Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/330

 The king  himself  put  on  sackcloth  and  sat  in  ashes,  and  he and  all  his  people,  from  the  greatest  to  the  least,  fasted  and  did penance, in  order  to  appease  the  anger  of  God. And because of their  repentance  God  had  mercy  on  the  people  of  Ninive,  and spared their  city. Meanwhile, Jonas  had  gone  out  of  the  city, and sat  down  at  some  distance,  towards  the  east,  to  see  what would happen. And finding  that  God  had  spared  Ninive,  he  was angry and much  troubled  lest  he  should  pass  for  a false  prophet.

God, however,  wishing  to  show  his  prophet  the  unreasonableness of  his  anger,  caused  to  spring  up,  during  the  night,  a large vine, which  sheltered  him  next  day  from  the  scorching  rays  of the  sun. But on  the  following  morning  God  sent  a worm  which ate up  the  root  of  the  plant,  and  it  withered  away.

Now, when  the  sun  had  risen,  God  sent  a hot  and  burning wind; and the  sun  struck  full  on  the  head  of  Jonas,  and  he  broiled with the  heat  to  such  a degree  that  he  desired  to  die. Then the Lord said  to  him: “Thou  art  grieved  for  the  ivy  for  which  thou hast not  laboured,  and  shall  not  I spare  Ninive,  in  which  there are more  than  a hundred  and  twenty  thousand  persons  that  know not how  to  distinguish  between  their  right  hand  and  their  left, and many  beasts?”

God never  changes.  What! did He  not  change  His  intention  towards Ninive? It may  appear  so;  for  first  He  made  Jonas  proclaim  that  the city would  be  destroyed  in  forty  days,  and  yet  after  all  He  spared  it. To this  St.  Jerome  replies: “God  did  not  change  His  purpose,  but  man changed his  actions! From the  first  it  was  God’s  intention  to  be  merciful, and He  proclaimed  the  punishment  in  order  that  He  might  be  able  to show  mercy.”  As  God  is  ever  ready  to  be  merciful  if  only  man  will be converted,  we  must  add  to  the  words  ’Ninive  shall  be  destroyed’ this reservation:  'unless  it  do  penance’. God threatened  to  punish  the Ninivites for  the  express  purpose  of  bringing  them  to  repentance,  so that,  of  His  mercy,  He  might  remit  the  punishment  with  which  His justice had  threatened  them.