I will lay may hand upon my mouth vers 5. Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will proceed no further Behold I am vile as vile as thou hast discovered to me Lord I see it and therefore I will stand no more upon my own justification but I will justifie thee and truly so it is with every soul that is truly humbled when God comes and makes a discovery of its corrupt nature and life and chargeth sin upon him it is so and so aggravated thou hast sinned against light against knowledge against mercy and goodness truth Lord all is true saith the gracious heart yea not only when God speaks in the way of discovery of sin the soul that is humble will cry truth Lord and justifie the Lord. But secondly Even then when the Lord speaks very sharply in a way of threatening the soul that is truly humble it will justifie the Lord Psal 51. 4. Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest Here David he will justifie the Lord in all that he spake against him as much as if David should say I have made this publique confession and have penned this Psalm that I might clear thee before all the world that I might justifie God what ever God should do against David or speak against David I will say Lord thou art righteous He would justifie God in all that God had spoken against him and yet God spake terrible things against David by Nathan the Prophet 2 Sam. 12. 10 11 12. Verse 10. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of sriah the Hittite to be thy wife Verse 11. Thus saith the Lord Behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house and I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy Neighbour and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this Sun Verse 12. For thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Sun See here what terrible things God threatens he threatens that the sword should never depart from his house That he would raise up evil against him out of his own house a terrible threatning Nay God threatens that he would give his wives to his Neighbours that should defile them before his face a terrible threatening Nay God tells him that this should be done before all Israel and in the face of the Sun And yet Lord I will clear thee when thou judgest and justifie thee when thou speakest Take another instance in old Eli and you shall see how he justified the Lord when the Lord spake against him 1 Sam. 3. 18. at verse 11. Behold I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle and at verse 14. I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Elies house shall not be purged with Sacrifice nor Offering for ever Now all this was told Eli at verse 18. And Samuel told him every whit and hid nothing from him And he said It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good And so Hezekiah take that instance and see how he justified the Lord when the Lord spake terribly against him 2 Kings 20. 19. at vers 17 18. God threatens Hezekiah because he boasted of his treasure and shews it to the Ambassadors of the King of Babylon verse 17. Behold the dayes come that all that is in thine house and that which thy fathers have laid up in store to this day shall be carried unto Babylon nothing shall be left saith the Lord. Verse 18. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget shall they take away and they shall be Eunuchs in the Palace of the King of Babylon A hard lesson and yet he justifies the Lord Verse 19. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken So that you see that a gracious heart that is truly humbled before the Lord it will justifie the Lord in all that he speaks against it when he discovers sin or threatens punishment still he will justifie the Lord and not only justifie the Lord in what he hath spoken but he will justifie the Lord in what he shall speak if God should speak seven times worse still a gracious heart that is truly humble resolves to justifie the Lord 2 Sam. 15. 26. saith David But if he thus say I have no delight in thee Behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him He did not only justifie the Lord in what he had spoken but in what the Lord should say if the Lord should say I will use David no more nor bring David back no more to his Throne David in that justifieth God and submits to the Lord. But secondly A gracious heart that is truly humbled desires to justifie God in his Actings when God shall act against him as well as speak against him it will justifie the Lord if the Lord shall prefer others before him in this he will justifie the Lord. Instance in this woman of Canaan the Jewes the children they must have whole loaves and full dishes and they must be preferr'd before her yet she justifies the Lord and says Truth Lord. But I shall make it out to you in divers particulars that you may see how a gracious heart that is truly humbled will justifie the Lord in his actings First of all If the Lord shall manifest more love more grace more favour unto others then to it self though there be nothing in all the world that it longeth more after then after the enjoyment of the presence of God yet if the Lord shall be pleased to discover more of himself and give out more clear full intimations of his love and grace to others then to it self it desires to justifie the Lord. Christ as I said he will deal with the Jews as with children give them whole loaves and full dishes this woman she justifies the Lord and if the Lord will give more tokens of acceptance to others then to it self still it desires to justifie the Lord The heart that is unsound cannot do this nothing is more hard to bear that the Lord should shew more favour to others then to them so it was with Cain the Lord shewed more favour to Abel his brother then to him God gave him a token of his acceptance Cain could not bear it and so the Prâ—digal's eldest brother the father shews a great deal of love to the returning Prodigal and the eldest brother could not bear it I have served thee all my dayes and thou hast not dealt so with me thou hast not killed the fatted calf for me But the soul that is truly humble it will justifie the Lord in this if the Lord gives
be upon God then he will not expect much from the creature and applies himself to the creatures because they are means and because it is an Ordinance but dare not expect much Secondly If a man doe meet with disappointments and he do apply himself to the creature in Gods way disappointments will not add any great trouble or vexation to that man or woman though he meet with little refreshment nay though instead of help and refreshment he should meet with an addition of his sorrow and trouble yet if in Gods way he will not be troubled because his eye is upon God and I see it is not the will of the Lord I should yet have comfort and why should I fret my self seeing the Instrument is but an empty pipe and no creature can refresh me if the Lord doe not refresh me And thus you have seen when we are in Gods way and when out of Gods way in applying our selves to the creature and looking to the creature for help and for relief And O that this might teach us to go more to God and apply our selves more to Christ Object But it may be some poor soul will say Well I have not only gone to the creature but I have applyed my self to God and yet truly I meet with little refreshment I have cryed to Christ in the time of my affliction and yet my burden doth continue Answ First To this I answer It may be when thou hast come to Christ thou hast complained of thy burden and of thy affliction but thou hast not complained of thy sin thou hast not complained of that which is the greatest matter of complaint and if thou hast at any time looked more to thy burden and affliction and hast not complained of that which is the greatest matter of complaint no wonder then though thou hast met with no ease Secondly Let me say it may be thou hast brought thy complaints and spread them before the Lord yet thou hast not left thy burden with the Lord many a soul comes with a great burden ah but it carries it away and does not leave it with the Lord and if the burden be not left with the Lord no wonder that we have no ease Christ is willing we should leave our burdens with him and in so doing we shall finde refreshment Thirdly And let me say further that it may be the Lord hath heard thy cry and thy complaint but thou art not aware of it thou hast not taken notice of it through unthankfulnesse thou hast not observed that which the Lord hath done the Lord at least he hath thus farre heard thee that he hath supported thy spirit under thy burden and thou hast been kept up so that thy soul hath not failed and thy spirit hath not fainted under thy burden and truly this is a great mercy and worthy to be taken notice of And this is the difference between your going to God and the creature Oh that we might be invited by this to apply our selves more to Christ in time of distresse and spread our complaints before Christ for in going to the creature many times the spirit is wounded ah but in going to God the spirit shall be supported though Christ doe not give out a present answer yet the heart shall be supported under all its burdens but now in going to man many times the heart and the spirit it is wounded by those disappointments that we meet withall while we expect that from the creature which it cannot do Two things only I shall propound to urge this duty upon you to make us more in going to Christ and less to the creature It is a great sin and folly when as we leave Christ and goe to the creature in the day of our distress First It is a great sin for what do we then but set up the creature in the room of Christ You know how sensible Jacob was of this evil he lookt upon it as a great evil when as Rachel came to him she wanted children she comes to her Husband Give me children or I die O what sayes he Am I in Gods stead Can I give thee children When as she came and made her complaint to Jacob and murmured because she had not the mercy of children she goes to Jacob and sets up Jacob in Gods stead and so when we are under our burdens and make our complaints to the creature and not to God why the creature may say as Jacob am I in Gods stead Secondly There is a world of folly in it in going from God in time of distress to the creature It is a piece of greâ—â— folly for a man to go from the fountain to the broken cistern to leave the fountain and think a broken cistern should supply him It is a great deal of folly for a man to go to a deaf man one that cannot hear pour out his complaints expect that he should speak a word of refreshment so much folly there is when we go to the creature and do not apply our selves to God If a man should go to a begger one that hath no food or rayment and a man should spend a deal of time in asking food and rayment and if he do not give it go away railing what a deal of folly were it And so a great deal of Folly there is when we do go to the creature and do not go to God we go to them that are poor and naked and forsake God that hath all store of provision and mercy laid up in himself O that the consideration of our sin and folly in going to the creatures might cause us at all times in our distresse to go to God as this poor woman did and cry to him that is the Lord. Matth. 15. 22. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cryed unto him saying have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil SERMON V. HEre is a declaration of this womans faith the tryall of it and the conquest of it The last day we came to consider the declaration of this womans faith in the fruits of it it carries her soul to Christ in a way of supplication and prayer and the Argument she useth in prayer is only the free Grace of Christ Have mercy on me thou son of David The Doctrine was this That whereever there is 〈◊〉 seed of faith in any foul it will carry it out to Christ and make the soul cry unto him and take hold of his mercy We divided it into three Propositions First That faith will carry the soul to Christ in time of affliction and make it seek to Christ and Christ alone Secondly Afflictions when they are great and strong will raise strong cries Thirdly A gracious heart pleads only mercy and free grace only takes hold of mercy and looks not at all to his own worthiness I spake to the first of these the last day I shall
riches of his mercie vvhen he sends to invite men to come in to him he sends to the high vvayes and hedges goes and compels them to come in Go and call the blind and the lame When Christ makes a feast he sends to the poor he knovvs that the poor hungry souls vvhen they shall taste of the riches of his grace they vvill be thankfull and they vvill advance mercie and free grace and therefore he sends to the high-vvayes and hedges to compell them to come in Thus you have seen both the parts of the Doctrine opened A vvord or tvvo for improvement and I shut up all First Let us take heed brethren and friends that vve be not found looking to any vvorthinesse of our ovvn vvhen vve come to Christ take heed that vve be not found looking to any righteousnesse of our ovvn take heed vve bring no price in our hand vvhen vve come for mercie that vvill spoil all O there is many a poor soul by this is kept from coming to Christ from closing vvith Christ from resting upon Christ and so from salvation because it is a hard matter to bring them off from looking to something of their own men will hardly be perswaded that they do so but yet it is a very ordinary thing and thousands more do it then will be perswaded they doe it who doe look upon something of their own and so are kept from Christ Whence is it else that men stand so much upon their own justification men stand to plead for themselves and justifie themselves and quarrel with God in time of affliction and entertain hard thoughts of God it is because men have too good thoughts of themselves Whence comes it else that men are up and down in their spirits and comforted according to their actings But from hence because men are proue to look to something of their own as a foundation of their acceptance with God Whence is it else that men are kept from closing with Christ because of the sight of their unworthinesse But from hence because men would have a price in their own hand to buy grace of him and mercy of him But it may be many a poor soul will say that he doth not look to his worthinesse God forbid that I should do it sayes the soul Ah but thy unworthinesse does keep thee from Christ and if so then thou supposest that some worthinesse in thee should make thee close with Christ Now I beseech you Brethren that we do not look to any thing in our selves think not to bring any price with you when you come to Christ but know that we are poor and naked and miserable sinfull and weak and full of enmity against God and Christ that there is nothing that we can plead what is there that we would carry If you had more grace you could not plead that if you had done more service you could not plead that and if you had suffered for Christ you could not plead that O then why do our souls flag and hang back and do not make hast to Jesus Christ And let me tell you that souls that have nothing have best acceptance I said before that if you carry a price you loose all your labour Christ deals with the poor and with none else and trades with them that have no mony and I say that souls that come to Christ most empty most naked most destitute most desolate in the apprehension of their own vileness sinfulness enmity that soul that comes thus to Christ shall have best acceptance If a man comes and pleads any thing else pleads Lord I have done so and so I have been so and so this moves not the Lord to tell God of your righteousness and what you have done it moves not God at all but to tell God what a poor creature you are full of sin and full of weakness full of enmity and full of wants this will move the Lord Is it not so with your selves I pray consider how it is with our selves and what it is that moves us when a poor man comes what is it that moves us O when he shall spread his wants and expresse the sence of his wants and misery a poor man comes to you and sayes O Sir pitty me help me I want every thing I have not a rag to put on my back no bread to put into my belly I am blind I am lame I have no legs to walk with no hands to work with O this will make impression upon the hearts of men though hard And shall not this move tbe Father of mercies O it will prevail much If a soul shall goe and say Lord I am miserable naked no eye to see no legs to walk no hands to work O this speaks loud when the soul shall cry Lord help Lord hear me I tell you this will plead very loud in the eares of God for Christ as I said before he will deal with none but the poor he will heal them that have nothing you have many Physitians that goe up and down and give it out that they will heal the poor for nothing So Christ gives it our in the Gospel that he will heal the poor and none but the poor let a poor desolate naked empty soul goe to Christ and say Lord thou hast invited poor sinners to come that have no money and I am such an one Lord heal me Christ will heal such a soul Christ will not heal the rich if they be rich and full they have no need of him The rich he will send away empty but the poor shall not goe away empty O then that this might perswade us that when we go to God we might go poor in the sense of our own unworthiness for it is the best thing to move the Lord to mercy Lastly Let us make mercy our refuge for it is not enough for a man to run from himself if he does not run to mercy if he does not run to free grace if he goes any where else there is no healing Now therefore it calls upon us all every one in the Congregation this day to make mercy and free grace our refuge O that we might goe to God upon that account at this woman of Canaan did Have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David She comes to mercy and pleads mercy and rests upon mercy and free grace Oh that we might make more use of mercy and free grace for all things Let us come hither for pardon of sin Doe you want pardon of sin Plead with mercy and free grace flee to the Promises of mercy I will be mercifull to their sin and remember their sin no more And so would you have peace Goe more to free grace plead more with mercy there peace is to be had it is mercy that creates the fruit of the lips peace peace And so doe you want healing healing of your corruptions of your distempers of spirit What is it that you want O goe
to free grace it is to be had in mercy there is healing for you I will heal their back-slidings and love them freely Oh that the Lord would help us all to flee to this refuge Doe you desire any thing Goe upon the account of mercy doe not stand upon any worthinesse any justification of your selves and if you be kept from Christ by your unworthinesse then you have an eye to your worthinesse O that we might not look upon any worthinesse If a man come to you and plead that you would take pitty upon him it would move your hearts more then if a man should come and require of you that you should doe so and so for him because you have done so and so for others No but if he falls down at your feet it prevails more with you and so when God sees that a man stands upon it upon his own justification O this does not prevail but when a soul cometh to the foot-stool of free grace and pleads nothing but mercy I am worthy to be cast out but thou hast given an invitation to sinners and here I will wait at the foot-stool of free grace this will move the bowels of Jesus Christ Quest Ah but may not a man cry for mercy and yet goe without it Answ True indeed it is possible a man may cry for mercy and call for mercy in a dead cold formal way many a poor creature will say Lord have mercy on me and he trusts to his Lord have mercy on me and so thinks that should save him but that is not to trust in mercy they trust in their saying so but they trust not in mercy It is possible that a poor wretch in time of extremity may cry out Lord have mercy and yet not apply himself to mercy for the soul that applies himself to mercy he applies himself in Gods way Now Gods way in shewing mercy it is in Jesus Christ if a man cries never so loud for mercy yet if he does not apply himself in Gods way look thorough the Mediator he may cry and go without it but he that doth apply himself rightly to mercy he seeks it in Chist for mercy will doe no good out of Christ therefore a gracious heart applies himself only to Christ and he that applies himself to mercy he waits the Lords time for mercy So that a man may say Lord have mercy and cry out for mercy and yet be far from obtaining mercy But now this let me say that if any poor soul that is sensible of his own misery that sees it is full of wants and full of sin and unrighteousness and full of weakness unable to help himself and full of enmity so that it can do nothing but sin against God I say a soul that shall see this and shall apply it self to mercy in mercies way look to God through Christ the Messias come as this woman to the Messias O thou son of David have mercy on me no soul that shall thus apply himself to the mercy of God thorough Christ being sensible of his own lost condition and shall there wait but certainly the Lord will make a good end with that soul and that soul as the Apostle speaks Shall find grace and mercy to help in time of need Matth. 15. 22. My daughter is grie vously vexed with a Devil SERMON VII YOu have seen this womans faith in her coming to Christ and closing with Christt as Lord and as the son of David We shall now see the love of this woman here is her love as well as her faith there was a great deal of love and compassion in her towards her daughter the stroke that was upon her daughters body fell upon her spirit and lay heavy there and therefore she doth not say Lord have mercy upon my daughter but Lord have mercy upon me It is my affliction and my burden Lord have mercy upon me for my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil Her daughters affliction was heavy upon her spirit Quest But you will say Whether was this affection natural or spiritual grace Whether did she speak this from natural affection to her child or was this a fruit of her faith Answ I answer Here was both natural affection and spiritual grace for seeing this woman had a seed of faith in her as hath been proved natural affection could not work alone where there is the grace of faith in the heart it will not leave nature to work alone but grace will step in and rectifie natural affection order natural affection set bounds to natural affection set natural affection upon a right ground and make them look to right ends where there is grace natural affection cannot work alone Indeed in that heart where grace doth not dwell there nature works alone as the natural affections grief and sorrow and anguish in a natural man where the spirit is not nature works alone he cannot propound any spiritual consideration to himself to quiet his grief and sorrow he may fetch in some carnal considerations or he may stay till nature settle of it self time may wear out his grief but no work of grace to compose the spirit time must work it out But now in a gracious soul nature cannot work alone but grace will step in to order and rectifie to set bounds to the affections and will help to compose the spirit and so we may conclude of this woman here was first natural affection in her nature did teach her to love her child but natural affection did not work alone here was also the spiritual grace of faith faith taught her to love her child aright nature taugh her to love her child but grace taught her to love her child aright So that there was the working both of nature and grace Quest But you will say Was it not an evil to give way to natural affection Answ I answer No natural affection is not the corruption of nature Indeed there is a great deal of corruption in natural affection but natural affection is not the corruption of nature no natural affection is part of the Image of God the remnant of the Image of God which was left in man since the fall of Adam for it is a sin to be without natural affection The Apostle speaking of the sins of the last dayes he reckons up this as one without natural affection Rom. 1. 31. Natural affection is part of the Image of God and it is that without which the world could not be continued The Lord in abundance of mercy and wisdome hath planted natural affection in the hearts of Parents to their Children for if it were not so Gods name would soon be dishonoured and there would be all manner of cruelty and the race of mankind would soon be destroyed so that it is a mercy to have natural affection but to have spiritual grace to work with natural affection to have faith to set natural affection right and to cause it to work aright that
them they know not what they do We should pray that the Lord would open their eyes that the Lord would turn their hearts to himself first and then to us Brethren such a prayer is very welcome to the Lord as welcome as most prayers that his people can make when you shall from the heart pray to the Lord for those that injured you and done you wrong such a prayer seldom goes unrequited Sometimes the Lord gives in the soul of an enemy at the request of his people and oh what a choice mercy will that be if thou mayst gain the soul of an enemy if a soul may be delivered from going down to the pit why the Lord many times gives in the soul of an enemy but if the Lord should not give in the soul of an enemy that prayer shall not go unrewarded it may be sometimes the Lord will give in the soul of a friend thou goest to God and thou prayest for such an enemy Lord forgive such an enemy Lord open his eyes and turn his heart and forgive his transgression if the Lord does not grant that request it may be the Lord will give in the soul of a child or some of thy relations because thou hast found in thy heart to pray for an enemy or else the Lord will reward that prayer by giving out more of himself thou beggest for an enemy if the Lord do not that the Lord will give thee more grace more of his Spirit the Lord it may be will cause his face to slaine more upon thee while thou at his commandment and for his sake canst find in thy heart to pray for them that are thy enemies and have done thee wrong thou hast prayed for an enemy and I will be a friend to thee saith the Lord I will shew thee more friendship more of my face this is the first thing Oh that the Lord would teach us to practise it it is our duty to pray for those that have done us wrong Secondly if it be our duty to pray for those that have done us wrong then it is our duty to pray for such as the Lord hath made instruments to do us good Creatures they are but instruments and all the glory is due to God alone ah but God is to be sought to for the instrument hath the Lord done us good by such an instrument in respect of our souls in a word of counsel and direction we are to pray for them When God made use of Abigail in giving a word of counsel to David how did he bless the Lord and pray to God for her 1 Sam. 25. 32 33. And David sad to Abigail blessed be the Lord God of which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou c. And so hath the Lord made any instrumental any way to do us good in the outward man to give any refreshment we are bound to remember them before the Lord thus did Paul 2 Tim. 1. 16. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains Onesiphorus was a means of refreshing Paul in his bonds and Paul looked upon it as his duty to remember him before the Lord he begs a blessing for him and his houshold The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus it is our duty to remember those before the Lord that have been used as instruments to do us good Thirdly it is our duty to remember before the Lord even those that are strangers to us those that we have not known if we know their conditions If the Lord hath brought the condition of strangers to us if the condition of strangers be a sad condition we are bound to remember them and to present their condition before the Lord and thus did the Disciples here in the Text this woman she was a stranger to them they never saw her face before she was of a strange Nation one of the Cananites and yet when the sad condition of this woman was brought before them and they heard her cry their hearts were moved with compassion and they besought Christ for her Lord send her away Lord grant her requestâ— And the Lord layd a great charge upon his people Israel that they should remember strangers and not oppress strangers but shew kindness to them and this is one part of the duty we owe to them to remember them and if in any sad condition we are bound to present them and their condition before the Lord. Fourthly If it be a duty to remember Strangers then much more to remember our own Relations and to present them before the Lord. All our Relations what ever they be as we stand related to others in Political Societies there is an engagement to remember them before the Lord a mutual tye betwixt the Magistrate and the people and they are bound to pray one for another godly Magistrateâ— and godly people are bound to remember one another You know King Solomon he was one that feared the Lord and he was very much in praying for the people 1 Kings 8. 22. he spent much time in prayer And so back again it is the peoples duty to remember their Governours The Apostle lays it upon Christians as their duty 1 Tim. 2. 1. I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men ver 2. for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty In this relation there is a mutual tie to remember one another before the Lord. And if we come to Family-societies there we shall see relations are bound to remember one another before the Lord the relation of Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants the Scripture holds it forth as a duty incumbent upon all Christians to remember their relations mutually before the Lord. Husbands are bound to remember their wives to present their condition before the Lord Isaac prayed for Rebeckah Gen. 25. 21. and at his request the Lord was entreated and so back again the wife is bound to remember the husband And so in the relation of parents parents are bound often to present their children before the Lord the example of Job is given for our imitation Job 1. 5. And it was so when the dayes of their feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all for Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts thus did Job continually See Job presented them all one by one before the Lord and begged mercy for them and that the Lord would take away the guilt of sin which they might contract while they were feasting in one anothers house And so good old Jacob performed this duty for his children even then when he lay a dying
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Christ tells this woman that he cannot do it for her because it did not lie in his Commission to which he must be faithful he could not go beyond his Commission What may we learn from hence We may take notice of this Historical Proposition That our Lord Jesus Christ in all he did he acted by commission and kept his eye upon his commission which he was faithful unto The Scripture holds forth that he was sent of his Father the Father sent him and gave him a commandment what he should do and what he should speak And Jesus Christ he was very faithful in observing his commission he kept his eye upon the work that his Father had given him to do and in that work he was faithful In every thing that Jesus Christ acted he looked to his Fathers rule the commission that his Father had given him See John 5. 30. I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge and my Judgement in just because I seek not mine own will but the will of the Father which hath sent me And as in the matter of judging so in all other dispensations Christ was pleased to look to the will of his Father that sent him I came not to do my own will in that thing but the will of my Father And so in John 6. 38 39. For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me and this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day As in his works of judging so in his works of mercy Christ kept his eye upon his Fathers will he looked to his commission this is the Fathers will that I should lose none of them but that I should give life to them all and raise them up at the last day Yea in his very words in all Christ spake he kept his eye upon the rule and spake according to his Fathers will and commandment I speak not of my self but what I have heard of my Father John 8. 26. I spake to the world those things which I have heard of him John 12. 50. Even as the Father said unto me so I speak In all that Christ spake he kept his eye upon his Commission And as in all that Christ spake he kept his eye upon his commission so in all Christ did As the Father gave me commandment even so I do John 14. 31. still his eye was upon the commandment of his Father upon his commission And in obedience to that commission he lays down his life John 10. 15. And I lay down my life for the sheep Ver. 18. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again this commandment have I received of my Father Yea in Christs motions this way and that way his going to one place and not to another his preaching in one place and not in another still he kept his eye upon the commission of his Father See Luke 4. 43. I must preach the Kingdom of God to other Cities also for therefore am I sent They would have kept Christ with them no saith he I must preach the Kingdom of God in other Cities in all that Christ did he kept his eye upon his Fathers commission he looked to his Fathers will and that was his rule to walk by And the ground of it is this because Christ was found in the form of a servant though he thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet he took upon him the form of a servant though the Son of God yet he was content to be a servant that he might bring about the great work of Redemption Therefore God calls him the righteous servant By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Isaiah 53. 11. And as Christ was a righteous servant a faithful servant so he kept his eye upon his commission Now if Christ had not done so if he had not acted all things according to the will of his Father he had not been a righteous servant but he was his Fathers righteous servant and therefore he evermore looked upon his commission what was his Fathers will and so he applyed himself to it And as in all other things so in this particular in the Text of preaching the Gospel and shewing mercy first to the Jews and not to the Gentiles I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel I am sent to shew mercy to the house of Israel still he eyed that work that was committed to him because the promise was made to them the promise of the Messias it was first made to Abraham and his seed to that Nation that came out of the loins of Abraham And Christ came to confirm the promise that was made to Abraham and his Seed therefore in this thing he observed his Fathers order and his Fathers time though his Father had a design of mercy to the Gentiles yet he will shew mercy first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles So that the Jews first of all must have the offer and then the Gentiles shall have their time Christ eyed his Fathers will and time therefore he applies himself to that work But by way of Application First what cause have we who are of the stock of the Gentiles who live in this time and in this Generation to bless the Lord that we do live in that time when the partition-wall is taken down there was a time when the Jews only were the people of God and when Gods design was to shew mercy to them and there was a time when mercy seemed to be restrained from the Gentiles there was a time when Christ must not preach to the Gentiles so it was his commission then not to shew mercy to the Gentiles at that time Go not into any of the wayes of the Gentiles and into any of the Cities of Samaria enter not There was a time when the Gentiles were shut out from mercy when the word of life and salvation was restrained from them when the Lord gave this commission go not into the way of the Gentiles oh how are we beholden to free-grace that hath broken down this wall of partition that now since the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ there is no difference but now mercy is freely offered to the Gentiles as well as to the Jewes for the wall of partition is now broken down and of how should we admire the grace of God in it we that were out-casts of the Gentiles sinners of the Gentiles that the Lord should ever send to perswade us to dwell in the Tents of Shem we we might have dwelt in the barren wilderness every day and never have been called and that God should invite us to dwell in
Christ accounted as children there and servants there and friends there that they should walk so as Christ should be dishonoured Professors look to it and ye especially that are Church members your scandals your open sins bring more dishonour to Christ then the sins of the whole world your sins are a shame to Christ they reflect to the dishonour of Christ and shame to Christ It is a sad thing that men should look upon Professors and say they are like the world they make a profession Ah! but they are as greedy after the world as wicked men and they are as proud as the Devil himself O that Professors might not give occasion for wicked men thus to speak for this will be a dishonour to Christ When you see a childe rude and deboist you will say who is his father Or who is his Master What Hath he no Father Or no Master O! What a shame is it to the Master of the House And so for Professors when men shall look upon those of corrupt conversation and they shall say Who is their Master What Christ their Master And they speak so and so And walk so and so O that the Lord would make them that have the profession of Christ upon them watchful in this Take heed that you give no occasion to the world to speak evilly of Christ who is the Lord and Master of his House Thirdly It lets us see what a Priviledge it is to be a Member of the Church of Christ and to have Right thereunto Take that along O! What a priviledge is it What a desireable mercy is it How will every one strive to get their children into great mens houses If they can but get their sons to be one of a Noble-man's house you think it to be a great priviledge O what a mercy and priviledge is it to be one of Christs Family How many are the priviledges that they enjoy that are in Christ's House You had a taste of them before and O that the taste might draw all Christians to the performance of their duty O! How did David long and thirst after it Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord and but one thing What is that That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple O how desirous was David to dwel in the House of the Lord And he counts them blessed Psal 84. 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy House Now if it be such a mercy and priviledge take heed that we do not contemn it and take heed that you do not slight it and say it is no great matter whether I be in the house of God or no so long as I am a Believer O! Take heed that you do not despise such a priviledge Fourthly and Lastly What an engagement doth lye upon all in Christ's house to be holy This is an engagement to duty First It engages the Saints in Church-fellowship unto the exercise of the grace of Love why they are all of one house and of one houshold and and they are engaged to love one another they are engaged to seek the good of one another you take it ill if a servant or childe should not regard what becomes of their fellow servants and fellow brethren every one must seek the good of th' other If one House we are engaged to a great deal of love and tenderness that we should express towards one another not to minde our own things but to minde the good of others but especially in the same house we are bound to do good to all the houshold of Faith but especially in the same house we have the strongest tye to love and to help one another if in Christ's house And if this be Christ's house O! What duty do we owe to Christ that are received into Christs house If in Christ's house we should keep Christ's Lawes the Rules of his house O! what Rules hath Christ given us to walk by Faith and Love the great Commandment of the Gospel O! if in Christ's house know that you are engaged to walk by Christ's Lawes And it engages you to do the work of Christ what is the work that is in Christ's house Surely there is some work for every one Christ will not have an idle person in his house some work Christ layes before every member O that we might be helpful there is somthing in which the meanest member may be serviceable to the house of Christ wait upon the Lord to know your work and wait for strength to do it And we should bless Christ for the provision of his house O! how engaged are we to wait upon the Lord for the blessing the provision of his house what a mercy it is for the Lord to take us into his house and send us the best things making us a feast of fat things wine on the Lees well refined a feast here and a feast in other Ordinance the Supper O! what an engagement to thrive and grow in grace It will be a shame to Christ if his people that enjoy so much if they shall be still lean and ill-thriving As the Lord hath taken us into his house so let us look up to the Lord for his blessing and for the fulfilling of his Promise he hath said That those that are in his house shall be fat and flourishing and well-liking and shall have strength to perform their duty O that they that are in the Lord's house would wait upon the Lord for his blessing Matth. 15. 25. Then came she and worshipped him saying Lord help me SERMON XVII I Come now in this 25the verse to consider the behaviour of this Womans spirit under her temptations she doth not stand to reason about her Election but she presently comes and worshippeth him She came and worshipped him saying Lord help This woman she was under great afflictions at this time such afflictions as made her come and cry to Christ Have mercy on me O Lord thou Son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil And this her affliction was accompanyed with Temptation and by a second Temptation Christ would make tryal of her faith And though she was under affliction and this affliction accompanied with temptation yet she falls down and worshipped him She came and worshipped him saying Lord Help So that I shall close with this Truth That it is the duty of Saints to worship Christ yea even then when they are in the midst of the greatest afflictions and temptations It is clear from the words and in the opening of the Point I shall First shew you What it is to worship the Lord what is that worship which the Lord doth expect from his people when in affliction and temptation Secondly I shall give you Scripture instances for the Proof of the Point And then Thirdly Consider the Grounds of the Point
of all in the vileness and sinfulness of our hearts and natures when as men or women come to be acquainted with the vileness of their nature and see what rebellion is in the heart and finde that there is a by as upon the spirit that doth carry it off continually from God the heart enclined toward vanity evermore O! How do vain thoughts and sinful imaginations croud in continually And they do defile the most holy Service that is taken in hand O! This proves matter of temptation This body of sin and death it made the Apostle cry out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. It had been a pressing temptation if the Lord had not made a discovery of the way of deliverance and salvation to him for a poor soul is apt to fear surely there is nothing of God in me if there were any seed of God in me my heart would never be so vain and the byas of my spirit would never carry me out from God so O! I fear I am not made partaker yet of the Divine Nature The sight of that woful evil that is in the heart proves many times a sad temptation that it is hard for a poor soul to get over it And Secondly When the Lord doth leave a poor creature to sin after mercy and against mercy it hath been saved by the Lord delivered by his right hand pressed with such and such a mercy and yet overtaken in the snare of sin sinning against mercy many times proves a sore temptation O! I am afraid that I am none of the Lord's children mercy hath not its kinde work upon me it doth not bring forth those fruits which the Lord may look for when he gives out such mercies sinning against mercy many times proves a sore temptation Thirdly When the Lord leaves a poor creature to fall again and again into the same sin O! this proves matter of temptation when as the soul hath seen the evil of sin and hath bewailed it hath run to the Lord for strength against it yet hath been overtaken again and again in the same sin that I say proves matter of sore temptation Surely may the poor soul say my spot is not the spot of children I have been overtaken once and again whereupon the poor soul may be tempted to cast away his hope and confidence and not only tempted to cast away its confidence but tempted to depart from God and to go out from the wayes of obedience There is no hope say they in Jer. 18. 12. but we will walk after our own devices and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart We have back-slidden again and again and there is no hope for us we had as good go on and take our fill in sin This temptation is set on many times by falling into sin That is the first That unworthiness by reason of sin Secondly Unworthiness by reason of that miserable weak and frail condition that the children of men are in the great distance that man is at from God this proves matter of temptation to many a poor soul when he considers that he is a poor piece of dust and ashes and that there is an infinite distance between God and the creature he is from everlasting to everlasting he is Jehovah and changeth not But we are poor creatures that are of yesterday and are going down to the grave to day and shall be in the place of silence to morrow O this proves matter of temptation and discouragement Will the Lord look down upon such a poor creature and upon such a piece of dust and ashes Is it possible that the Lord should humble himself to take notice of me And besides that common condition of frailty which all men are in the Lord is pleased to bring some of his people into a lower condition then that which is the ordinary state of man and yet he is as low as dust Yet I say the Lord is pleased to bring some of his people into a lower condition then ordinary By affliction God makes mans state to be low when he brings him into an afflicted state and when God maketh mans comforts to be low taketh away those comforts and those relations which have been his refreshments I say when a man is brought thus into a low and afflicted condition this added to that common condition of frailty it setteth at a great distance from God and it proves many times matter of discouragement and temptation to a poor soul So it was with Job chap. 14. v. 1 2 3. Man that is born of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble he cometh forth like a flower and is cut down he fleeth also as a shaddow and continueth not And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one Lord saith he Is it possible that thou shouldest humble thy self so far to look down upon such a one That God should look down with the eye of pity upon such a one frail man is one that is brought so low one that sitteth upon the dunghil Unworthiness by reason of frailness proves a temptation many times to Gods own people Thirdly Unworthiness by reason of coldness and deadness in affection When a poor soul finds how dead his heart is towards God O! I have a heart for the world and I have affections to friends and relations there is love to creatures nay there is affection enough to vanity but little or no heart for God there are not those breathings those thirstings those pantings after God not that first love which somtimes it hath found to the Lord and to the things of Christ O! This proves matter of discouragement and temptation O! I fear that the love of God dwelleth not in me saith a poor soul I finde my heart so dead and so strait towards God open to the world but strait to God O! I fear that the love of God dwelleth not in me How can it be that God should set his love upon such a one Surely if the love of God were in me I should love the Lord more then I do Deadness and coldness in affection toward the Lord it proves many times a sore temptation Fourthly and lastly Unworthiness by reason of unusefulness and unserviceableness to God that is matter of temptation when as a poor creature sees that it can do little or nothing for the Lord O! I am a barren tree I am a dry branch I see that others are fruitful I see that others have the promise fulfilled to them they bring forth much fruit they are serviceable in their generation they are an honour to God and do good to men but as for me I know not wherein I can honour him I know not wherein I can be useful or serviceable O I bring forth no fruit unto God and therefore am afraid that I am the Tree the Apostle Jude vers 12. speaketh of without fruit twice dead plucked
the Lord both in his sayings and doings when God shall speak against him and discover his vileness and sin it will say Truth Lord or when God shall threaten most severely nay when God shall walk in those ways that are hard to bear yet a soul that is truly humbled desires to submit to the Lord and to justifie the Lord. And secondly When God shall not only speak himself but when God shall make use of men yea wicked men and shall set them to speak against it when God shall set them to revile and set them to act against it to persecute it the soul that is truly humbled it will justifie the Lord in that dispensation so did David 2 Sam. 16. 7 8. And thus said Shimei wheu he cursed Come out come out thou bloody man and thou man of Belial the Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou hast reigned and the Lord hath delivered the Kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son and behold thou art taken to thy mischief because thou art a bloody man Shimei he came and railed against David it was a great indignity that was done against David by that railing wretch and he took up stones and cast at the King at verse 6. and it was when David was in distress he was driven out by Absalom from Jerusalem he takes that advantage he comes and rails and calls him the bloody man and saith he the Lord hath now avenged the blood of thy masters house upon thee yet David at this time justifies the Lord verse 10. So let him curse because the Lord hath said unto him Curse David who shall then say Wherefore hast thou done so See here how David justifies the Lord though that which this raising man did object against David was false he calls him a bloody man in respect of Saul's house David was clear in that and innocent yet David he layes it to heart and concludes that God had some designe in it though in respect of Saul's house I am not a bloody man yet I shed the blood of Vriah David he is silent the Lord hath bid him curse David and therefore David useth many arguments for to justifie the Lord and to quiet his own spirit and the spirit of others as you may see vers 11 12. And David said to Abishai and to all his servants Behold my Son which came forth of my bowels seeketh my life how much more now may this Btnj amite do it Let him alone and let him curse for the Lord hath bidden him Verse 12. It may be the Lord will look on mine affliction and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day And so David in patience doth possess his soul and justifie the Lord in that dispensation A word or two of Application and so I shall conclude First of all This calls upon us to be more in the practise of this duty O that the Lord would help all his people to learn this lesson It is a hard lesson we had need look up to the Lord that he would teach us to justifie the Lord when he speaks and acts against us when he speaks himself or when he suffers men to speak against us It is our duty as you have heard to justifie the Lord as this woman of Canaan did and as those in Micah 7. did I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him O that we could make those holy men our pattern that we heard spoken of before Look upon Moses upon Aaron upon David upon Hezekiah upon Job upon good old Eli upon this Woman of Canaan O! How did they justifie the Lord when the Lord spake hard things and stretched out his hand in a way of sore affliction Still we finde them justifying the Lord and O that we could look upon them as our pattern To perswade us to this Duty First of all Consider That it is the Lord It is the Lord that speaks it is the Lord that acts when-ever there is any affliction upon us it is of the Lord and if it be of the Lord and from the Lord why should we not justifie him That was a prevailing argument with good old Eli when as those terrible threatnings came to his ear That God would do that against his House at which both the Eares of every one that heard it should tingle and that the iniquity of Eli's House should not be purged away with sacrifice nor offering for ever It is the Lord saith he let him do what seemeth him good He hath power over all creatures as the Potter hath power over the clay and saith David I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it Secondly Consider That all that God speaks and doth is God and if so Why should we not justifie the Lord You know what Hezekiah said 2 Kings 20. 19. Good is the Word of the Lord A hard word it was that all his Treasure should be carried unto Babylon and his Sons also and made servants there and yet he sath good is the Word of the Lord. What-ever God doth is good though it may seem to be never so hard yet there is some good in all that he speaks and doth and the Lord doth it for good Doth not thy Word do good Every word of the Lord is good and doth good to them that are his children though it be a hard word yet all God's words and all God's wayes shall work together for good he will bring good out of them if the heart be submitting to God and justifying the Lord in that dispensation Thirdly Consider That there is mercy in every dispensation and that God doth afflict less then the sin deserveth Though the affliction may seem to be hard truly if we look into our own hearts and wayes we might see that there is that which might provoke the Lord to afflict seven times more The Church in the Lamentations when she came to consider how she had provoked the Lord though before she had cryed out bitterly of her Wormwood and Gall yet in Lam. 3. 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not We have provoked the Lord greatly and it is mercy that we are not consumed mercy that we are out of hell and therefore good cause that we should justifie the Lord. Yea and let us justifie the Lord when he suffers men to speak against us O! This is a hard lesson to flesh and blood but know it is a duty that God calls for when men do revile and speak evil and do accuse us so and so still it is our work to justifie the Lord Look back to that pattern of David in the case of Shimei and let us make it our pattern when-ever we meet with revilings and hard sayings from men he justified the Lord though it was false that which Shimei did accuse him of That he was a bloody
of your own heart and satisfying your own lusts what-ever these men pretend they have not hope of the right stamp their hope is but as the spiders web or as the giving up of the ghost Thirdly Let me exhort you all to look after this saving lively hope for it is that which will keep your hearts from breaking in the evil time at one time or other the heart will break if men have not this saving hope therefore seek after this saving hope for it will keep you up in the midst of storms in the midst of evils and establish you in the midst of good it will do you good in a storm and it will be useful to you in a calm you can never take comfort in the good things you enjoy and your hearts cannot be established in peace if not grounded in hope therefore look after this lively hope this anchor of the soul yea soul wouldst thou dwell with God and live neer God and live upon him continually O then cast the anchor of your hope in God true hope will hold your souls close to him that you shall not depart from him Yea would you have your hearts made more holy purified and sanctified and get victory over your corruptions O then seek after this saving hope for that man that hath his hope cast on God and Christ that man is most free from corruption and most active for God true hope it will make you able to suffer it will make you able to rejoyce in tribulation why now dost thou desire all this why then seek after this lively hope But it may be you will say unto me how shall we obtain this hope I see it is exceeding useful and of absolute necessity how shall we come by it where shall we have this anchor to stay our souls For answer First Look to the free grace of God in Christ for it 't is he that doth beget this grace of hope in his people look to those tenders that free grace makes God holds forth his self and Son and pardon and life to poor creatures Free grace makes a render of all this unto you and therefore look to this free grace that so you may have that hope which shall not be confounded and ashamed Secondly Look to Christ for it especially look to the resurrection of Christ that place 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Christ is risen from the dead he hath paid the debt and brought in everlasting righteousness and therefore look to the resurrection of Christ for by eying that this lively hope may be begotten in you Thirdly Look to the promise to the word of the Lord the word of the Lord is written that you might have hope Rom. 15. 4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope The Scripture is written that we might believe and in believing might have eternal life and therefore consult with the word of the Lord. You that desire to have hope strengthned look to the word and promises and behold the freeness of them and the unchangeableness of God in them O study the Scripture much and beg that the Spirit of the Lord may shine in them and give you a sight in them and so this hope may be begotten in you Fourthly Look to those patterns and examples of free grace that the Lord set forth for you to look upon the Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 1. 16. saith He was a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting That the Lord should reconcile such an enemy and set his love upon him that was injurious to the Saints one that thought he had sinned so much as that he had out-sinned mercy yet saith he I obtained grace that might be a pattern of mercy and therefore look to those patterns of grace and mercy that the Lord hath set forth before you that so you may be encouraged to come and hope in his mercy And to conclude all do not go on desperately any longer and do not say as they said Jer. 2. 25. But thou saidst there is no hope No for I have loved strangers and after them will I go They resolved to go on in the imaginations of their own heart they said there was no hope and they would do evil as they had done O let not this be the resolution of any poor soul for though you have no hope for the present you are invited to come to Christ that you may have hope The word of the Lord is come to you that you might have hope and those patterns of free grace are set before you that you might have hope O that the Lord would make you more intent in your spirits in looking after this anchor of hope What will you do another day when storms arise and to have no anchor It will be a most sad condition for a poor soul to see it self ready to split and to have no hope no anchor to stay upon O! who would venture to Sea without an anchor If you have no anchor when storms arise you will be at your wits end O that God betimes before it be too late would make you as wise for your souls as you would be for your bodies FINIS Artis est â—â—lare artem Chrysostomus illud quasi peculiare custodit ac proprium quod cum semper sollicitus sit semper vigilans noxii stuporis inimicus nusquam tamen ejus oratio in pompam elevatur dicentis sed tota aptatur ad utilitatem audientis est enim stilus ipse Ecclesiae auribus accomodandus Sixt. Senens Biblio lib. 4. de Jo. Chrysost Vers 21. Two great Wonders wrought by Christ 1. Wonder 2. Wonder The wonder of this womans faith appears first The declaration of thâ— womanâ— faith The Argugument this woman useth to move Christ How Christ tryed the womans faith The behaviour of this woman of Canaan under her tryals The victory of this womans faith 21. Verse spoken to three things to be considered Proposition or Doctrine Application Two sorts of people that exalt their rule above Christs Rule Second sort of people that exalt their rule above Christs Rule Object Answ Third thing laid down which is the place Christ came unto Observation The love of Christ to the souls of men Application Observation that God hath some in every place Observation Application Incouragement to seek Christ Who this woman was that come to Christ Doctrine Weak in estate many times chosen Weak in parts many times chosen Weak in age many times chosen Weak in respect of sex many times chosen Application A declaration of this womans faith Why this woman cals Christ the son of David How David was a type of Christ and how Christ like
depends upon it for if the same person that suffered were not restored the same that was cast into prison were not delivered in a legal way then there was no Justification Now our Justification doth depend upon this when Christ was delivered out of prison then did God absolve him and when Christ rose again then did Christ virtually justifie all his elect if the same body did not rise again there is no justification no man hath any assurance that he shall be justified Therefore see how necessary it is that you hold fast this truth that as the Lord Jesus took our nature so he retaines our nature Yea it is necessary that you believe Christ retaines our nature now in heaven for if you doe not why then he hath not perfected his office as High Priest he hath done but part of his work and so his people be but imperfectly saved The high Priest he first killed the sacrifice and the same person that offered sacrifice went into the holy place to make intercession and to present the blood of sprinkling Now if Christ did offer sacrifice and did not ascend in the same nature in which he offered the sacrifice he did not perfectly fulfill his work as high Priest And know this that if Christ be not in heaven in our nature there is no coming for us there is no way for our coming to God no way for our converse with God for it is not possible that creatures in this state should have immediate communion with God without a middle person a Mediator Now if Christ be not in heaven in our nature and so we might go to God in and by him there is no way of coming to God and no way of having communion with God Thirdly and lastly to speak a word to the next particular There are two things in that confession that Christ is the son of David First To close with his humility and that is an incouragement to come to Christ So Secondly She looks to his office and closes with his office when she sayes he is the son of David she acknowledges that First of all that he is the Messias designed and appointed by God the Father for this work of saving his people O Lord thou son of David thâ—â— art he that art designed and appointed and set a part by God as David was to be a Priest and to be a Prophet and thus faith must look upon Christ him that the Father hath sealed and appointed to be a Mediator or else he can never close with Christ And then she does not only look upon him aâ— one that is appointed by God the Father and designed of God Secondly But as one that was fitted for this work he was appointed by the Father to save his people and as he was appointed so he was fitted every way for this work for surely there was something which she heard and we may read in the son of David which was an incouragement to her to come to Christ and to believe in Christ As First of all this is held forth when he is called the son of David that he is mighty and strong a mighty Prince a mighty Saviour able to save 〈◊〉 the uttermost that he is even like to David â—s David whom the Lord gave a great deal of strength and courage he pursued after the Lion and after the Bear and pulled the Sheep out of the Lions mouth she eyed the strength of David if David do so great things Jesus Christ the son of David he can do greater things he can slay the Lion and kill the Bear and smite the Gâ—liah the Devil and his instruments And then in that name of Christ thou son of David there was this that might incourage her the mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ she exprest it her self David was a merciful man full of compassion towards his enemies full of patience full of long-suffering he spared Shimei when he cursed him and how did he carry himself towards Saul when God put him into his hand and when his servants would have had him taken away his life God forbid saith he so Christ is full of compassion surely she saw a great deal of the compassion of Christ David a merciful man and so is Jesus Christ And then she might see and so may we the meekness of Christ not only mercy but abundance of meekness in Christ David was a great Prince and yet Davids heart was not lift up with his condition though his condition was lift up yet his heart was not lift up no he carried it very lowly and meekly with his people he dealt with them as gently as a tender shepheard 1 Chron. 28. 2. Then David the King stood up upon his feet and said hear me my brethren and my people Now surely this woman could not but see the meekness that was in Christ David was well known to be a merciful and meek Prince and if so much meekness in David O then what meekness in the son of David Surely he deals gently with his people this was her incouragement First Now therefore to shut up all Brethren let us take notice how little true faith there is in the world if true faith comes thus to Christ as Lord and as the son of David looks to the divinity and humanity of Christ and closeth with both looks to the offices of Christ and as one that is appointed of God and fitted for this work if this be required to true faith O how little true faith is in the world How many are there that doe confess Christ to be true Man Ah but they deny him to be true God deny him to be the same Essence with the Father and Substance with the Father the same Power with the Father Nay truly such a confession of Christ it is below the confession of the Devil whatever such men may pretend to have the name of Christians it is below the confession of Devils and will leave men as low as the Devils the Devils confess Christ to be the Son of God and therefore where that is denied such men go not so far as the Devils Secondly Others that say he is true God but either deny that he took our nature or that he doth retain our nature Now how contrary is that to the Scripture And how destructive is it to the faith of Gods people and all the comforts of Gods people There is no hope of justification if Christ be not risen and no hope of coming to Heaven if Christ be not there in our nature and no possibility for poor creatures to go to God if the Mediator be not now in Heaven there is no coming there The Apostle speaking of Christ 1 Tim. 2. 5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus There is one Mediator he does not say there was one Mediator that laid down his life but there is one Mediator the man Christ Jesus He does not say
that was the man but the man Christ Jesus is now the Mediator and therefore such as do either deny that Christ did take our nature or that he doth retain our nature and rose in our nature and asCended in our nature doth mightily help forward the design of the Devil he alwayes had a design to overthrow this foundation of faith and such men are the Devils chief Instruments he knows that if Christ did not rise in that body again if he can take away that he knows that all preaching is in vain and faith is in vain and therefore the Pharisees when put on by the Devil they gave the Souldiers money to say that his Disciples stole him away Surely the Devil he knew that doctrine was of great concernment and therefore they were put upon to say his Disciples stole him away and such men as deny Christs Resurrection they take the Devils hire and their faith will be but the faith of the Sadduces and will leave them short of life Thirdly And in the third and last place How may are there that many confess both these that may confess Christ is God that he is Lord and that he is Man true man and yet not look unto Christ as he is fit every way for that work as fitted with strength and meekness and mercy for that great work of perfecting his peoples salvation As you desire to have faith that is of the right stamp would you have it rightly grounded and have it laid upon such a foundation as God hath laid and on such a foundation as will hold O then look to this womans confession look up to the Lord to make such a discovery of Christ to your souls that Christ may be discovered to you as Lord and that you may close with him as man God in our nature satisfied in our nature and making intercession in our nature and look upon him as one appointed by God the Father for therein lay a great deal of a Christians comfort when the soul comes to eye this Mediator as one appointed by God and one â—itted every way for it full of mercy and full of power if the Lord shall make such a discovery of Christ to your souls so as to cause you to lean your souls upon him for life and salvation this will be found to be faith rightly built this is the faith of Gods Elect. Matth. 15. 22. And cryed unto him saying have mercy on me c. SERMON IV. FIrst This womans faith is declared by the fruits of it and the first fruit of her faith it was the applying of her self unto Christ in a way of prayer She comes to Christ and she prayes unto him and he prayer is set forth by the fervency of it for she did not only intreat but she cryes unto him her prayer was no cold prayer but she put up fervent supplications and strong cries Secondly Her prayer is set forth by the Argument she useth in her pleading with Christ for that mercy the cure of her Daughter and the Argument she useth is taken only from his free Grace and that she pleads Have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David She doth not present any worthiness of her own but she takes hold of mercy So that the truth that I shall commend to yoâ— is this That whereever there is true faith it will maâ—â— the soul to cry unto Christ and to plead mercâ— and free grace in the greatest affliction He affliction was wonderful great My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil She come to Christ and cryes and takes hold of hiâ— mercy I had thought that I might handle the whole Point but I shall not be able to go thorough it 〈◊〉 once and therefore shall divide it into three Propositions The first is this That faith will make 〈◊〉 soul to come to Christ in a way of prayer and applâ— it self to Christ alone in the greatest affliction Secondly The greater the afflictions of 〈◊〉 faithful are the stronger are their cries 〈◊〉 Christ Thirdly When a gracious heart cries unto Christ it pleads nothing but mercy renounces all his owâ— worthiness and takes hold only of mercy and 〈◊〉 grace I shall speak to the first at this time That faith will make a soul come to Christ and cry to Christ pour out his complaints before Christ when it is 〈◊〉 the greatest distress and under the forest affliction and burden This woman she applies her self 〈◊〉 unto Christ cries only unto him she doth 〈◊〉 go to the Idol-gods of her own Nation she seâ—â— not unto them nor trusts in them though the people were an idolatrous people and had many gods that they sought after but she leaves them all whatever others do and she goes to Christ seeks not to the gods of the Nation but applies her self to Christ Secondly When she comes where Christ is she cries only to him she doth not cry to man she doth not poure out her complaints to man no not to the best of men she doth not cry to the Disciples she doth not cry to Peter James or John but she poures out her cries to the Lord O Lord thou son of David Faith makes her in her distress to look to the Lord alone applies her self only to Christ in a way of prayer This is the counsel that Eliphaz gives to Job chap. 5. v. 8. sayes he If I were in thy condition I would go to God I would apply my self to God I would seek to God and commit my cause to him I would not seek to creatures I would not make my complaint to the creature because they cannot pitty me nor help me no it is lost labour I would go to God and seek to God and I would not keep my burden my self I would not bear my burden upon my own shoulder and stand groaning under my burden 〈◊〉 I would go to God and commit my cause to him it is good counsel that he gave Job and O that we might be inabled to follow it And for the confirmation of the Point you shall find many Instances in Scripture of the â—aints applying themselves to God alone in the â—â—me of their distresse I might hold forth very many but I shall only give you one or two Look â—pon David as he expresses himself Psal 14. 1. 〈◊〉 so on I cryed to the Lord with my voice to 〈◊〉 Lord did I make my supplication and poured out my complaints before him and shewed him my trouble And when was it It was in a time of great distress Ver. 3. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me I went to God and made my complaints known to him I went not to the creature but to God And Jonah he was in a sad distressed condition and yet faith brought him to apply himself to the Lord when as he was in that sad estate Jonah 2. 1 2. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God out of the fishes belly and said I cryed by
advantage and spared the life of Shimei though he had provoked David by his curses Now thus she reasons with her self the son of David the Messias of whom David was but a type he hath more mercie and compassion then David surely his bowels are infinite and therefore though she be a vile sinner an unworthy wretch yet she comes and takes hold of his mercie and there is nothing else that she pleads with Christ nothing else she rests upon only upon mercy no other Argument she useth only presents her great miserie her daughter is grievously vexed with a devil She takes hold of mercie So then the Observation is this That where there is true faith it will teach a soul to deny it self to look beyond it self it s own worthiness and righteousness and to take hold of mercie and of the free grace of God through Jesus Christ I shall open the point to you And first I shall give you Instances that the Saints in all Ages in their coming to God hath looked at nothing in themselves but hath only pleaded mercy and free grace in all their straits You know that Instance of Jacob when he was in a great strait he applied himself to the Lord he pleaded only mercy he doth not look to any worthiness in himself he doth not present that before the Lord as any motive Gen. 32. 10. he pleads no worthiness but looks to his own unworthiness O Lord I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies he doth not tell God that he had lived without blame that he had walked justly and had not defrauded but he had been a faithful Steward that he had walked religiously and eyed God in his wayes that he had set up a pillar and vowed a vow he pleads none of this but O Lord I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies And so Moses though he had done as much as most men that ever lived Deut. 3. 25. I pray thee let me go and see the good Land Here is not a tittle of any of the services that he had done for God that he doth mention he does not say Lord I have taken a great deal of paines with this people I have followed thy Commandements and suffered a great deal of hardship with them for thy sake no he only pleads mercie Thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand I pray thee let me go over and see the good Land And so David often in the Psalmes you shall find he is pleading with God and he makes mercie his refuge he pleads only mercie and free grace Psal 4. 1. he pleads that God would bear him in his mercie And you shall find that when the Servants of God hath pleaded for others they have urged nothing but mercie and free grace in all their supplications So the Prophet Jeremiah when he was pleading for the Church Jer. 14. 7. O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us do thou it for thy names sake for our back-sliding are many we have sinned against thee No mention of any righteousness no be mentions their iniquities Our back-slidings are many but do thou it for thy names sake And so the Prophet Daniel when he was pleading for the Lords people he looks beyond all righteousness of their own and pleads mercie Dan. 9. 17. Now therefore O our God hear the prayer of thy servant and his supplication and cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake He had before in verse 8. confessed all their iniquities and now O Lord sayes he do it for the Lords sake And if you look into the new Testament from the beginning to the end of the History of Christ you shall never find any that were accepted of Christ that pleaded any thing but mercy and free grace Matth. 9. 27. And when Jesus departed thence two blind men followed him crying and saying Thou son of David haue mercy on us And so in Matth. 17. 14 15. another comes to Christ and he useth only that Argument mercie Lord have mercy on my son for he is lunatick And in Matth. 20. 30. there is mention of two blind men sitting by the way side and they cried out Have mercy on us And in verse 13. the multitude rebuked them but they cried the more saying Have mercy on us O Lord thou son of David And so the same Argument the Lepers used vers 17. Jesus Master have mercy on us Indeed we read of some of the Elders of the Jews that came to Christ in the behalf of the Centurion and they plead his worthiness Luke 7. 4. And when they came to Jesus they besought him instantly saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this But now the good man himself he had no such thought of himself but he utterly denies it look into verse 6 7. Then Jesus went with them and when he was now not far from the house the Centurion sent friends to him saying unto him Lord trouble not thy self for I am not worthy thou shouldest enter under my roof verse 7. Wherefore neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee but say in a word and my servant shall be healed Neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee such a mean and low account had this man of himself First But I shall clear the Doctrine to you and make it out that a gracious heart where there is faith looks beyond all his own worthiness and righteousness and comes to Christ Secondly Shew you that the same gracious soul closes only with mercy and free grace First I say a gracious soul in its coming to Christ looks beyond all that is in himself and that both in its first coming and afterward in any disstresse closeth with the Lord and looks beyond his own worthiness and pleads only mercie In the souls first coming to Christ a gracious heart doth not not cannot look to any worthiness in it self for where the Spirit of the Lord is it doth discover to man what his vileness and miserie is now where there is a saving discovery to a soul of his own vileness it is not possible that that soul should plead any thing of his own before God For First of all The Spirit teacheth a man that he is empty destitute of all that which is good the soul is naked of all that which is good and is as a poor beggar that hath neither bread to eat nor clothes to put on but in a sad condition utterly bereaved of the Image of God In my flesh dwels no good thing sayes the Apostle though through grace he had received much from God yet in me in my flesh dwels no good things Now where there is a discoverie made to a soul that he is full of wants poor and naked surely such a soul can plead nothing but free grace Secondly The Spirit of the Lord discovers to a soul that it is not only full of wants
much upon his own justification what he was not and what he was I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice a week I give tithes of all I possess But the Publican he smote upon his brest saying God be merciful to me a sinner and the Publican he went away justified rather then the Pharisee Though hypocrites look at their services yet a gracious heart dare not look at any thing it hath done Matth. 25. When Christ takes notice what the Saints hath done and sayes Come ye blessed of my Father I was hungry and you gave me meat thirsty and you gave me drink naked and you cloathed me Why Lord say they when saw we thee a hungry thirsty and naked when did we these things to thee What did the Saints do good works ignorantly did good and did not know No that which is done out of ignorance is sinful no they knew what they did and that they did but according to the mind of Christ ah but when done they take no notice of it their right hand shall not know what their left hand doth for they dare not plead their services and their duties upon this account For they know whatever is good is not theirs but Christs whatever in them that is good and whatever good they have done is by the Lords Spirit and therefore they know there is nothing for them to plead by way of merit no the more they are inabled and assisted to do for Christ the more they are ingaged unto Christ Christ is not ingaged to them but they ingaged to Christ And besides whatever they have done in the service of the Lord as theirs it is accompanied with many weaknesses and frailties that if it were not for Christ and his righteousness and Christs presenting them God the Father could not accept the best service that ever was done by the best men And besides the Saints know that when they have done all they can they are unprofitable servants if they could do a thousand times more for God yet they have nothing to plead Christ teacheth us so Luke 17. 10. So likewise ye when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do Mark if it were possible for any of Gods people to do all that the Lord requires yet there is nothing to plead you have done but that which was your duty that which was your debt Now the payment of a debt is no ingagement he to whom the debt is paid is not ingaged you have done but your duty And so the best of all the Saints if they could do all that is required they do but pay their debt there is a debt of thankfulness not debt of justice we have done that which is duty which we owe to mercie and free grace Again the Saints cannot plead their sufferings Though a man suffer never so much and suffer never so well and suffer upon a good ground and suffer for the name of Christ yet there is nothing that he can plead by way of merit for there is no man suffers without sin there was merit in Christs sufferings because he suffered and had no sin of his own he was the Lamb of God without spot but now the best of Saints upon earth who do suffer for the name of Christ cannot suffer without sin though it is not punished for sin yet still there is sin in the person and so can be no desert And then beside it is that which the Saints owe to Chris as they owe all duties so they owe all suffering for the name of Christ and if they should suffer a thousand times more then ever any man suffered it is but what they owe and therefore suffering cannot be pleaded no more then services And so you have the first part of the point But of the second part to speak more briefly to that as a soul is taken off of it self so it pleads only mercie flees to free grace comes to naked mercie First For a gracious heart it sees and knows that there is a fulness in mercie to satisfie all its wants all its desires there is enough in mercie to make abundant supply to it as it sees there is that in it self which may make it run from it self so there is that in mercie and free grace which may make it run to it as to a City of refuge There is a fulness in mercie which may answer the soules desires and wants for as you heard before when the Lord doth discover to a man that he is a poor creature destitute and naked why the same spirit doth discover that there is enough in mercie to supply all wants mercie hath made great provision for the poor naked destitute creature and as it discovers to a soul that it is a sinful creature so the same spirit doth discover that there is enough in mercie to take away all sin and pardon all transgressions and mercie and free grace hath set open a fountain an infinite fountain a bottomless fountain of merit in the blood of Christ for the washing away of sin and as the soul sees that it is a poor weak creature so the same spirit doth discover to it that mercie is strong and mercie is able to reach him in every condition and able to lift him up in the lowest condition and as it sees that it is an enemie to God so the same spirit doth discover that mercie can reconcile it shew what is done for the reconciliation of poor creatures mercie hath given Jesus Christ for to slay the enmitie and to reconcile poor lost creatures Thus I say a gracious soul it will flee to mercie it sees that there is a fulness in mercie to answer all its wants Secondly And as it sees a fulness so there is a freeness in the Lords mercie and therefore runs to mercie as this woman did and pleads mercie and to cast her self into the armes of mercie because free see that the Lord is a tender hearted God and that mercie flew freely from him mercie makes free invitations the soul seeing and hearing that it is perswaded to apply it self to mercie Thirdly Such a soul will flee to mercie because it knows that all that God doth for his people in the business of salvation it is for the exaltation of mercie and free grace the great work of the redemption of souls it is only for the exaltation of mercie and free grace it vvas free grace that found out the vvay of redeeming souls and free grace that gave sinners to Christ and free grace that gave Christ for sinners and free grace gives Christ unto sinners and all that God doth in sanctifying and saving his people is upon the account of mercie and free grace and therefore the Lord he invites souls to himself and he makes choice of such as may most of all declare the
Christ when God hath discovered the mysterie of Christ to thee and in some measure hath drawn thy heart and made thee to lye at the feet of Christ for life and salvation and for faith to believe in him be diligent to make the best improvement of Christ Improve Christ for holiness and sanctification if thou desirest to have Election made out to thee improve Christ for holiness The Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 5. exhorteth them to this Giving all diligence adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and so he goes on and then follows at vers 10. Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things you shall never fall In this way give diligence to make your Election sure improve Christ for holiness for grace for strength for more strength be diligent in waiting upon the Lord for the carrying on the work of holiness let Christians endeavour to be continually in the exercise of grace and in the performance of every duty that the Lord calls them to adde grace to grace and wait upon Christ that one degree of grace may be added to another knowledge to knowledge faith to faith temperance to temperance truly it is in this way that God comes in with discoveries of electing love I do not say it is for your diligence and for your improvement of Christ and adding grace to grace but this is the way when the Lord doth enable his people to be thus faithful and diligent in the improvement of Christ and in the exercise of grace and performance of duty to God and man God comes in that way and giveth a soul a more clear discovery of his electing love Fourthly Desire the Lord to set a heavenly Byass upon your spirits if you desire to have your Election cleared and made sure take heed of an earthly heart and O! Look up to God earnestly that he would set a heavenly Byass upon your spirits that you may be able to say Our conversation is in heaven our heart is there from whence we look for a Saviour we groan to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven Truly Brethren if we look too much downward if we be grubling below and be writing upon the dust we shall hardly see what is written in heaven Though your names may be written in heaven O! the looking too much upon this world keepeth many a Christian from seeing his name written in heaven What pains will Astrologers and Star-gazers as the Scripture calls them take to see into the second heaven the starry heaven How often will they look up And how long will they look up to see as they pretend what is written there what is the language of the Stars And O! What a shame is it to Christians that we should look up no oftner and no longer into the third heaven that we may see our names written there Truly Brethren it is no easie matter for a Christian to see his name written in heaven though his name may be written there we shall hardly see it if our hearts be not much there and our conversations much there we use to say if children look off their Books they will never learn their Lessons well Truly if we look so much on the world and so little into heaven we shall hardly learn to read our names written in heaven But when as the Lord sees that his people are desirous to have their thoughts in heaven and their conversations in heaven the Lord will come and say to that soul well I see that thine eye is in heaven and thy heart in heaven know for thy comfort that thy name also is in heaven thy God is in heaven thy Christ is in heaven and thy portion is in heaven O! Beg of God that he would clap a heavenly byass upon your spirits Fifthly Take heed of sinning against the Lord take heed of giving way to any sin as you desire to have your election cleared up to you take heed of turning out into any crooked way Let not Christians give way to themselves nor allow themselves in any way of evil You know what the Apostle saith in 2 Tim. 2. 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity The Lord knoweth them that are his Ah! but would you know your selves to be in that number Take heed that you do not give way to any sin do not allow your selves in any way of sin be not found in any way of iniquity every sin that is allowed it will cast a blot upon your Evidence and you shall not be able to read it This is the first Use unto those that have not God's electing love cleared up to them there is a necessity that every soul should give all diligence to have their Election made sure it is matter of infinite concernment and you have been taught in what way to wait upon God to make your Election sure The second Use is to those that have attained to the knowledge of God's electing love And it calls upon them First To be Thankful Secondly To labour to walk worthy of so great a mercy First To be Thankful O consider that it is the free love and the free grace of God that did make the difference between you and others Is there not cause then of Thankfulness You were no better then the worst in the world no better then those that are cast out of God's sight into utter darkness there is as much evil in our hearts as in Judas his heart that betrayed Christ O! It is free grace that hath put a difference if God hath made known to you that he hath chosen you know that it is free grace that hath put the difference O! Rich grace free grace that God should take you and leave another as deserving as you O it is free grace And that we may be stirred up to Thankfulness consider that all the mercies that ever you do enjoy or hope for spring from this Electing love O! What cause have you to admire this love Electing love it was a fruitful wombe all your mercies lay in it your comforts they all spring from it if the Lord had not given you his love from eternity he had never given you Christ as he did he had not given you the knowledg of Christ All the mercies and comforts that you do enjoy do spring from this love if it had not been for this love you had never known what pardon of sin had been you had never known what peace with God had been what a mercy it is to be reconciled to God your present mercies they all lye in this womb of God's Electing love O! what an engagement is this to Thankfulness Secondly Walk worthy of this love Christians you that see your Interest in
cry the more earnestly after him he sees that they begin to flag in their prayers and do not cry so loud as they have done the Lord he will withdraw that so he may stir up a spirit of prayer bring them into such an affliction that so they may cry the more earnestly the storm was raised when Christ was upon the sea with his Disciples to make them cry the more earnestly The Lord seems to sleep many times at the prayers of his people that so by the prayers of his people he may be awakened Quest But you will say What need we cry thus earnestly to the Lord for he is found of them that seek him not we cannot find God by our seekiâ—â— him he must seek us he is found of them that 〈◊〉 him not Answ I answer It is true God is found 〈◊〉 them that seek him not that is when God comes first into a poor soul he breaks in upon it he prevents it with grace and mercy and he seeks us and brings home grace and mercy to the soul before the soul sought the Lord. But now when the Lord hath found a soul and brought home a soul to the knowledge of himself through Christ O then he expects that that soul should continually wait upon him and be seeking of him in that way which is of the Lords own appointment It is true he is found many times of those that seek him not but the Lord is not found of those that seek him lazily he hears not cold prayers no it is the cry of the spirit the Lord heareth Quest Ah but some will say I cannot cry and pray I cannot continue in prayer my spirit is overwhelmed and I am so shut up that I know not how to utter a word in the presence of the Lord. Answ I answer Though thy spirit be overwhelmed thou mayest pray and cry aloud to the Lord David did so and why mayest not thou Psal 142. 3. I cryed sayes he and it was when my spirit is overwhelmed and although thou canst not utter a word to the Lord yet thou mayst pray and cry with the cries of the spirit the Spirit of the Lord stirs up sighings and groanings in the hearts of his people which cannot be uttered So when thou canst not speak a word to the Lord yet thou mayest cry Job could noâ— speak yet his soul cried to the Lord and his eye cried to the Lord Job 16. 20. My friends scorn me but mine eyes poure out teares unto God When he knew not how to speak a word his eye looked to the Lord if he cannot poure out his prayer his eye shall speak and his soul shall speak this may be an effectuall prayer Object Ah but I am filled with the sence of my unworthiness I dare not go before the Lord I dare not beg any mercy nor stand in his presence I am filled with the sence of my own unworthiness Answ I tell thee though thou beest filled with the sense of thy unworthinesse yet thou mayest and ought to cry to the Lord and poure out thy soul in supplication The Publican that went up to the Temple he durst not draw nigh he looked upon himself as an unworthy sinner and yet poured out his prayer to the Lord the sence of thy unworthinesse should not hinder thee in the pouring out of thy prayer to the Lord the more unvorthy the more need of going to the Lord and the more sensible of thy unworthinesse the sooner the Lord declares his acceptance Oh that the Lord would make us all mindful of this our duty we are apt to cry with the cry of the flesh but O that in the day of our distresse we did cry with the cry of the spirit Let the crie that springs from pride impatiencie and unbelief be silent laid low and let it not open its mouth but crie with the cry of faith with the crie of the spirit this will be a good evidence that affliction hath wrought the right way and that the Lord hath done us good by our affliction Till the flesh be silent and the spirit raised up to cry in faith we shall never have any evidence that we have received benefit by our affliction but when the soul shall be in affliction and the spirit up and cry it will be a good evidence that the soul hath received good by the affliction And to say no more the Lord will soon draw nigh to that soul that shall thus be found waiting for him when the flesh shall be silent and the spirit cry the Lord will soon hear that crie You know the Lord is a tender hearted Father and he will not suffer any of his children to be tempted above what they are able to beare he will not suffer them to sink under their burden but will come in with delivering mercie for the Lord doth sometimes hear the crie of the flesh so he hath heard the crie of the flesh though not the sinful crie yet the crie of nature the Lord hath heard that crie He heard the crie of Ishamel when as he was ready to perish for thirst The Lad cried and he heard the crie of the Lad and the Lord opened the eyes of Hagar and she saw a well of water He heard the crie of the flesh so gracious is the Lord yea he heares she crie of the young Ravens of the young Lions and the Lord he opens his hand and satisfies them O that this might be an incouragement to goe to God in all times of distresse let it be never so great the Lord is a God of compassion and if he does hear the crie of the unreasonable Creatures and the crie of the flesh O surely the Lord will much more hear the crie of the spirit when his people come and apply themselves to him through Christ such as hope in his mercie and are found waâ—ting for his salvation Surely the Lord he will find out the best time in which he will come in with deliverance to his Servants Matth. 15. 22. Thou son of David have mercy on me SERMON VI. WE observed the last day that great and strong afflictions will raile strong cries make Gods people crie loud It was a sore affliction that was upon this woman Ms daughter is grievously vexed with a devil and whâ—â— she comes to Christ she doth not only pray 〈◊〉 cry to him But to passe on and consider something thâ—â— still remains and that is to look upon the Argument that this woman useth in her crie to Christ her Argument is mercy she cries mercy 〈◊〉 free grace she doth not look to any worthiness 〈◊〉 her self neither doth her unworthiness discourage but looks beyond both and she closeth 〈◊〉 mercy and free grace Thou son of David 〈◊〉 mercy on me She comes to the son of David 〈◊〉 knew David was a merciful Prince and King 〈◊〉 shews mercie to his very enemies David spared the life of Saul when he had him at a great