man and the loftinesse which he conceiueth should not be the ruine of manie What is the cause saith Saint Bernard of such fury many times Nothing else saith he but this that the diuision of the Angels doth not please mortall men For they say Glorie to God on high and peace to men but vvhile men do seeke the glorie they do disturbe the peace The Prophet in this place is sicke of this disease Let Niniue and ten Niniues sincke burne or do what it will he had leifer haue his minde satisfied then all the world besides Whereof because he feareth that he shall faile he will take such a course as in the end proueth little to his owne ease He ariseth as God bad him and away he goeth with haste but better that he had halted so it had bene in the right way then to run with speed in a wrong way And thus now hauing heard the reasons which are by anie supposed to put him besides his dutie let vs see the course which he taketh He went downe to Iapho c. 12 The Septuagint translate it he went vp to Iapho but Hierome doth dislike it being moued thereto both by the Hebrew word and by his owne experience For liuing long as he did in the holy land as we commonly call it he saw that Iapho did stand low and therefore to be more fit for descending then ascending It is a hauen towne in Palestina standing vpon the Mediterrane sea and it is the same which is called Ioppa in the tenth of the Actes whither Cornelius sent for Peter This is one of those townes which the Christians sometimes in their voyage to the holy land did recouer from Saladine the great king of Egypt and it had afterward bene regained by him but that Richard the first then king of this land being returning on his iourney for England did bring backe his armie and succour it at need as Neubringensis writeth From this Iapho our Prophet would go vnto Tarshish which some haue thought to be the old citie Carthage and Hierome himselfe though not in this place yet in the seuen and twentieth of Ezechiel doth reade Carthaginiens where as we reade men of Tarshish Yet because we are not sure that Carthage was then built for this Prophecie is auncient and Salomons time more auncient when Tarshish was right famous which I thinke Carthage was not I therefore followe them who take it for Tarsus a towne of Cilicia in Asia the lesser which was nearer to the Iewes and well knowne among them as may be gathered by Pauls speech saying that he was borne there and calling it a famous citie in Cilicia I am the more induced hereunto because Iosephus reciting this storie saith expresly that Ionas meant to flie to Tarsus in Cilicia And I suppose this to be the place whither Salomon did send for things of pleasure and of profit when it is said that he sent vnto Tarshish for gold and siluer and iuorie and Apes and peacockes 13 This Citie then being a place of great traffike whither marchants did frequent to buy and sell wares doth yeeld probable coniecture although no necessarie inference that Ionas not liking his message to Niniue wold now for worldly respects leaue his calling and become a marchant It would wel haue becommed him to renounce his vocation and fallen to merchandising His sanctified gifts would haue well serued to that purpose That calling in it self is certainly not vnlawfull but yet not lawfull to euerie man There are in it as by men it is commonly vsed great occasions of abuses and those so great that Syracides saith of it A marchant cannot lightly keepe him from vvrong And As a naile in the wall sticketh fast betweene the ioynts of the stones so doth sinne sticke betweene the selling and buying Cyrus the king of Persia did note great fraud and deceipt to be in the Greeks when he could say of them that he feared not such men as had a place emptie in the midst of their citie to the which they gathering euery day beguiled one another with othes and swearing These wordes saith Herodotus did Cyrus cast foorth against all the Greekes because they had large market places wherin they vsed their traffiking as among vs might be a Bource or Exchange Let this rather be a fault of the persons then of the things since God hath ordained that trade to his glorie to the vse of nauigation to the discouerie of countreys to the communicating of cōmodities in one nation to another to the bringing in of such things as are comfortable to man yea seruiceable in religion as wine to vs Northerne people to be vsed in the Sacrament as the best representation of the bloud of Christ Iesus But howsoeuer for a Prophet to leaue his preaching in the name of the Lord and fall to marchandising if we will take it so was a fault in the highest degree to run from God to men from heauen vnto earth 14 I find in the new Testament that from towl-gatherers and fishers men came to be Apostles and I know that after their sanctifying for a need they did vse their occupations as the Apostles went a fishing and Saint Paule did make tents but these things were but as hand-maidens to the studie of Diuinitie and to the Mistresse the word but that preaching was left for anie of these I thinke a man may turne the whole Bible ouer and ouer againe and find no such example Onely this it was small praise to Demas as here it is to Ionas that he left S. Paule and embraced this present world In our time let mē take heed whō God hath blessed with verie good gifts that it be not layd vnto their charge that they with Ionas haue chosen to do something else as to be farmors or graziers or husbandmē in the country rather then to preach the word whereunto in former time they were in shew selected I speake not in bitternesse but rather do grieue at it The Church hath had a wound by it If when they did teach before they preached and were not called that were a grieuous fault to run not be sent If they formerly were called then who hath now recalled thē Those things about which they faint and fall are not of that moment as is the preaching of the word I do not yet find any thing either expresly or by consequent directly to be drawne throughout the whole booke of God for the leauing or refusing of this or of that garment so of other circumstances which somtimes were in question but I am sure that I find this plainely wo is vnto me if I preach not the Gospel I do iudge no mans consciēce but leaue that to the Lord. Yet to speake mine opinion I do feare that it cā be but smal cōfort to the heart of a true Christian in so glorious a time of the Gospel as we haue
of purpose caused by Sathan that supplications might be made and sacrifices to him as the heathen people did commonly vse in such fearefull frightfull times thinking that they had performed some deuotion to some Gods when all was to the Diuell Abraham was commaunded to sacrifice his sonne to please the Lord Agamemnon was bid to sacrifice his daughter to please the prince of darknesse A ram was slaine for Isaac for Iphigenia an hind As Iephthe offered vp his daughter which was supposed by some to be a point of religion so the Carthaginians and many other Gentiles did offer men to their idols vpon their altars There came from God answers in obscure and darke causes the Oracles of the heathen as at Delphos and elsewhere did resemble that when foule spirits did there giue answere The true Temple at Hierusalem had in imitation of it a false temple at Ephesus to Diana and in diuerse other places the like to other as the Capitoll at Rome Aulus Gellius in reckening vp the apparell and ceremonies of the Romane Flamen Dialis hath many things meerely taken from the high Priest of the Iewes as he may see who compareth them Ambrose in his Commentarie on the eighth Chapter to the Romanes sheweth that as Christ was taken vp to his Father in a cloud so Simon Magus also to procure himselfe credit did flye aboue in the ayre which no doubt was done by the speciall meanes of the Prince of the ayre who aduaunced such a businesse This is the fraude of him who is the fountaine and welspring and chiefe Lord of all deceipt And as on the one side by his vndertaking of such actions or semblances rather his great vaine-glorie doth appeare and that the meanes whereby he seeketh it is the imitation of God so on the other side it is a great argument for the truth against all Epicures and Atheists conuincing that in the bookes of the Bible there is a diuine and most vndoubted veritie For as counterfeits do euermore presuppose that there be some such indeed as whom they take on them to resemble as he who made shew to be the sonne of Herod the Great did argue that there had bene such a one who was in truth called Alexander and in England in the dayes of King Henry the seuenth Perkin Warbecke who pretended to be the Prince Edward the fifth did manifestly declare that there had bene one of that name And as the coyners of false money do imply by their attempt that some of that stampe is good and currant in one place or other And as Alchimistes who do labour to make gold by proiection do intend that there is naturall gold Yea as painters howsoeuer they may somtimes make pictures of fained deuises yet account their art to be a resemblance of that which verily is or hath bene So the manifold and laborious affected imitation of the sacred stories and such things as were done in them doth giue the wise and holy soule fully to vnderstand that the patterne which is so followed and curiously shadowed by so many inuentions is a matter of truth of iustifiable verity and absolutely without exception But I vrge not this any farther 17 In the second place if we will take the whole tale of Arion for an vntruth which it much rather doth deserue it doth remember vs of as fruitfull instruction another way And that is the wonderfull suttlety of Satan to discredit the writings of the Scriptures as farre as lyeth in him For when it should be spoken ouer any part of the world that such or such a thing was done which was true in our Prophet if he might be able to bring another matter like to it in resemblance which yet in truth should be but fabulous the first might be disgraced with the common sort of men in comparing it with the second Quintilian in his sixth booke of the Principles of Rhetoricke going about to teach how one false thing may be displaied and discouered with another bringeth this for an example When one Victoriatus had sayd that in Sicily he had bought a Lamprey which was fiue foote long another called Galba did make him answer that it was no maruell for in that countrey saith he the breed of them is commonly so large that fishermen do vse them for the lines of their angles Here if any man had inferred that the latter tale was certainly a lye Galba by and by would haue replied so also is the other The old and crafty serpent saw this to be a good way to bring the Scripture in doubt by fables like to the Scripture And this doth Iustinus Martyr assigne to be the reason why so many things in the old tales are like to the truths of the word of God He principally insisteth in the person of Christ Iesus himselfe The diuels sayth he being taught by the Oracles of the Prophets many things concerning Christ vvho was to come caused like things to be spread touching diuerse sonnes of Iupiter hoping that those who heard those monstrous trifles would beleeue no more of Christ then they did of the other For an example he citeth that of Aesculapius who by the Heathen was reported to be able to cure any defect and was held to be the sonne of God which was drawne from hence because it was fore-prophecied of Iesus that his power should be such as to giue sight to the blind to restore limmes to the lame to raise vp those which were dead He reputeth this to be the worke of Satan that men might no more beleeue the true reports of our Sauiour then the fained things of the other 18 If we will looke on their old Poets as well Latine as Greekes we shall see how this purpose was pursued in very many matters The confusion of all things which was before the world was made and the manner of the creation is shadowed and pointed at by the Chaos of Hesiodus but most elegantly by Ouid in the beginning of his Metamorphosis If God haue a tree of life in Paradise whereof who so euer eateth shall not dye but by the restauratiue force thereof shall be kept and euermore maintained in cheerefulnesse and fresh youth the Poets will haue Nectar and Ambrosia which shall worke with their Gods the like effect The deluge in Noahs time is quitted among the Greekes with the deluge of Deucalion If Noah did see things before and after the floud they will haue Ianus for him who shall be double-faced and looke forward and backward for the learned do suppose that Noah was meant by their Ianus If the people do go about to build the tower of Babel vp to the heauē so to get themselues a name the Giants shall be sayd to lay Pelion vpon Ossa and Olympus on the top of both so to plucke Iupiter out of heauen Iustine Martyr who is auncient sayth expresly that all the tale of the Giants
haue shewed the apish quality of Satan in his imitation of the mightiest workes of God and his craftinesse otherwise in seeking by his tales and inuented reports to withdraw credit from the Scriptures Whereunto I might first adde that since we haue to do with an enemy of that quality we had neede be very circumspect in regard of our selues that we yeeld not assent to any of the leud motions of himselfe or other his Atheisticall agents in going about to extenuate the credit of the word but pray to God still to guide vs in his vndoubted truth both that we may beleeue and practise that which he hath taught vs. Secondly I might shew the conueniency or rather the necessity that a Minister who should expound the Scriptures should be furnished with liberall Arts and sciences with histories and other humane learning that when occasion directly serueth such knots as this is may be opened to the honour of the true God In which respect I do professe my iudgement to be cleane contrary to the opinions of such men who thinke that the vnderstanding and vse of these matters is friuolous and vaine for a Minister and only for ostentation and that it skilled not if there were no Vniuersities or schooles where these things are studied I repute them the great blessings of the Lord of heauen affoorded to vs for the apparant furtherance of his ministery and the profession of Diuinity How can the Reuelation and the prophecy of Daniel be vnderstood without these The like may be sayd of some other parts of Scripture When with so many helpes of history from the Greeke and from the Latine the best and most laborious wits cannot attaine to the depth of many matters in them how vnperfect and vncertaine nay how amazed plainely should he be that would looke into them knoweth nothing of antiquitie The positiō is most true that arte and knowledge hath none so great an enemy as that person which is ignorant Take away these and bring in barbarisme But I haue no time to handle this and therefore I do leaue it desiring God to perpetuate these arts skils among vs that the meanes of our studies here in this vngodly age be not taken away from vs for our abusing of them but that they may continue as handmaides to Diuinity and seruants vnto the Scriptures till Christ Iesus come to iudgement To him with his blessed father and his most holy Spirit be praise for euermore THE XVI LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 3. God in sending twise sheweth his loue to be the greater 4. which is hindered by no crosse from man 6. As appeareth in England 7. God imployeth Ionas after his former fall 8. The cruell doctrine of the Nouatians 10. The word is the great instrument whereby God calleth 11. To the old Prophets the word of God came 12. But preachers now must go to it 13. Ionas is not forward to his second message 14. God purposely sendeth variety of businesse to vs and why 15. The finger of the Lord appeareth in that one teacheth a multitude 16. But especially the word is forcible 17. Knowing of daunger before-hand maketh the Minister more resolute 18. Prophets must preach that onely which God commandeth 19. Which the Papists do not Ionah 3 1.2 And the word of the Lord came vnto Ionah the second time saying Arise go vnto Niniueh that great city and preach vnto it the preaching vvhich I bid thee AS it pleased God that vpon the first reuiuing of this weekely exercise of preaching among vs I meane in these late yeres after some discontinuance of these holy labours he put in my mouth the first charge layd on Ionas to go to Niniue the euent whereof from time to time I haue discoursed vnto you as the Lord hath enabled me So it falleth out fitly by the prouidence of the selfe same God that vpon the second reuiuing of the selfe same exercise the second sending of the selfe same Prophet vnto the same city should be offered to your hearing Wherein as the mercy of the Almighty was manifested to Niniue when after the first stay hinderance of that which was intended toward it he did not giue ouer but redoubled his message by sending againe So it is an argument of Gods kindnesse to vs that he suffereth not the practise of his seruants in holy things to cease but although vpon occasion it hath bene interrupted yet to breake foorth againe A copious blessing when God plentifully sendeth the foode of our soules and that not onely by imposed sacrifices but by free-will offerings also so remoouing farre from vs the famine of the word which is the greatest famine and against which we are to pray more earnestly then against all hunger of the body It were to be wished that this may be continued with an euerlasting performance that so the building of this house like that of Salomons Temple might not cease till all were ended by Christs comming to iudgement or if like the second Temple it must be at a stay yet that it might neuer quite stand lest the memory should be razed out that there was any such building Although some space be betweene yet let the dayes of Darius adde to the daies of Cyrus the Lord stirre vp the spirit as of Zerubbabel before so of Zachariah afterward to second and forward and incourage the worke 2 Now there is proposed to me a larger field to walke in then hitherto hath bene for the sinne of one man alone was offered before vnto me to be discoursed of but now the sinne of a multitude So heretofore I had occasion to looke into the priuate repentance of one offending person but now into the publike penance of a whole transgressing city and that of the city Niniue the greatest in the East which by her enormity did minister God great matter of vengeance and wrath but by her deploration and sorrow for iniquity did mooue him vnto mercy Before the cry of their ioyned transgressions did ascend into the eares of the Lord as the cry of Sodome did but now in a like manner the out-cry of their ioyned praiers of their fasting and contrition doth pierce through the very cloudes and commeth before Gods seate and obtaineth forgiuenesse of him Which as it is afterward illustrated in this present Chapter and therefore in his fit place will yeeld most fruitfull doctrine so because the meanes also of moouing them to repentance are here opened vnto vs that is to say by the word of God deliuered vnto thē by the preaching of the Prophet my purpose is to pursue it with that naturall order which the text prescribeth vnto me beginning with the Lords sending and so proceeding to the Prophets going and afterward to his preaching and then to their demeanour in hearing and receiuing and so forward to the rest But this day in these two verses especially I shall touch these two things The imployment