all things that ftand upon record in fcripture, are for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come, I Cor. x. 11. Hence we are taught what great care a man ought to take, to preferve his innocence and integrity, for these are a fafeguard and protection to him; these give him fecurity, and preserve him in safety. A man doth defy fin at the firft, but when he is out of the ufe of his principles, which are wont to stay and govern him, he is as a weak man without a ftaff. Principles of religion and confcience, they are a bar against iniquity, whereby it receives a check, a stop, and controul : but if a man discharge himself once of the reason of his mind, or the rule of confcience, we do not know how far he may miscarry. If once the principles of religion and confcience give way, and we voluntarily or negligently incur a forfeiture of our innocency and integrity, and by so doing, lofe God's protection, we shall be exposed to all manner of evils ; for these are as a dam, which once being broken down, all evils will flow in upon us: for, beginnings of fin, are like the lettings in of mighty waters, which at the first might have been prevented, but if once it hath got over, twenty times as much will not ftay it. So it is in fin; while a man retains his innocence, there is a modesty and ingenuity upon his mind, and that will be his prefervation; but if once a man, either by grofs neglect, or voluntarily doth confent to iniquity, and fo betray himself, he doth incur a forfeiture of God's protection, and caft away that which is his greatest security and defence; and this is the true account of that great impudence

and

and immodesty that many finners arrive unto. For our better fecurity, let us confider,

1. That it is much easier to prevent, than to reftrain fin, and to recover a man's felf. 'Tis easier : a great deal, not to confent to fin, than to lay any limits upon one's felf.

2. Let us be very wary and cautious of approaching evil; while we are upon our legs, and are ourselves, let us be jealous and cautious of approaching evil.

3. Let us have no felf-confidence; let us not arrogate to ourselves, as if we were felf-fufficient, but know that our fufficiency is of God, whofe ftrength is fufficient for us in our weakness. And these are the advantages that I make of Jonah's distemper.

Now to proceed. It is pity, that that should be true which Jonah would have, that a finner should in any state be uncapable of repentance, even after denunciation of judgment; or that repentance should not at any time take effect; and this Jonah would have had. It were a thousand pities it should be fo, for it would prove the undoing of the world, and the worst news that could be brought from heaven unto men; that there should be an incapacity of repentance in any state of fin whatsoever; or that repentance, in any cafe, at any time, should prove fuccefslefs and ineffectual; and yet, this is that which Jonah would have had. And he is a

great deal the more to blame, because he is wilful in his diftemper: for in the text we find, that fonah knew before hand, that if they did repent, God was fo gracious and merciful, that he would'

revoke his sentence, and therefore he tells him, that he was unwilling to go out of his country; for I knew that thou waft a gracious and merciful God, and repenteft thee of the evil.

1. Obferve here, friends, how paffion transforms a man how madly doth Jonah argue, even in the prefence of God himself! But,

2. Obferve how selfishness doth narrow and contract a man's spirit. Jonah confiders nothing; fix- . score thousand are nothing to be facrificed for the maintaining of his credit : fee then what a wretched thing 'tis to the world, a selfish spirit.

3. Obferve hence, that fin is the cause of judgment; for God's denunciation against the Ninevites, is caused by their provocations.

4. Obferve, that there is no stay at all in the way of fin; for Jonah ftill goes on from worse to worse. He that begins in fin, knows not where he shall end.

5. Take notice from hence, that repentance doth alter the cafe; I knew that thou wert a God gracious and merciful, and repentest thee of the evil. 'Tis neceffary to our fafety and preservation, to give up ourselves to God's guidance and government. Let us keep our felves in God's hand, and live in a daily belief of our dependence upon God, and be always fenfible of our own weakness and infirmity; and fo to think of Jonah's mifcarriage, as to make us modeft and humble, and to depend upon God continually. He that will live according to his own will, or have his will unsubdued, and unrefigned up to God, he will not be fafe, Luft unmortifi

ed

ed doth precipitate the humour, and useth a man as a flave, and by it he is intoxicated. Humour is an upftart, and perfect rebel against the fovereignty and authority of reason.

6. Further observe in this story of Jonah, how God deals with man to bring him to a right mind, when he finds him in his diftemper. God here deals with Jonah by reason and by argument. Those hadft pity upon the gourd; should not I have compassion upon fixfcore thousand perfons, among ft which there are many that through infirmity and nonage, are not able to know their right hand from their left? God applies to our faculties, and deals with us by reafon and argument: let us learn of God, and deal with one another in meekness and calmness of spirit, and know, that the reason of our mind is the best tool we have to work withal: and no man's fayings to another are valuable further than he brings reafon for what he says, and gives an account of himself in a rational way. We cannot do any good by peevishness and exasperation; the righteousness of God is not attained by the wrath of men, Jam. i. 20. You fee how God deals with Jonah, by reafon and by argu❤

ment.

Then further, it is faid, verse 2. That Jonah prayed unto God, and faid, was not this my faying when I was yet in my country, &c. A ftrange kind of prayer this was; for indeed he rather quarrels with God, than prays unto him. In prayer take care of two things.

let us

1. That our mind be in a praying temper.

2. That

2. That we offer to God in facrifice, prayer-matter. Let us look to the temper of our fpirits, and the government of our minds, and our due intention. You fee truth for the matter, may be falfe for for the manner. He brings this for an argument, that God was merciful; this was true for the matter, but a ftrange argument for that which Jonah would plead for by it. The devil spoke truth in the fcripture fometimes, but always for ill purpose. That which Jonah would have had, would have undone him, and all the world befides. Sometimes we wish and pray for our harm. Let us fubmit our prayer to God; 'tis fometimes better that God fhould not anfwer us in what we pray for.

You fee upon reading these words, a man would not imagine the case as we find it. For here we have a person of eminent priviledge; Jonah, who lived before other of the prophets (the certain time not certainly known) of all the prophets, a type of Chrift. The prophet Isaiah is called the evangelical prophet, for that he spoke concerning the kingdom of Chrift very clearly but Jonah had the advantage of being the type of Chrift. An extraordinary person, a prophet, a type of Chrift; yet a man exceeding difpleafed, and very angry, and that without any cause at all. For if you confider thefe two things, you aggravate Jonah's diftemper beyond measure.

:

1. The perfon with whom he is difpleased.

2. The caufe for which he is displeased.

1. The perfon with whom he is displeased; and

that