The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-21

pnah's Career and the hale Incident as
Dlscoursed About at Grao' NJ, e, hurch |
Last Evening by Rev. MIR. scoheld-fhe |
Lesson of the sermon,
Z A crowded church listened to the SER |
on last night by the Rev, L, A. SEQ
hld, pastor of the Grace NJ. e. church,
g hose theme was Jonah and His
$Yhale.'"
Probably no story in the bible" said
HE speaker, has been more severely
fciticised than the story Of Jonah. The
#reat bible critics differ as to its au-
shenticity, though the majority accept
as written. You will notice that the
\ ible does not say that a whale sWal-
Spwsd Jonah, but that the Lord pre-
Jared great fish,
1.-THE Greek work Katos rendered
Whale could as appropriately be trans
2ated shark. If the formation of the
Whales throat is such as to render it
& physically impossible for a whale to
n WalloW a man, then we may justly
Conclude that some other fish was the
gent used, for the bible never asks
rs to believe impossibilities or absur-
3 Titles.
Concerning the truth of the story it
II depends on whether we admit the
\ miraculous in life. This was plainly
miracle 1t was the Lords doings. He
emit the storm that threatened ship
Evreck, he prepared the fish that swal-
&owed the recreant prophet, and he sus-
aimed his life when it was impossible
&Ior him to breathe. Admitting the eX-
zstence of the miraculous all is easy.
I'VE accept the story as we find it re-
sforded and from it learn many useful
4 lessons.
First the word of the Lord comes
#lnto every one of us just as surely as
liz came to Jonah.
Every man is expected to- protest
against evil, and is called of the Lord
sto lift up his voice ana use his infiu-
Rence to destroy sin or iniquity that
Threatens the life of society or Injuries
'the morals of the people.
Jonah fled from the Lord. He was
not equal to the occasion, He failed
at the supreme moment. He broke
down when he was tested, showing
THAT even a prophet of the Lord may
be afraid. Let that man throw the first
stone at him who has never stifled the
HNoice of conscience.
Circumstances sometimes seem to ia
E3vor the designs of bad men, and SO it
twas in this case, for as the prophet
8came to Joppa he found ship just
Aready to sail for Tarshish, in which ne
stoolz passage.
q "But God followed him. The chariots
sof the Lord are twenty thousand. Ma
#ture is in league with the Almighty.
\ Her Winds and storms are His servants
4and officers, 1t is impossible to get be-
You'd the reach of the Lord.
s 'sAnd now are there any modern il
Illustrations of this incident, or any
whales that are swallowing men to-
day?
Here is a young man, for instance,
4 who has been called of God to become
a preacher of His word. Gods Holy
Ghost has said to his soul, go to the
! Ninevahs, these wicked cities, and pro-
claim My judgments; go to sin-crushed
men and publish My love; go to wan
dering, SHINING men and proclaim My
. mercy. Leave your home. your occupa-
ton, and go preach My gospel Years
4 ago this young man heard the voice of
the Lord. He knew it, felt it, has con-
fessed it, but he refused to go Is he
/ happy? Has he had any easy, pleasant
time of it? Has the whale swallowed
him? Has he not been for months in
the deeps of darkness, and is he yet
at ease in his conscience? Will he ever
find peace till he obeys the voice of
the Lord? For the sake of the harvest
that awaits his sickle; for the sake of
the peace his troubled soul may find;
for the sake of his eternal salvation,
let him give up his position, face all
opposition and be no longer disobedient
to the heavenly visitor. Here is a man
who has given up the altar and forgot
ten his holy vows. Those sweet angels,
once fresh and dewy from the skies,
now are murdered, and lie cold and
dead.
f'This man comes no more to church,
prays no more in his house, and his
voice is heard no more in heavenly
benediction and inspiring testimony
Has he gone beyond the reach of
God? Is he sailing serenity on some
distant sea? Is his life happy and full
of fragrance that attract and bless as
in the olden days.
"God is following him. Already his
business has partially failed, his health
is broken, and he has had to cut the
sod and find the quiet resting place for
his loved ones. What does it mean?
God wants you back my brother; God
wants you to be obedient, loving, trust
ing and true. Don't run away from
God and duty. Come back. Face the
frowns of worldly men. Stand up like
a. man. We have kept your seat in
Gods house, and the house will be turn
ed into a home tonight if you will
read chapter in the holy book and
lift your heart to God in prayer.