Here it may be necessary to consider the nature of this ridi cule, which the prophet Elijah practised against the prophets of Baal; and, secondly, to inquire, Whether or not it is the test of truth, or how far it tends to discover falsehood.

1. The nature of this ridicule will more easily be investigated by considering the objects thereof. And there are three things in the text which the prophet brings to the standard of ridicule: the object of that new national worship, Baal;-the worship itself; the worshippers, the prophets of Baal;—and the manner of their worship.

The object of that new national worship, Baal. "He is a god;" or, as the Hebrew reads, "Seeing he is a god, cry aloud." There is more meant than meets the ear in these words. The prophet was not so rude and unmannerly as to tell these clergymen that Baal was a dæmon, though he plainly means as much; nor does he affirm that he was a true Deity, for then he would have told a falsehood; but argues upon their own principles, and addresses them upon that supposition which their practice suggested. "Seeing he is a god," and you consider him as such, try your influence with him, and make him prove his divinity. This is most terribly severe, and yet incomparably delicate. The actions which Elijah attributes to this false object of worship carries the degree of ridicule to the highest point. "Perhaps he is talking," and cannot hear you through the hurry of conversation. To suppose a deity so embarrassed with conversation, as not to hear the prayers of his ambassadors, is to make him a perfect dæmon. This is a curious climax which the prophet uses. He begins with one of those common actions which hinders meu from attending to petitions-the noise and hurry of conversation, and hereby brings Baal down to the level of a finite creature; yea, he makes him an impertinent babbler, who, when he was engaged in one subject, could take notice of nothing else. But he adds, "or he is pursuing." Intent upon a victory, and must have his attention called off from so serious an action, before he will hear you. Elijah makes Baal truly heathen; he gives him the character of Mars, the god of war, whom the Heathens brought in for their assistance in time of battle. Those prophets must have been very stupid not to perceive when their god was treated like a devil; for this sarcastical prophet undeifies him altogether." Or he is in a journey." Now he is divested of both omniscience and omnipresence. The prophet positively hints that he could not be everywhere; when he was pursuing, and in a journey, he could not hear the prayers of his prophets. This was bringing him down very low; but he adds, "or peradventare he sleepeth, and must be awaked." Now his godship is in a dose, and taking a nap. The images are naturally introduced; for, first, he is considered as talking extravagantly, then pursuing, afterwards in a journey, and, at last, he falls asleep.

Elijah could not have more severely satirized the deity of these prophets, supposing he had expressly given him all the bad epithets in the Hebrew language. The false prophets could not decently be offended at him for treating their god in this manner; for their own behaviour suggested the ideas which he expresses. Besides, as this was a comparative trial between the God of Israel and this false deity, the event was most likely to try the force of the ridicule; and the experiment, which was now begun, would in all probability determine what was truth or falsehood in the matter in controversy. The man who laughs at an absurd character, even suppose it should be annexed to a deity, does not ridicule a Divine name, but ridicules the imaginary fancies of superstitious minds. It would be no reflection upon the character of God Almighty for a Christian to laugh at a god made of a wafer, though a good Catholic might account it profane, It is impossible for any person who has the least risibility to be grave in treating such unnatural and absurd opinions. If any grave man should solemnly tell me, that the God of the universe took pleasure in a Christian's flogging himself for his sins, I could not help smiling at him; but if he told me further, that it was essential to his ideas of his character, I should certainly laugh very heartily at both him and the deity which he worshipped. And I should certainly do no more than the prophet Elijah did in the case before us.

The prophet next ridicules the worshippers of Baal. They had called upon this idol from morning till noon, and they were still where they were. He had paid no attention to their prayers, nor shewed the smallest sign of regard to them. Elijah desires them to cry louder; this implied that there was some defect in their performance. They worshipped their God as if he had been deaf; and the prophet makes merry with their absurd notion of being heard by their idol for their much speaking.

The prophet's address to those superstitious Baalites is truly ironical and sarcastic. "Cry aloud," says he, when they were crying as loud as they were able, and cutting themselves with knives till the blood gushed out. There cannot be any thing more satirical than to desire a person to exert himself, when he is at his ne plus ultra, and can do no more. One would have thought that Elijah might have paid some regard to the prophets of Baal, and considered that though they differed from him, they might mean well in their own way. Absurdity may be tolerated, and its votaries preserved from the influence of penal laws; but it never can have the privilege of being free from the edge of ridicule. Even grave men must laugh at what is unnatural and absurd; and they cannot help it, provided they have any humour in them at all. Elijah, as grave as he was, was obliged to laugh at those mad prophets.

Their manner of worship was truly ridiculous; their odd gesticulations, their jumping upon the altar, and cutting them

selves with knives, and shouting like madmen, must have afforded a strange aspect. The men were called prophets too, and were a sort of apes of the servants of the Lord; they were the Queen's clergy, and the favourites of the court. It was highly laughable to find that those court clergy should have so little influence over their deity, and still more so for them to conceive that an idol could perform divine works.

The object of all this ridicule we find is absurdity-the absurdity of the object of worship, the worshippers, and their manner of worship.

Let us now see how far ridicule is the test of truth.

When men make merry with truth, the laugh always goes against them. Let us suppose that the prophets of Baal had tried their ridicule upon Elijah and the God of Israel, it would not have been long before their mirth would have been spoiled; the trial would have decided the controversy, and the laugh gone upon the other side.

Though ridicule is not the method to investigate truth, yet it distinguishes it from falsehood upon trial; and he who attempts to render truth ridiculous will at best but expose himself. The friends of error generally betray themselves, by feeling pain when the weapon of satire is employed against them; whereas those who are conscious of the truth of their cause remain easy, and perfectly composed, when fools laugh at them. Truth is like beauty; it retorts ridicule upon those who attempt to throw reproach upon it.

Upon the whole, we may see from the practice of Elijah, that it is lawful to treat religious men and things with ridicule when they deserve it; and that good humour and a grave character are not inconsistent with one another. Elijah was a grave man, and yet he makes use of good humour in the case before us, and applies ridicule to a very grave subject. Let none of their Reverences exclaim against the freedom which is used with the suspicious part of their character. If there is nothing absurd about them, satire will not affect them.

END OF LECTURES TO LORDS SPIRITUAL.

SERMONS

TO

MINISTERS OF STATE.

BY THE REV. JAMES MURRAY,

Of Newcastle.

"Preach the gospel to every creature.”—MARK, xvi. 16.

"I have called you gods, and all of you the children of the Highest; but ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes."-Psalm 1xxxii. 6, 7.

PRINTED BY AND FOR W. HONE, 67, OLD BAILEY,

THREE DOORS FROM LUDGATE HILL.