the groves made a great impression. Dressed in priestly robes, they moved solemnly up that mountain. The king has swept along in his chariot, and, perhaps, passed by the poor priest Elijah, who comes slowly up, leaning upon his staff, his long white hair streaming about his shoulders. People don't believe in sensations. That was one of the greatest sensations of their age. What is going to happen? No doubt the whole nation had been talking about this Elijah, and when he came to that mountain, the crowd looked upon him as the man who held the key of heaven. When he came up he addressed the children of Israel. Perhaps there were hundreds of thousands. "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God follow him, but if he be Baal then follow him; and the people answered not a word." Their eight hundred and fifty prophets had made a great impression upon them, and the king was afraid too. These people are just like a great many people now. They are afraid to go into the inquiry-room for what people will say. If they do go in they get behind a post, so that they can't be seen. They are afraid the people in the store will find it out, and make fun of them. Moral courage is wanted by them, as it was wanted by those people. How many among us have not the moral courage to come out for the God of their mothers! They know these black-hearted hypocrites around them are not to be believed. They know these men who scoff at their religion are not their friends, while their mothers will do everything for them. The truest friends we can have are those who believe in Christ. "And the people answered not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them, therefore, give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under it. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God that answereth by fire let him be God. And all the people answered and said, 'It is well spoken.'" "Yes, sir, that's right. We'll stand by that decision." They built an altar, and laid their bullock on it, and began to cry to Baal, "O Baal! O Baal! O Baal! O Baal!" No answer. They cry louder and louder, but no answer comes. They pray from morning till noon, but not a sound. Elijah says: "Louder ; you must pray louder. He must be on a journey: he must be asleep. He must be on a journey or asleep." They cry louder and louder. Some people say it don't matter what a man believes, so long as he is earnest. These men were terribly in earnest. No Methodists shout as they did. They cry as loud as their voices will let them, but no answer. They take their knives and cut themselves in their earnestness. Look at those four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of the grove, all covered with blood, as they cry out in their agony. They have no God. Young man, who is your master? Whom do you serve? If you are serving Baal, I tell you if ever you get into trouble he will not answer you. No answer came. Three o'clock came, the hour for the evening sacrifice, and Elijah prepared his altar. He would have nothing to do with the altar of Baal. He merely took twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, and built his altar, and laid his bullock on. No doubt some skeptic said he had some fire concealed in his garment, for he digs a trench all around it to hold water. Then he tells them to bring four barrels of water, and empties them over his sacrifice. Four more barrels are brought and thrown on the bullock, making eight, and then four barrels more are added, making twelve in all. Then, there lies that bullock, dripping with water, and Elijah comes forward. Every ear and eye is open. Those bleeding Baalites look at him. What is going to be the end of it? He comes forward, calm as a summer evening. He prays to the God of Isaac and Abraham-when, behold, look! look! down it comes-fire from the very throne of God, and consumed the wood and the stones and the sacrifice, and the people cry: "The Lord is the God!" The question is decided. The God that answereth by fire is the God of man. My friends, who is your God now? The God who answers prayer? or have you no God? I can imagine some of you saying, “If I had been on Mount Carmel and seen that I would have believed it." But I will tell you of a mount on which occurred another scene. That was a wonderful scene, but it does not compare with the scene on Calvary. Look there! God's own beloved Son hanging between two thieves and crying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Talk about wonderful things. This has been the wonder of ages. A man once gave me a book of wonderful things. I saw a good many wonders in it, but I did not see anything so wonderful in it as the story of the cross. My friends, see his expiring look. See what happened. The very rocks were rent, the walls of the temple were rent, and all nature owned its God. The sun veiled its face and darkness fell over the earth when the Son of Man expired on Mount Calvary. Where can you find a more wonderful sight than this? Those Israelites lived on the other side of the cross: we live on this side of it. If a man wants proof of His gospel look around this assembly. See men who thirty days ago were slaves, bound hand and foot to some hellish passion which was drawing them What a transformation there is. All things seem "Is not this to hell. changed to them. They have got a new nature. the power of God?" said a young convert to me to-day: "It seems as if we were living in the days of miracles, and the Son of God is coming down and giving men complete victory over lusts and passions." That is what the Son of God does for men, and yet, with all the proofs before their eyes, men are undecided. What it is that keeps you from your decision? I wish I had time to tell you many of the reasons. Hundreds of thousands of men are thoroughly convinced, but they lack moral courage to come out and confess their sins. Others are being led captive by some sin. They have got some darling sin, and as long as they hold on to it there is no hope. A man the other day said he would like to become a Christian, but he had a bet upon the election, and he wanted that settled first. He did not think that he might die before that was decided. Eternity is drawing on. Suppose we die without God, without hope, without everlasting life, it seems to me it would have been better never to have been born. My friends, I ask you to-night, why not come out like men? Say, "Cost what it will, I will accept Jesus to-night." Now, have moral courage. Come. How many of you are thoroughly convinced in your minds that you ought to be Christians to-night? Now just ask yourselves the question: "What hinders me, what stands in my way." I can imagine some of you looking behind you to see how the one sitting there looks. If he seems serious, you look serious; if he laughs you will laugh, and come to the conclusion that you'll not accept Him to-night. You think of your companions, and you say you cannot stand their jeers. Is not that so? Come. Trample the world under your feet and take the Lord to-night, cost what it will. Say, "By the grace of God I will serve Him from this hour." Turn your backs upon hell, and set your faces toward heaven, and it will be the best night of your lives. Have you ever seen a man who accepted Christ regret it? You cannot find a man who has changed masters and gone over to Christ who has regretted it. This is one of the strongest proofs of Christianity. Those who have never followed Him only regret it. I have seen hundreds dying when in the army and when a missionary, and I never saw a man who died conscious but who regretted that he had not lived a Christian life. My friends, if you accept Him to-night it will be the best hour of your life. Let this night be the best night of your lives. Let me bring this to your mind, if you are lost it will be because you do not decide. "How long halt ye between two opinions; If the Lord be God, follow Him, but, if Baal, then follow him." How many men in this assembly want to be on the Lord's side? Those who want to take their stand on the side of the true God rise. Upon this request by Mr. Moody nearly 2,000 men instantly arose. 66 'Tell them how great things the Lord hath done."-Maik v. 19. TELL me the Old, Old Story, Of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, Tell me the Story slowly, For I forget so soon, Tell me the story softly, With earnest tones, and grave; Whom Jesus came to save, Tell me that story always, If you would really be, In any time of trouble, A comforter to me. Tell me the same old story, Yes, and when that world's glory Is dawning on my soul, Tell me the old, old story: "Christ Jesus makes thee whole." Praise. WANT to take for my subject to-night “Praise." We spoke at the noon-day meeting upon the subject of "Thanksgiving." Now, praise is a step in advance of thanksgiving. If you receive blessings from a man you may thank him, yet you may not praise him. Now, praise is not only speaking to the Lord on our own account, but it is praising Him for what He has done for others. We have had a great many prayers going up in this Tabernacle during the past eight weeks for others, and hundreds-I might say thousands-of them have been answered. We should give praise for this. We have in our churches a great deal of prayer, but I think it would be a good thing if we had a praise meeting occasionally. If we could only get people to praise God for what He has done it would be a good deal better than asking Him continually for something. We like to have our children ask us for things, but if they keep on asking without ever giving thanks we become discouraged. Bear this in mind: God expects us to praise Him for what He has done, and if our heart is full of gratitude, and we will praise the Lord, He will do a great deal more for us. And I want to say here a praise church is what the Lord wants now. A cold church-a church that is full of formalism-will never be full of praise; but a church that is full of joy, full of gladness, is praising God all the time. "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit, then I will teach transgressors Thy ways." It seems to me that if we had that text all over Christendom at the present time, the ministers holding it up to the people till the church is filled with peace, till it is filled with rest, till it is filled with gladness, with promise -it seems to me that we would then see a revival as lasting as eternity itself. Now, as I said one night here before, the world is after the best thing. If a man wants to buy a horse, he goes where he can get the best horse for his money. If a woman wants to get a dress she'll hunt till she gets the very best she can. Why, I have heard of a woman going for half a day from store to store to get the best piece of ribbon she could. It's a universal law-the world wants to get the very best thing it can. Now, if we can show the world that the religion of Jesus Christ is the best thing in it, the world will take it; but if we are des |