those tenne daies he gaue them to the end they should profit themselus by his clemēcy before they should make proofe of his power But as far as light excelleth darkenes truth error heaven earth so farre in pitty mercy and compassion doth the Creator of all excell the best of all his creatures Never was there any so pittifull as he the God of pitty Never any so merciful as he the God of mercy Never any so compassionate as he the God of al compassion O how often doth he perswade by promises how often doth he allure hy rewards how often doth he intreate by favours how often doth he assay al faire meanes to convert a sinful soule before he drawe out his sword of vengance against him O when did hee spoile any country once before he had spared it often Whē did he overthrow any natiō in one day which he had not most louingly wooed before many a day When did yet any place feele the iudgmēts of his fury that had not long before tasted the sweetnesse of his mercy For this was the rule of Gods owne law this was the decree of his heavenly will that no citie should be destroyed before peace were offered vnto the same as we read Deut. 20.10 And in the Gospel it was our Saviours cōmandemēt to his disciples that into what house soever they did enter they should begin the exordiū of their message with a pax vobis saying peace be vnto this house Luk. 10.5 and it is wel worth our observing that vertues and miracles were first wrought in Corazin and Beth saida before their woe was pronounced against them Matth. 11.20 Yea the fig tree in the Gospell although the Lord when he came and sought it found no fruit therō shall not be presently cut downe but shall hane a yeare a yeare a yeare to that shal be digged dunged before it be destroyed Luk. 13.7.8 This also did the Lord of mercy do in the time of olde He sent Noah to the men of the olde world a preacher of righteousnes 2. Pet. 2.5 We sent Lot to those wicked Sodomites in the spirit of meekenes to beseech them not to do so wickedly Gen. 19.7 He sent Moses Aarō to the Aegyptian Exod. 5.1 He sent Prophets from time to time to the childrē of Jsrael He sent Iohn Baptist and our blessed Saviour the holy Apostles besides signes in the host of heavē tokens in the elemēts to the people of Ierusalem before they were destroied And although that citty were growen to a full measure of iniquity to the very height of al manner of impiety so that both the servants sonne of God were slaine by thē the Sabaoth of the Lord polluted the sanctuary of the Lord prophaned the lawe of the Lorde despised the testimony of the Lord neglected yet see the infinite mercy patience of a louing Lord behold for a warning ful forty yeares were allotted vnto her before God sent vp Vespasian Titus to sack-it As Eusebius in the 3. lib. 8 cap. of his Ecclesiastical history reporteth Before which time how did the Saviour of the world call on her to repent how did he weepe for her how did he wooe her as the brid grome his spouse to turne vnto him to forsake her evil waies how did he manifest his loue affection towards her O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered thee togither as the hengathereth her chikens vnder her winges thou wouldest not Mat. 23.37 J will not trouble you with many testimonies and examples out of the word of God to confirme the truth of this doctrine being a point so manifest Looke but into the 9. chap. of the booke of Nehemiah and the most obstinate shall be constrained wil he nil he to confesse that God is a God of much patience and long suffering The whole chapter is spent in this argument setting downe in order the great benefits and blessings which the Lord in his mercy had bestowed vpō the children of Israel in times past their vnthankfulnes vnto the Lord for the same and yet the exceeding patience mercy of the Almighty extended towards them For first as we there may reade Vid Nehem 9. reade the whole chapter he considered their aflictions in Aegypt and hard their crie by the red sea he saved thē in the deepe and drowned their enemies in the mighty waters He ledde thē in the day with the pillar of a cloud and in the night with a pillar of fire to giue them light He came downe vpon mount Sinai spake vnto them from heaven gaue them right iudgments true lawes good commaundements He gaue them bread from heaven for their hunger and water out of the rock for their thirst he fed them forty yeares in the wildernesse they lacked nothing their clothes waxed not olde and their feete swelled not He gaue them kingdomes and people hee multiplied their children as the starres of heauen and brought them into a good land where they possessed houses ful of goods and did eare and were filled became fat and lived in pleasure through the Lords goodnes But behold this people whom the Lord had thus extraordinarily blessed aboue al the nation in the world became rebellious behaued themselues prowdly and hardned their neckes so that they harkened not to his commandements nor remēbred the marvelous workes which he had done for them yet for al this the Lorde forsooke them not They made them a molten calfe said this is thy God that brought thee out of the land of Aegypt and cōmitted great blasphemies yet for al this the Lord forsooke them not They were disobedient and rebelled against him and cast his law behind their backes slue his Prophets sent to convert them and yet for al this the Lord forsooke them not They did evil before him sinned against his iudgments and pulled away their shoulders and were stiffnecked would not heare and yet for al this the Lord forsooke thē not yet for all this did he not consume thē but forbare thē many yeares togither O what a God of pittie O what a Lord of mercy is this abundant in goodnes gracious full of cōpassion of long suffering slow to anger and of great kindnes Ioel. 2.13 Reserving mercy for thousands forgiuing iniquity transgression and sin Exod. 34.7 How truly might he say of this people All the day long haue I stretched forth my hīd to a rebellious people to a disobediēt gaine saying vnbeleening people Rom 10.21 How truly might he say that they had a long time grieued him yet he had waited that he might haue mercy on thē Es 30.18 How truly might be professe of himselfe I desire not the death of a sinner but that the vvicked turne from his way and liue turne you turne you frō your evill waies
on stil in her vvickednes doubtlesse Niniveh for her wickednesse shal be destroyed Having thus cleared this doubt and made manifest the meaning of our Prophet let vs now come to the next observatiō which in the beginning was proposed out of these words and Niniveh shal be destroied Observat 2 Jt is reported of Tamberlaine that mighty conqueror of his time that whē he laid siege to any city he displaied the first day his white flag before the same as a tokē of his clemencie if they would yeeld vnto him VVhich if they then refused the next day he set vp his red flag as threatning the shedding of their bloud if they remained obstinat wherat if they were not moved the third day he advanced his blacke flag to signifie that the dore of all pittie compassion was now shut vp and that nothing was to be expected but vtter ruine and desolation The like course in some proportion doeth the Lorde of heaven and earth take with his citty Niniveh he first displaieth his white flag of mercie not for a day with Tamberlaine but evē for 40 daies togither whereat if they wil not yeeld they shall beholde the red flag of his severity nay the blacke flag of his irrevocable iudgement denouncing their vtter overthrowe and destruction For the saying is most true Laesa patientia fit furor the patience of the Lord too sarre provoked is turned into fury Seravenit sed certa venit vindicta it is long ere hee revenge himselfe on sinners but hee paies thē with a witnes at the last And howsoever the punishment of malefactors come ate yet in never misseth in the end As the * Plin. lib. 2. c. 7. heathen man by the light of nature could tell vs. Lento graduad vindictam divina procedit ira Tarditatemque iudicij gravitate pēsat saith * Valerius Maximns lib. 1. another God is said to haue leaden seete because hee commeth slowly to execute vengance but hands of iron because when he cōmeth he stricketh home And by how much the longer he expecteth our amēdmēt so much the more strictly hee will iudge vs if we do neglect Experience teacheth vs that the axe the higher it is lifted the heavier it falleth A stone the further it is cast vp into the aier falleth with greater force vpon the earth Awater course the more it is stopped when it breaketh forth runneth with greater violence even so the longer the Lorde heareth forbeareth to punish the sins of men the heavier wil his punishment be in the end And howsoever hee can bee content along season to haue patience with them yet at the last as hee speaketh by the Prophet he will overturne overturne overturne Ezech. 21.27 Where by thrice repeating of the word is vnderstood an absolute destruction and desolation indeed Pliny in his 8. lib. and 7. cap. and Aristotle in 9. lib. 46. cap. de natura animalium doe write of the elephant that by nature he is very milde and gentle and others say that he suffereth many wrōgs of inferior beasts but beeing still provoked by them to wrath his fury is not pacified vntil hee hath revenged himselfe to the ful That which is said to be true of the creature is in this sense most true of the creator of al things God himselfe His very nature and essence is to bee A God ful of compassion and mercy flow to anger and of great kindnes Psal 103.8 Hee susteineth many wrongs of the sons of men being crushed with their sins as a cart is laden with sheaues to vse the words of the Prophet wherwith if they stil continue to load him he wil ease himselfe of his burden and cast it on the ground of confusion And albeit as the Psalmist speaketh he be patient and is prouoked every day yet if a man will not turne hee will whet his sword he will bend his bow make it ready Psa 7.12 For it is most true which Gregory saith in his 33. book of morals and 15. chapter Vt pius ita iustus est conditor As our maker is merciful so is he likewise iust Gracious and righteous is the Lord Psal 25.8 gracious in the multitude of his mercies righteous in the severitie of his iudgements Gracious to them that turne vnto him righteous to them that cast him frō thē The Lord is slow to anger there is his patience to penitent sinners but he is great in power wil not surely cleere the wicked Nahum 1.3 there is his iudgement to impenitent reprobates I haue a longe time holden my peace at your sins I haue beene still restrained my selfe there is his long suffering declared but now will I cry like a traveiling woman I wil destroy devour at once Es 42.14 there is his heavy wrath described The Almighty is a patiēt rewarder there is mercy offered to him that wil receiue it but he will not leaue the wicked vnpunished Eccles 5.4 there is iustice pronounced to him that wil neglect it Thus you see most deare and Christian brethren that loue wrath pitty and revenge patience and iudgment as the 2. daughters of the great king goe hand in hand his mercy truth do meete togither his righteousnes and peace doe kisse each other Mercy going before with a pax vobis peace vnto thē that accept it iudgement following after with a vae vobis woe vnto them that refuse it the one comming with an open bosome to receiue the penitēt the other following with a drawn sword to devour the hard-harted Mercy is first offered to leaue the wicked inexcusable iudgmēt is last executed to destroy the wicked that are culpable For this is the vsual course which God taketh with the sons of men first to try them a good space by gentle forbearing which if it draw them not vnto repentāce then his arrowes of vengeance are readie prepared for destruction So did he deale with the old world hee spared it an hundred twentie yeares but when hee saw that the wickednes of man was great in the earth that al the imaginatiōs of the thoughts of his hart were onely evill continually Gen. 6.5 Hee did by a mightie flowd destroy everie thing that was on the earth from man to beast Gen. 7.23 So did hee deale with the fig. tree in the Gospel he spared it 3. whole years togither and suffered it to be digged dunged carefully but continuing it selfe barren making also the groūd barren round about it the Lorde wil no lōger beare with it it must be destroied it must be cut downe Luk. 13.7 So did he deale with those Aegyptians of old he sent Moses Aaron to instruct them who wrought diverse signes and miracles among them to win them to repentance whereof when none could moue them or pierce their hardned heartes they vvere quite over-whelmed in the midst of the sea Exod. 14.27 So did he deale with his owne cittie hee sent Prophets teachers early
late to wooe her to Christ as the spouse to her bridegrome he sent his owne sonne to winne her from her sin but when shee woulde bee gathered by none of these beholde her house vvas lefte vnto her desolate Luk. 13.35 Finally so doeth hee deale with Niniveh in my text he giveth her ful 40. daies for her probation and triall wherein if shee forsake not her sinnefull waies and turne vnto the Lord there shal not a day or houre be further spent vntill the iudgement of her overthrow be pronounced and Niniveh shal be destroyed Now the greatnes of this iudgment is here further amplified frō the place against which it is denounced beeing Niniveh no petty towne of the nations no obscure place of the worlde no little village or hamlet of the East no smal citty in Assyria as Bethlem was in Iuda but a greate and excellent city of three daies iourney even then one of the greatest citties in the world For as Diodorus Siculus in his 3. lib. and 1. cap. Herodotus in his Clio and Strabo in the 16. of his Geography haue at large described thi Niniveh was 400. and 80. furlongs in circuit wheras Babylon which Aristotle in his politicks calleth rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a country then a city had almost fewer by one hundred And some haue beene of opinion that afterwardes as it grew in wealth so it was much more inlarged Her wals were in height an hundred feete in breadth sufficiently capeable to receaue three carts on a row in compasse 400. miles adorned with a thousand fiue hundred towers wherof the height of every on was two hundred feete a peece The buildings of it very faire beeing as some haue noted eight whole yeares a raysing vp not by fewer at once then tenne thousande workemen The state of it very commēdable beeing ruled by a king and his nobles Ion. 3.7 The people of it almost innumerable seeing there were six score thousand infāts that could not discerne betweene their right hand and their left Ion. 4.11 In a word if J name but Niniveh I then name al a beautiful pleasant city as the Hebrew word whence it is deriued importeth Not only a great citty as Moses calleth it Gen. 10.12 but a great excellent city or a citty great vnto God as our Prophet calleth it ô herein is the iudgemēt aggravated This excellent and famous and renowned Niniveh this large and spacious populous Niniveh this faire and glorious goodly Niniveh shal be destroyed Niniveh that imperial commaunder of all the Easterne partes that lifted her head aboue the nations that dwelt in confidence and said I am and there is none besides me Niniveh shal be destroied Niniveh in times past highly renowned prowde of her wals and bul-warks puft vp in the wealthines of her inhabitants the goodlines of her buildings Niniveh shal be destroyed Niniveh the mother city of Assyria the Metropolis of the Country the golden heade of the picture the glory of the earth the seat of the Empire the Lady of the East the Queene of nations the riches of the world Niniueh shal be destroied Obiection But some man peradventure wil say what sinnes hath Niniueh committed how hath shee offended God that shee so great and excellent so famous renowed citty should haue so severe a iudgment denounced against her from the Lord Answere For answere whervnto J must confesse that the sinnes for which Niniveh is here so threatned are not expressed in my text but else where set downe by the spirit of God That this city was given to idolatry it appeareth in the second booke of Kings where it is said that Senacherib was worshipping his false God in the temple of Niniveh whē his two sonnes slew him 2. King 19.37 And if yee looke but into the third chap. of the Prophecy of Nahum you shall finde other sins of this cittie there reckoned vp by the prophet For he calleth it a mistresse of witchcrafts a bloudy citty full of lies robbery from whence the pray departeth not Vnto which sinnes J may also adde the sinnes of infidelity gluttonie and pride which I doe the rather iudge to be general faultes among them because in their repentance as anone by Gods grace ye shall hear mention is made of suppressing these sinnes of suppressing their infidelitie by beleeving in God of suppressing their gluttony by proclaiming a fast of suppressing their pride by putting on sack-cloath frō the greatest vnto the least But that one place is insteede of al the rest to declare the sinne of Niniveh it is in the beginning of this prophecie of Ionas where it is said that the wickednes of this people vvas come vppe before the Lorde where the name of VVickednes in the original as the learned note signifieth the greatest extremity that can be and is not restrained to this or that sin one of a thousand but is a most absolute all sufficient terme to al manner of impietie Thus then you see most deare and blessed brethren beloued in the Lorde Iesus that it is not for a smale thing or matter of light momēt but for many most grievous sins even the height of al impietie for which Niniveh this notable citty must be destroyed For howsoever her state was most powerfull her gouernment most excellent her wals most statelie her towers most high her citizens most wealthy her name most renowned her people almost innumerable yet nether the mightines of her state nor the excellencie of her gouernmēt nor the climing of her wals nor the aspiring of her towers nor the riches of her citizens nor the honor of her name nor the multitude of her people if shee once giue over her selfe to sin can make her secure from the wrath of God For greatnes of sins wil shake the foundation of the greatest citties and multitude of offences wil diminish and consume whole multituds of men Iericho the city of palme-trees as she is called Deut. 34.3 beeing withal a wicked and vncircūcised citty idolatrous in the worship of God and hostile to his people had a lamentable ende For loe the men of armes at the Lords appointment vtterly destroied al that was in it both man woman young and olde beasts and cattel oxen asses with the edge of the sword Ios 6.21 Tyrus was rich with the seed of Nilus that brought her abundance the haruest of the rivers were her revenews and shee a mart of the nations it was a glorious city and her antiquity of ancient daies shee crowned men and her marchants were Princes her chapmen the nobles of the world Es 23. Yet beholde the iudgmēts of the Lord against that city for her sins as it is in the same chapter it was tould her that her owne feete should lead her a far of to be a soiourner for the Lorde of hostes had decreed it to staine the pride of all glory and to bring to contempt al the