by God My Beloved Faith doth therefore carry us out thorow all because it is that Grace that God alone hath appointed Read the Gospel or the Prophets and you will finde them speaking of these two great Truths First That Christ is the onely one that is appointed to bring us to salvation There is no name but his Act. 4.12 Secondly That Faith is the onely Grace appointed to bring us to Christ You have our Lord shortly in one place speaking of both in John 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent mee that every one which seeth the Son and beleeveth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day There is a great Question among Divines Why Faith rather than Charity Patience or Gospel-Obedâ—ence should bee the great instrument of Justification And my Beloved this is the absolute Answer to the Question Because God hath onely appointed it There may bee some conjectural Reasons why God hath appointed Faith but the chief Reason is because God hath appointed it Now Divine Institution being upon Faith thence it is that Faith doth the work it is not from any inherent worth in the Grace Alass What is the worth of a sinners hand to take a glorious Christ But it is onely from Gods pleasure and appointment that Faith alone shall bee the Grace to carry the soul to and help the soul in its receiving of Christ God hath appointed no other leggs to carry us and because hee hath appointed these hee will bless his own apointment to effect the work The Lords appointment makes all things operative Therefore Secondly The Reason is from the operation of Faith in us by virtue of that appointment My Beloved Faith it is a working Grace and Faith is our great strength in every working Grace it conveyeth strength unto all Graces There is a threefold Operation of Faith to carry the soul thorow all difficulties and discouragements in its going to Christ viz. an Inlightening an Enlivening and an Embracing work in the blessed business of closing with Christ I will a little open them all three First Faith hath an Inlightening work An inlightning work is that which carries a man thorow many difficulties and discouragements In Psal 34. you have a fine expression where David is speaking of his and others seeking God and of their incouragement in that work saith hee in vers 5. They looked unto him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed by Faith the soul sees the necessity of Christ the inclinableness of the heart of Christ c. and this carries the soul thorow all difficulties Saith Faith look yonder there and there alone is the rock of safety And if you bee not there you must sink this makes the soul swim amain And look saith Faith there is a safe Landing Christ saith Faith stands with out-stretched arms of power and love to imbrace thee and Faith realizeth such a fight evidenceth it to the soul and so inabling the soul to see it helps the soul to go to Christ Secondly Faith hath not onely an inlightening work but an inlivening work My Beloved other graces stir us up and put us on to go to Christ but Faith doth onely enliven us Love and humility doth marvelously stir up the soul to go to Jesus Christ and so do other Graces I but these do not feed the soul nor strengthen there is a great deal of difference between the Whip and the Meat you give the horse A whip a blow that stirs it but doth not strengthen it A conviction of need a fear of hell stirs us to go to Christ but it doth not inable us or inliven us My Beloved Faith is the strengthening Grace The Just shall live by Faith Heb. 10. there saith hee you have need of patience that after you have done the will of God yee might receive the Promise c. Now The Just shall live by Faith 36 37 38. verses Do not cast away your confidence what then You have need of patience c. doth hee stay there No but adds The Just shall live by Faith True you will need patience if you go to Christ but you will live alone by Faith Wee need patience to tarry the Lords leisure to bear the Lords frowns to tarry till hee come but how shall wee live in the mean time Oh The Just shall live by Faith Faith being an enlightening Grace therefore it is an enlivening Grace Faith it findes honey as Jonathan and Faith it findes a Promise and dips in the finger and takes a little and that enlivens and strengthens the soul Nay Faith though it bee full of fears it is a soul-enlivening-Grace Take that instance of the Woman with a bloody Issue in Luke 8.44 compared with vers 46. It is clear shee had a Faith and shee had fears and shee had virtue For this Faith full of fears did gather virtue from Jesus Christ So thy Faith that is full of fears may gather virtue from Jesus Christ and therefore is it that it carries us thorow all difficulties in our going to Christ Thirdly Faith it hath an imbracing work These all died in Faith not having received the Promises What then how could they live but having seen them afar off embraced them Heb. 11.13 My Beloved Faith it hath an imbracing work of the Promise and because Faith can imbrace the Promise therefore can it carry the soul thorow all the difficulties that it meets with in the way to Christ What is the Anchor at the end of a Cable one Ship will carry a thousand Anchors but one Anchor will hold the Ship because it hath a fastening power Faith is but a little Anchor of it self I but it hath a fastening power and so Faith staies the soul In Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because hee trusteth in thee because you trust in God therefore are your minds stayed Oh Sirs what shall I say more Faith it is a catching hold of that Christ that puts thee off And because Faith imbraces and holds him that is sure and strong it doth therefore ipso facto as wee say in that very thing carry the soul to Christ thorow all difficulties Well I pray minde and meditate a little upon these things for they are of the life and Mystery of real Christianity But I will now speak to some Uses of this Point Therefore to make some Application there are onely three Uses Use I Let mee say This Doctrine is profitable for reproof Is Faith such a Grace is it Faith that carries the soul thorow all Oh then bee reproved all who profess to beleeve and yet are ignorant of what Faith is Why poor soul what shall carry thee thorow all but Faith and art thou ignorant of that Is there but one boat to carry us over the Sea and are wee ignorant of that Ask what is your Faith why saith one I say my I beleeve I
should say Lord if thou wilt but take away thy dread if thou wilt not speak in thy Majesty as a great God then speak Lord. That this is the meaning appears by Elihu his interpretation of it in Job 33. about 6 7. verses Behold I am according to thy wish in Gods stead I also am formed out of the clay Behold my terrour shall not make thâ—e afraid neither shall my hand bee heavy upon thee Job was afraid to hear God speaking as wee say in high language and therefore desired God to forbear it Why you see Christ doth here forbear high words hee now speaks to this woman in a low and loving manner even as a man to a man or a woman to a woman Hee answered and said unto her Woman Without doubt this familiar word and way of speaking to this Woman did much chear her heart and shee might hereupon say as Ruth did to Boaz when hee spake familiarly to her saith Ruth in the story Ruth 2.13 My Lord hath comforted mee and hath spoke friendly unto mee It is much mercy that Christ will give us an answer But it is much more mercy that hee will give us a soft answer You know the story of Eliah God saith hee would speak to him but hee came in a whirlwind before hee came in a soft answer but Eliah was a strong man and could bear what wee cannot If Christ should not speak to a poor heart in a still voice but in a whirlwind alass it would over-power the soul Therefore it is that Christ speaks as a man to his friend yea as a Father to a childe so you know hee did use to speak Daughter bee of good chear Son bee of good chear And thus wee finde it in other places the Lord speaks friendly Zach. 1.13 And the Lord answered the Angel that talked with mee with good words and comfortable words If Jesus Christ do not speak at all or if hee do speak yet if it bee not comfortable words wee count it strange and harsh and so it is and may bee as wee have shewed at first But still know now for all this whatever hee saith at first yet at last hee will speak comfortable words Thirdly Christ condescends yet and speaks more kindly for hee owns acknowledgeth and commends this poor Womans Faith Mark it Oh Woman great is thy Faith Why here is our third step The Lord Jesus eyes and owns her Faith and that is a great act of kindness Poor soul Thou lyest at the feet of Christ thou sayest I have desire but no hope I have fear but no faith thou that art full of fears yet the Lord will call thee for all that Releever hee will spy out and acknowledge thy Faith and call thee a Daughter of Abraham as here Woman great is thy Faith It is the kindness of Christ hee will espy our gold under much dross our little coal of fire under many embers Christ will do for us as for the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3.8 saith Christ Thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word Or as hee said in that same chapter to Sardis A few Names are among you O how doth Christ speak to this Woman now at last Mark it and see is not the language altered Christ at first spake to her as a Woman of Canaan calls her upon that account as some call Turks and Infidels Dogg but now hee speaks to her as a Daughter of Abraham for so are beleevers called in Gal. 3.7 saith the Apostle Know yee therefore that they which are of Faith the same are the children of Abraham In this speech Christ tells her in effect Shee is an Israelite Once it was poor soul a stranger an enemy a Canaanite a Hittite such were the words in which Christ at first did as it were speak to thee Well but yet stay a little and thou shalt hear Christ speaking in kinder language hee will yet call thee Son Daughter Saint Friend in a word no more a Canaanite but at last Christ will speak to thee as an Israelite and say of thee as of Nathaniel Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile I Pray minde it it is an admirable discovery this how kinde Christ will carry it at last Whatever sin hee charges in a spirit of conviction at first yet alwaies at last hee will acknowledge our Faith I say our faith and love and whatever is good in us I appeal to you O experienced souls are not you afraid to own your own faith One while your unbeleeving fears another while the humble working of your hearts will not let you see your own Grace I but you have a kinde Christ that will take notice of it and own it though thou bee a Canaanite in thy first address and in thine own account and Christ may seem therefore to deal harshly with thee yet still I say in this hee will at length bee kinde and shew it in eyeing and acknowledging any good every Grace that is in thee But I proceed unto the next thing here in Christs speech The fourth which is Great is thy Faith Hee doth not onely own but honour her Faith Oh my Beloved what an act of kindness is this commendation of Christ Praise is a fruit of love a sign of love why my beloved Jesus Christ will deal so kindly that hee will praise you at last Hee doth now praise this poor Woman whom hee seemed to sleight before And though Christ may at first seem to sleight and despise us yet at last hee will not only own but honour us And this is certainly his kindness How kindly did hee deal with the poor Woman in Luk. 7 hee was entertained by a Pharisee and had large entertainment yet how doth hee turn himself to the Woman and how kindly did hee deal with her Hee commends not the Masters Feast but the Womans Faith Nay hee seems to reproach the Pharisee that invited him and to exalt and honour the poor sinner that came unto him Her Love and Faith are very much praised by Christ there vers 46 47 50. Oh Sirs that Jesus Christ that you go unto truly however at first hee may seem not to own you much less to honour you at last hee will both own and honour you Look as Jesus Christ will deal severely with painted Sepulchres Hypocrites so hee will deal sweetly with sincere Beleevers That is one part of this kinde speech wherein our Lord deals very kindly though at first hee spake to her harshly The second part is Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Wee may say of these words as one of the Antients said of some others They are wonders and not words Oh how doth the Lord condescend in kindness now to this poor Woman of Canaan when hee saith Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Once hee said I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Once hee said It is not meet to take the childrens
sometimes unlike himself as wee may so speak carry himself thus to poor souls The Prophecies speak contrary the Promises speak fairer whence is it the Lord whose Name and whose Nature is love should deal so harshly with any when they come to him I answer Though God will fulfil the Prophecies and make good the Promises yet hee will keep up the Prerogative both of his WILL and of his WISDOME that in the general I spake unto the last time But there are six particular Reasons that I shall give of the point Christ may have six ends or six Reasons why hee will deal it may bee with you as with the Woman of Canaan First Christ hath a design to further humiliation Secondly Christ hath a design to make a little trial upon the poor soul Thirdly Christ hath a design to caution many by dealing harshly with some Fourthly Christ hath a design fully to bring the soul to Gospel self-denial Fifthly Christ hath a design to heighten himself in the heart And sixthly and lastly That the soul may catch more hastily and keep more closely hold of Christ Now pray minde it possibly this afternoon I may give an account of Christs dealing with some of your souls it may bee some of you are like the Woman of Canaan that have gone to Christ and found hard entertainment and you are ready to say Lord why dost thou do so such a one went and found thee friendly and favourably while I come and cry and have no kindness Nay seemingly and to my sense much harshness Consider now what I shall say to satisfie you in the Reason of this strange carriage of Christ And first It may bee Christ intends to humble thee Jesus Christ doth indeed humble all but not all alike nor all in the same manner Now by thus dealing with the soul in this manner hee doth humble the soul in the best and sweerest manner viz. in an Evangelical way Legal humiliation it is just as a Father deals with a very untoward childe hee will not bee ruled and the Father sends him to the Magistrate that hee may go to Bridewel But Gospel-humiliation is just like a Father dealing with his childe by himself The Father looks strange and speaks hard and thereby humbles the childe so Christ will not turn us over to Satan to buffer us and fear us and as it were break us but himself by a little unusual strange and rough carriage will that way humble us And truly what will humble us if that will not There are but three heads unto which humiliation doth relate and you shall see this same harsh dealing of Christ with us at first will tend very much to the accomplishment of them all First Humiliation relates to sin that sin may bee exceeding bitter Secondly It relates to self that the soul may bee exceeding low Thirdly It relates to Christ that a soul under the sense of the bitterness of sin and the lowness of self-thoughts may think of Christ very highly Now observe when Christ shall deal roughly with a sinner coming to him all these three are effected Oh now First Sin is made bitter by this dealing of Jesus Christ The Law made sin bitter but the Gospel makes it more bitter Oh! saith the soul mine iniquities make Christ look frowning they separate between God and mee A tormenting Devil with a fiery face doth not make sin so bitter as a frowning Jesus Christ with a harsh countenance when Christ looks angry thus saith the soul Oh that ever my sins should make my Father frown that is all love I had once thoughts that sin was that which would make the Devil roar and speak terribly but now I see it makes Christ himself harsh and speak roughly Oh vile sin Oh great evil now thy sin appears Oh my soul to bee indeed exceeding sinful the sole and principal evil that is for it makes my Saviour carry it sadly towards mee Secondly By this harsh dealing of Christ the soul is humbled in it self If Christ frown self must down and kneel It may bee the soul comes conceited hee is not so bad as the Preacher would make him but when the soul shall come to Christ for mercy and Christ shall frown and call him Dogg Now saith the soul though I thought Preacher and Father and Mother made mee worse than I was yet now I see I am very bad Christ hee calls mee Dogg and hee saith it is not fit I should come in house with the children and makes mee to see that for all my daintiness and high thoughts I am no 〈◊〉 than a Dogg Oh self how poor and mean and exceeding vile art thou Thirdly Christ is mightily exalted this carriage makes thee more to prize Christ Poor creatures onely thought Christ a common person one that might bee easily come and spoke unto yea and prevailed with But now when Christ carries it a little high and speaks something harsh bidding us as it were keep off Now hee comes to bee heightned in our heart and by casting us down hee doth lift up himself that now wee come with more reverence and fear with more self-abhorring and Christ-admiring thoughts than possibly wee did at first So that Christ by this carriage rendring sin more vile and self more base and himself more precious doth hereby sweetly and surely humble us and this may bee one reason of this strange carriage to us Secondly The Lord intends to make a trial upon the soul by this harsh dealing I pray minde it Beloved That Jesus Christ that will never burn the soul to ashes doth yet intend to make a trial of the soul in fire And my Brethren the harsh dealing of Jesus Christ it is a shrewd trial to us Two things I shall intimate in this the Lord by harsh dealing makes a trial of two things First Christ will make a trial of the reality of our humiliation and hunger by which wee pretend to hunger after Christ and to pant for him as those who do heartily prize him And Secondly Of the reality of our Faith too First Christ by this makes a trial of the reality of our spiritual hunger by which wee pretend to long after Christ All is not hunger and thirst for Christ which seems so to bee The soul comes to Christ as a man that is a hungry comes to bread and Oh saith the soul I am hungry and now â—â—â—ist will try him Hee comes and saies hee thirsts for Righteousness and Bread of Life now saith Christ I will try him a little will hee lye by the cupboard-door and if I say bread will hee say a crumb If I call him Dogg and bid him bee gone will hee yet lye at my feet A hungry man indeed will do so and I will try if this soul bee as hee saies really hungry So Christ hereby tries our spiritual longing Many pretend to long who do not so much as love for longing is the strength and height of love Many
soul Christ is thy soveraign Physician thy onely Doctor upon that account let him do or say what hee will as hee will bee it never so seemingly cross for really ill hee cannot carry it it becomes thee to have a good behaviour Thirdly Hee is Wisdome infinite Wisdome one that knows what hee does Alass my Beloved if the Lord Christ were capable of folly wee might charge God foolishly but Job knew Gods wisdome was infinite and therefore hee would not charge God foolishly When hee rips up thy sins bee still hee knows what hee doth When the Lord Jesus shall launce the wound and cut conscience and tell thee of sin and rip up unworthiness lye still carry it well hee is very wise How oft doth the Chirurgion binde the Patient and cut and launce it How oft doth hee search the wound and gash the flesh yet still is the Patient quiet hee silently submits why hee knows the Chirurgion is wise and one that understands both what and wherefore hee doth so Truly Beloved Christ is infinite in wisdome doth nothing but what wee need and hee can yea and in time will give a good reason why hee carries it thus or thus unto us as I formerly told you in the second Doctrine therefore wee ought to bee silent and carry our selves reverently and well unto him Fourthly and lastly Consider further who the Lord is why truly the Lord Jesus is so generous so gracious that hee cannot bee angry if wee stoop Hee cannot carry it ill if wee carry it well The Lord Jesus is of so sweet a disposition of so tender bowels that when hee sees us weep his bowels turn within him Christ though hee roar and make thee tremble yet if thou bow and fall and art silent hee will as they say of the Lion in such a case Lick and love thee It was the glory of the King of Israel that when Benhadads servants came to him with ropes about their necks hee was overcome with it 1 King 20.32 33. Oh you know I have once yea twice told you of Joseph I must tell you once more of him Joseph speaks rugged very roughly yet at last hee bowed what was the cause of it Look upon the story In Gen. 45. you have that which doth usher in his speaking kindly In the first vers Then Joseph could not refrain himself c. when was that Look into chap. 44. from verse 18. downward Then when Reverend Judah his Elder Brother and the rest with bended knees and doubtless with weeping eyes lay at his feet humbly under all and yet earnestly supplicating Oh how doth his bowels yearn towards them So then when thou shalt lye at his feet humbly supplicating laying out thy misery and what thou dost expect hee cannot hold out witness this Woman of Canaan unto whom at last Jesus Christ sweetly condescended though at first hee carried it towards her strangely as you have heard Truly as shee found wee may expect even the same condescension if wee have the same carriage Christ hath that innate sweetness that infinite grace those soft affections that however hee begins roughly hee will conclude comfortably as I shall shew when I come to it Remember Christs Name is Love and Lovingness is with him The consideration of his Nature calls upon thee O soul for such a carriage as I have opened therefore study it If thou well knowest Christ who hee is thou canst not well forget what carriage is suitable to such a person so that if you consider who Christ is to whom you come and withall if you do not forget your selves and the Arrand you come to him about you cannot but carry it well to him though hee should carry it seemingly harsh to you I should proceed to open these two other things viz. The consideration of our selves and our business to and with Christ are grounds for this good behaviour but I see at present I must end here Therefore now I shall onely name two words of Use First I will ask you a Question And secondly I will give you a word of Advice First I will ask you this one Question If it bee our duty to deal well with Christ when hee deals ill with us What shall become of those that deal ill with Christ when hee deals well with them If when Christ frowns wee should worship him if when Christ puts us off wee should then draw near to him if when Christ calls us Dogg wee should worship him as our Lord What shall wee think of those who when Christ smiles invites doth them good they do ill to Jesus Christ Oh my Brethren Monsters they are and not Men and yet I must tell you wee need not go to Africa to finde these Monsters people professing the Lord are apt to deal ill with Christ when hee deals well with them In Jeremiah 2. saith the Lord there Testifie against mee what iniquity have your Fathers found in mee c. Is there any such before the Lord Oh let mee testifie for the Lord against you what evil did Christ do to you why then dost thou blaspheme the Name of God thou hast often heaâ—d by his servants I lay down my life for sinners and yet thou wilt swear by the Life of Jesus Christ If the Lord had spoke angerly thou shoâ—ldest have blessed him and wilt thou now curse him when hee speaks kindly In Malachy 3.13 14. saith the Lord there Your words have been stout against mee wherein have they been stout In that you have said it is in vain to serve God and what profit is it that wee have kept his Ordinances c. Mark it a â—iâ—tle I gather out of this Scripture this truth that whoever speaks sleightly of the Ordinances of Jesus Christ his words are stout against Jesus Christ Have you not spoke sleightly of prayer praying breaking bread of Church-fellowship as if these were vain your words are stout against Jesus Christ Sirs If the Lord Jesus should make every hearing of a Sermon twenty pound yet you were bound to honour him by hearing a Sermon And if hee should make breaking of bread fire and fagot you were obliged notwithstanding to ingage in that duty But now you have all sweetly why are your words stout against the Lord you may have Ordinances free and worship with peace and yet your words are stout against Jesus Christ Christ will say one day to such There was a Woman of Canaan that carried it well when I dealt crosly with her but you carried it cross to mee even when and while I was all kindness to you Oh Sirs think not that Christ can take it well nay hee must needs take it ill If this Question I hint fasten on thy heart O soul and finde thee in this fault O humble thy soul for this thy sin Thy carriage is quite contrary to this point and example which I have opened to you The second word I would speak is a word of Advice and that is but
it with suggestions of Sense or Reason But then A second Direction is Let Faith have its perfect work Therefore as the Apostle faith about Patience so let Faith have its perfect work Faith goes at first to half a Promise but let it alone it knows where to fetch a whole Promise Let Faith alone it will go to a Promise for what for refuge for help for all Faith will go to and look upon Abraham as Isa 51.2 and finde incouragement from him Nay it can run back to Adam and help it self with the thoughts of his experience let Faith have its course and it will carry you to every Promise and Example to incourage you If it have its perfect work it will gather strength from all the Word of God to help you in your work of closing with Christ I beseech you in these Directions strengthen and labour to incourage Faith O soul minde it storms and trials may come and then you will need afresh to run to Christ Look to your leggs your Faith it is that must carry you If death come death and doubting will come together now remember what must carry you thorow nothing but Faith Trust to no parts duties c. onely trust to the Lord in the way of Faith I shall conclude with two things First Woe to thee poor soul whoever thou art that wantest Faith I do not say woe to thee that art a poor man nor woe to thee if thou beest mean in the world nor say I thou art a sick or weak man and therefore woe No No But art thou an unbeleever a soul without Faith then woe indeed to thee Ah woe bee to that man that wants Faith for without Faith it is not possible to please God or to go to Christ and how sad is the state of that soul that can do neither Woe to all unbeleevers Secondly Blessed are you that have Faith I say not that have so great a Faith but Faith true Faith I say Blessed are you that beleeve you that do beleeve though but a little yet your little Faith will do this great work it will keep you from drowning it will carry you to Christ That little Faith Peter had for all his fears kept him up from sinking I remember what our Lord said to Nathaniel who beleeved as I may say a little Beleevest thou thou shalt see greater things than these John 1.50 Do but go on beleeving and thou shalt see greater things than yet thou hast seen Two things your Faith will do First It will bee your Leggs to carry you to Christ and that thorow all difficulties so you see it did this Woman And Secondly It will if I may say so Compel as it were Christ to entertain you after all denials Ah souls what a glorious entertainment did Christ give this poor Woman at last Well therefore strengthen Faith and that will help you to do as this Woman did and then you shall in the Issue speed even as shee did But of that in the next Christ will bee certainly kinde at last The Seventh SERMON Matthew 15. vers 28. Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. YOu have sometimes seen or at least heard of a poor beggar who hath long lain and loudly cried at the gate of some great person and yet never liftened to never let in but anon it may bee the Master of the house himself hath opened the door and spake to the man kindly and dealt with him very comfortably how was the face of this beggar lightened how was his heart refreshed just so Nay greater than so was the heart of the Woman of Canaan cheared when our Lord answered and spake unto her the words that I have read Shee had as it were lain long and cried loud and begged hard and no answer but now at last the Lord answers and the Lord answers sweetly Oh Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even us thou wilt The last day wee came to this verse in it I told you wee had the last particular of the story of the Woman of Canaan which holds forth the blessed conclusion which our Lord doth make with this poor Woman After I had hinted and resolved three questions I told you there were three particulars which in an eminent manner are remarkable in this place The First wee did dispatch then and that was this The Grace which did carry on and carry out this poor Woman in all this address it was her Faith And thence wee noted this Doctrine Doct. That it is onely Faith which can carry the soul thorow all difficulties and discouragements in the way to Christ Onely Faith Remember it Sirs some of you have a little knowledge and others of you have a great deal of Profession some of you talk much and the poorest thinks it may bee as well of himself as hee that saith most but remember whatever you know talk or think nothing will carry you to Jesus Christ but Faith you may have fine words and good wishes but alass wording and wishing is not coming to Jesus Christ Why this Woman had other gifts and other graces shee had much humility and shee had much patience and shee had a fine gift of prayer c. yet it is not said Woman much is thy patience or great is thy love strong are thy prayers but oh Woman great is thy Faith c. Wee did open the point at large and pressed it upon you in the Application in divers particulars which I shall not add unto or repeat Onely I beseech you my Beloved let this abide upon your hearts streng then Faith When you come to dye you will then see a need of Christ if you do not now and if you have not a living Faith you cannot have a living Christ and then is your soul dead before death Faith is another kinde of thing than the world is aware of wee hardly know the notion now but wee shall never bee able to know the preciousness of it as indeed it is precious but by the experience of it Now the greatest experience of Faith is seen in that blessed business of going to Christ In that wee have this experience of the use power and price of Faith that whatever wee have and pretend unto nothing but sincere single Faith will carry us unto Jesus Christ But I proceed The second thing which indeed is the principal thing is this The kindness of Christ now to this Woman You see his commendation of her Faith well now mark his condescension to her how much doth Christ condescend to this poor Woman hee condescends to talk with her commends her Faith and complies with her wishes to heal her Daughter c. Oh blessed condescension The Observation from the whole will bee this Doct. That however the Lord Jesus may deal at first with poor souls that come to him in the issue hee will deal very kindly
but also and especially for their souls This is the first particular But the second is that which I would stand upon Considering that this distemper upon the Daughter did bring the Mother here unto Christ I would especially speak to this and intreat you to Behold this occasion of her coming and it will afford us a very profitable Note The Note is this Behold what occasions the Lord sanctifies sometimes to bring souls to himself What is the occasion My Daughter is sick The particular Doctrine is this That sometimes the Lord doth sanctifie corporal or external occasions and afflictions to bring souls home to himself The great means the standing Ordinance by which the Lord brings souls to himself is the Word and the Word Preached But yet I say besides that the Lord is pleased sometimes to make use of other means and among the rest sometimes the Lord doth sanctifie external afflictions to bring home poor souls to himself There are two things in all external afflictions that I would have all to minde First God sending Secondly God sanctifying of these afflictions First You should observe That God sends them Afflictions do not arise out of the dust if any evil be in the City or Family it is the finger of the Lord it doth not come by chance or fortune it comes from God and wee ought to behold him in it But then secondly Observe the Lord sanctifying afflictions The Lord doth not alwaies sanctifie affliction where hee sends it But sometimes God doth sanctifie it unto many good and gracious ends and purposes and in particular I say God doth sometimes to some souls sanctifie afflictions to this end to bring home the poor soul to himself There are three Comings unto Jesus Christ in all which the Lord doth sometimes to some persons make use of corporal afflictions First There is that which wee call our first fundamental Coming to Jesus Christ when the soul doth first come to Jesus Christ from his wandering rebellious estate and condition when it is first brought out of the wilderness Secondly There is our gradual Coming to Christ When the soul that is come to Christ in a good measure comes a little nearer hee comes from strength to strength and so by degrees appears before God in Sion Jacobs Ladder had many staves and coming to Christ hath many steps and stairs Therefore besides our prime or first coming unto Christ there is a perfecting progress or ascendent going to or growing up in Christ higher and higher which is as it were our coming nearer and nearer Thirdly There is our Coming to Christ which is our Return after some eminent Revolt when a soul hath left its first love Now in all these and unto all these the Lord doth sometimes sanctifie externall afflictions the Lord doth sometimes sanctifie external afflictions to bring the soul home to himself As Poverty The Lord makes many an one poor that they may look after a rich Christ And Disgrace from creatures the Lord permits and sanctifies that to make the soul long and labour that they may bee precious in his sight And Sickness upon us and ours the Lord doth sometimes kill the childes body to save the Mothers soul take away the husband the hee may bring the wife home to himself wee might give many notable instances As in Matth. 8.2 There you finde a Leper came to Christ and what occasion brought him truly this mans Leprosie brought him to Christ and for ought wee know had not this man been a Leper hee had never come to Christ In Matth. 9.27 There wee hear blind men calling after Jesus Christ but why you shall see in that place their blindness upon their eyes make them look after Christ And Matth. 21.14 The blind and lame came to him to the Temple to bee healed c. Thus it pleaseth Christ sometimes to sanctifie corporal afflictions to bring us home to himself There are two Reasons why the Lord doth this The first relates to us The second unto himself First of all I say The Lord doth sometimes take this course upon our account considering us the Lord works thus on us In Jer. 9. saith the Lord there I will melt my people for how else shall I do for the daughter of my people i.e. As if hee should say I cannot tell else what to do for them Oh my Brethren the Lord sees sometimes nothing else will do it but affliction Mee thinks I hear the Lord sometimes speaking of a poor creature after this manner There is such a one who so long as hee can bee well and do well as to externals I shall not hear of him I must therefore take some other course with him well I will go and melt him c. Oh Sirs this is our folly that whatever Arminians dream wee are so backward to come to Christ that except hee draw wee will not go nay except hee drive wee will not stir nor step forward all the perswasions of the Lord they will not work us up to free will except hee make hee add power to perswasion Indeed in the day of his power wee are potentially not perswasively onely made a willing people as Psal 110. Upon this account it is that Christ is as wee say fain to use the Rod sometimes to bring us home to himself How oft doth Christ say sith my Pipe will not my Rod shall fetch such a sheep and such a sheep i. e. It may bee thy soul and thy childes soul I will make it a day of power and by grace I will follow them with one means after another You know what is said by the Lord of a backward people in Hosea 5. verse the last In their affliction they will seek mee In 2 Sam. 14.30 You read Absolon sent for Joah to come to him and hee would not but Absolon sent and fired his fields and then hee comes My Brethren wee may very well parallel it God saith sometimes go Minister preach to him judgement and threatning and that will not do and go mercy that will not do then go sickness Oh! sickness must preach a Sermon before many will hear a word Well here is the first Reason which as I said relates to us Afflictions are sent and sanctified to bring us to Christ because often nothing else will Truly I say this is our naughty Nature that fair means will not work upon us and this is our Fathers grace that hee will take other means but hee will effect his work Secondly The Lord doth it upon another account which relates to himself To shew us That hee is not tied to means but can work by any providence if hee please The Lord hath more means than one and hee is a free Agent hee can use which hee pleases If Onesimus a naughty and bad servant will not bee wrought upon at home under a good Master hee shall bee brought to the Gaol to hear a Sermon there you have that intimated in the Epistle to
bread and give it to Doggs But how well is the world mended with this poor creature Now the Lord doth not hint that hee was not sent to her but hee calls her beleever Now hee doth not tell her shee should not have childrens bread but now hee bids her take what shee would Once it may bee poor soul Jesus Christ said this to thy conscience Thou art a Rebel deserving no mercy at another time it may bee hee said this Thou art a filthy person and not yet prepared for mercy I but at last Christ will no more mention guilt or filth but hee will say to thee Rebel There is a pardon And to thee polluted sinnet There is purging and cleansing yea hee will say to thee poor soul There is Mercy All Mercy Any Mercy what thou wantest what thou wilt there it is c. As it is in this expression here to this Woman of Canaan I will open this too in two or three steps Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt First How fully doth the Lord spenk to this Woman Psal 81.10 Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Woman take to the full as much as thou wilt As if our Lord Christ should say Woman Thou art a poor Woman of Canaan and art in want and I have a rich Treasure it is unsearchable go to the Mine take what thou wilt Woman I see thou art a poor hungry soul and I am Manna and bread from Heaven come to mee and take as much as thou wilt Woman thou hast made but one Petition but I see more in thy heart take what thou wilt My Beloved the Lord Jesus Christ hee gives like himself very largely to poor creatures Hee satisfies their souls even to the full David at last could sing such a song as this is Psal 103.3 Bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases c. You that lye hungring at the gate of Christ and cry bread Lord a Morsel Lord yea a Câ—umb Lord Christ will say There is a whole Loaf bee it to thee as thou wilt It was the speech of a dying Saint that lived long full of sorrow I am now as full of joy as my heart can hold See Zach. 9.12 Turn yee to the strong hold yee prisoners of hope even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee Good now minde it poor soul it may bee Jesus Christ may shut thee up in prison yet there thou wilt bee a prisoner of hope I but what shall you have at last Hee will render double unto thee All the Lords children at last they shall have double So it was with Joseph hee had hard usage at first cast into prison c. but at last hee is out and Governour of all the Land At last Christ will deal with you all as hee dealt with Joseph The Lord Jesus will deal with a bountiful hand full heaped up running over That is the first thing But then Secondly Bee it unto thee EVEN AS thou wilt It relates to the Manner eminently as well as to the Matter As thou wilt that is in such a manner as thou wilt When David came up to Araunah to have the threshing-floor and cattel for a sacrifice hee would have them so and so And Araunah said to him Do what seemeth good unto thee 2 Sam. 24.22 And there is very much in that The Lords people have their hearts many times set upon the manner of their mercy Deal bountifully with thy servant as thou usest to do unto those that love thy Name saith David in Psal 119.132 The poor soul that lies at the feet of Christ would have mercy and have such mercy as his Lambs have that lye in his bosome Thomas hee would have a sign from the Lord and hee would have such a sign John 20.25 and in vers 27. Christ condescends to him but a little to open this One while the soul will have Love I and it must bee immediate Love Let him kiss mee with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1.2 It was a very elegant and holy allusion of Bernard and therefore I shall mention it There is the kiss of the foot of Christ and of the hand and of the mouth of Christ i. e. There are several sorts of kinde expressions now the Spouse specifieth what kinde of Love-expression shee would have as sometimes the soul doth and may do shee would have not the kiss of the feet but of the mouth and Christ gave it her as shee intimates vers 4. Minde it then One while thy soul will have immediate Love-Tokens and the Lord will give you as you will Another while the soul cries out as David in Psal 35.3 Say thou unto my soul thou art my salvation c. The childe will have bread and it will have it upon the Mothers lap Another while the soul is ready to say Shew mee a token for good that those that hate mee may see it and bee ashamed Psal 86.17 18. Oh my Beloved what infinite love is it in Jesus Christ that hee should condescend so low as to give us not onely what wee will but as wee will That expression is very full in Psal 145.19 Hee will fulfil the desire of them that fear him The soul hath what hee will and just as hee will have it his whole desire And so Jesus Christ will do and therefore bear up your hearts you that come to Christ hee may deal harshly with you at first but hee will let it bee as you will at last Thirdly and lastly Bee it unto thee Christ is very positive very peremptory hee speaks as one resolved to do The Lord Jesus doth not say I will think of it or I will take it into consideration and it may bee it shall bee so but hee is positive Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Two things there are that I eye in this expression Bee it unto thee First It is a Commanding word Secondly It is a Creating word First It is a Commanding word Bee it unto thee The Lord doth as it were command and say Woman I have commanded that it shall bee so In Psal 42.8 Saith the Psalmist there The Lord will command his loving-kindness in the day time and in the night his song shall bee with mee The poor soul while it is in the world it must deal with means as well as with grace and the soul is ready to say will the means give out Just as the poor petitioner that deals with a Lord but hee deals likewise with some of the Officers though the Lord grant his request yet hee doubts whether hee shall get it our of the Officers hand why saith hee I have commanded it Remember and rejoyce in this hint O poor heart who hopest Christ is free but doubtest what means may do Possibly thou hast said this I have good hope the Lord will speak kindly to mee but will the Ordinances give it out too why
the saving of the sick Now a little to clear up this you must know first that this is to bee understood of corporal sicknesses and therefore the very two terms that are here used for saving and sick are usually applied to corporal diseases I but it is said this was by virtue of the anointing of the Elders To this I answer this expression hath been abused But however that this salvation doth not depend upon the anointing will appear if you observe the phrase And the Prayer of Faith shall save the sick Hee doth not say the Anointing shall do it but the Prayer of Faith and further observe this is a general Scripture concerning all ages built upon perpetual grounds and to hold now as well as then That coming to Christ in Faith will prevail with him for corporal kindnesses both for our selves and others Wee shall add no more for the proof but give you the Reasons There are five Reasons whence it comes to pass that sometimes our Lord Jesus Christ is prevailed withall by those that faithfully come to him incorporal cases for themselves and others Reas 1. That the Lord Jesus may shew that hee hath power in this particular My Beloved Jesus Christ will sometimes speak and do such a word and such a work for this reason that it may bee known what hee could do in that case In Matth. 9. and the beginning Why did hee say to the sick of the Passie Bee of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee but that they might know the Son of Man hath power on the the Earth to forgive sins Beleevers Beleevers you shall know what your Saviour can do you shall know what a Christ you have and what hee can do in every thing You think hee can do for your souls you do not question it hee will make you know hee can do for your bodies too That hee may shew his power hee will sometimes shew corporal kindnesses Secondly That hee may shew himself to bee the same in all ages My Beloved poor hearts are too too ready to sing that doleful Psalm Is the Lords mercy clean gone is his loving kindness come to an end c. Poor hearts are too too ready to say the Lord did such a mercy at such a time but did hee not then resolve to do so no more at such a time the Lord healed such a one but did hee not end the work then No the Lord Christ is from everlasting to everlasting thorow all generations saith the Psalmist Psal 103.14 17. verses For hee knoweth our frame hee remembreth that wee are but dust but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his Righteousness unto childrens children That you may know that it is not onely a peculiar mercy to those times therefore thorow all generations hee will heal as hee did then that it may appear hee is the same in all ages That Text is to bee understood of corporals Thirdly The Lord Jesus will sometimes shew corporal kindnesses to our selves and others that hereby hee may ingage us Oh my Beloved Jesus Christ doth love to ingage poor souls to himself hee loves to lay his fair yoak upon your backs hee loves to lay the cords of men of humane love upon their hearts to binde them to himself Now corporal kindnesses do much ingage The truth is it is our folly and Christs kindness in a mystery that a corporal kindness works more sometimes than a spiritual and Christ therefore goes that way to work upon us Wee finde in dealing with children and the Lord knows silly children wee are the best of us that wee do oftentimes more win by an Apple than a better thing Oh wee have a good Christ that condescends to our childishness hee will have corporal kindnesses because hee sees they will prevail with us sometimes when others will not How stately is that Psalm Psal 116. Oh saith David there I will love the Lord c. What did ingage David I was in misery the sorrows of death took hold of mee and the Lord delivered mee c. Oh for the Lord Jesus to shew a kindness to our poor carkasses doth ingage much At such a time I had a childe sick a relation sick I prayed to the Lord and the Lord heard mee I will love the Lord as long as I live Fourthly The Lord doth it that hee may incourage Faith Sirs glorious things as Doctor Sibbs applied that Scripture are spoken of thee O thou Grace of Faith Now this is a great incouragement when Faith shall prevail with Christ for body and soul too for inward and outward mercies how is Faith incouraged Pray will you turn to John 4.53 The kindness of Christ to the Noble mans childe whom the Lord did cure upon his Fathers request mark how it did work upon that great man Hee enquired concerning the time and hee knew that it was at the time that Christ said his Son liveth What follows then Himself beleeved and his whole house Why did not the man beleeve before Christ had cured his childe Yes in vers 50. it is said Hee beleeved but the Master that beleeved before beleeves more I and the whole Family beleeved too Verily Sirs Faith is marvelously incouraged by corporal kindnesses What did incourage David against Goliah but this Thy servant slew both the Lion and the Bear and this uncircumcised Philistine shall bee as one of them Oh when the Lord shall hear us for our poor carkasses this will incourage Faith Many a person hath been wrought upon to come to Christ by the kindnesses that hee hath shewed to others There is a story of a poor Christian Maid in the Ecclesiastical histories whose Prayer and Faith cured a great Mans childe in a heathenish place The Governour of the place had a childe sick and every one was to give somewhat to help it but nothing would do at last a poor captive Christian was asked what shee could do shee said I can pray to my God and hee can heal shee did so and the childe was healed and it is said it was the occasion to work upon many to inquire after and to embrace Jesus Christ and the Christian Religion And let mee appeal unto you have you not known at least have you not heard of some poor wretched creatures that have been much wrought upon when they have observed that God hath heard the prayers of such a Minister of such a poor Christian when they were sick and this hath drawn them on in the way of Faith and Holiness Fifthly and lastly Jesus Christ will sometimes shew corporal kindnesses that so hee may make good all the Promises In 1 Tim. 4.8 Godliness is said to have the Promise of the Life that now is and of that which is to come Why now you know what is said in 2 Cor. 1.20 That in him all the Promises are Yea and Amen All Promises are made to Beleevers but the fulfilling of