purpose beneath
their altar, but that he had died from
suffocation." They called on Baal til
mid day, and yet no answer of fire
came. Elijah Knocked them. He he'd
up the mirror before them and point
ed out to the peop e the real situation
They grew frenzied in their excite
ment, and cut themselves with theil
wepons. Herodian describes the dance
of Heliogabalus round the altar of the
Emesne sun-god and Apuleius de
scribes at length the fanatic leapng'
and castings of the execrable Cali
Their feeling was that God was wei
pleased with such tortures and pains
The only sufferings with which GoC
is pleased are those which men under
go for the sake OF helping and sav
ing their fellow men; zach as Christ
sufferings on the cross. and Paul
sufferings to give men the Gospel
They prophesied and cried in will,
ecstacies, like those In ancient tim
who thus in excited frenzies pretend
ed to be filled with the power OF thei
delties.
There was no answer, though the
continued their exertions till the tim
of the offering Of the evening oblatior
And Elijah said, Come near unit
me-" 80 that they could see and heal
and could know that there was no col
cealment or trickery
He repaired the altar of the Lor
that was broken down. On this alta
the wood and the sacrifice were laiC
The fire of the Lord fell. not an acc
dental stroke of lightning. for the SIX
was clear of cloud II was simpl
the direct act OF Gods will upon tn
laws Of nature No mere natural az
such as Baalites or anyone else coul
do, would prove that 1t was God hin
self who was summoning them to OBJ,
dience. II would be a strange Go,
and Father, that could not use hi
own laws of Nature to produce
moral effect. The proof was the mor
decisive because the divine fire ne
only consumed the offering, but tn
water and the very stones of the q
tar.
The people fell on their faces, an
they said, "The Lord, he is Godl h
Lord, he is God"
This was a decisive, yet no mel
sudden change; but one for which II
famine, announced from God, had Il
three years been preparing them; jul
as the fire on the day of Penteco
came to disciples who had had thrt
years Of training under Jesus.
Elijah went up to the highest poll
of Carmel where wide horizon of Il
sea was visible, and prayed for raj
prayed "the effectual fervent pray,
Of q righteous man" which "availet
much" He sent his servant to WatC