ul engagement ring. It was a
gem so marvelous that it was said the stars shut their eyes in its
presence and even the sun acknowledged it as a rival. But the girl was
more interested in the beautiful box in which it was packed than she
was in the ring. And when the prince came he was humiliated and
disappointed to find her wearing the box tied upon her finger while the
jewel had been neglected and forgotten and utterly lost.

Now there is real jewelry here. Let us forget the rather queer casket
in which this jewel comes while we examine the treasure. "The word of
the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Ammittai, saying, Arise, go to
Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for its wickedness has
come up before me." "The word of the Lord came unto Jonah." There is
nothing crude about that statement. There is nothing in that to excite
our ridicule. That is one of the blessed and thrilling truths of the
ages. To this man Jonah, living some time, somewhere, God spoke. To
this man God made known His will and holy purpose.

And God is speaking still. The word of God is coming to men and women
to-day. There is not a single soul listening to me at this moment but
what at some time in your life there has come a definite and sure word
from God. You have felt the impress of His Spirit upon your own
spirit. You have felt the touch of His hand on yours. You have seen
His finger pointing to the road in which you ought to walk and to the
task that He was calling upon you to perform.

How this word came to Jonah we do not know, nor do we need to know. It
may have come to him through the consciousness of another's need. It
may have come to him through a study of the Word. It may have come to
him through the call of a friend. How it came is not the essential
thing. The one thing essential and fundamental is this, that the word
did come. That is the essential thing in your case and in mine. God
does speak to us. God does move upon us. God does call us, command
us. God does stir us up. "The word of the Lord came unto Jonah," and
it comes this very moment to you and to me.

What was it that the Lord said to Jonah? He gave him a strange and
unwelcome command. He said, "Arise and go to Nineveh, that great city,
and cry against it, for its wickedness has come up before me." It was
hard for Jonah to believe that he had heard aright. Was it possible
that Nineveh was a great city in spite of the fact that it was