all that while what would become of him he was not concocted by the Whale nor ever likely to get to land again yet at last was restored and so mayest thou be 2. Lazarus was dead four days and began to stink yet was raised up to life as before Four days or four moneths or four years are nothing to God who delivers when he pleaseth To us men lingring diseases or other evils are terrible but to our God they are as nothing to hinder deliverance 3. Those that have lien in their graves four or five thousand years shall be raised of God as easily as they that were buried the day before which is made an Emblem of deliverance that seemed hopeless Ezek. 37. with Hos 6.1 2. 4. It hath been the case of Gods Children to lie under the burthen of afflictions for sundry years together Luk. 13. Ps 88.15 A Daughter of Abraham was bound to Satan eighteen years Heman from his youth suffered the terrors of God with a troubled mind The Church was seventy years in the captivity of Babâ—lon 430 in Egypt The ten Tribes which yet have promises are not returned home after 2300 years Be quiet therefore and hope perfectly or to the end remembring these three things 1. Patient waiting must put us in possession of the promises Psal 40.1 I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined his ear unto me And the old Believers by faith and patience inherited the premises Heb. 6.12 2. Gods appointed time which is the best time shall never fail us Hab. 2.3 The vision is yet for an appointed time at last it will speak and not lye 3 A thousand years to God are but as one day nor will he be slack concerning his promises 2 Pet. 3.9 And it hath been said Every thing is beautiful in his own season But let us a little look to our Type Note Christ three bays in the house of death As Jonah three days and three nights was in the belly of this great fish so Christ for so long time was in the bowels of the earth It is a Simile of his own framing Mat. 12.40 And the third day he rose again from the dead 1 Cor. 15.4 and this according to the Scriptures namely of these Types of Jonah who for three days was given for dead of Isaac who in the purpose of his Father was so long offered up unto God of Joseph Samson David who were shadows of Christ first in suffering then in recovering whereunto we may adde those predictions Psal 16 10 Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption and Esa 53.10 11 12. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days c. and his own predictions Mat. 17.23 they shall kill him and the third day he shall be raised again Adde these reasons also 1. Christ so lon lay in the grave that it might appear Reas 1 he was truly dead that he might fully satisfie the justice and appease the wrath of God that he might shew the cursed nature of sin which so long held the only God under the power of death and the grave and that he might overcome death and the Devil in his own houâ—e When himself was at weakest and they in their full strength yet he got out of their hands well enough at the time appointed 2 He lay no longer then three days because the desired Reas 2 satisfaction was given that the Holy One of God might not see corruption that he might provide for the weak faith of his Disciples who began to stagâ—er that he might set more fully to do the work of a Mediator Fruits of Christs resurrection and might apply to us the great fruits and benefits of his Resurrection such as these 1. Forgiveness of sins 1 Cor. 15.17 If Christ be not raised your faith is vain ye are yet in your sins and they who are fallen asleep in Christ are perished 2. Full justification Rom. 4.25 He rose again for our justification 3. Hope to God-ward 1 Pet. 1.3 By the Resurrection of Christ from the dead ye are born again to a lâ—vely hope and ver 21. ye believe in God who raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God 4. Regeneration to be planted together in the likeness of his resurrection we shall also live with him dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom 6.5 8 11. See also Eph. 2.4 5 6. 5. Resurrection of the body 1 Cor. 15.20 21 now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that sleep for since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead All which is matter of great comfort to all true Believers Use 1 Christ is risen and they with him and are advanced to all the dignity which he hath attained Christs resurrection was the first degree of his exaltation after all that humiliation wherewith he was humbled Ascension followed and session and intercession and powerful application of all his purchase all for the Elect and yields them strong consolation Use 2 Phil. 20. Only â—et them remember to magnifie Christ in life and death as one that stouped so low in their behalf and as one that had power to raise up himself which Jonah could not do John 10.18 I have power to lay down my life and I have power to take it up again and as one that by his resurrection was mightily declared to be the Son of God Rom. 1.4 and as one that is now highly advanced above every Name Cap 2.9 so as every knee must bow unto him and by his resurrection obtained a special right to us that we should be wholly his and for his service chap. 14.9 he therefore dyed and rose again and revived that he mâ—ght be Lord of quick and dead Which while we study we shall attain as the benefit of Christs resurrection so also the vertue and power which stands in holiness and heavenly-mindedness Phil. 3.8 9 10. and Col. 3.1 2. CHAP. II. Ver. 1.2 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fishes belly And said I cryed by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardest my voice THis Chapter contains Jonahs repentance Parts of the Chapter His confession of the fault and submission to the punishment we have seen already And now having got out of the Whales belly he relates how things had passed 1. That he prayed for deliverance and was heard in prayer ver 1.2 2. That he had hope of deliverance when he was at lowest ver 4. and 7.3 That upon deliverance he promised thanksgiving verse 9. 4. That at last he was actually delivered ver 10 Or we may conceive his prayer amplified four ways Amplification of Jonahs prayer 1. By the greatness of the
by doing the Errand thou wouldest dishonor thy self and I should go for a false Prophet Note God hath strange prayers put up sometimes at the Throne of Grace even by his own people in their passion they sometimes come before him in a tumultuating fashion Our rule is to pray without wrath 1 Tim. 2.8 and many good limitations there are for the ordering of our prayers Use 1 Consider Christians and order your prayers aright as for the matter so also for the manner of them Vent no passions before the great God of heaven It will be ill-favoured prayer which is so conceived and uttered And it must be a Divine patience that will bear with such a suppliant And let a Christian that observes his weaknesses learn hereby to pray for his prayers not only for his Sins Wants Dangers other evils but even his prayers O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do Dan. 9.19 There is an iniquity that cleaves to our holy things which needs to be pardoned Christ is our High Priest to take them away and we need his intercession for that purpose Prayer is so far from being meritorious that without mercy it should not be accepted But come we to the matter of Jonahs prayer Take my life from me for it is better for me to dye then to live so Elias would needs dye in all the haste for the wickedness of Israel for the persecution of Jezabel 1 King 19.4 Elias cause was better then Jonahs who only stood upon his own Credit and Gods truth in the message delivered yet Eliah is reproved for it ver 9. What doest thou here Elias and here Doest thou well to be angry Note Sinful to desire death how It is sinful to desire death according to our own passionate humors and may justly be reproved There be Cases wherein it is lawful to desire Death as for example when we see God calling us out of the world when the Martyrs saw the truth of God lying at the stake when the Congregation of the faithful is in danger if betrayed when an eminent Minister or Brother is to be rescued as Aquila and Priscilla laid down their necks for Paul and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren But for irksomeness of living or in any corrupt way whatsoever to desire death is utterly faulty and deserves to be reproved Why Our life is the gift of God vouchsafed for special uses which he hath appointed that he may be glorifyed in us both living and dying Phil. 1.20 And therefore it may not be foregone till he please to take us off from our station Rightly Paul who in one respect desired to dye but in another respect desired to live ver 21.22 23 24. Take heed Christians and suppress all such way-ward Use 1 and hasty humors of desiring to dye Ye may be dead before ye are aware And some have desired to dye who were glad afterward that they were alive And why should ye dye before ye have done your work Or why are ye so shie of suffering according to the will of God It comes to pass sometimes that those desire death in their own way who have basely and treacherously avoided death in the way of God nice and fine while they get their own ends but otherwise fool-hardy Use 2 Take heed and to thy power use life well while thou hast it in a Christian way say It is better for thee to live then to dye during life there is much good to be done for the service and glory of God The living the living he shall praise thee Esa 38.19 Spoken in opposition to the state of the dead from whom all occasion of praising God is cut off ver 18. So in Psal 115.17 18. Take heed it may be in death thou wilt wish for more time to live or that thou hadst done more work for God or gotten more hold of his love or were grown more fit to dye Such cases have been and such may be again Walk in fear and while thou dost live live to some purpose Ver. 4.5 Then said the Lord Doest thou well to be angry So Jonah went out of the City and sate on the East-side of the City and there made him a Booth and sate under it in the shadow till he might see what would become of the City In these two Verses we have two things to be considered 1. Gods gentle chiding of Jonah Doest thou well to be angry 2. Jonahs expectation of the Event To see what would become of the City For the former we may well admire the gentleness and goodness of God toward his froward servant God doth not fall foul upon Jonah for his rash anger nor take away his life as he had desired nor throw him into the sea again which he could easily have done But debates the matter calmly with him to bring him to a sight of his Errour and set him into his right way again Note Teaching us how to treat with offending Brethren Children or Servants not wreak our displeasure in a furious manner but so deal with them as they may best recollect themselves and take notice of their failings for amendment It is a foolish zeal which so reproves as withall it seeks not the Parties reformation And now we speak of zeal we must remember that Jonah in his passion had a zeal of God after a fashion being jealous lest his truth and glory should suffer by the sparing of Nineve and himself accounted a false Prophet Our zeal for God sometimes hath much mixture Note both of self ends and self-seeking and of excess in the venting of it Sometimes we have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge as Rom. 10. â— Take heed and watch over this hot affection neither let it be dampened on the one side nor too much inflamed in the other Beware lest God have cause to chide for the excess saying Doest thou well to be angry So of good meanings A man may mean well and yet make great faults Jonah meant well when he was exceedingly displeased and angry Saul meant well when he kept the best of the cattel for sacrifice Note Uzzah meant well when he stayed the Ark from falling Take heed nothing is more deceitful then mans judgment of his actions in the things of God In all points we should look to the will of God and the rule which he hath given in his word Doest thou well to be angry He saith not positively Thou sinnest in being so angry but puts him upon his own better thoughts and would draw from him his own confession as if he had said If I should make thy self judge yet upon a serious consideration thou wouldest find thine errour that thy mind is as the raging sea all in a tumult Lâ—cha weigh well within thy self whether there be not a foul fault in this thine anger So the expostulation is far more emphatical and urging then a plain affirmation though a chiding Doest
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 Lord and he had deserved the worst punishment that could be inflicted to be thrown overboard or to have his brains beat out with a Batt But it will be far more fair and clear proceeding when himself shall presently pronounce the sentence Take me and cast me forth into the Sea Ob. Sol. Others may say These are Rake-hells not awhit like unto the good man Jonah he was a Prophet and worthy of all respect but these c To whom I say 1. Jonah at this time might seem to these Infidels to be as very a Rake-hell as any went upon the ground What knew they whether he were a Prophet or no or what was a Prophet to them A grievous sinner he was even by his own confession 2. The worse any Delinquent is the more tenderly he ought to be handled pitied instructed besought with tears prayed for that he may not desperately cast away his soul but when he loseth a natural Life he may find an Eternal A great sin therefore it is and heavily to be admired that Christians are grown so harsh toward faulty persons Use 2 whether Children Servants or others Some there be that toss and fling and pull and lay about them like Bedlams in their fury and if it were not for the Gallows would lay them dead in the place Did these Mariners so to Jonah or doth God so deal by thee or if Christ had been no more meek and patient where had thy salvation layen Remember the Apostles obtestation 2 Coâ— 10 1. I beseech you by the meeknâ—ss and gentleness of Christ and remember Christs invitation to be like-minded Mat. 11.29 learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart and ye shall find rest to your souls Only one caution we must not so be meek and gentle Caution So be gentle as to use due severity as altogether to neglect the punishing of offending Brethren Magistrates bear not the Sword in vain and Housholders have Authority given them over naughty Children and Servants not only to chide and reprove them but inflict corporal punishment upon them It was El es sin and down-fall that he restrained not his vile Sons and the overthrow of Laish that there was no Officer to make them ashamed On the other side the execution of judgment hath appeased the wrath of God as we see in the example of Phineas and of casting Jonah into the Sea with those examples Jos 7.12 2 Sam. 21.1 Isrâ—el could not stand before the men of Ai till Achan was stoned to death The Famine ceased not till the bloody house of Saul was punished for slaying the Gibeonites And because Ahab let go a man worthy to die his life must go for his life Execute judgment in the gate and I will let you dwell in this place we fare the better because some justice is done upon offenders and should fare better if more were done For the latter Ver. 12. Take me and cast me forth in to the Sea Hâ—w Jonah would be cast into the Sea Understand this aright Jonah speaks not this as a desperate man who regards not his life or cares not what becomes of him much less as one that chuseth death rather then life or one that would countenance the horrâ—ble sin of self murder expresly forbidden in the Commandement Thou shalt not kill but thus seeing Gods Huy and Cry after him by a storm and designing oâ— him to punishment by lot he begins now to appear in his own câ—lours a godly and a worthy man and one that truly repents of his great sin in flying to Tarsus and reliquishing his Lords work with two graces that now put themselves forth 1. He is an Example of Charity to our Neighbour Rather then those in the ship should perish for his sake he is contented to lose his own life as he had deserved He was but one and they many and why should many be cast away for one mans fault Only he will not desperately leap into the Sea but let them cast him forth and he will be contented Call me forth namely as a sacrifice to God which shall redeem the lives of you all 2. He is an example of patience in undergoing the punishment which his sin had deserved He sees that he is found out by God and that all the Company takes notice of him as a grand Delinquent who deserves the severest punishment Therefore quietly and patiently he submits to the execution of the Sentence which the Lord by lot hath past on him Learn Christians in all tokens of Gods displeasure patiently to abide his will so did David Psal 3â— 9 I was dumb and not opened my mouth because thou didst it and Christ when his hour was come was as a sheep before the shearer not opening his mouth Note But I observe more in this voice of Jonah Cast me forth Methinks he now begins to be an evident Type and Figure of Christ Christ willingly dyed for his as Christ himself gives the Parallel Mat. 12.39 40. As Jonah Voluntary delivered himself to death for saving the Mariners and Passengers from drowning so Christ of his own accord gave himself to the death for saving the souls of sinners whose persons and causes he had undertaken I lay down my life for the sheep no man taketh it away but I lay it down of my self Joh. 10.18 Accordingly he went forth when they came to apprehend him c. 18.4 5 6 7. and he forbad Peter in his defence to strike with the sword ver 11. More we read of an earnest desire to eat the last Passeover with his Disciples Luke 22.15 More how am I straightned till this my suffering be accomplâ—shed c. 12. 50. More he delighted to suffer the good pleasure of his Father Psal 40.8 with Heb. 10.5 6 7. Only he put not himself unto Death Yet by the hand of men but yielded himself into the hands of others to do it as here Jonah into the hand of the Mariners And this was done by the determinate counsel of his Father Act. 2.23 and 4 27 28. So the Passion of Christ was every way a free-will offering and thereby acceptable to God and accepted in behalf of others whom he meant to redeem for their sake he sanctified himself that is freely set himself apart to work out their Redemption as Sampson to deliver Israel from the Philistines Which yields instruction unto thankfulness Use Magnifie Christ in life and death that we magnifie Jesus Christ who thus freely offered himself to the death that we might live by him We are the Passengers who have escaped the shipwrack of our souls and Christ is the only One by whom we have escaped Meditate and strive to be really thankful And take these Motives 1. A greater then Jonah is here a glorious Person who is God as well as man of an infinite worth must such a Person needs be and by the infinite worth of the Person there is an infinite worth in
his sufferings Christ is as much above Jonah in value and Dignity as Jonah was above the meanest Skipper Such a Saviour and Redeemer we needed and found and could find in none but Christ Not all the Angels of Heaven nor men on Earth that could have saved us from this shipwrack 2. Consider throughly the greatness of the storm which thy sin had raised against thee not a Tempest of wind and sea but of the infinite and everlasting wrath of the great God Who knows the power of his wrath None but Christ Psal 90.11 and the damned and souls in desertion Now the greater our danger is and rightly apprehended the more we hold our selves bound to thankfulness but rightly apprehended it cannot be without deep and earnest Meditation Think a little in what a woful case these Mariners were during the Tempest then compare the infinite waath of the great God which burns to the nethermost hell and all by reason of those pleasant and profitable sins thou so much doatest upon 3. Consider the sweet and comfortable calm which Jesus Christ hath brought by his suffering even all the benefits of justification by faith Rom. 5.1 2 3 4 5 sin pardoned person accepted soul saved prayer heard affliction sanctified every mercy received in mercy And now Satan is disappointed and disabled in the main Possibly he may raise great tempests against the Saints that is persecutions smaller or greater as against Job and his Children and Cattel but in the point of salvation he can do us no hurt at all yea all shall fall out for good in the end chap. 8.28 Christians stir up your selves to a due thankfulnesâ— we may hear shortly how these Mariners upon deliverance offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows ver 16. If they for a temporal what should we for a spiritual and eternal deliverance As the mercy is greater so must the thankfulness be 1. We should offer our sacrifice to the Lord even spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2.5 I mean praise and thanksgiving alms works of Righteousness in our common Calling prayer all holy services of Religion and suffering if we be called thereunto as Phil. 2.17 If I be offered upon the sacâ—â—â—â—â—e and service of your faith I joy and rejoice with you all 2. We should make vows and pay them to the Lord our God Psal 76.11 and do it without any farther delay Eccles 5.4 When thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay it Especially the vows that were made in affliction Psal 66.13 14. I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth had spoken when I was in trouble Most of all those that were made in affliction of spirit in conversion or afterward in going to a Sacrament Psal 116.13 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people Ver. 13.14 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the Land but they could not for the Sea wrought and was tempestuous against them Wherefore they cryed unto the Lord and said We beseech thee O Lord we beseech thee Let us not persh for this mans life and lay not upon us innocent blood for thou Lord hast done as it pleased thee Though Jonah had desired them to cast him into the sea and all should be well yet see how loving and tender-hearted the men are to spare his life Nevertheless the men rowed hard they digged the sea saith the Hebrew they took as hard pains as he that goes to ditching and delving A wonderful matter in Seamen and those heathens but he that gave Joseph favour in the fight of Potiphar and the Keeper of the prison gavâ— Jonah favour in the sight of these Mariners that though he said Cast me forth into the sea yet they rowed hard to bring the ship to dry land Note Be tender of mans life The example teacheth us as far as we can possibly to spare the life of our Neighbour life is a precious thing better then all a man hath beside Skin for skin and all that a man hath he will give for his life it ought therefore to be preserved and cherished to the uttermost and if we can do any thing thereunto we are bound in conscience to do it He that said Thou shalt not kill meant moreover we should prolong life to the best of our skill and power Use Remember Christians and take example by these heathen Mariners together with grounds of Christianity to save the life of any in any of your relations or within any compass of your Calling The Son of man came not to destroy but to save life and so should we The Lord by his general providence preserves both man and beast and so should we And a good man is merciful to the life of his beast much more to his Brother What is it then thy Brother or Friend or Child is in danger of his life 1. Learn of these Mariners to take pains for saving him run ride send call in help use friends do all that may be done to keep him alive By using means we have seen those to live whom we thought very likely to die 2. If there be a plot against the life of any discover and prevent the mischief as did Pauls Sisters Son Act. 23. much more if it be levelled against the lives of many in bringing a Nation to confusion As by prayer so by prudence we must put our selves into the breach and prevent the overthrow 3. Supply food and raiment and all that is requisite to keep Nature alive not only in Children and near Friends but in them that are farther off For this see Jam. 2.14 15 16 17 18. Object He is naught Answ Preserve his humanity that he may have time to wax better 4. If he be sick let him have physick and other cherishing as the occasion requireth The Syrophenicean woman went to Christ in behalf of her distressed Daughter and the Nobleman in behalf of his sick Sonne John 4.46 5. Worldly sorrow causeth death therefore grieve no man over much vex not make him not weary of his life do rather what may be comfortable and chear his spirits against his affliction especially with spiritual consolations and instructions say Faint not nor be weary when thou art corrected Heb. 12. Neither should a man grieve himself for losses or crosses whereby his life and health may be endangered as is too usual and it is a sin It thrusts God out of his place denies his Soveraignty Impeaches his Providence prescribes against his Wisdom and arrogates to ones self the way and praise of finding contentment for his life therefore most justly in stead of contentment a man hastens his own death and goes the sooner to give account to God for his impatience and foolishness Take heed and be moderate They rowed hard to bring the ship to Land Note All pains nothing without God but they could not All mans
they made vows A carnal Christian is full of good words during his sickness or other danger but the true Christian is for â—after-times Esa 42. hears for the time to come prayes partakes of a Sacrament all to become better and to live afterward more carefully and profitably Hear ye that begin to mind Religion Use and see that ye profit in these particulars and in all other The course of Gods Children is as the course of our Children to grow strong by little and little And as a man after a great fit of sickness desires daily to pick up his crumbs more and more so must thou upon this recovery out of the estate of sin and wrath Mind and grow Let us not perish for this mans life and lay not upon us innocent blood Even rude and barbarous people have abhorred murther as a grievous sin as these Infidels Note Murder a hainous sin in the eye of heathens and those Barbarians in Act. 28.4 6. And some for expiation of their murthers have in the guiltiness of their consciences put themselves voluntarily into banishment or other sorrows as it were so many pennances Use 1 The more shame to this cruel and bloody age wherein we live which sets nothing by the life of a man yea of many men it may be many hundreds and thousands of men slain in battel possibly in meer malice or corrupt affection possibly for Pay only so much a week to kill men No matter whether it be innocent blood or no no deprecation of the wrath of God We beseech thee we beseech thee No making account that they may perish for those mens lives As if the Law were not made for murtherers or as if murderers should ever inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Tim. 1.9 Rev. 21.8 contrary to the express words of Scripture Use 2 Take heed Christians both of the sin and of those corrupt affections which lead to the sin Remember the Commandment Thou shalt not kill Remember the argument used in the Image of God created he man Remember the threat He that takes the sword shall perish by the sword Remember the expiation of blood in the time of the Law and the Cities of refuge and how no price might be taken to save the life of a murtherer Numb 35.31 And those heathens confess they need Gods mercy for casting Jonah into the sea though a guilty person both by his own confession and by the judgement of God who discovered him by lot But how then do the Mariners talk of innocent blood Answ It was innocent as to them or for any quarrel they had to him but in respect of God he was not innocent Jonah had confessed his guiltiness and desired them to cast him into the sea whence that clause in the Verse For thou O Lord hast done as it pleaseth thee Note God alone or ders the death of evil doers None but the will of God can justifie the putting of any to death He is the Soveraign Lord of life and death and provoked by the sins of his people so as sometimes he calls for their blood to make some part of satisfaction And this he doth by the Magistrates into whose hand he hath committed the sword of justice and he must not bear the sword in vain and He that sheds mans blood by man shall his blood be shed In vain therefore do some talk Use that no man ought to be put to death for any cause whatsoever A very foolery so to extoll mercy as to take away justice Solomon pronounceth them equally abominable to God who acquit the wicked and condemn the righteous We know the example of Saul who lost his Kingdom because he spared the King of the Amalekites and of Ahab whose life must go for Benhadads life because he let go a man worthy to die Wholsome severity is as necessary as mercy and kindness that offendors be punished according to the nature of their wickedness Ver. 15. So they took up Jonah and cast him forth into the Sea and the Sea ceased from her raging We have here Parts 1. the execution of Gods sentence against Jonah he was cast into the sea 2. the consequent of it the sea ceased from raging A plain demonstration of the case That the Lord in wrath remembers mercy and yet strange withall wrath to his servant mercy to the heathen In some case the wicked may fare better then the godly innocent heathens fare better then faulty Jonah For the former of these though the mariners were very loth to cast Jonah into the sea yet now that they see â—he will of God expresly revealed for it they do it though sore against their wills Mâ—morandum for many reasons they were unwilling to cast Jonah into the sea He had not wronged them in the least he had paid the Fare and committed himself to their Custody and trust ought not to be deceived he had professed his faith in the true God and such ougbt not to be violated he had confessed his fault and was sorry for it and what would they have more he submitted to the punishment which was to be inflicted though to the losse of his life He prophesied that upon his punishment all should do well the tempest should cease and so it did Yet fain would they save him if they could possibly Sulcarunt they made furrows in the Sea and rowed hard to bring the ship to dry land But now when they consider on the other side that God hath plainly designed him to drowning in the Sea thou O Lord hast done as it pleased thee they give over their former deliberation and propension to mercy and do what the Lord leads them to do teaching this Note Do Gods will though against reason When we are sure of the will of God for a matter we must lay aside all self-thoughts and motions and set to do what God will have us to do So Abraham went to offer up his son Isaac so Christ offered himself Not my will but thy will be done so the Martyrs left all and endured those torments in the cause of God joyfully suffered the spoyling of their goods accepted not deliverance Father and all must be forsaken or we are not fit for Christ An offendor must be forgiven though it go quite against the hair Difficult duties must be done and costly and dangerous Reas The reason is God is the soveraigne Lord of all flesh us and others and his wil is much superior to all the will of men whosoever they be and he hath more reason for his matters then we are aware as appears in the sequel of Jonahs history And whereas we think our selves very mercifull and pitifull in some cases Gods mercy is the truest mercy when all is done as that which comprehends the soul as well as the body and the publick good as well as a private interest not only Jonah but Nineve and all Jsrael beside Fearfully then do those offend who