The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-01-22

erywhere. The people got as frighten-
ed as lot Of fawns being chased by
the falcons which are trying to pick
out their eyes. They Immediately Tell
down upon tier knees ana begaa to
pray. 4 was the biggest man 10 Chat
town What I said was quoted by ee
cry lin BE now TOD has gone Back
upon thas prophecy. The Forty days
have passed and every VAN Is stand
ing. aud the homes ace aH filed With
happy families. He Mas rnned 40 my
prophecy business. II I 20 back into
Nineveh, the little shildreB will follow
me and laugh at NEE eBtts u displeased
Jonah exceedingly and hs was vely
angryss Angry for what2 Because
God had saved city? No. Angry be
cause the peope might Dot think him
great prophet, as they did few days
ago when he cried QUA eYet forty days
and Sjneveh shall he destroyed. and
yet, my brother, I want 60 ask You
question Is Jonah's sinful, childish
anger any different from the mean,
despicable and repugnant jealousies
Of many of our modern Christian work
ers:
Here, for instance, are an old minister
and an old church which for years
have occupied the most influential posi-
ton IN the religious life Gf Il small city.
Most of the wealthy and prominent
men of that town go 10 that church.
One day there comes into that town
young minister who takes broken
down church upon a side street. 1t Is
almost mission. Suddenly the power
of the Holy Spirit comes down upon
that little congregation. 1t grows ana
grows. II widens its influence. 1t be
gins to gather in the young people by
scores and hundreds. The little church
is now packed to the doors. The grow
ing congregation has to move into
larger building. Its influence grows
wider and wider until it spreads out
over the state and the nation. Do that
ofd minister and that old established
church clasp hands and rejoice at the
multitudes which are being saved III
| the church just around the corner?
Perhaps 50. But. as rule, such old
established churches act very much as
| Jonah did when Nineyeh was being
saved. They act just as did most OF
| the old conservative churches of Lon
| don when Charles H. -Spurgeon started
| his work there and when Joseph Par
ker started his work and when Row
| land Hill started his work, and when
John Wesley started his work. These
old conservative churches wanted sin
ners to be saved in their own way or
they did not wish them saved mt all.
| Selfshnesx In Churches.
| Oh, that we could one and all so sink
our selfish personalities in gospel work
| that we did not care by what means
the sinners should be led to the cross,
as long as the hayward and the lost
were able thereby to find Christ. Hen
~ Ward Beecher once gave this beau
| tiful parable of how we should all get
| above our own selfish contentious and
live only that Jesus might be glorified
'.One day three nature philosophers
went out into the forest and found a
| nightingale's nest. Immediately they
| began to discuss the habits of the bird
it's size and the number of eggs it lays.
One pulled out of his pocket a treatise
Of Button and another one of Cuvier
and the third one of Audubon. They
read and they disputed till at length
the quarrel ran so high over the empty
nest that they got red in the face and
the woods rang with their conflict
when, 10, out of the green shade OF
a neghboring thicket the bird itself
reused and disturbed by these noises
begins to sing. At first its song is sof
and low then it rises and swells, ant
waves of melody float up over the trees
and fill the air with tremulous music
Then the entranced philosophers, sub
dued and ashamed of their quarrel
shut their books and walk home with
out word SO men around the empt.
sepulcher of Christ have wranglet
about the forms of religion. abou
creeds and doctrines and ordinances
when Christ himself, disturbed by thei
discords, sings to them out of HEAVIER
of love and peace and Joy In the Hol,
Ghost till they are ashamed of thei
conflicts and go quietly and meekly =
their duties" May we well heed TT
message of the great poet-preacher o
Plymouth pulpit. May we be enables
to cease our sectarian conflicts. Ma,
we not strive to lift our sectaria
creeds above the cross. May we ceas
to be bigoted and selfish Jonahs. Ma
our one joy he to see men and wome
come to the cross. May we care no
by what means sinners come as ion
as they are saved. Lord God, teach
to sink self that thy Son, our Saviour
may be glorified before men.
why Jonah Fled.
But why was it that Jonah hed ava
from Nineveh, and why did he sail 70
Tarshish? | want to show you WI
! he shirked his duty. To show the caus
or why sin is committed is often
show us how we may flee the result
of that sim Jonah wanted to be God
? prophet, but he wanted to be gosp'
J soldier without having to meet til
dangers and trials and sacrifices OF
gospel warrior | believe all this ca
srt<R tNn