many yeares as in Idolatrie in abusing the name of God in adulterie in vsurie yea in all kinde of wickednesse The which are so growne so increased and so ripe that they ascende into heauen before the maiesty seate of god Wherfore there is nothing more certaine than that England hath deserued extreme punishment and perdition Furthermore let vs vnderstand and know that séeing the worde of God is reuealed and preached so fréelye vnto vs there is some hope left vnto vs of saluation For except the Lorde sought to saue this Realme of Englande he woulde not haue sent IONAS I meane the preachers of his worde vnto the same Séeing therefore he hath reuealed his will by IONAS and his whole intent we haue a manifest argument of his clemencie and loue towardes vs Wherefore if we will escape the punishment threatned we must fall to repentance the vse wherof hereafter God willing more plainely shall be declared But and if we be contemners of the worde of God and impenitent let vs looke vndoubtedly for destruction and euerlasting perdition Wherevpon our sauiour Christ sayth This is condemnation that light came into the worlde and men loued darkenesse more than light ¶ And Ionas made him readie to flie vnto Tharsis from the face of the Lorde IONAS flieth to Tharsis from the presence of the Lorde which some interprete to be the sea other thinke it to be the proper name of a Citie which men call now Tunetum sometime Carthage Here therefore twoo thinges are to bée considered the one is the disobedience of IONAS and his flight from the presence of the Lorde The other is the cause why he fled and was disobedient to the calling of God. First let me here demaund a question What meaneth the Scripture when it sayth that IONAS fled from the presence of the Lorde Howe coulde IONAS flie from the presence of God when as his maiestie fulfilleth both heauen and earth and all places else Whither shall I goe sayth the Psalmist from thy spirite or where shall I hyde me from thy presence if I climbe vp into heauen thou art there if I go downe to hel thou art there also and so forth And the Prophete Amos sayth They shall not flie awaye there shall not one of them escape nor be deliuered Though they were buried in the hell my hande shall fetch them from thence though they climbe vp to heauen yet shal I cast them downe though they hyde themselues vppon the toppe of Carmell yet shall I séeke them out though they créepe down from my sight into the déepe of the sea I shall commaunde the serpent euen there to bite them Let vs therefore note that if mention be made here of the eternall and omnipotent maiestie of God then there is none that can flie from hys hand or presence The which thing the example of IONAS proueth very well For here he flieth from the hande and presence of the Lorde taketh shippe and goeth about to passe into a straunge countrie yet notwithstanding he could not escape from the presence of the Lorde God sawe his flyght yea God sawe his secret councell purpose and intent And he so stayeth him wyth his mighty arme in the sea that the more he séeketh to escape the more straightly he is helde with the hande and power of God and is cast into extréeme peril and daunger which he sought to auoyde Wherefore méere foolishe and vaine is their purpose which thinke by their deuise and pollicie to escape from the power and presence of god But where as the scripture sayeth that IONAS fled from the presence of the Lorde it signifieth that he fled out of the lande of Israell in the which God is sayde aboue all other nations to dwell First bicause in that lande was the chiefe place of the Churche of God and the Arke of the testament by the which it pleased God oftentimes to aunswere Secondly bicause God had appointed in that lande the publike ministerie of the preaching of his worde and was wont to reueale himselfe to the Prophets and to worke miracles to confirme his promises as concerning Christ Last of all bicause in that lande the stocke of Christe dwelt which is the true face and liuelye presence of God bicause whosoeuer séeth Christ séeth the true and euerlasting god By this we may learne that then a man is sayde to flye from the presence of God or to hyde him from his sight when he flyeth those places in the which the worde of God is preached or when hée shunneth those men which preache the worde of god So Caine is sayde to go forth and to flie from the presence of God bicause he fled from his father Adam and dwelt farre from him least he shoulde be reprehended of his father by the worde of god So disobedient seruants and sonnes flie from the face of God when they flie from their parents and maisters least for their disobedience they shoulde be reprehended by the worde of the Lorde and punished So the wicked and vngodlye flie from the face of God when they despise the preaching of the word of God fearing least by the same they should be reprehended from their sinne wickednesse Wherefore although no man as touching the omnipotencie of God can flie from his maiestie power and presence yet notwithstanding as touching the externall preaching of the worde of God those flie hys presence which doe despise his word neglect his sacraments continue in disobedience towardes him and go forwarde in a wicked lyfe What shall we saye then Can such as flie the presence of God escape God hymselfe and his punishment which they so feare No vndoubtedly For the more they flie the worde and sacraments of God the more they fall into his hande and incurre his wrath prouoking iust vengeance vppon themselues Caine fled from the presence of the Lorde but the more he fledde the more hée was tormented with horror of minde IONAS fled from the presence of the Lorde but the farther he fled the more subiect he was to perill and daunger Wherefore we must not flie from God in sinne and in the feare of punishment but rather we must approche vnto God by repentance and inuocation by the which meanes alone we escape the wrath of God and the deserued punishment for sinne But of this we will speake more plentifully anone Secondlye it is demaunded for what purpose and intent IONAS fledde out of the lande of Israell and woulde not obey the calling of God sending him to Niniue Of sundrie men sundrie and diuers causes are declared and alleaged Some saye that IONAS was afearde of the daunger that might come vnto him at Niniue for his ambassage sake For to preach that a citie should sodenly be ouerthrowne and destroyed in the Citie it selfe is inough to stirre vp against a man all the Citizens inhabitants of the same and to make himselfe to be accused of sedition Other some thinke that
Niniue was a great Citie vnto God namely of three daies iorney And IONAS went to and entered into the Citie euen a dayes iourney IONAS at the length escaped oute of the Whales belly that is from extréeme death and hell For after that IONAS had repented and called vpon the name of the Lorde by true fayth the Whale was constrayned to cast him out aliue and to let him go frée For God being reconciled vnto vs all creatures are constrayned to minister vnto vs and to serue our necessitie and those thinges also which before were hurtfull vnto vs bring then muche profite and commoditie with them to oure great comfort and consolation Therefore nowe consequently the ministerie to the which IONAS after hys deliueraunce was called by the mouth of God must be declared For he is now sent of God as he was before to Niniue to the ende he might preach there the destruction of the Citie Vp sayth he and get thée to Niniue that great Citie As concerning the greatnesse of the Citie of Niniue it was before declared And now the things which are to bée considered in this place are these First IONAS after his deliueraunce is not placed of God in a soft Fetherbed but he is sent to preache the worde of God in Niniue which was a worke not onely laborious but also daungerous Here therefore wée are taught whervnto we are called of God and what we ought to doe when we haue receyued any benifite at his hande For we truly are so corrupted by nature with sinne that after we haue receiued benifites we are more peruerse and disobedient vnto God than we were before And we sée by experience that they which haue come from extréeme beggery and penury to great riches and possessions and from the dunghill to Nobilitie haue béene then more insolent and vnthankefull then they were before But the example of IONAS in this place teacheth vs true obedience and pietie For after that we are deliuered out of great perils and daungers we must not be ydle neyther must we then begin to dispise God but rather it is our duties to obey God and his calling and to bée thankefull for those benifits that wée haue receyued at his handes In the fift Chapter of Saint Iohn our Sauiour Christ sayth to the man that was restored to hys helth Behold thou art now made whole go and sinne no more least some worse thing happen vnto thée So IONAS also séemed to say within himselfe beholde thou art now deliuered from the perill of death and the goulfe of hell sée therefore that thou be no more disobedient but obey the calling of God least a worse thing happen vnto thée Euen so it is our partes to thinke also after that we are deliuered eyther from the perill of pouertie from the perill of infirmitie or from the perill of death Beholde thou hast receyued an excellent benefite at the handes of God bée not therfore vnthankefull but séeke by all meanes thou canst to shewe a thankefull minde by dooing thy dutie For God most liberally bestoweth his benifites not that we shoulde be worse but to the ende wée should be better But and it we abuse the benifites of God as riches to luxvrie and to fulfill our pleasure wyne to drunkennesse and health to dishonestie and wicked lyfe then let vs looke for nothing else but to be depriued not onely of these corporall benifits but also of heauenly treasure and felicitie and to perish with euerlasting paine and punishment Wherefore let vs consider that after the benifits receyued we are called to thankfulnesse and obedience the which if we perfourme we shall prouoke the Lorde to bestowe greater benifites vpon vs Furthermore we must consider in the example of IONAS hys singuler obedience For the Text sayth IONAS arose and went to Niniue according to the worde of the Lorde Before IONAS arose to flie from the presence of God. But nowe he ariseth not to flie but to obey the calling of the Lorde What was the cause that IONAS is thus altered and chaunged and that he is so prompt and readie to perfourme the wil and commaundement of God Surelye the affliction perill and trouble was the cause as hath béene alreadie at large declared We sée therefore what is the principall reason why God doth oftentymes lay crosses and sundry afflictions vpon vs IONAS would not simplye at the first obey the worde of the Lorde he is cast therfore into the sea that séeing he would not by the worde and in prosperitie learne to obey he might learne the same by crosse in aduersitie The lyke oftentimes happeneth vnto vs For God first of all calleth vs being sinners and disobedient to righteousnesse and obedience by the preachinge of his worde when we are in prosperitie But when we flie obedience then he casteth vs into the sea of diuers afflictions to the ende we might learne that in aduersitie and trouble which we refused in prosperitie and ease So the Lorde God of our fathers sent to the Citizens of Hierusalem that they should forsake their idolatrie but when they woulde not obey his worde in libertie they were constreyned to learne obedience in captiuitie Wherefore when we flourishing in prosperitie are called to repentance let vs not despise the voyce of the Lord but let vs obey him in time least with the wicked wée be afflicted and destroyed ¶ And he cried saying there are yet fortie dayes and then shall Niniue be ouerthrowne This is the sermon which IONAS made in Niniue being very briefe and short if we haue respect to the number of the words but if we consider the sentence it is very long and containeth much matter First of all let vs weye and consider the place of the Citie in the which IONAS began to preache When he had entred sayth the text into the citie euen a dayes iourney and so forth Therefore IONAS preached euen in the middest of the citie almost not in the comming in nor in the going forth to the ende the fame of his sermonde or preachinge might the more easily be spred among al the citizens and inhabitants thereabout For the word of the Lorde must be preached not to a fewe men onely neyther in an obscure place but to all men openlye to the ende no man might haue excuse Herevppon it came to passe and was accustomed that alwayes from the beginning of the world the word of God was preached in the chiefe Monarchies Cities of the earth For as IONAS could not go from house to house generally throughout the Citie of Niniue but stoode in a conuenient place of the City that the fame of his preaching might come to all men euen so the word of the Lord is not wont to be caried to euery corner of euery region but it is reuealed published in the speciall and principall kingdomes that by them the fame thereof might be spred abrode throughout the whole world that no man might haue excuse So
teacheth vs the true and perfite way to repent For the Scripture sayth the people of Niniue beleued in the Lorde This is the true and certaine way of repentaunce to beléeue in the Lorde The which thing being vttered and spoken Epicures and contemners of true godlynesse can scarce refraine laughter estéeming that there is nothing more easie to be done than to beleue in the lord But I would not that we should erre For whē fayth in the Lorde is required of vs let vs knowe and vnderstande that a worke no lesse hard heauenly and diuine is required of vs than was the creation of heauen and earth If a man should say vnto thée make heauen and earth thou wouldest thinke that a worke impossible and aboue thy strength were required of thée But when it is sayde beléeue in the Lorde a thing no lesse impossible is required of thée then the creation of heauen and earth Impossible I meane it is to fleshe bloud but not impossible to the spirite and spirituall force The which thing to explicate let vs take the example of the Niniuetes For where as it is sayde that they beléeued in the Lorde it is ment that they beléeued the sermon which IONAS made at the commaundement of the Lorde that it was the true diuine and heauenly voyce of god But how hard a thing it was to beléeue this many thinges doe declare For first of all if we haue respect to the person of IONAS although he were counted a great Prophete among the Israelites yet notwithstanding he was not of so great authoritie among the Niniuetes whiche were vncircumcised Gentiles It is maruell therefore that they sayde not what haue we to do with that Iew that straunger what meaneth that fugitiue and runnagate fellow hath God talked more with him than with our Bishops and high Priestes If it had béene the purpose of God to ouerthrowe our Citie woulde hée not sooner haue reuealed it to our King or to some of our chiefe rulers in the Citie than to this runneawaye iewe But neither the Citizens nor the Magistrates nor the King himselfe obiected any suche thing to IONAS but simply beléeued his worde as the worde of god Wherefore it is manifest that they were stirred vp to beléeue not by humane power but by heauenly force euen by the spirit of god Furthermore if we marke the text well when it sayth They beléeued in the Lord it shall easily appeare that fayth is not a humane worke but a diuine worke For to beléeue in the Lorde comprehendeth thrée things 1 The first is to beléeue that the lawe of God is true when it reproueth vs of sinne and condemneth vs for sinne and pronounceth vs to be guiltie of all as well corporall as eternall punishmentes But to beléeue this is not a worke of the fleshe but a worke of the spirite Let vs beholde therefore the sermon of IONAS There are yet sayth hée fortie dayes and then shall Niniue be ouerthrowne This is a sermon of the lawe which is in effect as if he had sayde You Niniuets ye are vngodly men and the moste wicked sinners in the whole world Wherfore God within fortie dayes will so ouerthrowe and destroye your Citie that ye shall be cast both body and soule into hell To take such a sermon in good part and to beléeue the same to be true is not of the flesh and bloude but a worke of the holy ghost For men being left and giuen ouer vnto their strength cannot abyde to be reprehended much lesse to be tolde that they shall bée damned Wherefore if they pacientlye beare reprehension and acknowledge their sinne and damnation it is manifest that they are indewed with the power of the holy ghost 2 Secondly to beléeue in the Lorde is to beléeue the promise made to Abraham as concerning Christ that is to beléeue that the remission of our sinnes our lyfe and saluation is eternall true and infallible But to beléeue this cannot be brought to passe in man but only by the holy ghost For it is not a worke of the flesh or of humane wisedome but only of the spirite of god Let vs therefore once agayne consider of the sermon of IONAS There are yet saith he fortie daies and then shal Niniue be destroyed Although this sermon séemeth only to be a sermon of the law yet notwithstanding he which vnderstandeth the lawe of God aryghte he vnderstandeth also that in this sermon is conteined the sermon of the Gospell of Christ For Paule as concerning the law sayth The law is a schoolemaister vnto Christ Wheresoeuer therfore the lawe doth condemne vs there doth it referre vs vnto Christ that wée might be deliuered from damnation Moreouer S. Paule sayth The scripture that is the law of the Lord hath concluded al things vnder sinne that the promise of the faith of Christ Iesus might be giuen to those the beleue That is to say The law bringeth vs to the knowledge of sinne not that we shoulde perish in sinne but that we shoulde be referred to Christ by fayth and by him obtayne saluation Also the Lorde by the mouth of Ezechiell sayth I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he turne from his wickednesse and lyue But the law threatneth death to the sinner yet not that hée shoulde perishe by death but to the ende he might be stirred vp to come vnto Christ by fayth and so obtaine lyfe So this sermon of IONAS includeth in it selfe the Gospell of the séede of Abraham as concerning Christ For he woulde not that the Niniuets should perishe but that they shoulde be conuerted to the séede of Abraham which is Christ by faith and might haue in him remission of sinnes and eternall lyfe To beléeue this is not a worke of the flesh but of the spirite 3 Thirdly to beléeue in the Lorde comprehendeth also in it selfe to beléeue the commaundementes of the Lorde to be diuine and that it is necessarie to exhibite vnto them obedience by faith and to bring forth the true fruites of repentaunce namely the acknowledge of our sinne and fayth in Christ To doe this also we are vnable without the ayde of Gods spirite For we cannot truly obey the commaundements of God vnlesse the Lorde encline our hartes therevnto by his holye spirite Wherefore when it is sayd in the texte that the Niniuets beléeued the Lorde it meaneth not that they only had a light beliefe and imagination of God but it signifieth that they shewed foorth these thrée things namely that they beléeued themselues to be sinners and that they deserued not only destruction but also eternall damnation Secondly that they beléeued to receiue pardon and forgiuenesse of their sinnes for the seede of Abraham onelye which was Christ whose Prophete IONAS was Thirdly it signifieth that they determined with themselues euer after to auoyde sinne and to obey the commaundements of god This is that true repentance which God regardeth and which obteyneth
common sort of men but euen among the chiefest Prophetes that haue beene eyther before his time or since Secondly we must consider the certaintye and aucthoritie of this booke The Church as yet neuer reiected or refused this booke but haue accounted the same among those which wee call Canonicall bookes of holye scripture and which haue Ecclesiasticall and heauenlye testimonies Furthermore we haue our sauiour Christ as concerning this matter a sufficient testimony and witnesse as may appeare by the .xij. Chapter of Mathew where he alledgeth the example of Ionas for his resurrection affirming that the comming of Ionas out of the Whales bellye was a type of the same Furthermore Christ preferreth the Niniuets before the Israelites bicause the Niniuets repented at the one onelye sermon of Ionas and the Israelites woulde not be conuerted vnto the Lorde by many sermons Wherefore if euer any man did or shall hereafter doubt of the aucthoritie truth and certaintie of this booke Christ by his testimonie hath so confirmed the same that though an Aungell came from heauen teaching the contrary he ought not to be beleued Last of all we must knowe the argument or summe of this prophecie in the which certayne perticuler places are noted 1 The first place conteyneth the seueritie of the wrath of God towardes all such as walke disobediently in their calling Ionas was a Prophet which was most acceptable vnto god and which before had done notable things in Israell and by his sermons had preserued the kingdome of the same notwithstanding when hee fled and was disobedient to his calling he was cast by the ordinaunce of God into the Sea. An example of Gods seuere punishment worthye to bee noted The lyke we haue of Saule who disobeying the commaundement of God reserued part of the pray of Amelecke for the which disobedience hee was rent from his kingdome Another example we haue of the prophete whom the Lion slue by Gods appoyntment for his disobedience Wherevpon it is sayde to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken is better than the fat of Rammes 2 The seconde place conteyneth the wonderful and inspeakeable mercy of God by the which he commonly deliuereth all those which call vpon him in truth Ionas was cast into the sea and deuoured of the Whale And although he coulde not be saued and deliuered naturally yet notwithstanding by the diuine power and clemencie of God he is supernaturally and miraculouslye deliuered This miracle to certaine worldly wise men and contemners of the worde of God seemeth ridiculous and like vnto olde wyues tales And amongst all others scoffing Lucian being stirred vp of Sathan the Deuill the father of lyes to obscure discredit and deride this miracle hath written a booke intituled De veris narrationibus that is a booke of true narrations in the which hee maketh mention of certaine men which being in a ship were swallowed vp shippe and all of a Whale in the which Whale sayth he there were Mountaynes woods and Cities to the which the men arriued with their shippe and had great delectation there This fonde fable seemeth to bee inuented by Lucian to deride the Christians which beleeue the storie of Ionas to be true But this and many other such are deuised by the Deuill and his ministers to deride and deface true and godly myracles But let vs vnderstand that this myracle was done in deede and that it hath heauenly testimonies to proue and ratifie the same as we haue alreadie declared God which created heauen and earth of nothing and which raysed and will rayse the dead to life could also for a time saue and preserue Ionas in the whales belly Let vs acknowledge therefore this myracle to be a declaration of the power and clemency of God and an example also of the resurrection of Christ and of all the godly also to euerlasting lyfe as hereafter GOD willing shall be declared 3 The thirde place conteyneth the doctrine of repentaunce There haue beene many which haue denyed to sinners after their fall any hope of gods grace And there are manye which when they haue sinned perswade themselues that there is no way of saluation left vnto them Here therefore there are two examples of repentaunce propounded vnto vs The one in the Prophete Ionas who although he fell into disobedience yet notwithstanding repenting he is receyued into Gods fauour againe The other in the Niniuets who although they had greatly sinned insomuch that they deserued eternall destruction and damnation yet notwithstanding repenting they are receyued into Gods fauour and preserued with their Citie Let vs therefore turne to the Lorde by repentaunce being perswaded that the Lorde will receyue vs and that the Aungels in heauen shall reioyce ouer our repentaunce Thus gentle Reader I haue declared who this Prophet Ionas was what aucthoritie this booke hath and which are the speciall places of this booke The which if thou well obserue and note they will profite to the nourishing of the feare of God to the encrease of fayth and to the bringing forth of true obedience which are the most acceptable seruice of God. ¶ A godly exposition of the Prophet Ionas The first Chapter THE VVorde of the Lorde came vnto IONAS the sonne of Amithai saying Arise and get thee to Niniue that great ciâ—ie and preache vnto them howe that â—heir wickednesse is come vp before mee THe Scripture of the olde Testament doth often and verie much testifie â—hat God in times past hath spoken with â—he Patriarches and Prophets As sayth the Apostle Paule in his Epistle to the Hebrues God in times past diuersly and many wayes spake vnto the fathers by Prophetes Let vs therefore vnderstande and knowe howe and after what maner God hath reuealed his will to the Patriarches and Prophets 1 Sometimes he spake with them by sending Aungels visiblye vnto them example we haue in the booke of Genesis where we reade that Aungels came vnto Abraham in the likenesse and shape of men Also there came Angels vnto â—oth which brought him out of Sodome before it was destroyed And so an Angell appeared visibly vnto Zacharias the father of Iohn to the virgin Marie likewise and to many other 2 Sometimes God spake vnto the fathers by the voice of an Aungell inuisibly And so he talked with Moses out of the bushe where Moses hearde the voyce of an Angell speaking in the person of God but sawe no Aungell So the Aungell in the person of God recited the lawe in the Mount Sinai the which voice was heard of more than sixe hundreth thousand men but they sawe no man as appeareth by the wordes of Moses saying You hearde the voyce of his wordes but you sawe no forme or shape at all So God spake by an inuisible Aungell vnto Samuell So I thinke also that the Lorde spake to Moses from the mercye seate as appeareth â—y this text And from thence I will testifie
the worde of the Lorde was preached in the time of Abraham in Canaan Aegypt which were in those places and tymes the speciall kingdomes So likewyse in the Monarchie of Babylon and Persia by Daniell And so the worde of God was preached in Rome by the Apostles Wherfore they which lurke in woods and mountaynes haue no excuse that the worde of God is not brought peculiarlye vnto them by the Prophetes and Apostles but it is sufficient that the word of God is preached openly and fréely in publike places wherby the fame maye be spred into all places But this is not spoken to the ende the Parishes in little townes vilages shoulde be neglected abrogated For our auncestors appointed ordeined Parishes with their great cost and the inhabitants of villages to pay their tenthes that they might haue Pastors appointed vnto them Wherfore they which care not to haue Pastors or Preachers which might shew the worde of the Lorde vnto them but kéepe the tenth and tribute to themselues These I say are open théeues and spoilers of the Church of god But they are rehearsed and spoken to the ende we maye knowe that no man in the whole earth wheresoeuer hée dwelleth might haue any excuse of his impietie wickednesse or ignoraunce bicause that although the worde of God bée not preached in euerye mountaine and woode yet notwithstanding it is preached in the speciall places of the earth It grieueth not the Merchaunt man to make a long and daungerous voyage from Englande to Spaine to Ginnie to India to fetche his merchaundise thence for aduantage and gaine and shall it grieue vs to séeke for the hearing of the word of God that precious pearle iewel bicause the place where it is preached is farre distant from vs God forbid For if that we be so slowe in seking for that heauenly treasure the muck and drosse of this world which is so diligētly sought for shal condemne vs in the day of iudgement Furthermore wée must also wey and note the maner of IONAS preachinge for the text sayth he cried We must not thinke here that he cried out or raged with exclamation as mad men doe or such as be drunke but rather that he spake plainely placing his wordes without obscuritie Wherefore it is the dutie of all Pastors and Preachers after the example of IONAS to auoyde and eschewe all obscuritie in their doctrine which teacheth not euidently plainly the way of truth Such were the Sophisters and others in old time which indeuoured themselues alwayes to speake obscurely mistically and darkely of religion Such also are the Papistes and enimies of Gods truth which publish and set forth all their ceremonies and seruice in an vnknowne tongue Wherfore although they howle chaunt pipe and bable much in the Latine tongue before the common people in their churches yet notwithstanding they doe but whisper and talke to them that haue no eares They doe but speake in the ayre as witnesseth Saint Paule For if the trump giue an vncertaine sounde who shall prepare himselfe to the battayle Euen so ye sayth the Apostle speaking with tongues except ye speake wordes that haue signification howe shall it be vnderstoode what is spoken For so the simple and vnlearned man maye saye Amen to him that curseth when he shoulde blesse Wherefore let euerye man desire with Saint Paule rather to speake fiue wordes in the congregation to the information of other than ten thousand words with the tongue Nowe let vs heare what the Prophete preached There are yet fortie days sayth he and then shal Niniue be ouerthrowne A short sermon trulye to be made in so great a citie yet notwithstanding so great in effect that IONAS thereby stoode not only in perill of his lyfe but also in hazard of his good name and fame For the king of the Niniuets and his Citizens might haue surmised by this sermon that IONAS with forreine enimies had priuilye conspired the destruction of the Citie eyther by fire in the night or else by tumult and so might haue accused him of sedition and destroyed him Further if they had beléeued that it was the worde of God which he preached as they did in déede and the same had not bene fulfilled then myght they haue accused IONAS to be a vayne and a lying Prophet Neuerthelesse the Prophet is not discouraged by these perils of his life and fame but procéedeth in his calling with obedience shewing that to the Niniuets which he was commaunded of God to declare By the which example we are admonished that in following our vocation and calling we shoulde rather haue a consideration of the wrath of God towardes disobedience than of perill and daunger which happen vnto vs by disobedience For if God be angry with vs for disobedience then wée maye assure our selues to suffer perill in the which vnlesse we repent we maye looke for nothing but euerlasting distruction But if we obey the calling of god although most daungerous perils horrible destruction lye before our eies ready to deuour vs yet neuerthelesse they shall eyther not happen vnto vs or if they doe happen vnto vs God shall myraculously saue defende and deliuer vs Examples of this we haue Ioseph in Aegypt the Israelites in the desert Daniell in the Lions denne Iob on the dunghill the thrée children in the fierie Ouen and many other But what shall we say to the sermon of IONAS which sayde that Niniue should be destroyed within fortie dayes and yet was not destroyed Is the Prophet therfore a lyar Truly this was the speciall cause why the Prophet fled before from the presence of the lord would not preache destruction to the Niniuets For he considered that if they shoulde repent the Citie should continue in the former state and he counted a vayne and lying Prophete And yet notwithstanding being exercised with crosse and trouble he obeyeth the calling of God and publikely preacheth that the Citie shall be destroyed within fortie dayes How then is the Prophecie to be vnderstoode and cléered of a lye Some dissolue it after this sort affirming that there are two maner of Prophecies namely the prophecie of Predestination and the prophecie of commination or threatning The prophecie of predestination is that which by no meanes maye be retracted such was the prophecy of the Messias to come and of the publishing of the Gospell throughout the whole worlde This is the prophecie of predestination that is without any certayne condition which coulde not eyther by anye mans power wisedome or wickednesse be stayed or frustrate The prophecie of commination is which threatneth only the euill of punishments to come the which notwithstanding may be stayed and preuented by the repentance of the hearers and such is this Prophecie of the destruction of the Niniuets And these things truly are rightly spoken of the prophecie of commination if so be that they be rightly vnderstoode The which that we may in déede let vs