The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-04-19
Sermon by
CHARLES r.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.


On the Mediterranean Sea, April II.
We are not far from tbNpiace where
poor Jonah long ago had his sad ex-
perience In his attempt TO run away
from the Divine commission to tho
Ninevites. We arc nearing Jaffa, the
port from which he sailed. then caHed
Joppa. Some. intent on disproVing as
much as possible Of the Bible. have
attempted to make light of Jonah's ex-
periences. claiming that there was no
fish in the world % such capacity as
could swallow a man entirely. We
are to remember. however. that the
Scriptures do not say that 1t was an
ordinary whale that swallowed Jonah,
but rather they specifically declare
that God specially prepared" great
fish for the occasion. Nor Is this all
We have our Lords own testimony to
the truthfulncss of the matter, and
whoever denies either his truthfulness
or his intelligence is thereby denying
also his Messia hshlp and repudiatlng
him IS Savior, because neither
falsifier nor dupe could possibly be
recognized as the great Redeemer and
savior, the Sent of God the Messiah.
Additionally our Lord informs us that
che Jonah incident was in the nature Of
a type, especially designed of God to
goreshadow the fact that Jesus himself
would be dead for parts Of three days
and arise from the dead on the third
day, even as Jonah was buried alive
for parts OF three days and on the
third day the great fish vomited him
upon dry land. There is nothing diff
cult about the narrative to one who
has proper faith In God To those who
have not faith, nothing connected with
Divine revelation Is reasonable, com
mendable or satisfactory. Let us
maintain our stand with those who
hold fast to. anG hold forth for others,
the Word OF Life.
The Belly Of He'll Described.
But what have 1.-The belly of hell"
and the poor soul crying from 1t to do
with the story OF Jonah? And how
does the story associate itself with our
Journey today over the Mediterranean
Deep? Jonah was the man who was
In the belly of hell and whose cry unto
she Lord from there constitutes our
text. When "A boy | hcaFd this text,
and my Imagination conlured up what
hell would be like. and especially what
che belly OF hell or wlnt supposed
Fhe middle part of II, would be Ike.
! bod thn cnnortuuttv of lool,ing info
,,l,et fnrrocos througb what 60 coIIod
r,.
'o''u 'nu' '"' '''','' VI ,''' ''' was
az WINE h'uH Hl'u W iin"blhe peo
ple IN such condition III the very
middle or belly Of hell. | could not
Imagine how they could survive such
an experience a single moment. let
alopc for nh eternity SOUGHT lbeo-
toai.gl oy,,,l,i,os nf ,bc m,ttor and
'u''' P'''' "'.'''' WV "'''' y
'lierl VI uIe' 'i'liA'u lH'' H"u ""u'u
specially flialZe AL the poor creatures
consigned 10 this torment, so that they
would never die, but would keen ON
suffering forever ana forever ana for.
,Aver urtellohIa tor,uro. found th,t
IN. u,a.,,,,.,,,.. ,.,,,.,t,,, u.., ,t..,,
w. '"' "''' ''"''' "'"'"
srauuahE pecolhe AuaP'ed TO II ana
assume an asbestos-like shell which
would mcasurably protect them from
the tire But these thcologlans went
on to explain that. wishing them to
suffer horrible torturcs. God would
scale off the asbestos shell, causing
them 10 suffer still more excruclntingly
every time the operation was perform
ed. AS child tried to imagine that
this was the lust desert of sinners.
and that the Heavenly Father was
..o,,It., t.I,,l .,,.1 i,,.t,L. -, l.. M -. 4.