The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-03-02
THE MAN.

MS speech ana ACT as ne QeIenued
simplicity of faith and life. Elisha
had the marks of the plough han
dies upon his palms even in the pres
ence Of the king He reunited court
and crowd in an age Of change and
lived loyal to God and country thru
it all Gin a house by the side of the
road" were he was a friend to man.
Jonah was the brilliant and popular
preacher at the court in the palmy
days Of prosperity that spread the
borders of the country from Egypt
to PARKWAY Klamath, and piled the
altar with rich gifts. Proclaiming the
national supremacy he could not
help being an outstanding figure in
the day of that nations greatest
power. Across the border doomed
the menace of Assyria with Ninevah
at its head holding everything that
Israel feared and hated. Loving his
land and people with a fierce deyo-
ton, why should he be called to
leave it all with a message to their
enemies? He would not do it and
chose rather to give up everything
rather than bear Gods possible mer-
cy to the hated alien. Daringly in
dependent he would blot himself out
Of the nations Fife and out of Gods
knowledge rather than do what might
hurt that land. Here was patriotic
passion to the limit. He would keep
the message from going through at
any cost to himself At sea the storm
swept him into a new position to-
ward the heather comrades of his ad-
venturous voyage. He had eaten with
them, shared the meagre fare and
comfort of their life and found them
to be men in spite of their faith. I'm
der the stress of storm that imperiled
all he found these aliens worth dying
for and he offered himself WILLINGLY
that they might have safety. Refusal
deepened his perception of their
worth and his determination to fol-
low conscience, so into the sea he
went, only to find that the hand Of
Jehovah held it in its hollow. Back
in Samaria the same old urge to car
ry Gods word to the enemy of Israel
took him now upon the hated errand.
Conscience was breaking down the
narrow nationality even of the Jew.
He appeared in the midst of his enc
mics and his power as a preacher was
seen in the result. There was moth
ing wrong with his courage, for he
dared to proclaim their doom in forty
days Not love, but hate, filled his
voice with intensest conviction. ana
his only fear was from his knowledge
Of Jehovah's mercy. But the duty
had been done. Then the Infinite Love
that heard a heather prayer and ac-
cepted a heather Offering so that
there was a perfect orgy of heather
joy at the passing of the doom from
their horizon filled him with wrath.
God seemed a soft sentimentalist to
him. But as his own anger turned
against the destroyer of a vine. God
said to him: Your a sentimentalist
yourself. If you would save a gourd
why shouldn't l save a city full of
folk?" 1t is pretty certain that a
man who would forego his destiny for
love of country, his life for alien
comrades and his desire for CON
science sake would come to the right
answer for Jehovah's question.
THE MESSAGE.
1t seems clear that the book is not
history, else it would not have been
placed among the prophets instead
of with the Kings. If "Ninevah was
great city" instead of "is," then it
was written after its doom had come
and must have been at that period of
reconstruction during which the ex.
lies were rebuilding the old capital
and life. There was intensest devo-
| IlOil " CNCI CIllilS IltDIGW, anu manly
mother who had accompanied her
family across the desert for loves
sake, was ordered out by a fanal Il
faith and must take her sorrowl
and fearful way toward the alien lanG
that had given her birth. 1t seems
likely that both Ruth and Jonah were
written in protest against such an at
titude. For this God has the COM
passion of the Father of Jesus and
loved even the worst of the enemies
of Israel. The God of the Jew was
for the Jews only. Even in the days
of the Apostles there was controversy
among the followers of Jesus over the
question of whether a Gentle could
be saved without first becoming a
Jew. So intense was the race preju-
dice that had been developed thru
the centuries that the teaching of
the Master had not been able to make
Gods position clear And Jehovah
held form in supreme appreciation so
that if that were fulfilled nothing
else mattered. 1t was against this