Certainly they did in that
miserable king's case.

But now, my friends, while we find fault with wretched Ahab, let us take
care that we are not finding fault with ourselves also. If we do what
Ahab did, we have no right to despise him for doing what we do. With
what judgment we judge we shall be judged, and the same measure which we
measure out to Ahab, God will measure out to us. All these things are
written for our example, that we may see our faults in other men, as in a
glass, and seeing how ugly sin and folly is, and to what misery it leads,
may learn to avoid it, and look at home, and see that we are not treading
the same path. Else what use in reading these stories of good men and
bad men of old times? The very use of them is to make us remember that
they were men of like passions with ourselves, and learn from their
example; as we may do easily enough from that of Ahab.

"There remaineth yet one prophet--but I hate him." How often have we
said that in our hearts! Do you think not? Let me show you then.

How often when we are in trouble or anxiety do we go everywhere to get
comfort, before we go to God's word? When a young lad falls into wild
ways, and gets into trouble by his own folly, then to whom does he go for
comfort? Too often, to other wild lads like himself, or to foolish and
wicked women, who will flatter him, and try to make him easy in his sins,
and say to him as the false prophets said to Ahab, "Go on and prosper--why
be afraid? Why should you not enjoy yourself? Never mind what your
father and mother say, never mind what the parson says. You will do well
enough. All will come right somehow. Come and drink, and drive away
sorrow."

And all the while the poor lad gets no comfort from these false friends.
He likes to listen to them, because they flatter him up in his sins; but
all the while his heart is heavy. Like Ahab, he has a secret fear that
all will _not_ come right; he feels that he will _not_ do well enough;
and he knows that there remaineth yet a prophet of the Lord, who will not
prophesy good of him but evil--and that is the Bible, and the
prayer-book, and the sermon he hears at church--and therefore he hates
them. And so, many a time he will not go to church for fear of hearing
there that he is wrong, perhaps something in the sermon, which hits him
hard, and makes him ashamed of himself, and angry with the preacher. So
for fear of hearing the truth, and having his sin