used among his Children We need the witness of his Spirit together with our spirits to let us know we are his Children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that our Consciences bear us witness in the holy Ghost Rom. 8.16 and chap. 9.1 But what then Despair two-fold do godly men fall into despair sometimes Answ Despair is either total and final as in Cain and Judas or only partial and temporary as in Heman and some other godly men And godly men in their greatest despair can pray for mercy as here Jonah out of the Whales belly which he calls the belly of hell and they shall find mercy as he delivered out of all yea more they had some mixture of comfort while they were in the belly of hell Jonah remembred God when his soul fainted in him verse 7. and even then he would look again toward his holy Temple ver 4. All for the instruction of godly men who see by this Use 1 how strictly and circumspectly they need to walk lest the terrors of God fall upon them and if they be not cast into hell yet shall be made to believe so God sometimes holds them by one leg to hang over hell as if he meant to throw them in when they grow loose or idle in their course and especially if they grow scandalous Take heed Heb. 10.31 1 Pet. 4.17 it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and judgment begins at the house of God who never meant to make fondlings of his own children And if it be so what will become of the sinner and the wicked Use 2 where shall they appear how shall they be cast into the belly of hell for ever for all their impenitency and infidelity what other can be the fruit of all that security and hardness of heart which possesseth many of our people It is an horror to think what their end will be He that thinks deeply would think it an horrible mischief to be three days and three nights with Jonah â—n a Whales belly with weeds and noysomness But what misery will ye think it to be for ever with devils in the place where the worm dyes not and the fire goes not out I said I am cast out of thy sight and my soul fainted within me He that before made nothing of it to flee from the presence of the Lord now complains that he is cast out of his sight and he that before was so hardy as to go directly against the word of the Lord now tells how his soul fainted within him No courage will hold out with a man which is not well founded in dependance on God Note and in obedience to him Self-will and self-confidence will sooner or later leave a man in the suds and in the mire Peter who relied too much on his own strength had cause afterward to weep bittely I said I am cast out of thy sight Note A good soul is sometime jealous of Gods love to it Oh I have rejected God and God hath rejected me I doubt he will be no more greaâ—ous but hath shut up his loving kindness in everlasting displeasure and Job said He counteth me for his enemy Reas Which comes to pass partly by the weakness of faith which is in a Believer I believe Lord help my unbelief Partly by the guiltiness of some sin hitherto not repented nor pardoned or the sense of pardon not yet come to his understanding Partly by the tenderness of his Conscience loth to part with so great a good as the favour of God is reckoning and saying In thy presence is fulness of joy and the loving kindness of God is better then life Psal 16.11 and 63 3. Use 1 For want of which tenderness of spirit it is that vain and carnal Christians never doubt of the love of God toward them They conclude it upon weak and insufficient grounds and in the same presumption go on confidently without fear or care to make sure their Election brag how they are assured of Gods love to them wonder at them that are of a troubled or distressed spirit cry out upon the Ministery that hath been a means to wound them or courses that have made them so melancholick So the fool rageth and is confident Prov. 14.16 Idle and formal Christians get more assurance such as it is then they that take most pains for it A tender-hearted Christian comes drugling after almost out of breath and much ado to keep up his spirit when the other went before fearlesly and holds on in a flaunting fashion too fine to last alway Our rule is to work out our salvation with fear and trembling Take heed Phil. 2.12 there have been those who have puffed or raged in prosperity and yet have fainted in adversity Let the exhortation be to good and discreet Christians Use 2 2 Pet. 1.10 Heb. 10. carefully follow the great business of making sure your Calling and Election grow up more and more to the full assurance of faith as in things indifferent so about the love of God let every one be fully perswaded in his own mind Rom. 14 6. what is wanting to a weak faith get it supplyed by a conscionable use of the means of grace such as the Word Sacraments Prayer Covenant Promises all the grounds of confidence which God hath given to work us to strong consolation Heb. 6.18 Especially take heed of a scandalous sin which gasheth conscience deeply and of casting thy self out of Gods sight by relinquishing duty as here Jonah did such may thank themselves for their desertions sad eclipses and jealousies that arise in them how should it be otherwise My soul fainted within me Note A good soul sometimes hath his fainting fits in respect of faith and comfort so had Baruch Jer. 45.3 I fainted in my sighing so the Church Lam. 5.17 for this our heart is faint And not only for corporal wants and dangers as those that fainted for thirst or for the sword but for spiritual considerations Psal 84.2 my soul longeth Amos 8 1â— Ezek. 21.7 15. yea even fainteth for the living God and 119.81 my soul fainteth for thy salvation The reason is 1. The greatness or tediousness of an Reason 1 affliction is apt to tire out the spirits of Gods children who can bear no more or no longer and if God come not timely to help he would fail utterly Esa 57.16 Jonah was almost spent by lying so long in the Whales belly 2. Where the guilt of sin and the wrath of God meet together in a soul usually it makes foul weather that it comes so far as to fainting Pro. 18.14 A wounded spirit who can bear And this is Jonahs case at this time we may hear afterward that he fainted for the heat of the Sun Jâ—n 4 8. but that was nothing to this where sin intervenes and makes the sorrow far more intolerable Use 1 Teaching us wisely and mercifully to consider them
his good pleasure toward them In no point may the Name of God be taken in vain so not in this And as every creature must be sanctified by the word and prayer so must this Remember and fear the judgment of God upon them that take his Name in vain If any object that the occasion and Company will not bear prayer I answer at least let there be an Ejaculation 3. If it be so be thankful for any good that is received by lot looking up to the hand of God who hath cast it upon thee and not upon another The whole disposing of it was of the Lord therefore let him have all the glory It was not Luck and Fortune but God must be acknowledged Especially when the Lord himself is the lot and portion of thy soul as David said Thou art the lot of mine inheritance remember much and often to bless the Lord as he did Psal 16.5 6 7 8. Use 4 4 When lots cross a man let him learn to be as Jonah patient and contented Say it is the Lord that hath thus disposed of the business 1 Sam. 3.18 it is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good should I desire any thing which the Lord sees not good for me or when he hath declared his mind should I wriggle or murmure or carry my self otherwise then becomes the Child of God I will not do it Come and let us cast Lots that we may know for whose cause this evil is come upon us Note In great afflâ—ctions we look at great sins It is the Nature of man to think there is some great sin where they see a great judgment of God Who did sin this man or his Parents that he was born blind And those that suffered those great Evils were accounted greater sinners then all the Galileans or all that were in Jerusalem Luke 13.1 2 4. Where Christ assures us of the contrary I tell you nay â—ohn 9.2 but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish v. 5. And if these Mariners had been asked whether each of them had not deserved this horrible Tempest to die by it they would have shrunk at it and not have confessed And every one would save one therefore they put off the danger to others Otherwise there needed no lots to be cast but every one confess his guiltiness be humbled reformed and give satisfaction to his god who was offended Use 1 Take heed of this spice of Nature and of the Pharisees Talk not of great sinners and little sinners nor censure them that suffer great Evils as if they were the greatest Offenders Possibly they may be great Offenders but what is that to thee Thy rule is not to judge that thou be not judged and judge nothing before the time and Mat. 7.1 1 Cor. 4 5. Rom. 14.4 who art thou that judgest another mans servant and The greater sinner the man is the more he needs thy pity and prayers not thy censure and disdain 2. In a common danger let every one recount his own Use 2 guiltiness and do what lies upon him to do for delivering his own soul Remember who said Except ye repent Luke 13.3 ye shall all perish whether ye escape the danger or no ye may escape temporally and perish eternally These Mariners did all escape the temporal evil better then Jonah but without hearty and fruitful repentance they escaped not the eternal vengeance of their sins Jonah upon his humiliation and amendment might escape better then they all 3. This Example tells us that the sin of a godly man Use 3 may become grievous and provoking more then the sins of many others as Jonah to hazard the casting away of many that were in the ship What the Child of God do so and so what one that hath received so much light so many Teachings of the Spirit so many checks of Conscience so many opportunities of glorifying God and of giving good example to others he to flee from God and cast off duty Take heed ye that fear God and keep even reckonings with him Be humbled for what is past and watch better hereafter And the Lot fell upon Jonah Wicked men sometimes in this life are discovered Note and brought to their deserved punishment God hath means and ways enough to it sometimes by lot as here to Jonah sometimes by the Birds of heaven Eccles 10.20 as the Cranes revealed the murderers of the Poet â—â—icus sometimes by the Confession and horror of the guilty persons sometimes by blood â—ssuing afresh out of a slain body sometimes a Friend hath blabbed forth a bloody business before he was aware sometime a Confederate hath turned Enemy and told all the truth Divers ways the Lord hath to bring to light the hidden things of darkness at farthest in the day of judgment Eccles 12.14 1 Cor. 4.5 Reason 1 The Reason is 1. God is Omnipresent and Omniscient and is able to discover the greatest secrets as here in ordering these lots he observed every motion of Jonah to Joppa and to the ship yea the very first motion of his heart in departing from the living God All is naked to Reason 2 the eyes of him with whom we have to do 2. God makes these discoveries for his own glory and for bringing about his own most holy ends as here he meant to have his work done by Jonah in the message that was to be delivered at Nineve And he was glorified in the eyes of these Mariners by this discovery of Jonah ver 10. Jonah made the Lord known to them and ver 14 they said Thou Lord hast done as it pleased thee and ver 16. The men feared the Lord exceedingly and possibly some of them were truly Converted Quest But are lots a lawful way to discover Malefactors when they are to be punished with Death for Felony or Treason Answ Ans It were very dangerous without Gods command in this case to put any to the casting of lots for his life except it be certain that divers well deserve to die but the Prince of his grace intends to spare some by decimating the Army or others that have made a Mutiny Use 1 But if the point in hand stand true it appears vain to sin in hope of secrecy This induceth some to horrible wickednesses The Thief and the Adulterer and other wicked ones hate the light as Death it self and chuse Darkness for acting their Villanies but all in vain as to God whose eyes are in every place Prov. 15 3. beholding the evil and the good Yea the Hypocrisie of idle Professors is fully discerned by him and in this life sometimes they are uncased for Hypocrites as they ever were falling into some scandalous course or from the main truths of the Gospel But at the last day all secrets will be fully discovered and punished Though they dig deep into Hell to hide their counsels and escape the hand of man yet the hand of God they shall not
the manner of restoring Jonah to his office the Lord never up raids him with his base and 〈◊〉 flying to Tarsus and how justly he had been served with the storm and the Whale but meekly and quietly he sends him upon the old errand to Nineve nor did Christ upbraid Peter with his threefold denial but gives a threefold admonition Feed my sheep Feed my lambs Feed my sheep Joh. 21.15 And of other holy simple souls it is said that when they ask wisdom of God he will not upbraid but give liberally Jam. 1.5 Mark this and imitate If a childe or servant or friend Use 1 repent of his fault never hit him in the teeth with it any more but close up the wound that was made and do thy best to put him into the right way again for doing his duty as here Jonah There is a base petulancy in mans nature to insult over Delinquents and never have done with shaming them and ripping up the old faults So doth not God and ye should be followers of him as dear Children I am sure ye would not have him to remember against you your old offences Eph. ◠1 Ps 25. that your consciences should be set upon the rack for sins of youth or later sins No but according to the Covenant I will remember their iniquity no more Jer. 31.34 I will blot out their sins I will chase away their transgressions as a cloud and scatter them as a mist It will be a sad case when God comes to set a mans sins in order before him Oh the roaring and breaking of bones and horrible torture that such do endure Take heed be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful and withall remember to magnifie the love of such a Father who freely fully and finally forgives the sins of his people We men use to admire and magnifie those that are of a generous and ingenuous disposition in passing by offences It is the glory of a man saith Salomon and it should yield glory unto God that he doth so graciously forgive the sins of his people Note Ordinances continued to a people Arise and go to Nineve This is spoken the second time to Jonah the Lord sometimes continues his mercies and ordinances to a people that they shall have good preachers sent to them and the preachers shall go on with their work for the good of that people sermons sacraments sabbaths precious liberties shall be afforded them from time to time We see it here 1. Jonah retaines his place and is set upon the same office as before though he had made a fowl fault and had suffered terribly for his disobedience yet he hath his commission again renewed to preach to the Ninevites as Chap. 1.2 Arise and go to Nineve that great Citie the same words as here at the text 2. Though the the mercy of good preaching was withheld from Nineve for a while yet it is again designed for them Arise go and preach to them so still Good preaching sometimes is delayed and kept back from a people sometimes interrupted in the free passage of the Gospel yet vouchsafed and continued where God hath a people to gather to himself as was said to Paul for his encouragement to preach at Corinth Speak and hold not thy peace for I have much people in this city Act. 18 10. Use Glorifie God who continues them Now let God be glorified whose kindenesse and love toward man so evidently appeareth that Magistrats are continued notwithstanding all their failings and Ministers notwithstanding all their failing◠and the use of Ordinances notwithstanding all their failings in point of thankfulnesse and obedience Sabbaths afforded though little good use made of them Abundance of good preaching though among a glutted and surfetted people Monthly sacraments though many never come at them others come very seldom others very unprepared and shew it too evidently by a foolish and fruitlesse conversation and good Ministers dwell among them but there be no cases of conscience to propose nor comfortable fellowship between them and their people There be two things that might break off the course of these Ordinances 1. The great sins of people whereby they forfeit them into the hands of God and if they be not grose and scandalous sins yet there is horrible unfrutfulnesse and unanswerablenesse to the wonderful mercy of God Nineve was not so barren when once they heard good preaching and in all likelyhoed the men of Nineve shall rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it Certainly unfrutful Christians shall suffer heavily though the good preaching continue among them They neglect great salvation and how should they escape and at last it will be said as of the fruitlesse fig-tree Cut it down why should it cumber the ground 2. The great opposition of the devil and his instruments Satan hindred Paul once and again from comming to the Thessalonians and we see what persecutions the Jews raised in divers places to hinder the preaching of the word Such malice still there is in Sectaries and some profane persons Go to Nineve and preach the preaching Preaching of the word is ordained of God to bring sinners to repentance and so to salvation as here Note Preaching appointed to convert sinners at this great city God could have sent an Angel to do this message but useth the ministery of man as also Peters to Cornelius Or God could have sent another Prophet to Nineve but Jonah must be the man now well subdued by his late affliction and a man famous in Israel both for good preaching and for prophesying good to the ten Tribes which came to passe So still God will have soules converted by men subject to like passions It is his pleasure to have it so 1 Cor. 1.21 It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe It is enjoynd earnestly to be done by men appointed for the work 2 Tim. 4.1 2. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom Preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine It is urged with a wo and a reward 1 Cor. 9.16 17. Wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel but if I do this thing willingly I have a reward And it is declared by the benefit to good Hearts Rom. 1.16 It is the power of God to salvation to every one that beleeveth But what is preaching Ans It is made up of three things It standeth in three things 1. Publication of the word a Preacher among the Greekes is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeco the voice of a Cryer alluding to a Town-cryer who utters a Proclamation to the people Gods will is that the Minister should plainly and distinctly read his word to the Congregation Act. 15.15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets 2. Exposition to give the meaning
suffering as if they were smitten and rejected of God which hath been the practice of unbelievers Esa 53.3 or as if they were worse then others which is expresly censured by our Saviour Luke 13.1 2 3 4. There is such a censorious humor abroad but ye see by this place how it is condemned And ye see how David was wary not to offend this way Psal 73.15 if I say I will speak thus condemning the godly because of afflictions behold I should offend against the generation of thy children And our rule is to let every one stand or fall to his own Master and who are thou that judgest another mans servan Two things would be minded in these matters of prosperity and adversity 1. A godly man is never the worse nor in more danger for all his adversity Gold is gold though it be in the fire Jonah is Jonah though he be in the Whales belly only the godly should clear up his evidences at such a time that he is indeed a godly man Recount the old grounds he went upon and former experiences and fortifie against unbelief which in hard times is apt to be stirring and prepare for greater tryals then as yet he hath endured and God may justly bring him unto Old tryed blades may be put to more hardship then tender ones shall be 2. A wicked man is never the better nor in more safety for all his prosperity Dross is dross though it be laid up in a silken bag The Mariners escaped the storm and Jonah was cast into the sea the only way for some in prosperity is to study this matter of godliness If thou repent and become a sincere worshipper all will do well both prosperity and adversity Aug de civit Dei lib. 1. it much avails not what a man suffers but who it is that suffers and in the likeness of sufferings there is great unlikeness in them that suffer Oh the great force of godliness Thou hadst cast me into the deep It might be objected the Mariners cast forth Jonah into the sea how then doth he impute it unto God Answ 1. It was by the appointment of Jehovah that the Mariners cast Jonah into the sea God by lot so designed him to be cast forth 2. In all the doings of men God hath an overruling hand not only to permit what they do but order all to the good of his Chosen as for Job The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away and as in the passion of Christ all was done according to the determinate will and counsel of God A godly man in all the doings of men against him looks up to the hand of God appointing the affliction thou hast cast me into the sea the Lord hath bid Shimei to curse Note Look from men to God who afflicteth Amos. 3.6 Esa 10.5 Reas there is no evil in the City but the Lord hath done it Ashur was the rod of his wrath and the staff of indignation in his hand A rod or staff moves not but by the motion of another nor the battel-axe This the godly man considers because he is well grounded in the doctrine of Gods providence how it reacheth to all things small as well as great evil as well as good particulars as well as the general contingent as well as natural and necessary and voluntary actions as well as fortuitous and how the Lord leaves the evil to the Agents but reserves the simple act to himself and works out his own most holy and righteous ends which they never think of as Joseph told his brethren Ye meant it to evil but God meant it for good Gen. 50.20 Which is utterly against the course of many who look Use 1 only to the instrument of their smart and suffering in any kind and wreak their displeasure there murmure rail or repine it may be swear and curse because such and such have damnified them or otherwise stood in their light Yet we read no such word come out of Jonahs mouth against his Mariners no thou hast cast me forth and David was dumb because the Lord did it Psal 39.9 Oh but it is meer malice that leads my Adversary to say and do what he doth Ob. Sol. but the Mariners were fair conditioned men Answ 1. I suppose it was meer malice that led Shimei to rail at David yet he espyed the hand of God in the business And meer covetousness led the Chaldeans and Sabeans to plunder Job as they did yet he said the Lord hath taken away God is still righteous who ordains thee a punishment whatever the instruments be 2. The more malicious thine Adversary is the more testimony of innocency thou hast in thine own bosom and so an argument of comfort 2 Cor. 1.12 our rejoycing is this even the testimony of our conscience David took comfort that his enemies persecuted him without cause and so may others John 15.25 Use 2 Learn then O Christian by an holy abstraction to look farther and higher then the wrong dealings of men acknowledge God who hath let loose their tongues and hands it is he that permits them or else they could not stir a whit he that ordained thee a punishment or if thou wilt a chastisement for thy earthliness dulness in Religion unmortified Passions or other evils True the lot did not pass upon thee as it did upon Jonah but in the affliction there was the determinate counsel of God so ordering therefore say Shall I not drink of the Cup which my Father hath put into my hand should I spurn against the pricks either in doing or suffering God Note times some Gods afraid of utmost wrath Out of the belly of hell cryed I that is out of a deep sense of the wrath and displeasure of God for my sins a good soul sometimes apprehends the wrath of the holy Lord God as due unto him for his sins The pains of hell get hold on him he suffers the terrors of God with a troubled mind God seems to set him up as a Butt against which he will shoot all the envenomed arrows of his Jonah here hath not only Gods waves and billows passing over his head thy billows and thy waves but as it were the devils billows and waves In the bottom of the sea he is very near to the place of the damned only he is not adjudged thither finally nor fastned there so it hath been the case of some deserted souls to conceive â—hey were half in hell already very fire-brands vessels of wrath reserved to the judgment of the great day My God Psal 22.1 my God why hast thou forsâ—ken me why standest thou afar off c. Reas Thus can the sense of sin work where there is not a present sense of mercy And this is the force of a guâ—lty Conscience yea or of a tender Conscience where the Spirit of comfort doth not presently do his office as it is sometimes suspended by the dispensation of Gods grace for Discipline to be