surely do this upon bis behalf. There is no depth from which he cannot lift us; no recess from which he cannot draw us forth ; no sorrow of which he cannot relieve us; no sin which he cannot pardon. Of how many of God's people may it be said, "'l'hey looked unto him, and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed " ! Ver. 1.-Remembering the Lord. The circumstances in which Jonah was placed were such as give very peculiar value and interest to this declaration. And it appears that this act of recollection was the turning-point in his ellperience; for hitherto bis troubles had increased, whilst henceforth his prospects began to brighten. I. THE OCCASION OF THIS REMJ,;MilRANCE, I. External a,lversity may have prompted him to a kind of remembrance which in his prosperity he had not cultivated, 2. Mental exhaustion and distress caused him to realize his helplessness, and the vanity of expecting human aid. When his "soul fainted within" him, then he called to mind the God whom he had disobeyed. II. 'fHE CHARACTER OF THIS REMEMBRANCE. 1. Jonah, no doubt, remembered God'8 commands and his own rebellion, 2. He must also have remembered the revelation of Divine mercy which had been vouchsafed him. .And whilst the former recollecti01\ must have awakened penitence, this may well have shed into his soul a ray of hope. III. THE FRUIT OF THIS REMEMBRANCE. 1. It prompted to prayer. They who forget God will not call upon God; but they who remember his promises may well lift up their hearts to him. 2. It was thus the means of securing the Divine regard and the Divine deliverance. God heard the prophet's cry, though uttered from the ocean's depths, and when he heard, he came to the rescue of his servant. "The Lord is mindful of his own." We may for a time forget his faithfulness, but when we call to mind his nearness and his grace, he remembers us even in our low estate. Ver. 8.-The vanity of idolatry. Jonah had been· brought into association with idolaters in the person of the mariners of the ship out of which he had been cast. It may be that this fact accounts for the reference in this pa,-,'l~e to those who worship other gods than the Lord. 'l'he more he experienced the fuiLhfulness and goodness of Jehovah, the more was he convinced that there was none other entitled to reverence, confidence, and prayers. I. THE DESCRIPTION HERE GIVEN OF IDOLATERS. They are such as "observe lying vanities." The Hebrews, whether pious or not, were monotheists, and regarded with contempt the idolatrous superstitions of their neighbours. The language of irony occurs in several places of Old Testament Scripture when allusion is made to th" impotence of the goda of the nations. Yet it may be profitably remembered by ourselves, who may have no. immediate connection with professed idolaters, that whatever men substitute for God, as the law of life and the object of devotiop. arnl trust, will surely deceive all those who put their faith therein. II. 'l'HE FATE HERE FORETOLD OF IDOLATERS. Their "mercy," their" goodness," is the God whom they forget, and to whom they are so infatuated as to prefer the "lying vanities" here censured. They who quit the Lord prepare for them.selves o. terrible fate. In God is salvation; out of him is destruction. There is sornethiug, appnlling in the doom which is here described a.s overtaking those who, when the Saviour may be found, turn their back upon him, in order to seek and to serve other gods. Such are ~aid to "forsake their own mercy." They act against their highest interests; they refuse the richest blessing; they abjure their truest Friend. Ver. 9.-Piety triumphant. The remarkable fact connected with this sublime hymn of confidence and adoration is this-it was uttered while deliverance was yet in. the future. 'l'he prophet sings of God's goodness while he is still experiencing God's chaAtiseruent, nnd promises offerings whilst the favour which they are to acknowledge is o.e yet in the future. In these closing words of the hymn there is a tone of exulta- tion and of triumph, which evinces singular confidence and singular hope. I. 'l'BANKSGIVING. 'l'here are some circumstances which render gratitude natural and easy. But it is a triumph of faith when the afflicted can acknowledge the good hand of God, when they cnn discern mercy in chastening, when they can see the hand 1Jf a Father in the hand th_!,\t siµites, O11a thing is certain-whatever be our position, 48 THE BOOK 01◄' JON AH. [ou. n. 1-10.
O11r experience, we owe gratitude as a debt due to him who is over forbearing and gracious. II. SACRIFICE. According to the religious customs of his country and his ago the prophet vowed t~ offe~ an outward expression of his loyalty and gratitude to God, by prescntrng a ~acnfice in the temple or at some consecrated altar, His life had been spRred; hi~ deli,·erance was near; he looked forward to au opportunity of "offering burnt t•ffl'nngs" npon the altar or Jehovah. 'l'he spiritual reality of which such nn act is the symbol is the consecration of heart and life unto the God of all graco and salvation. III. PRAISE. Thanksgiving looks mainly to the benefits received• praise to the Best-0,,·er. "Sall'ation unto tbe Lord I" such is the joyful and adoriu~ cry wi{h which tbis hymn is brought to a close. It is well, when we have acknowled"ed favour and long-suffering enjoyed, to turn away from ourselves, and to fix our "thou"hts our sentiments of affectionate and adoring devotion, upon him whose attribute is U:ercy and whose work is salvation, '