Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-12-05

upon HIS ministry, arc familiar his
toricAl incidents; but the purpose OF
such protracted abstinence from food
aud drink 10 not set forth In the scrip
tural narrative, and we are left to
Infer that 1t was reeorted 70 as a
means Of gaining favor with
the Lord anu power to accomplish the
special work required Of them, and
because OF it's balng the most intenss
and devOut form OF worship and sup.
plicstion that could be adopted.
Whatever may bs the philosophy OF
taslinR, there can DO little doubt In the
minds OF any Bible believer that 1t bas
been the means, when coupled with
contrition and prayer, Of securing the
favor Of the Almighty.
A remarkable Instance OF this was
In the case OF the people Of Nineveh.
They had become 30 wicked that the
Lord decreed that they should be
destroyed, and called upon the Prophet
Jonah to go and warn them of that
fact. Jonah did not relish the thought
Of having such a mission to perform,
ana sought to escape from the
Lord by embarking upon n
ship to sail In another direction.
His obstlnscy and dlsobe1ie re.
suited in his being thrown overheard
tom the tempest.tossed vessel. and
conveyed to tho shore in the body OF a
fish, alter which he willingly went to
Nineveh, when omnianded q second
time, and proclaimed that In forty
days the city should be overthrown.
The result was very unusua! for suoh
n wicked and at the same time euch q
numerous people. The record states
that they Included more than one
hundred and twenty thousa nd persons
who could not discern between their
right and left hands, without men,
tioning how many there were who were
lees ignorant, and they universally be-
lieved the Prophets prediction. From
the king upon his throue to the hum.
blest OF his subjects they turned in
HthikthNp " thu A<OtuI INV hpHp VI
getting the direiul Judgment revoked.
The king proclaimed a fast, saying,
LET neither man nor beast, herd nor
hook, taste anything; let them not
feed nor drink water. But let man and
beast be covered with sackclotb, and
cry nightly unto God; yea, let them
turn every one from his evil way and
from the violence that Is in their
hands," and added, "Who can tell n
God will turn and repent, and turn
away from His fierce anger, that we
perlsh nol?"
The duplication was so tffectual
that JOnah's pride was touched. He
evidently thought his reputation as q
Prophet was In danger; and while he
witnessed the non-iulfillment OF his
prediction, he reproached the Lord
and begged that his life might be
taken, instead OF having to live and be
subjected to shame, and tho Lord had
to take up a special labor with him to
cause Jonah to feel reconciled to the
mercy anu forgiveness extended to the
Ninevites, in response to their earnest
and sincere fasting and prayer.
Another notable instance Is that
mentioned In the book OF Esther.
Ahasuerns, king OF the Modes and
Pereisns, who reigned over one hun.
dred and twcnty.sevea provinces, was
induced by that arch-plotter, Hsmsn !.
TO authorize the issuance OF decree
for the destruction OF all the Jews In
his kingdom, not kno wing that his
iavorite wife, Esther, would fall under
the ban, for she had never informed
him OF her Jewish ancestry. When
the decree went forth 1t caused general
CONSERVATION among the Jews, for II
was well know that the lava OF the
Modes aud Persisns were irrevocab!e
Their only hope Of deliverance from
the cruel fiat was In appealing to the
Lord, and the usual method in extreme
cases was resorted TO. They fastel AMI
prayed, anu mourned, and wept
When Q ieen Esther learned OF her
late and that OF her people from
her cousin and foster. father,
the naughty but loyal MOrdecsi, whose
lack OF servility had excited the ire Of
the wicked Haman and resulted In tn,
vengeful decree, she made special re
quest that the Jews OF Shushsn fac
Tor her, neither eating nor drinkin
for three days, and promised that Ell,
and her maidens would do likewise
The results OF their applications wer,
soon manifest. She found favor IL
the eyes ofthe king, resulting In hi
prefer TO grant whatever she aske d
even to half HE ;kingdom. The king
being unable to sleep, resofted to read
ing the chronicles OF his kingdom, snc
being thereby reminded OF the fac. thai
Mordecai. the desplsed Jew, at one
time had saved bis life when trsltoroui
cham0eTlains had plotted to slay him,
and had never been rewarded for his
loyalty, resolved to make up for tn,
oversight. He consulted Haman as to
what should be done unto the mar
whom the king delighted to honor
Thanking that he, the most exalted
Of all the princes, must be the persor