THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

 

Jonah’s Gourd.

Great number of people—and I
should not be surprised if some
of my readers were among the
number — suppose that the

Gourd which sheltered Jonah from the
heat of the sun, was the same plant
which now goes by the name of the
gourd. That is a mistake, however.
The plant which is so called in Scrip-
ture, is so different from our gourd, that
I have had a picture made of it, that my
readers may form a correct notion of it,

Do you remember the story of the
gourd, that afforded so comfortable a
shade for the prophet? Jonah had
been sent by the Lord to preach to the
people of Nineveh, and to tell them, that
unless they repented, the city would. be
destroyed in forty days. His preaching, it
would seem, had more effect than that

of many preachers of the present day-
At all events, the Ninevites believed
what the prophet said, and set them-
selves in earnest about the business of
reformation. ‘They proclaimed a fast,
and put on sackcloth, from the king
down to the meanest of the inhabitants.
God is always merciful, and disposed
to forgive, when he sees any signs of
repentance. He forgave the people of
Nineveh. He did not destroy them, as
he had threatened to do, if they failed
to heed the preaching of his prophet.
Jonah did not like this. He had takena
good deal of pains to publish the de-
cision of God, in relation to the city ;
and now, it would appear, he wanted to
see the city destroyed. He was angry,
and told God that he thought it was
better for him to die than to live.
However, he did not quite despair of
seeing the divine sentence executed upon