manner of speaking seems as if they really did think of doing it. But they had a dread of Jonah, as a prophet of the true God; and, before proceeding to get rid of him in that way, they wished to see if he had any thing different to propose.

Jonah must have felt very unhappy at this time. His guilt was known to the mariners. They looked on him as very ungrateful and disobedient to the God of his people, who had done so much for them and for him. They regarded him as the cause of the great calamity which had befallen them. They thought there was no hope of deliverance so long as he remained with them, a cowardly and wicked prophet, attempting to flee from God and his duty. He was ashamed and humbled before men. trembled and feared before God. We have reason, also, to think that he felt sorry for what he had done, and repented of it; and that he was willing, himself alone, to endure the displeasure of God, without having this displeasure fall upon those who were with him.

He

Take me up and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you; for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you." It is possible that in some way God directed Jonah to tell the mariners to do this. It would seem as if this was so, for if it were not, how could Jonah have assured them so positively, that on throwing him overboard, the sea would immediately become calm and their danger be at an end? He thus fully confessed to them that it was on account of his

wickedness that the great tempest had come upon them; and that their safety depended on their getting rid of him as soon as possible.

But for some reason the mariners did not seem willing to do any harm to Jonah. They might still be in awe of him, as a prophet of the true God. They might feel sorry for him, seeing him so humbled and penitent, and wish if possible to spare his life. So they made one more effort to save the ship. They rowed with all their might to bring it to the land; but they were not able to do it. The wind blew very hard from the shore, and the high waves beat against the ship, driving it farther and farther out to sea. And now indeed the storm grew worse and worse, and destruction seemed very near. The next moment they might be buried in the deep

waters.

They at length concluded to cast Jonah overboard. But before doing it, they felt that it was right to pray-not to their own false gods, who could not hear or help them-but to the God of Jonah, the true God, who made the sea and dry land, and who was now showing them his great power and his terrible displeasure against sin.

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They cried unto the Lord and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee."

They seemed still to be very reluctant to cast Jonah into the sea, and to be willing to do it only because it was absolutely necessary, and even point

ed out to them as their duty by God himself, who does all things as he pleases. It was his pleasure that the dreadful tempest should arise and threaten them with destruction; that when the lots were cast, the lot should fall upon Jonah; that he should confess his guilt; and that he should tell them to throw him into the sea. In doing this they besought God not to cause them to perish for being instrumental in taking away the life of his prophet, and not to lay upon them innocent blood; that is, not to lay upon them the guilt of having shed the blood, or destroyed the life, of a person who was innocent of having committed any wickedness. Jonah was not such an innocent person; on the contrary, he had been guilty of a great sin, and felt, himself, that he deserved to die, and that it was right that his life should be sacrificed to save the lives of others.

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So they took the sea."

up

Jonah and cast him forth into

How Jonah must have trembled and feared at that moment! In the midst of such alarm and consternation; with a furious tempest raging; the heavens all covered with black clouds; the rain descending in torrents; the winds roaring; the waves rolling and dashing against the ship, and every thing manifesting the great displeasure of God; himself the object of this displeasure, and about to be plunged into the deep waters, there, as he thought, to die alone, forsaken both of God and man. He must have shrunk back and shuddered at what was before him, as the mariners lifted him over the side of the ship, and cast him off from them, a poor, helpless, sinful man.

How do you expect to feel, when you come to die? You may not be thrown overboard from a ship, as Jonah was; but it is possible that you may be drowned in the water, or lose your life in some very sudden and unexpected manner. God does all things as he pleases. If he thinks it best, he can cause you to die at any moment. Many youth and little children die very unexpectedly, and others with disease and sickness. If you go and examine the grave-stones in the burying-ground, you will see the names of not a few young children, and their ages, on them. How soon will your turn come to be laid by their side in the dark and silent tomb? How soon will your soul, going out of the body, appear before God, and there have to give an

account to him of all that you have thought, felt, said and done? Have you truly repented of all your sins? Have you truly trusted in Christ to save you? Do you love this Savior? Do you obey his commands? Do you endeavor to do as he did-to love and serve God, and do all the good you can to others? Do you pray to God daily, that he would give you his Holy Spirit, that you may thus love him with all your heart, and soul, and strength, and mind, and your neighbor (that is every body whom you have any thing to do with) as yourself? This is the way, and the only way to be prepared to die. Are you prepared to die?

CHAPTER VII.

The storm ceases. The mariners fear before the power of God. They worship him for his goodness. How much more grateful to God ought we to be. The meaning of sacrifices. Christ the great sacrifice. A dreadful punishment will overtake the impenitent.

As soon as Jonah was cast into the sea, it ceased from raging. The wind abated, and blew only a gentle breeze. The rain fell no longer. The clouds grew lighter, and here and there the blue sky was seen. The waves rolled less and less furiously; the ship began to ride over them more easily, and the danger appeared to be quite gone. It was God who did it. For, as Jonah told the mariners, he is the God of the sea and of the dry land. The Lord on high

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