Exposition of Jonah, Chapter 1 · Verse 3
Ver. 3. But Jonah roſe up to flee unto Tarſhiſh from the preſence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa, and he found a ſhip going to Tarſhiſh; ſo he payed the Fare thereof, and went down into it to go with them unto Tarſhiſh from the preſence of the Lord.
Here the Prophet declines the Lords meſſage of going to Nineve, by going a quite contrary way.Why Jonah fled to Tarſhiſh. His ground he tells us in Chap. 4.2. Namely, a carnal fear, leſt he ſhould be aſhamed and accounted a falſe Prophet, if within forty dayes Nineve were not overthrown: A great matter with the proud nature of man, which cannot endure the leaſt diſparagement.
Other reaſons Jonah might have for not going to Nineve.
So peter, Act. 1….1. The ſtrangeneſs of the thing. No Prophet had ever been ſent to the Gentiles before Jonah; All of them were ſent to the houſe of Judah or of Iſrael; and ſhould Jonah be the firſt man that ſhould be ſent to the ſinners, the Gentiles? God goes beſide his ordinary method, and Jonah thinks ſtrange of it.
2. What hope could there be of doing good among the Heathen, ſeeing he had ſo little good among Gods own people? ſhould Ninevites be converted, and Iſrael not converted? how can things go quite in a new Road which was never heard of?
3. Might not Jonah fear what would become of him among a Company of Infidels, who were alſo rich and proud, and knew not God? he one, and they many; he a poor man, and they the Potentates of the world. What ſhould one Lamb do among a thouſand Wolves?
4. For the Errand which Jonah was to deliver, what likelihood that Nineve ſhould be overthrown within forty days, ſeeing no enemy appeared before it, and it had now flouriſhed twelve hundred years in great proſperity? what wiſe man would go and publiſh impoſſibilities?
No ſound reaſon at all.Yet all this is but carnal fear, and Jonah ſinned greatly in flying to Tarſus. 1. He left the Command and calling of the great God of Heaven, which is the only rule of all our obedience. 2. He left the Land of Iſrael wherein his main buſineſs lay for all his life-time. 3 He thought poorly of God as if he could not meet with him at Tarſus as well as Samaria. 4. He ſhewed little pity to thouſands of ſouls that might receive benefit by his preaching.
All ſhewing the great corruption of mans nature, even after grace received, and how watchful we need to be, and keep cloſe to our rule, and to the calling wherewith we are called; not regarding the crooked rules of humane reaſon and wiſdom which Jonah too much followed.
He roſe up to flee to Tarſus, The chief City of Cilicia, Expoſ. 1.St. Pauls Country, a Citizen of no mean City, Act. 21.39. Some ſay Jonah went to be a Merchant there another while. But it is not good to faſten more ſins to the good man, then we are ſure of. It is moſt likely, that as a man 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 advance the common good, or of the Society wherein he lives. Be warned by Jonah and his ſtepping aſide from the Meſſage he had to deliver. Know, it is a bootleſs thing, to think of flying from the Lord; He fills Heaven and Earth, and can meet thee at every turn, and fetch thee back to thy task; and if thou belong to him, will do it: It was well for Jonah, that by a ſtorm and Whale he was brought back to Nineve. Know alſo, that none but the ſpecial preſence of God will prove comfortable to the laſt; I mean, ſpiritual here, and glorious hereafter. He is preſent with thoſe in Hell, but in Juſtice only, and with all his terrors.
Doctr. 4 4. Note how occaſions of ſinning are many times near at hand to them that are willing. Jonah was ſet upon an evil jorney, and ſee, he finds a Ship going to Tarſus; when the heart is ſet upon wickedneſs, opportunity will ſcarce be long wanting.
Take heed, and commit thy way unto the Lord; Uſe. pray him not to give thee over at any time that thou ſhouldeſt be ſwayed by thy own Luſts; and for occaſions of ſinning, remember the ſixt Petition of the Lords Prayer, that he would either keep off the Temptations, or not ſuffer thee to fall by thoſe Temptations.
5. Of Jonah we may learn a Leſſon of Equity; to pay Doctr. 5 thoſe that labour for us, as he the Mariners:Pay dues. It is one of the crying ſins, by fraud to keep back the hi…e of Labourers who have reaped down your Fields, Jam. 5.4. So of any ſort of work-men, it will be a great ſin in due ſeaſon not to let them have their pay, or ſervants their wages; Their heart is to it, and they need it, and ſo it ſhould not be detained.
Pay therefore, and do it quickly; Uſe. mark the commands in Prov. 3.27, 28, 29. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thy hand to do it; Say not unto thy Neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give, when thou haſt it by thee; deviſe not evil against thy Neighbour, ſeeing he dwelleth ſecurely by thee.
Laſtly, note in Jonah how willing ſome men are to part Doctr. 6 with their money in an evil matter,Willing to part with money for evil. to flee from the preſence of the Lord, to have Chriſt betrayed to the Jews and High-Prieſts, to have it reported abroad that his Diſciples came by night and ſtole him away. They that can find no money for a pious and charitable uſe, can find money enough for gaming, or a Suit of Law. Oh the excuſes that ſhall be made, and the Allegations that ſhall be brought to ſave their Purſes! hard Times, ill Trading, great Taxes, many Children; no end of pleading to keep all to themſelves: But for Pride of Life. Bravery of Apparel, or Houſe-Furniture, Feeding of Luſts, or maintaining of Quarrels at Law, let the Pieces flee, ſpare no coſt, they will not be put down by any, they have vowed and will be as good as their word.
Uſe. Take heed (Chriſtians) and remember the rule, Honor the Lord with thy ſubſtance, Prov. 3.9. He looks for his portion out of all the Wealth he gives thee; namely, in thoſe good uſes, which in the word he hath aſſigned for thee to mind: And he would have us to be rich in good works, as well as others; or rather in theſe, then in worldly wealth; And he calls him a fool, who is rich to himſelf, and not to God. And there is a cutting phraſe, A man and his money may periſh together, as Act. 8. And, the ruſt of the Silver and Gold goes up before God, and cryes for Vengeance. And, if ſo for not doing of good, what will come of doing evil with thy Wealth? It hath been ſeen many a man could not have been ſo wicked, nor could be now, if he were not ſo wealthy; Jonah could not have fled to Tarſus, if he had had no money to pay the Fare.