3. But further it may be obferved, that, as the time of the calling of the gentiles drew near, we find Chrift fetting forth the fame invidious temper of Jonah, by the parable of the prodigal's elder brother, who alfo meets with like perfuafive treatment in a parable, where God is reprefented as the common father both of Jews and gentiles. And is not this, account of Jonah a fit illuftration of thefe words of Mofes, which as quoted by Paul, point to the calling of the gentiles? "I will provoke you to jealoufy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you;" which provoking to jealousy was intended to fave (or reftore) fome of them as the first fruits of the whole harvest. 4. To view this tranfaction particularly then, we find Jonah regretting the mercy fhewed to Nineveh, even as the lofs of his life, faying, "It is better for me to die than to live." Upon this, the Lord only fays to him, "Doft thou well to be angry?" Taking this exprefs notice of the anger of Jonah, as intending in a little time to put it to another particular trial, that by the comparifon he might reach conviction to him out of his own mouth. Jonah upon this goes out of the city, and provides for himself a booth, where he waited to see what would befal the city. While he continues there, afflicting himfelf with difcontent and impatience, his melancholy is increased by the heat of the fun, from which his booth could not fufficiently defend him. God miraculously prepares a gourd to fhade the head of Jonah, making it to fpring up in one night, so as to be fufficient for this purpose. By means of this refreshing fhade Jonah was greatly comforted. But at the dawn of the next day God prepared a worm that smote the gourd fo as it withered; and when the fun was rifen, God prepared a vehement caft-wind, by which the heat of the fun, growing more intenfe, bear fo on the head of Jonah that he became faint, and wishing in himself to die, taid as before, "It is better for me to die thatf to live." Whereupon God repeats the like queftion as before, "Doft thou well to be angry for the gourd?" To which Jonah replies, "I do well to be angry unto death." God having drawn from Jonah a full acknowledgment of his being in like manner provoked at the gourd not being fpared, as he was at the fparing of Nineveh, lays a foundation for, and draws the attention of Jonah to the inftruction contained in the following words: "Then faid the Lord, thou haft had pity on the gourd, for which thou haft not laboured, neither madeft it grow, which grew the child of a night, and perished the child of a night VOL. III. P P and and fhould not I fpare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than twelve myriads of (8) man, that cannot discern betwixt their right hand and their left, and much cattle?" We muft not here confider God as giving Jonah a reason why he fhewed mercy to Nineveh; for in fo doing we fhould lose the notion of divine mercy: but as drawing an effectcal argument from the mouth of Jonah, to repel the objections that had taken fo deep root in his mind against that mercy. Nor are we to confider the divine mercy to Nineveh, whatever connection it had with their repentance, as taking its rife from that repentance; for Jonah himself had from the beginning fuch an apprehenfion that his commiffion to go to Nineveh was a defign of mercy, that he rifqued the divine displeasure rather than execute it; accordingly we find the inftruction here given him is plainly intended to fhew the folly of the reafon for his difobedient flight at first. 5. The argument then runs thus: Thou haft had pity on the gourd, and approvest thyself in being very angry that it was not fpared, and fhould not I fpare Nineveh? Jonah was greatly concerned about a fingle vegetable, how much more were multitudes of men and cattle to be regarded, for whose ufe God made every green thing to grow? The gourd was the product of a night, and perifhed in a night, and wherein Jonah could plead no interest or property, as being neither planted nor nurfed by his labour or care; on the other hand, that great city Nineveh, which was among the first cities that were built after the flood, had, for many ages, even before the children of Ifrael had being, been nurfed up through the providence, goodness, and forbearance of God, to become fuch a large and populous city as it then was. As by this God fhews his concern about man, the apostle infifts on it as a motive to lead men to repentance, and charges them with guilt in not knowing it or attending to it. Now whatever peculiar privileges Jonah or any other Ifraelite had to boaft of fince the days of Abraham, yet he could not imagine any difference betwixt Nineveh and Úr of the Chaldees, from whence Abraham was called from ferving other gods. And he knew that Abraham had received a promise in favour of all nations, even the whole human race, before he was diftinguished from other men by the mark of circumcifion, and before mention was made of any peculiar favour to his feed after the flesh. And though we fhould not understand the full propriety of every word in that part of Mofes's fong, Deut. xxxii. where Ifrael are called to remember the days of of old, and to afk their fathers about the time when the Moft High divided to the nations their inheritance, before the origin of their nation, as about a matter of great importance for them to know; yet in that paffage we may perceive a broad intimation of a favourable defign which God had about all the nations of the human race, as well as every individual of them, whereof his more efpecial care about Ifrael was a particular illuftration. But the chief view wherein Jonah is called to confider that great city, is, that therein were more than twelve myriads of (8) man, an expreffion common to every child of Adam, by which all nations, all mankind, are traced up to their common relation, even to him from whom the whole human race proceeded-to Adam where they all ftand without difference or diftinction. Thus God in the business of fhewing mercy points to man, or the fons of Adam without difference, as the objects of it, So Paul, at Athens, calling idolaters to repentance, removes any prejudice they might have against him as a Jew, and defcribes the God, whom he worfhipped, as the common father of the whole human race, "having made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth.” Neither Jonah himself, who was a fon of Adam, nor any proud reafoner (or monopolizer of the divine grace and mercy) ever objected against God's fhewing favour to man: all the quarrel has been, that this favour should be extended to all, because this would deftroy all boasting in fuch as thought themfelves with the reft of their own party the only peculiar favourites of the Deity, and as fuch only entitled to the bleffings of grace and falvation. In oppofition then to this objection, arifing from pride, God expreffes his concern about the fons of Adam without difference; and, to fet this before Jonah in the more ftriking view, he points chiefly to the great multitude of infants in Nineveh, in which ftate, beyond all difpute, man is utterly upon a level. If Jonah allowed divine compaffion to man in any cafe, he could not refuse it to infants; and the infants of Nineveh had acted no part in the fins for which deftruction was threatened to the city. Jonah, who thought himself fo hardly treated by God's withdrawing the favour of the gourd, could not plead the innocence of an infant; yet thefe infants were fo connected with their parents in their fins, as to be included in the threatening to deftroy Nineveh; nor could they be fpared any other way, but by granting repentance and remiffion of fins unto their finful parents, and including them in that remiffion. Agreeable to this providence of God we may conclude, that when the doctrine of the gofpel comes to any house or city by Pp 2 means means of the word preached, thofe who receive it in its purity and extent, are taught of God to rejoice that their dear infants are equally interested in it with themselves. 6. We may fee no fimall force in this argument arifing from the contraft God is pleafed to make betwixt himself and Jonah in the bufinefs of fhewing mercy. Did Jonah, a finful mortal, a mere dependant for his life, and every comfort of it, think it became him to fhew fo much concern for the gourd, which had no dependance on him for its growth or decay, and which had no connection with him but in the temporary benefit it yielded to him: Did a narrow-minded mortal, indulged with a favour for a day, think it meet, while the lives of fo many thousands of his fellow-creatures were at stake, to confine the whole concern of his heart to a fhade from the fun, as regardless though the whole world perifhed, if his gourd was fafe? How much more becoming himfelf appears God, the fovereign Lord of the universe, whofe tender mercies are over all his works, who gives life and nourishment to all, and can be benefited by none; when.intending to fhew his concern in the way of mercy towards perifhing creatures, he doth it in fuch a manner as to fhew his fovereign independance, as standing in need of none; and his unmerited bounty, where no claim could be made either by perfonal or national pride: for the infants of Nineveh could as little be fuppofed capable of meriting any favour from God, as of making any returns for it? May not this call to mind the different views given us by Jefus Chrift of the divine favour to men, from what was held by the Pharifees, as that difference is fet forth in the parable of the Pharifce and the publican? So we may view God, as faying to Jonah, thou haft fhewed thy concern for a trifle in a manner like thyself, and fhall not I fpare and reftore in such a manner as beft becomes me? 7. But however ftrange we may think the great concern. which Jonah had for the temporary advantage of his gourd, while at the fame time he was difpofed to view with pleasure the deftruction of fo many thousands of his fellow-creatures; yet we find the fame temper of mind copied at large in a later period of his nation; when in the height of their zeal for the temporal inheritance which God had given them, they fhewed the utmost oppofition to the falvation (or reftoration) of all mankind; as Paul describes them, 1 Thef. ii. 15, 16. “ They have perfecuted us, and they please not God, and are (varTI) adverfaries to all men," i. e. are offended at, and are oppofers of of the doctrine of God's univerfally reftoring his rational creatures to life and holiness in the image of his beloved fon, and on that account, "Forbidding us, (i. e. the apoftles) to speak to the gentiles, that they might be faved," (or restored.) And we cannot fay, that the temporal enjoyment of Canaan by one people bare any greater proportion to the restoration of the whole human race, than Jonah's fhade bare to the temporal refpite of Nineveh. Upon this view of what paffed betwixt God and his prophet, which is very agreeable to the manner by which inftruction, with regard to future events is conveyed in the Old Teftament, we may eafily fee, that men who would commend themselves to God by their perfonal or national advantages, as fuppofing the divine grace will only be extended to them and others like themselves, while the reft of the world will be exposed to eternal mifery or everlasting destruction, can find nothing in this hiftory fuitable to their views, or answerable to heir character of God. POETRY. POEM ON A DYING INFANT. As fome fweet flow'ret of the youthful year, Its tender beauties ventures to display; And droop and ficken, fade away and die. But blafted by the noxious damps that rife, Thy tender foul to happier climes withdrew. Farewell, my lovely innocent, farewell, Well haft thou 'fcap'd the thoufand ills that fwarm Whate'er |