The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-01-22
.Calna9e
sermon
By Rev.
Prank De Witt Talmage, ID. d.

sermon the preacher gives a new inter
probation to the rebellion of Jonah, the
prophet. and shows that when our own
hearts are out of tune9with God and
nature life is fun of discord and dis
The text Is Jonah IL, o.
"Doest thou well to be angry?'
Sometimes | am inclined to think
that Jonah is the most famous char
acter of the Bible next to Jesus Christ.
There are many people who know
nothing about Abraham or Samuel or
David or Isaiah who know all about
the wonderful story of Jonah and the
whale. That one incident in his ca
reer has made him the most famous
of the prophets. His fame is due not
so much to the disciples of Christ as to
the enemies of Jesus No sooner does
man brought up in Christian home
begin to listen to the enemies of the
Bible and get ready to cut adrift from
all past Christian associations than he
hunts up the book of Jonah and sets
out to prove that the Bible is pack
of absurdities by holding up the story
of this recreant prophet to ridicule.
1t Is very easy to ridicule this story.
Very shallow men devoid of logic or
the power of analysis can do that 1t
serves as a handle of attack on the
Bible. which can be used by any man
who hates the Bible for its uncomprO-
missing attitude against sin and dis
likes it for demanding of every man
repentance and faith. Perhaps If 10
nah had told the people of Nineveh
what had happened to him they would
have laughed at that instead OF put
ting on sackcloth Do not let us be led
aside into such foolishness or in any
way to lay stress on this incident Per
haps3 If we knew more about the story
and the man who wrote it and Jonah
himself we might find that there was
no difficulty at all in it. 1t is waste
of time to dwell upon it when the
moral of what the writer wants t.
teach Is so obvious-that when Go
calls a man to work it is useless tn
evade the duty, and If he does try t;
evade it he will be brought back to il!
by some means, ordinary or extraor
binary.
Having spoken these few words Ia
the way of introduction, | want to
dwell on one of the most remarkable
characteristics of that obstinate ami
hayward prophets mind. After Jonah
had gone to Nineveh and told the PEG
pie of Nineveh that unless they re-
pented and turned from their sins they
would all be destroyed the Ninevites
put on sackcloth and ashes and repent
ed. Then God, mercifully noting that
repentance, said that he would not de
stroy them Then Jonah petulantly
few off into violent rage. There.
he said, my work of prophecy is all
gone for naught! Thou, o God, hast
made laughingstock of me. told
the Ninevites they would perish in for
ty days. Now thou sayest they can
live. Who will listen to my warnings
In future?' So angry Jonah goes Oh
upon the hillside overlooking the city
of Nineveh and there sulks and sulks
and pouts and pouts. He said: Il knew
it. knew God would not destroy
them. And now my business of proph
esying is ruined forever. No one vii
believe me-" Then God speaks to 10
nah the words of my text, 'Doest tho
we'll to be angry?" So ! ask you toda.
the same words, "Doest thou well Il
be angry?'
A Remarkable Question.
Now, why did God say unto jonah
"Doest thou well to be angryF' "Oh.'
you answer, ''that Is very simple. Yo
have not quoted the whole Of the pas
sage. The Bible says, 'Doest thou We
to be angry for the gourd" Viii,
Jonah was upon that hillside oyerloo'
ing the city he sat under the shade.
of a broad leaf that spread itself O.
| as an umbrella over his head. IL
leaf had mushroom growth. 1t gre
up in night 1t grew so rapidly I'll
| you could almost see 1t grow Ii "
| watched 1t. But, like all quick gro
| ing fungi, 1t withered away even nc
| quickly than it grew. While the pro.
| ct sat upon the hillside this ie;:
umbrella suddenly shrank and IL
Then the hot Assyrian sun beat do:
upon his unprotected head. and he w :.
overcome by the heat. HtN ad SIN
stroke. He tainted dead away. Whe
he came to, he was mad. He prat
tically said, % God, l feel so .misei
able l wish l were dead And | d
not blame him. With parched lips an
| overheated brow and excrueiatin
| pains chasing themselves up and dow
his anatomy he might better be deaf
There is no sun hotter on earth tina
the Assyrian sun. The old site of Nins
veh lies today in the midst of deser'
Jonah was simply physically sick froi
the heat, and that, of course. mad
him mentally and spiritually sick a
| So"
Oh, no, my brother, you are wron'
Jonah was not angry SO much with I'll
folding up of that great leaf while
protected him as. an umbrella as
was angry with himself. The gour
was mere incident. God told him
1