Part II This Meffage, although unaccompanied with Miracles, very powerfully awaken'd both King and People, and I have fometimes wonder❜d. with my felf, upon what folid Ground or Authority.

A. This is the Second Cafe wherein Mira- 7 cles may be unneceffary in denouncing Judg ments, and that is where the Authority of the 3 Prophet is already establish'd, and he is known) as fuch amongst the People, to whom he is fent. Who in the Land of Ifrael would quefti on a Prediction of Samuel, after the Accom-1 plishment of diverfe of his Prophecies, and he became an establish'd Prophet of the Lord?

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B. Here I acknowledge Miracles unneceffary: But think you this was the Cafe here? Was Jonab known to the Ninevites as a Prophet?

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A. As to the Cafe of ffonab. ft. You may observe somewhat very particular; for we read b a very great Averfion in the Prophet to under-to take this Meffage, infomuch that he attempted to avoid it by fleeing to Tarshish. And after-s wards the Reafon of this Unwillingness to ful-l fil the Divine Command, upon the Non-accom-19 plishment of his Prophecy, himself acquaints us with. (b) And he prayed unto the Lord, and I faid, I pray thee O Lord, was not this my faying, when I was yet in my Country? Therefore I fled bef fore unto Tarfhifh, for I knew that thou art a gracious d GOD, and merciful, flow to anger, and of greated kindness, and repenteft of the Evil. So that the Ground of this backwardness of the Prophet, to obey the Word of the Lord, was, Diftruft,

(6) Jonah, ch. 4. u. 2.

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as to the Accomplishment of his Prediction, which would have funk his Credit and Reputation, and render'd him as he thought, fufpected as a Falfe Prophet; of which being exceeding tender, this was to him a very unpleafant and difagreeable Imployment. But now, fuppofing he had been endu'd with a Power of Miracles, to prove himself really fent of GOD, would there then have been the fame Ground of Averfion to the Meffage, had not GOD inflicted thofe Judgments threaten'd on the Nineuites, upon their true and fincere Repentance, as we find he did not? There feems good Reafon to imagine, the Authority of Jonah had been fecur'd by this, had this Prophecy never been fulfill'd; and in fuch a Cafe it may reasonably be prefum'd, Fonab had been more content and reconcileable to it. But the Matter of his Grief and Averfion to the Divine Command feems to lie in this'; he was fent to denounce Deftruction on a People, without any of thofe ufual Proofs that attended the true Prophets of GOD, he had no Power of Miracles; and as to the Accomplishment of his Prediction, which would have prov'd him a true Prophet; from the Mercy and Goodness of GOD, in cafe of the Ninevites Repentance; This he greatly fufpected, and confequently that in the Iffue he fhould be traduced as an Impoftor and Deceiver. And this he could fo little brook, that after it fo fell out, as he fufpected, he cries out in the bittereft Anger and Difcontent, Therefore now O Lord, take I beseech thee my Life from me; for it is better for me to dye than to live, after appearing a falfe Prophet: From whence it seems to me very clear, that it was not the usual Method of GOD to fend forth

his Prophets to denounce Evils or Judgments, without fome External Evidence and Proof of their Divine Miffion, neither was it agreeable to the Prophet's expectation. Why elfe here fhould the Prophet Jonah be fo very backward and averfe to this Meffage, as first to decline it, by flying from the Divine Prefence; then afterwards, when he did undertake it, to be fo intollerably uneafie and difcontent at the Nonaccomplishment of his Prophecy? Was never any Prophet before fent in fuch an Embaffy, to predict Evils? Or did they undertake it with fuch ftrange Unwillingness? There was therefore fomewhat peculiar in this Prophet's Meffage; and what can be more rationally fuppos'd, than that he had not Proof to fuftain it; and that he had not this Proof, the Power of Miracles, very probably, added not a little to his Sufpici on, that GOD had not abfolutely determin'd the Overthrow of Nineveh? However, I think (which is all I contend for) this is certain from hence. ft. That (a) nothing rais'd greater Difcontents in true Prophets, than upon rea fonable Grounds to be fufpected of Deceit and Impofture. 2dly, That take away Miracles, and the Accomplishment of a Prediction, & true Prophet ftands on the fame Grounds as a falfe Propet; has nothing unconteftable to prove or evince his Miffion. Jonah for certain thought fo, and falling under fuch an Afperfion, being liable to be reputed a falfe Prophet, he was even weary of living under fuch a Difgrace and Scandal.

(a) Vid. Stilling. Orig. Sac. Lib. 2. p. 123.

B. Altho

B. Altho' I like this well, yet doth it not in my Apprehenfion, give any plausible Account, upon what Ground the Ninevites believ'd, and receiv'd Jonah as a Prophet.

A. If you fhould not admit him before known as a Prophet to the Ninevites; yet, Secondly, (b) with fome colour of Reafon may it be fuppos'd, that they might not be entirely unacquainted with his miraculous Deliverance; and if this be fuppos'd, you cannot but think it a fufficient Inducement (difpofed as they were) to attend to, and receive him, as fome extraordinary Perfon. Or elfe, Thirdly, His affigning the Overthrow of Nineveh within fo fhort and precife a time, as Forty Days, might have very great Influence upon that People. For (c) when a Prophet fo very plainly expreffes what fhall come to pass, and within fo fhort a time, this carries with it a very ftrong Prefumption, that' fomething Supernatural acts him; for what Man of common Difcretion, would profefs himfelf fent of GOD, to declare the Overthrow of any State or Kingdom, within fo fhort a Period of Time, unless he apprehended himfelf really fent, and to be under indifpenfable Obligations to it? What imaginable Inducement could there be to fuch an Undertaking, when a very short time would prove him the moft notorious Cheat, and draw upon him the feverest Chaftifements? Where a Man does this, I think, there can be no reasonable Ground of doubting his Sincerity; or whether he impofes that on others, which he does not believe of

(b) Bifbop Kidder's Demon. of the Meffiab. (c) Cicero de Divin. lib. 2.

himself. Such a One therefore must be concluded either a real Prophet, or a Mad Man. But whether he be depriv'd of his Reafon all reasonable Men may judge; if in other Things he appears a Man of Sobriety and Difcretion, it would go near to perfwade One of his acting in the Virtue of fome Divine Warrant or Commiffion; becaufe, the counterfeiting himself a Prophet in this Cafe, is fo extravagant a piece of Folly, as cannot be reconcil'd to common Senfe. Neither can a Man juftly question his Senfe, or fuppofe him under Frenzy and Diftraction, when nothing of this appears upon the feverest Examination, when he fpeaks forth the Words of Truth and Soberness. So that the fhort is this, when a Man plainly, and without any Equivocation, foretels an Event within fo fhort a compafs of Time; this at the first Appea rance looks like a Supernatural Impulse or Dit rection on him; and his Undertaking must be charg'd on this, or Diftraction; and if the Pro phet can clear himself of the latter Imputation, there will be great Reafon to regard him, as an Extraordinary Perfon. In this Cafe it is to be remark'd likewife, that we fuppofe Men of Impartiality and Acuteness, can diftinguifh be tween Madnefs and Sobriety, Reafon and Di ftraction: A Distracted Man is to be regarded in nothing that he affirms; and confequently for a true Prophet, to appear in Difcourfe and Actions, like a Diftracted Man, is entirely to deftroy his Authority and End, to fall beneath the Character and Authority, not only of a Prophet, but every common and fober Man. So that there cannot be fo prepofterous a Course, while the Difficulty in Difpute is, whether a Man be really Mad or Infpir'd, (as here we

take