Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-01-27

REV. DIR. ABBOTT AND JONAH.
Rev. DR.. Lyman Abbott's refer
ences TO, and his reflections OF, the
Biblical story of Jonah and the whale
in his sermon to large congregation
in Plymouth Church on Sunday night
caused quite stir among his hearers
and moved many to laughter.
He said What said about Jonah
and the whale is only what Henry
Ward Beecher said long ago. That
part of my sermon detailing the story
OF Jonah's experience was not intenc-
ed TO create laughter, though l admit
that it did cause some merrinlent. 1t
was told merely to show that it must
be parable, story told to convey a
great moral lesson, and is no more the
literary truth than many of the para
bles in the Bible which are intended
merely to point morals.
a stenographic report of that por
tion of DR.. Abbott's sermon which
caused the audience to laugh is as fol-
lows, aud Dr. Abbott indorses it as cor
rect:
Jonah was prophet in Israel; but
the story which bears his name was
written long after his time. Let us
look at this story for ourselves and
frame our own judgment respecting its
nature and significance. Is it history
the value of which depends on its his
toric accuracy, Or fiction told for the
purpose of illustrating great truth
respecting the character Of God, or, as
X V. Charles Caverno suggests, a
satire on the narrowness Of certain
Jewish prophets. kind of Hebrew
'Bigelow Papers 2"
A prophet of the olden time is called
by Jehovah 10 deliver a message 10 a
heather people. He does not be-
lieve in heather people and be will not
90 to heather city. So he tries to flee
away from Jehovah by getting out of
Jehovah's province of Palestine. He
comes to Tarsbish, gets on board snip,
thinks himself safely out of Jehovah's
jurisdiction and calmly goes to sleep.
Presently great storm arises, the cap
tain summons Jonah to join with the
heather sailors in prayer to their re
spective gods. They are sure that the
gods are angry, cast lots, the lot falls
on Jonah and he confesses. 81 am flee
iag from my God," he says; ''it is my
fault" "What shall we do ?" ''Throw
me into the sea; that will appease the
wrath of nv God, and He will lie, you
90 free.n The sailors are reluctant,
take to the oars again, rowing with re-
doubled vigor, but all in vain. 20 God, :"
they cry, "if we are doing wrong IN
taking the life of an innocent man lay
il not TO our CHARGE" and then they
fling the acquiescipg prophet into the
sea. The storm instantly ceases. But
the Lord has specially provided great
fish for this contingency-there is no
reason to call him a whale, except !hHr
a whale is great fish-provided as u
means of refuge for the now penitent
| prophet, who has shown his penitence
by his willingness to suffer death for
his apostasy The great fish swallows
Jonah and in its belly he composes
psalm (aughter).
am sorry that my simple statement
that the psalm was composed in the
belly of the fish made you laugh. l
did not wish, aud I do not wish, to
raise laugh respecting any religious
faith or any book OF Scripture.
The unknown writer of the story of
Jonah wrote this story, by its quaint
humor, by its satire of narrow proph'
et by its splendid illustration of the
Wilderness of the mercy and grace Of
God, to illustrate what only later Israel
partially uuderstood-that God is more
than judge, more than king-is the
Father and Saviour of the whole hu-
man race.