A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Appendix · Chapter 3
Jonah CHAP. III.
THIS Chapter conſiſts of two parts; (1.) Jonah's New and Second Embaſſage from God to Nineveh; And (2.) The Effects of his Embaſſage. Firſt, His Embaſſage.
Remark the Firſt; God caſts not Jonah away as a broken Veſſel (ſaith Calvin) or as unſavoury Salt, for his late Sin; but receives him upon his Return by Repentance; and now being penitent, God looks on him as innocent, and reſtores him to his former Office, and ſends him the ſecond time to Nineveh, ver. 1, 2. which was the Head City of the Gentiles, to ſignifie (ſaith Mercerus) that the Gentiles ſhould be called, and to ſhame the Iſraelites, who had ſo many Prophets, yet repented not; whereas thoſe poor Pagans did really repent and reform, having but one Prophet to Preach to them. N.B. This may confute that Natural Novatianiſm in timorous Conſciences, who doubt of pardon for Apoſtaſie: See Jer. 3.22. Hoſ. 14.4. 1 Tim. 1.13, &c.
Remark the Second; Jonah's Obedience to God's ſecond Call, ver. 3, 4. who had been diſobedient to God's firſt Call, as before; but now (ſaith Calvin) he had learnt a better Leſſon in God's School of Affliction: He went not home firſt to bid his Friends farewell, as Luke 9.61. nor did he go another way, to Tarſhiſh, as before. The burnt Child dreads the fire; he had enough of being a Runagate, a Rebel, &c. He had learnt obedience by the things he had ſuffered, Heb. 5.8. Now he immediately riſeth up and goes whither God ſent him, at God's Call and Command: He goes to Nineveh, tho' there he was but a mean Man, a meer Stranger unknown, and (for any thing he knew) unregarded, eſpecially with ſuch an unpleaſing Errand, as might have coſt him his Life from ſome fierce and furious fellows in the City; yet feareth he nothing now but Diſobedience, well knowing (ſaith Calvin) his God who called him, could eaſily deliver him from being devoured by Land, as well as by Sea: The ſpirit of fear was gone, and the ſpirit of power and courage was come, 2 Tim. c. 1. v. 7.
Remark the Third; Jonah walks boldly one day's Journey (ſaith Grotius) into Nineveh, which was Gedolah Leelohim, Hebr. an exceeding great City, or a City of God for its greatneſs, according to the Hebrew expreſſion; as High Hills are call'd Hills of God, Pſa 36.6. Mighty Mountains; ſo lofty Cedars be call'd often, the Cedars of God, &c. Jonah walked his firſt day's Journey in this great City, not like a Traveller with ſpeedy diſpatch, but like a Preacher with due pauſes, crying Boanerges-like [Yet forty days and Nineveh ſhall be deſtroyed] as Sodom was (ſaith Mercerus) becauſe She and her Siſters, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Zoar, could not afford ten righteous Perſons in them all, Gen. 18.32. 'Tis well ſuppoſed (ſaith Kimchi) that Jonah added, rebus ſic ſtantibus, If ye remain in your ſins, like Sodom; If ye repent not, as Luke 13.3, 5. & Rev. 2.5. And Jeremy lays down that Rule, Jer. 18.8. Conditions and Exceptions are to be underſtood, tho' no more be expreſs'd than is here; for to run up and down the City, crying only theſe few words, was to act the part of a Mad-man, more than of a grave Prophet of the Lord▪ God threatens (ſaith Ambroſe) that he may not ſtrike, as appeared by the Event here, ſays D. Dieu, &c.
The ſecond Part is the fruit and effect of Jonah's Preaching there. This is twofold. Firſt, Reſpecting Men, the Citizens. And ſecondly, Reſpecting God.
Remark the Firſt, upon the Men; the Ninevites were converted, ver. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Behold the mighty power of God's holy Word from the mouth of one only Preacher, who had not another to ſecond him. Chriſt ſent out his ten Diſciples by two and two to Preach, &c. Luke 10.1. Here the Weapons of one ſingle Jonah's Warfare were mighty through God for pulling down the ſtrong Holds of the Devil, 2 Cor. 10.4. Tho' theſe Ninevites were a People rich, great, proſperous, proud, princely, (being the moſt Capital City of the greateſt Empire then in the World) and prophane above meaſure; ſo that Satan ſate in his Throne there, as Rev. 2.13. ſwaying his Sceptre over them as his Slaves, &c. yet at the Preaching of this Jonah behold the Devil falls down like Lightning from his Heaven of thoſe mens hearts, Luke 10.18. The ſounding of this ſingle Ram's Horn, made the Walls of Wickedneſs in Nineveh fall flat to the ground, as Jericho's did, Joſh. 6.13, 20.
Remark the Second; The firſt Grace that did demonſtrate the Truth of their Converſion, was Faith, the Foundation of all other Graces, 2 Pet. 1.5. They believed God, ver. 5. and his Threatnings Preached to them by Jonah, being conſcious to themſelves (ſaith Grotius) of many grievous Crimes. 'Tis a wonder they did believe a Stranger ſo ſoon; but Mercerus affirmeth, that they were moved by the Miracle of Jonah's Deliverance, &c. which he related to them at large, and the fame thereof had ſpread abroad Luke 11.30. ſo was an awakening Sign to them. But the Rabbins report farther, that the Mariners alſo (who had been Eye-Witneſſes of the Miracle) went to Nineveh, and confirmed his Relation of what had befaln him at Sea, and ſo by conſequence confirmed his doleful Doctrine and Sentence againſt Nineveh. N.B. Credat Judeus Apella, ſays Horace, Let the circumciſed Jew believe it, we may not be wiſe above what is written. However▪ Jonah was the True Arion, whom the Poets feign to have been a Minſtrel caſt into the Sea by the Mariners, and ſaved by a Dolphin, &c. This Pagan King's hearing of Jonah's marvelous Deliverance, ver. 6. induced him to believe his Sermon: But above all (ſaith Mercerus) Divine Inſpiration within moved Nineveh to believe.
Remark the Third; The fruits of their Faith were, Repentance from Sin, and Reformation of Life, &c. ver. 7, 8, 9. all teſtified by external exerciſes of Faſting and Sackcloth, &c. by the Decree of the King and his Nobles, who all unanimouſly conſented to ſo pious and penitent a practice; and all the People univerſally ſubmitted to the Decree, which extended to the very Beaſts alſo, for increaſing their Humiliation by the Lowings and Bellowings of thoſe Brute Creatures, to humble their hearts more heavily. Thus Houſes at Funerals are hang'd round with Black (with us) to make Men mourn the more; and when Great Men be buried, their Horſes do follow the Hearſe clothed in Black, as ſeeming to mourn for their Maſters, ſaith Tarnovius out of Chryſoſtom. Beaſts be made to mourn here in Sackcloth (ſaith Calvin) that the Men by this Spectacle might be made Mourners, and moved thereby to a deeper Dolour, and to behold therein, as in a Looking-Glaſs, what themſelves deſerved; as Cattel were kill'd under the Law, that Men might therein ſee a lively repreſentation of their own juſt Damnation; ſo Beaſts were drowned in the Deluge with Men, as they were firſt made for Man, ſo they ſuffer with Man, &c.
Remark the Fourth; Thoſe penitent Ninevites joyn Invocation of God to their Humiliation before him; yea, and Reformation of Manners, ver. 8, 9. They cryed mightily to the Lord during thoſe forty days; not only the Men, but even the Beaſts too cryed to God (ſaith Calvin) by way of Implication, as Pſal. 147.9. when pinched with Famine (ſaith Lyra;) The Men cryed mightily with Intention of Mind, as well as Extention of Mouth, praying the more earneſtly, as Luke 22.44. and bouncing hard at Heaven-Gates, as if reſolved to wring Mercy from God with an holy Violence, as Matth. 11.12. N.B. This may ſerve to ſhame our cold, careleſs, and indifferent Devotion: Nor reſted they here, but looked upon Prayer as to ſmall purpoſe, when Supplication is not ſeconded with Reformation; hereupon they renounce with loathing, as well as leaving, their old Darling ſins; they reſtore all rapaciouſly gotten goods, without which God would not remit them: [Non remittitur Peccatum, niſi reſtituatur Ablatum] ſaith Auguſtin on Numb. 5.6, 7. N.B. Here was Repentance from Sin, as well as Repentance for Sin.
Remark the Fifth; All this they did, not without hope of Mercy, ver. 9. [Mi Jodeang Jaſhub] Hebr. Who can tell if God will turn, &c? This is the ſpeech of one that doubteth, but deſpaireth not, ſaith Calvin. 'Twas not their Diffidence, but the Difficulty of finding Mercy. Their Faith ſtruggled with their Ʋnbelief, ſaith Tarnovius. Jonah was peremptory in his Prephecy of Nineveh's Deſtruction by ſuch a day, therefore had they good cauſe to doubt, if not of the pardon of their ſins, yet of ſaving their City. Mercerus ſaith, All their hope was, it was not God's Abſolute Decree, but only a Conditional Threatning, if they repented not of their Sins, which if they could, God would repent of his Sentence, and be reconciled to them, though he cannot repent as Man, Numb. 23.19.
Remark the laſt, Relateth the Effect of their Repentance upon God, ver. 10. God ſaw, not their Sackcloth. &c. without (ſaith Calvin) but their Works within, with the Fruits of their Faith (which Men could not ſee) in a ſerious and ſincere Repentance (as Mercerus and many good Authors charitably ſtile it). That it was real Repentance, two Reaſons are rendred for it. 1. God approved of it here, and remitted their Ruine. And 2. Chriſt approved of it after, Matth. 12.41. but others are of another Opinion, ſaying their Repentance was but feigned and forced like that of Pharaoh, Ahab, &c. arguing, 1. God approved of Ahab's Humiliation though but External. 2. This led them not into a milder Carriage to the Captive Jews, &c. 3. Nor did it laſt long, for about forty Years after, Nahum denounces Nineveh's utter Deſtruction: However, the merciful God gave them now a Reprieve, and Repented to Ruine them at this Time, which was only Mutatio Rei, non Dei, effectus non affectus, facti non conſilii, (ſaith Tarnovius.) N.B. God granted to Nineveh, that they might be reduced to Repentance, what Abraham deny'd to Dives, requeſting one raiſed from the Dead to reclaim his five profane Brethren, Luke 16.27, 28, 29, 30. for here Jonah is raiſed out of the Belly of Hell, Jonah 2.2. and ſent to preach Repentance to this ſinful City, upon which they reformed their Evil Manners, &c.