from his maister All the Prophets were so tyed this onely commeth from them Thus or thus saith the Lord. Yea Balaam that false Prophet had catched this by the end If Balac vvould giue me his house full of siluer and gold I cannot go beyond the vvord of the Lord my God to do lesse or more Saint Paule had learned this lesson as the first in all his booke He sheweth it in nothing more plainly then in the case of the Sacrament I receiued from the Lord that vvhich I also haue deliuered vnto you So in the first to the Galathians If an Angell from heauen preach vnto you otherwise then that vvhich vve haue preached vnto you he had called himselfe before an Apostle from Iesus Christ let him be accursed It is a rule inuariable that in cases of saluation we looke to God the oracle of wisedome and truth not to our owne inuentions or to confirme our doctrine from this or that of our owne brayne but if we haue our warrant from the old or the new Testament then we may safely speake it Origene proposeth Saint Paule for an example in this case Paule saith he as his custome is vvill affirme that vvhich he teacheth out of the holie Scriptures and he doth giue an example to the Doctours of the Church that they should produce those things vvhich they speake to the people not grounded vpon their owne opinions but strengthened with the testimonies of God For if he so great and such an Apostle did not thinke that the authoritie of his words might suffice vnlesse he did know that those things were written in the law and the Prophets which he said how much more should we little ones obserue this that when we teach we vtter not our owne but the meanings of the holy Ghost 19 If the teachers and preachers of the Antichristian faith had kept this for a lawe there had neuer so absurd and filthie points of doctrine bene taught to their people visions and reuelations and messages from the dead dreames customes and such follies as are besides the word Purgatorie and limbus Patrum pilgrimages vnto Reliques and Transubstantiation of the bread into Christs bodie being contrarie to the Scriptures and many other things of this qualitie the later euer adding to the inuention of the former such a Canon or such a ceremonie These men are bold beyond the authoritie which was committed to them for theirs was but as this of Ionas thou must preach to them that preaching which I shall shew vnto thee Their charge was but as Timothies was and Paules words to Timothie were O Timothie keepe thy charge Keepe and hold fast that which by the Scriptures is committed to thee from the Lord and from me by his direction And there is not the greatest Minister not the most learned or acute but must obserue this rule Not Iames not Iohn not Peter not all the troupe of the Apostles may once varie from this He who shall bring other doctrine let him be accursed by vs. He who speaketh of himselfe let him be refused by vs. Howsoeuer godly or holy he do pretend himselfe yet if he decline that word which should be his direction let him be declined by vs. Whosoeuer shall say otherwise then that which is appointed saith Ignatius he meaneth otherwise then God hath appointed although he be a man of credit although he fast and keepe virginitie although he do miracles although he prophecie let him be thought by thee to be a wolfe who vnder a sheepes skinne doth intend the marring of the sheepe Thus shold the hearers be carefull that they receiue no doctrine but that which is approoued and the Preachers be aduised that they neuer teach any thing but what God hath commaunded Our Barhoisticall separations and absentments from the Sacraments had not crept so farre in the land if this had bene well practised 20 I need not giue farther exhortation in this place to retaine this as a ground in as much as all of vs do lay it downe as a principle that the written word of God is the onely guide to saluation and that fancies and traditions are to be exiled from vs. I therefore will here end desiring the Almightie that such doctrine as is oftentimes taught vnto vs from this place may bring foorth such plenteous fruit that in this congregation the name of God may be honoured and glorified in great measure and our soules may be so strengthened that they may soundly perseuere to euerlasting life To the which God the Father bring vs for his owne Sonne Christs sake to both whom and the holy Spirit be glorie euermore THE XVII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 2. Carnall reasons why Ionas might yet haue refused to go 3. But affliction hath schooled him 4. and that not onely while it was on him 5. Affliction worketh otherwise in the good 6. and in the bad 7. A reproofe of the present time 9. Obedience requireth euen circumstances to be regarded 10. God must be obeyed without debating 11. The greatnesse of Niniue 12. Ionas feareth not that he is alone 14. A great auditorie giueth more courage to a wise Preacher 15. Ionas speaketh not fearefully 16. The difference of opinions for the daies of repentance allowed to Niniue 17. Iudgement concerning Luther in the matter of the Sacrament 18. The Hebrew toung is not to be neglected by a Diuine Ionah 3.3.4 So Ionah arose and went vnto Niniue according to the word of the Lord Now Niniue was a great and excellent citie of three dayes iourney And Ionah began to enter into the citie a dayes iourney and he cried and sayd Yet fortie dayes and Niniue shall be ouerthrowne THe Prophet Ionas who should haue gone in the businesse of his maister but vpon some supposals had no mind vnto it and therefore starting aside like a broken bow was well beaten for his labour hath now a second time his commission drawne and his instructions giuen him to go as an Ambassadour from the Almightie king of heauen to a great Prince vpon earth The message which he bringeth is of more fearefull qualitie then if all the Princes adioyning had sent him their defiance by their Heralds that they would immediatly inuade him with fire and sword and irreconcilable hatred For he might haue made some shift against all their powers and standing vpon his gard in the defensiue part he might haue repelled them with such multitude of people as were vnder his gouernement and a citie so fortified as his was at that time Or if he and his people must needes end their dayes by the outrage of their enemie who would be much encouraged by prosperitie and desired successe yet that might be his comfort which is the last comfort in death to men in his case that hee went not awaye vnreuenged but hee had ridde some of those who came to ridde him and slayne some of the murtherers before that his last
which did make it remaining still aliue should retaine the mould or remember the fashion of it with his best obseruation although this image were now broken into peeces and some of the lead thereof did perchance in a wall ioyne some stones vnto other or iron to stones in windows or if some were framed into bullets or put to other vses be they neuer so different yet afterward the artificer hauing these fragments brought together can refound them and renew the image in that resemblance wherein they were before That which man can do in his trade can mans maker do much more in new framing man himselfe 18 I haue borowed this reason from the maister of the Sentences whereunto if anie reply that the comparison is much different because here the substance remaineth in the selfe same nature as before whereas it is oftentimes altered in the corruption of the flesh and bones in man I might answere that it is recompenced by the greatnesse and the power and the skilfulnesse of this framer which so farre doth exceede the abilitie of all workers But I rather will strengthen it with that argumēt of Tertullian who speaketh to this purpose We were alreadie once made of nothing when our matter went not before and is it not as easie that we should be againe made when we haue bene before If after our corruption our substance should be little yea very nothing at all yet can we thinke it lesse then it was before our breeding The authour of the first can as well do the latter This reason seemed strong vnto Gregory the great where he speaketh in this sort If a man who hath bene dead shold be raised vp all men breake foorth into admiration and yet daily is man borne who neuer was before and no man wondreth at that whereas without doubt it may appeare vnto all men that it is a greater worke when that is made which neuer was then when that shall be but repaired and new made which was before To follow this a little farther which of vs doth remember what we were before that we were borne where was our forme or our matter Yet we are growne to this quantitie and come vp to this fashion If we will speake as Philosophers the sonne is said to be in potentia of the father so of the grandfather and great grandfather although much more remooued If we will speake as the Spirite of God doth speake Leui the sonne of Iacob who was the sonne of Isaac who was the heire of Abraham is said to be in the loines of Abraham his great grandfather The line by this proportiō may be reached a great deale higher Now how many alterations corruptions dissolutions in nutriment and in food within men and without of necessitie must there be within ten generations before that he be produced who is the tenth successor Where shall we say was the seed or what shall we thinke was the matter from whence he was deriued Yet God hath so disposed that by order of propagation it should be so and no otherwise and a thousand alterations cannot hinder the course thereof and a million of corruptions shall not crosse his purpose afterward but that from earth and sea and stones and rockes and ashes chaunged ouer and ouer againe he can rowze vs and reuiue vs. The perpetuated order of his actions here among vs doth shew that he can doe things which are as farre vnlikely To adde somewhat more of man of how small a thing doth he make him euen that which hath no proportion how doth he bring out the limmes and members of the infant where were his bones and his sinewes his arteryes and his veynes where was his head and his feete his countenance and his visage how were these things distinguished in his first generation We may haue the same consideration of the kernell of any fruite which being small in quantitie and in resemblance very different from that whereunto it spreadeth is put into the ground From this there groweth a roote with many things sprowting from it from thence a stemme ariseth a barke percase without a pith perhaps within here a branch and there a bough here a blossome and there a fruit A graine of wheat is put by the husbandman into the ground and then it is but a small thing and in respect as nothing Yet from thence commeth roote and blade and stalke and eare and corne yea when the originall of all was dead and euen dissolued From these things God each day doth raise such sensible matters and maketh the earth and raine whereof much commeth from the sea to depart with their owne nature and to be turned into them Why then should it be impossible or why should it be straunge that he should bring this to passe in man the best of his creatures that is to fetch him out of the dust or from the middest of the water Why not one daye that in generall when this in speciall euery daye why not all which to each Reuolue these things aduisedly and ioyne faith with thy sence and thy externall feeling and we shall haue a resurrection 19 Remember how that euerie winter the glorie of the trees and all woods is decayed their leaues lye in the dust their cheerefull greene is but blacknesse the sap and life is hid in the roote within the ground all the tree doth seeme as dead But when the Sunne commeth forward with his warming aspect they resume their former beautie So it is with the medowes so it is with the floures and most delightfull gardens Their winter is as our death their spring like our resurrection The putting of our clothes off should remember vs of mortalitie that we must put our flesh off and yeeld it to corruption When we put them on in the morning and go forth as before we represent to our selues the receiuing of our flesh againe in the day of iudgement What is our bed but a graue what is our sleepe but a death wherein we are to our selues as if we had neuer bene without sence and in darknesse what is our hastie awaking at the sound of bell or other noise but as our starting vp at the sound of the last trumpet to appeare before Christs throne Herein indeed is the difference that the graue doth hold vs longer the bed a lesser while Thus hath the Lord euery way put remembrancers in our actions daily obseruations that certainly we shall dy certainly rise againe certainly be then iudged The veritie of which matter euen by the light of nature hath appeared vnto some who neuer did know the Lord. The heathen man Zoroastres did fore-prophecie of a time wherein there should be a rising of all that euer had liued They were not farre from this who beleeued an immortalitie of our souls after death So did Plato aboue all other of the auncient Philosophers who both saith that the soule liueth
be reuersed Then it is not our best safetie at euery time and in euerie case to be remooued hence but vpon some occasion we may ioye with Ionas that longer time is affoorded vs to bethinke our selues This is his exceeding comfort that though the pangs of death were vpon him yet that God once againe brought his life from corruption O Lord my God 20 The onely thing now remaining is the confident appellation which he vseth to the Lord Iehouah ô my God This sheweth a faith beyond faith and a hope beyond hope when he knew that the Lord was angrie and extremely wrathfull at him yet to cling in so to his mercie as to appropriate to himselfe a portion in his maker For what greater insinuation of confidence can there be then by particular application to apprehend Gods mercie to lay hold vpon him as on a father and that not as we say with a reference to the Communion of Saints Our father vvhich art in heauen but my father and my God This hath bene the perfect trust of the faithfull in all ages which hath encouraged them to approch with boldnesse vnto the throne of grace My God my God saith Dauid And thou that art the God of my saluation And Iob I am sure that my Redeemer liueth My spirit saith the Virgin Marie doth reioyce in God my Sauiour My Lord and my God saith Thomas Paule saith of himselfe I liue by faith in the Sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me This true faith doth close with God and incorporateth it selfe into the bodie of the Redeemer 21 And this is it which bringeth comfort vnto the wounded soule and afflicted conscience not that Christ is a Sauiour for what am I the better for that but a Sauiour vnto me That I am one of the adoption reconciled and brought into fauour sealed vp against that day when the quicke and dead shall be iudged my portion is with the Highest mine inheritance with the Saints How could flesh and bloud euer beare the heate of strong temptation without this firme perswasion What is it to my belly that bread is prepared for other vnlesse I be assured that my part is therein What is it to my soule that Christ hath dyed for other vnlesse I know that my sins are washed away in his bloud It may be good for Moses it may be good for Paule or Peter or Iames or Stephen but what is it vnto me It is Meus then and Tuus as Luther did well teach it is my God and thy Sauiour which doth satisfie thirstie consciences There is the ioy of the Spirit when men come to that measure Then it is a blessed doctrine which instilleth that faith into vs and in that if in any thing doth appeare the fruit of the Gospell which is preached in our dayes that people sicke and dying being taught before in their health can giue most diuine words and right admirable speeches in this behalfe whereof I speake sayings full of holy trust and assurance which as it is a thing most comfortable to themselues beyond all gold and treasure which are but as dung and drosse to a man yeelding vp the ghost so it bringeth good meditations vnto the standers by in causing them to acknowledge very euident an plaine arguments of election in the other whom they see to be so possessed with ioy in the holy Ghost and so rapt vp as if they had alreadie one foote within the heauen 22 But it is otherwise with the ignorant they lye groueling vpon the ground and cannot mount vp with the Eagle So is it in that doctrine which the Church of Rome doth maintaine when their people are taught that they must beleeue in generall that some shall go to heauen that some belong to God but to say or thinke that themselues shall be certainely of that number or constantly to hope it that is boldnesse ouermuch that is ouer-weening presumption They are to wish and pray that it may be so with them but yet it appertaineth to thē euermore to doubt because they know not the worthinesse of their merits a most vncomfortable opinion which cannot chuse but distract the heart of a dying man that he must not dare to beleeue with confidence that he shall go to God that Iesus is his Sauiour the pardoner of his faults No maruell if the life and death of such who hearken vnto them be full of sighs and sobs grones and feares and doubts since quietnesse and setled rest cannot be in their hearts They haue a way to walke but what is the end they know not They are sure of their departure but whither they cannot tell A lamentable taking and wherein of necessitie must be small ioy How contrarie hereunto doth Saint Paule speak being iustified by faith we haue peace toward God through our Lord Iesus Christ. How contrarie to this doth Saint Iohn speake in the name of the faithfull we know that we are of God How doth deiected Ionas yet keepe him fast to this tackling when he crieth ô Lord my God 23 And this is the surest anker whereunto a Christian man may possibly know how to trust This is it which in the blastes of aduersity will keepe him fast at the roote which in the waues of temptation will hold him fast by the chinne which in the greatest discomforts and very pangs of death will bring him to life againe To ground himselfe vpon this as on a rocke assured that his God is his father that Iesus is his redeemer that the holy Ghost doth sanctifie him that although he sinne oft-times yet euermore he is forgiuen and albeit he do transgresse dayly yet it is still forgotten that whether he liue or dye yet euer he is the Lords Good father leade vs so by thy most blessed Spirite that we neuer do fall from this But although sinne hange vpon vs as it did vpon the Prophet yet raise vs so by thy loue that laying hold on thy promises and the sweetenesse of thy fauour we may reape eternall life to the which ô blessed Lord bring vs for thine owne Sonne Christ his sake to whom with thee and thy Spirit be laude for euermore THE XIII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 3. Gods election is sure 4. One argument thereof is to remember the Lord after affliction 6. That cogitation is very comfortable 7. The good and bad do differently remember God 8. The wicked do it with a murmuring 10. Especially in death God is to be thought on 11. Therefore it is good to thinke on him in health 12. Else we shall not be willing to dye 14. Churches are to be vsed reuerently 15. God heareth the prayers of his seruants 17. By vanity is signified euill 19 as Adams fall may therein be comprehended 20. or idolatry 21. or curious crafts and studies 22. or adultery and carnall sinne 23. and ill gotten goods 24. and ambition Ionah 2.7.8 When my soule fainted within
or other shall declare it Some letter perhaps or writing The adulterer who doth thinke himselfe safely concealed in the darke or by the close and hidden walles yet cannot escape his sight whose eyes are said to be ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne He that wisheth ill to his brother is well knowne to that maiestie which trieth the hearts and reines In one word what can escape him who hath such prerogatiue of power as to sit so vpon a throne that heauen and earth flie before him the graues giue vp their dead and the sea doth yeeld vp hers that the bookes shall be layed open and mens consciences be detected and the mountaines cannot couer them nor the rockes cannot keepe them from him It is a good meditation to feare his angrie iudgement It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God If we serue him he will loue vs if we fall from him he will find vs. Lord direct vs so with thy Spirit that if we should fall with Ionas we sleepe not in sinne with Ionas but as the carefull ship-maister looking in all sinceritie through the corners of our hearts we may raise vp our selues and call to thee the true God to helpe vs in all extremities to stand by vs in all temptations that the lot fall not on vs to be cast away from thy fauour but that we may raigne with thee in thy most blessed kingdome to the which bring vs ô good father for thine owne sonne Christ his sake to whom with thee and thy Spirit be glorie for euermore THE V. LECTVRE The chiefe points 2 Many questions import egernesse to know 4.6 In doing iustice due examination should go before 5 Mens hard hearts to strangers 7 Some trades vsed are odious to God 8 As vsurie 10 It is not fit to come in all places 11 Some people are not acceptable to God 12 Confession of a fault 14 What is meant by fearing 15 Two sorts of feare 16 The horror of sin 17.22 The power and being of God shewed against the Atheist 19 Authorities of heathen men and reasons prouing the creation 23 Foure questions to the Atheist IONAH 1.8.9 Then sayd they vnto him Tell vs for whose cause this euill is vpon vs what is thine occupation and whence comest thou which is thy countrey and of what people art thou And he answered them I am an Hebrew and I feare the Lord God of heauen which hath made the sea and the dry land BEcause our Ionas hath a great deale more minde to go to Tarshish by sea then to Niniue by land rather about his owne pleasure then the businesse of his maister he is so well preferred as of a Prophet to become a prisoner first arrested by a tempest then discouered by a lot to be a malefactour in what place or cause it doth not yet appeare but allow time onely and that shall be reuealed In this my text he is brought to his examination not in a court of magistrates but a companie of mariners must be his Inquisitours Being arraigned he is conuicted and by his owne mouth condemned but by them afterward he is brought to execution I am here to looke into the manner of inquirie which is made vpon him and that is layed downe vnto vs in the former verse and in the next place to handle his personall answer which is in the latter verse both of them yeelding to vs verie good instruction if I be not deceiued as may appeare in order 2 Saint Hierome doth obserue the maner of the words that there should be within so small a compasse so many questions and those so significant and effectuall And as he was a miracle of the world for learning and that for humanitie as well as Diuinitie so it putteth him to remember the excellent concisenesse of the Poet Virgil who in a maner right compendious is accustomed to inclose many questions in verie fewe words He citeth that one place Iuuenes quae causa subegit Ignot as tentare vias quo tendit is inquit Qui genus vnde domo pacémne huc fertis an arma Young men what cause hath brought you into these vnknowne wayes whither go you of what kindred are you vvhere do you dvvell bring you hither vvarre or peace But the matter of the wordes is rather the ground whereon we are to stand euerie question including some thing of importance to this present purpose These mariners being followed with so strange a tempest as made them quake for daunger of their liues and crie with importunitie to their heathen Gods and disburden their ship of such wares as were in it and cast lots for their liues who should die for all his fellowes may iustly be supposed to be in such a fright that if anie thing extraordinarie should appeare vnto them what might be the reason of their daunger or how they were to be eased and put away from their â—eare he by whom or in whom it might be coniectured to be should be plucked and tugged and haled by one and by another as a Beare that were to be bayted to know what was the reason of this terrible daunger or what secret he could open What art thou whither wilt thou whence comest thou what doest thou how cometh all this about 3 For men in such extremities can not satisfie them selues but either in strange newes or any mightie perill will so runne question vpon question that it is scant in mans wit to make a readie answer When the Romanes had sustained that deadly ouerthrow at Cannae by Hannibal the Carthaginian and their Citie was growne into that perplexitie as it neuer was in almost before that wise Fabius Maximus causeth scoutes to be sent foorth with demaunds vpon demaunds to such as they should meete in what case the armies were in what estate were the Consuls what the Gods had left remaining to the Romanes where the remnant of their armie did abide whither Hanniball was now gone what he intended what he did what he purposed to attempt Thus daunger affrighteth the wisest and maketh the simpler sort oftentimes to runne toung before the wit In the sixteenth of Luke the rich maÌ„ is brought in making request to Abraham that he would send Lazarus to his fathers house to giue warning to his fiue brethreÌ„ that they by the wickednesse retchlesnesse of their liues came not into those torments which he then with much paine endured If that should haue bene in deede which is there but in a parable described and he who had come from the dead should haue had but some few houres allotted him to stay imagine you for this is but a supposall among a multitude what preassing there would haue bene about him what plucking by one elbow and holding by another what doubled interrogations how doth such a one or such a one my father or my friend is he in heauen or hell in lesser or greater ioy in more
answer these things first disclaimeth them from being Martyrs They who liue not the liues of Christians cannot dye the death of Martyrs And he also vseth that maxime of Cyprian Not the punishment but the cause doth make the Martyr Secondly he sheweth out of the Scripture that a man in no case should kill himselfe Thirdly he doth so handle the example of this Razias that he maketh it to be no warrant to attempt any such like deede Heare his reasons 24 First the Iewes do giue no credit vnto the bookes of the Machabees they expugne them out of their Canon Thus Austen himselfe can say who for want of the Hebrew toung is sometimes more then an ordinarie friend to the Apocriphall Scripture Secondly the authour there giueth such testimonie to that deede as is not sufficient to allow it for currant He vvas a louer of the Citie and a man of good report and therefore was commonly called a father of the Ievves But heathen men saith Saint Austen haue gone as farre as this He offered to spend his bodie for the Religion of the Ievves So vvould other saith Saint Austen who had a zeale as Saint Paule speaketh but not according to knowledge Such men as vvere earnest holders of the traditions of the Ievves but did not accept the Messias He desired that his bovvels might be restored in the resurrection But that shall be common to the vvicked as vvell as to the iust He dyed noblie saith the authour but better saith Saint Austen if it had bene reported that he dyed humblie He dyed manfully sayth the authour and I do not say quoth Saint Austen that he did dye vvomanly Thus he scanneth all the wordes of that narration Thirdly he addeth If he had done vvell he should haue done like the seuen brethren of vvhom vve reade in that booke He should not haue thrust himselfe vpon death but whatsoeuer had bene imposed by the persecuting tyrant he should haue endured that vvith patience and humilitie Wherefore since he could not suffer his humbling amongst his enemies he shewed himselfe an example not of wisedome but of folly not to be imitated of Christs martyrs but of Donatist circumcellions This is the round and apparant christian iudgement of that most learned Father He doth aunswere the place of Samson as anon I shall shew vnto you For he also killed himselfe In the meane time I may with him lay downe this generall doctrine that none should spill the bloud or destroy the life of himselfe for any cause whatsoeuer because that is a deed most vnchristian most damnable and most wicked 25 I cannot deny but Gods mercie wherein he is exceedingly rich doth sometimes shew it selfe in the very pangs of death That betweene the bridge and the water betweene the knife and the dying betweene the rocke and the ground repentaunce may be suggested to the heart in a moment or twinckling of an eye but especially where poyson being taken doth not kill vpon the sudden or where death doth not follow presently there may be some remembrance Notwithstanding who is he that dareth to presume vpon such mercy God is louing but he is iust he is kind but he is dreadfull he liketh not to be tempted It were folly to breake thy necke to trie the skill of a bone-setter to trie the wil of a surgeon It is monstrous in Diuinity to preasse vpon such iniquitie with hope of that wherein thou hast such threatnings to the contrary God would haue vs to lay downe our liues if need be for his sake if a tyrant will take them frō vs but we must not leape out of thē for any thing of our owne Nay we should be so carefull that we shold not rashly hazard them or bring them into perill In forbidding sinne God vseth to forbid all the inducements which leade vnto that sinne I would that such could remember this who think that they are not men vnlesse they make a braule or enter into a combat for euery fond word or speech By that meanes they prouoke the Lord and if they happen to be slaine they are accessaries to their owne deaths That which S. Bernard speaketh of iniust warre is not vnfit to be rehearsed in this place If in thy fighting thou haue a mind to kill another man and then art slayne thy selfe thou dyest a murtherer if thou preuaile and kill the other then thou liuest a murtherer But whether thou liue or dye be a conquerour or conquered it is not good to be a murtherer Theodoret doth commend the good minde of Honorius sometimes Emperour of Rome because he tooke quite away out of that Citie the fightes of the Gladiatores or sword-players in Rome wherein to shew sport to other men and make triall of their manhood oftentimes they killed one another I pursue this matter no further but onely adde this that howsoeuer an opinion hath preuailed to the cōtrarie true manhood is not in quarrelling and brabling for priuate iniuries but in maintenance of Gods honor in preseruing thy alleageance to thy Prince in safegarding of thy countrey in defending thy selfe from theeues and such other iust occasions 26 I forget not my Ionas here from whom as the originall this question of doing violence to our selues did arise Neither do I forget Samson whome I reserued to this place because there is some similitude betweene him and our Prophet In that place which I named before Saint Austen briefly but yet notably doth determine this deede of Samson When he plucked downe the house on himselfe he slue himselfe and his enemies But the reason of it was that since he could not escape because they meant to slay him he would destroy them also with him euen the Princes of the Philistines Neither did he this of himselfe marke the words of the learned father but by direction of Gods spirite vvhich vsed him to do that which otherwise without the strength of that spirit he could neuer haue bene able to do that was plucke downe the house The commaundement of that spirite made this deede to be lawfull as the offering vp of Isaac was a lawfull deede in Abraham That vvhich had bene nothing else but madnesse if God had not commaunded it when God did bid it was obedience So he holdeth this a particular deede precisely cōmaunded to him which we may imitate by no meanes because we haue no such warrant But Hierome in his Cōmentarie on the sixe and fortieth of Ezechiel doth go a little farther saying that Samson in that deede was a figure of Iesus Christ. As Samson slue more at his death then he did in all his life time so Christ although while he liued he gaue many a wound to Satan by his miracles and his doctrine yet it was his death and his suffering that broke the backe of hell and the verie heart of Satan These matters may in good sort be applyed to our Prophet He was assured
Iewes murthered vpon one day Or be it Caligula that foule and foolish tyrant who wished that all the people of Rome had but one necke that whensoeuer it should stand with his good liking he might cut it off at one blow A man worthy to be branded with a perpetuall note of infamie and to be registred for such a villaine as scant euer had any fellowe His heart was soaked thorough his bowels were steeped in bloud when he caryed so vile a mind to his owne citizens and subiects Good God how far is sence and all humanitie extinguished in men when thou withdrawest thy grace How doth beast-like rage preuaile This maketh me to remember the cruell and bloudie speech of her who being resolued vpon that fearefull slaughter which Fraunce saw and felt at Bartlemewtide in the yeare seuentie and two did vse to say of the Protestants and Papists in that land that there was no way but one of the sides must dye for it else the other could not stand safe The thousands which were on either side the young innocents and the children who by her accompt must dye did not moue her flintie heart She had her will afterward and now although she be in her graue yet the obloquie and cōtumelious reproch of that action remayneth for euer on her 8 Shall not those auncient Romanes who appointed by speciall lawes rewards of honour and glorie to such as did rescue the liues of any of their citizens stand vp in the day of iudgement and condemne such bloudie Christians Shall not these sily mariners here conuince them in that day who wrought as many meanes to saue the life of one and of that one a stranger and of that one an offender as the other did to destroy the liues of many thousands and those of their owne countreymen and many of them questionlesse innocents poore harmelesse hurtlesse soules Eternized be the infamy of Sathans and Antichrists practise in it that bloudie harlot of Babylon for it sauoured not of Christ the Sauiour It is for cruell wolues and not for tender and simple lambes to haue their teeth in that manner defiled No priuiledge or dispensation from any Pope no warrant from the Councell of Constance that faith giuen or promise made to heretikes may be broken at pleasure can excuse that horrible act All humanity hath disclaimed it Diuinity doth condemne it We giue the like sentence also although somewhat in a milder sort against the murthering hand of them who for their rebaptizing were iustly called Anabaptists 9 A little more then seuenty yeares agone these did arise in Germany professing that by the Spirite they had such illuminations and reuelations from aboue that they freely might performe whatsoeuer came in their minds as a matter suggested from heauen Their opinions did quickely multiply and so did their followers also for it was a very pleasing doctrine to a licentious Libertine-like mind vntill it grew too farre Besides that all things were in common among them and their wiues were not very priuate when some of them had three or foure besides also their rebaptizing of such as had receiued the Sacrament of Baptisme before besides their plucking downe of magistrates and many other things which I ouerpasse they had the gift of killing as many as they would Iohn of Leyden their vsurping king at Munster did fetch off the heads of diuerse with a very great facility At Sangallum a towne in Switzerland one of this gentle crew did cut off the head of his owne naturall brother the father to them both standing by and the mother looking on And the reason which he had for the doing of it was because it was so commaunded to him from God aboue This sect could say that it was the spirite which moued them to such deedes and they were aduertised from him by secret inspiration but indeede it was the Spirite which vrged them some infernall vgly fiend For the holy Ghost that sacred immaculate and vndefiled being doth not stir men against the law of God or to breake the bonds of nature so as to defile mens selues with such crimes as were odious to the very heathen Luther liuing at that time did set pen to paper to discouer discountenance too those proceedings He imputed all that stirre to Sathan and the immediate worke of the diuell And as he was a man euery way of most inuincible courage in Gods businesse so he feared not to say that it was but a blockish spirit a grosse diuell and a rude who did broach such vntoward heresies as the Anabaptistes held Yet in the Popish spirit was more close and fine conueyance 10 The condemning of such deedes by the sentence of God and man and the generall doctrine which hath bene taught concerning sauing of life in all by the example of these sea-men may be a good remembrance to Magistrates and Iudges that they proceed to punishment of offenders as men with leaden or woolly that is slow feete not reioycing in that sentence which themselues giue of purpose to send other men to death not as persons without remorse but in heart heauy to see that reasonable men should be so retchlesse as to bring themselues to their end Although iustice must be done and clemency to some few may be cruelty vnto many yet it is but an inhumane part to delight in spilling bloud Volesus who vnder the Emperour Augustus was one Proconsul of Asia is recorded for a famous tyrant in that when he had beheaded three hundred in one day with a proud and lofty countenance he walked amongst the dead carcasses as if he had done some deed worthy the looking on and then at last out he cried Oh an act fit for a king Another might well haue answered him No this doth not beseeme a king who being the head of his people shoud greeue that any of them should grow to that extremity euen as the head in the naturall body should be sory that the least ioynt of the hand or foote should so rot that it must needs be cut off And as in such a case the surgeon is neuer admitted but with aduise so should hasty iudgement neuer depriue men of their breath The fault of Theodosius otherwise a good Christian Emperour was the more grieuous the while when so rashly he gaue leaue to a garrison of his souldiers to ouer-runne the City of Thessalonica where old and young were slaine to the number of seauen thousands and all this done to take vengeance on that people for abusing some of his officers as Ambrose very plainly did tell him when he stepped betweene the Emperour and the Church being most vnwilling that he should come in that sacred place till he had made some satisfaction A Christian Prince should neuer haue spoken such a bloudy word to giue so cruell and hard a sentence against so many thousands of his owne subiects as well innocent as nocent He afterward
Theodoricke king of the Gothes who slue Boētius and Symmachus two both noble and innocent persons But afterward the guilt of that sinne sticking fast in his conscience he grew to an imagination that the head of a certaine fish that was set vpon his table was the head of Symmachus which gaped yawned vpon him Vpon which conceit he trembling and quaking fell into a sharpe sicknesse and quickly thereof dyed Some other times it is deferred but yet the punishment neuer resting commeth tumbling on at last as Euagrius in the fifth of his Ecclesiasticall storie doth tell of one Addaeus which in his time was reputed one of the speciall friends of the Emperour Iustinian This man when he had escaped the law for one murther yet was afterward put to death for a fact wherewith he was charged but in truth had neuer done it So the Lord did change the matter and the Lord did change the time but the punishment was not changed He escaped for that which he did and dyed for that which he did not Sometime God doth punish the fathers sinne vpon the children as he did Dauids murther vpon Vriah on his owne sonnes Absolon and Ammon These mariners might heare of such examples among the Gentiles For Gods finger is euery where he is Lord ouer all the earth and therefore they might well feare least that themselues should perish for the bloud of this dying Prophet 22 The second thing which I note is that although they were enforced against their will to destroy him yet because the deed it self was in his own quality vnlawful they cannot satisfie themselues but still make scruple of it Althogh there were a kind of commandement from God that it should be done for they had signes to that purpose yet they doubt at it grieue to do it Oh how far doth the cōscience of these weake ones exceed the mindes of many now who thinke that they may do vnlawfull things if they be enforced to it by any temporall reason not hauing for their warrant a notice from God as these men here had but all piety cleane against them Such are they who wil not refuse to go to the seruice of an idoll if their Prince shold cōmand them This was the great perswasiō which was vsed by Magnus a noble man toward diuerse Christiās that they shold embrace the faith opinions of the Arrians because Valens the Emperour had made lawes to that purpose Suppose saith he to them that your religion be very good yet if you be enforced to turne vnto another your God will forgiue it to you And much more of that matter Such are they who being vrged by nothing but the concupiscence of their own affections will do things most vngodly Steale to maintaine their brauerie they cannot else liue like men Ly for to match their enemie they may reach him so in pollicie In like sort wrastle against their cōscience in oppugning of the righteous in slaundering of the innocent because he is not for thē he standeth somtimes in their light although they know that they do amisse that they shall answer for it This is a small necessity my idlenesse or my wantonnesse my engrocing of filthie gaine to make me do that which mine owne hart knoweth that Gods booke daily forbiddeth to me Although they were deepely persuaded that it was the Lords determinatiō yet what doubting is in these seamen to do a thing vnlawfull for so it is in it self but Gods wil doth make it lawful To this wil they thē yeld 23 And this is the third point which I obserued in them thou hast done as it pleaseth thee They do not accuse God here and lay the fault on him as men commonly vse to do We all haue learned that of Adā The woman which thou gauest me she gaue me of the tree and I did eat Not the womā simply saith S. Austē but the woman which thou didst giue me For nothing is so familiar as for sinners to lay vpon God that whereof they be accused These do not so in this place but assume that to be righteous which God will haue to be done because they see him will it that he will take no nay therfore they know it is iust accordingly yeeld vnto it This is a sound direction for man to submit his will to the will of his maker that as we are taught to pray O Lord thy vvill be done so we yeeld vnto it in mildnesse He is wiser then wee be and therefore let him leade Not my vvill in my manhoode but thy vvill in thy Godheade be done saith Christ our Sauiour Let the Lord saith old Eli doe as seemeth good in his owne eyes Although therfore any thing be vnlawfull seem vnto vs to be vnnaturall yet if God do cōmand it we ought not to resist It was vnlawfull for Abraham to kill but more vnnaturall to kill his onely sonne and that with his owne hands yet when the Lord commanded he was ready to do thē both Let other learne this lesson thence that if their friends or children be as deare to them as Isaac was vnto his father Abraham yet if God take them hence they say in all obedience the will of the Lord be done or with these shipmen here thou hast done as it pleaseth thee The like we shold say of sicknesse banishment losse of goods or whatsoeuer else in this world Although it go as much against vs as it did against these men to drown the Prophet Ionas yet if God do require it let vs do as it pleaseth him And so let vs pray vnto him first that he will keepe vs alwaies from bloud-guiltinesse and from murther and then that he will giue vs grace to make conscience of such deedes as are against his word but that euermore we may learne to submit our selues to his pleasure that walking here as deare children we may be brought along to the inheritance of his glorie Vnto the which ô Father bring vs for thine owne sonne Christ his sake to whome with thee and the holy Spirite be laud and praise for euer THE VIII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 2. Reuerence to the Prophet euen in his death 4. Such reuerēce is not borne to our Preachers 8. Gods creatures are all at his becke 9. The magistrate punishing sinne turneth away Gods plagues 10. Christs death appeaseth the Fathers wrath 11. Cōfort to vs by Christs death 13. The punishment of others should make vs tremble 16. The vowes of seamen 17. The temporary faith of the mariners 19. Hypocrites can make shew of religion 20. We must perseuere in good things Ionah 1.15.16 So they tooke vp Ionah and cast him into the sea and the sea ceassed from her raging Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vowes YOu haue oftentimes heard of our Prophet on the sea now his turne is to be in the sea
externall points of religion can go as farre as the faithfull or the best child of God as these here can offer sacrifice and make vowes to the Lord. So Simon Magus will be baptised and Iudas come to the supper and heretikes can preach Christ and Herodians heare his word and Pharisees pay their tith and Iesuites fast and pray so that ceremonies and the shew which is outward do not euer import verity of religion Sathan transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light Wolues come forth in sheepes clothing There be that cry Lord Lord and yet Christ doth not know them Whereupon that speech is true that we may more easily know who is an vngodly man then who is truly godly For hypocrisie may with a shadow make a disguised shew of the one but foule and wicked deeds will necessarily discouer the other Where an irreligious life is lead and grosse sinnes are committed it is an euident proofe that the true feare of God is not yet resident in that person Therefore it concerneth vs to be wary that we leane not on any one but as he leaneth on Christ for as we must take heed that we iudge not other men in particular without charity so we must hold this in generall that all is not gold that glistereth 20 A second lesson is that we all looke to our selues that we satisfie not our soules with any externall action neither that we apprehend grace by fits or feags as we are vrged by any present thing that hangeth on vs but that we labour euermore to retaine the good which is offered to vs that we quench not the Spirite of God but stirre it vp in our selues It is a thing violent to our nature to haue a minde vnto holinesse we saile as if it were against the streame As then in a violent water if the boate-men slacke a few strokes in a moment he is caried more downeward then in a good time before he hath gained by his labour so we must know that in loosing the hold which we haue of Gods Spirite we may loose more in one yeare nay perhaps more in one houre then we haue gained in many It is not inough to weepe when we feele the rod vpon vs to pray when we are in sicknesse to cry when we are in danger but in wel-fare and prosperity God must be thought vpon as well as in aduersity We must not hold our duty to be then discharged to the full when in a moment of some great matter we feare the Lord exceedingly and sacrifice and vowe and do all that we can deuise and straight way prooue like a feuer haue a cold bowte for a heate and so fall away from grace but we must follow that veine and pursue it to the end 21 Saint Bernard in his time found men rebukeable for this errour For writing of the two Disciples which went vnto Emaus he speaketh fitly to this purpose You shall sometimes see a man verie deuout in his prayers vvhose eyes vvill seeme to stand like the pooles of Hesbon for the multitude of his teares and yet this man refuseth to beare the yoake of obedience He bewaileth his pride while he is at his prayers but the houre of compunction being once past and gone he is as proud as before I would that ourage were free from this vnstayed repentance But I feare that it is otherwise When we sit and heare a Sermon a word or two well set on doth bruise vs much for a momēt Vpō solemne dayes as at our anniuersary thanksgiuing for the loue of God so farre extended to vs in the enioying of her Maiesty or vpon other the like occasions our hearts and eyes and all shall testifie our great feeling So when we come to the Sacrament we are very repentant persons but is it not true of vs that like vnto the bul rush we hang downe our heads for a day that drinking with the serpent we resume againe our poyson of malice and peruersenesse When we are in the Church we intend to leaue our bribe-taking but with the Church we forget it when our night-thoughts haue well troubled vs we vow to leaue our vncharitablenesse and to plucke vp the roote of bitternesse but rising we returne vnto our ancient euill In the fields we can protest against our owne oppression our slandering and reuiling but when we come home we yeeld our selues vnto the tempting Angell This is to dally with God and to heape wrath on our selues The most wicked men and idolaters as Ionas his fellowes here can thinke on goodnesse for a little and feare the Lord exceedingly and yet not be the better for it Sincerity and simplicity and perseuerance and performance beseeme the child of God I haue troubled you ouer long Lord enrich vs so with thy spirit that as we haue begun so we may end in thee that thy true feare still possessing vs we may be brought to thy kingdome there to raigne by the merite of thy Sonne to whom with thee and thy Spirite be laud and praise for euer THE IX LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. All creatures are at Gods becke 3. either to punish the wicked 4. or to preserue the good 6. Of the greatnesse of fishes 8. That Ionas might liue in the belly of the whale 12. How the three dayes and three nights are to be taken in the lying of Christ in the graue 13. Christ rose againe 14. And so shall all other men 16. Some deny the Resurrection 17. Reasons and examples proouing it 21. That we should prepare our selues against the time of Resurrection Ionah 1.17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow vp Ionah and Ionah was in the belly of the fish three dayes and three nights BY this time you may see a very great difference of the seuerall estates wherein our Prophet hath bene for first he was at land and there he could not keep him afterward he was on shipboord and there he might not keepe him but now he is in the sea in the belly of a fish and there he shall not chuse but keepe him vntill that himselfe be most weary of it God hath a certaine fish in a readinesse for to receiue him which for the space of one three dayes must lodge him In discoursing whereof I thinke it not necessary to dispute that question which hath bene mooued in this argument by very learned men that is whether that the preparing of this fish for the Prophet were the new creating of that which was not before which must intend that at the same instant of time a creature of purpose should be made to swallow him and deuoure him There needed no such matter for there were in the sea fishes inough to serue the turne and the Lord had one of those at hand to fulfill his designement Much rather the power of the Creator is here to be noted whose authority ouer his creatures is such and so absolute that in
Sathan is more desirous to swallow vs into hell then the whale was to deuour the Prophet that he will free vs from that enemie and bring vs into his kingdome there to raigne with his owne Sonne to both whome and the holy Spirite be laud and praise immortall Amen THE X. LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 2. The anguish of Ionas in the whale 3. The vse and force of prayer 6. Our negligence herein 8. Inuocation is to be vsed to God onely 10. Some things in the Fathers fauouring inuocation of Saints 11. Those places discussed 14. Some of the ancient are against praying to Saints 15. Afflictiō stirreth vs vp to piety 19. The great miserie of the Prophet 21. We are to repute God the authour of our afflictions 22. God heareth our prayers 23. There are circumstances to be obserued in prayer Ionah 2.1.2.3 Then Ionah prayed vnto the Lord his God out of the fishes belly And said I cried in my affliction to the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardest my voice For thou hadst cast me into the bottome in the midst of the sea and the flouds compassed me about all thy surges and all thy waues passed ouer me WHen Ionas was in the sea being cast out by the mariners and was now of all likelyhood ready to be drowned God had a fish prepared as before you haue heard to swallow vp the Prophet And in the belly thereof he lay three daies and three nights after such a manner as was neuer heard of before but no doubt much tormented between hope and distrust almost quite in dispaire yet by faith againe comforted This faith of his when at length it had preuailed he breaketh forth euen there in prison into good meditations and after his deliuerie when he wrote this prophecie he digested them into a prayer which is here set downe in a kind of Hebrew verse not much vnlike to the Lyrikes of the Greek or Latin Poets Those words which I haue read vnto you are some part of this prayer and that which followeth after is another part in both which if something sound as from him being in danger and some thing againe as from him being escaped impute the one vnto the time wherein he did write it and the other to those conflicts which he sustained while he lay in the belly of the whale where his bitter meditations and troubled thoughts did answere vnto that which is here proposed vnto vs. 2 For the space of those three dayes he did not lye asleepe as a man in a traunce or one vnsensible amated for right happie he had bene if that might haue be fallen him but boiling in the extremitie of anguish and great sorrow as he that had on him a burthen so vnsupportable by his shoulders that he knew not how to turne him or to manage himselfe He felt the wrath of God perpetuated on him without intermission which wrath was not contented to haue him ouer ship-boord and so once to drowne him but dying he must liue and liuing he must dy in a torturous execution so terribly and vncomfortably that the like had bene neuer heard of The horror of death still present yet prolōged stil in the middle of the sea in the belly of a whale a prison and monstrous dungeon did vrge him oft to tremble but the feeling of Gods displeasure vpon his soule for sinne and the very great expectatiō of eternall pains in hell what thoughts did these now raise in him Now the soure of his disobedience is fully tasted by him he may tumble it and reuolue it and chew it againe againe Now if Niniue had bene distant as farre as the Easterne Indies or the South part of Aethiopia there he had bene sure to be murthered and massacred by the tyrannie of the gouernour or ruler of that countrie he could haue bene wel cōtented to haue gone thither euen bare-footed thanked God on his knees who had brought him to such a bargaine For it is better to trace ouer all the world then once to go to hell better to suffer many sorrowes in body then in soule to die eternally With which thoughts being so perplexed as neuer was man before him not knowing what else to do with a faith tried in out ouer ouer again he falleth at length to prayer the effect wherof is in this second chapter by it selfe laid downe vnto vs. But because this prayer is so lōg as that at many seueral times it must be handled for distinction and orders sake I thinke good first to deuide it into a Preface and a Prayer The Preface is in the first verse the Prayer in that which followeth And there what subdiuisions are afterward to be made it shall in his place appeare The Preface noteth these two things what he did that is pray and to whome vnto the Lord his God Then Ionah prayed 3 Many are the temptations and spirituall inuasions which in this life do befall vs while the enemie of mankind doth often assaile vs by himselfe and by the world and by our owne flesh that domesticall foe and many are the afflictions which the great God in his wisedome and our good Father in his loue doth lay sharply vpon vs to punish vs for our sinnes to make triall of our patience to strengthen vs in the faith to make vs loath the world to teach vs true humilitie to inure vs to a suffering of greater things for his sake for so many are the ends wherfore he sendeth his crosse to those whom he best fauoreth In respect whereof our life is by Iob well called a warfare wherin we are to fight wrastle against great matters to the which Saint Paule alluding saith that he had fought a good fight being exercised all his time against powers and principalities against anguishes and great grieuances much within more without The onely stay of all which perplexities in the very best of Gods children is earnest and heartie prayer to him who sitteth aboue who plucketh downe and setteth vp who ouerturneth and raiseth who striketh and then maketh whole who correcteth and then comforteth who bringeth to the pit of euill and then doth not cast in who tempteth not aboue our strength but in the midst of temptation doth giue an issue that we may be able to beare it The sacrificing of our souls vnto this blessed Father the bēding of our knees the bedeawing of our cheeks the lifting vp of our hands the beating of our brest but withall and aboue all the compunction of our hearts and the earnestnesse of our spirites are the altar that we must flye to are the anchor that wee must trust to This is that chaine whereof one end is tyed to the eare of God and the other end to our toung if we plucke he will listen if we call he will hearken 4 Then it is for our good that so often in the
doth make for it 10 I will not sist this Non sequitu◠of decency and congruity that because Mary was Christs mother and the Saints were his faithfull seruants therefore in deuotion to him who was son to the one and maister vnto both we should vse very high duty to them for God himselfe best knoweth what fitteth and he hath layed all that downe and no word of this inuocation But briefly for Antiquity I confesse that in the writings of some of the auncient fathers they may find something which serueth for this purpose As that Saint Austen in his Confessions doth suppose that his friend Nebridius doth thinke on him in heauen Elsewhere he seemeth to say as much as that the Angels do heare our prayers and he prooueth it out of the booke of Tobias So in his Epistle ad Honoratum he mentioneth that the Angels do tell vnto vs Gods benefites sent vnto vs and deliuer backe againe our prayers vnto him In his treatises vpon Iohn We do not pray for the martyrs but we rather pray to them that they may pray for vs that vve may vvalke in their steps But in that which some do thinke to be his Meditations the Author doth pray to Saints and in his Sermons De sanctis vnto the Virgin Mary So Saint Herome in his first Tome and fiue and twentith Epistle sayth that Blesilla the dead daughter did pray for her mother Paula So Chrysostome on the Psalmes doth mention the intercession of Mary the mother of God and of the other Saints To these may be ioyned the testimonie of Sozomen in his seuenth booke where Sathan is reported to haue railed on Iohn the Baptist as if by his meditation his purpose were sometimes hindered I know that much more of this nature may be brought to vphold this doctrine and yet God knoweth how sandie is all this weake foundation how rotten are these supporters which bend vnder such a burthen I beseech you to iudge indifferently when you heare what shall be aunswered 11 To speake first to that in Sozomen which is drawne from Satans testimony suppose the storie true which is there but a bare report And is not this a proofe right substantiall Satan railed on Iohn the Baptist because that by his intercession his purpose sometimes was crossed Ergo Saints are our mediatours What if the Diuell there forged Is he not the author of lies What if this were his pollicie to make men turne their seruice from God vnto his creatures I doubt not but so it was He saw that the auncient Oracles were fallen downe long before as it appeareth by Plutarkes testimony who wrote a tract to that purpose with the which in former times he had possessed mens soules for a great space together He saw that Christs faith did spread and that by the force of no tyrant it could possibly be extinguished he saw that the ten persecutions were ceassed by the raigning of Christian Emperours and there was now no good to do that way therefore now he will turne ouer a new leafe and will take another course to breede flawes in the faith and by opinion of religion to supplant Gods true religion by superstition to ouerturne good deuotion Then beginneth he for to broach some of Antichrists mingled wine for the Apostle sayd that in his time Antichrist had set in footing and nothing fell out more fitly to his humour then to spoile God of his honour by turning to Saints in prayer Thus is the roaring Lion now become a subtle foxe and seeketh by errour in the shew of truth to vndermine holy piety Such another deuise was that when Satan being asked in the time of Iulian the Apostata why the Oracle which was sometimes in Daphne neare to Antioche had ceased and gaue no aunswer he signified that he might not appeare any more in that Chappell because the Reliques and the body of the holy martyr Babylas were entred in that place Wherein his meaning was by a secret insinuation to inueigle men to the honouring of the reliques and the bones of martyrs and holy men to the which indeede they afterward fell with doting superstition So crafty is this Serpent to destroy mens soules by fraud And that example of Iohn the Baptist I hold to be of this nature 12 Concerning the authority of the fathers which are cited to prooue this doctrine I say first that many bookes are foisted into their workes which sauour not of their spirit The censures that be vpon them by Papists as well as other together with the difference of the style and many other circumstances do make that plaine inough In the most of them this hath bene brought about either by the ignorance of such as did transcribe and copy them out before that printing was inuented or else by the falshood of base authors who would assume noble names to things which were most vnworthy In Cyprian there is nothing which maketh mention of Charles the Emperour which if we will interprete of the first Charles called the Great yet there is so great a difference of the times wherein these liued that the one was after the other more then fiue hundred yeares Yet that is sayd to be written by Pontius who was deacon to Cyprian himselfe I ascribe this to the grosse ignorance of the writer or counterfeit authour In Austens workes there are many things which are fathered on his name and that by wilfull falshood I will name to you one for all and that shall be his Sermons as they are intituled Ad fratres in eremo There in the name of Saint Austen one maketh the whole tract willing to do great credit to the order of Austen Friers as if the great Saint Austen had bene the founder of thē But as the eares of the asse did shew what beast he was although he had gotten on him the skin of a noble Lion so albeit that honest man do vse words for his purpose I Augustin Bishop of Hippon did this and this and many things yet the Barbarismes and the Solecismes which are in that worke do make it plaine that some worthy wight did hatch that Treatise vp to the world In his fiue twentieth Sermon he doth let vs know the reason why some holy-daies haue no fasting dayes as Philip and Iacobs day and Saint Bartholomew and Saint Thomas A fit argument for Saint Austen especially as he handleth it But because he will passe himselfe and shew of what house he commeth in his thirtie and seuenth Sermon he sayth that himselfe did go into the South part of Afrike as farre as Aethiopia to preach the Gospell of Christ and that he saw there men and women without heads hauing their eyes standing in their breasts This tale had had little credit but that himselfe did see it The Chamberlaine of Candaces who was met with by Philip did come out of this Aethiopia shall we be so wise
appoint no time vnto him but in humility waite his leysure For as Chrysostome doth teach vs If to giue be in Gods power it is also in his power to giue when he thinketh good and the time he best knoweth himselfe If we do well keepe these things and earnestly and vncessantly do make our complaints before him he will deale with vs as he did with Ionas he will certainely heare our voice Lord send vs a mind to serue thee that by wilfull disobedience we plucke not thy punishments on vs and if we do turne from thee draw vs backe to thy selfe rather by thy temporall roddes being laid on vs in great measure then by heaping earthly pleasures thou shouldst suffer vs so to be choked with them that we should fall from thee vtterly Do thou chastise vs and correct vs in iugdement not in furie and there graunt vs a mind to see who it is that doth strike vs that so we may pray to thee to be eased in our affliction And of thy mercie adde this euermore to heare our prayer that so passing this troublesome life with fast hold layed on thy promises we may come at length to thy kingdome to the which ô Father bring vs for thine owne Sonne Christ his sake to whom with thee and thy Spirite be glorie and praise for euer To the Reader GOOD Reader the words of the text in the former Lecture ministred me occasion to shew who it is to whom our prayers are to be directed that is God alone and consequently that we should not vse any inuocation of Saints But in the handling of that question so largely out of the Fathers of the primitiue Church my purpose was not onely to settle the ignorant for their beliefe concerning that point but withall by example thereof to let the simpler sort see what is to be conceiued in other questions disputed betweene vs and the Church of Rome For the same may be said concerning the Primacie of Peter the merite of works free will prayer for the dead Purgatorie the most part of those controuersies which now a daies are handled They take on them to maintaine many of their positions if not directly out of the Scriptures yet from probable shewes out of some of the old Fathers who were great lights after the time of the Apostles But first many bookes pretended to belong to that reuerend age are counterfeits and start vp since the liues of those graue and godly writers and from these are many of the allegations taken Secondly the very auncient Fathers receiued some things as true without discussing whereinto when themselues vpon speciall occasions did iudiciously looke they were either of a contrarie opinion to their former or spake faintly and doubtfully Thirdly that which some of them taught was contradicted by other and so one part must needs erre Fourthly they were not so led by the immediate Spirit of God as those Secretaries of the holy Ghost who deliuered the canonicall Scriptures to the world therfore they are no farther to be allowed then where they consent with the most sacred written word and that is their owne iudgement of themselues Lastly there are many places cited by Bellarmine Stapleton and other the aduersaries of the Gospell which when they are diligently looked into and weighed by all circumstances do not purport that for the which they are produced Of all which obseruations it is easie to giue diuerse examples This I thought good to note lest weake brethren or credulous preiudicate persons shold be too much abused with the misapplied name of the old and most renoumed Church And whereas I haue shewed my opinion concerning the supposed strange shapes of men in many quarters of the world if anie should vrge any authour of former or later age against that my assertion in one word I account them all in that point to be fabulous and onely to haue receiued such rumours and vniustifiable traditions from hand to hand although some of them thinking thereby to procure to themselues the fame of men farre trauelled do aduouch that they haue seene such In our dayes God hath giuen light therfore let vs not still delight to be in blindnesse Onely this one scruple is to be remooued away that whereas cōstant report hath auerred this to be so in some one part of Peru is the South portion of the West and lately found Indies some men of good iudgement whose aduentures for nauigation that way haue nobilitated the discoueries performed or attempted by our English nation haue with firme credence entertained that for a very truth yet as I esteeme they may easily satisfie themselues in that behalfe by the full and sufficient report of Pedro de Cieca in his first part of the Chronicles of Peru chapter 26. who being a Spaniard borne and now more then fiftie yeares agone hauing spent seuenteene yeares in his personall peregrination ouer that countrey sheweth that not farre from the Line yea in more places of Peru then one there are people who being borne in naturall shape as other men yet do take their infants when they are but a few dayes old and by certaine deuises which they haue as with frames of wood and binding or swathing do make the head of such fashion as they would as some to be very long and some to be so crushed together that they haue no neckes but their heads seeme to be immediate parts of the trunke of their bodies And this contenteth me for the veritie of that matter and I doubt not but so it will to all other who desire in their minds to be perswaded of things as indeed they be and not as sometimes they seeme THE XI LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. Comfort here offered to the languishing soule 3. What it is to be cast from Gods sight 4. The feare of Ionas 5. The elect cannot perish 7. How Ionas is recouered by faith 8. and repentance 9. His desire to see the Temple 11. How the Church should be frequented 12. Against those that abstaine from it 13. The conflict in the Prophets conscience 14. Grieuous temptation is common to the godly 16. Why temptation is necessary 17. God doth protect vs in it 18. The benefite which redoundeth to vs by it 19. Helps against temptation Ionah 2.4 Then I said I am cast avvay out of thy sight yet I will looke againe toward thy holy Temple MAny are the instructions which this Prophecie hath yeelded in the hearing of most of you aduertisements and warnings against sinne disputations against Atheisme obseruations against Papisme in the person of the mariners comparisons of Gentiles with vs that be Christians and doctrines of diuerse sorts as Gods spirit from time to time hath assisted me But for informing of the conscience of a languishing sinner who groneth vnder the burthen of heauinesse and casting downe and is almost swallowed vp in the gulfe of desperation by reason of the feare of Gods displeasure for sin that hangeth vpon
be it the ancient Donatist or Rogatian in times past so peeuishly bent who abstained from the assemblies of all other men whatsoeuer which were not of his opinion and tied to a small corner in Africa that Catholike Church which is so farre diffused ouer all the face of the earth Vincentius one of their company is iustly reprooued by Saint Austen because when the Lord had sayd that all the earth should be filled with his maiesty Amen Amen so be it so be it for so it is in the Psalme he would sit at Cartenae some meane place belike in Africa and with ten perhaps of his Rogatians which yet remained with him would say Non fiat non fiat that it should not be so Or be they our new Barrhoists sprong from the seede of the Donatists who because they conceiue that some spots spotted men do yet remaine within the Church of England they single themselues from vs by a schismaticall rent They forget that the spouse is blacke while she remaineth on earth that in the field where the best seede is said by Christ to be sowne tares spring vp as well as wheate and both must grow together vntill the day of haruest That in the wombe of Rebecca which was a good figure of the Church is Esau as well as Iacob which cannot be discerned vntill the time of their birth And this birth is the iudgement What a holy and wise saying is that which Austen hath in this behalfe We suffer many in the Church whom we can neither correct nor punish But yet for the chaffes sake we do not forsake the threshing floore of the Lord nor for the bad fishes sake do we breake the nets of the Lord nor for the goates which are to be seuered in the end do vve leaue the flocke of the Lord nor for the vessels made to dishonour do vve flit out of the house of the Lord. Let the spirite of singularitie carie these meÌ„ in our time headlong while it will but let vs loue the publike meetings of the faithfull the sacraments duly administred the word sincerely taught the deuotions vttered here Let vs hold it our ioy and crowne that we may so come together that we may not onely with our Prophet here looke toward the temple but that if we will our feet may stand in the gates of Ierusalem We do sinne against our soules when by a fancie we debarre our selues from the fellowship of the faithfull and communion of Gods Saints And so now leauing this let vs come vnto the third thing which was at the first proposed by me and that is the grieuous conflict which Ionas here sustained The combat of the Prophet 13 And what can be straunger to a man at first sight then that he who late before was the Prophet of the Highest and therefore much in his grace acquainted with his counsels and purpose concerning Israel where he had long preached one neere about his God should now with such a horrour as a despairing person be vp and then downe be at the first so distrustfull although afterward resolued But the remembrance of that fauour which he before enioyed doth deiect him the more that after so large measure of Gods bountifulnesse toward him he shold be vnthankfull For now his conscience cryeth out against him that he was most vnworthie to haue any part in the Redeemer who had turned from him so wilfully Now he breatheth out displeasure and indignation against himselfe So fearefull a thing is sinne it doth so wound the soule Hence great fights do oftentimes arise vnto the faithfull where the flesh armed with desperation layeth on loade euen to destruction but faith holdeth out a buckler wherewith she wardeth the blowes Notwithstanding betweene the one and the other there is a combat hardly fought out much ebbing and much flowing much rising and much falling that the waues are not so various as the thoughts of this sufferer are disputing pro and con acquiting and condemning Whereunto at the last a victorie commeth but it is with great difficultie in the meane while the inward man and the outward the spirit and the flesh most vehemently wrastling Now as Saint Iames hath told vs Blessed is the man that endureth temptation he that striueth and standeth and in the end coÌ„quereth shall not loose his reward But in the meane time it maketh the weake one the tender and sickly conscience to droope and be discouraged so that being heated violently he thirsteth after comfort In which case since God himselfe is so farre from despising the broken and contrite heart that in very truth he doth loue it and Christ for his part came for that purpose not to breake the brused reed nor to quench the smoking flaxe we are in exaÌ„ple of theÌ„ both the father the word to bind vp the broken to seeke out that which is perishing 14 Then to speake to this argument whosoeuer thou art that gronest vnder this heauie burthen strengthen thy feeble knees resume thy decaying spirits If the motions of thy mind be fearefull beyond measure yea vnfit to be spoken and vttered by thee so that thou art ashamed euen to name them as that Gods being is not certaine that the Scriptures may be doubted of that Christ was not the Messias Sauiour of the world that thy sins shal not be forgiueÌ„ thee that thou beloÌ„gest not to Gods electioÌ„ that the promises of his mercie appertain to other meÌ„ but are not true in thee that thy best way were to dispatch thy selfe of thy life by some fall or a knife or by drowning or otherwise since thou art but a forlorne person and a castaway in Gods sight which is a most fearefull and vncomfortable thought yet vnderstand that these suggestions and a thousand more of that kind are but attempts of thine enemie who would willingly rush vpon thee but know that thou herein art not alone such coâ—flicts are very common The Prophets and the Apostles the best Saints of God haue endured them How great was Iobs extremitie when he cursed the day of his birth and being vnpatient and vnruly he satisfieth not himselfe againe and againe to curse it In what a case was Dauid when he seemed to feare vtter perdition Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me He speaketh as if he doubted of his election It was not well with him when he distrusted God in his promises daring to say vnaduisedly in the midst of his distresses that all men were lyers that was euery one of them who did tell him and that from the mouth of Samuel the true Prophet of the Lord that he should be the king ouer Israel How was Ieremie on his knees when he cursed and fretted bitterly and wished that he had neuer bene or would that he had bene slaine at his first entring into the world How was
belong vnto any man it is vnto him haue compassion of some in putting difference and other saue with feare pulling them out of the fire This is to imitate Christ who will not breake a brused reede nor quench the smoking flaxe This is to seeke out the lost and to bind vp that which is broken Vnto these this may be added that it shall not a little helpe to haue conference with such who in former times haue bene exercised with the like temptations that out of their experience being plentifully powred out the distressed mind may be relieued None can speake more sufficiently and vnto better purpose then he that hath felt the same fire wherein this grieued soule is now burned And they who are in this cafe are not a little reuiued to know that any other hath bene troubled like themselues which they will hardly beleeue thinking that none did euer beare such a burthen as is vpon their shoulders Lastly as they ought rather to remember their former deliuerances then the griefe which presently is vpon them so they are rather to beleeue the speeches of other men I meane Gods children who come to yeeld comfort to thē then their own troubled thoughts which being perplexed and disquieted with frightfull imaginations can giue no setled iudgement This matter were worthie a longer speech but I am forced here to end Lord comfort those which are comfortlesse and strengthen thy weake children that they may not be so cast downe and plunged into perdition but that in their greatest temptation they may retaine thee still for their Sauiour that liuing in thy feare and dying in thy faith they may come to eternall glorie To the which ô Father bring vs for thine owne sonne Christ his sake to whom with thee and thy holy Spirit be glorie for euermore THE XII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 2 The circumstances aggrauating his daunger 6. which do the more shew Gods mercie toward him and other sinners 8. Why God suffereth his to be in miserie 9. Particular consideration doth most stirre vp our affection 14. By fearing small crossings in doing our duties we incurre other very great daungers 16. All helpe is to be ascribed to God 17. How a godly man may desire that his life may be prolonged 20. The faithfull ought particularly to apply Gods loue to themselues 22. which the Church of Rome doth not Ionah 2.5.6 The waters compassed me about vnto the soule the depth closed me round about and the weedes were wrapped about mine head I went downe to the bottome of the mountaines the earth with her barres was about me for euer yet hast thou brought vp my life from the pit ô Lord my God THe fearefull conflict which the Prophet sustained in the verse next before going hath bene made plaine vnto you A passion of little lesse then distrustfull despaire did vexe him and disquiet him for the time From the terrour and danger wherof being recouered by the effectuall apprehension of grace by a liuely faith he returneth to contemplate the perill of his body which as it was great in the middle of the sea in the belly of the whale which was irrecouerable in mans iudgement so he seeketh to expresse it by multitude of words repeating it and reuoluing it with varietie of phrase but all tending to one end yet with such copiousnesse especially being in so short a prayer that a man would wonder at first how the Spirit of God which vseth to speake pressely and briefly so that no one word may fitly be spared should so runne vpon one thing with difference of speech but in substance all agreeing Yet the vse of it is such as of words fully replenished with sanctitie and holinesse as shall appeare in his due place In the meane time that which he saith is this 2 First the waters did compasse me about vnto the soule to the death saith the Chaldee Paraphrase as intending that he was now likely to be drowned his life to depart from him his soule to be seuered from her carnall habitation Dauid also doth vse such vehemencie of words Saue me ô God for the waters are entred euen to my soule Neither is there any speech which more liuely discouereth the earnestnesse of that which is presently in hand be it prayer or perill or desire or detestation then the name of soule doth As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee ô God My soule thirsteth for God This noteth an entire affection and earnest desire wherewith Dauid was mooued As the Lord liueth and as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee saith Elizaeus to Elias A very passionate affirmation Iacob in Genesis giueth this censure of Simeon and Leui. The instruments of crueltie are in their habitations Into their secret let not my soule come This argueth a perfect detestation So the depth of danger is purported here when he speaketh thus the waters compassed me vnto the soule the enemie of my life the water which hath no mercie was aboue me and below me and round about me without me and within me that my being was death my hope was but destruction nothing possible vnto me but drowning as farre as mans wit might imagine Secondly the depth did close me round about I was not in the shallow as a man in a lake who lying downe may be stifled but standing may be safe but I was in the maine Ocean which is called for the hugenesse of it the gathering of waters and elsewhere Tehom a gulfe or bottomelesse pit I was in that vastnesse which sometimes cannot be sounded by very long lines I was in waters by multitudes and there not diuing or floating vp and downe but as closed and shut vp as included in a sepulcher or made fast in a prison this deepe pit this darke pit this vncōfortable dungeon had closed her mouth vpon me 3 Thirdly the weedes were wrapped about mine head The sea doth beare weedes as well as shallow water yea somewhere very straungely strangely I say that in such places as where the depth seemeth to be of incredible greatnesse weedes should be seene in abundance in the vpper superficies the very toppe of the water and that so plentifully that in nauigation the course of ships is stayed sometimes by them Experience hath confirmed this in the huge Atlantike sea as men saile to America whereout doth grow a very strange Dilemma or Diuision because either they be there without any rootes at all and that is very maruellous or because the rootes do go downe exceeding deepe in the water which is not otherwise affoorded by nature in thinne spindie bodies But that weedes do grow in the sea those of some price Solinus letteth vs know saying that shrubs and weedes in the Ligustike sea are those from whence our Corall commeth Such then being in the bottome are about the head of our Prophet he is wreathed and tangled in them
giuen ouer to heare any thing of my prayers Among the old Romane historians which haue written who was wiser then Cornelius Tacitus men do now study him for policy Yet in the first of his history recounting those great grieuances which befell Rome by the ciuill warres vnder Galba and Vitellius he vseth this desperate speech Neuer by greater slaughters on the Romane people or by more iust iudgements vvas it approoued vnto vs that the Gods do not at all respect our safety and security but to take vengeance on vs they are ready inough Here policy hath forgotten the very first grounds of piety which are patience and humility Liuie a graue writer although otherwise superstitious inough as appeareth by his Prodigia and yearely monsters yet tasteth of these dregs when in his fourth booke he writeth thus Here followeth a yeare which for slaughters and ciuill vprores and famine was very famous Onely forreine warre was vvanting wherewithall if our state had bene laded things could hardly haue bene stayed by the helpe of all the Gods but that they had run to ruine 9. Thus the wisedome of this world is nothing else but foolishnesse nothing but doting folly when it commeth indeed to the crosse or to the fiery triall The knowledge of God is wanting or at least the laying hold aright by faith is wanting And where faith is not to be found there is neither hope nor patience which are two infallible notes of a iust and Christian man There is nothing sayth Saint Cyprian which putteth more difference betweene the iust and the vniust then this that the euill man in his aduersity doth complaine and impatiently blaspheme but the good doth suffer quietly The iust hath trust in his Sauior but the other hath no part in him What maruell then is it if the wicked do fret and rage without comfort since he hath no share in him who is the God of comfort What maruell is it if he perish Plutarch telleth that this is the quality of Tigres that if drums or tabours sound about them they will grow madde and then they teare their owne flesh and rent themselues in peeces If the vnbeleeuing reprobate do heare the noyse of affliction he is ready to rent himselfe but by cursing and by swearing he will teare the body of Christ from top to toe in peeces As Ionas did remember God so the reprobate will not forget him but it is not to pray vnto him not to beleeue vpon him for he harh not so much grace but to ban him and blaspheme him I could wish that such prophanenesse as this might neuer be heard off in earnest or in play in the life or death of any man We should thinke of him with a reuerence we should mind him with a feare in prosperity with a trembling in aduersity with a hope There should be no fretting against his prouidence no grudging against his punishment When my soule did faint within me I remembred the Lord sayth Ionas I remembred him to beseech him I remembred him to intreate him I remembred him to embrace him to trust in him as a deliuerer to beleeue in him as a father I called to him and doubted not and he afterward heard my voyce 10 Saint Hierome doth giue this note vpon this place taking it out of the Septuagint That because he thought vpon the Lord when his soule did faint and he was ready to dye we by his example should aboue all things mind our maker when we are in the fits and pangs of death A very needefull doctrine if any thing may be needefull that when we must dislodge and be remooued hence when our glasse is so farre runne that immediatly a change must follow and that not to a trifle or toye which is to bee contemned but either to heauen or hell either to perpetuall ioy or to euerlasting torment we haue him in our meditations who is to see our iudge who is to scanne our actions and to peruse our conscience and giue the last sentence on vs that then with our best remembrance we thinke vpon his mercy and contemplate on his great loue in the redemption of his sonne and desire him for his blouds sake to take vs into his fauour That this lesson might the better be taught vnto vs Iesus the sonne of God and fore-runner of our faith when he was ready to yeeld vp his spirit did commend his vnspotted soule to his most righteous father Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Good Steuen the eldest martyr did tread these steps right after him when at the time of his death he cried Lord Iesus receiue my spirit And euery Christian man should struggle and striue to do so to shake off as much as may be the heauinesse of his sicknesse and as hauing that one prize that last great prize to play should stirre vp his spirit in him and should then pray to God to comfort him to conduct him vnto heauen to leade him along to glorie It is a good thing to liue well but because death is the vp-shot which maketh or marreth the rest it is the best thing to dye well He who hath begun aright hath halfe that whereat he aimeth but to begin is our hurt it shall bee a witnesse against our conscience vnlesse we do perseuere The man who shall bee blessed must continue to the ende 11 Then may the dangerous state of such be iustly deplored who in their life time haue so fondly doated vpon the world that when death which is Gods baylife doth summon them to appeare before the iudgement seate they do least of all other things know wherewith he should be furnished who commeth there but as before in the time of their health so in their despaired sicknesse do thinke only vpon their Mammon admiring it and embracing it and kissing it in their thought as if they were wedded to it But neither of themselues nor by the instigation of the Minister who is a remembrancer for the Lord can they be any way vrged to speake of celestiall things to call on God for mercy or to professe their faith and confidence in their Sauiour And this wordly imagination first ministreth hope of life they not dreaming that death will take them till on the sudden both body and soule do eternally dye together Next if they do conceiue that it must be so and there is no way with them but the graue then is their heart oppressed with sorrow and a huge waight of griefe that there must be a separation from their beloued treasure And lastly if their memory do serue there must be an vnsetled and vnresolued disposing with disquietnesse and much vexing of that which hath bene ill gotten to this child or to that friend and much stirre there must be about the pompe of a funerall by which meanes all good motions are so stifled and choaked that there is scant one word of him who made all
lying vanities we may acknowledge thee in our life time to be the onely Lord and when our soule fainteth within vs and is departing hence we may onely thinke on thee that both our present prayers and spirits afterward may ascend into thy celestiall temple where thou raignest with thy most blessed Sonne to whom with thee and thy holy Spirit be laud and praise for euer THE XIIII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. Ionas prooueth thankfull for Gods mercie 3. The reason and order of sacrifices 5. They should be spiritually meant 7. How we should do in Gods seruice 8. Gods praise is publikely to be sounded out 9. Thankfulnesse is a sacrifice to be offered of all 11. We are forgetfull in it 12. The manner of vowes 14. What rules are to be obserued in them 17. Popish vowes examined 19. All helpe commeth from God Ionah 2.9 But I will sacrifice vnto thee with the voyce of thankesgiuing and will pay that that I haue vowed Saluation is of the Lord. IN the words before going the Prophet doth comfort himselfe exceedingly that he serueth such a maister as is best able to helpe him whē he most needeth and in his Temple attended to his heartie prayer when as his soule fainted within him whereas all other things be they idols or heathen Gods or any deuised refuges be nothing but lying vanitie and therefore those who wait and depend vpon them do forsake their owne mercie Where when he had found God so eminent and incomparably great in comparing him with those weake ones he esteemeth it a speciall point of dutie to yeeld to one so excellent a high measure of praise and most deserued thankes to him who in extremitie had so raised him from the pit And this is the drift of this present verse to acknowledge himselfe so bound and deuoted to God that all the powers of his mind and faculties of his soule should be employed in his seruice A conclusion well beseeming him who had receiued such fauour that he would not as beastes or as vnthankefull persons do onely take that which doth come and make no more adoo but with a respect vnto the giuer who beyond all expectation had raised him and relieued him would record it and repeate it and in his best meditation againe and againe reuolue it as not knowing how to returne enough for Gods great mercie 2 But in the meane while the words which he vseth are various and significant He doth mention thankesgiuing which declareth his gratefull mind and the better to expresse it he nameth the voyce of thankesgiuing as intending that he would aduaunce the honour of him who saued him not in secret onely but with manifest declaration to others and to both these he doth ad the act of offering sacrifice applying that to his thankes which was the most solemne seruice vsed in old time to God Neither doth he make his stand heere but whereas he had vowed some things vnto the Lord which he promised to performe if euer he did escape he saith he vvill pay those vowes and at the last for a conclusion he shutteth vp all with these words saluation is of the Lord. Where because as you see the circumstances in the text are manifold and all of them haue their vse for better order of instruction I thinke good to obserue two things First the dutie returned by Ionas and that consisted in a double deede one the sacrifice of thankesgiuing and the other the paying of his vowes Secondly that good which commeth from God not onely to the Prophet but to all those who do serue him Saluation is of the Lord. Among all which the word of sacrificing is first proposed vnto vs. I will sacrifice vnto thee 3 The only thing which God doth looke for at mans hands for creating him in so goodly a shape for enriching him with gifts so glorious in shew so gracious in deed for preseruing him and protecting him in such infinite varietie of dangerous occurrents for heaping daily vpon him such multiplied benefites is to be serued and feared by him Thou shalt vvorship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue In this because he hath made all he doth require all our selues and all ours the bodie and the soule the inward and the outward the sensible and inuisible although especially the heart and immateriall soule yet ioyntly the hand and action from without yea and the wealth also that euery part may recommend a dutie to the authour And for these externall matters he hath giuen vnto man not onely members as in prayer his hands to be lifted vp his breast to be beaten on his knees to be bowed his eyes to be bedewed that so compunction in the mind may the more be stirred vp but also his other creatures either dum or dead things the fruites of the earth the birds of the aire the beasts of the field the mettals of the ground to be vsed to his glorie And this in old time was done in nothing more then in sacrifices which was in some to consecrate and dedicate them vnto him in some other to offer them in whole or in part consumed with fire to testifie their obedience and seeking vnto him Which manner of sacrificing was knowne vnto men from the first time of nature as good Abel and bad Cain the first heires of the world presented an oblation of such things as they had to him who had sent them Noe after the floud offered a sweet smelling sauour and Abraham by commaundement intended to sacrifice his onely sonne Isaac By all which it is euident that sacrificing was common before that any order for Gods seruice was settled 4 But when the people once were returned out of Egypt and God by the hand of Moses had ordained a ciuill pollicie for the gouernment of the laitie and a Hierarchie Ecclesiasticall for so I may well call it for guiding of his Clergie to the end that euery thing afterward might be practised with conformity he appointed first for the Tabernacle and after that for the Temple a tribe of Priests Leuites whose office was to attend to the offerings of the people And himselfe did name the matter and manner of euery sacrifice what bird or beast daily or on other occasion should be offered as the whole body of the Leuiticall law doth make knowne to vs. Thence grew the daily sacrifice which neuer was omitted the sinne-offerings and free-will-offerings and many sorts besides and when extra-ordinarie cause was giuen great store of beastes were slaine as when Salomon to consecrate the Temple at Hierusalem did offer in his magnificence two and twentie thousand Oxen and one hundred and twentie thousand sheepe such a sacrifice as I thinke the like was neuer seene And that time onely excepted when the Iewes were captiues in Babylon or when Antiochus did tyrannize at his pleasure the altars were still going till the very time of Christ and diuerse yeares afterward vntill that
haue shewed the apish quality of Satan in his imitation of the mightiest workes of God and his craftinesse otherwise in seeking by his tales and inuented reports to withdraw credit from the Scriptures Whereunto I might first adde that since we haue to do with an enemy of that quality we had neede be very circumspect in regard of our selues that we yeeld not assent to any of the leud motions of himselfe or other his Atheisticall agents in going about to extenuate the credit of the word but pray to God still to guide vs in his vndoubted truth both that we may beleeue and practise that which he hath taught vs. Secondly I might shew the conueniency or rather the necessity that a Minister who should expound the Scriptures should be furnished with liberall Arts and sciences with histories and other humane learning that when occasion directly serueth such knots as this is may be opened to the honour of the true God In which respect I do professe my iudgement to be cleane contrary to the opinions of such men who thinke that the vnderstanding and vse of these matters is friuolous and vaine for a Minister and only for ostentation and that it skilled not if there were no Vniuersities or schooles where these things are studied I repute them the great blessings of the Lord of heauen affoorded to vs for the apparant furtherance of his ministery and the profession of Diuinity How can the Reuelation and the prophecy of Daniel be vnderstood without these The like may be sayd of some other parts of Scripture When with so many helpes of history from the Greeke and from the Latine the best and most laborious wits cannot attaine to the depth of many matters in them how vnperfect and vncertaine nay how amazed plainely should he be that would looke into them knoweth nothing of antiquitie The positiō is most true that arte and knowledge hath none so great an enemy as that person which is ignorant Take away these and bring in barbarisme But I haue no time to handle this and therefore I do leaue it desiring God to perpetuate these arts skils among vs that the meanes of our studies here in this vngodly age be not taken away from vs for our abusing of them but that they may continue as handmaides to Diuinity and seruants vnto the Scriptures till Christ Iesus come to iudgement To him with his blessed father and his most holy Spirit be praise for euermore THE XVI LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 3. God in sending twise sheweth his loue to be the greater 4. which is hindered by no crosse from man 6. As appeareth in England 7. God imployeth Ionas after his former fall 8. The cruell doctrine of the Nouatians 10. The word is the great instrument whereby God calleth 11. To the old Prophets the word of God came 12. But preachers now must go to it 13. Ionas is not forward to his second message 14. God purposely sendeth variety of businesse to vs and why 15. The finger of the Lord appeareth in that one teacheth a multitude 16. But especially the word is forcible 17. Knowing of daunger before-hand maketh the Minister more resolute 18. Prophets must preach that onely which God commandeth 19. Which the Papists do not Ionah 3 1.2 And the word of the Lord came vnto Ionah the second time saying Arise go vnto Niniueh that great city and preach vnto it the preaching vvhich I bid thee AS it pleased God that vpon the first reuiuing of this weekely exercise of preaching among vs I meane in these late yeres after some discontinuance of these holy labours he put in my mouth the first charge layd on Ionas to go to Niniue the euent whereof from time to time I haue discoursed vnto you as the Lord hath enabled me So it falleth out fitly by the prouidence of the selfe same God that vpon the second reuiuing of the selfe same exercise the second sending of the selfe same Prophet vnto the same city should be offered to your hearing Wherein as the mercy of the Almighty was manifested to Niniue when after the first stay hinderance of that which was intended toward it he did not giue ouer but redoubled his message by sending againe So it is an argument of Gods kindnesse to vs that he suffereth not the practise of his seruants in holy things to cease but although vpon occasion it hath bene interrupted yet to breake foorth againe A copious blessing when God plentifully sendeth the foode of our soules and that not onely by imposed sacrifices but by free-will offerings also so remoouing farre from vs the famine of the word which is the greatest famine and against which we are to pray more earnestly then against all hunger of the body It were to be wished that this may be continued with an euerlasting performance that so the building of this house like that of Salomons Temple might not cease till all were ended by Christs comming to iudgement or if like the second Temple it must be at a stay yet that it might neuer quite stand lest the memory should be razed out that there was any such building Although some space be betweene yet let the dayes of Darius adde to the daies of Cyrus the Lord stirre vp the spirit as of Zerubbabel before so of Zachariah afterward to second and forward and incourage the worke 2 Now there is proposed to me a larger field to walke in then hitherto hath bene for the sinne of one man alone was offered before vnto me to be discoursed of but now the sinne of a multitude So heretofore I had occasion to looke into the priuate repentance of one offending person but now into the publike penance of a whole transgressing city and that of the city Niniue the greatest in the East which by her enormity did minister God great matter of vengeance and wrath but by her deploration and sorrow for iniquity did mooue him vnto mercy Before the cry of their ioyned transgressions did ascend into the eares of the Lord as the cry of Sodome did but now in a like manner the out-cry of their ioyned praiers of their fasting and contrition doth pierce through the very cloudes and commeth before Gods seate and obtaineth forgiuenesse of him Which as it is afterward illustrated in this present Chapter and therefore in his fit place will yeeld most fruitfull doctrine so because the meanes also of moouing them to repentance are here opened vnto vs that is to say by the word of God deliuered vnto thē by the preaching of the Prophet my purpose is to pursue it with that naturall order which the text prescribeth vnto me beginning with the Lords sending and so proceeding to the Prophets going and afterward to his preaching and then to their demeanour in hearing and receiuing and so forward to the rest But this day in these two verses especially I shall touch these two things The imployment
the place I do leaue that to be touched as God shall giue grace hereafter In the meane time let vs pray to him so to open our hearts that we may make true vse of the rods of our afflictions and with patience beare his crosse with trembling respect his iudgements and with obedience worke his will that his iustice be not enforced to send foorth against vs a sentence of destruction as it did against Niniue From the which the Father saue vs for his owne Sonne Christ his sake to both whom and his holy Spirit be honour for euermore THE XVIII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. How the Sermon of Ionas might be short and yet effectuall 4. Numbers are obserued in Diuinitie 5. and may be abused 7. How they may be rightly vsed 8. Gods mercie in forbearing sinners 11 Sinne is forcible to draw downe vengeance 14. It is the more fearefull that they are not told how they are like to perish 15. God hath many wayes to destroy 16. No place is inuincible Ionah 3 4. Yet fortie dayes and Niniueh shall be ouerthrowne HE little conceiueth the purpose of this Prophecie who seeth not that Gods drift from the beginning of it was to haue Ionas go and preach to the Niniuites You haue seene what worke he hath had to bring this businesse about The sea ayre haue bene troubled the mariners much disquieted Ionas himselfe so vexed that he hath spent halfe this booke to tell what did befall him because he did not preach But at last after all this he is come to it and therefore we may now very well expect a long Sermon and a large For like to the young of an Elephant it hath bene long in breeding therfore it may be great Else it may be said that we stay long for a litle he came far for a small message and a great head to a childs body and a Preface very tedious to a tale which is quickly ended But God tyeth not himselfe to the rules of Rhetoricke so to fit the fancies of men but as in matter he is euermore the same to speake nothing but truth so in manner he is oft-times different now longer and then shorter now sharper and then sweeter But the qualitie of his shortest speech doth recompence want of quantitie for much is in a little and in few things there are many things Yet if that which is short be repeated many times the frequent repetition doth also make that large as that Psalme is no small one which hath reiterated in each verse for his mercie endureth for euer Then if our Prophet being in Niniue and going from one street to another had vsed in the ends and middle of them but these words Yet fortie dayes and Niniue shall be ouerthrowne he might first haue spent his day found himself work enough and secondly haue left much more amazednesse in the people that he would denounce one thing so frequently and so confidently and say no more nor lesse and thirdly he might also fulfill the end of his comming 2 My text saith that he cried and I reade of another cryer who tooke the selfe same course in a citie of no lesse note although somewhat meaner in quantitie When the time was come that Hierusalem soone after was to be destroyed by the Romanes a countreyman while yet there was great peace and prosperitie cried day and night in the street and sometimes in the Temple A voyce from the East a voyce from the West a voyce from the foure winds a voyce against Hierusalem and the Temple a voyce against new maried men and against new maried women a voyce against all this people This was continued by him in the selfe same words sauing that sometimes he added Wo wo vnto HierusaleÌ„ The man who did this was named Iesus I doubt not but in this case of Niniue our Prophet was a Preacher and I reade of another Preacher who tooke the same course also Hierome writeth concerning Iohn the Euangelist that he abode at Ephesus till he was so old and fâ—eble by reason of age that he could hardly be borne to Church by his scholers But being there and his memorie or voyce not framing to his mind he would say againe and againe ouer and multiply it oftentimes Litle children loue one another litle children loue one another And when his scholers and auditours were wearie with the continuall hearing of these words and no other they asked him the reason of it who gaue them this answere It is the commaundement of our Lord and this alone is sufficient if it be done as it should If our Ionas as a Preacher should like that Preacher Iohn or our Ionas as a crier should like that crier Iesus haue sung the selfe same song and redoubled the selfe same note I feare not but as these men offended not in the manner but caused much admiration so he might haue done likewise 3 But I rather thinke that this case was the case of Iohn the Baptist who had both persons in him a crier in the wildernesse and a Preacher among the people Yet when his Sermon is described by Mathew the Euangelist it is in as short termes as this was here at Niniue Repent for the kingdome of heauen is at hand Where although the words be few yet those were but the knitting vp and briefe of a great deale more for Iohn sung not one note but rose and fell and varied as occasion was offered vnto him as in the middest of the chapter is manifest to the reader For the Pharisees had their errand and the Saduces had their item and Luke goeth farther yet the Publicanes had one lesson and the souldiours had another and the people went not free Yet because the solide substance of all which Iohn did say was reduced to that head of repentance and to informe them that the kingdome of grace and appearance of Messias was now to be seene of them all his doctrine and preaching is layed downe in that briefe summe So it may be rightly supposed that this messenger did tell a longer tale in Niniue euen the narration of himselfe to procure more credit to his words and the recounting of his punishment and escaping from the same but especially did inueigh against those noted sins which were in that great citie their oppression and their rauening their tyrannie and bloud-shedding which they exercised vpon those who were vnder them their arrogâ—ncie and pride whereunto prosperitie did puffe them their auarice and their wantonnesse but most of all their securitie growing by their abundance and that for these and the like destruction and a speedie ruine should be their portion Yet because the burthen of all was fortie dayes and destroying all is closed vp in those words So that it which being folded vp doth fill but a little roome if it be opened and spred doth make a greater shew Caesars veni vidi vici contained much matter
writeth reporting very maruellous things thereof Remember the force of enemies assembled in great number and with discipline of warre what strange things they haue done I spake before of Hierulalem and who thought themselues more safe then the inhabitants of that city and yet the Romanes tooke them The Gothes surprised Rome when Honorious who was then Emperour lying quietly at Rauenna thought the matter so vnlikely that when newes was brought vnto him that Rome was lost he supposed that they had meant a fighting cocke which he called by that name So it might be with other places euen with this mighty Niniue 16 Truth it is that they had people and souldiers in great store a city strongly defenced mony and much munition yet these things are not euermore of power to keepe and saue from an enemy You haue heard of that speech of Philip who neuer feared but he might take that city whose gates were so wide that an Asse laden with gold might enter Iugurtha could say that Rome it selfe might haue bene bought for money if there had bene any to buy it But it is the note of an historian in our age that it is a foolish speech which commonly men do vse to say that any city or fortresse is inuincible For sayth he when an enemy hath once layd siege against it either force of gunnes by violence or craft of mining in secret or priuy scaling by night or tiring out the besieged by long continued labours or treason or some stratageme may bring it to the inuader Yea victuall may want within or things fit for defence or the garrison may be worne And by such meanes warriours may win any place Let Tyrus be the example which was gained by Alexander the Great And if a hold he once taken why is it not in the mercy of the conquerour both for the place and the people to be vsed at his pleasure to be saued if he will saue or spilled if he will spill And is a mortall creature of power to breake the greatest and shall we not thinke that God who mooueth and the heauen doth stir who speaketh and the earth doth tremble can plucke Niniue on her knees within forty dayes or whensoeuer it shall seeme good vnto him There is no doubt at all of this matter Then since they had no suspect of the ability of â—â—s power and what his will was they had heard no maruell if all their hearts were filled with such a sorrow as requireth time to describe it Thus you now know the cutting Sermon and galling speech of our Prophet which is short not sweet few words but full of waight so heauy that they make the proudest there to quake Which I shall let you know as God shall giue occasion In the meane while let vs pray that the Lord will send vs that grace to leade our liues in his feare that he in wrath be not enforced by the multitude of our sinnes to intend such destruction to vs as is here proclaimed against Niniue but that we may do those deeds which belong to Christ Iesus his seruants to which Christ with his blessed Father and his eternall Spirite be praise for euermore THE XIX LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. The Niniuites are not obstinate but yeeld 3. The force of the word of God 5. Conscience and present feare maketh sooner to repent 6. The Pastour must not be discouraged if at the first he preuaile not 7. The Pastour is neare to God 8. Therefore he should be very wary 9. The people should vse their Ministers reuerently 10. Godlinesse is most imbraced where it may be least expected 11. Fasts are to be proclaimed by the Magistrate 13. The force of fasting and praying 14. But we are negligent herein Ionah 3.5 So the people of Niniueh beleeued God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them euen to the least of them IT hath bene shewed before how fearefull a message the Prophet Ionas brought to mighty Niniue That yet forty dayes and Niniue shall be ouerthrowne Yet forty dayes and then as Ioel sometimes spake a day of darknesse and blacknesse of cloudes and obscurity of lamentable horrour and vnspeakeable desolation The great city the rich city the Imperiall commaunder of all the East parts he knoweth not how nor he speaketh not how but be it howsoeuer shall be surely destroyed I am now to lay downe according to the order of the story the good intertainement which this messenger found Who would not imagine that men in that height of prosperity in the top of the wheele now bearing rule ouer a great part of the world would haue vsed this stranger in some strange manner sutably to that pride and disdainefull contempt which commonly waiteth vpon abundance That an vnknowne fellow simple out of countenance hauing neither statelinesse of apparell nor any attendants to commend him should come facing and threatning with a tale of that nature neither respecting himselfe nor his superiours If it be want of maners in him he must be taught good maners if it be lacke of wit he must be taught wit not to disturbe or interrupt the peace of such a city Ahab although he knew well inough who Elias was yet in like case would haue sayd vnto him Art thou he that troublest Israel The Iewes would haue serued him as they serued Saint Steuen shoute at him stop their eares runne vpon him at once draw him out of their city and stone him Or as they serued Paule crye Away with such a fellovv from off the earth it is not fit that he should liue and then againe shoute and cast off their clothes and throw dust into the aire Verie few of the qualitie of the citizens of Niniue would haue forborne to imprison him or dâ—â—e him from among them 2 But the Auditors here being made of other more gentle and soft mettall do beare themselues better The sound of his voyce being entred into their eares hath descended to their hearts and there hauing wrought an effectuall conuersion reflecteth it selfe so againe that their vttermost members are affected therewith The soule hauing once giuen credit to this so imminent an euill the whole man is possessed with a fearefull contemplation the body quiuereth at it and all the ioynts do tremble the voyce is lifted vp to proclaime mortification the belly shall be pinched with a macerating fast the backe shall be disguised with sordidity of sackcloth the head shall be couered with ashes and dust the tongue shall crye mightily vnto God for mercie Yea great and small of them without any exception shall thus be brought downe Such a change in such a moment of time was neuer seene That the voyce of musicke should be turned into mourning the sound of the viole and harpe into howling and schreeching that the Princes and beggers should be equalled together that the daughters of Niniue the daintiest of ten thousand depriued of their
bodie If the bodie stand vpright the shadow is vpright also But maruell not if the shadow do double if the body be first crooked Thy fals draw other on with them For thy callings sake and for his sake whose marke is stamped in thy forehead haue an eye vnto thy wayes But aboue all follow him in this He sitteth on high in the heauen there is no earthinesse with him let not thy celestiall spirit be fixed vpon the earth and lye groueling on the ground Thy outward man and thy inward man and all thy conuersation must be aboue in heauen not in scraping or in scratching as if thou hadst a perpetuall habitation in this world How shall other by thy example learne to contemne that world which thou with greedinesse doest embrace and shewest thy selfe as if thou hadst lost much time at thy studie in the Vniuersitie and wast now to recouer it with a preposterous emulation of the fiercest hungriest worldlings There is nothing farther from heauen then this there is nothing more vnlike to thy maker It is noted that those creatures which are nearest the earth take most care to get store those which are more remote are lesse busied but those who liue next the heauen haue their hearts least set vpon it What hoordeth like the Emet or pismire which is an earthy thing and dwelling thereupon But the birds of the ayre who flye next to the heauen as Christ himselfe doth teach do neither sow nor reape nor carie into the barne Let thy meditations cary thee much higher then their wings that although thou liue with men yet thy loue may be with God So thy celestiall contemplation thy pastourlike conuersation thy knowledge fit for a teacher may shew that thou art one of them by whom the Lord doth speake and that title shall be giuen thee And so much for the Minister 9 But the people are also taught from hence to yeeld an vnfained reuerence to their pastors and preachers yea although they be such as haue their infirmities For who had more then Ionas and yet his speech is called Gods speech the beleeuing of his words the beleeuing of the Lord. The profite which is brought by the true Pastours to their congregations their maister who doth send them and the message which they bring do deserue to be well regarded It is more then men do accompt it to seeke out what goeth astray to comfort the broken hearted to leade in the way of peace to feede that with spirituall foode which otherwise would perish To ouerturne the strong holds of Satan and of sinne is that which is worth the receiuing But as Origene once said as the wals of Hierico fell downe by nothing but by the trumpets of the Priests so be the strong holds of Satan ouerthrowne by nothing but by the doctrine of good teachers These come from the immortall Lord who is a iealous God and a terrible and doth hold the disgrace done to his Ministers as a disgrace offered to himselfe and punisheth it accordingly A Christian captaine could once say to Valens the Emperour that he lost a victorie for abusing of Gods ministers and they saith he who fight against the Lord do prosper in nothing Moreouer the message which they bring is the true peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost A treasure beyond all treasures and although they be but earthen vessels and therefore brittle who bring it yet for the treasures sake they should be well intreated How do they keepe this lesson who accompt it part of their happinesse if with facilitie they may abuse and with promptnesse depraue those whom in truth they shold honour for so the Apostle speaketh and yet they will be Christians and men knowne for religion Thou who so doest art an vnhappie man thou wrongest thy self and knowest it not Heare what Saint Cyprian saith vnto thee Thou art angrie with him who laboureth to turne away the wrath of God from thee thou threatnest him who intreateth the mercie of God for thee who feeleth that wound of thine which thou thy selfe doest not feele who powreth out those teares for thee which thou thy selfe perhaps doest not powre out for thus the true Pastour doth I may adde Thou wicked heart why doest thou render him so ill thankes for his labour Commest thou not vnto his Church by that meanes thou debarrest thy selfe from the communion of Gods saints Doest thou come ioynest not with him in prayer and inuocation then thou secludest thy selfe from a multitude of men who call vpon the Lord and it is better that thou hadst beene absent for now thou condemnest thy selfe for coming and yet refusing But thou prayest ioyntly with thy Pastour then let Saint Chrysostome speake vnto thee when he saith peace be to you as we say in our Liturgie the Lord be with you thou answerest with thy spirit for in old time they replyed so also as we do now Thus thou sayest in the Church and as soone as thou art come out thou impugnest him thou despisest him thou reuilest him and priuily with a thousand reproches thou rentest him and tearest him what a peace is this to his spirit which thou doest wish vnto him Take heede and be aduised ô you sonnes of men lest despising those whom your God fauoureth you purchase his high displeasure Learne of the Gentiles of Niniue to thinke of God in his messengers and by the visible creature to remember the inuisible Lord and to respect them both the Eternall for himselfe the other with a reference because he commeth from him 10 Now to returne to my Prophet by him speaking from God and by God sending his word his louing moouing word faith is wrought in the Niniuites according to that of the Apostle Saint Paule that faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God They by a terrour apprehend the conscience of their sinnes and imagine that without repentance destruction and vnauoidable desolation is at their doores See the straunge effect of one sermon and the doctrine of one day for so I do still take it among a forlorne people The stonie heart is made like waxe the flintie mind is made soft But how strange a worke is this where something was expected there nothing is to be found and where nothing was looked for there it commeth in great abundance There is more treasure in a wildernesse then in the treasure house He had long preached to the Israelites and Israel was not Israel but a disobedient nation Gods people were now become a Niniue or a Babylō in comparison of that which they should haue bene He commeth among the Niniuites and there he findeth more of Israel then he did in his own countrey The circumcision scorneth and the vncircumcised are made heires of the promises The children prooue to be rebels and the rebels are chaunged into children So in the time of our Sauiour the
Basile saith few come and those who come come so carelesly and sleepily as if they were not present at all but in many great townes and cities vpon a day of ordinarie Lecture men and women are so scant to be seene that indeede the boyes of the schoole are more then all the Church besides and yet they be not many This is a fault which cannot be excused the greatest herein do as commōly offend as the meanest How would the Pastour delight to see a great flocke about him how would euery true heart ioy to heare the sound of Psalmes sung like the showte of a mightie armie How would the Lord be pleased to be mooued called vpon by the prayers of such a multitude We cannot excuse this 14 Yet I commend the men of Niniue for what they did they did wholly I pray God that it neuer fall out that they stand vp in the iudgement and condemne many of our nation for their forwardnesse and our beckwardnesse For what do we in comparison of those infidell heathen men We haue receiued gifts farre before them but bring foorth fruite farre behind them There came one man to them but we haue had many hundreds a straunger was their sollicitour but we haue had of our owne God hath powred the spirit of Prophecie on our sonnes and on our daughters our young men haue seene visions our old men haue dreamed dreames They were onely taught by threatnings but we haue had sweete promises and perswasions and allurements and when these haue not serued we haue felt the smart of the rodde by a hunger and by a sicknesse They had the word but one day or a very little time but we euen fortie yeares a goodly space and a large and therein line after line and precept vpon precept now a little and then a little yet in so many diminishments and extenuations of theirs in comparison of vs they repented and all of them repented in sackcloth and ashes in fasting and lamentation but we without repenting go on to prouoke his wrath Then what should stay Gods furie that it doth not breake out against vs Nothing certainly but some few such righteous as were not to be found in Sodome but especially his owne mercie which followeth vs vnthankfull persons for his owne sake and his Sons sake and for his Churches sake Let vs pray that this fauour of his may yet lengthen that it be not cropped off with violence that we feele not that indeede which the Niniuites did but heare of yet a very little while and much sorrow and affliction God the Father turne this from vs Christ Iesus euer fauour vs the holy Ghost still preserue vs and to them be eternall glorie now and for euermore THE XX. LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. The word in diuerse worketh diuersly 3. The causes of meaner men concerne Kings 4. Things are concealed from many Kings 5. But they should take notice of them 6. Good things in Princes are much respected by God 8. Examples of great personages draw on the meaner to goodnesse 10. The Kings humilitie in comming from his throne 11. and putting off his attire 12. The vse of sackcloth 13. Correction must be of those things where the errour is 14. The inward mind maketh true repentance Ionah 3.6 For word came vnto the King of Niniueh and he arose from his throne and he layed his robe from him and couered him with sackcloth and sate in ashes THat saying of Saint Paule is a most true speech that the Ministers of God the ministerie of the word are to some the sauour of death vnto death and to other the sauour of life vnto life And so is that also which we find in Saint Gregorie that this woord is like the Planet or wandering starre Venus which vnto some is Lucifer a bright morning starre arising in their hearts whereby they are rowzed vp and stirred from iniquitie and sinne but to other is Hesperus an euening setting starre whereby they are brought to bed and layed asleepe in impietie To this purpose we neede no example more significant then the preaching of our Prophet whose words by their contemptuous receiuing of them were a meanes of condemnation to the Israelites adding hardnesse of heart to their rebellion and vnthankfulnesse but were such an occasion of peace to the men of Niniue that no where in the world hath the word by teaching wrought greater effect in so short a space of time In the describing whereof I lately gaue but a glaunce dealing no otherwise therin then if the gardiner topping a tree should cut off here a bough and there a shred that he might afterward come to the maine stocke it selfe So I haue prepared the way to shew the meanes of the fast and repentance in that citie by touching the precedent circumstances but whereas exegetically or expositorie-wise it is now more largely amplified I am at this present to discouer particularly the substance of all that is here done 2 When the Prophet then hauing entred the citie had in terrible and fearefull sort cried out that yet for some few dayes it might be spared but after that glasse runne out Niniue must be ouerthrowne the auditours are affected with that horrour of conscience and miserable molestation that by their disturbance their King doth take notice of the imminent daunger which was denounced from God and being prouident for himselfe and his people which were vnder him he taketh a course I cannot tell whether more holy or more happie to turne away the wrath which was comming out against him For by a Proclamation which was made with good aduise he inioyneth a fast for the taming of the flesh a generall fast both of men and cattell But to the end that he might seeme to be most liuely touched himselfe and that he might the more stirre vp the people to deuotion he performeth all ceremonies of debasing and deiection He who sate in his maiestie before now ariseth vp as forsaking it he who was distinguished from all inferiours by sitting in a throne as if it had beene in a solemne Parliament now standeth among the common sort as a person of no reputation He who before was couered with a royall and princelike robe layeth the same aside as loathing it and putteth sackcloth vpon him and to his tender flesh he ioyneth dust and ashes An example which very few times hath beene heard of in an Ethnicke and therefore it is the more worthie our best consideration For the expressing whereof after some studying what way might be most commodious I resolued to treade these steppes first to note some things in generall concerning him and other Kings which notes are insinuated by the text then in speciall to examine the manner of his proceeding which is varied by diuerse braunches But first here it is said that word of the Prophets preaching was brought to the King Generall things of the King 3 I suppose it to be
made orderly by beleeuing vnderstanding and iustifying knowledge And this may yet be feared to be wanting by their making much of images their inuocation of Saints their abusing of Christ in his institution in the Sacrifice of their Masse by counting their prayers on beades by reputing that which is sinne to be meritorious with God This maketh vaine all the rest and wringeth that speech from the Almighty Who required these things at your hands Let them with the king of Niniue beleeue on God and be inwardly setled in their mind out of the word and then for Christs sake and not for their owne merites their deeds shall be acceptable 15 Now to make application of this There is nothing written here but it is written for our instruction If sin among that people did deserue so hard a doome and prouoke so fearefull a wrath why should it then be esteemed with vs a light matter only a point of dalliance Why do men now so embrace it â—nd with greedinesse make after it as after a blessed thing God is one and the same God euermore and hateth it now as he did before And there remaineth an account to be made by vs as well as by men before Then if we did as we should we should seeke to diminish the faults of former ages and not to adde vnto the measure of them The least burthen is most easily borne the fewest sinnes are soonest reckened for It is a fearefull thing to fal wilfully into the hands of the euer-liuing God Sinne is like to that Siren which Poets do describe to sing then sweetly when it meaneth to destroy It is like to the Hyaena which can cry like a child but intendeth to teare in peeces Although the face be faire aboue yet it hath a Scorpions taile to sting It was like to destroy a whole city which was the greatest in all the world therfore it may bring desolation and perdition vpon vs. Againe if this mightie Monarke to appease the fury of God did refuse no humble subiection but did cast downe himselfe by inward and outward meanes then we oftentimes should change our wayes and giue more signification of the feeling of our misery that by open repentance Gods threats may be remooued and turned into blessings If we will turne vnto him he is a gracious Lord. But he loueth to be sought to and to be sollicited with earnest deuotion We do little deserue to haue it if we will not aske that which we want Then let vs cast our selues downe by publike and priuate prayer and giue him no rest till he graunt vs things conuenient Moreouer as the king of that nation did so ouersway all his subiects that he brought them also to God so let all who haue any other vnder them stirre vp those to true holinesse who are committed to them that many hands being lifted vp together may take the stronger effect And let him who hath fewest to rule know that his affections are placed by the Almighty as subiects vnder him if he haue the Spirit of God in him and therfore let him labour to command them and dispose them not to earthinesse and iniquity but to vertue and obedience So shall the ground of our hearts which bringeth foorth nothing else of it selfe but nettles and brambles and briers yeeld louely fruite and that which is acceptable in the eyes and eares of the Highest And then as the word from Ionas was effectuall to the Niniuites so shall the preaching of Gods Ministers and good pastours among vs be a pathway to eternity To the which the father bring vs for his owne Sonne Christ his sake to both whom and the holy Spirit three persons in one Godhead be honour now and for euer THE XXI LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. Men in authority are to excite other to deuotion 6. Princeâ— may compell to the externall meanes of Gods seruice 8. The greatest are to gouerne by aduise 11. Commendation of fasting 12. Difference of meates maketh no fast 13. Concerning Lent 14. Of superstitious and immoderate fasts 15. In colder countries men cannot fast as in the hoter Ionah 3.7 And he proclaimed and sayd through Niniueh by the counsell of the King and his Nobles saying Let neither man nor beast bullocke or sheepe tast any thing neither feede nor drinke water IN the verse before going you haue heard of a king who vpon report of the preaching of a Prophet which denounced destruction both to him and to his did humble himselfe in incredible manner For sitting in his throne and seate of royall estate he commeth downe from it and being attired with princely attire he putteth that off him and seeming for his person to be no better then any of his subiects he goeth yet farther and as one meaner then the meanest putteth sackcloth on him and sitteth him downe in ashes But as in the naturall body of a man it is not sufficient that the heart alone be warme but the heat of it must be a propagating heate which may breede the like in the rest of the members and be orderly diffused to the exteriour parts euen the hands and feete which are the remotest portions of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or little world and if this be not done the heart doth not performe the office expected So in this ciuill regiment and politicke place this Prince doth not thinke that he hath completed that which lyeth on him to do if himselfe be throughly warmed with heate of deuotion vnlesse his people also do participate that qualitie and be brought euen feelingly to know their owne miserie that so they might worke meanes to appease the Lords displeasure This was a good motion as at the first to heare with that zealous king Dauid what the Lord God would say concerning himselfe so to be glad also when other would say to him We will go into the house of the Lord nay more to be a spurre to hasten them thither by crying Come vntâ—â—e you children I will teach you the feare of the Lord. Fire desireth to breede fire The custome of the hard rocke is to turne that earth which is ioyned to it into stone A sensible obiect receiued once in the ayre striueth to multiplie his species as farre as it may And in like sort the soule which is truly conuerted to grace loueth to conuert other A good seruant doth thinke it the honour of his maister and consequently his owne best contentment to see many other as well as himselfe clothed with his Lords liuery It is the enuious person who grudgeth his neighbour a light from his light but the sanctified creature is more readie to offer information in holy things then other to receiue it The good man desireth to make other good also 2 This maketh the king of Niniue who for his owne part had tasted of remorse and anguish of conscience for his offence toward the Highest to be willing that his subiects should runne to
vanitie of the vvorld or that the belly should be hungry euen to croaping and roaring vvhich hath bene filled oftentimes euen to vomiting but a measure is to be vsed in all things The bodie is to be afflicted sometimes but not to be quite vvorne out See how grauely these learned fathers inueigh against immoderate abstaining from necessarie things and giue vs to vnderstand that we may feede sparingly and moderately and yet serue God too although sometimes there be an abstinence from all meate to be required 15 I do vrge this doctrine so farre for some few who yet remaine in our land here and there but not for the common sort who stay themselues inough from taking harme by abstayning For a great part of men spend much of their time in gluttony and riot and very few now fast if it be not for want of meate And herein our sensuality may be iustlie reprooued that whereas there is such occasion offered to study for the turning away of Gods iudgements which appeare in sending famine and otherwise and againe when whatsoeuer is spared may find good vent by poore mens bellies yet we liue not so temperately as in reason we should Surely the Almighty doth much threaten vs and therefore we should awake and besides that we enioy many things the continuance of whom is very well worth the begging as especially the Gospell and health and peace and a louely and gracious Prince let vs therefore not be so farre wanting to our selues as to forget to pray that these may endure And as here by the example of the Niniuites there should in great cases be a great abstinence so let euery maâ— ordinarily so keepe vnder his body that it may be fit for all celestiall and spirituall duties And yet I do not thinke it conuenient for vs who liue in this countrey to emulate and imitate the fasts of holy men in the Scriptures I meane not those of Moses and Elias which were for forty dayes and indeed were miraculous matters but such as was that of the Iewes vnder Hester who did eate nothing nor drinke water for three dayes and three nights or of some other Christians who as Saint Austen mentioneth did forbeare in like sort being both men and women The difference of climates for heate and cold maketh the stomacke different and that may be endured in hote countries which in the cold cannot Their inward heate is lesse and therefore their appetite is not equall Philosophers and Cosmographers do yeeld the reason of this and why men eate more in the Northern countreyes then in the Southerne and do digest it more readily And experience doth so farre witnesse this that as Buchanan hath noted the French men do thinke that we of Britany that is Englishmen and Scots are great deuourers of flesh so the Spaniards thinke of the French men and the people of Africa do imagine so of the Spaniards Then is it an vnequall match for vs that are coldly situated in comparison of theÌ„ who liue nearer the Tropike to imitate them in fasting And this consideration together with a remembrance that amating and feare of death do vtterly quell the stomacke giueth much light to that place where it is written that Paules company did abstaine for so many dayes together in the daunger of a shipwrack It is said that they continued fasting and receiued nothing which I vnderstand to be meant that they receiued nothing by any set and orderly meale or they receiued nothing in comparison of their ordinary feeding And so much I thought good to speake concerning fasting being occasioned thereunto by the deed of the Niniuites and the Kings proclamation This verse doth yeeld one thing more that the cattell and beasts were inioyned here to the penance which because it is offered againe in the next verse I do deferre it thereunto In the meane time let vs pray to God that he will pardon vs our negligence in our duty and that he will stirre vp our spirits partly by example here of these Niniuites and partly by other in his word to be fearefull of his displeasure and to be willing to serue him that after the expiring of this life we may liue together with him to whom with his blessed Sonne and his most holy Spirit be glory for euermore THE XXII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 2. Some apparell sheweth sorrow 4. Reasons why beasts bore part in this humiliation 8. How cattell may be sayd to cry to God 9. The necessity and force of prayer 12. Reformation of life must go with fasting and prayer Ionah 3.8 But let man and beast put on sackcloâ—h and cry mightily vnto God yea let euery man turne from his euill way and from the wickednesse that is in their hands I Haue read this verse as an imperatiue speech but the Septuagint translate it as an Indicatiue in the time past that men and beasts did put on sackcloth and cried mightily vnto God Wherein as it may well be collected they did not so much respect the originall words in the Hebrew as intended to make the deed of the Niniuites plaine who doubtlesse did repent and performed that charge which their King did put vpon them But since the words and letter of the text are otherwise as it is plaine in the Prophet and all other interpreters as farre as I can find do with one consent translate it as I reade it I thinke that they might well haue forborne to take on them the office of Expositours or openers of the text at large and kept themselues to the letter allowing that to Gods spirit which is very familiar with it that is to say that oftentimes it should briefly insinuate things and leaue that by necessary circumstances to be vnderstood which yet it doth not openly specifie in word And the truth concerning this place now in hand is that it is meant that we should take it that the Niniuites repented and so much is implied by such consequents as afterwards follow but this verse is a part of the Kings Edict wherein he inioyneth some thing more then a fast which should pinch the belly and commandeth sackcloth to be put on the backe as an externall signe of sorrow and then prayers to be powred out to the Lord with vehement exclamation and last of all that there should be a conuersion from iniquity and sinne that the cause of the wrath being once remooued vengeance it selfe might cease I can neuer sufficiently commend the care of this mighty ruler who left nothing vnperformed which might win God vnto him A man worthy to be eternized in the memory of all ages But my meaning is that thosâ— things which he did should rather commend him then any praise of mine You haue heard some arguments of his goodnesse before which I neede not to repeate but now there are offered to vs three branches of his commandement First that men and beasts should weare sackcloth Secondly
dead mens bones Thy speaking of good things or condemning that which is euill is but to condemne thy selfe who in word doest renounce it and yet in deede doest embrace it Tacitus reporteth that in the ciuill warre betweene Vitellius and Vespasian a souldier had killed his owne father who was of and in his enemies army This was bruted about the host and euery man complained and execrated that warre which caused such vnnaturalnesse And yet sayth Tacitus they neuer the lesse nor slower spoyled their neighbours and kinsmen and brethren who were slayne by them they cryed that naught vvas done and yet themselues still did it This is thy case who speakest against sinne and yet euerie day committest it Thy fasting and thy abstaining is so farre from being acceptable in the eyes of the most High that it is exceeding odious For as here the King of Niniue did ioyne vertue with his abstinence and a turning away from wickednesse with his fast so God doth still expect that it should be done in all fasts The mind must forbeare malice and iniurie and oppression as well as the belly doth meate See how plainely God speaketh to this purpose You fast to strife and debate and to strike vvith the fist of vvickednesse Is this the fast vvhich I haue chosen that a man should afflict his soule for a day and bovv downe his head like a bulrush and lye in sackcloth and ashes vvilt thou call this a fasting and an acceptable day to the Lord Is not this the fasting vvhich I haue chosen to loose the bands of vvickednesse to take off the heauie burthens and to let the oppressed go free and that yee breake euery yoke Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungrie and that thou bring the poore that vvander vnto thy house vvhen thou seest the naked that thou couer him Then it is the leauing of sinne which the Lord doth more respect then the emptinesse of the belly And of this the holy Saints of God haue alwayes thought As Ambrose This is the vvill of the Lord that vve should fast together from meats and from sinnes Let vs impose an abstinence on our bodies that vve may the more estrange our soules from vices For the body vvhen it is sucked dry is a bridle to the luxuriant soule And Origene Fast from all sinne do thou take no meate of malice neither any delights of pleasure And Gregory To sanctifie a fast is vvhen other good things are adioyned to shevv an abstinence of the flesh vvorthy of God Let anger cease let chidings be layd asleepe for the flesh is in vaine tired out if the mind be not refrained from his naughtie pleasures 14 I wish that such of our people as yet haue familiarity with that filthy harlot of Babylon wold thinke vpon this matter that it is not only ceremonie or bare performing of outward things which doth appease the Lord when he is offended no not if it be to macerate and pine the body to death vnlesse a sincere faith do purifie all within and an honest conuersation do make all cleare without It must be a liuely conuersion which God taketh for payment of vs. And we who professe religion may hold this for an assured ground that our faith is but a dead faith vnlesse it shine by loue that all our speaking and seeming is fraudulent and deceiptfull if our life be not ioyned to it Our repayting to the Church and professing of strict holinesse will be reiected as too light if we either oppresse our neighbour or grind the face of the poore or scratch we care not what be it neuer so vnlawfull or leade liues polluted with whoredome and adulterie If we make our selues rich with vsurie or briberie if we circumuent men in bargaining if we profane the Sabaoth or despise the ministerie we frustrate that which we do pretend And the verie King of Niniue who could learne with little teaching that amendment of life was the truest deuotion and that as a most necessarie clause must be ioyned with all ceremonies shall in the iudgement condemne vs who after the hearing of manie yeares vse to bring but halfe-repentance and would willingly be the Lords but we would be this worlds also And so wishing that this doctrine of amendment may euermore be remembred by vs I leaue you to Christ Iesus who multiplie all good graces in vs to the end and bring vs to his father to whom with himselfe and his Spirite the Vnitie in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie be glorie for euermore THE XXIII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 1. It is not defined whether the faith of the Niniuites were onely temporall 3. 6. Sinne is not to be thought of lightly 5. The force of conscience in the guilt of sinne 7. Faith hopeth when there is little likelihood 8. We are to trust on Gods mercie 9. God respecteth repentance 10. Workes must follow faith 12. How the Lord is sayd to repent 14. His threatnings are conditionall 15. How Niniue may be sayd to be destroyed 16. Comfort to vs. Ionah 3.9.10 Who can tell if God vvill turne and repent and turne away from his fierce vvrath that we perish not And God savv their vvorkes that they turned from their euill vvayes and God repented of the euill that he had sayd that he vvould do vnto them and he did it not THe broken melting heart and contrite spirit of the king of Niniue hath bene signified vnto you in the words before going how as a good Prince he giueth his people a religious example and first by his deed comming off from his throne and putting sackcloth on him and afterward by his word and commanding Proclamation he stirreth his people vp to a rare humiliation Here it might be discussed of what sort their faith was by which they apprehended the feare of the Lord and how farre their repentance went either to be a permanent and iustifying faith a faith sauing eternally which could not be in them but by hearing of Christ Iesus the redeeming Messias for among men there is no name giuen vnder heauen whereby we must be saued but that name of Christ or whether their beleeuing was a temporarie assent to that which they heard and vnto nothing else of the destruction of their city which might strike a mighty horror into their minde for a time as the preaching of Elias did to that wicked King Ahab when he humbled himselfe and fasted yet they might relent afterward and returne to their vomit allured by the world or inueigled by such lusts as were vsuall in former time Howsoeuer it was if you allow it to the least but a short and particular faith it teacheth vs thus much that if they in â—heir ignorance arose to so high a measure then we in so much knowledge should arise to much more and so their example is not to vs in vaine But for the maine point since the Spirite of God is silent therein and doth not
absolute speech is broken for farre be that from the Lord but onely a comminatorie word hath obtained that which it would haue God sent vnto Ezechiah and bad him set his house in order for he should dye and not liue This seemed to be an absolute speech yet it contained in it this condition if Ezechiah did not make his peace by teares and repentance but when that once was accomplished Ezechiah liued and dyed not Yet because such fearefull words are deliuered from the Lord as firmely resolued by him and men know not the contrary but that he meaneth to strike he forbearing is sayd to change that which indeede he neuer decreed and this supposed change he calleth a repenting therein framing his words to our dulnesse who are men to be taught and learne best when we heare our owne phrases 15 I thinke it yet not amisse to mention thus much farther That there be some of the ancient who thinke that God fulfilled his threatnings vpon Niniue so that Niniue was destroyed that is the sinfull Citie did cease now to be sinfull so that the euill of it was ouerturned not the men not the walles not the houses and this way God performed whatsoeuer himselfe did threaten And this is the opinion of Saint Austen The wals sayth he standing vp the city was ouerthrowne in the euill manners of it and so albeit not simply Niniue yet sinfull Niniue perished Hierome on the fourth of Daniel subscribeth to this doctrine but it is in other words The Lord doth change his sentence but that is not on the men but on the workes which were changed For God was not displeased against the men but against their vices which when they were not in the men God doth not punish that which now was ceased to be He thinketh that sinne being abated the city might stand vpright and yet God keepe his word also Thus we see that God and good men agree that it was that penance which they layed on themselues nay which they layed on their sinnes which kept them from the Lords punishment For either God or they were to chastise their euill wayes All iniquitie great or small must of necessity haue punishment either from man repenting or from the Lord reuenging But he who repenteth layeth a chastisement on himselfe Then the vpshot of all is on the part of these Assyrians that with their teares and cryes so affectionate and so passionate so harty and sincere the Lord who had strong reason to deale with them as with Sodome to root out their memoriall from the earth and from vnder heauen hath changed that doome which of likelihood was to be pronounced against them His anger is appeased his fury is dissolued the city standeth as it did no ruine no destruction 16 This is a great comfort to vs that if the Eternall father did deale thus with these Ethnickes that whē they turned to him he turned also to thē nay he first sēt one to turne thē we may assure our selues a faire deale more of his mercy if after our transgressions very many infirmities we run fly to him with a beleeuing sorrow For if he did take such cōpassiō vnder the law what wil he do vnder the Gospel If he did so shew forth his kindnesse to barbarous heathen men what will he do to Christians If he shewed that he did loue thē by sending one Prophet to thē to preach his word once among them what care doth he take of vs to whom he hath giuen his word and his Sacraments in so great abundance by so many of his messengers and for so many yeares together It seemeth that he wooeth vs with a iealosy and sueth vnto vs that we would be his owne Let vs not take heart thereby to abuse his kind affection let vs not prouoke his iustice with wilfull prouocations He loueth to spare but such as are willing to be spared not those who offend vpon malicious wickednesse He ouerthroweth the proud Oke which will not stoupe at his blasts but he cherisheth the bending reede He receiueth them to grace who are grieued to grieue him who by their good will would not fall but being fallen do mourne at it Thē let the heauy cōscience lift vs his head at last He who could find a pardon for so many thousand bad ones will neuer sticke at one who commeth trembling before him Yea all who feele themselues to be weary and heauy laden if they come to him or his sonne he hath promised to helpe them God enrich vs so with his grace that with the Niniuites we fall not into crying transgressions but since we are oftentimes downe he so raise vs vp with his Spirit that his anger and displeasure may still be remooued from vs that our sinnes may be washed away in the bloud of Christ who is the true obiect of our repentance that so after this life we may follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he goeth into that kingdome of blessednesse to the which the Father bring vs for his Sonne Christ his sake to both whom and the holy Spirit be glory for euermore THE XXIIII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 2. Ionas should haue reioyced at their conuersion 3. The verity of the Scriptures appeareth because the writers accuse themselues 4. Many arguments of the excellency of the word of God 5. Other writers magnifie themselues 6. The best do fall and the vse which is to be made thereof 9. What was the cause of griefe in Ionas 13. Especially his owne credit 14. or a preposterous care of Gods glory 15. When we haue laboured let vs leaue the successe to God Ionah 4.1 Therefore it displeased Ionah exceedingly and he was argry BEing now come to this fourth Chapter which is the last of this Prophecy and remembring with my selfe how long it is since I first began this worke I partly imagine it to be fatall to the businesse which is handled in this booke to be done very slowly For the Prophet was very long before he would begin and could not be haled to it till it might not be auoyded sometimes he goeth backward and other times slowly forward and what with flying to the sea and lying there in the whale and going afterward to preach and staying when he had done he is long about a little And God hath so disposed of me that I haue bene much slower in opening to you how farre he is from speede Before that I can come to this fourth Chapter the fourth yeare is now expired in which time a quicke discourser might deliberately haue gone ouer a good part of the Scripture if either this place had called him oftener to it or other occasiōs had not elsewhere diuerted him But be it as it may be Gods will must be done and perhaps he may be pleased to affoord so much grace that he who hath attained to the end of three may complete the fourth also that so although slowly for ouerrunning my Prophet yet surely
had thereof let vs learne another lesson first to try all spirits that we be not deceiued in taking errour for truth that so we may not yeeld to each suggestion of appearance or probability for that is not Christian wisedome but to harken what the Lord doth say of vs and of all men But secondly when we see by the assurance of the word and the motions of Gods spirit that this or that he would haue then with constant resolution with patience and obedience let vs yeeld our selues vnto it not with humming or standing like Lots wife who desired very faine to be safe in the mountaines yet wold she be in Sodome too God loueth a cheerefull obedience a ready resolued submission to take well what he would haue And although we misse of our minds as Ionas did here in his yet if we renounce our selues and will be led by him the end shall still be with comfort But no kicking against the prickes no spurning against heauen no wrastling against God but obey and liue for euer The Lord direct vs so with his grace that making vse of such lessons as the word in euery petty circumstance doth yeeld vnto vs we may serue him with alacrity neuer swayed aside by our will till we come vnto his kingdome to the which the Father bring vs for his owne Sonne Christ his sake to both whom and the holy Spirit be praise for euermore THE XXVIII LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 3. It hath bene controuersed what greene thing it was which grew vp vnto Ionas 5. What it was in truth 6. Gods power in helping his seruants 7. His prouidence disposeth smallest things 8. in our griefe God refresheth vs one way or other 9. The vnwise ioy of Ionas for the gourd 10. Our mind runneth too much on worldly things as children 11. beauty and long hairâ— 12. Hastie matâ—ers are soone gone 13. All things here are vnconstant 14. God in his loue taketh many of them from vs. Ionah 4.6.7 And the Lord God prepared a gourd made it to come vp ouer Ionah that it might be a shadow ouer his head and deliuer him from his griefe So Ionah was exceeding glad of the gourd But God prepared a worme when the morning arose the next day and it smote the gourd that it withered OVr Prophet being earnest on euery thing saue that which he ought to do for therein he is slow inough as appeareth in the first Chapter with a burning desire to see Niniue desolated sitteth him downe neare the city thinking euerie minute long before that was effected Albeit these people were farre more yet he doth not for them as Abraham did for Sodome that is double and triple a passionate request that they might be forgiuen but hauing a desire that himself might seeme no lyer he doth wish could willingly put to his hand to helpe it forward that all were ouerthrowne But when he taketh notice that without his motion God would spare that multitude he fretteth and rageth at it and in exceeding discontentment remaineth not farre off euen hoping beyond hope that some euill would befall them Being thus in his anguish because he might not haue his will for so the most do interprete it and the literall proceeding and going on of the story do seeme to enforce it or being troubled otherwise as some other would haue it with the scorching heate of the Sunne while he remaineth there expecting what should be the end God raiseth vp a certaine plant or growing kind of creature to yeeld some reliefe to this angry person that so consequently some little comfort might accrew vnto him Whether this were prepared at the first when he came out of the city that he made his booth onely with that or whether hauing cut downe some other boughs and enioyed them in manner of a sommer-house and those now being dried the other did spring vp as a better sort of succour more naturall and more fresh it is not much to our matter but by Gods speciall worke he had it and sate vnder it There is a double drift which is aymed at by the sending of this greene thing to the Prophet one to teach him by a parable and demonstratiue instruction that he was much to blame that himselfe louing such a trifle would haue had no reckening made of such a city as Niniue But of that I shall haue occasion to speake in the end of the Chapter where the Lord himselfe apparantly deduceth it in that manner 2 The other thing to be considered by vs for the present is the plaine direct narration wherein we are let to know that Ionas to comfort him and appease him for the time hath a little tree raised vp vpon the sudden out of the ground which the Lord of purpose stirred vp so that it had not bene there but only vpon that occasion Which when it had brought vnto him a delicate pleasing shadow fitting to his oportunity he tooke as much ioy in it as if it had bene some great treasure But when he was more proud of it then a wise man would haue bene the glory and beauty of it was dashed quite on a sudden There commeth a little gnawing worme which destroyed the life of this greene thing so that it prooued to be dry and withered and the couer was now as nothing the shadow was cleane ceassed Then he who very lately thought himselfe a happy man in hauing somewhat to refresh him is now as farre to seeke as euer he was before That you may the better conceiue this whole case of the Prophet so plentifully teaching vs as it doth may it please you to note with me those three things which the text doth orderly offer to vs. First the prouision here made for him of purpose by the Lord and therein we may obserue the thing it selfe which was sent and then by whom it came and afterward the vse of it My second part is the hasty contentment which the Prophet too violently and greedily receiued by the comming of this to him And the third is the dissolution ending of all his ioy by taking his pleasure from him The instructions arising hence shall be mingled with the doctrine The Lord God prepared a gourd 3 What that was which is here spoken of hath not onely bene doubted in the auncient primitiue Church but it hath caused some stirre also The Septuagint expressed it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our English translation doth apparantly follow and nameth it to be a gourd The later Greeke interpreters to wit Aquila and Symmachus and Theodotion not liking of that word did render it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as much as Iuy When Hierome afterward tooke on him to translate the old Testament out of the Hebrew into Latine he following those later ones put it hederam that is Iuy And his translation now in his owne time growing to be read and that commonly in Churches it seemed
depart with death Gods messenger which commeth for them and must be the end of all when they see themselues housed with glorie and lodged with all kind of beautie their fish-pooles their orchards without doore to please them their musicke of all instruments within doore to delight them their cattell about their ground their children about their table Whereas the man who hath bene vsed to beare the yoke from his youth and to leaue and lose and lacke neuer standeth nor staggereth at it but when he is bid come he slippeth his coate with Ioseph and with a good will springeth away being assured that he leaueth nothing which may be reckened of but shrubs and leaues and shadowes but he goeth to such a Sauiour Redeemer and Intercessor as he long hath thought of and longed for whome vntill he saw he was neuer contented and in quiet and who will welcome him when he commeth who will keepe him when he is there who will dwell with him for euer God imprint into our hearts a true desire of this Sauiour that esteeming all worldly things but trāsitorie and vaine we may onely aspire to him to whome with the blessed Father and the euerlasting Spirit be praise for euermore THE XXIX LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 3. It is to no purpose to murmure against God 4 What Easterne wind was here sent 6 Too much heate and prosperitie do hurt 8. 11 The impatiencie of men in afflictions 10 The manner matter of Gods reproofe 12 Of sinne groweth sinne 13. Ionas would iustifie his fault 14 The vsing of weake instruments glorifieth God the more 15 Doctrine gathered from the fall of Ionas Ionah 4.8.9 And when the Sunne did arise God prepared also a feruent East-wind and the Sunne beat vpon the head of Ionah that he fainted and wished in his heart to dye and said It is better for me to dye then to liue And God said vnto Ionah Doest thou well to be angrie for the gourd And he said I do well to be angry vnto the death AS by that which went before in part may be seene that the patience of the Prophet is once againe to be tried so by that which now followeth it most euidently appeareth While he sate in expectation for Niniues destruction much pained with the burthē of his distempered thoughts God a little to appease him whome each small thing perplexed raiseth vp a certaine tree or growing kind of creature to shadow him and refresh him Wherein when he had taken more contentment and delight then a Prophet should haue done or then a wise man would the same hand which did send it by a very abiect bodie a worme did ouerthrow it We need not doubt but he who was so proud of that trifle would be much out of quiet to be stripped of all his ioy for the more we loue what we haue the more we grieue to leaue it but the Lord goeth one step farther and when he hath taken from him that which so highly pleased him he sendeth him the contrarie another thing to displease him The wind and Sun are set to warme him without who was so hote within that since he was prone to anger for the loosing of his shadow he might see what it was to misse it when there was now such vse and necessitie to enioy it Ionas being like himselfe very quickly apprehendeth this boyling in impatiencie would be no lesse then dead to be rid of this vexation In his very heart he doth wish it such a fierie heart was his heart that his life were remooued from him And his toung secondeth his mind so that he feareth not to speake it out that it were better for him to die then to liue So because he had not his shadow he would not haue his life 2 God who had a double purpose first to reprooue his impatiencie and vntemperate kind of cariage and secondly by his owne words to schoole him that he should not be so hard-harted and very cruell to Niniue doth not let him wast himselfe in his choler no not for a moment but asketh of him mildly if he did well to be angrie for such a greene growing couer so giuing him to vnderstand by an insinuation if his iudgement had bene capable thereof that he went much awry But the other in his furie will not be checked therewith but commeth on him againe I do well to be angry that I do euen to the death You see he maketh no spare at God but fondly hauing thought he doth vtter it more foolishly and he maketh no stay but come what will come of it out shall his passion go Thus yet farther is offered matter of the Prophets weaknesse who maketh no care to bind one sinne vpon another and in the same transgression of anger impatiencie to lay lode vpon lode which yet the Lord doth beare with and turneth to our instruction Which that we may the better fasten on to our edification we may note in the former verse Gods triall and Ionahs patience Gods trial which was little and his patience which was none In the latter verse the Lords reproofe and his entertainment of it the one mild which had great cause to be rough and seuere the other frowning and boisterous who if he had looked well to it had great reason to bend and carie a lower saile In all these the first thing offered is the plaine direct narration of that which befell to Ionas Of the East-wind and the Sunne 3 If we loue our owne ease and quiet we had need be very vigilant that we striue not with God nor shew our selues discontented with any thing that pleaseth him since he hath such power ouer vs as to crosse vs and curbe vs in as many sorts as he pleaseth Because we are his creatures and he is Lord of all we lye open on euery side to be beaten and striken by him in taking away our liking and sending vs that which we loath and doubling it and tripling it as seemeth good to himselfe When Dauid had lost that child of his which was conceiued in adulterie he had gained much by the bargaine to haue fretted grumbled at it because it was immediatly in Gods hand to let Absolon rise against him first to defloure his concubines and then to seeke his life and after to suffer Shimei to raile on him and reuile him When Iob had the newes first brought vnto him that his oxen and his asses were seazed on by the Sabees his case had bene much amended to haue grudged and grieued at it whereas his Camels and his sheepe yea his very children were vnder the same hazard yea his flesh euery houre lay subiect to be striken with blaines and sores This messenger sent to the Niniuites who thought to haue found his harbour in the morning as greene for him as he left it in the euening had bene wel helped vp to mutter that all was dry and withered when he was within
out Kings make Samgar with an Oxe-goade destroy sixe hundred Philistines and Samson a thousand of them with the iaw-bone of an Asse What could more sound out his honour then the ouerturning of Hierico with trumpets made of rammes hornes and the victorie of Gedeon vpon the Madianites or the slaying of Goliah with a sling and a stone It had bene lesse fame to haue brought great things about with great and mightie meanes In like sort it demonstrateth his powerfull abilitie that he can so dispose of his creatures as that a Cocke should fright a Lion a mouse trouble an Elephant an Ichneumon a little serpent destroy a huge and bigge Crocodile Euen so in the course of the Gospell it declared Gods owne finger when fishers conuerted Oratours and poore men perswaded Kings And so it singeth out his saluation that sinners should bring home sinners and faultie persons men blame-worthie As it was answered to Paule complaining of his weaknesse My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect by weaknesse so where the grace and strength of God do accompanie the toungs of sinners in proclaiming forth his word they shall preuaile and prosper albeit not for the commers cause yet for the senders sake Though it be but an earthen vessell which containeth that which is brought yet because there is treasure in it some there be which shall receiue it This is no protection for sinne for all faults are worthie blame but especially in the Minister in whome all things are conspicuous like spots in the fairest garment If the eye be darke what shall see if the guide be blind who shall leade if he who should shine for puritie be impure beyond other men who shall profite by good example You are a citie set on an hill Yet this is a iust defence against our runagates Seminarie priests of Rome who take occasion by reason of some slippes in our Cleargie defects in our ministerie which yet may easily be demonstrated to be greater at this time in their Papacie and in the highest of their Hierarchie their owne stories resound them to haue bene exceeding filthie to vnder-mine any good opinion of our religion in the simple But this is practised most of all to the ignorant and to silly women into whose houses they creepe and leade them captiue being laden with sinnes and led with diuerse lustes In like sort it is an answere to Atheists and hypocrites liuing among vs who to couer their oppression their auarice and extortion pretend it to be no fault to detaine and hold away any thing from men so culpable by that meanes requiring that their brethren the Preachers of the word should be no lesse theÌ„ Saints when they themselues who require it are most farre off from all sanctified and good things God hath made his Pastours and Ministers of like mould with other men he expecteth it not neither can it be that they should liue here like Angels for this is the way and not the countrie yet by his Spirit he keepeth his seruants from delighting and persisting in grosse sinnes and he couereth their errours and imputeth them not vnto them But he pinneth not the veritie of his doctrine vpon men As Moses chaire was Moses chaire when the Pharisees did sit in as Christs faith was the assured faith although the traitour Iudas might preach it and the Prophecie was Gods message when weake Ionas did carie it so the Gospell is the Gospell when ignorant men and young men and sinfull men do deliuer it Blessed be the God of our hope who will not haue vs depend on flesh or bloud or man but on his assured truth and his ouer-ruling Spirit God guide vs so by his grace that by the good we may learne good and by the euill to flye from euill that so we may be fit members of that body whereof his Sonne is the true and liuing head to both whom and to the holy Ghost the Trinitie in Vnitie be honour for euermore THE XXX LECTVRE The chiefe poynts 3. Parables may be vsed 4. and all good eloquence by the Minister 6. Ionahs words returned vpon himselfe 7. The comparison betweene God and Ionah 8. The multitude of inhabitants in Niniue 9. with whom the gourd was not to be ballanced 10. God prouideth blessings for man without his labour 11. Gods care ouer infants and all beasts 12. Therefore parents should not be too carefull 13. Ionas at length yeeldeth 14. The conclusion of the Prophecie ioyned with exhortation Ionah 4.10.11 Then said the Lord thou hast had pittie on the gourd for the which thou hast not laboured neither madest it grow which came vp in a night and perished in a night And should not I spare Niniue that great city wherein are sixe score thousand persons that cannot discerne betweene their right hand and their left hand and also much cattâ—ll IN that which goeth before the intemperate furie and vnaduised rashnesse of the Prophet hath bene such that he is readie to take an occasion of chiding with the Lord vpon a most trifling cause euen the withering of a gourd And being reprooued for it not by his fellow seruant but by his maisters owne mouth he standeth on his owne iustification that he did well to be angry yea if it were to the death In which moode if he had departed his iudgement now was so peruerted that he would haue thought that he had had a great hand vpon God that he himselfe had bene in the right and the Lord had bene to blame because he had not fitted his fancie But the inconceiuable wisedome of the euerlasting Father doth so farre ouermatch him that where he expected victorie although it were but in words and thoughts he is taken at that aduantage that he is for euer put to silence in this matter For his owne speech is so fitly returned vpon himselfe and he is so caught and entangled in the words of his owne mouth that he is enforced to yeeld a greater thing then that whereof the present question was and that is concerning Niniue that since iustice was pleased to turne it selfe into mercie and seueritie into clemencie nothing was done vniustly or vnbeseeming him who is the rule of truth For that was it which the Prophets maister in this place especially did ayme at that his seruant shold be satisfied and thereby all the world be aduertised to the full that the holy one of Israel is delighted to shew pittie vpon the sonnes of men that where repentance ascendeth from the earth to the heauen there a pardon will come downe from the Highest vpon his creatures that Niniue it selfe whose sinnes did crye for vengeance vpon submission and conuersion should be spared from destruction So that mankind in generall taking notice of such grace and propensenesse vnto clemencie might confesse that the Lord is gracious and that his mercie endureth for euer 2 But to make this the more
Saint Austen thought another matter fit to be recorded of that Cato and that was this that when one asked counsell of him in sober earnest what harme he supposed was aboded him because rats had eate his hose he aunswered that partie with a iest that it was no very straunge thing to see that but it had bene much more maruellous if his hose had eat vp the rats In Tullies disputation concerning such arguments when one to enforce the veritie of Diuination had said that a victorie which fell to the Thebanes was foreshewed by some extraordinarie crowing of Cockes Tully could aunswere that with a smooth flowte but very significant that it was no miracle that Cockes should crow but if fishes had done it that had bene straunge indeed Those Ethniks could see that these things were falshood and exceeding lying vanities worthy to be but laughed at yet how did some of their greatest men attend and wait vpon them I may call these foolish Arts for I thinke that they come not so farre as curious crafts extend which are named in the Acts of the Apostles But to speake mine opinion I imagine that figure-casting for such things as are lost or to iudge of Natiuities is fully within that kind and is a lying vanity as that which is most lying Yet although by the Prophets it be sharpely rebuked although condemned by Philosophers although ill spoken of by Historians although by good lawes forbidden in well gouerned common wealths although no Principle therein haue approoued veritie neither may there be any good argument or conclusion made for it yet how do some waite vpon it and in no sort will go from it Of whom I may also say as Cato said of the Aruspices that I maruell when they meete one another how they can forbeare to laugh to see how they get monie From the number of these I may not seclude superstitious obseruations of ominous or vnfortunate things vpon which some men do so dote that they beleeue such vanities as a man should beleeue the Gospell All fearefull iudgements sent from God are to be regarded by vs but friuolous superstitions and traditions from old tales are rather to be contemned He that obserueth the wind shall not sow and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reape Take heed of such lying vanities 22 Fourthly ordinarie transgressions may very well be taxed hence and adulterie among other wherein although Satan the more to inflame it do buzze a tale into want on flesh that great men haue sinned so that God will not call such natural faults as those be to reckening that there is time inough to repent in old age and it is best in the meane while to satisfie concupiscence yet when these things come to be weighed in the ballance of Gods iustice they prooue both light and lying For the wrath of the Lord is oftentimes kindled against such wilfull crimes and he hath threatned that whore mongers shall be shut out from the new Hierusalem They then do forsake their owne mercie who pollute themselues in such sort and withall are a cause for other to be filthie Yet how some wait vpon this it is lamentable to thinke seeking to hurt themselues by euery kind of wantonnesse Good Iob in his confession held this for a grosse sinne and disclaimed it from himselfe If my heart haue bene deceiued saith he by a woman or if I haue layed waite at the dore of my neighbour obserue that adulterers do wayt vpō their sinne let my wife grind vnto another man and let other men bow downe vpon her that is let my wife also be false to me for this is a wickednesse and iniquitie to be condemned But many do not feare this and so plucke Gods iudgement on them 23 Fiftly they who in desire to enrich themselues or theirs do set their heart vpon mony and care not how they gaine it by robberie or oppression by briberie or extortion so that it come in vnto them do wayt vpon lying vanitie Which may easily be gathered from the very words of Dauid whom I cited before trust not in oppression nor in robberie be not vaine or giue not your selues vnto vanitie if riches encrease set not your heart vpon them If any then this is a vaine conceit to thinke that a mans purse is the best friend which he hath that riches can preserue in the day of greatest trouble that God accepteth mony that ill gotten goods can long prosper Oftentimes mony is kept to the hurt and death of the owner and children are so farre off from being blessed with goods which are ill gotten that fretting and consuming and a curse is ioyned with them Then what folly is it to force and straine our consciences and so to aduenture on Gods displeasure and the losse of his best mercie for the gaining of that which is but a fugitiue seruant and cannot helpe at neede And yet it is straunge to see how the world lyeth open to vnlawfull and filthie gaine what wringing there is from all sortes what griping of the poore what thirsting after gifts and hunting after rewards Are there not which wayt vpon this and make a studie of it as a man would studie heauen deuising and contriuing by what fine sleight and skill this money may be soked out and this cheate may be gotten and that gift may be had and then like to the hypocrite whereof Zacharie speaketh in his time they can crye blessed be God for I am rich and liue well seeming to giue the Lord thankes for that which they haue spoyled and robbed from their brethren whom as there the Prophet speaketh they slay and sell for money It is great thankes which we returne to God for the wit and reason which he hath bestowed vpon vs to employ it in that sort as to offend his diuine Maiestie to abuse those with whom we liue to helpe our selues so farrefoorth as is in our owne power to infamie in this life with all such as be vertuous to destruction in another Better it is to haue cleane hands here with a little then much profite by false vanitie 24 The same application may be made concerning ambition and other sinnes in all which we may take this for a warning that our sight is so dimme and our vnderstanding so darke and such are the false shewes of many things in this life that we may quickly pursue a lye in steede of truth and vanitie for sound veritie and so purchase Gods wrath vnlesse with a single eye we looke on things aright and euer take the iudgement of Scripture for our triall and withall pray that our heart and intellectuall powers may be lightned in that behalfe that so hauing will and strength by the mercie of the Lord we may walke as we ought and as it beseemeth our calling And here I end Holy Father we beseech thee to direct our steps in thy paths that renouncing all