and Consequents give occasion or some other Text of Scripture so far the man spake rightly And it is good against the Familists who turn all even plain Scriptures into Allegories Come we now to the Book it self Contents of this Book This Book of Jonah contains many chief points concerning the Knowledge of God and the Salvation of man 1. For God we may here see and admire his goodness in sending to the Heathen Ninevites that they might repent and be saved even at that time when generally he took Israel for his only peculiar chosen people Possibly a sign of the calling of the Gentiles which should follow afterward And the justice of God who so severely revenged the disobedience of his own Servant Jonah after whom all may learn to take heed of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness And the power of God who hath all the Creatures even the rudest at his own beck and disposal the Winds the Sea the Fishes the Herbs and Plants and all the Creation And his providence who provides both for the punishment and for the relief of Jonah and by both of them an wholsome instruction for him to be ruled by him for time to come better then before and for us also who need such Discipline 2. For Man and his Salvation we see by this Book how far we are fallen into Sin and Misery even so far that without the mighty and merciful hand of God we cannot recover our selves no more then Jonah could And to them that are troubled at the sight of their sin and danger there is Mercy in store by Jesus Christ as there was for Jonah And the way is to believe the Preaching of the word and repent and turn from our evil wayes as did the Ninevites Here we have also the force of Prayer the nature of Fear the wages of Disobedience the fruit of Repentance Here we have Lots Vows singing of Psalms History strange and wonderful and a new kind of Creation in the Gourd that rose up in a Night with other profitable Documents as God shall bring us to them in order Parts In the Book we have a first and second calling of Jonah to Preach to the Ninevites with the things that followed upon both of them In the first Chapter we have the behaviour of Jonah and of the Mariners Of Jonah we read these things 1. the Message given him v. 1.2 2 his declining of the Message v. 3. 3. the apprehension of him when he was fugitive ver 4. 4. the execution ver 15. The Message is set down both generally it was the word of the Lord and especially Jonah must go to Nineve and cry against it Ver. 1. Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah Or And the word of the Lord came that is to Jonah as well as to the other Prophets Or This Message to Nineve as well as the other Messages to Israel with all the circumstances here related Jonah by his Calling was an ordinary Teacher of Gods people but now extraordinarily he is sent to Preach among the Gentiles Note Teaching us to abide in in our particular place and station till the Lord please to take us off and send us elsewhere Teachers in the Church ought not to wander up and down or thrust themselves into other mens Offices as the fashion of some is It is the sin of some scarce of ordinary gifts to pretend an extraordinary Vocation Use It is certainly Zeal without Knowledge to undertake this work and disturb the Peace of the Church They should first have been sure that the word of the Lord came to them and for satisfaction to Gods people they should be able to make it appear to the Rulers of the Church which of late dayes was utterly rejected and all confusion thereby brake in upon us as a mighty flood The word of the Lord came unto Jonah Namely by Inspiration of the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.20 21. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ascribed to the whole Scripture 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God There are divers ways of manifestation but all by one and the same Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Num. 12.6 Heb. 1.1 God in times past spake in divers manners suppose in a Vision or in a Dream and sometime possibly by an audible Voice So David tells us 2 Sam. 23.2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue Be assured hence The writings of the Prophets are of Divine Authority Doctr. Prophets from God wrote what we see the word of the Lord the Vision of the Lord the burthen of the word of the Lord He spake by the mouth of the holy Prophets from the beginning of the world Luke 1.70 and see Chapter 24.25 44. and 1 Pet. 1.10 11 12. Which serves to comfort us concerning our Faith in all Use 1 the Articles of it they are all grounded in the Writings of the Prophets therefore Divine and may well be believed The word of the Lord came unto Jonah to Amos to Hosea and to the rest of the Prophets We have a sure word of prophesie yea more sure then Visions and Oracles 2. Pet. 1.16 17 18 19. much more then Fancies of men pretending the Spirit and craking of a light in them which must sway against the written word Ministers and all Blessed be God who hath put a Bridle into their mouths and restrained their Fury For our part we are sure all is right and straight whatever we believe according to the Prophets Use 2 2. It serves to convince the world of wickedness in not receiving the word of the Prophets We admire the obstinacy of the Jews who were never the better though they had men sent among them with extraordinary Gifts and Graces and immediate teachings of the Spirit but stay Is there not the same obstinacy in our people now-a days Ministers Preach over the same Doctrines again and again and who almost regardeth Esa 53.1 Who hath believed our report Drunkards there be still as in the Prophets time Swearers Liars Sabbath-breakers otherwise wicked And the same judgments hang over the heads of our sinners as the Prophets told their people Faith and Repentance are Preached still as they Preached and namely Jonah in this Book Oh the invincible hardness of mens hearts not to believe the Prophets and Preachers What do you think must we needs go to Nineve to Preach and get Converts If we did we might speed but wo be to unbelieving Christians whom neither Prophets nor Apostles nor Holy men coming with their Doctrine can work to Repentance Certainly seeing they believe not these they would not believe though one should rise from the dead Luke 16. ult Use 3 3. Take heed I beseech you and seeing the Prophets deliver the word of the Lord let them be regarded accordingly As thus 1. Take pains to know the meaning of the Prophets in their several Prophesies There are obscurities
astonished he knew not well which way to turn himself To flee from the presence of the Lord twice set down to shew what a miserable shift Jonah was put unto and how much he was troubled with divers thoughts haling him this way and that way and no way finding rest for the soal of his foot From the presence of the Lord that is 2. Piscator Deut. 10.8 1 King 17.1 Psal 73.28 from the Land of Israel where the Lord dwelt among his people Or from doing service to the Lord according to his duty so the phrase signifies sometimes the Child Samuel ministred before the Lord David and Levi shall not want a man to stand before me c. So godly men are said to draw near to God and to be a people near to him In which respect the wicked are said to go far from him namely in respect of his special presence and of their own unbelieving hearts Heb. 3.12 take heed of the evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God As for the general presence of God Jonah could not be so dull-witted as to think he could flee from that for he is Omnipresent he is not far from any of us whether should I go from thy presence c. Six brief Notes may hence be collected 1. The Divinity of the Scripture appears in that the Doctr. 1 Writers discover many things against themselves Divinity of Scripture which other Authors use not to do but tell the good and leave out the rest Jonah and other holy men wrote by another Spirit And observe it in two things 1. That they tell of their sins though it tend to their shame it makes for the glory of God in pardoning and restoring them and therefore they care not though they lay load upon themselves so did Jonah here Moses wrote of his unbelief and hastiness David of his Murder and Adultery Paul how he had been a Blasphemer a Persecutor and injurious That God may forget it is good for us to remember and confess our sins And the Church receives instruction by the fall of the Saints as well as by their good examples and comfort to them that have fallen 2. That they tell of their obscure beginnings Moses tells how he kept sheep at the mount Sinai Amos how he had been an Herdsman and a gatherer of Sycomore fruits Matthew how he had sate at the Receipt of Custom No matter how poor and mean a man was at his beginning if afterward he be endued with the grace of God and set upon work to do for his Majesty Let none despise a faithful servant of God for former obscurities or defaults that were made Who hath despised the day of smal things Zech. 4.10 Use Now let this renew the former Exhortations duly to regard the writings of the Prophets and Apostles Do they not breath forth a Divine Spirit if it were only humane they would never have so described their Sins and Errours nor yet Obscurities and if it be Divine close with it reverence it believe it obey it take comfort and direction by it Nothing of God but yields benefit and ought to be regarded Doctr. 2 2. As Jonah sins so he confesseth his sin and in writing makes it known to all the world Confess sin as Jonah and so will all godly men do there is great difference between such and others How 1 1. The wicked conceal their sins as much as they can deny defend excuse put them off to others and when they must needs own them it shall be as they are drawn to a business they like not but the godly are a willing people Psal 110.3 who are content to shame themselves so that God may be glorified 2. The wicked rest in generals All are sinners None How 2 but doth evil no not one but the godly descend to particulars my Unbelief my Passion my Earthliness my Pride or other evil Jonah and Tarsus David and Bathsheba Paul and Persecutor 3. The wicked want the right Qualifications of Christian How 3 Confession sorrow for sin forsaking of sin zeal in time to come profitableness in their place and the like all which a godly man hath and those in 2 Cor. 7.11 He is a new creature and makes as much amends as he can Use Those therefore offend greatly who can be content to err as Jonah and other holy men but not to confess and shame themselves as those did that were a shame indeed goes quite against the hair it is as death to come to confession We are fallen into an Age wherein it is no shame to do evil but it is a foul shame to confess and give glory to God or to say to an offended Brother I repent forgive and let us be at peace Luke 17.4 Were they ashamed when they had done wickedly no they were not ashamed neither could they be ashamed And this is a plain sign that men love their sins more then they love God their Souls or their Brethren 3. Note how a man by leaving his calling doth flee Doctr. 3 from the presence of God as did Jonah Leave thy calling thou leavest God 1. The Calling of the Ministery a Minister that turns to odd employments or sits idle at home or pleaseth himself meerly with his speculations sinneth in so doing he should go on with Gods plough as he had begun or else he offendeth Luke 9.62 and is in danger 2. Another Calling whatever it be evey one ought to abide in the Calling wherein he is Called 1 Cor. 7.24 Therein abide with God a plain proof of the Doctrine and Ye serve not men but the Lord Christ and whatever ye do do it as to the Lord. The reason is because God hath appointed every one Reas 1 his particular station and calling man is born to labour as the sparks flie upward In the sweat of thy brows shalt thou eat bread all the dayes of thy life no man may walk disorderly but work and eat his own bread God is the God of order and not of confusion and likes not that the order which he hath set should be violated and confounded And our Calling well followed is a means to keep us out of harms-way from many sins which otherwise we should fall into and from many sorrows we deserve to fall into It is in our way that the Angels are charged to keep us Psal 91.11 So only he is bound by promise to be with us and do us good being otherwise an Omnipresent God able and willing even out of our way to give a common blessing Use Take heed and be not fugitive True there be cases for a Minister to remove from one place to another and it is lawful for Christians in a private way to change their Callings on certain conditions But it will not be lawful for any to flee from God that is to live without some honest Calling or other wherein he may spend his time and pains and
and obedience Certainly Rom. 15.4 as all Scripture is written for our instruction so this concerning Jonah His example gives us fair warning not to leave known duties whatever carnal reasonings may suggest for the neglect of them Not to sleep or rest secure after any sin committed lest a storm from God fall upon us and endanger our comfort in God if not our salvation Not to be eager for the destruction of any though bad enough and they deserve to be destroyed Not to favour that cholerick disposition which we know to rest in some of our breasts but be very watchful and mortifie this corruption more and more Nor to mutter against any of Gods dealings either with our selves or others how crosse soever they seem to be On the other side Jonah's example warns us to shame our selves for errors we have made as he here doth in writing these things of himself To submit patiently as he doth to those fatherly chastisements which it pleaseth God to afflict us withall To retain faith in God even in the depth of our afflictions as doth he To vent our faith and faithful desires by hearty and earnest prayers and that without ceasing as did he till he was delivered To gather holy vows and purposes that upon recovery out of any evils we will by the assistance of grace shew our selves really thankful for mercies received And after all our foolish strivings with his sad dispensations 1 Sam. 3.18 we will resolve all into the good pleasure of our God It is the Lord let him do what seemeth good in his eyes Then out of the example of the Ninevites all should learn to believe the threats of God and be humbled and crave the peace with God and walk with him ever afterward more obediently and carefully Rab. in Seder Olam Theodorer alii Where mark those words ever afterward and beware of relapses or returning to folly Histories tell us how forty yeares after this sparing of Nineve yet the people falling back to their old sins again were fearfully destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and their City utterly overthrown according to the Prophesie of Nahum who arose after our Jonah Beware Christians by their example Be not as the Dog that returns to his vomit or as the Sow that was washed to the wallowing in the mire The first estate of Apostates was bad enough but their last estate is worse by far The Lord uphold us in these sifting and shaking times wherein many have turned aside after Satan that we may hold on constantly in the way of faith and obedience not warping aside to the right hand or the left no nor abating a whit of our first love through heavinesse of flesh or deadnesse of spirit or any incumbrances of the world With which prayer I rest in present Thine in our Lord Jesus Christ WILLIAM JEMMAT THE PROPHESIE OF JONAH JOnah in Hebrew signifies a Dove Hieron 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 1.10 and the Lord send upon us the good Spirit which descended on Christ as a Dove that we may rightly and fruitfully treat of this Prophesie which was written as all other Scripture for our Instruction and consolation Of Jonah we read in two other Scriptures 2 King 14.25 Mat. 12.39 40. Gath-Hepher was the place of his Birth and one of the Cities that fell to the lot of Zebulon and was so called to distingush it from Gath Rimmon and Gath of the Philistines Note Malice blinds Where note the falseness of the blind and malicious Pharisee who said Out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet Joh. 7.52 Yes Jonah the Prophet who was of Gath-Hepher which was in the Province of Galilee Malice doth many times blâ—nd the eyes even of understanding men as the Pharisees generally were Beware of malice as thou wouldest not be mis-led into damning Errors fatally and finally Jonah prophesied in the Reign of Jeroboam the second or of Joash his Father it may be of both Princes that came of Jehu who rooted out the Family of Ahab the Idolaters but not the Idolatry for which cause Israel came into great affliction which was very bitter 2 King 14.26 27. There was not any shut up nor any left nor any Helper for Israel Note Idolatry ruines Idolatry ever brings mischief to a State or Family sooner or later see Chap. 10.31 32 33. Beware of Idolatry and Idolaters they are people of Gods Wrath and Curse what trials ye may have ye do not know Remember and keep your selves from idols 1 Joh. 5.21 and from idolaters Now mark two things of Jonah our Dove 1. To afflicted Israel he comes with an Olive-branch of of Peace and Comfort that the waste shall be restored which had been taken away ibid. according to the word of the Lord God of Israel Note Some favour to the worst Use which he spakes by the hand of his servant Jonah God for a while is very gracious and in temporals doth much for a wicked people it may be by wicked instruments as Jeroboam was Admire the passages of his providence and look from men to God who works for the good of his Chosen as in the ten Tribes there were some true worshippers and for their sake some deliverance was granted 2. To Nineve he is sent with the mournful Voice of a Dove proclaiming their destruction Yet forty dayes and Nineve shall be destroyed but with an intent in the Master that sent him to spare the City upon their Repentance and Amendment The Lord in wrath remembers mercy Note In wrath mercy and sometimes blusters our judgments that sinners may bethink themselves and repent and be saved Mark his divers dispensations and attend the main which is that his patience and goodness should lead you to repentance Rom. 2.4 Two Notes more 1. Out of this Book of Jonah two things may be noted by the exposition of our Saviour himself 1. That Jonah was a Type of Christ in respect of his Death and Resurrection as Jonah was three days and three nights in the Whales belly and then came to land again so Christ was held in Death for a while and the third day rose again 2. That the people of Nineve are set for an example of Repentance to you of after-ages which if it follow not ye shall be the more deeply and severely damned and why for a greater then Jonah is here Allegorical sense of Scripture we shall ever admit where warranted by some glimpse of Scripture as there are many such to be found through the whole body of it Ribera 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 4.24 The Jesuite needed not to have quarrelled about such sense of Scriptures but under pretence of Allegories we must not run out into Fooleries as are many of their Allegories much less into Errors as some of them are Nor doth the similitude of things among themselves warrant us to take every Doctrine which the Fathers collected but only where the Antecedents
thee in measure yet I will not leave thee wholly unpunished Reasons why God so pardons the penitent are plain Reas 1 1. Because he is very merciful and abundantly gracious Exod. 34.7 The Lord the Lord merciful and gracious forgiving iniquity Reas 2 transgression and sin 2. By Jesus Christ a ransome is found for the penitent justice satisfied wrath appeased fauour procured heaven opened 3. Promises are made every-where Reas 3 in Scripture for this kind of sinners and shall be made good to the full 4. The work of repentance which Reas 4 is begun in them is a change wrought by Gods own Spirit and therefore shall be honoured with the best fruits So here is more encouragement to repent Ye see your Use 1 remedy if judgements be to be prevented More encouragement to repent or to be removed be humbled before your God and it may be done Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites namely to repent and be pardoned As he so they and as they so we All is for our instruction that repenting as they did we may escape as they did And let none think to hold God to it that though he repent not yet he shall do well enough Verily verily said our Saviour except ye repent ye shall all perish Luke 13.5 So when a tender heart casteth doubts that his sins shall not be pardoned nor indeed can be set it flie to this remedy Grieve for thy sins and confess them and crave pardon for them in the Name and for the merit of Jesus Christ afterward doubt not but a pardon will be had and in time will be sealed up to thy foul 1 John â— 1. He is our Advocate with the Father and the propitiation for our sins He sits in his Pardon-office in heaven and in time will issue forth a pardon for thee Mark 1.15 Repent and believe the Gospel are the two main graces of the Gospel Use 2 Lastly let God be glorified in this Attribute of turning wrath away from penitent sinnerâ— So doth the Church Mic. 7.18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage the retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea Subjects use to magnifie a loving Prince who remits the penal laws and grants pardon to offenders So doth our God and so ought we to honour him Consider this is his end in granting forgiveness of sins Psal 130.4 That he may be feared And this was the first and chief mercy which David commemorated in his thanksgiving Ps 105.3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities As also Paul Eph. 1.6 7. That we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace CHAP. IV. Ver. 1.2 3. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And he prayed unto the Lord and said I pray thee O Lord was not this my saying when I was yet in my Country therefore I fled unto Tarshish for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful slow to anger of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil Therefore now O Lord Take I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye then to live THis Chapter sets forth the Events of Gods sparing of Nineve Summe of the Chapter The Events are of two sorts a froward servant and a gentle Master In Jonah we see the example of a froward and waspish Saint who too much cleaves to his own reason without due respect had to the will of God or to the good of sinners For a good man he is as cholerick a man as lightly we shall read of And we have his fellows if not in goodness yet in testiness and peevishness Take heed and do not imitate 1. We see how ill he takes the sparing of Nineve Parts ver 1. he is displeased and angry 2. We hear him justifying his former flying ver 2. 3. We read a strange prayer he makes ver 3. Take my life from me 4. We may hear more pevishness ver 9. I do well to be angry even unto death For the first of these What is was that displeased Jonah we may not conceive Jonah displeased or angry at the repentance of the Ninevites this being quite contrary to the truth of grace which was in Jonah Grace never opposeth grace in another but first desires it and then rejoyceth in it But it displeased him exceedingly that is that the Lord did not the evil which he said he would do to Nineve And why so because now he should be accounted a false Prophets and God who said Nineve should be overthrown should be blasphemed as variable and not true of his word as not only the heathens round about but even the Israelites themselves would be ready to jeer at his coming home among them A goodly messenger and message and hereafter we will not regard thee a whit It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry Some say he was offended at the calling of the Gentiles as those in Act. 11. and 22. and that by the spirit of prophesie he foresaw the rejection of the Jews into whose room the Gentiles were to succeed But this is too far fetched nor agrees with the Text and Argument here brought nor with the goodness of an holy heart such as Jonahs was It is best to understand it as before Note The godly have and confess their infirmities And we may observe A godly man hath many and great infirmities but withall confesseth them though to the shame of his own face as doth Jonah here Formerly from the same ground we concluded the Divinity of the Scriptures and now the sincerity of the Saints Paul for them all I do not the good I would and I do the evil I would not O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Use Remember this ye Saints and enure your selves to the duties of humiliation and mortification and where just occasion is be not ashamed to confess and give glory to God Jâ—s 7 19. Let God be true and every man a lyar To me belongs nothing but shame and confusion of face with a lowly deportment suitable to those humble conceits and speeches you use concerning your selves Lessons to be learned from Jonah Then for mortification learn by these failings of Jonah 1. Not to be wedded to thine own will so as to set it before or above the will of God as did he Self denial is the first lesson that a Christian should take forth and make use of it all along in his course Be not wise in thine own eyes Lean not to thine own understanding Go not by thine own shallow reason but which way the revealed will of God shall lead thee Jonah had Gods mind fully revealed to him in this point