upon you and yours for your unparallel'd care and kindness to Christs Ministers amongst you And for you my Reverend Brethren Let mee beseech you to improve so choice a mercy as you have under your Magistrates I know you desire not how much soever you deserve praise yet let mee say you are to bee praised for that you are of one heart though in all things not of one head you minde and speak the same things of faith and life Though yee disagree in some things of Church-rule and Order your publick worship is in the same place and with the same Spirit There is not heard in your Pulpits where you preach by turns the noise of Axes and Hammars Heats Debates Disputes are exiles at your Assemblies you fast and pray together your design is the same and your endeavours are joint to convert sinners and to establish Saints Those loose and vain opinions which have pestered and plagued many places by your zeal and unity for truth are through Christs blessing marvelously prevented in your Congregations and as for those unchristian Divisions and Animosities which are elsewhere the sinne and shame of dissenting Professours by the Spirit of Love and Peace which rules in your hearts and appears in your labours they are either not at all or not prevailing in your place But that I may not trouble you with more I will onely adde this further that I perceive yee have well studied that Text Psal 77. which speaks of this as Israels happiness that God led them by the hand of Moses and Aaron Surely the people of your Town seem to bee led but by one hand Indeed Moses goes before as it is but fit and Aaron comes after Your Magistrates in Civils and your selves in Spirituals are so one in hand and I hope in heart that though you have offices distinct yet your indeavours are joint and both make up one great mercy to the people under you As they incourage you so yee reverence them They are not such who assume power in Spitituals but leave your work to your selves and yee I hope none of yee are as those who despise Dominion nor intermeddle with the politick affairs Let that heart be filled with sorrow and that hand and head be cursed of the Lord that indeavours in the least the breach of that holy and righteous harmony that is betwixt you I presume yee will say Amen to my prayer for you in this particular To you then holy and beloved Brethren Who fear God and have faith in Jesus and are blessed by and a blessing to such a Magistracy and Ministry Let mee speak also a few words I bear you witness to others that there is amongst you the Spirit and conversation of the good old Puritans whom I mention with honour it is your credit that you are not in this day of reproach and blasphemy which is upon profession for Professors faults a shame to that worthy name wherewith yee are called The itch of novel opinions the botch of vain fashions the plague of neglect of duties and slighting Ordinances and Ministry these are not seen amongst you or on you I verily saw much of Christ in you your carriage was seeming exact and I hope your study is to bee what you seem for Wo be to Hypocrites and Sinners hollow-hearted Professours or ignorant and profane persons in New castle They that are bad under Magistrates and Ministers so good will bee damned without mercy under two of the greatest witnesses that can bee against a people But I hope better things of you though I thus speak I beseech you so live that by your good examples concurring with the power of your Magistrates and preaching of your Ministers yee may help to convince and convert evill doors at least to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men To you all Magistrates and Ministers and Saints jointly and severally let me return my hearty humble thanks for that singular respect which for many years yee have expressed to my ever dear and beloved Brother whose lot is cast among you It is to mee matter of joy and praise before the Lord that since it pleased God who disposes of all our persons and places to carry him so far from all relations that he did vouchsafe to fix him amongst your selves who abundantly make up all relations in your care and kindness to and for him Now the blessed God for ever reward your love to him and his Let your goodness accept of mee who am obliged in and for him this short but sincere acknowledgement for the same I shall not trouble you with the remembrance of that kindness which when by the good hand of God I visited my brother and saw yee you were pleased to express It is your goodness you had rather shew kindness than hear praise Therefore I judge it would trouble you if I should blaze that which yet was such and so great as I have and must speak of to others and before the Lord with thanksgiving your receiving mee and love to mee was in the Spirit of the Gospel yee did receive mee in the name of a Prophet and in the name of a Disciple howbeit I am unworthy that honour Oh that hee who rewards a cup of cold water given upon such an account would abundantly reward your large and loving respects to me even poor me in that way and upon that score My gratitude would overflow did not the consideration of your Modesty which loves not to hear its own applause set mee bounds I will therefore conclude thus May your Persons your Government your Labours your whole Town and your Universal All be alwaies under the special favour of the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom I remain Right worthy Reverend and Beloved Sirs Your most obliged and most affectionately humble servant JOHN DURANT To the Reader TO serve the counsell of God in a mans particular Generation is a duty incumbent on all that profess themselves the servants of Christ and to bee sincere and diligent therein is to bee in the exercise and partake of the sure mercies of David But to bee willing to do any thing which may bee service to Christ in another Generation and to bee indeed successefull therein is a blessing which few attain unto And yet though such a blessing be obtained but by a few I perswade my self it may at least bee desired and pursued by all For as wee are to covet earnestly the best gifts so are we to aim at and endeavour the best service and such is that which lasts and lives when wee are gone and fallen asleep in our Graves I hope I shall be freed from the crime and censure of pride if I say that my aim in these small pieces which I have been pressed formerly to print was to serve not onely my present but the next Generation And I must acknowledge to the praise of the glory of Christs grace that my experience of
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
saith God I have commanded it it shall bee so Bee it unto thee My Beloved Jesus Christ at last will say I command every Ordinance every Creature every word thou readest that it bee to thee as thou wilt Time was at first that Christ carried it so as nothing did subserve you or yeeld unto you any respect but when the Lord is reconciled at last hee will command all to bee yours Time was when no Man Means Creature Ordinance had any commission to smile on you or speak well to you and then it was sad But at length Christ will give a word send a Commission to all and command them saying Bee it so and so to such a poor soul as it will as it wisheth Secondly As there is a Commanding so there is a Creating Power in the Word and that is much Beleever Beleever though the Lord carry it at first like a man astonished hee will create mercy at last As in the Creation of the world God said Let there bee light and there was light c. So in Isa 57.7 saith God I create the fruit of the lips peace The Lord that creates light out of darkness peace out of trouble sweet out of bitter Hee will create for thee bee it light unto such a soul such a soul wants light and there is light created for him strength bee thou created for him c. I remember the Apostle Peter doth exhort Beleevers as their last refuge to eye the creating power of Christ and act Faith upon him not onely as a Redeemer but as a Creatour In 1 Pet. 4.19 Saith hee Commit the keeping of your souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creatour Soul if Creating Mercy can help you bee confident Christ will put it forth at length there shall bee another fiat another let there bee this or that for such a soul and that with creating influence in it And oh how kindly doth Christ carry it now at last that hee commands all and will create rather than fail comfort for this poor Woman Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Thus have wee in Christs speech to this Woman seen as in a glimpse what his last dealings will bee with those that come to him And is not this enough to confirm your hearts that at last Christ will bee kinde however hee is at first But I proceed to the other thing here in Christs Carriage to this Woman Thirdly Her Daughter is made whole the same hour Poor Creatures you are full of unbeleef and I must say to you as John said These things are written thâ—t you might beleeve Christ will deal so well with poor souls that at last hee will give them their desires to the full And that which may bee their request in an eminent manner more particularly will the Lord Christ give them that I pray mark it a little thus The soul wants many mercies wishes all but it hath some particular pinch for the present c. Now that shall bee given in to the soul You have a fine expression to import the condescention of God to particular mercies in Psal 21.2 4. Thou hast given him his hearts desire and hast not with-holden the request of his lips Hee asked life of thee and thou gavest it him even length of daies for ever and ever Why my Beloved you that wait upon the Lord and truly come to him know and remember however hee carries it as if at first hee will grant nothing yet at last hee will grant every thing and in particular that Mercy that particular special Mercy which thy heart is drawn forth to mention before the Lord. Oh saith the soul I would have all sin dead but let this sin dye Now the soul shall have his this thing In this thing the good Lord bee merciful to mee why the Lord will in that thing bee kinde Let the soul single out its particular request Oh in this matter in that childe in this cause c. And hee shall finde Christ at last will come down to that very thing But I shall speak to this in the last Sermon by it self therefore I will not urge it here Onely now put all together and tell mee if the point bee not certain That Christ at last will deal very kindly with souls that truly come to him however at first hee may seem to deal harshly What could the poor soul wish more than shee had hee spake kindly now hee doth what shee will and as much as shee will now her Daughter shall bee whole in a moment c. This is all I shall say for the demonstration of the point There are some Objections to bee answered I shall at this time mention one Object I but will the soul say This is a particular example and particular examples they are not foundations for general conclusions Here is a Woman of Canaan and the Lord deals well with her what is this to mee For Answ Beloved in the Lord know this That every example of Gospel-grace is not so particular but that it is a general pattern All this was written that wee might beleeve And you know what the Apostle saith in that same Rom. 15. and the beginning These things are written for our learning c. Do not say This was a Woman of Canaan and I am a poor other kinde of creature Know this was written for thee In 1 Tim. 1.16 saith Paul there That in mee first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter beleeve on him to life everlasting If the Woman of Canaan were alive shee would say I was a pattern for thee shee would say Christ dealt thus with mee first to shew how hee would deal with other poor creatures afterwards Let this bee an answer But then the Second Answer is this The account upon which shee had this grace it was not particular but common A particular thing with a particular account is too streight to bee made a general Rule but a particular example upon a general account may bee made a general Rule remember that Now this mercy was given to her not upon any personal particular account but upon a general account what is that account Woman great is thy Faith Shee hath this mercy not as a Woman nor as a Woman of Canaan nor as so and so speaking but as a Beleever Now upon this Reason Because the Lord dealth thus with her upon the account of Faith where-ever there is true Faith the Lord will deal thus It is the particular argument of Rom. 4. The Apostle proves that Abrahams Justification was a general type to others How doth hee prove it because it came to him by Faith The strength of the Argument lies thus Abraham was not justified as such a man upon any personal account but because hee was a beleever and therefore hee argues that all beleevers should bee justified as hee was Therefore do not say it was a particular example it
whose soul was bitter coming to the Prophet and so soon as shee came to him shee fell down and caught him by the feet I pray behold and learn in all your addresses unto Jesus Christ put forth the highest affection put forth the most intenseness of your spirits that may bee cry and get hold of him Christ will not charge thee with unmannerliness Shee cried it notes the Agony of her spirit that shee was in Oh that our drousie careless souls would but learn of this Woman Many are so far from crying that they scarce lisp But remember it Sirs when you come to the Lord Jesus stir up all your souls let all your affection then go out Oh! when should wee ever let out all our souls to the utmost if not then when wee come to close with Jesus Christ There is a lawful and laudable passion to bee manifested in this matter Christ loves and likes to hear our cries O let not this poor womans crying cry any of us shame who are so far from a crying after Christ that wee do almost cry away Christ Well behold her praise-worthy passion and go thy way soul and imitate her therein Never approach Christ but with much passion with most earnest and ardent affection Secondly Shee cried Have mercy on mee Poor Woman shee speaks as one poor in spirit that is rich in Faith as Christ calls her afterwards shee had no Merit but shee knew the Lord had Mercy Behold it and know this as a lesson to bee learnt hence viz. That when you approach Christ let it bee by Mercy by meer Mercy That same poor Publican in the Gospel of Luke cries Lord bee merciful to mee a sinner My Brethren right closing with Christ right saving justifying Faith which carries the soul to Christ eyes nothing but Mercy This is the main incouragement that keeps up Faith yea and this is the great Motive that doth still prevail with the Lord therefore wee should take hold of it in Ephes 2.4 It is said But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us c. Thou hast misery that pincheth thee but the Lord hath mercy that will pitty thee and thou that sayest thou hast no works know this the Lord hath much grace Behold the Woman of Canaan and see how shee doth and wee ought to eye and plead meer mercy and that onely and alwaies when wee come to Christ Thirdly Observe a little further what shee saith Lord thou Son of David Shee speaks in language beyond the learning of the Scribes and Pharisees though they were great Doctors of the Law yet they had not learned this mystery to look upon Christ as the Lord and as the Son of David It was indeed a miracle that a Woman of Canaan should have this knowledge and wee might say as it was said in another case of Christ whence hath this Woman knowledge why my Brethren what could any of us have said more to Christ to speak out our Faith what is it but that wee do beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ This phrase speaks Faith Learn hence In all your addresses to Christ to come in the language of Faith and speak to Christ as becomes Jesus Christ Still know hee is the Lord Davids Son the promised one indeed When you come to deal with Jesus Christ bee not hasty consider who hee is hee is the Lord and hee is the Son of David the true and the onely Messiah Remember this lesson in all your addresses to Jesus Christ remember this good example it is a Saints pattern There are two sorts of people I would desire to look upon this pattern The first are those who it may bee are but now beginning to close with Jesus Christ And secondly Those who it may bee have revolted and back slidden from Christ and are now returning again I pray Sirs make as much haste as you can but observe how you go Go to Jesus Christ with much affection with much humility renounce Merit and cry Mercy and still give the Lord his due So you see this Woman of Canaan doth and go thou O soul in any case and do likewise That is all I will speak to the second head To proceed to the third and last thing Behold once again the occasion of this Womans coming It was That her daughter was grievously vexed with a Devil The Evangelist Mark saies shee was vexed with an unclean spirit The one is a general the other is a particular expression of it I do not think it worth the while to dispute about this infirmity or this possession under which her Daughter lay what it was All that I shall note shall bee not of a Physical but rather of a Spiritual and Theological Nature from this Mothers coming to Christ upon this occasion In the general shee takes her childe to bee possessed with a Devil shee goes not to a figure-flinger not to any cunning man as simple ones use to say shee goes not to the Devil in a Doctor to cast out the Devil of her Daughter No but shee comes to Christ I pray in the general Learn in all cases distempers diseases c. to go first to Jesus Christ You may go to men to Physicians though not to Wizards but you must go to Christ and behold the Woman of Canaan to establish you in that good Christian custome of having recourse to Christ on all occasions in all necessities whether for yours and your selves But this is general There are two things in particular The first particular thing I would have you learn out of this Mothers coming upon this account Is Parentive pitty in compassion on children This Woman of Canaan pitties her childe and cries as if shee her self felt her Daughters pain and though shee was not sick simply yet shee was Sympathetically thou that canst let the little one cry and it may bee perish while thou art fooling abroad Oh remember the Woman of Canaan have pitty on your poor children and for their sakes go to Jesus Christ And do I mean onely you should go to Christ for them when they are sick no but Oh pray for thy childes sick soul It was a notable speech of one of the Antients said hee Wilt thou mourn over a body from whom the soul is gone and not over a soul from whom God is gone Oh shew that you have spiritual sympathy many of you have a natural sympathy if you see the childe burn and snake c. of a Feavour thou canst pitty him but it may bee thou seest him shake and reel with drunkenness and not pitty them at all It is Motherly pitty to sympathize with sick bodies but Christian pitty to sympathize with sick souls Friends put on bowels as the Elect of God as the Woman of Canaan and have compassion on your children In all their afflictions bee yee afflicted with all their sorrows bee yee affected and go to Christ on their behalf but not onely for bodies
Christ is not so tied by Prophecie nor obliged by Promise but that in all his dealings hee may act as in his Prerogative Hee is the freest Agent that is It is prophesied of Christ That hee will gently lead those that are with young and promised that those that come to him hee will in no wise cast off Now Christ is not so bound up by this Prophecie or Promise but that hee may act his own Preregative And there is a double Prerogative Christ will maintain First Of his Absolute Will Secondly Of his Infinite Wisdome First The Prerogative of his Absolute Will I say Absolute Will My Brethren Jesus Christ may give Mercy to whom hee will and hee may give Mercy how hee will I finde our Lord and Saviour two times in particular standing upon the Prerogative of his Will And let us in a word consider them One is in Matth. 20.15 where hee speaks of himself in a Parable May not I do with mine own what I will The other is in the last of John 21 22. where Peter asks Christ Lord what shall this man do saith Christ in vers 22. If I will that hee tarry till I come what is that to thee Christ will have all to know his will is free Hee wills as hee wills What if God will shew mercy this way to one and another way to another hee hath his Prerogative Royal what if hee will when Jairus comes for his Daughter go presently and what if hee will dispute it with the Woman of Canaan Christ will still so act as to maintain the Prerogative of his Will Secondly Hee will maintain the Prerogative of his Wisdome Though hee come with a commission yet hee is to act as his Wisdome is And thus though hee bee a servant as hee is the Fathers servant sent with absolute command to receive poor souls when they come Yet how and when and what way is left to his own Wisdome Rejoyce and bee of good comfort Christ is bound to receive all that come to him I but how hee should receive them that is left to his Wisdome And it may bee much wisdome in the Lord Jesus Christ to receive some harshly and some sweetly Two boyes go to School the one is of a rugged nature and the other of a sofr nature The Masters wisdome knows how to deal with either of them So that now this is the general account Jesus Christ being left to the Prerogative of his own Will and Wisdome hee doth therefore sometimes entertain some souls harshly There are six particular accounts of it that I cannot now name but must leave to bee inlarged the next time Use Onely for the Use of this My Brethren you have heard a strange yet a certain Truth That the Lord Jesus doth sometimes seemingly entertain some souls harshly Now all that I would say is this 1 Do not Mistake mee 2 Do not Mistake your selves 3 Do not Mistake this Truth There are these three Mistakes that all our hearts are liable to either the one or other of them one while they mistake the Preacher and say hee spake that which never entred into his heart to speak Another while they mistake themselves and a third time the Truth it self Now I pray thee take heed of all these Therefore first Do not Mistake mee Though I tell you the Lord Jesus may entertain some harshly I do not this to keep you off from Christ Oh the Lord knows here is my heart and this must bee my labour while I live to draw you to Jesus Christ But what said Christ in John 16.3 having before been telling them of great persecutions they must go thorow saith Christ These things I tell you that when they come yee might not bee offended Oh soul that is my aim intent that if thou art a poor soul coming to Christ thou mayest not bee startled I tell you before-hand Christ may frown hee may turn the deaf ear not that you should keep off but that when these things come to pass that you should not stumble nor bee offended but that you should go on And therefore is there ever a poor soul that saith God hath wrought upon mee lately but I have been going to Christ and I have knocked and hee speaks not a word Oh bee not discouraged the Lord sometimes will do thus Secondly Do not Mistake your selves Poor sinners are apt to mistake themselves as now when they hear of Christ that Christ is ready and willing to receive us what use do they make of it Why say they then wee may go when wee will and so live as they list and think to go to Jesus Christ No mistake not Christ may receive thee harshly do not deceive your selves Christ is a Lion and hee can roar though hee will not tear you to peeces yet hee knows how to carry it severely sometimes There is Hay and Stubble laid upon the foundation and yet they are saved but how but as by fire Sinners sinners you may bee saved coming to the Lord Jesus as the Woman of Canaan but beleeve it you may bee saved by fire hee may call you Dogg before hee gives you the childrens bread and make you wait long before hee answer Do not mistake your selves and provoke Christ to make you know this truth to your cost and sorrow Thirdly Do not Mistake the point A mistaken truth is the ground of some great errours as well as any thing else indeed many errours are truths mistook And there are two Errours that people may run into if they mistake this point First Doth the Lord Christ deal thus with some Therefore what therefore Why I was mistaken the Lord never dealt so with mee therefore I am not right Nay stay there I did not say the Lord dealt so with all nor alwaies but with some at sometimes there are some the Lord kisses presently Two humours coming to the Physician have not the same kinde of Physick Fine or thin humours and rough and strong humours are not alike purged the one is and may bee purged more gently the other more roughly You have an instance of two in one place viz. Lydia and the Jaylor Act. 16. Fine Lydia as I may so call her of a tender spirit the Lord takes up the latch and enters softly silently without any great noise without any rough hand but the rough Jaylor hee hath an Earthquake c. Do not say I am not right because the Woman of Canaan was so dealt with and I am not Secondly Do not mistake the point and say Well it is true and the Lord deals thus with mee and I think it will never bee better Oh say not it will never bee better No my Brethren though the Lord deal harshly with thee yet hee will use thee better Cry not Oh the Lord hath entertained mee harsh and hath been silent and not spoke and that which hee hath spoken hath been in wrath hee hath called mee dogg and therefore I can expect
eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters Table The Lord had in a manner called her Dogg and said it was not for doggs to have childrens bread shee doth not deny it but shee grapples with grace and saith Truth Lord yet doggs may have a crumb c. I shall put all that is spoken here of her carriage into one Lesson but before I do that I shall name two other observable points The first is this A right Faith coming and carrying of the soul to Christ is a resolute Faith That is one point I would name pray mark it The Lord Jesus seems to put her off hee gives her nothing that was a visible incouragement yet shee will go on and yet shee will not bee put off When the soul comes to Christ hee comes as one that needs a Christ and wants a Christ will have and as one that must have a Christ and what then hee will have a Christ before hee goes away Though hee have not evidence hee will have adherence though the soul can see nothing and though no hope yet hee will bee resolute although Christ will not smile though conscience is not quiet though the wound bee not healed though the Lord put off angrily yet the soul keeps resolute to him and will not bee sent away empty Faith if right is still resolute The second Point that I shall name is this That a right Faith knows how to confess and beleeve at once A true Beleever will not conceal his sin yet will close with Jesus Christ A right Faith will deny nothing and yet it will beleeve all things My Brethren mark it a little there are a company of vile people that are as they say all for Faith and nothing for confession and what say they beleevers it is not for them to come and confess sin Why a beleever will confess sin doth the Lord say dogg yes truth Lord I am a dogg will the soul say as this Woman did There are others that will confess and not beleeve Oh they cry out they must confess and bewail and lye low and humble themselves c. but they cannot beleeve they dare not beleeve confession is their work c. Why poor hearts you may do both you may say Lord I am a sinner yet I beleeve for mercy is for sinners I am ungodly yet I beleeve for Abraham beleeved in him who justifieth the ungodly I am a dogg as thou sayest Lord yet I beleeve a dogg may gather up a crumb Well remember it True Faith doth not hinder confession nor confession should not hinder Faith But the particular Lesson of the place is this Namely That it is the duty the wisdome the glory of poor souls to carry it holily and humbly unto Christ when Christ seems to carry it harshly unto them So doth this poor Woman or if you will take it shortly thus It becomes Christians to carry it really well when Christ carries it seemingly ill I know my Brethren this is a hard work but as hard as it is wee must learn it and I will assure you if ever God intend to do you good though flesh and blood murmure yet the Lord will whip you into this Lesson but hee will make you learn it Namely to carry it holily to him when hee carries it seemingly harsh to you I remember that passage in 1 Pet. 2.18 Servants bee obedient to your Masters not onely to the good and gentle but also to the froward It is the duty of a servant professing the Name of God though hee have a froward Master yet hee must carry it well Now mark it Is it the duty of a servant to carry it well to a bad Master and is it not the duty of Saints to carry it well to Christ wee are the servants hee is the Master So in Heb. 12.9 Mark the Apostles argumentation saith hee Wee have had Fathers of our flesh which corrected us and wee gave them reverence shall wee not much rather bee in subjection unto the Father of spirits and lâ—ve Mark there is life in this our life depends on our reverent carriage in this case Alass if Christ bee gone our life goes with him carry it well therefore if thou love thy life you must bee subject and submissive even when hee seems to bee sharp otherwise death is at the door Minde it then would you have a pardon and doth Christ seem to deny you where can you go for it but to him and when you come if you submit there it is soul in the point is your life Therefore mark the lesson well It is the duty wisdome and glory of Saints to carry it well to Christ when hee carries it seemingly ill to them There are four persons in the book of God recorded that God did seem to deal very hardly withall and of all of them this Woman of Canaan was most rare Good old Aaron holy Job the Virgin Mary the Mother of our Lord and this Woman in the Text. But truly as the Apostle said now remains Faith Hope and Charity the greatest thereof is Charity so of these that are upon record the greatest of these is this Woman shee seems to excel in good carriage under hard usage For Aarons carriage you have it recorded in Lev. 10.3 The Lord had dealt very severely with him Nadab and Abihu his two sons were consumed with fire from Heaven before the Lord. Ah Lord how harsh was this to flesh and blood what meer man having nothing more than man could bear it a good Priest hath two sons taken away suddenly But how doth Aaron carry it The Lord spake to Moses and Moses to Aaron saying This is that the Lord spake I will bee sanctified in them that come nigh mee and before all the people I will bee glorified and Aaron held his peace The Lord seemed very severe against the old man hee took away two of his children at once when they were about his work the Lord satisfies him by Moses and hee held his peace A blessed behaviour it was well-becoming him and very patternable unto us The second is that of Job In the first and second chapters you may read and see that God carries it strangely to him yet it is said in all this Job carries it very well so well that the Holy Ghost bears him witness Hee sinned not nor charged God foolishly And when his Wife put him on to curse God Oh saith hee Thou speakest like one of the foolish women what shall wee receive good at the hand of God and not evil There was a carriage indeed very good and right according to our Doctrine Thirdly Our Lords Mother carries it well to the Lord when hee seemed to carry it harsh to her In John 2.3 There you have our Lord and his Mother at a Wedding and there was wanting some Wine and the Mother said to Jesus they have no Wine saith Christ Woman what have I do with thee mine hour is not yet come What
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
doth appear upon this consideration nothing but this could have so quieted the heart of David that the childe was happy Indeed some think that the phrase I shall go to him is no more but I shall bee dead as hee is and they say David did acquiesce in this that the will of God was fulfilled and therefore David comforts himself in this I shall go to him But if this had not been to Heaven it could have been no great comfort Alass what comfort is this bare thought to a mourning Parent my childe is dead and I shall dye too David might have had that comfort in Absolons death but here was his comfort I shall go to him i. e. to glory the bare grave is not comfort nor was it to David but the glory beyond the grave is And this is that comfort which doth stay the heart I shall go to him Though God did not hear him for his childes life yet I think for his childes soul So that is another thing to satisfie any Christian in this case I say when Christ doth not hear prayers to restore a childe to life and health yet in this case in particular go to the Lord Jesus you may go and you may prevail for corporal kindnesses for them and if not for their bodies who can tell but you may for their souls Then I beseech you all in the words of the Apostle Phil. 4.6 compared with verse 19. Bee careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request bee made known unto God My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus Whatever your condition bee bee not over careful go to the Lord Jesus and hee will supply all thy wants hee will give a pardon to thy soul and a plaister to thy body and to thy childes body too you may go to Jesus Christ for what you will in a way of beleeving and to bee sure you shall alwaies prevail in spirituals and sometimes in corporals But there are two questions that wee must answer First But in what cases may it bee lawful to put Prayer and Faith a working in going to Christ for corporal kindnesses Secondly When may wee hope that wee may prevail with Christ for corporal kindnesses First In what cases may wee go to the Lord Jesus and set Prayer and Faith on work for corporal kindnesses It is a Case of Conscience which is not oftentimes touched upon Three things I shall tell you to regulate you and then in any case you may go to Christ and act Faith for corporal mercies First When the thing is lawful that you ask There are many things that are not lawful for us to ask Like Neroes Mother ask and say I will have my Son King though I dye for it You may not begg of the Lord that your childe may bee thus great or thus honourable but you may begg of the Lord life and health creature accommodations so far as necessary these things you may begg and go to Christ for Secondly You must look that your spirits bee not inordinately set upon the things When ever thou findest thy heart inordinately set upon any thing then do not pray for it And then Thirdly When you can appeal to Jesus Christ that the end for which you begg a corporal kindness it is for his glory then you may begg it As David there in Psa 119.17 Deal bountifully with thy servant that I may live and keep thy Word You may go and say Lord Jesus Let my childe live for what end that hee may bee a great man a rich man c. No the Lord will abhor it But that my childe may live to serve the Lord if that bee your end you may pray for it And then Quest 2. But you will say When shall I know or may I guess that I shall prevail with Christ What are the signs of the time and season when I may hope I shall prevail with Christ for mercy c Answ I answer When the frame of your spirit is as the frame of the spirit of the Woman of Canaan I pray mark it a little what the frame of the spirit of this Woman was Take it in some particulars I will name onely two viz. First Shee had this frame of spirit That though shee mentioned her childes case yet shee seems to minde her own soul most And Secondly Shee had this as the frame of her spirit To beleeve for both Now to urge it in a few words to you The first frame of her spirit was That though shee did begg this mercy for her childe yet the frame of her spirit was principally set upon her soul This poor Woman did desire her Daughters life but however Lord bread for my poor soul Oh Sirs when you can go to God and say Lord I would have such a corpotal mercy but however Lord soul-mercy when you can desire a sick childe may bee made well but especially an evil heart mended when your soul is set mostly upon your soul and its concernments then are you in a good frame Secondly This Woman was raised up to measure of Faith Indeed some great and considerate Divines do think that that Text of James 5. where it is said The prayer of Faith shall save the sick is to bee understood in reference to a particular Faith And my Beloved howsoever yet let mee tell you it is not alwaies necessary wee should have a particular perswasion yet when the Lord doth intend to answer in a corporal kindness hee doth secretly either out of the word or by providence hint some word that may bring the soul to a beleeving frame Something is presented to us which raiseth up a Faith in us so that when wee are in such a frame of heart as to minde spiritual things most and yet to beleeve that in a temporal thing God will gratifie us then may wee expect that wee shall not bee ashamed of our Faith and that wee shall have the particular corporal mercy granted to us But to end This is that I would press upon the whole As ever you would have mercy for body and soul go to Jesus Christ But now there is some general word that I would draw from the whole story Wee have now dispatched this whole discourse of the Woman of Canaan What is there that is upon my spirit to begg of the Lord for you and for my own soul but this That this story may bee alwaies a good story to us First of all therefore I say Look about you that the story of the Woman of Canaan may not bee a sad story to any Is there any such as may have cause to fear that you will say Yes man or woman whoever thou art who dost not faithfully go to Jesus Christ the story of the Woman of Canaan shall condemn you you have no excuse to keep you off from going to Jesus Christ but this Woman will condemn you
the good liking and acceptance of my Labours this way gives mee grounds to hope that my service may extend it self beyond my own age Certainly books last longer than men and they speak when wee are dead and gone Hereupon I am encouraged once again to appear in the Press for the same service which is only to subserve the counsell of God for the good of thy soul Christian Reader by the following Sermons concerning which I will onely preface a few words about their Occasion Scope and Mode 1 For the Occasion take that thus there is extant among those choice labours of that Man of God Mr. William Bridge now of Yarmouth one Sermon pitty it is there were no more upon the story of the Woman of Canaan This Sermon I had a Childe who is now with him who gave it that was much taken with it I perceived shee read it often with savour and delight whereupon it was in my heart to inlarge a little more upon that subject which certainly is sweet to all those who have spiritual senses exercised to discern the glory and rellish of Gospel discourses This was indeed Reader the occasion of these Sermons 2 The Scope of them is to do good to many who are the sons and daughters of Mystical Canaan In the History of the example here opened wee may observe what ought to bee the carriage and what may bee the comfort of any soul that hath or shall come to Jesus Christ Indeed the way of coming to Christ I have not inlarged in having formerly done that in my Ministerial course the special thing attended and aimed at is to direct and help poor souls who know and are in the way to Christ but lie under temptations and troubles by reason of some seeming harsh delatory and denying entertainment which they meet withall And therein I hope this work will be unto thee Reader of advantage 3 Concerning its Mode or the manner of handling these Sermons truly it is without affectation or curiosity either as to phrases or fancies and in the same plainness wherein they were preached and taken are they now without any further polish printed And truly the bread of life is best when it is plain Experience hath put it beyond controversie that the truths of God take and work most sweetly and soveraignly where they are delivered most plainly and simply Not in the wisdome of man but in the simplicity of the Spirit and in that ordinary language wherein the Lord gives to each man utterance The way of such mens preaching is exceeding bad albeit the matter may bee truth and good who rather tickle the ear than touch the hearts of their hearers This last I studied and therefore that other I neglected And Reader if thou affect words thou maiest spare thy pains for upon that score the ensuing Sermons will yeeld thee no pleasure But in case thy heart bee set on things which may concern thy soul read humbly and seriously and I dare under Christ promise thee profit for thy pains My desire was and is to serve poor humble hungry souls that will be glad of any of the crumbs which Christ gives and if thou bee such fall to and the Lord be with thee in thy perusal of these Sermons which with thy soul I commend to the blessing of Christ desiring thee Reader in thy prayers to remember him who is Thine in soul-service for Christs sake John Durant THE Woman of Canaan coming unto Christ The First SERMON Matthew 15. from vers 22 to vers 29. And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil But hee answered her not a word and his Disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for shee crieth after us But hee answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs And shee said Truth Lond yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt And her Daughter was made whole from that very hour IN all our addresses unto Christ which is the great business of our Life and Happiness it concerns us not onely to know the great Precepts that should guide us and the gracious Promises that may incourage us But also to bee well acquainted with all those Patterns and Examples of any that have gone to Christ before us and likewise with those occurrences which they did and wee are like to meet withall in this work Now my Brethren unto this purpose I know no one story in all the New Testament which speaks of any coming to Christ like that which I have read to acquaint us a little by way of Pattern what wee should expect when wee come to Christ In the coming of this Woman to Christ wee have something very patternable for us to minde And in the carriage of Christ to her wee may see what wee may expect at the hands of Christ even then when wee come to him There are fix heads unto which the whole story as it is here recorded may bee reduced First You have the coming of the Woman unto Christ in vers 22. Secondly You have the seemingly harsh entertainment that Christ gives her at first for hee answered her not a word and though his Disciples spake on her behalf hee puts them off Thirdly You have the Womans good behaviour notwithstanding all this vers 25. Shee worshipped him saying Lord help mee Fourthly You have the Repulse that Christ doth give to that in vers 26. But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs Fifthly You have her yet renewed recourse to Christ after that repulse in vers 27. Truth Lord yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table Sixthly and lastly You have the blessed issue of all in vers 28. Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. My intention is not to confine my self to the Method but to the Matter In which you have The Coming of the Woman The Entertainment of Christ The Carriage of the Woman under all And the blessed Conclusion wherewith all is ended At present wee shall consider the first of these The Coming of the Woman of Canaan And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same Coasts and cried unto him saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil This Note Behold is observed to bee a Note of Attention and it is put in to usher in some matter that is more
than ordinary remarkable and to bee minded by us Here is a Woman and a Woman of such a Country and so coming and that upon such an account that both the one and the other and altogether may very well bee brought in with a Behold I have formerly spoken at large of souls coming to Christ how God leads them and how by Faith they are brought to him and therefore shall not handle that now Onely there are here three heads of Observation to which I shall reduce all at this time And as sometimes I make three Sermons upon one head or point so at this time I shall make one Sermon upon three heads And the order in which I shall proceed to speak of them shall bee this First Wee will a little consider the party coming Secondly The manner how shee comes Thirdly The occasion or the account upon which shee comes at this time To begin with the first Behold saith the Holy Ghost A Woman You will bee ready to say to mee What shall wee see in her why truly in this Woman coming to Christ you shall see this Truth That the way to Christ is very free for poor souls of any place in any condition Here is a Woman I list not to quibble upon that but here is a Woman of Canaan Canaan of all the places at those times had a mark upon it to bee most opposite to goodness and it may bee said of it as once it was said of another place Can any good come out of it But of what place of the Country shee was a borderer to Tyre and Sidon Now Tyre and Sidon were the worst places of that Country They were in a sense the Sodome sinks of Canaan The Salvage places as wee say of some Sea-Towns the most notorious Cities of all that Country and yet now a Woman of this bad Country the door is open and shee comes to Jesus Christ You read of some in John 12.20 21. that came to Philip and said Sirs wee would see the Lord c. Why my Brethren It is a certain truth whatever Country you are of whatever place sex or condition the way is open and you may freely come to Jesus Christ This truth is so general in all the Gospel and so frequently preached that I shall not need to stay upon it You read that Christ freely invited and lovingly entertained all that came even Publicans and Harlots Sinners and Rebels Enemies and ungodly ones I say not qua tales but qui quondam tales i. e. such as once were so vile and therefore unworthy and unlikely to come yet come they did and the way was not hedged up nor the door shut against them There are three ends why I touch upon it and for which I desire you to Behold this truth in this woman First Behold this Woman and truth for this end To let you see The certainty of that great truth That some of all sorts shall bee saved Is the way to Christ open and free for any sex of any condition and Country then some of all sorts and Countries shall come in Rev. 7.9 you read besides the sealed ones of the Jews the Holy Ghost takes notice of an innumerable company of the Gentiles and they are thus set out to bee of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues My Brethren I do not intend so much as in the least to prop the opinion of general Redemption but this I say that sith the way to Jesus Christ is so free and so open unto all that therefore some of all though not all may come to him and shall bee saved at last I say not that all shall bee saved I could wish that errour had died with Origen but I say some of all i. e. some of all conditions Countries Kindreds c. shall bee saved by Jesus Christ And why O soul may not wee bee of that some But secondly See my Brethren what an incouragement here is unto Faith The poor soul would come and when hee comes hee must beleeve your Faith are your feet by which you must come to Christ But now the great question is When the soul is upon his way going to Christ or upon his feet It is such a sinner that the question is May hee come yes hee may the way is open and free to any In Luk. 7.37 You read of a Woman that came to Christ that is called a sinner c. What ever Country you are of I pray minde mee bee it never so barbarous and base Bee thou O soul a sinner of any City suppose Sodome there is this ground for your Faith to build upon and if you could as it were peep and look within the Veil you should see that there are some of your Country-men and women in Heaven Father Abraham was in an Idolatrous Nation yet in the 51. of Isaiah saith the Holy Ghost Look to Abraham consider what hee was c. and Behold saith my Text A Woman of Canaan came to Christ take notice of her well for this end also to strengthen my Faith you may come what ere bee your Country Thirdly Behold withall How inexcusable poor creatures will bee that do not put forth indeavours to come to Christ What will you have to say will you say you might not this truth will tell you there is a way open for any of you This story as it is in Mark 7.24 saies Christ would have hid himself but hee could not Therefore as it is an incouragement to Faith so it will leave unbeleef without excuse This poor woman will condemn thee poor Christless careless Creature Behold her coming and tremble to think of thy tarrying away To terrifie all poor negligent souls that minde not seek not come not to a Christ is another end why I would have you all behold the Woman of Canaan coming When shee is gone before what will become of you if that you follow not after certainly her coming will bee your condemnation So much for the first head the party coming Secondly How doth this Woman come Why truly my Brethren you must keep Behold in your hand all along Behold how shee comes shee comes crying and saying Lord thou Son of David have mercy on mee Verily my Brethren this manner of her coming deserves a Behold as the very coming it self There are three circumstances in the manner of her coming First It is said shee cried Secondly Shee cried Have mercy on mee And thirdly O Lord thou Son of David First Shee cried unto him The word doth denote a very passionate cry the Syriack doth use a word which doth signifie such a cry which is as a beast that doth low after its Calf Shee cried unto him that is Shee came with abundance of affection and of intention of spirit The Evangelish Mark tells us shee fell at his feet I cannot better open this than by turning you to that which is as it were a parallel 2 King 4.87 where you have a poor woman
Philemon The account of it take in brief thus Philemon was a godly man and a good Master and hee had 2 Church in his house but Onesimus was nought for all that his Master could not by any means work upon him but hee breaks out and away it is likely hee runs And by the hand of Justice God ordering of it is brought to a Gaol where a Prison prepares him to hear and a prisoner is provided to preach and now hee is wrought upon God hath many waies if wee run from one hee hath another to meet with us in If a Pulpit do not a Prison shall if a soft word win not a hard shall hee will have us see that hee is not tied to any means and therefore sometimes will by a sickness a loss c. bring us home as well as by other waies There is onely one Objection that must bee answered Object But doth not his seem to give some advantage to those who cry down the preaching of the Word It hath been a seemingly fair but a really poor Argument of those to tell us that God can make any thing an Ordinance and therefore they cast off preaching and say what need that cannot and doth not God work sometimes without that Repl. I answer generally My Brethren One good means may very well go hand in hand with another And my Brethren none of the Lords means are Yea and Nay destructive one of another or inconsistent one with another All may and all shall stand and in vain do wee think to make one an Argument against the other It is certain God can alwaies and hee doth often work by afflictions But yet the Word is the chief known tried and standing means And after all that hath been said to the contrary I still think that though the Lord may make use of and sanctifie afflictions as sickness upon us and ours to bring us home to himself yet it is very rarely without the Word There are two Considerations in particular that I would have you minde First Many times Afflictions as poverty and sickness do make a word to work a word that wee have heard The words of the wise saith Solomon they are as Nails fastened Now it may bee the Lord fastens or rather puts in a Nail in the Assembly by his Word and the poor soul runs away now the Lord sends an affliction after him to fasten the Nail and the man is cast upon a sick-bed and now saies hee I remember such an instruction Affliction brings home and drives home a word formerly preached unto us which wee heard and did not regard or remember but now by an Affliction are made to do both I have thought Affliction doth that which Posset-drink doth in Physick it is a plain similitude yet mark it A man takes Physick and it works not then give him a draught of Posset-drink and that makes it work that helps it on so it is here A Word is given out and it works not then the Lord sends Affliction and that makes it work But still it is the Word that works the Word formerly heard c. You know what is said in Psal 141.6 It is said there when they are overthrown in stony places they shall hear my words for they are sweet Why the words were sweet before and heard before but then they shall bee made to relish and then they will minde them Well minde this though Affliction work it is rather as a help to the Word than of it self without the Word This is one Consideration Secondly Another Consideration is this That mostly the Lord makes use of Afflictions if not to back what wee have heard yet to bring them to hear Minde it Many a time the poor Creature hath lived without Sermon-hearing all his daies and Affliction comes and that drives him to the Word Now the soul will go to Lectures now the soul will wait on the Ministery so that Affliction doth rather bring him to the Word as the means that work and bee an effectual means without it I pray then mark these Considerations to keep up your highest thoughts of the Word and that preached as the prime means verily experience seals to these two things that the work of Affliction rather seconds a Word heard or brings the soul to hear the Word than simply works without it Now then for the Application of this There are five Uses that I shall lay before you First Doth the Lord this way use and sanctifie sickness and affliction sometimes upon us or ours Then look about you and see whether God hath sanctified any affliction upon you Wee live in a sickly time it may bee sickness hath been in all your families hath this like the Woman of Canaan brought you to Christ did the sickness of thy body advance thy foot to Christ You will say Wee are like the Woman of Canaan and God forbid but wee should go to Christ when wee were sick But did it bring you to Christ in a soul-way in a soul saving-way Quest How shall I know that Answ Let mee propose two things to you to let you try First When any affliction brings a soul to Christ besides the material sickness or affliction that is upon the outward man the soul is sensible of something like it lighted upon the inward Man There is a sense of the same spiritually as well as corporally As now when sickness brings a man to Christ hee speaks thus I am sick my head akes I and saith the man my heart akes too Oh wife I am a poor sinner I cried first out I am sick in body but now I am sick in soul still the soul sees something like it in spirituals if his sickness brings him to Christ If thou onely art sensible of a corporal disease and goest to Christ for that then it is but a corporal coming not a soul nor a saving coming unto Christ but when thy sick body leads thee to the sense of a sick soul when thy Feavour thy Ague brought thee to feel the like distemper in thy soul and thou thereupon wentest unto Christ for that then was sickness indeed sanctified in a soul-saving-way Secondly Observe this Hee that by any affliction or sickness is brought home to Christ whatever the issue of the affliction may bee his heart is for certain moving still towards Christ even after the sickness is gone You may have a man while the sickness is upon him then hee may bee up in prayer with his Lord have mercy c. but when it is gone his sickness is gone and devotion is gone too But if this bring him to Christ though the sickness bee gone yet the man follows after Christ still and mindes him The soul after sickness is as hee Luk. 8.38 who besought the Lord that hee might bee with him O soul if thou camest to Christ sick thou desirest to bee with Christ well I pray then look to it see if your afflictions have been sanctified
began Behold the Woman of Canaan for it may bee her condition is yours in a sense you have a sick childe as shee had c. I pray thereupon go to Christ as shee did verily Christ will in no wise cast you off in case you come Suppose the first Motive bee low and corporal yet the Matter may prove high and spiritual Who knows but the Lord hath sent divers sicknesses up and down for this end to bring divers souls to Christ I pray therefore minde it and in all affliction look and long that it may have the same operation on you which it had on this Woman who was by this means brought to Christ And this shall suffice for this verse Christ may seemingly entertain at first very harshly The Second SERMON Matthew 15. from vers 23 to vers 29. But hee answered her not a word and his Disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for shee crieth after us But hee answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs And shee said Truth Lord yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt And her Daughter was made whole from that very hour BEsides those Many Men which upon an eminent account are recorded in the Gospel there are also sundry Women who are in an eminent manner recorded likewise and concerning whom the Holy Ghost hath noted something for our special observation and imitation Among others there are Two Women in the Gospel which are very remarkable The one is the Woman that you read of in Luke 8. who is called a sinner And the other is the woman commonly known by the name of The Woman of Canaan and both these women are recorded for eminent coming unto Jesus Christ Wee have here in this place the story of The Woman of Canaan and indeed it is a very holy History and many things are in it which are to bee heeded by us The last day I gave you an account of the Method in which the Holy Ghost doth here record it But letting pass the Method I told you I would stand upon the Matter of the story wherein you have four heads First The coming of the Woman to Christ Secondly The entertainment that Christ doth give her Thirdly You have her carriage under that entertainment Fourthly and lastly The blessed issue of all Wee began the last day with the first The coming of the woman to Christ in vers 22. And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil There are three Circumstances in her coming that wee stood upon The Party coming The Manner of her coming And the Occasion of her coming The Party coming It was a woman of Canaan A Woman of Canaan neer Tyre and Sidon of a bad place in a bad Country But wee told you the way to Christ is open to all But then how did shee come Shee came with much affection shee cried Lord and shee came for meer mercy Justifying Faith still goes to Free Grace and Meer Mercy And shee came to him as hee was the Messiah the Son of David shee did and wee must eye Christ as hee is in all our addresses Lastly But what brought the good woman here Why truly it was a sick childe at home that was sore sick that brought her to Christ Whence wee observed That sometimes the Lord doth sanctifie sicknesses and other afflctions upon us and ours to bring us home unto himself I pray minde it For My Brethren wee have lived for some months under one sickness or other But now let mee ask you the question Have you done like the Woman of Cannan have you gone to Jesus Christ not onely for them but have you gone for your souls to Jesus Christ Mother hath thy sick childe brought thee savingly to Jesus Christ or husband let mee ask thee hath the sickness of thy wife done a cure upon thy own soul can any of you say blessed bee God the Lord took away a childe or husband but that was a strange cord that drew and brought mee to himself Oh! blessed is that sickness upon you or any of yours which as the Woman of Canaans brings you home to Jesus Christ Therefore I shall press it home a little further in four things by way of consideration for you to take the more special heed unto the things which I then spake and you heard viz. The improvement of all afflictions to bring your souls to Christ Consider first Possibly yea probably the Lord did therefore send such a sickness to thy soul that hee might bring thee home to himself The Lord saw nothing else would do thee good and therefore sent that Thou wert it may bee a poor vain creature that couldest scoff at a Sermon and no preaching would do thee good now it may bee the Lord sends sickness to bring thee in Hee doth by sickness as by a special servant send for you and it stands you upon to go to him therefore now Brethren look about you if ever God send a Messenger of a particular Errant if the Messenger have not his answer woe bee to you It is a great evil to neglect any of the Lords Messengers Secondly It is certain wee have all more reason to go to Christ for our souls than upon the account of any sickness for our bodies Our souls are our highest concernment and there is more sickness and more danger in and upon your souls which should carry them to Christ than can bee upon your selves and families There are but a few whose souls are better than their bodies Indeed wee read of one hee had a holy soul but a weak body holy Gaius in the third Epistle of John but generally our souls are worse than our bodies and therefore wee have more reason to go for our souls The Feavour it may bee is upon thy body and is it not in thy soul the Devil possesses thy childes body doth hee not possess thy own soul Oh therefore considering you have more reason to go for your souls than your bodies set every thing bee sanctified in you and have that work upon you Thirdly The Lord Jesus hath more bowels and hee is easier prevailed withall to do for the soul than in any case for our bodies or for the bodies of our Relations You never read of any that came to Christ for their souls that Christ did cast them off The Lord Christ may in wisdome and grace deny you when you come for your body hee may say it is not good you should bee well but hee will never
nothing c. Why know the Lord doth do it but sometimes and know that that God that speaks harshly to thee now will speak sweetly afterwards Note that place Judges 10. The people of Israel there cry to God deliver us this once what saith the Lord in vers 13. You have forsaken mee go to your Gods I will deliver you no more get you gone saith God and yet mark they follow on their cry save us but this once and it is said in vers 16. his soul was grieved for them Oh my Brethren though the Lord do seemingly entertain you harshly at first yet bee of good comfort hee may yet speak well to you yea hee will at last Onely let mee conclude with a little peece of the story of Joseph It may bee there are some of the women of Canaan that have cried long pray remember Joseph and Josephs Brethren came down to him My Lord say they wee are the children of one Man and wee come to buy corn and Joseph answered them roughly by and by hee laies one by the heels hee lets them go and keeps but one Oh the poor Brethren of Joseph might think what shall wee do wee are come into a strange Country and wee meet with strange language wee came to buy bread and wee are made prisoners you all know the story how Joseph entertained his Brethren at last Three things are in Josephs story in the book of Genesis First Though hee speaks roughly yet his bowels were towards his dear Brethren Secondly Though hee spake roughly it was that hee might have Renjamin And thirdly Though hee spake roughly yet at last hee entertained them royally Jesus is our Joseph and wee go to him for corn the Lord may speak roughly to us as Joseph did to them But first Hee hath bowels when hee speaks roughly Oh Jesus his bowels did roll to this poor woman when hee spake roughly When I spake against him my bowels were turned within mee saith God of Ephraim Oh thou childe of Canaan thou sayest hee hath called thee Dogg beleeve it hee is grieved for it at his heart Oh the sounding of the bowels of Christ are often towards us when hee seems to carry it harsh And then secondly Why did hee speak so harshly at first it was all to get Benjamin let us allude to it and apply it to you You have a Benjamin the Lord loves your hearts your soul your spirit that is your Bejamin the Lord speaks roughly that hee may have Benjamin and when once that Benjamin comes a living heart is brought to him hee will quickly make friends Lastly Joseph made a large recompence for all and truly so will the Lord Jesus make a large amends for all Oh children of Canaan in the Promise and thou woman of Canaan in the letter though the Lord seem harsh at first yet at last hee will bee sweet they shall have corn and mony too they shall have enough to bring them where they shall have all the Land Thou shalt have soul and body-body-mercies mercy for the way and mercy for the Country The Lord Jesus will deal bountifully The Lord may deal roughly but hee will yet deal royally How did hee deal with this woman Oh Woman bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Jesus did never speak so to any body Christ may say at last Oh soul go to the pot of Manna and take and eat what thou wantest what thou wishest And poor soul bee it to thee even as thou wilt for soul body daughter and all Though the Lord Christ may speak roughly at first and entertain seemingly severe yet hee doth end really sweet Thus much at present Reasons why Christ at first seems to bee harsh The Third SERMON Matthew 15. from vers 23 and so on But hee answered her not a word And his Disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for shee crieth after us But hee answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs c. BEsides those things which are commonly experienced and which must bee certainly expected in the coming of every soul to Christ besides those there are some RARE extraordinary things that now and then fall out upon some souls in their coming to â—hrist And my Brethren it concerns us to bee acquainted with them that in case they should befall us as others wee may know what to think and how to carry our selves Now in this story of the Woman of Canaan wee have some of those rare and extraordinary things which may befall some souls when they come to Christ Indeed wee have not the like History in all the New Testament unto this you read of many that came to Christ and you read how Christ did entertain them but you never read that Christ did carry it so to any as hee did to the Woman of Canaan There were four heads of matter unto which I said we might reduce this story First The coming of the Woman to Christ that wee have dispatched The Woman came upon a low account at first shee had a childe-sick possessed with Satan and her sick childe did revive a dead soul and brings her to Christ But now the second head wee are come to It is Christs entertainment of this Woman How doth Christ entertain her shee comes with much affection shee speaks with great humility how doth Christ welcome her truly very strangely hee answers her not a word And when the Disciples spake on her behalf hee seems to reprove them when shee renews her request hee puts her off with a dreadful answer so strangely doth Christ sometimes carry it to poor souls The Doctrine wee are upon from the carriage of Christ to the Woman is Doct. That Iesus Christ is seemingly harsh sometimes to some souls when they come to him Wee expressed the Doctrine with more caution because it is rare and it must not bee mistaken Therefore wee told you the lâ—st day those three expressions are boundaries of the point 1 It is but seemingly There is harshness in the carriage when none in the heart 2 And that sometimes 3 And but to some persons wee do not read of any more but this one to whom Christ did carry it so There were two things I said I would open in the doctrinal part First Wherein Christ might shew some kinde of harshness sometimes to poor souls This wee opened by this instance of Christs carriage to this Woman 1 Hee doth not entertain her 2 Hee doth not speak to her 3 Puts off them that spake for her 4 When shee renews her request shee is not the better 5 Nay hee speaks that as might dash her hope 6 And at last hee doth for her but upon a great dispute and after denials and delaies Secondly But whence is it that the Lord should thus
say they hunger who yet have not a spiritual stomach at all to Christ the Bread of Life They ask bread but it is onely an asking Now Christ will try us and by this strange carriage hee trieth us indeed And for us to continue begging crying bread after Christ hath spoke to us as to this woman After hee hath said I am not sent for you it is not meet to give unto you bee gone what should a Dogg have childrens bread after this I say to wait and worship to beg and reiterate cries for bread this will make Christ say this longing is sincere and strong beleeve it here is a hungry soul indeed Many wish for Christ who do not heartily hunger for him Secondly Christ will try Faith too and it is good for us to bee tried in our Faith Saith Christ Here comes a soul to mee hee looks as if hee would take hold of mee I will try whether hee bee one of Jacobs children that will wrestle a fall and keep his hold when I seek and seem to cast him off I will see if I call him Dogg Whether hee will trust and beleeve hee may bee a Childe It was a trial and demonstration that Jobs Faith was right when hee would trust in a killing God and it will try our Faith indeed to wait upon and cling to a seemingly rejecting Redeemer And this was the great matter in the case of this poor woman Oh Woman great is thy Faith Jesus Christ did all this to try the womans Faith God will see whether the soul will take hold of an angry Christ and run after a going-away Christ In 1 Pet. 1.7 saith the Apostle there That the trial of your Faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth c. It is not spoken of Faith in it self that that is more precious than gold that perisheth though that is precious but of the trial of it The very trial of Faith is a precious thing Now that Christ may try our Faith as well as our Hunger therefore hee deals a little harshly with us Thirdly The Lord hath this design too By his harsh dealing with one hee will make many wise When two or three of the younger boles shall see the Father deal something harsh with the eldest it teaches them all something The Lord help us wee are a company of mad untoward children wee neglect many a precious opportunity Christ calls and wee will not answer c. Now when Christ shall deal harshly with some then wee shall bee made wise to hearken when Christ calls How many have preached this truth from that experience Children have some Parents said take a Christ while hee smiles take a Promise when it is tendered you do not know what it may cost you I neglected my seasons and I found it a hard matter for mee to close with Jesus Christ You have a great word in Heb. 3.7 8. Wherefore to day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness c. What doth hee allude to hee alludes to the story of the children of Israel in the wilderness and of Gods harsh dealing with them and all because of their unbeleef The Lord Jesus Christ hee doth deal harshly with many leads them thorow wildernesses stings them with Scorpions to make others wise to accept of mercy when and while it may bee had Ah! how many think it an easie matter to come to Christ and have bread presently and therefore defer and delay put by at best lay by many a choice tender till another time as they think wherein they may at pleasure take it But now when they shall see such examples as this that a man or woman may come and call and crouch and worship and begg and yet bee put off yet have no mercy No nor no kinde word as was this womans case this will make them wise to take heed how they refuse that which afterwards they may request with tears and yet bee rejected But besides fourthly The Lord Christ doth deal thus that indeed hee may bring the soul to Gospel-self-denial I say unto Gospel-self-denial The Lord is resolved that whosoever will bee his Disciple must deny himself Now some have observed that nothing doth so much tame any as hunger The Lord Jesus Christ will take the soul upon the hip and make the soul fully deny it self and now saith God If thou wilt come to mee in my way well otherwise no bread Bread bread saith the hungry man if I may have it this way or that way any way I will take it well saith Christ I see the soul is come pretty well too as wee say I will keep off a little longer make him fast a few daies more Deny him till hee is ready to dye for hunger and then I shall make him deny himself in his honour in his inheritance in his very birth-right I shall make him say what profit will that or any thing do mee if I dye for hunger and I am at the point of death Therefore whatever the terms are I will deny all part with all for this Bread of Life So that real universal self-denial is by the Lords grace effected through this delaying and seemingly-denying carriage And to this end or for this reason doth Christ sometimes deal with us as with the woman of Canaan Hee will seemingly deny us that wee may really deny our selves Hee will tame us and then put his own terms upon us and for that end carries it so strangely to us Fifthly Christ doth intend to heighten himself in our hearts Before Christ give us himself hee will greaten himself And my Brethren it is our sore misery that wee are too apt to have sleight thoughts of Jesus Christ Now Christ will make us prize him very highly and therefore wee shall come by him very hardly It is a Rule and a general Observation That wee prize that highly which wee come by very hardly Oh Sirs the Lord Christ knows how to heighten himself in your hearts by deferring to grant your request Possibly thou art a poor ignorant creature in thy first coming unto Christ one who thinkest well but not well enough of Christ Thou valuest him a little but not as the chiefest Now Christ is resolved to heighten himself in thy heart and will therefore keep off so long that thou shalt come thereby to prize him at a higher rate than all the world and shalt have cause to say I value him much and love him dear for I came by him very hardly and was fain to wait long before I did enjoy him Lastly The Lord Christ may have this end Namely That the soul might catch at him more hastily and keep him more fastly therefore hee doth hold off thus and deal thus harshly wee are not eager enough in closing with Christ My Brethren the soul is apt to linger in the matter of taking Christ but when Christ
Thou art perplexed comfort thou wouldest have Now observe Christ it may bee offers thee a crumb and thy proud heart will not accept of comfort unless thou mayest have much This is just like a little childe the Mother gives it a small peece of bread and it cries and throws it away if hee may not have his Brothers peece of bread Ah! Beloved look to your hearts Take heed of this proud peece of childishness If your hearts were humble you would accept of and thank Christ for a little As it is with the hungry soul so it is with every humble soul Hee admires mercy in a morsel and is willing to stoop under the Table to take up a crumb Put on therefore and bee cloathed with humility and put it forth shew it in your Carriage to Christ as this Woman of Canaan did It was the humility of her soul by which shee carried it so well and this is the first Grace in her Carriage unto Christ wee should indeavour to conform our selves I come to the next Secondly Observe in her the Grace of Prayer I do not say the Gift of Prayer But I observe it as the Grace of Prayer for here was no great gift Oh Sirs however the Lord doth keep up Prayer your case cannot bee so bad but pray you may and pray you must Do but observe an instance or two in the Book of the Psalms of very sad cases and yet they did not give over Prayer Psal 61. there you have the Psalmist crying after God in the first verse But when would hee cry Why when my heart is overwhelmed vers 2. Thou sayest thy heart is overwhelmed and thou canst not it is in vain to pray Mark the Psalmist prayed then Again Psal 88. observe how sad the case of Heman is set forth there My soul is full of trouble my life draweth nigh unto the grave vers 3. And so on But what saith hee in vers 13. But unto thee have I cried O Lord and in the morning shall my Prayer prevent thee Though the case was very sad yet it was not past praying Here is the Devils temptation What wilt thou pray it is in vain thou hast prayed and Christ doth not answer Nay hee hath returned thee a rough answer So indeed the Serpent subtilly suggests to take us off from Prayer But resist the Devil in that temptation do thou yet pray and give not over yet say I will pray unto him say with Jonah Yet I will look again towards his holy Temple Jonah 2.4 Quest But if the soul say But I cannot tell how to pray I have not a Gift of Prayer Answ If thou bee a Saint Thou hast a Grace of Prayer And observe this thou canst pray as much as the Woman of Canaan Lord help mee and Truth Lord c. Here are but three words Lord help mee And let mee in allusion tell you but three words that you should pray to the Lord let your case bee what it will First Lord thou onely canst help mee all the men in the world cannot help mee Secondly Lord thou didst help many as bad as I. Thirdly And Lord If thou didst never help any as bad then now thou wilt have the more glory by helping mee Object Possibly the soul will be ready to say But alass Jesus Christ puts mee off I would pray but hee turns away and will not hear and I would catch hold of him but hee runs away Repl. You know what Jacob did Gen. 32.26 27. Hee would catch hold of God though hee would bee gone and you must wrestle with him and cry after him You must not let him go You see the Disciples tell Christ that this Woman cried after them vers 23. Shee was as one that ran after another who went away Shee crieth after us say they do thou so if Christ seem to go run after cry after Bee not put off renew and re-inforce thy Prayer again and again Indeed in this the Grace of Prayer differs from the Gift the Grace lives and lasts the Gift dies and goes out Well then stir up thy self to take hold of God and keep thy hold having taken it Pray if thou canst but a little and go again and pray the same words again and again Christ himself did so Three times hee prayed in the same words Mat. 26.44 Bee not ashamed if thou want variety of expression A few words prevail with God and Jesus Christ Therefore I say Pray alwaies however Christ carry it cast not away thy Prayers but continue in it so this Woman did and wee must do likewise But Thirdly Bee resolute in your Faith And pray let mee mark this by the way Though shee doth not say Lord I beleeve yet shee did beleeve The Woman was acting the Grace of Faith all this while and shee acts it very resolutely shee speaks as one beleeving him to bee the Messiah as one whose onely hope and help was in him and as one that did cleave and adhere to him Our Lord Jesus witnesseth to the Womans Faith vers 28. It was strong and resolute shee did beleeve and was acted and upheld as I shall shew hereafter by Faith in all this address A Faith shee had and a Faith shee expressed really though it is not expressed literally as to the terms yet it is evident as to the Truth of it that shee did beleeve so do you Beleevers are ready to think that in time of trouble it is a time to pray and to hear but not to beleeve c. Thou thinkest thou mayest cry after Christ and wait upon Christ I but thou shouldest beleeve in him Isa 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God So Job I wil trust in him though hee kill mee That act of Faith I am now pressing is Trusting and I pray minde it what kinde of Faith I press in this particular It is a Trusting Faith Job did trust and hee that feareth God must trust in him at all times yea in the dark And truly this word or term Trust doth very fitly set forth the thing I intend to press you in this particular unto Now that you may a little understand it consider that there are four words in the Scripture that set forth the great Mystery of Beleeving There is first The general word Faith I beleeve Lord help my unbeleef Secondly There is the particular word of Hope Hee hopeth Thirdly There is a particular word of Knowledge which is as much as Assurance I know whom I have beleeved And Fourthly There is this word Trusting And now what is the nature of Trust A man that beleeves hath a pretty deal of light of God but hee that hopes hath a little more hee hath more that knows but what hath hee that trusts I shall give it you in this similitude One comes to another Sir I know you can help mee
life when they have been going out of the world they have had joy and comfort The story of Mris. Drake is known shee had many terrours much sadness no smiles from Christ all her daies till at last when shee came to dye a little before her death Christ dealt so kindly that shee went out of the world in an extacy and ravishment of spirit full of peace and full of joy triumphing in the Lord so that in the Issue of our time and life wee shall finde Christ kinde however hee is at first to us But then Thirdly Or else in the Issue of all things When all things shall bee wrapt up by a final End and Issue put to them then Christ will shew himself kinde however strange hee did seem to carry it to poor souls before You read of a day in Mal. 3.17 in which the Lord will make up his Jewels and then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked c. And Matthew 25. there Christ speaks very sweetly when the Lord shall say to those on his right hand Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you c. Then hee shall say to this poor man and woman thou didst mourn after mee all thy daies thou didst wait upon mee all thy life and though I seemed to carry it strange thou wert sincere Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you c. I do observe that this carried up the heart of Job in Job 19. I know that my Redeemer liveth and hee shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and then in my flesh I shall see him c. This Text in Job is worth its weight in Gold upon many accounts That that Jesus Christ that is now at the right hand of the Father Job many thousand years ago said hee should know upon the Earth and though hee set him up as a mark to shoot at then yet hee knew at last hee would deal kindly with him Well then I pray put all together Persons truly comming to Christ in the Issue either of the Act of coming or of their Lives or of all things shall finde this to bee a certain Truth that Christ will deal sweetly with them however now hee may seem to carry it strangely And my Beloved I shall not need to bring any other instance to prove it than this instance in the Text. Never was any so strangely dealt withall as the Woman of Canaan and yet what a blessed Issue doth hee make with heâ— Oh Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. There are onely two things that I aim at in the explication of the point And The first is to shew you wherein the kinde close of the Carriage of Christ in the Issue shall appear to poor souls however at first hee may carry it strangely And Secondly The ground of this Wee shall begin with the first And I shall out of this instance of the Woman of Canaan shew you how kindly Christ will carry it at last in the Issue though hee carry it roughly at first Pray observe this speech Jesus answered and said unto her c. I remember in the book of Ruth when Boaz had espied Ruth and talked of her to his servants hee spake to her himself in vers 8. and what saith shee in verse 10. Shee fell upon her face and bowed her self to the ground and said unto him Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldest take knowledge of mee seeing I am a stranger It was a marvelous act of kindness that Boaz should take knowledge of her to speak to her Just so mee thinks it was here Christ at first talks to his servants of this Woman hee did not speak at first to her but to the Disciples of her But now although before the Lord did not seem to take knowledge of this Woman yet I say now the Lord is so kinde as hee turns to her and takes notice of her and hee speaks exceeding kinde to her Oh Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. Let us open it a little Here are three Parts First Oh Woman great is thy Faith Secondly Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Thirdly At the same hour her Daughter was made whole First Hee answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith My Beloved wee must open this by degrees and it is very much which is here contained For First of all Hee answered and said unto her O blessed kindness that Jesus Christ that before answered her not a word hee now opens his lips and vouchsafes to speak to her David who knew what an act of kindness this is sets it forth both in the Negative and in the Affirmative Negatively speaking of his enemies in Psal 18.41 They cried but there was none to save them even unto the Lord but hee ANSWERED THEM NOT. And Affirmatively speaking of himself in Psal 118.5 I called upon the Lord in distress the Lord answered mee and set mee in a large place Oh my Beloved it is an act of kindness that Christ will speak Let not my Lord bee angry saith the soul do but speak to mee Oh it is mercy and kindness when the Lord breaks his silence and doth but speak to us Why now Christ you see speaks to the Woman And it is said Jesus answered and said unto her hee answers his Disciples before about her but did not speak to her now hee speaks to her Remember you not the expression in Cant. 8.13 Thou that dwellest in the Gardens the Companions hearken to thy voice cause mee to hear it Oh saith the poor soul sometimes Blessed Lord thy Companions hear thy voice Angels that wait upon thy Throne they hear it and the Saints in the Sanctuary they hear it and I am without knocking Lord let mee hear thy voice Here is the first step that hee vouchsafes to speak to her Secondly Hee saith unto her Woman c. how soft is this language Now hee doth not speak to her in a rough manner but Woman My Beloved you know what is said of Job Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind who is this that darkens words of wisdome without knowledge Job 38.1 2. But behold the Lord hee answers in a still voice hee speaks as a man to a woman By Beloved had the Lord spoken louder it may bee it would have broke her the Lord will speak to poor souls in a still voice I remember a prayer of Job Job 13. about verse 20. Onely do not two things unto mee then will I not hide my self from thee withdraw thine hand far from mee and let not thy dread make mee afraid c. And it is worth our considering because it will open what wee are upon hee doth as it were capitulate with God and hee makes but one Article Let not thy dread make mee afraid As if Job
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
is a pattern and it is upon a general account There are onely two words of Application I shall make at present First I will gather one terrible Consequence from all this consolatory discourse And Secondly I shall gather one Rational Caution from the whole First I shall gather a terrible Consequence from all this When mercy is preached and comfort is held out wee have many snatch for it that have nothing to do with it And while I would comfort a Son or Daughter of Abraham I would not strengthen the hands of any in sin Well then sinners hear and fear Look about you as I use to say for certainly As Jesus Christ will deal kindly with those that truly come to him at last So hee will deal exceeding terribly with those who notwithstanding all his good carriage carry it ill to him If Jesus Christ Man or Woman will deal well with that soul that did tarry long because it tarried out to the end then hee will deal ill with thee whoever thou art who notwithstanding all his good carriage to thee dealest perversly with him though hee wooes you and beseeches you now yet at last hee will deal terribly with you at last there shall bee two in one bed the one shall bee taken and the other left Verily my Beloved Look as mercy and kindness will oblige the heart of Christ to bee kinde to waiters and commers at last so the justice and wrath of Christ will as it were ingage Christ to bee dreadful to Rebels and impenitent ones at last Husband thy Wife came to Christ and waited on him long Christ will in the issue bee kinde to her But thou standest it out still art a Rebel to this day Oh tremble to think what Christ will do at last Hee will judge and condemn and destroy thee upon whom hee hath waited long and who yet at last wouldest not come in The Jews are a sad example of this terrible Consequence that I am upon The poor Canaanites that Christ dealt so severely withall all the Prophecies of the Messiah were sealed books to them c. at last in the fulness of time Christ comes and hee speaks mercy to the Gentiles but how doth hee deal with the Jews the Jews that hee had been kinde to because they came not in hee turns away from them to the Gentiles Now therefore I beseech you look about you Christ hath been dealing well with you many a day beleeve it the Lord will deal harshly with you that stand it out and deal ill with him As hee will bee merciful at last to the home-commers so will hee bee cruel and yet just to you that have and do stand it out to the last all your daies Consider this then you that forget Christ lest the Lamb prove a Lion to tear you in peeces that yet continue in your sins and impenitence A second word I beseech you let mee give you all one Rational Caution If the Lord will deal so well at last then pray now bee so wise as not absolutely to conclude against this Truth Is there a poor Woman of Canaan before the Lord that hath had many a frown and many a hard put off many a frighting without and fear within Beware how you conclude against everlasting mercy for Christ may bee kinde at last That which I would press is in allusion to the 77. Psalm about the 7. vers Will the Lord cast off for ever and will hee bee favourable no more c. I observe that good man did never positively say so but onely hee questions it and before hee comes to conclude in vers 10. hee saith It was his infirmity Thou sayest shall I cry and never bee heard shall I beg bread and not have a crumb know that the Lord that hath a deaf ear at first will have a hearing ear at last Therefore it is but a reasonable request you that are waiting upon the Lord it is but a reasonable thing I beg of you Do not say the Lord will never bee gracious I shall inlarge it more hereafter But my thinks a Question is put now and I will in a word answer it Quest But what shall I do in the mean time I think the Lord will bee good at last but I shall starve in the mean time Answ Pray look once more into the story of Joseph Joseph carried it very roughly at first but hee carried it well at last but what do they do in the mean time Why they shall have bread to carry them unto their home The Lord Jesus is every way Joseph before hee doth reveal himself and deal kindly with you you shall have bread to live upon Though the Lord seem to carry it strangely now hee will do as Joseph did Give you bread to support you in your journey Look into the Scripture there is bread enough for you Never did the Lord let any perish but hee gave them sufficient to carry them up and to support them even in the way beside the best and abundance which is kept till last Therefore lift up thy hanging down hands and stay thy soul even at present Jesus Christ will give in necessary secret supplies before hee reveal himself in the open ample manifestations of his grace You shall even while in the Journey and the wilderness have a Viaticum travelling necessaries and at the end you shall have the full possession and inheritance of the Milk and Hony in Emanuels Land This I have proved and shall next time give you grounds for it Sure Grounds that Christ will bee kinde at last The Eighth 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. THat all Persons Conditions Affairs are exposed to alteration and change is a truth no less sweet in some respects than bitter upon others Indeed my Beloved upon some accounts it is our misery that wee are mutable but withall upon other accounts it is our happiness that things shall not as wee say stand alwaies at one stand This present season though it bee sharp and cold an alteration will follow and a warmer season will come Our very bodies though sometimes weak yet a change doth come and wee are rendered strong And as it is thus with us in corporals so blessed bee God it is thus with us in spirituals Though for a time wee may lye under the wrath of man and the frowns of God yet a change will come for God hath said Hee will restrain the wrath of Man as it is Psal 76.10 and for his own anger hee will take it away so hee promiseth Hosea 14.4 Though for a time this Woman of Canaan was under the frowns of Christ though hee seemed to take no notice of her yet behold what a change is here hee that before would not answer her a word doth now answer her many words and many comfortable words Hee answered and said unto her Oh
you come to him that cries after you in the streets as it is Prov. 1. If you lye not still but come at his cry and upon his call then will hee pour forth his Spirit on you as in that place hee promiseth Prov. 1.23 If you perish in your own neglect to come so it is but if you come Christ will not let you perish at his doors Oh no The Lord Jesus will never bee a Dives a poor Lazarus at Christs door shall never perish there never did any that lay knocking and begging for mercy there go away and perish for the want of it Fourthly The Lord Christ will bee thus kinde at last That hee may stop the mouths of all those that are ready to speak hardly of him My Beloved if Christ should alwaies carry it strangely especially when the sould carries it humbly soon you would hear that speech of the man in the Parable I knew thou wert a hard Master But God is resolved that never shall there bee a witness brought against him of his hardness This Woman of Canaan might have been brought in as a witness against Jesus Christ if after all this hee should have cast her off but God will bee true and all men lyers Hee will bee kinde at last to confure that report and reproach which Satan and unbeleef are ready to cast on him truly I may say Christ will bee kinde for his own credir That none may slander him hee will and must bee sweet at last Fifthly and lastly Christ hath a particular design to destroy the work of the Devil Now my Beloved upon this account it is that hee will deal kindly at last for if Christ should not at last deal well with those that truly come to him the design of the Devil would not bee destroyed I build the foundation of this reason upon that Scripture in 1 John 3.8 For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that hee might destroy the works of the Devil When a poor soul comes to Christ and is roughly dealt withall the Devil hath a three-fold design upon that score Viz. One design is upon the soul it self to lead the soul to despair Another design is upon other sinners to discourage them for ever from comming to Jesus Christ And a third design which though last in execution is first in intention and that is to cast a disgrace upon Jesus Christ If this poor Woman should have been sent away and not been dealt kindly withall The Devil would have said now despair now no body go to him c. How doth Satan say it is in vain for you to pray to beleeve Nay though you worship him hee will not regard it Now mark it the Lord is resolved to destroy the designs of Satan and that Satan may never prosper in these designs Christ will carry it well at last however hee may carry it ill at first Doth Satan say it is in vain to wait No it is not in vain to wait for the Woman of Canaan waited and was accepted doth Satan say go not to Jesus Christ hee will not receive you Yes then say thou and thou O soul every one that is not resolved to hearken to Satan for his own ruine wee will go hee will receive us at last doth Satan say hee is a hard Master say no hee will deal kindly at last Well to come to the Application indeed the prime and the proper Use of this point is but one and that I shall principally stand upon but I shall add another though briefly Use The prime Use of this Point is but one Namely for the comfort and the refreshing of all those who it may bee are in the same condition that the Woman of Canaan was Who is there among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light Let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Isa 50.10 What soul is there that hath found a want of Christ and hath had a desire after Christ and hath been a great while waiting upon Christ and hath not had your desires satisfied bee of good comfort though the Lord tarry long hee will come at last The Lord that seems to carry it rough at first at last in the issue will carry it kindly Therefore bear up your hearts it may bee your issue is not yet come and no marvel if Christ do not speak Possibly you are but in the Treaty as I spake in the Explication the last day or it may bee you are not yet fully come nor do really and rightly cloze with Jesus Christ For certain if that were hee would bee kinde unto you according to your hearts desire It is a full and everlasting speech of comfort that that you have in Job Job 8.20 21. Behold God will not cast away a perfect man neither will hee help the evil-doers till hee fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with rejoycing Thou dost lye before Jesus Christ and hee seems to reject thee I but know That hee will not cast thee away till hee hath filled thy mouth with gladness No though at present hee may seem to carry it strange yet in the issue hee will carry it well Because I would clearly hold forth this I shall speak my thoughts by two or three steps There are two things I would speak to all you who it may bee are in the condition of the Woman of Canaan First Beware how thou thinkest thy estate too strange and how thou inquirest after the cause of it too far Secondly Bee confident of this how strange soever thy case bee now the conclusion shall bee very sweet First Beware how thou thinkest thy state too strange and how thou inquirest after the cause of it too far Was there ever sorrow like to my sorrow and was there ever soul like to my soul saith the poor soul c. and what is the matter that I have knockt and knockt till I am weary of knocking Oh what is the cause c. bee not too curious in looking after the cause possibly there may bee a reason that at first you may not see but you may see it hereafter As Christ said to Peter What I do thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter John 13.7 Hereafter thou shalt know why the Lord did keep thee from childrens bread so long and it may bee by the way it was to bring down thy proud stomach hereafter the Lord will satisfie thee but at present know that no new thing hath happened to thee others have lain as long as you Secondly Bee confident of this how strange soever thy case bee the conclusion shall bee very sweet My Beloved the Lord Jesus cannot shut up his bowels the Lord Jesus cannot alwaies refrain himself Isa 63.15 Where are the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercy towards us are they restrained That passage in Psal 42. is remarkable though David was very sad
yet saith hee in vers 8. The Lord will command salvation for mee and yet I shall praise him And verily at last you shall see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living hee will command and create comfort for you I but saith the soul though David might say so what is that to mee still I say remember it is to thee All that take hold of the Covenant of Grace that God made with David God makes with them the sure mercies of David as it is in that precious Promise Isa 55.3 But however mark the example wee are upon consider the Woman of Canaan and when you consider the whole story of her you may bee confident at last Christ will deal kindly with you Minde above and besides what wee have said Three things in this story to comfort your hearts that however Christ may deal harshly at first yet in the end hee will deal kindly First You cannot bee further off from Jesus Christ than the Woman of Canaan was Secondly You cannot bee dealt withall worse than the Woman of Canaan was But. Thirdly Though wee should grant you should bee further off than the Woman of Canaan was and dealt withalt worse than shee was yet there is hope in Israel for this thing First You cannot bee further off than the Woman of Canaan was My Beloved There were no people visibly so far from the Covenant of Grace and so much out of the Commission of Christ as the Canaanites and the Samaritans and yet it is observable you have two great instances the one of a Canaanite and the other of a Samaritan that Christ must deal well withall In John 4. It is said of Christ That hee must needs go thorow Samaria and what was it for but to bring home a poor Woman of Samaria now a Samaritan was far off from Christ and such a one as shee was very far from Christ yet the Lord at last must deal kindly with her And so this Woman of Canaan shee was far off from Jesus Christ shee was a Woman of Tyre and Sidon yet shee came to the Lord and the Lord dealt well with her Secondly Consider this for your comfort Christ cannot deal worse with you than hee dealt with the Woman of Canaan I beseech you in the Lords presence you that have been under any darkness clouds or trouble tell mee did ever the Lord speak to you as hee did to this Woman when you said Jesus thou Saviour of sinners have mercy upon mee did hee ever say I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel when in the anguish of your spirits you did turn into a corner and lay in the dust grovling and crying for a crumb of comfort did hee ever tell you It was not meet to give you childrens bread yet you see Christ said so to this Woman Indeed I think Christ never dealt with any all things considered so seemingly ill and rough as with this woman Certainly you cannot bee worse dealt with yet at last you see how well shee speed But then Thirdly Suppose suppose that you bee further off from Christ than the woman of Canaan was and that you have been dealt withall worse than the woman of Canaan was Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing Why what hope there is this hope that the Lord will create a new thing in the world It is often used in the Prophets that expression among others I shall now minde you onely of one In Isa 43.18 19. Saith the Lord there unto his people Remember yee not the former things neither consider the things of old Behold I will do a new thing c. As if the Lord should say My people look back to the daies past do not you remember former things happily they may say wee remember old experiences but ours is a new case wee remember what thou didst in the daies of old but our case is worse than theirs Behold saith God A new thing I will create and what is that new thing God will create Why the Beasts of the field shall honour him c. Time was when the Virgin Daughter of Sion did honour him time was when Israel followed him thorow the wilderness I but now God will create a new thing The Beasts of the field shall honour him My Beloved there is very much in this viz. in the Creating-power and the creating-Creating-mercy of the heart of God Suppose never was any so far off nor never any so dealt withall yet the Lord will create a new thing in the world So that I say it may much comfort the hearts of all those that are in the condition of the Woman of Canaan that the Lord will deal well at last however hee may deal at first Object But now my thinks I hear the poor soul say But I am not like the Woman of Canaan were I as the Woman of Canaan then I should hope the Lord would deal well with mee but I am not as shee Why how is that Answ I have not that Grace as shee had I have not her Prayer her Humility I never worshipped the Lord as the Woman of Canaan did I never was so broken as the Woman of Canaan was I shall give two Answers First If you bee not so humble as the Woman of Canaan think of it now to bee as humble as shee was But yet I tell you in the Second place It was not the Woman of Canaan 's Humility nor her Patience nor her Prayer not the Worshipping but the Woman of Canaan 's Faith upon which the Lord did all And I take it to bee an undeniable truth that that Grace unto which all kindness is shewed is the Grace of Faith True Humility is good and so is Humiliation and the Lord give us our measure but yet I say the great Promise is not to Humility nor to Humiliation but to Faith Woman great is thy Faith Object I but then secondly saith the soul But I have not the Woman of Canaan 's Faith If I had her Faith I should think the Lord would deal well with mee It is said the Woman of Canaan had a great Faith but the Lord knows I have but a little Answ I have answered already this and shewed That it was not to the measure of the Grace but to the Grace it self that Christ did this Therefore I say as often as you read the story of the Woman of Canaan comfort your hearts with these words do as the Prophet Habakkuk chap. 2. vers 1. I will stand upon my Watch-Tower and observe what God will say for the vision will speak at last So say I to the Sons and Daughters of the Woman of Candan Go upon your Watch-Tower and observe the vision will speak at last I shall hint to you that speech in Isa 54.6 The Lord hath called mee as a Woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth when thou wast refused saith thy God The Lord hath
18.8 and it bears upon this Notion that I now hint It is said of Babylon That all her plagues shall come upon her in one day c. In one day why the intirest of Pride and Honour Idolatry and Persecution that so many ages were winding up to a height can this bee destroyed in so little time shall this bee done in one day Yes For strong in the Lord God who judgeth her A great God is never confined to any time Oh my Beloved bear up your hearts in the Lord Jesus Christ time can no way prescribe him hee can do what hee will and when hee will But there is one general point that I shall take up from the place and end this discourse And the general Point is this Doct. That faithful coming unto Jesus Christ doth sometimes prevail even in Corporal Cases This woman of Canaan came to Christ and shee came in Faith Here is a faithful commer to the Lord Jesus and shee prevails for her own soul I and shee prevails for her Daughters body shee prevails eminently for her own spiritual concernments I and shee prevails also for her Daughters corporal concernments That Faith prevails alwaies in spiritual concernments that wee have often opened and my Beloved it is a mercy that if it do not alwaies prevail for our body yet that it doth for our souls But God hath provided and doth so order it that sometimes it shall prevail for body and soul too Indeed going to Christ is good for every thing and they who truly go to the Lord Jesus shall one day have cause to sing the song of David Bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy diseases You that go to Jesus Christ you shall have cause to say Blessed bee God I have soul-mercy and bodily-mercy too If you look thorow the whole story of the Life of Christ you shall see this truth The whole history of the Gospel gives us instances that faithful coming to Christ did sometimes prevail with him for corporal-corporal-mercies as well as for spiritual mercies A double instance I shall give First An Instance of prevailing for our selves Secondly An Instance of prevailing for others First An Instance of prevailing for our selves saith the Leper in Matth. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make mee clean And that of the blinde man Barthomeus in Luk. 18.41 saith Christ What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee and hee said Lord That I may receive my sight and his sight was restored to him Many a time the Lord Christ was prevailed withall for corporal mercies But secondly As many did prevail for themselves so they did often prevail for others As in Matth. 15.30 It is there said Great multitudes came to him having with them those that were lame blinde dumb maimed and many others and cast them down at Jesus feet and hee healed them c. The Lord did many corporal kindnesses for others The like to this you have in Matth. 9.1 2. They brought to him one sick of the Palsie and Jesus seeing their Faith healed him But now here is one Objection against this Object But you will say This was true of the times wherein Christ lived Christ when hee was upon Earth healed Simon Peters wifes Mother of a feavour and such a ones Daughter and such a ones Son but now hee is in Heaven such things are not to beee expected so some do think Answ For Answer First If wee speak of his miraculous way of healing then it may bee said that miraculous way of healing diseases was a mercy more eminently put forth in those daies of Christs being in the flesh But if you speak of the thing it self healing diseases curing of bodies I doubt not but wee may expect the same mercy from Jesus Christ now that they did then And the Reason is Because there is the same ground for Christ to shew corporal kindnesses now which was then Where the ground of a thing is perpetual moral and eternally the same in all ages the same things may bee done upon the same ground But c. I finde in the Gospel a double ground why Christ did heal corporal diseases The first ground was his pitty and sympathy And secondly To fulfil Prophecie and Promise Upon these two grounds did Christ heal either upon the grounds of pitty and compassion as a man or else upon the ground of Prophecie or Promise For the first ground you have it in Matth. 14.14 It is said Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion toward them and hee healed their sick Compassion did move Christ and therefore hee healed them Now observe Jesus Christ now in Heaven hath the same compassions that hee had here on Earth and that is founded upon his keeping or retaining of his humane nature still If Christ had not now in Heaven our humane nature hee would not have had this compassion for you shall finde that the compassion that was in Christ it was not built upon his God-head but upon his humane Nature And therefore in Heb. 2.16 17. It is said Christ took not on him the nature of Angels but hee took on him the seed of Abraham Why so that hee might bee a merciful and faithful High Priest c. Hee did therefore take Mans Nature that hee might have compassion Now this Jesus retains for ever and hee hath the same compassions now hee is in Heaven that hee had when hee was upon the Earth The second ground is that which I finde in Isa 53.4 compared with Matth. 8.17 I pray minde it for it is good to know what is the ground of Faith In Isa 53. Saith the Prophet there Surely hee hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows c. This was prophesied of Jesus Christ that hee should not onely have compassion on our spiritual infirmities our sins but our corporal and this was the ground why hee did heal diseases in the time of his flesh Matth. 8.17 It is said Hee healed all that were sick that it might bee fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the Prophet saying Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses Here was the ground why Christ did heal then because it was prophesied hee should bear our sicknesses Now this Prophecie is an eternal truth And if in the time of his flesh hee did shew corporal kindnesses that that Prophecie might bee fulfilled hee will now do the same that the same Prophecie might bee fulfilled Even in these daies wee may expect that our Lord Jesus Christ upon our faithful coming to him should shew corporal kindness to us and ours as well as spiritual One Scripture I shall add for the Truth of it and that is in James 5.14 Is any man sick among you Let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him c. and the prayer of Faith shall save the sick c. Here observe that faithful prayer shall prevail for
all doth depend upon Jesus Christ Now my Beloved That the Lord may fulfil temporal Promises hee will upon the faithful coming of his servants sometimes give them temporal mercies Wee shall now come to the Use There are but two Uses that I would make of this Point First of all therefore Let this serve for a word of Conviction And Secondly For a word of Instruction First It serves for a word of Conviction To convince the folly and the mistake of many poor creatures who think and say that going to Jesus Christ may bee good for the soul but they cannot tell what it is for the body Repentance Faith real Conversion to the Lord Jesus may save our souls but they cannot see what it will do for their bodies This kinde of Dutch-divinity is every where to minde Mammon and body best and most and to think Religion is not for any profit or purpose in those particulars But see here this folly and know that Religion is good for all things Length of daies are in Christs right hand and in his left riches and honour Oh souls learn to see going to Jesus Christ is good not onely for our souls but for our bodies You shall go to the Lord Jesus Christ and have the mercies of Heaven and the mercies of Earth too Can the Son of Jesse give you Olive yards and Vine-yards c. Was the speech of Saul 1 Sam. 22.7 So say the men of the world Do you think to get any thing by being godly Yes if the Lord please you may get for body as well as for soul by going to Jesus Christ The world is mightily mistaken that think godliness is good for nothing but salvation it is good for this present world too But then Secondly Let it serve for an Use of Instruction To teach us all whither to go in all cases whether spiritual or corporal why to go to the Lord Jesus Whatever thy case bee away to Christ going to Christ is good for soul and for body What is your condition Say some I am a poor man and I have a little estate and a great charge I hope beleeving in Jesus Christ will save my soul but what shall become of my Family go to Jesus Christ hee can give corporal as well as spiritual mercies Saith another I am sick c. little do wee know what may bee expected from Christ even in corporal cases You have a fine speech in Proverbs 3.16 Length of daies are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Shee is a tree of Life and shee is health to the Navel and the Flesh chap. 4.22 This is spoke of Wisdome what Wisdome why it is spoken of Essential Wisdome Jesus Christ why what of Christ it is said Length of daies are in his right hand Eternity of Life is a right-hand-right-hand-mercy for Jesus Christ to give I but how shall I live here why In his left hand are riches and honour You go to Jesus Christ and say Lord I have a dead soul dead in trespasses and sins Lord Length of daies are with thee But thy body is sick why go to Christ hee can cure bodies too and is this onely for your selves No but for others too you may go to the Lord Jesus not onely for a morsel of bread for thy poor soul but for some cure for thy childe Object But may I go to the Lord Jesus will the Lord Christ accept mee who come to him upon a carnal account Answ For answer That Jesus that hath the mercy of God to pitty souls hath the pitty of a man to pitty bodies and humane compassions will prevail with him for bodily pitty Object I but will the soul say Is there then any hope that I may prevail with the Lord for my sick childe Answ My Beloved I told you in the beginning That the Prayers and Faith of the Parent will much prevail with Christ for the good of the childe In Gen. 17. Abraham goes to the Lord and hee praies for Ishmael Oh that Ishmael might live in thy sight That is that hee might bee the childe of the Promise Hee was a Son of the Flesh but not an Heir of the Promise but yet mark what follows though Ishmael should not bee the childe of the Promise yet the Lord doth there assure Abraham of this that Ishmael shall bee blessed Isaac is the childe of the promised seed yet Ishmael shall bee blessed too Many a time doth the Lord hear the prayers of his servants even for an Ishmael i. e. for a childe yea a carnal childe and this is certain even bad children have many corporal mercies for their Parents sakes and wee may expect it Object But wee have known many a Parent that have gone in Faith to Jesus Christ for a poor childe that never have prevailed How then can you build us up in this Truth when wee see the contrary Answ I answer If thou goest to the Lord and prayest for a childe and dost not prevail God deals no worse with thee than hee dealt with thy betters David who was a man after Gods own heart went to God for a childe and hee prayed hard but yet the Lord did not hear him You have the story in 2 Sam. 12.16 David besought God for the childe and fasted c. And if it bee so with you yet are you as well in this respect as David was But more fully to answer the Objection I pray mark it that in that place there are two things might satisfie David and so any in the like case First It was not good for David that the childe should live I make that appear thus what was the childe that David did desire might live you know the story it was the base-begotten childe which hee got upon Bathsheba Certainly it was not good for David that the childe should live had the childe lived it would have been his Fathers shame c. When thou goest to God to begg the life of thy childe if thy childe do not live what is the reason hee may live to bee thy shame Some have begged of God the life of a childe what ever came of it God hath given it as a curse and the childes life hath been a monument of their shame and a perpetual heart-breaking to the Parents all their daies As a good Woman once sadly said So that is one thing it may bee for good to the Parent that God should not hear prayers for a childes life and then that may satisfie us if hee do not But then Secondly Though the Lord did not hear David for the life of the childe I perswade mee Hee did hear David for the soul of the childe I shall give you this account of it Saith David in v. 23. I shall go to him but hee shall not return to mee Whither is that not so much I shall go to him in my body to the grave but in my soul to God And my Beloved that this is intended
Three Excuses some make First Alass I am a poor man or a poor woman that have heard but a little of Christ and am but a stranger to Christ so was the Woman of Canaan I but saith another Secondly I have something else to look after a great family or a sick childe c. The Woman of Canaan had a sick childe but did that keep her from Christ No that brought her to Christ If that speech had been spoke with gravity that one said upon that in the Parable Luk. 14.15 Hee might have brought his Wife with him it had been right enough you should bring relations with you to Christ do your indeavour to bring children let not children keep back you But thirdly Alass I cannot tell where to finde Christ It is a marvelous hard thing now adaies to finde a Jesus Christ Mark what the Woman of Canaan did The Evangelist Mark who records this story Mark 7.24 saith that Christ entered into a house and would have no man know it but hee could not bee hid for a Woman of Canaan found him out c. It was one of the tempting but the gracious tempting hours of Jesus Christ But hee could not bee hid for a Woman of Canaan found him out The Lord doth look thou shouldest finde a Jesus Christ and never leave looking till you do finde him The Woman of Canaan will condemn such as these Let not the story of the Woman of Canaan bee ever a sad story to you But Secondly Let the story of this Woman bee a sweet story alwaies to your spirit Let it bee a story as a store-house unto which you may go and fetch some comfort in your wants Who of you have been waiting upon Christ many a day and have not what you begg go to the Woman of Canaan and eat out of her basket There are three things in the story that will speak comfort to you First That many sins and great unworthiness shall never finally keep the soul from Christ Oh Sirs you go to the Lord Jesus and you knock but your sins bolt the door you cry but your corruptions cry louder the woman of Canaan will tell you I was as bad as you and the Lord heard mee Secondly This story hath this in it for your comfort That Prayers cast back may have a blessed return afterwards The Lord Jesus may now seem to be dumb so that hee may make thee speak the more Christ you see as in this womans case was silent as to granting her request a long time yet you see at last hee answers and that largely and lovingly Go to this story for that comfort were the woman of Canaan alive shee would tell you this experience A soul may have a Prayer returned in mercy that at first was seemingly cast off Thirdly The woman of Canaan will tell you this That a mercy may come at last of which the soul hath no assurance What assurance had the woman of Canaan none why the woman of Canaan will tell you I had comfort in the end though I had no assurance souls are much cast down for want of particular assurance They pray and hope but are not assured why what assurance had this woman Nay had shee not the quite contrary had not she a seeming rejection at first and no assurance at all But behold shee hath the mercy before any previous assurance And so may you have though no assurance now yet possibly you may have the mercy desired very speedily However learn and remember thâ—â— You may IN TIME have a mercy of which you have as yet no assurance Thus meditate on this story and look into it as I said as into a store-house of comfort in many cases To end all Beloved as the Apostle James said You have heard of the Patience of Job and what end the Lord made with him so say I you have heard of the Practice of the woman of Canaan and what end the Lord made with her Let not this story bee forgot as an old story is but remember it many a day yea all your daies For certainly there is much sweetness and refreshing which you may gather from this record of the Woman of Canaan FINIS Courteous Reader These Books are printed for and sold by Henry Mortlock at the Sign of the Phoenix in Pauls-Church-yard near the Little North-door Folios A Commentary upon the whole Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians wherein the Text is learnedly and fruitfully opened with a Logical Analysis spiritual and holy Observations Confuration of Arminianism and Popery By Mr. Paul Bain A Commentary on the Proverbs Ecclesiastes Canticles and the Major Prophets By John Trap M. A. Quartos An Exposition of the Prophecy of Ezekiel By William Green-hill The dividing of the Hoof or seeming Contradictions throughout sacred Scriptures distinguished resolved and applied By William Streat M. A. Some Sermons preached upon several occasions By Peter Sterry Large Octavos A Treatise of the Divine Promises in five Books In the first A general Description of their Nature Kinds Excellency Right Use Properties and the Persons to whom they belong In the four last A Declaration of the Covenant it self the bundle and body of all the Promises and the special Promises likewise which concern a mans self or others both temporal spiritual and eternal By Edw. Leigh M. A. of Magdalen-Hall in Oxford The Hypocrites Ladder or Looking-glass or a Discourse of the dangerous and destructive nature of Hypocrisie the reigning and provoking sin of this Age wherein is shewed how far the Hypocrite or formal Professor may go towards Heaven yet utterly perish by three Ladders of sixty steps of his Ascending By John Sheffield Minister of the Word at Swithins London An Improvement of the Sea upon the nine Nautical Verses in the 107 Psalm wherein among other things you have a very full and delightful Description of all those many various and multitudinous Objects which they behold in their Travels through the Lords Creation both on Sea in Sea and on Land viz. All sorts and kinds of Fish Fowl and Beasts whether wilde or tame All sorts of Trees and Fruit All sorts of People Cities Towns and Countries By Daniel Pell Preacher of the Word Small Octavos Several Treatises useful for Christian Practice viz. Warning to Backsliders The way to true Happiness Mercies Memorials A Sermon preached on the fifth of Novemb. Milk and Hony first and second Part Orthodox Paradoxes The New Commandement Divine Similitudes or Mysteries and Revelations By Ralph Venning The exceeding Riches of Grace advanced by the Spirit of Grace in an Empty Nothing-Creature viz. Mris. Sarah Wight Published by H. Jessey A Servant of Jesus Christ A Latin and English Grammar By Charls Hool M. A. Physical Rarities containing the most choice Receits of Physick and Chirurgery for the Cure of all Diseases incident to mans body Hereunto is annexed the Physical Mathematicks of Hermes Trismegistus Published by Ralph Williams Practitioner in Physick and Chirurgery Twelves Spiritual Experiences of sundry Beleevers with the Recommendation of the sound savoury and spiritual worth of them to the sober and spiritual Reader By Vavasor Powell Minister of the Gospel The Saints Desire or Divine Consolations being a Cordial for a Fainting Soul containing Observations Experiences and Counsels The Saints daily Duty the Life of Faith and how a Soul may live in the sweet enjoyment of the Love of God c. By Samuel Richardson FINIS