The Novels and Other Works of Lyof N. Tolsto (Volume 3)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 Excerpt: ...back by means of the whale, and the will of God is accomplished; the Ninevites receive the words of God through Jonah, and their lives are made better. But instead of rejoicing that he has been made the instrument of God's will, Jonah is angry and jealous of God's favor shown the Ninevites. He would have liked to be the only rational and righteous man. He goes out into the desert and bewails his fate and reproaches God. Then a gourd comes up over Jonah in one night and protects him from the sun, but the next night a worm devours the gourd. Jonah still more despairingly reproaches God because the gourd so dear to him has withered. Then God says to him: --Thou art sorry for the gourd thou callest thine own. It came up in a night, and perished in a night; and should I not have pity on a great people which was perishing, living like the beasts, unable to discern between their right hand and their left hand? Thy knowledge of the truth was needed only that thou mightest give it to those that had it not. Christ knew this story and often referred to it, but moreover in the Gospels we find it related how Christ, after the interview with John, who had retired into the desert, was Himself subjected to the same temptation before beginning His mission; and how He was led by the Devil (deception) into the wilderness and there tempted; and how He triumphed over this deception and in the strength of the Spirit returned to Galilee; and how from that time forth He mingled with the most depraved men, and passed His Me among publicans, Pharisees, and sinners, teaching them the truth.1 1 Christ is led by Deception into the desert to be tempted there. Error suggests to Christ that He is not the Son of God if He cannot make stones into bread. Christ replies: I ca...