Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-19
~ g. 7
eSsD /

SEESSsD SE-a3ESE
on the Mediterranean Sea. April I've are
not far from the place where poor Jonah long
ago had his sad experience In his attempt 10
run away from the Divine commission to the
Ninevites We are nearing Jaffa, the port
from which he sailed, then called Joppa. some
intent upon disproving much as possible OIL
the Bible, have attempted to make hsnt Oh
Jonah's experiences, claiming that there was no
fish In the world OF such capacity as -cVulu
swallow a man entirely. We are 10 remeinoei,
however, that the scriptures do not say that IL
was an ordinary whale that swallowed Jonah,
but rather they specifically declare that uou
specially prepared" a great fish for the oc-
casion Nor is this all. We have our LORD >
own testimony as to the truthfulness OF tne
matter and whoever denies either his truthful-
ness his intelligence Is thereby denying AisS
his Nessiahshp and repudiating him as a Sa-
vior. because neither a falslrler nor uuPe
could possibly be recognized as the great re
dcemer and Savior, the Sent Of God, the Messi-
al.
Additionally our Lord informs us that the
Jonah incident was In the nature or type
especially designed of God to foreshadow the
fact that Jesus himself would be dead Tor
parts Of three days and arise from the deau
on the third day, even as Jonah was buried
alive for parts OF three days and on 1ne tnl[u
day the great fish vomited him upon dry land
There is nothing difficult about the narrative
10 one who has proper faith in God To those
VIE have not faith, nothing connected with
satisfactory. Let maintain our stand with
those who hold fast to, and hold forth Tor
others the word of life.
But what have 1.-The belly OF nell and the
poor soul crying from ii to do with the story
Of Jonah? And how does the story associate
itself with our journey today over the Medtter
ranean deep? Jonah the man who was In
the belly of hell and whose cry unto the LORD
from there constitutes our text. When boy
| heard This text and my imagination con-
jured up what hell would be like, and especial
ly what the belly Of hell, or what l supposed
the middle part Of it. would be like. 1 had
the opportunity of looking into blast furnaces
through what is called the glory-hoIe or peep
hole. There ] noted that the center of the
fire was white heat. 1 tried to imagine peo-
pie In such q condition in the very middle or
belly of hell. / could not imagine how they
could survive such an experience a single mo-
ment. let alone for all eternity. l sought theo-
logical expositiOns of the matter and learned
that some theologans of the hoary past admit
ting the destructive effect of fire, claimed that
God would specially vitalize all the poor crea-
lures consigned to this torment, so that they
would never die, but would keep on suffering
forever and forever and forever. unreliable tor
lures. l found that other theologians explain
ed that those consigned to such fiery ordeal
would gradually become adapted to 1t and as
sumo asbestoslike shell which would meas
urably protect them from the fire. But these
theologians went ON to explain that, wishing
scale off the asbestos shell. causing them TO
suffer still more excruciatingly every time the
operation was performed. As q cnllu Irleu
to imagine that this was the just desert Of
sinners, and that the Heavenly Father was
really kind and loving-that he did not give
them worse. though 1 could not think OF any
thing worse that they could suffer
'When l was a child, / spake as child;
hut when became man, put away childish
that anybody could endure such sufferings
and yet live. l asked for the proof that our
God is unsympathetic as any devil could
be. NV mind rejected as irrational the whole
proposition. ! said The God whom / shall
worship must be greater being than myself
greater than any human being not only in
power to execute his WILL but also in wis
dom TO make a wise arrangement for His
creatures, and also perfect in justice to do
if He were the creature and they the god.
He must also be perfect in love, the noblest
feature in any character. l said TO myself.
Such must be the God who was the Creator
of race, for He has produced in humanity
certain degrees of these various qualities and
He could not give to man what he does not
Himself possess suppose that He
would create man with more justice, wisdom,
love and power than He Himself possesses.
To that Great God / bowed my heart and mind
and every power that l possess. To Him /
still bow, and give thanks that by His grace
I have come to see His character, His plan
and His Word more clearly than In the past.
l thank Him that now l can see in what way
ultimately Jesus VIII be the Light of the
world'-not merely the light of the church
In abandoning the doctrine OF eternal tor
ment my disposition was TO abandon the Bible
the foundation of the irrational theory which
had pictured God 10 my mind a demon OF
the worst imaginable type. But thank God,
dear friends. the Lord heard my prayer for
light, for knowledge respecting Himself. After
l had made a search of heather creeds, as
we'll those of Christendom. and had found
them all Illogical. unreasonable, unsatisfactory,
I turned to the Pible again. saying Perhaps
I have not done the Bible justice; perhaps I
have unconsciously attributed to the Bible the
teachings of the creeGs. Perhaps | have read
it through colored spectacles. Praying to God
for guidance I took mp Bible study in very
different from previously. I began TO
study the Bible / should have done Mt first
without reference to any of the creeds.
began 10 let God teach me- / ceased TO say,
II reads. Thus" but II must mean otherwise.
1t sBys. $50 and So" but cannot that.
but the reverse. In other words l ceased to
try to teach God and endeavored to be taught
OF God through Hisword, guided by His Holy
Spirit.
That was IS years ago. Under the Lords
blessing / found the key to the Interpretation
OF the scriptures-not because of ability but.
] believe, because 1t il now due time for the
Bible to be understood-n the closing Of TIL.
gospel age and the dawning OF the miTlennial ,
day. Having found the key and used IT my
self / have spent my pest endeavors since to 3
put the key into the hands Of Gods consecra1e,i
people the world over. l have nothing -
boast Of dear friends, but have much to be
glad for. First, am glad on my own account !
with JOY unspeskabie, that now know aly
Heavenly Father and have confidence in
Him and can have love for Him, never before. .
en- thankful that. to some extent, l have &
been enabled to convey similar joys. SIMILAR
blessings to others OF his dear people of ~, :
denominations in all parts Of the world -lr /
Lord has gradually enlarged my opportunities i
year by year / not building a sect-not 9
church! We have had too much of that sort OF
thing already. Not only have we Wesley's J
church and Calvin's church, ETC., but 1t has