Hope and Repentance: Nineveh's Transformation Through God's Mercy

The Book of Jonah should be exceedingly comfortable to those who are despairing because of the wickedness of their times. Nineveh was a city as great in its wickedness as in its power. If any of us with little faith had been bidden to go round about her and tell the towers thereof and Mark well her bullworks, if we have been commanded to go through her streets and behold her both in the blaze of the Sun and in the light of the Moon as her inhabitants indulged in Vice, we should have said alas alas the city is Holy given into idolatry and it is GT about with a wall of sin as stupendous as its wall of stone. [00:31:52]

But what saith the Lord concerning this putting aside the judgments of reason and all the plans and schemes which flesh and blood so naturally do follow he raises up one man by a singular Providence he qualifies that one man for his mission he sends him down into the very depths of the sea where the weeds are wrapped about him he comes up from the great deep and the awful descent has stealed his soul and completely covered him with the armor of courageous Faith who need tremble at anything on Shore who is past the bowels of a fish and yet survived. [02:13:08]

Is this oh God is this thy way is this the means with which thou will accomplish the great event will thou make Nineveh repent at the bidding of one man shall ywn salow man fresh from the sea shall his voice be sufficient to stir this great City oh God if thou had come forth in thy fiery Chariot if thou had spoken with thy Thunder if thou had shaken the Earth with thine earthquakes then might Nineveh feel but surely this one man is not sufficient for the deed but as high as the heaven is above the Earth so so high are his ways above our ways and his thoughts above our thoughts. [00:04:01]

The Cry of man and Beast go up in one terrible wailing to God Jehovah is honored and Nineveh repents ah my brethren we see in this Rich Grounds for Hope what cannot God do think not that he needs to wait for us he can accomplish the greatest Deeds by the meanest instrumentality one man if he willed it would be sufficient to stir this giant City one man if God decreed it might be the means of the conversion of a Nation yeah a continent should shake beneath the trampling of one man. [00:06:48]

The men of Nineveh were like those in the days of Noah they were married and given in marriage they ate and they drank they builded and they planted the whole world was their Granary and the kingdoms of the earth their hunting ground they were rich and mighty above all people for God had greatly increased their prosperity and they had become the greatest nation upon the face of the Earth, locked in security they fell into great and abominable sins their vices probably rival those of Sodom if they were not worse even than the Eastern cities of the present day. [00:12:43]

The preaching of that one strange man had brought the from the height of their Splendor to the depths of Sorrow now was their boasting cut off the sound of their mirth had ceased and they began to weep and lament what was their miserable plight I take it it consisted in three discoveries they now discovered their great sin then again the shortness of their time and in the next place the terrible character of their their destruction would that you would discover the like ye careless Sinners ye that Slumber in Zion ye that fear not God neither turn from your evil ways. [00:17:12]

Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown how fixed and definite the date six weeks shall scarcely run their round says the prophet a you must die and perish miserably to an hour was the time to described yet 40 days how would the ninevites count the days with Terror and watch each rising and Setting Sun as if these were the black Milestones upon their dreary road to death ah saith one but you will not tell us that our days are only 40 nay men and Brethren I am no Prophet I cannot tell how many your days may be. [00:21:32]

Now the second point was the Slender ground which the ninevites had for Hope and now regard attentively for I long this morning for you all in the bowels of Christ that ye also with a far better hope may be enabl to imitate the example of the men of Nineveh you will notice that in Jonah's message there was no proclamation of Mercy made it was one short sentence of Doom it was like the great Bell of St seiler's church talling out the hour of the execution of a criminal there was not so much as a note of Mercy. [00:25:15]

But oh my hearers we are on a vantage ground here for you know that God is merciful many and many a Time have we assured you from the lips of God himself through his written word that he delighteth in Mercy you have his promise for it nay you have his oath for it Jehovah lifts his hand to heaven and swears by himself as I live sayeth the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth but it rather that he should turn unto me and live come then sinner for who can tell he is a merciful god. [00:33:43]

Sinner Thou Art answered this day that God hath spared not his own son but freely delivered him up for a us all that whosoever believeth on him might not perish but have everlasting life for God so loved the world that he sent forth his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but might be saved for there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus come sinner come to the cross for God can be just and yet the justifier of the the ungodly I say this should make thee ask who can tell. [00:37:53]

Now if the Lord were unwilling to forgive would he have sent his servants to warn and to invite if there were not bowels of Mercy with him would he not have said let them alone they are joined to Idols let them perish it is no small prophecy of God's good intentions to a man when God sends to him a faithful Minister oh my hearers I cannot speak to you with eloquence I cannot address you with the fervid words of such a one as witfield but this I can say and God is my witness I have not shunn to declare the whole Council of God. [00:46:19]

Sinner remember that while it will be a happy thing for thee to be saved it will be a glorious thing for God to save thee men object not to do a thing which is expensive to them if it bring them in some honor they will not stoop to do a thing which involves shame and Scorn but if honor goeth with a thing then they are ready enough to do it now Soul remember if God shall save thee it will honor him why will thou not honor him if he will but blot out thy sin. [00:46:19]