Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-04-17

Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of II. S. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel-
phial
Having learned from previous lessons
how both the ten tribes and the two, with
but few exceptions, wander from God and
worship idols, we are now for n few weeks
to consider Gods efforts to win them back
to Himself by His servants the prophets.
And we begin with the first Hebrew
prophet or missionary ever sent to the Gen
tiles.
1. "Now the Word of the Lord came
unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying"
He prophesied about 800 years before
Christ, and is one of the earliest, perhaps
the very first, of the so called prophets
whose writings exist.
9. "Arise, 90 to Nineyeh, hat great city,
and cry against it; for their wickedness is
come up before me"
Nineveh was on the Tigris, nearly 400
miles from Canaan Its walls were about
60 miles in length and 100 feet high, with
1,500 towers, each 200 feet high. According
to chapteriv, II, there were 100, 900 little chill
dren in the city at that time, which would
give a population OF not less than 100000.
3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tar
shish from the presence of the Lord and
went down to Joppa."
OOHdu COulu nDJ III One SeuSe Set away
from the presence of the Lord anywhere in
the wide world ops. ~cxxxix, 7-10), but he
could 90 away from the Lords land and
city and temple, just as Cain went away
from that part of Eden where God dwelt.
4. "But the Lord sent out a great wind
into the sea-"
Sometimes when people are doing wrong
events seem to favor them; so Jonah may
have thought it a favorable omen to find a
ship at Joppa about to sail to Tarshish.
But however we may seem to succeed In
our disobedience, God is watching and con
trolling, and we may be sure that sooner
or later our sin will find us out.
5. 'Then the mariners were afraid, and
cried every man unto his god"
Here is a servant Of God disobedient to
his Master, and bringing trouble on those
who knew not God. as when Peter, a
disciple of Christ, caused Malchus to suf-
fer. If, as Christians, we do wrong, We
are not the only ones who will suffer by
the chastisement lovingly sent upon us.
"And he lay and was fast asleep"
While these heather sailors are doing all
in their power for the safety of the ship
and all on board, and calling on their gods,
which were no gods, the only one on board
who knew the only living and true God
is fast asleep. Is it not a picture of the
majority of Christians now?
q. "What meanest thou, o sleeperf"
This was a well merited rebuke. 1t
would do good if the people of the world
would rebuke protesting Christians more
often.
Z. "They cast lots, and the lot fell upon
Jonah"
In the same way it would seem that
Joshua discovered Achan Josh. vii, 14),
and Saul found out Jonathan q Sam. xiv,
Al, 40, and an apostle was chosen instead
of Judas acts i, 24-26).
S. Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause
this evil is upon u.s."
Jonah is now awake, and in the hands of
those upon whom he has brought trouble.
They have found him out, and now ques-
ton him as to his occupation and people
and country. 1t is humiliating to see this
servant of God compelled to give an &C
count of himself to this heather shipmas-
ter and his sailors, but it is good for him.
0. 81 am an Hebrew; and l fear Jehovah,
the God of heaven, which hath made the
sea and the dry land"
He does better than Peter when he ran
away from his Master and warmed him
self at the servants fire; but perhaps Peter
might have done better, too, if he had
found himself in the midst of a raging
storm at sea with death staring him in the
face.
10. why hast thou done thisS'
A searching question, to which his an
swer is not given. And if in any measure
a Christian is turning away from duty the
question ought to come to them with
power.
II. What shall we do unto thee thai
the sea may be calm unto u.s."
Sin must be punished. All nations rec
ognize that the transgressor must suffer
and yet there are those in this enlight
ened CD Nineteenth century, dwelling il
our cities, in the very centers of light anC
intelligence, who say and teach that sin il
"A phantom, a nonentity, and that punish
ment for sin is not to be thought of.
II. Take me up and cast me forth int,
the sea, so shall the sea be calm unto you
for | know that for my sake this grea
tempest is upon you"
He is convinced of his sin and ready t
accept the consequences.
IL. Nevertheless the men rowed hard t.
bring it to the land, but they could not"
This labor was well meant. They wer,
sorry for Jonah; they did not wish to b
the means of his death, but their wei
meant efforts were all in vain, for Jonal
must suffer for his sin.
'hSieiOi0 Iney Crleu uulo III
Lord"
1t is not now every man unto his god,
as in verse 3, but unitedly they cry to Je
hovah, the God of heaven, earth and sea
the Lord God of the Hebrews.
1--WE beseech thee, o Lord, we beseec
thee, let us not perish for this mans lif,
and lay not upon us innocent blood"
This is heartfelt cry to Him who is eve
ready to hear the cry of the needy, and III
doubtedly it was heard.
"For thou, o Lord, hath don as
pleased thee"
Submissively they acknowledge the on
impotence of Jehovah, and that His han
is in this.
Is. 5 they took up Jonah and cast hir
forth into the sea, and the sea ceased fror
her raging"
IL. Then the men feared the Lord eS
ceedinglY, and offered a sacrifice unto th
Lord, and made vows"
1t looks rs if they had really become b'
NJ levers in the true God. Thus God ovel
ruled the sin Of His servant for the good {
these men.
II. Now the Lord had prepared a grea