Exposition of Jonah, Chapter 1 · Verse 2
Ver. 2. Ariſe, go to Nineve that great City, and cry againſt it; for their wickedneſs is come up before me.
Here is the Prophets ſpecial Meſſage, and in it three things, 1. His excitation to do work for God at Nineve, Ariſe, go to Nineve that great City, 2. His denunciation of Gods judgment againſt it, Cry againſt it. 3. Aſſignation of the reaſon, For their wickedneſs is come up before me.
Nineve.Nineve was the chief City of the Aſſyrians, as London to us Engliſh Nineve in the name of it ſounds forth a fair and beautiful City; In Moſes time, and long before, it was a great City, Gen. 10.12. Two places in this Book do intimate the greatneſs of it, Chap. 3.3, 4. and 4.11. Hiſtories ſupply ſome particulars,Its greatneſs. Diod. Sic. v. c. that it was threeſcore Miles in compaſs; that it had Walls exceeding high and broad, ſo that three Carts might meet and paſs by one another; that upon the Walls were fifteen hundred goodly Turrets, for Defence and Ornament; that by continuation of Buildings four Cities were grown into one, as thoſe two of London and Weſtminſter; that Babylon was a leſs City by the fourth part, and yet when part of it was taken by the Perſians, Jer. 51.31. Ariſt pol.ſome part knew not of the taking till three dayes after: That Nineve was eight years in Building, though ten thouſand Work-men were employed at once about it; that it was head of the firſt Monarchy for twelve hundred years together, and ſo had brought a world of Wealth and people into the City, out of the ſeveral Provinces which were ſpoiled, and Tributaries to Nineve; as afterward did the Romans, who if they had been ſtript of their ſtollen Goods,Lactant. ſhould return to their ancient Cottages and penury.
Now this could not be done without a great deal of Pride, Oppreſſion, Blood-ſhed, and other wickedneſs;Sinfulneſs. And it is very likely, that the Citizens grew very Lofty, Luxurious, Filthy, ſcarce tolerable one to another: But it is plain, that they were great enemies to the people of God, Eſa. 10.5. O Aſſyrian, the rod of mine anger. Ye have the Hiſtory of Senacherib, and his rage againſt God and his people; though Aſhur came of Shem, the holy ſeed, yet he became a ſpit…ful and a blaſpheming enemy, Gen. 10.22.
Now to this Nineve is Jonah ſent as an Herald of Arms,Danger. to denounce Deſtruction for their ſins: One againſt many, and a mean one againſt the Potentates of the world; An unequal encounter; but the Lord tels him of it before-hand, that he may know the worſt of it, and arm himſelf accordingly with faith and courage, to do his Meſſage as he ought, ſtoutly and faithfully. Learn, and before-hand caſt the coſt of Religion; Fore-ſeen darts are either avoided, or do the leſs harm.
Summons.Ariſe, and cry againſt it; What the cry was, we ſee in Chap. 3.4. Yet forty dayes, and Nineve ſhall be overthrown, concealing the reſt as the ſecrets of God who makes his Servants of his Court, but not of his Counſel. The Lord meant by this thunder to awake the Ninevites, and bring them to Repentance, and by them to ſhame Iſrael, who after much Preaching remained hard-hearted and un-reformed; And his uſual manner is, to fore-tell a Plague before he inflicts it; ſuch is his goodneſs to his Creatures, and it ſhould work upon people when they are fore-warned, to be alſo fore-armed: Woe if they be not.
Doctr. 1 Beware of wearineſs and cowardize.Three points come here to be obſerved for Edification.
That at the call of God we ought to ſtir up our ſelves, and ſettle to our duty; Ariſe and go to the great City Nineve. Jonas might even be weary of Preaching to Samaria and the ten Tribes, where he did ſo little good; and ſit down as a man diſcouraged, which we read of Elias and Jeremy: therefore the Lord here bids him ariſe, Be not diſcouraged, nor ſit ſlothful, but do the task which I appoint thee to do; ſo to Jeremy, Chap. 1.17. Gird up thy loins, and ſpeak unto them all that I command thee; And to Ezekiel, Chap. 2.1. Stand upon thy feet, I will ſpeak to thee, and thou ſhalt ſpeak all my words to the houſe of Iſrael.
Uſe. Hear, and beware of Idleneſs, Security; Diſcouragement, Carnal wiſdom, Pretences of I know not what Difficulties and Dangers, and a baſe relinquiſhing of the work which God hath laid upon us to do; Remember the charge laid upon Jonas, and how ſeverely he was puniſhed for not diſcharging his duty. Many a Miniſter and Houſholder is even diſcouraged to ſee how little good he doth in his place.Eſa. 49.4. I have laboured in vain, ſaid Iſaiah; Elias is weary of his life; Jeremy will ſpeak no more in the name of the Lord.
Here now is occaſion to uſe this word of Excitation, Mot. 1 Ariſe and go to Nineve; and we ſhould conſider, 1. It is the Lord that ſets us on work, and requires our beſt diligence, 2. The work is his, and not ours originally or Mot. 2 chiefly, 3. The ſucceſs is in his power; Paul Plants, Apollos Mot. 3 Waters, but God gives the increaſe: And God ſometimes gives better ſucceſs then we men are aware; we ſee it in the Repentance of the Ninevites, and in the ſeven thouſand which had not bowed the knee to Baal. 4. Whatever the ſucceſs be, the Chriſtian ſhall be well Mot. 4 rewarded for his dilgence and faithfulneſs, Eſa. 49.5. Not only he delivers his own ſoul, but gets a Crown of Righteouſneſs, and ſhall ſhine as the Firmament, and as the Stars of Heaven; A faithful Miniſters reward ſhall not be according to the ſucceſs, but his zealous pains-taking.
Ariſe every one, and go to his task; None of us but hath his Nineve to go unto; the Magiſtrate hath his Government, and ſhould zealouſly ſtudy a thorow Reformation of the place where he governs; the Miniſter hath a charge of Souls, and muſt watch over them as one that muſt give an account; the Parent and Maſter hath his Family to order in a Chriſtian manner, not only civilly, but religiouſly; and every particular perſon among us hath a precious ſoul to care for; and it is Nineve, ſpecious and beautiful in the eye of God; why not in thine alſo?
The ſaying was, for provoking of diligence, Spartam quam nactus es, hanc orxa; ſo ſtill, look well to thy charge; there is a Province committed to thee, be a good Steward in thy adminiſtration; thy line is fallen in a pleaſant place, and thou haſt a goodly heritage, a Nineve, Dan. 12.13. 2 Tim. 1.14.look well to it, Stand in thy lot, keep the good thing committed to thee; Ever remember whoſe Voice this is, Ariſe and g…, and remember the account that is to be made one day,Luke 16 2. Amos 6.1. Give an account of thy Stewardſhip, for thou mayeſt be no longer Steward, and remember the woe to them that live at eaſe, which killeth them, and their miſery cometh as an armed man.Reprove ſin zealouſly.
To the next point, It is the duty of Gods Miniſters to Doctr. 2 be earneſt in telling people of their ſin and danger; Go and cry againſt Nineve, Cry aloud; lift up thy Voice like a Trumpet, Eſa. 58.1. with Chap. 40.6. John Baptiſt was the Voice of one crying on the wilderneſs; And the man of God cryed againſt the Altar in Bethel, 1 King. 13.1, 2. where Note, this crying is not the Voice of rude men, Raging and Railing as they pleaſe; but is oppoſed to the ſpeaking of ſmooth and pleaſant things, Eſa. 30.10. Jer. 5.31. Ezek. 13.6, 10, 17.which carnal people deſire ſhould be ſpoken to them; yet it is good for nothing but to continue their ſin, and increaſe their danger, yea and haſten the vengeance of God upon them ſo much the ſooner.
Reaſ. 1 But Miniſters that will be faithful, ought thus to cry against ſinners, 1. Becauſe they are aſleep, and need to be Reaſ. 2 awakened, as Baal, Cry aloud, it may be he ſleepeth, 2. Becauſe the cry of their ſins goeth up before God, and calls for judgments to be poured upon them; as here, Their wickedneſs is come up before me: wicked people need to be ſaved, as a brand that is ſnatched out of the burning, or as one that is ready to fall into the fire or water, where he ſhould periſh certainly.
Uſe 1 Which ſerves to juſtifie Godly and Zealous Miniſters, who cry earneſtly againſt the ſins of their people,Zealous Miniſters not to be blamed. and thunder out the judgments of God againſt them. Theſe do well, and are not to be blamed for their earneſtneſs; Theſe are the Boanerge… or Sons of thunder, which the Scripture ſpeaks of, generally diſtaſted by looſe and vain hearers; but there is no cauſe; they go not awhit beſide their Commiſſion.
Prolepſis.True, ſome good Miniſters are Barnabies, or Sons of Conſolation, and ſpeak more mildly in their courſe of Preaching: But 1. There are diverſities of Gifts, and all of the ſame Spirit; none to be blamed who deals faithfully. 2. The mildeſt and moſt comfortable Preachers uſe to limit their Conſolations to them that fear God, and have other Notes of grace on them, ſo ſeparating the precious from the vile. 3. Gentle Preachers, and with low voices uſe to denounce the heavy judgments of God againſt ſecure and impenitent ſinners. Wo, wo, wo, ſaid our Saviour, of whom it is written that he lifted not up his voice in the ſtreets, Mat. 12.19. 4. There is a mildneſs which is condemned in the Scripture, as when Eli ſaid, It is no good report that I hear of you my Sons; and he ſmarted for it; applicable to indulgent Parents and Maſters, who in love of quietneſs let their young people alone in their ſins.
In ſome places it might be a word of Exhortation, that Uſe 2 Miniſters cry againſt ſinful places and people:Miniſters may make bold with ſinners. Jonah muſt not only cry in Nineve, which had been a great matter, and beſide order, but againſt it, which was like to bring Hornets about his ears; even ſo muſt we: And yet, in the mean time we ſhould not Preach againſt our people but for the greateſt good; they may be brought to Repentance, and if it prove right, to heaven. As for the Hornets that may be raiſed, we muſt leave that care unto God; do our duty, and truſt in him; do as Jonas did at his ſecond ſending to Nineve. 1. He took a long journey, it may be a hundred miles. 2. He caſt himſelf upon the diſpleaſure of a moſt mighty Monarch, and a moſt rich people, 3. At beſt he could look for no great entertainment, nor ſo much as to bear his charges, 4. He footed it up and down the City when he came there, and might ſpend much of his ſtrength by travelling and crying all along: Learn we Miniſters and people to ſettle to difficult, coſtly, and dangerous duties; Are they not Gods Commandments? did not he ſay, Ariſe and cry?
To the third point; The wickedneſs of a people doth go Doctr. 3 up and call for vengeance upon them;Wickedneſs calls for vengeance. ſo did the blood of Abel againſt Cain, Gen. 4 10. So did the filthineſs of the Sodomites againſt that City, Chap. 18.21. So the cry of Servants wages detained, …ames 5.4. And here the Robbery and Oppreſſion of the Aſſyrians, who had made ſlaughter of many Nations, and ſpoiled others to enrich themſelves, together with the cries of Widows and Fatherleſs Children; and their Pride, Idleneſs, Filthineſs, Inchantments, other ſins which were now grown ſo great, that the Earth was no longer able to hold the cry, but the Air and Heaven too did ring of their ſinfulneſs, and, now it was high time for God to take vengeance.
The Lord ſees when the iniquity of a man or people is ripe, and then proceeds to judgment; as of the Amorites, It is not yet full; but when it is, I will … root them out, Gen. 15.16, Every ſingle ſin comes up before God, and provokes wrath,Pſal. 7.11. but wickedneſs much more; He is angry with the wicked every day, but defers to do execution till the meaſure of ſin be filled up, and then he can forbear no longer.
Uſe 1 Admire the patience and long-ſuffering of the Almighty; though he be wearied daily with the cries of mens ſins, yet he bears all; yea, though they be ſins of whole Towns, whole Nations, or the whole world: He is not ſlack of his coming, but patient to us-ward, and waits for our Repentance, 2 Pet. 3.9. No mans patience can be ſo exerciſed as Gods is; yea, we ſee too often how even a godly man hath ſome adoo to keep patience on ſuch and ſuch provocations. Oh the goodneſs and long-ſuffering of our God, to whom our wickedneſs goeth up continually! The Lord, the Lord, merciful and gracious, ſlow to wrath, abundant in goodneſs and truth!
Uſe 2 Admire alſo the worth and power of Chriſts mediation, which cries down the cry of our ſins, and keeps off the vengeance which thereby we had deſerved. The blood of Chriſt ſpeaks better things then the blood of Abel, Heb. 12.24. mercy and not judgment, and this ſecures both the perſons and duties of Believers; though they deſerve a fulneſs of wrath, yet by the mediation all will be well with them.
Uſe 3 This ſhews people the ſinfulneſs and danger of their eſtate, even when they are moſt ſecure. All the while their wickedneſs gets up before God, and would draw down vengeance upon then, when they are moſt jolly and brave in their worldly enjoyments, yet their extreme danger continues; ſin hath not loſt his voice of crying, as here againſt the Ninevites; yea, it cries more becauſe of more light, and more means of grace; ſo the men of Nineve ſhall riſe up in judgment with this generation and condemn it.
Take heed of ſin, if not for the foulneſs (which ſhould Uſe 4 be) yet for the fearful after-claps; and for the meaſure of your ſins, leſt that be filled up, and then the Vials of wrath be emptied upon you: Know, the Lord can overthrow England as well as Nineve; and we have had warning, not only for forty years, but forty and forty, and more then that, it is now above a hundred years; that the Goſpel hath been preached among us with liberty and encouragement; and ye know we have ſins enough to haſten the overthrow; Oaths and other abominations.
Conſider and beware; if there were no more miſchief in ſin but the loſing of the Goſpel, it were bad enough; an intolerable loſs to have the Candleſtick removed out of his place, or to have your Jonahs ſent from Iſrael to Nineve, or the righteous taken from the evil to come.