Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-04-24

NIT Verses, o, 1O-Golden Text, Luke xi,
stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per-
mission of II. S. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel
phia.
l. "And the Word of the Lord came into
Jonah the second time, saying"
From the belly of the fish Jonah cried
unto the Lord, and the Lord heard him,
and spake unto the fish, and it vomited
out Jonah upon the dry land (chap. ii,
l, l0. Jonah's prayer is largely made up
of quotations from the Psalms, as many as
eight or ten different Psalms being quoted
from (see marginal references), teaching us
that Affections open up the mine of Script
ure, and make real to us words before un-
needed (Ps. cxix, ca, ~. If Jonah in the
fish's belly was not hid from Gods sight
and hearing, where can we hide from Him.
2. Arise, 90 unto Nineveh, that great
city"
How very gracious of the Lord to come
to him the second time with the same mes
sage CHAP. i, p. How very patient and long
suffering He is with us!
And preach unto it the preaching that
| bid thee"
This is the whole responsibility Of every
preacher, Tor we are simply messengers of
the Lord of Hosts.
3. $50 Jonah arose and went into Nine
veh. according to the Word of the Lord"
Now he i, obcdient. This is what he
should have done at first Instead of go
ing to sea. BY his williulness Lr has lost
much precious time and grieyed his Lord.
But let us take it to ourselves. Are we
obedient to tie word of the Lord, or vast
ing time and grieying the spirit by our
waywardness and disobedience;
Nineveh was a very great city, about
sixty miles Of wall inclosing it, and Jonah
was only one lone man of no Importance to
that great and wicked city, but God was
with him.
4. "-And Jonah began to enter into the
city a days journey
Many days had he journeyed from the
seashore across the country Uook at your
map and note the distance), and much time
had he for meditation and communion with
his God. However lonely the way and
long the journey, he had the CONSCIOUSNESS
that he was doing the will of the Lord and
that the Lord had sent him.
And he cried and said, Yet forty days,
and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
What a strange cry for a lone man in a
great and prosperous and wicked cityi
>. 5 the people of Nineveh' believed
God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest of them even
to the least of them"
God was with His servant, the Spirit of
God was in the message, and where the
word of "A king is there is power.
&. For word came unto the king of MIN
even, and he arose from his throne, and he
laid his robe from him, and covered him
with sackcloth, and sat in ashes"
So the word of the Lord through this
humble man reached even the heart of the
king on his throne, and he humble him
self before God, as well as the lowest in the
city.
:. And he caused it to be proclaimed
and published through Nineveh, by the de-
cree of the king and his mobiles, saying,'
The king and his great men have put
themselves on the side of Jonah and his
God. If God could make use of such a
crook as Jonah let no one who is willing
to be used ever be discouraged, but let us
he on the Lords side out and out.
Let neither man nor beast, herd nor
flock, taste anything; let them not feed MOI
drink water"
Surely this was a great and thorough re-
%pentance, at least on the part of the king
and his great ones who ordered this severe
fast.
S. But let man and beast l,e covered
with sackcloth, and cry nightly unto
God"
Why include the cattle, for they had not
sinned? Though they sin not, yet they
suffer because Of mans sin, and God cares
for cattle.
Yea, let them turn every one from his
evil way; and from the violence that is in
their hands"
Outward sorrow without a turning away
from sin would avail nothing, for God
searcheth the heart. And inward sorrow
must be accompanied by the actual turn
ing away from all evil.
9. "Who can tell if God will turn and re
pent, and turn away from his fierce anger
that We perish not'"
Had they such light as Israel had, how
} they would have been encouraged! If they
had known of the repentance of Ahab, how
it might have helped them Oh Kings xxi
29). Or if they could nave heard the words
Of Isaiah, LET the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts
and let him return unto the Lord, and He
will have mercy upon him; and to oui
God, for he will ~abundantly pardon" lisa
Nv, y! Or If they had the light which we
have as to the love of God, and his unwill
ingness that any should perish, and IN.
readiness to forgive sin (John iii, 10; II
Pet. iii, 0: Acts y, 43; Xiii, IS, 80, how il
would have rciuiccd them, If then viii
the light they had, and the warning givel
them, their repentance was so thorough
what shall he said of the impcnitent undel
the light of the glorious Gospel we have *
/ freely proclaimed among us?
10. And God saw their works, that they
4 turned from their evil way
> God sees unbelief, and it grievos Him
I He sees faith and obedience, and He il
, pleased. What does He see in YOU? What
e ever is wrong, come to Him just rs yol
are, yield fully to Him, and He will max,
; it all right.
And God repented of the evil that Ii,
e had said that He would do unto them, an,
I He did it not"
u See His promise to act thus given at
later date to Israel der. xviii, Z, s.. AL
though it was just as He had always don
= for Israel, as is fully recorded in the bool
Of Judges, or rs in Ps. cyi, 43, A: "Man,
times did He deliver them, but they pro