that is with God himself. He in whom all fouls delight; he in the enjoyment of whom we have heartseafe and fatisfaction, and whom to enjoy is happinefs and eternal life: the light of whose countenance is better than life itself. Now Jonah is offended

with God himself.

2. The cause of his offence. He is offended with God's goodness, he is offended with finners repentance; he is offended that repentance doth take effect. Was ever a man offended in this manner ? behold here the infirmity of human nature let no man be felf-confident or prefumptuous : let every man's mind be cloathed with modefty, and dwell in humility. Let us all fear ourselves, and live in the fense of our dependance upon God. What prodigious creatures we are, if we fall into distemper? how monftrously may we misunderstand ourselves? and this is not only manifeft from the cafe of Jonah, but is univerfally acknowledged. St. James speaks of Elias, that extraordinary perfon, Jam. v. 17. That be was a man fubject to like passions with other men. And so, Acts xiv. 15. Paul and Barnabas, when in the exercise of their commiffion, fo behaved themselves, that the people were ready to deify them: but they acknowledged themselves to be men of like passions with them.

Since then all is not true reafon that takes place in the lives of the very best of us, it is to be wished that we would be no where peremptory, no where self-pleasers, that we would not be dogmatical and felf-affuming; that we would not judge and cenfure one another; that all our paffions would display VOL. I. themselves

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themselves in tendernefs and compaffion. In fo doing we should represent God himself. Pfal. ciii. 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, flow to anger, &c. Ifa. xlix. 15. As a father pitieth his children, fo the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

See then that you keep out of paffion, if you would not shamefully miscarry; and if you be in a paffion, never believe yourfelves, or be confident of any thing you did, if not in calm reafon. If in paffion, review and examine; and when calm, confider and rectify that which you did amifs: you fee you have reafon from the mifcarriage of Jonah. 'Tis ftrange that a man should be angry and displeased with God; yet thus far did his paffion draw him. Let us from hence know how frail and fubject to infirmity we are. That ever it fhould come into the head of a man to be aggrieved that there is place for repentance and that God fhould pardon upon repentance and that God fhould give over to punish when men repent! one would think, we should be merciful for our own fakes. Was not David rafh in judgment when Nathan reprefented in a parable what he himself had done? he paffed a fentence that he would not have had executed. That we may not forfake our own mercies, and pass judgment upon ourselves, let us be very cautious and deliberate, and easy to make candid conftructions of other mens actions. Then how unreasonable is it to be aggrieved at God's goodness, at finners repentance? If a man be once out of the use of reason, there is no bounds to unreasonableness; once out of the way of reason, who knows what will be, or how far a man

;

will go? how defperate a thing it is in Jonah, that he would have this stand upon record in holy scripture, that God did refuse to give finners repentance, and when they had repented, he did refuse to accept them and yet this Jonah would have had upon record, clean contrary to the dealings of God. For we find when Abab (who was a person that had fold himfelf to do wickedness) did but repent and humble himself, God promiseth, that the evil should not come in his days; but by Jonah's confent, God should not give way to repentance.

But you will afk, wherefore do I blemish the reputation of a prophet, of a type of Christ?

I answer, whatsoever is upon record in the scripture, is for our admonition: we look upon him now, how he acts in his diftemper, not to cry him down, but, by his lofs, to give ourselves advantage.

1. Let us in this instance, see our own weakness and infirmity, and be modest and humble. Let us not brag of our own reason and wisdom. Let us all know, that we are fafe only in God's hands; and that if we incur a forfeiture of God's protection, we may extremely miscarry; as we may see in this inftance of Jonah.

2. Let us preferve our innocence, and fear to fall into paffion, beware of running into fuch heat and diftemper of mind.

3. Take care of selfishness and narrowness of spirit: the narrowness of Jonah's mind, who so much valued his credit of being a true prophet, that the fafety of so many thousands feemed nothing in his eye; though herein he contradicted the very nature

of God, and his own knowledge: for, faith he, l knew that thou wert gracious, &c. And alfo, it was contrary to the express declarations that God had made, that though he fhould denounce against finners, and commiffionate a prophet to declare the particular judgment; yet he is not bound to bring the judgment upon that place or persons against whom he had denounced them, if the cafe of repentance interveen.

DISCOURSE

II.

The PERFECTION of the MERCY of God.

JOEL ii. 13.

For he is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

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LTHOUGH I have changed my text, I

:

it for this end in Jonah we find the self same words, but to a very unnatural use; by these words Jonah would justify himself. I therefore purposely left that prophet, because I would not further inquire into his diftemper; though it is of great ufe, that Jonah reports thus of God, who would not have it fo. The advantages that I have made, are thefe.

1. That

1. That by taking notice of the miscarriage of fo eminent a person, that he should so fail and miscar, ry, we may thereby fee the frailty of human nature; and this should teach us to be, modest and humble, and to live in a daily sense of our dependence upon God. Mofes, the meekest man upon earth, ftands upon record, that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

2. Jonah's diftemper reprefents to you the danger of paffion; how Jonah misbehaves himself to God, how injurious and uncharitable to man, when in a paffion! It is not fafe for any man to believe himfelf, or to trust himself, if in a heat. Beware then of running into heat and diftemper of mind.

The third advantage that I make is, to recom mend the fpirit of the gofpel; it is always to be found in a spirit of love. Our Saviour, living and dying, was always in a fpirit of love; and the first martyr St. Stephen, he exactly writes after his copy, Acts vii. 60. And he cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to their charge. Wherein he doth much exceed the teftimony in the Old Teftament, by. Zachariah, who faith,. The Lord require it at their hands. I cannot fay, but Zachariah's prayer was just; but St. Stephen's was gracious. These things are upon record for our instruction; therefore we are to take notice of them to make us wary, left we our felves be overtaken; and to make us tender-fpirited, out of the sense of our own fallibility...

This for a reason why I take, notice of Jonah's

misbehaviour.

I now follow this prophet, For he is gracious and merciful &c. B 3 When