April fourth.
JONAH'S GOURD.
"Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?"—Jonah iv. 9.
JONAH'S prophecy contains a variety of interesting subjects, which when seen in their own spiritual light, will afford heavenly instruction to the thoughtful and reflecting. The prophet was commanded to go to Nineveh, and cry against it; "for (saith the Lord) their wickedness is come up before me." Jonah departed from the presence of the Lord, but instead of going to Nineveh, he turned aside and went down to Joppa, where he entered a ship that was going to Tarshish. After encountering storms and many calamities on account of his disobedience, he at last came to Nineveh, and upon entering the city, he cried and said, "yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." (iii. 4.) Now, he was not commanded to prophecy the overthrow of the city: he was to preach against the wickedness of the people, and to shew that their iniquity would lead to ruin and death. The people, however, repented at the preaching of Jonah, and God, seeing their repentance, remembered mercy and saved the city. This act of Divine clemency displeased Jonah exceedingly; he was very angry, and prayed the Lord to take away his life. O! how strange that the mercy shewn by the Lord to the repenting Ninevites, should kindle anger in a prophet's breast.
In his anger, Jonah went out of the city, and made him a booth, and sat under it to see what would become of the city. It was here that the Lord prepared
