from The Bijou Literary Annual, 1828 - The Mount Carmel: A Dramatic Sketch from Scripture History, By Henry Neele, Esq.

The Bijou;

or Annual of Literature and the Arts

compiled by William Fraser

London: William Pickering,

1828

[Page 234]

The Mount Carmel: , A Dramatic Sketch from Scripture History

By Henry Neele, Esq.

Scene I

The High Priest of Baal.

Elijah, the Prophet.

Reuben, an Israelite.

Miriam, his sister.

Attendants on Elijah, Priests, Crowd, &c.

SCENE — Mount Carmel. TIME — near Sunset.

REUB.

Nay, sister, do not doubt;	1
Our God will manifest his pow'r, and shame	2
Yon bold idolaters.	3

MIR.

I hope — yet fear,	4
For they are many, and are mighty, and ——	5

REUB.

See, see, the High Priest doth approach	6
the prophet.	7

HIGH P.

Where is thy God? what eye bath ever gazed

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Upon his face, what ear hath heard his voice?	9
If there be such an one, he loves to dwell	10
In darkness and obscurity; he fears	11
To meet the gaze of those who worship him,	12
And in his proud invisibility	13
Laughs at their lowly orisons. Not such	14
Is he whom we adore. Behold him there!	15

[Pointing to the Sun.

Baal, the great, the bright, the wonderful —	16
See how he traverses the boundless heav'n,	17
The azure palace of his sov'reignty;	18
Answering our pray'rs with treasures of rich light,	19
Bidding the world, on which we dwell, bring forth	20
Herbs, fruits, and flowers, to gladden and support	21
His worshippers. From morn to eve, his eye	22
With an untiring love is fixed on us,	23
And when our feeble senses seek repose	24
Then doth he kindly veil his burning beams,	25
And bid his silver regent bathe our lids	26
In a pure flood of milder — gentler light,	27
While sweet dreams glad our spirits, or deep sleep	28
Rocks them to rest unbroken.	29

MIR.

Look, my brother —	30
Reuben, it is indeed a glorious orb!	31
How like a God he walks the fields of heav'n,	32
Brother, I fear that he whom we adore	33
Is not so great as he.	34

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REUB.

Peace, doubting girl,	35
The holy prophet speaks.	36

ELIJAH.

Fond impious man	37
My God is every where — is seen and heard	38
In all created things. I see his pow'r	39
And majesty in that resplendent orb	40
The work of his own hand, which ye adore	41
In ignorance and sin; on which I gaze	42
With wonder and with humble thankfulness.	43
I see his wrath and terror in the blind	44
Cold unbelief which he permits to seal	45
Your senses and your hearts; and I shall soon	46
Behold his goodness and his love to those,	47
Who keep their faith unspotted and unchanged,	48
When, at my pray'r, his fire from heav'n shall kindle	49
The off'ring which I place upon his shrine.	50
But wherefore linger ye? Did ye not say	51
That ye and I should each unto our Gods	52
Raise altars and bring off'rings; and whose God	53
Answer'd by fire and from heav'n, should be acknowledg'd	54
The Lord above all Lords, and God indeed?	55
Have you not call'd upon your God since noon	56
And has he answer'd? Is not his bright orb	57
Fast sinking in the west, and will he not	58
Soon beam his last farewell? 'Tis now my turn	59
To try the pow'r and goodness of the God	60
Whom I adore.	61

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HIGH P.

Not yet, for Baal is angry,	62
At our imperfect rites, and he requires	63
To be again invok'd.	64

CROWD.

Baal requires	65
To be again invok'd.	66

[Here the priests of Baal range themselves in a circle round his altar, and chant the following incantation, dancing round the altar at the end of each stanza, and cutting themselves with knives and lancets as they chant the last.

From thy bright throne bow thine ear,	67
Baal, Baal, hear us, hear!	68
Thou who mak'st the rosy day,	69
Thou who lend'st the lunar ray,	70
Thou at whom the stars grow pale,	71
Thou who gildest mount and vale,	72
From thy bright throne, bow thine ear,	73
Baal, Baal, hear us, hear!	74

Thou to whom the highest heav'n	75
For thy throne of pow'r is giv'n;	76
Thou who mak'st the mighty sea,	77
The mirror of thy brightness be;	78
Thou who bidd'st th' else barren earth	79
Give wealth, and food, and beauty birth;	80
From they bright throne bow thine ear,	81
Baal, Baal, hear us, hear!	82

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Now thy altar we array;	83
Now the sacrifice we slay,	84
Now his bleeding limbs recline,	85
Offerings on thy hallow'd shrine;	86
Now with lancet and with knife	87
We ope our own warm tides of life;	88
From they bright throne, bow thine ear,	89
Baal, Baal, hear us, hear!	90

[During this invocation, the sun gradually declines, and sinks beneath the horizon.

HIGH P.

Woe! woe! woe!	91
Leave us not, Baal, leave us not unanswered —	92
Unanswered, and in darkness.	93

CROWD.

Woe! woe! woe!	94
Leave us not, Baal.	95

ELIJAH.

Aye! howl on, howl on,	96
The And call upon your God. Will he not answer?	97
Sleeps he, or is he weary, or departed	98
On some far journey that he hears you not?	99
Are ye not here, four hundred priests of Baal,	100
And yet your many voices cannot pierce	101
His dull cold ear; — how therefore can I hope,	102
Jehovah's one poor prophet, that with these	103
My few attendants, I can make him bow	104
His ear to my complaints. Yet I'll essay it.	105

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Now do ye [To his attendants] what I bid perform, and answer	106
The questions I propound.	107
Let twelve stones, the numbers tell	108
Of the tribes of Israel;	109
Build with them an altar straight	110
To our God, the good, the great;	111
Quickly answer every one;	112
Is it done?	113

ATTEN.

'Tis done, 'tis done.

114

ELIJAH.

Dig a trench the altar round;	115
On the altar be there found	116
Piles of wood; the bullock slay —	117
And on the wood his carcase lay,	118
In bleeding fragments, one by one;	119
Is it done?	120

ATTEN.

'Tis done, 'tis done.

121

ELIJAH.

Fill four barrels from the rill	122
That streams down Carmel's holy hill;	123
Pour the water once, twice, thrice,	124
On the wood and sacrifice,	125
'Till the trenches overrun;	126
Is it done?	127

ATTEN.

'Tis done, 'tis done.

128

ELIJAH.

Then now, most righteous God, what wait we for!	129
In humbleness, and reverence have we set	130

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Our offerings on thy altar. Oh! send down	131
Thy fire from heaven to kindle and accept them,	132
So shall thy inward fire shine in the hearts	133
Of Israel (gone astray, lost in the night	134
Of dark idolatry), and they shall know	135
That thou art Lord of Lords, the God of heaven.	136

[The whole scene becomes suddenly illuminated, and a flame, descending on the altar, consumes the sacrifice, and dries up the water in the trenches.

MIR.

Wonderful — wonderful! Jehovah, thou	137
Art God indeed: thou art the Lord of Lords!	138

CROWD.

Sing, sing Jehovah's praise, for he is God;	139
He is the Lord of Lords, who reigns in heaven!	140

REUB.

See, see, heaven opens, and the sacred fire	141
Consumes the offering; it is as though	142
God stretched his own right arm down to the earth	143
To accept the service of his worshippers.	144

ELIJAH.

The trenches are dried up. The fire returns	145
Into its native heaven. That last read streak	146
Just glimmers faintly in the west — and now	147
'Tis gone — 'tis past — and hark! that fearful peal!	148

[Thunder is heard.

It is Jehovah speaks, answer him. Say	149
"Thou—thou—art Lord of Lords, the God of heaven."	150

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MIR.

Wonderful — wonderful! Jehovah thou	151
Art God indeed: thou art the Lord of Lords!	152

CROWD.

Sing, sing Jehovah's praise for he is God:	153
He is the Lord of Lords who reigns in heaven!	154

HIGH P.

Away! Away! The Evil One prevails,	155
The foe of Baal.	156

[Elijah and the crowd kneel before the altar. The Priests of Baal rush out tumultuously. The scene closes.

from The Bijou, 1828, pp. 235-241

The Bijou;

or Annual of Literature and the Arts

compiled by William Fraser

1828

from The Bijou, 1828, pp. 235-241

from The Bijou, 1828, pp. 234-241