Exposition of Jonah, Chapter 1 · Verse 6
Ver. 6. So the Ship-Maſter came to him, and ſaid unto him; What meaneſt thou, O ſleeper? Ariſe, call upon thy God, if ſo be that God will think upon us, that we periſh not.
In every Society of men there muſt be order. Here in Note 1 a Ship there is a Ship-maſter; in a Navy,Order in every Society. there is an Admiral; in an Army, there is a General; in an Houſe, Town, or Nation, there is a Governour: So in the Church, there ought to be Order and Government, or elſe all comes to Confuſion. We ſee what miſchief is befallen ſince Government ceaſed, and ſhould ſee more miſchief, if Civil Government ceaſed as well as Eccleſiaſtical. In both it is true, better a bad Government then no Government. Tyranny is very bad, but Anarchy is far worſe, and more intolerable.
For our Ship-maſter, he comes to Jonah and reproves him for ſleeping. It is likely, that in this great diſtreſs of weather he beſtir'd him to the uttermoſt, to ſave the Veſſel and all that were in it; ſometimes under Deck, ſometimes above, ſometimes among the Ropes and Cables, ſometimes in the Keel or ſides of the Ship, to ſee what muſt be done to that purpoſe. And here, in the ſide of the ſhip he finds Jonah faſt aſleep, and rouſeth him up, What meaneſt thou, O ſleeper?
Note 2 Great diligence muſt be uſed of every one in his Place and Calling,Look to the main chance. to ſave the main chance; for the Body, for the preſent Life, for the onward Eſtate; but eſpecially for the Soul and Eternity: So for Church and Commonwealth, do thy beſt to ſave a Barque ready to periſh. If Prayers can do any thing, if Tears, Sighs, Zeal for Reformation, Mourning for the Abominations, let us not want thy helping-hand. We ſhould not give all for loſt, till there be no Remedy, and we be now ſinking. This Ship-Maſter by his diligence ſaved his Veſſel, and ſo may we.
Note 3 What meanest thou, O ſleeper? A ſecure ſinner can have no good meaning with him.Naturaliſts mean not well. I ſuppoſe he hath no ſuch meaning as to damn himſelf and his Companions, or to ruine the Church and State. It is not the thing which he doth purpoſely intend, yet he may be well asked the queſtion, What meaneſt thou? It is not yet in his thoughts and purpoſes to do any good, either in publick or private. In preſent he minds nothing but a ſinful and ſenſual enjoyment.
Uſe. Carnal people ſay they have good meanings, but it is much to be doubted. For, how can meanings be good, when they are only General, Blind, Lazie, and not Operative according to the Exigents of Church and State, or of the precious ſoul? ſhould theſe be called good meanings? It is a meer deluſion. We ſhall further queſtion them, as here the ſhip-maſter, what meanest thou, O ſleeper?
Ariſe, call upon thy God. It is our duty to rouſe up ſecure Note 4 ſinners,Rouſe up ſecure ſinners. that they may eſcape the great danger wherein they are; as the danger of loſing a Veſſel, Life and Goods, ſo and much more the loſing of a precious and Immortal ſoul; Exhort, Admoniſh, Reprove, pull them out of the Fire, ſave them with Fear, and uſe Compaſſion. As we would call upon a ſleeping Maſter, when his houſe is all on Fire; ſo, and much more ſhould we in ſoul-dangers. Conſider, our Brethren whom we help now, may help us another time in our drowſineſs and ſleepineſs. And, none of us but is apt to be ſleepy; we are of a corrupt Nature, and have taken a dram of helliſh Opium, ſo all poſſible help will be little enough. Conſider, Charity requires helpfulneſs, and this is a work of the trueſt Charity. And why ſhould not eternal danger quicken us, as well as common danger?
Call upon thy God. Carnal people can wiſh for a part in Note 5 all good prayers; as here,All would ſhare in good prayers. the Mariners before had cryed every one unto his god; Poſſibly there might be an hundred Paſſengers in the ſhip, and an hundred ſeveral gods that were called upon; yet ſee how the ſhip maſter beſpeaks Jonah for his Prayers too, that if it be poſſible, they may eſcape this danger. And poſſibly, they that never made good Prayers in all their Lives, yet will beg the Prayers of the godly in their diſtreſs, and God ſend them a part in all good prayers!
Take heed, Chriſtians, and blunder not along in theſe Uſe 1 wild and idle wiſhes; as ye deſire the benefit of other mens prayers, ſo ye muſt learn to pray your ſelves. There is not only prayer in common; ſuppoſe with a Family, or in a Congregation; but it is ſaid diſtributively, Every one that calls on the Name of the Lord ſhall be ſaved; and perſonallly, when thou prayeſt, enter into thy Cloſet.
The reaſon is, every one of us hath a ſoul to ſave, and every one hath perſonal ſins, perſonal corruptions, perſonal temptations, wants, afflictions; and every one that is truly godly,Zech. 12.10. hath the Spirit of grace and ſupplications poured upon him. And why ſhouldeſt not thou make account to pray for others, as well as that others ſhould pray for thee? is it not one duty of the Communion of Saints? as Feeding and Cloathing are duties for the good for the Body. No member in the natural Body but muſt help his Fellows, and there is the ſame reaſon for the Members of the Myſtical Body of Jeſus Chriſt. And, why ſhould any put ſo great a matter upon the Adventure, whether others remember him in their prayers or no? every one is his own neareſt Neighbour; And every one ſhall give account of himſelf unto God, Rom. 14.12.
Uſe 2 Every Chriſtian therefore that is able to pray, ſhould ſtir up his gift,Be much in prayer. and improve his intereſt at the Throne of Grace, for his own good and the good of others. There is ſomething in this advice to the ſhip-maſter, Call upon thy God; and in the other, Every one in the Ship cryed unto his god, Mic. 4.5. all people will walk, every one in the Name of his god, and we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. Why not we devout in a true way, as they in a falſe?
Mot. 1 Conſider the word of appropriation, thy God. Jehovah is thy God in a Covenant of grace, bound to thee both by Promiſe and Oath; and daily ſolicited by Jeſus Chriſt to ſhew thee favour according to thy Prayers and Neceſſities. Now then make bold with him; every one may make bold with his own; but Jehovah is thy God, therefore go boldly to him, and doubt not of acceptance. It is a Miſerly trick to have Gold and Silver in ſtore, and want Proviſions of Food and Phyſick; and it is worſe, to have a loving Lord God to pray unto, and be a ſtranger to him.
Mot. 2 Conſider alſo the Name of thy God; it is lovely, and invites thee to come to him. As it is a glorious and terrible Name,Deut. 28.58. Exod. 34.6. The Lord thy God, ſo it is an amiable Name, and may win ſinners to ſeek to him; The Lord, the Lord merciful and gracious. The Kings of Iſrael were accounted merciful Kings, and much more is this King of Iſrael.
If ſo be that God will think upon us; Note. 6. Thoughts of love to the godly.The Lord hath thoughts of Love and Peace toward his people, Jer. 29.11. I know the thoughts of peace that I think toward you, ſaith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end: Namely, out of the counſel of peace which he had within himſelf before the foundation of the world, Zech. 6.13. The counſel of peace ſhall be between them both; that is, Chriſts Kingly and Prieſtly Office.
Or, it may be a phraſe referring to the ſenſe of man. We are apt in great diſtreſs to think that God hath forgotten us, and will he be no more gracious; Pſal. 77.8, 9.hath he ſhut up his loving kindneſs in everlaſting diſpleaſure? and, if he did but think upon us, in what a ſad caſe we are, he would certainly ariſe and do for us; So theſe here, Oh that the God of Heaven would think of us for good! and elſewhere, Ar ſe O Lord, O Lord, ſtir up thy ſtrength, hide not thy face, leave us not, come and ſave us.
Otherwiſe, in abſolute conſideration, the Lord thinks on all men and Affairs in the world. His providence reacheth to all, and to every particular: He ſent this Tempeſt upon the Mariners, and ſaw in what diſtreſs they were. But their Prayer is, they would have mercy, that they might well get out of their diſtreſs. He ſaw the affliction of Iſrael in Egypt, and meant to bring them out of it. Uſe.A means to ſettle faith.
Now this is good and comfortable for each doubting Chriſtian, who conceits ſometimes in his weakneſs to be rejected and forſaken of God, but indeed is not, the Lord at worſt thinking of a deliverance or ſupply, and what is the beſt way and time to effect it. A Nurſe ſees her Ch…ld to be too venturous, and ſeems to leave it to it ſelf, but her eye is full upon it; even ſo doth our God. And though Nurſes and Mothers ſhould be unnatural, yet will not the Lord, Eſa. 49.14, 15, 16. Good words to ſettle the peace of a troubled ſpirit, but may alſo ſerve our turn in great diſtreſſes of the world; Tempeſts at Sea, Commotions at Land, troubles in the private Eſtate, all threatning our Ruine, and then we begin to queſtion the Love and Providence of God;Judg 6.13. If the Lord be with us, why is it thus? But check this unbelief; we need not put it upon this ſuppoſition, if ſo be that God will think upon us; he will moſt certainly think, and do, and delever in due time; and in the mean time ſupport our hearts with comforts of his Spirit; he is a God of …udgment, Eſa. 30.18.and knows our frame, and when a deliverance will be moſt ſeaſonable.
Note 7. God able to ſave in great diſtreſs.Thank upon us, that we periſh not. God is able in great diſtreſs to keep us from periſhing, and will, if he ſee it good for us. Theſe heathen Mariners ſaw, that if they could get God on their ſide, they ſhould not periſh, though it were a terrible, boiſterons, threatning tempeſt: And we ſee in the end, that they did not periſh. So in theſe dayes, amidſt all our civil Tempeſts, our Land hath not yet periſhed; and, ſo long as God thinks thoughts of peace towards us, it ſhall not periſh, though winds and ſtorms beat upon our Bark never ſo violently.
Uſe, Hear and believe, and ſay as Pſal. 46, 1, 2, 3. God is our refuge and ſtrength, a very preſent help in trouble; Therefore will we not fear, though the Earth be removed, and though the Mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea: Though the waves thereof roar and be troubled, though the Mountains ſhake with the ſwelling thereof. Say as thoſe that were going into the fiery furnace,Dan. 3.17. Pſal. 42.11. Our God is able to deliver us. Rate away all unbelief as David did, Why art thou caſt down O my ſoul? and why art thou ſo diſquieted within me? still truſt in God, who is thy help, and the light of of thy countenance. Mark what our Saviour ſaith, Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God, believe alſo in me, John 14.1.
Note 8. Carnal ones are all for temporals.That we periſh not. All the care of carnal people is to be delivered from temporal evils; from Ship-wrack, from Peſtilence, from Loſſes and Croſſes of the world; ſo Pharaoh, Deliver me from this death only; ye may apply it to every particular Plague which comes and threatens us. Let people eſcape, and preſently they are as bad as ever; All the care is, to get out of Gods hand for the preſent. Iſrael in want would fain have Bread or Water, and be delivered from the fiery flying Serpents, or get through the red Sea; but when their turn was ſerved, preſently they were as bad as ever.
Oh no (may ſome ſay) we mind our Souls too, Object. we would get them ſaved, we were undone elſe. Anſw.
Anſw. 1. No doubt but ye have good wiſhes to that purpoſe; wicked Balaam would fain die the death of the Righteous; when people are ſo far enlightned with Principles of Religion as our people are, no wonder if they deſire to be ſaved. Heaven is better then Hell; better be happy when they die, then go to Hell to be tormented in thoſe flames. 2. That they are but wiſhes, appears by their negligence. For temporal deliverance they will take any pains, be at any coſt, uſe all the Friends they can make, and never be quiet till they be delivered. We ſee what theſe Mariners did, not to periſh; they prayed, they caſt their Goods into the Sea, they rowed hard to bring the ſhip to Land; and ſo do our people now-a-days for Temporals: But, what diligence do they give to make their Calling and Election ſure? where is the man that works out his Salvation with fear and trembling? how few are they that ſet themſelves into a ſerious courſe of Religiouſneſs? There needs the moſt pains to be taken, but very few are willing take thoſe pains.
Chriſtians, take moſt pains not to periſh everlaſtingly; Uſe. Mind spiritualsGod hath done much to that purpoſe, and Chriſt hath ſuffered much. Ye ſee it in John 3.16. God ſo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoſoever believeth in him, ſhould not periſh, but have everlrſting life. And ye have the means to believe; namely, the Preaching of the word, Rom. 10.17. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God; And ye have had rouſing ſummons in theſe times to awaken ſecurity; winds and ſtorms of State aroſe very high, and ſome Earthquake continue to this very day; A marvel we are not periſhed already, and by our ſins and ſecurity we deſerved to periſh eternally: Only there is ſome reſpite granted, and matters may be ſo handled as to eſcape the great ſhip-wrack of ſouls.
Oh for care and wiſdom, that our precious ſouls may not be caſt away!
This is the only ſafety that is worth having, commonly called Salvation; And thoſe that mind this as they ought, ſhall never be accounted carnal, but ſpiritual, holy, wiſe unto Salvation. They are of an heavenly extract, and gone beyond all Naturaliſts, Mariners, and all Nominal Chriſtians whatſoever. Jonah ſaved his ſoul, and all his Fellow-paſſengers ſaved their Lives, and them only ſo far as is revealed.