John Trapp on Jonah 1:2

Verſe 2. Ariſe, go to Niniveh] Haec eſt vocatio Prophetae ſaith Oecolampadius: This was the Prophets call, which he ſhould have obeyed without hucking or ſhucking delayes or diſputes, conferring, or conſulting with fleſh and blood Gal. 1.16. True it is, that in humane governments, where reaſon is ſhut out, there tyranny is thruſt in. As in the Papacy (where the whore ſitteth upon them Rev. 17.1. that is, uſeth them vilely and baſely; ſitteth upon their conſciences, as Rachel did upon her fathers images) though their ſuperiours command the Friars a voyage to China or Peru, without diſpute of delay they muſt preſently ſet forward: to detract or diſobey in this caſe is held breach of vow,Spec. Europ. equall to ſacriledge: This is intollerable tyranny. But where God calleth or commandeth (as here,) to ask a reaſon, is preſumption; to oppoſe reaſon, is rebellion. Paul durſt not but be obedient to the heavenly viſion Act. 26.19. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Jonah declined his Apoſtleſhip (as a Father calleth it) but it had like to have coſt him a choaking: whereof when in danger, he could confeſſe that They that obſerue lying vanityes (as he had done to his coſt) forſake their own mercy, are miſerable by their on election.John. 2.8. As for the expreſſion here uſed, Ariſe go, it is hortantis particula, & ſtudium notat: it is an encouraging and exciting particle. Up and be doing. Be fervent in ſpirit, ſerving the Lord, Rom. 12.12. Surge, age, ſumme Pater— Said Mantuan to the Pope, exciting him to take up armes againſt the Turk. There is a curſe to him that doeth the work of the Lord negligently Jer. 48.10. and a Command to do it with all our might Eccleſ. 9.10.

Nineveh that great city] Built by Ninus, and by him ſo named: as Adrianople, Conſtantinople, Charles-town &c. A great city it was indeed, never any ſo great: as conſiſting of three cities, and having more people within the walles, then are now in ſome one kingdome, ſaith an Author. It was ſixty miles about, ſaith Diodorus Siculus (Bunting ſaith Alcaire at this day is no leſſe: Paulus Venetus ſaith Quinſay in Tartary is an hundred miles in circuite, but we are not bound to beleeve him. It is enough that Cambalu the chief city there is 28. miles in compaſs) Nineveh was three dayes journy in Jonah's dayes, fortified with a wall of an 100.Turk. hiſt. fol. 75. foot high: and that alſo beautified, and beſet with 1500. towers, each of them erected to the height of 200. foot. Thus farr Diodorus: who alſo tells us that this great city received one ruine by the river Tigris, which at an innundation bra[illegible: 2 letters] out upon the wall, and threw down twenty furlongs thereof. See Nah. 1.9. Its la[illegible: 1 letter]t deſtruction was undertaken and ended by Nebuchadnezzar, as the Jewes in their Chronologie teſtify. Herodotus ſaith, by Cyaxares, not by Aſtyages, Herod in Clie. as Hierome miſtaketh him. If Sardanapalus were king of Nineveh, when Jonas cried againſt it (as Corn. à Lapide contendeth) it was much that ſuch an egregious voluptuary ſhould ſo ſoon be wrought upon, as chap. 3. But He and his people ſoon relapſed to their former impiety; and were therefore deſtroyed, as Nahum had foretold: So that it may now be ſaid of Nineveh as once it was of another great city in Strabo, magna civitas, magna ſolitudo. That great city is become a great deſert. See Zeph. 2.15, It is nothing now but a ſepulcher of it ſelf, a little town of ſmall Trade, where Neſtorius his ſectaries have taken their ſhelter, at the devotion of the Turk. It is become like that other Niniveh mentioned by Euſebius quae eſt parvum quoddam in angulo Arabico oppidum, Lib. de loc. Ebraic. which is a certain little town in a corner of Arabia.

and cry againſt it] Cry aloud with open mouth, and full throat, ſic clames, ut Stentora vincere poſſis. Iſa. 51.1. The voyce ſaid Cry: but what ſhould he cry? Cry that their wickedneſſe is come up before me (ſo ſome) but that's not all: Cry, as chap. Hben-Ezra. 3.5. Yet forty dayes and Niniveh ſhall be deſtroyed, for their wickedneſſe is come &c. their iniquity will be their ruine: tell them ſo from me Eſa. 31.10.11.

their wickedneſſe is come up before me] Their pride,Am. 5.12. cruelty and other many and bony ſins, as Amos hath it. Of their idolatry we read not, and yet we doubt not: they declared their ſins as Sodom Eſ. 10.9. they ſet them upon the cliffs of the rocks Ezek. Jer. 3.4, 5. 8. they did wickedly as they could, and filled not only the earth with their abominations, but the heaven alſo with the noiſe and ſtench thereof, to the annoying of Gods ſenſes, and the vexing of his ſoule; more then any filthy drunkard doth thoſe that are ſober, with his hooting and ſpewing. See Gen. 4.10, and 18, 20. Rev. 18.5. with the Notes.