Homilist Jonah 1:6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, What mean you, O sleeper? arise, call on your God, if so be that God will think on us… Three practical appeals to the morally indifferent are suggested. I. JONAH WAS IN IMMINENT PERIL; SO ARE YOU. What are the perils of the material shipwreck to the perils of a corrupt and disobedient soul? II. Jonah was UNCONSCIOUS OF HIS PERIL; SO ARE YOU. You say to yourself, "Peace, peace, when there is no peace." If you were aware of your position, you would give no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. 1. Jonah's unconsciousness was foolish; so is yours. How unwise was the prophet to sleep under such circumstances; he should have been on deck, alert, all ear and eye, and with hands ready to grapple with the emergencies of the terrible hour. 2. Jonah's unconsciousness was wicked; so is yours. For the sake of his companions on board he ought not to have been fast asleep it indicated a shameful lack of interest in his fellow-men. Your indifferentism is wicked. You ought to be spiritually alive and awake, not only for your own sake, but also for those around you who are in similar peril. III. JONAH HAD A MESSENGER TO WARN HIM OF HIS PERIL; SO HAVE YOU. There are certain points of analogy between this "shipmaster" and the godly ministers that are warning you. 1. He believed in the existence and power of God; so do they. "Call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us." 2. He believed in the efficacy of human prayer; so do they. What soul does not pray when in conscious contact with overwhelming dangers? Your ministers believe in prayer; they pray for you, and urge you to pray for yourselves. 3. He believed it to be his duty to sound the warning; so do they. Your ministers have a right to warn you; they are bound to warn you. They are commanded to "cry aloud, to lift up their voices like a trumpet." Do you say, when godly men speak to you about your moral condition, What business have they to interfere? My soul is my own; if I choose to throw it away, what matters it to them? It does matter to them. You are not your own, you are not an isolated unit, you are a member of the spiritual universe; you have therefore no right to be dishonest, corrupt, ungodly, and throw your soul away. You were made to serve the universe, not to curse it; you cannot sin without injuring others. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. |
    |