Jonah the Messenger of Ninevehs Repentance, Part 2
THE REBELLION OF IONAH.
VER. 3.
But Jonah roſe up to flee unto Tarſhiſh, from the preſence of the Lord, and went downe to Joppa, and he found a ſhip going to Tarſhiſh: So hee payed the fare thereof, and went downe into it, to goe with them unto Tarſhiſh from the preſence of the Lord.
IT followes now to ſhew how Ionah diſcharged the charge given unto him. Firſt, he neglected it, afterwards being chaſtiſed and ſo repenting he faithfully diſcharged it.
Firſt, of his Rebellion.
Firſt, Ionah was ſent to Nineveh to preach againſt their ungodlineſſe, to reclaime them that they might repent, & ſo the wrath of God be turned away, how happy a meſſage ſhould this have beene that brought ſuch bleſſed effects, but ſtill one flie or other ſpoyles the boxe of ointment, Eccleſ. 10. 1. Satan ſtands up and ſends him inſtead of Nineveh to Tarſhiſh; meaning thereby,
Firſt, to put him out of Gods favour, to bring upon him torment of conſcience, decay of gifts and diſreputation among the people.
Secondly, to harden the people in their ſinnes and againſt Gods Prophets.
Thirdly, that the moſt populous and wealthy Citty in Aſſyria might be deſtroyed all dying unrepentant in their ſins, that the very Angels in Heaven ſhould mourne at it. So by urging the unkindneſſe to his owne Nation and blood in leaving them to preach to ſtrangers, as alſo the difficulty of doing good among ſuch notorious ſinners, and the danger of his owne perſon in bringing ſo unwellcome a meſſage he getteth him to deſiſt.
Thus Satan is ever croſſing and tempting us when wee addreſſe our ſelves to the will of God. So was Moſes, Ieremy, Ezekiel, Nehemiah and Chriſt himſelfe tempted being about moſt notable workes, Exod. 3. 11. 4. 10. Ier. 1. 6. Ezek. 3. 14. Neh. 2. 19. Luke 22. 31. And Chriſt tells Peter, Satan deſired to winnow him, Mat. 4. 1. Luke 4. 2. 4. 13. 1 Pet. 5. 8. So even Peter, Iames and Iohn. Therefore never dreame of a truce with Satan, for hee is perpetually ſeeking whom hee may devoure, either tempting us by flattery or terrible threatning: for whatſoever wee doe comes either from the ſpirit of Satan, of God or our owne ſpirit. Now our owne ſpirit is occupied about the pleaſures of this world. The Spirit of God is gentle and meeke, not forcing, not threatning, as Luke 19. 23. If any one will follow me, not you ſhall follow me. So Cant, 5. 2, 3. Open unto mee—Now Satan takes another courſe, if hee cannot allure to ſinne hee threatens loſſe of pleaſure, friends, goods, and by his Imps torments and death. Christ ſaith if you will follow mee, but he ſaith I will make you follow me or you ſhall have fire and faggot, ſo ſaith his eldeſt Sonne Antichriſt. His order of tempting is firſt to make us doubt of the truth of Gods Word. Secondly, he falls to flat denying of it. Thirdly, hee comes in with his owne countermards and contrary aſſertions. Thus he ſaith advance your ſelves. God ſaith Love thy neighbour as thy ſelfe, Mat. 22. 39. hee ſaith, Firſt, love little and outwardly. Secondly, love none but thy ſelfe. Thirdly, hate thine enemies, envy thy betters, diſdaine thine equalls, deſpiſe thine inferiors.
Now the meanes the divell tempts with are arguments drawne from mans owne wit and reaſon, and ſo Ionah argues here, if the Iewes will not heare me, it is in vaine to preach to theſe Gentiles. Thus fleſh and blood ſtands ſtaggering, miſdoubting troubles when it ſhould doe any good, but in ſinne never conſidereth the following woe. Yet this I confeſſe was a ſore temptation for Ionah to preach to a heathen people this doctrine, that there is but onelyonly one true God to them who have ſerved a thouſand, Deut. 6. 4. as if a Preacher were commanded to goe to Rome gates and preach againſt Antichriſts juriſdiction, I feare hee would hardly doe it. Thus we regard rather to enter no great action for Gods glory and his Churches good, then to receive any oppoſition in our doings, Satan knowes from labour wee are eaſily brought to loyter, and from feare and paine to ſecurity and pleaſure. Thus hee tempted our Saviour with the pleaſures of the world, All this will I give thee. This gaine, this eaſe, this profit ſhalt thou have to leave the ſociety of godly men and ſerve mee, not being ſcrupulous to ſweare for your gaine, to lie for your pleaſure, to cozen for riches, and ſo bee free from the reproaches and contempt wherewith profeſſors are overwhelmed, but be rich and live in eaſe and eſtimation.
Thus Ionah is tempted to ſinne but not conſtrained, urged, but not compelled, the divell can intice mightily, but not inforce violently. This is our comfot, our enemies power is in our Fathers hand, 1 Cor. 10. 11. Rom. 8. 35. Luke 22. 32. This may incourage us to Reſiſt the divell and hee ſhall flie from us, Iames 4. 7. God hath made no ſuch promiſe to the divell, that if hee tempt hee ſhall prevaile, what a ſhame is it then that Satan is bolder in tempting then we are in reſiſting. O that wee were as wiſe, as watchfull to withſtand as Satan is diligent to aſſault. But doth Ionah now reſiſt as manfully as Satan ſets on him cunningly. Alas no, he as ſoone reſolved as inticed, Gen. 1. It is ſaid, God ſpake and it was done. Surely the divell but ſpeakes and it is done, he is ſuch an Orator as no man can denie him: for hee pretends to counſell as a moſt ſpeciall friend, as an holy Angell jealous of Gods honour, therefore hee made not onelyonly Gehezi to take a bribe, 2 King. 5. 22. Demas to imbrace the world, 2 Tim. 4. 10. Iudas to betray his Maſter, Mat. 26. 48. and Caine to kill his brother, Gen. 4. 8. but Rebecca alſo to perſwade Iacob and Iacob to be bold by lying to ſeeke for the bleſſing, Gen. 27. 13. yea the Father of the faithfull to commit folly with Hagar, Gen. 16. 43. and here Ionah not to goe to Nineveh leſt forſooth God ſhould not be true of his words.
We have ſeene Satans malice and wilyneſſe in tempting, wee have ſufficient armour to reſiſt him, Epheſ. 6. 11. and promiſe to prevaile, Iames 5. 7. Therefore wee forget our enemy, neglect the promiſe, or take not the armour, or like not that arrow-bearer humility, ſubmit your ſelves to God, and then reſiſt the divell: but are ready, ſo fooliſh are we, to joyne with our enemy as Balaam, Num. 22. 8. But would you, however Satan tempts. not bee foyled, then conſider how ſhamefull it is having ſuch encouragements to fight, to ſhew our ſelves cowards under our Captaine Chriſt, to yeeld to his enemy, how dangerous to be under ſo cruell a tyrant, that takes pleaſure in our moſt bitter torments.
Object. But he comes often as a friend, as an Angell of light, how ſhall I deſcry him?
Anſw. It is hard indeed: but annoint thine eyes with eye-ſalve, Rev. 3. 18. thou muſt be filled with knowledge, Col. 1. 9. and watch and be ſober, 1 Pet. 5. 8. and laſtly, conſider how thy ſpirit is moved: for the Spirit of God is ſoft and ſlow; but Satans is boiſterous and ſtout; beſides, conſider if the thing tempted to, bee good or ill, for bee ſure Gods Spirit prompts to no evill. Therefore get the Spirituall Sword, The Word of God (Epheſ. 6. 17.) to dwell plenteouſly in us, Col. 3. 17. and cry ſtill to God to open thine eyes, Pſal. 119. 18.
But Ionah aroſe up to flie unto Tarſhiſh.
Thus Ionah tempted repents not, but makes himſelfe a run-away, leaves Nineveh ſtill on the ſcore. So Nineveh is ſtill Nineveh, but Ionah is not like Ionah, for the Prophet is flying, and ſinne is crying, and ſo all falls to confuſion.
Hee firſt flies to Tarſhiſh before he went to Nineveh. Sinne is borne firſt. Eſau before Iacob, Gen. 15. 26, 27. Evill may be ſaid to bee ancienter, reſiſt ſinne at the firſt, nip it in the head, that the uncleane ſpirit may ſay here is no abiding for me, let us goe into yonder herd of Swine, Mat. 8. 31.
Ionah was ſent to Nineveh, but he went toward Tarſhiſh. And ſo it is alwaies with us, wee are ever doing that wee ſhould not doe. For either wee doe nothing, or that which we are not commanded, or els otherwiſe then wee are commanded. Sometime moſt rebelliouſly wee doe that which wee know the Lord ſtraitly forbiddeth. And as Ionah tooke Tarſhiſh for Nineveh, ſo we take the divell for an Angell, light for darkeneſſe, &c.
But no marvell though Ionah fled to Tarſhiſh when hee ſhould goe to Nineveh, for his vocation is rejected by the children of this world, and every where kickt againſt: ſo that if you would aske for a painefull vocation, this is it; if for a thankleſſe vocation, this is it; if for a contemptible vocation, this is it: for reprooving we are reprooved, bleſſing, wee are curſed: preaching peace wee make warre; proclaiming liberty, wee are impriſoned; doe what we can, we are perſecuted: and for our worke worthy of love, wee receive of moſt hatred: of few, yea very few, not any more then a cold affection. Hereof it hath come to paſſe, that Moſes and Ieremy called, excuſed themſelves; Ezekiel, having received his charge, went in bitterneſſe and indignation of his ſpirit, and ſeven daies neglected his charge as Ionah here doth his: and Moſes, Eliah, and Ieremiah, at length complained; and (which to the beſt men is the greateſt griefe) it is as eaſy almoſt to waſh a blackemoore white, as to convert a ſinner, becauſe Satan is ever croſſing men doing Gods will, but ſpecially hindring the courſe of right preaching. For the Lord was not ſo earneſt to ſtop the way of Balaam, leſt hee ſhould commit wickedneſſe, as the divell is earneſt to ſtop the way of every Ionah, leſt hee fullfill righteouſnes, that is, cry againſt Nineveh, longing and earneſtly labouring to convert it.
But who would have thought that ſuch a Prophet ſhould flie from the Lord, yea and then when he ſhould doe him moſt ſervice? A fearefull example: therefore let him that ſtandeth take heed leſt hee fall: for the way is ſlippery wherein wee are to walke. When thou remembreſt the fall of the Prophet, then conſider that thou art much weaker then a Prophet, and therefore the eaſier to bee encountred and overthrowne, and the likelier to have a moſt grievous fall, except the Lord doe mightily uphold thee. Secondly, if thou ſee Ionah flie, Moſes murmur, David fall to adultery, Salomon to idolatry, and Peter to forſweare his Maſter, then learne thou not to truſt to thy owne ſtrength, for it is weakeneſſe, nor to thy owne wiſedome, for it is ſinfull; but ſeeke helpe and crave ſtrength at the hand of Almighty God, who giveth indifferently to every one that asketh; which doth not bruiſe the broken reed, nor quench the ſmoking flax, but doth rather increaſe our zeale then diminiſh it.
And judge favourably of ſuch as fall, for though Ionah fled, yet he returned againe; and though David joyned murther with adultery, yet he repented.
And he found a ſhip going to Tarſhiſh.
As ſoone as hee ſet forward to flie from God, Satan ſeconds his temptation with opportunity, hee findes a ſhip ready, hee fits Iudas with money and Ionah with a ſhip, if thou wilt flie from God, the divell will lend thee both ſpurres and a horſe, yea a poſt-horſe to carry thee haſtily and ſwiftly to all ungodly luſts.
And he payed the fare.
This money was caſt into the ſea, many waſt their money upon dice and unlawfull games, it were good for them if they had not a penny to looſe, and ſo men care not what they pay for vanities and braveries, this alſo is caſt into the ſea, but they will give little or nothing to doe good withall, So Lazarus can get nothing, and David can get no meate, ſhall I give my bread and wine to one I know not? ſaith churliſh Naball. We can bee content to give and do any thing to win the world, but wee will give nothing, nor doe nothing, whereby to win the kingdome of God.
Ionah is entred into the ſhip and ſleepes, ſleepes ſoundly, and being wakened confeſſed not his ſinne untill hee was forced to it by diſcovery of caſting lots. Thus God ſets out the ſtubborneneſſe and diſobedience of Ionah, in that this thing was not done upon a ſudden, but upon deliberation and continuance, he had ſpace and ley ſure enough to have repented, but did not. Ionah firſt liftned to Satans aſſaults, liked them, conſented to obey them, put them in practiſe, fled to Ioppa, hyred the ſhip, hoyſed up ſayles and went to ſleepe, to ſhew that ſinne runs on wheeles and poſts downe hill, and never ſtayes till it arrive even in Hell. So ſinnes follow one another like linkes of a chaine, till the tempeſt of deſtruction breake it in ſunder: but if Ionah had conſidered the all-ſeeing eye of Almighty God, hee would have leaped out of the ſhip that carried him at once from God and from his duty, ſince the creature cannot hide it ſelfe from the Creator. All thoſe that pitty Ionah let them pitty themſelves, our ſinnes are as many as his were, hee confeſſed freely and fully, ſo let us; for this was written to admoniſh us that wee may ſtand where hee fell; and when wee fall to confeſſe freely and fully to God alwaies, and to man alſo when wiſdome commands.
FINIS.