Brief, simple, clear, his words arose to heaven; ‘That God would testify unto Himself And to His prophet, and would turn the hearts Of His own people back to Him again.’ Scarce had he spoken, when a broad white glare, Scattering earth’s light like darkness in its path, Keener than lightning, calmer than the dawn, The sword of God that proveth Him by fire, That proveth Him by fire in every age, Stooped from above and touched the sacrifice. In the white blaze the sun grew wan, and hung Like a pale moon upon the glimmering sky. The fierce flame licked the water up, the wood Crackled aloft, the very altar stones Glowed fiery red. The pillared smoke arose Through the hushed air in towering flawlessness, Then spread out calm and broad, like God’s own face Breathing acceptance. But Baal’s prophets shook In utter fear, and smote upon their breasts, And groveled, moaning, down into the dust. Clear broke the shout from that great multitude, ‘Jah is the God! Jehovah He is God! ‘Take them,’ Elijah said; ‘let none escape.’ We closed around Baal’s prophets, thrust them down To where the thirsty Kishon slowly crawled. There made Elijah bare his arm, and score By score he slew them. From the heap of dead Oozed a broad rill of blood, that swelled the wave Of slumbrous Kishon.” [Illustration: JEHOVAH’S TRIUMPH OVER BAAL.] This was a severe blow to this form of idolatry in Israel for the time being. But in Judah, Baal continued to be worshiped. Baal and other gods were worshiped at their own shrines. Ahaz built altars to them at every corner of Jerusalem, and high-places in every city of Judah, replacing the brazen altar of burnt-offering by one made after the idol altar at Damascus. The time for the final act in the drama of abominations is at hand. The last scene opens with the captivity at Babylon. One would expect that this terrible punishment would immediately cause Israel to turn to the true God, but it did not. In the land of their captivity they took to them foreign wives and with them their idols. But there were, through all the history of the Jews, a faithful few who adhered to the pure worship of one God. Even at the time when Baal-worship was most prevalent there were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1st Kings, xxix., 18). Excepting these few, the chosen people were almost as much given to idolatry as any nation around them. “Israel for many days had no true God, and no teaching priest, and no law” (2d Chronicles, xv., 3). Foreign wives, foreign allies, and the unnatural tendency to desire visible objects of worship caused this prevalence of idolatry in the very nation to which God made especial revelations of His character and purposes. In spite of God’s promises and threats, commands and entreaties, punishments and pardon, Israel still sinned.