the Hebrews how is he to be feared above all other Gods who can do as he alone therefore him alone will we fear and serve all our dayes So say we at the end of a great Plague or of a great fit of sicknesse or escaping a danger by Land or Water Fire War other terrible matters Oh feare the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him Psal 34.9 Use It serves to reprove all gracelesse people who never fear God that afflicteth neither in the danger nor after the danger to be the better for any of their afflictions Possibly they are afraid while the danger lasteth for the pain or the losse they may sustain and especially the losse of their lives it may be it is Magor-Missabib fear round about Jer. 20 3. they are ready to dye for fear before the evil comes near them sometimes more afraid then hurt but for God in whose power their breath is and who can cast both Body and Soul into Hell Signes of not fearing God him they fear not though that be the only gracious fear commanded in Luk. 12.4 5. 1. For departing from evil as did Job Joseph and the Midwives of Egypt what fear of God is in those that live in the constant practice of one sin or other drunkennesse or what ever it be sin is the greatest enemy that God hath and yet numbers make a trade of is according to the humor of each walk in the way of the wicked or sit in the seat of the scornfull though they have been in great danger of life or estate yet on they go in a tract of sinning The danger is past and they make account they live to do all their abominations 2. For the beginning of wisdome Numbers have no signe of the fear of God in them Sapientia dicitur quasi sapida scientia but Numbers have no savor of God and Religion Mercies Afflictions Ordinances all passages of Providence have no more savor then the white of an Egg no heart to Prayer or other duty or to accept a good motion that is made for edification These Mariners that feared the Lord offered him sacrifice but where are these mens sacrifices great and precious mercies are received but what return do they make in way of thankfulnesse 3. For perfecting holinesse in the fear of the Lord how doth this agree to those who fall back from the good way of God either into Heresie or Profanesse or Worldly-mindednesse or those that stand at a stay in Religion A round of dutyes there is and that is all the space of many years makes no difference in their profession unlesse it be for the worse they would be troubled if they thrived no better in their outward estate but for the estate of their Souls they minde no thriving 4. For fearing the Lord exceedingly as did these Mariners Numbers profess to fear God but they fear men more Losses Troubles Dangers Persecutions excessive fear surpriseth them that they are taken off from duty Prov. 29.25 and the way of God the fear of man is a snare and catcheth many unto Atheism Or they fear the Lord and the gods of the Land as did the mungrel Samaritans 2. King 17.33 5. The fear of God hath a dash of holy joy with it as Psal 2.11 rejoyce unto him with trembling fear him as a glorious God but rejoyce in him as a loving Father reconciled and tenderly affected in Christ So the Childe fears his Father and the wife her Husband But numbers mind no such relation between God and them or care not to have it or presume to have it but get no comfort by it in a dark houre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their fear is an heavy passion of unbesâ—efe Adde outward worship to inward 1 Cor. 6.20 For the Second They offered a sacrifice unto the Lord. Outward worship must be added unto inward As we must glorifie God with the Spirit so also with the body for both are God's and both are bought with a price And the same God made both Soul and body and deserves to be served with both commands and expects it What kinde of sacrifice these Mariners offered to the Lord we read not nor is it materiall to know Only this they had Learned by tradition of their neighbours and by the neighbourhood of the Jews that thank-offerings would do well in way of gratitude for deliverance and so did all the Gentiles round about therefore so do they Note Express thankfulness in good actions Our lesson is In way of thankfulnesse for mercies received we must use holy expressions of Loyalty and duty to our good God not only fear him with other internal vertues as before but with outward worship and service Christians also have their sacrifices of righteousnesse appointed for them as was prophesied Deut. 33.19 But what are they Answ 1. A mans whole self with all powers of Soul and Body Rom. 12.1 Present your selves a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service 2. Holy and hearty prayers Pro. 15.8 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight 3. Hearty praises with voice and life Heb. 13.15 By Christ let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually 4. Works of love to the poor members of Jesus Christ Ver. 16. With such sacrifices God is well-pleased 5. Releif and comfort to good Ministers who need assistance Phil. 4.18 An odor of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable well pleasing to God 6. Suffering in the cause of God Ch. 2.17 If I be offered upon the sacrifice of your faith I joy and rejoyce with you all 7. All parts of the publick or private worship of God 1 Pet. 2.5 A spiritual Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 8. All dealings with men carried in a loving and righteous manner Psal 4.4 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. Whereby we see that none hath cause to say he wants Use 1 a way and means to shew his thankfulness to God for great mercies and deliverances he hath received None but may so express Levitical sacrifices are ended in Christ and he is loth to offer sacrifice in a blind manner as these Mariners did and I desire to testifie my thankfulness for escaping such a danger or receiving such a mercy but what should I offer Answ He hath shewed thee O man what he requireth and what he will accept as a gratuity Mic. 6.8 and the Map now delivered shews a great Bed-roll of Christian sacrifices Peruse and see if one way or other thou canst not offer a sacrifice to the Lord only find the Altar of an holy heart and a sacrifice will quickly he had Out of the abundance of the heart will come forth much good A man possibly hath not wealth to distribute among the poor or is not called to
that are of a poor spirit and ready to faint in the sight of their sins or fear of Gods displeasure some are of a tender spirit and should be handled tenderly Rough speaking or doing would even quite over-set them and bring them to a despairing faintnesse In such cases we should note and be tender and pour in oyl to heal their wounds so did Christ Esa 50.4 he spoke a word in season to him that was weary and it hath been said nothing doth so discover a man to be spiritual or according to the mind of Christ as the gentle handling of another mans wounds Use 2 But let these careful souls help themselves by ways and means which the Lord hath appointed Help against fainting fits As against bodily faintings we get hot waters and other helps so should we against these faintings of spirit As thus 1. Get thy faith strengthned as much as may be Faith is a special reviver of the soul in evil times Ps 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living as how because it draws vertue from Christ and from his intercession who is a quickning Head and from the promises and covenant which also have an enlivening power and it gives the poor soul a view of heaven to fetch life again 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. for which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen those temporal these eternal 2. Wait upon God in the diligent use of his Ordinances Cant. 2. these are the flagons which stay a soul that is sick of love to Jesus Christ and see Esa 40.29 30 31. he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly faâ—l But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Christians ye converse daily in Ordinances adde diligence and good conscience and your faintings will wear off by little and little No such Cordials as the Word and Sacraments well improved 3. Pray and it shall be done God is he that sendeth this faintness into the soul and it is he that must take it away Levit. 26.36 I will send a faintness into their hearts and he that wounds must heal again He that cast Jonah into the Whales belly and into the fainting fits did set all at rights again I will look up again toward thy holy Temple I remembred the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee unto thine holy Temple Here Jonah amplifies his prayer by the hope he nourished amidst his great danger he was not without some hope even when he fainted most and thought himself cast out of Gods sight And all these three days and nights he was well employed A good soul at lowest hath some working toward God for comfort and deliverance and ought to be well employed during the time of his affliction Yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple that is Heaven A good soul from the belly of hell can look toward heaven as here Jonah No distance of place Note Out of hell seâ—â— heaven nor lowness of condition can hinder this prospect Steven amidst the stones looked up and saw the heaven open and Jesus standing on the right hand of God Moses in Pharaohs wrath and threats saw him that is invisible and endured all Micaiah saw God on a throne and was hardned against his meeting of wicked Ahab Reas 1 All from the nature of faith which is the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 By faith Abraham saw the day of Christ and rejoyced By faith he and the old Believers embraced the promises By faith Paul and his fellow Apostles looked not at things seen which are temporal but at things not seen which are eternal and They walked by faith not by sight that is spiritual encouragements not carnal Use A good memenâ—o for a Saint in low condition whether by sickness or otherwise Upward upward below all is black and uncomfortable but upward all is clear and joyous Make use of thy faith to carry thee far above all these tumults fogs and confusions why a sword by the side and not defend against a thief why faith in the heart and not strengthned by it in threatning evils why as heartless and comfortless as he that hath no faith to support himself Remember how David rated away his unbelief Psal 42. Why art thou cast down O my soul and remember how our Saviour chode Peter for fearing Mat 14 31. Why didst thou doubt O thou of little faith Ob. Sol. Oh but I have something sticks by me that is of an higher importance my sins which are many and great Answ So had Jonah at this time he had greatly sinned against God in refusing the service imposed and said he was cast out of his sight but mark the adversative Yet I will look toward thy holy Temple he would not seal his disobedience with unbelief and impenitency one sin to another They say Judas did worse by despairing then in betraying his Master And mark the word again he had conversed with God formerly and found comfort while he held on in a course of duty but now upon this baulk made the sweet communion was interrupted therefore he saith again so thou though thy sins be many and great yet return yea though they be relapses yet again come to thy God by repentance there is a promise for healing our backslidings Hos 14 4. Though man will not pardon faults by recidivation yet God will Jer. 3 1. thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. And if comfort come not presently yet look again as Jonah here at thy first looking thou mayest misse of mercy but look again it will come at last at the last looking rain came according to the prayer of Elias When my soul fainted within me I remembred the Lord. A Believer finds a good remedy against his fainting fits Note Remedy against fainting fits to remember the Lord. Where note First there is an head-remembrance which stands chiefly in speculation as that there is a God that he is able to help us in misery that he sees and knows our estate and can put forth mercy and power for our relief If thou wilt thou canst make me whole Secondly there is an heart-remembrance when we look upon God as our God and trust in him and cast our selves upon his care and love to do for us according to our need whether for soul body or
1. who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed Our Saviour upbraids the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 21 32. that they belâ—eved not when they had heard the preaching of the Baptist And the Apostles say they could not enter because of unbelief Heb. 3.19 Rev. 21.8 and The unbelieving march with the formost into the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone for ever and Give him his portion as with hypocrites so with unbelievers Yea more He that believeth not is condemned already Unbelief is a damning sin as well as any gross sin against the Law and whereas the Law condemneth a sinner potentially unbelief condemneth actually Use 2 What of God is to be believed Take heed Christians and believe your God when he speaks by his Ministers 1. Believe the justice of God that he knows to be angry as well as to shew favour to threaten as well as to promise to damn as well as to save He is very merciful but will by no means clear the guilty Men may dream what they please Exod. 34.7 but one day will find they have a just God to deal withall 2. Believe the truth of God that all he hath threatned he will most certainly perform without true unfained effectual repentance The words of God are pure words as silver seven times purified in the fire As the promises to the godly so the threats against the wicked not one falls to the ground 3. Believe the power of God that he is able to execute the judgments he hath denounced against sinners The Lord was able to overthrow Nineve within forty days yea within the compass of one day why not Nineve as well as Sodom and neighbouring Cities 4. Believe the wisdom of God that the only way which he hath devised to turn away threats is to be found in Jesus Christ The wisdom of God and the power of God to salvation there is no salvation in any other by him wrath is appeased and by him comes all saving good to repenting sinners Motive to believe threats Consider for a Motive to believe the threats of God 1. This is the only safe way to bid you believe the promises of God We have no commission to bid you believe these till ye be first overawed with his threats The broken heart is the only sacrifice wherein the Lord delighteth Psal 51.17 Esa 61. Mat. 11.28 Christ came to bind up the broken-hearted and said Come all ye that labour and are heavy-laden I will give you ease ye shall have refreshment for your souls 2. It is a mercy to be spoken unto by men weak as your selves as Israel said to Moses Let not God speake to us lest we dye Should God come and speak in his storms and tempests who among us could abide the terror Moses at such a sight did exceedingly quake and tremble Take heed and abuse not his goodness to security or to harden your hearts 3. Mark how those two are joyned together Believe the Lord and believe his Prophets 2 Chron. 20.20 This saith he is the only way to prosper We have this treasure in earthen vessels we are Stewards and have the dispensing of holy things and all know in a great house there is no receiving of Pay or Diet but by the allowance of the Steward 4. How good was it for Nineve to believe God when he spake by the mouth of Jonah True they feared repented put on sackcloth refrained from diet and cryed mightily to God for mercy but the sweetness of mercy made amends for all And so it shall do for other Penitents And put on Sackcloth Christians must testifie the truth of their repentance by outward tokens of humility and humiliation Note Shew repentance by outward tokens These were ordinary practices among the Jews in their fasting Ahab put on sackcloth and went softly and so did others others rent their cloaths others stript off their robes and sate in the dust But because in process of time these forms became meer forms and were taken up by hypocrites therefore Joel bad them rent their hearts and not their garments Joel 2.13 and turn to the Lord their God and Esay at large describeth and rejecteth their hypocrisie chap. 58.3 and Zachary tells them they did but fast to themselves not to God chap. 7.3 7. Yet thus far the Ceremony will reach us at this day 1. On days of humiliation no fine nor gaish Apparel should be used as hath been the fashion of some in these days An humble heart must appear before the Lord as alway so especially on such days in the dress of mourners No reason the habit should give the heart the lye nor the heart the habit Out of the abundance of the heart the dress will shape to be either lowly or phantastical 2. Still there must be a rending of the heart to bewail those sins which provoked God to wrath and indignation yea though it be a good and holy heart Even godly men have an hand in the provocation and therefore even godly men should bear their part in the lamentation to turn wrath away even David after those failings did mightily humble himself before his God 3. Out of that which is spared from the back and belly allowanâ—e should be made to cloath the naked and feed the hungry and do works even of corporal mercy and of civil righteousness Esa 58.6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen saith the Lord. Use Thus fast and then see what promises are made Esa 58.8 9 10 11 12. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily and thy righteousness shall go before thee c. One fast well kept might rid us of all our confusions And thus to fast would well become all of us from the highest to the lowest as here From the greatest of them to the least of them A duty for all All are sinners both in their nature and life and all run into Arrear with God and are in danger of remporal and eternal vengeance If Nineve had been overthrown in those forty days all had gone to wrack infants and sucklings as well as elderly people and therefore all must smart by this humiliation Joel 2.16 so in Joel Those that suck the breasts must want their milk for a while and cry to God as well as they can Yea these Ninevites go farther to the beast the herd and the flock no eating no tasting no drinking of water that the very lowing of the cattel may go up to heaven and call in their language for mercy as is said Psal 147.9 He heareth the young Ravens when they cry If so at such times let the greatest forget and lay aside their greatness and let the least among us bear their part in humiliation especially they that are least in the Kingdom of God and they that think themselves less then the least of all
and Consequents give occasion or some other Text of Scripture so far the man spake rightly And it is good against the Familists who turn all even plain Scriptures into Allegories Come we now to the Book it self Contents of this Book This Book of Jonah contains many chief points concerning the Knowledge of God and the Salvation of man 1. For God we may here see and admire his goodness in sending to the Heathen Ninevites that they might repent and be saved even at that time when generally he took Israel for his only peculiar chosen people Possibly a sign of the calling of the Gentiles which should follow afterward And the justice of God who so severely revenged the disobedience of his own Servant Jonah after whom all may learn to take heed of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness And the power of God who hath all the Creatures even the rudest at his own beck and disposal the Winds the Sea the Fishes the Herbs and Plants and all the Creation And his providence who provides both for the punishment and for the relief of Jonah and by both of them an wholsome instruction for him to be ruled by him for time to come better then before and for us also who need such Discipline 2. For Man and his Salvation we see by this Book how far we are fallen into Sin and Misery even so far that without the mighty and merciful hand of God we cannot recover our selves no more then Jonah could And to them that are troubled at the sight of their sin and danger there is Mercy in store by Jesus Christ as there was for Jonah And the way is to believe the Preaching of the word and repent and turn from our evil wayes as did the Ninevites Here we have also the force of Prayer the nature of Fear the wages of Disobedience the fruit of Repentance Here we have Lots Vows singing of Psalms History strange and wonderful and a new kind of Creation in the Gourd that rose up in a Night with other profitable Documents as God shall bring us to them in order Parts In the Book we have a first and second calling of Jonah to Preach to the Ninevites with the things that followed upon both of them In the first Chapter we have the behaviour of Jonah and of the Mariners Of Jonah we read these things 1. the Message given him v. 1.2 2 his declining of the Message v. 3. 3. the apprehension of him when he was fugitive ver 4. 4. the execution ver 15. The Message is set down both generally it was the word of the Lord and especially Jonah must go to Nineve and cry against it Ver. 1. Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah Or And the word of the Lord came that is to Jonah as well as to the other Prophets Or This Message to Nineve as well as the other Messages to Israel with all the circumstances here related Jonah by his Calling was an ordinary Teacher of Gods people but now extraordinarily he is sent to Preach among the Gentiles Note Teaching us to abide in in our particular place and station till the Lord please to take us off and send us elsewhere Teachers in the Church ought not to wander up and down or thrust themselves into other mens Offices as the fashion of some is It is the sin of some scarce of ordinary gifts to pretend an extraordinary Vocation Use It is certainly Zeal without Knowledge to undertake this work and disturb the Peace of the Church They should first have been sure that the word of the Lord came to them and for satisfaction to Gods people they should be able to make it appear to the Rulers of the Church which of late dayes was utterly rejected and all confusion thereby brake in upon us as a mighty flood The word of the Lord came unto Jonah Namely by Inspiration of the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.20 21. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ascribed to the whole Scripture 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God There are divers ways of manifestation but all by one and the same Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Num. 12.6 Heb. 1.1 God in times past spake in divers manners suppose in a Vision or in a Dream and sometime possibly by an audible Voice So David tells us 2 Sam. 23.2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue Be assured hence The writings of the Prophets are of Divine Authority Doctr. Prophets from God wrote what we see the word of the Lord the Vision of the Lord the burthen of the word of the Lord He spake by the mouth of the holy Prophets from the beginning of the world Luke 1.70 and see Chapter 24.25 44. and 1 Pet. 1.10 11 12. Which serves to comfort us concerning our Faith in all Use 1 the Articles of it they are all grounded in the Writings of the Prophets therefore Divine and may well be believed The word of the Lord came unto Jonah to Amos to Hosea and to the rest of the Prophets We have a sure word of prophesie yea more sure then Visions and Oracles 2. Pet. 1.16 17 18 19. much more then Fancies of men pretending the Spirit and craking of a light in them which must sway against the written word Ministers and all Blessed be God who hath put a Bridle into their mouths and restrained their Fury For our part we are sure all is right and straight whatever we believe according to the Prophets Use 2 2. It serves to convince the world of wickedness in not receiving the word of the Prophets We admire the obstinacy of the Jews who were never the better though they had men sent among them with extraordinary Gifts and Graces and immediate teachings of the Spirit but stay Is there not the same obstinacy in our people now-a days Ministers Preach over the same Doctrines again and again and who almost regardeth Esa 53.1 Who hath believed our report Drunkards there be still as in the Prophets time Swearers Liars Sabbath-breakers otherwise wicked And the same judgments hang over the heads of our sinners as the Prophets told their people Faith and Repentance are Preached still as they Preached and namely Jonah in this Book Oh the invincible hardness of mens hearts not to believe the Prophets and Preachers What do you think must we needs go to Nineve to Preach and get Converts If we did we might speed but wo be to unbelieving Christians whom neither Prophets nor Apostles nor Holy men coming with their Doctrine can work to Repentance Certainly seeing they believe not these they would not believe though one should rise from the dead Luke 16. ult Use 3 3. Take heed I beseech you and seeing the Prophets deliver the word of the Lord let them be regarded accordingly As thus 1. Take pains to know the meaning of the Prophets in their several Prophesies There are obscurities
awakened A sleeping Lion troubles not But when this begins to wamble then the Sea waxeth turbulent and dangerous Esa 57.20 21. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt there is no peace saith my God to the wicked Sometime the trouble enters in a Plague year sometime in the loss of a Dear Friend sometime in the approach of Death and sometime in other amazing occasions When ever God begins to reckon with a sinner or any way hides comfort from him on which he presumed now begins the Tempest to be black indeed A wounded spirit who can bear Let none therefore trust to the hardness or bigness of his spirit but learn to fear in a right and holy manner Use In vain to be hardned against God There is a false valour wherewith some set up their sails and swell above all reason against God his word and works It may be it lasteth for a long time till Death or in Death through self-delusion But this is not the way to prosper as to God and for safety to the Soul At farthest Job 9.4 Jer. 20.3 in the day of judgment he shall be Magor-Missabib fear round about astonied and swallowed up of despair The only safe way is to turn all Natural and worldly fear into Spiritual that is to fear God whom by sin we offended To take sin off the score by getting into Jesus Christ To follow the doggings of a guilty Conscience far enough namely to get washed in the Fountains of Israel By temporal judgments to take warning concerning eternal and prevent that great mischief Otherwise it is not a little tempest that will serve the turn or Pestilence or Pleurisie or the like but in Hell there will be seven times more vengeance yea seventy times seven All present Evils are nothing to this when God shall cast both Body and Soul into Hell therefore say I Fear him Luke 12.4 5. And if it be the right fear of God it will teach to depart from evil as Job Joseph and the Midwives of Egypt Job 28.28 It will introduce a real holiness Psal 111.10 It is the beginning of wisdâ—m And it will lead the man along in an holy way toward Perfection 2 Cor. 7.1 To perfect holiness in the fear of God Doctr. 2 2. Note how in great distress great sinners will pray after their fashion The worst will pray in great danger as these Heathenish Idolaters they knew there is a God and that he is to be called upon but let him alone till they be brought into this extremity of danger Notions of God and Prayer and Duty lie asleep in a natural man till roused by some extraordinary trouble and amazement Hos 5.15 In their affliction they will seek me early And here we see that when they miss of the true God they will betake themselves to gods of their own making Every one to his god they will have many gods rather then no god when reduced into straights Reason Self-love can do all this Nature is willing to escape out of great dangers or get out of great troubles or obtain his own ends Fruits of the Earth Peace Liberty other good things of the world Hos 7.14 They have not cryed unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for Corn and Wine and they rebell against me so that not God is sought for Gods sake but meerly to serve ones own turn which when it is done God shall be let alone till they have more need of him Use Not the right kind of prayer Yet this is usually esteemed Prayer in death or deadly troubles call upon God and it is abundant Devotion though neither before not afterward live a sinner and die a sinner yet with a few good words he is sure to go to heaven Though he learn not righteousness nor the Laws and conditions of prayer Esa 26.10 11. There be numbers that make not one good prayer all their long life Know not what it is to ask according to the will of God which they mind not Ordinarily quench and grieve the Spirit and so cannot pray in the Spirit Jude â—0 Never take care to get into Christ and so cannot pray in the Name of Christ Never mind the main matters of Prayer as about Holiness Temptation doing Duty holily and spiritually living profitably in their places advancing Gods glory and the good of souls All for a present shift and to get out of a storm as well as they can Object What would you not have us to call upon God in our trouble is it not commanded Answ 1. It is commanded and so are many other conditions too Psal 50.14 Call upon me in the day of trouble but it follows ver 16. Unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my statutes 2. There be many places of Scripture that discard the prayers of the wicked Prov. 15 8. John 9 31. they are abomination to the Lord God heareth not sinners Incense is abomination 3. There be many adjuncts of acceptable prayer v. c. to use the means of obtaining to use no indirect means to stand in a way of capacity for receiving such and such favours to use them well afterward and the like which numbers little think of and so their prayers are not accepted 4. There be many dayes of trouble beside these outward and worldly afflictions and if ye will pray ever when ye are in trouble ye must pray every day and several times in the day why a godly man every day finds himself troubled with Temptations and is never out of danger of the great Tempest nor of his own corrupt heart Paul besought the Lord thrice against the thorn of the flesh and approved himself on both sides by the armour of Rigteousness No part of our life is void of these dangers therefore every part of our life must be fenced with prayers And one condition of prayer is it must be constant Eph. 6.18 Col. 4.2 we must pray with all perseverance we must continue instant in prayer c. To the third point There be cases wherein a mans Doctr. 3 worldly wealth will be nothing set by as here in case of Shipwrack and Act. 27.19 They lightened the ship and with their own hands they cast out the tackling of it When the life comes into question let it all go or in times of war a man fares the worse because he hath something to lose Ezek. 7.19 They shall cast their Silver into the streets and their Gold shall be removed Or in a great fit of sickness all the wealth is lookt on with an heavy eye And in death what is all the wealth of the world to a man It is but the more vexation in parting Use 1 Yet this is the folly of many immoderately and inordinately to affect the wealth of the world They seek it and take pains for it though
Master And this is the fruit of Gods fatherly chastisement to the faithful that they learn his statutes and when they are corrected they are instructed out of his Law Psal 94.12 This is all the fruit Esa 27.9 Jonah now will go and do his Errand But this is wanting in the wicked still stubborn 4. Among a Company of wicked men it may be enemies of God and Religion Jonah here is amidst a number of Infidels and see what a profession he makes of his faith the true God is avowed and they led to the acknowledgement of him and afterward they offer sacrifice to him 1 Pet. 3.15 1 Tim. 6.12 13. This also is our duty Give a reason of the hope that is in thee witness a good Confession And this among other Articles I believe in the God of Heaven that made the Sea and dry Land Remember Christians Use and own God openly and against all discouragements or amidst all tokens of wrath fear him as Jonah here professeth and remember what are the effects of fearing God and that fear is put for the whole worship of God Mal. 3.16 they that feared the Lord spake often one to another which may well be because no part of his worship may be void of an holy fear and reverence toward the God of Heaven serve the Lord with fear Psal 2.11 Heb. 12 28. and rejoyce with trembling serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear pray with an awful regard of his great Majesty tremble at his word Phil. 2.12 And all must work out their salvation with fear and trembling Now from Jonahs Confession of his fault before the Mariners we learn It must be the humility and modesty of Christians Note Confess faults one to another to confess their faults one to another so is the Commandment Jam. 5.16 confess you faults one to another and pray one for another Not only confess to God as in the serious exercises of Repentance but to men whom it concerns to know what evil we have done as here it behoved Jonah to declare what fault he had committed which caused this Tempest God hath pointed him out for a Malefactor and he must acknowledge wherein So this Confession must be twofold 1. Publick if the offence hath been publick and scandalous when the whole Congregation hath been offended the whole Congregation must receive satifaction namely by an open testifying of shame and sorrow So the incestuous Corinthian had punishment inflicted on him by many 2 Cor. 2.6 so should our scandalous members be served that by the shame they may be brought to repentance and their souls saved that the Venom of the bad example may be stopt and go no farther that the mouths of Idolaters may be stopt and they not occasioned to blaspheme that others may fear and not do the like that the Plaister may be as wide as the wound that the love of the Congregation may be gained to the offendor and their prayers and a Brotherly converse together 2. Private if the offence hath been private It shall suffice in such a case that the party offending acknowledge the fault he hath made and the party offended ought to accept of his confession Luke 17.3 4. Take heed to your selves if thy Brother trespass against thee rebuke him if he repent forgive him And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day come again to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him So in the fift Petition of the Lords Prayer Forgive us as we forgive and our Saviours Exposition Mat. 6.14 15. If ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Object It were a shame to come to Confession Answ 1. It is a Duty 2. There is a Prophesie that Converts in the New Testament should be ashamed and confounded for their sins Ezek. 16.61 and 20.43 3. This prophesie is fulfilled in Rom. 6.21 What fruit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed 4. There ought to be that humility and modesty in true Christians as to take their shame and blame home to them saying Dan. 9.7 8. To us belongs nothing but shame and confusion of face 5. We have an example of Gods own directing of Delinquents to Confession before the party offended Job 42.7 8 â— Jobs friends had gone awry in rebuking him and therefore they must go and humble themselves before him gain his prayers for them and so be fully reconciled to God and him Hear Christians Use and learn of Jonah to confess your faults one to another Though it be against the Haire and against thy Credit yet be contented Go in Gods way and that is the course to set all at rights as here Jonah though for a while cast into the Sea yet after a while he recovered well enough Numbers learn by the failings of godly men to offend and go astray as they did but learn thou to confess and mourn and amend as they did there they are set for an example and not in the other Non cadendi exemplum c. That we should not lust after evil things as they lusted 1 Cor. 10.6 And that we should take off the offence that hath been given to Children Servants Neighbours Ministers It was a rare example of the worthy Knight Sir A. Cope in prayers with the Family to confess his own personal sins and failings A matter of shame but withall may work much upon the hearers to be like-minded and follow the good example every one in his own private Devotions For the third Then were they exceedingly afraid They were afraid before because of the Tempest and of their danger thereby but now they fear none because they know more fully how the case standeth they know the true God distinctly they know him the cause of this tempest and danger they see an offender discovered in an extraordinary manner they see he is a just God and bears not with sin in his own servant and will see more of him shortly when he sends a calm at Jonahs casting forth and they escape through his mercy Note Stand in awe of Gods judgments The more discoveries we have of God in his Mercy and Justice the more we should be stricken with fear toward him fear to offend him care to please him be the better for his tempests and terrible works among us and by his cords of Love and Bounty be held the closer to him in Duty Job 37 23 24 Touching the Almighty we cannot find him out he is excellent in power and in judgment and in plenty of justice he will not afflict Men do therefore fear him be respecteth not any that are wise of heart see also Jer. 5.21 22 23 24. Use Then worse then Barbarians are those Christians who in all the terrible storms and shakings of the times live securely and fear nothing
obeyed in all our course of life Both Creation and gubernation are ascribed to him therefore he is God He made us Use 2 and he feeds us therefore he is God Ps 135.6 Again it is comfort to the good Subjects of his dominion that he hath to do and doth what he will both in Heaven and Earth and in all deep places When we travel in waters or occupy businesses in that Element there he sits and overrules all In the great and threatning waves of affliction he orders the Event for good to the faithful Psal 32.6 Surely in the flouds of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him Mat. 8.26 14 31. Rev. 20.13 Esa 43.2 When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee For the Disciples he rebuked the wind and sea and there was a great calm And he took up sinking Peter into the ship and one day the sea shall give up her dead There is comfort also in the preparations and provisions that the Lord makes for us both by sea and landâ— He that prepared a great fish for Jonah prepares for us a multitude of fishes both small and great precious for their usefulness and pleasant by their variety Food Physick Oil Bone abundance of uses for the enriching of a Nation whereunto adde that God first taught the art of making ships for Navigation so Noah by his instruction Heb. 11.7 prepared an Ark for saving himself and his Use 3 Family And if it be so believe in God for supply of all your wants In all straights say as Abraham God will provide He that appointed Jonah to be cast into the sea prepared a fish to save him from drowning He that sent a Famine upon Canaan sent Joseph before into Egypt for a Caterer for us also he will provide what is wanting and shall be expedient Believe it and beware of the chiding Why did ye fear because ye brought no bread Jonah was in the belly of the fist three days and three nights Miraculous preservation of Jonah Here is miracle upon miracle A storm raised a calm restored a fish prepared for safety a man kept alive in his belly so long and no longer and then set on dry land again wonders that the fish was so ready for him that he escaped crushing between his teeth which stood in great rows as Sawes to knap him asunder that the digestive force of the fishes stomack was so long restrained that he was not choaked wiâ—h waters and weeds that came about him that he was tost from one side of the fish to another that all this while he had no way of free breathing yet there he was and there he prayed and thence he was delivered Admirable preservation Note the wonderful power of God Note And of others who in the midst of dangers can preserve his people even where no hope of safety appears Jonah in the Whales belly Israel amidst the red sea and in Jordane with bread from heaven water out of a rock one sute of Apparel to serve a man for forty years together The three Jews to breathe and live in an hot fiery furnace and come forth again Daniel to escape well enough in the den of Lions Noah in a world of waters and among all sorts of beasts all came to him and the wildest were made tame so to live with the rest Fables will an Atheist say who can believe Against Atheists or how can these things be Answ 1. Ask sense and experienâ—e how lives the Child in the womb for some moneths together where he neither breathes nor takes nourishment by the mouth yet a continual business as appears in the Birth of Children John 20.29 2. He must needs be a gross Atheist who will believe no more then he sees Blessed is he that hath not seen and yet hath believed Spiritual matters are as much above sense for perceiving as they are for worth The soul is far better then the body yet not seen as the body is and God who is infinitely better then both 3. Jesus Christ who is the true and faithful witness hath given testimony to this History of Jonah and his Whale that he was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish And whosoever shall infringe the truth of Christ in his assertions shall never find him a Saviour A Revenger he shall find him but not a Saviour The wrath of God abideth on him 4. Poets and Heathens have a fable of Ariou Methimnaeus carryed by Dolphins along the sea into his own Countrey no doubt but some glimmering of this History of Jonah Gualter or rather a fable invented by the Devil to obscure this History that it should not be credited as to render the Apostles suspicious he cryed out Act. 16.17 These are the servants of the most High God who shew unto us the way of salvation Use Expect deliverance when least likely Now remember this against times and cases of very great danger God is the same and his power is the same and his love and his care and his truth and all his Attributes and if thou be the same with Jonah in faith and holinesse thou shalt find the same protection and deliverance so far as shall be good for thee I am the Lord I change not Object There is the scruple may some say I am no whit like Jonah that God should so take care of me Sol. Answ 1. The least degree of true faith and holiness is accepted with God and shall keep the head above water Peter was a man of little faith and yet by his little faith he was able to walk upon the sea and if he had held fast his confidence as he began he should not have sunk in the least nor cryed out for help as he did 2. Though Jonah was a very good man yet at this time he was very faulty and in wrath cast forth into the sea Hab 3.2 Only the Lord in wrath remembers mercy toward him and so he will toward thee The gifts and calling of God are without repentance no unbelief of ours can make the faith of God of none effect nor break off the tie between him and a believing soul Oh but my case is very grievous Object A devouring evil lies upon me Answ Thy case is not worse then Jonahs case was Sol. he was devoured by a Whale and this devourer was the means of his preservation Judg. 14.14 Out of the eater came meat and out of the strong came sweetness Thou sayest I see no likely means of my deliverance no more did Jonah and yet he is delivered even in a way quite contrary God saves by means without means above means or against means Oh but mine is a tedious affliction Ob. Sol. it hath lain long upon me and now what hope remains Answ 1. Jonah was in the Whales belly three days and three nights no doubt but that he had sad thoughts
6. For thou hast cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas and the floods compassed me about all thy billows and thy waves passed over me Then I said I am cast out of thy fight yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple The waters compassed me about even to the soul the depth closed me round about the weeds were wrapt about my head I went down into the bottoms of the mountains the earth with her bars was about me for ever yet hast thou brought my life from corruption O Lord my God Amplificatio prima Here the Prophet amplifies his prayer by the greatness of the danger whereinto he was brought the fishes belly the belly of hell the deep the midst of the seas bottoms of mountains weeds floods and billows Being escaped out of the danger nevertheless he recounteth the danger wherein he had been as every godly man also will do Nature teacheth a man to be sensible of present evils Note Recount old sufferings troubles and dangers but grace teacheth to mind old ones as of which he hath a saving use to make so did Jacob Gen. 32.10 with my staff I passed over this Jordan a poor and desolate man and David I followed the Ews great with young and Amos tells how he had been an Herdman and had gathered Sycomore fruits chap. 7. Use Benefits accrewing thereby Do so Christian now that thou art set in a large place out of thy troubles There be these good uses to be made of this recounting former evils 1. It will keep thee humble and low in thine own eyes though now increased into two bands mighty high preferred before many of thy brethren time was when thou wast low enough remember and be lowly-minded as God seems to set it down for a remedy against perking Deut. 8.2 Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldest keep his Commandments or no. It is the great sin of many a man that he is lifted up with present prosperity though sometime he was in a very low estate yet now that he is got into a mountain Psal 30.6 he stands cracking as if he should never be moved And none must mind him of his old poverty or meanness he that doth doth break the peace and sometime it comes to daggers drawing and much ado there is to be reconciled as friends should be Possibly there may be a fault in such twitting a man with his ancient poverty but yet a godly man should take it well so to further his humility which it is hard to retain 2. It will make and keep thee thankful for the comfortable change which God hath made in thy estate as Jacob there confessed to the glory of God and as Israel was required to do Deut. 8.10 when thou hast eaten and art full thou shalt bless the Lord thy God Thankfulness is a grace that will wither as soon as any flower in our Garland and needs to be thus watered Remember the terrors of the late wars so to be thankful for our present peace Remember the terrors of thy burning feaver which thou hadst at such a time the sleepless nights tormenting fits of the Gout or Stone publick evils that lay upon the Church or threatned it shrewdly as in Queen Maries time in eighty eight in the Gunpowder-plot and others whereof we may say as the Psalmist had not the Lord been on our side Ps 1â—4 1 2. the proud waves had gone over our soul blessed be his holy Name for so great deliverances 3. It will help to bear up your faith in expectation of future deliverances as the Apostle said God hath delivered from great death and doth deliver and we trust also he will deliver 1 Sam. 17. 2 Cor. 1.9 10. and David He that delivered me from the Lion and the Bear will deliver me also from this uncircumcised Philistine so one of us God hath helped when I was as low as this comes to this is not the first time that I was in want or danger I remember such and such a straight I cannot well be worse then I was at such a time and yet it pleased God in mercy to send seasonable supply or deliverance therefore in this case also I will not faint nor cast away my confidence Esa 59.2 see Psal 77.10 11 12. Gods ear is not heavy nor his hand shortned nor is he weary of bestowing benefits therefore trust in him still Still there are promises and a covenant of grace and Christ a Mediator for me and bowels of a Father power faithfulness wisdom all divine perfections therefore fear nothing And note by the way one part of the great gain of godliness Godliness takes advantage by every thing to promote the main which is sanctification and salvation that all shall work together for good to them that love God Rom 8.18 and are called according to his purpose Afflictions past and present yea and sins too to be the more humble and more wary for time to come whence we hear Jonah telling of his fleeing to Tarsus and Paul telling how he had been a Persecutor c. Thou hadst cast me into the deep Gods own Child may be cast into deep and great afflictions as Jonah Joseph David Note Saints sometimes deeply afflicted other holy men who without all doubt were very dear unto God yea his own only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ he had one Son without sin but none without affliction And why though he love them all well Reas yet he will not make fondlings of them and though they be good in the main yet they have their faults now and then and they need correction witness Jonah at this time And they have their corruptions which need to be more mortified and their graces must be tryed and made more conspicuous which is not done but in the furnace of affliction And the Devils mouth must be stopped who will be apt to say as against Job that they serve God meerly for prosperity who yet was true to God when he was stript of all Therefore let no godly man misdeem his estate because Use 1 he suffers such and such evils Ecc. 9.1 None can know love or hatred by all that is before him there be other tryals to know it but affliction is no tryal And mark how Jonah professeth his faith in God even now when he thus amplifies his affliction The best employment certainly in such a sad condition is to find out the sins which occasioned the breach and those ends which God aimes at This is our part to look unto and let God alone to do his part which will be for good in the end No Artist must have his work esteemed by some particular piece of it Neither misdeem the estate of others who are so deep Use 2 in
and obedience Certainly Rom. 15.4 as all Scripture is written for our instruction so this concerning Jonah His example gives us fair warning not to leave known duties whatever carnal reasonings may suggest for the neglect of them Not to sleep or rest secure after any sin committed lest a storm from God fall upon us and endanger our comfort in God if not our salvation Not to be eager for the destruction of any though bad enough and they deserve to be destroyed Not to favour that cholerick disposition which we know to rest in some of our breasts but be very watchful and mortifie this corruption more and more Nor to mutter against any of Gods dealings either with our selves or others how crosse soever they seem to be On the other side Jonah's example warns us to shame our selves for errors we have made as he here doth in writing these things of himself To submit patiently as he doth to those fatherly chastisements which it pleaseth God to afflict us withall To retain faith in God even in the depth of our afflictions as doth he To vent our faith and faithful desires by hearty and earnest prayers and that without ceasing as did he till he was delivered To gather holy vows and purposes that upon recovery out of any evils we will by the assistance of grace shew our selves really thankful for mercies received And after all our foolish strivings with his sad dispensations 1 Sam. 3.18 we will resolve all into the good pleasure of our God It is the Lord let him do what seemeth good in his eyes Then out of the example of the Ninevites all should learn to believe the threats of God and be humbled and crave the peace with God and walk with him ever afterward more obediently and carefully Rab. in Seder Olam Theodorer alii Where mark those words ever afterward and beware of relapses or returning to folly Histories tell us how forty yeares after this sparing of Nineve yet the people falling back to their old sins again were fearfully destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and their City utterly overthrown according to the Prophesie of Nahum who arose after our Jonah Beware Christians by their example Be not as the Dog that returns to his vomit or as the Sow that was washed to the wallowing in the mire The first estate of Apostates was bad enough but their last estate is worse by far The Lord uphold us in these sifting and shaking times wherein many have turned aside after Satan that we may hold on constantly in the way of faith and obedience not warping aside to the right hand or the left no nor abating a whit of our first love through heavinesse of flesh or deadnesse of spirit or any incumbrances of the world With which prayer I rest in present Thine in our Lord Jesus Christ WILLIAM JEMMAT THE PROPHESIE OF JONAH JOnah in Hebrew signifies a Dove Hieron 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 1.10 and the Lord send upon us the good Spirit which descended on Christ as a Dove that we may rightly and fruitfully treat of this Prophesie which was written as all other Scripture for our Instruction and consolation Of Jonah we read in two other Scriptures 2 King 14.25 Mat. 12.39 40. Gath-Hepher was the place of his Birth and one of the Cities that fell to the lot of Zebulon and was so called to distingush it from Gath Rimmon and Gath of the Philistines Note Malice blinds Where note the falseness of the blind and malicious Pharisee who said Out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet Joh. 7.52 Yes Jonah the Prophet who was of Gath-Hepher which was in the Province of Galilee Malice doth many times blâ—nd the eyes even of understanding men as the Pharisees generally were Beware of malice as thou wouldest not be mis-led into damning Errors fatally and finally Jonah prophesied in the Reign of Jeroboam the second or of Joash his Father it may be of both Princes that came of Jehu who rooted out the Family of Ahab the Idolaters but not the Idolatry for which cause Israel came into great affliction which was very bitter 2 King 14.26 27. There was not any shut up nor any left nor any Helper for Israel Note Idolatry ruines Idolatry ever brings mischief to a State or Family sooner or later see Chap. 10.31 32 33. Beware of Idolatry and Idolaters they are people of Gods Wrath and Curse what trials ye may have ye do not know Remember and keep your selves from idols 1 Joh. 5.21 and from idolaters Now mark two things of Jonah our Dove 1. To afflicted Israel he comes with an Olive-branch of of Peace and Comfort that the waste shall be restored which had been taken away ibid. according to the word of the Lord God of Israel Note Some favour to the worst Use which he spakes by the hand of his servant Jonah God for a while is very gracious and in temporals doth much for a wicked people it may be by wicked instruments as Jeroboam was Admire the passages of his providence and look from men to God who works for the good of his Chosen as in the ten Tribes there were some true worshippers and for their sake some deliverance was granted 2. To Nineve he is sent with the mournful Voice of a Dove proclaiming their destruction Yet forty dayes and Nineve shall be destroyed but with an intent in the Master that sent him to spare the City upon their Repentance and Amendment The Lord in wrath remembers mercy Note In wrath mercy and sometimes blusters our judgments that sinners may bethink themselves and repent and be saved Mark his divers dispensations and attend the main which is that his patience and goodness should lead you to repentance Rom. 2.4 Two Notes more 1. Out of this Book of Jonah two things may be noted by the exposition of our Saviour himself 1. That Jonah was a Type of Christ in respect of his Death and Resurrection as Jonah was three days and three nights in the Whales belly and then came to land again so Christ was held in Death for a while and the third day rose again 2. That the people of Nineve are set for an example of Repentance to you of after-ages which if it follow not ye shall be the more deeply and severely damned and why for a greater then Jonah is here Allegorical sense of Scripture we shall ever admit where warranted by some glimpse of Scripture as there are many such to be found through the whole body of it Ribera 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 4.24 The Jesuite needed not to have quarrelled about such sense of Scriptures but under pretence of Allegories we must not run out into Fooleries as are many of their Allegories much less into Errors as some of them are Nor doth the similitude of things among themselves warrant us to take every Doctrine which the Fathers collected but only where the Antecedents
in them but search to understand them more fully and clearly Search the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 Read Hear Pray Confer Obey any thing to get out the hidden treasure Be both frequent and earnest in searching out the meaning of places Dig Cry lift up your Voice for understanding plain Apostles feed the simple hard Prophets exercise the more witty and understanding 2. Be reverent in all your conversing with the word whether by Reading or Hearing King Eglon stood up to receive Ehuds Message from the Lord. Cornelius and his Company set themselves in the presence of God to hear what should be spoken by Peter The Congregation of Israel in hearing some Message from God bowed their head and worshpped even so do ye take heed to the word of prophesie give earnest heed to the things that are spoken 3. Believe all that the Prophets have written not as the slow of heart whom our Saviour reproved or as those now-a-days who deserve to be reproved King Agrippa believest thou the Prophets I wish I could say of every one I know thou believest Certainly the word doth no good unless it be mingled with faith in them that hear it Heb. 4.2 as Meat except it be digested or Physick except it be kept for a while Faith implies knowledge Consent and Application 4. Obey the Voice of the Prophets and Apostles as being the Voice of the Lord. When God delivered the Commandements Israel made account they must obey all that he said and promised so to do and said he Oh that there were such an heart in them It had been well for them and it would be well for us if so pliant and obedient Consider our Reading Hearing Praying Conferring is all to be referred to obeying Obeying hath the promise as is said Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it and Hearers of the Law shall be blessed in the deed 5. Be built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Eph. 2.20 Building is to add Stone to Stone and Timber to Timber so you to your Gifts and Graces Christians should not only be setled and established in the truth but increase daily more and more This is often required 1 Thes 4.1 and 2 Pet. 3.18 And it is required that to the best of your skill and power ye suffer not the Doctrine of the Prophets to be gain-sayed or corrupted 6. Honor Jesus Christ whom all the Prophets pointed at Act 3.19 Jonah here is a Figure of his Death and Resurrection other Prophets tell of the place of his Birth of the time of his Coming of the holiness and glory of his Kingdom and the like Both the Prophets that went before and the Apostles that followed after all cryed Hosanna to the Son of David Let us also who come up in the Rear give our Acclamations to honor Jesus Christ especially in the way of obedience Take heed let not Christ find honour and obedience among Indians and lose it among Christians Israels ingratitude was here upbraided by the Ninevites Repentance Rev. 2.5 And a remove of the Gospel hath been long threatned beware lest at last it be removed indeed Jonah must go when God sends him and so must other good Ministers Ver. 2. Arise go to Nineve that great City and cry against it for their wickedness is come up before me Here is the Prophets special Message and in it three things 1. His excitation to do work for God at Nineve Arise go to Nineve that great City 2. His denunciation of Gods judgment against it Cry against it 3. Assignation of the reason For their wickedness is come up before me Nineve Nineve was the chief City of the Assyrians as London to us English Nineve in the name of it sounds forth a fair and beautiful City In Moses time and long before it was a great City Gen. 10.12 Two places in this Book do intimate the greatness of it Chap. 3.3 4. and 4.11 Histories supply some particulars It s greatness Diod. Sic. v. c. that it was threescore Miles in compass that it had Walls exceeding high and broad so that three Carts might meet and pass by one another that upon the Walls were fifteen hundred goodly Turrets for Defence and Ornament that by continuation of Buildings four Cities were grown into one as those two of London and Westminster that Babylon was a less City by the fourth part and yet when part of it was taken by the Persians Jer. 51.31 Arist pol. some part knew not of the taking till three dayes after That Nineve was eight years in Building though ten thousand Work-men were employed at once about it that it was head of the first Monarchy for twelve hundred years together and so had brought a world of Wealth and people into the City out of the several Provinces which were spoiled and Tributaries to Nineve as afterward did the Romans who if they had been stript of their stollen Goods Lactant. should return to their ancient Cottages and penury Now this could not be done without a great deal of Pride Oppression Blood-shed and other wickedness Sinfulness And it is very likely that the Citizens grew very Lofty Luxurious Filthy scarce tolerable one to another But it is plain that they were great enemies to the people of God Esa 10.5 O Assyrian the rod of mine anger Ye have the History of Senacherib and his rage against God and his people though Ashur came of Shem the holy seed yet he became a spitâ—ful and a blaspheming enemy Gen. 10.22 Now to this Nineve is Jonah sent as an Herald of Arms Danger to denounce Destruction for their sins One against many and a mean one against the Potentates of the world An unequal encounter but the Lord tels him of it before-hand that he may know the worst of it and arm himself accordingly with faith and courage to do his Message as he ought stoutly and faithfully Learn and before-hand cast the cost of Religion Fore-seen darts are either avoided or do the less harm Summons Arise and cry against it What the cry was we see in Chap. 3.4 Yet forty dayes and Nineve shall be overthrown concealing the rest as the secrets of God who makes his Servants of his Court but not of his Counsel The Lord meant by this thunder to awake the Ninevites and bring them to Repentance and by them to shame Israel who after much Preaching remained hard-hearted and un-reformed And his usual manner is to fore-tell a Plague before he inflicts it such is his goodness to his Creatures and it should work upon people when they are fore-warned to be also fore-armed Woe if they be not Doctr. 1 Beware of weariness and cowardize Three points come here to be observed for Edification That at the call of God we ought to stir up our selves and settle to our duty Arise and go to the great City Nineve Jonas might even be weary of Preaching to Samaria
things that is where in mans reason there is no connexion between the cause and the effect yet ordered by God and fall out infallibly as Lots Prov. 16.33 The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord And the killing of a man by an Axe no hatred only the head slippeth from the helve it is said That God delivers him into the hand of his Neighbour Exod. 21.13 The like of fore-telling things whereof there was no sign among the Creatures Use 1 Which serves to reprove Heathenish Christians who look not up to God in these Affairs of the world to give him glory Reproof or carry themselves as those that live under a Providence but Rage and Chafe and cry out of Fortune ill Luck cross Times I know not what Planets and mischiefs Yet the Heathen ascribed the stirring of Winds and Seas to their Idol-Gods Aeolus and Neptune and these Heathens in the Text looked up every one to his God to be saved and delivered from this great danger and Jonah who is the Writer saith expresly The Lord sent out a great wind into the Sea And those now-a-days who read such Writings might thereby be enured to better Thoughts and Language concerning Winds Tempests and other sad Accidents Use 2 More if Providence work in all these it follows that our God is a wonderful God every way and accordingly to be admired He sends forth the Winds at his pleasure he holds the Winds in the hollow of his Fist he ruleth the Raging of the Seas and sitteth upon many Waters Fishes Worms Gourds all Creatures are at his disposal to be or not to be to do us good or not to do us good None so great but he over-rules it None so small but he acts it therefore O Lord our Lord how Excellent is thy Name in all the Earth When Christ had stilled that great storm upon the Lake The men marvelled saying What manner of man is this that even the Winds and Sea obey him And it is likely that the men in the Ship with Jonah came by this Miracle to some knowledge of the God of Israel So did Naaman the Syrian 2 King 5.15 Behold now I know that there is no God in all the Earth but in Israel However we that have the word to instruct us of God and to Expound his Providences to us should be led by Winds Seas and other strange workings of our God to a due Admiration of him that he is wonderful in his power bidding them do this and they do it and in his wisdom so disposing ordinarily so innumerable and so rude things and in his graciousness doing all for his Elect though sometime in seeming Contrarieties as here to Jonah Next divers duties may be urged by this concurrence Use 3 of Gods Providence Lessons to be learned 1. To be patient under cross Providences when Winde and Weather are against us and we suffer exceedingly we should like all that he doth because he doth it and say It is the Lord let him do what pleaseth him 1 Sam. 3.18 The creatures could not come if he did not send them Shimei could not curse if he did not bid him curse 2. To wait with patience if he delay the help which we would fain have Psal 40.1 I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry when his appointed time is come which is the best time we are sure to be relieved The Vision is yet for an appointed wait and at last it will speak and satisfie Remember the saying Hab. 2 3. Esa 28.16 He that belives must not make haste 3. To pray for seasonable and moderate Weather Winds and Rains Zech. 10.1 and all other things being at Gods disposal Ask and ye shall have Ask the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain so the Lord shall make bright clouds and give them showers of rain to eveâ—y one grass in the Field But pray still with resignation to his Will and Wisdom because he knows best what is fit to be done and is able to alter the most setled Weather that soon all may turn to the quite contrary Stars and their Influences must go by his direction if the Stars rule men yet our God ruleth the Stars 4. To pray for Sea-faring men who are most subject to the injury of Winds and Tempests Psal 107.24 These men see the wonders of God in the deep up to Heaven down to Hell and sometimes are at their wits end therefore should be remembred by us at Land while our selves are in safety Though we cannot help them there is one that can and him we must pray unto 5. To praise God when our businesses are fitted by Land or Water he did it and he must have the glory he sent sweet gales of Winds he caused that there were no Tempests upon the Sea nor Blasts upon the Land by his goodness we escaped such a Thunder and Lightning and mischiefs that fell upon others therefore him we must glorifie and be really thankful Psal 107.31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of men 6. To keep the Lord sure on our side I mean in an holy way because he and he alone can make all go well on our side No wonder if Windes and Tempests be let loose upon Jonah when Jonah is fled from the Lord We may thank our selves for sundry terrible storms and unseasonable times that come upon us our foolishness hath so armed the justice of God against us Satan can raise winds and tempests And take this for a Motive The Devil and his Instruments can raise turbulent Winds and Tempests to do us a displeasure If they have leave from God we see in Jobs case what they are able to do Not that he can create Winds and Tempests but â—f there be any in all the world he can bring them together â—â— and direct them to such an House or to such and such â—ersons He is the Prince of the air Eph. 2.2 and is permâ—tted to do great mischiefs against sinners yea and against the Saints of God Luke 13.18 Satan had bound a Daughter of Abraham eighteen years Others were possessed of Devils and suffered exceedingly Others had their swine Choaked in the waters Our Saviour himself was hurried of the Devil from place to place Books have been written De Praestigiis Daemonum Wierus But besides these there are real storms and mischiefs that are done by wicked Spirits whereof two Notes are given 1. That they are raised on a suddain even in the fairest and quietest weather that is 2. That on a suddain all is husht and gone as if there had been no such commotion at all with other Discourses not much to our purpose Take heed and fear not these wicked ones whose power is limited though their Malice be unlimited but God who is the watch-man of Israel
his sufferings Christ is as much above Jonah in value and Dignity as Jonah was above the meanest Skipper Such a Saviour and Redeemer we needed and found and could find in none but Christ Not all the Angels of Heaven nor men on Earth that could have saved us from this shipwrack 2. Consider throughly the greatness of the storm which thy sin had raised against thee not a Tempest of wind and sea but of the infinite and everlasting wrath of the great God Who knows the power of his wrath None but Christ Psal 90.11 and the damned and souls in desertion Now the greater our danger is and rightly apprehended the more we hold our selves bound to thankfulness but rightly apprehended it cannot be without deep and earnest Meditation Think a little in what a woful case these Mariners were during the Tempest then compare the infinite waath of the great God which burns to the nethermost hell and all by reason of those pleasant and profitable sins thou so much doatest upon 3. Consider the sweet and comfortable calm which Jesus Christ hath brought by his suffering even all the benefits of justification by faith Rom. 5.1 2 3 4 5 sin pardoned person accepted soul saved prayer heard affliction sanctified every mercy received in mercy And now Satan is disappointed and disabled in the main Possibly he may raise great tempests against the Saints that is persecutions smaller or greater as against Job and his Children and Cattel but in the point of salvation he can do us no hurt at all yea all shall fall out for good in the end chap. 8.28 Christians stir up your selves to a due thankfulnesâ— we may hear shortly how these Mariners upon deliverance offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows ver 16. If they for a temporal what should we for a spiritual and eternal deliverance As the mercy is greater so must the thankfulness be 1. We should offer our sacrifice to the Lord even spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2.5 I mean praise and thanksgiving alms works of Righteousness in our common Calling prayer all holy services of Religion and suffering if we be called thereunto as Phil. 2.17 If I be offered upon the sacâ—â—â—â—â—e and service of your faith I joy and rejoice with you all 2. We should make vows and pay them to the Lord our God Psal 76.11 and do it without any farther delay Eccles 5.4 When thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay it Especially the vows that were made in affliction Psal 66.13 14. I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth had spoken when I was in trouble Most of all those that were made in affliction of spirit in conversion or afterward in going to a Sacrament Psal 116.13 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people Ver. 13.14 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the Land but they could not for the Sea wrought and was tempestuous against them Wherefore they cryed unto the Lord and said We beseech thee O Lord we beseech thee Let us not persh for this mans life and lay not upon us innocent blood for thou Lord hast done as it pleased thee Though Jonah had desired them to cast him into the sea and all should be well yet see how loving and tender-hearted the men are to spare his life Nevertheless the men rowed hard they digged the sea saith the Hebrew they took as hard pains as he that goes to ditching and delving A wonderful matter in Seamen and those heathens but he that gave Joseph favour in the fight of Potiphar and the Keeper of the prison gavâ— Jonah favour in the sight of these Mariners that though he said Cast me forth into the sea yet they rowed hard to bring the ship to dry land Note Be tender of mans life The example teacheth us as far as we can possibly to spare the life of our Neighbour life is a precious thing better then all a man hath beside Skin for skin and all that a man hath he will give for his life it ought therefore to be preserved and cherished to the uttermost and if we can do any thing thereunto we are bound in conscience to do it He that said Thou shalt not kill meant moreover we should prolong life to the best of our skill and power Use Remember Christians and take example by these heathen Mariners together with grounds of Christianity to save the life of any in any of your relations or within any compass of your Calling The Son of man came not to destroy but to save life and so should we The Lord by his general providence preserves both man and beast and so should we And a good man is merciful to the life of his beast much more to his Brother What is it then thy Brother or Friend or Child is in danger of his life 1. Learn of these Mariners to take pains for saving him run ride send call in help use friends do all that may be done to keep him alive By using means we have seen those to live whom we thought very likely to die 2. If there be a plot against the life of any discover and prevent the mischief as did Pauls Sisters Son Act. 23. much more if it be levelled against the lives of many in bringing a Nation to confusion As by prayer so by prudence we must put our selves into the breach and prevent the overthrow 3. Supply food and raiment and all that is requisite to keep Nature alive not only in Children and near Friends but in them that are farther off For this see Jam. 2.14 15 16 17 18. Object He is naught Answ Preserve his humanity that he may have time to wax better 4. If he be sick let him have physick and other cherishing as the occasion requireth The Syrophenicean woman went to Christ in behalf of her distressed Daughter and the Nobleman in behalf of his sick Sonne John 4.46 5. Worldly sorrow causeth death therefore grieve no man over much vex not make him not weary of his life do rather what may be comfortable and chear his spirits against his affliction especially with spiritual consolations and instructions say Faint not nor be weary when thou art corrected Heb. 12. Neither should a man grieve himself for losses or crosses whereby his life and health may be endangered as is too usual and it is a sin It thrusts God out of his place denies his Soveraignty Impeaches his Providence prescribes against his Wisdom and arrogates to ones self the way and praise of finding contentment for his life therefore most justly in stead of contentment a man hastens his own death and goes the sooner to give account to God for his impatience and foolishness Take heed and be moderate They rowed hard to bring the ship to Land Note All pains nothing without God but they could not All mans
suffer for the truth and way of God cannot entertain Ministers cannot build and endow Hospitals repair Bridges do other works of bounty as our fore-fathers were wont to do Shall he therefore be wholly excused of offering to the Lord No the poorest and meanest Christian that is out of a gracious heart is able to pray praise God live holily deal righteously converse to the Edification one of another Calves of the lips spiritual sacrifice a body prepared and fitted to do service and a mind with meditations and affections Use 2 Offer these and it shall suffice The Jew that was not able to bring a Bullock must bring a pair of â—urtle-doves or two young Pigeons so the Christian let him do his best and it will go for currant Only with this Caution he that is able to offer a great sacrifice shall not be excused by a less Cursed be the deceiver who hath a male in his flock and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing Mal. 1.14 or offers the torn the lame or the sick shells of outward service or old age that is now able to do nothing for God or meerly good meaning without doing what might and ought to be done as some do flatter themselves all such are deceivers and draw a curse upon themselves instead of a blessing These Mariners offered what they could but so do not these For the third they made vows Not only in the present did these Mariners worship the Lord but meant to worship him for time to come and thereunto bound themselves by vows 2 King 5 17. so Naaman the Syrian Hereafter I will serve no God but the God of Israel Note This is the right use of afflictions and of escaping out of them not only be Religious for a time but for ever Many can seem to be Religiously affected while they are under Gods rods or when they are newly got out of his hands but in a little space grow as bad as ever it may be more hardened as iron that hath been heated and cold again Take heed of dodging with the God of Heaven Use He looks for plain and honest dealing of those he delivers or to whom he vouchsafes mercy It is a condition upon deliverance from enemies To serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life Luke 1.74 75. The mercy lasteth alway and so must the duty and no reason can be alledged for ceasing from that duty Go then and learn what means to hear for the time to come to pray continually Esa 42 23. to receive Sacraments often even untill Christ come They made vows What we read not nor matters it Vows of Christians what they are But to our purpose 1. The main matter of Christian Vows is that we bind our selves to the Lord in a Covenant that shall never be broken as Presper said Seipsum voveas seipsum reddat he that will vow to the Lord let him devote himself and render himself to his Majesty and David said Ps 119.106 I have sworn that I will keep thy Commandments not Counsels but Precepts are the grounds and bounds of a Christians vows Therefore not Monkish nor any other will-worship 2. The entrance into a lawful vow is at our Baptism where we promised to be the Lords to believe to obey to renounce all his and our enemies implyed in that phrase Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost that is dedicated devoted set apart for his service and glory relinquishing all others as a good Wife to cleave to her Husband alone 3. The vow of Baptism is renewed many times afterward either at a Sacrament of the Lords Supper or in the time of danger and it ought to be Religiously remembred and observed as Psal 66.13 14. I will pay that my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble Whether these Mariners kept their vows we know not but are sure that we ought to keep ours Use Remember and make Conscience of performing these vows be as faithful in keeping them as thou seemdst Religious in making them Remember the fears and pains and cares of those sad hours and what religious affections were then stirring mind all those passages and now reduce all into act Now is the time now and ever Take heed it will be no safe mocking of God Gal. 6.7 Be not deceived God is not mocked All the mocking would return upon thine own soul to thy eternal damnation Where for better performance remember that clause not to put off the paying of vows Eccl. 5.4 When thou hast vowed a vow to God defer not to pay This delay is it which marres abundance of good purposes and resolutions while we think there is time enough the motion dies and no good effect follows A deceitful heart a subtle Devil a flattering or encumbring world vain or wicked Companions draw quite another way Ver. 17. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights Our Saviour calls it a Whale Mat. 12.40 Jonah was so long in the belly of the Whale Whales and other great fishes Possibly it is the Leviathan described in Job 41. Or it may be the Crocodile Histories tell of fishes of incredible bigness and our people have seen the Grampos the Sturgeon the Man-fish the Mermaide and other and Navigators have seen the Sea-Horse the Sea-Bull and other strange Monsters and of strange greatness All made by God and are at his beck and serve to set forth his praise see Psal 104.24 25 26. At the Text it is said that God prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah Here is in wrath mercy Though God will have his servant cast into the Sea yet he will not have him drowned in the Sea No he loves him better then so and hath more work for him to do which though he declined at first yet afterward he shall be willing to do Note how the providence of God reacheth to the bottom of the Sea and swayeth among the fishes Note God rules ever fishes He that sent a wind and thereby a storm and afterward caused the Sea to cease from her raging now sets a fish in readiness to take Jonah to custody and then restore him to land again So he sent the fish to Peters hook Mat. 17.27 and a multitude of fishes to the Apostles nets Luke 5.4 9. and John 21.3 8. Now bless the Lord O my soul Psal 103.12 in all places of his dominions Use 1 Sea Land Fire Air Clouds all made by him and disposed of by him and all for the good of his Chosen as those wondred at the huge draught of fishes and saith the Text they knew it was the Lord none but the Lord could gather those fishes together And it follows Christ gathered them together therefore Christ is God and accordingly he is to be feared loved honored
danger whereinto he was brought the fishes belly the belly of hell the deep the midst of the seas bottoms of mountains weeds floods and billows 2. By the anguish or straights arising out of the danger I cryed to the Lord I said I am cast out of thy sight my soul fainted within me 3 By the hope he nourished all the while I will look again toward thy holy Temple I remembred the Lord and my prayer came in unto theâ— into thine holy Temple 4. By the good speed he found at last The Lord spoke unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land We must begin with Jonahs prayer and the Audience he found with God ver 1.2 In the first Chapter ver 9. he professed to fear the Lord the God of heaven which made the sea and the dry land and now to the same God as the only true God he addresseth his prayer not to Neptune as Heathens were wont to pray nor yet to true Saints who had traded much in waters as Noah was saved in the general flood of waters or Moses who was drawn out of the waters while an infant and led Israel through the red sea and through Jordan or Elias who parted the waters this way and that way whereby one would think they should have compassion on them that are in danger by water according to the carnal reason of Idolaters in other things No Jonah prayes only to the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land God alone is an All-sufficient God and he alone ought to be called upon Prayer is one part of divine worship whereof it is said Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him alone shalt thou serve Mat. 4.10 And it stands with reason we must pray to none but one in whom we believe but we believe in God only therefore to God only must we pray Rom. 10.14 how shall they call on him in whom they believe not Use Mark this against the Papists and maintain the truth against them Note Pray earnestly Jonah prayed and cryed to the Lord This crying notes his fervency in prayer and it is twice set down I cryed I cryed to the same purpose Christians ought to be both frequent and fervent in prayer Rom. 12.11 12. fervent in spirit serving the Lord and continuing instant in prayer If one prayer will not fetch a mercy try what another will do and let the second be more earnest then the former and the third more earnest then that Paul besought the Lord thrice and obtained grace sufficient Jonah at last got out of the Whales belly Use It is not every sluggish and short-breathed prayer that will obtain a mercy Therefore continue instant in prayer Col. 4.2 But I aim at another point from the consideration of Jonahs prayer as being now in a distressed condition No doubt but in all this time three days and three nights he prayed often and earnestly for the pardon of his great sin for deliverance out of the Whales belly and for the employment he had refused of going and preaching to Nineve Oh that God would trust and enable him to do that seruice he would do it with all his heart if he might be put upon it again Let the point be this Doctr. In distress pray Gods children in their greatest and deepest afflictions should keep their hearts in a praying frame to obtain grace and mercy to help in time of need we read a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. Psal 102 1. and 130.1 Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee O Lord. For reasons thus 1. There is a Commandment to Reason 1 call upon God in the day of trouble Psal 50.15 Not only in prosperity but adversity not only if it be likely we shall get out of trouble but against all likelihood not only if means be present but if no means appear likely to be had 2. There cannot be such a case of sin unworthiness Reason 2 and misery but the mediation of Christ can help at a dead lift Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name he will do it for you The Father can deny nothing to the Son nor to such as plead in his Sons merits 3. The spirit of grace and supplication is given them Reason 3 on purpose that they should alway pray Luke 18.1 Rom. 8.26 and not wax weary he helps their infirmities not knowing what to pray as they ought the bears up their spirit to hope to the end he raiseth sighs and groans which cannot be uttered 4. No affliction whatsoever can break asunder the Reason 4 tie between God and a Believer Jonah at this time wanted neither sin nor sorrow nor fear nor care what would become of him yet mark the word of appropriation he prayed to the â—ord his God 5. The covenant and promises are made so as to serve our turn in the worst condition that is either of sin or sorrow Of sins he hath said I will blot out thine iniquities I will scatter them as a mist I will forgive their sin and remember it no more Of sorrow he hath said I will be with thee in six troubles and in seven I will be with thee when thou passest through the fire and through the water and in a word I will not leave thee nor forsake thee 6. The greater a trouble or danger is the more we need to flee to God and keep close to him and hide with him as he that is cast upon a rock at sea the more the waves beat upon him the more careful he is to keep to his rock see Psal 61.1 2 3. so we We are weak but he is a strong God we are helpless but he is a friend good enough Use 1 A fault to faint in prayer All to reprove our foolishness who in great afflictions suffer our selves to be so afraid with amazements that we neglect the duty of prayer The heart is even bound up and so straightned with fear care and sorrow that we cannot lift up a prayer to the God of our life and mercy yet Jonah prayed out of the Whales belly and amidst all those incumbrances Moses cryed to the Lord at the red sea when the people so murmured and were discontented Daniel prayed in the den of Lions where every moment he was ready to be devoured David prayed in caves woods mountains in all his flight before Saul and Absalom He longed to come to the Temple and pray but could pray out of a Temple as well as in it and Jonah here in great distresse looked toward the Temple v. 4. no whit like those who can never pray but when they stumble into a Church or when they are in some hope to receive what they crave Ob. Oh but my case is higher then worldly afflictions I have many and great sins upon me and much guiltiness which puts me out of heart Sol. Answ
suffering as if they were smitten and rejected of God which hath been the practice of unbelievers Esa 53.3 or as if they were worse then others which is expresly censured by our Saviour Luke 13.1 2 3 4. There is such a censorious humor abroad but ye see by this place how it is condemned And ye see how David was wary not to offend this way Psal 73.15 if I say I will speak thus condemning the godly because of afflictions behold I should offend against the generation of thy children And our rule is to let every one stand or fall to his own Master and who are thou that judgest another mans servan Two things would be minded in these matters of prosperity and adversity 1. A godly man is never the worse nor in more danger for all his adversity Gold is gold though it be in the fire Jonah is Jonah though he be in the Whales belly only the godly should clear up his evidences at such a time that he is indeed a godly man Recount the old grounds he went upon and former experiences and fortifie against unbelief which in hard times is apt to be stirring and prepare for greater tryals then as yet he hath endured and God may justly bring him unto Old tryed blades may be put to more hardship then tender ones shall be 2. A wicked man is never the better nor in more safety for all his prosperity Dross is dross though it be laid up in a silken bag The Mariners escaped the storm and Jonah was cast into the sea the only way for some in prosperity is to study this matter of godliness If thou repent and become a sincere worshipper all will do well both prosperity and adversity Aug de civit Dei lib. 1. it much avails not what a man suffers but who it is that suffers and in the likeness of sufferings there is great unlikeness in them that suffer Oh the great force of godliness Thou hadst cast me into the deep It might be objected the Mariners cast forth Jonah into the sea how then doth he impute it unto God Answ 1. It was by the appointment of Jehovah that the Mariners cast Jonah into the sea God by lot so designed him to be cast forth 2. In all the doings of men God hath an overruling hand not only to permit what they do but order all to the good of his Chosen as for Job The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away and as in the passion of Christ all was done according to the determinate will and counsel of God A godly man in all the doings of men against him looks up to the hand of God appointing the affliction thou hast cast me into the sea the Lord hath bid Shimei to curse Note Look from men to God who afflicteth Amos. 3.6 Esa 10.5 Reas there is no evil in the City but the Lord hath done it Ashur was the rod of his wrath and the staff of indignation in his hand A rod or staff moves not but by the motion of another nor the battel-axe This the godly man considers because he is well grounded in the doctrine of Gods providence how it reacheth to all things small as well as great evil as well as good particulars as well as the general contingent as well as natural and necessary and voluntary actions as well as fortuitous and how the Lord leaves the evil to the Agents but reserves the simple act to himself and works out his own most holy and righteous ends which they never think of as Joseph told his brethren Ye meant it to evil but God meant it for good Gen. 50.20 Which is utterly against the course of many who look Use 1 only to the instrument of their smart and suffering in any kind and wreak their displeasure there murmure rail or repine it may be swear and curse because such and such have damnified them or otherwise stood in their light Yet we read no such word come out of Jonahs mouth against his Mariners no thou hast cast me forth and David was dumb because the Lord did it Psal 39.9 Oh but it is meer malice that leads my Adversary to say and do what he doth Ob. Sol. but the Mariners were fair conditioned men Answ 1. I suppose it was meer malice that led Shimei to rail at David yet he espyed the hand of God in the business And meer covetousness led the Chaldeans and Sabeans to plunder Job as they did yet he said the Lord hath taken away God is still righteous who ordains thee a punishment whatever the instruments be 2. The more malicious thine Adversary is the more testimony of innocency thou hast in thine own bosom and so an argument of comfort 2 Cor. 1.12 our rejoycing is this even the testimony of our conscience David took comfort that his enemies persecuted him without cause and so may others John 15.25 Use 2 Learn then O Christian by an holy abstraction to look farther and higher then the wrong dealings of men acknowledge God who hath let loose their tongues and hands it is he that permits them or else they could not stir a whit he that ordained thee a punishment or if thou wilt a chastisement for thy earthliness dulness in Religion unmortified Passions or other evils True the lot did not pass upon thee as it did upon Jonah but in the affliction there was the determinate counsel of God so ordering therefore say Shall I not drink of the Cup which my Father hath put into my hand should I spurn against the pricks either in doing or suffering God Note times some Gods afraid of utmost wrath Out of the belly of hell cryed I that is out of a deep sense of the wrath and displeasure of God for my sins a good soul sometimes apprehends the wrath of the holy Lord God as due unto him for his sins The pains of hell get hold on him he suffers the terrors of God with a troubled mind God seems to set him up as a Butt against which he will shoot all the envenomed arrows of his Jonah here hath not only Gods waves and billows passing over his head thy billows and thy waves but as it were the devils billows and waves In the bottom of the sea he is very near to the place of the damned only he is not adjudged thither finally nor fastned there so it hath been the case of some deserted souls to conceive â—hey were half in hell already very fire-brands vessels of wrath reserved to the judgment of the great day My God Psal 22.1 my God why hast thou forsâ—ken me why standest thou afar off c. Reas Thus can the sense of sin work where there is not a present sense of mercy And this is the force of a guâ—lty Conscience yea or of a tender Conscience where the Spirit of comfort doth not presently do his office as it is sometimes suspended by the dispensation of Gods grace for Discipline to be
hath blessed me with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in him and as Peter Blessed be God who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten me again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible c. 1 Pet. 1.3 These are good forms of thanksgiving but the matters are infinitely precious and highly to be prized 2. It serves to comfort good and thankful souls as the Use 2 blessed Virgin rejoyced in God her Saviour Comfort There is comfort in an outward deliverance such as 88. or 1605. but much more in a spiritual from sin and Satan and all those woful torments so the joy should be heartier and purer and enlarged abundantly toward the Author Psal 32.11 Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous be glad and shout for joy Phil. 4.4 all ye that are upright in heart Not simply the gift but the Giver to be highly magnified Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce These are good discriminations from carnal joy so to look to the benefit and by it to the Founder as David when he had sung the works of God concluded My meditation of him shall be sweet Psal 104.34 3. It serves to help our faith in dangers and against Use 3 temptations Trust in this God of salvation Confidence both for soul and body we may well cast all our care on him to secure both And we need not doubt in the least though hell raise many storms and the world as many and our own unbelieving hearts cast doubts now and then yet fear nothing he hath both devised and wrought salvation for us and keeps it safely for us 1 Pet. 1.5 Lastly a soul that hath any sad thoughts and cares about Use 4 his salvation sees hereby whether to look and turn and where to speed of salvation look to Jehovah who is complete in all his Attributes Promises Relations Ordinance Dispensation especially in Christ the Mediator between God and man and a most loving Saviour to distressed souls The Lord spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land The voice of the Lord is powerful and mighty in operation see Psal 29.3 Note Gods voice very powerful 1. 1. This is utteted of the written word of God Heb. 4.12 In the hand of the Spirit it is able to convince of a bad estate to convert to confirm to comfort to recover out of great falls and in fine to save a soul yea by hundreds and thousands Act. 2. 2. It is true also of the creation and providence of God he makes and upholds all things by the word of his power Heb. 1.3 by the word of the Lord the heavens were created and all the hosts of them he sends forth his word and they are made and at his word they return to their dust Specially his providence to his Church and Chosen Thou art our King O God Psal 44.4 command deliverance for Jacob. He spake to Esau and Laban and they refrained from Jacob he spake to the spirit of Cyrus and he sent back the captivity of Judah he spake to the feavers in way of rebuke and they left the sick persons Speak the word only and my servant shall be healed Here he spake to the fish and Jonah came to dry land Use 1 Psal 29.9 Worthily therefore in his Temple doth every one speak of his glory as a most fit Object of our admiration and adoration None among the gods is to be compared to the Lord none of them is like unto our God holy and reverend is his Name Oh for hearts lifted up in his praises and ravished with his glories Use 2 And Oh for hearts to trust in him amidst all our dangers and difficulties It is as easie for him to deliver if he please as for us to let fall a word to restrain an enemy to heal a disease to supply our wants to Comfort our hearts Only believe All things are possible to him that believeth So in those main truths of the Gospel 1. That Christ rose again from the dead the third day as here did Jonah the same God that spake to the fish and Jonah got to dry land did speak to death and the grave and Christ got into the land of the living Remember thy Type and how it was answered As Christ rose again by his own power so also by the power of his Father 2. That we also shall rise again at the last day Ezek. 37.1 we believe the resurrection of the dead Why God will speak to dry bones and they shall come bone to bone and â—ive and stand up and be a great army If we believe the Scriptures and the power of God we will never stick to believe this Article 3. That collapsed Churches shall be raised again as there Judah in captivity Apply it to the Churches of Bohemiah and other now fallen 4. That distressed consciences shall be relieved in due time God will speak peace to his people and will revive the spirit of the contrite ones 5. That broken Trades and Estates shall be restored when God pleaseth he will restore the years of the Locust and Caterpillar Only if we believe and obey Esa 1.19 20. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land but if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it CHAP. III. Ver. 1.2 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time saying Arise and go to Nineve that great City and Preach unto it the Preaching that Ibid thee OF this Chapter there be four parts 1. A new order for Jonah to go and preach at Nineve ver 1.2 2. Jonahs obeying of that order ver 3.4 3. The Ninevites repenting at his preaching ver 5.6 7 8 9. 4. The mercy and forbearance of God upon their repenting ver 10. Note Penitents restored to their old standing For the first of these Jonah is here restored to his office of a Prophet from which he might seem to have fallen and that most justly so our Saviour restored â—eter to his office of an Apostle after the great sin of denying his Master Notable examples of Gods goodness in healing and restoring the Penitent as was said I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely Hos 14.4 Use 1 And they yield much comfort to afflicted consciences which are troubled at their failings and backslidings Fear not nor be dismayed he that restored Jonah and Peter will restore thee also and set all at rights between him and thy soul Use 2 And learn you that are spiritual to restore a Brother that is fallen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the spirit of meekness Gal. 6.1 The word is set him in joynt again Care is taken for the body in that case and should much more be taken for the soul Note Without exprobration of failings But mark
him is no variableness nor shadow of turning Therefore never think he will come to thy bent but come thou to his If not know he hath a fierce anger to put forth upon thee nor can all men or Angels turn it away Eph. 2 14. but only Jesus Christ He is our peace he hath taken away the enmity and hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us 2.12 Col. 2.14 nailing it to his Cross And we may have access with holdness by the faith of him We need not say Who can tell if God will turn that we perish not I can tell saith Bernard and I will be surety for God that he will not burn forth in anger upon the truly Penitent By promise he hath made himself our Debtor Atqui ego novi fide-jussâ—r sum Dei and he will perform to the uttermost so he did here to the Ninevites as follows Ver. 10. And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not The King of Nineve spake doubtingly Who can tell if the Note 1 Lord will spare us and now the Lord gives a resolution of the doubt They shall be spared So to doubting Christians the Lord will step in with a timely satisfaction for staying their hearts and doing them good Esa 40.1 2. He will speak peace to his people saying Your iniquity is pardoned your warfare is accomplished Doth any repent and seek the peace with his Majesty he will quickly say I have found a ransome he shall not dye Note 2 Note again the King doubted whether they should be spared though they fasted prayed and amended their lives But the world is grown far worse now-a-days that though men fast not nor pray nor amend yet they can tell the Lord will spare and be merciful to them Though they keep violence in their hands deceit filthiness other provocations yet all shall do well they fear nothing A note of desperate wickedness in the men and of abundant long-suffering in God who spares such a venturous and vile generation Oh that the patience and goodness of God might once at last lead them to repentance Rom. 2.4 Parts In the words we have two parts 1. The Lord takes notice of the Ninevites humiliation and reformation He saw their works that they turned from their evil way 2. He grants them pardon and peace He did not the evil that he said he would do unto them Quest Answ God true though threats not excented Out of the whole it might be asked how the Lord is a true God and yet performs not the threat which was denounced against Nineve Answ Categorical denunciations of judgment are ever secretly suspended with conditions which the Lord keeps close to himself thus Except Nineve repent within forty days within forty days Nineve shall be overthrown God being the Soveraign Lord of the world is not bound to disclose his whole counsel An earthly King hath his secrets and whatever of his pleasure he revealeth yet he revealeth not all Say the like of the King of Nations This our answer is cleared out of plainer places of Scripture where God himself gives such an exposition as for example 1. Concerning a particular sinner against whom wrath and damnation is thundered Yet if the wicked shall turn from all his sins and keep all my statutes he shall surely live he shall not dye Ezek. 18 21 22 23. 2 Concerning a whole Nation against which the faithful preachers have preached much and often yet upon humiliation all shall do well Jer. 18 7 8. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against which I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them 3. Concerning the Jewish Nation against which wrath had gone forth many a time yet at the prayers of godly men they were a long time spared Psal 106.23 He said that he would destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them In the like manner here against Nineve this change in them admits a change in Gods execution of his menaces called repentance Quest But it may be asked Why doth God propound such threats absolutely that is without the implyed conditions Answ 1. Because of his absolute Soveraignty Answ 2. The conditions are sometimes exprest as in those places and in our Ministery 3. When they are supprest it is to rowse secure sinners the more effectually who may be startled to hear such terrible thundering peals shot off against them and say It is time to look about us and consider what we have to do Do we not hear the warning-pieces which God hath discharged to our great amazement So did Nineve at this time God saw their works that they turned from their evil way Doctr. 1 The Lord takes notice of the actions and behaviours of penitent and converted sinners as of the Ninevites here Acts of Penitents observed of God Luke 15.20 of the Prodigal returning to his Father of Hezekiah weeping and praying and so of others 1. He looks to the counterfeit repentance of hypocrites as in Ahabs case 1 King 21 29. Seest thou how he humbleâ— himself before me and the repentance of Judah in Josiahs time where was great humiliation and much reformation but all was in a fained manner and so it is censured Jer. 3 10. Judah hath not turned to me with her whole heart but fainedly saith the Lord. And Rehoboam was spared a while because after a sort he humbled himself 2 Chron. 12.12 2. He looks to the sincere repentance of true Converts as of Manaâ—eh and of Ephraim Jer. 31.18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself And Peter who went forth and wept bitterly And the Churches of Asia whose works he knew So in the Gospel the Father that sees in secret takes notice who fasts and prayes in secret and means to reward him openly which is appliable to each true Penitent at this day One day all shall be rewarded openly Observe it is not said that God saw the abstinence of these Ninevites or heard their mighty crying though yet he heard and saw all this being all eye so as in every place he beholds the evil and good but he saw their works Prov. 15.3 and what a real reformation was come among them without which all the rest would have past away as idle and fruitless Ceremonies So are all forms without obedience Bodily exercise profiteth little 1 Tim 4.8 Bring no more vain oblations c. Yet amidst all doing remember one thingâ— God first and principally hath an eye to the heart whethet that be right with him or no It is the broken heart which the Lord mainly respects in a penitent A
Go and preach to Nineve and thereupon should have silenced his own reason utterly 2. Having a desire to advance the glory of God be sure to use right means thereunto not as Jonah who for fear of Gods dishonor refused to do Gods Errand at Nineve It is a goodly and specious colour for actions to talk of the glory of God but if the course be 〈◊〉 a direct and warrantable course in vain shall the glory of God be pretended who will never account himself honoured but in a way of his own Yea it hath been the advancement of many a wickedness to pretend so and so in order to 〈◊〉 and the course of Antichrist to make a noise of acting in order to the Church 3. Be tender of the life of man and of his outward welfare I say not soul but even the body and worldly condition as Jonah was not and we see how he is chid for it And we see how loving the Lord is even in this respect ver 11. Should not I spare Nineve a City so populous Remember the sixt Commandment Thou shalt not kill 1 Thes 4.6 no not in desire Remember those commands Let no man defraud or go beyond his Brother in any matter for the Lord is the avenger of all such And be chary of thy Neighbours Oxe or Asse much more of his life and comfort of his life We are fallen into an hard yea bloudy age wherein the life of man is little regarded nor how well he shall go along in his course Take heed there remains a merciless judgement for them that shew no mercy Jam. 2.13 4. Study the gaining of souls to God and be glad when there is the least hope of grace begun in any Here also was some fault in Jonah certainly he heard how they fasted and prayed and turned from their evil wayes which should have gladded him and made him congratulate their repentance and safety thereupon Remember and do so Luke 15.10 Convert any if thou mayest be so happy and as there is joy in heaven for a sinner that repenteth so let it be on earth It was a wicked humour in the Pharisees that they envyed the conversion of the Publicans Beware thou and be ambitious of the great honor of converting a soul Dan. 12.3 To shine as the Stars for ever and ever For the second particular A marvel it is that Jonah is so stout and sturdy after his great punishment and all those terrors which God sent upon him One would have thought he had had enough of his flying to Tarsus Note But so it is Some godly men have stout and sturdy corruptions sticking by them which may humble them and keep them upon their watch and because they watch not as they ought God sometimes exerciseth them with strong afflictions and sometimes with strong conflicts in sad hours Take heed Use Christian and take thy self in the manner for every unmortifyed lust and every corrupt affection Sturdy humors are sometimes punished with sharp temptations or Visitations of the Almighty But I had rather put this humor of Jonah upon a way of carnal reasoning which too much swayed with him at this time taken from the mercy of God which he thought would never so far proceed as to let Nineve be overthrown though he said it Was not this my saying thou art merciful c Calvin If Jonah had been sent to Nineve with an offer of mercy upon their repentance as to the ten Tribes we may verily think he would rather have offered his service then declined it But now he mutters against God for his meer denunciation of judgment Note Carnal reasonings mischievous as if it could not agree with the nature of so merciful and gracious a Lord God and this mis-leadeth him Carnal reasonings do sometimes lead us from God and duty 1. Totally as in the ungodly eve◠the mercy of God undoeth them as they misuse it it is their bane They know God is gracious and merciful and flow to 〈◊〉 and of great kindnesse therefore live as they list turn grace into wantonness sin more that grace may abound more As men make it mercy is a common pack-horse for horrible wickednesses and final impenitency Why should they trouble themselves about repenting when God is so merciful 2. Partially in the godly as here in Jonah he knew these Attributes and therefore he left Nineve and went to Tarsus It were well if we did not sometimes bear up our selves too much upon the mercy of God and an interest in Christ and certainty of salvation and perseverance in grace We hold these things right in the Doctrine and miserably pervert them in the Use And though we swim not with full Winde and Tyde yet we sail too fast with a side-winde Take head Christians Use Avoid them and down with these carnal reasonings which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and against the due obedience to Jesus Christ The ministery intends the casting them down and so do you 2 Cor. 10.4 5. Never will Religion thrive where such reasonings prevail As it prevails more with any man so he leaves them off as Gal. 1.16 Paul consulted not with flesh and bloud but fell to his preaching-work Consider there be many of these carnal reasonings taken from the multitude from example profit pleasure credit safety or the like but none more dangerous then this from the mercy of God so long as God is merciful on they go in their sins and fear nothing A miserable case God is gracious that is freely for his own sake to forgive the sins of his people And he is merciful that is will relieve them against all their misery spiritual temporal and eternal And he is 〈◊〉 to anger that is he is loth to empty the Vials of his displeasure upon sinners And of great kindness that is tenderly considers their case and is willing to do them good But should this or any of these be abused to keep from repentance and amendment were not this the ready way to be drowned in a sea of mercy Jonah was almost drowned in such a sea though a godly man yet almost undone by misapplication of the mercy of God But thou O man a secure and hard-hearted wretch wilt be quite drowned one day look to it as well as thou wilt For the third particular It is a strange prayer that Jonah here makes both for the manner and for the matter of it He prayed unto the Lord and said Take my life from me Mark this is spoken in haste being exceedingly displeased and very angry and he speaks it in a muttering and chiding manner expostulating the case even with God himself I pray thee O Lord was not this my saying when I was yet in my Countrey as if he had said I thought what thou wouldest do I had just cause to fly away and never do the Errand at Nineve I said what would come of it A merciful God thou art and
by doing the Errand thou wouldest dishonor thy self and I should go for a false Prophet Note God hath strange prayers put up sometimes at the Throne of Grace even by his own people in their passion they sometimes come before him in a tumultuating fashion Our rule is to pray without wrath 1 Tim. 2.8 and many good limitations there are for the ordering of our prayers Use 1 Consider Christians and order your prayers aright as for the matter so also for the manner of them Vent no passions before the great God of heaven It will be ill-favoured prayer which is so conceived and uttered And it must be a Divine patience that will bear with such a suppliant And let a Christian that observes his weaknesses learn hereby to pray for his prayers not only for his Sins Wants Dangers other evils but even his prayers O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do Dan. 9.19 There is an iniquity that cleaves to our holy things which needs to be pardoned Christ is our High Priest to take them away and we need his intercession for that purpose Prayer is so far from being meritorious that without mercy it should not be accepted But come we to the matter of Jonahs prayer Take my life from me for it is better for me to dye then to live so Elias would needs dye in all the haste for the wickedness of Israel for the persecution of Jezabel 1 King 19.4 Elias cause was better then Jonahs who only stood upon his own Credit and Gods truth in the message delivered yet Eliah is reproved for it ver 9. What doest thou here Elias and here Doest thou well to be angry Note Sinful to desire death how It is sinful to desire death according to our own passionate humors and may justly be reproved There be Cases wherein it is lawful to desire Death as for example when we see God calling us out of the world when the Martyrs saw the truth of God lying at the stake when the Congregation of the faithful is in danger if betrayed when an eminent Minister or Brother is to be rescued as Aquila and Priscilla laid down their necks for Paul and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren But for irksomeness of living or in any corrupt way whatsoever to desire death is utterly faulty and deserves to be reproved Why Our life is the gift of God vouchsafed for special uses which he hath appointed that he may be glorifyed in us both living and dying Phil. 1.20 And therefore it may not be foregone till he please to take us off from our station Rightly Paul who in one respect desired to dye but in another respect desired to live ver 21.22 23 24. Take heed Christians and suppress all such way-ward Use 1 and hasty humors of desiring to dye Ye may be dead before ye are aware And some have desired to dye who were glad afterward that they were alive And why should ye dye before ye have done your work Or why are ye so shie of suffering according to the will of God It comes to pass sometimes that those desire death in their own way who have basely and treacherously avoided death in the way of God nice and fine while they get their own ends but otherwise fool-hardy Use 2 Take heed and to thy power use life well while thou hast it in a Christian way say It is better for thee to live then to dye during life there is much good to be done for the service and glory of God The living the living he shall praise thee Esa 38.19 Spoken in opposition to the state of the dead from whom all occasion of praising God is cut off ver 18. So in Psal 115.17 18. Take heed it may be in death thou wilt wish for more time to live or that thou hadst done more work for God or gotten more hold of his love or were grown more fit to dye Such cases have been and such may be again Walk in fear and while thou dost live live to some purpose Ver. 4.5 Then said the Lord Doest thou well to be angry So Jonah went out of the City and sate on the East-side of the City and there made him a Booth and sate under it in the shadow till he might see what would become of the City In these two Verses we have two things to be considered 1. Gods gentle chiding of Jonah Doest thou well to be angry 2. Jonahs expectation of the Event To see what would become of the City For the former we may well admire the gentleness and goodness of God toward his froward servant God doth not fall foul upon Jonah for his rash anger nor take away his life as he had desired nor throw him into the sea again which he could easily have done But debates the matter calmly with him to bring him to a sight of his Errour and set him into his right way again Note Teaching us how to treat with offending Brethren Children or Servants not wreak our displeasure in a furious manner but so deal with them as they may best recollect themselves and take notice of their failings for amendment It is a foolish zeal which so reproves as withall it seeks not the Parties reformation And now we speak of zeal we must remember that Jonah in his passion had a zeal of God after a fashion being jealous lest his truth and glory should suffer by the sparing of Nineve and himself accounted a false Prophet Our zeal for God sometimes hath much mixture Note both of self ends and self-seeking and of excess in the venting of it Sometimes we have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge as Rom. 10. â— Take heed and watch over this hot affection neither let it be dampened on the one side nor too much inflamed in the other Beware lest God have cause to chide for the excess saying Doest thou well to be angry So of good meanings A man may mean well and yet make great faults Jonah meant well when he was exceedingly displeased and angry Saul meant well when he kept the best of the cattel for sacrifice Note Uzzah meant well when he stayed the Ark from falling Take heed nothing is more deceitful then mans judgment of his actions in the things of God In all points we should look to the will of God and the rule which he hath given in his word Doest thou well to be angry He saith not positively Thou sinnest in being so angry but puts him upon his own better thoughts and would draw from him his own confession as if he had said If I should make thy self judge yet upon a serious consideration thou wouldest find thine errour that thy mind is as the raging sea all in a tumult Lâ—cha weigh well within thy self whether there be not a foul fault in this thine anger So the expostulation is far more emphatical and urging then a plain affirmation though a chiding Doest
who strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel Christians bring your anger to these rules Use or know ye do not well to be angry I confess it is hard to do but say withall it may be done therefore Watch Pray strive against all excess and irregularity in your anger And the better to express it suppress all the causes of disorderly anger as Pride Envy Self love Covetousness Curiosity Credulity and all the bellows that use to blow up anger into a flame and combustion Stop the cause and the effect will cease For Motives consider how the Lord here chides Jonah for his excess Doest thou well to be angry consider how it is forbidden in Scripture Eph. 5.31 Put away all Bitterness and Wrath and Anger The same again Col. 3.8 Consider how much sin this anger breedeth Jam. 1.20 It works not the righteousness of God Consider the danger that comes of unadvised anger Mat. 5.22 a man shall be culpable of judgment Consider thy own infirmities and how thy self would not be handled angrily Consider the Lord here useth Jonah withall the gentleness and moderation that can be and we ought to be followers of God as dear Children Eph. 5.1 Note For the latter note the wonderful strength of corruption though it be in part subdued by grace Though Jonah was a good man and but now reproved of God for his anger yet still he goes on in his way-wardness and nothing will content him but to see the ruine of Nineve Horrible stubbornness which even makes him worthy to perish instead of the City Use Hear ye that have the truth of grace and bend all your forces to the mortifying of Lusts more and more Fear by Jonahs example to be obstinate or stiff in any of your resolutions especially when the word gives some inkling to the contrary Natural corruption is a sturdy old man which will hardly be subdued He went out of the City and sate on the East-side of it One would have thought rather he should have stayed in the City to have given them more instructions now that they were upon the point of conversion If he had met with such a crop of Converts in Israel he would have been glad of the occasion and stayed among them with all his heart But thus it is Note Blind passions and Corrupt affections hinder us from doing the good which we might and ought to do Many a man might be very profitable in his place were it not for his carnal conceits and foolish reasonings He hath fair opportunity by the Office he is in or by his relation to beat down sin but build up grace to reform abuses of the Sabbath to do good service in his generation but by his self-conceitedness he sits still and doth no good at all Use Take heed and mortifie the remainders of thy corruption There be Canaanites yet abiding in the land take them in hand and subdue them more and more It was the fault of Israel that they sate still and rooted not out the Remnant of the Nations and therefore they proved pricks in their sides and thorns in their eyes to vex and trouble them from time to time so it is still Christians suffer by their corruptions because they take not pains to root them out And we see the contray how when Paul prayed thrice against the thorne in the flesh 2 Cor. 12.7.9 he found a grace sufficient for him He sate in the shadow of his Booth till he might see what would become of the City Calvin Jonah was too literal a Teacher and did not reach the whole mind of God who however he denounced destruction against Nineve yet still left place for repentance that if they humbled themselves they should be spared which Jonah understood well in preaching to Israel but here in his prejudicate opinions he cannot remember and so is justly kept doubtful of the Event with enduring of scorching heat and the losse of his Gourd Note Our corrupt humors do many times keep us in the dark that we cannot see duty or comfort as we ought and should do Every man is tempted when he is drawn aside with his own lust and enticed Jam 1.14 Use Take heed and subdue these odd humors and pray for the Spirit of truth who will both teach thee all saving truth and bring all to thy remembrance Had Jonah remembred the tenor of his former preaching he had not expected Nineves destruction so pertinaciously Ver. 6.7 And the Lord God prepared a Gourd and made it come up over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief So Jonah was exceeding glad of the Gourd But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day and it smote the Gourd that it withered Here the Lord seeks to correct Jonahs Errour by a real instruction namely of a gourd which Argument being comfortable to him Jonah would have spared but Nineve was far better then a gourd and therefore the Lord most righteously will have it to be spared The Simile is in five Verses the Application in the last For the former we have 1. Gods providence in ordering of such an help for Jonah against the heat of the Country he prepared a guard 2. Jonahs comforting with such a help he was exceeding glad of the gourd 3. The withering of it which was a great grief to him Of the gourd no such grow in these Northern Countries A gourd what Dioscorides but in the Eastern Countries a gourd is a shrub with broad black and smooth leaves and hath a Pod with seeds which resemble some creature of that Climate Such a shurb the Lord now provides for Jonah that he may be sheltered from the scorching of the Sun But here is something extraordinary in it namely that so tall and useful a creature should start up in a night and that it should grow just to Jonahs Booth and so strengthen the weak shelter he had provided for himself So it is a kind of miracle and miracles have seldom been done for a particular mans use and benefit though a dear Servant and Child of God The greater mercy is this to Jonah Observe here the providence of God reacheth to the Note 1 smallest things that are even to plants and Worms We have seen it formerly in the matter of Tempest Sea and Whale which are eminent works of God and now we see it in a base shrub which God prepares for Jonah and in a silly worm which he prepares to wither the shrub So of little sparrow and hairs of the head Mat. 10.29 30. All are numbred and not one falls to the ground without the will of our heavenly Father who also telleth the number of the Stars And upon Egypt he sent the Flies Lice Frogs Locusts other Plagues and took them away when he pleased Now bless the Lord who humbles himself to behold things Use 1 on earth Psal 147 5. Psal 113.6 We may well admire
Sun-shine which faints him up and makes him even weary of his life So with us Note Loss of good smart of evil God sometimes not only takes away our natural comfort and worldly accommodations but sends upon us smart and grievous afflictions droughts scorching weather distempers in the Air thereby distempers in the body fiery and acute Diseases as Agues Fevers Inflammations Leprosie Calenture c. which are one of the threats for disobedience Deut. 28.21 Or if it be not so bad yet the hot season shall make us faint and weary of our lives as here Jonah But why did not Jonah return into Nineve and get Quest 1 shelter there or remove into some Village near hand where he might be protected from this hot weather Answ 1. Because he was of a stout and sturdy spirit Answ and would not seem in the least to be beholden to the Ninevites or any of their Neighbours 2. Because he expected every day the ruine of Nineve which he would be glad to see with all his heart for his Credit fake which he took to be much engaged in the business And what should he do in a ruinous house which was likely in short time to come tumbling upon his head Quest 2 Another question may be why the Lord doth thus follow him with more and greater afflictions Answ Answ Because he had a mind to break and subdue this sturdy humor in Jonah which the meer loss of the gourd could not do as ver 9. he was angry for the gourd and fears not to tell God that he doth well to be angry even unto death So there needs a farther and stronger Purge to carry away this extreamly peccant humor as with us also whom lighter afflictions do little prevail withall Uses 1 Take we hence these instructions 1. To justifie God in all his sharp dealings with us when not only he takes away our Children Wealth Corn Cattel comforts of this life but sends Famine Sword Pestilence new Diseases Pox Agues other evils Say Psal 145.17 The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works We are apt to sit in judgment upon his doings and charge him foolishly as too severe but should rather clear him and lay the blame where it ought to be laid Psal 51.4 That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest Uses 2 2. To lay all the blame of our sufferings upon our selves as Pharaoh at last was taught to do The Lord is righteous but I and my people have sinned And when we finde our selves apt to mutter against God for feverity we should take our selves in the manner and say Why do we complain when the cause is in our selves Wherefore doth a living man complain Lam. 3.39 40. a man for the punishment of his sins Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord. And if we had our due we should be utterly consumed yea cast into hell long before this time as in the same place It is the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not 3. To mortifie those wretched corruptions which God Uses 3 would have to be weakned as here this stoutness of Jonah and to break off those sins which most agree with our crooked nature and odd occasions of offending A sharp winter useth to kill the weeds and vermine and cherish the Corn that is bidden So let it be with our failings in one kind or other Jonah fainted and wished in himself to dye He that will wish himself dead so often as he hath sore occasion shall have more occasions then one so to wish Note Idle wishes Jonah had prayed this before ver 3. I beseech thee take away my life from me And now seeing God pleased not thus to gratifie him he falls to wishing which is a lighter kind of desire And whereas at first he only thus wished in himself afterward he uttered his mind saying It is better for me to dye then to live as ver 3. So David in Psal 39.3 My heart was not within me while I was musing the fire burned then spake I with my tongue Take heed Christians Use and smother these hot and unquiet affections at the first arising mark them consure them suppress them use means to subdue and vanquish them as for instance Get abundance of faith and patience which may keep you from this fainting and wishing so did the Apostles and Martyrs and other holy men in great and lingring afflictions 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day For our light affliction which is but for a woman worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal And consider it is not a manly thing to desire death so often as strong afflictions shall urge and we saw on ver 3. how we may desire death and how not Whether it be better to dye then to live But let us a little examine the truth of this saying of Jonah It is better for me to dye then to live Is it indeed better to dye then to live Answ 1. Within the limits formerly mentioned it is better namely when God calls us away or the like Eccl. 7.1 The day of death is better the day of ones birth 2. Without such cautions it is not better and mark it is neither better for godly men nor for others 1. Godly men may do much good in the Church while they live which if they were dead they could not do as for example while Paul continued among his Converts he abode with them for their furtherance and joy of faith Phil. 1.25 and this consideration put him into a straight Phil 1.23 whither he should be dissolved which was far better for him in his own particular or live yet longer A godly Minister while alive may be a means of converting confirming or recovering many So a godly parent or master Yea in respect of a mans own self he may get the more hold of Gods love and do more good to put upon his accounts in that day and see his charge of Children well bred up and entred into the world with counsel to them where they erre or to neighbours between whom peace is to be made and divers good offices 2. Wicked men of all other should not desire to dye whatever their suffering be in the world because their peace is not yet made with God they are not yet in Christ they have not yet repented nor ordered their way so as to be fit to dye And if they dye before they he fit they have infinitely worse sufferings remaining for them It is for such to fear death and get it put off as long
for staying him in his bloudy intentions against Nabal and his family 1 Sam. 25 32. Ver. 10.11 Then said the Lord Thou hast had pity on the gourd for the which thou hast not laboured neither madest it grow which came up in a night and perished in a night And should not I spare Nineve that great City wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand and also much cattel Drift of the words In this Conclusion of the Book the Lord applies the former Simile shewing that not the gourd was intended in the erecting or withering of it but something else So in other temporals We live in the world we eat and drink and sleep and do business but must so order our matters as we may finally attain the life eternal And in spirituals so much good Preaching is not intended meerly for hearing of Sermons Rom. 10.17 but by hearing to get faith and to walk with God in an holy obedience the receiveing of Sacraments is not meerly for the refreshment of the body but that the soul may be strengthned in faith comfort of the holy Ghost and way of obedience Remember and aim aright and put not asunder what God would have joyned together But mark the inference which the Lord makes Argument how he draws an Argument from the less to the greater If Jonah may be pitiful why not the God of heaven and if the gourd may be spared why not Nineve much more God is infinitely greater then Jonah and Nineve is almost infinitely better then a gourd Therefore all the reason in the world requires that Nineve be spared seeing God pleased to have it so say Jonah is it not reason And this convinceth him that he hath no more to object we shall not hear one reply more he yields to the equity of sparing Nineve It were good that all sinners would thus be silenced Note Yield to holy convictions and yield to the convictions of the Ministery as the man that was convinced in Preaching and fell down on his face saying God in you of a truth 1 Cor. 14.24 25. Augustine faith It is good for a man to be overcome by the truth for if he be unwilling it will overcome him howsoever Whatever defences a wicked man makes for his sins hereafter he shall be non-plused and have nothing to say for himself as the Guest who had not on a Wedding Garment questioned stood silent and could make no defence Mat. 22.11 He was speechless or he was choaked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so out of the sinners own mouth he shall one day be condemned Beware and yield to a convincing Ministery Use both as concerning some act of sin and concerning the estate of sin Say it is a sin when the word saith it is a sin whether Drunkenness or the like therefore to be repented and forsaken and peace to be made with God Say it is a sinful and damnable estate when Conscience so Items thee in hearing a good Sermon therefore give all diligence to make it a good estate as the Client that fears a flaw in his Title or the Patient that doubts his Disease may prove mortal to make sure work in soul matters is far better then either of these Parable what it is Still mark what kind of Doctrine the Lord useth to make Jonah come to himself namely a parable so Nathan by a parable brought David to a sight of his sins and to repentance and it was ordinary with our Saviour by earthly things to instruct about heavenly Without a parable he spake nothing Mat. 13.35 I will open my mouth in a parable A familiar kind of teaching whereby a man of Art and Wisdom convinceth the judgement and Conscience of his Hearers concerning heavenly matters by occasion of earthly And it is well if men of Art and Wisdom do come down sometimes from lofty Themes to treat with plain people in a plain and familiar manner Some cases have shewed that this course hath taken when grave and weighty Discourses hath prevailed little as being much transcendent to vulgar capacities University-men grew not profitable Preachers till they learned to Lispe and Halt with plain people And some have adventured to say Efope that the man in his Fables shewed as much wisdom as any of the Philosophers I am sure God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise 1 Cor. 1.27 Use Then embrace and improve this plain teaching by similitudes Despise it not because it is plain but make much of it because it is profitable It profited Jonah and so let it profit thee And beware lest if thou profit not it rise up in judgment to condemn thee the more heavily Judg 9. Jotham by a parable reproached the Sichemites with their ingratitude and treachery Christ the Jews with their unfruitfulness and unthankfulness by a Vineyard let out to Husbandmem Which to this day affordeth instruction to barren Christians lest at the last they be deprived of the Gospel For farther observations gather up these gleanings Note 1 1. That the Lord saith the gourd for the which thou hast not laboured Many of us enjoy mercies and comforts We enjoy mercies for which we laboured not for which we never laboured houses which we never built wells which we never digged friends which we never deserved it may be never thought on them Heirs have lands they never purchased All live of the field though they never plowed Children feed and are cloathed though they take no care nor pains for their living and all of us live at Gods finding though we deserve nothing but rather the contrary Man lives not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and Mans life consisteth hot in the abundance of the things he possesseth Whereby see the free and undeserved goodnesse of God Use 1 who is a great House-keeper and gives us all things liberally to enjoy many without our labour some without our thinking all without our deserving His providence waketh while we sleep and worketh for us while we take our leisure In the night-time he caused the gourd to spring up for Joaah he cast a Kingdome upon Saul while he sought Asses and upon David while he kept Sheep Every morning Israel gathered bread in their Tents which the dew of the night had baked Who of us but can say we have received mercies which we little thought on we had mean beginnings and sorry proceedings and yet we are increased into two Bands Then for gracious Christians how hath God prevented them with his graces not willing yea resisting Eph. 2.12 aliens to the commonwealth of Israel enemies in their minds rebels to all spirituall good yet called and brought home justified and sanctified and in a fair way to be glorified God is greater then they and so they were overcome God be thanked that ye were the
servants of sin but have obeyed from the heart he dâ—ctrine delivered Rom. 6.17 An argument there to urge a real holinesse to dye to sin and live to righteousnesse Learn also to do good with those temporalls which God Use 2 hath cast upon you so unexpectedly Honor the Lord with thy substance Do good with such mercies the rather Pro. 3 9. Deut. 8.11.26.5 Psal 116.12.103.1 and with the first fruits of all thy increase When thou hast eaten and art full forget not the Lord thy God Hence the offering of the first fruits in the Law and the paying of Tythes and the confession A Syrian ready to perish was my Father and Jacohs confession With my staff I went over this Jordan and now I am become a rich man and Davids deliberation with himself What shall I render to the Lord for all his henefits Blesse thou the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy Name And the censuring of the unthankful Lepers when cleansed Ten were cleansed but where are the nine Luc. 17.17 Here let none take up an evil thought as if excused because he hath faithfully laboured for what he hath gotten Other Scriptures require it of the painfull and laborious or tell how God gives strength to get substance Deut 8 18. and how without the blessing of God all a mans labor will com to nothing Ps 127.1 2. Still therefore he is the great Benefactor and must be so acknowledged Without him and some grace from him thou hadst been idle rash undiscreet a spend-thrift or crost in thy way of getting Much lesse think What need I labour if God gives his blessings to them that labour not Not so for he hath set an order from the beginning of the world that in the sweat of our brows we must eat our bread Man is born to labour as the sparkes fly upward Be not slothfull in businesse None may walk disorderly but labour with his hands the thing that is good So that Gods preventing us with goodnesse is no warrant for any to be idle and cast care away Idlenesse is a sin and such are threatened to be cloathed with rags So in spiritual things all are bound to a diligent and conscionable use of the means of grace whereby they may get into the favor of God and be saved Lie at the pool to be healed of spiritual maladies Wash in Jordan to be cured of the leprosie of thy soul Dives his brethren were sent to Moses and the Prophets to beleeve them if they meant to escape the place of torment 2 The Lord tells of sixscore thousand infants in Nineve Note 2 Our infants regarded of God which argues the hugenesse of the citie twice before called a great citie and now we see it must needs be so by this proportion what were all the Citizens put together The Lord sees and respects the multitudes of people that are in the world young and old infants and all that know not the right hand from the left one hundred and twenty thousand of them millions in Constantinople in Grand Cairo Paris other great Cities one hundred thousand families of Jews in Alexandria beside the other Citizens four hundred twenty and eight thousand heads at Rome upon a just accompt so of others London York Bristol all particular Towns and Countreys He that calleth the stars by their names and counts the number of them keeps accounts also of young children And as he feeds the Ravens when they cry so he provides for us and our little ones He told Abraham Psal 147.3 how his posterity should be as the stars of heaven and as the sands of the sea-shore for multitude and how he meant to advance them The reason whereof is taken from the infinitenesse of his divine perfections He makes all Reas and he preserves all as a Creator and as a Father he undertakes by covenant for the godly and their seed saying I will be thy God and the God of thy seed These Nivevites were heathens Gen. 17.7 and yet their little ones were thus respected What then shall we say of Believers and their off-spring Now magnifie God in this his large and yet special providence Use 1 In that Psalm it stands among the arguments of praise and thanksgiving Ahasuerus by his great and long Feast did shew forth the Majesty of his Kingdome yet we read of no children among the guests but our great Feast-maker gives entertainment continually to young and old even all the millions in severall countreys Meditate and see how the glory of God will swell in thine eyes We admire great House-keepers who keep many in family and provide for every one decently and in very order The Queen of Sheba was ravished in mfnd to see the order and glory and provisions of Solomons houshold But behold a greater then Solomon is here infinitely more guests and better provisions Use 2 Again this affords comfort to believing Parents whom God hath blessed with abundance of Children Comfort to Parents and sometimes they have careful and heavy thoughts how to provide for them especially what will become of them when themselves are dead and gone alass poor creatures what will they do If they were grown up and able to shift for themselves I should care the lesse but they are young and tender and my heart is much troubled for them Now remember wbo looked upon Nineve and there noted six score thousand who could not discern between the right hand and the left And he is the same God still infinite in all his Attributes and as loving to our little ones as ever he was to these of Nineve one of them far better then all the Ravens in the world and yet God feeds every of them and the Angels have a charge of our Children as well as of our selves Mat. 18.10 and it hath been seen that God hath raised poor mens Children and set them among Princes Psal 113.7 8. Onely let Parents be advised in three things 1. To lay hold upon the Covenant for themselves and their little ones get God to be thy God and the God of thine A carelesse Parent in this respect is but a sorry friend to his poor Babes Mark to whom the blessing is entailed Psal 103 17 18. The mercy of nhe Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousnesse unto childrens children To such as keep his covenant and to those that remember his commandements to do them 2. To pray for their Children that they may be respected in special love and find mercy with the Lord as did Father Abraham Oh that Ismael might live in thy sight Gen. 17. He that can pray should exercise his gift in praying for his poor Children As for the Church State health harvest other interests so specially for the souls of his Children and their eternal welfare 3. To give them religious education bringing them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord as Parents are commanded Eph. 6.4 It must not be onely civil education but religious So did Father Abraham and found it the way to obtain a blessing Gen. 18.19 That the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him So did David to Solomon So did Lois and Eunice to Timothy And so do thou to thine And when this is done be quiet commit them to God and his providence hope well of them even in dying his seed shall inherit the blessing Or if they miscarry it is their own fault who fell from their good education and forfeited your prayers and Gods blessing withall 3. We saw on Chap. 3. that even the least in Nineve Note 3 joyned in the Fast yea and the very Cattel Humbled ones shall be saved all cryed mightily unto God to be spared and now we see in the grant that is made how the little Children and Cattel are mentioned They that bear a part in dayes of humiliation and fasting shall find mercy with God in an evil time Fasts shall be turned into joyful Feasts for them Zach. 8.19 They that humble themselves under the mighty hand of God in due time shall be lifted up Jam. 4.9 10. They that mourn shall be comforted Mat. 5.4 They that sow in teares shall reap in joy Psal 126.5 Sorrow endures for a night but joy comes in the morning Psal 30.5 Observe here the Jews had a solemn Fast once every year wherein they were to afflict their souls for sin that they might find favour in the sight of God And of this day two things are affirmed Lev. 23.27 1. That it was a day of atonement that is they should have their sins pardoned namely in the blood of Christ who should come figured in the blood of the sacrifices Christ is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world Now this forgivenesse of sins is the blessednesse of a man as Paul saith out of David Rom. 4.6 So that the everlasting welfare of a sinful soul depends upon the due humiliation for sin 2. That in the evening of that day the Trumpet sounded for beginning the year of Jubilee wherein every servant became a free-man and every one returned to his land which he had any way alienated Lev. 25.8 and when the Church of the New Testament was to be shewed in vision to Ezekiel it was on the same day of the same moneth Chap. 40.1 Reas 1 And thus the Lord shews favour to them that humble themselves in fasting 1. Because of those promises not that there is merit in their humiliations though the body should be pined with fasting yet no merit bodily exercise profiteth little 2. Those that truly humble themselves are brought to Gods bent and are become such people as he would have them to be Believers new creatures reformed and walk with him in holinesse He knows we cannot be perfect but when he sees us rightly set it sufficeth and gives content 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 3.17 In Christ he is well-pleased and so with them Use 1 Those then wrong themselves who distaste our dayes of humiliation They share not in the atonement or the forgivenesse of their sins They miss of many temporal mercies which might be had And they smart with divers afflictions which to them are so many curses as also are all outward blessings Mal. 2.2 I have cursed your blessings And see Zach. 14.16 17 18 19. Use 2 And if so let all be willing to joyn in dayes and duties of humiliation prescribed by authority and do them in a right manner that is 1. With a broken heart cast down for sin Joel 2.12 13. 2. With forsaking those sins which are confest and lamented Pro. 28.13 He that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy 3. With doing the works of holinesse righteousnesse and mercy which are quite contrary Esa 58.5 6. Then follow large and precious promises vers 8. And all other are accounted but hypocrites when they fast never so much or never so often Zach. 7.5 6 7. Consider and remember the afflicting of the soul in fasting and what the Infants and Cattel could not do for want of understanding but meerly by force do you perform voluntarily and do it sincerely really effectually Such is the Fast which God hath chosen and this is the way to find favour with God After humiliation comes exaltation FINIS