The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-04-24

tspec,ally Arranged from s. 8 ousrtcriy.l
LEssoS TEXT 3: Ito
GOLDEN TExT.-Thc men o. Sinevch SHAH
~, 10 IL Judgment with this generation. ana
shall condemn a.: for they rcpcnted ~ tho
preaching OF Jonas; and. behold. greater Than
Jonas Is hcrc.-Luke n; ~.
CExTiAL TRUIH-cod forgives those VINO
believe and repent
TrxE-B. G. So about. During the reign o
Jeroboam IL 81 Israel
PLAcE.-Gaiiicc and Sineveh-
| PLACE IN Binf.E IIsToRy.-3 Kings "a; z,
f.rncuxsrAxcrs.- Jonah having been ordered
| BY God 70 preach 20 the Sincyitcs. had refused.
| a. a lcft his country and his prophetic once
| and set sail for Tarscssus. storm overlook
| him; he was thrown into the sea and swaiioweo
| by 4 great ash. within which he was kept three
| davs iii he was thoroughly penitent when no
| was cast ashore Gods discipline Of his chill
| drcn ends a. soon as its work - accom-
pltshed God loves mercy; he delights In doing
| good 10 all but the best good Is right char
acter an obcdicnt heart. holy life. when
these are attained. or In process OF attainment
| then he can add worldly blessings ana release.
HELPS OVER HAND PiAcEs--S CITY %
three days Journey" l. G.. In circumference
| the Jevs called twenty miles days Journey
4 .I3egan:' started on his tour through inc
city preaching as he wcnt. "A days Journey
going hther and thithcr In the CITY TOT inc
whole day. This may have been specimen
az other DAYS s.Ninevch shall be oyerthrown:'
This was the sum a what he said Probably
he told them why, and urged them 70 repent
The fact that he was sent showed tnat tno
warning was: 'Overthrown unless you urn
from your evil ways" 'Ninevch ocheveo
God:- believed the message lie sent. nopeu.
TO IN Ills mercy. There would have been mo-
rencntance had they not believed the warn
iur. proclaimed fast" etc: as an express
sion OF sorrow for sin and means OF exteho-
ing and intensifying II. "Sackcloth; coarse.
rough. pheasant cloth. woven from the coarse
. hairs az the goat. g For word came unto inc
| King !. he may not have heard Jonah. but the
excitement IN the city intense. and came
} | 70 the ears OF the king Cry nightly unto
J God:- express in words what their ou'"s "a.
, forms oppressed Turn everyone from Ms
! evil way:- forsake the sins on account %
which the calamity was coming. "Vioience.-
, the kind Of sin 70 which the Snevitcs wcr0
snecfallv addicted. Q. who Can tell ETC..
they had hope. but were not sure ~. nn -
God repcntcd:~ He changed His purposes OF
DESTROYING the city. He was the same Goo
hut they were not in the same position toward
Him. They had gone out Of the shadow INTO
, | the sunlight; 80 that the sun shone upoe
them. but the real change was IN sncm. AM
: He did 1. not:" Nineyeh was spared. ~ IN
creased In ssplcndor and glory But IN Tine
the people returned to their sins. and some TWO
1 | hundred years after this b. G. GO. Uneven
. was SO completely destroyed that even It's ste
was unknown Tor more than two tnousano
: years lSee Nahum 3.57 l5-1eJ
LESSON COMMENTS.
The repentance Of great heather
CITY like Ninevch Is an event so unique
/ that Il startles the careful reader. All
: the more are we surprised because It IS
the only instance OF the kind in the
9 word Of God. and Is not supported ~
o any secular testimony. There Is, how
I ever, no testimony from secular history
: against il. andth is Divine testimony
1 Ia its favor. For, besides the narrative
, as we have il in our lesson, we have the
= clear Endorsement of the Saviour Him
. self. who declares that the Ninevites
u did repent at the preaching OF jonah
This IS enough for anyone who believes
1 in Christ as Divine. But for the sake Of
IS anv scholars in Bible classes, whose
p minds are troubled by the singularity
e OF the story. and who are therefore in
n clined TO question its historical truth,
" the teacher may well spend some time
% on this point.
IN This story Is no stranger or more
unique than that Of the degradation o.
be ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, king Of babylon, q
m told in Daniel 4. II we had no secular
as testimony with regard TO that strange
ut event. we might be tempted to Zee
is about Il as some do about the repentance
lie ~ Ninevch. But when we find in an in
n scription by observation-disclosures himscl'
the following, we recognize the relia
bilitv Of sacred history: For four year.
"a the seat OF the kingdom did not re
at ;oicc NV heart. In all my dominion
nd ia not build an high place Of power
nv rho precious treasures of my kingdom
le- did not lay up In Babylon. buiic'
m inrs for myself and the honor Of m,
cd kingdom did not lay out In the wor
ship Of Merodach, my lord, the JOY Q
~ nv heart, in Babylon. the city OF M
no sovereignty, and the seat Of my empire
rai did not sing his praises, did not fur
10 nish his affairs with victims, nor did
he clean out the canals" Commenting O
re this remarkable inscription Gcorg
in Gawlinson says: I'VE can scarcely IN
en- agine anything that would account 70
nd II hut some such extraordinary malad
Id. as that recorded in Daniel Net unit
:. very recently the narrative Of Danis
IA had no support and proof OF reliabiiit
itv outside OF tho sacred Word. Men migi
rs have said: 'sThis story Is SO unique an
'Ic- improbable that we can hardly cred
YER ,t.-' Now since Gods word has bee
nm proved reliable in one unique instanc
nlv we are lcgitimatcd In relying upon
not aflirmations in another.
80 The great city Is stirred increasing
from day TO day. The contagion
a.. fear. followed by the healing Of r
~ pentance and the outward manifest
i'm ton OF sorrow, spreads until \. er
90 braces all classes. reaching even up
nm the throne. Reformation begins, al
arv is manifest: and many turn from the
~. evil ways, .'and from the violence tn
hat Is in their hands" Then Gods anger
Tie turned away; and lie spares the :
the pcnant city. because Of its change
tor heart and life. See! while Jonah fie
IA. he was baked in his plans; when
y 1 faced duty. his work prospercd.
Wv there no lesson for US here? God caus
n many q mans oxen Ito stumble" |
ons cause the man is more bent on havi
nth his own way than ON obcying Ge
Jchoshaphat's ''ships were broken"
49,. Ezion-gabcr tscc . Chron. 20S5-37)
All cause his plans failed 70 coincide wi
-A r..