Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-05-12

| that God has love and blessing Tor all peo
pie and every person. So that IN Jonah
being cast into the sea. it was not pun
ishment, but one method of fuller reve-
lation of the care and love of God for those
who became willing to obey Him. Our sor-
row is not punishment, but method for
a higher and fuller revelation of Gods love
and blessing. There is often little tinge
of atheism in our thought about Christian
trouble or sorrow. 1t does not seem right
to speak of any Christian sorrow as some.
thing allowed of God and overruled to a
well as all Christian experiences are but
| different methods of Gods own through
| which He gives higher and fuller revela'
| tions of His love and blessing, and devel'
| obs His people to better fitness for service
| And this is what Jonah learned, and hav-
! ing learned it he went at once to that city
of Nineveh and delivered the message God
| had given him to deliver. He tells the
| Ninevites all he knows about the love OF
God He tells them also all about the pure
and righteous demands of God, and that II
they persist in living tLer awful lives OF
seltshness and sin destruction must come
to them as it must come to all men who
persist in SHINING.
The city did repent and God did bless
the people. And in this way Jonah learned
that the very blessings he had himself re-
ceived and his people had received were
not for themselves alone, but also for 9th
ers--Nneveh and every other Nineveh that
needed the knowledge of the love and
righteousness of God. 1t s this that makes
this parable of Jonah so like the parallels
of illustrations of the love OF God
and of what God expects from those who
already have been blessed.
And this second thought was just as WV
idly taught as the first one. After preach
ing for about five weeks i'll Ninereh, Jonah
thought God was showing too much favor
to this city. He was granting 1t too many
blessings. This he regarded as very pain,
full reflection upon Jewish traditions, and
this he resented At the close of day 5
preaching he went out into the country to
think it all out and have / real satisfactory
lrumb,c about it all by himself. lie sat
down near to large, big iGavcd gourd,
whose refreshing shade, us the sun moved
around, kept its burning rays from harm
ing him. Next morning he went back to
the same place, but the gourd had with
cred during the night. Jonah got angry,
and IN his indignation pltled the go4lu
thus destroyed so soon. But as he cooled
off and his reason and his heart again as.
serted themselves, that voice seemed again
to speak within him, Jonah, what tool
ish, unrca sOnablc creature YOU are Here
You pity tins gourd, and yet YOU find fault
with and upbraId God because lie has
shown His plying love and blessing to.
ward these people OF Nlneveh'-are hot 8'h'
fui, sorroWinG human beings OF more N',u'
than gourd mat was enough lor 90
nah He was satisfied God did care tor
the people of Nlncveh. and that 1t was
Godllke to do SO: yea, and what Ws5 more
important. that His love and blessing wctJ
to be made known to them through tho
people already blessed. That is the teach.
ing OF the book OF Jonah; that Is the les,
son Jonah learned, that ne must oh'r nod
missionary service as wen dN worship 'h''
he must offer God service as Wei! as i"F''
that to carry the message OF 20 rove 10
his fellow men Is to worship 'on'
Do You know, | think that Is what yea
stun asks! ANA yet ana yet, ! sometimes
think we rebel against the thought OF 1t
quite as much As Jonah dld. mat Is why
have been led t" bring TINS study "i 90
nah this morning. II we are not gong TO
help the people OF our Uneven, VINO T.
gong to do 1t? Lake Jonah, we spend
enough upon ourselves, we DO not Deny
ourselves Singie thing we set our hearts
upon->oclal parties, thrttrcS' entertain
ment, home comforts, bodily comforts ia,
vel by land ana sea. ANA thee" nave an
! Their own p!aCc-but we must not forget
the people III Nlnereh. In addition to orr
own care Tor ourselves and our worship,
we have one other ,rcsponHlbIit y-the pco'
pic in Nmeveh. For them ] speak lhlS
morning. We may take to sea as Jonah
did, but it Is not very prohtahle bus,
ness. Much better respond to the L"rd
gladly. True. we do not say with 'onah
that God Is not everywhere, or that us
love Is not for every crcature-that Is the
very essence OF our creed, but we may say
with Jonah, Let some one else help NM.
vch, | don't want to do 1t; 1t Nlneyeh
can't take care OF itself and some one must
help them, let some one else do 50. Tins
Is not what we are going to say to-day.
We arc gong to say, rather, tell It's wnclo
our Nneych Is tell lis how we can best
help at this particular time and we Will Ito
it NV answer Is, this home mission offer.
ng j. our Alncvch.
Why should We! Because 1t Is todlke.