Rev. 11. 2. Gentiles forty two Moneths But cast your Anchor upon the Rock Christ it will else come home again if you carry not Hope in God and Christ through the Promise to Sea with you you go without your best Anchor this is your Sheet-Anchor you talk of the Cape of good Hope you will neer touch here all the Voyage until you get into Christ it is Faith and Hope that must keep out fear why are you afraid O ye of little Hope 5. Would you be above Fears in Sea-dangers then carry no Leaks with you to Sea viz. Known sins These will prove Leaks at Sea you know it is as much as your lives are worth at Sea to have a Leak break upon you in a storm and yet how many of you carry Spiritual Leaks in your Souls Jonah had a leak sprung 〈…〉 Sea a known Sin and it had like to have cost them all their lives you search your Vessels narrowly to see if you can spy any Leaks O that you would do so with your Souls a little hole in a Ship endangers all and a little hole in a Sea-bank is of great danger O then let no poor Sinner no poor Sea-man say It is but a little one and my Soul shall live see to every hole in the heart 6. Would you be above fears in Sea-dangers O then go to Sea well Ballasted there is danger you know if you be not well ballasted in a storm The Spiritual Ballast I mean is the truth of Grace Be not carried about with every Wind of strange Heb. 13 â— Doctrine for it is a good thing that the Heart be established with Grace An Allusion to a Ship unballasted that by the storms is tossed and in danger of sinking O it is good to carry Souls fraughted with grace Is not this better then to have Ships fraughted with goods When goods may be thrown out as here then Grace will be establishing of your Hearts against all fears 7. Would you be above fears in Sea-dangers then keep the Pump going viz. of godly sorrow for sin keep in a melting frame of heart Godly sorrow is the Pump now if any thing get into the Pump it is you know dangerous O then live in the daily exercise of Repentance Here now in this Case of Jonah's there was a stoppage in the Pump Repentance was laid aside and guilty Jonah was secure Jonah The second Observation from the effects of this storm is this Eminent dangers by the light of Nature will put men upon Prayer They were afraid and what followed and cryed to their Gods Their fear was the first effect of this storm and their Devotion was the second Those poor Mariners were Idolaters yet they thought in this danger their Gods could help them therefore they cry to them Here is something for Christians to learn from Pagans here is a Pagan preaching a rowzing Sermon to the Prophet Arise Sleeper and pray to thy God And here is also a Company of poor distressed Seamen praying in danger to their Heathenish Gods to teach us to pray in time of distress to the true God the very light of Nature is not so dim but it can look through danger to duty for self-preservation Let us inquire what is meant by the light of Nature For the understanding of which we must conceive Man at his Creation was created in the Image of God which consisted in Knowledg Eph. 4. 24 and true Holiness now the beams of light that shone round about him and upon his Tabernacle as Job's Phrase is these were eclipsed and darkned by his fall but not so totally extinguished as to be clean put out the eye of Natural light was not altogether put out some glimmerings and remains are still in lost man though not so strong as to lead him to Christ which some vainly contend for yet so strong as many times it is at work upon Natural Conscience to accuse or excuse So we read of the Gentiles though they were without a Law promulged as the Jews had yet not without a Law Rom. 2. 14 15 engrafted in their Consciences whereby they had common Dictates about Good and Evil which light was a Law to them in many things So that the light of Nature is the strength and Law of Natural Conscience stirring in a poor Creature that 's ignorant of God in Christ It is called the Candle of the Prov. 20. 27. Lord Searching the dark places of the Belly and Paul I conceive meant of this when he 1 Cor. 11. 14. said Doth not even Nature teach thee viz. the light of Nature This light of Nature in times of danger Ezek. 6. 5. did teach the very Heathens to look up to their Gods we read in the Prophet that God threatned to cast down their slain before their Idols they used in times of danger to stand before their Idols to enquire of them O now sayes God they who have stood before them to worship them shall be cast down before them I find one upon this Text They cryed unto their Gods every one to his God He gives a Reason the uncertainty that attends Idolatry distrusting their Gods to be the true God and so called on Jonah to pray to his God therefore they used to close their superstitious Devotions with that General Dii Deaeque omnes Going to enquire of Oracles Heathenish History is full of they would not attempt any great design but first inquired of their Idolatrous Oracles which is very teaching to Christians 1. Natural Conscience acknowledges a God in times of Danger For though the Heathens knew not God yet they acknowledged by their false Gods their many Deities that there was a God though some worshipped 2 Kings â—3 v. 13. more Noble Deities than others as the Babylonians who Worshipped the Sun I find one giving that as the reason of the Sun-dial of Ahaz going backward ten degrees that the Babylonish Ambassadors that worship'd the Sun might be convinced that the God of Hezekiah was the true God the God of Israel that had power over the Sun which they worshiped as a Deity was ver 11. the true God We read of the Horses of the Sun which some understand were Horses upon which men rode early in the morning to worship the Sun upon its rising others think they were only Pictures of Horses of the Sun Acts 17. 23. but all is to this purpose They worshiped the Or to that purpose in their own language calling upon that which they worship for a Gâ—d Sun Also we read of the Inscription of the Men of Athens To the unknown God Therefore it is said when any Persons in what Countryes soever are surprized with danger in their Native Dialect they use this Expression which we do in England O God! Well this is acknowleeged by these Heathens in a storm They cried unto their Gods 2. The Natural Conscience doth acknowledg that this God is able to deliver
aside if ever you expect to find mercy from me and these are your duties that you must conscientiously take up as ever you think to have my comfortable presence with you Oh now how ordinary is it for poor Seamen to wear off and loose such Convictions but though you forget them God remembers them and will call you to an account for them 3. God will call you to an account for your Salvations and Preservations are there any men in the world men of so many deliverances and mercies as Seamen are Oh what deaths and dangers do they pass through every Voyage how may it be said to many of them as Jonathan did to David As I live there is but a step betwixt thee and death What few steps inches are betwixt Seamen and death nay and damnation if they miscarry before an interest gotten in the Lord Jesus Christ and can you think nay dare you think that God gives you such mercies and preservations to spend them upon your lusts to gratifie your flesh withal may not you hear God sometimes saying to you as in that case Are you delivered to do all these Jer. 1. abominations Oh will not God say to you Did not I give thee thy life poor sinner when many others miscarryed did not I bring thee off in a most miraculous manner when others were swallowed up and what use didst thou make of such a preservation 4. God will call Seamen to an account for all their Provocations Oh poor Souls you no sooner commit them but you forget them Oh but God hath a book of Remembrance in which they are all recorded and out of which you shall be judged the secret of all hearts in that day shall be manifest all the hidden things of darkness shall be brought to light all secret guilt at home or abroad in the foreign parts of the Earth all your secret sins are set in the light of Gods countenance 5. God will call Seamen to an account for their Afflictions Many of them they meet with great trials one while breaches upon their Estates comes upon them as the breaches of the Sea one Voyage it may be rich and the next impoverished or if not so it may be taken by the Turks or some cruel Enemies and then under great slavery and misery and after all redeemed Oh will not God call to an account for this What better were you for your slavery did it make you sensible of your spiritual captivity did it bring you out of Soul-bondage did it occasion you to consider this slavery of your bodies to the Turks is nothing to the slavery of your souls to sin and Satan As it is said by God I sent you into the Land of Chaldea for your good so will God say I sent you into Sally I sent you into Argier but was it for your good Oh what a pity it is to see bodies of poor Seamen redeemed and their souls Captives still to see them Drunkards Swearers unclean and what not after they have been slaves Oh what pity it is to hear them talk of their slavery and see their souls lie still in irons and fetters Captives to the Prince of darkness which is worse bondage than that you talk on when men are sent up into the Country to the King of Fess 6. God will call Seamen for an account for their time they have abundance of time many of them and God will account with them for it what improvement they made of it what use they put it to It is a talent the improvement of it is accountable 5. Poor Seamen to move you to read and practise what you here meet with consider your day goeth away your glass runs apace you are sailing for Eternity you being under sail for another world why should not your eyes and hearts be much upon that Country to which you are bound Dost thou know whether thou shalt make this Voyage that thou art going on Canst thou assure thy self of a safe arrival or a safe return Canst thou say as Abraham did when he went to offer up his Son I and the lad will go yonder to worship and we will return Can you promise your dear Relations a meeting again in this world when you part with them and should not you then be serious in reading in practising in improving any thing that concerns the peace of your precious souls 6. That poor Seamen may read and practise Oh that they would consider how lost time will sting their poor souls another day have not many of you much time for reading prayer heart-examination though it is true such are your circumstances sometimes that your time will not give you leave for such serious employments yet again at other times you have abundance of leisure is not this a great sin among Seamen idly to game their time away or to talk it away or sinfully to sport it away but when you come into a storm at Sea or upon a death-bed at land what will your souls say to it then Oh that I had redeemed my time Oh that I had been more diligent to make my calling and election sure Oh that I had spent more time in reading prayer heart-examination than I have done and less in sinful pleasures in sinful company in sinful conference It was a sad saying of a distressed soul when going to die Ten pounds for an hour Ten pounds for an hour Oh poor soul what wouldst thou not give for a day or two reprieve from hell and death if there might be hope of a pardon 7. That poor Seamen may read and practise Oh that they would consider they have as great need for grace as any men under heaven have Oh what need have Seamen and their poor Relations of grace as in that case is said by the Apostle You have need of Patience So I may say in this Oh poor Seamen you have need of patience to bear your storms quietly and Oh how many that do not possess their Souls in patience in tempests and storms but are in as great a storm as the Sea it self whose hearts are like the troubled Sea that cast forth nothing but mire and dirt who belch out their Oaths Blasphemies against God and like that King Ahaz sin more and more in the time of their distress who are like a Bull a wild Bull in the net full of the fury of the Lord. If the winds blow they swear What need have you of faith for your Souls for your Bodies for your Relations Is not faith a storm-grace and may not Jesus Christ say to many why are you fearful Oh you of little faith nay why are you so bold and presumptuous Oh you of no faith 8. That poor Seamen may read and practise Oh that they would consider their account will be aggravated by what they meet with here if they practise it not as Christ said to those Jews so may I say in this case If I had not comne and spoken
The more deliberation there is in an Act of sin the more there is of the will in that sin and so it becomes more sinful A poor Creature may be forced and haled on a sudden by the violence of a temptation into some sinful act but this is not so sad Therefore we read of that good Law If she was forced she was not guilty God hath great compassion for these Spiritual Forces But here was Jonah's sin that he was so deliberate in his flight 4. His guilt lay also here That he had been a Prophet in Israel and there had seen the Lords great works done among that People One would think he might have been armed and fortifyed with so many experiences as he had been under of the power of God and faithfulness of God and now to turn his back of the Lord's work because of some difficulty that it seems to be attended withall This goes to the making up of his guilt 5. His guilt lay in the pride of his Spirit lest he should be reproached to be a false Prophet And this he seems to hint himself Was not this my saying when I was in my own Country Therefore I fled before thee Jonah 4. 1. to Tarshish for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful and slow to Anger and of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil O what Pride lurked in the Prophet's heart O how often is this the Preacher's sin If he want success then their proud Spirits rise Was it not strange The Prophet would rather have all Nineveh perish than his Name perish or be stained 6. Another piece of guilt lay in this God did give him his Commission that he might fore-see the Rejection of the Jewes his Country-men Now this he takes no Notice of Ut quia Israel audire contempsit totus Gentium mundus exaudiat sayes one upon it 7. His guilt lay in the progress he makes in his disobedience He doth not say as Balaam My wayes are perverse before the Lord and if this thing displease thee I will get me back again O no when he goes down to Joppa there he finds a Ship he comes not now to a stand with himself whether he should go or no but payes the fare of the Ship he continues still in his course Wel the storm comes after him and his Conscience doth still sleep nay all of them pray but Jonah O sad sight the Vessel sinking the Heathen Mariners praying but Jonah sleeping The second Thing we are to inquire is into Jonah's sleeping 1. It notes a sleep of security as Persons when they think they are secure they can sleep soundly Thus Sisera thinking himself secure fell a sleep Sampson thinking himself secure fell a sleep in the lap of Dalilah So many Persons fall a sleep in the lap of Creature-comforts and Contentments 2. His sleep notes his Senselesness and stupidity as sleed is the binding up of the Senses Here no sense seems to be upon sleepy Jonah The man is in a Lethargy he must be cut before he be cured We read of a charge that such as sin openly should be rebuked sharply But the word is rebuke them cuttingly some tell us that it is an Allusion unto a man that is in his sleepy-disease and must be cut for it Nay it is well if cuting will recover him O what sense now had the Prophet of the Lords displeasure which he had stirred up against him and should have made him Tremble The displeasure of God put the Sea into a rage yea the Heathen Mariners thought their Gods were angry and yet Jonah thought not his God angry 2. What sense was here of his sin and provocation against God his Conscience at the presence seemed to be Seared A Metaphor taken from the Surgion that seares a Member and makes it insensible 3. What Sense was here of God's dishonour What sensible of neither Gods displeasure nor Gods dishonour Was it not dishonorable for the Prophet of Israel to flee from the God of Israel He could be more sensible of the dishonour to his own Name than of dishonour to Gods Name 4. What Sense was there here of his danger The Mariners they were sensible of danger and so they were afraid but Jonah is no more sensible of danger then a man in his Cabbin in a storm He is now like Solomon's drunkard asleep in the top of the Mast Nay many are sensible of danger that are not sensible of sin But Jonah in this fit of the sleepy disease seems to be sensible of neither 5. What Sense was here of the danger of those poor Seamen with him Nature and Ingenuity might have taught him to have been sensible of other poor mens dangers especially he having been the procuring Cause of it We see he was so when awakened For my sake is this storm come upon you c. Then put all these together and it is evident that Jonah's sleep sets out Jonah's stupidity Thirdly This sleep notes his Indulgence of himself under his Guilt Whereas he should have been sentencing himself and judging himself he was with the Spouse indulging himself He lay and was fast asleep crying with Solomon's sluggard A little more sleep a little more slumber a little more folding of the hands together O when poor Souls fall into sin it is hard to get out of sins sleep We are very prone to indulge our Selves therein 1. Reason why the Guilty Person is often the Secure Person is Because Guilt causes God to with-draw and when God with-draws from the Soul it is no wonder if the Soul fall asleep fall into a fit of Security Jonah says the Text Was fleeing from the presence of God that keeps a Soul waking and watchful 1. The presence of God keeps the Soul awake as it is an enlightning presence Light will keep from sleep The Soul walks in the light of his Countenance and therefore cannot sleep They that sleep sleep in the night Darkness brings on sleep Jonah now was in the dark he had sinned the light of Gods comfortable presence from him and so fell a sleep 2. The Quickning presence of God keeps Souls awake When the Spouse had lost Christs quickning presence O what a Fit of Security fell she into When our graces lose their activity and turn into dull habits then we presently fall asleep When men sit still they are soon asleep Thus Jonah had sinned away Gods quickning presence and so fell asleep 3. The presence of God keeps men awake As it keeps Believers upon their guard against the snares and comforts of this present life These are the great Lullabyes of the Soul These are the Dalilahs in whose laps we fall asleep until we lose our strength and become as other Men. 2. Reason Why the guilty person is the secure person is Guilt contracts hardness upon Cant. 5. 3 4. the Conscience While tenderness is preserved the Soul is kept in a lively frame from sleeping Thus it was
with the Spouse untill she sinned-off her tenderness When David had sinned how was he hardned in that sound sleep for three quarters of a Year together O what a hard heart had he under his guilt at that time We read of the City of Rabbah what cruelty he did exercise 2 Sam. 12. ult towards poor Creatures there and he brought forth the People and put them under Saws and Harrows of Iron and under Axes and made them pass through the Brick-kiln c. We never read the like of David O what difference was there between David at this time and when his heart smote him for the cutting of the lap of Sauls garment Some do judge at this time he took in Rabbah he was under his guilt with Bathsheba It was then the spawn of his guilt that had thus hardned his heart So in this case O what a hardness of heart had seized upon Jonah that he could be so fast asleep in such eminent danger 3. Reason Because The Lord often suffers guilt to meet with success Now Success usually is the Mother of Security Jonah here meets with Success in fleeing from the presence of God He goes down to Joppa and there he finds a Ship at that time bound where he was resolved to go now all this was for the tryal of Jonah Many poor Souls when under guilt if any thing favour them called a Providence they then think Sure I am not running from God Alas Succesful Providences in a way of sin are part of the punishment of that sin and through the deceitfulness of our hearts they are mighty hardning You think Go to Sea you may be under Success and sin too Rubs in the way are a great mercy to be check't in our pursuits of sin Disappointments in a way of sin have been blest to the turning of many Souls to God Thus the Prodigal's disappointments brought him home And that of the Lord to the Church I will hedg up thy Hos 7. 7. way with thorns And O what a mercy it proved Now I will return to my first Husband for it was better with me than then it is now 4. The guilty Person is often the Secure Person Because Guilt dare not bring Conscience to the Reckoning Guilt is attended with Fear Now the Soul is as our first Parents were when they had sinned They were afraid and ran among the Trees of the Garden So Jonah gets into the sides of the Ship As an indebted Person cares not for reckoning his estate nor looking into his Book so poor guilty Souls care not for looking into the Book of Conscience they run upon the score still So did Jonah here until God sent after him 5. The guilty Person is often the Secure Person because Guilt deafens the Soul to the Calls of God The Lord calls upon poor deafned Sinners yea upon Believers Alas they hear not that it may be said of them as Moses did If Israel will not hear me Lord how should Pharaoh hear me Guilt gotten into the Conscience makes it both dumb and deaf and O what an uncomfortable thing it is to speak to the deaf to preach to the deaf 1. Guilty Persons are secure as they are deaf to the voice of the Word Guilt Esay 6. 10. hath made their ears heavy they cannot hear they have sinned themselves deaf and they must now be preached deaf make their ears heavy 2. Guilty Persons are deaf to the voice of the Rod and so they are secure Man preaches to the deaf and God preaches to the deaf too Hear the voice of the Rod and Micah 6. 9. who hath appointed Sinners have Rod-Sermons and Word-Sermons but nothing makes them hear 3. Guilt makes sinners deaf to the Cryes of Christ in the Conscience O what cryes doth Christ give many times in the Consciences of sinners as he said to Jonah Doest thou well to be angry Jonah so says Christ Dost thou well to do thus doest thou well to neglect thy pretious Soul doest thou well to provoke the Almighty to displeasure against thee to sin against so much mercy so much pitty so much compassion APPLICATION Is it so that the guilty Person is the secure Person then it is 1 a word of Information And it informs of the misery of the Guilt and Security when they meet together as they did here in Jonah When a Soul lyes and cryes to God under the sense of guilt as David did Lord heal my Soul for I have sinned against thee O this is a rich mercy But when a Soul is secure under his guilt this speaks the Soul in a sad condition 1. Guilt and Security meeting together speaks the Soul to be benum'd and Conscience benum'd com's hardly to its self Jonah's Conscience by this guilt was benum'd O benum'd Consciences are sad Commodities to carry to Sea with you Thus David in the time of his guilt had his Conscience benum'd 2. Guilt and Security met together speaks the Spirit of God absent from the Soul Thus it was with Jonah Thus with David Take not thy holy Spirit from me And that was a Prayer he put up to God when he was under guilt he prayes as if he was afraid of a Total withdrawment 3. Guilt and Security met together speaks Gods displeasure upon the Soul God was displeased with Jonah and sent this storm after him It was a storm of God's Anger and Who can stand before Gods Anger according to his Fear so is his Wrath. O how sad is it to go to Sea under the Anger Psal 90. ver 11. of God! He is angry with the Wicked every Psal 7. 11. day You would not leave Relations in Anger when you go to Sea when it may be you shall never see them more But alas how many of you go to Sea with the Anger of God upon the backs of your Souls 4. Guilt and Security met together doth not only speak the Soul asleep but fast asleep But Jonah was fast asleep and fast asleep in a storm O how dangerous is this Second Use Is it so that the guilty Person is often the secure Person then is it a word to Sea-faring Men to Counsel them not to go to Sea under guilt and security O what a mercy would it be to have guilt taken off your Consciences when you leave your Relations and never may be see them more O that you may not carry the accursed thing aboard with you O that you would not hide it among the stuff Guilt is a prohibited Commodity Joshua 7. 11 12. you know the accursed thing did hinder Gods presence from going up with Israel and so it will hinder the Lord's comfortable presence from going along with you And can that Ship make a good Voyage that carries not God in the Company 1. Carry not guilt with you for your guilt will raise inward storms Then the Mariners were afraid and alas they knew nothing of the matter Then how would Jonah have been
afraid if he had not been asleep It is the Character of the Wicked They are as Esay 57. last the troubled Sea that easts forth mire and dirt and cannot rest Guilt poor Mariners will be to you as the Winds are to the Sea It was said of Caligula the persecuting Emperor that when it thundred and lightned he got under his Bed A poor shelter So when guilt is upon the Soul then there is a storm raised in the Conscience This is the Serpent Amâ—s 9. 5. in the bottom of the Sea that God commands to bite them Now you are Magor-missabibs Terrours to your selves and to all that are about you Now your Hearts will be made to meditate Terrour What a Case was Cain in by reason of the bloody guilt of his own Conscience when he cryed out Every Gâ—n 4. 14 one that meets me will slay me He speaks as if the World were full of men and we read but of very few Persons then in the World But this was his guilt 2. Guilt will raise storms without Jonah's guilt did so his guilt of Rebellion and disobedience to the Lords Commission did cause this great Temptest to be sent after him We read of Jehosaphat a godly Prince that he joyned himself with Ahaziah who did wickedly and they would send out a Fleet together What became of this Naval Expedition of theirs the Text tells us The Lord broke their works and their Ships so 2 Chron. 20. 31. that they were not able to go to Tarshish 1 Kings 9 26. this was a Sea-port Town in the Land of Edom upon the Red-Sea They never reached the Port Jehosaphats guilt raised the breaking storms O what sad thoughts will arise in your hearts at such times when you are in storms O will your guilty Consciences say This is come upon us for our sakes for our land-Land-sins Land-sins many times brings Sea-dangers You know the Heathens drew up that conclusion He hath escaped Acts 28 4. at Sea and Vengeance follows him at Land That guilt will be followed and Revenged that they concluded 3. Guilt will keep your Souls under the hidings of Gods face at Sea It was a sad Voyage that Paul was in when neither Moon nor Stars appeared for many days but Acts 27. it is farr sadder when the light of Gods Countenance doth lye in when it doth not appear But at that time the Angel came to him and bid him Be of good chear But now to be in such terrible storms and no Angel of Gods presence with you O how sad will this be O what would a smile of Christs reconciled face be worth when sinking when splitting It was sweetly said of that Sea-Captain when his Ship was on fire at Sea and they thought they should all be blown up immediately Now says he Jesus Christ is worth ten thousand Worlds 4. Guilt will sting your Souls at Sea with fears of death If poor Souls for whom Christ dyed may be in fears of death yea all their lives well then may guilty Souls at Sea be afraid of that King of Terrors How sad will it be for you poor Mariners to dye to have none of your Relations about you to be of use to you To dye without sickness To dye such a sudden death To dye out of your own Land Will not all these things come in to help on the trouble of your spirits But now if guilt be taken away Death is unstung You may say then when sinking O Death were is now thy sting And say as that old Puritan Minister did in a storm coming from New-England when Mr. Saxton of Leeds in Yorkshire they all were expecting the Vessel to sink O who is now for Heaven who is bound for Heaven 5. Guilt at Sea will be more dreadful to you than at Land because you are there deprived of those helps which you have here at Land You have not there those helps to unload your Consciences when they are burdened with the sense of sin You may sooner unload the Ship then unload your Soul there you have not any to be the Lord 's Barnabas's Sons of Consolation unto you There you have not those precious Ordinances to be Breasts of Consolation to you when under the Sense of guilt O what would not your Souls give if you should fall under the Load and Burden of your sins for a poor Minister that might tell but you of any glad tydings Would not their feet be beautiful then though their Persons and Ministry be now despised and slighted by you 3. Use Is it so that the guilty Person is usually the secure Person then it is a word of Caution both to Land-men and Sea-faring-men all of us one and other of us take heed then of being Secure under guilt O this is most dangerous Sense of guilt may bring a Soul nearer God bâ—t stupidity under guilt is very dangerous 1. Take heed of Security under guilt if once asleep it will be hard for you to be awakened you see it was thus with Jonah The Lord sends a Tempest after him and the Ship is like to be broken by it The Mariners they were afraid they cry to their Gods they lighten the Ship yet all this while guilty Jonah was sleepy Jonah until the Master of the Ship calls unto him and preaches a rouzing Sermon unto him saying Arise sleeper and pray unto thy God Is Esay 29. 10. not a Spirit of deep sleep and slumber fallen up-you Nay O that poor Ministers had not cause to say The Lord hath judicially poured it upon you And if so is it not hard to awaken such If one should come to the Grave-side and Preach and Pray and Weep would not you wonder And what do poor Ministers do every day is not this their work to preach to the dead to pray over the dead secure Souls in their graves Who for all this stirrs hand or foot after the Lord Jesus Was it not sad in the time of the Plague to hear that doleful Cry in the night Bring out your dead bring out your dead and must that be the cry yea all the cry of poor Ministers Throw out your dead Throw out dead Souls from your Congregations through out dead Souls from your Families Take heed of security under guilt for security hath always been a fore-runner of some great Calamity upon both Nations and Persons the security of Jonah was the fore-runner of this great storm the security of the Old World was a fore-runner of the Flood the security of the Jews was a fore-runner of their Captivity 3. Security under guilt is a sin that hath a wo written upon the Head of it Wo to Amos 6. 1. those that are at ease in Zion To be at Ease and to be Secure is all one in the Scripture-Dialect Jonah was too much at ease now when all the Company was in danger and so are there many that sayl in the same Bottom with him
4. Take heed of security under guilt for the Lords judgments come upon such in a way of surprize Such Nations or Persons are not prepared to meet the Lord in the way of his judgements they are taken all on a sudden as the Foolish Virgins were by the coming and appearing of the Bride-groom Now it is very sad to have any judgment come upon us by way of surprize Sudden things bring much astonishment along with them such poor guilty Souls as are secure will say I never thought of this never thought of my death this Voyage never thought of sinking O what a Fool am I that should no more think of my latter end 5. Security under guilt grieves the Spirit of God Jonah had now grieved the Spirit of God and it let him sleep for it is the Spirit of God that is the great keeper of the Soul awake Nay we keep awake no longer than the Spirit doth keep jogging of us one way or other The Spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson and what then did he sit still O no! He arose and shook himself But when Mat. 26. 45. the Spirit of God is grieved it sayes to the Soul as sometimes Christ did to his Disciples Now sleep on And how sad is it for the Spirit to let a poor Soul alone to say Sin on sleep on He that is filthy let him be so still and he that is unclean let him be so still But now methinks by this time I here some poo souls say I am the afraid Mariner now I see my danger my danger not of drowning only but of damning the fears of my sinking is turned now to fears of sinking into Hell of going down into the bottom of Hell Now I feel a storm in my own bosom And what are outward storms to inward storms and O now sayes the Soul What shall such a guilty Soul as I do that hath such a load of unpardoned guilt upon the back of my Soul what shall I do under sense of guilt 1. Direction to the guilty sinner or Mariner Cry to the Lord under sense of thy guilt O what shall I cry sayes the Soul If peradventure that thou perish not as these in Text did What poor Soul if thou have but a Peradventure to cry upon to go upon to the Lord A divine it may be may keep thy Soul from sinking Many a poor Soul have by the help of an it may be gone to the Lord Jesus O guilty Souls cry after Christ what said the Disciples in that storm they were in Lord carest thou not that we perish What did Saint Peter in the storm when sinking Master save me or else I perish So poor guilty Soul cry hard after Christ Carest thou not Lord that a poor Soul should perish hast thou not said that thou camest into the World that Whosoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life 2. Art thou sensible of guilt Then own the punishment of thine Iniquity Thus did Jonah For my sake is this storm come upon you O what an ingenuous confession was here after God had awakened his Conscience Conscience will be ingenuous when God works kindly upon it We read a promise made to the Accepting the punishment of Lev. 26. 41. our Iniquity If they with a good will acknowledg it so the Italians reads it If they accept it as a Love-token from the hand of a Friend Jonah accepted his punishment under the sense of guilt two wayes 1. By Confession 2. By Submission Take me up and cast me into the Sea O thus own your guilt though it be before others Lord if thou cast me into Hell sayes the guilty sinner Thou art righteous 3. Though you be not heard at first cry again Thus did Jonah I will look again towards thy holy Temple O poor guilty sinner what may a look out of the Belly of Hell towards the Lord Jesus Christ do what though you see not mercy coming to you at first yet look again it may be the next look it will bring it it is an excellent frame of Heart to turn Faith's eye often Christ-ward under Sense of guilt this was the way that healing came to the stung Israelites The sting was the guilt of sin The Brazen Serpent typed out the Lord Jesus Christ Their looking was believing Their healing was justification by pardoning grace 4. Art thou under the Sense of guilt take heed of drawing black Conclusions against thy own Soul This was the infirmity of Jonah I said I am cast out of thy sight Jonah 2. 4. If Satan can but drive a poor guilty Soul upon the Rock of despair he then hopes to split it for ever this was the Rock that guilty Judas was split upon this is the Devils fiery dart with which he doth not only think to wound the Soul but to strike it as I may say through the Liver to all Eternity 5. Art thou under Sense of guilt O now thou wilt highly prize Christ The whole need not the Physitian but the sick O now thou wilt cry with David Heal my Soul for I have sinned against thee Lastly Art thou under Sense of guilt then know that there is a fulness of grace in the heart of Christ therefore we read of sheading grace aboundantly upon Souls what Tit. 3. 6. though there be abundance of guilt in thy heart yet there is abundance of grace in Christs heart a spring of grace in his heart and it runs freely upon guilty Souls He abundantly Pardons or multiplyes Pardons Esay 55. 5. Jonah 1. 6th So the Ship-Master came unto him and said unto him what meanest thou O sleeper Arise and call upon thy God if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not In the verse before you had a discovery of the deportment of a Ship-Company that were in distress In this verse we have a discovery of further means they use for their preservation some means you have had an Accompt of Did they swear in their distress did they prophane the Name of their Gods did these Heathen Mariners do as many who profess themselvs Christians do viz. Take the Name of God in vain and so as that wicked King who sinned more and more in the time of his distress O no They cryed to their Gods In this Verse here you have further means used for preservation of their whole Ships-Company in this great storm 1. Reprehension of guilt So the Ship-Master came unto him and said unto him What meanest thou O sleeper 2. Here is exhortation to a duty The duty is To arise and call upon God 3. Here is the Motive or Encouragement the means are to be used upon If so be that God will think upon us that we perish not Here is no certainty alas Idolaters can speak at no Certainty O say they though there be not a Certainty yet there is a Probability of it That our Prayer will be heard and our Persons
case Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee An Allusion to Shipwrackt Mariners that send their shreeks and crys to Heaven when sinking 3. This is very sinful in you to neglect calling upon God because you cannot expect a blessing upon your endeavours without it you may go out and come in but yet all this while little blest these things may be common Providences to you you may make good and prosperous Voyages all things come alike to all But what is this if you be not blest with the favour of God and the love of God in what you injoy A little that the righteous man hath is better than much riches of the Wicked God may let you have success in his wrath and it may be designed for a Curse and a Snare unto you though it may lye in your comforts invisibly now the more invisible and insensible a Curse is the sadder it is We read of God's Cursing their Malac. 2 2. Blessings Every one thinks it a Curse to be poor to be in want But how few think of a Curse to lye under their Comforts under their Riches Well now can you expect a blessing without asking It is worth little if it be not worth seeking Moses when he Deut. 33. 18. comes to bless the Tribes before his death he blesses the Tribe of Zebulun in their going Gen. 47. 13. out Rejoyce Zebulun in thy going out God so bless thee in thy goings out as thou may rejoyce This Zebulun was the Tribe of Mariners Zebulun shall dwell at the Haven of the Sea and his Haven shall be for ships Now Moses blesses the Tribe of Mariners at their going out O think of this and go not out without the Lords blessing It is said that our English-Sea-men in times of Heathenism and since then in times of Popery offered their Oblations at their going to Sea that they might have good success and will not you in these times of the Gospel look up to the Lord for it 4. Your not calling upon the Lord is the cause of all that Prophaness and Atheism that abounds among you There is a holy Majesty in the worship of God that if solemnly performed would have an awe upon men's Spirits Will men believe there is a God when they never see you call upon him do not your Ships-Company say in their hearts There is no God if there be a God why is not he called upon why is he not worshipped why is he not prayed unto may not many of you Commanders say Lord forgive me my other-mens sinnes O when your Company 's sins shall be laid at your doors how sad will this be What a sad reckoning will there be to answer for their swearing and drinking and blaspheming God When God will ask you What did you to prevent it did you warne them of it did you pray against it endeavour against it instruct against it 5. You Masters What do you know but your calling upon God and being faithful to your charge â—â— this Sense may be a means for the Conversion of them that are under your charge what do you know but you might win them to God Many a childs Soul hath been given in as a return of Prayer and many a Servants Soul The Puritans loved the Souls of their Families better than we do in these days and so God honoured them with converting grace breaking in upon them O what pains did they take in instructing them in Catechising them in examining them after Ordinances what they had Hos 14. 8 heard O what a mercy would this be to carry it so under your charges as they that live Jam. 5. ult under the shaddow of your wing might Return Will not this be to save Souls from death He that converteth a Soul from the errour of his way saves a Soul from Death He speaks of it as a very great matter as a worthy business What! to keep a Soul out of Hell If you could keep your Ships-Company from sinking you would do it O do what in you lyes to keep them from sinking into Hell What Were the Souls of poor Sinners worth Christs Prayers Tears nay Blood and not worth your cryes and your Prayers and your Tears O what a low rate do you set upon your Souls that do so little for either your own or others 6. Is not this sinful in you Not calling upon God for he hath soveraign power over the Winds and the Seas The Wind and the Seas obey him The Windâ— blow by his Commission The Poets Neptune is but a Fiction but this is a truth that Jesus Christ is great Lord Admiral at Sea What a proud attempt was that in that Prince to check the waves with his Scepter Alas this belongs to no Scepter but Christ's O then why should any go to the Divil for a Wind if it belongs to the Soveraignty of God to command them I tell you Masters that when out of your own Countries you buy winds they will be dear commodities to you You may buy a Wind with the loss of your Souls 7. Your not calling upon God hath much ingratitude in it your poor Wives they put up Bills and your Relations they get you pray'd for but O what ingratitude it is Not to do it your selves Should not you think What shall I be sinning at Sea against God and it may be at this very moment and instant prayed for at Land by my dear Relations I have heard of a godly Minister being acquainted with a godly Woman whose Husband was opposite to the wayes of God and upon a time the Husband discharged the Minister his house being very angry against him even that he entred into a temptation to kill the Minister to which end one day he goes to the Wood where the Minister in his Retirements used to walk and there resolved to fall upon him but hearing a voice he stands the Minister being at prayer and presently he heard him praying particularly for him which so melted him that he threw down his Weapons and cast himself at his feet and confess'd all and so became an excellent Christian afterwards So did but many Sea-Commanders and other Mariners hear what prayers are put up for them by their Relations by their Ministers O how would these melt their hearts And what for all this never pray your selves 3. Use is of Caution If it be duty in Masters to manage their charge and trust faithfully O then take heed of neglecting those under your charge and custody None of you will neglect your Ships your Goods your Time your Gales and Why should any of you neglect your Souls your pretious Souls 1. Take heed you neglect not the Souls under your charge You shall one day stand before the Lord to be accountable for the Souls under your charge as is said of the Watchman If he warn not the People their blood was to be required at his hand so may I Ezek 34. 4.
with the same breath send forth Prayers and Oaths alas such Prayers never reach Gods ears 3. The Prayers that are such excellent means for preservation at Sea are Prayers sent up in Faith As hearing without believing James 1. 5. profits not so praying without believing profits not There are many Sea-mens Prayers that are like the waves of the Sea it is a Scripture-Similitude Let him ask in Faith without wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the Wind and is tossed for let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. The word wavering it signifies when a man is at no certainty with himself but at variance somtimes being of one mind somtimes of another we should in our distress pray believingly therefore our Lord Jesus did chide his Disciples for not acting faith in that storm we read of Why are you afraid O 2. Pet. 2. 9. ye of little faith 1. We at such times are to act faith upon the power of God He knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation when neither Angels nor Men know what way a mercy shall come in a deliverance shall be sent yet the Lord knows he is never at a loss for ways and means a piece of the Ship-wrack't Vessel a Mast a piece of a broken Plank any thing shall do it if God command it Nothing sets off so much the Power of God in a preservation as the utter unlikelihood and improbability that was in it when all hope of being Saved was taken Acts 17 away then came the Angel to Paul Here was the power of God How much of the power of God did appear in saving the Vessel where the Disciples were when it was filled with Waves O how much of the power Maâ—k 4. 34. of God did appear in the preservation of Jonah that Salvation should come to him out Jonah 2. 2. of the belly of Hell 2. Our faith in times of danger must have respect to the promise of God Faith will not venture to God without a promise The great encouragement to prayer is the Promise Call upon me in the day of trouble Here is the precept but where is the promise and I will deliver thee 1. Faith eyes Ps â—0 15. the saithfulness of the promise in time of danger The more Believers plead this in ther daingers the better they are usually fetched off God loves to have his faithfulness leaned on in distress 2. Faith in Prayer Heâ— 6. 13. eyes the immutability of the promise Hope in the promise as to its unchangeableness in your storms is your best Anchor This is the Anchor that will never come home again This made Luther say he had rather be in the bottom of the Sea with a promise than in Paradise without a promise 4. Those prayers that are such excellent means for preservation from Sea-dangers are to be presented to God by the hands of Christ no prayers are prevailing prayers either at Land or Sea but such Christ is the great Friend of poor Creatures in all their dangers We read of Christ praying when the Disciples were sinking Why were Maâ—k 6. 46. they not lost and cast away O Christ was praying for them The Angel that stood by Paul when all the Ships-company were so nigh being cast away was Christ Christ carries the prayers of poor Creatures unto his Father when they are in dangers and distress and brings answers suddenly from Heaven and so the storm is quiet and becomes a Calm And you little it may be know how it comes O Christ many times prayes for it no question Paul had been praying for the preservation of the Vessel when the Angel brought him that good news All that sayl with thee are given thee He had been begging their lives and Jesus Christ gives in the answer 5. Those Prayers that are such excellent means for preservation are unfeigned Prayers Sea-men often do with their Prayers and Consciences as they do with their goods in a storm they cast them over-board but in a Calm they wish for them again So many of them pray in their storms but these prayers are but forced prayers God never hears from them but in danger Alas God looks upon such praying to be only flattering and lying and so he calls Hypocritical praying They flattered me with their lips and lyed unto Psal â—8 34. me with their tongues Why they were praying O but their hearts were all this while a deceitful Bow they were Hypocritical in all this And we read of some though the Lord Hos â— 13. redeemed them yet they spake lyes against him O how often have you done so 6. The prayers that are such excellent means for preservation are prayers flowing from a broken and a contrite heart He is Psal 34. 18. nigh them that are of a contrite heart Nigh them how nigh them to save them so sayes the next word some read it he preserveth the dismayed in Spirit or bruised Are you dismayed in dangers under the sense of your sins fear not God is nigh such But alas what are the Prayers of a Company of poor wretches unbroken either for their sins or from their sins who it may be before the storm were Swearing and Blaspheming God the Prayers of such is no more then to cut off a Dog's neck 1. Reason why Prayer is such an excellent means for preservation because In this duty God's honour is highly concerned this is Gods great Name and Title a God hearing prayer in which he much glories All his Attributes are much honoured in calling upon him especially in times of dangers and distresses 1. When you call upon God at Sea you honour his Soveraignty his Soveraignty over the Winds and Seas is acknowledged by calling on him God sayes to these proud waves So far and no further So the storm and hail they fulfil his will and when he pleases he commands a Calm 2. Prayer in time of danger honours God's Wisdom when we see no way open for mercies and deliverance to come in at then to look up to him believing he knows how to deliver out of Temptation O how much of the wisdom of God appears in preservations in time of danger and is it not a good token of mercy coming in when Persons pray though all visible wayes are block't up this honours God's Wisdom which we acknowledg is never at a loss as to wayes of bringing in mercy and deliverance 3. The Faithfulness of God is much honoured in times of danger when he is called upon the faithfulness of a Friend doth most appear in a strait now if you can rely upon his Promise Gods faithfulness is the best line men sinking at Sea can lay hold on So I might add Calling upon God honours all his other Attributes 2. Reason because the promise of preservation runs to Prayer Call upon me in the day of trouble here is the Precept Is not
my Relations To Scoff and Mock at Godliness O May'st thou not hear God saying to thy Soul Is this thy kindness to thy Friend wilt thou thus requite the Lord foolish and unwise man with Evil for so much Good David was delivered and see what use he made of it To walk before the Lord in the Land of the living viz. To walk as under his eye It was writ upon a City-Walls in England now demolished This City saved by the Lord being eminently delivered So may be writ on many of your backs This man saved by the Lord Delivered by the Lord then what should be written of such mens Conversation but Holiness to the Lord should not the line of mercy that draws them so often out of the water make Moses's of them should not that line bind them fast to the Lord Jesus should not the mercies of God prevail with poor Souls I beseech you by the mercies of God saies Paul Second word of Counsel O Labour to keep the sense of them fresh upon your spirits when we lose the sense of the mercy then we are easily drawn into sin against the God of mercy O while mercies are new they affect us as every Condition at first is taking but afterwards it is not so It is with mercies as with the Children of Israel they sang and gave praise But yet we find all off again Psal 106. 12. They made hast to forget they ridd post as it is in the Heb. to forget 1. Keep the sense of danger upon your hearts When we lose the sense of our dangers we lose the sense of our duties O what a danger was I in at such a time what distress and said with good Jehosophat I know not what to do It is good to reflect on past dangers so David there came a Lyon and a Bear c. 2. Keep the sense of the Deliverance on you if it wear off the beauty of the mercy is blasted it will then look like an old withered mercy God would have his mercies fresh to us to look with a fresh Complexion 3. Keep the sense of your Vows upon you the Vows that your Souls uttered in the time of your distress 4. Keep the sense of your present frames of Heart you had upon you when you were in danger whether your sins compassed you about in that day or no Consider whether you were under the smiles of his reconciled face or no in dangers O what would you not then have given for the Pardon of your sins 5. Keep the sense of your sins upon you that stared your Consciences in the face in your dangers Is that sin mortified yet Is that sin forsaken These things we should keep fresh upon our Souls after our Deliverances Third word of Counsel O then let your Preservations from past dangers be obligations upon you to trust God in future straits The Lord delivered me saies David out of the Paw of the Lyon and the Paw of the Bear and what then and he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistin This was the great sin of Israel that they did not trust God when they came into present Straits How long saies God will this people provoke Numb 14. 11. me by their unbelief for all my Signes and Wonders Thus the Lord Jesus reproved his Disciples for not considering the Loaves So poor Souls should by former Experiences be encouraged in present Exigences Fourth word of Counsel O beg of God your Deliverances and Preservations may be all sent sanctified unto you There are many Souls have unsanctified mercies unsanctified enjoyments Deliverances and Salvations alas these will harden poor Souls because Sentence is not speedily Executed therefore are the hearts of sinners hardened They escape this danger and the other and Eccles 8. 11. so they think they shall alwaies escape It will here be demanded When a Deliverance is sanctified 1. When it is joyned with Holiness We read of Deliverance and Holiness upon Obad. 17. Mount Zion when Deliverances shine in the Holiness of mens Conversation To be delivered and follow your sins more greedily that is no signe Deliverance is sanctified 2dly When they abide upon the Heart they are sanctified when they remain with a Soul Many many have Preservations from danger and as soon as they are delivered all is past and gone with them as a tale that is told It may be they never think of them till they come into another danger or another strait 3dly When deliverances are sanctified they are admired After such Deliverance as this O how their Hearts admired the mercy You lose the beauty of a mercy for want of admiring-frames of Heart In this Deliverance saies the Soul here was the appearance of the several attributes of God here in this circumstance was the wisdome of God and the Power of God! 4thly When Deliverances do kindly humble and break the Soul then they are sanctified what save such a worm put forth his power to save at such a time from Death and Hell such a poor vile wretch that deserved to have been lodged in that Pit where there is no Redemption many years agoe 5thly When Deliverances are sanctified they endear the Soul exceedingly in love with God Thus David I will love thee O Psal 18. â— Lord my strength why The Lord is my rock my fortress my Deliverer ask your Hearts now you that have been eminently delivered at Sea or Land if your Preservations be thus sanctified Fifth word of Counsel Register your Preservations and Deliverances you will find much yea very much benefit in such a Course Thus all the Saints did Did not Heman remember the years of the right hand Psal 77. of the Lord There are these Remarkable Jer. 2. 2. days you should in an especial manner remember 1. The day of the first love in drawing you into Christ this God remembers I remember the love of thine Espousals 2. The day of your Deaths that you Jer. 2. 2. should remember O that my people were wise Lam 1. 9. to consider their latter end Jerusalem came down wonderfully because they considered not their latter end 3. The days and times of your Delâ—verances Thus did the Lords Saints or else we should have been bereaved of many precious Scriptures As that excellent place when David changed his Behaviour before Abimelech O what an admirable Psalm was penn'd upon that occasion Psal 34. and also the 40th Psalm He brought me up also out of the miry-pits c. 1. O do you remember them they will be a strengthning of your Faith for time to come A man will not lose a Receipt or an Acquittance lest it be call'd in Question and Will you lose your Experiences of Gods goodness to you Experiences are poor Souls Receipts as I may say now you may be called into Question as to your Estates O these then will be Comfortable for you to read over 2. They will be strengthening
to others You will not believe what Sermons some of your Deliverances are to Relations to Acquaintances Another man's experience may strengthen my Faith And he hath said David put a Psal 40. 3 4. new song in my mouth even praise unto our God What then many shall see it and fear and trust in God 3. God will lose his glory by you How can you glorifie him if you do not remember the Lords mercies towards you and thou shalt glorifie me what Shall you gain by them and God be loser by them that gave you them You would not have your Owners losers and will you have God a loser O how much of the glory of God hath been lost by losing the Remembrance of your Deliverances 4. Remember them for they are written down in Gods book of Remembrance If you forget them God will remember them When the Lord brings forth this Book of Memento's against your Souls O how sad will it be Soul doest thou not remember thou was in such a danger at Sea such a time such a dark Night so nigh sinking so nigh splitting and never thought'st to come off with thy life and I appeared for thee and was seen in that strait but thou was worse and worse after thy Deliverances Alas the Soul hath quite forgot these things You will not you poor Sea men you will not be able to stand before the Lords Memento's in that day 5. O Remember them or else you will have great guilt upon you your forgetfulness is the grave of Gods mercies Will you deal thus with the mercies of God Was it not sad think you when they threw the dead by 20 and 40 and whole Cart-loades into a hole at once in the time of the Plague and is not this sad for God to bestow upon you whole Cart-loads of Deliverances and mercies and you bury all in forgetfulness It was charged upon Israel They soon forgot his works The second Word is a word of terrour to such persons as God hath delivered without their prayers from great and eminent dangers and yet have lost the sense of such Preservations and mercies This is a terrible Condition to have Preservations lost upon you to have all your deliverances as water spilt upon the ground 1. Such Preservations are but Reservations to greater wrath do not you say The bitterness of Death is past because you are safe returned from your Voyage another woe is to come yea a greater woe Though one is past there is still wrath to come We read of some that shall flye but yet shall not escape and shall not be delivered why what was the matter though they dig into Hell thither the Lord would follow them mine hand shall take them O whither can Sinners go out of the reach of Gods arme It may be they will climbe up to Heaven Thence saith the Lord I will bring them Amos 9. 4 5 6. down yea though they hide themselves in the Top of Carmel I will search and take them out thence O but it may be they will take another Course and go to Sea to hide themselves from God Thence will I command the Serpent and he shall bite them Thus the displeasure of the Lord followed them 2ly Such Preservations will be great Aggravations 1. of your sin and guilt 2. Of your Condemnation and punishment 1. Of your sin and guilt Shall we break his Commandements again after such a deliverance as this what sin against so gracious a God Thus requite the Lord O what unkindness is this Suppose a person in meer Compassion had redeemed another from the slavery of the Turks where else he might have lived and died and this person redeemed should after this not only forget all but affront and abuse the person that redeemed him Would not this be monstrous ingratitude among men Yet the sin runs higher in this Case What will you thus requite the Lord is this your Kindness to your Friend to your God that delivered you when none could that was your Arm and your Salvation in a needful time of trouble This will aggravate sin If I had not come and spoken unto you you had not had sin viz. your sin had not been so circumstantiated So if the Lord had not delivered you so often so eminently you would not had such sin 1. This is to sin against mercy and is not this a great aggravation What to sin against the best Friend you ever had in the world O who can tell what mercy hath done for them was not thy Creation from mercy and were not all thy Preservations from mercy 2dly This is to sin against Resolutions and Vows And will not this aggravate sin O is not this terrible To sin against Resolution from time to time how often hath thy poor Soul resolved after such a deliverance and such a Preservation to leave this wickedness and prophaneness and yet never wast so good as thy word How often have many of your Souls said as the Prodigal did I will arise and go to my Father but yet have sitten still in your sins to this day and all the purposes of your Heart have fallen asunder 3dly This is to sin against Convictions and light No Sins are so aggravated as they-against-light Have not your Consciences reproved you and convinced you many a time 4thly This is to sin against Experience as well as Conscience which was the great aggravation of the sin of Israel For all Gods signs and wonders to distrust God O what experience have you had of the faithfulness power wisdome of God in delivering of you what and you sin 5thly There is high ingratitude in it O what unthankfulness is it after so many deliverances to sin against the God of them 2dly Such Preservations are Aggravations of punishment and Condemnation How will you answer to have the book of Gods Remembrances opened unto you and all your deliverances read out of it Such as you have forgotten and buried many years ago Did not I preserve thee in such a storme at Sea in such a danger at Land gave thee thy life at such a time when but a step betwixt thee and Death O How will this sting your Consciences 3dly Such Preservations are the greatest Ecâ—lâ—s 8. 11. Hardners in Sin If they do not Soften they Harden These Providences are like Ordinances either great softners or else great hardners Because sentence is not speedily executed therefore the Hearts of Sinners are hardned O what a terrible thing it is to be hardened and set in sins Such Persons under their preservations they put the evil day far from them and so are hardned they think because God forbears them and spares them at present he will never pass sentence upon them because they are Reproved they think the Sentence will never be executed We read of some that put the evil day far from them What though God hath leaden feet he hath iron-hands saith one Though he be slow in his
is to die and knows not whither it shall go but bespeaks it self as he did O poor wandring Soul whither art thou going thou must never sport it more 5. In storms they are distressed with thoughts of their dear Relations and one-while they think of their precious Souls and those thoughts cut them to the Heart Another-while they think of their dear pieces of themselves their Wives and Children and these thoughts as daggers go to their Souls And thus are they hurried and distressed in their Spirits Now God would not bring such distresses upon Sinners without a Cause 4. Because extraordinary storms are the sad effects of Gods displeasure against poor Sinners Was the Lord displeased against the Rivers Was thine Anger against the Hab. 3. 8. Rivers Was thy wrath against the Sea So may not we say of this like terrible Tempest Was not the Lords Anger against the Sea-men against their Relations against the whole Land God was Angry with Jonah when he sent this storm after him And had he not good cause 1. Did not he contradict his Commission and will a King bear it To have his Royal Commands contradicted by his Subjects nay especially Can he bear it by those that he had preferr'd to places of Eminency Jonah was a Prophet a person God had honoured to be sent out a Prophet in Israel It is no wonder if God was Angry As God is most angry when his own people sin against him so he is most angry when his Prophets do sin against him which made God complain of old He had seen folly in the Prophets of Samaria Ver. â—â— 13 14. and I have seen in the Prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing They commit Adulâ—ery and walk in Liâ—s c. O this raised Gods anger against them Now for a Prophet to walk thus contradictory to God This must needs cause God to be angry 2. God had good cause to be angry with Jonah he is secure under his guilt and this is a great Provocation unto the Lord. If a poor Soul fall into sin and quickly be sensible of it O then God is ready to forgive But when a poor Soul sleeps on and sins on which was Jonah's case this is a great Provocation unto the Lord. He was asleep 3. God had good cause to be angry in continuing as well as sending the storm for Jonah is exceeding disingenuous with God and his Conscience What Calls had he to awake The Master Reproves him one would have thought that might have set his Conscience on work The poor Heathen Mariner's cry Every one calling upon his God one would have thought might have brought him to consider how he had offended his God The very casting out their wares might have occasioned him to think what guilt he was under to endanger all the poor innocent mens lives But you see he puts all off to the last Until he is discovered by Lot nay when he is discovered he is not yet ingenuous but stands their Examination before he confess that it was for his sake that this storm came upon them Must not this needs be a gâ—eat Provocation to the Lord 4. For Jonah God had good cause to be angry with him that he being sent upon an Embassy for Souls should refuse it This was Jonah's Calling O how forward should he have been to prove an instrument of bringing so many thousands of Souls to Repentance that lived in such a City O how he should have rejoyced in such an employment to have saved Souls from death What an occasion was this for God to be angry to be a Preacher to Souls and not a lover of Souls 5. God had good Cause to be angry with Jonah because he mattered his own name more than God's This was his Temptation as hath been hinted before What for an Ambassador to a King to stand more upon his own name than his Master's that gave him his Commission What a Provocation is this What a Preacher and have so little Regard to the Glory of God and the good of Souls To regard our Reputation more than the honour of him that sent us and the Salvation of precious Souls must not this cause God to be angry This is the case poor Sea-men in extraordinary stormes You should say Now the Lord is Angry and God is displeased with us and is he ever angry without a cause now in such storms he is saying to you as the Lord to them Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee This is Jer. 4. 18 thy wickedness because it is bitter it reaches to the He art O that you would look into your Hearts and into your Lives and into your Houses and into your Shops and into the Trades you drive and tell then your own Consciences whether God hath not good cause to be angry Take a view of your land-Land-sins at home of your beyond-Seasins abroad of your Sea-sins and then ask your hearts the Question Hath not God cause to be Angry APPLICATION Is it so that extraordinary Storms are not sent out without Cause Then it informs us that Punishments follow Provocations sooner or later Though Sentence be not speedily Executed why should the Hearts of Sinners and Sea-men be hardned to conclude that it will never be Executed No Sinners Long forbearance is no forgiveness There will come a storm a stroak that will pay for all God will not let sin go unpunished If punishments escape you at Land they shall meet you at Sea and if they escape you at Sea they shall meet you at Land These poor Heathens had this Notion Some notorious guilt was among them that this storm came to punish And they had this Notion When the Viper came upon Pauls hand They said Vengeance followed him and would not suffer him to live Acts 28. 4. The Avengers of blood follow persons to Sea If Jonah be there the storm will follow him It was said to those that took up their Habitation beyond Jordan that if they worshipped not the God of their Fathers their Sins would find them out An Allusion to Blood-hounds that find out the Thief and fasten upon him 2. It informs us that the Lord is Soveraign at Sea He it is that commands the winds that sends them forth of his Treasury He it is can say to the storm Be calm that can say to the Raging Sea Peace and be Psal 147. 18. still That sets a bound to the proud waves and saies So far and no farther He it is that saies to his Servants the Winds Go and they go He causeth His Winds to blow and the Waters to flow When waters drown Countries Inundations break in upon us these are ordered by God When poor Seamen lie wind-bound it may be months together how should they consider they are God's Prisoners and God only can set them at liberty and instead of murmuring against God How should they look up to God for a wind 3. It informs
consider the way he was in until the Lord sent a Pursevant to Arrest him until he is in an extraordinary manner discovered O poor Souls did you never read that terrible word of the Lord God will wound the heads of his Enemies and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth still on Psal 68. 21. in his Trespasses The word for hairy scalp signifies an High-way-man an high-way Robber and is the same with that in Job and the Robber shall prevail against him As the Jâ—b 18. â— Dutch-Ambassadors observe Their hair makes them terrible to the Traveller Well but God will wound such if they walk in their guilts so it is to be read O how good is it poor Sea-men to stop your Course 1. The longer you continue to provoke God to come out against you the harder will it be to take up The longer that a disease runs or hangs upon a man the harder it is to cure The longer thou sleepest in thy sin and security the harder will it be to awaken thee Thus it was with Jonah He goes on in his guilt and security and then a whole storm at Sea awakens him not and you see he is glad to be called on Nay as it were haled out of his hole and all little enough Such a sound sleep doth guilt cast the Soul in The longer poor sinners you wear your Chains and Fetters the stronger will they be upon you The nearer you are to the bottom of the hill the harder you will be to stop O therefore in time consider your ways and turn your feet unto the Lords Testimonies 2. The longer you continue to give God cause to come forth against you the greater will the account and reckoning be And if you cannot Answer for one of a thousand how should you Answer for ten thousands nay ten thousand times ten thousand that is put upon your scoreâ— as that word in Job is â—f God will contend with him he cannot Answer him one of a Thousand some read it he shall be found guilty a thousand times over and O what a Terrible Reckoning will this be here is now double interest nay interest upon interest O it is dangerous running upon the score with God 3. The longer that you continue in giving God Cause to come forth against you the more dreadful will the blow be when it comes upon you O how heavy will that stroak be that is so long a fetching The longer that any Judgment of God is coming the more terrible it is when it comes I have a long time holden Esa 42. 14. my Peace and lain still and refrained my self now will I cry like a Travelling woman I will destroy and devour at once or swallow up as the words is altogether Long deferr'd Judgments are swallowing-up Judgments when they come 4. The longer you continue to give God cause to come forth against you the dearer it will cost your Souls when you come to be made sensible of it O how will you cry out of your selves that you should stand out against so many Calls that you should stout it out so many years against that God that exercised such infinite Patience and long-suffering towards you that he that was armed with so much Power should exercise so much Patience towards such Rebels Then you will say with cries and tears to God for mercy The time past of your 1 Pet. 4. 3. lives may suffice you To have wrought the wills of the Gentiles c. O how will it grieve your Souls that you kept up arms against that God who held out his golden Scepter to you to offer you tearms of Peace Reconciliation 5. The longer you continue to give God cause to come forth against you the more danger you run of being hardned in your course O poor Sea-men is not that Text a word that looks sadly upon you Because Eccles 8. 11. Sentence is not speedily Executed therefore the hearts of Sinners are hardned The words are very considerable Because Sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily viz. The righteous Judgment of God upon sin is delayed for the present therefore the hearts of the Sons of men is fully set in them to do evil O what an abuse is here of Gods Patience Their heart is full to do evil so the Hebrew reads it What if God poor Souls should let you alone strive no more with you but give you up to the hardness of your hearts and say sleep on and sin on until my Judgments meet you and my wrath arrest you and you reap of the fruit of your own evil ways Would not this be sad O therefore poor Sea-men no longer stand out against God but upon your knees and beg for mercy that the Controversie may no longer continue betwixt God your poor Souls Thus we have done with this first Observation That God doth not send forth extraordinary storms without a Cause Jonah 1. 7. And every one said to his fellow Come let us cast Lots That we may know for whose cause this evil is come upon us c. WE are now to discourse the end and aime that these poor Marriners had in casting Lots in this distress and danger which is here exprest That we may know for whose cause this evil is come upon us This evill of Punishment some cause there was that they concluded and that the guilty person would be discovered by casting Lots that they also concluded And you see they were unanimous and earnest in finding out the cause The Observation is In all distresses and afflictions it is our duty to be inquiring into the cause That we may know for whose cause this evil is come upon us There is a two-fold inquiry into the cauâ—e of distresses and afflictions 1. There is an Inquiry of discontented expostulation and reasoning the case with God in a way of un belief Thus Gideon when the Lord had told him that he was with him If the Lord be with us O my Lord why then is all this befallen Judg. 6 13. us and where be all his miracles which our Fathers told us of saying Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt But now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites Here is an inquiry but it was with an unbelieving Reasoning against God And we read of eminent Saints falling into this Temptation why doth the way of the wicked prosper wherefore Jer 12. 1. are they happy that deal treacherously saies Jeremy 2. There is an inquiry of submission and humiliation when poor Souls would know wherefore the Lord doth contend with them â—â—b 10 â— that they may be humbled for giving God cause to come forth against them And this is the Inquiry ye are discoursing about That God doth not contend without a cause that we have heard already And That we are to inquire into the cause now we are to prove When Israel was
smitten at At the Lord refused to go with the Camp What was the matter There was a secret cause an hidden cause Joshua he complains to God and sadly bewails the want of Gods presence and the Lord upon his Inquiry tells him There is a cause and the cause was this The Accursed thing was among them And this was the 13 21. cause O Israel thou cannot stand before thine Enemies until thou take away the accursed thing from among you Here are three things observable 1. The accursed thing was the hidden thing hid among the stuff The Babylonish garments was hid and the Silver under it O the accursed thing lies hid the cause is hid but it must be inquired into hid in your ships it may be in your shops hid in your Trade or Converse with men where ever the cause or accursed thing lies it must be inquired into 2. Achan was of the Tribe of Judah which was the Tribe so honourable that Christ came of it and yet one of this Tribe was the cause of the Lords thus withdrawing his presence after this the Tribe that kept close to the true worship of God Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithful with the Saints yet one of the Tribe of Judah taken as the guilty person 3. Achan was discovered taken by Lot Joshua 6. verse for this discovery fell down on his face before the Arke The Ark was to inquire in dark and doubtful cases all and now he was inquiring of the Lord the cause of this disappointment and God answered him in Judg. 20. 27. telling him what course to take for a discovery Hence it is that when Gods People are brought into straits and distresses he usually points all their sins and provocations as being the cause of his so dealing with them and tells them as he did by the Prophet Jeremiah Jer. 4. 18. your wayes and doings have procured these things unto your Souls c. Alas saith God you put me upon it it was your own doings and this is but to eat of the bitter fruit of your own evil wayes This is your Esay 50. 1. wickedness you see now what misery your sins have brought upon your heads thus in that great stroak of the Captivity God clears himself Behold for your Iniquities have you sold your selves and for your Transgressions is your Mother put away viz. It was your own Act and Deed And indeed thus inquiring into our selves for the cause of these evils when they are upon us is a sweet frame of heart then the Soul sayes as the Church did wherefore should a living man complain for the punishment of his sins why should we be complaining doth not God say to the complaining Soul as to Joshua Arise get thee Josh 7. 9. up wherefore lyest thou upon thy face Israel hath sinned and taken the accursed thing So poor Soul thou hast sinned sayes God The accursed thing is found in thy skirts in thy Tent in thy House in thy Heart Thy work is to be inquiring and Searching now after the cause therefore it follows Let us search Laâ— 3. 39 40 and try our wayes and turn again unto the Lord. 1. Reason why in a day of Distress and Affliction it is our duty to inquire into the cause not because that the cause of Gods controversie often is hid from us it lyes hid and we cannot find it out without a diligent inquiry it was so here in the Text They knew not what was the matter and to search â—â— out they were resolved And so they cast â—oâ—s to decide the case and to discover the guilty Person The cause of Gods not going up with Israel was hid from Joshua there was a guilty Achan there as well as a guilty Jonah here and both taken by Lots The accursed thing was the hidden thing we read of Heman under his affliction what course he took I communed with mine own heart and my Spirit made diligent search he Psa â—7 7. supposed There might be some hidden guilt that might occasion it to be thus with him therefore he would fall to searching The Septuagint reads it I digged my own heart The vulgar Latin I swept my own heart Both senses import that there might be some undiscerned guilt which God was angry with him for O how good is it in storms for Sea-men to say Lord is not the accursed thing among us is not the wedg of Gold aboard and the Babylonish garment and now hath not our sins found us out nay our secret sins which the Lord sets in the light of his countenance sin may be hid a long time but as is commonly said of Murder it will out so it may be said of other sins They will out Jonah's running away from God you see came out 2. Reason why we should be inquiring into the cause when under Distresses and Afflictions Because this frame of heart vindicates and honours the justice and righteousness of God Thus Jonah was brought to this at last For my sake is this storm come Ps 9. 13. upon us O now God sends his Agents his Pursevants to artest Delinquents we read therefore of God making Inquisition for blood then saith the Text he remembreth them he will seek out blood so it is read Now whether remembring refers to Bloods to Murders God is searching out or Remembring relates to the afflicted ones as a learned Expositer observes the Caldee to read it he that requires blood of the innocent remembers his just ones however this is true God remembers sin Now when he makes 2 Châ—â—n 2â— 22. Inquisition for it to punish it requiring and punishing the same therefore we read of the Lord looking upon Blood and requiring it viz. to punish and avenge it and so Josephs Brethren say Behold his blood is required O now the Lords searchers are abroad Gen. 42. 22. it is good to be inquiring our selves and so justify God You Sea-men have the Kings Searchers come abroad and they wait upon you O my friends God hath his searchers and his waiters too such as you cannot deceive O then inquire into the cause Lord thou art righteous in all thy proceedings against sinners at Sea and Land and there is some great cause that thou doth thus contend with us That which we know Job 31. 32. not teach thou us and if we have done iniquity we will do so no more 3. We should be inquiring into the cause because God will certainly discover it God will fetch it out let it lye never so latent and hid The Lord sees where the accursed thing lyes he knew the Babylonish garment was hid and the Silver under it Gods eye looks under the Babilonish garment you it may be think your sins are secret from the knowledg of Relations and so you are safe enough and upon the account of the secrecy of sin go on and are hardned but alas for you poor Sea-men God will bring all
out O what a place is that Thou hast Ps 90. 8. set our secret sins in the light of thy countenance that word you have had again and again your sin will find you out shall God make a discovery and we make no inquiry O never think that you can hide the accursed thing out of God's sight That is an observable place He will search Jerusalem with Zeph. 1. 12. Candles and punish the men that are setled upon their leese that say in their hearts The Lord will not do good neither will he do evil some carries it To search with Lant-horns exactly and narrowly and take it that the Caldeans shall be their searchers to seek out their wealth and treasures But others that God would make a diligent narrow search after their sins and his search should reach so deep as to a discovery of mens very hearts That say in their hearts c. Begin to draw up Atheistical conclusions against God that he never regards the government of the world The arguing of too many poor Seamens hearts I am afraid God will discover the very thoughts of your hearts and if the cause lye hid there either in heart or house he will find it out Therefore we should be upon inquiry But this will fall in under the next Doctrine And the Lot fell upon Jonah 4. We should be inquiring into the cause Because until this be discovered the judgment is not removed as Physicians say The cause of a disease known the disease is half cured So in this case this storm do what they could never calmes until Jonah was discovered Though they used all the means possible for men to use when at last they were so ingenious that they thought to save the life of the Delinquent yet the Sea wrought and was tempestuous and they could ver 15. not do it until the righteous sentence of God was executed upon him that they cast him over-board And then sayes the Text the Sea ceased from her raging we read that â—â—v â—6 42 43 44 45. such a time should come that God would Remember the Land of Israel when they were under sad tryals and distresses and God would Remember his Covenant now it is observable what time that was The Text tells When their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they accept the punishment of their iniquities because even because they despised my Judgments and their Souls abhorred my Statutes You see now here is the cause of all discovered well they accept of the punishment of their iniquity here the cause of the Judgment is acknowledged and now it shall be remembred And yet for all that When they be in the Land of their Enemies I will not cast them away neither will I destroy them utterly nor abhor them nor break my Covenant with them For I am the Lord their God See here now is the controversie taken up betwixt God and Them 5. Reason We must inquire into the cause when under Distresses and Afflictions this speaks us truly humbled under the hand of God When we are digging into the cause of God's Judgments that lye upon us many poor sinners may be sensible of the sad effects of God's displeasure in taking away Relations from them by violent tempests in breaking their Estates in the loss of Ships but this is but to cry and complain of the smart of God's dispensations but what is this to the cause of them there your work lies Lord wherefore doest thou contend with us have you found out the Achan the Jonah all this while therefore you must in your Humiliations be more punctual and particular when under the hand of God than at other times When Israel was under the hand of the Philistines and lamented after the Lord Samuel in his exhortation to them upon a solemn Fast-day a Humiliation-day he leads them by the hand to the cause of their distress If you return to the Lord with all your heart and put away the strange Gods from among you and Ashtaroth then he will deliver you out of the hands of the Philistines 1 Sam â—â—â— 4. This Idol was the grand provocation to the Lord Nay this argued them deeply humbled that they would put the Idol away and so in the days of Ezra they came to this â—o find out the particular provocation viz. the marrying strange wives against the express mind of God they resolve to put them away and sayes the Text They sate trembling Ezâ—â— â—0 9. because of this matter O it is a hopeful case to be inquiring into the matter and cause of the Lords controversie When poor Sea-men and their Relations are saying to God under their distresses and tryalls Lord what is the matter what is the sin whereby Lord we have caused thee to send such terrible Messengers of thy displeasure after us When you say Is this sin it or that sin it Lord is it our drunkenness is it our neglect nay profanation of Sabbaths Is it our neglecting the worship of God aboard our Ships when at Sea or neglecting family-prayer when at home Is it our carnal confidence in our successes Is it our unrighteous dealings in the way of our Trade betwixt man and man Lord what sin is it find it out O the Lot will fall upon Jonah the Person and the crime too will be found out by God APPLICATION Is it so that it is our duty to inquire into the cause when under tryals and distresses 1. It is a word of Counsel and Exhortation to poor Sea-men and their Relations to set upon the work when under such dispensations of God The work that the doctrine calls for To say to the Lord shew us wherefore thou contendest with us why are these sad blows come upon us why are we broken in our Comforts in our Estates in our Relations Lord why are we thus Is it to try grace Is it to discover guilt Is it to wean from the uncertain comforts of this present life Is it to let us see where more durable Treasures are to be had then those perishing Treasures that come by the Sea nay what if God should give all the Families of the Tribe of Zebulun the performance of the word Thou shalt seek of the abundance of the Deut. 33. 19. Sea and of Treasures hid in the Land What would these things signifie if you have no Title to the other treasures of God above Heaven is the only treasure-house Lay up your treasures in Heaven these treasures never can suffer Ship-wrack 1. Motive to enquire into the cause this is the only way to have the controversie taken up betwixt God and You. And O what a mercy would this be How comfortably then might you go to Sea and look dangers and difficulties in the face How couragiously might you look Turks and Pyrats in the face when you have the controversie taken up betwixt You and God you need not then fear mans controversie If there should be War betwixt
accursed thing you Land-men search your Shops for it and every one search your hearts for it It is not many times visible there is it is true a visible cursed thing many times carried to Sea with you viz your drunkenness your neglect of the worship of God your swearing your Sabbath-breaking But is there not where these are not accursed covetuousness the accursed wedg of gold accursed defrauding and cheating in a more hidden way and accursed uncleanness in a more secret way that it may be few know of it 2. You must search your hearts for the cause of your evils For few know their own hearts who knows them it is a very hard thing to know them aright we may think we know them be very ignorant of them if they that search them somtimes be ignorant of them how ignorant are they then of them that never look into them Ps 19. 12 which made David say who can understand his error cleanse thou me from secret faults 3. You must be diligent in the searching out the causes of your evils for you may very easily overlook them you may easily over-look in the search the wedg of gold it may lye in a little room and the Babylonish garment may lye in a little room 4. You must be diligent in the searches for our Hearts are very prone to be partial We have a Peter within that often calls to us Master spare thy self We say of a beloved sin that usually is the cause of Gods contending with us as David did of his beloved Son deal gently with my Son Absolom for my sake We are very indulgent to our right hands and to our right eyes 5. You must be diligent in your Search for while you are upon it if it be possible Satan will blow out your Candle I mean your Conviction in the light of which you Search It may be God convinces you of your duty and you fall upon search but before you have made any thing of it you will have Satan blow your light out and so you will give over as the woman sought her lost groat lighted her Candle and swept her house so had you need to do in this inquiry after the cause of your distresses and Afflictions 3. If you would find out the cause of your Afflictions and tryals then make Inquiery by the word Then is the only Rule to find out the Jonah This way would these poor Heathen Mariners have taken but that they were ignorant of any such Rule therefore they cast Lots There can be no search made to any purpose without the word It is upon this account called a Lamp a Lanthorn If a sin we seek for evade discovery and run into the dark corners of our Hearts we are to follow the search still in the light of the word And if guilty Jonah had but been kept awake to have askt his Soul the Question O my Soul Is this according to the word of the Lord that came to thee was thy Commission to go to Tarshish or to Ninevie Is it according to Rule for thee to go one way when God bids thee go another he had then soon come to a discovery of the cause of this storm upon easie Inquiry We should in such a case say as Paul did in that controversie But what saies the Scripture 1. Make your Inquiry by reading the word O that Sea-men would Sail by this Compass and when you meet with a sin set out in the word and markt by the Lord that you would say Here is a Sea-marke for thee to avoyd here is a Rock that thou must be careful thou split not upon a Sand thou must be careful thou fall not foul upon Here is a Gulph thou must be careful thou be not swallowed up in You talk of the Gulph of Venice and the Gulph of Lyons but the Word tells you of the Gulph of Drunkenness and of the Gulph of uncleanness and of the Gulph of swearing and Sabbath-breaking And O how many are swallowed up precious Souls of poor Sea-men cast away in these Gulphs Do you in reading the word observe what marks God hath given such and such sins and how they have caused his displeasure As soon as ever the sin of drunkenness came into the world God set a brand upon it It came in by a sad hand indeed even â—en 19. â—6 37 â—8 by Lott But O what a punishment God set upon it suffering it to be fellowed with another sin the great sin of Uncleanness nay the highest even Incest O what sin came in at this door what Murders Quarrellings Passions Adulteries even the door of Drunkenness but see a further mark set upon it as the sad effects of it The first Daughter bare a Son and Judg 11 4 2â— called his name Moab the other bare a Son and called his name Ben-ammi the Father of the Children of Ammon unto this day Now this Posterity apostatized to Idolatry and became both of them as dwelling near Canaan great Enemies to poor Israel Some read Deut. 23. 3 4. and was not this a black mark upon that sin that such a Father should have such a Posterity begot in the sin that should in after Generations be inveterate Enemies to Gods people Take but another Instance because this is one of the sins of Seamen that is often a cause of the Lords controversie with you in storms at Sea Esa 23. 1 2 3. Wo to the crown of Pride and the Drunkards of Ephraim whose glorious beauty is as a fading flower c. Behold the Lord hath a mighty and stronge one which is a Tempest of haile and a Destroying storme as a flood of mighty waters overflowing shall cast down to the Earth with his hand The Drunkards of Ephraim shall be troden under feet This is a Prophesie of the wrath of God upon the Ten Tribes for their drunkenness did much abound and this mighty strong one as a destroying storm to come upon them which was made good in Salmaneser the King of Assyria's coming to beseige Samaria and carry them Captive when the Turks carry so many English Sea-men Captive into Sally into Argiers is it not good inquiring Is not our Drunkenness the cause of this Evil coming upon us mark well then consult the word what it saies of Drunkenness 2. Consult the word in your reading of it and observe what a mark God hath put upon uncleanness which I doubt is another Rock that many a poor Sea-mans Soul is split upon Saies Solomon I discerned among the simple ones among the youths a young-man voide of understanding Here is a brand upon him What was he one that fell in with the strange Woman what became of him Prâ— 7. â— 26. 27. He was led of her till a dart struck through his Liver as a bird hasteneth to the snare and knoweth not it is for his life her house is the way to Hell going down to the Chambers of death He is
Saw we not the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distress come upon us you see This sin layd uppermost upon his Conscience Now observe it well what that sin is you may write upon the head of it Thou art the Jonah this is the cause of this Controversie when the Conscience is humbled there is a Controversie betwixt God and the Soul Now sin is very prone to walk in the Conscience in a day of distress and affliction 2. That sin that is thy darling sin usually is the cause This usually of all sins is the Jonah This complexion-sin as that Country-sins where you Sea-men go So you must remember there are constitutional sins which you carry and now to carry your constitutional sins to meet with other-country-sins is sad If you run into them here in England what will you do when you come into climates that shall be like sparks to gun-powder You carry the gun-powder with you but there you meet with Sparks viz occasions exciting your corruptions And may it not be said then of many a poor Sea-man as of the wild Asse In her occasioâ— who can turn her away Gods Controversy frequently either at Land or Sea arises upon the account of our right-hand or right-eyes viz. our dearest and nearest corruptions Some mens complexion sin is Lust others Drunkenesse others Passion and these are often breaking out to provoke the Lord. And O how good it is to know them For there is an especial providence made to such as Know the Plague of their own Hearts 3ly That sin that we design most to hide that is the cause of the Controversy betwixt God and us The accursed thing you have heard was the hidden thing We have it naturally from our first Parents to hide our Sin This is like the children of Adam though the Lord hath expresly told us that He that hideth his Sin shall not prosper Man is a proud creature Pro. 28. 13 and cannot endure to leave his own shame therefore he finds out covers for his sins although they be but Fig-leaves which will blow away with the least breath of a powerful conviction and then the Sinner will see the shame of his nakedness and cry out of his Guilt both before the Lord and others O poor Sinners consider Had not you better be ashamed here than damned hereafter Had not you better bear your shame now say as she did when you are to die And I am one of the fools in Israel and whither shall I carry my shame It will be sad to carry it to Hell with you and have it upon you to all Eternity 4. That sin that we are most prone to plead for our excuse that usually is the cause of the Controversy betwixt God and us And as we are Adams children in hiding our Sin so we are his children in being prone to excuse our Sin The woman thou gavest me gave me Gen. 3. 11 12 and I did eat He puts it off the woman she sayes The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat and she puts it off And thus do we for our beloved sins especially It is a little one and my Soul shall live a little Pride a little Passion a little worldliness a little drunkenness somtimes overseen in drink but yet no drunkard O Sirs it is a dangerous thing to cover your Sins with excuses Your woe is written upon the head of it Wee to them that cover but not with a covering of my Spirit 5. That Sin is the controversy betwixt God us which is the Sin we cannot endure should be sharply Reproved We expect that this Sin should be favoured therefore when the power of the Word in an Ordinance comes then the hearts of Sinners swell As Herod when John-Baptist comes to his particular sin to his Herodias O then Johns head must go for it O poor sinners cannot bear particular home-preaching as a profane Gentleman said of a godly Preacher where he lived He divides his Text like a Scholler and follow his doctrine like a Logician but the Devil cannot stand before his Application O sinners cannot bear plain dealing for their Souls can say spare this sin deal gently with this sin for my sake as David said of his son Absalom 6ly That is the sin that is the controversy betwixt God and us which we are so loath to part with O it goes to the heart to part with some sins a sin of custome or a sin of Interest or a sin of inclination O what strugling and combatting is there in the Soul before they can give up such sins other evils when they see no other way they can be more contented to part Gen. 42. 36. with but what them I say that hath caused them to laugh and sport themselves so often What their Benjamins O what a parting was there betwixt the old Patriarch and his son Benjamin Gen. 43. 11. Joseph is not and Simeon is not and you will take Benjamin away All these things are against me and at last he came to If it must be so now Such a parting there is betwixt these beloved sins and poor Souls Pharaoh will not let Israel go untill he see no other way So it is in this case Thus I have dispatched the second observation of the Text. That it is our duty to make inquiry into the Cause when any evil is upon us either at Land or Sea Jonah 3. 7. And the Lot fell upon Jonah WE have already heard of a Controversie and of the means that was used to decide that Controversie viz. by casting Lots now we are come to the decision of the Controversie viz. The discovery of the guilty person who had caused this storm And the Lot fell upon Jonah The Observation is this God will certainly find out the Jonah that causeth the storm This Lot that found out Jonah was the determination of God the finger of God The disposing of the Lot is of the Lord says the Wise-man The guilty person shall not always go undiscovered though he was gone down into the sides of the Ship and was fast asleep yet he is found out But it is necessary we should premise something before we come to follow the Observation that all stumbling blocks may be taken out of the way 1. Persons under guilt may go a long time undiscovered Jonah for a time we see continues so yea though the storm was upon the Vessel where he was yet he is not discovered It may be said of many a poor sinner as is said of the wicked man He flatters himself in his own eyes until his iniquity Psal 36. 3. be found to be hateful He goes on for the present and thinks all is well but God discovers him sooner or later and makes his iniquity hateful Some mens hidden works of darkness are sooner brought to light than others Judas goes a long time among the Disciples before he be discovered
Herod hears John and for a time goes on smoothly before he be discovered Demas goes hand in hand with Paul a long time before he was discover'd to be such a worldling as he proved whether he did return again or not as some think he did yet his guilt by Act. 19. 33. his fall was discovered Alexander as some think that stood by Paul in that uproar at 1 Tim. 1. 20. Ephesus yet afterwards apostatized and 1 Tim. 3. 14. so was discovered and did him much harm O Sirs you may cover and conceal your sin for a time yet a discovering day is coming the day shall declare it 2. Some persons sins are not discovered until they come to the great Reckoning the great Audit-day Some mens sins says the Apostle 1 Tim. 5. 24. are open before hand to judgment and some men they follow after Then the hidden things of darkness that escape discovery now will all be brought to light and what if you be hid here this will but harden you whereas a discovery might be a means to awaken you and bring you to Repentance Sometimes poor sinners by shame are brought to true Humiliation for sin when they are discovered they are ashamed as a Thief is ashamed and so are led from the sight of their shame unto the sight of their sin but assure your selves if you be not found out now yet the day of the Lord will make a discovery of all your hidden sins at Sea or at Land when the Lord comes He will bring to light the hidden things 1 Cor. 4. 4. of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have praise of God Not only the secret sins of mens lives but the secret sins of mens Rom. 2. 16. hearts therefore it is called a Day in which God will judg the secrets of men 3. Some sinners guilt comes under more dreadful aggravations than others and ordinarily the more aggravations that mens sins are clothed with the sooner God will lay them open to a discovery This was Jonahs case his guilt was not ordinary guilt the aggravations of it you have heard As Hypocrits their sins are more aggravated than other mens therefore usually discovered he often unvailes them as he did Judas as he did Demas as he did Herod and others and backsliders persons that once have tasted of the good word of God and sweetness in the ways of God and fall back these mens sins though sometimes hidden God makes open discovery of rips up their sins they never thought should come to light These mens sins are under great aggravations and so lie nearer to a discovery and so poor Seamen that are men of so many mercies and their Relations Persons under such tyes and bonds of mercy if they will break all these and sin in an hidden and secret way against God Oh this aggravates their sin exceedingly and God will sooner or later make a discovery of it 4. Vsually if God discover guilty persons it is in a more than ordinary way their guilt is not ordinary and so the way that God takes for their discovery is not ordinary God we see sent an extraordinary storm after Jonah and finds him out by Lots which was the most extraordinary way of discovery that was used they are not ordinary Convictions nor ordinary Afflictions that usually God discovers such guilty persons by 5. Vpon their discovery they either grow worse and are hardned or they are deeply humbled Jonah he now upon his discovery acknowledges and accepts the Punishment of his iniquity For my sake is this evil come upon you which was an expression setting out his Repentance and Humiliation Herod upon his discovery grew worse and added to all taking John's liberty and life away under whose Ministry he did once sit Thus we see Hypocrites after discovery often prove profane and Backsliders often prove persecuters these Revolters are profound to make slaughter These things premised the Query for us to look into will be this in opening this Doctrine What ways and means usually doth God take for the discovery of guilty persons This will contribute very much to the clearing of the Point 1. God doth often discover guilty persons by pursuing them with the Terrors of their own Consciences Conscience as Gods Avenger doth pursue the guilty sinner though for a time it may sleep as Jonah's here did yet when God awakened him you see what he says Cast me over-board for my sake is this evil come upon you Though conscience may be for the present seared and insensible yet when God once awakens it Oh it will cause a poor guilty soul to cry out Oh miserable wretch that I am O vile brute that I am to provoke such a God! to hazard for ever and wound such an Immortual Soul to run a course directly head-long to my eternal ruin That word is very considerable you have had hinted when Moses gave the Tribes good Counsel that were to inherit on the other side Jordan if they would not follow it he tells them Be sure their sin will find them out their sin viz. their punishment Numb 32 23. for sin should come upon them as the blood-hound finds out the thief We read David in great trouble and distress he was not able to look up his Heart failed and was not this sad Looking up is the Believers last refuge The case was this Guilt lay upon him Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me Psal 40 12. As the Hue and Cry takes hold of the guilty Malefactor and then he is discovered that was not known to be the guilty person before Oh thus Conscience hath found out many a secret sin Oh how hath it dogged Sinners many secret Murders how Was not Savage's murder Butler's thus have they been discovered by the intolerable torment of their own accusing Consciences Well then poor Seamen and all poor Sinners remember when under any temptation to sin in another Country where you think it will never be known remember Conscience looks on and the day is coming that Conscience will speak home and tell you of it it is God's Register may be when you have forgotten Conscience will give you dreadful and awakening Memento's of it when God shall open the Seals of this Book of Conscience Oh what discoveries will there be made alas now it is a sealed Book a clasped Book but yet a day is coming even in this life in which God will read you many a lecture out of it all your enditements here and hereafter sinners will be taken out of this Book Whither can guilty Malefactors fly to be hid from Gods finding out If they hide themselves saith the Lord in the top of Camel I Amo. 9. 3 4. will search and take them out thence viz. If they climb the highest mountain for hiding God will discover them O but it may be they will go to Sea Though they be hid from
my sight in the bottom of the Sea Will sinners ever be found out there Thence will I command the Serpent and he shall bite them Either we may understand it of commanding Judgments to find them out as afterwards I will command the Sword to slay them Or that the guilt of their own Consciences shall bite them and so torment them that they shall be discovered by it O when God commands Conscience to bite when God sets it on O how it doth dogg and haunt the guilty sinner it is Gods Officer when he commands it and gives it a warrant to make a search for the guilty Malefactor you cannot deny it entrance 2. God many times discovers guilty persons by sending Judgments and Afflictions after them These are Gods searchers Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man seek Psal 10. 15. out his wickedness until thou find none viz. by thy Judgments punishing them for it Until this Judgment this great storm came upon Jonah he lay undiscovered We read of the Lords people crying out of their sins they testified against them they gave in Testimony against them in the Court of Conscience And as for our iniquities we know them Oh now they are plainly discovered Isa 59. 12. unto them they were at this time under the sad strokes of God If Conscience be asleep and the calls of the Word cannot be heard and the motions of the Spirit the still voice cannot be heard then God will lift up his voice in some heavy Calamity to try if that will do may be a blow from Heaven will do more than many a word from Heaven will do it may be the poor guilty Seaman shall go into Slavery and in his Captivity remember himself and if they be bound in Fetters and be holden in cords Job 36. 8 9. of Affliction what then then God sheweth them their work and their Transgressions now all is laid open and discovered and that they have exceeded or it may be a breach may come upon mens Estates to discover mens sins when they are brought low then they may see the fruit of their evil ways Or it may be some Judgment of God upon their Bodies 3. God usually discovers guilty persons by suffering them to fall into some notorious sin Secret Hypocrites whose hearts have been rotten though they have had fair outsides are many times thus discovered Judas who was one of the Twelve and carryed the Bag was a close Hypocrite all the while and you see for a discovery of his secret guilt what a sin he falls into viz. to betray his Lord and Master Thus Herod a smooth Professor he reformed many things heard John Baptist gladly who was no sleepy Preacher and we find what a dreadful piece of Guilt he falls into with his Brothers Wife and thus is discovered and then adds one sin to another in taking away the Ministers life that he used to hear gladly And this also is observable when poor Souls that have had tastes of God and some impressions and convictions upon them do wear these off and cast all seriousness from them the Lord often suffers them to fall into some very gross and scandalous evil either to discover some former guilt that lay hid unrepented of or else to awaken their Souls that they may recover that which they have lost as a man that sleeps on Horse-back may soon get a dangerous fall so a poor sleepy Professor may nay often doth catch desperate falls to awaken him 4. God discovers the guilty person by giving him up to some gross and notorious error We read of Heresies being among the Corinthians Cor. 11. 19. That they that are approved might be made manifest and so God gives up often Tim. 1. â— 20. unsound hearts to unsound opinions thus Tim. 3. 9. Alexander who was an eminent Professor and God says of such They shall go no further but be made manifest 5. God many times discovers guilty persons by causing the Power and Authority of the Word to seize upon them and arrest them Thus God did by Nathan discover Davids hidden â—am 12. â— 13. sin Thou art the man and as soon as this Arrest was clapt upon him by the Prophet David's Conscience cry'd guilty I have sinned against the Lord he doth not deny it he doth not plead for it nay though it was done in secrecy and covered over with a great deal of art and industry he doth not put the Prophet upon proof For thou didst it secretly says Nathan how did Nathan know The Lord who sees in secret had informed Nathan We read a strange word of the Prophet Elisha that he told the Kings â—ings 6. 12. of Israel the words that the King of Assyria spake in his Bed-Chamber it was the Lord that informed the Prophet Sometimes poor sinners are so plainly told of their sins in the Ministry of the Word that they think some hath told the Preacher Alas this is the secret convincing power that goes along with the Word as the Ministry of Christ to the Woman of Samaria found out her guilt Him thou hast is not thine Husband and see how she was smitten and taken with it both I have met with a Prophet that hath told me all that I have done O poor sinners when the Word thus meets with you Oh then you should say Surely God hath a Design of love upon me to humble me by finding of me out and by so particular speaking to my Soul for when God hath a design to convert a Soul he speaks particularly to it and when he hath a design to comfort a Soul he speaks particularly to it 6. God many times discovers secret guilt by wonderful Providences We read of a Bird of the air telling the voice of the thoughts and that which hath wings telling the matter even the hidden matters of the Bed-Chamber The Bed-Chamber is the secret place and a thought is the most secret act A Bird of the air shall carry the voice Viz. Eccles ult It shall be revealed by some unexpected means as little suspected for the doing such a thing as a Bird is and also it shall be discovered speedily God doth it sometimes in both senses That which hath wings shall tell the matter in the Hebrew it is that which is Master of wing shall carry it abroad Viz. God will work a miracle to discover it rather than it shall be hid By what strange Providences have some secret Murders come out History is full of nay many of your own Observations may be full of as sometimes in the very places where secret sins or open sins have been committed those are the places where Judgments overtakes the sinner it is a good consideration for Seamen If thou sin in this place what if thou suffer in this place and if thou think no body that knows thee can know of it O but that which hath wings shall tell the matter rather than
enlarge upon it nay indeed it is an useful Doctrine for all sorts of people whatsoever 1. The Omniscience of God lays an Awe of God upon Spirits Can thou say or think that God looks on and venture to sin what to sin in the Presence of God as he said Will he force the Queen in the Presence of the King Oh what a height of impudence in sin is it for a person to steal before the face of the Judg What poor Seaman when thou art in a foreign Country though the eye of Friends Relations godly Acquaintance do not look on yet that eye looks on which should ten thousand times more awe thee than the eye of all the Relations thou hast in the world the eye of God The eye 1. of an holy God looks on who cannot behold iniquity but with abhorrency and darest thou sin under such an Eye 2. The eye of a righteous God will not this awe the Soul The eye of a righteous Judg Oh poor sinner is upon thee 3. The eye of the great God who hath power not only to strike thee dead but damned in every act of sin What not the greatness of God awe thee poor sinner how will the greatness of Persons awe a mans Spirits and make them very cautious of their deportments and shall not the greatness of God strike sinners with an holy awe of his Majesty to awe mens Spirits in his Worship we read this reason given why they should look carefully what they offer'd up to God For I am a great King and my Mal. 1. ult Name is dreadful among the Heathen 4. The eye of that God looks on before whom thou must solemnly appear O did poor sinners but think shortly they must give an account of these actions of theirs to that God that now is a Spectator would it not awe their spirits He sees thee now that must judg thee ere long Now thou art running on in sin there is no stopping thee thou art Sermon-proof and casts the Word of the Lord behind thy back and hatest to be reformed Well poor sinner it will but be a little while and thou shalt stand trembling before Gods Tribunal receiving thy Sentence for these sins that thou thought were secret and hidden 5. The eye of that God looks on that hath been a God of many preservations and salvations to thee who is it that gives thee thy Life every storm every Voyage nay every moment who hath been thy old friend to carry thee out and bring thee home again to rescue and redeem thee so many times from the very brink of the Pit Was it not God may not you call him the God of your Salvations How often hath he given you large Commentaries upon the Word Salvation belongeth unto the Lord. Psal 3. 8. And this God looks on and dare you ven-venture to sin under the eye of such a God 2. The Omniscience of God truly studied and observed is an argument of sincerity and integrity of Soul Hypocrites act from the eye of men both as to their sins as well as services they did all it is said of the Pharisees to be seen of men So if the eye of man be over an unsound heart it may be he is awed O but the eye of God hath an awful influence upon a sincere gracious Soul O says this poor soul as Joseph did How can I do this and sin against God although the temptation was advantaged with so much privacy and secrecy Therefore we read of that word of God's to Abraham Walk before me and be perfect viz. be upright The eye of God is much considered of by an upright Soul 3. The sense of Gods Omniscience usually makes the Soul conscientious as to thoughts What thoughts poor souls take in Oh that is a wicked Proverb Thoughts are free Oh no saith a poor gracious soul Gods eye is upon every thought of the heart as soon as it springs up in a conception in the soul is falls under his cognisance That which is said of the Word much more may be said of God It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart discerns it as a Critick that passes censure what is to be approved and what refused so the word is he doth not only discern the thoughts Heb. 4. 1â— but critically discern them he passes his observations upon them It speaks a great deal of Spirituality in the heart to be careful of our thoughts It may be poor Sea-men may at Sea be plotting sin what they will do when they come to their Port Oh the Lord knows this God saw that the Gen. 6. wickedness of man was great upon the earth and that every thought of the imagination of his heart were evil continually Figment of the thought viz. what the mind fashioneth within it self by thinking 4. The sense of Gods Omniscience will raise a spirit of watchfulness in the Soul against all sin but especially against the right hand-sin Who are so watchful over their own hearts as those that live under the sense of Gods all-seeing Eye being upon them But there is one sin above all we should be very watchful against and that is the sin of our Complexions that we are so very prone to fall into Oh the eye of God awes the Soul as to this if it be drunkenness if it be that ordinary sin of poor Seamen Swearing 5. The sense of Gods Omniscience will preserve your Souls against Atheism This is an Age that never more abounded with Atheists than at this day What is the language of them How doth God know can he judg through the dark Cloud thick Clouds are a covering to him that he seeth â—â—b 22. 14 not This is true of wicked men though it was not true of Job The Psalmist tells us of them That they say in their heart God 〈◊〉 10. 11. hath forgotten he hides his face he will never see it And if you forget Gods Omniscience you presently may be brought to a denial of his Being you had need have cautions against Atheism at Sea even where you see so many of the Wonders of the Lord. 2. Branch of Information Is it so that God will discover the guilty person sooner or later then it informs us what a folly it is for poor sinners either at Sea or Land to think to hide and cover their sin from the eye of God! are there not many poor sinners run into guilt at Land and then to cover it and conceal it they will go to Sea as Jonah did who fled from the presence of the Lord and he would hide all by going to Tarshish but you have heard how God followed him It is true The heart of man is deceitful above all things and will be covering and hiding its fin from God But says he I the Lord search the heart and try the reins even to give every man according Jer. 17. â— 10 to his ways and according to the
fruit of his doings We read a sad story of a professing people even the Ancients of the House of Israel Son of man seest thou what they do in the dark every man in the Chambers Ezek. 1 of his Imagery for they say the Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the Earth And yet you see Gods eye was upon them all this while These Chambers were the secret places where they had Idolatrous Pictures and did there privately worship them as most conclude upon the place though Achan's wedg of Gold was hid in the Tent as hath been hinted God discovered him 3. It informs us then If God will discover the guilty person of the wretchedness of our sinful deceitful hearts and in what doth their wretchedness and deceitfulness appear more than in this thing viz. to go about to hide sin when we have committed sin Oh then the next step that Satan treads in towards us is to excuse sin this is as natural to us as it is to sin this hiding of sin we derive from Adam he excused the matter of his eating the forbidden fruit and put it in a sense upon God The Woman thou gavest me c. Is not this to add sin unto sin Oh see the wretchedness of hiding or going about to hide our sin by way of excuse in these Particulars 1. This is a continuance and persisting in sin and this always greatens guilt It is dangerous to step into a sinful way but it is more dangerous to continue on and walk on in it We read of a dreadful threatning unto him that walks on in his Trespasses God will wound the hairy scalp of such A godly man may step into a way of sin but he is not hence denominated an ungodly man because it is not his course and so an ungodly man may step into a way of holiness but he is not for this called a godly man because it is not his course Now every man is denominated from his course but now when a poor sinner doth go on in his sin this speaks it his course 2. Our sin and wretchedness in excusing our guilt doth appear in this it carries a face in it as though we could mock God nay is it not an endeavouring to mock God And hath not the Apostle cautioned sinners against it Be not deceived God will not be Gal. 6. 7. mocked What though you may deceive Relations and mock them and delude them but thus you cannot do with God God sees you and will find you out If you will seek to mock God I must tell you the day is coming that he will mock at you He will laugh at you when your desolation comes as a whirlwind yea he will mock when your fear comes 3. A wo is written upon the head of this sin Wo unto them that cover but not with a Isa 30. 1. Covering of my Spirit that they may add sin unto sin And sure they are no small sins that God writes his woes upon the head of Though it is true the literal sense of it is The Covering of the Kings's of Egypts Protection yet it holds true in this sense For he hath said He that hideth his sin shall not prosper Jer. 2. ulâ— You may be confident in this Covering and the other but in such confidences you Souls shall not prosper for God will lay open all 4. Our sin and wretchedness appears in this When we go about to hide our sin it argues a great measure of Judicial obduracy and hardness of heart to be upon us is not this a hard heart that yields not to the Testimony of Conscience and stands it out against inward checks and convictions nay it may be against terrors and horrors of Conscience It may be when the Soul looks within it self is a Magor-missabib a terror to it self yet it falls not down in Confession before the Lord. Oh poor Soul what if God should leave thee sealed under this hard heart and say of thee as of Ephraim He is joined to Idols let him alone And he that is filthy let him be so still and he that is unclean let him be so still 5. Our hiding of sin doth lead into great Temptations Thus David's hiding his sin did you see what Temptations to cover sin was he led into one sin brings in and brings on another seldom doth one sin go alone Davids Adultery must be hid with making Vriah drunk and sending a Letter to Joab to put him in the Front of the Battel how often is committing sins covered with lying And then I know not the man with standing in it and then clapping an Oath upon the back of a lye and thus one sin clapt for a cover upon the back of another We see how Adam seeking to hide his sin brought him into further guilt 4. It informes us then what a dangerous condition Hypocrites are in if God will discover the guilty person many persons go on smoothly and carry the fair side forward and yet the Lord sees within is rottenness Oh poor souls a day is coming that will discover the thoughts of many hearts when God will turn mens inside outward cause them to wear their hearts in their faces O then will the Soul approved in the sight of God be a blessed Soul alas he is not a Jew that is one outwardly but he is a Jew that is one inwardly whose Rev 2. 23 praise is of God and not of man Therefore it is we read God telling the Church of Ver. 13. Thyatira He will make all the Churches to know that he is a God that searches the reins and heart He will find out all the hollow hearted rotten Hypocrites that creep into Churches For Jesus Christ is there described to have Eyes like a flame of fire viz. to make exact discoveries both of things and persons Oh what discovering days and dispensations hath God already brought upon us of late years and yet greater discoveries are behind 2. Vse Is it so that God will discover the guilty person then it is a word of Caution Then take heed you do not hide your sin Oh poor Seamen of all men in the world should stand clear here should be cautioned here as well as others Therefore Joshua speaks thus to Achan Confess and give glory to God tell me what thou hast done and hide it not Josh 7. 19. from me This we are very prone to as hath been already hinted We read of some that are said To hide it like a sweet morsel under Job 20. 12 13. their Tongue Though he spare it and forsake it not but keep it still within his mouth What then Yet his meat in his Bowels is turned it is the gall of Asps within him Though they be mightily taken with it and so as Children keep it as a sweet bit under their Tongues and there hide it yet it is bitter when down like the poyson of Aspes that kills suddenly Oh poor
Seamen take heed of hiding your sweets bits 1. If you go about to hide sin God will reveal it in his anger he will speak to you in his wrath and vex you in his sore displeasure Gods anger reveals Jonah's guilt What was the matter the storms and winds were so high Oh God was angry What was the matter the Vessel had like to have been broken in pieces Oh God was angry with one aboard that was hiding of his sin If once Gods anger be up and be upon searching work for guilt he will find it out he hath strange ways to do it in The Sea shall rise up against poor Sinners one while and the Earth another We read an observable word of the wicked Terrors Job 20. 26 27. are upon him all darkness shall be hid in his secret places which some understand his hiding places where he thought to keep himself close and covered in the dark shall be light and discovered by hiding places are meant private corners and secret places or means of retiring or sheltring which the wicked endeavour to find out for the avoiding and escaping of the Judgments of God The meaning of it then is this that they shall be so far from finding any help and shelter in those hiding places that they shall be discovered and meet with nothing but misery and calamity and this seems to be the sense of the place by what follows A fire unblown shall consume him viz. The wrath of God here is compared to fire But shall his sin go hid now the Lords anger is up against him and his Family for it shall it go ill with him that is left in his Tabernacle now it is like to go ill with the House-Company or Ships-Company Why what is the matter Oh God is about discovering work The Heaven shall reveal his iniquity and the Earth shall raise up her self against him Some understand it That all the Creatures Coelestial and Terrestrial animate and inanimate shall be ready to minister and serve God in the executing of his righteous Decrees and Judgments against wicked men As the Stars fought against Sisera so God can cause the Stars in their influence to fight against poor Seamen the Stars that so much befriend you God raises up the Sea against you the Winds against you to discover the very guilt that you go about to hide 2. Poor Seamen take heed of concealing and hiding your sin when God shall set it home upon you you will then cry out so much the more of it It is like poyson if it be not vomited up the person dies for it as is said of some wicked men They have swallowed down Riches and they Job 20. 15. shall vomit them up again God shall cast them out of his belly Thus may it be said of poor sinners that hide their sin from God when Conscience shall come and cause the secret poyson to work Oh then what Confessions will there be to the Lord as David I have sinned I said I would confess my sin c. He did not go about now to hide it as formerly he had done He had layn three quarters of a year in that fit of the Lethargy the sleepy disease but now when God awakened him Oh what Prayers and Confessions and Tears doth he pour out to God! Thus Achan though he had contrived Josh 7. to hide all God you have heard brought out all and then he confesses So Jonah here now God hath found him out confesses all it may be in a storm at Sea so will you do or on a sick bed in a strange Country so will you do it may be going down into the bottom Oh then why should you now go about to hide it 3. Let poor Seamen take heed of hiding their sin for they think to make the Sea a hiding place to them yet Gods right hand can reach them where ever they sail they cannot sail beyond the reach of Gods right hand Oh God will make a long arm after you but he will find you out Gods right hand can reach beyond the Line Thine Psal 21. 8. hand shall find out all thine Enemies where ever they are at Sea or at land secret or publick Enemies Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee Some carry it Thy hand shall find vengeance for thy Enemies for all thine Enemies Thine hand one observes Mr. Ainsworth that the Chaldee reads it the stroke of thine hand Oh cannot this hand find you at the East-Indies or the West-Indies or where ever you go O poor sinner thou that at present dost not feel the weight of thy own guilt it may be ere long wilt feel the weight of Gods stroke 4. Oh let poor Seamen take heed of hiding their sin for this doth aggravate their sin this is to add sin unto sin When men do sin and confess and presently are brought upon their knees for it before the Lord he is ready to forgive sin I said I would confess my sin and thou forgavest me the iniquity of my sin But when men conceal and deny Oh this aggravates and greatens it exceedingly 5. O let poor Seamen take heed of hiding sin for God hath said such shall not prosper whether they be Landmen or Seamen the word of the Lord stands sure They Prov. 28. 13. shall not prosper They may prosper for a while as the wicked which the Psalmist says flourishes like the green Bay-tree But however he prosper in the world he shall not prosper in his design of covering his sins for they shall be laid open and discovered to his shame but he that confesses and forsakes shall find mercy You see Jonah had success and things hit with him for a while as in finding a Ship ready to set sail when he came to Joppa yet we see he did not prosper in his design 6. Oh let poor Seamen take heed of hiding guilt for this will bring terrible and dreadful storms Guilt usually is a stormbreeder it was so here with Jonah it was Jonah's secret guilt that did raise this storm and Oh then poor Souls what will you do when ready to sink and your hidden unpardoned guilt looks you in the face will not the Mariners then be afraid the stout hearted Mariners will not they then be terrors to themselves and terrors to all round about them Oh what terrible Lectures will Conscience read poor guilty Seamen when they are in their distresses 3 Vse Is it so that God will find out the guilty person then it is a word of Exhortation to all Seamen and other poor sinners that they would confess their sin to the Lord. I bespeak you and beseech you in the language of Joshua to Achan My Son confess and give glory to the Lord. You have heard it is in vain to hide it from him Oh therefore come to the Lord with that humble confession of the Church in Ezra's days O Lord God of Israel thou art
rightoous for Ezra 9. 15 we remain yet escaped as it is this day behold we are before thee in our Trespasses for we cannot stand before thee because of this O how many poor Seamen may say we are yet escaped escaped such a storm such a fatal tempest unto others and yet we are before thee in our Trespasses and cannot stand with comfort and confidence before the Lord because they have again broken his Commandments after their eminent deliverances and salvations And that you may fall down before the Lord in humble confession consider these following Motives 1. This is usually the beginning of a kindly effectual touch of grace upon the heart The poor Prodigal upon his first return unto his Father says Father I have Luk. 15. Act. 19. 18 sinned against Heaven and before thee his first work upon his return is Confession We read of a great success the Gospel had in Paul's day and many believed and as soon as the Gospel touched kindly their Souls they confessed and shewed their deeds saith the Text viz. laying their hainous sins by way of humble confession as Ephraim did so it will be with a poor sinner As a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke he confessed he had been Lord will the poor Soul say what a vile wretch have I been with Paul of sinners I am chief a Blasphemer a Persecuter an injurious person When Paul was humbled Oh how he confesses then what a wretch he had been 2. This puts poor Souls under a promise O now upon thy knees poor sinner while thou art confessing thy sin thou mayest put into plea and suit Gods promise and Oh what an excellent way is this of dealing with God to be bewailing your sin and at the same time be pleading Gods promise for pardon this is right Evangelical repentance to have one eye upon sin to humble you and another eye upon the promise to quicken you up to believe your pardon usually legal sorrow keeps an eye upon guilt but forgets to keep an eye upon the Promise Now poor Soul it is thy only way to confess under a Promise If we confess 1 Joh. 1. 9. our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness Oh now he is engaged as a faithful God to pardon poor souls Oh Faithfulness is his name and he will not nay cannot deny his name and now he can be just in the pardoning as well as in the punishing of sin 3. Motive to Confession of sins you have comfortable presidents upon record of great sins and sinners pardoned upon confession nay upon the serious purpose of humble confession We read of Gods readiness to pardon even in a case of great guilt this we have in David I said I would confess my sin and thou forgavest me the iniquity of my sin which was a piece of guilt highly aggravated and circumstantiated Mary that was such a poor Penitent that we Luk. 7. 4. 47. read she washed the feet of Christ with her Tears and must not here be most eminent Confessions poured out with these Tears And it is said of her Her sins that are many are forgiven her for she loved much 4. Motive to Confession of sin if you deny it it will be proved against you and Oh what a folly is it for a Prisoner to deny the fact before the Judg when he knows it will be proved against him Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light Psal 90. 8. of thy Countenance As it is the comfort of Gods people that he keeps a Book of Remembrance of their Sufferings So it is the terror of wicked men that he keeps a Book of Remembrance of their sins There is the Conscience of the poor sinner will be called in as Gods witness against the guilty Malefactor at the Barr that is an observable place in the Prophet We roar all like Bears and mourn sore like Doves we look Isa 59. 11 12. for Judgment but there is none for Salvation but it is far off from us For our Transgressions are multiplied before thee and our sins testifie against us They did bear Testimony against them Oh poor Seamen have not you many times in your extremities and distresses at Sea felt the terror of this Testimony have not the iniquities of your heels compassed you about 5. Motive to Confession of sin The King of Israel is a merciful King It is this merciful King thaâ— the Soul presents it self before in humble Confession This was the motive to the Servants of Benadad We have heard that the King of Israel is a merciful King and they came with Ropes about their necks Oh poor Souls if you come to this merciful King with ropes about your necks Confessing you deserve to be turned off the Ladder and to have a righteous sentence executed upon you he will meet you with a Pardon in his hand This King sits upon a Throne of Grace upon the Mercy-seat giving out his Pardon 's daily to humble Penitents Now we read that the Book of the Law which contains all in it all poor sinners Enditements it was put into the Ark and the Mercy-seat covering it was above it Oh this was shadowed out by it Mercy triumphs over Justice in the Lord Jesus Christ Oh then poor sinners bring your Confessions to the Mercy-seat Oh let all poor guilty Seamen and all other poor guilty sinners confess their sins over the head of the Lord Jesus Christ The Priest was to confess all the iniquities of Exod. 25 20 the people over the head of the Scape-Goat noting to us that we must take Christ into our Confessions all poor sinners Confessions should fall upon the head of Christ Now poor sinners and poor guilty Seamen ask your own Consciences Whether you had not better carry your Guilt before the Lord in humble Confessions than have the Lords just and righteous lot find it out either to the confusion or condemnation of your immortal precious Souls O let this Text never be forgotten by you when you come under Sea-temptations or Land-temptations Oh but the Lot fell upon Jonah FINIS Books sold by Dorman Newman at the King's Arms and Bible in the Poultry Folio THe History of King John King Henry the Second and the most Illustrious King Edward the First wherein the ancient Soveraign Dominion of the Kings of Great Britain over all persons in all causes is asserted and vindicated With an exact History of the Popes intolerable usurpation upon the Liberties of the Kings and Subjects of England and Ireland Collected out of the Ancient Records in the Tower of London By William Prinn Esq of Lincolns Inn and Keeper of his Majesties Records in the Tower of London A Description of the Four parts of the World taken from the Works of Monsieur Sanson Geographer to the French King and other eminent Travellers and Authors to which is added the Commodities Coynes