little longer Tarry thou the Lords leisure yet a while In Psal 40. saith the Psalmist there I waited for the Lord and at last the Lord heard mee hee brought mee up also out of an horrible pit and hee hath put a new song into my mouth Oh it is a blessed Scripture wait thou yet for the Lord thou art yet in a horrible pit of sin and filth fear and doubt thou cryest yet the Lord doth not hear I but yet hee may hear this is no strange thing indeed the soul is ready to say as the Church Oh all you that pass by is there any sorrow like to mine Lam. 1.12 So it may bee your soul is ready to say was there ever any sorrow like mine my conscience disturbs mee Satan disturbs mee I go to Christ and hee doth not hear mee hee will not answer Oh bee of good comfort and wait still hee that calls thee as the Woman of Canaan Dogg now will say to thee Go thy way great is thy Faith Indeed my Brethren when I was drawing up the conclusion of this by my self I thought I should meet with a Woman of Canaan and I was bid to incourage her thus First All this harshness it is but in shew As wee told you the last day Joseph had bowels though for a time hee dealt roughly Secondly All this will not last Joseph will speak peace and the Lord Jesus that seems rough now hee will speak to thee in soft language at last Therefore you that are as the Woman of Canaan waiting upon Christ and yet hearing nothing from him bee comforted and counselled First Bee comforted your condition is blessed Blessed are they that wait at the posts of Wisdomes gates Prov. 8.34 c. This may bee the condition of a beleever and it is blessed Object I saies the soul If I did but know that or think that Repl. Did Josephs Brethren know hee knew them did they think hee wept and his bowels yearned It was their happiness Joseph knew them though they knew it not And it is comfort Christ knows us when wee are and may bee as ignorant of him as they of Joseph That is the foundation of our life and comfort that the Lord may and doth know us first before wee know him and hee still knows us even while wee know not him Minde that in the second Epistle of Timothy chap. 2. vers 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his Let that word bee for thy comfort But then Secondly Bee counselled to carry your selves very wisely Carry it well and it shall bee your wisdome I know indeed my Beloved wee need much wisdome to carry it wisely when Christ doth frown Oh! wee are apt to have impatient spirits murmuring spirits rising spirits nothing is so provoking as unkindness from Jesus Chrâ—st I look for no better from the Law or from the Devil but that Christ should speak death or Christ call Dogg or that hee that was sent to give the children bread should say hee was not sent to mee Oh this doth wound mee this doth kill mee saith the poor soul Well yet bee counselled to wait Do not think evil of nor speak hardly concerning Jesus Christ. Hee knows as wee say what hee doth there may bee many reasons of this carriage of his and therefore whatever bee his carriage to thee let thy carriage to him bee good if Christ deal with thee as with the Woman of Canaan do thou deal with him as shee did Now what that is wee shall come unto next Souls must still carry it well to Jesus Christ The Fourth SERMON Matthew 15.25 and 27. verses Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee And shee said Truth Lord yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table AS a fine Copy fairly written which doth attract the eyes of all to look upon it and stir up the spirits of ingenious Scribes to imitate it Such my Beloved is the Example of the Woman of Canaan the history whereof is here recorded and which we are now handling It is a fine Copy and fairly written Here are great things glorious Mysteries held forth and you and I should look upon them and indeavour to read and imitate them There are four heads unto which wee did reduce the whole matter of this discourse First The Coming of the Woman to Christ Secondly The Carriage of Christ to the Woman Wee were ending of that the last day The Woman shee came with much devotion in much affection The Lord contrary to what hee was wont turns away makes as if hee did not hear hee would not vouchsafe to speak a word and when hee was intreated by the Disciples hee puts them off and when shee renews her request again hee speaks harshly c. The Lesson wee then did go upon from the whole you know was this That sometimes Christ is seemingly harsh to some souls that come to him Wee opened it and gave the Reasons of it and applied it And that which wee did aim at truly it was principally two words The first was to exhort you all that sith Christ doth sometimes seemingly entertain some souls harshly That you would not provoke him so to do As the Lord lives and as your souls live if you stand out too long if you put off Christ too often though at the last hee may save you it will bee by fire Therefore I beseech you especially you that bee young take a Christ while you may have a Christ while Christ knocks softly and speaks sweetly and wooes lovingly entertain him lest hee go away and make you come after him crying and it may bee a great while ere hee come back again The second word was To you poor souls that may bee the children of this Woman of Canaan that have gone to Christ and have found him stand at a distance Do not despair no new thing is fallen upon you The Lord Christ doth sometimes use so to deal with souls And my Brethren as you shall see afterwards though hee stand at a distance now hee will in time embrace you sweetly The Woman of Canaan that was entertained harshly went away joyfully But how did shee carry it under this harsh dealing That is the third head wee are now to speak to Here the carriage of the Woman is set out in these two Verses the 25. and 27. verses And mark it in vers 25. It is said Shee came and worshipped him saying Lord help mee My Brethren As the Lord said to Peter in another case wee must say of the Woman in this Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you Flesh and blood could not teach nor help the poor Woman to such a carriage What for the Lord to turn away for the Lord to put off and for her to re-inforce her devotion renew her suit afresh and to come and worship him c. The 27. verse Truth Lord yet the Doggs
Or if you will wee shall express the Observation to prevent mistakes thus That all those who truly come to Christ shall in the issue finde his carriage to bee very kinde howsoever at first it may seem very strange You see the Doctrine lies full in the words wee have opened in the story already how strangely Christ did carry it at first to this poor Woman but how sweetly doth hee carry it at last Sorrow and weeping may bee for a night saith David Psal 30.5 but joy comes in the morning Oh my Beloved it may thunder and lighten and bee tempestuous in the beginning of the day and yet it may prove a fair sun-shiny day after First coming to Christ may have clouds and darkness but the latter part shall have light and life This point is very comfortable certain and clear in this instance It is comfortable in all its branches and it is certain in its bottoming this example being a sure bottom to build the Doctrine upon And you will see it clear also if you will but minde the terms in which I express it Now there are two terms I keep in the Point that I would desire you to minde The first relates to the persons that are considered in this Point And the Second relates to the thing it self The first relates to the persons that are considered in this point And they are all those that truly come to the Lord Jesus My Beloved there are two sorts of persons who live under the sound of the Gospel that I cannot think upon but with a sad heart The one are those who never so much as pretend to go to Jesus Christ Notwithstanding all Christs tenders of himself notwithstanding all their own need of him upon no account one or other do they so much as pretend to go to Jesus Christ Some are enemies and opposire to very professing of coming to Jesus Christ Secondly There is another sort that pretend to go but go neither rightly nor truly They do not truly come to the Lord Jesus you have a type of both these and their miserie Matth. 22. in the parable of the Wedding There were some that would not go to the Wedding-supper and there was another hee went but hee went without his Wedding-garment why now how did the Lord deal with them for the one it is said in versf 7. Hee sent and miserably destroyed them with his armies And for the other It is said hee found him out and cast him out into utter darkness Therefore minde it all you that have heard of Jesus Christ all you that talk of Jesus Christ if you do not go at all or if you do not go aright this point doth not concern you I do not say Christ will deal well with you alass you deal ill with him and hee will deal sadly with you It is onely those that truly go to Jesus Christ that this point deals withall The Woman of Canaan came to him truly and shee came to him rightly also shee came to him as appears here in this story as to the Messiah the Son of David and shee comes with great humility shee worships him with great resolution shee would not bee put off but above all shee came with a good Faith and this Woman so coming though the Lord dealt strangely with her at first yet hee concludes kindely with her at last The second thing I put in the point is That in the issue and at last Christ will deal kindly with them that rightly come to him I do not say at first hee will do it No at first hee may seem to bee strange but at last in the issue hee will bee kinde Christ will not presently it may bee grant our request but in the issue hee will I will open it thus There is a Threefold Issue or end in which all that come to Christ shall experience his kindness The first is the Issue of the Act of comming it self Secondly The Issue of our whole life And The third is The Issue and End of all things Now in one of these three Issues all that come to Christ shall finde him deal kindely with them First In the Issue of the Act of coming it self I pray mark this Coming to Christ is an action made up of many steps wee do not at once come to Jesus Christ There is the Agress Ingress and Prâ—â—ress in every going The Agress or Address to it The Ingress The first setting upon it And then the Progress The going on in it Possibly when thou dost first set up a resolution of going to Christ hee will not come in and give thee an answer possibly when thou hast set thy foot in the way and gone a good way hee will not come and speak kindly to you but by that time you are come up to Christ fully then you shall finde Christ will deal kindly with you The soul doth not at first fully come up to Christ it is a great while ere the soul doth fully come off from fin ere the soul doth fully come out of Satans power ere hee doth fully come up to the proposals of Jesus Christ Now do not wonder if Jesus Christ do not deal kindly with you till the Issue of the whole Act but in the Issue of the Act when it is compleated then you shall finde him deal kindly with you You are now it may bee poor soul treating with Jesus Christ and as it is in a treaty of peace between differing states there are some preliminary treatments all is not presently concluded as soon as it is presented There are demurs and debates and there are seeming breakings off and departures no compleatings but as it were for a while complementings It is seldome seen that at first all things are fully concluded upon But when the Treaty is perfected then you have the sound of Trumpets and the noise of Drums and all the expressions pressions of joy that may bee It hath been said of old that comming to Christ it is a Marriage Act and so indeed it is Now there are not compleat Acts of kinâ—ness till the whole Marriage bee consummate Therefore though Christ may carry it strangely at first yet in the Issue when the Marriage is consummate then you shall finde Christ complying and shewing himself kinde Secondly There is that which wee call the Issue of our life And my Beloved at Death the Lord Jesus Christ will smile upon many a soul who have gone softly in the bitterness of their spirits all their daies Mark the just man and behold the perfect man For the end of that man is peace Psal 37.37 Though you have clouds and darkness upon you all your daies and though Jesus Christ doth seem to carry it roughly to you through the whole course of your pilgrimage yet when you are actually going into the good Land then you shall see Joshuah going before you Many that have had fears and terrours all their life time yet at the end of their
life when they have been going out of the world they have had joy and comfort The story of Mris. Drake is known shee had many terrours much sadness no smiles from Christ all her daies till at last when shee came to dye a little before her death Christ dealt so kindly that shee went out of the world in an extacy and ravishment of spirit full of peace and full of joy triumphing in the Lord so that in the Issue of our time and life wee shall finde Christ kinde however hee is at first to us But then Thirdly Or else in the Issue of all things When all things shall bee wrapt up by a final End and Issue put to them then Christ will shew himself kinde however strange hee did seem to carry it to poor souls before You read of a day in Mal. 3.17 in which the Lord will make up his Jewels and then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked c. And Matthew 25. there Christ speaks very sweetly when the Lord shall say to those on his right hand Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you c. Then hee shall say to this poor man and woman thou didst mourn after mee all thy daies thou didst wait upon mee all thy life and though I seemed to carry it strange thou wert sincere Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you c. I do observe that this carried up the heart of Job in Job 19. I know that my Redeemer liveth and hee shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and then in my flesh I shall see him c. This Text in Job is worth its weight in Gold upon many accounts That that Jesus Christ that is now at the right hand of the Father Job many thousand years ago said hee should know upon the Earth and though hee set him up as a mark to shoot at then yet hee knew at last hee would deal kindly with him Well then I pray put all together Persons truly comming to Christ in the Issue either of the Act of coming or of their Lives or of all things shall finde this to bee a certain Truth that Christ will deal sweetly with them however now hee may seem to carry it strangely And my Beloved I shall not need to bring any other instance to prove it than this instance in the Text. Never was any so strangely dealt withall as the Woman of Canaan and yet what a blessed Issue doth hee make with heâ— Oh Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. There are onely two things that I aim at in the explication of the point And The first is to shew you wherein the kinde close of the Carriage of Christ in the Issue shall appear to poor souls however at first hee may carry it strangely And Secondly The ground of this Wee shall begin with the first And I shall out of this instance of the Woman of Canaan shew you how kindly Christ will carry it at last in the Issue though hee carry it roughly at first Pray observe this speech Jesus answered and said unto her c. I remember in the book of Ruth when Boaz had espied Ruth and talked of her to his servants hee spake to her himself in vers 8. and what saith shee in verse 10. Shee fell upon her face and bowed her self to the ground and said unto him Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldest take knowledge of mee seeing I am a stranger It was a marvelous act of kindness that Boaz should take knowledge of her to speak to her Just so mee thinks it was here Christ at first talks to his servants of this Woman hee did not speak at first to her but to the Disciples of her But now although before the Lord did not seem to take knowledge of this Woman yet I say now the Lord is so kinde as hee turns to her and takes notice of her and hee speaks exceeding kinde to her Oh Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. Let us open it a little Here are three Parts First Oh Woman great is thy Faith Secondly Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Thirdly At the same hour her Daughter was made whole First Hee answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith My Beloved wee must open this by degrees and it is very much which is here contained For First of all Hee answered and said unto her O blessed kindness that Jesus Christ that before answered her not a word hee now opens his lips and vouchsafes to speak to her David who knew what an act of kindness this is sets it forth both in the Negative and in the Affirmative Negatively speaking of his enemies in Psal 18.41 They cried but there was none to save them even unto the Lord but hee ANSWERED THEM NOT. And Affirmatively speaking of himself in Psal 118.5 I called upon the Lord in distress the Lord answered mee and set mee in a large place Oh my Beloved it is an act of kindness that Christ will speak Let not my Lord bee angry saith the soul do but speak to mee Oh it is mercy and kindness when the Lord breaks his silence and doth but speak to us Why now Christ you see speaks to the Woman And it is said Jesus answered and said unto her hee answers his Disciples before about her but did not speak to her now hee speaks to her Remember you not the expression in Cant. 8.13 Thou that dwellest in the Gardens the Companions hearken to thy voice cause mee to hear it Oh saith the poor soul sometimes Blessed Lord thy Companions hear thy voice Angels that wait upon thy Throne they hear it and the Saints in the Sanctuary they hear it and I am without knocking Lord let mee hear thy voice Here is the first step that hee vouchsafes to speak to her Secondly Hee saith unto her Woman c. how soft is this language Now hee doth not speak to her in a rough manner but Woman My Beloved you know what is said of Job Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind who is this that darkens words of wisdome without knowledge Job 38.1 2. But behold the Lord hee answers in a still voice hee speaks as a man to a woman By Beloved had the Lord spoken louder it may bee it would have broke her the Lord will speak to poor souls in a still voice I remember a prayer of Job Job 13. about verse 20. Onely do not two things unto mee then will I not hide my self from thee withdraw thine hand far from mee and let not thy dread make mee afraid c. And it is worth our considering because it will open what wee are upon hee doth as it were capitulate with God and hee makes but one Article Let not thy dread make mee afraid As if Job