that are of a poor spirit and ready to faint in the sight of their sins or fear of Gods displeasure some are of a tender spirit and should be handled tenderly Rough speaking or doing would even quite over-set them and bring them to a despairing faintnesse In such cases we should note and be tender and pour in oyl to heal their wounds so did Christ Esa 50.4 he spoke a word in season to him that was weary and it hath been said nothing doth so discover a man to be spiritual or according to the mind of Christ as the gentle handling of another mans wounds Use 2 But let these careful souls help themselves by ways and means which the Lord hath appointed Help against fainting fits As against bodily faintings we get hot waters and other helps so should we against these faintings of spirit As thus 1. Get thy faith strengthned as much as may be Faith is a special reviver of the soul in evil times Ps 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living as how because it draws vertue from Christ and from his intercession who is a quickning Head and from the promises and covenant which also have an enlivening power and it gives the poor soul a view of heaven to fetch life again 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. for which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen those temporal these eternal 2. Wait upon God in the diligent use of his Ordinances Cant. 2. these are the flagons which stay a soul that is sick of love to Jesus Christ and see Esa 40.29 30 31. he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly faâ—l But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Christians ye converse daily in Ordinances adde diligence and good conscience and your faintings will wear off by little and little No such Cordials as the Word and Sacraments well improved 3. Pray and it shall be done God is he that sendeth this faintness into the soul and it is he that must take it away Levit. 26.36 I will send a faintness into their hearts and he that wounds must heal again He that cast Jonah into the Whales belly and into the fainting fits did set all at rights again I will look up again toward thy holy Temple I remembred the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee unto thine holy Temple Here Jonah amplifies his prayer by the hope he nourished amidst his great danger he was not without some hope even when he fainted most and thought himself cast out of Gods sight And all these three days and nights he was well employed A good soul at lowest hath some working toward God for comfort and deliverance and ought to be well employed during the time of his affliction Yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple that is Heaven A good soul from the belly of hell can look toward heaven as here Jonah No distance of place Note Out of hell seâ—â— heaven nor lowness of condition can hinder this prospect Steven amidst the stones looked up and saw the heaven open and Jesus standing on the right hand of God Moses in Pharaohs wrath and threats saw him that is invisible and endured all Micaiah saw God on a throne and was hardned against his meeting of wicked Ahab Reas 1 All from the nature of faith which is the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 By faith Abraham saw the day of Christ and rejoyced By faith he and the old Believers embraced the promises By faith Paul and his fellow Apostles looked not at things seen which are temporal but at things not seen which are eternal and They walked by faith not by sight that is spiritual encouragements not carnal Use A good memenâ—o for a Saint in low condition whether by sickness or otherwise Upward upward below all is black and uncomfortable but upward all is clear and joyous Make use of thy faith to carry thee far above all these tumults fogs and confusions why a sword by the side and not defend against a thief why faith in the heart and not strengthned by it in threatning evils why as heartless and comfortless as he that hath no faith to support himself Remember how David rated away his unbelief Psal 42. Why art thou cast down O my soul and remember how our Saviour chode Peter for fearing Mat 14 31. Why didst thou doubt O thou of little faith Ob. Sol. Oh but I have something sticks by me that is of an higher importance my sins which are many and great Answ So had Jonah at this time he had greatly sinned against God in refusing the service imposed and said he was cast out of his sight but mark the adversative Yet I will look toward thy holy Temple he would not seal his disobedience with unbelief and impenitency one sin to another They say Judas did worse by despairing then in betraying his Master And mark the word again he had conversed with God formerly and found comfort while he held on in a course of duty but now upon this baulk made the sweet communion was interrupted therefore he saith again so thou though thy sins be many and great yet return yea though they be relapses yet again come to thy God by repentance there is a promise for healing our backslidings Hos 14 4. Though man will not pardon faults by recidivation yet God will Jer. 3 1. thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. And if comfort come not presently yet look again as Jonah here at thy first looking thou mayest misse of mercy but look again it will come at last at the last looking rain came according to the prayer of Elias When my soul fainted within me I remembred the Lord. A Believer finds a good remedy against his fainting fits Note Remedy against fainting fits to remember the Lord. Where note First there is an head-remembrance which stands chiefly in speculation as that there is a God that he is able to help us in misery that he sees and knows our estate and can put forth mercy and power for our relief If thou wilt thou canst make me whole Secondly there is an heart-remembrance when we look upon God as our God and trust in him and cast our selves upon his care and love to do for us according to our need whether for soul body or
and Consequents give occasion or some other Text of Scripture so far the man spake rightly And it is good against the Familists who turn all even plain Scriptures into Allegories Come we now to the Book it self Contents of this Book This Book of Jonah contains many chief points concerning the Knowledge of God and the Salvation of man 1. For God we may here see and admire his goodness in sending to the Heathen Ninevites that they might repent and be saved even at that time when generally he took Israel for his only peculiar chosen people Possibly a sign of the calling of the Gentiles which should follow afterward And the justice of God who so severely revenged the disobedience of his own Servant Jonah after whom all may learn to take heed of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness And the power of God who hath all the Creatures even the rudest at his own beck and disposal the Winds the Sea the Fishes the Herbs and Plants and all the Creation And his providence who provides both for the punishment and for the relief of Jonah and by both of them an wholsome instruction for him to be ruled by him for time to come better then before and for us also who need such Discipline 2. For Man and his Salvation we see by this Book how far we are fallen into Sin and Misery even so far that without the mighty and merciful hand of God we cannot recover our selves no more then Jonah could And to them that are troubled at the sight of their sin and danger there is Mercy in store by Jesus Christ as there was for Jonah And the way is to believe the Preaching of the word and repent and turn from our evil wayes as did the Ninevites Here we have also the force of Prayer the nature of Fear the wages of Disobedience the fruit of Repentance Here we have Lots Vows singing of Psalms History strange and wonderful and a new kind of Creation in the Gourd that rose up in a Night with other profitable Documents as God shall bring us to them in order Parts In the Book we have a first and second calling of Jonah to Preach to the Ninevites with the things that followed upon both of them In the first Chapter we have the behaviour of Jonah and of the Mariners Of Jonah we read these things 1. the Message given him v. 1.2 2 his declining of the Message v. 3. 3. the apprehension of him when he was fugitive ver 4. 4. the execution ver 15. The Message is set down both generally it was the word of the Lord and especially Jonah must go to Nineve and cry against it Ver. 1. Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah Or And the word of the Lord came that is to Jonah as well as to the other Prophets Or This Message to Nineve as well as the other Messages to Israel with all the circumstances here related Jonah by his Calling was an ordinary Teacher of Gods people but now extraordinarily he is sent to Preach among the Gentiles Note Teaching us to abide in in our particular place and station till the Lord please to take us off and send us elsewhere Teachers in the Church ought not to wander up and down or thrust themselves into other mens Offices as the fashion of some is It is the sin of some scarce of ordinary gifts to pretend an extraordinary Vocation Use It is certainly Zeal without Knowledge to undertake this work and disturb the Peace of the Church They should first have been sure that the word of the Lord came to them and for satisfaction to Gods people they should be able to make it appear to the Rulers of the Church which of late dayes was utterly rejected and all confusion thereby brake in upon us as a mighty flood The word of the Lord came unto Jonah Namely by Inspiration of the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.20 21. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ascribed to the whole Scripture 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God There are divers ways of manifestation but all by one and the same Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Num. 12.6 Heb. 1.1 God in times past spake in divers manners suppose in a Vision or in a Dream and sometime possibly by an audible Voice So David tells us 2 Sam. 23.2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue Be assured hence The writings of the Prophets are of Divine Authority Doctr. Prophets from God wrote what we see the word of the Lord the Vision of the Lord the burthen of the word of the Lord He spake by the mouth of the holy Prophets from the beginning of the world Luke 1.70 and see Chapter 24.25 44. and 1 Pet. 1.10 11 12. Which serves to comfort us concerning our Faith in all Use 1 the Articles of it they are all grounded in the Writings of the Prophets therefore Divine and may well be believed The word of the Lord came unto Jonah to Amos to Hosea and to the rest of the Prophets We have a sure word of prophesie yea more sure then Visions and Oracles 2. Pet. 1.16 17 18 19. much more then Fancies of men pretending the Spirit and craking of a light in them which must sway against the written word Ministers and all Blessed be God who hath put a Bridle into their mouths and restrained their Fury For our part we are sure all is right and straight whatever we believe according to the Prophets Use 2 2. It serves to convince the world of wickedness in not receiving the word of the Prophets We admire the obstinacy of the Jews who were never the better though they had men sent among them with extraordinary Gifts and Graces and immediate teachings of the Spirit but stay Is there not the same obstinacy in our people now-a days Ministers Preach over the same Doctrines again and again and who almost regardeth Esa 53.1 Who hath believed our report Drunkards there be still as in the Prophets time Swearers Liars Sabbath-breakers otherwise wicked And the same judgments hang over the heads of our sinners as the Prophets told their people Faith and Repentance are Preached still as they Preached and namely Jonah in this Book Oh the invincible hardness of mens hearts not to believe the Prophets and Preachers What do you think must we needs go to Nineve to Preach and get Converts If we did we might speed but wo be to unbelieving Christians whom neither Prophets nor Apostles nor Holy men coming with their Doctrine can work to Repentance Certainly seeing they believe not these they would not believe though one should rise from the dead Luke 16. ult Use 3 3. Take heed I beseech you and seeing the Prophets deliver the word of the Lord let them be regarded accordingly As thus 1. Take pains to know the meaning of the Prophets in their several Prophesies There are obscurities
A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION OF THE Historical Prophesie OF JONAH Delivering sundry brief Notes in a Cursory way concerning the mind of the Holy Ghost in the several Passages Hard things exercise the Reader Plain things nourish him Imprimatur June 5. 1665. LONDON Printed by L. Miller for John Chandler Bookseller in Reading 1666. To the Right Worshipful my much honored Friend The Lady Cecilia Knollys All Health and Happiness in the Lord. IT is a very comfortable priviledge good Madam vouchsafed to sincere and faithful Christians that being planted in the house of the Lord Psal 92.14 they shall still bring forth fruit in old age when other trees grow doddick and past fruit-bearing these trees of Righteousness by a singular blessing from God shall be able to yield the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5 21. for the honor of God who planted them and for the good of that Christian community whereof they are members They are more in prayer and more in magnifying the grace whereby they stand more in their meditations of God and the things of God more in their preparations for death and for an entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of Jesus Christ more in imparting experiences of the gracious dealings of God with themselves and others for helping the troubled spirits of their brethren more free in Alms-deeds and all good uses according to ability more mortified to the world and to their passions more profitable to the Church in whose prosperity they rejoyce and grieve in the adversity and better redeem the time whereof they see so little remaining Though they be infested with their infirmities of old age and with divers incumbrances of the world yet even in old age they mind the doing of good yea more good then they were wont to do as willing to the uttermost while they may to shew forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous 1 Pet. 2 9. light The recompence of reward draws nearer and nearer and in little time will be fully in their possession therefore for the inch of time that remains in this tabernacle they will work as fast as they can with all faithfulness carefulness and chearfulness And this their priviledge stands upon sundry unmoveable grounds as The eternal love and counsel of God who enables them to persevere and be fruitful The meritorious intercession and powerful grace of Jesus Christ John 15.5 in whom they are as branches in their Vine The effectual working of Gods blessed Spirit who is promised to abide with them for ever 14.16 The immortal and incorruptible seed of the word 1 Pet. 1.13 whereof they are born again and cannot perish for ever The faithful and stedfast Covenant of grace Jer. 32.40 which as it engageth God never to depart from them but do them good so it warrants them fresh abilities that they shall never depart from their God together with promises in particular and divers helps both to hold out to the end and to bring forth fruit still in old age This I write good Madam to comfort you in this your age and against the many infirmities which accompany it The Lord adde unto your days abundantly and give you yet to see the peace of his Jerusalem Many good fruits you have born already and we rejoyce in seeing them your love to the House and Ordinances of God which sometimes you frequent with danger to your health your love to godly Ministers whom you esteem worthy of double honour the religious ordering of your Family the careful observation of the Lords Day which with many is almost out of request the large provision you make weekly for poor people with other good fruits which will abound to your account in that great day of Jesus Christ Phil. 4.17 Go on good Madam and never be weary in well-doing Gal. 6.9 in due time you shall reap if you faint not and according to the premisses you shall be sure in this holy way never to faint for the way of the Lord is strength to the upright Prov. 10.29 and the whole stream of the Scriptures runs for your encouragement At this time I make bold to present your Ladyship with these brief and plain Meditations and pray your acceptance as from one who desires to acknowledge the grace of God in you and to help you along to the end of your course with much joy and assurance humbly taking my leave in present and unto death remaining Your Ladyships obliged William Jemmat To the Practitioner in Religion GOod friend here I present thee with a few plain and familiar Observations on the Book of Jonah Learned and eloquent Discourses he that is willing may find in those great Masters of our Israel A. Abbot B. King who many yeares ago wrote on this Prophesie which yet is rather an History And this present endeavour needed not but to revive those Notions which lie hid from the most and plain people will best relish plain and short Discourses Yet if we consider the matters herein contained we shall find some of them lofty Hieron proem in Jonam and fit for deep meditations Some Hebrew Doctors say that this Jonah was son of the widow of Sarepta whom Eliahs raised from the dead which if it be true we meet with a wonder both strange and not exemplified in any other Here are three resurrectians for one Saint first in that he was raised by the Prophet Eliah next that he recovered out of the belly of the Whale wherein he was a figure of our Saviours resurrection and last of all Mat. 12.39.40 that in the generall resurrection he shall come again with his body and for ever be with the Lord. It is also a wonder in this Book that the providence of our God is so present with his people and of so large extent among the creatures both small and great It is a wonder that Jonah should so long subsist in the Whales belly and at three dayes end be set on land again and do the message which formerly he had so stifly refused to do It is a wonder that in a little time he reaped more fruit of his Ministry among heathenish Ninevites then in a long time he had reaped among Gods own people It is a wonder that after his miraculous deliverance out of the Fish and after his holy resolutions to be wholly for the Lord yet he should be stout and sturdy about the sparing of Nineve the Lord bespeaking him very mildely and he replying upon the Lord very peevishly Christian there is something to be pickt out of these and other passages for thy edification Let the brevity of the Notes occasion thee to fall into large meditations and applications to thine own soul And let the plainnesse of them which saves the labour of farther inquiry occasion thee to deal the more seriously with thy conscience that thou mayest be brought to an entire estate of faith
hath blessed me with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in him and as Peter Blessed be God who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten me again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible c. 1 Pet. 1.3 These are good forms of thanksgiving but the matters are infinitely precious and highly to be prized 2. It serves to comfort good and thankful souls as the Use 2 blessed Virgin rejoyced in God her Saviour Comfort There is comfort in an outward deliverance such as 88. or 1605. but much more in a spiritual from sin and Satan and all those woful torments so the joy should be heartier and purer and enlarged abundantly toward the Author Psal 32.11 Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous be glad and shout for joy Phil. 4.4 all ye that are upright in heart Not simply the gift but the Giver to be highly magnified Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce These are good discriminations from carnal joy so to look to the benefit and by it to the Founder as David when he had sung the works of God concluded My meditation of him shall be sweet Psal 104.34 3. It serves to help our faith in dangers and against Use 3 temptations Trust in this God of salvation Confidence both for soul and body we may well cast all our care on him to secure both And we need not doubt in the least though hell raise many storms and the world as many and our own unbelieving hearts cast doubts now and then yet fear nothing he hath both devised and wrought salvation for us and keeps it safely for us 1 Pet. 1.5 Lastly a soul that hath any sad thoughts and cares about Use 4 his salvation sees hereby whether to look and turn and where to speed of salvation look to Jehovah who is complete in all his Attributes Promises Relations Ordinance Dispensation especially in Christ the Mediator between God and man and a most loving Saviour to distressed souls The Lord spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land The voice of the Lord is powerful and mighty in operation see Psal 29.3 Note Gods voice very powerful 1. 1. This is utteted of the written word of God Heb. 4.12 In the hand of the Spirit it is able to convince of a bad estate to convert to confirm to comfort to recover out of great falls and in fine to save a soul yea by hundreds and thousands Act. 2. 2. It is true also of the creation and providence of God he makes and upholds all things by the word of his power Heb. 1.3 by the word of the Lord the heavens were created and all the hosts of them he sends forth his word and they are made and at his word they return to their dust Specially his providence to his Church and Chosen Thou art our King O God Psal 44.4 command deliverance for Jacob. He spake to Esau and Laban and they refrained from Jacob he spake to the spirit of Cyrus and he sent back the captivity of Judah he spake to the feavers in way of rebuke and they left the sick persons Speak the word only and my servant shall be healed Here he spake to the fish and Jonah came to dry land Use 1 Psal 29.9 Worthily therefore in his Temple doth every one speak of his glory as a most fit Object of our admiration and adoration None among the gods is to be compared to the Lord none of them is like unto our God holy and reverend is his Name Oh for hearts lifted up in his praises and ravished with his glories Use 2 And Oh for hearts to trust in him amidst all our dangers and difficulties It is as easie for him to deliver if he please as for us to let fall a word to restrain an enemy to heal a disease to supply our wants to Comfort our hearts Only believe All things are possible to him that believeth So in those main truths of the Gospel 1. That Christ rose again from the dead the third day as here did Jonah the same God that spake to the fish and Jonah got to dry land did speak to death and the grave and Christ got into the land of the living Remember thy Type and how it was answered As Christ rose again by his own power so also by the power of his Father 2. That we also shall rise again at the last day Ezek. 37.1 we believe the resurrection of the dead Why God will speak to dry bones and they shall come bone to bone and â—ive and stand up and be a great army If we believe the Scriptures and the power of God we will never stick to believe this Article 3. That collapsed Churches shall be raised again as there Judah in captivity Apply it to the Churches of Bohemiah and other now fallen 4. That distressed consciences shall be relieved in due time God will speak peace to his people and will revive the spirit of the contrite ones 5. That broken Trades and Estates shall be restored when God pleaseth he will restore the years of the Locust and Caterpillar Only if we believe and obey Esa 1.19 20. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land but if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it CHAP. III. Ver. 1.2 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time saying Arise and go to Nineve that great City and Preach unto it the Preaching that Ibid thee OF this Chapter there be four parts 1. A new order for Jonah to go and preach at Nineve ver 1.2 2. Jonahs obeying of that order ver 3.4 3. The Ninevites repenting at his preaching ver 5.6 7 8 9. 4. The mercy and forbearance of God upon their repenting ver 10. Note Penitents restored to their old standing For the first of these Jonah is here restored to his office of a Prophet from which he might seem to have fallen and that most justly so our Saviour restored â—eter to his office of an Apostle after the great sin of denying his Master Notable examples of Gods goodness in healing and restoring the Penitent as was said I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely Hos 14.4 Use 1 And they yield much comfort to afflicted consciences which are troubled at their failings and backslidings Fear not nor be dismayed he that restored Jonah and Peter will restore thee also and set all at rights between him and thy soul Use 2 And learn you that are spiritual to restore a Brother that is fallen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the spirit of meekness Gal. 6.1 The word is set him in joynt again Care is taken for the body in that case and should much more be taken for the soul Note Without exprobration of failings But mark
to understand of all outward observations abstracted from true piety they are nothing worth 1 Tim. 4.8 Bodily exercise profiteth little Though the body were never so much macerated and even brought to a Consumption yet without contrition of spirit it would avail nothing It is the fervent prayer of the righteous that availeth much Jam. 5.16 And note by the way how this King speaketh only of one God namely the God of the Hebrews whom Jonah had preached in the message he brought The many gods which he had served before began now to be vile in his eyes as able to do him no good Which is the guise of all true Converts to reject idol-gods the belly the Childe that is idolized the wealth c. See hence why we make those long prayers on a day of Use 1 fasting With some this may be accounted tedious Apology and hardly to be endured But the case stands thus Prayer is the chief work of the day and all our preaching is but to prepare your hearts and stir up your affections to cry mightily unto God even with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered And by that time we have duly confessed our own sins and the sins of the Land together with supplications for mercy and forbearance judge you whether it be not requisite to spend more time then ordinary Adde thus 1. These sins are mighty sins and need mightily to be cryed down Amos 5.12 I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins Some sinners are mighty to pour in strong drink to swear bloudily to commit uncleanness to oppress their brethren and the like 2. The mighty God is mightily offended and provoked to wrath Psal 90 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger it hath proved heavy to men and Angels and so there needs a mighty cry to appease this wrath and get judgements prevented or removed It had been too late for Nineve to pray when once the forty days were expâ—red 3. The enemies of our peace and Gospel are mighty enemies idolaters profane persons dissembling friends real enemies It is a wonder that our house and Kingdom which is so divided is not fallen asunder long ago There needs mighty crying to God that we may defeat these enemies Remember this against a Fast and in your ordinary course of prayer Wrestle strive continue instant in prayer be fervent in spirit serving the Lord. True Christians have both the gift and spirit of prayer and should stir up the gift that is in them Do as Jacob who wrestled with the Angel and would not let him go without a blessing See how it is described in Hos 12.3 4 5 6. By his strength he had power with God yea he had power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplications unto him And the truly-godly are said to be a generation of people much of the same frame Psal 24.6 This is the generation of them that seek him that seek thy face O Jacob. They are the Israel of God weak in themselves but mighty in a spiritual consideration The weapons of their warfare are not carnal but mâ—ghty through God to throw down strong-holds Amendment needful to true Penitents For the reformation of life here required Amendment of life is necessary to all that repent and fast aright Let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands In Scripture a mans way is that course of life which a man steers for the pleasing of God and saving of his soul And they that steer not aright are said to go in an evil way and need to turn out of it And so to turn is the true fast and the true repentance Sackcloth and all abstinence is nothing without crying to God by prayer and all prayer is nothing without a real reformation Esa 58 6,7 Is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness to undo the heavy burthens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thine house when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and that thou hide not thy self from thine own flesh Zech. 7.7 Should ye not hear the words which the Lord cryed by the former Prophets Use 1 Whence it follows that numbers never rightly kept a fast in all those years nor truly repented of their sins If they had they would not be such swearers as they are or drunkards lyars unjust incontinent otherwise ungodly If they had they would every one have turned from his evil way and wrought righteousness before God Sound reformation ever follows upon sound humiliation Those that would justifie their repentance for sound and testifie the sincerity of their conversion let them turn every one from his evil way Never tell of the many fasts ye have kept and how many tears ye have shed or sighs or groans but make all good by a thorow reforming of things amiss Bring forth fruits meet for repentance Mat. 3.8 Good apples argue the tree to be good and the works of pâ—ety mercy and righteousness argue the man who fasted to be a man truly-godly But how shall I know that I reform aright Notes of right turning from sin and in a saving manner Answ 1. In true conversion there is a turning from every evil way though there be profit to be had by the sin or pleasure or content of any kind David that was a true Penitent hated every false way Psal 119.104 The reason is because all sin is displeasing to God and dangerous to the soul And no sin is forgiven but it cost Christ his dearest bloud there is no other price of our redemption 1 Pet. 1.18 19. We are not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but by the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lamb without spot 2. In true conversion the special sin shall be singled out for censure sorrow and amendment as here the violence of these Nâ—nevites So David confessed his foul sins of filthiness and bloud-guiltiness Zacheus confessed his forged cavillation Matthew his sitting at the receit of custom Jonah wrote the story of his flying from God and declining the work which he had appointed him to do All which things and the like are written for our instruction to do the like 3. In true conversion there is a turning to God with all the heart as the rule is given Jer. 4.1 If thou wilt return O Israel Joel 2.12 13. saith the Lord return unto me And Paul was sent to turn the Gentiles from the power of Satan unto God Act. 26.18 Otherwise the conversion doth not reach home God is the party offended by sin and in Christ must be pleased with us again or else we do nothing Remember this our ordinary Theme and turn aright from your evil way Ver. 9. Who can tell if God will turn
thee in measure yet I will not leave thee wholly unpunished Reasons why God so pardons the penitent are plain Reas 1 1. Because he is very merciful and abundantly gracious Exod. 34.7 The Lord the Lord merciful and gracious forgiving iniquity Reas 2 transgression and sin 2. By Jesus Christ a ransome is found for the penitent justice satisfied wrath appeased fauour procured heaven opened 3. Promises are made every-where Reas 3 in Scripture for this kind of sinners and shall be made good to the full 4. The work of repentance which Reas 4 is begun in them is a change wrought by Gods own Spirit and therefore shall be honoured with the best fruits So here is more encouragement to repent Ye see your Use 1 remedy if judgements be to be prevented More encouragement to repent or to be removed be humbled before your God and it may be done Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites namely to repent and be pardoned As he so they and as they so we All is for our instruction that repenting as they did we may escape as they did And let none think to hold God to it that though he repent not yet he shall do well enough Verily verily said our Saviour except ye repent ye shall all perish Luke 13.5 So when a tender heart casteth doubts that his sins shall not be pardoned nor indeed can be set it flie to this remedy Grieve for thy sins and confess them and crave pardon for them in the Name and for the merit of Jesus Christ afterward doubt not but a pardon will be had and in time will be sealed up to thy foul 1 John â— 1. He is our Advocate with the Father and the propitiation for our sins He sits in his Pardon-office in heaven and in time will issue forth a pardon for thee Mark 1.15 Repent and believe the Gospel are the two main graces of the Gospel Use 2 Lastly let God be glorified in this Attribute of turning wrath away from penitent sinnerâ— So doth the Church Mic. 7.18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage the retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea Subjects use to magnifie a loving Prince who remits the penal laws and grants pardon to offenders So doth our God and so ought we to honour him Consider this is his end in granting forgiveness of sins Psal 130.4 That he may be feared And this was the first and chief mercy which David commemorated in his thanksgiving Ps 105.3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities As also Paul Eph. 1.6 7. That we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace CHAP. IV. Ver. 1.2 3. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And he prayed unto the Lord and said I pray thee O Lord was not this my saying when I was yet in my Country therefore I fled unto Tarshish for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful slow to anger of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil Therefore now O Lord Take I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye then to live THis Chapter sets forth the Events of Gods sparing of Nineve Summe of the Chapter The Events are of two sorts a froward servant and a gentle Master In Jonah we see the example of a froward and waspish Saint who too much cleaves to his own reason without due respect had to the will of God or to the good of sinners For a good man he is as cholerick a man as lightly we shall read of And we have his fellows if not in goodness yet in testiness and peevishness Take heed and do not imitate 1. We see how ill he takes the sparing of Nineve Parts ver 1. he is displeased and angry 2. We hear him justifying his former flying ver 2. 3. We read a strange prayer he makes ver 3. Take my life from me 4. We may hear more pevishness ver 9. I do well to be angry even unto death For the first of these What is was that displeased Jonah we may not conceive Jonah displeased or angry at the repentance of the Ninevites this being quite contrary to the truth of grace which was in Jonah Grace never opposeth grace in another but first desires it and then rejoyceth in it But it displeased him exceedingly that is that the Lord did not the evil which he said he would do to Nineve And why so because now he should be accounted a false Prophets and God who said Nineve should be overthrown should be blasphemed as variable and not true of his word as not only the heathens round about but even the Israelites themselves would be ready to jeer at his coming home among them A goodly messenger and message and hereafter we will not regard thee a whit It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry Some say he was offended at the calling of the Gentiles as those in Act. 11. and 22. and that by the spirit of prophesie he foresaw the rejection of the Jews into whose room the Gentiles were to succeed But this is too far fetched nor agrees with the Text and Argument here brought nor with the goodness of an holy heart such as Jonahs was It is best to understand it as before Note The godly have and confess their infirmities And we may observe A godly man hath many and great infirmities but withall confesseth them though to the shame of his own face as doth Jonah here Formerly from the same ground we concluded the Divinity of the Scriptures and now the sincerity of the Saints Paul for them all I do not the good I would and I do the evil I would not O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Use Remember this ye Saints and enure your selves to the duties of humiliation and mortification and where just occasion is be not ashamed to confess and give glory to God Jâ—s 7 19. Let God be true and every man a lyar To me belongs nothing but shame and confusion of face with a lowly deportment suitable to those humble conceits and speeches you use concerning your selves Lessons to be learned from Jonah Then for mortification learn by these failings of Jonah 1. Not to be wedded to thine own will so as to set it before or above the will of God as did he Self denial is the first lesson that a Christian should take forth and make use of it all along in his course Be not wise in thine own eyes Lean not to thine own understanding Go not by thine own shallow reason but which way the revealed will of God shall lead thee Jonah had Gods mind fully revealed to him in this point
Sun-shine which faints him up and makes him even weary of his life So with us Note Loss of good smart of evil God sometimes not only takes away our natural comfort and worldly accommodations but sends upon us smart and grievous afflictions droughts scorching weather distempers in the Air thereby distempers in the body fiery and acute Diseases as Agues Fevers Inflammations Leprosie Calenture c. which are one of the threats for disobedience Deut. 28.21 Or if it be not so bad yet the hot season shall make us faint and weary of our lives as here Jonah But why did not Jonah return into Nineve and get Quest 1 shelter there or remove into some Village near hand where he might be protected from this hot weather Answ 1. Because he was of a stout and sturdy spirit Answ and would not seem in the least to be beholden to the Ninevites or any of their Neighbours 2. Because he expected every day the ruine of Nineve which he would be glad to see with all his heart for his Credit fake which he took to be much engaged in the business And what should he do in a ruinous house which was likely in short time to come tumbling upon his head Quest 2 Another question may be why the Lord doth thus follow him with more and greater afflictions Answ Answ Because he had a mind to break and subdue this sturdy humor in Jonah which the meer loss of the gourd could not do as ver 9. he was angry for the gourd and fears not to tell God that he doth well to be angry even unto death So there needs a farther and stronger Purge to carry away this extreamly peccant humor as with us also whom lighter afflictions do little prevail withall Uses 1 Take we hence these instructions 1. To justifie God in all his sharp dealings with us when not only he takes away our Children Wealth Corn Cattel comforts of this life but sends Famine Sword Pestilence new Diseases Pox Agues other evils Say Psal 145.17 The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works We are apt to sit in judgment upon his doings and charge him foolishly as too severe but should rather clear him and lay the blame where it ought to be laid Psal 51.4 That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest Uses 2 2. To lay all the blame of our sufferings upon our selves as Pharaoh at last was taught to do The Lord is righteous but I and my people have sinned And when we finde our selves apt to mutter against God for feverity we should take our selves in the manner and say Why do we complain when the cause is in our selves Wherefore doth a living man complain Lam. 3.39 40. a man for the punishment of his sins Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord. And if we had our due we should be utterly consumed yea cast into hell long before this time as in the same place It is the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not 3. To mortifie those wretched corruptions which God Uses 3 would have to be weakned as here this stoutness of Jonah and to break off those sins which most agree with our crooked nature and odd occasions of offending A sharp winter useth to kill the weeds and vermine and cherish the Corn that is bidden So let it be with our failings in one kind or other Jonah fainted and wished in himself to dye He that will wish himself dead so often as he hath sore occasion shall have more occasions then one so to wish Note Idle wishes Jonah had prayed this before ver 3. I beseech thee take away my life from me And now seeing God pleased not thus to gratifie him he falls to wishing which is a lighter kind of desire And whereas at first he only thus wished in himself afterward he uttered his mind saying It is better for me to dye then to live as ver 3. So David in Psal 39.3 My heart was not within me while I was musing the fire burned then spake I with my tongue Take heed Christians Use and smother these hot and unquiet affections at the first arising mark them consure them suppress them use means to subdue and vanquish them as for instance Get abundance of faith and patience which may keep you from this fainting and wishing so did the Apostles and Martyrs and other holy men in great and lingring afflictions 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day For our light affliction which is but for a woman worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal And consider it is not a manly thing to desire death so often as strong afflictions shall urge and we saw on ver 3. how we may desire death and how not Whether it be better to dye then to live But let us a little examine the truth of this saying of Jonah It is better for me to dye then to live Is it indeed better to dye then to live Answ 1. Within the limits formerly mentioned it is better namely when God calls us away or the like Eccl. 7.1 The day of death is better the day of ones birth 2. Without such cautions it is not better and mark it is neither better for godly men nor for others 1. Godly men may do much good in the Church while they live which if they were dead they could not do as for example while Paul continued among his Converts he abode with them for their furtherance and joy of faith Phil. 1.25 and this consideration put him into a straight Phil 1.23 whither he should be dissolved which was far better for him in his own particular or live yet longer A godly Minister while alive may be a means of converting confirming or recovering many So a godly parent or master Yea in respect of a mans own self he may get the more hold of Gods love and do more good to put upon his accounts in that day and see his charge of Children well bred up and entred into the world with counsel to them where they erre or to neighbours between whom peace is to be made and divers good offices 2. Wicked men of all other should not desire to dye whatever their suffering be in the world because their peace is not yet made with God they are not yet in Christ they have not yet repented nor ordered their way so as to be fit to dye And if they dye before they he fit they have infinitely worse sufferings remaining for them It is for such to fear death and get it put off as long