John Trapp on Jonah 4:9

Ver. 9. Doeſt thou well to be angry for the gourd?] What? ſo ſoon blown up for a thing of nothing? Tantaene animis coeleſtibusira? — Dijne hunc ardorem mentibus indunt Euriale?Ae[illegible: 1 letter]neid. lib. 1. an ſua cuique deus fit dira libido?Ibid. lib. 9. Knew not Jonah that to be angry without a cauſe, was to be in danger of the judgement? Mat. 5.22. that it was a mortall ſin, and not veniall, as Papiſts falſly conclude from that text; which ſets not forth a different puniſhment of raſh anger, but a diverſe degree of puniſhment? that it is the murther of the heart, as our Saviour there ſhewes, and the ſountaine of the murther both of the tongue, and of the hand? will he be like the fooliſh bee, who loſeth her life to get revenge? See the Note on ver. 4.

and he ſaid] Before he ſaid nothing when reproved for his raſh anger ver. 4. and that was beſt. Now he chats againſt God, laying the reines in the neck of his unruly paſſions, and running riot. Who can underſtand his er[illegible: 1 letter]ours? and who can tell how oft a ſervant of God may fall into a foul ſin, if ſtrongly inclined thereto by nature, or violently tempted by ſatan and his inſtruments? Of Judah indeed it is expreſly noted, that he knew his daughter-in law Tamar againe no more Gen. 38.26. But what ſhall we ſay to Lots double inceſt? to Sampſons going down againe to Gaza Iudg. 16? to Abrahams twice denying his wife? to Iohns twice adoring the Angell Rev. 19.10. and 22.8? Let him that ſtandeth, take heed leſt he fall: and let Gods people ſee that there be no way of wickedneſſe found in them, that they allow not, wallow not in this guzzle: ſith hereby they looſe not their jus haereditarium, but yet their jus aptitudinale, not their title but yet their fitneſſe to Gods kingdome: and perhaps, their fulneſſe of reward there 2 Iohn 8.

and he ſaid, I do well to be angry, even unto death] A fearefull out-burſt: reſiſt paſſion at the firſt riſing up: elſe who knowes whither it may tranſport us? Paſſions, ſaith One, like heavy bodies down ſteep hils, once in motion move themſelves: and know no ground but the bottome. Ionah (ſaith Another upon this text) ſlights admonition, riſeth up in an animoſity againſt it to a deſperate degree of anger: ſuch wild beaſts are ſurious paſſions when we give them the reines. Thus He, Surely as the Lion beateth himſelf with his own taile: and as ſullen birds in a cage beate themſelves to death, ſo could Ionah in this rage find in his heart to do: and he ſhames not to tell God as much. It was therefore no ill wiſh of him that deſired God to deliver him from that naughty man Himſelf, Domine libera me à malo hemine meipſo. from headlong and headſtrong paſſions, which may not only diſſweeten a mans life but ſhorten it. The Emperor Nerva died of a ſever contracted by anger. Valentinian by an irruption of blood. Wenceſlaus King of Bohemia in a rage againſt his cup bearer fell preſently into a palſey, whereof he died. What diſeaſe Ionah died of I know not: but this I know, that in his heat he did and ſaid enough here in this text, to have made Almighty God reſolve as he did once againſt thoſe muttering Mutineeres in the wilderneſſe, As truly as I live, ſaith the Lord, as ye have ſpoken in mine eares, ſo will I do to you: Num. 14.28. Thou ſhalt ſurely dye Jonah; out of thine own mouth will I judge thee &c. But God choſe rather to glorifie himſelf in Jonah's ſalvation, then in his deſerved deſtruction. Dat igitur poenitentiam, & poſte à indulgentiam (as that father prayed) He therefore firſt giveth him repentance, and then pardon, as appeareth partly by his recording of theſe paſſages, and ſo ſhaming himſelf, as it were, before all the world: and partly alſo by his cloſing up his Propheſie with ſilence: not ſtriving with God for the laſt word, as Peter did with Chriſt, and would needes carry it, till the event of things confuted him, and he was glad to ſeek a corner to cry in Mat. 26.35. with 75.