The mariners to faue Tonas the firftSunday inLent. Serm.8 . hi. life, hazard their owne. and fo,rowing andpraying, remigando è orando, they laid, O Lord,if this man be fo odious in thine eyes, thoumaíft ftrike bim dead witha fuddenplague, or with ablaft of thybreath : and if thou art notwilling that hee fhould not now die, doe not punifh vs for him, fauenot him,tokill vs. e pereamui in animavi- ri Ow, Let not vsperifhfor thùmans life. But the more theyftroue in rowingand inpraying , thewanes began to fwell themore, and thewinds grew ftiffer and ftiffer; Mare intumefcebatfupereos, Thefe4wrought exceedinghigh,andwas troubloar againfl them. Thereupon, theymade adeuout prayer vnroGod,entreating him that he would not impute vnto them the deathof that Prophet : O Lord, (fayd they)thou haft made ourarmes theinftruments of thy Iuftice ; and. whereas it is thypleafure, that weeMould throw him into theSea, thoumighteft, ifthou would it, haue giueuhim fomeotherkind ofdeath : This iudgementwhich we execute vpon him,we hauedone it out of hisowneconfeffion,&by the calling of Lots ;but if perchance we haue hereinerred, bytaking away the life ofthe Innocent, permit not his blond tobev-ponourheads, fincethou mayftfo eafily (if thouwilt)manifeft hisinnocencie.Wcll might ourSauiour Chrift condemn. the Pharifees,by thefe poore Mariners and Ship-boyes, face they did demurre fo much, and calf fo many doubts withthemfelues,concerning the offence ofa Fugitiue; that had alreadieconfeft himfelfe faultie : Whereas thefe Scribes and Pharifees didrafhly and inconfiderately fentence him ro death, whom the Hea- uen and theEarth had pronounced andpublifhed tobe innocent;crying out with. a full mouth, Sanguin elsefiler nos. ruler-tint loam, So they tookevp fonas,&rc. Saint Hieremedothmuchweigh the courtefie andrefpett wherewiththeytooke vplonas,unf cumobfeguie er honore partantes, Bearing him as it werewithareat dealeofobfequioufnefeandhonour, vpon their Moulders, becaufe he had made fo humble aconfeflion , by acknowlege ment of his fault,and forthat,that he hadthus voluntarily offeredhimfelfe vp vnto death : They did reuerence him as a Saint and lifting vp that weight in their armes, which the fea couldnot beare,theyhad fcarcethrownehim ouer- boord,but the feaceafed fromher raging, refting fatisfied with this Sacrifice, and gluing itas a firefigne and token vnto them , that it didnot pretend this it's furie, toanybut loner. TheMariners after they had cat him into the Sea, fought(asanantient Dottor faith) totake him vpagain,and tofaue his life;but thenthe wauesbegan torife and rageafrefh, infomuch that they were forced to let him alone : it being awonder, to feeSeafaring men,whoare generally pitti- leffe, to take fuckpittieand compaflion ofhim. Stetit Mare, Thefiagrewcalme onthe füdden, and the weather grew faire and cleere: &as the tempeft camefuddenly vponthem, without any preuening dif- pofitions ; fodid this calme and faireweather at fea come vpon them in an in- ftant,before euertheywere aware of it; whichwas anotable proofeand argu- ment veto them, that this Tempeft was miraculous. Gods prouidence had before handprouidedaWhale readie to receiue Ionia; and whenas hethought he fhould haue beene fwallowed vp in the Deepe, and that the watersfhould enterinto his foule, crying out in his meditations,relague operuit me, veffes terra conclufrunt me, Thefloua's compafdmeeabout, allthy furges and altthywauecpal fed ouer me, &c. Then did the Whaleopenhis mouth, then when in his aftlittion hecriedvnto the Lord : Iam call away out of thy fight, the waters conlpaffed meabout voto the foule, the depth doled mee round about, and theweeds were wrapped about myhead ; then, euen then did the Whaleopen his mouth,and fwallowing himvpwhole into hisbellie,defended M 3 him 137 In callinga man away, nodelay too long.
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