For what a blessing felt Jonah, God vouchsafing him of this honour, to offer them a lively, holy, and acceptable sacrifice to God, by whom he presently before, greatly feared to have been offered a dead, unholy, and so a delightful sacrifice to Satan. This fear banished, and that joy possessing ⟨p. 179⟩him, what a mercy of the Almighty did Jonah think it: But before he converted the Ninevites, he was more to be humbled, fuller to be strengthened, better every way to be prepared. Therefore God would have the sea to wash him, the Whale to fast him, and yet miraculously safe to preserve him, that being purified, he might pray fervently: and being delivered, find power, comfort, and courage abundantly. Therefore when by lot being taken, ⟨p. 180⟩and by his own confession found the man that procured the tempest, the Mariners in love and compassion of him, had assayed by rowing to get to land, but could not, the Sea raging more and more, and Jonah himself professed he knew the tempest was sent for his cause, and would be laid, he being cast into the Sea. Jonah at length was cast out of the ship into the swelling surge of the tempestuous Sea. What hope of life then left? Is there any? to ⟨p. 181⟩swallow up all, soon after he is swallowed whole of a Whale. Here let us mark, that after the tempest had terrified Jonah, the Mariners reproved him: when they had reproved him, his conscience pricked him, when his conscience had pricked him, the consulting to cast lots grieved him: after grief for consulting, their concluding to cast lots vexed him: vexed at the conclusion, the lot condemns him: the lot having condemned him, ⟨p. 182⟩in what an agony think we was Jonah? partly, that he should be held that notorious wretch that had brought this woe? partly, lest they in their raging grief, for their great trouble of body, loss of goods, and danger of life, should forthwith kill him for a sacrifice, to appease the unknown angry God? But after this agony, the terror of drowning followed, and after that the horror of that huge fish: first, lest it tear him in pieces, then lest it melt him, ⟨p. 183⟩afterward, lest it poison him: lastly, three days and three nights the comfortless horror of darkness, and noisome stink in the fishes belly tormented him.
For what a blessing felt Ionah, God vouchsafing him of this honour, to offer them a lively, holy, and acceptable sacrifice to God, by whom hee presently before, greatly feared to have beene offered a dead, unholy, and so a delightfull sacrifice to Satan. This feare banished, and that joy possessing ⟨p. 179⟩him, what a mercy of the Almighty did Ionah thinke it: But before hee converted the Ninevites, he was more to be humbled, fuller to be strengthened, better every way to be prepared. Therefore God would have the sea to wash him, the Whale to fast him, and yet miraculously safe to preserve him, that being purified, he might pray fervently: and being delivered, finde power, comfort, and courage abundantly. Therefore when by lot being taken, ⟨p. 180⟩and by his owne confession found the man that procured the tempest, the Marriners in love and compassion of him, had assayed by rowing to get to land, but could not, the Sea raging more and more, and Ionah himselfe professed he knew the tempest was sent for his cause, and would bee layed, he being cast into the Sea. Ionah at length was cast out of the ship into the swelling surge of the tempestuous Sea. What hope of life then left? Is there any? to ⟨p. 181⟩swallow up all, soone after hee is swallowed whole of a Whale. Here let us marke, that after the tempest had terrified Ionah, the Marriners reprooved him: when they had reprooved him, his conscience pricked him, when his conscience had pricked him, the consulting to cast lots grieved him: after griefe for consulting, their concluding to cast lots vexed him: vexed at the conclusion, the lot condemnes him: the lot having condemned him, ⟨p. 182⟩in what an agony think we was Ionah? partly, that he should bee held that notorious wretch that had brought this woe? partly, lest they in their raging griefe, for their great trouble of body, losse of goods, and danger of life, should forthwith kill him for a sacrifice, to appease the unknowne angry God? But after this agony, the terror of drowning followed, and after that the horror of that huge fish: first, lest it teare him in peeces, then lest it melt him, ⟨p. 183⟩afterward, lest it poyson him: lastly, three daies and three nights the comfortlesse horror of darkenesse, and noysome stinke in the fishes belly tormented him.
