in all their Use 1 course go by their own reason and carnal considerations no matter what God saith or would have to be done but they will proceed as themselves think good not punish naughty children and servants nor execute judgment upon Sabbath-breakers swearers drunkards other malefactors let them alone for pitie we shall let our business we shall be counted busie-bodies c. So did not Jonahs Mariners but proceed saying Thou O Lord hast done as it pleased thee And he is noted for a fool who is wise in his own eyes And there be expresse commandements to the contrary Prov. 3.5 6 7. Be not wise in thine own eyes lean not to thine own understanding and examples of resigning up our wills to the will of God and our prayer sounds to that purpose thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Take then the word of exhortation in those matters Use 2 not to consult with flesh and blood and say as Cyprian In holy matters there is no room for deliberation Let God be true and every man a lyar Let God be obeyed and every meer man neglected God ought to be obeyed rather then you and do you judge your selves whether this be not fitting Such a one is a friend and such a one is a friend but God is a greater and a better friend Jonah was a very good man but when he fell into the lurch with God and God appointed him to punishment out he must go into the Sea even with his own approbation So of a kind neighbour a good Child a profitable Servant inflict a fitting punishment Only thus 1. Be sure it be the will of God Caution that he suffer as these Thou O Lord hast done as it pleased thee A man must execute no judgment but the judgment of the Lord. The judgment is not yours but Gods Solomon sate on the throne of the Lord. The powers that be are ordained of God and such bear not the sword in vain 2. Inflict the punishment because it is the will of God that he suffer not to wreak thy own displeasure or passion of any kinde but the Lord hath designed him to punishment and tell him so that he may see where his offence lies and with whom chiefly he hath to do not man but God the most likely way to bring him to remorse for his offenâ—e and making of peace with God and amendment of life for the future the chiefe matters which Christians should aime at in all their discipline Use 3 Search out the will of God Lastly let this stir up all of us to study what is the good and acceptable will of God concerning us and that both for the matter to be done and for the manner of proceeding Read meditate search the Scriptures compare one place with another any thing to be directed aright what God would have us to do And there is a rule to enquire of the law at the Priests mouth Mal. 2.7 for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts and to have the book of the law still by us for counsell Deut. 17.18 and Josh 8. David though he had good counsellors yet consulted the word Psal 119.24 Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors He had also the Prophets of the Lord about him to take advice withall Gad and Nathaâ— And the Jews must ever have their Levites to tell them Gods minde in matters thou shalt not forsake the Levite all the days of thy lâ—fe It is utterly a fault in Christians that generally they go on their own head aâ—d advise not with the word or Ministers for managing an Office for following a calling for ordering a familie for arbitrating of differences between man and man or for other particulars Whence so many unchristian proceedings animosities contentions unjustice and cruelty or if they hit upon the right it is not in obedience to God and so it is not thank worthy it may be they endure the lash of vile tongues and can have little comfort because they minded not God in the good they did It was but hab-nab and verily I say unto you they have their reward but David in such contempt can comfort himself with this It was before the Lord that I did this and this 2 Sam. 6.21 and became vile in thine eyes For the latter upon the casting of Jonah into the Sea The Sea ceased her raging upon the due execution of judgment the wrath of God is pacified Note When Achan was stoned Israel prevailed against the Canaanites as before We noted this before and may note farther concerning afflictions that they are the Lords messengers which when they have done their Errand shall be called home again When the raging Sea had devoured Jonah presently it ceased from raging Note And therefore afflictions sometimes continue so long upon our backs because they cannot be suffered to speed in the businesse which the Lord sent them upon to wit our humiliation and reformation Note farther how great and present the power of God is in ruling the waters of the Sea Note Gods power to he adored Immediately when God hath satisfaction the Sea ceaseth from her raging As he set it on raging so he restraines it from raging any more So he drowned the whole world with a Sea of waters and divided the red Sea and the River Jordan See Psal 107.25 26 27 28 29 30 It might be applyed to Eighty Eight and was applyed to Theodosius in his battell with Infidels where the winde and Sea fought for him Consider Use and adore the great God whom both the winde and Sea do obey as those in Mat. 8.27 The Sea is a rude and unwildy body and yet findes ears to hear when the Lord hath a voice to utter So had the â—eavers which Christ rebuked and other diseases with other passages of providence We read of great matters attributed to the voice of God Psal 29. And those phrases Command deliverance for Jacob Speak the word only and my Servant shall be whole Man that lives not by bread only but by every word of God But farther if this be so where are they that deny a Providence and ascribe all to fortune good luck constellations and co-operation of second causes such a Generation of Atheists there is in the world but let them take heed he that had stood upon the Sea-shore and seen this sudden alteration of weather with the concurrence of things that went along with it would certainly confesse there was a most High God and Providence which made the change and so did these Mariners vers 16. they feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows Take heed and confesse a Providence live by it submitt to it do as one that acknowledgeth a Providence and as one that would have it to thee a sweet and gracious Providence But how rude are those among us who acknowledge not the power and authority of God whom even the
Go and preach to Nineve and thereupon should have silenced his own reason utterly 2. Having a desire to advance the glory of God be sure to use right means thereunto not as Jonah who for fear of Gods dishonor refused to do Gods Errand at Nineve It is a goodly and specious colour for actions to talk of the glory of God but if the course be 〈◊〉 a direct and warrantable course in vain shall the glory of God be pretended who will never account himself honoured but in a way of his own Yea it hath been the advancement of many a wickedness to pretend so and so in order to 〈◊〉 and the course of Antichrist to make a noise of acting in order to the Church 3. Be tender of the life of man and of his outward welfare I say not soul but even the body and worldly condition as Jonah was not and we see how he is chid for it And we see how loving the Lord is even in this respect ver 11. Should not I spare Nineve a City so populous Remember the sixt Commandment Thou shalt not kill 1 Thes 4.6 no not in desire Remember those commands Let no man defraud or go beyond his Brother in any matter for the Lord is the avenger of all such And be chary of thy Neighbours Oxe or Asse much more of his life and comfort of his life We are fallen into an hard yea bloudy age wherein the life of man is little regarded nor how well he shall go along in his course Take heed there remains a merciless judgement for them that shew no mercy Jam. 2.13 4. Study the gaining of souls to God and be glad when there is the least hope of grace begun in any Here also was some fault in Jonah certainly he heard how they fasted and prayed and turned from their evil wayes which should have gladded him and made him congratulate their repentance and safety thereupon Remember and do so Luke 15.10 Convert any if thou mayest be so happy and as there is joy in heaven for a sinner that repenteth so let it be on earth It was a wicked humour in the Pharisees that they envyed the conversion of the Publicans Beware thou and be ambitious of the great honor of converting a soul Dan. 12.3 To shine as the Stars for ever and ever For the second particular A marvel it is that Jonah is so stout and sturdy after his great punishment and all those terrors which God sent upon him One would have thought he had had enough of his flying to Tarsus Note But so it is Some godly men have stout and sturdy corruptions sticking by them which may humble them and keep them upon their watch and because they watch not as they ought God sometimes exerciseth them with strong afflictions and sometimes with strong conflicts in sad hours Take heed Use Christian and take thy self in the manner for every unmortifyed lust and every corrupt affection Sturdy humors are sometimes punished with sharp temptations or Visitations of the Almighty But I had rather put this humor of Jonah upon a way of carnal reasoning which too much swayed with him at this time taken from the mercy of God which he thought would never so far proceed as to let Nineve be overthrown though he said it Was not this my saying thou art merciful c Calvin If Jonah had been sent to Nineve with an offer of mercy upon their repentance as to the ten Tribes we may verily think he would rather have offered his service then declined it But now he mutters against God for his meer denunciation of judgment Note Carnal reasonings mischievous as if it could not agree with the nature of so merciful and gracious a Lord God and this mis-leadeth him Carnal reasonings do sometimes lead us from God and duty 1. Totally as in the ungodly eve◠the mercy of God undoeth them as they misuse it it is their bane They know God is gracious and merciful and flow to 〈◊〉 and of great kindnesse therefore live as they list turn grace into wantonness sin more that grace may abound more As men make it mercy is a common pack-horse for horrible wickednesses and final impenitency Why should they trouble themselves about repenting when God is so merciful 2. Partially in the godly as here in Jonah he knew these Attributes and therefore he left Nineve and went to Tarsus It were well if we did not sometimes bear up our selves too much upon the mercy of God and an interest in Christ and certainty of salvation and perseverance in grace We hold these things right in the Doctrine and miserably pervert them in the Use And though we swim not with full Winde and Tyde yet we sail too fast with a side-winde Take head Christians Use Avoid them and down with these carnal reasonings which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and against the due obedience to Jesus Christ The ministery intends the casting them down and so do you 2 Cor. 10.4 5. Never will Religion thrive where such reasonings prevail As it prevails more with any man so he leaves them off as Gal. 1.16 Paul consulted not with flesh and bloud but fell to his preaching-work Consider there be many of these carnal reasonings taken from the multitude from example profit pleasure credit safety or the like but none more dangerous then this from the mercy of God so long as God is merciful on they go in their sins and fear nothing A miserable case God is gracious that is freely for his own sake to forgive the sins of his people And he is merciful that is will relieve them against all their misery spiritual temporal and eternal And he is 〈◊〉 to anger that is he is loth to empty the Vials of his displeasure upon sinners And of great kindness that is tenderly considers their case and is willing to do them good But should this or any of these be abused to keep from repentance and amendment were not this the ready way to be drowned in a sea of mercy Jonah was almost drowned in such a sea though a godly man yet almost undone by misapplication of the mercy of God But thou O man a secure and hard-hearted wretch wilt be quite drowned one day look to it as well as thou wilt For the third particular It is a strange prayer that Jonah here makes both for the manner and for the matter of it He prayed unto the Lord and said Take my life from me Mark this is spoken in haste being exceedingly displeased and very angry and he speaks it in a muttering and chiding manner expostulating the case even with God himself I pray thee O Lord was not this my saying when I was yet in my Countrey as if he had said I thought what thou wouldest do I had just cause to fly away and never do the Errand at Nineve I said what would come of it A merciful God thou art and
and down the City when he came there and might spend much of his strength by travelling and crying all along Learn we Ministers and people to settle to difficult costly and dangerous duties Are they not Gods Commandments did not he say Arise and cry To the third point The wickedness of a people doth go Doctr. 3 up and call for vengeance upon them Wickedness calls for vengeance so did the blood of Abel against Cain Gen. 4 10. So did the filthiness of the Sodomites against that City Chap. 18.21 So the cry of Servants wages detained â—ames 5.4 And here the Robbery and Oppression of the Assyrians who had made slaughter of many Nations and spoiled others to enrich themselves together with the cries of Widows and Fatherless Children and their Pride Idleness Filthiness Inchantments other sins which were now grown so great that the Earth was no longer able to hold the cry but the Air and Heaven too did ring of their sinfulness and now it was high time for God to take vengeance The Lord sees when the iniquity of a man or people is ripe and then proceeds to judgment as of the Amorites It is not yet full but when it is I will 〈◊〉 root them out Gen. 15.16 Every single sin comes up before God and provokes wrath Psal 7.11 but wickedness much more He is angry with the wicked every day but defers to do execution till the measure of sin be filled up and then he can forbear no longer Use 1 Admire the patience and long-suffering of the Almighty though he be wearied daily with the cries of mens sins yet he bears all yea though they be sins of whole Towns whole Nations or the whole world He is not slack of his coming but patient to us-ward and waits for our Repentance 2 Pet. 3.9 No mans patience can be so exercised as Gods is yea we see too often how even a godly man hath some adoo to keep patience on such and such provocations Oh the goodness and long-suffering of our God to whom our wickedness goeth up continually The Lord the Lord merciful and gracious slow to wrath abundant in goodness and truth Use 2 Admire also the worth and power of Christs mediation which cries down the cry of our sins and keeps off the vengeance which thereby we had deserved The blood of Christ speaks better things then the blood of Abel Heb. 12.24 mercy and not judgment and this secures both the persons and duties of Believers though they deserve a fulness of wrath yet by the mediation all will be well with them Use 3 This shews people the sinfulness and danger of their estate even when they are most secure All the while their wickedness gets up before God and would draw down vengeance upon then when they are most jolly and brave in their worldly enjoyments yet their extreme danger continues sin hath not lost his voice of crying as here against the Ninevites yea it cries more because of more light and more means of grace so the men of Nineve shall rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it Take heed of sin if not for the foulness which should Use 4 be yet for the fearful after-claps and for the measure of your sins lest that be filled up and then the Vials of wrath be emptied upon you Know the Lord can overthrow England as well as Nineve and we have had warning not only for forty years but forty and forty and more then that it is now above a hundred years that the Gospel hath been preached among us with liberty and encouragement and ye know we have sins enough to hasten the overthrow Oaths and other abominations Consider and beware if there were no more mischief in sin but the losing of the Gospel it were bad enough an intolerable loss to have the Candlestick removed out of his place or to have your Jonahs sent from Israel to Nineve or the righteous taken from the evil to come Ver. 3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord and went down to Joppa and he found a ship going to Tarshish so he payed the Fare thereof and went down into it to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Here the Prophet declines the Lords message of going to Nineve by going a quite contrary way Why Jonah fled to Tarshish His ground he tells us in Chap. 4.2 Namely a carnal fear lest he should be ashamed and accounted a false Prophet if within forty dayes Nineve were not overthrown A great matter with the proud nature of man which cannot endure the least disparagement Other reasons Jonah might have for not going to Nineve So peter Act. 1â— 1. The strangeness of the thing No Prophet had ever been sent to the Gentiles before Jonah All of them were sent to the house of Judah or of Israel and should Jonah be the first man that should be sent to the sinners the Gentiles God goes beside his ordinary method and Jonah thinks strange of it 2. What hope could there be of doing good among the Heathen seeing he had so little good among Gods own people should Ninevites be converted and Israel not converted how can things go quite in a new Road which was never heard of 3. Might not Jonah fear what would become of him among a Company of Infidels who were also rich and proud and knew not God he one and they many he a poor man and they the Potentates of the world What should one Lamb do among a thousand Wolves 4. For the Errand which Jonah was to deliver what likelihood that Nineve should be overthrown within forty days seeing no enemy appeared before it and it had now flourished twelve hundred years in great prosperity what wise man would go and publish impossibilities No sound reason at all Yet all this is but carnal fear and Jonah sinned greatly in flying to Tarsus 1. He left the Command and calling of the great God of Heaven which is the only rule of all our obedience 2. He left the Land of Israel wherein his main business lay for all his life-time 3 He thought poorly of God as if he could not meet with him at Tarsus as well as Samaria 4. He shewed little pity to thousands of souls that might receive benefit by his preaching All shewing the great corruption of mans nature even after grace received and how watchful we need to be and keep close to our rule and to the calling wherewith we are called not regarding the crooked rules of humane reason and wisdom which Jonah too much followed He rose up to flee to Tarsus The chief City of Cilicia Expos 1. St. Pauls Country a Citizen of no mean City Act. 21.39 Some say Jonah went to be a Merchant there another while But it is not good to fasten more sins to the good man then we are sure of It is most likely that as a man
1. who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed Our Saviour upbraids the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 21 32. that they belâ—eved not when they had heard the preaching of the Baptist And the Apostles say they could not enter because of unbelief Heb. 3.19 Rev. 21.8 and The unbelieving march with the formost into the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone for ever and Give him his portion as with hypocrites so with unbelievers Yea more He that believeth not is condemned already Unbelief is a damning sin as well as any gross sin against the Law and whereas the Law condemneth a sinner potentially unbelief condemneth actually Use 2 What of God is to be believed Take heed Christians and believe your God when he speaks by his Ministers 1. Believe the justice of God that he knows to be angry as well as to shew favour to threaten as well as to promise to damn as well as to save He is very merciful but will by no means clear the guilty Men may dream what they please Exod. 34.7 but one day will find they have a just God to deal withall 2. Believe the truth of God that all he hath threatned he will most certainly perform without true unfained effectual repentance The words of God are pure words as silver seven times purified in the fire As the promises to the godly so the threats against the wicked not one falls to the ground 3. Believe the power of God that he is able to execute the judgments he hath denounced against sinners The Lord was able to overthrow Nineve within forty days yea within the compass of one day why not Nineve as well as Sodom and neighbouring Cities 4. Believe the wisdom of God that the only way which he hath devised to turn away threats is to be found in Jesus Christ The wisdom of God and the power of God to salvation there is no salvation in any other by him wrath is appeased and by him comes all saving good to repenting sinners Motive to believe threats Consider for a Motive to believe the threats of God 1. This is the only safe way to bid you believe the promises of God We have no commission to bid you believe these till ye be first overawed with his threats The broken heart is the only sacrifice wherein the Lord delighteth Psal 51.17 Esa 61. Mat. 11.28 Christ came to bind up the broken-hearted and said Come all ye that labour and are heavy-laden I will give you ease ye shall have refreshment for your souls 2. It is a mercy to be spoken unto by men weak as your selves as Israel said to Moses Let not God speake to us lest we dye Should God come and speak in his storms and tempests who among us could abide the terror Moses at such a sight did exceedingly quake and tremble Take heed and abuse not his goodness to security or to harden your hearts 3. Mark how those two are joyned together Believe the Lord and believe his Prophets 2 Chron. 20.20 This saith he is the only way to prosper We have this treasure in earthen vessels we are Stewards and have the dispensing of holy things and all know in a great house there is no receiving of Pay or Diet but by the allowance of the Steward 4. How good was it for Nineve to believe God when he spake by the mouth of Jonah True they feared repented put on sackcloth refrained from diet and cryed mightily to God for mercy but the sweetness of mercy made amends for all And so it shall do for other Penitents And put on Sackcloth Christians must testifie the truth of their repentance by outward tokens of humility and humiliation Note Shew repentance by outward tokens These were ordinary practices among the Jews in their fasting Ahab put on sackcloth and went softly and so did others others rent their cloaths others stript off their robes and sate in the dust But because in process of time these forms became meer forms and were taken up by hypocrites therefore Joel bad them rent their hearts and not their garments Joel 2.13 and turn to the Lord their God and Esay at large describeth and rejecteth their hypocrisie chap. 58.3 and Zachary tells them they did but fast to themselves not to God chap. 7.3 7. Yet thus far the Ceremony will reach us at this day 1. On days of humiliation no fine nor gaish Apparel should be used as hath been the fashion of some in these days An humble heart must appear before the Lord as alway so especially on such days in the dress of mourners No reason the habit should give the heart the lye nor the heart the habit Out of the abundance of the heart the dress will shape to be either lowly or phantastical 2. Still there must be a rending of the heart to bewail those sins which provoked God to wrath and indignation yea though it be a good and holy heart Even godly men have an hand in the provocation and therefore even godly men should bear their part in the lamentation to turn wrath away even David after those failings did mightily humble himself before his God 3. Out of that which is spared from the back and belly allowanâ—e should be made to cloath the naked and feed the hungry and do works even of corporal mercy and of civil righteousness Esa 58.6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen saith the Lord. Use Thus fast and then see what promises are made Esa 58.8 9 10 11 12. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily and thy righteousness shall go before thee c. One fast well kept might rid us of all our confusions And thus to fast would well become all of us from the highest to the lowest as here From the greatest of them to the least of them A duty for all All are sinners both in their nature and life and all run into Arrear with God and are in danger of remporal and eternal vengeance If Nineve had been overthrown in those forty days all had gone to wrack infants and sucklings as well as elderly people and therefore all must smart by this humiliation Joel 2.16 so in Joel Those that suck the breasts must want their milk for a while and cry to God as well as they can Yea these Ninevites go farther to the beast the herd and the flock no eating no tasting no drinking of water that the very lowing of the cattel may go up to heaven and call in their language for mercy as is said Psal 147.9 He heareth the young Ravens when they cry If so at such times let the greatest forget and lay aside their greatness and let the least among us bear their part in humiliation especially they that are least in the Kingdom of God and they that think themselves less then the least of all
it be with the loss of their Souls and yet when they have it it is in much danger to be stollen or mastered by Fire or forfeited or to be cast away with ones own hands and Oh that I had never know peny of this ill-gotten Goods Mat. 16.26 what profit what recompence beside those cases of meeting a murderous Theef Take my Goods and save my Life And mark how expresly the way of worldlings is called folly Psal 49.13 This their way is their folly with Jer. 17.11 He that getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his days and at his end shall be a fool Use 2 Take heed Christians and adventure not Souls for Goods It were no reasonable exchange 1. Mark these Heathens if they prefer their Lives before their Goods let not Christians who know better and higher things cast away their precious and Immortal Souls for a little Commodity no not if it were never so great Certainly there is no proportion between a Soul and the whole world 2. We read of some Philosophers that they cast away their wealth and worldly business that they might the better attend the getting of Learning and Wisdom so did Crates and Thales by buying up the Vineyards in the Country when he fore-saw a Scarcity by Philosophy and made good advantage of it shewed how easily a Philosopher might get wealth if he minded it And if such mind it not why should Christians mind it so much What then may some say Object Answ would you have me cast my wealth into the River I see no such need Sir Answ 1. There is need to make restitution of Goods that have been ill-gotten as did Zacheus 2 There is need to be free for pious and charitable uses according to ability 1 Cor. 16.2 as God hath prospered a man 3. There is need while we hold these temporals to hold them with a moderate mind and affection not to mind Earthly things but to have the conversation in Heaven Phil. 3.19 20. not to set the affections on things below but things above Col. 3.1 2. and our rule is not to Treasure in Earth but in Heaven Mat. 6.20 and when we have any riches to refer them to the right ends they were given for as is said Honour God with thy substance Prov. 3.9 And still they should be used as encouragements in his service Ver. 15. 4. There is need above all our getting to labour for the better and enduring substance Heb. 10.34 to be rich in faith and good works to get saving wisdom which is better then Rubies and Diamonds to have a stock of prayer going in Heaven without all question great is the gain of godliness 1 Tim. 6.6 though worldlings esteem it not Where note these two Loves do much hinder and waste one another If a man earnestly and as he ought shall mind the spiritual wealth it will in great part take him off from his mudling in the world Is he not in the prosecution of better things A Prince that seeks a Kingdom will purchase no Cottage On the other side he that eagerly pursues the world shall either neglect Religion altogether or pursue it very indifferently worldly-mindedness hath been the maâ—ring of many an hopeful Professor Demas embraced the world 2 Tim. 4.10 and left the Apostle To the fourth point We are apt to be very secure even Doctr. 4 in the greatest danger 1. Good men as Jonah In great danger apt to be secure who was very shortly to be cast into the Sea and yet fast asleep in the side of the Ship and David who after his sin with Batsheba lay securely for awhile without renewing peace with God till the Sword was threatned to come against his house and never go from it Only with this difference the security of a godly man is neither total nor final At the worst he hath some motions of God in his heart and at last he runs to him with full speed Cant. 5.2 I sleep but my heart waketh And oil is ready in his Lamp to go forth and meet the Bridegroom 2. Carnal and worldly men These say Peace and Safety when suddain destruction comes upon them unawares 1 Thes 5.3 And the man with gall of bitterness saith he shal have peace when the smoak of Gods wrath is arising against him Deut. 29. So said they of the old world till the flood came and drowned them all and the men of Sodom till the fire fell from Heaven and consumed them Every natural man sleeps the sleep of death and he never awakes till he be dropping into Hell Use 1 Whereby note a cursed and dangerous effect of sin as it brings a man into extreme danger of losing God and all happiness A fruit of sin and of falling into the everlasting torments of Hell so it is ready to make and keep him secure and altogether insensible of his danger till he know not what to do wâ—th himself Esa 6.10 He hath a gross heart eyes to see and not perceive ears to hear and not understand and he hath an impenitent heart Rom. 2.5 whom all the goodness and patience of God cannot lead to repentance so little cause there is to be in love with sin as many are or to refuse the Exhortations of zealous Ministers Use 2 2. Note and admire the wonderful mercy of God who watcheth over us for good The mercy of God and in due time awakenes us out of our deep and deadly sleep by giving faith and repentance O the rich and invaluable grace of Conversion how are we bound unto God that now we stand up from the dead Eph. 5.14 and live for ever We were asleep sometimes yea dead in sins and trespasses but now Christ hath given us the light of Life It is onely of his discriminating grace for which we must ever remember to be thankful 3. Awake unto duty Christian watchfulness is a duty Use 3 often commanded in Scripture Be sober be vigilant watch 1 Pet. 5.1 for ye know not the hour when the Son of man cometh Mat. 25.13 and saith Christ what I say unto you I say unto all watch Mar. 13.37 For Motives consider how it is made a Note of wisdom to watch till the Bridegrome comes as did the wise Virgins How the wise as well as the foolish are apt to slumber and sleep How the Bridegrome comes in a time when he is least expected at mid-night Ver. 5.6.10.12.13.14.19 How the wise Virgins enter with him into the glorious Bride-Chamber How others are excluded though they knock and call for admission And how hereupon our Saviour inferreth the Exhortation Watch therefore together with another Parable to the same purpose There will be a day of reckoning with the Servants about their Talents and Employments therefore watch and do duty Ver. 6. So the Ship-Master came to him and said unto him What meanest thou O sleeper
one day prove a consuming fire who though he hath brought up thy life from corporal corruption yet not from eternal But come we now to the illustration from the contrary Idolaters miss of mercy because they seek not the true God They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy Jehovah brought up Jonahs life from corruption Jehovah heard his prayer and delivered him of Jehovah is salvation the true God did all but the idol-gods can do none of these things they are vanities and teachers of lies Hab. 2 18. and will deceive all those that trust in them and call upon them But I comprehend under the name of lying vanities Lying vanities what 1. The idols of the Gentiles which the Mariners prayed unto every one to his god Had not Jonahs God delivered them they had been all drowed in the sea none could save as the God of Jonah and of the Hebrews who is also the God of us Christians 2. Those carnal reasonings wherewith Jonah was swayed to leave Nineve and flee to Tarsus whereof he tells us in chap. 4 2. and now he recants all professing to adhere to the true God only Such carnal reasonings we all have and are to exalt high thoughts against the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 Religion with many is measured by meer policy credit multitude thriving in the world and the like lying vanities all of them as to the soul and in Gods matters Yet farther all superstitions are lying vanities that is humane inventions put for Gods worship Psal 40.4 They turn aside to lyes And all Astrological predictions in Moon-prophets who tell of lucky and unlucky dayes Jer. 10.2 And all forms of Religion in hypocrites they compass God about with lyes Hos 11.12 And all good things of this life in worldlings who pursue them immoderately and inordinately Vanity of vanities all is vanity Eccl. 1.2 And all lusts in profane persons called deceitful lusts Eph. 4.22 and we read of deceivablness of unrighteousness in them that perish 2 Thes 2.10 Now accordingly as these vanities are observed more or less what the observing of them so mercy is forsaken Profane and impenitent persons observe these lying vanities totally and finally and so they altogether lose the mercy of God having their portion in this life Psal 17.14 but godly Christians who observe them but a little and only for a while do miss of some mercy they might enjoy as we see in this terrible balk which Jonah made Why their own mercy But why is it called their own mercy Answ Because it belonged to them it was tendered to them they might have had it they should have taken it and not let it go for the best advantage in the world So the Jews are called the children of the Kingdom Mat. 8.12 that is those that belonged primarily to the Church and favour of God But see the like opposition in Luke 16.10 11 12. The words are a doctrine They that observe lying vanities Doctr. Reas forsake their own mercy The reason is mercy is basely undervalued and vanities preferred before it Though it be a precious mercy a soul saving Mercy undeserved free rich the fountain of all good in earth and heaven though it be renewed in a costly way of Christs bloud which is more then the creation of man and the world though it be published and offered in the ministery Take it it is your own be reconciled to God and all shall do well though God be very patient after many of your refusals yet still vanities shall be observed and pursued as the chief good A just forfeit the Lord will not endure the disparagement of his mercy Luke â—4 21 the King was angry when the Guests would not come to his Supper saying Not one of them that were bidden shall taste of my Supper Use 1 Terror to sâ—nd Professors Which may serve for great terror to many Oh that they might be convinced of their great folly and humbled and work wisely hereafter for the welfare of their poor soul 1. Here is extream folly shewed thus Mercy is magnified in general but forsaken when it comes to particulars in the practice and when the main stroke is to be struck it is left as no good bargain as if the salvation of a soul were not indeed a thing to be stood upon never is it weighed well till the day of judgment when it will be too late Christ and his salvation are liked well and presumed on but lost for trifles and lost with a kind of wilfulness it is not said here that they lose mercy but forsake it 2. These vanities will one day be seen to be altogether unprofitable that they cannot profit nor deliver because they are vain 1 Sam. 12 21. Vain to have had pleasure in this life or scraped wealth together or climbed up to honors or to have so drudged about the world as if Religion were no calling for a Christian Then they will say What hath pride profited us or any of the other when the soul is lost and the shame and misery comes Rom. 6.21 Rev. 6 16. they will call the mountains to fall upon them and the hills to cover them Oh hide us from the presence of the Lamb. 3. What a confounding lye will it appear when these vanities appear in their own colours when the man finds himself disappointed of his hopes and mercy lost too no full contentment by his lusts and pleasures when most fully enjoyed no solidity in all his cavils and carnal reasonings mercy pleaded to the losing of mercy as here by Jonah At that day mercy will be found to be the portion of good souls only who love and fear God and at that day it will appear to have been limited wiâ—h certain conditions which at present are overlooked and altogether neglected These conditions for receiving mercy were delivered warily by good Preachers though others could daube and skin them over And they were told what a mortal variance there is between mercy and these lying vanities but would not lay it to heart Oh that now men and women were ashamed as one day they must be now it would be to some purpose they might be converted and saved as the Prophesie went of Converts in the latter days Ezek. 16.63 they shall be ashamed of their doings but in that great day it will be too late it should have been done before-hand Use 2 Christians be exhorted to be tender and chary of the mercy of God toward you Work wisely to find mercy one day and do not exchange it for vanities Ye see it may be forgone and forsaken and the way how it comes about beware of lying vanities no wise man will let go his Land for points and counters and consider withall 1. This mercy is such a thing as the worst among us Mot. 1 do seem to crave and magnifie Oh they hope God will be merciful to them and if
thee in measure yet I will not leave thee wholly unpunished Reasons why God so pardons the penitent are plain Reas 1 1. Because he is very merciful and abundantly gracious Exod. 34.7 The Lord the Lord merciful and gracious forgiving iniquity Reas 2 transgression and sin 2. By Jesus Christ a ransome is found for the penitent justice satisfied wrath appeased fauour procured heaven opened 3. Promises are made every-where Reas 3 in Scripture for this kind of sinners and shall be made good to the full 4. The work of repentance which Reas 4 is begun in them is a change wrought by Gods own Spirit and therefore shall be honoured with the best fruits So here is more encouragement to repent Ye see your Use 1 remedy if judgements be to be prevented More encouragement to repent or to be removed be humbled before your God and it may be done Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites namely to repent and be pardoned As he so they and as they so we All is for our instruction that repenting as they did we may escape as they did And let none think to hold God to it that though he repent not yet he shall do well enough Verily verily said our Saviour except ye repent ye shall all perish Luke 13.5 So when a tender heart casteth doubts that his sins shall not be pardoned nor indeed can be set it flie to this remedy Grieve for thy sins and confess them and crave pardon for them in the Name and for the merit of Jesus Christ afterward doubt not but a pardon will be had and in time will be sealed up to thy foul 1 John â— 1. He is our Advocate with the Father and the propitiation for our sins He sits in his Pardon-office in heaven and in time will issue forth a pardon for thee Mark 1.15 Repent and believe the Gospel are the two main graces of the Gospel Use 2 Lastly let God be glorified in this Attribute of turning wrath away from penitent sinnerâ— So doth the Church Mic. 7.18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage the retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea Subjects use to magnifie a loving Prince who remits the penal laws and grants pardon to offenders So doth our God and so ought we to honour him Consider this is his end in granting forgiveness of sins Psal 130.4 That he may be feared And this was the first and chief mercy which David commemorated in his thanksgiving Ps 105.3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities As also Paul Eph. 1.6 7. That we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace CHAP. IV. Ver. 1.2 3. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And he prayed unto the Lord and said I pray thee O Lord was not this my saying when I was yet in my Country therefore I fled unto Tarshish for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful slow to anger of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil Therefore now O Lord Take I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye then to live THis Chapter sets forth the Events of Gods sparing of Nineve Summe of the Chapter The Events are of two sorts a froward servant and a gentle Master In Jonah we see the example of a froward and waspish Saint who too much cleaves to his own reason without due respect had to the will of God or to the good of sinners For a good man he is as cholerick a man as lightly we shall read of And we have his fellows if not in goodness yet in testiness and peevishness Take heed and do not imitate 1. We see how ill he takes the sparing of Nineve Parts ver 1. he is displeased and angry 2. We hear him justifying his former flying ver 2. 3. We read a strange prayer he makes ver 3. Take my life from me 4. We may hear more pevishness ver 9. I do well to be angry even unto death For the first of these What is was that displeased Jonah we may not conceive Jonah displeased or angry at the repentance of the Ninevites this being quite contrary to the truth of grace which was in Jonah Grace never opposeth grace in another but first desires it and then rejoyceth in it But it displeased him exceedingly that is that the Lord did not the evil which he said he would do to Nineve And why so because now he should be accounted a false Prophets and God who said Nineve should be overthrown should be blasphemed as variable and not true of his word as not only the heathens round about but even the Israelites themselves would be ready to jeer at his coming home among them A goodly messenger and message and hereafter we will not regard thee a whit It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry Some say he was offended at the calling of the Gentiles as those in Act. 11. and 22. and that by the spirit of prophesie he foresaw the rejection of the Jews into whose room the Gentiles were to succeed But this is too far fetched nor agrees with the Text and Argument here brought nor with the goodness of an holy heart such as Jonahs was It is best to understand it as before Note The godly have and confess their infirmities And we may observe A godly man hath many and great infirmities but withall confesseth them though to the shame of his own face as doth Jonah here Formerly from the same ground we concluded the Divinity of the Scriptures and now the sincerity of the Saints Paul for them all I do not the good I would and I do the evil I would not O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Use Remember this ye Saints and enure your selves to the duties of humiliation and mortification and where just occasion is be not ashamed to confess and give glory to God Jâ—s 7 19. Let God be true and every man a lyar To me belongs nothing but shame and confusion of face with a lowly deportment suitable to those humble conceits and speeches you use concerning your selves Lessons to be learned from Jonah Then for mortification learn by these failings of Jonah 1. Not to be wedded to thine own will so as to set it before or above the will of God as did he Self denial is the first lesson that a Christian should take forth and make use of it all along in his course Be not wise in thine own eyes Lean not to thine own understanding Go not by thine own shallow reason but which way the revealed will of God shall lead thee Jonah had Gods mind fully revealed to him in this point
by doing the Errand thou wouldest dishonor thy self and I should go for a false Prophet Note God hath strange prayers put up sometimes at the Throne of Grace even by his own people in their passion they sometimes come before him in a tumultuating fashion Our rule is to pray without wrath 1 Tim. 2.8 and many good limitations there are for the ordering of our prayers Use 1 Consider Christians and order your prayers aright as for the matter so also for the manner of them Vent no passions before the great God of heaven It will be ill-favoured prayer which is so conceived and uttered And it must be a Divine patience that will bear with such a suppliant And let a Christian that observes his weaknesses learn hereby to pray for his prayers not only for his Sins Wants Dangers other evils but even his prayers O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do Dan. 9.19 There is an iniquity that cleaves to our holy things which needs to be pardoned Christ is our High Priest to take them away and we need his intercession for that purpose Prayer is so far from being meritorious that without mercy it should not be accepted But come we to the matter of Jonahs prayer Take my life from me for it is better for me to dye then to live so Elias would needs dye in all the haste for the wickedness of Israel for the persecution of Jezabel 1 King 19.4 Elias cause was better then Jonahs who only stood upon his own Credit and Gods truth in the message delivered yet Eliah is reproved for it ver 9. What doest thou here Elias and here Doest thou well to be angry Note Sinful to desire death how It is sinful to desire death according to our own passionate humors and may justly be reproved There be Cases wherein it is lawful to desire Death as for example when we see God calling us out of the world when the Martyrs saw the truth of God lying at the stake when the Congregation of the faithful is in danger if betrayed when an eminent Minister or Brother is to be rescued as Aquila and Priscilla laid down their necks for Paul and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren But for irksomeness of living or in any corrupt way whatsoever to desire death is utterly faulty and deserves to be reproved Why Our life is the gift of God vouchsafed for special uses which he hath appointed that he may be glorifyed in us both living and dying Phil. 1.20 And therefore it may not be foregone till he please to take us off from our station Rightly Paul who in one respect desired to dye but in another respect desired to live ver 21.22 23 24. Take heed Christians and suppress all such way-ward Use 1 and hasty humors of desiring to dye Ye may be dead before ye are aware And some have desired to dye who were glad afterward that they were alive And why should ye dye before ye have done your work Or why are ye so shie of suffering according to the will of God It comes to pass sometimes that those desire death in their own way who have basely and treacherously avoided death in the way of God nice and fine while they get their own ends but otherwise fool-hardy Use 2 Take heed and to thy power use life well while thou hast it in a Christian way say It is better for thee to live then to dye during life there is much good to be done for the service and glory of God The living the living he shall praise thee Esa 38.19 Spoken in opposition to the state of the dead from whom all occasion of praising God is cut off ver 18. So in Psal 115.17 18. Take heed it may be in death thou wilt wish for more time to live or that thou hadst done more work for God or gotten more hold of his love or were grown more fit to dye Such cases have been and such may be again Walk in fear and while thou dost live live to some purpose Ver. 4.5 Then said the Lord Doest thou well to be angry So Jonah went out of the City and sate on the East-side of the City and there made him a Booth and sate under it in the shadow till he might see what would become of the City In these two Verses we have two things to be considered 1. Gods gentle chiding of Jonah Doest thou well to be angry 2. Jonahs expectation of the Event To see what would become of the City For the former we may well admire the gentleness and goodness of God toward his froward servant God doth not fall foul upon Jonah for his rash anger nor take away his life as he had desired nor throw him into the sea again which he could easily have done But debates the matter calmly with him to bring him to a sight of his Errour and set him into his right way again Note Teaching us how to treat with offending Brethren Children or Servants not wreak our displeasure in a furious manner but so deal with them as they may best recollect themselves and take notice of their failings for amendment It is a foolish zeal which so reproves as withall it seeks not the Parties reformation And now we speak of zeal we must remember that Jonah in his passion had a zeal of God after a fashion being jealous lest his truth and glory should suffer by the sparing of Nineve and himself accounted a false Prophet Our zeal for God sometimes hath much mixture Note both of self ends and self-seeking and of excess in the venting of it Sometimes we have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge as Rom. 10. â— Take heed and watch over this hot affection neither let it be dampened on the one side nor too much inflamed in the other Beware lest God have cause to chide for the excess saying Doest thou well to be angry So of good meanings A man may mean well and yet make great faults Jonah meant well when he was exceedingly displeased and angry Saul meant well when he kept the best of the cattel for sacrifice Note Uzzah meant well when he stayed the Ark from falling Take heed nothing is more deceitful then mans judgment of his actions in the things of God In all points we should look to the will of God and the rule which he hath given in his word Doest thou well to be angry He saith not positively Thou sinnest in being so angry but puts him upon his own better thoughts and would draw from him his own confession as if he had said If I should make thy self judge yet upon a serious consideration thou wouldest find thine errour that thy mind is as the raging sea all in a tumult Lâ—cha weigh well within thy self whether there be not a foul fault in this thine anger So the expostulation is far more emphatical and urging then a plain affirmation though a chiding Doest