cry the more earnestly after him he sees that they begin to flag in their prayers and do not cry so loud as they have done the Lord he will withdraw that so he may stir up a spirit of prayer bring them into such an affliction that so they may cry the more earnestly the storm was raised when Christ was upon the sea with his Disciples to make them cry the more earnestly The Lord seems to sleep many times at the prayers of his people that so by the prayers of his people he may be awakened Quest But you will say What need we cry thus earnestly to the Lord for he is found of them that seek him not we cannot find God by our seekiâ—â— him he must seek us he is found of them that 〈◊〉 him not Answ I answer It is true God is found 〈◊〉 them that seek him not that is when God comes first into a poor soul he breaks in upon it he prevents it with grace and mercy and he seeks us and brings home grace and mercy to the soul before the soul sought the Lord. But now when the Lord hath found a soul and brought home a soul to the knowledge of himself through Christ O then he expects that that soul should continually wait upon him and be seeking of him in that way which is of the Lords own appointment It is true he is found many times of those that seek him not but the Lord is not found of those that seek him lazily he hears not cold prayers no it is the cry of the spirit the Lord heareth Quest Ah but some will say I cannot cry and pray I cannot continue in prayer my spirit is overwhelmed and I am so shut up that I know not how to utter a word in the presence of the Lord. Answ I answer Though thy spirit be overwhelmed thou mayest pray and cry aloud to the Lord David did so and why mayest not thou Psal 142. 3. I cryed sayes he and it was when my spirit is overwhelmed and although thou canst not utter a word to the Lord yet thou mayst pray and cry with the cries of the spirit the Spirit of the Lord stirs up sighings and groanings in the hearts of his people which cannot be uttered So when thou canst not speak a word to the Lord yet thou mayest cry Job could noâ— speak yet his soul cried to the Lord and his eye cried to the Lord Job 16. 20. My friends scorn me but mine eyes poure out teares unto God When he knew not how to speak a word his eye looked to the Lord if he cannot poure out his prayer his eye shall speak and his soul shall speak this may be an effectuall prayer Object Ah but I am filled with the sence of my unworthiness I dare not go before the Lord I dare not beg any mercy nor stand in his presence I am filled with the sence of my own unworthiness Answ I tell thee though thou beest filled with the sense of thy unworthinesse yet thou mayest and ought to cry to the Lord and poure out thy soul in supplication The Publican that went up to the Temple he durst not draw nigh he looked upon himself as an unworthy sinner and yet poured out his prayer to the Lord the sence of thy unworthinesse should not hinder thee in the pouring out of thy prayer to the Lord the more unvorthy the more need of going to the Lord and the more sensible of thy unworthinesse the sooner the Lord declares his acceptance Oh that the Lord would make us all mindful of this our duty we are apt to cry with the cry of the flesh but O that in the day of our distresse we did cry with the cry of the spirit Let the crie that springs from pride impatiencie and unbelief be silent laid low and let it not open its mouth but crie with the cry of faith with the crie of the spirit this will be a good evidence that affliction hath wrought the right way and that the Lord hath done us good by our affliction Till the flesh be silent and the spirit raised up to cry in faith we shall never have any evidence that we have received benefit by our affliction but when the soul shall be in affliction and the spirit up and cry it will be a good evidence that the soul hath received good by the affliction And to say no more the Lord will soon draw nigh to that soul that shall thus be found waiting for him when the flesh shall be silent and the spirit cry the Lord will soon hear that crie You know the Lord is a tender hearted Father and he will not suffer any of his children to be tempted above what they are able to beare he will not suffer them to sink under their burden but will come in with delivering mercie for the Lord doth sometimes hear the crie of the flesh so he hath heard the crie of the flesh though not the sinful crie yet the crie of nature the Lord hath heard that crie He heard the crie of Ishamel when as he was ready to perish for thirst The Lad cried and he heard the crie of the Lad and the Lord opened the eyes of Hagar and she saw a well of water He heard the crie of the flesh so gracious is the Lord yea he heares she crie of the young Ravens of the young Lions and the Lord he opens his hand and satisfies them O that this might be an incouragement to goe to God in all times of distresse let it be never so great the Lord is a God of compassion and if he does hear the crie of the unreasonable Creatures and the crie of the flesh O surely the Lord will much more hear the crie of the spirit when his people come and apply themselves to him through Christ such as hope in his mercie and are found waâ—ting for his salvation Surely the Lord he will find out the best time in which he will come in with deliverance to his Servants Matth. 15. 22. Thou son of David have mercy on me SERMON VI. WE observed the last day that great and strong afflictions will raile strong cries make Gods people crie loud It was a sore affliction that was upon this woman Ms daughter is grievously vexed with a devil and whâ—â— she comes to Christ she doth not only pray 〈◊〉 cry to him But to passe on and consider something thâ—â— still remains and that is to look upon the Argument that this woman useth in her crie to Christ her Argument is mercy she cries mercy 〈◊〉 free grace she doth not look to any worthiness 〈◊〉 her self neither doth her unworthiness discourage but looks beyond both and she closeth 〈◊〉 mercy and free grace Thou son of David 〈◊〉 mercy on me She comes to the son of David 〈◊〉 knew David was a merciful Prince and King 〈◊〉 shews mercie to his very enemies David spared the life of Saul when he had him at a great
misery or not to regard her misery not to take notice of such a poor creature as she was now both these were contrary to what she had heard of Christ and to that she had believed was in Jesus Christ without doubt she had heard out of the Prophet Isaiah that the Lord Jesus Christ when he came should bind up the broken-hearted and preach deliverance to the captives now when she applyes her self to Christ Christ seems not to be that compassionate Saviour certainly she had heard that Sions King was meek and lowly and that he would not break the bruised reed nor quench thâ— smoaking flax but Christ seems to disdain her and take no notice of her nor look after such avile worm as she was nay she had believed that Christ was low and meek as appeareth by that expression of hers in ver 22. Thou Son of David have mercy on me now David was a merciful Prince and was very pitiful and compassionate and very meek and lowly and humble therefore she believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was much more compassionate and she did believe that he would not disdain her though she was a poor Gentile but Christ seems to be quite contrary and answered her not a word this was a sore trial The Doctrine then is this That it is a very sore and great tryal unto the Lords people when the Lord is silent to their prayers and gives no answer to their cries In the opening of the point I shall shew you that God hath dealt thus with his own people and that it hath been a very sore tryal unto And then shall shew you wherefore the Lord is pleased thus to try his people which will make way for the Appplication First God hath dealt thus with his people I shall point you to some places of Scripture David often maketh this complaint Psalm 28. 1. Vnto thee will I cry O Lord my rock be not silent to me lest if thou be silent to me I become like them that go down into the pit How earnestly doth David beseech the Lord that he would not be silent to his prayer Lord Do not turn away thy ear from my prayer and do not shut thy mouth be not silent If thou dost not speak something to me in answer to my prayer I am not able to hold out but shall be like them that go down to the pit And Psalm 69. 3. he maketh a sore complaint I am weary of my crying my throat is dried mine eyes fail while I wait for my God The trial was so great to his spirit that it had an influence upon his Body when David cryed to the Lord he answered not a word his throat was dried and parcht up and his eyes began to fail And so the Prophet Jeremiah Lam. 3. 44. he expresseth it in the name of the Church Thou hast covered thy self with a cloud that our prayer should not pass thorow God seems to hide himself and cover himself with a cloud and did so hide himself as prayer could not find him he gave him not a word And the Prophet Habakkuk he complains of it chap. 1. ver 2. O Lord how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear even cry unto thee of violence and thou wilt not save Nay that it was a sore trial you shall see it in those expressions of the Prophet David spoken of in the person of Christ Psalm 22. 2. O my God I cry in the day-time but thou hearest not and in the night-season and am not silent It was a sore affliction to Christ himself O my God I cry in the day-time and in the night-season that is I cry continually night and day never silent But thou art continually silent to me this was a sore affliction and burden to Christ himself Now that this is a sore affliction and trial for God to be silent to the prayers of his people it appears First if you consider that relation the Lord stands in to his people and they to him he stands in relation of a Father they his children he stands in relation of an Husband they his Spouse he stands in relation of a friend they his friend Abraham he was the friend of God and so is every believer God a friend to him and he a friend to God now it is a sore trial when one friend shall cry to another or a wife to an Husband or a child to a father and these relations not give one word of Answer if a poor child in great extremity should cry to his father father help me and the father not to give one word this is a sore tryal if a man cry to a stranger and meet not with one word it is no great disappointment but when a child cries to a father or a wife to an Husband or a friend to a friend and they not to speak a word it is a great trial Secondly it will appear to be a great trial because there is nothing in all the world that a gracious soul longs more after then this that the Lord would be giving a return of prayer that there may be a converse betwixt God and the soul to speak to God and to hear God speaking back again to it nothing that a gracious foul more longs after oh it longs to hear a word from God it knows that the return of prayer is the way to make a soul rich towards God and to make it rich in experience in faith in thankfulness in obedience Oh how doth a Merchant-venturer long for the return of his commodity from a far Country truly there is no merchant in the world can long more for the return of his commodity from a far Country then a gracious soul longs for the return of prayer oh saith the soul when wilt thou come unto me Now if it be that which a gracious soul doth more long after then any thing in the world it is a great trial when God doth not give a return of prayer Thirdly A gracious heart when it puts up a prayer to God it looketh for a return for an answer Psalm 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak And so the Prophet Habakkuk after he had prayed I will get me upon the watch-tower and I will watch to see what he will say unto me I will wait to see what God will speak by his spirit or by his providences one way or other God will speak Now to have this expectation disappointed to wait upon the Lord for an answer and the Lord not to speak one word this is a sore trial Fourthly it must needs be a great trial when God gives never a word of answer for a believing soul knows assuredly that if God do not answer none else can hear prayers and give a return to prayer it is Gods name oh thou that hearest prayers unto thee shall all flesh come God only can hear prayer and God only can give an answer it is God only
remembred and of all things God only shut out O my friends Take heed of this great sin this Mother sin Forgetting God But secondly I beseech you to Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth Young man do not put off your remembrance of God it may be you will say to me you will remember God hereafter that is folly The Wise man teacheth you better giveth you better counsel Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth As much as if he should say Remember now thy Creator in what part of your youth soever you be Remember Now thy Creator Now seek after the knowledge of Christ if ten yeers old Now Remember God if fifteen years old if twenty yeers old Now Remember thy Creator yea if thirty years old and so to every Age to which the word of the Lord comes Even Now Now remember thy Creator And O that young men and young women would think upon the advantages that many have by remembring God in youth they were spoken of before And let me further tell you for your encouragement young men that to remember God betimes it is a great prerogative and a great dignity to be the first in Christ the Apostle speaks of some that were first in Christ and he speaks honourably of them Eph. 1. 12. That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ And it was the honour of that people that were first in bringing back David great honour was put upon them that went out first to meet David their King And so to be the firstâ— that go out to meet with Christ the first that honour him the first that close with him and believe in him this is a prerogative and it is kindness that God will never forget Jer. 2. 2. Thus saith the Lord I remember thee the kindness of thy youth the love of thy espousals when thou wentest after me in the Wilderness in a Land that was not sown the kindness of thy youth I will not forget saith God And the Lord will say so to young men and young women that are looking after Christ and remember him betimes thou remembredst me in thy youth and I will remember the kindness of thy youth when thou leftest all to follow me thy vanity thy comforts thy contentments that other young men closed with and followed after though they lead to destruction this kindness of thy youth Christ will remember to the very last day And let none that hear me this day think that they are too young and 't is not for them to trouble themselves with such matters to remember God and to look after God as young as you have remembred God Jeroboams childe remembred God Josiah at sixteen years of age set himself to seek after the Lord And I pray consider youth go the grave as well as others nay more die in their youth then in their old age O that young men would remember God betimes And there is none so young but must be accountable to God there is sin enough to condemn the youngest if not actual sin thou hast a sinful Nature and that is enough to condemn the youngest that hears me this day And therefore O that the Lord would perswade young men to remember betimes their Creator and know that it will be your comfort in the latter end As the neglect of God in youth will be a great deal of sorrow when God smites and comes to lay you upon the bed of sickness and ready to give out your breath then it may be you will cry out Lord Remember me but how sad will it be to reflect upon your selves and to think that you have not remembred God When as it hath been the comfort of many a poor soul that their work hath been done and when they have lain upon their sick bed they have given up themselves willingly to God having gotten the knowledge of God and gotten faith in Christ they are blessing God that their work is done for them by Christ O how sweet and comfortable will it be to you young men when you come to die to see that your great work is done and that you have believed and have nothing to do but to die Solomon was very pittiful to your souls young men and therefore he calls upon you to Remember your Creator in the dayes of your youth And in the bowels of Christ I speak to you this day to study this lesson of lessons To Remember Now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth And let me say to old men if young men had need to remember God Oh what cause have old men to remember God They that have lived many years and not remembred God O it is high time that thou shouldest make haste thou art going to the grave the land of forgetfulness where there is nothing can be done for eternity when once in the grave O that God would perswade the Ancient Such as have neglected to remember God that they would now remember their Creator and do not say I have mispent my youth and I fear my time is over and there is no hope for me I had as good go on in my wayes of sin O say not so The thoughts of the Lord are not as your thoughts nor his wayes as your wayes but as the Heavens are higher then the earth so are his thoughts above yours and his wayes above yours You have spent many years in sin and vanity and forgotten God and your thoughts have been upon vanity it may be many years but the thoughts of the Lord to do good to his people are from eternity O that Now you would at last in your old age remember God! Old men I beseech you to remember your Creator there is hope wherefore hath God spared you so long Reason so with with your selves to encourage you to look to Christ when through Unbelief you say there is no hope you have walked in sin and God might have cut you off and it is infinite mercy that God hath not cut you off but seeing the Lord hath spared me surely I may hope though I have forgotten God in the dayes of my youth yet say I will now remember my Creator and seek after faith in him And know for thy comfort and encouragement that there is infinite thoughts of mercy in the Lord Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and turn to our God for he will abundantly pardon Isa 55. 7. O stay no longer venture no longer for there is one evil day upon you the evil day of old age is upon you and there is another a coming O Remember God and make haste to do it quickly before the Sun and Moon and Stars be darkned before the body return to the earth and the spirit to stand before God that made it But I shall now come to press this duty upon
do greatly provoke the Lord Christ and loose all they do though men could walk as exactly as the very Angels yet if that exactness should draw them to place any trust any confidence in their observations and humility they loose all their labour for Christ tells his Disciples in Matth. 5. 20. That except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no wise enter into the kingdome of heaven Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees they went a great way in self righteousness they walked very strictly and very precisely ah but you must have another kind of righteousness a righteousness that must be beyond theirs they placed their righteousness in their doings in their observations and inventions but except your righteousness exceed theirs you shall in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven The Devil he will allow men to go a great way in such paths of self-righteousness to do a great deal to suffer a great deal to carry it very humbly and very strictly and seem to be the most mortified men living if the Devil can but draw them off from Christs righteousness thereby and place their righteousness in this he care not how far they go for the Devil knows that this will never mortifie the deeds of the flesh whatsoever is of mans setting up will never mortifie the deeds of the flesh but as I said before men may live very strictly fast and pray and yet be far from mortifying the deeds of the flesh it may be so far from mortifying the deeds of the flesh that it may strengthen the flesh and corruption get strength while men seem to walk in such a way of seeming mortification yea the strength of the body may be spent in seeming mortification and the corruption unmortified But to reflect a little by way of Application Oh that this might be a warning piece to us to take heed that we do not exalt any thing of man in the room of Christ take heed we do not exalt our rule above Christs Rule that we do not form rules to our selves to walk by and to worship by and decline the Rule and Institutions and Ordinances of Christ There are two sorts of people that are and will be found guilty of this who shall not injoy the presence of the Lord for Christ will depart from such a people First Such as set up outward formes of their own in opposition to Christs Form there have been such a generation of men in this Land and still there are who hath such Idols in their hearts who set up their form above Christs Form Christ hath left a Rule and Christ hath given his Form and his Institutions which must be observed till his coming but now when men shall bring in their own inventions and traditions their own superstitious ceremonies into the worship of Christ which Christ hath not commanded this is a great provocation to the Lord and such a people cannot injoy the spiritual presence of Christ for â—aitâ— Christ Go teach and observe what I have commanded you and loe I am with you to the end of the world So long as a people cleave to Christs Institutions so long they are under the Promise of Christ but they that shall go from this are not under the Promise of Christ 2. And then again there are those that will be found setting up something of their own in the stead of Christs Rule while they pretend that they have another rule then the Word to walk by the other is more gross and carnal but this more spiritually wicked I say when men shall pretend to have another rule to walk by that they have the Spirit of the Lord to be their rule to teach them and they shall not look to the rule of the Scripture not look to any rule without them truly both these sorts of men will be found to set up their own rule above Christs Rule And oh how dangerous is it and as I said before so again and oh that it might be remembred It is a pulling Christ out of his Throne for men to decline his Rule the rule of his Word which he hath given them to walk by and decline his Ordinances and pretend to walk by a rule that is within them truly they exalt something of their own above Christ and let it be remembred what the Lord threatens to such as will not hear the great Prophet Deut. 18. 15. and 19. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy brethren like unto me unto him ye shall hearken V. 19. And it shall come to passe that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name I will require it of him He that will not take the rule from Christs mouth he that will not walk by that rule that Christ hath left in his Word to walk by but shall take another rule though the pretence be never so high and spiritual the Lord hath said that such a soul shall be cuâ— off the Lord will not afford his presence Christ will not continue his presence with such a people as shall exalt any invention above Christs Rule the rule of the Word But it may be that they will say They do not exalt any thing of their own we are mistaken of that no it iâ— only the Spirit of Christ that they exalt it is the Spirit of Christ that is their rule to walk by and they are not bound to attend to any rule whatsoever that is without them but to walk by the rule of the Spirit of God that is within them To whom I say it is a great mistake that the Spirit of the Lord in us should be a rule for us to walk by the Spirit is not the rule the Spirit is given to open the rule the Spirit is given to shine upon the rule to declare the rule but the Spirit of the Lord is not the rule It is true indeed we cannot know the rule at least in the spiritual nature of it till the Spirit of the Lord doth open it as a man cannot see what time of day it is by the Sun-dyall till the Sun shine upon it ah but the Dyall is the rule And so it is a great mistake while men think that the Spirit is the rule when as the Word of the Lord is the rule to the Law and to the testimony if any man walk not according to this rule And so Christ tells his Disciples that the Spirit is not given to manifest and discover any new thing but what Christ hath laid dowâ— in his Word look into John 16. 13. Howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come Mark how clear it is that the
and then he was but sixteen years old and yet he exprest more zeal for God then all the Kings And so among Job's friends God speaks best of Elihu the young man and of all the Evangelisâ—s none like to Timothy he was trained up and had known the Scriptures from a child Nay you shall find that the very children did follow Christ when Christ came into the Temple Matth. 21. 15. and cryed Hosanna to the Son of David the Scribes â—â—d Pharisees they were offended when they heard â—â—e children cry Hosanna to the son of David he â—â—d perfect his praise out of the mouths of babes â—â—d sucklings the children cryed Hosanna to the â—on of God so that weak in respect of age the â—oâ—d many times makes choice of Fourthly Weak in respect of sex and that is a â—oman she is called the weaker vessel and yet he many times reveals himself to women and unto women sooner then men This woman of Canaanâ—â—sthe â—â—sthe first that comes to Christ in all these coasts we read of no man that came to Christ and so â—he woman of Samaria John 4. she was the first of all that City that was converted to Christ Christ first speaks to her and draws her heart to â—elieve on him and then she runs to the City and calls all her friends And so in Luke 8. 2. you â—ead of divers women that followed Christ there were divers weak women followed after Christ â—nd did minister to him And so in the Acts of the Apostles when the Apostles came to some Ciâ—ies the women came first and were more forward â—hen men to hear the Gospel Acts 16. 13 14. And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city by a rivers side where prayer was wont to be made and we sat down and spake unto the women which resorted thither And a certain woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira which worshipped God heard us whose heart the Lord opened c. The women were the first that came to hear and here is mention made of Lydia whose heart the Lord opened and she received the Word of God and received Christ And thus you see this particular also cleared that the Lord maâ—â— times makes choice of the weakest and makâ— them to come to Christ But secondly to speak to the second part 〈◊〉 the doctrine that the Lord doth not only maâ—â— choice of the weakest but of the most unworthieâ—â— and I shall speak only of unworthiness in respeâ—â— of parentage or kindred this woman she caâ—â— of the stock of the Canaanites which were a wicâ—â—ed and cursed generation you read divers timeâ— in Scripture what they were and what great sinâ—ners how they were a people that were given oveâ— to all whoredome and witchcraft and cruelty 〈◊〉 such as did offer their sons and daughters to Dâ—â—vils those were the abominations of the Canaâ—â—nites yet behold here is one of the stock 〈◊〉 the Canaanites that lay under a curse cursed 〈◊〉 Cain they were strangers to God and the Coveâ—nant and counted dogs by the Israelites yet thâ— woman is pluckt out and the Lord works faith 〈◊〉 her heart But to give you some Instances in Scripture Thâ— Lord pulls out Abraham from an idolatrous peâ—â—ple idolatrous kindred and makes him to be excelâ—lent in faith and the Father of the faithful Anâ— so you read of Rahab that was of the Nation thâ—â— God destroyed and by faith she was saved and 〈◊〉 houshold And so you read of Ruth that was 〈◊〉 the stock of Moab yet the Lord makes choice 〈◊〉 her and brings her to be a Proselyte in Israel anâ— though she was one that came of Moab yet she was made a Mother in Israel So you see the second Particular Thirdly to speak to the third branch of the Doctrine That the Lord makes choice of thâ—se that were most sinful This woman was not only a Canaanite but was as sinful as the Canaanites before the Lord brought her in to himself The Lord makes choice of those that are most sinful Manasseh of all the Kings none like Manasseh none like him for vileness and wickedness he did worse then the Canaanites that were cast out of the Land before the children of Israel yet the Lord makes choice of him Manasseh's heart at last was turned to the Lord. And so among all the persecuters of Christ and his Church except those that sinned against the holy Ghost none a greater persecuter then Paul he did it with a great deal of violence and he sayes he made the poor Christians to blaspheme the name of Christ so violent was I and so mad was I that I persecuted them to strange cities and haled them to prison and when they were judged to death I gave my consent and my voice was among those that gave sentence of judgement for their death And yet the Lord had mercy upon Paul and he was brought at last to believe in Christ and of a persecuter he was made a Preacher of the Gospel and of the faith that once he destroyed And so divers Instances I might give you of those that were most sinful which the Lord brought home to Christ Yea such as lived in Christs time of all the people the Publicans and Harlots were the worst None like to Zacheus a great oppressor one that had done much wrong and one that did beaâ— himself up upon his riches he was a rich Robber â—ah but the Lord makes choice of Zacheus Christ calls him and he comes down and then he turnes his hand against his sin that was so dear to him and makes restitution of the wrong he had done And so among all the Harlots none worse then Mary Magdalen who had seven Devils cast out of her and yet the Lord makes choice of Mary Magdalen she was brought in to Christ and made most excellent among women Thus you see the Lord many times doth make choice both of the weakest and of the unworthiest in respect of kindred and stock and of the most sinfullest To shut up all briefly with a little Application First of all here is an invitation that this Doctrine doth give to divers sorts to come to Christ this Doctrine invites the weakest and the unworthiest and the sinfullest to come to Christ Let me speak to the weakest O you that are weak in estates weak in parts that you would perswade your hearts to come to Christ know thâ—â— this weakness shall be no block in your way Christ will as soon receive you as the strong And leâ— me speak to those that are weak in respect of age O that you would perswade your hearts to loâ—â— after Christ to seek after Christ betimes to see after faith in the name of the Son of God Loâ—â— upon the example of young men spoken of 〈◊〉 your imitation Samuel the Prophet and Josiah the King Timothy the Evangelist Oh that childreâ— young men would look to those patterns and examples for
their imitation think upon the children that sung Hosanna O that children and youâ—â— men would read that place the very children suâ— Hosanna to the son of David Oh what sweâ—â— musick was it What heavenly musick to heâ—â— young men and children to be praising the name of Christ Children in tender years they sung Hosanna and oh that this might be a pattern for children Children fear the Lord look after him in tender years that while other children are blaspheming and cursing you may be singing of praise to the Lord O what heavenly musick is it The Lord Christ will take it well at your hand if you that are young will begin in tender years to look after Christ and lift up the name of Christ Christ took the part of those children the Pharisees were offended that the Children should cry Hosanna but Christ he took it well and he pleaded for them this is that which is written saith Christ Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings wilt thou ordain praise Christ will take it well at your hands if you that are children will be singing Hosanna to the Son of David Christ will take it well at your hands if you will be praising and praying to the Lord though accompanied with a great deal of weakness as it is like they sung Hosanna with a great deal of weakness yet Christ takes it well at their hand and saith this is that which is written Out of the mouth of babes and suoklings thou wilt ordain praise And let me speak to women the weaker sex the Lord as you have heard doth make choice of the weakest and you have had the example of women set before you that the Lord hath done good to O remember the women that ministred to Christ remember the women that followed the Apostles to the rivers side remember Lydia whose heart the Lord opened and the woman of Samaria and this woman of Canaan and oh that this might be an incouragement to women be not discouraged because of your weakness and do not say I know not how to come to Christ Why the Lord makes choice of the weakest and they are brought home sooner then the strong And O that it might be an incouragement for you to come to Christ And let me say to all women that hear me this day The woman was first in the transgression O that that might provoke women to look after Christ the woman was the first that sinned and the woman was the first that was deceived and therefore oh that women would be the first in coming to Christ And let me tell you that if there be any women that hear me this day and hear the Word of the Lord and shall despise it and will not come to Christ but stay at home and dwell in themselves in their lusts take heed that the Lord doe not leave you for the refusal of the tender of Christ to be worse then the vilest of men Wicked women the Lord hath left them many times to be worse then the worst of men You know what Jezabel was a mother of witchcraft and whoredome Ahab was bad enough but she was 〈◊〉 times worse drew him on to shed all the bloud of the innocent And you know that Herodias heard John as well as Herod but she received not the Word and Herodias was worse then Herod whâ—â— would have thought that there had been so much cruelty in her heart towards John a good man And therefore women take heed how you deâ—spise the word of Grace least the Lord leaâ—â— you to greater abominations and you becomeâ— worse then the vilest of men And let me speak also unto those that are unworthy in respect of parentage If there be any here that with a sad heart look upon their kindred and fathers house as being such as know not God but are contrary to God O let not that be any block in your way you may be accepted of Christ though you come of the vilest kindred your kindred cannot be worse then the kindred of the woman of Canaan was they were cast out of the Land a cursed Generation and therefore all the sins of your parents shall not be any block in your way the child shall not bear the sin of the parents if the child be coming to Christ and taking hold of his Covenant all the sins of your parents shall not be any block in your way but you shall be welcome to Christ And so for those that are sensible of personal transgression O let not that be any block in your way to hinder you from coming to Christ though you have sinned greatly with a high hand yet do not go on to estrange your selves from the Lord by keeping at a distance from Christ and by adding unbelief to all your sin which will set home all your sin and bind them all upon your back O that those that have committed great offences might see what a door the Gospel to Christ opens to them to come in to Christ And let me say for your incouragement that the Grace of the Lord shall appear the more towards you the more sinful you are the more rich and glorious and excellent shall the Grace of the Lord appear to you and know that Grace is never more glorious then when it triumphs over great iniquities when Grace doth triumph over great transgressions O then the Grace of God is glorious grace towards you shal be exceeding glorious And it shall be for the Lords honour to receive you to passe by and to forgive seventy times seven It is the honour of a man a mans glory why it is the glory of the great God to forgive many and great transgressions and there shall be the more joy in heaven for your return the greater sinners you have been the more glad shall the heart of Christ be When the Prodigall son came home what joy was there at his return And let me say to you that all your transgressions shall not be mentioned though he or she hath been never so vile yet if the Lord doth give any sinner a heart to come to Christ the Word of the Lord shall be made good That all their sins shall not be mentioned Ezek. 18. 21 22. If the wicked forsake his way all his transgressions shall not be mentioned Oh that this might incourage unworthy ones to look to Christ And truly if unworthy ones shall not be perswaded by this to come to Christ know that this example of the woman of Canaan will rise up in judgement against you she was as unworthy and sinful as you and oh what a cutting thing will it be when sinners shall see Manasseh and Paul and Mary Magdalen and the woman of Samaria and this woman of Canaan to sit down with Christ and they themselves shut out O that God would help you to imbrace the Gospel and know that all unworthiness and sinfulness shall be no block in your way if the Lord now perswade your heart to
make a close with Christ And to draw to a conclusion let us labour to help forward Gods design Doth God make choice of such O then we should help forward Gods work especially where any stand related to us weakness shall not hinder they may come to Christ and therefore be in the use of the means pray for them and speak to them and improve every talent that God hath given you even for the weakest and unworthiest And again take heed that we do not murmur against any of the dispensations of the Lord take heed we do not envy this dispensation and that our hearts do not rise up against it that we do not murmur when we see such and such profess the name of Christ and they are very forward and such as were young children and such poor weak women Now what a high profession do they make The Pharisees they were offended when as the rude people as they called them that knew not the Law they followed after Christ Oh this made the Gospel and Christ a stumbling block to them And so when as the children did confess Christ and sung Hosanna to the son of David the Pharisees were offended it troubled them at the heart that the children should cry out so it was a trouble to them Take heed that we be not offended when the Lord makes choice of young ones and they are too forward as some think why this is no more then what the Lord hath promised to pour out his Spirit upon young men take heed we be not offended at it we should rather rejoyce in it when you see young ones weak ones and sinfull ones come in to Christ and are high in profession oh you should rejoyce in it And let your souls wonder at this dispensation do not envy it but do you wonder at it The Evangelist Matthew he placeth a note of wonder behold a woman of Canaan it was a wonder and we should stand and wonder at Gods secret dispensation O here is the mysterie of the Gospel that weak ones and sinful ones are brought in to Christ And rejoyce in it as Christ did and bless the Lord for it though they have more then we have yet do not envy it but know that this pleaseth the Lord and the Lord will so have it I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth for so it seemeth good in thy sight Christs soul was taken with it O here is a wonder indeed for which God is to be blessed and praised And so if God be your Father when you see this do not envy it but rejoyce in it as Christ did though I have little I thank thee that thou art pleased to give out so much of thy self to such and such that weak ones and unworthy ones are brought in to Christ And last of all You that are weak in respect of parts and gifts and poor and unworthy and weak in respect of sex or of vile parentage and yet the Lord hath pluckt you out and vile and great sinners and yet the Lord hath brought you home to himself O bless the Lord for this his dispensation toward you If the Evangelist look upon the woman and say Behold the woman of Canaan O look upon your selves with admiration Behold the Grace of God which is revealed to you though poor wretches O know that you are ingaged to the Lord for this mercy that God should chuse you the weakest the unworthiest and the sinfullest And do you labour to walk worthy of this mercy Oh if the Lord hath chosen you that vvere the sinfullest O labour to bring much honour unto God as you have brought much dishonour and to hold forth the contrary graces to those great transgressions And if the Lord hath brought you in that are vveak ones women is there ever a vveak vvoman that the Lord hath made choice of O admire vvith fear this dispensation of God and bless him for his Grace to you and labour to adorn the Doctrine of God and your Saviour vvith a gracious conversation and study the Graces the Apostle Peter commends to you that you should be much in the exercise of faith and adorn themselves vvith a meek and quiet spirit O this meek and quiet spirit this sober and this modest conversation and obedience to Husbands these Graces Christ by the Apostle doth commend to you and you are ingaged to do all this and more for Christ because he hath had respect to the vveakest Matth. 15. 22. And cryed unto him saying have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David SERMON III. YOu have seen the woman and now you shall hear her speak She cryed unto him saying Have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David Observe here is a declaration of her faith and that we shall first take notice of her faith is declared by a notable confession that she makes of Christ Her confession O Lord thou son of David it is short but a great deal is in it First of all she doth acknowledge him to be Lord Lord of all to be infinite in power the Lord of Heaven and Earth one that was able to do whatsoever he pleaseth one that was able to cast out the Devil by speaking one word for she comes in the behalf of her Daughter and closeth with Christ as Lord where she doth acknowledge his divinity that he was Lord over all God blessed for ever and had power in his hand and abillity to do whatsoever he pleased That is the first part of her confession she confessed that Christ was Lord. Secondly She confesses that he was the son of David O Lord thou son of David and therein she doth acknowledge his Humanity as she acknowledged that he was Lord so she acknowledged that he was true man 2. She doth acknowledge that he was the promised Messias that is comprehended in that title Thou son of David She doth acknowledge that he was that Messias that was promised should arise out of the House of David that should come of the seed of David the promised Messias that was promised to be the deliverer of his people so she doth acknowledge for she calls him the son of David he that was promised should come of the house of David whom God had promised to raise up to be a horn of salvation So you see her confession she confesses his Divinity comes to him as God confesses his Humanity comes to him as Man and she comes to him as the Messias one that was appointed of God to be a Saviour and one of the house of David Here is as full and as large a confession as any of the Disciples make of Christ Quest But it may be queried Why she calls him the son of David she might have exprest him to have been true man and called him the son of Adam why not the son of Adam or the son of Abraham why does she call him the son of David Answ I answer in general Christ
reason of mine affliction unto the Lord out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardest my voice He was so low in his own apprehension as was possible for him to be in the belly of hell And what did he do I cried to the Lord he applied himself to the Lord and spread his sad condition before the Lord and he did not loose his labour Thou Lord heardest me Now for the grounds of the Point That faith will teach a soul to go to Christ and make his complaint to Christ in all his affliction for faith discovers to a soul that all afflictions are from God the Lords hand is in all the crosses and troubles and whatsoever is matter of complaint the hand of God is in it Is there any evil in the city and I have not done it saith the Lord by the Prophet Amos Is there any evil of affliction that I have not brought upon a people As to the evil of sin that is not from God for that is no being that is a privation but as for affliction all the affliction that doth berall the children of men it is from the hand of God and upon this ground Eliphaz perswadeth Job to apply himself to God Job 5. 6 8. Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither does trouble spring out of the ground I would speak unto God and unto God would I commit my cause Trouble doth not spring from the ground it is not from second causes whatsoever trouble the people of God meet withall â—any of the sons of men it springs not from the dust Whence then It is from the hand of God there is a secret wheel a great wheel of providence that sets all on work second causes cannot move if that great wheel does not move so then when this comes to be reallized to the soul as faith doth discover it because God hath spoken it that trouble is from God whether inward or outward therefore it will carry the soul unto God and make the soul apply it self to God and Christ alone Secondly Faith doth discover that as all afflictions are from God and makes the soul see the hand of God in every stroke so it doth discover that the end of all afflictions is to carry the soul to God that is the end of all afflictions to bring God and the soul nigher together God doth not love to have any of his people at a distance from him and therefore he sends forth affliction to bring them nigher to himself And therefore in Hosea 5. 15. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early He brings affliction for this very end that they may draw nigh to him And in chap. 6. 1. you may see the fruit of their affliction Come and let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up This is the fruit of their affliction they were brought nigher to God God will have his people injoy more communion with him dwell with him and make them more conformable to him more like to himself and therefore many times he layes great and sore afflictions upon them For when the Saints shall be in such a staâ—e and such a condition as nothing shall come betwixt God and them when they shall so dwell in God as never to goe out from God when there shall come no sin no corruption betwixt God and them then there shall be no more affliction then the Lord God shall wipe away teares from the faces of his people no more sorrow and sighing now the end is attained when they are gotten so nigh to God as nothing can come betwixt God and them Now when faith discovers this that it is the end of affliction to bring the soul nigher to God it puts the soul upon it in its affliction to return and apply it self to God alone Thirdly Faith will make a soul come to Christ and Christ alone in distress for faith doth discover that the help of the creature is in vain in time of distress it is faith that doth reallize to the soul the vanity of the creature and that the creature cannot help in the day of distress And therefore the Psalmist cries out Psal 60. 11. Help Lord for vain is the help of man Man cannot help and therefore he applies himself to God alone Help Lord for vain is the help of man Till the soul sees that vain is the help of the creature it will not in good earnest cry Help Lord faith shews the soul that in vain is salvation hoped for from the hils and from the multitude of mountains in vain is salvation hoped for from creatures from great men the highest of all There is many a poor soul can tell you by sad experience and say it by sad experience in vain have I sought help from men and cried to men and spread my complaints before men and therefore it is good for me to draw nigh to God for if you look upon all the sons of men you shall see how fruitless a thing it is for a poor soul in distress to apply it self to man and to go and pour out his complaints to man he may speak to such men as are not at all sensible of what he speaks he may tell a sad relation of his sufferings and burdens and yet not at all affect the heart of him that he speaks to There are some such men in the world nay very many that regard not the affliction of Joseph that are altogether insensible of the burden that lay upon other poor creatures that hath no compassion and cannot be affected It is said of Gallio that he cared for none of those things when as they made complaints of things of Religion he cared for none of those things and so when some come and make complaints of their burdens they care for none of those things And thus it was with Lazarus that lay at the rich mans gate it is very like he made many complaints shewed him his sorrow and sores but his heart was not at all affected the very dogs had more pitty upon him they came and licked his sores And so it is many times when we make our complaints to men they regard not Or secondly Sometimes when we make complaints to men though there be some pitty and some compassion in them and they will expresse it in good words yet very little help and assistance will many men afford they will seem to pitty and have compassion but there are some men that will do very little to the relief of a poor creature under distress that comes and makes complaints of his burdens The Apostle James speaks of some such chap. 2. 15 16. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto him depart in peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding
be upon God then he will not expect much from the creature and applies himself to the creatures because they are means and because it is an Ordinance but dare not expect much Secondly If a man doe meet with disappointments and he do apply himself to the creature in Gods way disappointments will not add any great trouble or vexation to that man or woman though he meet with little refreshment nay though instead of help and refreshment he should meet with an addition of his sorrow and trouble yet if in Gods way he will not be troubled because his eye is upon God and I see it is not the will of the Lord I should yet have comfort and why should I fret my self seeing the Instrument is but an empty pipe and no creature can refresh me if the Lord doe not refresh me And thus you have seen when we are in Gods way and when out of Gods way in applying our selves to the creature and looking to the creature for help and for relief And O that this might teach us to go more to God and apply our selves more to Christ Object But it may be some poor soul will say Well I have not only gone to the creature but I have applyed my self to God and yet truly I meet with little refreshment I have cryed to Christ in the time of my affliction and yet my burden doth continue Answ First To this I answer It may be when thou hast come to Christ thou hast complained of thy burden and of thy affliction but thou hast not complained of thy sin thou hast not complained of that which is the greatest matter of complaint and if thou hast at any time looked more to thy burden and affliction and hast not complained of that which is the greatest matter of complaint no wonder then though thou hast met with no ease Secondly Let me say it may be thou hast brought thy complaints and spread them before the Lord yet thou hast not left thy burden with the Lord many a soul comes with a great burden ah but it carries it away and does not leave it with the Lord and if the burden be not left with the Lord no wonder that we have no ease Christ is willing we should leave our burdens with him and in so doing we shall finde refreshment Thirdly And let me say further that it may be the Lord hath heard thy cry and thy complaint but thou art not aware of it thou hast not taken notice of it through unthankfulnesse thou hast not observed that which the Lord hath done the Lord at least he hath thus farre heard thee that he hath supported thy spirit under thy burden and thou hast been kept up so that thy soul hath not failed and thy spirit hath not fainted under thy burden and truly this is a great mercy and worthy to be taken notice of And this is the difference between your going to God and the creature Oh that we might be invited by this to apply our selves more to Christ in time of distresse and spread our complaints before Christ for in going to the creature many times the spirit is wounded ah but in going to God the spirit shall be supported though Christ doe not give out a present answer yet the heart shall be supported under all its burdens but now in going to man many times the heart and the spirit it is wounded by those disappointments that we meet withall while we expect that from the creature which it cannot do Two things only I shall propound to urge this duty upon you to make us more in going to Christ and less to the creature It is a great sin and folly when as we leave Christ and goe to the creature in the day of our distress First It is a great sin for what do we then but set up the creature in the room of Christ You know how sensible Jacob was of this evil he lookt upon it as a great evil when as Rachel came to him she wanted children she comes to her Husband Give me children or I die O what sayes he Am I in Gods stead Can I give thee children When as she came and made her complaint to Jacob and murmured because she had not the mercy of children she goes to Jacob and sets up Jacob in Gods stead and so when we are under our burdens and make our complaints to the creature and not to God why the creature may say as Jacob am I in Gods stead Secondly There is a world of folly in it in going from God in time of distress to the creature It is a piece of greâ—â— folly for a man to go from the fountain to the broken cistern to leave the fountain and think a broken cistern should supply him It is a great deal of folly for a man to go to a deaf man one that cannot hear pour out his complaints expect that he should speak a word of refreshment so much folly there is when we go to the creature and do not apply our selves to God If a man should go to a begger one that hath no food or rayment and a man should spend a deal of time in asking food and rayment and if he do not give it go away railing what a deal of folly were it And so a great deal of Folly there is when we do go to the creature and do not go to God we go to them that are poor and naked and forsake God that hath all store of provision and mercy laid up in himself O that the consideration of our sin and folly in going to the creatures might cause us at all times in our distresse to go to God as this poor woman did and cry to him that is the Lord. Matth. 15. 22. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cryed unto him saying have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil SERMON V. HEre is a declaration of this womans faith the tryall of it and the conquest of it The last day we came to consider the declaration of this womans faith in the fruits of it it carries her soul to Christ in a way of supplication and prayer and the Argument she useth in prayer is only the free Grace of Christ Have mercy on me thou son of David The Doctrine was this That whereever there is 〈◊〉 seed of faith in any foul it will carry it out to Christ and make the soul cry unto him and take hold of his mercy We divided it into three Propositions First That faith will carry the soul to Christ in time of affliction and make it seek to Christ and Christ alone Secondly Afflictions when they are great and strong will raise strong cries Thirdly A gracious heart pleads only mercy and free grace only takes hold of mercy and looks not at all to his own worthiness I spake to the first of these the last day I shall
affliction and sorrow did increase so he cried the louder to his Father Luke 22. 44. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly he prayed the more when his affliction increased when he was in the midst of his agony then he cried more earnestly To make some short application of the Point First of all Let it be a word of examination there is none of us but at one time or other are pouring out our cries and complaints and especially in our affliction we are full of cries Now let us examine whether it be the cry of the flesh or the cry of the spirit whether it be accompanied with pride of heart and with impatiency and unbelief with murmuring and repining O that is the cry of the flesh and the sinful cry of the flesh which is far from the cry of the spirit But to give you two or three things that you may make use of by way of tryall First of all would you know whether your cry be the cry of the flesh or the cry of the spirit why then examine whether or no your cry and your complaint be not above your burden many a mans cry is greater then his bruden that God layes upon him it may be he makes his burden heavy by his strugling Jobs burden was not so it was heavy Now when a man shall cry out and say no affliction like to mine and no burden like to mine O this is a sinful cry Secondly When our cry is so great as to take us off from our duty either to God or man that cry is not a gracious but a sinful cry the cry of the spirit makes a soul wait upon God in a way of duty but now if a man in time of affliction is taken off from his duty surely that cry is a sinful cry Thirdly When a man in the day of affliction cries so loud that he cannot hear what the Lord speaks to him God comes and speaks graciously offers comfort but the cry of the soul is so loud that it cannot hear what God speaks that a man shall be taken up with complaints as to refuse all the comfort that God sends him this is a sinful cry this was the cry of that afflicted man Psal 77. 2. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted Nay when as a man or woman in the time of affliction shall not only refuse his comfort but justifie his complaint as Jonah did he justified his anger when God asked him Dost thou well to be angry Yea said he I do well to be angry This was a sinful passion And so when a man shall justifie any other passion his sorrow and complaining and say I do well to complain and in the bitterness of my spirit I complain this is a sinful cry And therefore secondly Let me desire in the name of the Lord that we would take heed how we give way to these sinful cries and complainings these cryings out which spring from pride impatiencie and unbelief O I pray take heed of giving way to these sinful complaints For first I pray consider a little that the hand of the Lord is in every affliction that is upon you O that that were seen that the hand of the Lord is in it Thou Lord didst is said David I was dumb and opened not my mouth for thou Lord didst it O that would silence the sinful cries of the flesh if the heart were sensible that the Lord did it and if the Lord did it then infinite wisdome hath done it and if infinite wisdome order this or that affliction why should we cry out of our afflictions Secondly Consider whatever your affliction be though you say none like mine it might have been seven times heavier infinite power could have heated the furnace seven times hotter and made his flery tryals seven times more sharp O then there is no cause why we should complain especially in the Third place If we consider what we have deserved at the Lords hand and O that when we pore so much upon our affliction we would look with one eye upon that which may help to silence our sinful complaints We have deserved that and a thousand times more at the hand of God Why should the living man complain man for the punishment of his sin O there is sin enough though it be true it is not alwayes for that God afflicts yet he may see enough for which he may afflict seven times more Now let our eye be upon this this was that which silenced Jeremiah Jer. 8. 14. Why do we sit still Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord our God hath put us to silence and hath given us waters of gall to drink because we have sinned against the Lord. Take heed how we open our mouth in the day of our affliction Thirdly and lastly Let it stir up all our souls to go to God through Christ and to cry more in the spirit and the greater our afflictions are so much the more let our cry be to Christ The time of affliction is no time to give over praying and crying but being in an agony he cryed more earnestly and so we in time of affliction we should cry more earnestly O that we might learn thus to cry with this gracious holy believing and servent cry The Lord Jesus hath given great incouragement to his servants to go and cry thus O what incouragement doth Christ give in Luke 11. 8 â— by a parable there of a man being in bed he hath no mind to rise but through importunity be is overcome And so by that Christ stirs up his Disciples to go and cry importunately to God their Father And so in Luke 18. there is another parable of the unjust Judge who neither feared God nor man yet because of the Widdows importunity he would judge her cause And shall not the Judge of all do right I tell you saith Christ he will avenge the elect that cry to him day and night And therefore Christ gives incouragement to you to go and cry earnestly and to wait upon the Lord and not to give over crying for the Lord hath the bowels of a father as the father pitties the child so the Lord pitties those that fear him Now the tender hearted parent is filled with compassion to the child if the child be under a heavie burden the bowels of a father is filled with compassion and will not let him lie under that burden and so the Lord when the spirit is even gone and the soul ready to saint and the Lord see that their strength is gone then the Lord will come in and exercise the bowels of a tender hearted father And know that many times the Lord doth hide himself and withdraw and seems to be far off from the requests of his people that so he may stir them up to
advantage and spared the life of Shimei though he had provoked David by his curses Now thus she reasons with her self the son of David the Messias of whom David was but a type he hath more mercie and compassion then David surely his bowels are infinite and therefore though she be a vile sinner an unworthy wretch yet she comes and takes hold of his mercie and there is nothing else that she pleads with Christ nothing else she rests upon only upon mercy no other Argument she useth only presents her great miserie her daughter is grievously vexed with a devil She takes hold of mercie So then the Observation is this That where there is true faith it will teach a soul to deny it self to look beyond it self it s own worthiness and righteousness and to take hold of mercie and of the free grace of God through Jesus Christ I shall open the point to you And first I shall give you Instances that the Saints in all Ages in their coming to God hath looked at nothing in themselves but hath only pleaded mercy and free grace in all their straits You know that Instance of Jacob when he was in a great strait he applied himself to the Lord he pleaded only mercy he doth not look to any worthiness in himself he doth not present that before the Lord as any motive Gen. 32. 10. he pleads no worthiness but looks to his own unworthiness O Lord I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies he doth not tell God that he had lived without blame that he had walked justly and had not defrauded but he had been a faithful Steward that he had walked religiously and eyed God in his wayes that he had set up a pillar and vowed a vow he pleads none of this but O Lord I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies And so Moses though he had done as much as most men that ever lived Deut. 3. 25. I pray thee let me go and see the good Land Here is not a tittle of any of the services that he had done for God that he doth mention he does not say Lord I have taken a great deal of paines with this people I have followed thy Commandements and suffered a great deal of hardship with them for thy sake no he only pleads mercie Thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand I pray thee let me go over and see the good Land And so David often in the Psalmes you shall find he is pleading with God and he makes mercie his refuge he pleads only mercie and free grace Psal 4. 1. he pleads that God would bear him in his mercie And you shall find that when the Servants of God hath pleaded for others they have urged nothing but mercie and free grace in all their supplications So the Prophet Jeremiah when he was pleading for the Church Jer. 14. 7. O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us do thou it for thy names sake for our back-sliding are many we have sinned against thee No mention of any righteousness no be mentions their iniquities Our back-slidings are many but do thou it for thy names sake And so the Prophet Daniel when he was pleading for the Lords people he looks beyond all righteousness of their own and pleads mercie Dan. 9. 17. Now therefore O our God hear the prayer of thy servant and his supplication and cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake He had before in verse 8. confessed all their iniquities and now O Lord sayes he do it for the Lords sake And if you look into the new Testament from the beginning to the end of the History of Christ you shall never find any that were accepted of Christ that pleaded any thing but mercy and free grace Matth. 9. 27. And when Jesus departed thence two blind men followed him crying and saying Thou son of David haue mercy on us And so in Matth. 17. 14 15. another comes to Christ and he useth only that Argument mercie Lord have mercy on my son for he is lunatick And in Matth. 20. 30. there is mention of two blind men sitting by the way side and they cried out Have mercy on us And in verse 13. the multitude rebuked them but they cried the more saying Have mercy on us O Lord thou son of David And so the same Argument the Lepers used vers 17. Jesus Master have mercy on us Indeed we read of some of the Elders of the Jews that came to Christ in the behalf of the Centurion and they plead his worthiness Luke 7. 4. And when they came to Jesus they besought him instantly saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this But now the good man himself he had no such thought of himself but he utterly denies it look into verse 6 7. Then Jesus went with them and when he was now not far from the house the Centurion sent friends to him saying unto him Lord trouble not thy self for I am not worthy thou shouldest enter under my roof verse 7. Wherefore neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee but say in a word and my servant shall be healed Neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee such a mean and low account had this man of himself First But I shall clear the Doctrine to you and make it out that a gracious heart where there is faith looks beyond all his own worthiness and righteousness and comes to Christ Secondly Shew you that the same gracious soul closes only with mercy and free grace First I say a gracious soul in its coming to Christ looks beyond all that is in himself and that both in its first coming and afterward in any disstresse closeth with the Lord and looks beyond his own worthiness and pleads only mercie In the souls first coming to Christ a gracious heart doth not not cannot look to any worthiness in it self for where the Spirit of the Lord is it doth discover to man what his vileness and miserie is now where there is a saving discovery to a soul of his own vileness it is not possible that that soul should plead any thing of his own before God For First of all The Spirit teacheth a man that he is empty destitute of all that which is good the soul is naked of all that which is good and is as a poor beggar that hath neither bread to eat nor clothes to put on but in a sad condition utterly bereaved of the Image of God In my flesh dwels no good thing sayes the Apostle though through grace he had received much from God yet in me in my flesh dwels no good things Now where there is a discoverie made to a soul that he is full of wants poor and naked surely such a soul can plead nothing but free grace Secondly The Spirit of the Lord discovers to a soul that it is not only full of wants
much upon his own justification what he was not and what he was I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice a week I give tithes of all I possess But the Publican he smote upon his brest saying God be merciful to me a sinner and the Publican he went away justified rather then the Pharisee Though hypocrites look at their services yet a gracious heart dare not look at any thing it hath done Matth. 25. When Christ takes notice what the Saints hath done and sayes Come ye blessed of my Father I was hungry and you gave me meat thirsty and you gave me drink naked and you cloathed me Why Lord say they when saw we thee a hungry thirsty and naked when did we these things to thee What did the Saints do good works ignorantly did good and did not know No that which is done out of ignorance is sinful no they knew what they did and that they did but according to the mind of Christ ah but when done they take no notice of it their right hand shall not know what their left hand doth for they dare not plead their services and their duties upon this account For they know whatever is good is not theirs but Christs whatever in them that is good and whatever good they have done is by the Lords Spirit and therefore they know there is nothing for them to plead by way of merit no the more they are inabled and assisted to do for Christ the more they are ingaged unto Christ Christ is not ingaged to them but they ingaged to Christ And besides whatever they have done in the service of the Lord as theirs it is accompanied with many weaknesses and frailties that if it were not for Christ and his righteousness and Christs presenting them God the Father could not accept the best service that ever was done by the best men And besides the Saints know that when they have done all they can they are unprofitable servants if they could do a thousand times more for God yet they have nothing to plead Christ teacheth us so Luke 17. 10. So likewise ye when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do Mark if it were possible for any of Gods people to do all that the Lord requires yet there is nothing to plead you have done but that which was your duty that which was your debt Now the payment of a debt is no ingagement he to whom the debt is paid is not ingaged you have done but your duty And so the best of all the Saints if they could do all that is required they do but pay their debt there is a debt of thankfulness not debt of justice we have done that which is duty which we owe to mercie and free grace Again the Saints cannot plead their sufferings Though a man suffer never so much and suffer never so well and suffer upon a good ground and suffer for the name of Christ yet there is nothing that he can plead by way of merit for there is no man suffers without sin there was merit in Christs sufferings because he suffered and had no sin of his own he was the Lamb of God without spot but now the best of Saints upon earth who do suffer for the name of Christ cannot suffer without sin though it is not punished for sin yet still there is sin in the person and so can be no desert And then beside it is that which the Saints owe to Chris as they owe all duties so they owe all suffering for the name of Christ and if they should suffer a thousand times more then ever any man suffered it is but what they owe and therefore suffering cannot be pleaded no more then services And so you have the first part of the point But of the second part to speak more briefly to that as a soul is taken off of it self so it pleads only mercie flees to free grace comes to naked mercie First For a gracious heart it sees and knows that there is a fulness in mercie to satisfie all its wants all its desires there is enough in mercie to make abundant supply to it as it sees there is that in it self which may make it run from it self so there is that in mercie and free grace which may make it run to it as to a City of refuge There is a fulness in mercie which may answer the soules desires and wants for as you heard before when the Lord doth discover to a man that he is a poor creature destitute and naked why the same spirit doth discover that there is enough in mercie to supply all wants mercie hath made great provision for the poor naked destitute creature and as it discovers to a soul that it is a sinful creature so the same spirit doth discover that there is enough in mercie to take away all sin and pardon all transgressions and mercie and free grace hath set open a fountain an infinite fountain a bottomless fountain of merit in the blood of Christ for the washing away of sin and as the soul sees that it is a poor weak creature so the same spirit doth discover to it that mercie is strong and mercie is able to reach him in every condition and able to lift him up in the lowest condition and as it sees that it is an enemie to God so the same spirit doth discover that mercie can reconcile it shew what is done for the reconciliation of poor creatures mercie hath given Jesus Christ for to slay the enmitie and to reconcile poor lost creatures Thus I say a gracious soul it will flee to mercie it sees that there is a fulness in mercie to answer all its wants Secondly And as it sees a fulness so there is a freeness in the Lords mercie and therefore runs to mercie as this woman did and pleads mercie and to cast her self into the armes of mercie because free see that the Lord is a tender hearted God and that mercie flew freely from him mercie makes free invitations the soul seeing and hearing that it is perswaded to apply it self to mercie Thirdly Such a soul will flee to mercie because it knows that all that God doth for his people in the business of salvation it is for the exaltation of mercie and free grace the great work of the redemption of souls it is only for the exaltation of mercie and free grace it vvas free grace that found out the vvay of redeeming souls and free grace that gave sinners to Christ and free grace that gave Christ for sinners and free grace gives Christ unto sinners and all that God doth in sanctifying and saving his people is upon the account of mercie and free grace and therefore the Lord he invites souls to himself and he makes choice of such as may most of all declare the
him to his own Mother to be his Nurse and she pays his own Mother for him And so the Lord he will deal with you that are parents that act in faith and perform your duties in faith the Lord will reward you for your love to your own children for taking care of your own children all your labour is taken notice of by the Lord and you shall be rewarded Oh! what an encourageis here to all Parents to look after faith in Christ that so your service may be accepted of the Lord One thing more and so I conclude and that is a word to children is it so that there is so much love in the hearts of Parents to their children is there so much that Parents do from love to children oh that children would labour to know what is their duty that they owe to Parents it cannot be told it cannot be exprest how much it is that children owe unto parents Children it is impossible that ever you should requite the love of your parents oh the pains the travel and sorrow of bringing forth and bringing up oh that children might know that there is a great engagement lies upon them to love their parents to respect their parents to take heed that they do not grieve their parents to pass by all in firmities of parents to shew all respect to them and when grown up to take care of them And this is a duty that Christ lays upon you though a Moral duty see what is said in 1 Tim. where children may see what Christ injoyns them 1 Tim. 5. 4. But if any widow have children or Nephews let them learn first to shew piety at home and to requite their parents for that is good and acceptable before God God lays this duty upon children you should labour to requite your parents to remember their love their care their sorrow their pains and travel and you are bound by the Law of Christ to requite your parents this is good this is piety and this is acceptable to God And so that place Levit. 19. 3. Ye shall fear every man his Mother and his Father and keep my Sabbaths I am the Lord your God Here is a duty that God lays upon children to fear every man his Mother and Father Children are most apt to despise their Mothers therefore the Lord begins there and lays that duty first that children should fear every man his Mother And take notice of it that this is a duty that the Lord sets before the keeping of his Sabbath as if the Lord should say in vain shall they pretend to be Religious if they do not fear and reverence every man his Mother and his Father I will not accept of your service It was a brand that was set upon Esau to all generations that he did that which was a grief to his Father and Mother Now children see your duty and remember your duty which the Lord Jesus lays upon you And oh that children would labour for faith that they may perform their duties Parents cannot love their children aright till they have faith and truly children cannot reverence their parents nor perform the duties they owe unto parents unless they have faith Oh then that Parents and children would look up to Christ for faith and then shall both be able through faith in Christ to perform that mutual duty that God requires from parents and children And to shut up all let this that hath been spoken strengthen the faith of all Gods people in Gods love to them Oh that by this we might ascend to the love of God! O that they that think they have not been concerned in what hath been spoken hitherto would know they are concerned in this The Lord would have you to ascend by the consideration of the bowels that are in parents to their children to a consideration of those infinite bowels that are in him towards you that are his children As the Father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him what ever workings of love are in the hearts of parents towards their children oh know that there is larger workings of love in the heart of God towards his children there are infinite bowels in the everlasting Father and if there be so much pity in the hearts of parents that they are willing and ready to give out good things to their children and willing to pass by and to pardon the miscarriages of their children oh how much more willing is our God to pass by and to pardon the failings of you that are his children oh that this might encourage prodigal children to return to the Lord If the father receive his child that hath been a prodigal why the Lord is ready to receive you though a prodigal if the Lord give you an heart to return though you have spent all and abused all your mercies yet the Lord is ready to pardon and to receive you And let it strengthen your faith and hope in Christ you that cleave to Christ for righteousness you that are the children of that everlasting Father oh know that Christ will plead for you Christ will cry to his Father for you Was the woman of Candan so affected with the misery of her daughter that she cries Lord have mercy on me my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil 〈◊〉 I say this found in this woman towards her daughter and shall not this be found in Christ towards his children oh then let this comfort you when you scarce dare go to God and cry your selves such and such a corruption doth annoy you such and such an unclean spirit is in you Oh! the Lord Jesus pities you under every spiritual burden when as you are troubled with unclean spirits he hath bowels of compassion towards you and know that he will go to his Father and cry to his Father and if he cry he cannot deny the son of his love but an answer shall be given to all those requests that Christ puts up for you or for any of his people Matth. 15. 23. But he answered her not a word SERMON VIII I Come now to speak of the trial of this womans faith and here is the first tryal of her faith he answered her not a word A very great trial a sore trial that this poor woman should in her great strait and under such a burden and pressure of spirit come to Jesus Christ and cry so earnestly unto him and believe so stedfastly upon him and yet Jesus Christ give her not one word of answer to her prayer this was a sore trial for this carriage of Christ it seems to be contrary to what she had heard of Christ and to what she believed was in Jesus Christ for Christ seemed now either to be without compassion to her he seems to take no notice not to be affected she complained and cried out of her great burden and Christ speaks not a word the Lord Jesus Christ seems either not to be affected with her
that can reach out mercy to the soul and speak a word of comfort and counsel God only can speak a word of strength a word of peace the creature cannot No it is God only I create the fruit of the lips peaâ—y peace Now when a soul looks up to the Lord and meets with nothing from him and knows that there is no answer to be expected from the creature this must needs be a great and a sore trial Fifthly it will appear to be a great trial if we consider that the flesh and Devil are exceeding ready to make a great advantage of this providence of God and dispensation towards his people for they will improve this to the dishonour of God and discomfort of the soul and therefore a great trial In two or three Particulars I shall shew you how ready the Flesh and Devil is to improve this to Gods dishonour and the souls discomfort First the Flesh and Devil will raise up many doubts and jealousies and mis-giving thoughtâ—â— both concerning God and concerning a man own condition and concerning the duties and services which are offered up to the Lord. They will make the soul to doubt of the goodness of God to doubt of the free-grace of God to doubt of the faithfulness of God of the truth of God Surely saith unbelief the Lord is not so gracious as thou hast taken him to be thou hast rested upon the Arm of his mercy and thou hast believed his grace to be sufficient for thee in every condition thou hast looked toward him as toward an infinite compassionate God but where are the compassions of the Lord now not to speak one word to relieve and comfort thee Thus will the Devil and the unbelieving heart object when the Lord doth not give out a present answer yea unbelief will be accusing the faithfulness of God Oh! where is his Word and his Promise He hath said that they that call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved He hath said Call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me â—h where is the faithfulness of God God is unmindful of his promise Asaph was under this temptation Psalm 77. 7 8. Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore And thus he goeth on making many Queries concerning the goodness and faithfulness of God Secondly as the Devil and the Flesh doth raise many doubts and jealousies concerning the faithfulness of God so there are many doubts cast into the soul concerning the eternal estate and condition of the soul and that upon this ground when as the soul hath sought the Lord and the Lord not answer presently the soul begins to doubt oh surely I am no child of God no sponse no friend God could not deal so with children not to give one word of comfort not one word of answer Oh surely I am an Hypocrite for the prayer of the upright is his delight and if there were any truth of heart in me the Lord would give out an answer and thus the Devil and the Flesh-raise many jealousies and fears about the souls eternal state Or Thirdly if the Devil and the Flesh prevail not so far as to cause the soul to question the goodness of God and the Truth of God or to question its own Sonship yet they will prevail so far as to make the soul question his services and his duties which it hath performed to God Oh! surely I have not spoken to the Lord as I ought surely I have not been fervent in Spirit serving the Lord my prayer hath been but words of my own not the teachings of his Spirit if it had been his own Spirit the Lord would have heard his own Spirit but my prayer hath been accompanied with so many infirmities as it hath not reached up to heaven And thus you see how many a poor soul is led into temptation upon this ground the Lords being silent to the prayers of his people But you will say wherefore doth the Lord thus try his people I answer sometimes indeed the fault is in our selves that we have no answer to our prayers for it is possible that a man or woman that hath faith in Jesus Christ may be remiss in their walkings they may neglect some known duty or they may connive and wink at some evil way and if so no wonder though the Lord be silent at their prayers If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer If David regard iniquity if there be any way of sin that his heart closeth with the Lord will be silent to his prayers if any iniquity be regarded no wonder though the Lord do not hear Yea sometimes Gods own people are found remiss in their duty and though they pray they pray remisly and coldly their prayer is accompanied with so much deadness and distraction there is so little life and so little spirit the Spirit speaks so low that the Lord cannot hear and he will not hear and when it is so that we pray coldly and lazily we make but a light matter of it and are not found crying to the Lord with our hearts no wonder though the Lord be silent to our prayers Yea sometimes Gods own people may miss of an answer because they do not look after an answer and then the fault is their own when as we shall put up our petition and shall not be looking after our prayer shall not be found looking up as David speaketh Psalm 5. 3. In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up I will wait for an answer and hear what God the Lord will speak Psalm 85. 8. But when we do not regard our prayer then no wonder there is no answer I say therefore the Lord is sometimes silent to the prayers of his own people and the fault is in themselves But the Lord is not alwayes silent upon these grounds A gracious heart may walk close with God and may regard no iniquity and desire not to connive at any sin and it may wait upon the Lord for an answer and yet the Lord may be silent and give no present answer to the prayers of his people Why so why will the Lord deal so with any of his people I answer for gracious ends as First that they may exercise the spirit of prayer which is given out the Lord he loves to hear the cry of his people he loves to hear the voice of the children when they speak in prayer there is nothing on eath that God delights more in 〈◊〉 let me see thy face and let me hear thy voice saith Christ to his Spouse for thy voice is sweet Noâ— because the voice of faith in prayer 〈◊〉 sweet to the Lord the Lord he seemeth 〈◊〉 to hear or not to take notice for the present thâ—â— so they may pray the
though thou dost not meet with one word of answer from the Lord though thou hast cryed nights and dayes weekes months and years and hast not met with with one word of answer yet be comforted this may be the condition of Gods own people And let me say further by way of encouragement that the Lord he extends much good to thee in this deferring and delaying to give out an answer it is for gracious and merciful ends to thy soul that the Lord do not give thee the present mercy thou prayest for he will exercise the spirit of prayer he will exercise thy faith and patience and he will fit thee for mercy and mercy for thee and thou shalt have it so at last as thou shalt bless God for it Yea let me say further though an answer be not given out thy prayer is heard and thy person 〈◊〉 accepted Thy prayer is heard with the Lord oh that that might be a stay to poor souls that are in this condition as the woman of Canaan was that cry and have cryed long I say thy prayer is heard Oh sayes the soul that I knew my prayer were heard if I did but know that the Lord hath heard my prayer I would be content to wait all my dayes for an answer I have been crying for the light of his countenance and for the assurance of his love I have been crying night and day and if the Lord hath heard my prayer I should be content to wait for an answer But how shall I know that the Lord hath heard my prayer I answer thus First of all by that secret support by those secret hints which the Lord is pleased at one time or other to bring to thy spirit some hint of life some hint of comfort Surely if thou hast observed while thou hast waited upon the Lord there hath been some secrets hints of comfort that after thou hast been before the Lord thou hast been at ease and thy trouble is not so great as it was Hannah when she poured out her soul before the Lord she was in great distress but before she went away the Lord heard her prayer and this was the sign there was some ease in her spirit her burden was taken off a great deal refreshed in her spirit and so though the Lord hath given thee but the least hint of comfort the Lord hath heard thy prayer and in due time he will give a full answer Secondly thou mayst know that the Lord hath heard thy prayer by that strength he hath given thee to go thorow Thou art under sore afflictions and temptations such as are ready to break thy very spirit to make thy soul fade and faint and yet thou art supported thou hast cryed to the Lord and thou saist thou hast no answer why doth nor the Lord support thee if the Lord doth support thee and bear thee up under thy burden he doth in some measure answer thee or else how comes it to pass thou hast not sunk under thy burden when Paul besought the Lord under his temptation he prayed thrice that is often that God would take off the Messenger of Satan the temptation was not taken off ah but Paul was heard in his prayer in that the Lord did bear him up under his temptation My grace is sufficient for thee though I do not think good to remove the temptation I have heard thy prayer my grace is sufficient for thee So then remember poor soul that if the Lord hath supported thee the Lord hath heard thy prayer Thirdly doth the Lord carry on thy soul to continue in thy prayer that although thou hast prayed and met with no answer yet thou art resolved still to go on and sayst though the Lord hath not spoken one word to me I will not give over speaking to him but my soul shall still cry after God That was the resolution David took up Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after I have desired it and though I have not attained it I will seek after it as long as I live Is it so that the Lord doth carry up thy spirit still to wait upon him and still thou art crying and breathing after the Lord in prayer that very thing is a certain sign that the Lord hath heard thy prayer Fourthly doth the Lord enable thee and make thee willing to wait upon him thou hast not a present answer yet thou wilt wait as David when he had been at prayer he waited for the mercy Psalm 27. 14. Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart Wait I say on the Lord. Oh my heart wait I say wait on the Lord Hast thou through grace so spoken to thine own heart I have no answer but I desire to wait and I check mine own heart that I can wait no more quietly I speak to mine own heart to wait I say wait on the Lord if it be so the Lord hath heard thy prayer Fifthly observe how thy spirit and how thy carriage is towards God in that time of Gods delay Is thy heart kept up towards God and thy conversation in a way of obedience that thou art desirous still to walk with God and thou durst not go out from God though God give thee no answer but thy heart is made more humble and thou art more meek and more obedient and more watchful and observant of thy heart and watchful over thy wayes is it so the Lord hath heard thy prayer though he gives thee no answer And therefore I say take no care for an answer I speak to such poor souls as have prayed and cryed and have not met with one word of answer from the Lord take no care for an answer only mind that which is thy duty and let the Lord alone he is preparing an answer he is waiting to be gracious he waits for a fit season for such a season as his grace and mercy may be most exalted be not thou so solicitous about an answer but mind what is thy work and thy duty And do thou hold on thy duty in praying to pray in crying to cry yea do thou cry louder then even and the more Christ seems to stop his ears and shut his mouth and give no answer the louder do thou cry as this poor woman did ver 25. Lord help me Secondly this is thy duty while the Lord thus deals with thee to justifie God and condemn thy self clear the Lord lay the blame upon thy self say the Lord is righteous and the Lord is holy and though he make wait me longer and longer yea many years for this mercy yet the Lord is righteous and there is no iniquity in him the Lord cried and I did not hear and the Lord is righteous though he makes me wait long the Lord is gracious that he speaks at all to such a poor creature that there is any promise that he will give out an
answer Oh justifie God and say the Lord is holy thus did the Psalmist Psalm 22. 3. But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel though thou dealest thus with me thou art holy thou art just and thou art righteous and thou art good and faithful though silent for the present to my prayer And so let us say if the Lord be silent to any of our prayers yet Lord thou art holy thou art righteous Thirdly this is thy duty labour to maintain good thoughts of God it is not enough to justifie not to charge God but to maintain good thoughts of God at that time that God is silent to our prayers and do thou believe that God is contriving good at that time now is the Lord waiting to be gracious and preparing an answer Oh this is a blessed frame of heart and how pleasing would it be to God to believe that he is good and that he is gracious and this very thing it is for good for the good of my soul that he may exercise faith and patience and try my perseverance and that he may fit me for mercy and mercy for me Oh that we could entertain good thoughts of a gracious God when he defers an answer Fourthly be looking to God through the Mediator close more with him through the Son look to the great God through the son of David look to him through that merciful and compassionate High-Priest look more to God through Christ and there rest Fifthly and lastly wait patiently for him oh take up a resolution to wait upon the Lord charge thy own heart to do it as David did and though he speaks not to day nor to morrow though he speaks not this month this year not in this opportunity yet say I will wait for the Lord I will wait in every season and get upon the watch-tower and wait patiently and see which way Christ will come to thy soul know it is thy duty to wait take hold of his promise he is a God of judgement and waiteth to be gracious he waiteth for an opportunity and therefore it is good thou shouldst wait it is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Matth. 15. 23. And his Disciples came and besought him saying send her away for she crieth after us SERMON IX CHrist as you have heard is silent to the prayer of the woman he answered her not a word whereupon the Disciples they step in and perform an office and duty of love for this poor woman they step in and they plead with Christ for her Lord send her away for she crieth after us It is a great question with some whether the Disciples did pray for this woman here or no some think that they did not make any request for her there is no mention of any they only say Lord send her away for she crieth after us Lord stop her mouth send her away give her an answer dispatch her for she crieth after us and this was done say they that so the trial of this womans faith might be the greater But I rather conceive that the Disciples in these words did pray for her they did perform an office and duty of love in interceding with Christ for her For First of all it seems they were very earnest in it they came and besought him saying send her away Surely if it had been only to stop her mouth to dispatch her the Disciples would not have been so earnest with Christ to beseech him good nature would have taught them more compassion and therefore grace teacheth them much more And then they seem to be affected with the cry of the woman she crieth after us send her away it breaks our hearts the cries that she makes Thou Son of David have mercy on me And thirdly it is clear and evident in the following verse from the answer that Christ gives upon their seeking of him I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Therefore it is evident that the Disciples did not plead with Christ to send her away to stop her mouth but they did plead with Christ though not mentioned that he would grant her request The truth then which the words hold forth to us is this That it is the duty of Christs Disciples to present the conditions of others unto the Lord in prayer as well as their own We find that Moses the servant of the Lord was much in this work much in praying for others and interceding for Israel upon every occasion he steps in and pleadeth with God for the people And so David in many of the Psalms he presents the conditions of others unto the Lord. And our Lord Jesus Christ himself who is our great pattern was much in the performance of this duty John 17. you shall â—nd there that the most part of the time that Christ spent in prayer it was spent in praying for others there is but one petition that he put for himself in ver 1. and repeated again in ver 5. and all the rest of his time it was spent in praying for others for the Disciples for those that were converted and for those that did belong to God that were not converted Many requests the Lord Jesus makes in the behalf of others and but one for himself And so the Apostle Paul who was a follower of Christ he was much in this work of praying for others Rom. 1. 9. he did appeal to God that he did not neglect this duty For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers And so 2 Tim. 1. 3. I thank God whom I serve from my fore-fathers with pure conscience that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers Paul did remember others before the Lord. But in the opening of the point I shall shew you First who they are that we are bound to pray for whose conditions Gods people are bound to remember before the Lord. Secondly what are the special time we are called unto this duty to remember others before the Lord. If you ask who they are that we are bound to pray for First we are bound to pray for them that have done us wrong a hard lesson but a lesson that Christs Disciples must learn we must pray for those that have done us wrong that have done evil and spoken evil of us See what our Saviour Christ saith Mat. 5. 44. But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you See here out of Christs own mouth this is our duty if we be Christs Disciples we must pray for them that persecute us and despitefully use us we should go to the Lord and beseech the Lord to forgive them thus did Christ Father forgive
them they know not what they do We should pray that the Lord would open their eyes that the Lord would turn their hearts to himself first and then to us Brethren such a prayer is very welcome to the Lord as welcome as most prayers that his people can make when you shall from the heart pray to the Lord for those that injured you and done you wrong such a prayer seldom goes unrequited Sometimes the Lord gives in the soul of an enemy at the request of his people and oh what a choice mercy will that be if thou mayst gain the soul of an enemy if a soul may be delivered from going down to the pit why the Lord many times gives in the soul of an enemy but if the Lord should not give in the soul of an enemy that prayer shall not go unrewarded it may be sometimes the Lord will give in the soul of a friend thou goest to God and thou prayest for such an enemy Lord forgive such an enemy Lord open his eyes and turn his heart and forgive his transgression if the Lord does not grant that request it may be the Lord will give in the soul of a child or some of thy relations because thou hast found in thy heart to pray for an enemy or else the Lord will reward that prayer by giving out more of himself thou beggest for an enemy if the Lord do not that the Lord will give thee more grace more of his Spirit the Lord it may be will cause his face to slaine more upon thee while thou at his commandment and for his sake canst find in thy heart to pray for them that are thy enemies and have done thee wrong thou hast prayed for an enemy and I will be a friend to thee saith the Lord I will shew thee more friendship more of my face this is the first thing Oh that the Lord would teach us to practise it it is our duty to pray for those that have done us wrong Secondly if it be our duty to pray for those that have done us wrong then it is our duty to pray for such as the Lord hath made instruments to do us good Creatures they are but instruments and all the glory is due to God alone ah but God is to be sought to for the instrument hath the Lord done us good by such an instrument in respect of our souls in a word of counsel and direction we are to pray for them When God made use of Abigail in giving a word of counsel to David how did he bless the Lord and pray to God for her 1 Sam. 25. 32 33. And David sad to Abigail blessed be the Lord God of which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou c. And so hath the Lord made any instrumental any way to do us good in the outward man to give any refreshment we are bound to remember them before the Lord thus did Paul 2 Tim. 1. 16. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains Onesiphorus was a means of refreshing Paul in his bonds and Paul looked upon it as his duty to remember him before the Lord he begs a blessing for him and his houshold The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus it is our duty to remember those before the Lord that have been used as instruments to do us good Thirdly it is our duty to remember before the Lord even those that are strangers to us those that we have not known if we know their conditions If the Lord hath brought the condition of strangers to us if the condition of strangers be a sad condition we are bound to remember them and to present their condition before the Lord and thus did the Disciples here in the Text this woman she was a stranger to them they never saw her face before she was of a strange Nation one of the Cananites and yet when the sad condition of this woman was brought before them and they heard her cry their hearts were moved with compassion and they besought Christ for her Lord send her away Lord grant her requestâ— And the Lord layd a great charge upon his people Israel that they should remember strangers and not oppress strangers but shew kindness to them and this is one part of the duty we owe to them to remember them and if in any sad condition we are bound to present them and their condition before the Lord. Fourthly If it be a duty to remember Strangers then much more to remember our own Relations and to present them before the Lord. All our Relations what ever they be as we stand related to others in Political Societies there is an engagement to remember them before the Lord a mutual tye betwixt the Magistrate and the people and they are bound to pray one for another godly Magistrateâ— and godly people are bound to remember one another You know King Solomon he was one that feared the Lord and he was very much in praying for the people 1 Kings 8. 22. he spent much time in prayer And so back again it is the peoples duty to remember their Governours The Apostle lays it upon Christians as their duty 1 Tim. 2. 1. I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men ver 2. for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty In this relation there is a mutual tie to remember one another before the Lord. And if we come to Family-societies there we shall see relations are bound to remember one another before the Lord the relation of Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants the Scripture holds it forth as a duty incumbent upon all Christians to remember their relations mutually before the Lord. Husbands are bound to remember their wives to present their condition before the Lord Isaac prayed for Rebeckah Gen. 25. 21. and at his request the Lord was entreated and so back again the wife is bound to remember the husband And so in the relation of parents parents are bound often to present their children before the Lord the example of Job is given for our imitation Job 1. 5. And it was so when the dayes of their feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all for Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts thus did Job continually See Job presented them all one by one before the Lord and begged mercy for them and that the Lord would take away the guilt of sin which they might contract while they were feasting in one anothers house And so good old Jacob performed this duty for his children even then when he lay a dying
he called for all his children Gen. 49. he called them one by one and prayed for a special blessing to be upon their heads Parents are bound to remember their children and children many times miscarry because parents are no more in doing their duty no more crying to the Lord in the behalf of their children and so back again children are bound to remember their parents And so in the relation of Masters and servants Masters are bound to pray for their servants you know that instance of the Centurion he came to Jesus in the behalf of his servant and was very earnest with Christ that Christ would be pleased to heal his servant this is a duty that is little performed by many Masters they think if they can have their servants to work for them it is all that they have to look after but let such Masters know that God will require an account of servants souls have you instructed them and have you presented them often in your prayers before the Lord the Centurion came for the body of his servant and it is our duty to come often to the Lord for the souls of our servants and so back again it is the duty of servants to pray for their Masters And thus you see the fourth particular That it is our duty to remember all our relations before the Lord. There is one relation more and that is our Spiritual relation which I shall touch before I end that particular such as stand in relation one to another in Church-society they are bound often to remember one anothers conditions before the Lord James 5. 14 15 16. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another yea in Church-societies it is especially the duty of Pastors and Elders to remember their flock and it is the duty of the people to remember their Elders and to pray often to the Lord in their behalf Faithful Ministers are bound often to pray for their people remember what is said of Paul Rom. 1. 9. For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers When ever he came to God he was mindful of the Church I am alwayes mindfull of you without ceasing and indeed the profiting of a people and the stedfastness of a people in the faith and in the truth and in the wayes of God it is the glory and the crown and the joy and rejoycing of a faithful Teacher and therefore surely it is their duty often to remember their people before the Lord and so it is the peoples duty to remember their Pastor and Teacher The Apostle lays it upon them as their duty Ephes 6. 18 19. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel It is your duty saith he to pray for all Saints and for me in particular that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel for many times Satans great design is to overthrow them that the Lord hath set to go before his people Satans great design is to hinder the work of God in their hand to make such to fall and therefore the Lords people had need to pray the more earnestly for even the best of the Teachers and Preachers of the Gospel they are but empty pipes in themselves and can afford no more then the Lord is pleased to drop in from above and therefore there is need that the Lord should be dropping in continually or else they cannot bring forth bread in due season and make provision for the people if the Lord do not fill them from heaven yea the best of Teachers have need of teaching though they know never so much they have need of more knowledge they have need of more strength and therefore it is the duty of the people to remember them before the Lord that the Lords Vrim and Thummim may be with them Thus in all relations it is our duty mutually to remember one another before the Lord. Fifthly it is our duty to remember those that for the present are strangers to Christ You will say what are we to pray for such as have not the knowledge of God yea it is our duty to remember them if the Lord hath been pleased to make us to differ and called us out from the number of those Gentiles who know not God oh we are bound to pity them and to pray for them whose condition is such as never was rained upon as the heath in the desert their condition is sad and we should remember them before the Lord that God would send forth his light and truth to them that they that deny Christ in word in profession and conversation that they may be brought home to the knowledge of the Son of God Psal 67. 1 2. God be merciful unto us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us That thy way may be known upon earth thy saving health among all Nations There are many Nations and great Nations that to this day know not God and Christ that sit in darkness and perish for want of vision and truly they who through free-grace do know any thing of God they are bound to pity them that sit in darkness and to pray that the Nations may know the saving truth and the way of the Lord. Sixthly if it be a duty to pray for those that are strangers to Christ then it is a duty to pray for those that are Christs friends for all that know the Lord and love the Lord in sincerity Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints It is our duty to remember all Saints to remember them that are scattered to remember them that are gathered all Saints we should remember them in our prayer before the Lord and especially Jerusalem Sions Assemblies they should be remembred Psal 122. 6 7. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee Peace be within thy wals and prosperity within thy palaces You see Jerusalem Sions Assemblies in a special manner should be remembred by us in our addresses to the Lord. And so Psalm 14. you may see how the Psalmist doth express himself in the behalf of Sion Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion oh that the Lord would hasten the time that he will save his people and Sion be remembred and built up Oh that the time were come And in Psal 51. he doth express that when he had been praying for himself yet he did not forget Sion Psal 51. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem So that you see that hath been spoken
to who they are that we are bound to pray for Secondly what are the special times in which we are bound to remember others and to present their conditions before the Lord. I answer first of all when they have sinned a sin against the Lord When we see any that have sinned greatly against the Lord that have provoked the Lord especially such as have the name of God and Christ upon them oh then it is time for us to step in and plead hard with God for them So did Moses when Israel had sinned a great sin in making the Molten calf then he steps in and cries hard to the Lord nay this is commended as a duty 1 John 5. 16. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death If it be not a sinning wilfully a wilfull persecution of the Truth that he hath professed why then if a man see his brother sin he shall ask and give his brother life It is a gracious promise and a great encouragement to go to the Lord one for another Secondly in time of great affliction when the Lord lays his hand heavy upon others either on the outward or inward man it is our duty then to remember them and to present their conditions before the Lord in time of great calamity publick calamity upon a nation it is a duty of Gods people to present the condition of their people before the Lord. Nehemiah did present the condition of the people before the Lord when the hand of the Lord was sore upon them And so when God doth lay any great affliction upon others then it is our duty to remember them and present their condition before the Lord. David did so for his enemies when they were sick saith he I put on sack cloth and I fasted Thirdly in time of persecution that is a special time to present the conditions of others before the Lord when we see any that are persecuted for righteousness sake When the Church was persecuted in the Acts and the Disciples cast into prison then the Church prayed then Gods people did look upon it as their duty to pray to pray more earnestly then ever they had done And so when the Apostle was in bonds he sent to them that they would earnestly seek God for him that he might hold close to the truth that he might not deny the truth nor Christ Fourthly when as the Lord threatens to go away from a people when a God threatens to withdraw his presence from a people or from a soul oh then it is the duty of others to remember them before the Lord. When God threatens to depart from Israel oh then Moses he steps in and he is pleading with the Lord. And so when God threatned and was about to cast off the Jews after they had rejected Christ oh how doth the Apostle Paul step in and cry earnestly to God Rom. 10. 1. Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might he saved When God threatens to go away from a soul or people oh then it is time for the people of God to step in and to plead hard with God Fifthly and lastly another time in which we are bound to remember others is when we see God coming towards any in a way of mercy When the Lord was coming towards the Jews in a way mercy he stirred up Daniel to pray for them to cry earnestly to the Lord for them when he came to understand that the time of deliverance was not far off but mercy a coming salvation a coming then he cried and cried more earnestly then ever he had done he set himself to seek the Lord by fasting and prayer When we see God a coming towards any people in a way of mercy when God comes towards a friend and relation in a way of mercy when we see God is beginning to work and to move upon their spirits oh it is a duty for those relations that know the Lord to step in and to cry earnestly to God yea then to go forth and meet the Lord and to intreat the Lord that that work may not go back but that he would help it on I shall not have time for the Application onely this one use I shall leave with you That if it be the duty of Gods people to pray for others a duty to remember one another then it will follow from hence that it is our duty to acquaint others with our conditions If it be a duty for others to pray for us then it is our duty for us to to acquaint them with our conditions or else how can they seek God in our behalf if it be their duty to pray it is our duty to beg their prayers and there are some times in which it doth lye more especially upon us to beg prayers of others that they would step in and plead with God I shall in a few words shew you what those times are that we are bound more especially to call others into our help to seek the Lord for us First when the Lord doth lay the guilt of sin heavy upon the spirit when the guilt of sin lieth so heavy upon a mans conscience that it cannot be removed he hath tryed all private means and still his spirit is so oppressed as he knows not how to stand under it then it is a duty to call in the help of others Confess your sins one to another and pray one for another James 5. and he maketh a gracious promise that in such a case he will hear Secondly we are especially bound to ask the prayers of those whom we have offended Sometimes the Lord will not be appeased till we have begged the prayers of those whom we have wronged this was the case of Abimeleck when he had wronged Abraham in taking away his wife Sarah The Lord smote Abimeleck and God doth advise Abimeleck to go to Abraham to pray for him Gen. 20. 6 7. And Abraham did pray for Abimeleck and God did hear the prayer of Abraham for Abimeleck Gen. 20. 17. And so the children of Israel they come to Moses when as they had sinned against the Lord and murmured against Moses yet they desired that Moses would pray for them and Moses did pray for them Numbers 21. 7. and the Lord was entreated for them And so it was the case of Jobs friends God directs them to go to Job and he shall pray for you and saith God I will hear him Job 42. 8. you have sinned against me and have had hard thoughts of Job and have been sad comforters to Job but go to Job and Job shall pray for you and I will hear Job Oh! when we have wronged others in such a case it is our duty to acknowledge our offences and to entreat that they would seek the Lord for us Thirdly when as the Lord lays any heavy
Minister and so in that respect he was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Secondly it may be said that Christ was not sent to the Gentiles but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel in respect of that order that God the Father had appointed for the dispensation of his light and of his grace and Spirit among the sons of men God had appointed that first of all Christ should come to the Jews and mercy first should be tendred to them and grace be first brought to that people so Christs first work was to the Jews I am not sent but to them that is I am first sent to them and chiefly sent to them my first work is here in Judea The Apostle Paul saith Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach 1 Cor. 1. 17. Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel that is I was first sent about this work for he was sent to baptize for he did baptize but my first work was to preach And so here saith Christ I was not sent to the Gentiles but to the Jews that is firstly and chiefly Thirdly or in respect of time It is true Christ was not sent that is he was not then sent his present work was not to preach to the Gentiles and shew mercy to the Gentiles no but afterward There was a time when Christ did not go himself to the Gentiles and did not shew mercy to the Gentiles nay he forbad his Apostles and his Disciples Go not into the way of the Gentiles but go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel So that there was a time when it pleased the Lord not to send the Gospel but to restrain it from the Gentiles But there was a time also when Christ did send forth his glorious Gospel to the Gentiles so that you see in what respect Christ speaks here He was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Here is a seeming denial that Christ gives to this woman he seems to tell her plainly that he cannot do it for her it was besides his present work and commission he was not sent to do it there is the denyal Nay the tryal was the greater in that Christ answers thus not only to the womans request but to the Disciples request this heightens the temptation and tryal and maketh it the greater So long as this woman saw that the Disciples were pleading for her she might have hope though there was no ground of hope as to her request Christ being silent thereunto yet it might revive her spirit to see his Disciples step in and they to improve their interest in Christ But when Christ shall not only give a denial to the woman but to the Disciples this was a sore tryal if the Lord had not mightily strengthened her faith she could never have held up her head she would have concluded oh alas my estate and condition it is sad it is in vain for me to expect any salvation any mercy he is silent at my request and he gives a denyal when his Disciples pray for me and if God will not hear his own people why then surely my condition is sad thus lay the temptation and yet the Lord supported this womans spirit So that we may observe this That God sometimes doth seem not only to be silent at the prayers of his people when they cry themselves but he giveth a denial when others step in and pray for them Nay observe That after a soul hath waited upon God in the use of the means when it hath prayed and hath believed and when it hath called in the help of others prayers yet the Lord may seem to give a denial and the condition may seem to be worse and the temptation seem to rise higher even after a soul hath waited upon God in the use of means and yet the Lord may have a gracious design towards the soul For mark it this womans condition was worse now then ever it was the Disciples had prayed for her and yet even after this Christ seems to give a flat denial and tells them that he cannot do it for her it was besides his commission he was not sent to do it So that after the use of means after her own prayer and the Disciples prayer this woman meets with a flat denial and yet the Lord Jesus had a design of mercy to this poor woman Yea it is Gods ordinary way to his people after they have used the means to remove such a burden such a temptation such a corruption they have gone to the Lord they have waited they have believed and called in the help of others and yet temptations grow high and yet notwithstanding that the Lord my have a design of mercy The children of Israel when they were in the land of Egypt under bondage and slavery they cried to the Lord and the Loâ—◠〈◊〉 Moses to deliver them and no doubt but 〈◊〉 cried to the Lord as well as they as they prâ—â—â—â— so Moses prayed he prayed for them and yet after Moses was come the people were not delivered but their burdens and oppressions grew heavier and heavier never so oppressed as when Moses came to deliver them when they cried themselves and Moses cried and waited upon God in the use of means yet their bondage grew greater and greater so it was with them and yet God had a design of mercy towards them And so in Mark 1. 23 24 25 26. At ver 23. you read of one that had an unclean Spirit And there was in their Synagogue a man with an unclean Spirit and be cried out Ver. 24. Saying let us alone what have we to do with thee thou Jesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy us I know thee who thou art the holy one of God Ver. 25. And Jesus rebuked him saying hold thy peace and come out of him Ver. 26. And when the unclean Spirit had torn him and cried with a loud voice he came out of him Mark when he applyed himself to Christ for deliverance while Christ was speaking the word commanding the unclean spirit to go out yet immediately the affliction begin to wax greater and greater and the devil he rageth the more and yet notwithstanding mercy is not far off Christ had a design of mercy And so doth God deal many times with his own people upon the use of means it is possible their afflictions may increase their temptations may increase and corruptions wax stronger and stronger and yet God have a gracious design towards them and deliverance may not be far off It is true that Satan he hath a design and hath a hand in it ah but God also hath a design and Gods design is a gracious design Quest But you will say what is Satans design and what doth Satan intend Answ Why Satans design
the Tents of Shem oh the free grace of God to poor sinners that we live in such a time that there is not a restraint upon the word of the Lord nor upon his servants in bringing his word to us Gentiles oh we are engaged to the Lord that it is our lot to stand here And this may teach us to admire the unspeakable and wonderful love of God that is let out to the Gentiles I say we should with holy fear admire it the Jews were the Lords first born Christ was sent first to them cheifly to them they must have the first tender and the first offer of mercy the kingdom of God came first to them and yet behold now that word of Christ is verified the first shall be last and the last first they were the first and the Gentiles were the last We were shut out and a restraint laid upon the Apostles go not into their Cities ah but now the first is last and now God saith go not into the Cities of the Jews go not to the house of Israel but to the Cities of the Gentiles Oh the wonderful love of God that the last should be first and the first last And oh how should this teach us to fear before the Lord and to take heed that we do not provok◠the Lord to deal with us as he dealt with the Jews I say take heed of provoking the Lord take heed that we do not reject Christ take heed we do not reject the tender of mercy that we do not neglect the great salvation held forth to us that we do not trample under our feet the blood of the Covenant take heed that we do not refuse to hear and to receive the things of our peace Oh this was that which provoked the Lord to cast off the Jews when they cast off Christ and would none of him when they cast out the Lord of the Vineyard when they would not accept of the glad tydings held forth to them then the Lord takes away the Word of Life from them and sent it to us that the first is last and the last first And let us take heed that we do not rest upon our priviledges We have the Word and the Ordinances God deals not so with every people ah but let us take heed that we do not rest upon our priviledges as they did because they were the seed of Abraham they had the Law they had the Covenant the Oracles of God and therefore they rested upon them did not walk worthy of them and therefor◠〈◊〉 Lord took it from them Now take heed that we do not rest upon our priviledges we have the Gospel and fellowship with Saints take heed we do not rest in them but 〈◊〉 let us labour to walk up to them receive Christ in the Gospel and walk up to our enjoyments or else we may provoke the Lord to take away the kingdom of God from us lest the Lord should and that is dangerous every man that is lost he is lost in a dark way the way of sin it is a way of darkness The Wiseman saith of the sinner he knows not whither he goes his way is the way of darkness he is lost in a way of darkness and 〈◊〉 he knows not whither he goes And as it is a dark way so it is a filthy way it is a miry way that a poor sinner is lost in a way where there is nothing but dirt that when a poor creature falls he defiles himself is wofully defiled with sin which is the greatest defilement And it is a slippery way and that maketh it more dangerous the way that we are lost in it is a slippery way and so slippery that it is not possible for a poor creature to keep his feet he faleth every day yea he falls and falls and bruiseth himself by his falls And as the way it self is dangerous so there are many dangers in the way there is a Lion in the way and there are fiery Serpents in the way The way of Israel in the wilderness was a dangerous way truly this is the way that all Adams sons and daughters are lost in where the Serpent lyeth the Lion also the old Serpent that watcheth to fright and destroy and devour And oh the pits that are in the way and the snares that are in the way and the enemies that are in the way And further the way is sad in respect of the end of it The way that we are lost in it is a way that doth lead to destruction the end of the way is death and it is not possible for a man to miss the pit and to miss destruction and death if the Lord doth not help him out of the way Every sinner that is lost he will go further and further in this way till he comes to the end which is death unless the Lord help him out of the way unless the Lord order it so that he cannot find his way he ceases not till he comes to the end of his way which is death And it is the more sad and dangerous because that a poor creature hath none to help him none to stand by him so long as a man is out of Christ till Christ comes and finds a soul none comes to take care of him and help him out of this dark way none to protect him none to guide him none to go before him none to discover the pit and snare to him none to uphold him and keep him from falling none to stand by him in this sad and dangerous way You see the Point opened a little by way of Application and so conclude First of all it lets us see that there are many that may be Christs sheep though for the present they be lost yet many that we look upon as lost may be Christs sheep For although it is true we cannot own them till they have the mark of Christs sheep upon them Saints cannot own them for God himself doth not own them visibly before the world till they hear the voice of Christ ah but yet they may belong to Christ and may be his sheep though for the present they may be lost I have other sheep saith Christ I have other sheep that I will bring in they are my sheep now though poor wandring sheep though lost in a wilderness yet they are my sheep and they shall hear my voice and I will bring them into my fold Therefore this should teach us not to mourn as men without hope as the Apostle speaketh in another case not mourn as men without hope for the dead so when we look upon Friends and Relations and cannot but judge them for the present in a lost condition we may mourn and we ought to mourn but not mourn as men without hope for they may belong to Christ and Christ may bring them in though they be not yet brought in therefore we should not give them up for desperate
useth diligence to hinder you in this work the Divels great designe is to keep you in the dark to keep you in a puzled and perplexed condition to finde some flaw or other in your evidences to cast some blot upon them that you shall not be able to read them doubtless you will put God to it to leave you to be tryed in this at one time or other God for the most part leaves his people to be tempted concerning their Election and therefore you had need give diligence Thirdly Let me say That your comfort doth depend upon making your Election sure All your comfort in this world doth depend upon it the comfort of every condition doth depend upon it the sweetness of every mercy depends upon it Alas if a man had a thousand times more then he hath what is all he hath without the love of God Your comfort depends upon it Although your names be written in heaven yet you cannot have the comfort of it till it be made sure to you though it be sure before God yet you cannot be comforted but you are as if there were no thoughts of love in the heart of God toward you Your comfort depends upon it Fourthly Your Holiness doth depend upon it your usefulness your fruitfulness your serviceableness in your generations doth depend upon your knowledge of the love of God it is that which wil make a Christian useful serviceable when as his Election is made sure when he comes to be established in the knowledge of God's Election Put on therefore as the Elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of minde meekness long suffering Col. 3. 12. Your holiness doth depend upon it and your usefulness in your generation And truly till that be put out of question to a soul til the Lord gives some degrees of satisfaction to a soul concerning his love the soul is wholly taken up alwayes taken up about that which concerns it self O Lord Dost thou love me That 's the great question And when it goes to God in prayer Lord Dost thou love me And O that thou wouldest make out thy love to me The soul is wholly taken up about that and well it may but when God comes to give some satisfaction O then the soul hath a great deal of freedome to minde the things of Christ to put up many a Petition for others and many a request for Christ and his Kingdom and the Interest of Christ then his thoughts they run that way so that if you desire to be useful and serviceable in your generation it doth engage you to look after this to give all diligence to make your Election sure Quest But you will say How shall we do that O there is nothing in the world that I would sooner do then that but I know not how to make my Election sure I Answer It is the work of God it is the work of grace to make it out to you it is the work of free grace to give a soul assurance of that free and everlasting love But be found waiting upon God in this way First Look up to the Lord to clear up unto you the mysterie of the Gospel if you desire to make your Election look up to the Lord to clear up to your souls the great mysterie of Christ that thou mayest know the Lord Jesus as he was the gift of the Father the gift of love the gift of free grace O that the Lord would clear up to thee the great end of his giving that gift of Christ Wherefore was it that God sent his Son out of his bosome Wherefore was it that he gave Christ And wherefore was it that Christ gave himself to die What was the end of the Father's sending Christ and the end of the laying down his life It was to save lost sinners God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3. 16. O! Look up to God to clear up this great Gospel mysterie to you the designe of God the Father in sending Christ and the great designe of the Son in laying down his life It is through ignorance of this Mysterie that many a poor soul is kept from establishment and from assurance of God's electing love But secondly Wait upon the Lord to draw thy soul to accept of Christ it is not enough to have a discovery of the mysterie this will not save thee though a man know the designe of God and know the end of it that will not save thee no but wait upon the Lord to draw thy heart to rest upon Jesus Christ as he is held forth in the Gospel see that there is a necessity that God the Father should draw thee No man comes to me saith Christ except the Father which hath sent me draw him John 6. 44. till he be drawn by the Father he cannot come to Christ therefore that man is mistaken that thinks it is an easie matter for him to come to Christ O! Many a man doth mistake faith of their own working for that faith which is of the operation of God When God hath beaten many a soul out of his Brest-works and the soul sees he can no longer defend himself there good works will not do it then he taketh up a resolution in his own strength well I willgo to Christ I will believe in Christ if I cannot have it by obedience I will have it by believing Ah! But he never saw that there was an impossibility for him to believe but he goes to Christ in his own strength and the faith is of his own working and it is such a faith as Christ will not own no when God deals with a soul in a saving way he discovers to it that it is no more able to believe in Christ then it can obey the whole Law and that there is a necessity that he should be drawn of God and in his spirit he breaths after God and saith Lord draw me for if thou dost not draw me I shall never come to Christ see a necessity of being drawn to Christ And when thou art drawn give up thy self to those breathings and workings of the Spirit of God after thou hast seen thy self in a lost condition and no possibility to help thy self either by thy works or by believing why then if the Lord open the word of Reconciliation to thee and is breathing sweetly upon thy heart and moving upon thy spirit while thou hearest the word of grace opened and the tender of Christ urged O then give up thy self to those drawings of the Spirit of Christ and do not hinder those drawings by thy unbelief but give up thy self to the Lord and say Lord I see thy hand onely is able and powerful to draw souls to thy self and I will stand out no longer That 's the second Thirdly Be diligent to make the best improvement of Jesus
his Stewards 1 Cor. 4. 1. Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God Christ hath appointed Officers as his Stewards to dispense his good things to his Servants Fourthly In a House you have the Lawes and Customes of the House In Christ's House there are Lawes and Customes he hath left it on Record the Lawes of his House are written how he will have his House governed all the Lawes of his House are written in his Word it is not left to men to make Lawes for Christ's House No but Christ himself as Head and Lord of his Church he hath made Lawes for the Government of his House Fiftly In a house or houshold there is employment for them in the house so Christ in his house hath employment for all the members of his House some work that he hath appointed for every childe and servant in his House for every one that is a Member of any visible Church or Congregation which is the House of Christ there is work that is common to all that are in the House Psal 134. Bless ye the Lord all ye servants of the Lord which by night stand in the House of the Lord And again in Psal 135. 1 2. Praise ye the Lord praise ye the Name of the Lord praise him O ye servants of the Lord ye that stand in the House of the Lord in the Courts of the House of our God The duty lay upon all in the House of God to bless the Name of Christ and there are some particular works that Christ cuts out for every member Christ would have none in his house idle there is some work that every one may do that may be for the good of the whole house And as this House hath his Work so this house hath its Priviledges O! there are special Priviledges the Lord he is engaged to teach all in his house it lies upon the Master of the house to teach those that are in his Family why the Lord Jesus the Head of the Family hath engaged to teach all that are in the Family Isa 54. 13. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord Sions children they that are of the houshold of God God doth engage for it that they shall all be taught And this is another Priviledge That as the Lord will teach them so he will defend and protect them He hath promised special protection to his children in his House Isa 4. 5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her Assemblies a Cloud and smoak by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence The particular Churches of Christ under the Gospel upon all their glory shall be a defence And this is another Priviledge That the Master of the House will do the servants work You know what the Church saith Isa 26. 12. Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our works in us What-ever he calls for from any of his people in his house he wil do it himself he will strengthen them to do it his own Arm shall be at work This is a choice priviledge that belongs to the house of God Another priviledge is That they shall eat of the best and drink of the best they shall have a feast of fat things and Wine on thee Lees well refined He will make such a Feast in the day of the Gospel upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion upon every house of the Lord the Lord engageth to make them a Feast of Fat things his own flesh shall be set before them which is meat indeed and his blood which is drink indeed Another priviledge is this The servants shall sit down with the Lord and Master at Table Servants have seldome such a priviledge in any house to sit down with their master but in Christ's house all the servants shall sit down at Table with their Lord. O! What a choice priviledge is this to sit at their Lord's Table Nay while they sit at Table their Lord will serve them Such a priviledge the Lord promiseth to his people Luke 12. 37. He shall gird himself and make them sit down to meat and will come forth and serve them He will cut out their portion for them he will see to it that they want nothing that he seeth good for them And he will bless their provision to them that is another priviledge Psal 132. 13 14 15. For the Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation this is my rest for ever here will I dwell I will abundantly bless her provision I will satisfie her poor with bread See the Lord will bless Zions provision and make his people fat and flourishing for so is the Promise Psal 92. 13 14. Those that be planted in the House of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall still bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing These are the priviledges of the Lord's house To shut up all with a word or two of Application If every true Church of Christ be the Lord's house Why then Let not men take it ill if any Church of Christ in obedience to the Rule of Christ and to the Commandment of Christ shall be watchful and cautelous who they receive into the House of Christ Let it be no offence it is a Churches duty and it should not be any Offence they must walk by the Rule that Christ hath left Christ's house hath a rule given them and they must not for a house full of gold and silver go from the rule of the Lord Christ hath left a rule how he will have those qualified that shall be admitted into his house Psal 15. and Psal 24. 3 4. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord And who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully These places speak of Gospel times men and women must be visibly holy And therefore let it be no offence to any that the Church walketh by the Rule of the Master of the Family they must receive none but such as they can judge to be those that are qualified according to the rule that Christ hath left such as Christ hath received and no more you your selves will be choice whom you receive into your houses and I pray let Christ have that liberty you challenge to your selves Secondly From hence it lets us see that the sins of Professors especially the sins and scandals of Church-members must needs be a great dishonour to Christ O that we could think upon it seriously there is much sadness in it that they that have a profession of Christ upon them the Livery of Christ upon them that they that are admitted into the house of
us on to our duty you heard how Job worshipped and how Jonah worshipped and Christ worshipped in an Agony in the midst of affliction accompanied with great temptations O that we might look up to God to teach us this duty that we may be ready to fall down and worship as Job was when the evil tydings came that all was taken from him be falls down and worshipped and blesses the Name of God O! Know that we have need then to be pouring out our souls before the Lord and to be crying as this woman did Lord help if ever we had need to cry then Lord help when affliction is upon us especially accompanied with temptations men and Angels cannot help we had need to cry Lord help But you will say what is it that we should cry for to the Lord at such a time It is our duty to worship and to be pouring out supplications but what is it that God expects that his people should cry for in time of affliction and temptation Briefly thus We should cry That the Lord would discover the cause of that affliction and that tryal which the Lord doth exercise his people with Truly it is not without cause and therefore it is not without cause that God doth afflict us if need be you are in temptation it is not without cause and therefore it is our wisdom and duty to cry to the Lord that he would discover to us why it is thus with us to know what is his minde and will towards us what God aims at whether for correction or tryal or for exercise wait upon the Lord to know what is his end it is an addition to our affliction when as our way is hid and God's way towards us is hid and we know not what God intends therefore we should be much in this request fall down and worship him and desire the Lord to shew us the cause what is his end in this affliction this tryal and temptation Secondly Fall down and worship and pray that the Lord would take away the sting of affliction the sting is sin the sting of death is sin and the sting of all lesser deaths affliction is sin therefore pray that the Lord would take away the sting pray that he would not correct us in wrath and that he would not chasten us in his sore displeasure that was David's request Psal 6. 1. that the affliction might not be accompanied with the Lord's displeasure but that the face of the Lord may be towards us and the comforting presence of the Lord with us in affliction we should cry that the Lord would take away the sting and that his presence may be with us in affliction that he would not leave us in the fiery furnace alone but according to his promise would be with us when we go thorow the fire and water Thirdly We should cry That the Lord would make us willing to bear our affliction what-ever it be that he would make our spirits submissive to him that should be the great request of a gracious heart that the Lord would make our spirits submissive unto him O! What a gracious frame of spirit was David in when he was driven out from Jerusalem by his son Absalom 2 Sam. 15. 25. The Priests would have brought the Ark after him No saith he Carry back the Ark of God into the City If I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him Here was a gracious submissive frame of spirit under a great affliction if the Lord will use me no longer as an instrument and I must Reigne no longer let the Lord chuse what instrument he pleaseth and do with me what seemeth good unto him O! Beg that God would give us a submissive frame of heart that when the Lord leads us into any affliction we may be found submitting to the Will of God Fourthly We should beg of the Lord That He would strengthen us to bear our affliction that he would enable us to grapple with our Temptations and so to bear our affliction that we may be no dishonour to his Name so to bear our affliction as we may be to his praise Surely the least affliction will crush us if we have no other strength then our own we shall be soon crusht when under temptation O! We had need cry Lord help we had need cry that the Lord would put under everlasting Armes to bear up the spirit and to enable us so to carry it as we may be an honour to Christ Fiftly When we fall down and worship Beg that the Lord would give a sanctified use of the affliction or temptation whatsoever it be Our spirits should be breathing after a holy improvement of all God's dispensations especially these dispensations of great afflictions or temptations truly as you heard before it is not in affliction it self to do this we cannot profit by it if the Lord doth not teach and therefore we had need go to him and cry to him that he would give a sanctified use that he would make affliction attain its end that he would bore our ear to instruction and correction that we may hear the rod and him that hath appointed it that he would carry on his own work and would make use of this affliction for the subduing of our corrupt nature making us partakers of his Divine Nature Thus we should fall down and worship and beg that God would give us a sanctified use of all afflictions And know Brethren that we shall never have ease nor rest in our spirits till we be brought into this posture we shall be in a woful turmoyl and perplexity as Noahs Dove that found no rest till it came into the Ark so we shall finde no rest till God brings us into this frame bow the spirit and cause it to fall down and worship in time of affliction there will be no sanctified use of affliction never expect any good by affliction till God bring the spirit into this posture to fall down and worship as Job and Jonah and Christ did that is an argument that the affliction is working the right way when as the spirit is thus subdued to God now it is working for good certainly God will make a good end with that soul when it is brought thus to fall down and worship the Lord to fear and love and trust and submit to him and to pray and praise to speak to God and to speak well of God in time of affliction Now the Physick works kindly and the Lord is engaged by his word that this shall work together for good even all afflictions when it thus works you may have assurance of it that all shall work together for good God will make a good end as he did with Job and you may be sure that
take heed that we do not blot out those names that the Lord hath put into the Covenant But it may be you will say further by way of Objection If children belong to the Covenant of God and the Covenant that the children of believing Parents is under is a Covenant of grace of necessity they must be saved Shall they be under a Covenant of grace and not be saved I answer Some may be under a Covenant of grace and not saved I say visibly in respect of the outward dispensation they may be under the Covenant of grace and yet never attaine to life and salvation for when as we do Baptize those who do make a profession of their faith surely we look upon them as Believers and such as are in Covenant with God and therefore we Baptize them because believers and so in Covenant with God But now is it not possible nay is it not ordinary for many who make such a profession of Christ and are baptized upon that profession to fall off and to come short of life and salvation And yet I hope you will say the Ordinance was not disorderly administred though they that did make a profession do fall off so though all children of believing parents do not attain to eternal life yet the Ordinance is no more unduly administred to them then to others for both Professors and children may be under the outward administration of the Covenant which being may give right to an outward Ordinance and yet not be saved Object But you will say How shall we judge of any but by their profession that they make of Christ we cannot own any but such as make a profession and children cannot make a Profession I answer We must judge as God judgeth and own as God owns take heed that we do not disown what God owns and if God will own the children of believing parents visibly and put them under an outward administration of the Covenant surely there is no danger of owning where God owns God's owning is a surer ground for us to go upon then any man's profession Now God seems to own the seed of believers by his gracious promise Nay let it be considered those Prophesies that speak of the latter dayes and of the Kingdom of Christ and the glory that shall be in those dayes they speak of this that God will then more abundantly and visibly own the seed of his people God will own them and God will bless them Isa 65. 23. They shall not labour in vain nor bring forth for trouble for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them When the Jews shall come in they shall be called the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them their seed shall be blessed according to Abrahams Covenant when they shall come in again I know there are many gracious hearts that cannot believe this truth and will not till Christ comes to reveal it but if the Lord hath handed in any beam of light shut it not out This have I spoken because it is in my way to shew you who are children But in the second place Who are Dogs You see who are to be accounted children who are Dogs That must be opened too and let it not be offensive because it is in the Text. First Dogs in Scripture are taken somtimes for all the Nations of the Gentiles all the people of the world except the seed of Abraham were called Dogs they were without the Covenant strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel all we and our fathers all the Nations of the Gentiles time was that the Jewes only were the children and we and all Nations were called Dogs But secondly All wicked men in Scriptute phrase they are called Dogs The Scripture doth brand some sort of wicked men and some degrees of wicked persons by this name In especial manner the Lord looks upon some wicked men as dogs Who are they First Such as give up themselves to gross and notorious wickedness such as are openly scandalous vile and prophane Rev. 22. 15. For without are dogs sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye Without are dogs and he sheweth who those dogs are that are without that shall be shut out of the City when the new Jerusalem shall come down from heaven these are they that shall not have a name in that City vile sinners they are called dogs But secondly such as do oppose the Gospel of Christ such as do reject the Gospel and oppose the Truths of the Gospel such as come to hear for that end that they may snarl against the word the Spirit of the Lord calls them dogs Phil. 3. 2. Beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision the Apostle bids the Christians beware of them beware of dogs they that bite and snarl and set themselves to oppose the Truths of the Gospel the Spirit of the Lord calls them dogs Thirdly They who do reject those wholsome reproofs and counsels and exhortations that the Lord sends them by any of his servants such as scorn reproof and hate reproof that are ready to fly in the face of him that shall reprove them when they do wickedly What have you to do with me meddle with your own matters and I will not be reproved by such a one as you are the word of the Lord calls such persons dogs they are vile creatures Matth. 7. 6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs neither cast ye your pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rent you See here what Christ speaks Exhortations and reproofs they are not to be cast before some men such as have often rejected reproofs and will not hear the Lord looketh upon them as dogs and they shall die in theiâ— wickedness Fourthly The Scripture calls those dogs thaâ— somtime have made a profession of Christ and have turned away from their profession such 〈◊〉 have seemed somtimes to be very forward anâ— very zealous hot it may be in their youth after â—ward they fall off and have lost their fruit and have lost their profession and it may be not 〈◊〉 much as Leaves upon them but are turned agaiâ— to their old wayes 2 Pet. 2. 22. But it is hapnâ— vnto them according to the true Proverb the dog â—turned to his own vomit again and the Sow that waâ— washed to her wallowing in the myre they have turn'd to their old course again they seemeâ— somtimes to cast out sin Ah! But they have returned to it again Such persons are vile and the holy Ghost calls them dogs Fiftly Persecuters of Christ of his Truth and people they are called dogs such as do not only bark against Christ but even bite and rend his people Why the Lord looks upon them as vile creatures they are dogs in God's account what-ever they are in the worlds and so Christ calls them by David
our clearer manifestations of his love to others then to him it will say the Lord is righteous and doth me no wrong the Lord is a free Agent free grace it is his commodity and he may bestow it where he pleaseth and I have received more from the Lord then I have improved I have had more then I have been thankful for more then I have used for the Lord's honour I have sinned so and so after mercy and it is a wonder that I have not sinned away all my comforts Thus a soul that is truly humbled will justifie the Lord. Secondly If the Lord gives out a greater measure of spiritual gifts to others the soul that is truly humbled it will justifie the Lord in this dispensation it desires to say as John Baptist John 3. 30. He must increase but I must decrease herein is my joy fulfilled it desires to rejoyce in this that the Lord may have any honour by others though it look upon himself and see it is a barren wilderness others green trees see others flourishing like the Palm tree and bring forth much fruit although a gracious heart sees cause to be humbled and judge it self for not following on to know the Lord for it s not following on to wait upon the Lord for such enjoyments yet it also desires to justifie the Lord not to complain if the Lord shall give out more to others then to him it knows in this also the Lord is a free Agent and he may dispose of his gifts where and to whom he please Thirdly If the Lord should give out a greater share of temporal mercies to others then to him a greater estate more riches more honour more friends and relations still a soul that is truly humbled it will justifie the Lord in this dispensation it will say I have received more then I am worthy of I am less then the least of all thy mercies I have more then I have used for Gods honour this is the portion that the Lord sees good for me the Lord sees what a naughty heart I have I am ensnared with that little that I have it is a snare to me therefore surely the Lord in mercy hath denied much to me lest my heart should be ensnared and therefore in this dispensation it will also justifie the Lord. Fourthly If the Lord should lay greater afflictions upon him then upon others in this dispensation the soul that is truly humbled will justifie the Lord. So it was with Job Job he was greatly afflicted not any man living met with so much as Job did yet in Job 1. 20 21. He falls down and justifies the Lord Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell down on the ground and worshipped and said Naked came I out of my mothers womb and naked shall I return thither the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord See here what arguments he findes to clear the Lord in this dispensation though his affliction was very great he falls down and blesseth the Lord and at v. 22. it is said In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly And so Aaron the High Priest when the Lord smote his two sons that they died it is said Aaron held his peace Lev. 10. 1 2 3. And Nadaâ— and Abiâ—u the sons of Aaron took eit of them his Censor and put fire therein and put Incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not Verse 2. And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them that they died before the Lord. Verse 3. Then Moses said unto Aaron This is that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified And Aaron held his peace He spake not one word against the Lord but was silent and justified the Lord. And so David in Psal 39. when there was some sore hand of God upon him so that he cryed out I am consumed by thy rebukes some affliction that did even eat him up and consume him yet he justified the Lord verse 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it And so in Micah 7. 9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him A soul truly humbled will justifie the Lord even then when he layes greater strokes of affliction upon him then upon others Fiftly The soul that is truly humbled it will justifie the Lord when the Lord seems to shut out his prayer it calls and cries and waits and yet the Lord gives out no answer O! how hard a matter is it for an unhumbled heart to bear this Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge Isa 58. 3. An hypocrite cannot bear this if God give not a present answer it will wait no longer But now a gracious heart that is truly humbled it will wait upon the Lord though the Lord gives not out a present answer yea it will study answers to clear the Lord the Lord is righteous and it is for gracious ends that the Lord defers to hear or the mercy is not ripe or I am not fit for the mercy it is mercy that I may wait upon God mercy that I have such a God to wait upon the Lord might have cut off my life and my hopes and my waiting and therefore still the Lord is gracious in that I have opportunity to wait upon him Thus a soul truly humbled will justifie the Lord when the Lord seems to shut out his prayer Sixtly and lasly The soul that is truly humbled will justifie the Lord when the Lord shall lay him aside as one that is useless when the Lord shall make no more use of him in his work and service but shall take him off from the work of the Lord. God somtimes deals so with his own people yet if the soul be truly humbled it will justifie the Lord in this also it is a hard matter to submit unto it but when the heart is put into a right humble frame it will submit and justifie the Lord And so did Moses and Aaron the servants of the Lord God told them that he would lay them aside God calls to Moses and Aaron and tells Aaron that he must be high Priest no longer commanded Moses to strip Aaron of his Garments and to put them upon another before his face and bids him go to such a place and die and Aaron was obedient to the word of the Lord Numb 20. 23 25 26 27 28. And so Moses when his work was at an end God tells him that he must not carry the children of Israel into the land of Canaan but he must go up to the Mountain and die He submits to the Lord Deut. 32. 49 50. and Deut. 34. 5. And thus you see a heart that is truly humbled it will justifie
the Lord both in his sayings and doings when God shall speak against him and discover his vileness and sin it will say Truth Lord or when God shall threaten most severely nay when God shall walk in those ways that are hard to bear yet a soul that is truly humbled desires to submit to the Lord and to justifie the Lord. And secondly When God shall not only speak himself but when God shall make use of men yea wicked men and shall set them to speak against it when God shall set them to revile and set them to act against it to persecute it the soul that is truly humbled it will justifie the Lord in that dispensation so did David 2 Sam. 16. 7 8. And thus said Shimei wheu he cursed Come out come out thou bloody man and thou man of Belial the Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou hast reigned and the Lord hath delivered the Kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son and behold thou art taken to thy mischief because thou art a bloody man Shimei he came and railed against David it was a great indignity that was done against David by that railing wretch and he took up stones and cast at the King at verse 6. and it was when David was in distress he was driven out by Absalom from Jerusalem he takes that advantage he comes and rails and calls him the bloody man and saith he the Lord hath now avenged the blood of thy masters house upon thee yet David at this time justifies the Lord verse 10. So let him curse because the Lord hath said unto him Curse David who shall then say Wherefore hast thou done so See here how David justifies the Lord though that which this raising man did object against David was false he calls him a bloody man in respect of Saul's house David was clear in that and innocent yet David he layes it to heart and concludes that God had some designe in it though in respect of Saul's house I am not a bloody man yet I shed the blood of Vriah David he is silent the Lord hath bid him curse David and therefore David useth many arguments for to justifie the Lord and to quiet his own spirit and the spirit of others as you may see vers 11 12. And David said to Abishai and to all his servants Behold my Son which came forth of my bowels seeketh my life how much more now may this Btnj amite do it Let him alone and let him curse for the Lord hath bidden him Verse 12. It may be the Lord will look on mine affliction and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day And so David in patience doth possess his soul and justifie the Lord in that dispensation A word or two of Application and so I shall conclude First of all This calls upon us to be more in the practise of this duty O that the Lord would help all his people to learn this lesson It is a hard lesson we had need look up to the Lord that he would teach us to justifie the Lord when he speaks and acts against us when he speaks himself or when he suffers men to speak against us It is our duty as you have heard to justifie the Lord as this woman of Canaan did and as those in Micah 7. did I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him O that we could make those holy men our pattern that we heard spoken of before Look upon Moses upon Aaron upon David upon Hezekiah upon Job upon good old Eli upon this Woman of Canaan O! How did they justifie the Lord when the Lord spake hard things and stretched out his hand in a way of sore affliction Still we finde them justifying the Lord and O that we could look upon them as our pattern To perswade us to this Duty First of all Consider That it is the Lord It is the Lord that speaks it is the Lord that acts when-ever there is any affliction upon us it is of the Lord and if it be of the Lord and from the Lord why should we not justifie him That was a prevailing argument with good old Eli when as those terrible threatnings came to his ear That God would do that against his House at which both the Eares of every one that heard it should tingle and that the iniquity of Eli's House should not be purged away with sacrifice nor offering for ever It is the Lord saith he let him do what seemeth him good He hath power over all creatures as the Potter hath power over the clay and saith David I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it Secondly Consider That all that God speaks and doth is God and if so Why should we not justifie the Lord You know what Hezekiah said 2 Kings 20. 19. Good is the Word of the Lord A hard word it was that all his Treasure should be carried unto Babylon and his Sons also and made servants there and yet he sath good is the Word of the Lord. What-ever God doth is good though it may seem to be never so hard yet there is some good in all that he speaks and doth and the Lord doth it for good Doth not thy Word do good Every word of the Lord is good and doth good to them that are his children though it be a hard word yet all God's words and all God's wayes shall work together for good he will bring good out of them if the heart be submitting to God and justifying the Lord in that dispensation Thirdly Consider That there is mercy in every dispensation and that God doth afflict less then the sin deserveth Though the affliction may seem to be hard truly if we look into our own hearts and wayes we might see that there is that which might provoke the Lord to afflict seven times more The Church in the Lamentations when she came to consider how she had provoked the Lord though before she had cryed out bitterly of her Wormwood and Gall yet in Lam. 3. 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not We have provoked the Lord greatly and it is mercy that we are not consumed mercy that we are out of hell and therefore good cause that we should justifie the Lord. Yea and let us justifie the Lord when he suffers men to speak against us O! This is a hard lesson to flesh and blood but know it is a duty that God calls for when men do revile and speak evil and do accuse us so and so still it is our work to justifie the Lord Look back to that pattern of David in the case of Shimei and let us make it our pattern when-ever we meet with revilings and hard sayings from men he justified the Lord though it was false that which Shimei did accuse him of That he was a bloody
together and they languish together when faith is sick hope is infirm and when faith is lively hope is active yea they will expire together when a believing soul shall come into the bosome of Christ no need of faith and hope Faith that looks to the truth of the promise and hope looks to the good of the promise that is the difference between faith and hope Faith closes with the Promise because it is true and Hope that cleaves to it and expects the fulfilling of it because it is a sutable good which God hath promised so that by the opening of this description of hope you may in part see what that hope is which will be as an Anchor to a man's soul That 's the first particular But secondly I shall make it out unto you that this hope is the Anchor of the soul and I shall shew you that it is of the same use to the soul that the Anchor is to the ship First of all The Anchor is useful in time of storms the Anchor doth keep the ship from being driven up and down with various winds if it were not for the Anchor the ship would somtimes be carried back again after it hath gone a great way in its Voyage of the same use is Hope to a believing soul it is exceeding useful in time of temptation when contrary winds blow even such winds as would drive the soul back again if it were not for the Anchor of Hope It is said of Christ That for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross despised the shame and that we bear up against the strong winds of temptation and against all the discouragements that we meet with it is by this Anchor of Hope if it were not for the hope of joy and glory in heaven it were not possible that a soul should bear up against so many winds of temptation Secondly The Anchor keeps the ship from tossing When the waves roar the Anchor is then exceeding useful it keeps the ship from being removed for though it may be moved yet not removed because the Anchor is sure though the waves rise never so high and be never so boisterous yet if they cast Anchor the Mariners lay them down to sleep they are secure because they have cast Anchor And of that use is this Grace of hope to a believing soul the waves many times rise high afflictions persecutions David complains of it Psal 38. 12. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things and imagine deceit all the day long Verse 13. But I as a deaf man heard not and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth Verse 15. For in thee O Lord do I hope Thou wilt hear O Lord my God I was not moved by this saith he I cast anchor in thee O Lord In thee O Lord do I hope thou wilt hear me O Lord my God He cast Anchor in God and then he lies down and rests And so in Psal 42. There were many waves that did rise very high in his own spirit and what doth he do Why he casts anchor in God as in verse 11. Why art thou cast down O my soul And why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Hope still in God cast thy Anchor there and then rest for I shall yet see the time to praise him I shall overcome all storms and shall live to see a câ—lm and therefore O my soul cast anchor in God hope thou in God Thirdly The Anchor keeps the ship from splitting many times upon the sands and rocks when they are very neer danger almost running upon a rock the casting out of an Anchor somtimes doth deliver them Hope is of the same use to a believing soul it keeps the poor soul from splitting upon many discouraging rocks that are in the way to heaven Psal 27. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living If it had not been for the Anchor of hope I had split I had fainted and my soul had been split but I believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living the anchor of hope it is that which keeps the soul from splitting upon the rocks Fourthly The anchor keeps the ship close to the place where the Anchor is cast that it shall not be removed far from that place so the grace of hope in this respect is also useful it keeps the heart close to God and Christ that is the benefit of this anchor of hope the men of the world that have not hope in Christ they live at a great distance from God and Christ they dwell at a great distance from heaven they are far from God God is not in all their thoughts because they have not this Anchor of hope if the anchor of their hope were cast in heaven it were not possible that their souls should be at a distance from God the more there is hope the more nigher God it is want of this lively hope that men are so far from God That 's the fourth Fiftly The Anchor is made sure by a Cable that is fastned to it and so the hope of a believing soul will do no good without a Cable now this Cable it is the word of Promise it is the sure word of the Lord that keeps the soul fast If a Ship have a hundred anchors at Sea if they be not fastned to a Cable they will do no good and truly so is hope if it hath not a Cable if men pretend to have hope and that hope not fastned upon the word of the Lord so fast as it is cast it will be lost But the hope of a believing soul is fastned upon the word of the Lord the promise of the Lord and therefore it will hold Sixtly The Sea-man casts his Anchor at a venture he doth not know whether his anchor will reach the bottome or no he doth not know whether his Cable be long enough or whether his anchor will take hold or no and he doth not know whether his anchor will hold when it hath taken hold yet notwithstanding all he makes a venture when he hath need to cast his anchor and so it is with a believing soul when a soul comes first to God he makes a desperate venture he sees his faith is weak and his hope weak and he doth not know whether it will take hold of the rock or no will not my expectation fail All this is objected but the believing soul makes a venture faith is given and it makes a venture he sees that there lies a necessity upon it if I do not cast anchor I perish the winds blow hard and I see a rock before me a gulf and if I do not cast anchor I perish and if I cast anchor it may
be my anchor will hold I have an invitation to it Who is among you that walketh in darkness and sees no light let him trust in the Lord and stay upon his God Isa 50. 10. though it be in a storm at midnight let him cast anchor upon me saith God let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God this the poor soul hears and being encouraged by the Word of the Lord it cast anchor and makes a desperate venture That 's the sixt Seventhly The anchor is useful not only in a storm but the anchor is useful in a calm when the ship at Sea is be calmed and cannot sayl they cast anchor and so this anchor of hope it is needful in a calm for if it were not for this anchor of hope a believing soul could not have any settlement in a calm though a man hath never so much for the present if he hath not hopes that his goods shall be increased his heart will be disquieted and so hope is useful in the greatest calm to hope that the present good that they have shall not be lost that that measure of grace and spirit that the Lord hath given them shall be carried on from one degree to another till he hath perfected it if it were not for this the heart could not have any peace in the greatest of his enjoyments And thus you have seen the second particular First I have shewn you what saving hope is Secondly That this saving hope is the Anchor of the soul The third and last particular is To shew you that this anchor of a believing soul is sure and stedfast And it will appear in these few particulars First It is made of good mettle it is that which will not bow nor break it is not as the hope of an hypocrite the hope of an hypocrite is compared to a spiders web that breaks presently the spiders web it is a poor thing to hold a ship fast in a storm but this saving Hope that the Spirit of Christ doth work in the heart of believers it is made of good mettle it was not digged out of their own bowels but fetcht from Christ it is Christ that is the store-house of all grace it is made of gold of tryed gold Their faith is more precious then gold saith the Apostle and so their hope is more precious then gold and more firm and solid then gold the matter of it is sure and stedfast Secondly It is well wrought and therefore it must needs be sure and stedfast for it is an anchor of Christ's own working The God of hope sill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. and saith the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead The hope of the Saints it is a grace that is of God's own begetting it is an anchor of Christ's own making and that which comes out of the hand of Christ must needs be sure and stedfast Thirdly It is sure and stedfast for the Cable that holds it is sure and stedfast and that is the Word of the Lord now the Word of the Lord which is the Cable that a believers hope is fastned unto it is twisted of many precious promises all being twisted together must needs be strong the least of them is stronger then heaven and earth Heaven and earth shall pass but not one jot or tittle of the word of the Lord shall fail till all be fulfilled The promises they are the cable which a believing souls anchor is fastned unto and therefore it is sure and stedfast Fourthly It is cast upon a sure ground What is the ground that a believers hope is cast upon I answer First It is fastned upon Jesus Christ first upon Christ crucified upon the death of Christ upon the sufferings of Christ by which Christ hath made satisfaction for sin and brought in everlasting righteousness to cover the nakedness of poor creatures their love is fastned upon the wounds of Christ the sufferings of Christ That 's the first ground for a believers hope to fasten upon Secondly The Anchor of a believers hope it fastens upon the Resurrection of Christ 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God that hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ that is a main ground for hope to fasten upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ the poor soul looks to Christ Christ dead and risen and in that Christ rose from the grave he hath given full satisfaction to his Father he hath paid the debt and is a common person for his people that come to him by faith so that the resurrection of Christ doth strengthen the faith of the soul exceedingly it gives the soul assurance that it shall be accepted with God the Father because Christ is risen again Thirdly It fastens also upon the Intercession of Jesus Christ He is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him for he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Now this gives great encouragement to a poor soul that is made sensible of his own lost condition of being far off from God it would fain draw nigh and know not which way to come when this is discovered that Christ sits in heaven to plead for poor souls and to make Intercession for all that come to God by him this causes the soul to give a venture to fasten upon Christ Secondly As the soul fastens upon Christ so also it fastens upon God the Father by Christ it goes to the Fathers and takes hold of him First It fastens upon the free Grace of the Father that infinite everlasting love which did finde out the way of Redemption for poor creatures that love which gave Christ at first and which gives poor creatures to Christ and which tenders Christ in the everlasting Gospel there the anchor of hope takes hold Secondly Hope takes hold of the strength of God He is a God mighty in strength he can overcome all difficulties all enemies that are betwixt him and my soul he can overcome all my unworthiness all my provocations yea he can overcome himself his own wrath and displeasure that which no creature can do this being presented to a poor soul that is in a sad doubting condition this helps through grace to draw the soul to Christ and to fasten it upon God Thirdly It fastens also upon the unchangeableness of God and this gives a sure hold to the anchor of hope He is not as man that he should lye Who is it that hath spoken Who is it that tenders Christ to poor creatures It is not the word of him that is the true and faithful witness Is it not the strength of Israel that cannot lye nor
more As a man that delights in musick if the Musicians play he 〈◊〉 take no notice but lets them play on because he delighteth in it and so the Lord he takes delight in the prayers of his servants The prayerâ— the upright is his delight and he will give no present answer that so they may go on praying 〈◊〉 crying Secondly the Lord may seem to be silent 〈◊〉 the prayers of his people that so he may exerâ—â— the faith and patience of his servants It is great trial of the faith and patience of the Saiâ—â— when as the Lord seems to take no notice 〈◊〉 give no answer to their prayers it was for 〈◊〉 end that our Lord Jesus Christ gave not a 〈◊〉 of answer to this woman of Canaan it was that might try her faith and her patience and that might exercise it and that by the exerciâ—â— faith faith might be increased and her faith 〈◊〉 arise to a great faith by this exercise for at 〈◊〉 Christ commends her for her faith Oh 〈◊〉 great is thy faith be it unto thee even as 〈◊〉 wait Again the Lord is silent many times at the prayers of his people to try whether they will continue in prayer though the Lord doth give them no present answer oh here is the trial of perseverance God hath heard my prayer saith David therefore will I call upon him as long as I live Ah but that is no great matter for a man to say God hath heard my prayer and therefore I will call upon him still But for a soul to say I have been crying and calling and I will still wait upon him as long as I live I will wait upon God Oh here is perseverance in prayer in which Christ doth delight Fourthly the Lord is silent many times upon this ground he gives no present answer that so he may prepare an answer for them and that he may prepare them for an answer God gives no present answer that so he may prepare mercy and ripen mercy and make mercy fit for his people and that he may ripen them and fit them and their hearts for the mercy so that it is in abundance of grace and mercy and love that the Lord is pleased many times not to give out a present answer to his people for all the time the Lord is silent he is preparing of mercy and goodness for them he is making of the mercy fit for his people the mercy shall be ripe and the mercy shall be sweet and wholsome and do them good at the heart When the Lord hath thus prepared mercy for them and fitted them for the mercy they shall have the mercy see what is said in Isa 80. 18. And therefore will the Lord wait that he way be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted for the Lord is a God of judgement blessed are all they that wait for him He waits that he may be gracious he waits for the best season the fittest opportunity he will stay till the soul hath need of help in the fittest time the Lord will come in mercy when he may be most exalted for mercy when his people may see most of the hand of God when they most prize their mercies and glorifie God for mercy God waits for such a time And therefore you see it is for gracious ends that God many times seems to be silent for a season and gives not one word in answer to prayer as Christ here to this woman of Canaan For the Application of the Point First it speaks sadly of them that never regard whether the Lord give an answer or no to their prayer that pray and pray and look not after an answer How far are such men and women from the disposition of Gods children a gracious heart cannot but be affected when it speaks to the Father and the Father gives no answer And therefore surely when men and women make many prayers and look not up for an answer that regard not whether the Lord answer or not either they are none of his children or else under a sore temptation for let me say unto you that though it is not for your prayers that God doth regard prayer yet if you do not look up for an answer if you do not regard your prayers neither will God regard your prayers And let me say further that this is a great dishonour to God Oh what a 〈◊〉 is it it is a loss to God and it is a loss also to the soul for a man to lose all his prayers it is a loss indeed When as a soul doth not regard whether God answer or no God loseth he loses that glory which would redound to him in the answer of prayer Call upon me saith God in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Now if the soul call upon God and doth not observe whether God hears or no it cannot glorifie God for the return of prayer but God loses that honour that thankfulness and that love and obedience and that dependance which an answer of prayer might engage the soul to And as God loseth so the soul loseth oh they that look not after the return of prayer they lose that which would make their souls rich For a Merchant to lose all his return it will make him a poor Tradesman in conclusion that soul that doth not look after the return of prayer loseth a great deal of faith and dependance and experience for God by giving out an answer to the prayers of his people he doth encourage them and engage them to trust in him at all times so long as they live they that lose the return of prayer lose the strengthening of faith and the engaging of their heart to God But secondly let me speak to such poor souls as are in the same condition with this woman of Canaan that have prayed and have not met with one word of answer Poor souls is this the condition of any of you I know that it hath been and may still be the condition of the Lords dearest servants they may pray and the Lord may seem to give no answer Remember it was so with David Jeremiah and Habakkuk and with Christ himself And let me say this unto thee that if thou regardest any iniquity in thy heart any known sin that thou regardest or connivest at or if there be slightness in the performance of thy duty or contentest thy self with a slothful performance of thy duty or thou dost not regard thy prayer when thou hast put it up to the Lord for this we have cause to be humbled and no wonder the Lord do not answer our prayers But now if thy own spirit and the Spirit of the Lord can testifie that thou desirest to regard no iniquity in thy heart but to walk up to thy duty and desire to be conformable to Christ and desire to cry in faith and to wait upon the Lord for an answer be of good comfort