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A50328
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The bruised reed, or, A sermon preach'd at the cathedral church of St. Asaph, for the support of weak Christians by D. Maurice, D.D., sometime chaplain in New Colledge, Oxon.
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Maurice, David.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing M1357A; ESTC R43437
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22,707
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31
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it's essence and cause yet it do's quoad esse exercitium as to it 's well being and exercise and therefore the Lord will not quench the smoking flax 3. Grace may be hinder'd in it's growth by reason of weak gifts and want of natural parts such as Memory to carry away the word read or heard and the gift of Prayer A Sigh from such is acceptable to God for God doth not regard the Logick nor Rhetorick nor Arithmetick but the Divinity of Prayer 't is the sincere broken petitions that flow from a broken heart that prevail with God more than all the gaudy Eloquence of any Hypocrite whatever 4. A Christian's Grace may be weak for want of the means of Grace many people have been unfruitful under and unthankfull for the word of God and therefore the Lord may in Judgement say of them what David said of Gilboa 2 Sam. 1.21 Let there be no dew neither let there be rain upon you A dreadful curse And if a weak Christian chance to be in such a barren Wilderness the Lord will bear with his bruised reed because he has not the means of growth and strength to wit the milk and strong meat of the word Luke 12.48 Vnto whom much is given much shall be required that is he that has been planted by the rivers of waters and enjoyed powerfull Preaching and plentiful means of Grace the Lord do's expect from such an answerable growth in Grace and Knowledge and so without question he doth from you all that do frequent this Church but if a poor Christian's lot has fall'n upon a mount Gilboa the Lord will not expect so much from him but will consider such weaklings in Grace that are so for want of spiritual Food and bear with their weaknesses This is the first reason why our Saviour is so tender of weak Christians and very careful to preserve the least measure of Grace in them to wit because Grace may be hinder'd in it's growth by such things as the Believer cannot prevent and those are first A Believer may be living in a wicked Family as Abijah was secondly It may arise from the temper of the Believer's Body thirdly from the weakness of his natural Parts fourthly from the want of means of Grace as those in Acts 19.2 that knew not whether there was a spirit or no. 2. The second reason why Christ is so tender is because he is the Purchaser of the least measure of Grace this smoking flax is the price of Christ's Blood and what cost him so dear shall never be lost by his good will and the same good will that he had to spend his Heart's Blood to redeem them will surely ingage his almighty Power to defend them This adds weight to the charge of the Pastors of the Church of Ephesus Acts 20.28 Take heed unto your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchas'd with his own Blood as if he should say the meanest among you is of an inestimable value no less than the price of God's own Blood and therefore see you have an especial care of them And if he lays so great a charge on his Ministers to look to them surely he will not forget them himself but will make it his constant business in Heaven to intercede for them that none shall pluck them out of his hands whom he paid so dear for He that was made a Priest by God's oath to sacrifice his own Life to redeem sinners from Death continues for ever a priest to intercede for and procure them the full price of his purchase to wit Grace and Glory and this exceeding great care he takes for weak Believers appear'd presently after his ascension into Heaven by the speedy dispatch he made of his Spirit to the supply of the weak Orphans at Jerusalem for so the Disciples were 'till he sent the Comforter unto them and so he calls them Jo. 14.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Comforter he sent to wit the Holy Spirit assoon as he was warm if I may so speak in his seat in Heaven at God's right hand to the unspeakable comfort of them and us and all Believers to the end of the World 3. The third reason is because this Holy Spirit is the Author of the least measure of Grace and therefore will not leave his work unfinish'd or neglect what he hath so graciously begun but having begotten us again unto a lively hope 1 Pet. 1.3 5. he will keep us by his mighty power through faith unto salvation If all the created powers of Heaven and Earth were united and concentred in one person yet he could not so much as make this Flax to smoke 't is the effect of Divine power Grace is the product of the Spirit Jo. 3.5 and therefore since the Holy Spirit is the Father of such gracious dispensations he 'll engage the same strength to preserve what he hath begot Jer. 31.18 19 20. We see how soon doth the Lord hear Ephraim bemoaning himself when he was as a smoking flax a newly tamed heifer brought to God under the yoke of Afflictions his cry soon pierceth God's ears and his ear affects his bowels and his bowels awake his power to be his guardian When Christ brings a wandring sheep into his fold he puts it on his shoulder and rejoyceth all the way he brings it home Luke 15.5 The power of his Spirit is that shoulder on which he carries it the everlasting arms wherein he bears his lambs and those eagle's wings upon which they are both tenderly and securely convey'd to glory Ex. 19.4 nay he useth more care and tenderness towards weak Believers than the strong because of their weakness for the weakest child can call God father and the more weak and feeble the child is the greater is the care and stricter is the eye and observance of the mother upon him what Job says Job 31.15 the weakest and most faint Believer may say the same of the strongest champion in the Lord's house did not one and the same holy Spirit fashion us in the womb and if they are once the workmanship of his almighty hands then will he make them strong and fertile a little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation Isa 60.22 In a word the least measure of Grace being the work of the Holy Spirit of God is therefore call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a new creation or a new creature and be sure none shall be abortive which he begets but go on to be an Heir of Glory and Christ calls this child of the Spirit by his own name Gal. 4.19 My little children of whom I travel in birth again 'till Christ be formed in you This clearly signifies to us that he will be as careful and tender of this Divine nature this piece of himself as if it were himself 4. The fourth reason is because the least measure
Jaws of the roaring Lyon when he was ready to devour them by reclaiming them by some seasonable Providence when they were ready to commit some horrid abomination that would have dishonour'd God and made his enemies to blaspheme and have wounded their Profession their Consciences and good Names for ever a passage to this purpose I have read in the Life of a reverend and godly Divine of this Kingdom which is so remarkable that I cannot omit it This reverend Minister being at his house very late in a winter night ready to go to his rest when all his Family were asleep a sudden thought took him that he must go to such a Man's house that liv'd a pretty distance from him at first he strugled against those motions and endeavour'd to stifle them as being unreasonable enthusiastical impressions that should move him to go to such a house without any occasion apparent to him and that in an unseasonable time of the night and for ought he knew the suggestions might be satanical But he could have no rest in his Spirit 'till he took a Candle and Lantern and went and so knock'd at the Man's door a while before any Body answer'd at length the Man of the house comes and opens the door This Minister told him of the strange and strong impulse that mov'd him to come thither and that he had no business Nay then says the poor Man with tears in his eyes I see the wonderful mercy of God in sending you hither to rescue my Soul and Body from the Devil for just now was I when I had got all my houshold to their rest fully purposing with this cord to dispatch my self away and now blessed be God for his gracious providence in preventing it by your coming Here was a seasonable help when the smoking flax was even quenching the Lord stept in wonderfully with relief so careful and tender is he of the weakest Christian 4. By preserving them from false Teachers and Seducers 'till they have their senses to discern between Good and Evil between Truth and Falshood therefore a strict charge is given by him Cant. 2.15 Take us the foxes the little foxes that spoil the vines for our vines have tender grapes especially care is to be had of weak Believers which are as tender grapes lest the foxes and little foxes that is Hereticks and Schismaticks seduce them and here St. Bernard observes touching the Pronouns US and OUR Poterat dicere capite mihi sed maluit dicere nobis consortio delectatus and he so unites our welfare with his own that he takes as great care of us as of himself and of the whole Church together and every particular Member thereof from the greatest to the least IV. The Fourth Particular to be consider'd in the handling of this Text is to shew the Reasons why Christ is so tender of weak Christians and those are these 1. Because Grace may be hinder'd in it's Growth by such things as the Believer cannot prevent as for instance A Believer may be living in a wicked Family where there is no fear of God and there he has much ado to keep his Sparkle alive 1 Kings 14.13 The Lord takes notice of that little goodness that was in Abijah in the house of Jeroboam a little Grace in such a Family went far Even so doth the Holy Ghost commend that small measure of Piety that was in Lot which surely was but a Sparkle in a sea of Corruption as we may see by tracing his Conversation for first out of a sinful fear of the filthy Sodomites he proffers them his two Daughters for to commit Uncleanness with them his Drunkenness and Incest recorded in Scriptures are as a Scylla and Charybdis for all Christians to beware and fear to come near them the latter being such a sin as the Apostle says 1 Cor. 5.1 as is not so much as nam d among the unbelieving Gentiles much less practis'd by them and one would think that the commission of one such sin of Incest might terrify the weakest Believer in the World that had any fear of God before his eyes from ever committing the like again and not only so but would make him go mourning all his days but we find that the sin of Drunkenness that opens every door in the Soul to the spiritual enemy le ts in this abomination again and that suddenly too for the next night he lay with his other Daughter from both which incestuous mixtures proceeded the cursed Brood of Moabites and Ammonites that were the greatest scourge of the people of God in all the World yet for all these gross miscarriages carriages and great sins he was still a smoking flax and therefore the Lord in mercy passeth by his enormities and considering the place of his abode gives him a grain of allowance for being so good among a people so bad 2 Pet. 2.7 8. He has the Epithets of just and righteous and godly because he was vex'd that they were so ungodly So doth the Lord exercise the same indulgence towards the Church of Pergamus because she dwelt in the very confines of Hell Rev. 2.13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest even where Satan's seat is and where was that where Godliness was persecuted and Idolatry was practis'd together with the community of Wives maintain'd which was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans Now to hold fast the Christian Profession and not to deny the Faith in the Devil's quarters was an Argument of a Heaven-born Nature and therefore God will dispense with other Weaknesses Only when a Christian's lot is cast into such a wicked place where Satan dwelleth either for false Doctrine and Worship or Sodomitical Practices 't is his duty to bewail it with the Prophet David Psalm 120.5 6. Wo is me that I sojourn in Mesech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar my Soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace he longed to be away from them and so did the Prophet Isaiah mourn because he dwelt among a people of unclean lips Isa 6.5 2. Grace may be hinder'd in it's growth by reason of a Believer's constitution of Body for the philosophical Axiom holds true in Grace as it doth in Morality mores animi sequuntur temperamentum corporis for we find cholerick Bodys very apt to fall into immoderate Anger and unbridled Passion upon the least provocation and are often to seek for that excellent Grace of Patience and those that are phlegmatick are not so active and zealous in the service of God as others that are but of an equal stature in Grace so the melancholick cannot rejoyce in God and be so chearful in holy duties as others and those that are sanguine cannot be so serious and the weak crazy Bodies cannot spend so much time and strength in Watching Fasting and Prayer as those that are of a stronger constitution for without controversy tho' Grace do's not depend upon the temper of the Body quoad esse causam in