adulterie and other faultes having either nature or custome on their side are lesse odious to men though not lesse haynous in their kindes But name an vngratefull person and vvithout naming any more vvee all detest him as a prodigious vnnaturall noveltie violating the communion and nature of mankinde I conclude It is a good thing to praise the Lord to sing vnto the name of the most high to declare his loving kindnesse in the morning and his trueth in the nighte season It is good touching the actioÌ„ it selfe For it is better to blesse theÌ„ to curse and to giue thankes then to giue out a voice of grudgings It is good in respect of the matter and obiect that so glorious renowned a God vouchsafeth to be magnified by our polluted lippes the honor returneth vpon our selues It is good because of the retribution For Cessaâ— decursus gratiarum vbi non fuerit recursus the course and descent of the graces of God ceaseth and the spring is dried vp where there is not a recourse and tide of our thankefulnesse Wherefore let not so good an exercise bee a burthen and griefe to good soules Let the vnrighteous vanish away in their gracelesse ingratitude and become as the dunge of the earth Let them forget the God of heaven that the God of heaven may also forget them But let the righteous alwaies reioyce in the Lord for it becommeth well the iust to be thankefull Earely and late let vs blesse his holy name though not with Lutes and Harpes and instrumentes of ten stringes yet with the best members and instrumentes we haue bodies and spirits which the fingers of God haue harmonically composed and ioined togither and the ioy of the holy ghost hath melodiously tuned for this purpose Let vs never turne our backes to the temple of the Lord nor our faces from the mercy-seate Let vs not take without giving as vnprofitable ground drinketh devoureth seed without restoring Let vs neither eate nor drinke nay I will more say let vs neither hunger nor thirst without this condiment to it The Lorde be praised Let the frontlets betweene our eies the bracelets vpon our armes the gards vpon our garments be thankes Whatsoever we receiue to vse or enioy let vs write that posie and epiphoneme of Zachary vpon it Grace grace vnto it for all is grace Let vs learne the song of the blessed before hand that hereafter we may be able to sing it with more perfection Praise honor and glory be vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and to the Lambe Paul is ours Apollos is ours Cephas is ours the worlde ours children friendes fieldes vineyardes health wealth all things ours but we are Christes and Christ Gods there is the fountaine thence they come all thither they all returne He is α and ω first and last authour and finisher giver and receiver his holie name be blessed for ever and ever Amen THE XXVI LECTVRE Chap. 2. verse 3. and 4. For thou hadst cast mee into the bottome in the middest of the sea and the flowdes compassed mee about all thy surges and all thy waues passed over me Then I said I am cast away out of thy sight c. IMAGINE the songe of Ionas to consist of three partes a proposition narration and a conclusion and the proposition alreadye to bee past in the seconde verse summarilye abridging the beginning proceeding and ending of the matter in hande that is the perill praier and deliveraunce of Ionas The narration nowe followeth to the eighth and ninth wherein hee concludeth so that all that lyeth betweene the seconde and those maketh but for exornation for both his daunger is more amplie described and his praiers often mentioned and a frequent hope of his deliveraunce ingested And it is well worthy your considering that as musicke consisteth of acutum and grave high and lovve sharpe and flatte so this song of Sion which Ionas singeth in a strange lande vvith a far heavier hearte then ever Israell sange by the rivers of Babylon is mixte and compounded of two kindes of soundes For on the one side are daungers terrours desperations and deiections of minde often hearde but on the other the sweetest comfortes and ioyes of the holy Ghost that coulde be conceived First in the third verse Thou hadst cast mee into the bottome of the sea with many exaggerations to declare his feare But in the fourth Yet vvill I looke againe to thy holy temple Againe in the fifth The waters compassed mee aboute vnto the soule c. But in the sixte Yet haste thou broughte vp my life from the pitte O LORDE my God Lastly in the seventh My soule fainted vvithin mee yet I remembred the LORDE and my praier came vnto thee into thine holie temple Invicem cedunt dolor voluptas sovver and sweete mourninge and ioy trouble and peace come by courses and successions There is no weeding vp of these tares no remooving of these griefes and annoyaunces from the life of man This is the state and condition of our present pilgrimage as of a fielde vvherein there is vvheate and darnell they must of necessitye grovve togither till the harvest when it shall be saide priora transierunt the former thinges are past sorrovve and sickenesse dreade and death haue nowe their ende The eveninge and the morning are but one day Barnardes allusion to that place of Genesis is the interpretation of the Psalme heavinesse maye bee in the evening but ioye commeth in the morninge VVee beare foorth our seede vvith teares vvee shall bringe home the sheaves in our bosome vvith ioye The Sonne of GOD hath beene entertayned in this life at one time vvith Benedictus blessed is hee that commeth in the name of the LORDE at an other vvith crucifige crucifie him Iohn Baptist at one time is reverenced and hearde gladlie at an other beheaded Not to speake of the heade or members aparte the vvhole bodye cryeth in the Canticles I am blacke O yee daughters of Ierusalem but comelye Nigra vestro formosa divino Angelicó que iudicio blacke in the iudgemente of menne faire in the sighte of GOD and Angelles nigra foris sed intùs formosa blacke without by reason of the miseries and deformities of this life but invvardelye beautifull vvith a godlye presumption and hope of my blisse to come One generation passeth and an other succeedeth saieth Ecclesiastes the sunne govveth downe and the sunne dravveth to the place of his rising againe the vvinde goeth to the South and compasseth tovvardes the North and returneth by the same circuite and though all times differ yet they differ not in this that they are all subiecte to varâ—atitions And as a discorde in musicke giveth a grace and commendation to the song so these discordes and iarres in our life keeping their alternatioÌ„ make our pleasures more welcome when they come That Christians should well digest them there is some better cause by reason of their faith
lefte the cofferer and treasurer of the soule to remember the Lorde with how came this gift of memory to a soule so taken and possest that as Orbilius a Grammarian in Rome forgot not onely the letters of the booke but his owne name so this is even deade and buried vnder it selfe and hath forgotten to thinke a thought and laide aside all her accustomed heavenly meditations Ionas without question had never remembred the Lorde vnlesse the Lorde had first remembred him Bernarde vpon the wordes of the Canticles I sought him in the night season Every soule amongst you saith he that seâ—keth the Lorde that it turne not a great blessing into a greate mischiefe let her knovve that shee is prevented by the Lorde and that shee is first sought before shee can seeke For then are our greatest felicities changed into our greatest woes when being made glorious by the graces of God wee vse his giftes as if they were not given and ascribe not the glory of them to his holy name Who hath first loved him Giue mee a man that ever loved GOD and was not first beloved and enabled therevnto it shal bee highly recompensed vnto him But it is most cerâ—aine that hee loued vs vvhen vvee were his enimies and when we had not existence or being I say more when wee made resistaunce to his kindenesse Wee can promise no more in this heavenlesse race and exercise of Christianity than the Prophet doeth in the Psalme I will runne the waies of thy commaundementes when thou hast set my hearte at liberty Wilt thou runne with thy feete before thy heart be prepared or canst thou run with thy hart before God hath enlarged it or canst thou runne the way without the way which is Iesus Christ a vvay that thou canst not see till thine eies bee opened and illightened or wilt thou runne the way of Gods commaundements when thou canst not discerne the commaundementes of God from the motions and fansies of thine owne minde not so But when the Lorde shall haue set thine heart at liberty then runne when the LORDE hath quickened and rubbed vp thy memory then remember him Otherwise without that helpe wee lye lame and impotent as the creeple at the poole of Bethesda all the daies and yeares of our life are spent like his without ease of our infirmities and the vertue of the waters of life as of those in the poole are by others caught from vs. Ierome translateth the wordes with some little difference from others I remembred the Lorde That my praier might come into his holy temple So his praier came vnto the Lorde by meanes of his praier for that remembring of the Lorde was his praier But whence came that former praier that made way for the later Fulgentius in an epistle to Theodorus a senatour laying a sure foundation and axiome to the rest of his speech would haue all that we doe or enioy ascribed to the grace of God Next that the helpe and assistance of that grace must be craved of God Thirdly that the craving of his grace is also it selfe the worke of grace For first it beginneth to bee powred into vs that it may afterwardes beginne to be begged by vs. As vnlesse the light of the aire first goe into our eies our eies though made to see yet see nothing Fourthly vve cannot aske hee saith vnlesse wee haue a will to aske and what wil is there if God worke it not Lastly hee counselleth all men diligently to converse in the scriptures vvherein they shall finde the grace of God both preventing them in such sort that when they are downe they may rise vp and accompanying them to hold them in their right course and following them till they come to these heavenly beatitudes And as he accounteth it a detestable pride of the hart of man to do that which God in man condemneth he meaneth sinning so much more detestable that when a man doth attribute to himselfe the giftes of God Thus much by the iust occasion of my texte because hee saide when his soule fainted vvithin him yet he remembred the LORD which I say againe hee coulde never haue done his reason knowledge will memorie all being past excepte the Lorde had first remembred him After his feare againe his hope I remembred the Lorde and my praier came vnto thee into thine holy temple The particulars are quickely had after that fainting and fit of his soule 1. what hee did hee remembred 2. whome hee remembred the Lorde All the rest serveth for explication As namely 3. how he remembred him by praier For it seemeth that not only his memory but al the faculties and affections of his soule were set on worke by him 4. How his praier sped It was not stopped by the way but came vnto the Lorde and did the part of a trustie embassadour 5. It is not amisse to know that every soule is the Lordes the soule of the father and the soule of the childe are his and that the promises are made not only to Abraham but to his seede after him and to all of that seede in particular for hee is neither multiplied with multitudes nor scanted with paucities so caring for one that hee omitteth not the care of many so for many that he ceaseth not to care for one and therefore the praier heere sent was peculiarly his owne as of a person accepted chosen vnto the Lord my praier 6. The faithfull coniunction of his soule with God which the Apostrophe and suddaine change of the speech causeth me to note For now he speaketh not to vs or to his owne spirit as before I remembred the Lorde but vnto the Lorde himselfe laying his mouth to those pure vndefiled eares my praier came vnto thee 7. The place wherein it was presented vnto him into thine holy temple which either he meaneth of heaven the pallace and basilicke of the great king or of the temple of Ierusalem which all the children of God in those dayes had respect vnto So Daniell though he prayed in Babylon yet opened hee the windowes of his chamber towardes Ierusalem And Salomon made request at the dedication of the temple that if ever his people in the time of famine battaile captivity or any the like tribulation shoulde pray towardes that citty and towardes that house of praier the Lord that sate in heaven would vouchsafe to heare them Though not sure of the place yet this I am sure of that whither soever of the two be spoken of the holy Lorde hath dedicated it to holinesse and called it by the name of an holy temple setting thereby a barre about it as hee did aboute the mounte to keepe out beastes and brutish men For as his temple vpon the earth none should so that other more sacred and secret that is in heaven none shall ever enter into that is vnholy and vncleane To draw these scattered braunches home to their roote againe the generall substance of them all togither is this that Ionas received hope by remembring the Lorde for
soule no whit endangered But the worker of this woe is the most mighty LORDE whose face is burning and his lips full of indignation whose wrath he liveth not vpon the earth that can abide vvhen the foundations of the mountaines mooue and sbake because hee is angrie vvhose anger hath a further extente not vpon the body alone but vpon the soule too not onely to kill but to cast them both away for ever into hell fire Beholde he breaketh downe and it cannot be built hee shutteth vp a man and hee cannot be loosed Woe woe be vnto vs cried the vncircumcised Philistines though they stood in battaile aray who shall deliver vs out of the hands of these mightie Gods erring in the number but not in the power of the glorious deity The men of Bethshemesh being afterwards smitten because they had pried into the arke of Covenant accounted themselues but dead men before him VVho is able to stande before this holie Lord God The very pillers of heaven saith Iob tremble and quake at his reproofe At his rebuke hee dryeth up the sea and maketh the flouds deserte their fish rotte for vvant of water and die for thirst Hee clotheth the heavens with darkenesse maketh a sacke their covering in the prophecy of Esay How fearefull a thing shall it then be to a sinfull man vvhose foundation is but dust and not like those of the mountaines and the pillers of his body but flesh and bloud farre inferiour to the pillers of heaven all the moisture of whose substance shall sooner be exacted than that of the flouds rivers to fall into the handes of the living God who liveth for al eternity beyond the daies of heaven and therefore is more able to aveÌ„ge any iniury done vnto him The anger of a prince though it seemeth as dreadful as the messengers of death vnto vs may bee pacified if not his anger is mortal like himselfe his breath is in his nostrels and promiseth to those that feare an ende of his life and wrath togither The hostility of a deadly foe may beeresisted by hostilitie againe though his quiver bee an open sepulchre and they all very strong if not hee can but eate vp our harvest and bread eat vp our sonnes and daughters our sheepe and our bullockes our vines and fig-trees and destroy our cities But if the anger of the Lord of hosts be kindled who can put it out if he be an enemy let heaven and earth ioine hand in hand to worke our safety it should not helpe If he begin he vvil make an end in the first of Samuell or rather not an ende in the fourth of Ieremie Consider the vision I haue looked vpon the earth saieth the Prophet and loe it was vvithout for me and voide and to the heavens and they had no light I behelde the mountaines and loe they trembled and all the hils shooke I behelde and loe there vvas no man and all the birdes of the ayre vvere departed I behelde and loe the frâ—â—tfull place was a vvildernesse and all the cittyes thereof vvere broken dovvne at the presence of the LORDE and by his fierce wrath For thus hath the Lorde saide the vvhole lande shall be desolate yet vvill I not make a full ende Beholde now an ende and no end Nowe if the Lorde had so cast Ionas as he cast the Angels out of heaven vvithout repentance and revocation of his fact Ionas must haue lien belovv as the gravell and slime of the sea never to haue risen vp But he cast him in mercy not in fury as he cast Adam out of Paradise to till the ground Nabuchodonosor from his kingdome to eate with the beasts of the fielde Iob from hâ—s house and home to lie vpon the dunghill to doe them greater honor and favour in time to come The place hath three amplifications 1. Hee vvas cast into the bottome of the sea vvhere-hence in likelyhoode there was no recovery Else what ment Micheas by the phrase in the seventh of his booke that God vvill cast our sinnes into the bottome of the sea but that hee vvill lay them so lowe and heape such a burthen and weight vp on them that they shall never rise vp againe And our Saviour by the same in the gospell that he who should offend one of his little ones it were better for him that a mil-stone were hanged aboute his necke and hee throwne into the bottome of the sea Implying therein so desperate a danger to the body as would never be restored So they singe of Pharaoh and his host in the fifteenth of Exodus Abyssi operuerunt eâ—s descenderunt in profundum velut lapis and afterwardes profunda peâ—ierunt vt plumbum The bottomlesse depthes covered them and they sunke to the bottome as a stone and as lead they were swallowed in the waters Some vvrite that the sea at the deepest is forty furlonges I cannot censure their estimation But this I am sure of it is very deepe and our Saviour ment to signifie no lesse when he called it not mare the sea by it selfe but Pelagus maris the bottome of the sea So Iob speaketh of Leviathan hee maketh the deepe to boile like a potte of ointemente Yea thou wouldest thinke that the bottomelesse depth had an hoary heade VVhere it is compared for depth vvith that which the legion of Devils in the eighth of Luke desired they mighte not be throwne into Nowe one furlong or faddome of waters had beene deepe enough to haue taken away the life of Ionas much more was he in ieopardy when he was cast into the bottome of the sea 2. he was not onely in the sea but in the midst the heart the inwardst secretes and celles of it as the heart of a living thing is mid-most and inwardst vnto it Wherevpon Christ is saide to haue lien in Corde terrae in the heart of the earth Math. 12 and the depthes to haue stoode vp togither in Corde maris in the heart of the sea Exodus the fifteenth This was the next augmentation of the daunger that the whale bare him farthest from the shore and kept his way in the deepest channell or trade so that all hope of ever comming to lande againe seemed to haue forsaken him 3. he was not onely in the heart of the sea but of the seas There is but one vniversall and maine sea which is the girdle to the dry land but many particulars which take their severall names from the places they lie next vnto Nowe the voyage of Ionas vvas not limited and bounded vvithin the compasse of the Syriacke sea vvhereinto hee vvas first received But if it be true which Iosephus hath that hee vvas cast vp to lande vpon the shore of the Euxine sea then must hee needes bee carryed through diverse seas before his arrival to that place Hee had a purpose at first perhappes to goe no further then to
from it Iudas hath nothing but mill-stones aboute his necke the necke of his guiltye conscience to vveigh him downe Ionas hath wings and corke to beare him vp Iudas like a carkas vvherein there is no life falleth downe as the Lacedemonian saide of a dead man whom hee coulde not set vpright vpon his feete oportet aliquid intus esse there must bee somevvhat vvithin Ionas hath that vvithin a spirite of comforte to quicken and supporte him Hee hath an eye in his heade discovering those hidden vvaies vvhich the eye of the eagâ—e and kite never founde out to looke to the temple of the LORDE VVhither he ment the temple at Ierusalem or vvhither his temple in heaven vvhereof the Psalme speaketh the LORDE is in his holy pallace the Lordes throne is in the heavens I enquire not but thrice blessed were those eies that did him this service If his sentence and resolution had ended in those former wordes I am cast out and there had beene the periode and full pointe all his ioyes had ended When the Iewes saide in the Prophet perijt spes nostra our hope is gone they mighte aswell haue added perijt salus nostra our salvation is gone a man vvithout hope is without his best advocate Good successe may often for sake the innocente but never good hope And therefore hee chaunged his stile in good time veruntamen yet notwithstanding I haue annointed mine eyes with the eye salue of hope and through all those obstacles of sea and seas floudes and surges I am able to looke to the place of thy rest It standeth as the rudder in the sentence and turneth it quite an other way It vvas running apace vpon dangerous shelues and had set vp the full sailes of deadliest discomfortes but a breath of faith commeth in and stoppeth that wretched course Notwithstanding Now doth Ionas begin to neese with the childe that the prophet called to life now is his first vprising from the dead he had vtterly fainted when he was in the belly whither of the vvhale or of hell but that he beleeved verily to see the goodnesse of the Lord in his holy temple Epaminondas being striken thorough with a speare and his bloud fayling him asked if his target were safe and whither the enimy were put to flight and vnderstanding all to be answerable to his heartes desire saide my fellowes in armes it is not an ende of my life that is nowe come but a better beginning The losse of the body is not great VVe sow it in dishonour we shall reape it in honour And conscience may be wounded and daunted sometimes in the best that liveth But if Ionas had lost his shielde of faith and his helmet of hope the principall armour of defence the one for the head vvherein the braine the other for the breast vvherein the heart lieth and if the enimies of his soule these desperate agonies had gotten the vpper hande and not beene vanquished by him where had his glory where had his safety beene But his shield you heare is whole Notwithstanding I will looke towardes thine onely temple VVith a little difference you haue the same speeches in the Psalmes which Ionas heere vseth As in the 31. Psalme I saide in mine haste I am cast out of thy â—ight Likewise in 42. All thy waues and thy floudes are gone over me I repeate no more But they make it an argument that Ionas had diligently red the Psalmes and kept them by hearte and applyed them as neede served to his particular occasions Est certe non magnus verùm aureolus ad verbum ediscendus libellus As he spake of Crantors booke Surely the booke of the Psalmes is not greate but golden and throughly to be learned Ierome advised Rusticus that the booke of the Psalmes shoulde neuer depart from his handling and reading Let every worde of the Psalter bee conned vvithout booke I vvill say shortely sayeth he It is a common treasurie of all good learning It appeareth in the gospel that Christ and his disciples were very conversant in that booke because in their sayings writings not fewer then threescore authorities are procured from aboue forty of those severall Psalmes But my meaning is not so much to commende the booke at this time as your vse of it For it is never so well red or hearde as when the harpe of David and the ditty of our hearte the scripture of the Psalme and the sense of our present occasion go togither Quid prosunt lecta intellecta â—isâ— teipsum legas intelligas readinge and vnderstanding without application is nothing Neither is it to purpose to singe Psalmes vnlesse we make them accord to our present miseries when we are in misery when we are delivered to our deliverances other the like variations Thus did Ionas But to come backe to David himselfe though hee spake so daungerously as you haue hearde I am cast of yet hee confesseth hee spake it in his haste and hee correcteth that hasty speech with a veruntamen a particle of better grace as Ionas did yet thou heardest the voice of my praier vvhen I cryed vnto thee And he exhorteth all those that trust in the LORDE to bee stronge and hee vvill establish their heartes Likewise in former vvordes these amongst the restiarring very vnpleasantly and striking out of tune I am forgotten as a deade man out of minde I am like a broken vessell But I trusted in thee O Lorde I saide thou art my God But for nisi and veruntamen but and notwithstanding notes as it were of a better sound our heartes might quake to see such passions in the Saintes of God The beloved sonne of God was not without this convulsion of spirite My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee not feared and suspected but felt and presently endured why hast thou done it yet he commendeth his spirit into the handes of that Lord who seemed to haue forsaken him Thus ever the Lord sendeth a gracious raine vpon his inheritance to refresh it when it is weary and it is true which Osee saith though wee looke for a day or two as if wee were dead and forlorne yet after those two dayes hee vvill reviue vs and the thirde he vvill raise vs vp and we shall liue in his sight I will now proclaime from an other Psalme Heare this all yee people giue eare all that dwell in the world low and high rich and poore one with an other My mouth shall speake of vvisedome and the meditation of my hart is of knowledge I will encline mine eare to a parable and vtter a graue matter vpon mine harpe Surely it is wisedome and knowledge and a graue matter indeede and blessed are they that conceaue it If it bee hid it is hid to those that perish it is a parable to Cain and Saul and Iudas and such like cast-awaies If I had the doubled spirit of Elias and wisedome like
feare him nay the worlde may bee measured and spanned but of his goodnesse there is no end They leave that mercy that is better than their life For what is life without mercy Mercie gave it vnto them at the first mercie preserveth it mercie shall exchange it hereafter mercie restore it at the last day without this life of mercie to their mortall lives they live or rather die in everlasting misery Peter tolde his maister in the gospell to shew how willing they were to make Christ their onely advantage Beholde wee have left all He might as truely have saide beholde wee have founde all They left their fathers mothers kinsfolkes houses nettes vanities They found the mercy of God which made a full amendes These other were the thinges that were made to bee lefte Linquenda tellus domus placens Vxor. Wee must leave landes and houses wives and children with their temporall commodities But the change of the apostles of Christ was no vnprofitable change to have left all for him that is above all But woe vnto them who after their tearme of vanity expired and vanities left have not miserere in store a grone and sobbe in their soules to call for mercye and a favourable propension in the eares of their Lorde to haâ—ken to their crie Lastly it is their owne mercy which they forsake that embrace vanity I meane not active mercye in themselves inhabiting their owne heartes but the mercy of almighty God tendered and exhibited to each man in particular vvhither hee bee bond or free Iew or Gentile For his mercy is not onelye from generation to generation but from man to man And in this sense it is true which God spake by Ezechiell Every soule is mine the soule of the father is mine and the soule of the sonne is mine also Therefore it is not saide in my text that they leave the mercie of God but their owne mercy the patrimony of their father in heaven a portion wherof was allotted to every childe For the inheritance of the Lorde is not diminished by the multitude of possessours it is as large to every heire a part as to the whole number put togither This poore man cried saith the Psalme naming a singular person but leaving an vniversall president to the whole church and the Lord heard him And that poore man crieth and the Lord will also heare him Iste pauper ille pauper you may make vp a perfect induction and enumeration For if all the poore and destitute in the worlde crie vnto him hee will heare them all The refutation is now ended and giveth place to the assertion or affirmation what himselfe will doe not as before hee did walking after the lustâ—s of his owne eie and heart nor as the manner of the heatheÌ„ is embracing lying vanities but acknowledging his life and liberty to come alone from the Lorde of mercy But I will sacrifice vnto thee c. To him onelye will hee pay the tribute that is due vnto him not deriving his safety from any other imaginary helpes Hee will offer sacrifice which the law required and he will first make and afterwardes pay the vowes which the law required not the one an offering in manner of necessity the other of a free heart Hee will not offer with cakes or wafers and oile and yet perhappes not without these but with thankesgiving an inward and spirituall sacrifice and that thankesgiving shall haue a voice to publish it to the whole worlde that others may witnesse it Sacrifices and vowes I handled once before Let it now suffice by way of short repetition to let you vnderstande that hee offereth the best sacrifice who offereth himselfe body and soule all the members of the one affections of the other to serue the Lord. It shall please him much better and cast a sweeter smell into his nostrelles than a bullocke that hath hornes and hoofes And hee maketh the best vowe who voweth himselfe I say not in the worlde a virgin but a virgin to Christ that whither hee marry or marry not he hath not defiled himselfe with women for he that shall say hath not coupled or matched himselfe with women in an holy covenant misseth the vvhole scope of that scripture that voweth himselfe I say not in the vvorlde a pilgrime to gad from place to place but a pilgrime to Christ that though hee lie beneath in a barren and thirsty grounde where no water is yet hee walketh into heaven with his desires and in affection of spirit liveth aboue where his maister and head is that vovveth himselfe I say not not in the world a begger but a begger to Christ that though hee possesse riches yet hee is not by riches possessed and albe it hee leaveth not his riches yet hee leaveth his will and desire to bee rich For it was well observed by a learned father The bagge is more easily contemned than the will And if you will you may relinquish all though you keepe all This I say is the richest sacrifice and rightest vowe to giue thy selfe and vowe thy service and adherence to almighty God as wee reade that Peter did but to performe it with more fidelity though all forsake thee I will not And what I beseech you are these sacrifices and vowes but pensions of our duety argumentes and seales of thankefull mindes which is as marrowe and fatnesse to the bones of a righteous man to praise the Lorde with ioyfull lippes to remember him on his bed and to thinke on him in the night watches that is both early and late season and not season to bee telling of all his mercifull workes and recounting to himselfe his manifold loving kindnesses The last thing I proposed is the sentence or Epiphoneme concluding the conclusion or it may be the reason of his former promises I will offer sacrifices c. Why because Salvation is the Lordes I am sure it is the summe of the whole discourse one word for all the very morall of the history Shall I say more it is the argument of the whole prophesie and might have concluded every chapter therein The marriners might have written vpon their ship in steede of Castor Pollux or the like devise Salvation is the Lordes The Ninivites in the next chapter might have written vpon their gates Salvation is the Lordes And whole mankinde whose cause is pittied and pleaded by God against the hardnes of Ionas his hearte in the last might have written in the palmes of their handes Salvation is the Lordes It is the argument of both the testamentes the staffe and supportation of heaven and earth They would both sinke and all their iointes bee severed if the salvation of the Lord were not The birdes in the aire sing no other note the beastes in the fielde give no other voice than Salus Iehovae salvation is the Lordes The walles and fortresses to our cuntry gates
to be fond of it for it came vp in a night and in a night perished 2. for Niniveh it was not a bush or a tree but a citty and not a little but a great cittie and had not onely those of riper yeares but infantes and not a few but sixe score thousande infantes and as they vvere in age to be pittied so for their innocencie because they knâ—vv not their right hand from their lefte and not only men but cattle and not in a sparing quantitie but much catle all vvhich both in nature and vse are better than the gourd for which thou contendest These things considered be thou the iudge whither it be not lawfull reasonable for me me in a far greater matter to take vpon me that right to put on me that affection which thou challengest vnto thy selfe in a much lesse The meÌ„bers of the comparison must be matched together as I goe to giue the more light one to the other for beeing severed we shal not so wel perceiue the force of them Thou I as differeÌ„t as heaveÌ„ earth light darknes thou a maÌ„ I a God thou flesh I spirit thou dust ashes I the Lord of hosts thou a creature I thy maker thou the clay I the potter thou sitting at my foot-stoole I inhabiting eternite thou creeping as a worme vpoÌ„ the circle of the earth I spanning heaveÌ„ earth in my fist weighing the mouÌ„taines hils in a ballance finally especially thou an vnmerciful man cruel hard-hearted without natural affection whose kindnes to mine is not so much as a gravell stone to the whole sea-sand nor as a minute of time to the daies everlasting yet thou takest pitty shal not I much more be moved whome thou hast both preached knowne to be a mercifull gracious long-suffering God The inequality of the persons is very emphaticall forcible thou sparest shall not I spare who haue more wisedome in my purposes more libertie in my actions more goodnes in my nature than al the soÌ„nes of AdaÌ„ so doth our Saviour reason Mat. 7. from this disparity of persons if you which are evill can giue to your children good giftes how much more shall your father which is in heaven giue good thinges to them that aske him So did the famous Orator reason against Catiline Did Pu. Scipio a private man kil Tib. Gracchus but lightly weakning the state of the coÌ„mon weale and shall we that are Consuls let Catiline alone desirous to lay wast the world with slaughterings and fierings So did Iuno reason in the Poet Could Pallas burne the navy of the Grecians but I that am the Queene of the GODS the sister and wife of Iupiter shall I be able to do nothing against mine enemies So likewise it holdeth strongly on the other side from the greater to the lesse as Luke 11. If I through Belzebub cast out devilles by whome doe your childreÌ„ cast theÌ„ out they are far inferiour to me in righteousnes innoceÌ„cy But in the 18 of Mat. beyond al exception O thou evill servant I forgaue thee al that debt because thou praiest me a Lord my servaÌ„t not mine equall I did not respite giue time for but forgiue a greater debt yea all that debt vpon thine owne entreaty Oughtest not thou then to haue had pitty on thy fellow even as I hed on thee Secondly these persons are coÌ„pared as the nature of comparisons requireth in some third thing common to them both thou sparest shal not I spare I depart not from thine own affection the law is equall to vs both if we take leave we must also giue leaue and it is meete that he that craveth pardon for a fault should also yeeld pardon for the same fault If thou hadst favoured I maliced thou pittied I hated thy complaint perhappes had carried some colour of Iustice but both our dispositions are alike thou accusest me of that vvhereof thy selfe art not free thine own deeds thine own mouth witnesse against thee Is it a fault in me to pitty begin at thine owne howse there correct it first go thou vpright before thou accuse me of going crooked But this is the fashion of vs all in fâ—râ— vâ—x decimus quisque est qui sâ—ipsum noverit scarsely every tenth man amongst vs knoweth himselfe And we haue need of censurers to make vs more careful of our own doings who are so privy severe to others mens as Diogenes sometimes was to the Gramatians whom he much laughed at for taking diligent paines in searching after the faults of Vlysses not seeing their owne Thirdly sparing was more agreeable to the nature of God thaÌ„ of Ionas therefore he might better contend for it Never was it more liuely expressed thaÌ„ when David made his choice of a third plague which came immediately from the hands of God man not working therein O let me not fall into the handes of man He praieth to be delivered from his own kinde more than from lionesse and shee-beares A man may play at the hole of an Aspe and handle a Cockatrice vvith more safety than fal into the danger of his owne brother The finger of God hath signed it the Apostle hath concluded it of vs all Iewes Gentiles there is none righteous no not one their throat is an open sepulchre they haue vsed their tongues to deceit the poison of Aspes is vnder their lippes their mouth is full of cursing bitternes their feete are swift to shed bloud calamity destructioÌ„ are in their waies the way of peace they haue not knowne This is the glasse wherein we may all behold our natures If there were neede of proofe I would aske the generations both past and present and they should make report vnto you that neither the maister hath beene safe from the servant of his owne tabernacle nor the king from the subiect that hath lived by the salt of the pallace nor the father from the son of his owne loines nor the brother from his brother of the same wombe nor the husband from the wife of his owne bosome and that not only nature hath beene dissolved and vnknit in private families by treacheries poisonings slaughtering and such like Scythian kindnesse but policie and communitie of life cut a sunder torne and dismembred by sacking of townes and citties depopulations and wastes of whole countries through the vntractable and vnpeaceable nature that man is fallen into But on the other side the mercy of GOD is so infinite that no affection in nature no dimention or proportion in the whole creature hath beene fitte to expresse it The height of heaven aboue the earth the distance of the East from the West the loue of fathers tovvardes their sonnes of mothers towardes the latest fruite of their vvombes of nurses tovvardes their sucking babes Eagles tovvardes their younge ones hennes towardes their chickens haue beene shadovves
there anie vessell more or lesse in honour then the rest are Moses is no better then Samuel Samuel thē David David a king then Amos an heardman Iohn Baptist more then a prophet not more then a prophet in this auctority Peter or Andrewe the first that was chosen not better then Paul that was borne out of due time The foure beastes in the Revelation haue eies alike before and behinde and the Apostles names are euenly placed in the writings of the holy foundation Salomon the vvisest king that euer vvas in Ierusalem perceiued righte vvell that wheresoeuer the vncreated vvisedome of GOD spake it spake of excellent thinges even thinges seemelie for Princes David his princelie father before him had so high a conceite of these ordinances of the most high that vvhere he defineth any thing he esteemeth them for value aboue great spoiles and thousandes of gold and silver yea all maner of riches and for sweetnesse aboue the hony and the honycombe where he leaueth to define he breaketh of with admiration wonderfull are thy testimonies I haue seene an ende of all perfection but thy commandement is exceeding broade meaning thereby not lesse then infinite The Iewes acknowledge the old testament abhorre the new the Turkes disclaime Iulian atheists and skorners deride Grecians haue stumbled at both olde and newe Papistes enlarge the olde vvith Apocryphall vvritings some of the ancient heretickes renoūced some prophets others added to the number of Evangelists but as the disciples of Christ had but one Maister or teacher in heauen and they were all brethren so one was the authour of these holy vvrittes in heaven and they are all sisters and companions and vvith an vnpartiall respect haue the children of Christes familie from time to time receiued reverenced and embraced the whole and entire volume of them They knowe that one Lorde vvas the originall fountaine of them all vvho being supremely good vvrought and spake perfect goodnesse One vvorde and vvisedome of God revealed these wordes to the sonnes of men himselfe the subiect and scope of them one holie Ghost endited them one bloude of the lambe sealed and confirmed the contentes of them one measure of inspiration vvas given to the pen-men and actuaries that set them downe one spowse and beloved of Christ as gages of his eternall loue hath received them all in keeping And surely shee hath kept them as the apple of her eie and rather then any maime or rent shoulde bee made in their sacred bodye shee hath sent her children into heaven maimed in their owne bodies and spoiled of their dearest bloud they had thinking it a crowne of ioie vnto them to lay downe their liues in the cause of trueth And therefore as branches of the same vine that bare our predecessours to vvhome by devolution these sacred statutes are come vvee esteeme them all for Gods most royall and celestiall testament the oracles of his heavenly sanctuary the onelie keye vnto vs of his revealed counselles milke from his sacred breastes the earnest and pledge of his favour to his Church the light of our feete ioy of our heartes breath of our nostrels pillar of our faith anchor of our hope ground of our loue evidences and deedes of our future blessednes pronouncing of the vvhole booke with every schedule and skrole therein conteyned as hee did of a booke that Sextius vvrote but vpon farre better groundes vivit viget liber est supra hominem est It is a booke of life a booke of liuelyhood a booke in deede savouring of more then the wit of man Notwithstanding as the parcelles of this booke were published and delivered by divers notaries the instruments of Gods owne lippes in divers ages divers places vpon divers occasions and neither the argument nor the stile nor the end and purpose the same in them all some recounting thinges forepassed some foreseeing thinges to come some singing of mercy some of iudgement some shallowe for the lambe to wade in some deepe enough to beare and drowne the Elephant some meate that must bee broken and chevved vvith painefull exposition some drinke that at the first sighte may bee supt and swallowed dovvne somevvhat in some or other parte that may please all humours as the Ievves imagine of their Manna that it rellishte not to all alike but to everie man seemed to taste accordinglie as his hart lusted so though they vvere all vvritten for our learning and comforte yet some may accorde at times and lende application vnto vs for their matter and vse more then others Of all the fovvles of the ayre I meane the Prophetes of the LORDE flying from heaven vvith the winges of divine inspiration I haue chosen the Doue for so the name of Ionah importeth and Ierome so rendereth it to Paulinus to bee the subiecte of my labour and travell vndertaken amongest you vvho vnder the type of his shipwracke and escape figuringe the passion and resurrection of the sonne of GOD and comming from the sea of Tharsis as that Doue of Noahs Arke came from the vvaters of the floude vvith an oliue branch in his lippes in signe of peace preacheth to Niniveh to the Gentiles to the vvhole vvorlde the vndeserved goodnesse of GOD towardes repentant sinners For if you vvill knowe in briefe vvhat the argument of this Prophet is it is abridged in that sentence of the Psalme The LORDE is mercifull and gracious of longe suffering and of grette goodnesse Hee is mercifull in the first parte of the prophecy to the Mariners gracious in the seconde to Ionas long suffering in the thirde to the Ninivites and of great goodnesse in the fourth in pleading the rightfulnesse of his mercie and yeelding a reason of his facte to him vvhich had no reason to demaunde it So from the foure chapters of Ionas as from the foure windes is sent a comfortable breath and gale of most aboundant mercies And as the foure streames in paradise flowing from one heade vvere the same water in foure divisions so the foure chapters or sections of this treatise are but quadruple mercie or mercie in foure parts And so much the rather to bee harkened vnto as an action of mercie is more gratefull vnto vs then the contemplation the vse then the knowledge the example then the promise and it is sweeter to our taste beeing experienced by proofe then vvhen it is but taught and discoursed You heare the principall matter of the prophecie But if you woulde knowe besides what riches it offereth vnto you it is a spirituall library as Cassiodore noted of the Psalmes of most kindes of doctrine fit for meditation or as Isidore spake of the Lordes prayer and the Creede the vvhole breadth of scripture may hither bee reduced Here you haue Genesis in the sodaine and miraculous creation of a gourd Moses and the lawe in denuntiation of iudgement Chronicle in the relation of an history Prophecy in prefiguring the resurrection of
for the kings shippes went to Tharsis with the servants of Hiram every three yeares once came the shippes of Tharsis and brought golde and silver yvorye apes and peacockes or vvhether it signifie Carthage which Dido sometime built and is now called Tunes which is the opinion of Theodoret and others or vvhether Tartessus a towne in Spaine or vvhether that city in Cilicia nearer to Syria vvhence Paul reporteth himselfe to haue beene in the 21. of the Actes I am a citizen in Tharsis a famous city in Cilicia or vvhether the whole countrey of Cilicia because in auncient times if Iosephus deceiue vs not all Cilicia vvas called Tharsis by the name of the chiefe city or whether it name vnto vs any other place not yet agreed vpon partly by curious partly by industrious authors it skilleth not greatly to discourse I leaue you for your satisfactiō therin to more ample cōmentaries But certeine I am vvhether his minde beare him to lande or to sea to Asia or Africk cuntry or city nearer or farther of at Niniveh he commeth not which was the place of Gods apointment Many dispute many things vvhy Ionas forsooke Niniveh and fled to Tharsis 1. The infirmity of the flesh some say was the cause pusillanimity of minde vvant of courage beeing terrified vvith the greatnesse of the citye 2. Or there was no hope say others of the dry when the greene was so barren The children of Israell had so hardened his heart with the hardnesse of theirs that he coulde not imagine the children of Ashur would ever haue fallen to repentāce 3. Or the strangenesse of the charge dismaide him for vvhen all other Prophets were sent to Israell he reasoneth vvith himselfe vvhy should I bee sent to Niniveh it was as vncoth vnto him as when Peter was willed to arise kill and eate vncleane beastes and hee answered in plaine termes not so Lorde 4. Or it might bee zeale to his countrey because the conversion of the Gentiles hee sawe woulde bee the eversion of the Iewes And surely this is a greate tentation to the minde of man the disadvantage and hinderance of brethren For this cause Moses interposed himselfe in the quarrell betvveene the Hebrew and the AEgyptian and slew the AEgyptian and in the behalfe of all Israell he afterwardes prayed vnto the Lord against his owne soule If thou wilt pardon their sinne thy mercie shall appeare but if thou wilt not I pray thee raze mee out of the booke of life which thou hast written 5. Or it might bee hee was afraide to be accounted a false prophet if the sequele of his prophecy fell not out which reason is afterward expressed by him in the fourth chapter I pray thee Lorde was not this my saying when I was in mine owne countrey c. As I saide of the place before so of the reasons that mooved him for this present till fitter occasions bee offered vvhatsoever it vvere that drewe him awaie vvhether weakenesse of spirite or despayre of successe or insolency of charge or ielousie over the Israelites or feare of discredite sure I am that hee commeth not to Niniveh but resolveth in his heart to reiect a manifest commandement I make no quaestion but in every circumstance forehandled he vncovereth his owne nakednes and laieth himselfe open to the censure and crimination of all men As who would say will you know the person without dissembling his name It was Ionas his readines without deliberation he ariseth his hast without intermission he flyeth the place farre distant from the which God had appointed Tharsis And if all these will not serue to prooue the disobedience of Ionas a a fault by his owne confession then harken vnto the next word if other were but candels to discover it this is a blazing lampe to lay it forth to all mens sight 5 From the presence of the Lord. He flyeth into Tharsis from the presence of the Lorde how can that bee if it bee true which David wisheth in the 27. Psalme Blessed bee his glorious name for ever and let all the earth bee filled with his glorie But in the hundreth thirty and eighth Psalme wonderfull are the testimonies that the prophet there bringeth to amplifie Gods illimited presence O Lord thou hast tried mee and knowne mee thou knowest my sitting and my rising thou vnderstandest my thoughtes a farre of c. For not to stay your eares with commemoration of all those argumentes this I gather in summe that there is neither heaven nor hell nor the outtermost part of the sea neither day nor night light nor darkenesse that can hide vs from his face Our sitting rising lying downe the thoughtes of our heartes wordes of our tongues waies of our feete nay our raines our bones our mothers wombes wherein wee laye in our first informitye and imperfection are so well knowne vnto him If this vvere his purpose to thinke that the presence of God might bee avoided who sitteth vpon the circle of heaven and beholdeth the inhabitantes of the earth as grasse-hoppers whose throne is the heaven of heavens and the earth his footestoole and his waies are in the greate deepe I must then needes say vvith Ieremie doubtlesse every man is a beast by his owne knowledge Prophet or no prophet If the spirit of God instruct him not hee is a beast worse then Melitides that naturall foole of vvhome Histories speake that hee coulde not define whether his father or his mother brought him forth But I cannot suppose such palpable and grosse ignorance in a prophet who knowing that God was well knowen in Iurie and his name greate in Israell coulde not be ignorant that God was the same God and the presence of his Godhead no lesse in Tharsis and all other countries What then is the meaning of this phrase He fled from the presence of the Lord 1. Some expounde it thus He left the whole border and grounde of Israell where the presence of the Lord though it were not more then in other places yet it was more evident by the manifestations of his favours graces towards them There was the Arke of the covenant and the sanctuary and the Lord gaue them answere by dreames oracles and other more speciall arguments of his abode there Moses spake truth in the 4. of Deut. of this priviledge of Israel what nation is so great vnto whom their Gods come so neare vnto them as the Lord is neare vnto vs in all that wee call vpon him for Davids acclamation Psalm 147. goeth hande in hand with it He hath not dealt so with other nations neither haue the heathen knowledge of his iudgments But I rather conceiue it thus which maketh much for the confirmation of my matter now in hand He fled from the presēce of the Lord when hee turned his backe vpon him shooke of his yoke and willfully renounced his commaundement It is a signe of obedience that servantes beare vnto their Lords and maisters when
a marveilous worke a wonder For the wisdome of the wise men shal perish the vnderstanding of the prudent men shall be hid Before he bad them stay themselues wonder that men should be drunken but not with wine stagger but not with strong drinke The cause followeth the Lord had covered them with a spirit of slumber and shut their eies There are many and mighty nations at this day their soile most happy their aire sweetly disposed people for flesh and bloud as towardly as the ground carrieth most provident to forecast most ingenious to invent most able actiue to performe of whoÌ„e you would say if you tried them Surely this is a wise people and of great vnderstanding To whome notwithstanding if Christ shoulde speake in person as he spake to Saule before his illumination why persecutest thou mee why do you stumble at my gospell and are offended at my name and account the preaching of my crosse foolishnesse they woulde aske as hee did who art thou or what is thy gospell name and crosse that thou tellest vs of So blind they are to beholde our day-spring so ignorant and vntaught touching Iesus of Nazareth Or if we should aske them of the holy ghost haue you received the holy ghost since you beleeved nay doe you beleeue that there is an holy ghost they would answere as the Ephesians did to Paul we haue not so much as heard whether there be an holy ghost What new doctrine is this they seeme to bee setters forth of new Gods and though they acknovvledge some God which nature it selfe obtrudeth vnto their thoughts yet they know not the God of Sydrach Misach Abednego whom Nabuchodonosor with that difference confessed after his vnderstaÌ„ding was restored vnto him nor the God of Daniell whome Darius by that name magnified after he saw the deliveraÌ„ce of his prophet from the lions den nor the God of Abraham Isaac Iacob to whom the promises were made nor the Lord God of heaven which hath made the sea and the dry land here specified Is it not a wonder thinke you that the people of the Turkes the hammer of the world as sometimes Babylon the rod of christendome able to say as the Psalme spake of Gilead and Manasses c. Asia is mine Africke is mine over Europe haue I cast my shooe a warlike politicke stately magnificent nation shoulde more bee carried avvaie by the enchantmentes of their lewde Prophet Mahomet then by the celestiall doctrine of the everlasting sonne of GOD who shed his bloud and gaue his soule a ransome for the sinne of mankinde what is the reason heereof vvant they nature or an arme of flesh are they not cutte from the same rocke are they not tempered of the same moulde are not thâ—ir heades vpwarde towarde heaven as the heades of other men haue they not reasonable soules capable and iudicious VVhat wante they then It is rectus spiritus a right spirite whereof they are destitute they haue a spirite I graunte to enliue their bodies but not rectified sanctified regenerated renewed to quicken their soules They haue an hearte to conceiue but it is a frowarde hearte a slowe hearte a stonie hearte a vaine and foolish hearte a skornefull contemptuous insolent incredulous heart against him that framed it Now if AEgypt bee so darke that the darkenesse thereof may be felt and it is a wonder in our eies to see such mistes in other places yet let Goshen reioyce that it standeth illightned still And those that haue seene an happye starre in the East to leade them to Christ which Herode and his princes the Turke and his Bassaws never sawe let them come and worship and bring presentes vnto the king of glory not of golde mirrhe and frankincense but of the finest mettall purest odours frankest offering of thankfull harts And let them not thinke but where more is received more vvill bee required and that they must answere to the Lorde of these talentes not onelye for nature but for a speciall inspiration besides wherewith they are endued And so to ende this point Blessed are your eies for they see and your eares for they heare I will not say that which many Prophets and righteous men haue desired but to change the speech a little that which many mighty Empires and large Continentes and not small cantons or corners but vvhole quarters of the world never attained vnto and will bitterly rue the time and wish to redeeme vvith the losse of both their eies that they haue not heard and seene as much as you haue done To come now to my purpose these marriners feare but where no feare is they feare nothing because they feare but idols and fansies the suppositioÌ„s of their owne braines And as they feare so they pray which was the second action and their errour therein being pardoned a naturall necessary service belonging to every mortall man their praier is consequent to their feare For vpon the reverence they carried towards their imaginary Gods they betooke themselues to this submissiue and suppliant service Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor Vnles we feared we could not thinke that there were a God But this actioÌ„ of theirs hath something good in it something to be reproved 1 In that they pray it sheweth the debility and weaknes of the nature of man if it be not holpen and commendeth the necessity and vse of prayer in all sorts of men 2 In that they pray with crying vehemency it noteth that their harts were fixed earnestly loÌ„ged for that which their lips craved 3 In that they cry to their Gods it proveth it a tribute due vnto God alone by the practise of heathen men 4 In that they pray every man as if in a common cause though they had not a common religion yet they had one soule hart and tongue common to them all it noteth the communion and fellowship of mankinde Thus far the observations hold good Their praying sheweth the misery of mortall men crying in praier their earnest desire to obtaine praying to Gods the maiesty of the immortal power praying togither that bond of humanity and brotherhood wherewith we are coupled 5 Their errour is a part of their obiect in the number of the Gods which they invocate that every person in the ship hath a proper and peculiar God whome he calleth vpon The Gods of the nations haue beene multiplied as the sandes of the sea what haue they not deified it cost but a little frankincense to giue the godhead vvhere it pleased them they haue turned the glorye of the immortall God into the similitude of the image of corruptible man and of birdes and foure footed beastes and of creeping thinges Besides the sunne and moone and the whole hoast of heaven they haue consecrated for Gods the sonnes of men vvhose breath is a vapour in their nostrels vvho shall be consumed before the vnprofitable mothes of
vvhich are not vvilling to redeeme the liues of their brethren shall I say vvith the hazarde of their owne liues no nor with the losse of their shoe-latchets with the hazarde I meane of transitory and fading commodities vvhich never are touched with the afflictions of Ioseph and though a number be greeued and pinched as if they belonged to a forreine bodie neuer vouchsafe to partake the smart with them vvith whome it is a common speech that that dieth let it die that they may knovve at length they were not borne to singe or say laugh or ioy to themselues not to eate and drinke thriue or liue to their priuate families but that others which stand in neede by very prerogatiue of mankinde haue also an interest in their succour and seruice I noted the humanity of the marriners by occasion of some circuÌ„stances before past and I woulde now haue spared you in the repetition of the same argument but that my texte spareth you not I vvere vvorthy of much blame if when my guide shewed mee the way I would purposedly forsake it neither caÌ„ I iustly make mine excuse if when the scripture taketh me by the hand biddeth me commend humanity once againe I then neglect it You may perceiue hovve vvell they affected Ionas both by the continuance and by the excesse of their paines I make it a further proofe that it is saide in the text The men rovved as if hee had saide they vvere meere straungers vnto mee I cannot say they are Grecians or Cilicians I knowe not their countries or dwelling places I knowe not their private generations and kindreds much lesse their proper names and conditions I know them no more then to be men after the name commonly belonging to all mankinde It is an vsuall manner amongst vs when we know not men by their other differences and proprieties to tearme them by that generall appellation which apperteineth equally to vs all When Paul was disposed to conceale his person as touching the visions and revelations which were sent vnto him I knovve saith he a man in Christ whether in the bodie or out of the body c. I say not that he was an Hebrewe I name no Apostle I name not Paul I knovve a man of such a man I vvill reioice of my selfe I vvill not excepte it bee of mine infirmities They asked the young man vvhose sight vvas restored Iohn 6. Hovve his eies were opened who because hee knew not Christ in the propriety either of his nature or office to be the sonne of God or the Messias that shoulde come he answered thus for himselfe The man that is called Iesus made clay and anointed mine eies Concerning whom he afterwardes bevvraieth his ignoraunce whether a sinner or no I cannot tel but one thing I know that I was blinde and now I see Is it not thinke you a vvonderfull blemish and maime to Christianity that those vvho were but men even straungers vnto Ionas aliens in countrey aliens in religion but that they beganne a litle to bee seasoned with the knowledge of the true God shoulde thus bee minded vnto him vvee that are ioyned and builte togither not onely in the frame of our common kinde but in a new building that came from heauen vvee that are men and more than men men of an other birth than vvee tooke from Adam men of a better family than our fathers house regenerate sanctified sealed by the spirite of God against the day of redemption men that are concorporate vnder one heade Iesus Christ knitte and vnited by nature grace by fleshe faith humanity Christianitie shoulde be estranged in affection Christians towards Christians protestantes towards protestants more than ever were Iewes and Samaritanes of whom we read in the gospel that they might not converse Doubtlesse there are many thinges that haue an attractiue vertue to winne and gaine the opinions of men vnto them The vnestimable vvisedome of Salomon drevve a vvoman a Queene from a farre countrey that shee might but heare and question with him The admirable learning of Origen caused vngracious and wicked Porphyrie to go froÌ„ his natiue land â—o the citty of Alexandria to see him and Mammaea the Empresse to send for him into her presence It never wanteth honor that is excellent The voice of friendship where it is firmely plight is this as Ambrose observeth in his offices Tuus sum totus I am wholy thine What difference was there betwixte Alexander Hephestion Marriage by the ordinaÌ„ce of God knoweth no other methode but composition of two it maketh one as God of one before made two by resolution The first day of marriage soleÌ„nized amongst the heathens the bride challenged of the bridegrome Vbi tu Caius ego Caia where you are master I will be mistresse But the onely load-stone attractiue vpon the earth to draw heauen and earth men angels East West Iewes Barbarians sea and lande landes and Islandes togither and to make one of two of thousands of all is religion by which they are coupled and compacted vnder the government of one Lord tied and conglutinate by the sinewes of one faith washed from their sinnes by the same laâ—er of new birth nourished by the milke of the same word feasted at the supper of the same Lambe and assumed by the same spirit of adoption to the vndoubted inheritance of one and the same kingdome And I cannot mislike their iudgement who thinke that the little knowledge of God but elementary learning which Ionas preached when he made his graue confession of the true God laide the foundation of all this kindnes which proceeded from these marriners How hath religion bin a band vnto Christendome the discordes dissensions whereof like a fire in the midst of the house consuming both timber stones haue laide more countries to the dition of the Turke than ever his bow shield could haue purchased Wee maie truely say as they in Athens sometimes we of Athens our selues haue amplified strengthned Philip our enimy It was prudeÌ„tly espied by Cortugal one of the Turkish princes in his oration perswasiue to his Lord to besiege Rhodes Christianus occasus discordijs intestinis corroboratur the fal of Christendome is set forward by civil disagreemeÌ„t In the daies of Mahomet the second they had gleaned out of Christendome I mean those polluted Saracens like scattered eares of corne neglected by the owners 200. cities 12. kingdomes 2. empires What an harvest they haue reaped since that time or rather wee reaped for them who knoweth not yet the canker runneth on fretting and eating into Christendome because the whole neglecteth the partes seeketh not to preserue them VVho is not mooved with that lamentable description which AEneas Silvius maketh of Greece in his oration against the Turkes for the composing and attoneing of Christened kingdomes O noble Greece beholde nowe thine ende thou art deade and buried If vvee seeke for
doth not onely permitt the false spirit Thou shalt seduce Ahab but giveth encouragement also thou shalt prevaile and addeth a commaundement goe forth and alloweth of the forme of dealing in the matter doe so Now that you may knowe how innocent the Lord is in an action of such preiudice observe the circumstances of the place well 1. The thing intended is that Ahab might fall at Ramoth Gilead Which purpose of God once set is so vnchangeable that if heaven and earth were confederate they can not save the life of Ahab God shall send forth a spirit the spirit deceave prophets prophets entice Ahab Ahab change his apparrell and though Iehoshaphat be the fairer marke yet Iehoshaphat shall escape and one shall draw an arrowe by chance and smite Ahab betwixte his brigandine and hee shall dye at evening hee did so Therefore touching the ende of this businesse it is no iniustice in God to execute iudgement and wrath vpon a famous adversary 2. Concerning the meanes enquiry was made who should entice Ahab because in the nature of God himselfe it was not to entice him 3. That which he doth he doth by a spirit not by himselfe 4. by an evil spirit of his bād retinew who stood before God 1. Iob. 5. The spirit commeth furnished of his owne for vvhen one saide thus another otherwise he profered his service to to entice him 6. When God demaunded of the meanes hee invented the practise by being a false spirit in the mouth of his prophets 7. What were those prophets of Ahab men that were faithlesse of themselues whose guise it was either for rewardes or for favour of the king to say they had dreamed when they had not and the Lorde hath saide when hee never saide it So there is both malice in the spirit and falshood in the prophets before God setteth either hand or hearte to the businesse Therefore what doth the Lord therin he fitteth vpō the throne as the iudge moderator of the whole action hee commādeth the attendance of al the army of heaven on the right hande and on the lefte cleane and vncleane spirites are in subiection to him hee giveth leave to them who without his leave are vnable to doe any thinge thou shalt entice hee giveth the successe which all the kingdome of darkenes coulde not effect if hee woulde hinder it thou shalt prevaile he biddeth goe and they goe runne and they runne to shew that all the creatures of the worlde serue him hee disposeth the course Do so that is doe so and no more than so as much as to say Since thou hast malice to bestowe extende it vpon Ahab rather than Iehoshaphat and falshood to infuse powre it forth vpon the 400. prophets of Ahab rather than vpon Michaeas or any prophet of mine and let the fall of Ahab be at Ramoth Gilead rather than in another place and in this battaile with the king of Aram rather than at another time Thus when the matter is their owne God giveth the fashioning and ordering thereof in some sorte touching the persons time place and other the like particulars But why is it further saide that God put a lying spirit into the mouth of these prophets of Ahab 1. hee did it by way of a punishment to bee avenged of that custome of lying which they were inured vnto aforetime 2. hee did it by his instrument having both life and will to doe hurte not by himselfe 3. he did it in this sense that he staied not the wicked purpose by interposing the aide of his good spirit By this time I thinke it appeareth that in the actions and passions of vnrighteous men there is more to bee deemed of God than his bare permission For doubtlesse hee hath his will therein neither in alluring neither in counselling and much lesse in compellinge thereunto but in ordering and governing them in applying them to better endes than the oftendours are aware of and in ordeining his iust iudgements consequently thereupon Therefore when I say he hath his will therein mistake me not He hath not a will in such sort as if he approved sin chose or desired sin as if he bare appetite liking thereto It is rather voluntas than volitio if I may so speake a wil than a willingnes it is his will by obliquity a side-will vnproper vndirect and in respect not to the sinne it selfe but some other good adioyned vnto it as when a man is put to have his arme or legge cut off for a further benefite hee beareth and beareth it with his will not that he liketh of the dismembring of his body or loosing of a ioynte but that he desireth some other good vvhich hee foreseeth may ensue thereby Thus hee permitted and more hee decreed the treason of Iudas and iniquity of the Ievves against his annointed sonne as you have it confessed by the Apostles Actes the fourth that Herode and Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israell gathered themselves togither against the holy sonne of GOD Iesus to doe whatsoever his hande and his counsell had determined before to be done God had determined it before not in the favour of their sinne but of our redemption Take away the wickednesse of the prodition of Iudas thou shalt also take away the crosse and passion of Christ if the death of Christ had not beene then neither his resurrection nor anie first begotten from the deade nor anie hope of our resurrection Take avvay the malice of the brethren of Ioseph thou shalt togither kill the dispensation of GOD a fault never to be excused the more vnnaturall because it came from brethren the more vnreasonable because of envie without iust cause the more vnsufferable because they added lying and bound two sinnes togither and it was in likelihoode the hastning of their fathers death Yet Ioseph tolde his brethren when they came into Egypt Grieve not your selves that yee solde mee hither for God sent mee hither for your preservation this they never foresaw neither was it the end of their dispightfull dealing you sent mee not hither but God who hath made mee a father to Pharao and Lorde of his house and ruler throughout all Egypt when you repined that I vvas a brother amongst you and left mee no footing in mine owne fathers house Afterwards when his brethren fell downe at his feet confessed their sin hee answered them feare not am I in steede of God set to execute iudgment When you thought evill against me God disposed it to good that hee might vvorke as it is come to passe this day and save much people alive All the wits in the world cannot better set downe the state of the questiō They thought evill God disposed it to good they to vngorge themselves of that venimous malice which the prosperity of Ioseph conceived from his dreames instilled into their heartes God to preserve them in a famine to come and to save much people
greate and vvide sea vvherein are thinges creeping innumerable both small and greate beastes There goe the shippes the artificiallest wonder that ever vvas framed and there goeth that Leviathan the wonder of that nature vvhom thou hast made to play therein In the booke of Iob two argumeÌ„ts are produced to amplifie the incomparable power of God Behemoth by land Leviathan by sea and for the power and perswasion of wordes I do not thinke that ever more was vsed than where the power of those 2. creatures is expressed Of the latter of these it is professed in open tearms I wil not keepe silence coÌ„cerning his parts nor his power nor his comely proportion Indeed they are all worthily described by the tongue of the learned eveÌ„ the learnedst tongue that the holy ghost had Never were there rivers flouds of eloqueÌ„ce neither in the orators of AtheÌ„s Rome nor in the Seraphins of heaveÌ„ equal to those that are powred forth in that narratioÌ„ Augustine some-where noteth that al men marvailed at Tullies tongue but not his inveÌ„tion At Aristotles inveÌ„tioÌ„ all men but not his tongue At Platoes invention tongue both But for a tongue wisdome to not to be vttered by the tongue nor to be coÌ„prehended by the wisdoÌ„e of mortal man I remit you to those chapters Ierome writeth of the whole booke Singulain eo verba plena sunt sensibus Every word of it is very sententious But no where through the whole more sense more substance grace and maiestie spent than where the meaning and intent was that the maiesty of the most high God should fully be illustrated To cast mine eies backe againe from wheÌ„ce I am digressed it is writteÌ„ of the whale that wheÌ„ he swimmeth sheweth himselfe vpoÌ„ the flouds you would think that ilaÌ„ds swam towards you and that very high hils did aspire to heaven it selfe with their tops Pliny giveth the reasoÌ„ why many beasts in the sea are bigger theÌ„ those vpoÌ„ land Causa evidens humoris luxuria The evideÌ„t cause saith he is superfluity of moisture Howbeit it holdeth not in birds whose ofspring is froÌ„ the waters to quibus vita pendentibus because they liue haÌ„ging as it were hovering or waâ—ting in the aire But in the open champian sea being of a soft fruitfull encrease semperque pariente naturâ of a nature that is ever breeding and bringing forth monsters are often engendred He writeth of Balaeâ—a the whirle-poole or we may english iâ— also a whale so doth Tremelius interpret the name of Leviathan in Iob the Psalme that in the Indian sea there are some founde to the largenes of fowre acres of grounde that they are laden surcharged with their owne waight Likewise he reporteth of other beasts in the sea that the dores of houses were made of their iawes and the rafters of their bones some of which bones were 40. cubites in length and that the skins of some were broad enough to cover habitable houses So true is the opinion of the people coÌ„monly received that whatsoeuer is bred in any part of nature is in the sea many creatures besides which are no where els And therfore the lesse marvaile may it seeme eveÌ„ to a natural man by the course of nature it selfe his lady mistresse that God should prepare a fish great enough to swallow vp Ionas For the attribute is not adioyned for naught A great fish Seneca the philosopher writeth of one Senetio sirnamed Grandio others haue beene called Magni for the greatnes of their vertues Alexander in Greece Pompey in Rome Arsaces in Parthia Charles amongst the Emperors the great and Gregory the great amongst the Popes but Senetio had to name the graÌ„d or the great for his great vanity He liked of nothing that was not great He would not speake but what was great He kept no servants but great Vsed no plate but great The shoes he ware were over great The figs he ate were great outlaÌ„dish figs And he had a wife besids of a great stature But whosoever is greatest vpoÌ„ the face of the earth though his stile be as great as that emperours of whoÌ„ Eusebius writeth whose titles were suÌ„med togither in a long catalogue The greatest bishop greatest in Thebes greatest in Sarmatia in Persia fiue times the greatest greatest in Germany greatest in Egypt yet I will say vnto him as the Psalme to the princes of that time Give vnto the Lord yee sons of the mightie giue vnto the Lord glorie and strength giue vnto the Lord the honour due vnto his name That greatnesse belongeth vnto the Lord alone wee are taught by an excellent phrase of speech proper to the Hebrews The striving of Raâ—ell with her sister Leah about the bearing of childreÌ„ because it was very great is called the wrastling of God The mountaines of the earth wherwith the righteousnesse of God is coÌ„pared because they were very great are called the mountaines of God The city of Niniveh because very great of 3. daies iourney is called the citie of God In all which singular idiotismes the letter it selfe directeth vs rightly where to bestowe all greatnes Vndoubtedly it was the great God of heaven and earth that prepared great lightes in the firmament great fishes in the sea great men great beasts vpon the drie land magnitudinis eius non est finis and there is no ende no limits of his greatnesse To swallowe vp Ionas They have an history in prophane reading that Arion the Lesbian a famous musitian beeing embarked with some who for the gaine of his money woulde haue cast him into the sea he craved a litle respite of them before his casting forth taking his harpe in hand playing a while theron at length himselfe leapt into the waters was caried vpon the backe of a dolphin to the landing place intended before the Mariners could possibly ariue there In Herodotus the father of history saith Tully there are innumerable fables happily this amongst the rest But I alleadge it to this end that if God had prepared a whale to have borne Ionas vpon his back to have held him aboue the waters where he might have beheld the light of heaven drawn the comfort of the aire as other living souls there had been no fear of miscariage It is quite contrarie for the Lorde prepared a fish to swallow vp Ionas Whereof one spake a thing not hearde of before the belly of a fish is the habitation of a man If of a man dismeÌ„bred dissolved piece-meale I would never haue doubted The crocodiles of Nilus in Egypt Gangs in India other rivers of Mexico Peru will devour not onely men but whole heards of cattell And a physitian of our latter times hath written Calvin not sparing to testifie the seme that in the bowels of a Lamia hath beene found a whole armed man But Ionas is taken in
ages were heapes of ashes and cloudes of pitch but fire and brimstone from a bottomlesse mine which burneth in the lake of death and shall never cease from burning Lastly this is that greate wine-presse of the wrath of God where the smoke of torment ascendeth for evermore and there is no rest day nor night those endlesse and vnmercifull plagues which the angels powre out of their vialles when men have given them bloude to drinke and boile in heate and gnaw their tongues for sorrowe And yet are these but shadowes and semblances which the scripture hath vsed therein to exemplifie in some sorte the calamities to come fearefull enough if there were no more to make the heart of the strongest melte and fall asunder within him as the yce against the summers sunne but that as the ioyes of heaven are vnmeasurable for their parte so concerning the paines of hell the eye hath never seene the eare not hearde the tongue not vttered the heart not conceived them sufficiently in their nature and perfection That accursed glutton in the gospell who coulde speak by experience of his vnestimable discruciatioÌ„s as Aeneas did of the troubles of Troy Et quorum pars vna fut what I haue felt and borne a parte of he giveth a warning to al his brethren in the flesh not to accounte so lightly as they doe of the tormentes of that place The flames fervour wherof were so importunate to exact their due of him that hee craved with more streams of teares thaÌ„ ever Esau sought his blessing but one drop of water to coole his tongue with could not obtaine it And what if all the rivers in the South if all the waters in the Ocean sea had bene graÌ„ted him his tongue notwithstanding would haue smarted and withered with heat stil he would haue cried in the laÌ„guage of hel It is not enough Or what if his toÌ„gue had bene eased his hart his liver his lunges his bowels his armes his legs would haue fried stil. O bitter day when not the least finger I say not of God whose hand is wholy medicinal but not of the poorest saint in heaven nor the skantest drop I say not from the waters of life but not of the waters of the brooke shal be spared to a soule to giue it comfort Which if the latest day of al the running generations of men if the great yeare which Plato dreamed of might ever end the ease were somewhat for hopes sake But it is apointed for a time times no time even when time shall be no more then shal it continue The gates are kept from egresse as the gates of paradise were warded from entrance not by the Cherubines with the blade of a sworde but by the angels of Sathan with all the instrumentes of death and the seale of Gods eternal decree set thereunto as the seale of the high priestes and rulers were set vpon the tombe-stone of Christ. The covenant of day and night shall one day bee changed The starres shall finish their race the elements melt with heat heaven and earth be renued sommer and winter have an end but the plagues of the prisoners in hell shall never be released If you aske the cause why I enter so large and vngratefull a discourse of hel vpon so smal an offer in my text as some may conceive I will not dissemble it Some may be deceived by the translation impropriety and abuse of words For because they heare the name of hell alleadged and applied to the present tribulations of this life they are induced thereby to thinke that there is no other hell nor sorer vexations elswhere to be sustained as some on the other side hearing the rest of God to be called by name of Ierusalem that is aboue the wals foundations wherof are saphires carbuncles c. take it to be no more thaÌ„ IerusaleÌ„ in Palestina or Venice in Italy or any the like glorious and sumptuous cittie vpon the face of the earth and therefore dispose themselues with so much the colder affection to the attainment of it Some haue taught and commaunded their tongues to speake a lye to say that there is no hel for I caÌ„not thinke that ever they shal commaÌ„d their harts to deny it as Tully spake of Metrodorus an atheist of his time I never sawe any man that more feared those â—hings which he said were not to be feared I meane death the gods so I wil never perswade my selfe but the atheists of our times hartilie feare that which they are content to say they feare not Now lest these sleepy adders should passe their time in a dreame or rather in a lethargy no man awaking theÌ„ vp from their carelesse supine opinions wherwith they enchant their soules infect others Let not the watchman hold his peace least they die in their sins for waÌ„t of warning let the truÌ„pet of iudgmeÌ„t ofteÌ„ be blowne vnto theÌ„ let it be published in their eares 7· times as the rams-horns 7 times souÌ„ded about the wals of Iericho that their ruine downfal is at hand that hel gapeth for theÌ„ that God hath ordained long since their impious blasphemous spirites to immortal malediction Of others that is true which God complaineth in Esay Let mercy be shewed to the wicked yet he wil not learne righteousnes Preach honor glory peace a garlaÌ„d of rightousnes an vncorruptible crowne fruit of the tree of life sight of the face of God following the laÌ„be fellowship with angels saintes the congregatioÌ„ of first-borne new names and white garments pleasures at the right hand of God and fulnes of ioy in his presence for evermore they are as obstinately bent vnmovably setled against these blessings of God as Daniel against the hire of Balthazar keepe thy rewardes to thy selfe and giue thy giftes to an other They are not wonne nor enarmoured with the expectation of good thinges and the revelation of the sons of God which the whole creature longeth groneth for savoureth no more vnto them than a boxe of putrified ointment What is there no way to quicken put life into them yes If the blessings of sixe Levites vpon mount Garizzim will not mooue them let them heare the cursing of sixe others vpon mount Ebal if they take no pleasure in the beautie of Sion let the thundering lightning of Sinai fire to the midst of heaven mistes cloudes smoke ascending like the smoke of a fornace the exceeding lowde sounde of a trumpet put them in feare make them beleeue that there is a God of iudgment if the spirit of gentlenes take no place shake the rod over them as the Apostle speaketh Giue theÌ„ mourning for ioy ashes for beauty the spirit of heavines for the oile of gladnes a rent insteed of a girdle teare I say not their garments but their hearts a sunder pull their bodies
He roared then for Lazarus whom he loved and for Martha's sake and for other of the Iewes that were there abouts But afterwardes in his owne cause when not onely his soule was vexed vnto death and vexation helde it in on every side but when he cried with a great voice My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and crying againe with a great voice gaue vp the ghost Therefore the Apostle speaking of the daies of his flesh and that fruite of his lippes and spirite which wee are now in hande with thought it not sufficient to make mention of his praiers and supplications nor of his teares which watered his blessed plantes nor of a crie alone weakely sent forth but of a stronge cry which if heaven were brasse were able to breake through it So it is saide of the â—pirite of God who helpeth our infirmities that because wee know not our selues what to aske as wee ought to doe hee maketh request in our names with grones not to bee expressed Ipse inducitur gemens qui gementes facit hee that putteth groninge into vs is brought in groninge himselfe The voice of the 〈◊〉 is hearde in our lande the groninge of this turtle doue is heard within our bosome Vox quidâ—m gementinon caâ—enti similis a voice in truth as of one that mourneth and that siâ—geth not Thus the example of the glorious Lorde of life who mourned vnspeakably not for the sinnes of his owne person but of the sonnes and daughters of Ierusalem who led the way before vs in water and bloud not in water alone but in water and bloude both who with his bleeding teares shewed vs the right forme of faithfull supplications this very example biddeth vs crie in our prayers The helpe and assistance of the blessed spirit of God groning as vnmeasurably on the other side not for his owne necessities but for ours his wretched creatures and clientes not of infirmitye in himselfe but of compassion towards vs whome wee continually greeue and no way so much as for want of our greefe and repentance biddeth vs cry The dreadfuâ—l maiestye of the sacred LORDE of hostes whome wee stande before the roialty of his nature sublimity of his place dominion over men and angelles who with the spirit of his mouth is able to consume ouâ— both bodies and spirites biddeth vs cry The view of our wretched mortalitye as Adam and Eue when they sawe their nakednesse fled Miriam when her leprousy sheee was ashamed after mortality exceedingly mortall the view of our sinne exceedingly sinfull that wee are not worthy to cast vp our eies towards the seate of God and after our sinne our misery exceedinglye miserable that the prophet was amased in himselfe to see either man or the sonne of man so kindelye visited biddeth vs crye Lastlye the hope and expectation of successe vnlesse wee will sowe and not reape plant vines and not drinke the wine thereof powre out many prayers and not bee hearde the delicacie and tendeâ—nesse of the eares of God which must bee wisely entreated and the precious favour of his countenance which must be carefully sought bid vs cry Let vs not thinke that the sounde and noise of our lippes as the ringing of basons or vocall modulation without cordiall and inward meditation can procvre vs audience Valentiores voces apud secretissimas dei aures â—on faciunt verba seddesiâ—â—ria The most effectuall speech in the secret eares of God commeth not from wordes but from desires He that heaâ—eth without eares can interpret our praiers without our tongues He that saw and fansied Nathaniel vnder the figtree before he was called saw and sanctified Iohn Baptist in his mothers wombe before he came forth he seeth and blesseth our praiers fervently conceaved in the bosome of our conscience before they be vttered but if they want devotion they shall be answered by God as the praiers of those idolators in Ezech. though they cry in mine eares with a lowde voice yet will I not heare them And he hearde me The Hebrew saith he answered me which doth better expresse the mercy of God towards Ionas than if it had bene barely pronounced that he heard Ionas For a man may heare when he doth not answere as Christ heard the false witnesses when the priests asked him answerest thou nothing tâ—cuit he held his peace And likewise he heard Pilate wheÌ„ vpon the accusatioÌ„ of the priests he askt him answerest thou nothing yet he answered not so as Pilate mervailed at his silence David in the 18. Psal. confesseth of his enemies that they cried but there was none to save them even vnto the Lorde but he answered them not Now this answere of God wherof he speaketh is not a verbal answere sharpt of words but a reall substantiall satisfaction and graunt directly fitly applied as answeres should be to questions so this to fulfill the minde desire of Ionas For as be heard the heavens Osee 2. not that the heaveÌ„s spake or he listened the heavens the earth the earth the corne oile wine the corne oile wine Israel not by speech but by actuall performaÌ„ce of some thing which they wanted he the heaveÌ„s by giving vertuous dispositioÌ„ vnto theÌ„ they the earth by their happy influeÌ„ce the earth her fruits by yelding theÌ„ iuice these Israel by ministring their abuÌ„daÌ„ce so doth he answer Ionas here by grauÌ„ting his petition For as to answer a questioÌ„ is not to render speech for speâ—h aloÌ„e but if ther be scruple or vncerteinty in the matter proposed to resolve it so to answere a suite is to ease the hart satisfy the expectatioÌ„ of him that teÌ„dred it In this case Pub. Piso a rhetoriciaÌ„ in Rome was abused by his servaÌ„t who to avoide molestatioÌ„ had given his servants a charge to aunswere his demandes briefly directlye without any further additions It fell out that he provided a supper for Clodius the generall whome he long lookt often sent for at the howre â—et Clodius came not At leÌ„gth he asked his man didst thou bid Clodius I bad him Why commeth he not he refused How chanceth thou toldst me not so much because you demaÌ„ded it not Plutarke in the same booke where hee reporteth that tale maketh three sortes of aunswerers For some giue an aunswer of necessity some of humanity others of superfluity The first if you aske whether Socrates bee within telleth you faintly and vnwillingly he is not within perhappes hee aunswereth by a Laconisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not The second with more curtesie and to the sufficient measure of the demaund willing to instruct the ignorant hee is not within but in such a place at the exchange The third running over with loquaâ— city knoweth no ende of speaking hee is not within but at the exchange waiting for straungers out of Ionia in vvhose behalfe Alcibiades hath written from Miletum c. The aunsweres
them redounde to their maisters and doe they not loose themselues by vveakening the bodies of their cattell through lacke of foode vvhereby not onelye their labour but also their fruite and encrease is hindered Lastly some tooke a pride in some kinde of beastes namely their horses vvhich I mentioned before and not onely fedde them with the best to keepe them fat and shining but cloathed them with the richest We read of Nero the Emperour of Rome that he shodde his mules with silver and of Poppaea Sabina that shee her horses with gold Bernard telleth Eugenius the Pope that Peter rode not vpon a white warre-like horse clad in trappings of golde And it is not vnlikelie but the kings of Niniveh did offende in the sumptuousnesse of their horses asmuch as the Emperours or Popes of Rome In these it was not amisse that their glorie and pompe should be abated howsoever it fared with the rest and that their bellies should be pinched with hunger which were pampered before and their backes cloathed with sack-cloath which were wont to be magnified with such costlie furniture These and such other reasons of their act as might be alleadged I let passe and come to the handling of the wordes themselues But let man and beast put on sacke-cloath The first member commaundeth the habite that their repentance must be cloathed with It was the manner of those times especially in the East partes if either they lost a friend or childe by death as Iacob his son Gen. 37. but rather for the losse of the favor of God and commonly when they repented their sinnes and sometimes when they praied not only to refuse their best garments as the children of Israell Exod. 33. When the Lorde tolde them that he would not goe himselfe but send an angell with them they sorrowed exceedingly and no man put on his best raiment sometimes to cut their cloathes as Iosu. 7. sometimes to rend them from their backs as Ioel. 2. but insteed thereof to take vnto themselues the vncomfortablest weedes and fashions that might be devised For besides their wearing of sacke-cloath they would sit vpon the ground and in ashes as the friendes of Iob and not only sit but wallow in dust and ashes as the daughter of Ierusalem is willed to doe Ierem. 6. and claspe the handes vpon the heade and sprinkle ashes vpon it as Tamar did 2. Sam. 12. and their haire as their mannes is described Amos 8. and finally take vppe an howling and make an exquisite lamentation as one that shoulde mourne for her onelie sonne In all which and such like outwarde observaunces I like the iudgemente of a learned Divine that they are neither commaunded by God nor by GOD forbidden and are not so properly workes as passions not sought or affected or studied for but such as in sorrowe or feare or the like perturbations offerre themselues and are consequent of their owne accordes as helpes to expresse vnto the world our inwarde dispositions So when we pray vnto God wee bowe the knees of our bodies lie vpon our faces cast vp our eies to heaven smite vpon our breasts with the like ceremonies In all which praier is the substance and worke intended and these though we thinke not of them come as a kinde of furniture and formality if I may so speake to set it foorth The â—â—â—nesse of the spirite draweth the whole body into participation of the griefe making it carelesse of the foode and negligent in the attire that belongeth vnto it And if ever they be alone these shaddowes and dumbe shewes I meane of sacke-cloath and mourning without their body of toward contrition as they fasted in Esay from meate and were prowde of their fast Why haue wee fasted and thou regardest it not but not from strife and oppression and the prophetes in Zachary ware a rough garment but it was to deceiue with then is our thankes with God the same that he gaue to Israel in the place before mentioned Is this the fast that I haue chosen that a man should afflict his soule for a daie and â—owe downe his heade like a bull-rush and lie in sack-cloath and ashes wilt thou call this a fasting or an acceptable daie vnto the Lorde or is not this rather the fasting that I haue chosen insteede of forsaking thy meate to deale thy breade to the hungrie and for sacke-cloath about thy loines to cover thy naked brethren and not to hide thine eies from thine owne flesh And as of sacke-cloath and fasting so wee may like wise say of crying which was the voice of repentaunce For was it the neying of horses lowing of oxen and bullockes lamentation of men eiulation of women and children mingling heaven and earth togither with a confusion of out-cries that could enforce the LORDE aboue to giue them aâ—dience doubtlesse no. For the praier of this people a shielde against the iudgement of GOD which nature it selfe thrust into the handes of the marriners before and heere of the Ninivites yea that obstinate king of Egypt which sette his face against heaven and confronted the GOD thereof vvas glad to flie vnto it Pray vnto the LORD for me and my people that this plague maie departe and Simon the sorcerer who deceived the worlde with his enchauntmentes thought it the onelie charme vvhereby the mercy of God mighte be procured though it bee reported of by as speciall notes as praier may bee honoured with 1. for the manner of it that it was vehemente and forcible They cryed 2. for the grounde invvarde and intentionall They cryed mightilie and from the bottome of their heartes 3. for the obiect right and substantiall They cryed vpon GOD yet if their words and works purpose and performance had not kissed each other if with their lips alone they had honoured God without their heartes or with their heartes alone without their handes as we haue to consider in the nexte wordes they had soone beene aunswered as a people better favoured than themselues were Esay the first Though you stretch out your handes I vvill hide mine eies from you and though you make many praiers I vvill not heare you The Gentiles Matthew the sixte vsed longe speech and much babling and thought to bee hearde for that cause but they lived as Gentiles The Scribes and the Pharisees in the same place praied also not as the Gentiles to vnknowne GODS but to the God of the Hebrews they cryed Lorde Lorde with often inclamation yea they stood and praied not onely in their houses but in the synagogues and corners of the streetes to appeare to men and no doubt to be hearde of men and they vsed likewise longe praiers Luke the twentieth as the Gentiles did yet they were but hypocrites and the portion of hypocrites was reserved for them And this is your meede looke for it hypocrites as you looke for summer vvhen you see the blooming of the figge-tree when you pray as if
himselfe though at the first he denied his crime yea I haue obeyed the voice of the Lorde yet afterwardes he confessed I haue sinned in transgressing his commaundemente and he desired Samuell to take away his sinne and to returne with him that hee might worshippe the Lorde which when Samuell refused hee then altered his speech yet turne with mee I praie thee and honour me before the elders of my people and before Israell So that his principall care was not the service of GOD but honour and estimation in the sight of men Such the repentance of Ahab 1. King 21. who having heard the wordes of Elias thundering the iudgements of God against him and his house hee rent his clothes and put sacke-cloath vpon him and fasted and lay in sacke-cloath and went softlie but how temporary and feigned his repentance was may appeare in the next Chapter by his despitefull dealing with Micheas Such is the repentance of those who are not rightly perswaded of the pardon of their sinnes fitter for Philistines and reprobates than Christians and to be vsed in Ashdod or Ascalon than at Ierusalem The coniunction of faith and repentance is so close that some haue thought it to be a part of repentance I rather take it to bee the beginner and leader thereof As the body and soule though they are ioyned togither in the same man yet is not the body a parte of the soule nor the soule of the bodie but both distinct so faith hope and charitie if they bee true they are narrowly lincked one to the other yet naturally and essentially severed For finall resolution whereof you may best satisfie your selues by proofe from this place For although this sentence which I haue in hand be the last of the mandate in order and disposition of wordes yet is it first in proposall For if they had asked in Niniveh a reason of the king and his counsaile vvhy they shoulde bid them fast and weare sacke-cloath about their flesh sparing neither beast nor sucklinges vvhy they shoulde adde affliction and miserie to miserie as if it vvere not sufficient to be plagued by the handes of God at the time prefixed but they must plague themselues and their cattle fourty daies before hand having but a handfull of daies in comparison to enioie their liues and to take their pleasure in earthlye commodities or why they shoulde cry vnto the Lorde and not bee hearde and forsake their wickednesse and not bee pardoned the reason of all this is alleadged in this Epilogue vvho can tell if the Lord vvill turne and repent It cannot lightly bee worse it may bee better with vs the doinge of these dueties to God will not put vs nearer to our iudgemente it may sende vs farther of vvee are sure to bee overthrowen if we repent not wee may repente and happily escape it it is but the leaving of our meate and drinke for a time who must leaue both belly and meate too the missing of our better garmentes who must misse our skinnes and our flesh from our backes if wee vse our tongues in crying wee loose nothing by it and if we wash our handes and cleanse our consciences from iniquity we shall goe the lighter to our iudgement Who can tell it is the nature and property of God to shew pitty vnto the whole world and although Niniveh bee the sincke of the earth why not to Niniveh Some chandge the reading and insteede of quis novit who knovveth they put qui novit hee that knovveth connecting the sense vvith that which went before in this manner let everie man turne from his evill vvay and from the vvickednesse that is in their handes qui novit who knovveth so to doe and is not ignoraunte what belongeth to such a chandge or thus he that is privie in his hearte of any wickednes committed against God or 〈◊〉 an publique or private let him amende it The instruction from so translating it is good though the translation it selfe bee mistaken that knowledge must ever goe before the face of repentaunce Knowledge I meane not onely in kinde to distinguish sinne from sinne and to call them all by their proper names but by number and weight howe many howe grievous they are howe farre they extende to the annoyance of the earth provocation of heaven breach of christian charitie and strikinge at the maiestie of God himselfe Thus hee acknowledged his sinne in the gospell who spake in his hearte before hee did it and therefore was not ignoraunt what hee went aboute I vvill goe to my father and saie I haue sinned yea but not a simple sinne I haue sinned a mightye and manifolde transgression I haue sinned against heauen I haue also sinned against thee against the father of my spirite against the father of my flesh against him that gaue me his law against thee that gavest mee my nature both the tables haue I broken by my misdeedes and whatsoever dueties I had to perfourme those haue I violated by mine vnnaturall disobedience If you obserue the order of all the repentances in the booke of GOD vvhither in Moabite Edomite Egyptian or in the people of God they ever began with the knowledge of their sins that as the first argument of life which the widowes son of Naim gaue was this he began to speake so in this spirituall resuscitation from the death of the soule the first token of their recovery was the acknowledgement and confession of their misdoing The voice of Pharaoh Exod. 10. was I haue sinned against the Lord your God The voice of Balaam Num. 22. when he saw the Angell in his way I haue sinned The voice of Saul to Samuel 1. Sam. 15. I haue sinned and 1. Sam. 26. when hee saw the kindnesse of David towardes him I haue sinned The voice of David to Nathan 2. Sam. 12. I haue sinned 2. Sam. 24. to God after the numbering of the people I haue sinned Nay valde peccavi I haue exceedingly sinned in that I haue done And it is further added that his hearte smote him vvhen he had done it And when afterwardes he felt the smiting of the Lorde with plainer demonstration and with clearing the whole lande besides Ego sum qui peccavi ego sum qui iniquè egi It is I and only I which haue done wickedlie The voice of Iob in the seventh of his booke I haue sinned The voice of Daniell in behalfe of himselfe their kinges princes fathers of every man of Iudah and the inhabitantes of Ierusalem and of all Israell both neare and farre of was vvee haue sinned and committed iniquitie and done vvickedlie and rebelled and departed from thy preceptes and not obeyed thy servauntes the prophetes and nothinge saue open shame appertaineth vnto vs. We heare no ende of accusation iniquitie vpon sinne wickednes vpon iniquity rebellion vpon wickednes and still a further proceeding in the testification of their vnrighteousnesse VVhen Ezra hearde that the people of the captivitie were mingled with
the blessed Virgin from sinne maketh a double kinde of dubitation one of infidelity another of admiration and discussion hovv can this thing be for it is not doubted by any man but the Virgin there doubted and Augustine so expoundeth the svvorde that shoulde pearse through her soule Luke the seconde so may I vvith better reason make a double kinde of infidelity one of abnegation deniall renouncement the other of wrastling combate contention which hath not yet subdued the adversarie force nor gotten the vpper hande I never knew the soule of any man no not of the sonne of man or rather of rhe sonne of woman though anointed with the oile of gladnesse and spirituall comforte aboue all his fellowes I never knew the soule so happily garded with the strength and munition of God that it coulde escape these fightes and terrours of conscience whereof I speake Looke vpon Abraham the father of the faithfull distrusting the providence of God as vnable to defend him his wife from Pharaoh and Abimelech vnlesse he committed an vntruth vpon Moses when hee was called from Egypt Gedeon when the Angell appeared vnto him at the threshing floore Samuell when he was willed to anoint David and he feared the malice of Saul Elias when he hid himselfe and needes would haue died in haste because of the theatnings of Iezabell vpon Mary and Zachary who asked as doubtfull a question as the Ninivites here did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vpon all the Apostles of Christ whom hee often vpbraied with little faith and no faith and Christ the head of his Apostles whē he died vpon the crosse with such passionate outcrying as if all the mercies of God had died with him And this is the lot of all the members of Christ thus they totter and and reele in their soules though the foundation of the Lord standeth sure and hath this seale vpon it the Lorde knoweth who are his I will more say they are the happiest soules and dearest vnto God that are so tried they are as the best gold which hath beene purified in the fire seven times and the LORDE will heape comfortes and ioies seven-folde into their bosomes The certainety of election and grace and our speciall assurance of the mercy of God is mightily oppugned by the adversaries I vvill say for this time no more than what note Catharinus gaue of the decree made against it by the last Councell of Trent hee was Archbishop of Minoria inwarde with the Popes of Rome and himselfe in person present at that Councell Besides his owne private opinion declared at large against Dominicus of Soto confessour to Charles the fifte that a man may bee certaine of his salvation by that assurance which although it be not equall to to the catholique faith yet it is true faith and that by the common lawe namely by that testimony vvhich the spirite giveth vnto our spirites that wee are the sonnes of GOD hee further telleth vs that both the Presidentes of that Synode one of them afterwarde Iulius the thirde did protest that the question did not seeme vnto them sufficiently discussed to decide any thing and that the Synode it selfe twise declared that the definition thereof vvas to bee omitted and put of to another time lastlie that the title thereof did abundantly manifest asmuch the tenour wherof was against the vaine confidence of heritiques not against the certainty of salvation in sounde and sober beleevers Vaine confidence of heretiques Vaine without probability And in heretiques not holdinge the trueth of doctrine Who ever allowed it But is it vaine confidence which is grounded vpon the promises of God watered by the bloud of Christ sealed by sacramentes testified by the spirit and assertained by the fruites of charity and obedience that vaine confidence where and in whome soever we finde we call by no milder names than the Rhemist commenters doe damnable false illusion vnhappy security presumption faithlesse perswasion and not the faith of Apostles but the faith of devilles Against such wee shut vp the bowelles of charitye the bosome of the church the cōmunion of her treasure and dowry which are the merites of Christ and as far forth as the keyes are committed vnto vs the gates of everlasting life Against such wee say not with the Psalme Reioyce and tremble but tremble without reioycing nor with the Apostle 2. Philip. Worke out your salvation with feare trembling but tremble and feare without any hope of salvation We vse nothinge but fretters and corrosives against such to make them smart be not high minded but feare and hee that seemeth to stande in his owne conceipt let him take heede that hee fall not Wee will sooner cast pearles to swine and bread to whelpes than salvation to such men who howsoever they live having no testimony of a good conscience vaunting of hope without the love of God despighting the good spirit of grace treading the bloud of the new testament vnder their feete turning grace into wantonnes and vsing the liberty of the gospell for a cloke of maliciousnesse yet say they are sure to bee saved by the mercy of God Thus far wee both agree but from the assurance of salvation wisely and substantially held neither the learning of our adversaries nor the cunning of devilles shall ever bee able to drawe vs. Wee will saye with Antonius Marinarius in the Counsell before alleadged If heaven fall if the earth vanishe avvay if the whole worlde runne headlonge I vvill looke to the goodnesse of God and stande vpright and if an Angell from heaven shall labour to perswade mee otherwise I will say Anathema vnto him O happy confidence of a christian heart If an honest vertuous man saith Cyprian should promise thee any thing thou wouldest give credit vnto him now when God speaketh with thee promiseth thee immortality doest thou waver in thy mind 〈◊〉 thou so faithles to distrust him this is not to know God at all this is to offend Christ the maister of beleevers with the sinne of vnbeleefe This is to be plāted in the church that is in the house of faith without faith Steuen saw the heavens open vnto him cōmended his spirit vnto God though as his body was overwhelmed with stones so were his eares with contumelies as many stones of temptation were cast by the devill against his conscience For where shoulde the weake haue safty and security but in the wounds of their saviour the mightier he is to saue me the more carelesse I dwell there the worlde rageth the bodye overbeareth the devell lyeth in waite yet I fall not because I am founded vpon a sure rocke I haue sinned a huge sinnne my conscience is troubled but it shall not bee dismaide for I vvill remember the vvoundes of the Lorde VVhat is so deadlye thae may not bee cured by the death of Christ therefore if I call but to minde hovve soveraigne and effectuall a medicine his
vnto them for righteousnesse as it was to Abraham and to testifie that faith to man to make it perfect before God to seale it vp to their owne conscience they are abundant also in good workes which is that other iustification vvhereof Iames disputeth For as in the temple of Ierusalem there were 3. distinctions of roumes the entry or porch where the beasts were killed the altar where they were sacrificed the holiest place of al whither the high priest entred once every yeare so in this repentance of Niniveh there are 3. sortes of righteousnes the first of ceremony in wearing sacke-cloath and fasting the second of morality in restitution the third the iustice of faith and as it were the dore of hope wherby they first enter into the kingdome of heaven We haue heard what the Ninivites did for their partes let vs nowe consider what God for his It is said that he saw their workes and repentâ—d him of the plague intended and brought it not Nay it is saide that God saw their workes God repented him of the plague vvith repetitioÌ„ of that blessed name to let the world vnderstande that the mischiefe was not turned away for the value and vertue of their workes but for the acceptance of his own good pleasure nor for the repentance of the city but for the repentaÌ„ce of his own heart a gracious inclination propension that he tooke to deliver them No marvaile it was if when God saw their workes he bethought him of their deliverance For when the person is once approved received to grace which their faith procured them his blemishes are not then looked vpon his infirmities covered his vnperfect obedience taken in good part nay coÌ„meÌ„ded honored rewarded daily provoked with promises invitatioÌ„s of greater blessednes to come So a father allureth his son the servaÌ„t doth ten times more yet is the recoÌ„peÌ„ce of the son ten times greater for the father respecteth not so much the workes of his child but because he is a father teÌ„dreth followeth him with fatherly affection wheras the hired servant on the other side is but a stranger vnto him Why then were the works of Niniveh acceptable vnto God not of theÌ„selues but for their sakes that wrought them they for their faith for this is the root that beareth theÌ„ al. In that great cloud of witnesses Heb. 11. what was the reason that they pleased God besides the honour of the world that they vvere vvell reported of and obtained the promises which was the garlande they ranne for besides their suffering of adversities subduing of kingdomes vvorking of righteousnesse with many other famous exploites there ascribed vnto them what was the reason I say but their faith which is the whole burdeÌ„ of the song in that memorable bead-role By faith did Abell thus Enoch thus and others otherwise But why not their workes of themselues For is not charity more than faith these three remaine faith hope and loue but the greater of these three is loue 1. Cor. 13. And the first and the greate commaundemente is this Thou shalt loue the Lorde thy GOD c. Math. the two and twentith And the end of the commaundement is loue 1. Tim. 1. And loue is the fulfilling of the lawe Romanes the thirteenth I graunt all this if thou be able to performe it Loue the Lorde thy God with all thy heart c. and thy neighbour as thy selfe and there is nothing wanting vnto thee thou hast kept the commandement thou hast fulfilled the law thou needest not the passion of thy redeemer thou maiest catch the crowne of life by rightfull desert But this thou art not able to performe were thou as righteous as Noe as obedient as Abraham as holy as Iob as faithfull as David as cleare as the sunne and moone as pure as the starres in heaven yet thou must sing and sigh with a better soule than thine owne who saw and sighed for the impurity of all living flesh Enter not into iudgement vvith thy servant O Lorde for no flesh living can bee iustified in thy sight God hath concluded thee and thy fathers before thee and the fruit of thy body to the last generation of the world vnder sinne and because vnder sinne therefore vnder wrath and malediction and death if thou flie not into the sanctuarie to hide and safegarde thy selfe But blessed be the name of Christ the daies are come wherein this song is sunge in the lande of Iudah and through all the Israell of God farre and neare vvee haue a stronge cittie salvation hath God set for wals and bul-workes about it Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in Which is that righteous nation that shall enter into the citty of God thus walled and fortressed but that which keepeth faith or rather faithes as the Hebrew hath that is all faith not ceasing to beleeue till their liues end They that beleeue thus adding faith vnto faith the Lord vvill returne them as great a measure of his blessing even peace vpon peace in the next wordes because they trust in him We neede no better expositour The righteous man is he that beleeveth and the beleeving man is he that vvorketh righteousnes for these two shall never be sundred and the onlie key that openeth vnto vs the gates of the citty is our faith So then when we see good workes we must know that they are but fruites and seeke out the root of them and when we haue the root we must also haue regarde to the moisture and iuice whereby it is nourished For as the fruits of the earth grow from their root that root liveth not by it selfe but is fedde and preserved by the fatnes of the soile warmth of the sun benefite of the aire vnder which it standeth so good workes grow from faith and that faith liveth in the obiect the merites and obedience of Iesus Christ feeding and strengthning it selfe by the sweet influence and sappe of these heavenly conceites that he came into the worlde to saue sinners and that he died for her sinne and rose to life for her iustification For as we esteeme the worth of a ring of gold not so much in it selfe as in the gemme that it carrieth so are we iustified magnified also in the sight of God by faith in Christ not for this quality of beleeving which is as vnperfite as our works but for the obiect of this quality Christ our mediatour which is the diamonde and iewell borne therein The hand of a leper though never so bloudy and vncleane yet it may doe the office of an hand in taking and holding fast the almes that is given The giver may bee liberall enough and the gift sufficient to releeue though the hand that received it full of impurity So it is not the weakenesse of our faith in apprehending and applying the passion of Christ that
yet be more vile and low in our owne eies and rather than these names shall die and be out of vse we will weare them vpon our garments and if you were sparing to yeeld them vnto vs we would desire you for Christes sake and as you tender our credite not to tearme vs otherwise The Iewes who thought they mocked Christ vvhen they bowed their knees and cried Haile king of the Iewes they knew not vvhat they did they did him an honour and favour against their willes for he was king of the Iewes and of the Gentiles also whatsoever their meaning is who thinke to nicke-name vs by obiecting these names which we will leaue to the censuring of the righteous Iudge in heaven vve embrace them honour them and heartily thanke God for them and desire that they may be read and published in the eares of the world as the most glorious titles of our commission The Angelles of God are ministring spirites and sent forth to minister for the elects sake Christ Iesus himselfe came to minister not to bee ministred vnto We will therefore say as the Apostle said 2. Cor. 11. Ministri sunt plus ego Are Christ and his Angels and all the Apostles of Christ ministers we speake like fooles in the deeming of the world we also will be ministers of the gospell and if it were possible we would bee more than ministers O honourable ministerie what government rule and dominion is it not superiour vnto I conclude with the same Apostle though I shoulde boast somevvhat more of our authoritie vvhich is given vnto vs for edification and not for destruction I shoulde haue no shame By this discourse it may appeare vnto you if this were a motiue in the minde of Ionas as some both Iewes and Christians conceiue how grievous it seemed vnto him to be held in iealousie for deceipt in his calling that any in the world should be able iustly to taxe him for a false prophet and one that prophecied lies in the name of GOD. Notwithstanding the matter is quickely aunswered For whatsoever the event had beene the voice of the Lorde was in reason to haue beene obeyed 1. It was no new thing to be so accompted of it was the portion of Moses and Samuell and Elias before him and thence-forth as many as ever spake vnto the daies of Iohn Baptist which came with the spirit of Elias they haue drunke of the same cuppe and not onely the servauntes but the sonne and heire hath beene dealt with in like manner A Prophet is not without honour saue in his owne countrey Ionas might haue said to himselfe as Elias in another case I am no better than my fathers Thus were we borne and ordained to approoue our selues in all kinde of patience by honour and dishonour by good reporte and evill reporte as deceavers and yet beholde vvee are true and deceiue not The world was never more fortunate for prophets than thus to reward them flatterers may breake the heades of men with their smooth oiles but the woundes that prophets giue haue never escaped the hardest iudgements 2. Why should Ionas feare the opinion of men his duty being done the very conscience of his fact simply and truely performed would haue beene a towre of defence and a castle vnto him It is a verie small thinge for me to be iudged of you or of mans iudgemente for I knowe nothinge by my selfe c. Hee doth not say It is nothing vnto mee but it is a very small thing I esteeme my name somevvhat but I stande more vpon my conscience This is our reioycing the testimony of our conscience that in simplicitie and puritie vvee haue beene conversant in the vvorlde VVhen the princes had given sentence vpon Ieremy this man is vvorthie to die hee aunswered them the Lorde hath sent mee to prophecy against this house therefore amende your vvaies that the Lorde may repente him of the plague vvhich hee hath pronounced against you as for mee beholde I am in your handes doe vvith mee as you please but knovve yee for certainty that if you put mee to death you shall bring innocent bloude vpon your selues for of a trueth the Lorde hath sent mee vnto you to speake all these wordes in your eares This is the brasen wall the soundnes of the cause and the assurance of the conscience which all the malignant tongues cannot pearse through Let the worlde be offended with vs in these latest and sinnefullest times because the tenour of our message is either to sharpe or to sweete to hote or to colde for it can hardelie bee such as may please this way-warde wotld let Satan accuse vs before God and man daie and night yet if wee can say for our selues as the Apostle did Rom. 9. Wee speake the trueth in Christ wee lie not our consciences bearing vs witnes in the holy Ghost who is not onlye the witnesse but the guide and inspirer of our consciences it is a greater recompence than if al the kingdomes of the earth were given vnto vs. 3. He coulde not bee ignoraunt that the truth of God mighte stande though the event followed not because many of the iudgementes of God as I haue else-where said are denoūced with condition In the place of Ieremy before mentioned when the priestes and people so greedily thirsted after his death some of the elders stoode vp and spake to the assembly in this sort Micah the Morashite prophecied in the daies of Hezekiah king of Iuda saying thus saith the Lord of hostes Sion shal bee ploughed like a fielde c. Did Hezekiah put him to death did hee not rather feare the Lorde and prayed before the Lorde and the Lorde repented him of the plague thus vvee mighte procure greate evill against our selues You know the collection those elders make that the iudgement vvas conditional and vpon their vnfeigned repentaunce mighte bee otherwise interpreted Thus much Ionas vvas not to learne for why did he knovv that God vvas a mercifull God but to shew the effects of mercy and the Ninivites themselues had an happye presumption thereof as appeareth by their former speech 4. He was not to stay longe in Assyria if hee had suspected their suspicions Lastly there was no such thinge to bee feared for by that publique acte of conversion which all the orders and states of the citty agreed vpon it is manifest that they received the preaching of Ionas as the oracle of almightie God they beleeved God and his Prophet as the children of Israell 1. Sam. 12. feared the Lorde and Samuell exceedinglie For what greater argument touching their good and reverente opinion of Ionas coulde they giue than their speedy and hearty repentance whereby they assured him that they esteemed not his vvorde as a fable or as a iestinge songe but as a man sent from God and fallen downe from heaven bringing a two edged sworde in his lippes either to kill or to saue so they received him And
that thy sins are as the sins of Manasses more than the sands of the sea in number and their burthen such that they are gone over thine head like mighty waters answer him that the goodnes of the Lord is as much that there is no comprehension of his loving kindes If lastly he obiect that iudgmeÌ„t hath begun at thine house to put thee out of doubt that thou art not in the favour of God he hath smitteÌ„ thy body with sore diseases thy soule with agonies thy family with orbities privations tell him for full conclusion that he can also repent him of the evil and cease to punish and leaue as many blessings behinde him when his pleasure is It was never the meaning of God that these vvordes should be spokeÌ„ in the winds blowne away like empty bladders They were spoken written no doubt for the vse of sinners This is the name which God hath proclaimed to the world and whereby he would be knowne to meÌ„ that if ever we came before him we might speake our mindes in the confidence trust of that amiable name Thus Moses vnderstoode it For assone as the Lord had ended his speach Moses applied it to the present purpose for he bowed to the earth and worshipped God and said O Lorde I beseech thee pardon our iniquities and sinnes and take vs for thine inheritance Likewise in the 14. of Num. And now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying The Lord is slow to anger c. referring himselfe to the speach and proclamation which God had vsed vpoÌ„ the mount We are the childreÌ„ of our father which is in heaveÌ„ If therefore it be an honor vnto vs to be reputed his sons let vs follow our fathers steps beare some part of his heavenly image Let vs not seeke to be like vnto him in the arme of his streÌ„gth nor in the braine of his wisedome nor in the finger of his miracles but in his bowels of piâ—â—y tender compassion Let Lions and Beares and Tigers in the forrest be 〈◊〉 towardes their companions let them biâ—e be bitten devour be devouted againe let dogges grinne let Vnicornes push with their hornes let Scythians and Cannibals because they knowe not GOD not knovve vvhat belongeth to humanity and gentlenesse but let Christians loue their brethren even as God hath loved them and remitte one the other their offences as Christ hath freely forgiven the sinnes of his church Let those reprobate-minded Rom. 1. carry to their graves with them and to the bottome of hell where all hatred must end that marke which the holy Ghost hath scored vpon their browes that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without naturall affection not fit for societie voide of pitty but let the example of the most holy Trinity the God of peace the prince of peace the spirit of peace that one God of all consolation rich in mercies bee ever before our eies that as wee have received freely so we may freely returne grace mercy long-suffering abundance of kindnes revocation of our wronges and iniuries begun to all our brethren in the flesh but especially to Christes chosen and peculiar members THE XLIII LECTVRE Chap. 4. vers 3. Therefore now O Lord take I beseech thee my life c. THat Ionas praied how he praied in what sort expostulating with God iustifying his offence and abusing his knowledge of the mercy of God to vtter the malice and cruelty of his owne heart wee have already seene considered the reasons which are supposed to have moved him to that vndutifull vncharitable course Either the care of his own credite which he should not have stood vpon to the derogatioÌ„ of the honor of God when the angels of heaven sing glory vnto him or affection to his country which perswasion was as weake to have drawne him to obedience seeing that the Israell of God might have bin in Niniveh aswell as in Iury because there are Iewes inwardly and in the spirit as truly as outwardly and in the letter and those that heare the word of Christ are more kindly his brethren and sisters than those that are affined vnto him in the flesh Vpon these premisses be they stronge or weake is inferred the conclusion including his request to God Therefore now O Lord c. A maÌ„ so contraried crossed in mine expectation how can I ever satisfie my discontented mind but by ending my life and he addeth a reason or confirmation drawne from vtility and amplified by comparison It is not only good for me to die but better to die than to live The force of anger we have in part declared before It rageth not only against men made of the same mold but against God Let the bloud of Iulian throwne vp into the aire and togither with his bloud blasphemy against the son of God witnes it Nor only against those that haue sense and vnderstanding but against vnreasonable vnsensible creatures As Xerxes wrote a defying letter to Athos a mouÌ„taine of Thrace Mischievous Athos lifted vp to heaven make thy quarries and veines of stone passable to my travaile or I will cut thee downe and cast thee into the midst of the sea Nor only against those things which are without vs but against our selves As in this place the anger of Ionas beginneth to take fire against the Ninivites Proceedeth as far as it dareth against God and endeth in it selfe In one worde that which Ionas requesteth though spoken by circumlocution and more wordes than one is that he may die Take away my soule from me For what is life but as the philosopher defineth it the composition and colligation of the soule to the body In the 2. of Gen. the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground there is his matter and breathed in his face the breath of life and the man was a living soule there is his forme and perfection And what is death on the other side but the dissociation and severing of these two partes or the taking of the soule from the body according to the forme of words in this place God telleth the rich man in the gospell who was talking of lardger buildinges when the building within him vvas neare pulling downe and thought he had goods enough for his soule to delight in when he had not soule enough to delight in his goods Thou foole this night 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe they require and redemaunde thy soule that is this night thou must die Elias in the first of Kinges and nineteenth vseth the same phrase in the wildarnesse It sufficeth Lorde take away my soule from me Let me not longer live to see the misery that Iezabell hath threatned vnto me As when you take away structure and fashion from an house temple or tabernacle there remaineth none of all these but a confused and disordered heape of stones timber iron morter
favour and partiality to the religion established no place lefte to dissemble with God or man Tanti meriti tanti pectoris tāti oris tantae virtutis episcopu as Augustine spake of Cypriā so worthy so wise so well spoken so vertuous so learned a Byshope gaue such counsaile vnto them 3. To all the members of the Church of England vnity of soule and heart to embrace the doctrine authorized And lastly to himselfe peace and rest in the assured mercies of God This peace he hath plentifull fruition of vvith the God of peace For though he seemeth in the eies of the foolish to be dead yet is he in peace And like a true Hebrew he hath eaten his last passeover amongst vs and it is past from death to life where with vnspeakable ioy of heart he recompteth betweene himselfe and his soule Sicut audivimus sic et vidimus As I haue heard so now haue I seeene and felt in the citty of our God and with the blessed Angells of heaven and all the congregation of first borne singeth the songue of Moses a songue of victory and thanksgiving rendring all blessing honour glory power to him that sitteth vpon the throne and the Lambe that was killed and that vndefiled Spirit which proceedeth from them both by whome hee was sealed vp at his death to his everlasting redemption A SERMON PREACHED IN YORKE THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEARE OF our Lorde 1595. being the Queenes day Printed at Oxford by Ioseph Barnes 1599. 2. King 23 25. Like vnto him was there no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule c. THE remembrance of Iosias is like the perfume that is made by the arte of the Apothecarie it is svveete as hony in all mouthes and as musicke at a banquet of vvine he behaued himselfe vprightly in the reformation of the people and tooke away all abominations of iniquitie hee directed his hearte vnto the Lorde and in the time of the vngodlie hee established religion vvhich to haue done in a better season the zeale of the people and favour of the time advauntaging him had beene lesse praise The lande vvas sowen with none other seede saue idolatrie and iniquitie vvhen he came vnto it For by that vvhich is written of him we may know what he reformed All idolatrous both Priestes and monuments whether Chemarims or blacke friars Priestes of Baal of the sun moone or planets though founded and authorized by both ancient and late kings before him namely in these recordes by Salomon Ahaz Manasses Ieroboam togither with their high places or valleyes their groues altars vesselles vvheresoever hee found them either in Ierusalem or Iudah in Samaria or Bethel in the temple or in the courtes of the temple vpon the gates or in the kings chambers not sparing the bones of the Priestes either living or deade but raking them out of their graues besides the impure Sodomites and their houses sooth-sayers and men of familiar spirites he destroyed defiled cut downe burnt to ashes bet to powder threwe into the brooke and left no signe of them Hee followed both a good rule and a good example His rule is here specified according to all the law of Moses his example in the chapter before hee did vprightly in the sight of the Lord an◠walked in all the waies of David his father and bowed neither to the right hande nor to the lefte Hee was prophecied of three hundred yeares vpward before his birth a rare singular honour that both his name should be memorable after his death as heere we finde it and written in the booke of GOD before ever his partes were fashioned His actes are exactelye set downe in this and the former Chapters and in the second of Chronicles and foure and thirteeth vpon the recital wherof is this speach brought in by waie of an Epiphoneme or acclamation advancing Iosias aboue all other kings and setting his head amongst the stars of God The testimonie is very ample which is here given vnto him that for the space almost of fiue hundred yeares from the first erection of the kingdome to the captivity of Babylon vnder the government of 40. kings of Iudah and Israell there was not one found who either gaue or tooke the like example of perfection In the catalogue of which kings though there were some not many vertuous and religious David Salomon Asa Iehosaphat Iehu Ioash Amasia Iothan Hezekias yet they haue all their staines their names are not mentioned without some touch The wisdome honor riches happines of Salomon every way were so great that the Queene of Saba worthily pronounced of him Blessed be the Lord thy God which loved thee c. Will you know his blemish but Salomon loved many out-landish women and they broughte him to the loue of many out-landish Gods so he is noted both for his corporall spiritual whordomes Asa the son of Abiam did right in the eies of the Lord as did David his father 1. King 15. his heart was vpright with the Lord all his daies he put downe Maachah his mother for idolatrie The bitter hearbe that marreth al this is but he put not downe the high places Iehosaphat did well hee walked in all the waies of Asa his father declined not ther-from but did that which was right in the eies of the Lord 1. Kin. 22. neverthelesse the high places were not taken away Iehu did well God gaue him this testimony 2. King 10. because thou haste diligently executed that which was right in mine eies therefore shall thy sonnes vnto the fourth generation sit on the seate of Israell but Iehu regarded not to vvalke in the vvaies of the Lorde God of Israell vvith all his heart Amafiah did well he did vprightlie in the sight of the Lord 2. King 14. yet not like David his father David himselfe so much renowned as the principall patterne of that royall line to be imitated by them yet hath a scarre vpon his memory hee did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and turned from nothinge that hee commaunded him all the daies of his life 1. King 15. thus farre good saue onelie in the matter of Vriah the Hittire Onelie Iosias is without spotte or vvrinckle like vnto him was there no king And as in the number of bad kinges Rehoboam did ill Ieroboam worse for hee sinned and made Israell to sinne but Omri vvorse than all that went before him 1. King 16. yet Ahab worse than all before him in the same place so in the number of the good though Salomon did wel Iehosaphat perhaps better David best of al yet Iosias is beyonde the vvhole companie vvhich either went before or came after him Like vnto him was there no king It had beene a great praise to Iosias to haue had none better than himselfe to haue matched the vertues and godlines of his progenitours