[He had preached to the Ninevites, and his word had been attended with such power, that the whole city repented, and turned to the Lord with weeping and with mourning and with fasting. This, instead of exciting gratitude in the heart of Jonah, filled him only with rage ; because he thought that God, in consideration of their penitence, would shew mercy to them, and that, in consequence of the judgments with which he had threatened them not being executed upon them, he himself should appear an impostor. It was of small importance that there were above a million of souls in the city : the destruction of them was of no moment in his eyes, in comparison of his own honour: he hoped therefore that God would at least inflict some signal judgment upon them, sufficient to attest the truth of his menaces, and to support his credit as a true prophet. With the hope of seeing his wishes realized, he made a booth on the outside of the city, and " sat there to see what would become of the city."]
Then it was that God caused a gourd to spring up suddenly, and cover the booth —
[What amazing condescension ! How much rather might we have expected that God would have sent a lion to destroy him, as he had before done to a disobedient prophet ! But in- stead of visiting his iniquity as it deserved, God consulted only his comfort ; yes, this very man, who was so " exceedingly dis- pleased with God's mercy to the Ninevites, that he could not endure his life, and begged of God to strike him dead ; this very man, I say, was such an object of God's attention, as to have a gourd raised up over his head " to deliver him from his grief." It should seem as if there was a contest between God and him ; he striving to exhaust the patience of Jehovah, and Jehovah striving to overcome by love the obstinacy and obdu- racy of his heart.]
In the acquisition of this gourd Jonah exceedingly rejoiced —
[Had we been told that he was exceedingly thankful to his God, we should have been ready to applaud his gratitude : but he saw not God's hand in the mercy vouchsafed to him : it was his own comfort only that he cared about : and in the gift alone did he rejoice, forgetful of the Giver. The idea of a million of souls being saved from perishing in their sins gave him no plea- sure : but the being more effectually screened from the heat of the sun himself, made him " exceeding glad." Had his mind been at all in a right state, his own comfort and convenience would have been swallowed up in thankfulness, for the preser- vation of so many souls, and for having been made the honoured