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
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
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
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
shall stand off that will make the soul come on more hastily Jesus Christ doth catch us by craft as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 12.16 Truly Christ doth catch some poor souls by craft as the fisher-man doth the fish you know or may have heard how that is The fisher-man laies the bait and draws it as it were away hee draw it before the fish and when the fish is ready to take it hee doth make as if hee snatched it away and why so truly that the fish may catch at it more eagerly and bee held by it more surely So doth Christ with us when hee shall offer and seem to draw back when hee shall come neer and suffer us as it were to touch him and then snatch away again this will make us come on more earnestly and close with him more eagerly The soulby this means takes the bait I and the soul will hold it too when it hath it beleeve it Sins the Lord Jesus Christ is kinde to catch by craft Well this is the account of the Reason wherefore it is that sometimes Christ is seemingly harsh to some souls There are but three Uses I aim at in this Doctrine Use 1. The first Use is To let us all see that Christ is not so easily come by as the generality of people do think All have Christ freely but not easily Minde it My Brethren I think and I will tell you my thoughts because it may awaken you and do you good I think many will go to Hell as upon other mistakes so upon this that they do think it easie to go to Heaven and easie to come by Jesus Christ But if it bee true that Christ stands a loof off from a poor soul then it will appear to bee a hard work to come by him Remember this you will finde three things will make it hard work ere Jesus Christ and you bee brought together 1 The backwardness of your own hearts 2 The many hinder ances and puts in of Satan 3 And the seeming backwardness of Jesus Christ First Your own hearts will bee backward Ah soul unless the Lord make it a day of his power they are not a willing people Psa 110. hee that talks of free-will I am afraid was never sensible of free-grace nor of the backwardness of his own heart Secondly The Devil makes it hard work too Verily when the soul would go to Christ the Devil will hinder and set one to hinder another to keep the soul off from going to Jesus Christ But thirdly and especially The seeming harsh dealing of Jesus Christ makes it very hard work Oh say some poor souls My thinks the Lord makes mee willing and hungring after a Christ but when I come to Christ Christ hangs off My thinks God the Father is willing I should have Christ hee hath sent him the Spirit is willing hee hath revealed Christ to mee and my heart is willing but I come to Christ and hee doth not hear mee verily here you will finde difficulty and it will much pazzle and try Faith to beleeve upon and close with a Christ who seems to stand at a distance His seeming harsh dealing will make it real hard beleeving Use 2. The second Use is of Caution I pray learn by this to take heed how you provoke the Lord Jesus Christ to deal thus harshly with any of you My Brethren the Lord Christ can frown and look bitterly and deal severely c. and beware how you provoke him so to do The truth is there bee some souls that rationally I mean religiously rationally cannot expect otherwise that if Christ do receive them hee should receive them very harshly Let mee in a word touch upon this and do you remember it Two words I would speak my minde in that I may not bee mistaken First this I do not say that there are any souls that have reason to think Jesus Christ will reject them Whatever you are Canaanite Perisite or Jebusite c. Whoever you are before the Lord I do not say there is reason for you to conclude that there is no coming to the Lord. But This I say secondly That though you have no reason to think hee will cast you off yet you have reason to think hee will deal harshly with you you may have reason to fear hee will not presently entertain you First I think there bee some souls that may verily expect God may make them stand at the door and wait till they cool their heels and though Christ will let them in at last yet hee may set them stand all night Some souls Christ may let them bee hoarse with crying and yet Jesus Christ may stand off Secondly There are some souls that may expect that though hee should let them in yet it may bee with them as with some childe the childe is let in and hee sits at the table but the Father looks so strangely and harshly on him that his meat doth him no good thou mayest never rellish mercy sweetly till thou comest to Heaven it may bee Thirdly There are some souls that may expect that though Christ will give them mercy yet hee will dispure it out with them that they shall wrestle a whole night as Jacob and go limping all their life time and bee called Dogg many a time and as it were threatned with a cudgel before ever hee give them childrens bread Therefore I beseech you for the Lords sake souls look about you Now there are three sorts of people that have thus reason to think that though Christ may receive them at last yet it may bee very harsh at first First Those that have dealt very harshly with Jesus Christ With the froward I will bee froward saith God Grace will receive froward ones at last yet hee will bee harsh Why what was the matter Joseph looks so roughly upon his Brethren their consciences could tell them Wee had not pitty upon our Brother Gen. 42.21 Sirs there are many poor souls deal harshly with Jesus Christ I say deal harshly with Christ is there any deals harshly with him you will say how can that bee why bee not mistaken as you deal with Christs members so you deal with him You scoff at poor Saints and Christ takes it as against himself O minde it you that have been or are the persecutors of the Lords people you can expect no other but that Christ should deal harshly with you since you have done so by him It may bee there is a poor man or woman by thee that hath precious Faith I say that hath precious Faith thou dealest hardly with them and so thou dealest hardly with Jesus Christ in them and hee may do so with thee Secondly Those souls that have lived in any more notable prophaneness than others may expect if Christ receive them it should bee as the woman of Canaan harshly Take a plain similitude Let two men go to a Physician the one hath a little knock on the crown a little dressing a
Creatures and certainly our poverty doth speak for our humility Indeed wee are beggars and you know the speech of Solomon in Prov. 28.23 The poor useth intreaties It is but meet that those that come a begging and are poor that they should use intreaties And my Brethren let mee tell you it is an argument that wee have not the blessing of spiritual poverty if wee do not carry it well to Jesus Christ however hee carries it to us Indeed it is observed as the very natural disposition of the Spanish Nation that though they bee beggars yet they bee proud I wish in a spiritual sense that were not true of the most of us wee carry it too proudly and that because wee forget what wee are I remember Solomon when hee would strike fire out of the flint as it were that is reverence out of the hearts of irreverend ones falls upon this consideration Hee is in Heaven and thou art on Earth Eccles 5.2 Ah! it is folly as Solomon there intimates for us who are upon Earth wee dust and ashes to carry our selves hastily irreverently before the God of Heaven Our poor condition prompts us on were wee wise to minde it to a good Carriage This I finde to bee the proper reason of that good Carriage which wee opened from Psal 22. You finde there the Psalmist crying out Oh my God why hast thou forsaken mee and I cry and thou hearest not c but thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel Here is excellent good Carriage but what is the ground of it See in the sixth verse But I am a Worm and no Man As if hee should say I am a worm a poor silly creature and therefore if I cry and thou hear not yet thou art a holy and honourable God But Secondly Wee are not onely poor but wee are polluted creatures And now my Brethren our pollution when wee come to Jesus Christ should have a power upon us to make us carry it so holily and humbly as wee opened The Leper under the Law had a liberty to cry out yet hee was to cover his face and to cover his lips My Brethren you and I are but Lepers when wee come to Jesus Christ and upon this account it is that wee should carry it holily and humbly This had an influence in Jobs good Carriage in the 40. and 42. chapters Behold saith Job I am vile what shall I answer thee I have spoken once but I will speak no more Surely it argues wee are not sensible of our own stench and pollution if wee dare stand upon terms and mis-behave our selves towards our holy Physician If thy poverty will not binde thee to the good behaviour let thy pollution do it Thirdly Yet add a third string to this cord that it may keep thee in Wee are not onely poor and polluted but wee are very enemies And my Brethren an enemy especially a conquered enemy coming to plead for his life for mercy had need come humbly When the servants of Benhadad came to the King of Israel as enemies and as conquered enemies they come with ropes about their necks and lye at his feet and snatch at a word 1 King 20.33 Oh sinner that is thy condition thou art an enemy thou hast been in rebellion and thou art suing for reconciliation and shouldest not thou carry it well Is thy heart so unsensible of thy former Carriage as to miscarry it self again Surely thou hast need and all the reason in the world to crouch and bend to yeeld and bow well to carry thy self who hast been an enemy with all reverence to the Lord Jesus otherwise you do much forget your selves But I shall not inlarge That is the second Reason why souls should carry it holily and humbly to Christ Namely if wee consider who wee are that come to Christ But then Thirdly and lastly Consider you the Errand for which you come to Christ at any time and you will see in that an Argument to make you carry it well This Woman came to Christ upon a great Errand Ah Lord My Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil And Oh Lord I am troubled with him too might shee say A great business then shee came about and so do wee when wee come to Christ If wee were to speak with Christ for a trifle then if Christ spake roughly wee might go away but it is about what most concerns us For suppose it bee thy first coming to Jesus Christ thou art a poor creature under sin and now thou art made sensible of it what dost thou go to Christ for for ease of thy burden c. Suppose thou art coming to Christ after some backsliding under the guilt of some spiritual Adultery and now thou art coming to him that hee should receive thee again and is not this a serious thing Nay suppose thou goest to Christ but for the life of one of your children or your own life these are serious things and in serious things wee should carry it humbly when wee come to such a one as Jesus Christ is being such as wee are upon such a weighty Errand as all our occasions are I fear thou that mis-behavest thy self to Christ forgettest thy business with him Is the sentence past and art thou condemned already and art thou come to Christ with the chains about thy feet and the halter about thy neck and now carriest thou thy self ill to him Art thou suing for thy pardon and now proud art thou before the Lord for bread childrens bread at any time and is thy case such as death follows upon a denial of it and now mindest thou not thy Carriage Pray souls look about you as my phrase is what come you to Christ for is it for temporals or eternals come you for your selves or for yours are you seeking for things on Earth or in Heaven do you desire your childrens or your own or both deliverance from the Devil I pray minde your Errand what thing it is you come to Christ for and let it bee almost what it will that you are with Christ about the consideration of the one or other should and may prevail with us to carry it exceeding well though hee seem to carry it ill So much for the explication of the Point Why now then for the Application Indeed there is but one thing that I do aim at as the proper and principal intendment of this Point which is to direct and inable both my own heart and yours under God to carry it thus well to Jesus Christ though hee may carry it ill to us But before I speak to that I beseech you if it bee your duty to carry it well to Jesus Christ though hee should carry it ill to us then do you take heed as I was concluding the last time and would a little hint it again that you do not carry it ill to Jesus Christ when Christ carries it well to you Therefore all you that are before
the Lord you hear this though Jesus Christ should spurn at you you should worship him though Jesus Christ should cast you off with a denial yet you should lye at his feet and honour him I beseech you take heed when Christ smiles upon you do not spurn at him when hee doth good to you bee not you bad to him This is a necessary caution even to those that pretend to God In Deut. 32. What a large Catalogue of good Carriage is there of God towards a people When they were in a desert Land hee lead them and as an Eagle hee bare them on his wings c. 10 11. verses Hee found him in a desert Land and in the waste howling wilderness hee lead him about hee instructed him hee kept him as the Apple of his Eye As an Eagle stirreth up her Nest fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings So the Lord alone did lead him and there was no strange God with him c. Here was good Carriage from the Lord but how did they carry it See in verse 15. But Jesurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxed fat thou art grown thick thou art covered with fatness then hee forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation c. Oh! as Moses said in verse 6. Do yee thus require the Lord O foolish people and unwise Jesurun the Lords people the Lords heritage a people that profess God are very apt to carry it ill when the Lord carries it well And I wish to God this were not the Carriage of England this day now wee have peace and advantages and opportunities But now the Lord doth well wee carry it ill I beseech you beware of it I shall press it in a few words Who is there of you all before the Lord but I may say to you as the Lord said to his people by Jeremiah Have I been as a barren wilderness or a dry heath c. There is not the most notorious Rebel that lives out of Hell but is beholding to Christ for being preserved Who of you all that have not had choice dealings by Jesus Christ I beseech you do not deal ill with Christ I know you are ready to say what do wee deal ill with Christ I pray mark it I will speak but two words First When thou sinnest wilfully after Christ hath called thee from sin and tendered thee a pardon thou dealest ill with him Minde well that place Heb. 10.26 If wee sin wilfully after wee have received the knowledge of the truth i. e. The great truth of the Gospel-grace in and by Christ distinguished vers 28. from Moses his Law then what follows why vers 29. It is accounted base and dispiteful dealing with Christ who shed his blood for sinners Ah thou wretch dost thou hear Christ pitties wretches and is come to procure and give in pardon to sinners and calls Come sinner leave thy sin take my pardon cast off thy wickedness accept my grace and yet thou turnest thy deaf ear thou now declarest a hard heart and dealest ill with Christ who is dealing well with thee Well then I say whoever thou art that when thou hearest that Christ died for enemies that hee hath gifts for Rebels and that hee is ready to justifie the ungodly and now wilt bee a Rebel still this is dealing ill with Jesus Christ This is that which the Apostle calls trampling under foot the blood of Christ c. And so Secondly When you deal ill with any of the eminent things of Christ you deal ill with Christ You know what the Lord will say at the last day Mat. 25. For as much as you have done it to any of these little ones you have done it unto mee When you scoff at any member of Christ Jesus Christ saith There is one scoffs at mee And when you deal unworthily with any of the things of Christ as the Ministers of Christ Luk. 10.16 Hee that heareth you heareth mee and hee that despiseth you despiseth mee and hee that despiseth mee despiseth him that sent mee c. It is not spoke of the Twelve but of the Seventy Those that hee had sent out to preach in his Name though they were not the Twelve extraordinary ones I say but the ordinary Disciples I pray minde it ordinary Ministers are so near Christ that hee accounts despising of them as a despite of himself And so for Christians the meanest of them all c. Consider them that thou dost despise what are they they are the Lords Messengers for thy good and they are the Lords Members whom hee tenders And so I say for any thing of Christ they that deal ill with them deal ill with Christ I know what is the great Objection against this and I remember Dr. Stoughton did well answer it Wee do not take these to bee the servants of Christ the Lords people his answer is Beware you do not smite as chismatick a holy one and a Saint bee found a bleeding Well I beseech you take heed of this many that pretend to have much from Christ they deal exceeding ill with Christ it is a sin without excuse Therefore the Lord doth make the 2. of Jeremiah to bee a conviction to leave them without excuse Christ may say unto you all whom in misery hee hath supported in want supplied in all things sustained I say Jesus Christ may speak thus to you If so bee in the day of your distress I had let you lye under the burthen of sin If when you came to begg mercy I had put you off with a denial or long delay you ought to have carried it well but how inexcusable will you bee that while Christ carries it well to you you carry it ill to him But the most proper Use is to speak something to direct us all to this good Carriage You hear however Christ carries it to you yet you ought to carry it holily and humbly to Jesus Christ And it may bee there is some poor soul or other that is now going to Christ It may bee thou art a Months-Convert and thou art wrestling long with Christ and hast no answer or it may bee thou art a backslider and art returning to Christ or hast been with Christ upon some family corporal occasion hear how you are to carry it I will hold out my thoughts distinctly that I may the better direct And I shall press the Use under two heads Cave Viz. 1 Beware beware of ill carriage Unto Christ Cura Viz. 2 Take care labour for a good carriage Unto Christ Under these two Particulars I would press this good Womans practice upon my self and you That however Christ seems at any time in any thing to carry it to us although it seem ill yet let not us carry our selves ill to him but rather overcome our evil with good and study to behave our selves to Jesus Christ as wee ought I beseech you attend
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