A Plat for Mariners, Sermon 2
Jonah 1. 5th.
But Jonah was gone down into the ſides of the Ship, and lay, and was faſt aſleep:
We come now to the Second Part of the Text, (viz) The deportment of the guilty Perſon. (1) Here is his Perſon: Jonah, But Jonah &c. (2) Here is his Place, whither he went down. He went down into the ſides of the Ship. Guilty Perſons are for holes and corners. (3) We have his Poſture, or what he was doing. Was he praying? wreſtling with his God, as they were with theirs? O no, he lay faſt a ſleep: he lay faſt aſleep: 1. The word ſeems to note unto us, his Compoſedneſs and Deliberateneſs in his ſleep, as a man that doth not accidentally take a Napp as he ſits, but he lyes down. O what a ſound ſleep was Jonah's Conſcience in! 2. Faſt-a-ſleep, not eaſily awakened, therefore the Maſter calls unto him. We ſay of a Man that is in a ſound ſleep; he is faſt. So Jonah here was faſt. 4. We have the Aggravation of his ſin, he ſlept in the ſtorm. When others were ſinking, he was ſleeping: here is a black But written upon Jonah's back. But, Jonah was faſt a ſleep.
1. His ſin is aggravated by the Profeſſion he had upon him. But Jonah, the Iſraelitiſh Prophet. It was the Preacher Jonah, that was the ſleeper Jonah.
2. His ſin is aggravated from the Guilt; It was guilty Jonah, that was ſleepy Jonah. for ſinning Jonah, to be ſleeping Jonah, is a great aggravation.
3. Aggravation is from the Mariners-Practice: who were Heathens, and they praying; and he a Prophet of Iſrael, and he ſleeping.
4. Aggravation from the Time: it was in a ſtorm, a Terrible ſtorm. He ſlept, when eminent danger was upon them all. In theſe things, lay the Aggravation of his Guilt.
The Obſervation then is this.
That the Guilty Perſon may be the ſecure Perſon. Jonah lay faſt aſleep; ſaith the Text.
1. Let us inquire, what this Guilt was:
2. Let us inquire, what this Sleep was:
1. Let us inquire into his Guilt. We ſee the account of it given in this; His diſobedience … a Call of God's, to go to preach at Nineveh. This was his guilt in the General: but it is worth a more particuler looking into.
1. His Call and Commiſſion, were not Verſe. 1.ordinary. Now the word of the Dord came unto Jonah. Here are his Letters Patents from Heaven: here is his Authority. If a Commiſſion from Man ſhould not be obeyed, it muſt be accounted for: men muſt Act according to their Commiſſion. But here is Jonah acting contrary to his Commiſſion.
2. His guilt lies in flat Rebellion, and diſobedience: he doth not excuſe himſelf, from Exod. 4. 10.any conceited weakneſs, as Moſes did, Lord I am ſlow of ſpeech, and of a ſlow tongue. This excuſe was modeſt: I am not ſufficient, ſome read it. I am not Eloquent, a very modeſt come off. I am of a heavy tongue, (ſo the Septuagint.) Now by the Hebrew-Canons, M. Ainſworth.(as one well obſerves) no Prieſt was to bleſs the People, that was of a ſtammering Tongue, nor was this a conſiderable Plea: But the Prophet Jonah, he makes no Plea for himſelf; but, without any more ado, he draws up a concluſion to flee for it: he aroſe and fled to Tarſhiſh, and thus proclaims his guilt. The Judg asks of the Priſoner, this queſtion; Did he flee from it? O then he is guilty by Law! O ſad! here is a Prophet turns Fugitive from the preſence of the Lord. Jonah, the name ſignifies a Dove. O how like one is he, in this reſpect? that he is upon the Wing, to be flying from the preſence of God.
3. His guilt lies in the deliberation of his Flight from God. It was no ſudden buſineſs, he went down to Joppa, Thirty Miles from Jeruſalem. It was Jeruſalem's Sea-Port-Town. Now, Was not this very deliberately done? The more deliberation there is in an Act of ſin, the more there is of the will in that ſin; and ſo it becomes more ſinful. A poor Creature may be forced, and haled on a ſudden, by the violence of a temptation, into ſome ſinful act; but this is not ſo ſad. Therefore we read of that good Law; If ſhe was forced, ſhe was not guilty. God hath great compaſſion for theſe Spiritual Forces: But here was Jonah's ſin, that he was ſo deliberate in his flight.
4. His guilt lay alſo here, That he had been a Prophet in Iſrael, and there had ſeen the Lords great works done among that People. One would think he might have been armed and fortifyed, with ſo many experiences, as he had been under of the power of God, and faithfulneſs of God; and now to turn his back of the Lord's work, becauſe of ſome difficulty, that it ſeems to be attended withall: This goes to the making up of his guilt.
5. His guilt lay in the pride of his Spirit, leſt he ſhould be reproached, to be a falſe Prophet. And this he ſeems to hint himſelf. Was not this my ſaying, when I was in my own Country? Therefore I fled before thee Jonah 4. 1.to Tarſhiſh, for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, and ſlow to Anger, and of great kindneſs, and repenteſt thee of the evil. O what Pride lurked in the Prophet's heart? O how often is this the Preacher's ſin: If he want ſucceſs, then their proud Spirits riſe. Was it not ſtrange? The Prophet would rather have all Nineveh periſh, than his Name periſh, or be ſtained.
6. Another piece of guilt lay in this: God did give him his Commiſſion, that he might fore-ſee the Rejection of the Jewes, his Country-men. Now this he takes no Notice of. Ut, quia Iſrael audire contempſit, totus Gentium mundus exaudiat. ſayes one upon it.
7. His guilt lay, in the progreſs, he makes in his diſobedience. He doth not ſay, as Balaam, My wayes are perverſe before the Lord; and if this thing diſpleaſe thee, I will get me back again. O no; when he goes down to Joppa, there he finds a Ship; he comes not now to a ſtand with himſelf, whether he ſhould go, or no; but payes the fare of the Ship: he continues ſtill in his courſe. Wel the ſtorm comes after him; and his Conſcience doth ſtill ſleep: nay all of them pray, but Jonah. O ſad ſight! the Veſſel ſinking; the Heathen Mariners praying; but Jonah ſleeping.
The ſecond Thing we are to inquire, is, into Jonah's ſleeping.
1. It notes a ſleep of ſecurity, as Perſons when they think they are ſecure, they can ſleep ſoundly. Thus Siſera, thinking himſelf ſecure, fell a ſleep. Sampſon, thinking himſelf ſecure, fell a ſleep, in the lap of Dalilah. So many Perſons fall a ſleep, in the lap of Creature-comforts and Contentments.
2. His ſleep notes his Senſeleſneſs and ſtupidity, as ſleed is the binding up of the Senſes: Here, no ſenſe ſeems to be upon ſleepy Jonah! The man is in a Lethargy; he muſt be cut, before he be cured, We read of a charge, that ſuch as ſin openly, ſhould be rebuked ſharply. But the word is, rebuke them (cuttingly): ſome tell us, that it is an Alluſion unto a man, that is in his ſleepy-diſeaſe, and muſt be cut for it. Nay it is well, if cuting will recover him. O what ſenſe, now, had the Prophet of the Lords diſpleaſure, which he had ſtirred up againſt him? and ſhould have made him Tremble? The diſpleaſure of God put the Sea into a rage; yea the Heathen Mariners thought their Gods were angry, and yet Jonah thought not his God angry.
2. What ſenſe was here, of his ſin, and provocation againſt God? his Conſcience at the preſence ſeemed to be Seared. A Metaphor taken from the Surgion, that ſeares a Member and makes it inſenſible.
3. What Senſe was here, of God's diſhonour? What? ſenſible of neither Gods diſpleaſure! nor Gods diſhonour! Was it not diſhonorable for the Prophet of Iſrael, to flee from the God of Iſrael? He could be more ſenſible of the diſhonour to his own Name, than of diſhonour to Gods Name.
4. What Senſe was there here, of his danger? The Mariners they were ſenſible of danger, and ſo they were afraid; but Jonah is no more ſenſible of danger, then a man in his Cabbin in a ſtorm. He is now, like Solomon's drunkard, aſleep in the top of the Maſt. Nay, many are ſenſible of danger, that are not ſenſible of ſin: But Jonah in this fit of the ſleepy diſeaſe, ſeems to be ſenſible of neither.
5. What Senſe was here, of the danger of thoſe poor Seamen with him? Nature and Ingenuity might have taught him to have been ſenſible of other poor mens dangers, eſpecially he having been the procuring Cauſe of it. We ſee, he was ſo when awakened, For my ſake is this ſtorm come upon you, &c. Then put all theſe together, and it is evident, that, Jonah's ſleep ſets out Jonah's ſtupidity.
Thirdly, This ſleep, notes his Indulgence of himſelf under his Guilt. Whereas he ſhould have been ſentencing himſelf, and judging himſelf; he was with the Spouſe, indulging himſelf. He lay, and was faſt aſleep, crying with Solomon's ſluggard; A little more ſleep, a little more ſlumber, a little more folding of the hands together! O when poor Souls fall into ſin, it is hard to get out of ſins ſleep! We are very prone to indulge our Selves therein.
1. Reaſon why the Guilty Perſon is often the Secure Perſon, is, Becauſe Guilt cauſes God to with-draw, and when God with-draws from the Soul, it is no wonder if the Soul fall aſleep, fall into a fit of Security. Jonah, ſays the Text, Was fleeing from the preſence of God, that keeps a Soul waking and watchful.
1. The preſence of God keeps the Soul awake, as it is an enlightning preſence. Light will keep from ſleep. The Soul walks in the light of his Countenance, and therefore cannot ſleep. They that ſleep, ſleep in the night. Darkneſs brings on ſleep. Jonah now was in the dark; he had ſinned the light of Gods comfortable preſence from him, and ſo fell a ſleep.
2. The Quickning preſence of God, keeps Souls awake. When the Spouſe had loſt Chriſts quickning preſence, O what a Fit of Security fell ſhe into! When our graces loſe their activity, and turn into dull habits, then we preſently fall aſleep: When men ſit ſtill, they are ſoon aſleep. Thus Jonah had ſinned away Gods quickning preſence, and ſo fell aſleep.
3. The preſence of God keeps men awake. As it keeps Believers upon their guard againſt the ſnares and comforts of this preſent life. Theſe are the great Lullabyes of the Soul. Theſe are the Dalilahs in whoſe laps we fall aſleep, until we loſe our ſtrength, and become as other Men.
2. Reaſon. Why the guilty perſon is the ſecure perſon, is, Guilt contracts hardneſs upon Cant. 5. 3, 4.the Conſcience. While tenderneſs is preſerved, the Soul is kept in a lively frame from ſleeping. Thus it was with the Spouſe untill ſhe ſinned-off her tenderneſs. When David had ſinned, how was he hardned in that ſound ſleep, for three quarters of a Year together? O what a hard heart had he under his guilt, at that time? We read of the City of Rabbah, what cruelty he did exerciſe 2 Sam. 12. ult.towards poor Creatures there, and he brought forth the People, and put them under Saws and Harrows of Iron, and under Axes, and made them paſs through the Brick-kiln &c. We never read the like of David. O what difference was there between David at this time! and when his heart ſmote him for the cutting of the lap of Sauls garment. Some do judge at this time he took in Rabbah, he was under his guilt with Bathſheba. It was then the ſpawn of his guilt that had thus hardned his heart. So in this caſe, O what a hardneſs of heart had ſeized upon Jonah! that he could be ſo faſt aſleep, in ſuch eminent danger.
3. Reaſon, Becauſe The Lord often ſuffers guilt to meet with ſucceſs. Now, Succeſs uſually is the Mother of Security. Jonah here meets with Succeſs in fleeing from the preſence of God. He goes down to Joppa, and there he finds a Ship, at that time bound where he was reſolved to go: now all this was for the tryal of Jonah. Many poor Souls when under guilt, if any thing favour them, (called a Providence,) they then think, Sure I am not running from God. Alas, Succesful Providences in a way of ſin, are part of the puniſhment of that ſin; and, through the deceitfulneſs of our hearts, they are mighty hardning. You think, Go to Sea, you may be under Succeſs, and ſin too. Rubs in the way are a great mercy, to be check't in our purſuits of ſin. Diſappointments in a way of ſin have been bleſt to the turning of many Souls to God. Thus the Prodigal's diſappointments brought him home. And that of the Lord to the Church, I will hedg up thy Hoſ. 7. 7.way with thorns. And, O what a mercy it proved! Now I will return to my firſt Husband, for it was better with me than, then it is now.
4. The guilty Perſon is often the Secure Perſon, Becauſe, Guilt dare not bring Conſcience to the Reckoning. Guilt is attended with Fear. Now the Soul is as our firſt Parents were, when they had ſinned: They were afraid, and ran among the Trees of the Garden. So Jonah gets into the ſides of the Ship. As an indebted Perſon, cares not for reckoning his eſtate, nor looking into his Book; ſo, poor guilty Souls care not for looking into the Book of Conſcience; they run upon the ſcore ſtill. So did Jonah here, until God ſent after him.
5. The guilty Perſon is often the Secure Perſon, becauſe, Guilt deafens the Soul to the Calls of God. The Lord calls upon poor deafned Sinners, yea upon Believers; Alas, they hear not! that it may be ſaid of them, as Moſes did, If Iſrael will not hear me; Lord, how ſhould Pharaoh hear me? Guilt gotten into the Conſcience makes it both dumb and deaf: and O, what an uncomfortable thing it is, to ſpeak to the deaf? to preach to the deaf?
1. Guilty Perſons are ſecure as they are deaf to the voice of the Word. Guilt Eſay 6. 10.hath made their ears heavy, they cannot hear: they have ſinned themſelves deaf, and they muſt now be preached deaf, make their ears heavy.
2. Guilty Perſons are deaf to the voice of the Rod, and ſo they are ſecure. Man preaches to the deaf, and God preaches to the deaf too. Hear the voice of the Rod, and Micah 6. 9.who hath appointed. Sinners have Rod-Sermons, and Word-Sermons, but nothing makes them hear.
3. Guilt makes ſinners deaf to the Cryes of Chriſt, in the Conſcience! O what cryes doth Chriſt give many times in the Conſciences of ſinners! as he ſaid to Jonah, Doeſt thou well to be angry, Jonah? ſo ſays Chriſt, Doſt thou well to do thus? doeſt thou well to neglect thy pretious Soul? doeſt thou well to provoke the Almighty to diſpleaſure againſt thee? to ſin againſt ſo much mercy, ſo much pitty, ſo much compaſſion?
APPLICATION.
Is it ſo, that the guilty Perſon is the ſecure Perſon? then it is, (1) a word of Information: And it informs of the miſery of the Guilt and Security, when they meet together, as they did here in Jonah: When a Soul lyes and cryes to God, under the ſenſe of guilt, as David did, Lord heal my Soul for I have ſinned againſt thee. O this is a rich mercy! But, when a Soul is ſecure under his guilt, this ſpeaks the Soul in a ſad condition. 1. Guilt and Security meeting together, ſpeaks the Soul to be benum'd, and Conſcience benum'd com's hardly to its ſelf. Jonah's Conſcience by this guilt, was benum'd. O, benum'd Conſciences are ſad Commodities to carry to Sea with you! Thus David in the time of his guilt, had his Conſcience benum'd. 2. Guilt and Security met together, ſpeaks the Spirit of God, abſent from the Soul. Thus it was with Jonah. Thus with David, Take not thy holy Spirit from me. And that was a Prayer he put up to God, when he was under guilt, he prayes as if he was afraid of a Total withdrawment. 3. Guilt and Security, met together, ſpeaks Gods diſpleaſure upon the Soul. God was diſpleaſed with Jonah, and ſent this ſtorm after him. It was a ſtorm of God's Anger, and Who can ſtand before Gods Anger? according to his Fear, ſo is his Wrath. O how ſad is it to go to Sea under the Anger Pſal. 90. ver. 11.of God! He is angry with the Wicked every Pſal. 7. 11.day. You would not leave Relations in Anger, when you go to Sea, when it may be you ſhall never ſee them more. But alas how many of you go to Sea, with the Anger of God upon the backs of your Souls! 4. Guilt and Security met together, doth not only ſpeak the Soul aſleep, but faſt aſleep. But Jonah was faſt aſleep, and faſt aſleep in a ſtorm, O how dangerous is this?
Second Uſe: Is it ſo, that the guilty Perſon is often the ſecure Perſon? then is it a word to Sea-faring Men; to Counſel them not to go to Sea under guilt and ſecurity, O what a mercy would it be to have guilt taken off your Conſciences; when you leave your Relations, and never (may be) ſee them more. O that you may not carry the accurſed thing aboard with you! O that you would not hide it among the ſtuff! Guilt is a prohibited Commodity, Joſhua 7. 11, 12.you know the accurſed thing did hinder Gods preſence from going up with Iſrael: and ſo it will hinder the Lord's comfortable preſence from going along with you. And can that Ship make a good Voyage, that carries not God in the Company?
1. Carry not guilt with you, for your guilt will raiſe inward ſtorms. Then the Mariners were afraid, and alas, they knew nothing of the matter! Then how would Jonah have been afraid, if he had not been aſleep? It is the Character of the Wicked, They are as Eſay 57. laſt.the troubled Sea, that eaſts forth mire and dirt, and cannot reſt. Guilt, poor Mariners, will be to you, as the Winds are to the Sea. It was ſaid of Caligula the perſecuting Emperor, that when it thundred and lightned, he got under his Bed. A poor ſhelter! So, when guilt is upon the Soul, then there is a ſtorm raiſed in the Conſcience: This is the Serpent Am…s 9. 5.in the bottom of the Sea, that God commands to bite them. Now you are Magor-miſſabibs, Terrours to your ſelves, and to all that are about you. Now your Hearts will be made to meditate Terrour. What a Caſe was Cain in by reaſon of the bloody guilt of his own Conſcience, when he cryed out, Every G…n. 4. 14one that meets me will ſlay me. He ſpeaks as if the World were full of men, and we read but of very few Perſons then in the World. But this was his guilt.
2. Guilt will raiſe ſtorms without. Jonah's guilt did ſo; his guilt of Rebellion, and diſobedience to the Lords Commiſſion, did cauſe this great Tempteſt to be ſent after him. We read of Jehoſaphat, a godly Prince, that he joyned himſelf with Ahaziah, who did wickedly, and they would ſend out a Fleet together. What became of this Naval Expedition of theirs? the Text tells us, The Lord broke their works, and their Ships, ſo 2 Chron. 20. 31.that they were not able to go to Tarſhiſh: 1 Kings 9 26.this was a Sea-port Town in the Land of Edom, upon the Red-Sea. They never reached the Port, Jehoſaphats guilt raiſed the breaking ſtorms. O what ſad thoughts will ariſe in your hearts, at ſuch times, when you are in ſtorms! O, will your guilty Conſciences ſay; This is come upon us for our ſakes, for our Land-ſins. Land-ſins many times brings Sea-dangers, You know, the Heathens drew up that concluſion, He hath eſcaped Acts 28 4.at Sea, and Vengeance follows him at Land. That guilt will be followed, and Revenged, that they concluded.
3. Guilt will keep your Souls under the hidings of Gods face at Sea. It was a ſad Voyage, that Paul was in, when neither Moon nor Stars appeared for many days; but Acts 27.it is farr ſadder, when the light of Gods Countenance doth lye in; when it doth not appear: But at that time, the Angel came to him, and bid him Be of good chear. But now, to be in ſuch terrible ſtorms, and no Angel of Gods preſence with you; O how ſad will this be! O what would a ſmile of Chriſts reconciled face be worth, when ſinking, when ſplitting? It was ſweetly ſaid of that Sea-Captain, when his Ship was on fire at Sea, and they thought they ſhould all be blown up immediately. Now, ſays he, Jeſus Chriſt is worth ten thouſand Worlds.
4. Guilt will ſting your Souls at Sea, with fears of death. If poor Souls for whom Chriſt dyed, may be in fears of death, yea, all their lives; well then may guilty Souls at Sea be afraid of that King of Terrors. How ſad will it be for you, poor Mariners, to dye? to have none of your Relations about you, to be of uſe to you. To dye without ſickneſs! To dye ſuch a ſudden death! To dye out of your own Land! Will not all theſe things come in, to help on the trouble of your ſpirits; But now, if guilt be taken away, Death is unſtung. You may ſay then when ſinking, O Death were is now thy ſting! And ſay, as that old Puritan Miniſter did in a ſtorm coming from New-England, when Mr. Saxton of Leeds in Yorkſhire.they all were expecting the Veſſel to ſink, O, who is now for Heaven, who is bound for Heaven.
5. Guilt at Sea will be more dreadful to you, than at Land: becauſe, you are there deprived of thoſe helps, which you have here at Land. You have not there, thoſe helps to unload your Conſciences, when they are burdened with the ſenſe of ſin. You may ſooner unload the Ship, then unload your Soul; there you have not any to be the Lord's Barnabas's, Sons of Conſolation unto you: There you have not thoſe precious Ordinances to be Breaſts of Conſolation to you, when under the Senſe of guilt. O what would not your Souls give, if you ſhould fall under the Load and Burden of your ſins, for a poor Miniſter, that might tell but you of any glad tydings? Would not their feet be beautiful then, though their Perſons and Miniſtry be now deſpiſed, and ſlighted by you.
3. Uſe: Is it ſo that the guilty Perſon, is uſually the ſecure Perſon? then it is a word of Caution, both to Land-men, and Sea-faring-men, all of us, one and other of us; take heed then of being Secure, under guilt, O this is moſt dangerous! Senſe of guilt may bring a Soul nearer God, b…t ſtupidity under guilt is very dangerous.
1. Take heed of Security under guilt, if once aſleep, it will be hard for you to be awakened, you ſee it was thus with Jonah. The Lord ſends a Tempeſt after him, and the Ship is like to be broken by it. The Mariners they were afraid, they cry to their Gods, they lighten the Ship; yet all this while guilty Jonah was ſleepy Jonah, until the Maſter of the Ship calls unto him, and preaches a rouzing Sermon unto him, ſaying, Ariſe, ſleeper, and pray unto thy God. Is Eſay 29. 10.not a Spirit of deep ſleep and ſlumber fallen up-you? Nay, O that poor Miniſters had not cauſe to ſay, The Lord hath judicially poured it upon you! And if ſo, is it not hard to awaken ſuch? If one ſhould come to the Grave-ſide, and Preach, and Pray, and Weep; would not you wonder? And what do poor Miniſters do every day? is not this their work, to preach to the dead? to pray over the dead ſecure Souls in their graves? Who, for all this, ſtirrs hand or foot after the Lord Jeſus? Was it not ſad in the time of the Plague, to hear that doleful Cry in the night, Bring out your dead, bring out your dead? and muſt that be the cry, yea all the cry of poor Miniſters; Throw out your dead, Throw out dead Souls, from your Congregations; through out dead Souls from your Families.
Take heed of ſecurity under guilt, for ſecurity hath always been a fore-runner of ſome great Calamity, upon both Nations and Perſons: the ſecurity of Jonah, was the fore-runner of this great ſtorm; the ſecurity of the Old World, was a fore-runner of the Flood, the ſecurity of the Jews, was a fore-runner of their Captivity.
3. Security under guilt, is a ſin that hath a wo written upon the Head of it. Wo to Amos 6. 1.thoſe that are at eaſe in Zion. To be at Eaſe, and to be Secure, is all one in the Scripture-Dialect. Jonah was too much at eaſe, now, when all the Company was in danger, and ſo are there many that ſayl in the ſame Bottom with him.
4. Take heed of ſecurity, under guilt; for, the Lords judgments come upon ſuch in a way of ſurprize. Such Nations, or Perſons are not prepared to meet the Lord, in the way of his judgements: they are taken all on a ſudden, as the Fooliſh Virgins were, by the coming, and appearing of the Bride-groom. Now, it is very ſad, to have any judgment come upon us, by way of ſurprize. Sudden things bring much aſtoniſhment along with them; ſuch poor guilty Souls, as are ſecure, will ſay, I never thought of this, never thought of my death, this Voyage, never thought of ſinking! O, what a Fool am I, that ſhould no more think of my latter end.
5. Security under guilt grieves the Spirit of God. Jonah had now grieved the Spirit of God, and it let him ſleep: for it is the Spirit of God, that is the great keeper of the Soul awake. Nay, we keep awake no longer than the Spirit doth keep jogging of us, one way or other. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Sampſon, and what then? did he ſit ſtill? O no! He aroſe and ſhook himſelf. But, when Mat. 26. 45.the Spirit of God is grieved, it ſayes to the Soul, as ſometimes Chriſt did to his Diſciples, Now, ſleep on. And how ſad is it, for the Spirit to let a poor Soul alone, to ſay, Sin on, ſleep on, He that is filthy, let him be ſo ſtill, and he that is unclean, let him be ſo ſtill.
But now, methinks, by this time, I here ſome poo ſouls ſay, I am the afraid Mariner: now, I ſee my danger; my danger, not of drowning only, but of damning; the fears of my ſinking, is turned now to fears of ſinking into Hell, of going down into the bottom of Hell. Now, I feel a ſtorm in my own boſom. And what are outward ſtorms, to inward ſtorms? and O now, ſayes the Soul, What ſhall ſuch a guilty Soul as I do! that hath ſuch a load of unpardoned guilt upon the back of my Soul? what ſhall I do under ſenſe of guilt!
1. Direction to the guilty ſinner, or Mariner. Cry to the Lord, under ſenſe of thy guilt. O what ſhall I cry, ſayes the Soul! If peradventure that thou periſh not, as theſe in Text did. What poor Soul, if thou have but a Peradventure to cry upon? to go upon, to the Lord? A divine it may be, may keep thy Soul from ſinking: Many a poor Soul have by the help of an it may be, gone to the Lord Jeſus. O guilty Souls, cry after Chriſt: what ſaid the Diſciples in that ſtorm they were in, Lord careſt thou not that we periſh? What did Saint Peter in the ſtorm, when ſinking? Maſter ſave me, or elſe I periſh. So, poor guilty Soul, cry hard after Chriſt, Careſt thou not, Lord, that a poor Soul ſhould periſh? haſt thou not ſaid that thou cameſt into the World, that Whoſoever believes in him, might not periſh, but have everlaſting life?
2. Art thou ſenſible of guilt? Then own the puniſhment of thine Iniquity. Thus did Jonah: For my ſake is this ſtorm come upon you. O what an ingenuous confeſſion was here, after God had awakened his Conſcience! Conſcience will be ingenuous, when God works kindly upon it. We read a promiſe made to the Accepting the puniſhment of Lev. 26. 41.our Iniquity. If they with a good will acknowledg it (ſo the Italians reads it); If they accept it as a Love-token from the hand of a Friend. Jonah accepted his puniſhment under the ſenſe of guilt two wayes.
1. By Confeſſion.
2. By Submiſſion.
Take me up, and caſt me into the Sea. O thus, own your guilt, though it be before others; Lord if thou caſt me into Hell, ſayes the guilty ſinner, Thou art righteous.
3. Though you be not heard at firſt, cry again. Thus did Jonah, I will look again towards thy holy Temple. O poor guilty ſinner, what may a look out of the Belly of Hell towards the Lord Jeſus Chriſt do? what though you ſee not mercy coming to you at firſt, yet look again, it may be the next look it will bring it; it is an excellent frame of Heart, to turn Faith's eye often Chriſt-ward under Senſe of guilt: this was the way that healing came to the ſtung Iſraelites. The ſting was the guilt of ſin; The Brazen Serpent, typed out the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; Their looking was believing; Their healing was juſtification, by pardoning grace.
4. Art thou under the Senſe of guilt; take heed of drawing black Concluſions againſt thy own Soul. This was the infirmity of Jonah, I ſaid, I am caſt out of thy ſight: Jonah 2. 4.If Satan can but drive a poor guilty Soul upon the Rock of deſpair, he then hopes to ſplit it for ever, this was the Rock that guilty Judas was ſplit upon; this is the Devils fiery dart, with which he doth not only think to wound the Soul, but to ſtrike it (as I may ſay) through the Liver, to all Eternity.
5. Art thou under Senſe of guilt? O now thou wilt highly prize Chriſt. The whole need not the Phyſitian, but the ſick. O now thou wilt cry with David, Heal my Soul, for I have ſinned againſt thee.
Laſtly, Art thou under Senſe of guilt? then know that there is a fulneſs of grace in the heart of Chriſt, therefore we read of ſheading grace aboundantly upon Souls: what Tit. 3. 6.though there be abundance of guilt in thy heart; yet there is abundance of grace in Chriſts heart; a ſpring of grace in his heart, and it runs freely upon guilty Souls: He abundantly Pardons, or, multiplyes Pardons.Eſay 55. 5.