468 as if no t quite sure of it, nor w ith cold ness as if it were of little urgency. It is God’s Word to be pealed into m an’s ears.—Maclaren. The preaching th a t I bid thee. The preacher m ust be con scious th a t he is doing God’s work, and th a t it is God’s message he bears to man.— Stalker. His message was not to be one of gentleness. He was not to speak softly to them w ith soothing phrases. Nineveh was a- hot-bed of iniquity, and to such places God’s mes sage is one of dynam ite.— Stillion. W hat actually brings men to Christ is no t our own words, bu t some Word of God in th e m idst of our words.— Speer. v. 3. Jo n a h went. Jonah was th e fittest in strum en t for proclaim ing judg m ent and yet hope of mercy on rep en t ance, being him self a living exemplifi cation of bqth. Judgm en t in his en- tqmbm ent in th e fish, mercy on rep en t ance in his deliverance.— J. F. & B. In Luke 11:30, it.is said th a t Jon ah was n o t only a sign to th e men in C h rist’s tim e, b u t also unto th e Ninevites.-—- Brown. v. 4. Jo n a h cried. To some it would have seemed b etter if Jon ah had given a few prelim inary discussions on the agreem ent between his message and certain scientific and philosophical though t, or an argum en t for th e exist ence and retrib u tiv e justice of God, bu t he preached plain, straig h t tru th w ith ou t comprom ise or concession.— Torrey. Yet fo rty days. God’s probation num ber. See th e o th er forties of Scripture. — Stillion. Nineveh shall be over throw n. L et us learn th a t th e re is an elem ent of w arning in God’s most m er ciful message. Plain w arnings of coming evil may be spoken in love as tru ly as th e most soothing words.— Maclaren. T h at m inister who can preach a sermon w ithou t addressing sinners does not know how to preach.— Speer. v. 5. The people believed God. Get on fire from on high and th e people will come to see you burn:—Wesley. Believ-
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S ing God is always th e first step in tru e repentance.— Torrey. We have long held up P eter as th e peerless evangelist, b u t th e Pentecost of Acts 2 fades to insignificance before th e P entecost of Jonah 3, when 600,000 were b rough t to sackcloth and ashes in a single day in consequence of th e preaching of one man.1—Riley. Jesus held up th e men of Nineveh to shame th e consciences of th e Jews. One purpose of th is book was to show th e Jews th a t th e despised heathen were more susceptible to the voice of God th a n they were.— Sel. v. 6. W ord came to th e king. The most unwelcome message may be the most needful one, and if it come from God, it is th e most needful one. You have a rig h t to q u arrel w ith th e m in ister who brings you a man-made Gos pel b u t you have no rig h t to object to his message, however ''deeply it may wound your pride, however severely it may condemn your evil practices, if it is according to the Word of th e Lord. — Riley. v. 7. L et n eith er m an n o r beast. The b ru te creatu res share in ' th e evil effects of m an’s sin; so they are here, according to eastern custom, made to sh are in m an’s outw ard indications of hum iliation.— Fausset. v. 8. L e t them tu rn from evil way. T rue repentance is to cease from sin.— Ambrose. Repentance is something more th a n mere remorse. It compre hends a change of n a tu re befitting heaven.—Wallace. Late repentance is seldom true, b u t tru e repentance is never too late.rrt-Venning. T rue rep en t ance consists in th e h e a rt being broken for sin, and broken from sin.— Thorn ton, v. 10. God repented. As God is unchangeable in ch aracter, He must- change H is conduct tow ard men as they change from th e a ttitu d e th a t is h ate ful to Him to th e a ttitu d e th a t is accept able to Him. W hat was really a change in them and in God’s corresponding
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