Newes from Niniue to Englande brought by the Prophete Ionas Which newes is plainlye published in the Godly and learned exposition of Maister Iohn Brentius folowing translated out of Latine into Englishe by Thomas Tymme Minister The silent tongue the listning eare which harkeneth after newes With staring eye and gaping mouth this title makes me vse ¶ Imprinted at London by Henrie Denham dwelling in Pater noster rowe at the signe of the starre 1570. To the right honourable Lord Willyam Cobham lord Warden of the cinque Portes Thomas Tymme wisheth Nestors yeares increase of honor with preseruation of desired health THE CVRTEOVS BEhauiour the noble vertue but speciallye the godlye zeale Right honourable which fame and report certefieth me to be in you hath kindled such an earnest affection in me that my rudenesse and base state stayeth mee nothing at all to dedicate this simple worke vnto you For I know that Nobilitie gratefully accepteth at others hands slender giftes and of small reputation according to their habilitie that offer the same Artaxerxes his good acceptation of a handfull of running water made mee thus bolde to offer this Pamphlet to your honour as a token of my good will hoping that as he thought no disdain◠of the one so you wil not take scorne of the other Let me craue therefore this one thing at your honours handes that the basenesse of my translation of the learned Brentius procure not you to refuse the patronage and defence of my slender woorke Which as I know vndoubtedly shall neuer counteruayle your worthinesse so do I assuredly hope that it may be a proofe of my good will and meaning The worthy Prophete IONAS deserueth a worthie personage to be his defence and garde agaynst scoffing Lucian and fretting Momus Wherefore if your honor refuse not but vouchsafe to take the same vpon you as I perswade my selfe you will weying the giuers intent and seing that these are partly the first fruites of his trauaile you shall not onely purchase immortall prayse of others but I also shall be incouraged and animated to greater and waightyer attemptes which I shall no sooner atchieue but you shall be a witnes of my indeuours and a rampire to my exploytes Thus hauing boldly required your honors assistance and tediously molested your eares with circumstaunces leauing now at length to abuse your friendly pacience I end wishing to your honor the increase of Nobilitie with a most happie estate and after this lyfe the gladsome ioyes of the euerlasting lyfe to come Beneficium dando accepit qui digno dedit Your humble Orator Thomas Tymme The translator to the Reader THe Merchant man that often sayles vpon the rockie seas Hath oftentimes for recompence the gaine that doth him please The Fisher man that castes his net and layes his bayted ginne Doth trust at length by happie hap his pray of fishe to winne The Plowman eke that sowes his séede on soyle with toyle for gaine The Winters trauaile being past doth reape the riped graine If Plowman then and Fisher too haue stedfast hope for gaines As recompence for their sore toyle and daily pinching paines Why should not I as well as they by paine some profite haue Since that my Muse as recompence most iustly doth it craue The which good reader thou shalt graunt if that thou take in woorth This simple Pamphlet at hir hande which she hath nowe set foorth And helpe to mosell Momus mouth and bridle Zoilus chappes Which like a Curre ech willing Wight with currish fanges he snappes This done well quighted is hir paine hir recompence is had And if thereby shée doe the good shée is excéeding glad Thomas Tymme ¶ The Preface of Iohn Brentius vpon the Prophecie of Ionas THe Apostle Paule writing to the Corinthians of the meeting and comminge togither of the Church cōmaundeth all thinges to be done in the same congregatiō to edifying When ye come togither sayth he euerye one of you hath a song hath a doctrine hath a tongue hath a reuelation hath an interpretation Let all things be done to edifiyng Seing therefore it is determined that wee must come togither certaine dayes in the weeke I will take in hande by the assistance of Gods holy spirite for our exercise at that time the explication of the Prophet Ionas to the ende wee may be godly occupied and exercised in this oure meetinge For wee come not togither in the Church to trifle and playe but we come to the ende we might be instructed in the worde of the Lorde Neyther are we created by God and redeemed by the precious death and bloudshedding of Christ to the ende we should ryot lyue in excesse and giue our selues to all kinde of filthye pleasure but we are created and redeemed to the ende we might glorifie God by our lyfe and conuersation We haue taken in hande therefore to expounde the prophecie of Ionas that by this prophecie we maye be admonished of our office dutie and calling And although the booke of this prophecie be very small yet notwithstanding it contayneth an excellent and famous hystorie First of all therefore we will declare who was this Prophet Ionas Then what and how great authoritie his prophesie hath And last of all we wil shewe the argument and what the summe of the doctrine contayned in this booke is First there are many which thinke and iudge the prophete Ionas to be the sonne of the widowe of Sarepta which receyued and fedde Elias in the time of famine but their iudgement is neyther likely nor probable For of this Prophet Ionas we haue mention made in the fourtenth Chapter of the fourth booke of Kinges how that Ieroboam king of Israel reedified his decayed Kingdome accordinge to the worde of the Lord which he spake by the prophet Ionas the sonne of Amithay which was of Gathhepher By the which it appeareth that hee made not only the sermon contayned in this booke but many other notable and famous sermons which are not writtē For he preserued by his sermons two of the most excellent kingdomes that were Excellent was the kingdome of Israell but in the time of Ionas it was a decayed and ruinous kingdome by impietie and inuasion of enimies Ionas therefore being stirred vp by the holye ghoste exhorteth the people to repentaunce and incourageth king Ieroboam valiauntlye to gouerne his common welth promising that God will sende a time of mercie wherein he will restore his kingdome And so in deede it came to passe that the coast of Israell from the entring of Hemath vnto the sea of the wildernesse was restored by the goodnesse of the Lorde Famous also was the Citie of Niniue for in it was the greatest Monarchie of the whole worlde But the Lorde had determined to destroye the Citie of Niniue from the face of the earth Yet notwithstanding Ionas saued the same by his sermon Wherefore seeing Ionas by hys sermons saued such two excellent kingdomes he is not to bee counted among the
remission of sinnes and punishments What meaneth it then that the Niniuets proclaime a fast and put on sackecloth These are not the true workes of repentaunce but they are the externall signes of repentaunce For fasting is not auayleable to put away sinne but serueth only to chastise the fleshe and to make it apt and obedient to heare the worde of god Therefore when the Niniuets proclaimed a fasting they did it to the ende the Citizens might come sober to the sermon and euery man to doe his dutie But whereas they did put on sackecloth that is base apparell it is a signe and token of publike sorrowe and griefe for sinne and an admonition to true repentance which is the chiefest thing to be looked for as shal appeare by the proclamation of the king ¶ And tydinges came vnto the king of Niniue which arose out of his seate and did his apparell off and put on sackcloth and sate him downe in ashes And it was cryed and commaunded in Niniue by the authority of the king and his Lordes saying See that neither man nor beast Oxe or sheepe taste ought at all and that they neyther feede nor drinke water but put on sackcloth both man and beast and crie mightily vnto god Yea see that euerye man turne from his euill waye and from the wickednesse that he hath in hande Who can tell God maye turne and repent and cease from his fierce wrath that wee perish not The text here maketh no mention of the Kings name But by what name soeuer he were called he deserued great cōmendation For he was not adorned and bewtified onely with kingly vertues but also with heauenly graces 1 First of al when tydings was brought vnto the King of the sermon which IONAS made and of the studie and endeuor of the Citizens he maketh not exclamation of the Prophete he accuseth him not of sedition and tumult but beléeueth also himselfe the worde of IONAS The Prophete Hieremie reproueth the Citizens of Hierusalem for their wickednesse and impietie and sayth that vnlesse they repent it will come to passe that the temple of the Lorde shall be destroyed as Siloh was and so forth The hie Priestes then and the common people tooke him and woulde haue put him to death as a blasphemer and sedicious person So some wicked tyrant would not haue wincked at the preaching of IONAS when he sayde the Citie shoulde bée ouerthrowne but woulde haue apprehended him and put him to death as if he had bene of some secret conspiracie to destroye the same at a sodeine by fire or else to bring in the enimie by night But the godly king of the Niniuetes suspected no such thing in IONAS but receyueth him as a true Prophete of the Lorde and acknowledgeth his sermon for the worde of god For we may not thinke that this king was so simple so rashe or so madde that he would vnaduisedly beléeue the wordes of this Prophet And although in hearing Sermons we must specially note not who speaketh but what is spoken yet notwithstanding in great matters and thinges pertayning to saluation we must not rashely credit euery straunger which preacheth newe thinges without certaine and manifest testimonies Proue sayth saint Paule all things and kéepe that which is good And saint Iohn sayth Beléeue not euery spirite but proue the spirits whether they be of God or no. So we must thinke of this godly king of Niniue that he beléeued not rashely the sermons of IONAS but that he first proued who it was that preached these thinges and what testimonies he had of his calling For IONAS was neyther vnknowne to the king nor to the Citizens of Niniue but they knew him to be the true prophete of the Lord bicause his fame was spred euen to Niniue when as by his prophecie the Kingdome of Israell was restored by Ieroboam as it is written in the booke of Kinges Furthermore the godly king knewe that God woulde not suffer sinne and wickednesse to scape vnpunished and that he was seuere in looking for repentaunce Séeing therefore IONAS to haue certaine testimonies that he was the prophete of the Lorde and perceyuing how all thinges were corrupt in the Citie with wicked maners he worthily receyued the Sermon of IONAS as a diuine Oracle By the which example we are taught not to receyue the doctrine of euery one by and by which bosteth himselfe to be a prophete as the worde of God and not to allowe by and by the prophecie of euery one which sayth that he hath the spirit of god For this were a great token of lightnesse to beléeue euery busie bodie But after that we knowe that the worde set foorth and expounded vnto vs is the worde of God in déede then we must beléeue the same without al doubt or delay that we may obtaine and enioy the ende of fayth which is as sayth saint Peter the saluation of oure soules 2 Secondly this king when he hearde that Niniue for sinne shoulde bée ouerthrowne he preferreth not himselfe before his Citizens he iudgeth not himselfe to be more iust than other men but in repenting he putteth of his kingly robes and Maiestie and putteth on the apparell of a mourner repenting and acknowledging his sinne For he put off his kinglike apparell and clothed himselfe with sackcloth which is a garment betokening repentaunce Neyther doth he sit in his throne or chayre of estate wrought with silke with néedle worke and with golde but he sitteth with the rest of his subiectes in the dust that is in filthie places and vndecked to testifie and declare that he also lamented and bewayled the common state of the Citie By the which example we are not taught that kinges and princes when they repent should forsake the office and rule of their kingdome go into a Monastery and there put on a Coole For hitherto or to this passe Monkes brought Princes when they went about to repent perswading them to forsake their kingly and princely calling and to putte the yoke of Monkery vpon their neckes to satisfie for sinne This was great impietie and abhominable But kinges and princes are here taught when GOD reuealeth his wrath against sinne not to think that they by the priuiledge of their maiestie are iust before God and that the rude and rascall sort are onely wicked and vniust before him no rather they are taught to thinke themselues to be comprehended among the common sort of men of whom it is sayde Euery man is a lyar Also All haue erred and gone out of the way there is not one that doth good no not one And again No man liuing shall bée iustified in thy sight Wherefore from the king that sitteth on his throne to the begger that lyeth in the streate there is not one but he hath sinned and hath néede of the glory of god We haue all néede of one Iesus Christ of whom euery one is partaker according to the measure of
IONAS feared least that the Niniuets which were Ethnickes shoulde receyue the worde of God and repent and be receyued of the Lord to be his people and so the Israelites to be reiected Therefore least his countriemen the Israelites shoulde be reiected hée rather sought to flie than to obey the calling of god And it maye be that IONAS had such cogitations in his mind But IONAS himselfe in the fourth chapter folowing rehearseth the true and certaine cause of his flight For when God did spare the Niniuets and destroyed them not according to the preaching of IONAS IONAS reasoned with God and sayth O Lorde was not this my saying I pray thée when I was yet in my countrie therefore I hasted rather to flie vnto Tharsis By these wordes we may plainly gather that IONAS hearing the commaundement of the Lorde by the which he was commaunded to preache the subuersion of the Niniuets thought within himselfe of the inspeakable clemency and mercy of God by the which God is wont to forgiue those that repent and séeke for the same He feared therefore least he preaching the ouerthrow of the Niniuets they in repenting shoulde be preserued and so he counted and estéemed as a vaine and false Prophete For IONAS was not of the common sort of men neyther was he only famous in Israell But he was a singular and excellent Prophete and so he was estéemed and accounted of not onely among the Iewes his countriemen but also among other nations Which fame he got by this that according to his prophesie the whole kingdome of Israell was restored as it is written in the booke of Kings Wherfore IONAS feared to impaire his fame and glorie by preaching that to the Niniuets which afterward should not come to passe whereby he myght be counted a lyer the which thing to the vertuous IONAS was more grieuous than death But what Coulde IONAS by his determined flight escape daungers and preserue the fame and glorie of his name No truly but rather he casteth hymselfe into extréeme perill and doth not only by his disobedience bring infamy to himselfe but also putteth his lyfe in venture and suffereth euen the paines of hell whyle he is constreyned thrée dayes to lye in the belly of the Whale alwayes looking for present destruction Here therefore wée maye sée that the common prouerbe is oftentimes verified namely that the wyse man sometimes prooueth himselfe a foole IONAS was the wisest and the holiest Prophet in Israell And yet notwithstanding in this poynt he is so ouerwhelmed wyth foolishnesse that he thinketh by disobedience and sinne to preserue hys name and fame not considering that by this waye he shoulde rather loose all his goodes both corporall and spirituall than preserue and kéepe them from shipwracke and hazarde He knewe no doubt that Salomon sayth that the thing which the vngodly feareth falleth alway on him But thys saying came not now into hys mynde For so it was wont to come to passe that if God doe staye his hande then not one Prophet abideth in true obedience First of all therefore let vs learne by this example of IONAS the feare of god No man ought to trust to hys wysedome holynesse power or other gyftes but onely to the clemencie and mercie of God in all his actions to call vpon God by Christ his sonne that he will vouchsafe to preserue and kéepe vs in the true obedience of his worde We maye not by the example of IONAS take anye thing rashly or disobediently in hande and saye if God preserued IONAS in his disobedience he will also preserue mée wherefore I also will be disobedient vnto god This is detestable rashnesse and temptation of god For God preserued IONAS not that we should learne to be rashe and disobedient but bicause we should learne to feare God and to obey him bicause truly we may fall with IONAS but peraduenture wée cannot rise with him againe specially if we rashly tempt god But and if we fall vnaduisedlye then the example of IONAS teacheth vs to repent and to trust to the mercye of god and so we shall be deliuered Furthermore the example of IONAS veryfieth and confirmeth the saying of Salomon namelye that the thing which the vngodly man feareth falleth on him For it is commonly séene that men séeke to escape daunger by impietie and sinne as IONAS did who went about to put awaye infamie by disobeying the will of god So Pilate would auoyde exile and banishment from his dominion and office by shedding the innocent bloud of Christ So artificers merchant men and other occupiers goe about to auoyde pouertie and néede by craft fraude and deceyte in bargayning and selling But that which they so greatly feare falleth vpon them Let vs therefore abyde in our calling and obedience towards god so shal we in déede escape all daunger and perill ¶ And gatte him downe to Ioppa where he founde a ship ready to go vnto Tharsis So he payed his fare and went abourde that he might go with them vnto Tharsis from the presence of the Lorde The disobedience of IONAS is already described and nowe his securitie is set forth For after he had determined to flie out of the lande of Israell not to Niniue wherevnto he was called but by sea vnto Tharsis that is to Aphrica in Carthage or as men nowe call it to Tunetum he taketh his iourney voyde of all care He feareth no daūger in fléeing he thinketh not that God is angrye with him for his disobedience he thinketh and perswadeth himselfe that he is not séene but that he lyeth hidden from the eies of the almightye And therfore he goeth to the ship and payeth his fare that he might séeme to be a iust and honest man And afterwarde when the tempest arose he getteth hymselfe vnder the hatches voyde of all care and sléepeth thinkinge that this tempest peraduenture came eyther by chaunce or else bicause of those wicked Idolaters and vncircumcised which were also in the shippe In this place of IONAS an example of humaine securitie after sinne committed is described For this is the nature of man namelye when he hath newly sinned or committed any kynde of wyckednesse he carelesselye contemneth the iudgement of god Hée thinketh then that the wrath of God is not so grieuous as it was sayde to bée and that hell fire flameth not so much as men paynt it out So Adam after the eating of the Apple became carelesse He thought himselfe to be sufficiently hidden with his aperne of figge leaues So Caine after he had killed his brother carelesly sayth am I the kéeper of my brother So Dauid when hée had newlye committed adulterie and homicide carelesly he maried the adulteresse saying diuers is the chaunce of warre which some while killeth one some while another So Iudas after his treason walked carelesse for a whyle not waying the heynous offence that he had committed So Peter when he had denyed Christ before the damzell
their naturall impietie by the which they haue deserued euerlasting punishment if God for Christs sake had not forgiuen the same Furthermore that they maye be styrred to the more ardencie of prayer and faith So IONAS also although he were so excellent a Prophete that by his preaching he restored the decayed kingdome of Israell as it is written in the xiiij Chapter of the fourth booke of kings Yet notwithstanding he is nowe compassed about with so great feare of death that in dying he is more cowardly and effeminate than any common or rascall Souldiour But God would exercise him in this feare that he might know his owne estate and so be stirred the more earnestly to pray Wherefore let vs not feare our saluation in the perill of death but rather let vs haue a sure trust hauinge respect vnto Christ the sonne of God who hauing suffered the feare of death hath deliuered vs from the malediction of this feare that although we be wrapped and tangled in the same yet notwithstanding we shall not perishe but be saued for Christes sake Thirdly IONAS is not onely vexed with grieuous feare of death but also dispayreth of hys corporall lyfe I am cast sayth he out of thy sight that is thou hast no more respect vnto me to preserue me in this life neyther shall I sée any more thy holy temple that is I am constrained in this Whale to die that I may go no more to the flocke of thy Church in thy temple What is the cause therefore that the Prophete dispayreth of his lyfe where is his fayth Coulde he beléeue that GOD would saue his soule and not beléeue also that he would preserue and saue his body Can not God rayse vp men from death to lyfe how could he not than preserue those in lyfe which are yet liuing Did he not saue the Israelites in the redde sea howe than coulde hée not saue IONAS in the Whales belly These and such like might be obiected to the prophet dispayring of his corporal life in the Whales belly But the prophet by this desperation sheweth foorth no part of wicked incredulitie or distrust no more than Paule did when he sayde we were grieued out of measure passing strength so greatly that we dispaired euen of lyfe Also we receyued an aunswere of death in our selues For there is two maner of deliuerance or saluation from death The one is corporall the other is spiritual And euerye one truely which beleueth in Christ hath the certaine promise of the spirituall and heauenly saluation and deliueraunce from death For Christ hath ouercome death and sayth Euerye one which béeleueth in me shall not die for euer Wherefore we must in no wyse doubt or dispayre of this deliueraunce and saluation For whosoeuer dispayreth of the same shall die for euer The other is the corporall lyfe the which although it hath béene promised and is perfourmed by God towardes manye yet notwithstanding wée haue not a generall promise at the handes of God that euery one which beléeueth in Christ shall alwayes corporally be deliuered from the perils of death Wherfore séeing this externe and corporall deliueraunce hath not a certaine promise it can not certainly be looked for but we must committe our will to the will of god Wherevpon we may gather that our Prophete IONAS dispayred not of the true and eternall saluation and deliueraunce which hath a certaine promise in the séede of the woman and in the séede of Abraham which is Christ As touching the corporall saluation and deliueraunce séeing it hath not a certaine and expresse promise it cannot conceyue a certayne and vndoubted trust but it must call vpon God and repose and commit the certaintie of the deliueraunce to his will. For so Christ taught vs by his praier that we being compassed about with externe and corporall perils from the which to be deliuered we haue no certaine promise shoulde pray vnto God that he woulde vouchsafe corporally to defende and deliuer vs Let this cup passe sayth our sauiour Christ from me yet not as I will but as thou wilt This if we doe with hart and minde then shall wée oftentimes haue a deliueraunce out of perill vnlooked for when all hope is gone euen as it happened to IONAS to the thrée yong men in the fierie Ouen in Babilon to Daniell Dauid and such lyke Yea in all our trouble God will make a way in the midst of the same whereby we may escape But if this deliueraunce happen not vnto vs yet neuerthelesse our celestiall deliueraunce is most sure and certaine by the which whosoeuer beleueth in Christ and calleth vpon the father in his name shall neuer be destitute Now it foloweth in the other verses what the Prophete did in so great feare of death and desperation of life ¶ But thou O Lorde my God hast brought vp my life againe out of corruption when my soule fainted within me I thought vppon the Lorde and my prayer came in vnto thee euen into thy holye temple They that hold of vaine vanities will forsake his mercye But I will doe thee sacrifice with the voyce of thankesgiuing and will paye that which I haue vowed for why saluation commeth of the lord And the Lord spake vnto the fishe and it cast out IONAS againe vpon the drie lande THe Prophete hath rehearsed the troubles afflictions yea the flames of hell fire with the which he was tormented in the Whales bellie Nowe followeth the other part of the Canticle or Psalme in the which the Prophet sheweth what he did to obteyne delyuerance from such narrowe strayts and to slake the tormenting heate and rage of hell fire Although sayth hée I went downe to the bottome of the hilles and was barred in with earth yet notwithstandinge thou O Lorde God hast brought my lyfe againe out of corruption But hast thou deliuered mée I doing nothing or rather dispairing No truly I was not ydle in the Whales bellye but when my soule was troubled within me I remembred thée O Lord that my prayer might come to thy holy temple We sée here that the Prophet in his extréeme necessitie had no other respect and regarde than to the Lorde himselfe to whome he came by earnest and faythfull inuocation and prayer Whereas many of vs being set in affliction and trouble make haste to impacience to curssing to blaspheming the name of god But by this way we obtaine not deliuerance but our affliction miserie is the more increased For if we couet to be preserued and deliuered in aduersity and trouble we must make hast to pray vnto the Lorde For inuocation is the waye by the which we purchase vnto vs true deliuerance Euery one sayth the Prophet Ioell which inuocateth or calleth vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued The which saying being once vttered by the Prophet Ioell is also repeated by Peter and Paule and therfore worthy to be noted There is nothing that