Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-16

SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
CONSIDERED.

Thoughts worthy OF Calm Reflection
Half an Hours Study OF the Scriptures
Time Well Spent
The lesson for Sunday, April 10. may be
found I'm Jonah 4: 1-17.
INTRODUCTORY
We heard Prof Briggs animadversIons
on Jonah, and our pocket notebook has
since born this legend: @Talk about taking
a lamb out OF the paw OF lion or bear.
Prof. Briggs takes Jonah out OF the Jaw OF a
whale" IL is, perhaps. pretty generally
known that the Union Seminary professor
and his fellow critics hold this book before
us TO be fiction, story cleverly Invented
and told 70 enforce wholesome moral.
Against this view there stands the plain
Gibraltar-like sentence of Christ: @As
Jonah was three days and three nights In
the whales belly a" Matt. 10: 40.) This
statement is, OF course, explained away by
the higher critics on the grounds of sort
of higher rhetoric. Criticism, TO tell the
truth, is to-day first of all constructive and
after that sdestructive.n IL constructs a
theory. and after that says TO everything
that stands in opposition, "Out OF the way
OF the house that have buildedln In this
IL very much resembles Ahab, who ma q
such short work OF the ancestral estate ~
Naboth. which stood over against the
lordly edihce erected by him. And yet we
do not remember that the transaction was
altogether successful In the final outcome
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
How. Hebrew: And. The King James
versionists are quite inclined to interpret
and enlarge on the simple connective and.
as found in the Hebrew. As may be OBJ
served I'm the Varia tions. the Douay version
Is prevailingly more literal here
Nineveh. The greatest city of the times
Situated on the Tigris. capital of Assyria-
Cry against ID Sometimes rendered
preach or proclaim. So at Elk. 80: 10
For their wickedness is come up Or that
their wickedness is come up.
Jonah. The word means angel. Flee.
Mimetic of break, ]. g., brak. 1t was forci-l
BILE breaking away.-The presence of the
Lord. Literally face. See Variations
Joppa. Hebrew Yapha; from which the
modern name, Jaffa.-Found a ship. Or
as we would say. caught a ship.-Fare.
Or. hire. Translated wages in the account
of the mother OF Moses. Elk. 2: 0.
Send out. Literally and suggestively,
cast. The same word is used Of Saul's cast
ing javelin at David. j. Sam. IS; Like
to be. See Variations.
Every man unto his god. Gods many. To
tighten OF them. Better, as In Revision, unto
them Literally, from upon them.-The'
sides. First meaning, thighs; hence, inner
or remote parts.
Came to him. The original intimates a
careful and deliberate approach.
meanest thou, o sleeper? Literally and yet
more expressively, What meanest thou sleep.
ing? Indeed, the word signifies to snore, as
IL to accentuate the seeming Indifference.
God will think upon upon Us. Using tho
name OF the one God OF the Hebrews. In.
contradistinction to the many gods init
mated in v. 5.
Lots. First meaning. pebbles, usually en-
ployed In the casting of lots.-Upon Jonah.
God making use OF mems superstltions for a,
good purpose, as with the witch of Endor,
l. Sam. 2s; 10.
For whose cause. Or. for what causeal
What is thy country, or thy land2 Hence
jerome interprets IL as of his destination
@whither goest thou?n (Douay).
people art thou? An excited volley OF que
ries.
A Hebrew. Original meaning beyond, !.
the inhabitants OF that country fear
To recognize, TO give due reverence. First
meaning TO look upon, !. e., becomingly.
Which hath made the sea. Hence in his
hand.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
The word of the Lord came unto Jonah.
Never mind Jonah. 1t is the awordn that
is all important. God has dealings with
the clay. Jonah was not comedy charac-'
ter. We see in him much to despise. So
doubtless the divine eye. But God was
very kind; he had a message for man, and
so he sent by the messenger whom he could
use among men. We do always bear this
treasure in earthen vessels. and all this.
that the excellency may be OF God and not
OF man. 1t was In accordance with this
same merciful considerateness that, In due
TIM, "the word was made flesh and dwelt
among us.n God would not let Us CO. He
had something to say to men and he found
an entrance into the world, visible and
tangible to man. Once IL was by way Of a
truant son of Amittai and the stormy sea
and once again in very person by way of a
Joseph and Mary and the rude cave OF
Bethlehem.
That great city. 1t was the greatest city
of the day, the representative OF the throng-l
life of the times. Does God speak to the
city to-day? 1t is because the city is the
nerve-center OF the life of the present. It
is in the city to-day that the great issues OF
the future are being formed. If we reach
the world at this time with the gospel it
must be by way OF the cities. II God has o
message for men he sends 1t to the city; not
for the sake or the great city per Sc, but for
the sake OF the people who are there. For
here are the people. and here the message
must be proclaimed. Are we accomplish
ing this end? Is the city hearing the gos-
pei? We are not speaking of the avenues
nor for that matter of the alleys. The city
is more than either or both. Is municipal
life being touched? Does there fall upon the
jangle of the forum and the market the
calming voice of Gods prophet o. that
great ethyl
Their wickedness Is come up. It reaches
high, as high as heaven. That oath uttered
the other day, albeit In a smothered tone.
shot higher than the house-tops. That
angry taunt oversped its mark and few
skyward. That half-concealed lascivious
look was espied by angel watchmen, and
that harbored hate OF the heart went
clamoring up before God. The evil about
us, within us, sometimes alarms us when
we look at IL even with the earth's poor dis
cernment. What must 1t be In heavens
uura sight? The cffV'e mfS1uidanCa sOna-
times startles us to an impulsive effort to
right the wrong. How that wickedness
must smoke against the battlements OF
heaven! HWoe to the bloody city lin is Gods
own denunciation of the place that lies In
wickedness. Think of it, the scofing inn
piety of modern society, like the bestial
iniquity of old is as much a prayer to
heaven as the hymn and praise OF the
sanctuary. Only while the latter Graves
mercy, the former virtually and, we know
not how effectually, implores wrath. Which
chorus shall rise the louder toward heavens
gate?
Jonah rose up TO fee unto Tarshish from
the presence of the Lord. And a prophet.
too. What travesty on the namei aArise,
go 20 Nineveh,p said the voice-aAnd Jonah
rose up TO fee to Tarshish.p What spoke
there but rebellion ana treason7 Ordered
east, he went west; hidden to preach, see
him crouch, and creep, and hide. There
was Jonah-there was man. Last week We
were reading of Jehu, who did not need
much bidding. he almost ran ahead Of his
orders; afor he driveth furiously.n But how
treacherous no was, how he misrepresented
Godl Fleeing away or flying toward, these
two. Jonah and Jehu, are alike. OF the earth.
earthly. o, what wretched stun we are
made of, what gnarled and coarse grained
material God has G deal with! Brother, IL
the Lord Jehovah is able TO do anything
with you and me, let us bow our heads In