John Trapp on Jonah 1:5

Verſe 5. Then the marriners were afraid, and cryed every man to his God] Forced by the preſent neceſſity, firſt theſe ſtout fellowes were ſurprized with feare: neither could they looke pale death in the face with blood in their cheeks. Death is the king of terrours Iob 18.14. Natures ſlaughter-man, Gods curſe and hels purveyour Next they cryed every man to his God. This was a leſſon of Dame Natures teaching, ſc. that there is a God, and that this God is to be called upon, and eſpecially in diſtreſſe. Thoſe fooles of the people that ſaid there was no God, could not (when hardly beſtead) but look up to heaven and cry out for help. [non-Latin text not transcribed] All people will walk every one in the name of his God Mic. 4.5. Theſe mariners or ſalt-men (ſo called, either becauſe they dealt in that commodity, or elſe becauſe they rowed in the ſalt ſea) had their ſeverall gods, according to their ſeverall countries, and theſe they now called upon, whom till now perhaps they little enough cared for; ſea-men aae not over-pious, for moſt part. And yet of the Turkiſh mariners I have read, that every morning they ſalute the Sun with their generall ſhouts; and a Prieſt ſaying a kind of Letany,Blunts voy. p. 76. every prayer ending with Macree Kichoon that is, be Angels preſent: the people anſwer in manner of a ſhout Homin, that is Amen. But it is remarkable, that theſe in the text, though they cryed every man to his God, yet,Serv. in Georg. lib. 1. leſt they might all miſtake the true God, they awaken Jonah to call upon his God. This uncertainty, attending idolatry, cauſed the Heathens to cloſe their petitions with that generall Dijque Deaeque omnes. But (thirdly) as they cried to their gods, ſo (according to that rule Ora & labora.)

they caſt forth the wares that were in the ſhip] Not doubting to ſacrifice their goods to the ſervice of their lives. Skin for ſkin, and all that a man hath &c. ſo Act. 27.18 19, 38. Let us loſe any thing for eternall life Luk. 16.8. and 9.25. Mat. 18.8 ſuffer any hardſhip for heaven: we cannot buy it too deare. A ſtone will fall down to come to its own place, though it break it ſelf in peeces by the way: ſo we, that we may get to our center, which is upward &c.

but Jonah was gone down into the ſides of the ſhip] Into the bottome of it, bither he had betaken himſelf before the ſtorm; not conſidering that God had long hands to pull him out of his lurking-holes, and bring him to judgement.

and he lay and was faſt aſleep] It's likely, that he had not ſlept of many nights before (through care, feare and grief, thoſe three vultures that had been gnawing upon his inwards) and therefore now ſleepes the more ſoundly. Or rather it was carnall ſecurity: his heart being hardened by the deceitfulneſſe of ſin Heb. 3.13. He had hardened his heart againſt Gods feare, and wilfully withdrawn from his obedience: hence this ſpirituall lethargy, this deep ſleep in ſin; not unlike that of the Smiths dog, whom neither the hammers above him, nor the ſparks of fire falling round about him can awake: though the water-pot and ſpeare be taken from the bolſter, the ſecure perſon ſtirrs not: though the houſe be on fire over his eares, he ſtarts not. Their ſenſeleſneſſe God will cure in his Jonas's, by ſharp afflictions. Cold diſeaſes muſt have hot and ſharp remedies. The lethargy is beſt cured by a burning ague: God will let his preſumptuous people ſee what it is to make wounds in their conſciences, to trie the preciouſneſſe of his balme: ſuch may go mourning to their graves. And though with much adoe they get aſſurance of pardon, yet their conſciences will be ſtill trembling as Davids Pſa. 51. till God ſpeake further peace, even as the water of the ſea after a ſtorm is not preſently ſtill: but moves and trembles a good while after the ſtorme is over.