Providences there is some remembrance of God upon every mercy all those mercies that have been made thy portion which thou hast enjoyed since thou hadst a beeing wherefore are they but that thy soul might remember God Nay God hath written his name upon his judgments in the earth that he might be remembred wherefore God he doth work wonderfully that as his mercies are wonderful so his judgements are wonderful wherefore doth God do such great things in the earth Doubtless that he might be remembred that men may say Verily there is a reward for the righteous and a God that judgeth the earth Nay God hath set up Conscience in every mans soul and wherefore hath God set up Conscience in every man but that Conscience might put us in minde of God That every man's Conscience might speak for God that it might stand up and cry for God Remember God and Conscience doth cry and doth speak and men may hear the cries of Conscience if they will not stop their ears When men sin Remember saith Conscience that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement Nay further God hath engraven his Name upon his Ordinances and the great end is that he might be remembred This is the great end of the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper Do it in remembrance of me saith Christ and so every Ordinance the Word that is preached to you it is that you might remember God wherefore is Prayer and every Ordinance but that the sons of men might remember God He hath engraven some remembrance of himself upon all his Ordinances See then what cause there is that you should remember God seeing God hath done so much that he might be remembred Thirdly There is cause that the sons of men should remember God for God is their Creator Remember thy Creator Now God being our Creator it is but a just and equitable thing that thou shouldest remember God thy Creator thy being is from him thy life is from him thy soul is from him thy comforts are from him all thy enjoyments are from him thou hast not the least comfort in the world but what comes from God he being thy Creator it is but a just thing that thou shouldest remember him yea thy dependance is upon him as he is thy Creator thy life is not only from him but thy life is in his hand and thy soul is not only from him but thy soul is in his hand it is in his power to kill and to save to destroy both body and soul And if there be so great a dependance that man hath upon his Creator that not only thy comforts but thy breathing thy soul and thy eternity is in his hand there is good cause that thou shouldest remember thy Creator Fourthly There is good cause that we should remember God for while you remember God you remember your selves for all good comes to the creature by remembring God thy peace and thy rest thy comforts thy satisfaction and thy contentments thy establishment of heart thy hope for life for heaven for glory there is not any good thing that a creature can enjoy or hope to enjoy but it must come in by remembrance of God And while you remember God you remember your selves remembring God thou enjoyest God and enjoying God thou enjoyest all good whatsoever good reason then that thou shouldest remember him That 's the second particular Thirdly I shall shew you what advantage it is to man to remember God in youth First There is this great advantage for the most part that soul that remembers God betimes in its coming unto God he findes the easie and the ready way to God the longer a man forgets God the further he goes from God every day he is going from God and therefore it will be the harder task to come back again it is a harder task to cast over a great Account then to cast it up while lesser though in respect of God all things are alike and God can as easily forgive many transgressions as few he can wash away great sins as well as small but yet when poor creatures come to look towards God through their unskilfulness they make it a difficult thing to finde God and to return to God when they go a great way from him the greater account they have to cast up it proves so to man because of his unskilfulness though to God all things are alike So that the sooner men begin to look after God they finde an easier way to come to Christ they have some helps in nature that when a man is once turned to the Lord his natural abilities being sanctified become great helps so that young men have more advantage in respect that natural parts are more strong the Understanding and Memory and Reason the Senses Internal and External they are all more vigorous and these prove helps to a man when once the heart is sanctified and the sooner a man turns to God the more he hath of these helps Yea Christ is very ready to go out to meet such children and young men Are the hearts of young ones towards the Lord The heart of Christ is towards them and he is mightily taken with such and will go forth and meet them The young Progigal in the Gospel no sooner did he think of returning to his fathers house but his father ran out to meet him But you will say for ought we see young men meet with as much trouble as others and when they come to remember God they are afflicted as much as others and it proves hard to them as to others I answer If it be so hard when they do return to God in youth it would have been much more hard if they had stayed till old age and if they do meet with difficulties and temptations and it prove a hard way it is because that the Lord seeâ— it is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth and I might add that the Lord will recompence all with abundance of grace and with the discoveries of himself That is the first advantage that young men have many times for the most part they finde the ready way to Christ Secondly They have this advantage The Lord for the most part doth discover more of himself to them that begin betimes to remember God then to those that begin more later Joel 2. 28. And it shall come to pass that I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall Prophesie your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions Let not old men grudge at God's dispensation it is mercy to them that they shall dream Dreams but the young men shall see Visions they shall have clearer discoveries of God and that is a great advantage Thirdly There is this advantage They that remember God betimes they have an opportunity of doing more for God then other men have for when men begin late it is work enough to get
how they set up their own rules above Gods Rules which is a provocation to Christ and he will not bear with such you may read the second and third verses and so to the end of the seventh verse In vain sayes Christ do you worship me teaching for doctrine the commandements of men So that the occasion of Christs removing from these parts of Judea which were near to Jerusalem was the exalting their own traditions and making them equall with Gods Commandements It affords something to us for our instruction which is this That when a people or any soul shall exalt their own traditions their own inventions and make them equal or set them above the Commandements and Rules that Christ hath given his people to walk by Christ will not afford his presence to such a people Christ will certainly depart from such a soul or people For the truth is there is little hope that there should be any good done by such a people when they decline the Rule and set up something of their own there is little hope that the word of Christ should do good among such a people Therefore Christ will withdraw from them as he did from these Scribes and Pharisees and so will Christ withdraw his special presence from a people that shall set up their own inventions For it is a mighty provocation to Christ First of all when a people shall exalt their own inventions above the Rule that Christ hath given his people to walk by the minds of such a people are blinded and darkened and their hearts are hardened against the Truths of God therefore there is little hope of such a people I say mens own inventions thus exalted and lift up above Gods Rule it blinds the mind and hardens the heart against Christ and the things of Christ it is a making to a mans self a graven Image Whatsoever a man shall bring in of his own as a rule to walk by and to worship by he makes that an image to himself now they that make graven Images are like to them sayes the Psalmist They have eyes and see not God gives them up to blindness declining Gods Rule and Christs Institution it will blind them and harden them against the Truths of Christ Secondly When as men shall exalt their own inventions the heart is so filled with them that there is no room for Christ and for the most part there is in such a soul a kind of loathing the Truths of Christ Whereever you find mens inventions exalted there you shall find a kind of loathing in such a soul of the pure and sincere truths of the Gospel the bread of life is no longer sweet with them and the water of life hath no rellish with them and when it comes to this Christ will not stay but withdraws his spiritual presence from them as he did his bodily presence from the Scribes and Pharisees Thirdly Christ will withdraw from such a people because for the most part they are desperate enemies and persecutors of Christ and of his People and of his Truths So it was with the Scribes and Pharisees Christ had not such enemies in all the world as they were because they were most zealous for their own inventioons they declined the Rule and set up their own rule and therefore they prove desperate enemies to Christ Paul makes an acknowledgement of it when Christ came to open his eyes and doth tell you that that was the cause of his driving on that trade of persecuting the Saints with so much earnestness because he was so zealous for the traditions of men in Phil. 3. 6. You may see there what he sayes was the cause of his persecuting the Saints Concerning zeal persecuting the Church touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless And so in Gal. 1. 13 14. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews Religion how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God and wasted it Ver. 14. And profited in the Jews religion above many my equals in mine own nation being more zealous of the traditions of my fathers The zeal which he had for the traditions of men was that which carried him on to persecute the Christians with so much violence and many times it is so that they which do most exalt their own traditions they become very zealous in persecuting the Saints and Truths of Christ for it is natural for a man to become zealous for that which is his own that which is of the flesh that which is a kin to the flesh the flesh will be zealous for Now all traditions they are born of the flesh they are the off-spring of mans own brain and therefore upon that account men are many times very zealous for them to the persecuting of the Saints of God Now upon this account the Lord Christ will not afford his presence with such as lay aside his Rule for they many times prove the greatest persecuters of Christ and his people Fourthly Christ will not continue and afford his presence with such a people as set up their own inventions and traditions in the place of God's Rule because they do arrogate that to themselves which is Christs due he is the great Prophet and given to instruct his people to make known the way of life and salvation and it belongs to Christ to give a rule for his people to walk by And therefore when men shall set up their rule in the place of Christs Rule what do they but take the place of Christ the office of Christ and turn Christ out of his office and set themselves in Christs chair Now this is a great provocation to Christ and that which Christ will not endure but depart from such a people Fifthly They that do exalt their own inventions and traditions in the place of Christs Rule for the most part they place their righteousness in those very traditions of their own which is a great provocation unto Christ for you may observe this in the Pharisees they that were so zealous for their own inventions and would not submit to the Rule of Christ they would not submit to the Righteousness of Christ but they placed their righteousness in their traditions in their inventions a kind of volluntary humility they had and willingly submitted to their traditions and by so doing did overturn the righteousness of Christ placing their righteousness in their own observations it was that which made them not to submit to the righteousness of God Let a man do never so much let him walk never so strictly let him set up the straitest rule to himself to walk by though a man do never so much though he afflict his body never so much if this tend to draw off the soul from the righteousness of Christ that a man should look upon this as his commendation before God and place this in the room of Christs righteousness as all do that set up their own traditions they
Gospel that he should carry it into the dark corners that Christ should leave Jerusalem and carry the Word of Grace into the dark places that the Lord should make choice of most unlikely places places most destitute of the Gospel oh the wonderful dispensation of the Lord nay that the Lord should there make some poor creatures eminent in grace this is another wonder that the Lord should bring in some out of the dark corners and make them most eminent in Grace make them patternes of â—aith as this woman of Canaan was here was faith in this woman that made the soul of Christ to wonder Now what a wonderful dispensation is â—his and discovery of the free Grace of God That all is of God nothing in man nothing in the â—eanes without his blessing that he should make â—ome to believe in the dark places yea not only to â—elieve but with such an admirable faith as this woman that he should make them that were at â—he greatest distance to be most nigh and the greatest sinners the excellentest Saints Oh the â—â—eeness of Gods Grace in his dispensations This should teach us to put on bowels of merâ—y towards sinners towards them that are in the â—ark places of the world All Christians that are 〈◊〉 the world that hath received the light of Christ â—hould be filled with compassion towards them â—hat sit in darkness if we dwell near Jerusalem 〈◊〉 should pitty them that dwell in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon and if we can do nothing pray that â—he Lord would send forth labourers into his harvest to send some into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon Oh pray that the Lord would send forth labourers into his harvest that there may be somâ— called out there that may be strong in faith an excellent in holiness nay they that may be broughâ— in out of such places they may go far beyond them that dwell nigh Jerusalem out-strip them 〈◊〉 faith and holiness seeing the Lord may have suâ—â— a people in dark places as he had here a preciouâ— soul the woman of Canaan let us pitty them thaâ— are in darkness and pray that the Lord would senâ— forth his light to them 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 II. BEhold a woman came out of the same coasts The Evangelist Mark does take notice that when Christ came into these coasts of Tyre and Sidon he entred into a private house and would have hid himself there Mark 7. 24 25. And from thence he arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon and entred into an house and would have no man know it but he could not be hid For this woman of Canaan comes and finds him out and falls down and worships him So then we may observe this briefly That where there is a seed of faith in any soul where the work of faith is begun it will find out Christ whereever he is This woman had a seed of faith she heares of Christ and though Christ goes about to hide himself he could not be hid Whereever faith is begun in any soul it will find out Christ never rest till it find out Christ it will come to him where-ever he is Christ cannot alwayes be hid to the eye of faith Where the body is there will the Eagles be gathered together saith Christ The Eagles will find out the dead body though it be never so remote though it lay in a secret cave of the earth and so where there is faith the soul will find out Christ Christ cannot alwayes lie hid from the soul For the eye of faith it hath some resemblance like the eye of God There is nothing can be hid from the eye of God Psal 139. 7 8 9. Neither shall I go from thy presence if I go to heaven thou art there and if I make my bed in hell thou art there if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea thou art there And so the eye of faith hath resemblance to the eye of God though indeed the eye of faith cannot alwayes see God yet where there is faith the soul will be pursuing after God and Christ My soul followeth hard after God sayes David Psal 63. 8. David had faith and his soul pressed after God made hard after God Faith will follow Christ whereever he is if in heaven faith will follow him there if he go down to hell even in dark dispensations faith will follow him there if he flie to the uttermost parts of the earth and seem to be at a great distance faith will follow him there Christ cannot be hid alwayes from the eye of Faith it will follow him when he hides himself as the Spouse in the Canticles when Christ hid himself from her yet she follows him and seeks him at home and abroad and leaves no place unsought and she never gives over till she finds him seeks till she finds and at last she found him whom her soul loveth Nay I may say faith will see something of Christ whereever he is not only follow after him but see some glimpse of him whereever he is though he go down into hell the soul will see something of Christ in such a dark dispensation in the hardest saying of Christ faith will find something of Christ as the Lord calls this woman a dog and yet she finds out something of Christ And therefore to apply this briefly First Brethren O that we might take this woman for our pattern to follow after Christ and find him out when he hides himself You that walk in darkness and see no light oh that you would look upon this woman and make her your pattern Christ hid himself from her ah but she finds him out and Christ could not be hid One would have thought it had been a bold part of this woman when Christ retired himself into a private house that she should find him out and press in upon him ah but the Lord did not reprove her for her boldness it pleased Christ well enough And oh that we might seek after Christ and presse in upon Christ even then when Jesus Christ seems to hide himself that he might not be found And for your incouragement does Christ seem to be hid from you as from this woman of Câ—naan never leave till you find him go where he is wait upon him in an Ordinance look to him in a promise and press in upon him and let me say for your incouragement Jesus Christ doth not hide himself from you that you might never find him no the end of Christs hiding himself is that you might seek him that you may seek him earnestly diligently as the Wise men did Christ did not hide himself from this woman with an intent she should not find
woman 〈◊〉 confessing him to be Lord and so every such confession doth acknowledge Christ to be eternâ—â— God to have the same being with his Father thâ—â— he is Lord and was Lord from eternity before there was any world made yet Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 then Lord he was the eternal God see what the Scripture doth hold forth of him Prov. 8. 2â—â— I was set up from everlasting from the beginningâ— it is spoken of Christ it is said of him that he 〈◊〉 from everlasting in the beginning before there 〈◊〉 a world before any sea before any earth before any mountains Christ was from everlasting and thus true faith doth acknowledge that he is eternal God Secondly When true faith doth confess Christ to be Lord it doth not only acknowledge him to 〈◊〉 eternal but omnipotent to be Almighty infinite 〈◊〉 power if he be Lord of all then he is infinite 〈◊〉 power he can do whatsoever he pleaseth that he can doe whatsoever the Father doth Christ witnesâ—â— of himself The same works the Father doth doe I 〈◊〉 which doth declare him to be the same God the same being with his Father for he had the same power True faith doth acknowledge that all the mighty works of Creation and Providence and that the world was made by him and upheld by him and governed by him according to that place Heb. 1. 10. And thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the works of thy hands So that faith that doth confess Christ to be Lord doth acknowledge him to be infinite in power and that he by his fingers made the heavens and by his hands laid the foundation of the earth Thirdly That faith that doth acknowledge Christ to be Lord doth confess that he is infinite in knowledge and that he is omnipresent every where as God he is in all places though as man he sits in heaven yet as God he is every where according to that Scripture the Son of God hath eyes like a flame of fire he sees all things a flame of fire discovers all things in the room so the Son of God he knows all the corners of the heart and sees all things and needs not that any should testifie of man and that Christ according to his divine nature fills heaven and earth and with his gracious presence is with his people alwayes Loe I am with you to the end of the world Fourthly That faith that confesseth Christ to be Lord doth confess that he is the object of faith and of divine worship and that he is worthy to be believed on and worthy to be worshipped and worthy to be praised worthy that all the redeemed of the Lord should sing unto him that he is worthy of all divine honour the same honour that is due to the Father the Scripture doth witness as much and therefore the very Angels are called upon to worship him Heb. 1. 6. When he bringeth in the first begotten into the world he saith and let all the Angels of God worship him Now if Christ had not been eternal God it had been idolatry to have given divine worship to him but you see what that faith doth that acknowledges Christ to be Lord it doth acknowledge him to be eternal God and acknowledge him to be infinite in power and in knowledge and that he is present in all places and the object of divine honour Secondly Now let me shew you in the second place that it is necessary that every man and woman that doth expect help and salvation by Christ should come to him as the Lord Faith should pitch upon him as omnipotent and omniscient I say it is necessary that they should thus come to him that believe for else the foundation of our faith is overthrown There is no man that doth deny this can lay a right foundation of faith no man that doth not believe this that he is Lord eternal God can lay a right foundation he doth not lay that foundation which God hath laid the foundation which God hath laid is his Son the eternal God he with whom he entred into Covenant and made a Covenant with from eternity and therefore if there be any other foundation the foundation will not hold And indeed Christ cannot be a foundation to bear up faith if he be not eternal God and Lord equal with his Father he were not fit to be trusted And cursed is he that trusts in man and make flesh his arme And if Christ had not been eternal God he could not be a fit foundation and it is necessary that every soul that comes to Christ should believe in him as Lord in respect of that divine worship that is to be given to Christ else he cannot worship Christ aright nor give Christ that honour that is due to him and so all his worship is lost Thirdly It is needful in respect of the benefits of Christs satisfaction that men that come to Christ must believe that he is eternal God and one with the Father or else he cannot expect the benefit of Christs satisfaction for if Christ were not infinite God he could not have given satisfaction to infinite Justice if Christ were not God our sins are not purged away the righteousness of Christ is not infinite then no covering for our transgressions no price then of an infinite value for the saving souls no vertue in his blood for the taking away of sin therefore they that do blasphemously deny Christ to be eternal God they must deny the satisfaction of Christ and then all men are in their sins and so like to be lost for ever Fourthly True faith must come to Christ as Lord or else we cannot have any assurance that he â—an perfect the work of our salvation The work of our salvation it is put into Christs hand but if 〈◊〉 be not eternal God there is little hope that he should perfect the work of his peoples salvation 〈◊〉 not possible he should overcome all the enemies of his peoples salvation Therefore you see â—hat it is necessary that when any soul comes to Christ it should come to him as Lord so this woman did look upon him and close with him as Lord over all as he is eternal God having the same power and knowledge with his Father to whom 〈◊〉 due the same divine honour and who is the object of faith And therefore I beseech you Brethren look to it that your faith be rightly grounded if it 〈◊〉 not it will never hold if it be not grounded upâ—â— this foundation upon Christ as he is Lord the same eternal God with the Father if this be not the foundation of faith it will not hold you can never make a right confession of Christ and you will never make such a confession as he will own if 〈◊〉 do not come to close with him as he is Lord owâ— all infinite 〈◊〉 equal with his Father The Dâ—â— hath exceedingly endeavoured to overturn 〈◊〉
foundation of faith and through the righteâ—â—â— judgement of God hath prevailed exceedinâ—â— abroad in the world he made use of the 〈◊〉 of old and the Socinians of late who overturn 〈◊〉 foundation of faith though they acknowleâ—â—â— Christ to be higher then man and greater 〈◊〉 Angels yet they will not acknowledge him 〈◊〉 equal with his Father and to have been from 〈◊〉 many cavils there are which are made 〈◊〉 this truth of the Gospel Object They object that Jesus Christ sayes 〈◊〉 self That his Father is greater then he and thâ—â—â—fore by Christs own confession say they he is not 〈◊〉 with the Father Answ But for answer You must know 〈◊〉 Christ speaks that as he was Mediator as he 〈◊〉 God man so indeed he put himself under his â—her as Mediator as the Saviour of his people 〈◊〉 in respect of his eternal Godhead he was 〈◊〉 with his Father and his Father was not greater then he For he thought it no robbery to be equall with the Father Object And so they object That Christ was sent he was his Fathers Messenger his righteous Servant and my Father sent me and I came not to doe my own will but the will of my Father Answ Why Christ having put himself under in respect of the work of Mediator so he was under but as eternal Son so he was alwayes equal with the Father Object And whereas they cavil it is said at last Christ shall give up the Kingdom to the Father there is a time coming that God he shall be the greater and be all in all Hence they cavil that Christ is inferiour to his Father and shall be put under at last and God shall be all in all Answ But that Scripture speaks only in respect of Christs dispensitory Kingdome not in respect of his natural Kingdome which he had from eternity â—â—ing equal with his Father but in respect of this present dispensation in which Christ rules his Church and by such a way and meanes Christ shall give up the Kingdome to his Father but then he shall reign with the Father though not as Mediaâ—or that Kingdom ceaseth yet he shall reign with his Father Quest But you will say is this enough for a â—an to believe that Christ is Lord and God equall with the Father will this faith make a man blessed â—f he believe this shall he be saved Does not the Deâ—il make a confession that Christ is the Son of the liâ—ing God Answ Ah but where the Lord by his Spirit doth make an inward discovery of this to the soul the Spirit of Christ shining upon the soul and drawing the heart to close with Christ I answer that this faith is the faith of Gods Elect. It is true there may be a notional knowledge of this in this day of the Gospel men they doe generally confesâ— that Christ is the Son of God Ah where it is only notional and when the heart is not drawn by this knowledge to rest upon him who is mighty to save this bare historical knowledge will prove ineffectual but when the Lord doth draw the heart to rest upon Christ revealed in the Gospel this is true faith Secondly The second thing propounded 〈◊〉 That true faith doth come to Christ as he is the son of David O Lord thou son of David It holds forth two things First She closeth with the humanity 〈◊〉 Christ Secondly She closeth with Christ in his offices and looks to him as he is appointed by God to be the Mediatour Here are these two things in this confessiâ—â— that he is the son of David and true faith 〈◊〉 must eye both these If faith be rightly grounded it must come to Christ as he is the son of David First of all It confesses that Christ is man 〈◊〉 well as God it closeth with the humanity as 〈◊〉 as the divinity of Christ he is God and man in 〈◊〉 person believes that he is true man that he 〈◊〉 and that he is true man without this there 〈◊〉 be no true faith it comes to him as to one 〈◊〉 took our nature and died in our nature and rose again in our nature and ascended in our nature and sits in heaven with our nature True faith must come thus to Christ or else it will not be found to be true faith True faith closeth with the humanity of Christ believes that God took the nature of man into union with the second Person and so God and man made one Person it doth not look upon Christ as taking up a body for a time such a notion many men have in the world to conceive that Christ did assume a body even as he did of old when as he did appear to the Patriarkes Abraham and Lot the Angel of the Covenant as well as other Angels did assume a body and so dissolved it again Now say they as Christ did assume a body for a time and appear in that and then afterward dissolve it now Christ is no more in the body but he is now in the Spirit This is a grosse mistake a dangerous error that overthrows the foundation If Christ did assume a body then he was not man but the Scripture saith He took our nature he took not the nature of Angels but he took the nature of man to take up a body is not to take up the nature of man but he took our nature a soul and body together humane soul and body that is the nature of man he took a body into union with the second Person for so it was not only a body that Christ took up but a soul too My soul is heavy to death and the soul of Christ was made an offering for sin So that remember this how true faith must look upon Christ first as Lord and secondly as Man as one that took our nature soul and body into union with himself Secondly I shall shew you that there is a necessity that every man and woman that expect salvation by Christ should believe that he took our nature upon him and then that he died in our nature and rose in our nature and sits now in heaven in our nature it is necessary to be believed to salvation for First of all if this be not believed you cannot have any assurance that any man or woman shall have the benefit of Christs satisfaction Suppose that some confess that he is eternal God and did give satisfaction as he was eternal God yee that body that he took up for a time if he took not the nature of man could not satisfie for the sin of man for justice must be satisfied in the same nature Now if Christ did not really take our nature and suffer in our nature there is no satisfaction and we can have no benefit thereby for satisfaction must be done in the same nature it offended Secondly It is necessary that you should believe that Jesus Christ rose again in the same nature for your justification
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
you give him not those things that are needful for the body what doth it profit Alas it is in vain to make complaints to such what doth it avail It may be some will pitty with good words be you warmed and filled but they give them not those things which are needful for the body thus many a poor creature looses his labour Thirdly When a poor creature makes complaints to man and cries to man it may be he shall make complaints to those that do pitty him and would relieve him with all their heart but it is beyond their power to relieve and so if a poor man that wants the things of this life it may be he goes and makes his complaints to another he pitties him and would help him but he that hath a will hath not power many times and it is not in his hand to do it and he cannot uphold anothers estate but he must break his own many times it is so And so when they come and make complaint of the weakness and infirmities of their bodies it may be they are affected and they would help ah but it is beyond their power And so when a poor soul comes and complains of distress of mind and shew the wounds of his spirit and lay them open it may be godly friends may pitty you and desire to help you but their hand is toâ— short to carry the plaister to your heart and conscience and to cause it to stick there and therefore after all it will go away unsatisfied in all these causes they that would help you if they could they may say as the King of Israel 2 King 6. 26 27. the woman there comes and makes a sad complaint in the time of famine at verse 26. And as the King of Israel was passing by upon the wall there cried a woman unto him saying help my Lord O King And what sayes the King to her verse 27. And he said if the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee Alas my bowels are towards thee but if the Lord does not help thee in vain is the help of man Fourthly When you make your complaints to men sometimes it falls out so that instead of ease from under your burdens your burdens are increased sometimes men may add to the burdens of the afflicted through unskilfulness not knowing how to speak to them and how to carry it towards them yea sometimes men may aggravate the burdens of the afflicted when they make their complaints wilfully through pride and disdain and covetousness And thus it was when David sent to Nabal he was in a great strait for provision and he sent to Nabal in his strait for relief and he sent him a churlish answer Who is David and the son of Jesse I know him not shall I send my corn and my oxen that I have killed for my shearers and give it to him I know him not And you know what Judas did meet withall when he went to the Pharisees and said I have sinned in betraying the innocent bloud What is that to us a bargain is a bargain if you have sinned look you to that Whereas if he had gone to Christ with that complaint he might have had comfort but he went to them and they spake that which aggravated his sorrow and he goes and makes away himself So that I say in time of affliction faith causeth a soul to go to Christ for it doth discover what man is Fourthly There is this ground of the Point Faith will make a soul go to Christ alone for it discovers to the soul that in Christ there is all sufficiency to help it there is all in Christ that may pitty him and for the helping of him it is not in the creature but it is to be found in Christ for Christ is furnished with compassion there are bowels of compassion towards his poor creatures in distresse it is an impossible thing that Christ should be insensible as men are you may spread your complaints before some men and they never be moved no more then the stones in the street but the Lord Jesus he is not without compassion great bowels of compassion towards his people he cannot be insensible of any burden that lay upon a poor creature that comes to him In all their afflictions he is afflicted he bears our sickness he carries our sorrows Christ he feels the weight of all affliction and sorrow and burdens that do at any time lie upon his people Secondly As Christ hath compassion so he hath a will he is alwayes willing to do good to poor creatures that come to him Men as you have heard they are not alwayes willing they may give you a parcel of good words but give you not those things that are needful Now Christ he never puts off his people with good words though one good word from Christ be more worth then all that men can do for you but Christ he will not give you good words alone but as he opens his mouth in grace so he opens his hand in mercy he opens his mouth and his hand at the same time and he is very willing to relieve and therefore it is that he calls poor creatures to him you may see his willingness by the invitation that he gives to all poor creatures that are under any distress Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Whatever the burden be whether the burden of sin or sorrow Christ makes proclamation you have his invitation Come to me and I will give you rest and call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver How doth this testifie the willingness of Christ to relieve his poor creatures Thirdly He hath not only compassion but he also hath power in his hand Christ can do it he is able to do what he pleaseth Thou hast done whatsoever thou pleasest in heaven and earth and in all deep places The deepest affliction and sorrow that any of his people may sink into the Lord Jesus is able to stretch forth his hand and help them he hath all store of provision in his house there is an infinite treasure of mercy all mercies are laid up in Christ it shall not break his estate to uphold your estates for all the creatures in heaven and earth are the Lords the heavens and the earth are the Lords and the fulness that are in them therefore there is power in Christs hand to relieve his people Fourthly Christ cannot aggravate sorrow and affliction he will not aggravate the sorrow and affliction of any of his people that come to him Christ will never say to a poor soul as the Pharisees to Judas see thou to that When a soul comes and sayes Lord I have sinned Christ never gave such an answer see thou to that he never did neither can he aggravate the sorrows and burdens of poor creatures that come to him Now when faith discovers this to the soul and
he day of great afflictions First It carries the heart to God thorough Christ and makes its complaint unto him it doth not cry out against God but as it cries unto God so it runs unto the Lord thorough Christ and pours out his complaints before him So David Psal 142. 1 2. I cryed unto the Lord with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication I poured out my complaint before him The flesh cries out of his burden yea sinful flesh it complains many times not only of his burden but of God himself Ah but the spirit that cries unted God Job 35. 9. By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry They cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty v. 10. But none saith where is God nâ—â—â—maker he reproves the sons of men They are apâ—â—to cry but it is the cry of the flesh they cry out of the arme of the mighty but they do not go to God None say where is God that giveth songs in the night season The spirit in the saddest condition goes to God through Christ Secondly The cry of the spirit it doth make a man to cry out as well of sin as of affliction it will make a man to cry out more of sin then of affliction the flesh is not sensible of the burden of sin Ah but where the spirit of the Lord is it will make a man cry out most of all of the burden of sin if God should take away affliction and not take aâ— way corruption this would be little refreshment to him O miserable man that I am as you have the Apostle cry which was the cry of the spirit Rom. 7. the latter end O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord He was more sensible of the body of sin then of any affliction that lay upon him Thirdly The cry of the Spirit it will make the soul cry more after God himself then after any mercy or deliverance that it may injoy God that it may have the presence of God and communion with God that it may be made like to God a gracious heart it cries thus after God yea in the day of affliction when the burden is heavy a gracious heart desires more to injoy God then to be free from his affliction See how the Psalmist doth express himself in Psal 63. 1. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is David was now in a state of banishment it is like he met with sore afflictions ah but the cry of his soul was after God my soul thirsteth for thee and longeth for thee Fourthly The cry of the spirit it is a cry of faith it cries in faith and cries in hope the flesh cries in despair many times but the spirit cries and believes when it cries it takes hold of God and follows after him follows God crying though God go away See what is said Psal 89. 26. the promise is made to Davids son Christ He shall cry unto me thou art my father my God and the rock of my salvation He shall cry unto me 〈◊〉 but he shall cry in faith when he cries he shall say Thou art my Father and my rock And so the Church Isaiah 26. she cries out with a great cry and it is in faith doubtless thou art our Father And so Psal 119. when as David cryed he trusted he took hold of God and hoped in his mercy 145 146 147. ver though he was in a great affliction and there was great cause to cry yet his cry was the cry of faith and he hoped in the Word of the Lord for the accomplishment of the Word of the Lord. Fifthly As the cry of the spirit is the cry of faith so it is a fervent cry that cry that the Lord doth raise up by his spirit in the day of affliction it is a fervent cry it is no cold nor lazy cry but a strong cry Jesus Christ in the dayes of his flesh put up strong cries and the Apostle James he speaks of the fervent prayer of Gods people I am 5. The fervent effectual prayer of the righteous prevaileth much When the Spirit of prayer doth set all the faculties of the soul a work to look after God and take hold of God â—hen it takes hold of God and will not let him go and cry out as the Church Awake thou arme of the Lord as in the dayes of old when it will take no rest it self and give God no rest till the Lord comes in a way of grace that is the prayer that is spoken of Isai 62. 6 7 8. that prayer that is accompanied with holy fervency is the cry of the spirit Sixthly and lastly The cry of the spirit is such a cry as will not easily be silent though it meet with no answer from the Lord though it meet with a denial as this woman of Canaan she meets with many discouragements he gave her no answer at first still she goes on to cry her cry was a cry that was raised by the spirit of the Lord the flesh may put a man upon it to cry to the Lord for a season but if the Lord does not come in the flesh grows weary now the cry of the spirit is a constant cry that will not give over but will wait upon the Lord till such time as he shall send from heaven to save Thus you see what the cry of the flesh is and what the cry of the spirit Secondly Now the Saints in all Ages in the dayes of their affliction have been stirred up to cry with their spirits unto the Lord and the greater their afflictions have been the more they have cried unto the Lord So it was with Moses he was in a great strait when as he was before the red Sea and then Moses cryed in spirit God made use of that strait to stir up the cry of the Spirit in Moses And so when Jacob was in a great strait he cryed more earnestly then ever he had done when as his brother came to meet him with an Army of men he saw nothing but death and destruction he applied himself to the Lord and cried mightily It is said in Hosea 12. 4. speaking of Jacob He wept and he made supplication And so you know David in Psal 14â— cryed and it was when his spirit was over whelmed and no man to pity him then he cryed unto the Lord. And you know our Lord Jesus to give you no more instances in the dayes of his affliction he cried louder then ever That place Heb. 7. 7. In the dayes of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with strong cries and teares unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared And the Evangelist Luke doth take notice that as Christs
towards him And when the Captains went forth to battel David gave this charge that they should deal gently with him for my sake Thus you see how the hearts of parents works towards their children Fourthly That natural affection that God hath planted in the hearts of parents towards their children doth teach them to accept willingly any service that is done by their children though it be never so weakly done yet if the Father sees that the child hath done its good will in obedience and in love O! how acceptable is the least piece of service done by such a child And therefore the Lord taketh an argument from this to strengthen his peoples faith I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Mal. 3. 17. Fifthly Natural affection will teach the parents to supply all the wants of the children O! what care doth parents take to supply their childrens wants that they may want nothing that is good for them They shall have that which is sutable to them Ye that are evil know how to give good gifts to your children What care do parents take of their children while young to supply their wants And what care do they take to make provision for their children when they are dead and gone Nay do not many a poor parent undoe himself to make provision for his children that he may make them great in this world and leave them something when he be dead and gone Sixthly and lastly to name no more The love that is in parents makes them exceeding unwilling to part with their children it is the greatest affliction in the world they had rather loose all their estates then loose their children Nay though parents many times be so poor as they cannot keep their children yet how loath are they to part with their children The poor Widdow we readâ—â— 2 King 4. 1. all her estate was gone nothing left her but her two sons the creditor came to take unto him her two sons from her but how loth was she to part with her two sons Nay how hard is it for parents to part with their children when God takes away their children by death You know that Instance of Job Job 1. he did bear very well all the afflictions and losses that he met withall till he came to loose his children the messengers came and told him that all his estate was taken away and you read of nothing that Job said but when they come and told him his children were slain then Job rent his mantle and fell down upon the ground and worshipped To loose his estate was nothing but to hear that all his children were slain he rent his mantle and fell down upon the ground a token of his great sorrow And you know how David was affected when they brought him word that Absolom was killed he went up to the chamber over the gate and he wept as he went saying O my son Absolom would God I had died for thee A most pathetical complaint that this poor man makes when his child was taken away though he was a wicked child and one that sought his fathers life Thus you see the first part of the Doctrine that God hath planted natural affection in the hearts of parents to their children But secondly I shall shewe you that where there is faith natural affection cannot work alone but faith will rectifie natural affection faith will teach Parents to love their children aright Natural affection will teach them to love their children ah but spiritual love that springs from faith will teach them to love their children aright Quest But you will say to me when may Parents be said to love their children aright or how shall we know that the love of Parents to their children is not only the working of Natural affection Answ First where there is faith it will teach Parents to love the souls of their children Nature will teach to provide for the body but the Spirit of the Lord that teaches Parents to look after the souls of their children now when the soul is loved and respected more then the body then do Parents love their children aright In Gen. 17. 18. you may see what a request Abraham doth make for his son Ishmael Oh! that Ishmael might live before thee God hath been making many gracious promises to Abraham concerning another Seed but Abraham did not forget his son Ishmael neither could he beg that he might have a great estate but that he might live in the sight of the Lord When Parents take care of the souls of their children then Parents love their children aright Secondly Parents love their children aright when as they do love them in obedience to the Lord when they love them and when they take pains and act for them and perform all offices of love to them in obedience to the Lord when Parents do bring up their children and perform every duty to them in obedience to the Lord these are the children that the Lord hath graciously given his servant and so he love them and perform duties to them that he may obey the Lord and be found working the work of his station and relation in bringing up these children to the Lord this is that love that is not only natural but spiritual Thirdly Again Parents love their children aright when as they have an eye to the Covenant of God concerning their children when they have an eye to the promises of God that he hath made to the children of Believers He hath said that they that come of thee shall build the old waste places When as Parents thus eye the Covenant of God in looking upon their children as the Lords and these are they that the Lord hath said he will own and so love their children more because they are the Lords then theirs because the Lord hath promised that he will own them and make use of them And so I conceive Moseâ—'s Mother had respect to this in her love to her child Hebr. 11. 23. By faith Moses when he was born was hid three Months of his Parents because they saw he was a proper child and they not afraid of the Kings commandment Her love sprung from faith when she hid her child Moses three months it was not from Natural affection but from faith By faith Moses when he was born was hid three months because they saw he was a proper child and they not afraid of the Kings commandment The Kings commandment was that all the Male-children should be drowned and to disobey his commandment it did endanger their own lives ah but by faith she ventured she looked upon her child as one that God would make use of she was perswaded that God would make use of this child Moses to do something for the future she knew that there was a promise that God would deliver his people and she knew not but that this might be the Man and so was not afraid but by faith hid him
Fourthly Parents love their children aright when as they are much praying for their children presenting their children to the Lord and praying for them crying to the Lord in their behalf for the blessing of the Lord upon them when they are very instant with God that he would take away the guilt of original sin that is upon their children and the guilt of actual transgressions that are found upon their children Job every day took a sacrifice and sacrificed for his Sons and Daughters he prayed for them he was careful that sin might not lie upon them Oh that was spiritual love that was found in Job it was of a right stamp he was careful that the guilt of sin might not lie upon them and therefore he every day offered a sacrifice to the Lord. And the woman of Canaan she cries in the behalf of her child she comes to Christ and cries to him for her child And so when Parents go to Christ for their children when under bodily Infirmities go to Christ for them and when under spiritual Infirmities go to Christ for them pleading with Christ for them then do Parents love their children aright Fifthly when Parents are careful to educate their children for God when they are careful that God may be honoured by their children that their children may be instructed so as to honour God when they desire and endeavour to prevent all dishonour that may be done to God by their children to reprove them and to rebuke them and not to be so indulgent as old Eli was which proved to be the ruine of the whole family I say when Parents are careful that God may not be dishonoured but labour that their children may be instrumental for God and they do seek the Lord for this thing and do deal with them upon this account and are careful to instruct them and to lay before them the mind of God and careful so to dispose of them as God may be served by them when this is the care of Parents this is a discovery that their love is not only natural affection but spiritual grace and their natural affection is set right by their faith which the Lord is pleased to bestow upon them For the Application First Take notice what a mercy it is that God hath planted such Natural affections in the hearts of Parents it is a great mercy it is that which is little taken notice of but it is that which we and all in the world have cause to bless God for that parents yea those that are evil can do so much good for their children give out of the good things which they have to their children there is much of the wisdom and goodness of God in it that Parents should do so much for their children when they doe not deserve it it is long before it can deserve any thing nay when grown up there are many times contrary deserts and that yet the hearts of arents should be kept up towards their children as I said before there is a great deal of the wisdom and goodness of God in it for there is a great deal of evil thereby prevented a great deal of sin and cruelty that is prevented by the Lords giving of natural affection Oh admire the wisdom goodness of God in this Secondly Let Parents know that this is not enough to have natural affection and love to their children but oh that Parents would labour to love their children aright It is not enough to love them much to have great natural affections but let Parents labour to love their children aright labour so to love them as to love their souls to take care of their souls which is a thousand times more worth then the body labour to love them in obedience to God labour to eye the Covenant of God in loving your children be more in seeking the face of God in the behalf of your children Oh that Parents would look upon it as their duty to pray more for their children Oh look upon Abraham and let him be your pattern how did he cry to the Lord in the behalf of Ishmael it lies upon all Parents to go to God for their children yea for every one in particular Oh that such an one might live in thy sight Look upon the woman of Canaan how did she cry to Christ for her daughter oh Lord have mercy upon me Now let Parents go to Christ for their children oh go and cry for the souls of thy children as this woman did for the body of her daughter oh Lord I see such a corruption in such a child and such a lust in such a child oh that the Son of David would have mercy on them We should go to Christ for the souls of our children that Christ would cast out those corruptions that we see sprouting in our children Thirdly Oh that this might provoke us all to look after faith what need have Parents to labour for faith in Jesus Christ if it be but upon this account that you may love your children aright oh look to Christ for faith cry unto Christ to give you faith that so you may love your children aright There may be a great deal of natural affection in parents they may dote upon their children and undo their children and yet not love them aright for it is impossible that a man or woman that hath not faith to love children aright they cannot love their children aright till they have faith And to provoke all parents to look after faith upon this account of their children let me say this to you that faith will teach you to love your children impartially There is a great deal of partiality in natural affection and it runs out much to one child and neglects another ah but with spiritual love it is not so When Parents love their children aright it will teach to love their children more equally not to love one more then another unless they see more of God in one then another Again let me tell you that faith will make your work to your children easie there is a great deal of labour travel and pains as you have heard to bring forth children and a hard work to bring up children when brought forth but faith will make your work more easie when as God is eyed in it and so you are bringing up children for God when as you are loving and caring for children in obedience to God Oh this will make your work more easie And further let me tell you that faith will make your work more acceptable to God That work you are doing for children when it is done in faith is accepted if you love your children in faith the Lord will take it well at your hand and the Lord will reward all the labour service travel and pains that Fathers and Mothers do undergo for their children That instance you find in Scripture of Moses his Mother when Pharoahs daughter found Moses by providence she commits
he called for all his children Gen. 49. he called them one by one and prayed for a special blessing to be upon their heads Parents are bound to remember their children and children many times miscarry because parents are no more in doing their duty no more crying to the Lord in the behalf of their children and so back again children are bound to remember their parents And so in the relation of Masters and servants Masters are bound to pray for their servants you know that instance of the Centurion he came to Jesus in the behalf of his servant and was very earnest with Christ that Christ would be pleased to heal his servant this is a duty that is little performed by many Masters they think if they can have their servants to work for them it is all that they have to look after but let such Masters know that God will require an account of servants souls have you instructed them and have you presented them often in your prayers before the Lord the Centurion came for the body of his servant and it is our duty to come often to the Lord for the souls of our servants and so back again it is the duty of servants to pray for their Masters And thus you see the fourth particular That it is our duty to remember all our relations before the Lord. There is one relation more and that is our Spiritual relation which I shall touch before I end that particular such as stand in relation one to another in Church-society they are bound often to remember one anothers conditions before the Lord James 5. 14 15 16. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another yea in Church-societies it is especially the duty of Pastors and Elders to remember their flock and it is the duty of the people to remember their Elders and to pray often to the Lord in their behalf Faithful Ministers are bound often to pray for their people remember what is said of Paul Rom. 1. 9. For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers When ever he came to God he was mindful of the Church I am alwayes mindfull of you without ceasing and indeed the profiting of a people and the stedfastness of a people in the faith and in the truth and in the wayes of God it is the glory and the crown and the joy and rejoycing of a faithful Teacher and therefore surely it is their duty often to remember their people before the Lord and so it is the peoples duty to remember their Pastor and Teacher The Apostle lays it upon them as their duty Ephes 6. 18 19. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel It is your duty saith he to pray for all Saints and for me in particular that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel for many times Satans great design is to overthrow them that the Lord hath set to go before his people Satans great design is to hinder the work of God in their hand to make such to fall and therefore the Lords people had need to pray the more earnestly for even the best of the Teachers and Preachers of the Gospel they are but empty pipes in themselves and can afford no more then the Lord is pleased to drop in from above and therefore there is need that the Lord should be dropping in continually or else they cannot bring forth bread in due season and make provision for the people if the Lord do not fill them from heaven yea the best of Teachers have need of teaching though they know never so much they have need of more knowledge they have need of more strength and therefore it is the duty of the people to remember them before the Lord that the Lords Vrim and Thummim may be with them Thus in all relations it is our duty mutually to remember one another before the Lord. Fifthly it is our duty to remember those that for the present are strangers to Christ You will say what are we to pray for such as have not the knowledge of God yea it is our duty to remember them if the Lord hath been pleased to make us to differ and called us out from the number of those Gentiles who know not God oh we are bound to pity them and to pray for them whose condition is such as never was rained upon as the heath in the desert their condition is sad and we should remember them before the Lord that God would send forth his light and truth to them that they that deny Christ in word in profession and conversation that they may be brought home to the knowledge of the Son of God Psal 67. 1 2. God be merciful unto us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us That thy way may be known upon earth thy saving health among all Nations There are many Nations and great Nations that to this day know not God and Christ that sit in darkness and perish for want of vision and truly they who through free-grace do know any thing of God they are bound to pity them that sit in darkness and to pray that the Nations may know the saving truth and the way of the Lord. Sixthly if it be a duty to pray for those that are strangers to Christ then it is a duty to pray for those that are Christs friends for all that know the Lord and love the Lord in sincerity Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints It is our duty to remember all Saints to remember them that are scattered to remember them that are gathered all Saints we should remember them in our prayer before the Lord and especially Jerusalem Sions Assemblies they should be remembred Psal 122. 6 7. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee Peace be within thy wals and prosperity within thy palaces You see Jerusalem Sions Assemblies in a special manner should be remembred by us in our addresses to the Lord. And so Psalm 14. you may see how the Psalmist doth express himself in the behalf of Sion Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion oh that the Lord would hasten the time that he will save his people and Sion be remembred and built up Oh that the time were come And in Psal 51. he doth express that when he had been praying for himself yet he did not forget Sion Psal 51. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem So that you see that hath been spoken
down and worshipped with the worship of the Spirit Have we been putting forth acts of holy fear and reverence Have we been putting forth acts of love towards God Have we been exercising trust and affiance in the name of the Lord which is a strong Tower the righteous flee into it and are safe Have we made it our work to be submitting to the Lord to have our wills cast into the will of God to submit to God for kinde and for measure and for time O! How far do we come short of this our duty Have we been pouring forth our souls to God in afflicted conditions and tempted conditions Have we made it our work to cry the more earnestly being in an Agony as Christ did Have we spoken well of God at that time Have we not charged God foolishly and spoken unadvisedly with our lips Truly we have cause to be humbled every one either we have not known our duty or not minded our duty in the time of affliction and temptation Nay Instead of worshipping Have not we been dishonouring God in the time of affliction and temptation Have not we been distrusting murmuring repining entertaining hard thoughts of God speaking hard words against God Have we not neglected our duty and said what profit is there if I pray unto the Almighty Have we not thought that we have had to excuse from worship when the afflicting hand of God hath been upon us We have thought that affliction had been our excuse from our duty truly we may take up a sad complaint against our selves we are all guilty before the Lord and O that he would help us to see the evil of our hearts that hath past in the time of affliction and temptation But you will say when some afflictions are upon us alas we cannot pour out supplications to the Lord surely in time of affliction he doth not require it he will have mercy and not sacrifice But can our afflictions be worse then Jobs were Can it be greater then Jonahs he was in the belly of hell Can our afflictions and agonies be greater then Christ's were yet he prayed and prayed the more earnestly the more his afflictions and temptations encreased the more he prayed I know the Lord doth somtimes exercise his people with such conditions such weaknesses as they cannot be much in the performance of this external part of Worship they cannot be much in speaking unto God nor speaking well of God because of that weakness that is upon the outward man and if that be the only hinderance if the spirit be not in fault the Lord Jesus will make an excuse Christ doth tender his poor servants and children in such a condition when he sees the spirit is willing and the flesh weak they shall not need to excuse themselves Christ will But even then we are called upon to be much in giving to the Lord that inward worship of the spirit which may be given when we are in the weakest condition and the more we are hindred from the external part of worship the more should we be in the internal part of worship the more should the spirit be reverencing and loving and exercising acts of Faith and Affiance and the more submitting to the Lord and lying low this the Lord calls for from his people in the worst condition and we have cause to be humbled that we are not found in the performance of this duty in time of affliction or temptation Secondly If it be a duty to worship in time of affliction it is much more our duty to worship when the Lord is pleased to free us from affliction and from temptation if God looks for Worship from his people when under affliction and temptation then much more he looks for worship from his people when free from affliction and temptation This is a duty that lyes upon all Saints to be worshipping the Lord not only with Internal but External worship to take all opportunities of worshipping the Lord in publique and in our families in private to be pouring out supplications and to be speaking well of God is our duty if in sickness then much more in health and if in adversity much more in prosperity and if under temptation much more in the day of freedome when the hand of the Lord is not upon us it is our duty to take all opportunities and the best opportunities and the fittest opportunities both in our families and in publique Take heed that our incumbrances of the world doth not shut out our worship of God Pour out thine indignation upon the Heathen and the Families that call not upon thy name O that that Scripture were remembred Truly we are apt to complain when God lays his hand upon us and exercises us with affliction and temptation our complaint is that we cannot worship that is the grief and the burden that we cannot worship the Lord we are taken off from our duty if so we had more need to take those fairer advantages and opportunities of worshipping while the Lord is pleased to continue his course of mercy and goodness towards us Seek the Lord while he is near and call upon him while he may be found when afflictions come we cry out God is far from us and at a great distance and we know not how to apply our selves to him but examine and see whether this may not be the cause because we have not taken our opportunity while he was near we have neglected to worship him while we had strength and ability of body of pouring out our souls to God and speaking to God and no wonder the Lord doth take those opportunities from us and truly that proves a great burthen to many of Gods own people in the day of adversity when God brings them into affliction and exerciseth them with temptation and they see they cannot worship him in that external way O! that is their grief that they have not laid forth themselves in the worship of the Lord both publique and private while the Lord gave them space and opportunity and therefore as we desire not to lie under that pressure which will be exceeding heavie to God's own people take heed how we neglect worship either in our families or in publique or in both for if it be our duty to worship under affliction much more in health peace and strength To draw to a conclusion one word of Exhortation and so I end Brethren Let us look up to the Lord to teach us this lesson to make Impression of this Divine Truth upon our hearts there is a time a coming that every one of us may be put to the exercise of it and therefore look up to the Lord now to teach you that when affliction and remptation come we may through the Lord's strength be made able to fall down and worship both with Internal and External worship O! that God would make those examples of the Saints that were set before us prevalent with us to draw
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
with God and by and by cast down into the bottome of the Sea O what a raging enemy is the Sea when the four winds strive upon it Truly there are dangerous winds that do stir up the rage of this Sea and make this world so boisterous to God's own people The devil raiseth a wind yea somtimes all the four winds strive together temptations of all sorts as Christ was exercised with so are the people of God The devil raiseth many a cross wind to drive them back again that if possible they might not look toward God and Christ And there are winds that do arise out of their own bowels many times the wind of manifold corruptions disturb the wind of passion the wind of pride the wind of vanity the wind of unbelief and O what disturbances do these winds make that do arise out of their own bowels There is such a combustion that the poor soul is forced to run to Christ and cry out O Lord rebuke these disturbers And if Christ should not arise to rebuke them the soul would be over-â—et by them such is the rage of this Sea when the winds strive upon it Fourthly The Sea is full of sands and dangerous splitting Rocks Truly so is this world there is the rock of persecution and many a goodly ship is split upon that rock there is the rock of offences many are offended at the ways of Christ and offended at the people of Christ and so split upon that rock This world is full of rocks and full of Sands it is true if Christ be in the ship the passengers shall not be lost though the ship may be split and all the burden of the ship may be loft The Saints that have been split upon the rock of persecution they have lost all their comforts and their lives too for the Name of Christ in the Sea of this world but though they have lost their ship the body and all their loading yet their souls have been saved and are arrived safe in heaven Fiftly The Sea is full of Pyrats and Robbers The world is not without these dangers to God's own people there are many robbers that lye in wait to rob and take away all their loading the devil lies in wait to take away from the people of God all their precious loading that they have been trading for but they shall carry it home to heaven in spite of all the devils in hell yea their own hearts are robbers and pyrats a man 's own heart will do him more hurt then all his enemies beside a vain heart a worldly heart a frothy heart an unbelieving heart these would rob us of all our comforts whatsoever and take away all the loading that is â—â—ecious but the Lord Jesus he is Commander of the Sea and he is nigh with a Convoy and he will guard every believing soul through all these robbers and carry them safe to heaven Sixtly The waters of the Sea are very salt and brackish no man can drink the Sea water without prejudice Even so is this world and the comforts of it they are all salt and bitter and it is not possible that they should satisfie and quench the thirst of any poor soul How many men do deceive themselves they think that the world should satisfie their desire and therefore their desires are so eager after the world but they shall finde another day that they are in an error the waters of the Sea cannot quench their thirst a gracious heart will say so and he knows it by experience that it is better for him to drink of the waters of life and therefore he cries out Lord these are all sour waters yea the best comforts have some mixture of salt and bitterness Lord give me evermore to drink of those waters of life that run at thy right hand for evermore It is true the men of this world that know no better they drink freely of this salt water because they know not what sweet waters are but that soul that hath tasted of the sweetness of Christ and how good the Lord is that soul cannot be satisfied with all the comforts of this life but looks only to Christ that he may satisfie his desire And so you have seen in these six particulars that this world to a believing soul is as the Sea That 's the first But secondly Every Believer is as a ship upon this Sea they are making of a Voyaâ—â— over the Sea of this world to the Land of Promise they are set forth from the world and from sin and they are bound to the Land of Promise that 's the state of every Believer he is as a ship upon the Sea Indeed Christ is the Builder of this ship Christ is the Owner of this ship it is Christ that lancheth the ship and that loads the ship all the precious Commodities that a believing soul is carrying home with him it is Christ's he hath the great Venture in every believing soul and if it should miscarry Christ should have the greatest loss for he hath the greatest Venture in the ship and because the Venture is Christs therefore Christ will go Master in the ship his presence shall be with his people all the time of their continuance upon the face of this earth he will not leave them till he hath brought them into the Haven of rest But I shall follow the Metaphor in two particulars briefly thus First The Ship at Sea cannot move without a Wind. Secondly It cannot rest without an Anchor First A ship at sea cannot move without a wind Many times it lies a long time for a wind and when the wind blows then the ship moves but it cannot move without a wind and truly so it is with the souls of God's people they cannot move without a wind they are bound for heaven but they cannot move the least without the spirit of of Christ though they have never so many opportunities and never so many Ordinances and Promises yet if the Spirit of Christ doth not help the soul forward the soul is becalmed and cannot move It is true the ship at sea may be ready they may turn the Sayls to the Windward but not move till the wind blow and so a believing soul may do somthing when once the Spirit of Christ is in it the soul may stand waiting for Christ and be breathing after Christ but till the Spirit of Christ shall breath upon the soul and fill the sayls of the soul it is not possible that it should rid any way And therefore the people of God have found that it hath been for their advantage to cry out for the breathings of the Spirit of Christ so the Spouse in Cant 4. 16. Awake O North-wind and come thou South Blow upon my Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out But Secondly The ship cannot rest without an Anchor no more can any poor soul rest without this Anchor of Hope this anchor of hope is
that which stayes the soul upon God and keeps up the soul that it faint not and sink not It is true indeed as the Apostle saith If our hopes were only in this life we were of all men most miserable If we had not a better hope and anchor then the men of this world have that have only hope for the things of this life But this saving Hope which is the sister of Faith that looks to the good things laid up in the Promise it is that which stays the soul and keeps it safe and stedfast in the midst of all storms whatsoever If a ship lye at Anchor it may ride safe at midnight though never so dark And truly that soul that hath cast anchor upon Christ it may ride safe in the darkest time in the saddest condition that can befal it while upon the face of the earth this great Sea If a ship hath a good anchor she rideth safe in the midst of the greatest raging sea though the winds rise though the waves be never so high This anchor of hope it causeth a soul to ride safe in the midst of all temptations Hope keeps the heart up Rom. 5. 2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Verse 3. And not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience Verse 4. And patience experience and experience hope Because we have this hope therefore we rejoyce in tribulation in the midst of all storms we rejoyce we can sing for joy as Paul and Silas did at midnight because we have Hope for our anchor our ship shall ride safe in the midst of this Sea But for Application briefly First of all It lets us see the misery of all men out of Christ they that are without Christ are without hope the Apostle puts them together Eph. 2. 12. That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of Promise having no hope and without God in the world They that have no Interest in Christ have no hopes to do their souls good another day they may have the hope of the hypocrite that is like the spiders web that will perish but they have no true solid well-grounded hope It is a sad condition for a ship to be at sea and have no Anchor wicked men are at sea as well as God's people and if you have no anchor of hope to stay your souls when storms shall arise and the wrath of God arise against you how sad will your conditions be And truly thus it is with the greatest part of the men of the world their condition is sad though they do not lay it to heart their ship is at sea tossed up and down and have no anchor Every man out of Christ either he hath no hope no anchor or secondly If he hath hope his hope is not sure and stedfast it is no firm hope or thirdly his hope is not cast upon a good ground and if so it is not possible that the ship should be safe when the storms arise for it is a very rotten place that most men out of Christ do cast the anchor of their hopes upon most men cast their anchor downward but this anchor of hope must be cast upward it never takes place when it is cast downward it hath no ground to fasten upon But when it is cast within the Vail it takes hold upon the rock upon God and Christ and the Promise that is more sure then heaven and earth but most men cast their anchor downward their hopes is for the things of this life and that hope will not hold And some cast the anchor of their hope upon themselves and that is a poor ground to cast this anchor upon the anchor of most men that live under the Gospel that are not brought home to Christ their Anchor is cast upon themselves upon some works some duties some performances upon somthing that they have done truly this is a rotten ground and this hope will not stand you in stead there is no anchor will hold but that which is cast upward within the Vail therefore dear friends I beseech you examine whether you have that anchor that will hold have you this hope that is cast within the Vail O! that God would cause you to look after this hope you will not trust your bodies at Sea in a ship that hath no anchor you will say it is as much as your lives are worth if a storm should arise Will you not trust your bodies where there is no anchor and will you trust your souls where there is no anchor Yet this is the folly of thousands those that are called Professors they will trust their souls at sea without an anchor Alas What will they do when the storms shall arise when when the wrath of God shall arise what will you do O! that God would cause you to come to Christ that you may have this anchor that is sure and stedfast That 's the first Secondly Let not God's people wonder that they meet with storms temptations tryals and afflictions and at the rage of men against you Why you are like a Ship at Sea and a ship at Sea hath prepared for a storme if the waves do beat upon them they are prepared for it they are tossed up and down the sea and yet they hope they shall come to land And therefore you that fear the Lord do not wonder at your temptations and tryals and that the wrath of men is against you this is the place for storms heaven is the place of rest the Lord by this would imbitter the world to you he will make you know that the world is bitter and that heaven is sweet O! How sweet will heaven be when the soul shall come out of the midst of great storms and dark nights and many perplexities of spirits many tossings in their conditions both outward and inward the Lord by these storms will make heaven very sweet unto you heaven is the place of rest though this be the place of trouble and therefore do not wonder at it That 's the second Thirdly What a mercy is it that God's people are kept and preserved any moment It is a mercy to be kept at sea every man will say so but especially to be kept and preserved when the sea rages there is no heart almost so hard but will be affected with such a mercy to be kept in the midst of a storm when they expect to make their grave in the deeps this is a wonder and O what a mercy is it that God's people are kept in this tempestuous world it is a wonder that your bodies are not broken and that your spirits are not broken and that your comforts are not broken when so many winds strive upon the face of the earth this sea it is a great mercy
is sure in respect of the event of it The Event and Issue of a Believers hope is alwayes sure it can no more be disappointed of his hope then the foundation of his hope which is Christ can be overturned but that which a believing soul hath in hope it is as sure as if he had it in hand already Lo This is our God we have waited for him and he will save us saith the Church The Doctrine then is this That the beleiving soul hath Hope for a sure and stedfast Anchor Or thus This Grace of Hope it is a sure and stedfast Anchor to every believing heart It is plain in the Text Which hope we have as an Anchor both sure and stedfast In the handling of this Point I shall shew you First What this Hope is Secondly Make it out to you That this Hope is the souls Anchor Thirdly That this Anchor of the soul is sure and stedfast And that will make way for Application First of all Our work is to enquire What this Hope is You may take this description of it It is the work of the spirit of Christ upon the heart whereby it is raised in expectation of those good things that faith believes and which God hath promised We shall open the parts of it that we may come to know what this saving Hope is that is the Anchor of a believing soul And first of all you have the efficient cause of this hope and that is the Spirit of Christ it is not all the world that can raise a poor dejected heart to hope in God it is not all the comforts of the world nor comforters in the world that can make any poor drooping heart to cast this Anchor of Hope in heaven and therefore when the Apostle doth describe the condition of Natural men he saith of them That they are without God without Christ and without Hope This is the state of every man by Nature he hath not the least dram of saving hope till the Spirit of Christ comeâ— to work upon the heart And therefore God is called the God of Hope Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost Here you see the efficient cause it is the work of God to raise up the heart to hope in himself and it is the Spirit of Christ that must cause the soul to abound in hope That you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost And in Psal 22. speaking there in the person of Christ he confesseth that it was his Father that did cause him to hope Psal 22. 9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mothers breasts It was thou Lord that didst cause me to hope God only is the efficient cause Secondly For the Formal Cause of this Hope we said it is an Expectation of the soul it takes its rise from faith what faith believeth that hope expects and waits upon God for the fulfilling of It is an Expectation of the heart Now this Expectation it is First A patient Expectation Secondly An ardent Expectation Thirdly A confident Expectation All which do express the Nature of saving Hope First of all It is a Patient Expectation it causeth the soul to wait patiently for the fulfilling of the Promise to sit down at the feet of Christ and wait even all its dayes for the fulfilling of the Promise and therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 36. For you have need of patience that after you have done the Will of God you may inherit the Promise As if he should say your hope will not hold out if you have not patience God hath given you a promise but God doth not presently fulfil the promise and therefore that you may hope till the Promise be fulfilled you have need of patience and truly Hope is nothing else but Patience lengthned out It is a patient Expectation Secondly It is an Ardent Expectation What the believing soul doth hope for it is earnestly carried out after it is such an expectation as doth make the soul exceedingly Intent and cause it to look every way round about for the fulfilling of that which it hopes for it is an earnest expectation The Apostle speaks in Rom. 8. 19 20 21. Verse 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God Verse 20. For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope Verse 21. Because the creature also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God The whole creation hath a hope to be delivered from that bondage which the sin of man brought upon it and because there is a hope there is an earnest expectation and the earnest expectation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God And truly where there is saving hope it will cause the soul to look after the fulfilling of the Promise it waits earnestly and groans earnestly for the fulfilling of those Promises that it waits for It is an ardent expectation Thirdly It is a Confident Expectation though indeed it is true the hope of the best Saints may flag yet when hope doth work like it self and act like it self it acts confidently it is accompanied with holy confidence and boldness toward God when hope is strengthned then it acts confidently and confidence is nothing else then hope strengthned That is the second particular You have seen the efficient and formal cause of this hope Thirdly What is the Object of this Hope I told you that it was an expectation of those good things that God hath promised what God hath promised that hope looks for the fulfilling of all outward comforts that are needful refreshments in their way Protection Deliverance Assistance the Increase of Grace and the Carrying on of the work of God in the heart what-ever is laid up in the Promise that hope waits for the fulfilling of but more especially the Object of a Believers hope it is Eternal Life Tit. 1. 2. In hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began And in Tit. 3. 7. That being justified by his grace we should be made Heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life So that Eternal life is the Object of a Believers hope Fourthly We have the concomitant of Hope and that is Faith It is an expectation of those good things which faith believes that God hath promised so you see how Hope stands towards Faith they are twins as it were they are born and brought forth together Faith is the Elder sister faith believes that the promise is true and hope looks for the fulfilling of the Promise because faith believes it They grow up together they are nourished together and they flourish