am and without the grace of God assisting the perfectest that ever were among the sonnes of men Christ only excepted had not power of themselves one houre to subsist In this then let mee cheere vp my heart that if I fall into drunkennesse I have a Noah to raise me when I am truly grieved if into adultery I haue a David to support mee when my heart is truly affected with his penitentiall Psalme if into pride of heart I have an Hezekiah to restore mee when the same heart is with godly sorrow truly humbled If I fall into plaine impaciencie murmure and repining I have a Moses a Iob a Ieremy a Ionah to direct mee when vnto a more sober and setled spirit with them I am returned Let this vse be made of the Saints faylings to comfort vs in our infirmities not to animate vs in any wilfull impieties Children they are not of God but of Belial who doe this latter Thirdly In the third place since it is a Prophet that here complaineth and we have observed the like complaints of sundry the Prophets in the examination of this doctrine more then of any other kinds and professions of men whatsoever Let the Prophets and Ministers of God from hence learne somewhat to their instruction at least-wise a right iudgement of the calling and businesse they take in hand Qui desiderat Episcopatum c. saith the Apostle he that desires the office of Bishop or of some inferiour Pastor and Teacher in the Church he desires a good worke But now worke hath painfulnesse and this by few I am sure is desired and if the calling may bee honourable yet sure it is not easefull Cursed is that man especially in this high and holy function that divideth what God hath ioyned together honour and labour or that ioyneth what God hath separated ease and honour The Angels of God the higher in nature the more quicke and diligent are they in their service to God and to his Church and the Prophets of God are called Angels and the Angels Ministers and fellow-servants with them Hee that shall with Atlas vnder-proppe the heavens or with David who was a Prophet beare vp the pillars of the earth no marveile if he groane sometimes And thinke not that it was not for nothing that Ionah here was thus besides himselfe and so iudge of the former complaints of those good Prophets mentioned that they did proceede from the grievous pressures and waight of those burdens which in the waightie charge of their callings they have sustained The names wherewith I finde the calling named may partly instruct vs herein Seers are they called and o how long wilt thou cause mee to behold or see grievance saith one of them Hab. 1. Shepheards they are called and well may say with Iacob Thus was it with mee in the day time the heate consumed mee and the frost by night and my sleepe departed from mine eyes Gen. 31. Are they not also called Watch-men and to them the voyce calleth Watch-man what of the night Watch-man what of the night A Lyon my Lord a Lyon the roaring Lyon that goes about seeking whom hee may devoure Watch yee stand yee fast quit your selves like men I stand I stand continually vpon the Watch-tower saith the Prophet Isaiah in the day time and I am set in my Ward whole nights you know to what end to fore-see dangers Lastly they are called Fishers Matth. 4. and here they must resolve to grapple with many an hideous storme If Peter and Andrew will follow Christ they shall catch soules but withall must looke to finde a sea of trouble of it when once they have launched out into the deepe O that this were considered of at Naioth in Ramah and in the Schooles of the Prophets The Lacedaemonians had their Palastram or place of exercise for the youth that afterwards they might make choice of tryed souldiers against the times of needfull warre What are those houses before named in the right intendment but improovements vnto noble fortitude that with the Priests of God who sounded the trumpets of old the Priests of these dayes may proove incouragers to the Lords people in the Lords battels against sinne and wickednesse Diogenes vpon a time comming into the tent of Philip King of Macedon was askt by him if he came as a spye yea quoth he for I come to spye out thy folly and madnesse who being not constrained by any necessitie doest set as it were vpon the dicing board both thy life and kingdome Are not we according to the best acception in as high honour as ever was the Macedonian Philip doth not the neglect of our office draw with it as great danger as his folly How is it then that we who should bee leaders to the Lords people have cloathed our selves with the fashions and humours of the times in stead of the compleate Armour commended by Saint Paul to the Ephesians have put on the sword of infidelitie the girdle of licentiousnesse the breast-plate of vnrighteousnesse the shield of infidelitie Whooredome and wine and new wine take away the heart was the complaint of old We have not lessoned but added to the account chambering and wantonnesse Tobacco too and drunkennesse are the sins of these dayes and which is worst of all I would not speake it the Prophets doe eate vp the sins of the people O that my head were a fountaine of teares that I might weepe day and night for the sinnes of the Prophets For the leaders of my people cause them to erre saith the Lord leading them into blinde pathes and crooked waies and they shall stumble and fall together and none shall raise them vp saith the Lord. The case indeede must needs proove desperate when they who should support doe stand in neede of supportation and they who should be raisers vnto others are themselves down Awake for shame oh yee of the stocke and stemme of Levi and let Aarons rod flourish in your hands or else resolve to burne eternally Breake forth into thunder o yee sonnes of thunder and let the trumpet yet sound louder Are not we the men who are now even now to prepare a people against our Masters second comming and is the spirit of Eliah thinke you sufficient for vs now is the time to be zealous or never or never O let the people of God pray for the Priests of God O let the Priests of God whose office calles for more zeale now then did the former dayes looke well into their office if not so farre as to distast the same with Ionah yet to have a more considerate regard and to be more sensible of so sacred and Angelicall a function and not to prepare thereto as the most doe with myrth and Ioviality Neither is my speech wholly to these a word of exhortation would not doe amisse to the Prophets of God in earnest who having in sinceritie vndertaken the calling doe finde truly the burden of it Let them not
changeth not though chang'd be we Then doe thy office but consider The Gourd that spring's from'th ground will wither IONAH'S CONTESTATION ABOVT HIS GOVRD IN A SERMON DELIVERED AT Pauls Crosse Septemb. 19. 1624. IONAH 4. vers 9. And God said to IONAH Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd and he said I doe well to be angry even vnto death THIS whole Prophesie or Booke of Ionah may well for the state thereof be so conceived as to be borne forth by way of Dialogue or Interlocution betweene the Lord and Him the Argument maintained sometimes directly sometimes indirectly by Word by Signe by Practise by Example The Lord begins The word of the Lord came vnto Ionah the sonne of Amittai c. Ionah answeres disobediently The Lords sends him to one place hee goeth to another Then the Lord speaketh againe but by his creatures opposing his practise against Ionah's and maintaines his Argument by the Windes the Marriners the Whale-fish and so the controvesie descendeth into the bottome of the Sea At the third Chapter Behold A new Scaene of trouble beginneth The word of the Lord came vnto Ionah the second time saying Arise Goe vnto Nineveh that great Citie and Preach vnto it the preaching that I bid thee Here Ionah answeres like an obedient seruant conforming his practise to the Lords command But soone after his Message according to the tenour thereof not taking effect he showes his discontented minde and the same expressed in angry tearmes inwardly conceived by way of expostulation in the beginning of the fourth Chapter Then the Lord enters parley with Ionah after a friendly manner Doest thou well to be angry the Lord replies vpon Ionah by a loving signe and the Lord prepared a gourd c. and thereof Ionah was exceeding glad But now Iterum saeuiunt irae Anger breakes out againe The gourd withers Ionah frets the Lord speakes Ionah answeres the one friendly as before the other frowardly Ionah Doest thou well to be angry yea saith Ionah I doe well to bee angry even vnto death The next words conclude the prophefie and whole disputation directly against Ionah And thus may be conceived the frame and structure of the whole Booke This Text is a plaine part of the Dialogue disputation contestation or contention which you will and herein more particularly are obserueable the parties contending the Lord and Ionah the manner how the contention or controversie is carryed and it is by word or saying God said to Ionah and againe Ionah said to God The matter in question is expressed in the word angry and therein I shall speake of anger somewhat largely the question in speciall is concerning Ionah his anger and therein I shall deale more strictly And thus far on the Lords part The answere of Ionah hath likewise in it these three specialties answerable to the three parts of the former Quere which may easily bee apprehended in the question by the Lord specially directed to Ionah First here is a simple affirmation on Ionah's part the Lords question first implying thus much Ionah art thou angry yea saith Ionah I am angry Secondly a peremptory affirmation or iustification Doest thou well to be angry Ionah yea I doe well to be angry Thirdly a deepe aggravation Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd yea I doe well to be angry vnto death The first Circumstance The parties contending are the Lord and Ionah Impar congressus a most vnequall match and yet Ionah farre the weaker hath also the weaker cause in hand Tu domine fundasticaelos Thou Lord in the beginning hast established the heavens and laide the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit of man within him Great is our God and great is his power his wisedome is infinite Now looke vpon Ionah and who or what is he at the best but a weake and mortall creature a man borne of a woman of few dayes and full of misery hee commeth vp and is cut down like a flower he fleeth as a shadow and abideth not And doest thou open thine eyes vpon such an one bring such one into iudgement with thee saith Iob in the same place Here is instruction for all in places of Superiority let them learne from this one example of the Lord here how to carry themselues towards their inferiours Doth the Lord vouchsafe to reason with Ionah and give him account of his doings who then art thou that doest swell against thy brother and disdainest to answere thy fellow-seruant Drop downe yee heavens from above and let the skies powre downe righteousnesse Woe be to him that striveth with his maker For wee may not search into the Lords counsell further then he hath revealed it is farre more dangerous then to meddle in mans matters but there admire where he hath concealed Howbeit we see to the shame of our pride and scorne of our haughtie stomackes the Lord full often doth not refuse to commit himselfe to the tryall the Iudge to be iudged by vs his vassals Therefore hath he appointed a day wherein he will iudge the world in righteousnesse and the consciences of wicked men who refuse his iudgements now shall be made to acknowledge his iustice then Thus speakes the Apostle and he alleadgeth it out of the Psalmes that thou mightest be instified in thy sayings and overcome when thou art iudged Let then all petty gods take example from this great God whether they be Kings or Rulers or Magistrates or Officers or Masters or Fathers of Families since God is equall towards vs and that the heavens will one day declare let vs learne equitie and faire dealing one towards another This lesson had Iob learnt Chap. 3.13 If I did despise the cause of Man-seruant or Maide-seruant when they contended with mee what shall I doe when God riseth vp and when hee visiteth what shall I answere him Thus shall we walke worthy the title of Gods otherwise breake the teeth of the vngodly and malicious smite out the Iaw-bones of the Lyons O Lord. For such who walke not according to this rule retaine no longer the image of their Maker but are degenerated into Lyons Beares Tygers evening Woolues and so are they called in Scripture The second Circumstance Here the question is how the saying came to Ionah againe how Ionah spake to the Lord. Was it facie ad faciem face to face not so It was a Priviledge of Moses alone Exod. 12. That the Lord would speake to him face to face and this but in a figure too there being intended thereby but only a more familiar kinde of presence or dealing with Moses then with any other the Prophets vntill Christ came for when Moses desired to see the glory of God and his very countenance it was permitted to him only to haue a sight of his Backe-parts while his glory passed by This being a received truth That no man can see God and live I meane the life of Nature more then the waxe can indure the heate of
the fire without melting And for this cause neyther was it the voyce of the Lord proceeding immediately from his spirit which spake to Ionah here or to any of his Prophets elsewhere For as no man hath seene his shape so neyther hath any man heard his voyce at any time as sayth our Saviour Ioh. 5.37 The voyce of the Lord sayth David is powerfull the voyce of the Lord is full of maiestie c. but in his Temple doth everie man speake of his glory And truly vnlesse wee first take comfort in hearing the Lords voyce in his Temple and that by the Ministery of man daily delivered wee shall take little pleasure in hearing the Lords owne voyce which shall shake both heaven and earth much more the consciences of all sinners when he shall show himselfe in farre more dreadfull manner then once he did vpon Mount Sinai But how came the voyce to Ionah I have showen you negatively how not was it then in audible manner from without audible or rather intelligible it was to Ionah but in secret and from within like that still small voyce that came to Eliah The Lord spake vnto Iob but out of the whirl-winde and Job therewith grew humbled before a man most daring And I thinke had there to this voyce in what kinde soever it came to Jonah beene ioyned but some powerfull signe of the Lords presence Ionah durst not then have carryed himselfe so petulantly if the Lord had spoken to him whither out of the whirlewinde as to Iob or out of the flaming bush as to Moses or out of the storme as to Eliah or in a more excelling vision as vnto Daniel as vnto Iohn Rev. 1. He durst not then have replyed as he doeth much lesse if as he is in his owne ineffable existency had God spoken durst he once to have muttered It is true the Lord doeth sometimes speake audibly striking the outward sense of man as by the Trumpet which called vnto Iohn Revel 4. Againe sometimes hee hath revealed himselfe visibly to the eye of mans body and so he did to the young man with Elisha the Prophet 2. Kings 6.17 and to Paul Actes the 9.3 Sometimes againe and that very vsually vnder the time of the old Law he hath revealed his will to the fantasie or imagination and that by a dreame in the night Lastly and that most specially and most inwardly of all hath the Lord made knowen his purpose to the minde of man his intellective or vnderstanding part as the most essentiall part of man and most capable of Divine revelation But this last hath not happened alwayes after one kinde and manner but sometimes after a more abstracting and ravishing sort the man for the present being so disposed that hee knowes not whether his spirit bee in or out of his body at the lestwise the spirit being for the time deprived the vse of any the senses that it may attend the better to heavenly visions Thus was Ezekiel carryed out of himselfe into the valley of dry bones Paul into the third heavens thus fell Peter into his trance Sometimes againe to come to the question in hand and this most commonly to his Seruants the Prophets the Lord hath given his word or his signe by a secret instinct or inspiration Thus was the manner of olde and that thus it was with Ionah in this place may appeare by the context in comparing this speech with the precedent verse where is set downe that Ionah fainting wished in himselfe to die and said it was better for him to die then live This wish or speech of Jonah was secret within himselfe no eare heard it but the Lord and so the Lord in secret againe doth answer him and hee againe answers to the Lord. The Lord saide to Ionah and Ionah saide to the Lord the manner and carriage of which saying and interchange of speech as it was secret and silent so no thoughts could vnderstand but the heart of Ionah and the Lord only Shall we now apply this the Author to the Hebrewes hath done it in these words God who did in times past at divers times and sundry waies speake vnto the Fathers the Prophets have in these last daies spoken to vs by his owne Sonne whom hee hath appointed heire of all things by whom he made the worlds Now which kinde of speakings had you rather choose whither by seruants in the house or him that hath made the house and is heire of all Some there be who say O that we had lived in the daies of the Prophets or the Prophets now in our daies for then should we be vifited with new revelations and visions from the Lord. Hence spring vp almost in all ages those Anabaptisticall spirits pretending daily new revelations but inspired from hell to leade away vnstable soules which will not content themselues with the sound doctrine of the Gospel delivered by Christ Iesus the only Sonne of God To this end also have the Ministers of Antichrist devised new traditions and vnwritten verities to feed the humour of such men that they all might bee damned saith Saint Paul who beleeve not the truth but have pleasure in vnrighteousnesse in his second Epistle to the Thessalonians O remember the saying before that God spake divers times and diversly to the Fathers the Prophets none of them for the time being able to deliver an absolute forme of doctrine but as expecting daily somethings yet to bee added they waited for further revelations or inspirations from above And shall we expect that doctrine which they left imperfect to be made vp or perfected by the giddy spirits or furious phantasies of such who come like the old Prophets I have dreamed I have dreamed O no God hath spoken to vs in these last dayes by his Sonne the heyre of all who came out of his Fathers bosome and therefore hath revealed his whole will concerning our salvation and the means thereof and the same to remaine without any addition alteration or change to the end of the world he hath also sealed the same by the witnesse of his spirit in the hearts of all beleevers so that we may say with Peter whether shall we goe from thee for thou hast the word of Life c. To conclude since Saint Iohn wrote his revelation which he received from Christ there is to be looked for no other Revelation whether from Angels or men but cursed is he that addeth or taketh away from the words of the Booke of this Prophesie or from the writing of any other the Prophets Euangelists Apostles This word of God saith S. Paul to Timothy is able to make the man of God perfect what neede then any other helpe and furtherance perfection being by this word to bee attained vnto a perfection greater then that the fathers before Christ saw a perfection so farre as is conuenient during the state of our mortall life and Pilgrimage here vntill that glorious day in full strength breake out and the
finde by the pulse of their affections a strong inclination to Ionah's disease they may vse these remedies to allay the fury and settle the tranquillitie of their owne soules First let them consider against whom they doe oppose in their anger is it not against the great and mighrie God The Thistle in Lebanon sent to the Cedar in Lebanon saying give thy daughter to my sonne to wife or take thou my daughter to thy sonne to wife and there passed by a wilde beast that was in Lebanon and trode downe the Thistle Thus said Joash King of Israel to Amaziah King of Iudah when he sent this message let vs looke one another in the face and this is the least of a thousand that I can say when we dare provoke the God of heaven to his face Can we throw downe mountaines by our might or dry vp the sea at our rebuke Can the Toade as the Fable hath it equall the Elephant in bignesse though shee swell and swell and swell againe and burst in swelling O then let vs remember that arrowes shotte vp into the ayre returne vpon the head of the shooters and pierce downewards Againe consider thine owne deserving for sure thou hast good cause to be angry with God and why thou hast from time to time so well deserved at his hands It is the mercy of the Lord that we are not all consumed saith Ieremy and truly wee are lesse then the least of all his mercies therefore the vse is soveraigne which the same Prophet maketh Lament 3. Wherefore doeth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sinnes Let vs search and try our waies and turne againe to the Lord Let vs lift vp our heart with our hands vnto God in the heavens c. Thirdly to passe from this iudge not of Gods favour to thee or his righteous proceedings in thy cause or person from the sense of thy present suffrings but from the end and issue which commonly God makes of his Saints afflictions and therefore whereas now thou art vnder and thy feete sticke fast in myre and clay pray vnto God with David that he would advance thy head and set thee vpon the rocke which is higher then thou so shalt thou be able to looke about thee round and with comfort behold the hilles and dales spacious forrests and groves thou shalt then with correction of thy passed folly perceive plainely the causes the reasons the end issue of Gods wise and gracious proceeding with thee and perceiving shalt praise and magnifie his name for it The Warre-like Souldier while the heate of the battell lasteh heares and sees nothing but confused noise and garments rolled in blood the pransing of strong horses the ratling speares Bellonaes rage with the clashing armes and clanging trumpe doth astonne his sense for the present and hee hath no leisure so long to thinke of the countrey of Peace the Ensignes of Honour the Garlands of Victory Victorious when he doth returne from the spoyle of his enemies then he rides in the Chariot of Triumph Trophees are erected he doth with ioy recount his dangers passed glory in his wounds received when all tongurs doe sound his praises Saul hath slaine his thousand and David his ten thousand Even so when the Warre-fare appointed for vs is accomplished we shall stand vpon Mount Sion Victorious beholding the Aegyptians dead vpon the shoore and shall sing the song of Moses the Horse and his ryder are throwne into the Sea Principalities and Powers are vanquished and subdued and we shall raigne for evermore Secondly My second vse shall be also of exhortation but this to the troublers of Sions peace and Edoms children who insult vpon her desolations It is necessary saith our Saviour that offences come but woe be to them who are the causers and grieve the soules of Gods children for they doe not alwaies labour of their owne inward griefes and private distresses of their owne soules from within Eliah flyes from the face of Iezabel and growes weary of his life woe be to Iezabel therefore who is the cause of it In the meane time the Saints groane and cry out for the wrongs done vnto them and grow impatient of spirit because the Lord doeth not worke the deliverance shall we say howsoever their impatiencie is not to bee excused that the world who hath procured their vnrest shall escape vnpunished or that the soules shall not be heard who to this day cry from vnder the Altar how long o Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth Remember the parable of the widow and vniust Iudge avenge me of mine adversary saith shee avenge mee of mine adversary and still shee cryeth avenge mee of mine adversary he would not for the iustnesse of her cause heare her but her importunity prevailed What 's the vse our Saviour makes thereof the answere ariseth by a gradation shall not God much more Iudge and revenge who is a iust Iudge and in a most iust and rightfull cause and that in the behalfe of his children his children which doe not onely call but cry and cry day and night shall not God avenge his owne elect saith he which cry day and night vnto him though hee beare long with them As who would say there is no sense nor reason to the contrary and therefore he saith plainly I tell you he will avenge them speedily Luk. 18. Thirdly In the third place Let vs learne to bee advised of this one thing how wee spend our iudgements vpon any whom we yet see labouring vnder the crosse least prooving vncharitable in our censure it proove to be our turne next to vndergoe the same tryalls vnder which wee see our â—â—other with some bitternesse of spirit wrastling for the present Alas If we iudge onely from the outward behaviour and externall effects which for the present affect our senses Ionah then is already condemned by our doome and how hardly must it goe with all those famous Worthies before named Rather Let vs enter into this account with our selves and say good God if Ionah indued with a farre greater measure of holinesse then poore I did proove thus fretfull and impatient vnder the hand of God how lesse able should I have beene to have borne but halfe the burden he sustained If Eliah Moses Ieremy Iob had not the power to master their vnruly passions sure then if Ibe not conscious to my selfe of the like weakenesse I never came vnto the tryall or how weakely should I resist in the day of evill A man that lyes groveling on the ground and sends forth lamentable groanes wee know not well the anguish of his spirit yet this we know that he is terribly indisposed yet for all this though the sight of all men and in his owne thinking too he be as a man most desperately forlorne and miserable he may notwithstanding by the helpe of some cunning Physitian and Chirurgion be