his idolatry, and told him that was the cause of all the evil that had befallen Israel.

In addition to this bold charge, he also desired Ahab to gather all the false prophets unto mount Carmel, which was done; and Elijah having met them, and the people who assembled with them, he asked how long they would halt between two opinions; if the Lord was God they ought to serve him, and if Baal was God, then they should serve him; but he would put the matter to rest by a trial, in their presence, that they might be convinced that the Lord was God alone.

Elijah, therefore, directed them to prepare a bullock and sacrifice it to Baal, and put no fire under it, and he would prepare and offer another bullock, in like manner, to Jehovah, and the God who answered by fire should be their God; to this they agreed,

and very earnest they were in their prayers to Baal, but their deaf god heard not; and having long prayed in vain, Elijah called the people near to witness what would be the result of his sacrifice; and to convince them there was no cheat in it, he had a quantity of water poured all around the altar; he then called upon Almighty God, saying," Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their hearts back again, (1 Kings xviii. 37.) who sent fire down, which not only destroyed the bullock, but the stones of the altar, and licked up the water; this was a convincing proof to the people that Baal was not God. "And when all the people saw it they fell on their faces, and said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God." (chapter xviii. 39.)

I. KINGS XXI.

225

The elders with the Queen comply'd
And innocent poor Naboth dyd:
His sons his innocence declard.
And soon their father's fate they shard

NABOTH'S VINEYARD.

BEFORE CHRIST 889 YEARS.

Lean avarice, unbless'd amidst her store,
Tastes not her own, and yet still gapes
for more,
On Naboth's vineyard Ahab casts his eye,
And to enlarge his garden fain would try.

ELIJAH having convinced the people that the Lord was the true God, he commanded that the prophets of Baal should be slain, which immediately took place. After this, the Lord was pleased to send rain upon the earth, and to restore those blessings of fruit and vegetation, which for full three years had been wanting. To Almighty God we are indebted for all our comforts; if he withhold the fruitful showers, the land soon becomes a barren wilderness.

Ahab, instead of being affected by the

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