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adopts the same methods of divine government towards Assyrians as towards Jews. His whole Godhead is directed towards all with equal impartiality. Jonah, even from the first, while hating the fact, knows it to be true. Therefore he hastens to flee to Tartessus, because in his inmost heart he knows that, be the nation what it may, the God who rules and fashions us all is a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great lovingkindness. David Kimchi realized this truth as well as we. He raises the question, Why is the Book of Jonah included in the Scripture, inasmuch as it has nothing to do with Israel? His answers are, first, that it is a warning example to Israel, because it tells that a heathen nation repented at once, and at the first call, whereas Israel had a series of prophets, and yet was constantly rebellious; secondly, the purpose of Jonah is to show that God has pity on the repentant sinner whatever his race, and that the more numerous the sinners the greater is his compassion.

This book, then, of Jonah is the triumph of Judaism. It is unfair to call the Book of Esther Jewish, but to say that the tendency of the Book of Jonah is un-Jewish. This unfairness is rightly rebuked by that model of religious impartiality, Dr. Kalisch. He who in the Book of Jonah illustrates the beautiful doctrines of repentance, mercy and toleration, was no less an Israelite than the prophet Jonah whom he rebukes and corrects.' But more than this. The highest and most fundaEsther contradicts them.

preaching of Jonah is consistent with the mental doctrines of the Jewish religion. Judaism teaches one God, the sustainer of all, the 'lover of souls,' a God of goodness, of justice, of righteousness, of love. Sooner or later, then, the idea of a single and equal humanity (though with branches differently endowed and called to different missions) was bound to follow from the idea of the one good God. There might be difficulties in the way; human prejudices and adverse circumstances might hinder it for many ages; persecution and violence might cut off its early shoots and cause a recrudescence of narrow inconsistencies; but sooner or later this doctrine of the brotherhood of man, as rooted in the idea of God, was bound to become, as it is now in fact, an integral dogma of our faith. If there be one God, he is the spirit of life for all mankind; if God be good, he is good everywhere and always: if everywhere and always good, then is he no less the father of the Gentile than the father of the Jew.

Therefore it is that I call the Book of Jonah the triumph of Judaism, for this necessary complement to the doctrine of the one good God was more difficult for the Jews to preach and to realize than the very doctrine on which it depends. It is delightful

to think that on the Day of Atonement, at once the greatest day in the Jewish Calendar, and also the most catholic and the most human, we read in accordance with time-honoured custom this Book of Jonah, in which the universalism, inherent in the very roots of our faith, finds full and indubitable expression. So the author of Jonah takes rank with the Second Isaiah as a master-builder of Judaism. The one teaches the doctrine of absolute monotheism, the other the doctrine of human brotherhood to which the divine unity leads us on. The one lays down the nature of Israel's mission, the other illustrates it. Service and not privilege, or rather, the privilege of service; that is the reason of Israel's continued separateness and that is its justification. The one good God of Israel is the one good God of all mankind. Still may Israel help towards a better and wider knowledge of him, and a more discerning love.

§ 6. Tyndale's version of Jonah.-The Book of Jonah is great enough to be read with profit and delight in more than one version. I have therefore thought it might be of interest to my readers if I were to print for them the translation of that great Englishman and reformer, William Tyndale. Those who have dabbled at all in that fascinating story of the English Bible, as told for instance in the delightful books of Mr. Eadie and Bishop Westcott, will remember that of the Old Testament Tyndale translated the Pentateuch and the Historical Books. Of these, only the Pentateuch was published in his lifetime. His imprisonment and his martyrdom in 1536 prevented the completion of his great work. But in 1531, owing to its peculiar suitability, as he believed, to the circumstances of his time in England, he translated and published the Book of Jonah, prefixing to it a long and characteristic prologue. This translation was, however, not reprinted, and soon disappeared. It was not till 1861 that a copy-which is still unique-was accidentally discovered, bound up in a volume of old tracts, by Lord Arthur Hervey, Bishop of Bath and Wells, in his own library at Ickworth. It was reproduced in facsimile by the indefatigable Biblical scholar, Mr. Charles Fry, and it is his reprint that I copy here. But I have modernized the spelling. It will at once be seen how largely the Authorized Version (which, with very few alterations, has already been read) is dependent upon William Tyndale.

The word of the Lord came unto the prophet Jonas, the son of Amithai, saying: Rise, and get thee to Ninive, that great city, and preach unto them how that their wickedness is come up before me.

And Jonas made him ready to flee to Tharsis from the presence

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of the Lord, and gat him down to Joppe, and found there a ship ready to go to Tharsis, and payed his fare, and went aborde, to go with them to Tharsis from the presence of the Lord.

But the Lord hurled a great wind into the sea, so that there was a mighty tempest in the sea: in so much that the ship was like to go in pieces. And the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast out the goods that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it of them. But Jonas gat him under the hatches, and laid him down and slumbered. And the master of the ship came to him, and said unto him, Why slumberest thou? Up, and call unto thy god, that God may think on us, that we perish not.

And they said one to another, Come, and let us cast lots to know for whose cause we are thus troubled. And they cast lots. And the lot fell upon Jonas.

Then they said unto him, Tell us for whose cause we are thus troubled. What is thine occupation? whence comest thou? how is thy country called and of what nation art thou?

And he answered them, I am an Hebrew; and the Lord God of heaven, which made both sea and dry land, I fear. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why diddest thou so? For they knew that he was fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Then they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee that the sea may cease from troubling us? For the sea wrought, and was troublous. And he answered them, Take me and cast me into the sea, and so shall it let you be in rest; for I wot it is for my sake that this great tempest is come upon you. Nevertheless the men assayed with rowing to bring the ship to land, but it would not be, because the sea so wrought and was so troublous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord, let us not perish for this man's death, neither lay innocent blood unto our charge; for thou, Lord, even as thy pleasure was, so thou hast done.

And then they took Jonas, and cast him into the sea, and the sea left raging. And the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and sacrificed sacrifice unto the Lord, and vowed vows.

But the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonas. And so was Jonas in the bowels of the fish three days and three nights. And Jonas prayed unto the Lord his God out of the bowels of the fish.

And he said, In my tribulation I called unto the Lord, and he answered me; out of the belly of hell I cried, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me down deep in the midst

of the sea, and the flood compassed me about, and all thy waves and rowles of water went over me; and I thought that I had been cast away out of thy sight. But I will yet again look towards thy holy temple. The waters compassed me even unto the very soul of me; the deep lay about me, and the weeds were wrapped about mine head.

And I went down unto the bottom of the hills, and was barred in with earth on every side for ever. And yet thou Lord my God broughtest up my life again out of corruption. When my soul fainted in me, I thought on the Lord, and my prayer came in unto thee, even into thy holy temple. They that observe vain vanities have forsaken him that was merciful unto them. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving, and will pay that I have vowed, that saving cometh of the Lord.

And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it cast out Jonas again upon the dry land.

Then came the word of the Lord unto Jonas again, saying, Up and get thee to Ninive, that great city, and preach unto them the preaching which I bade thee. And he arose and went to Ninive at the Lord's commandment. Ninive was a great city unto God, containing three days' journey.

And Jonas went to and entered into the city, even a day's journey, and cried, saying, There shall not pass forty days, but Ninive shall be overthrown.

And the people of Ninive believed God, and proclaimed fasting, and arrayed themselves in sackcloth, as well the great as the small of them.

And the tidings came unto the king of Ninive, which arose out of his seat, and did his apparel off, and put on sackcloth, and sat him down in ashes. And it was cried and commanded in Ninive by the authority of the king and of his lords, saying, See that neither man or beast, ox or sheep, taste aught at all, and that they neither feed or drink water.

And they put on sackcloth, both man and beast, and cried unto God mightily, and turned every man from his wicked way, and from doing wrong in which they were accustomed, saying, Who can tell whether God will turn and repent, and cease from his fierce wrath, that we perish not? And when God saw their works, how they turned from their wicked ways, he repented on the evil which he said he would do unto them, and did it not.

Wherefore Jonas was sore discontent and angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, O Lord, was not this my saying when I was yet in my country? And therefore I hasted rather to flee to Tharsis; for I knew well enough that thou wast a

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merciful God, full of compassion, long ere thou be angry, and of great mercy, and repentest when thou art come to take punishment. Now therefore take my life from me, for I had liever die than live. And the Lord said unto Jonas, Art thou so angry?

And Jonas gat him out of the city, and sat him down on the east side thereof, and made him there a booth, and sat thereunder in the sha low till he might see what should chance unto the city.

And the Lord prepared as it were a wild vine, which sprang up over Jonas, that he might have shadow over his head to deliver him out of his pain. And Jonas was exceeding glad of the wild vine.

And the Lord ordained a worm against the spring of the morrow morning, which smote the wild vine that it withered away. And as soon as the sun was up, God prepared a fervent east wind, so that the sun beat over the head of Jonas, that he fainted again, and wished unto his soul that he might die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

And God said unto Jonas, Art thou so angry for thy wild vine? And he said, I am angry a good, even on to the death. And the Lord said, Thou hast compassion on a wild vine, whereon thou bestowedest no labour, nor madest it grow, which sprang up in one night, and perished in another; and should not I have compassion on Ninive, that great city, wherein there is a multitude of people, even above an hundred thousand, that know not their right hand from the left, besides much cattle?