them they know not what they do We should pray that the Lord would open their eyes that the Lord would turn their hearts to himself first and then to us Brethren such a prayer is very welcome to the Lord as welcome as most prayers that his people can make when you shall from the heart pray to the Lord for those that injured you and done you wrong such a prayer seldom goes unrequited Sometimes the Lord gives in the soul of an enemy at the request of his people and oh what a choice mercy will that be if thou mayst gain the soul of an enemy if a soul may be delivered from going down to the pit why the Lord many times gives in the soul of an enemy but if the Lord should not give in the soul of an enemy that prayer shall not go unrewarded it may be sometimes the Lord will give in the soul of a friend thou goest to God and thou prayest for such an enemy Lord forgive such an enemy Lord open his eyes and turn his heart and forgive his transgression if the Lord does not grant that request it may be the Lord will give in the soul of a child or some of thy relations because thou hast found in thy heart to pray for an enemy or else the Lord will reward that prayer by giving out more of himself thou beggest for an enemy if the Lord do not that the Lord will give thee more grace more of his Spirit the Lord it may be will cause his face to slaine more upon thee while thou at his commandment and for his sake canst find in thy heart to pray for them that are thy enemies and have done thee wrong thou hast prayed for an enemy and I will be a friend to thee saith the Lord I will shew thee more friendship more of my face this is the first thing Oh that the Lord would teach us to practise it it is our duty to pray for those that have done us wrong Secondly if it be our duty to pray for those that have done us wrong then it is our duty to pray for such as the Lord hath made instruments to do us good Creatures they are but instruments and all the glory is due to God alone ah but God is to be sought to for the instrument hath the Lord done us good by such an instrument in respect of our souls in a word of counsel and direction we are to pray for them When God made use of Abigail in giving a word of counsel to David how did he bless the Lord and pray to God for her 1 Sam. 25. 32 33. And David sad to Abigail blessed be the Lord God of which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou c. And so hath the Lord made any instrumental any way to do us good in the outward man to give any refreshment we are bound to remember them before the Lord thus did Paul 2 Tim. 1. 16. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains Onesiphorus was a means of refreshing Paul in his bonds and Paul looked upon it as his duty to remember him before the Lord he begs a blessing for him and his houshold The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus it is our duty to remember those before the Lord that have been used as instruments to do us good Thirdly it is our duty to remember before the Lord even those that are strangers to us those that we have not known if we know their conditions If the Lord hath brought the condition of strangers to us if the condition of strangers be a sad condition we are bound to remember them and to present their condition before the Lord and thus did the Disciples here in the Text this woman she was a stranger to them they never saw her face before she was of a strange Nation one of the Cananites and yet when the sad condition of this woman was brought before them and they heard her cry their hearts were moved with compassion and they besought Christ for her Lord send her away Lord grant her requestâ— And the Lord layd a great charge upon his people Israel that they should remember strangers and not oppress strangers but shew kindness to them and this is one part of the duty we owe to them to remember them and if in any sad condition we are bound to present them and their condition before the Lord. Fourthly If it be a duty to remember Strangers then much more to remember our own Relations and to present them before the Lord. All our Relations what ever they be as we stand related to others in Political Societies there is an engagement to remember them before the Lord a mutual tye betwixt the Magistrate and the people and they are bound to pray one for another godly Magistrateâ— and godly people are bound to remember one another You know King Solomon he was one that feared the Lord and he was very much in praying for the people 1 Kings 8. 22. he spent much time in prayer And so back again it is the peoples duty to remember their Governours The Apostle lays it upon Christians as their duty 1 Tim. 2. 1. I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men ver 2. for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty In this relation there is a mutual tie to remember one another before the Lord. And if we come to Family-societies there we shall see relations are bound to remember one another before the Lord the relation of Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants the Scripture holds it forth as a duty incumbent upon all Christians to remember their relations mutually before the Lord. Husbands are bound to remember their wives to present their condition before the Lord Isaac prayed for Rebeckah Gen. 25. 21. and at his request the Lord was entreated and so back again the wife is bound to remember the husband And so in the relation of parents parents are bound often to present their children before the Lord the example of Job is given for our imitation Job 1. 5. And it was so when the dayes of their feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all for Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts thus did Job continually See Job presented them all one by one before the Lord and begged mercy for them and that the Lord would take away the guilt of sin which they might contract while they were feasting in one anothers house And so good old Jacob performed this duty for his children even then when he lay a dying
Name of God threaten all those people that seek not after the knowledge of God thâ—â— though God made them yet he will not save theâ— if they do not know him Isa 27. 11. For it is â—people of no understanding therefore he that maâ— them will not have mercy on them If thou doâ— not know God though thou hadst outward lifâ— from him yet thou canst not expect eternal lifâ— from him for if thou dost not know him he wiâ—â— not have mercy on thee And therefore To Remember thy Creator is to know God Secondly To Remember God is to Trust 〈◊〉 God to lay the confidence of the soul upon God and upon God only Psal 20. 7. Some trust 〈◊〉 chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God So much faith in God so much remembrance of God when God is not believed on and when God is distrusted when any thing beside God is trusted then God is forgotten And therefore when Solomon saith Young man Remember God that is seek after faith in God let them trust in God let them not trust in their strength trust in their parts let them not trust in their wealth let them not trust in their friends their fathers to provide for them no let them Remember God let them put their trust in God for that is a remembring of God Thirdly To Remember God is to Love God to prize him to have a high account of God to love him dearly above all things for when God is not loved above all things whatsoever God is forgotten We will remember thy love more then wine The upright love thee Cant. 1. 4. We will remember thy love more then wine that is our heart is affected with thy love our heart is taken with thy love we finde more sweetness in the love of Christ then in the sweetest of creature comforts so that when Solomon saith Young man Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth that is set thy affections upon God betimes prize him above all thy comforts and enjoyments if the heart be not set upon God the Lord is forgotten Fourthly To Remember God is to Serve God and to obey God to walk with him and to worship him to honour him this is a Remembring of God Deut. 8. 11. Beware that thou for get not the Lord thy God in not keeping his commandments and his judgements and his statutes which I command thee this day If thou dost not yeild obedience to the will of God thou forgettest God but to yeild obedience to the Will of God is to Remember God So when Solomon saith Young man Remember God in the dayes of thy youth that is Walk with God and take heed of disobeying God sinning against God for if thou sin against God thou forgettest God and therefore be found walking with him and worship the Lord in truth for that is a remembring of him Fiftly To Remember God is to spend the thoughts of the heart upon God When a man spends many thoughts upon a person or upon such an object he then remembers it and so when the thoughts of the heart are spent upon God then God is remembred But when God is not thought upon but vain thoughts thrust out the thoughts of God there is no remembrance of God the wicked they are said to forget God God is not in all his thoughts Psal 10. 4. And therefore when Solomon saith Young man Remember God that is young man spend thy thoughts upon God thou hast many thoughts in youth do not let them run out to base objects to soul-destroying objects but Remember God let God be often in thy minde and let the thoughts of thy heart be spent on him thy many thoughts and thy best thoughts thy choice thoughts let them be spent on God for that is a Remembring of God Sixtly and lastly To Remember God is to Endeavour after communion with God Seek to see the face of God and to have the presence of God in and thorow Christ to walk with God this is a remembring of God when a man neglects his friend and hath no communion with him he is said to forget his friend and so that soul that seeks not after communion with God that soul forgets God And therefore when Solomon saith Young man Remember God that is let the strongest endeavour and pursuit of thy soul be after God that thou mayest enjoy God and act for God and serve him That 's the first particular you see what it is to Remember God But secondly The second thing is to shew you what cause there is that all the sons of men should Remember their Creator First of all God is worthy yea only worthy to be remembred What is in any creature in any object that does make it worthy of the thoughts of your heart Look unto God and you shall finde it infinitely more in him Is it Goodness Kindness bounty Liberality Wisdome Power and Greatness Beauty and Loveliness Go all the world over and finde out all the excellencies that you can name and you shall finde them all to meet and center in God all divine perfections are in him originally there is Love and Bounty Goodness and Meekness yea infinite grace in God He is good and he doth good and he doth good to the worst of creatures even to those that forget him while they run away from him Yea the most forgetful of God they have showers of mercy poured down every day upon their heads Now because of those excellent glorious perfections that are in God God is worthy to be remembred of the sons of men Secondly He is worthy to be remembred because he hath Done so much to be remembred God hath taken more care of this one thing then he hath done of any thing else besides the great work of the salvation of his people that the sons of men might remember him when man went out from God in Adam God saw that man would soon forget him man would have forgotten that there was a God now what a great deal hath God done that the sons of men might remember him He hath written the remembrance of himself upon every creature that wheresoever man looks either upward or downward he shall see some footsteps of God somthing that God hath done to remember him he hath engraven some remembrance of himself upon every creature Psal 8. 3 4. verse 9. When I consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained Verse 4. What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him When I saw saith he the remembrance of God that was graven upon the Sun Moon and Stars and so upon every creature on the face of the earth why then at Verse 9. he cries out O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth Nay The Lord hath engraven the remembrance of himself upon all his
the heart established in the knowledge of the love and free grace of God it is a great work and a long time before the heart be established upon Christ and the Promises and till that be done little work or service is done for God But when men begin betimes they have time to get their hearts established upon Christ and the Promises and upon the free grace and righteousness of Christ and then they have time also to act for God and the Lord makes use of them to do him much service in their generation And O what a great advantage is that So that you have seen the Point handled First What it is to Remember God Secondly What Cause the Sons of men have to Remember God Thirdly What Advantage it is for the Sons of men to Remember God in youth Now by way of Application First of all It discovers and reproves the folly and madness that is bound up in the heart of the children of men If this be the duty of all the sons of men and a point of great wisdome to remember God betimes then this discovers the folly and madness that is in mens hearts to forget God How many in this Congregation I fear may fall under this reproof that have not yet emembred God How many in their youth and how many past youth that have not yet remembred God that have all their dayes forgotten the Holy One of Israel O that the Lord would convince poor creatures of this evil not Remembring God Shall I shew you the evil of it and O that God would shew you the evil of forgetting God First of all It is the Mother and cause of all other sins whatsoever for it were not possible that many should sin against God as they do if they did not forget God all sin grows upon this root of Forgetting God The Psalmist maketh it the cause of all evil that is committed because men do forget God Psal 50. 19 20 21 22. Verse 18. When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him and hast been partaker with Adulterers Verse 19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil and thy tongue frameth deceit Verse 20. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son Verse 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Verse 22. Now consider this YE THAT FORGET GOD lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you As much as if he should say here is the cause of this evil that is committed by you your Forgetting God It were not possible that men should dare to sin in the face of God if they did not forget God And it were not possible that men should sin in secret against God if they did not forget God they forget that God is an all-seeing God and that for all these things he will bring them to judgement It is not possible that children and servants should lye and steal and be unfaithful if they did not forget God if they did but remember that he would bring them to judgement and that no lyar shall come into the New Jerusalem if men did remember God they would not sin against God But this is the cause of all the sin in the world Mens forgetting God Secondly There is this Evil It makes a man spend all his time in vanity he comes up and goes down to the grave in a momen and hath lost all the time that he hath lived The truth is he hath not yet begun to live that hath not remembred God he hath not lived to the end of his life what is the end of his life but that he may remember God But man forgetting God his life is a fruitless life a vain life he comes up and sins and lives in vanity and goes down to the pit and never lives to the end of life because man remembers not God Thirdly There is this evil in it It makes men altogether unwilling and unable to dye as it makes their lives unprofitable so it makes their deaths dreadful what is the cause that men fear death Because they did not remember God in life if they had remembred God if they had known God and trusted in God and walked with God they would not have been so fearful of death but when men come to be made sensible that they have spent no thoughts upon God but upon their lusts and sin and so brought their dayes to an end they must needs fear to go to God see then how much evil there is in this great sin of not remembring God But you will say We hope that we do remember God God forbid that we should forget him What Forget God We hope we shall never do that while we live O my friends It is a harder matter to remember God then the world dream of how many thousands in the world are there that forget God that would be loth to be told that they are forgetters of God And yet I fear will be found so another day They that walk contrary in wayes of sin they are forgetters of God let them say what they will though they may have a way of worship and prayer to God and hear of God and read of God yet if they be found walking contrary to God such men will be interpreted by God to be forgetters of him Consider this all ye that forgâ—â— God Psal 50. 22. speaking of the Hypocrites â— Why they had many prayers and did many good works are they forgetters of God Yes their hearts were never upright with God they never trusted in the Name of God they were never found serving of God so as they might pleasâ—â— him and therefore the Lord calls them Forgetters of God O that the Lord would convince you of this great evil of forgetting God Secondly By way of Exhortation I beseechâ— you in the Name of the Lord to Remember God This day Remember God Remember him and Remember him in youth I shall speak a little to each of these First I beseech you Remember God to know God to trust in him to love him to obey him and to spend your thoughts upon him let the endeavours of your heart be after the Lord This is to Remember God And O that God would call upon you all and call you up to such a remembrance of him O remember how worthy God is to be remembred and remember what God hath done that so the sons of men might remember him and if after all this that God hath done after all the remembrance that God hath written of himself in his Word and upon his Works and upon his Ordinances and Providences men shall be found Forgetters of God as all sinners are how sad will their condition be another day You have a memory for the world and what No remembrance of God! God only worthy to be
remembred and of all things God only shut out O my friends Take heed of this great sin this Mother sin Forgetting God But secondly I beseech you to Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth Young man do not put off your remembrance of God it may be you will say to me you will remember God hereafter that is folly The Wise man teacheth you better giveth you better counsel Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth As much as if he should say Remember now thy Creator in what part of your youth soever you be Remember Now thy Creator Now seek after the knowledge of Christ if ten yeers old Now Remember God if fifteen years old if twenty yeers old Now Remember thy Creator yea if thirty years old and so to every Age to which the word of the Lord comes Even Now Now remember thy Creator And O that young men and young women would think upon the advantages that many have by remembring God in youth they were spoken of before And let me further tell you for your encouragement young men that to remember God betimes it is a great prerogative and a great dignity to be the first in Christ the Apostle speaks of some that were first in Christ and he speaks honourably of them Eph. 1. 12. That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ And it was the honour of that people that were first in bringing back David great honour was put upon them that went out first to meet David their King And so to be the firstâ— that go out to meet with Christ the first that honour him the first that close with him and believe in him this is a prerogative and it is kindness that God will never forget Jer. 2. 2. Thus saith the Lord I remember thee the kindness of thy youth the love of thy espousals when thou wentest after me in the Wilderness in a Land that was not sown the kindness of thy youth I will not forget saith God And the Lord will say so to young men and young women that are looking after Christ and remember him betimes thou remembredst me in thy youth and I will remember the kindness of thy youth when thou leftest all to follow me thy vanity thy comforts thy contentments that other young men closed with and followed after though they lead to destruction this kindness of thy youth Christ will remember to the very last day And let none that hear me this day think that they are too young and 't is not for them to trouble themselves with such matters to remember God and to look after God as young as you have remembred God Jeroboams childe remembred God Josiah at sixteen years of age set himself to seek after the Lord And I pray consider youth go the grave as well as others nay more die in their youth then in their old age O that young men would remember God betimes And there is none so young but must be accountable to God there is sin enough to condemn the youngest if not actual sin thou hast a sinful Nature and that is enough to condemn the youngest that hears me this day And therefore O that the Lord would perswade young men to remember betimes their Creator and know that it will be your comfort in the latter end As the neglect of God in youth will be a great deal of sorrow when God smites and comes to lay you upon the bed of sickness and ready to give out your breath then it may be you will cry out Lord Remember me but how sad will it be to reflect upon your selves and to think that you have not remembred God When as it hath been the comfort of many a poor soul that their work hath been done and when they have lain upon their sick bed they have given up themselves willingly to God having gotten the knowledge of God and gotten faith in Christ they are blessing God that their work is done for them by Christ O how sweet and comfortable will it be to you young men when you come to die to see that your great work is done and that you have believed and have nothing to do but to die Solomon was very pittiful to your souls young men and therefore he calls upon you to Remember your Creator in the dayes of your youth And in the bowels of Christ I speak to you this day to study this lesson of lessons To Remember Now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth And let me say to old men if young men had need to remember God Oh what cause have old men to remember God They that have lived many years and not remembred God O it is high time that thou shouldest make haste thou art going to the grave the land of forgetfulness where there is nothing can be done for eternity when once in the grave O that God would perswade the Ancient Such as have neglected to remember God that they would now remember their Creator and do not say I have mispent my youth and I fear my time is over and there is no hope for me I had as good go on in my wayes of sin O say not so The thoughts of the Lord are not as your thoughts nor his wayes as your wayes but as the Heavens are higher then the earth so are his thoughts above yours and his wayes above yours You have spent many years in sin and vanity and forgotten God and your thoughts have been upon vanity it may be many years but the thoughts of the Lord to do good to his people are from eternity O that Now you would at last in your old age remember God! Old men I beseech you to remember your Creator there is hope wherefore hath God spared you so long Reason so with with your selves to encourage you to look to Christ when through Unbelief you say there is no hope you have walked in sin and God might have cut you off and it is infinite mercy that God hath not cut you off but seeing the Lord hath spared me surely I may hope though I have forgotten God in the dayes of my youth yet say I will now remember my Creator and seek after faith in him And know for thy comfort and encouragement that there is infinite thoughts of mercy in the Lord Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and turn to our God for he will abundantly pardon Isa 55. 7. O stay no longer venture no longer for there is one evil day upon you the evil day of old age is upon you and there is another a coming O Remember God and make haste to do it quickly before the Sun and Moon and Stars be darkned before the body return to the earth and the spirit to stand before God that made it But I shall now come to press this duty upon
do greatly provoke the Lord Christ and loose all they do though men could walk as exactly as the very Angels yet if that exactness should draw them to place any trust any confidence in their observations and humility they loose all their labour for Christ tells his Disciples in Matth. 5. 20. That except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no wise enter into the kingdome of heaven Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees they went a great way in self righteousness they walked very strictly and very precisely ah but you must have another kind of righteousness a righteousness that must be beyond theirs they placed their righteousness in their doings in their observations and inventions but except your righteousness exceed theirs you shall in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven The Devil he will allow men to go a great way in such paths of self-righteousness to do a great deal to suffer a great deal to carry it very humbly and very strictly and seem to be the most mortified men living if the Devil can but draw them off from Christs righteousness thereby and place their righteousness in this he care not how far they go for the Devil knows that this will never mortifie the deeds of the flesh whatsoever is of mans setting up will never mortifie the deeds of the flesh but as I said before men may live very strictly fast and pray and yet be far from mortifying the deeds of the flesh it may be so far from mortifying the deeds of the flesh that it may strengthen the flesh and corruption get strength while men seem to walk in such a way of seeming mortification yea the strength of the body may be spent in seeming mortification and the corruption unmortified But to reflect a little by way of Application Oh that this might be a warning piece to us to take heed that we do not exalt any thing of man in the room of Christ take heed we do not exalt our rule above Christs Rule that we do not form rules to our selves to walk by and to worship by and decline the Rule and Institutions and Ordinances of Christ There are two sorts of people that are and will be found guilty of this who shall not injoy the presence of the Lord for Christ will depart from such a people First Such as set up outward formes of their own in opposition to Christs Form there have been such a generation of men in this Land and still there are who hath such Idols in their hearts who set up their form above Christs Form Christ hath left a Rule and Christ hath given his Form and his Institutions which must be observed till his coming but now when men shall bring in their own inventions and traditions their own superstitious ceremonies into the worship of Christ which Christ hath not commanded this is a great provocation to the Lord and such a people cannot injoy the spiritual presence of Christ for â—aitâ— Christ Go teach and observe what I have commanded you and loe I am with you to the end of the world So long as a people cleave to Christs Institutions so long they are under the Promise of Christ but they that shall go from this are not under the Promise of Christ 2. And then again there are those that will be found setting up something of their own in the stead of Christs Rule while they pretend that they have another rule then the Word to walk by the other is more gross and carnal but this more spiritually wicked I say when men shall pretend to have another rule to walk by that they have the Spirit of the Lord to be their rule to teach them and they shall not look to the rule of the Scripture not look to any rule without them truly both these sorts of men will be found to set up their own rule above Christs Rule And oh how dangerous is it and as I said before so again and oh that it might be remembred It is a pulling Christ out of his Throne for men to decline his Rule the rule of his Word which he hath given them to walk by and decline his Ordinances and pretend to walk by a rule that is within them truly they exalt something of their own above Christ and let it be remembred what the Lord threatens to such as will not hear the great Prophet Deut. 18. 15. and 19. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy brethren like unto me unto him ye shall hearken V. 19. And it shall come to passe that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name I will require it of him He that will not take the rule from Christs mouth he that will not walk by that rule that Christ hath left in his Word to walk by but shall take another rule though the pretence be never so high and spiritual the Lord hath said that such a soul shall be cuâ— off the Lord will not afford his presence Christ will not continue his presence with such a people as shall exalt any invention above Christs Rule the rule of the Word But it may be that they will say They do not exalt any thing of their own we are mistaken of that no it iâ— only the Spirit of Christ that they exalt it is the Spirit of Christ that is their rule to walk by and they are not bound to attend to any rule whatsoever that is without them but to walk by the rule of the Spirit of God that is within them To whom I say it is a great mistake that the Spirit of the Lord in us should be a rule for us to walk by the Spirit is not the rule the Spirit is given to open the rule the Spirit is given to shine upon the rule to declare the rule but the Spirit of the Lord is not the rule It is true indeed we cannot know the rule at least in the spiritual nature of it till the Spirit of the Lord doth open it as a man cannot see what time of day it is by the Sun-dyall till the Sun shine upon it ah but the Dyall is the rule And so it is a great mistake while men think that the Spirit is the rule when as the Word of the Lord is the rule to the Law and to the testimony if any man walk not according to this rule And so Christ tells his Disciples that the Spirit is not given to manifest and discover any new thing but what Christ hath laid dowâ— in his Word look into John 16. 13. Howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come Mark how clear it is that the
their imitation think upon the children that sung Hosanna O that children and youâ—â— men would read that place the very children suâ— Hosanna to the son of David Oh what sweâ—â— musick was it What heavenly musick to heâ—â— young men and children to be praising the name of Christ Children in tender years they sung Hosanna and oh that this might be a pattern for children Children fear the Lord look after him in tender years that while other children are blaspheming and cursing you may be singing of praise to the Lord O what heavenly musick is it The Lord Christ will take it well at your hand if you that are young will begin in tender years to look after Christ and lift up the name of Christ Christ took the part of those children the Pharisees were offended that the Children should cry Hosanna but Christ he took it well and he pleaded for them this is that which is written saith Christ Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings wilt thou ordain praise Christ will take it well at your hands if you that are children will be singing Hosanna to the Son of David Christ will take it well at your hands if you will be praising and praying to the Lord though accompanied with a great deal of weakness as it is like they sung Hosanna with a great deal of weakness yet Christ takes it well at their hand and saith this is that which is written Out of the mouth of babes and suoklings thou wilt ordain praise And let me speak to women the weaker sex the Lord as you have heard doth make choice of the weakest and you have had the example of women set before you that the Lord hath done good to O remember the women that ministred to Christ remember the women that followed the Apostles to the rivers side remember Lydia whose heart the Lord opened and the woman of Samaria and this woman of Canaan and oh that this might be an incouragement to women be not discouraged because of your weakness and do not say I know not how to come to Christ Why the Lord makes choice of the weakest and they are brought home sooner then the strong And O that it might be an incouragement for you to come to Christ And let me say to all women that hear me this day The woman was first in the transgression O that that might provoke women to look after Christ the woman was the first that sinned and the woman was the first that was deceived and therefore oh that women would be the first in coming to Christ And let me tell you that if there be any women that hear me this day and hear the Word of the Lord and shall despise it and will not come to Christ but stay at home and dwell in themselves in their lusts take heed that the Lord doe not leave you for the refusal of the tender of Christ to be worse then the vilest of men Wicked women the Lord hath left them many times to be worse then the worst of men You know what Jezabel was a mother of witchcraft and whoredome Ahab was bad enough but she was 〈◊〉 times worse drew him on to shed all the bloud of the innocent And you know that Herodias heard John as well as Herod but she received not the Word and Herodias was worse then Herod whâ—â— would have thought that there had been so much cruelty in her heart towards John a good man And therefore women take heed how you deâ—spise the word of Grace least the Lord leaâ—â— you to greater abominations and you becomeâ— worse then the vilest of men And let me speak also unto those that are unworthy in respect of parentage If there be any here that with a sad heart look upon their kindred and fathers house as being such as know not God but are contrary to God O let not that be any block in your way you may be accepted of Christ though you come of the vilest kindred your kindred cannot be worse then the kindred of the woman of Canaan was they were cast out of the Land a cursed Generation and therefore all the sins of your parents shall not be any block in your way the child shall not bear the sin of the parents if the child be coming to Christ and taking hold of his Covenant all the sins of your parents shall not be any block in your way but you shall be welcome to Christ And so for those that are sensible of personal transgression O let not that be any block in your way to hinder you from coming to Christ though you have sinned greatly with a high hand yet do not go on to estrange your selves from the Lord by keeping at a distance from Christ and by adding unbelief to all your sin which will set home all your sin and bind them all upon your back O that those that have committed great offences might see what a door the Gospel to Christ opens to them to come in to Christ And let me say for your incouragement that the Grace of the Lord shall appear the more towards you the more sinful you are the more rich and glorious and excellent shall the Grace of the Lord appear to you and know that Grace is never more glorious then when it triumphs over great iniquities when Grace doth triumph over great transgressions O then the Grace of God is glorious grace towards you shal be exceeding glorious And it shall be for the Lords honour to receive you to passe by and to forgive seventy times seven It is the honour of a man a mans glory why it is the glory of the great God to forgive many and great transgressions and there shall be the more joy in heaven for your return the greater sinners you have been the more glad shall the heart of Christ be When the Prodigall son came home what joy was there at his return And let me say to you that all your transgressions shall not be mentioned though he or she hath been never so vile yet if the Lord doth give any sinner a heart to come to Christ the Word of the Lord shall be made good That all their sins shall not be mentioned Ezek. 18. 21 22. If the wicked forsake his way all his transgressions shall not be mentioned Oh that this might incourage unworthy ones to look to Christ And truly if unworthy ones shall not be perswaded by this to come to Christ know that this example of the woman of Canaan will rise up in judgement against you she was as unworthy and sinful as you and oh what a cutting thing will it be when sinners shall see Manasseh and Paul and Mary Magdalen and the woman of Samaria and this woman of Canaan to sit down with Christ and they themselves shut out O that God would help you to imbrace the Gospel and know that all unworthiness and sinfulness shall be no block in your way if the Lord now perswade your heart to
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
reason of mine affliction unto the Lord out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardest my voice He was so low in his own apprehension as was possible for him to be in the belly of hell And what did he do I cried to the Lord he applied himself to the Lord and spread his sad condition before the Lord and he did not loose his labour Thou Lord heardest me Now for the grounds of the Point That faith will teach a soul to go to Christ and make his complaint to Christ in all his affliction for faith discovers to a soul that all afflictions are from God the Lords hand is in all the crosses and troubles and whatsoever is matter of complaint the hand of God is in it Is there any evil in the city and I have not done it saith the Lord by the Prophet Amos Is there any evil of affliction that I have not brought upon a people As to the evil of sin that is not from God for that is no being that is a privation but as for affliction all the affliction that doth berall the children of men it is from the hand of God and upon this ground Eliphaz perswadeth Job to apply himself to God Job 5. 6 8. Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither does trouble spring out of the ground I would speak unto God and unto God would I commit my cause Trouble doth not spring from the ground it is not from second causes whatsoever trouble the people of God meet withall â—any of the sons of men it springs not from the dust Whence then It is from the hand of God there is a secret wheel a great wheel of providence that sets all on work second causes cannot move if that great wheel does not move so then when this comes to be reallized to the soul as faith doth discover it because God hath spoken it that trouble is from God whether inward or outward therefore it will carry the soul unto God and make the soul apply it self to God and Christ alone Secondly Faith doth discover that as all afflictions are from God and makes the soul see the hand of God in every stroke so it doth discover that the end of all afflictions is to carry the soul to God that is the end of all afflictions to bring God and the soul nigher together God doth not love to have any of his people at a distance from him and therefore he sends forth affliction to bring them nigher to himself And therefore in Hosea 5. 15. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early He brings affliction for this very end that they may draw nigh to him And in chap. 6. 1. you may see the fruit of their affliction Come and let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up This is the fruit of their affliction they were brought nigher to God God will have his people injoy more communion with him dwell with him and make them more conformable to him more like to himself and therefore many times he layes great and sore afflictions upon them For when the Saints shall be in such a staâ—e and such a condition as nothing shall come betwixt God and them when they shall so dwell in God as never to goe out from God when there shall come no sin no corruption betwixt God and them then there shall be no more affliction then the Lord God shall wipe away teares from the faces of his people no more sorrow and sighing now the end is attained when they are gotten so nigh to God as nothing can come betwixt God and them Now when faith discovers this that it is the end of affliction to bring the soul nigher to God it puts the soul upon it in its affliction to return and apply it self to God alone Thirdly Faith will make a soul come to Christ and Christ alone in distress for faith doth discover that the help of the creature is in vain in time of distress it is faith that doth reallize to the soul the vanity of the creature and that the creature cannot help in the day of distress And therefore the Psalmist cries out Psal 60. 11. Help Lord for vain is the help of man Man cannot help and therefore he applies himself to God alone Help Lord for vain is the help of man Till the soul sees that vain is the help of the creature it will not in good earnest cry Help Lord faith shews the soul that in vain is salvation hoped for from the hils and from the multitude of mountains in vain is salvation hoped for from creatures from great men the highest of all There is many a poor soul can tell you by sad experience and say it by sad experience in vain have I sought help from men and cried to men and spread my complaints before men and therefore it is good for me to draw nigh to God for if you look upon all the sons of men you shall see how fruitless a thing it is for a poor soul in distress to apply it self to man and to go and pour out his complaints to man he may speak to such men as are not at all sensible of what he speaks he may tell a sad relation of his sufferings and burdens and yet not at all affect the heart of him that he speaks to There are some such men in the world nay very many that regard not the affliction of Joseph that are altogether insensible of the burden that lay upon other poor creatures that hath no compassion and cannot be affected It is said of Gallio that he cared for none of those things when as they made complaints of things of Religion he cared for none of those things and so when some come and make complaints of their burdens they care for none of those things And thus it was with Lazarus that lay at the rich mans gate it is very like he made many complaints shewed him his sorrow and sores but his heart was not at all affected the very dogs had more pitty upon him they came and licked his sores And so it is many times when we make our complaints to men they regard not Or secondly Sometimes when we make complaints to men though there be some pitty and some compassion in them and they will expresse it in good words yet very little help and assistance will many men afford they will seem to pitty and have compassion but there are some men that will do very little to the relief of a poor creature under distress that comes and makes complaints of his burdens The Apostle James speaks of some such chap. 2. 15 16. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto him depart in peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding
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
affliction and sorrow did increase so he cried the louder to his Father Luke 22. 44. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly he prayed the more when his affliction increased when he was in the midst of his agony then he cried more earnestly To make some short application of the Point First of all Let it be a word of examination there is none of us but at one time or other are pouring out our cries and complaints and especially in our affliction we are full of cries Now let us examine whether it be the cry of the flesh or the cry of the spirit whether it be accompanied with pride of heart and with impatiency and unbelief with murmuring and repining O that is the cry of the flesh and the sinful cry of the flesh which is far from the cry of the spirit But to give you two or three things that you may make use of by way of tryall First of all would you know whether your cry be the cry of the flesh or the cry of the spirit why then examine whether or no your cry and your complaint be not above your burden many a mans cry is greater then his bruden that God layes upon him it may be he makes his burden heavy by his strugling Jobs burden was not so it was heavy Now when a man shall cry out and say no affliction like to mine and no burden like to mine O this is a sinful cry Secondly When our cry is so great as to take us off from our duty either to God or man that cry is not a gracious but a sinful cry the cry of the spirit makes a soul wait upon God in a way of duty but now if a man in time of affliction is taken off from his duty surely that cry is a sinful cry Thirdly When a man in the day of affliction cries so loud that he cannot hear what the Lord speaks to him God comes and speaks graciously offers comfort but the cry of the soul is so loud that it cannot hear what God speaks that a man shall be taken up with complaints as to refuse all the comfort that God sends him this is a sinful cry this was the cry of that afflicted man Psal 77. 2. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted Nay when as a man or woman in the time of affliction shall not only refuse his comfort but justifie his complaint as Jonah did he justified his anger when God asked him Dost thou well to be angry Yea said he I do well to be angry This was a sinful passion And so when a man shall justifie any other passion his sorrow and complaining and say I do well to complain and in the bitterness of my spirit I complain this is a sinful cry And therefore secondly Let me desire in the name of the Lord that we would take heed how we give way to these sinful cries and complainings these cryings out which spring from pride impatiencie and unbelief O I pray take heed of giving way to these sinful complaints For first I pray consider a little that the hand of the Lord is in every affliction that is upon you O that that were seen that the hand of the Lord is in it Thou Lord didst is said David I was dumb and opened not my mouth for thou Lord didst it O that would silence the sinful cries of the flesh if the heart were sensible that the Lord did it and if the Lord did it then infinite wisdome hath done it and if infinite wisdome order this or that affliction why should we cry out of our afflictions Secondly Consider whatever your affliction be though you say none like mine it might have been seven times heavier infinite power could have heated the furnace seven times hotter and made his flery tryals seven times more sharp O then there is no cause why we should complain especially in the Third place If we consider what we have deserved at the Lords hand and O that when we pore so much upon our affliction we would look with one eye upon that which may help to silence our sinful complaints We have deserved that and a thousand times more at the hand of God Why should the living man complain man for the punishment of his sin O there is sin enough though it be true it is not alwayes for that God afflicts yet he may see enough for which he may afflict seven times more Now let our eye be upon this this was that which silenced Jeremiah Jer. 8. 14. Why do we sit still Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord our God hath put us to silence and hath given us waters of gall to drink because we have sinned against the Lord. Take heed how we open our mouth in the day of our affliction Thirdly and lastly Let it stir up all our souls to go to God through Christ and to cry more in the spirit and the greater our afflictions are so much the more let our cry be to Christ The time of affliction is no time to give over praying and crying but being in an agony he cryed more earnestly and so we in time of affliction we should cry more earnestly O that we might learn thus to cry with this gracious holy believing and servent cry The Lord Jesus hath given great incouragement to his servants to go and cry thus O what incouragement doth Christ give in Luke 11. 8 â— by a parable there of a man being in bed he hath no mind to rise but through importunity be is overcome And so by that Christ stirs up his Disciples to go and cry importunately to God their Father And so in Luke 18. there is another parable of the unjust Judge who neither feared God nor man yet because of the Widdows importunity he would judge her cause And shall not the Judge of all do right I tell you saith Christ he will avenge the elect that cry to him day and night And therefore Christ gives incouragement to you to go and cry earnestly and to wait upon the Lord and not to give over crying for the Lord hath the bowels of a father as the father pitties the child so the Lord pitties those that fear him Now the tender hearted parent is filled with compassion to the child if the child be under a heavie burden the bowels of a father is filled with compassion and will not let him lie under that burden and so the Lord when the spirit is even gone and the soul ready to saint and the Lord see that their strength is gone then the Lord will come in and exercise the bowels of a tender hearted father And know that many times the Lord doth hide himself and withdraw and seems to be far off from the requests of his people that so he may stir them up to
riches of his mercie vvhen he sends to invite men to come in to him he sends to the high vvayes and hedges goes and compels them to come in Go and call the blind and the lame When Christ makes a feast he sends to the poor he knovvs that the poor hungry souls vvhen they shall taste of the riches of his grace they vvill be thankfull and they vvill advance mercie and free grace and therefore he sends to the high-vvayes and hedges to compell them to come in Thus you have seen both the parts of the Doctrine opened A vvord or tvvo for improvement and I shut up all First Let us take heed brethren and friends that vve be not found looking to any vvorthinesse of our ovvn vvhen vve come to Christ take heed that vve be not found looking to any righteousnesse of our ovvn take heed vve bring no price in our hand vvhen vve come for mercie that vvill spoil all O there is many a poor soul by this is kept from coming to Christ from closing vvith Christ from resting upon Christ and so from salvation because it is a hard matter to bring them off from looking to something of their own men will hardly be perswaded that they do so but yet it is a very ordinary thing and thousands more do it then will be perswaded they doe it who doe look upon something of their own and so are kept from Christ Whence is it else that men stand so much upon their own justification men stand to plead for themselves and justifie themselves and quarrel with God in time of affliction and entertain hard thoughts of God it is because men have too good thoughts of themselves Whence comes it else that men are up and down in their spirits and comforted according to their actings But from hence because men are proue to look to something of their own as a foundation of their acceptance with God Whence is it else that men are kept from closing with Christ because of the sight of their unworthinesse But from hence because men would have a price in their own hand to buy grace of him and mercy of him But it may be many a poor soul will say that he doth not look to his worthinesse God forbid that I should do it sayes the soul Ah but thy unworthinesse does keep thee from Christ and if so then thou supposest that some worthinesse in thee should make thee close with Christ Now I beseech you Brethren that we do not look to any thing in our selves think not to bring any price with you when you come to Christ but know that we are poor and naked and miserable sinfull and weak and full of enmity against God and Christ that there is nothing that we can plead what is there that we would carry If you had more grace you could not plead that if you had done more service you could not plead that and if you had suffered for Christ you could not plead that O then why do our souls flag and hang back and do not make hast to Jesus Christ And let me tell you that souls that have nothing have best acceptance I said before that if you carry a price you loose all your labour Christ deals with the poor and with none else and trades with them that have no mony and I say that souls that come to Christ most empty most naked most destitute most desolate in the apprehension of their own vileness sinfulness enmity that soul that comes thus to Christ shall have best acceptance If a man comes and pleads any thing else pleads Lord I have done so and so I have been so and so this moves not the Lord to tell God of your righteousness and what you have done it moves not God at all but to tell God what a poor creature you are full of sin and full of weakness full of enmity and full of wants this will move the Lord Is it not so with your selves I pray consider how it is with our selves and what it is that moves us when a poor man comes what is it that moves us O when he shall spread his wants and expresse the sence of his wants and misery a poor man comes to you and sayes O Sir pitty me help me I want every thing I have not a rag to put on my back no bread to put into my belly I am blind I am lame I have no legs to walk with no hands to work with O this will make impression upon the hearts of men though hard And shall not this move tbe Father of mercies O it will prevail much If a soul shall goe and say Lord I am miserable naked no eye to see no legs to walk no hands to work O this speaks loud when the soul shall cry Lord help Lord hear me I tell you this will plead very loud in the eares of God for Christ as I said before he will deal with none but the poor he will heal them that have nothing you have many Physitians that goe up and down and give it out that they will heal the poor for nothing So Christ gives it our in the Gospel that he will heal the poor and none but the poor let a poor desolate naked empty soul goe to Christ and say Lord thou hast invited poor sinners to come that have no money and I am such an one Lord heal me Christ will heal such a soul Christ will not heal the rich if they be rich and full they have no need of him The rich he will send away empty but the poor shall not goe away empty O then that this might perswade us that when we go to God we might go poor in the sense of our own unworthiness for it is the best thing to move the Lord to mercy Lastly Let us make mercy our refuge for it is not enough for a man to run from himself if he does not run to mercy if he does not run to free grace if he goes any where else there is no healing Now therefore it calls upon us all every one in the Congregation this day to make mercy and free grace our refuge O that we might goe to God upon that account at this woman of Canaan did Have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David She comes to mercy and pleads mercy and rests upon mercy and free grace Oh that we might make more use of mercy and free grace for all things Let us come hither for pardon of sin Doe you want pardon of sin Plead with mercy and free grace flee to the Promises of mercy I will be mercifull to their sin and remember their sin no more And so would you have peace Goe more to free grace plead more with mercy there peace is to be had it is mercy that creates the fruit of the lips peace peace And so doe you want healing healing of your corruptions of your distempers of spirit What is it that you want O goe
to free grace it is to be had in mercy there is healing for you I will heal their back-slidings and love them freely Oh that the Lord would help us all to flee to this refuge Doe you desire any thing Goe upon the account of mercy doe not stand upon any worthinesse any justification of your selves and if you be kept from Christ by your unworthinesse then you have an eye to your worthinesse O that we might not look upon any worthinesse If a man come to you and plead that you would take pitty upon him it would move your hearts more then if a man should come and require of you that you should doe so and so for him because you have done so and so for others No but if he falls down at your feet it prevails more with you and so when God sees that a man stands upon it upon his own justification O this does not prevail but when a soul cometh to the foot-stool of free grace and pleads nothing but mercy I am worthy to be cast out but thou hast given an invitation to sinners and here I will wait at the foot-stool of free grace this will move the bowels of Jesus Christ Quest Ah but may not a man cry for mercy and yet goe without it Answ True indeed it is possible a man may cry for mercy and call for mercy in a dead cold formal way many a poor creature will say Lord have mercy on me and he trusts to his Lord have mercy on me and so thinks that should save him but that is not to trust in mercy they trust in their saying so but they trust not in mercy It is possible that a poor wretch in time of extremity may cry out Lord have mercy and yet not apply himself to mercy for the soul that applies himself to mercy he applies himself in Gods way Now Gods way in shewing mercy it is in Jesus Christ if a man cries never so loud for mercy yet if he does not apply himself in Gods way look thorough the Mediator he may cry and go without it but he that doth apply himself rightly to mercy he seeks it in Chist for mercy will doe no good out of Christ therefore a gracious heart applies himself only to Christ and he that applies himself to mercy he waits the Lords time for mercy So that a man may say Lord have mercy and cry out for mercy and yet be far from obtaining mercy But now this let me say that if any poor soul that is sensible of his own misery that sees it is full of wants and full of sin and unrighteousness and full of weakness unable to help himself and full of enmity so that it can do nothing but sin against God I say a soul that shall see this and shall apply it self to mercy in mercies way look to God through Christ the Messias come as this woman to the Messias O thou son of David have mercy on me no soul that shall thus apply himself to the mercy of God thorough Christ being sensible of his own lost condition and shall there wait but certainly the Lord will make a good end with that soul and that soul as the Apostle speaks Shall find grace and mercy to help in time of need Matth. 15. 22. My daughter is grie vously vexed with a Devil SERMON VII YOu have seen this womans faith in her coming to Christ and closing with Christt as Lord and as the son of David We shall now see the love of this woman here is her love as well as her faith there was a great deal of love and compassion in her towards her daughter the stroke that was upon her daughters body fell upon her spirit and lay heavy there and therefore she doth not say Lord have mercy upon my daughter but Lord have mercy upon me It is my affliction and my burden Lord have mercy upon me for my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil Her daughters affliction was heavy upon her spirit Quest But you will say Whether was this affection natural or spiritual grace Whether did she speak this from natural affection to her child or was this a fruit of her faith Answ I answer Here was both natural affection and spiritual grace for seeing this woman had a seed of faith in her as hath been proved natural affection could not work alone where there is the grace of faith in the heart it will not leave nature to work alone but grace will step in and rectifie natural affection order natural affection set bounds to natural affection set natural affection upon a right ground and make them look to right ends where there is grace natural affection cannot work alone Indeed in that heart where grace doth not dwell there nature works alone as the natural affections grief and sorrow and anguish in a natural man where the spirit is not nature works alone he cannot propound any spiritual consideration to himself to quiet his grief and sorrow he may fetch in some carnal considerations or he may stay till nature settle of it self time may wear out his grief but no work of grace to compose the spirit time must work it out But now in a gracious soul nature cannot work alone but grace will step in to order and rectifie to set bounds to the affections and will help to compose the spirit and so we may conclude of this woman here was first natural affection in her nature did teach her to love her child but natural affection did not work alone here was also the spiritual grace of faith faith taught her to love her child aright nature taugh her to love her child but grace taught her to love her child aright So that there was the working both of nature and grace Quest But you will say Was it not an evil to give way to natural affection Answ I answer No natural affection is not the corruption of nature Indeed there is a great deal of corruption in natural affection but natural affection is not the corruption of nature no natural affection is part of the Image of God the remnant of the Image of God which was left in man since the fall of Adam for it is a sin to be without natural affection The Apostle speaking of the sins of the last dayes he reckons up this as one without natural affection Rom. 1. 31. Natural affection is part of the Image of God and it is that without which the world could not be continued The Lord in abundance of mercy and wisdome hath planted natural affection in the hearts of Parents to their Children for if it were not so Gods name would soon be dishonoured and there would be all manner of cruelty and the race of mankind would soon be destroyed so that it is a mercy to have natural affection but to have spiritual grace to work with natural affection to have faith to set natural affection right and to cause it to work aright that
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
him to his own Mother to be his Nurse and she pays his own Mother for him And so the Lord he will deal with you that are parents that act in faith and perform your duties in faith the Lord will reward you for your love to your own children for taking care of your own children all your labour is taken notice of by the Lord and you shall be rewarded Oh! what an encourageis here to all Parents to look after faith in Christ that so your service may be accepted of the Lord One thing more and so I conclude and that is a word to children is it so that there is so much love in the hearts of Parents to their children is there so much that Parents do from love to children oh that children would labour to know what is their duty that they owe to Parents it cannot be told it cannot be exprest how much it is that children owe unto parents Children it is impossible that ever you should requite the love of your parents oh the pains the travel and sorrow of bringing forth and bringing up oh that children might know that there is a great engagement lies upon them to love their parents to respect their parents to take heed that they do not grieve their parents to pass by all in firmities of parents to shew all respect to them and when grown up to take care of them And this is a duty that Christ lays upon you though a Moral duty see what is said in 1 Tim. where children may see what Christ injoyns them 1 Tim. 5. 4. But if any widow have children or Nephews let them learn first to shew piety at home and to requite their parents for that is good and acceptable before God God lays this duty upon children you should labour to requite your parents to remember their love their care their sorrow their pains and travel and you are bound by the Law of Christ to requite your parents this is good this is piety and this is acceptable to God And so that place Levit. 19. 3. Ye shall fear every man his Mother and his Father and keep my Sabbaths I am the Lord your God Here is a duty that God lays upon children to fear every man his Mother and Father Children are most apt to despise their Mothers therefore the Lord begins there and lays that duty first that children should fear every man his Mother And take notice of it that this is a duty that the Lord sets before the keeping of his Sabbath as if the Lord should say in vain shall they pretend to be Religious if they do not fear and reverence every man his Mother and his Father I will not accept of your service It was a brand that was set upon Esau to all generations that he did that which was a grief to his Father and Mother Now children see your duty and remember your duty which the Lord Jesus lays upon you And oh that children would labour for faith that they may perform their duties Parents cannot love their children aright till they have faith and truly children cannot reverence their parents nor perform the duties they owe unto parents unless they have faith Oh then that Parents and children would look up to Christ for faith and then shall both be able through faith in Christ to perform that mutual duty that God requires from parents and children And to shut up all let this that hath been spoken strengthen the faith of all Gods people in Gods love to them Oh that by this we might ascend to the love of God! O that they that think they have not been concerned in what hath been spoken hitherto would know they are concerned in this The Lord would have you to ascend by the consideration of the bowels that are in parents to their children to a consideration of those infinite bowels that are in him towards you that are his children As the Father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him what ever workings of love are in the hearts of parents towards their children oh know that there is larger workings of love in the heart of God towards his children there are infinite bowels in the everlasting Father and if there be so much pity in the hearts of parents that they are willing and ready to give out good things to their children and willing to pass by and to pardon the miscarriages of their children oh how much more willing is our God to pass by and to pardon the failings of you that are his children oh that this might encourage prodigal children to return to the Lord If the father receive his child that hath been a prodigal why the Lord is ready to receive you though a prodigal if the Lord give you an heart to return though you have spent all and abused all your mercies yet the Lord is ready to pardon and to receive you And let it strengthen your faith and hope in Christ you that cleave to Christ for righteousness you that are the children of that everlasting Father oh know that Christ will plead for you Christ will cry to his Father for you Was the woman of Candan so affected with the misery of her daughter that she cries Lord have mercy on me my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil 〈◊〉 I say this found in this woman towards her daughter and shall not this be found in Christ towards his children oh then let this comfort you when you scarce dare go to God and cry your selves such and such a corruption doth annoy you such and such an unclean spirit is in you Oh! the Lord Jesus pities you under every spiritual burden when as you are troubled with unclean spirits he hath bowels of compassion towards you and know that he will go to his Father and cry to his Father and if he cry he cannot deny the son of his love but an answer shall be given to all those requests that Christ puts up for you or for any of his people Matth. 15. 23. But he answered her not a word SERMON VIII I Come now to speak of the trial of this womans faith and here is the first tryal of her faith he answered her not a word A very great trial a sore trial that this poor woman should in her great strait and under such a burden and pressure of spirit come to Jesus Christ and cry so earnestly unto him and believe so stedfastly upon him and yet Jesus Christ give her not one word of answer to her prayer this was a sore trial for this carriage of Christ it seems to be contrary to what she had heard of Christ and to what she believed was in Jesus Christ for Christ seemed now either to be without compassion to her he seems to take no notice not to be affected she complained and cried out of her great burden and Christ speaks not a word the Lord Jesus Christ seems either not to be affected with her
misery or not to regard her misery not to take notice of such a poor creature as she was now both these were contrary to what she had heard of Christ and to that she had believed was in Jesus Christ without doubt she had heard out of the Prophet Isaiah that the Lord Jesus Christ when he came should bind up the broken-hearted and preach deliverance to the captives now when she applyes her self to Christ Christ seems not to be that compassionate Saviour certainly she had heard that Sions King was meek and lowly and that he would not break the bruised reed nor quench thâ— smoaking flax but Christ seems to disdain her and take no notice of her nor look after such avile worm as she was nay she had believed that Christ was low and meek as appeareth by that expression of hers in ver 22. Thou Son of David have mercy on me now David was a merciful Prince and was very pitiful and compassionate and very meek and lowly and humble therefore she believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was much more compassionate and she did believe that he would not disdain her though she was a poor Gentile but Christ seems to be quite contrary and answered her not a word this was a sore trial The Doctrine then is this That it is a very sore and great tryal unto the Lords people when the Lord is silent to their prayers and gives no answer to their cries In the opening of the point I shall shew you that God hath dealt thus with his own people and that it hath been a very sore tryal unto And then shall shew you wherefore the Lord is pleased thus to try his people which will make way for the Appplication First God hath dealt thus with his people I shall point you to some places of Scripture David often maketh this complaint Psalm 28. 1. Vnto thee will I cry O Lord my rock be not silent to me lest if thou be silent to me I become like them that go down into the pit How earnestly doth David beseech the Lord that he would not be silent to his prayer Lord Do not turn away thy ear from my prayer and do not shut thy mouth be not silent If thou dost not speak something to me in answer to my prayer I am not able to hold out but shall be like them that go down to the pit And Psalm 69. 3. he maketh a sore complaint I am weary of my crying my throat is dried mine eyes fail while I wait for my God The trial was so great to his spirit that it had an influence upon his Body when David cryed to the Lord he answered not a word his throat was dried and parcht up and his eyes began to fail And so the Prophet Jeremiah Lam. 3. 44. he expresseth it in the name of the Church Thou hast covered thy self with a cloud that our prayer should not pass thorow God seems to hide himself and cover himself with a cloud and did so hide himself as prayer could not find him he gave him not a word And the Prophet Habakkuk he complains of it chap. 1. ver 2. O Lord how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear even cry unto thee of violence and thou wilt not save Nay that it was a sore trial you shall see it in those expressions of the Prophet David spoken of in the person of Christ Psalm 22. 2. O my God I cry in the day-time but thou hearest not and in the night-season and am not silent It was a sore affliction to Christ himself O my God I cry in the day-time and in the night-season that is I cry continually night and day never silent But thou art continually silent to me this was a sore affliction and burden to Christ himself Now that this is a sore affliction and trial for God to be silent to the prayers of his people it appears First if you consider that relation the Lord stands in to his people and they to him he stands in relation of a Father they his children he stands in relation of an Husband they his Spouse he stands in relation of a friend they his friend Abraham he was the friend of God and so is every believer God a friend to him and he a friend to God now it is a sore trial when one friend shall cry to another or a wife to an Husband or a child to a father and these relations not give one word of Answer if a poor child in great extremity should cry to his father father help me and the father not to give one word this is a sore tryal if a man cry to a stranger and meet not with one word it is no great disappointment but when a child cries to a father or a wife to an Husband or a friend to a friend and they not to speak a word it is a great trial Secondly it will appear to be a great trial because there is nothing in all the world that a gracious soul longs more after then this that the Lord would be giving a return of prayer that there may be a converse betwixt God and the soul to speak to God and to hear God speaking back again to it nothing that a gracious foul more longs after oh it longs to hear a word from God it knows that the return of prayer is the way to make a soul rich towards God and to make it rich in experience in faith in thankfulness in obedience Oh how doth a Merchant-venturer long for the return of his commodity from a far Country truly there is no merchant in the world can long more for the return of his commodity from a far Country then a gracious soul longs for the return of prayer oh saith the soul when wilt thou come unto me Now if it be that which a gracious soul doth more long after then any thing in the world it is a great trial when God doth not give a return of prayer Thirdly A gracious heart when it puts up a prayer to God it looketh for a return for an answer Psalm 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak And so the Prophet Habakkuk after he had prayed I will get me upon the watch-tower and I will watch to see what he will say unto me I will wait to see what God will speak by his spirit or by his providences one way or other God will speak Now to have this expectation disappointed to wait upon the Lord for an answer and the Lord not to speak one word this is a sore trial Fourthly it must needs be a great trial when God gives never a word of answer for a believing soul knows assuredly that if God do not answer none else can hear prayers and give a return to prayer it is Gods name oh thou that hearest prayers unto thee shall all flesh come God only can hear prayer and God only can give an answer it is God only
though thou dost not meet with one word of answer from the Lord though thou hast cryed nights and dayes weekes months and years and hast not met with with one word of answer yet be comforted this may be the condition of Gods own people And let me say further by way of encouragement that the Lord he extends much good to thee in this deferring and delaying to give out an answer it is for gracious and merciful ends to thy soul that the Lord do not give thee the present mercy thou prayest for he will exercise the spirit of prayer he will exercise thy faith and patience and he will fit thee for mercy and mercy for thee and thou shalt have it so at last as thou shalt bless God for it Yea let me say further though an answer be not given out thy prayer is heard and thy person 〈◊〉 accepted Thy prayer is heard with the Lord oh that that might be a stay to poor souls that are in this condition as the woman of Canaan was that cry and have cryed long I say thy prayer is heard Oh sayes the soul that I knew my prayer were heard if I did but know that the Lord hath heard my prayer I would be content to wait all my dayes for an answer I have been crying for the light of his countenance and for the assurance of his love I have been crying night and day and if the Lord hath heard my prayer I should be content to wait for an answer But how shall I know that the Lord hath heard my prayer I answer thus First of all by that secret support by those secret hints which the Lord is pleased at one time or other to bring to thy spirit some hint of life some hint of comfort Surely if thou hast observed while thou hast waited upon the Lord there hath been some secrets hints of comfort that after thou hast been before the Lord thou hast been at ease and thy trouble is not so great as it was Hannah when she poured out her soul before the Lord she was in great distress but before she went away the Lord heard her prayer and this was the sign there was some ease in her spirit her burden was taken off a great deal refreshed in her spirit and so though the Lord hath given thee but the least hint of comfort the Lord hath heard thy prayer and in due time he will give a full answer Secondly thou mayst know that the Lord hath heard thy prayer by that strength he hath given thee to go thorow Thou art under sore afflictions and temptations such as are ready to break thy very spirit to make thy soul fade and faint and yet thou art supported thou hast cryed to the Lord and thou saist thou hast no answer why doth nor the Lord support thee if the Lord doth support thee and bear thee up under thy burden he doth in some measure answer thee or else how comes it to pass thou hast not sunk under thy burden when Paul besought the Lord under his temptation he prayed thrice that is often that God would take off the Messenger of Satan the temptation was not taken off ah but Paul was heard in his prayer in that the Lord did bear him up under his temptation My grace is sufficient for thee though I do not think good to remove the temptation I have heard thy prayer my grace is sufficient for thee So then remember poor soul that if the Lord hath supported thee the Lord hath heard thy prayer Thirdly doth the Lord carry on thy soul to continue in thy prayer that although thou hast prayed and met with no answer yet thou art resolved still to go on and sayst though the Lord hath not spoken one word to me I will not give over speaking to him but my soul shall still cry after God That was the resolution David took up Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after I have desired it and though I have not attained it I will seek after it as long as I live Is it so that the Lord doth carry up thy spirit still to wait upon him and still thou art crying and breathing after the Lord in prayer that very thing is a certain sign that the Lord hath heard thy prayer Fourthly doth the Lord enable thee and make thee willing to wait upon him thou hast not a present answer yet thou wilt wait as David when he had been at prayer he waited for the mercy Psalm 27. 14. Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart Wait I say on the Lord. Oh my heart wait I say wait on the Lord Hast thou through grace so spoken to thine own heart I have no answer but I desire to wait and I check mine own heart that I can wait no more quietly I speak to mine own heart to wait I say wait on the Lord if it be so the Lord hath heard thy prayer Fifthly observe how thy spirit and how thy carriage is towards God in that time of Gods delay Is thy heart kept up towards God and thy conversation in a way of obedience that thou art desirous still to walk with God and thou durst not go out from God though God give thee no answer but thy heart is made more humble and thou art more meek and more obedient and more watchful and observant of thy heart and watchful over thy wayes is it so the Lord hath heard thy prayer though he gives thee no answer And therefore I say take no care for an answer I speak to such poor souls as have prayed and cryed and have not met with one word of answer from the Lord take no care for an answer only mind that which is thy duty and let the Lord alone he is preparing an answer he is waiting to be gracious he waits for a fit season for such a season as his grace and mercy may be most exalted be not thou so solicitous about an answer but mind what is thy work and thy duty And do thou hold on thy duty in praying to pray in crying to cry yea do thou cry louder then even and the more Christ seems to stop his ears and shut his mouth and give no answer the louder do thou cry as this poor woman did ver 25. Lord help me Secondly this is thy duty while the Lord thus deals with thee to justifie God and condemn thy self clear the Lord lay the blame upon thy self say the Lord is righteous and the Lord is holy and though he make wait me longer and longer yea many years for this mercy yet the Lord is righteous and there is no iniquity in him the Lord cried and I did not hear and the Lord is righteous though he makes me wait long the Lord is gracious that he speaks at all to such a poor creature that there is any promise that he will give out an
answer Oh justifie God and say the Lord is holy thus did the Psalmist Psalm 22. 3. But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel though thou dealest thus with me thou art holy thou art just and thou art righteous and thou art good and faithful though silent for the present to my prayer And so let us say if the Lord be silent to any of our prayers yet Lord thou art holy thou art righteous Thirdly this is thy duty labour to maintain good thoughts of God it is not enough to justifie not to charge God but to maintain good thoughts of God at that time that God is silent to our prayers and do thou believe that God is contriving good at that time now is the Lord waiting to be gracious and preparing an answer Oh this is a blessed frame of heart and how pleasing would it be to God to believe that he is good and that he is gracious and this very thing it is for good for the good of my soul that he may exercise faith and patience and try my perseverance and that he may fit me for mercy and mercy for me Oh that we could entertain good thoughts of a gracious God when he defers an answer Fourthly be looking to God through the Mediator close more with him through the Son look to the great God through the son of David look to him through that merciful and compassionate High-Priest look more to God through Christ and there rest Fifthly and lastly wait patiently for him oh take up a resolution to wait upon the Lord charge thy own heart to do it as David did and though he speaks not to day nor to morrow though he speaks not this month this year not in this opportunity yet say I will wait for the Lord I will wait in every season and get upon the watch-tower and wait patiently and see which way Christ will come to thy soul know it is thy duty to wait take hold of his promise he is a God of judgement and waiteth to be gracious he waiteth for an opportunity and therefore it is good thou shouldst wait it is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Matth. 15. 23. And his Disciples came and besought him saying send her away for she crieth after us SERMON IX CHrist as you have heard is silent to the prayer of the woman he answered her not a word whereupon the Disciples they step in and perform an office and duty of love for this poor woman they step in and they plead with Christ for her Lord send her away for she crieth after us It is a great question with some whether the Disciples did pray for this woman here or no some think that they did not make any request for her there is no mention of any they only say Lord send her away for she crieth after us Lord stop her mouth send her away give her an answer dispatch her for she crieth after us and this was done say they that so the trial of this womans faith might be the greater But I rather conceive that the Disciples in these words did pray for her they did perform an office and duty of love in interceding with Christ for her For First of all it seems they were very earnest in it they came and besought him saying send her away Surely if it had been only to stop her mouth to dispatch her the Disciples would not have been so earnest with Christ to beseech him good nature would have taught them more compassion and therefore grace teacheth them much more And then they seem to be affected with the cry of the woman she crieth after us send her away it breaks our hearts the cries that she makes Thou Son of David have mercy on me And thirdly it is clear and evident in the following verse from the answer that Christ gives upon their seeking of him I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Therefore it is evident that the Disciples did not plead with Christ to send her away to stop her mouth but they did plead with Christ though not mentioned that he would grant her request The truth then which the words hold forth to us is this That it is the duty of Christs Disciples to present the conditions of others unto the Lord in prayer as well as their own We find that Moses the servant of the Lord was much in this work much in praying for others and interceding for Israel upon every occasion he steps in and pleadeth with God for the people And so David in many of the Psalms he presents the conditions of others unto the Lord. And our Lord Jesus Christ himself who is our great pattern was much in the performance of this duty John 17. you shall â—nd there that the most part of the time that Christ spent in prayer it was spent in praying for others there is but one petition that he put for himself in ver 1. and repeated again in ver 5. and all the rest of his time it was spent in praying for others for the Disciples for those that were converted and for those that did belong to God that were not converted Many requests the Lord Jesus makes in the behalf of others and but one for himself And so the Apostle Paul who was a follower of Christ he was much in this work of praying for others Rom. 1. 9. he did appeal to God that he did not neglect this duty 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 And so 2 Tim. 1. 3. I thank God whom I serve from my fore-fathers with pure conscience that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers Paul did remember others before the Lord. But in the opening of the point I shall shew you First who they are that we are bound to pray for whose conditions Gods people are bound to remember before the Lord. Secondly what are the special time we are called unto this duty to remember others before the Lord. If you ask who they are that we are bound to pray for First we are bound to pray for them that have done us wrong a hard lesson but a lesson that Christs Disciples must learn we must pray for those that have done us wrong that have done evil and spoken evil of us See what our Saviour Christ saith Mat. 5. 44. But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you See here out of Christs own mouth this is our duty if we be Christs Disciples we must pray for them that persecute us and despitefully use us we should go to the Lord and beseech the Lord to forgive them thus did Christ Father forgive
though they may be gone very far from God though they have gone a great way from God yet give them not up for desperate Christ hath other sheep then these that he will bring in and know that the Lord is able to bring them in though they be gone far from God and far from his way yet God is able to bring them in the great Shepherd is able to finde them and to lay them on his shoulder and able to bring them into his Fold and therefore we should not be hopeless but still be found waiting upon God in the use of the means if we say there is no hope then we give over the use of the means Hope still and wait upon God in the use of the means cry to God in their behalf wait upon the great Shepherd that he would go forth to seek and to save And we should labour to carry so towards all friends and neighbours and relations that are for the present opposite to God and his wayes that we may gain them they may be such as Christ may bring in Christ's sheep were lost so were we and so were they and therefore take heed that we do not set them off from Christ do nothing to make them out of love with Christ but oh look upon them as those that Christ may bring in and therefore let us do what we can for them Secondly It lets us see the sad condition for the present of those that do not believe in Christ O! that all sinners would consider their sad condition Truly it is a lost estate that every sinner is in and that is a sad estate for a man to be lost lost to God and lost to himself and lost to others yea so lost that he is altogether useless and unserviceable neither profitable unto God nor man yea so lost as he is in a hopeless condition to have no hope Truly there is not any sinner that goes on in a way of sin that hath any true ground of hope and that is a sad condition which is a helpless condition helpless in respect of the creature helpless in respect of himself helpless in respect of all men and oh it is a dangerous way O that sinners would think of it for a man to be lost in a dark slippery dirty way for a man to be lost in a wilderness to have none to guide him no friend to comfort him none to help him out in a vast howling wilderness compassed about with dismal darkness it is a sad condition especially when there are wilde beasts in the wilderness and every step that he sets he treadeth on a Serpent and a Lion in the way O that God would perswade sinners of this their lost condition to be lost and thus lost is a sad estate yet this is their misery and men are not sensible of it And it is more sad because it is the soul that is lost and O! what would it advantage a man or woman to gain the whole world and to lose their own souls What ever slight thoughts men or women have of their precious souls that lodgeth in their bosomes it is of more worth then ten thousand worlds now for a soul to be in the wilderness a soul to be in the dark a soul to be in the midst of Serpents and Lions O it is a sad estate and condition the Lord open the eyes of men and women to see into this their sad condition Thirdly Are poor creatures by nature in a lost estate and condition O that they that are lost would hear the voice of Christ the great Shepherd Every man is lost before brought home to Christ and O that poor lost souls might hear the voice of Christ this day here is glad tydings O that men would receive it The Son of man came to seek and to save thaâ— which was lost Here is glad tydings to you that are in a lost condition O that God would bore the ear of the soul to hear this voice of Christ it is the Shepherd that cryeth after you O my sheep return to me I am come out of heaven to seek you and to save you and I am now gone forth in the ministration of the Gospel for this purpose O that poor lost sheep would hear the voice of the Shepherd and would receive the glad tydings that he brings either men are sensible of their lost estate or they are not there are some that are lost yea many and they know it not but it is more sad for a man that is lost and will not be perswaded that he is lost but he hath a good opinion of his way such a man goes the faster and rideth the faster and he will the sooner be at his journeys end Now to those that are lost and know it not let me say unto you that the Lord Jesus doth at once hold forth both your danger and the remedy against that danger Christ doth by one word hold forth to you that you are lost and he doth hold forth to you the way by which you may be saved from that lost estate you heard that he was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and to the lost sheep of the Gentiles too though Christ's present work was not among them but now Christ sends to the lost sheep of the house of the Gentiles as to the house of Israel and by his word he would convince you that you are lost and doth discover to you the way to come out of that lost condition by believing O that you would hear the voice of the great Shepherd that comes forth this day and gives you an invitation to return But there are some that are sensible of their lost estate O they see it and they know that they are lost and therefore they look upon themselves as the most miserable creatures well here is glad tydings for you this day The Son of man is come to seek and to save what is lost You see your condition to be a sad condition and you say it is lost and what ever it is it can be but lost why the Lord Jesus he was sent on purpose to save that which was lost it was the work that Jesus Christ was sent about the great thing that was put into Christ's Commission the great work that his Father put into his hand to save what was lost Now therefore look to the promises of God yea that gracious promise in Ezek. 34. v. 16. I will see that which was lost and bring again that which waâ— driven away and will binde up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick Thiâ— promise it concerns the poor lost sheep how he will seek them and save them and binde them up O behold there the readiness that is in Christ to finde them and indeed Christ hath the greatest care of such poor lost sheep If a man hath a hundred sheep and one of them be gone astray doth he
all opposition all persecution the worst that Gods people can meet withall in the world nay their very sins and failings and infirmities shall work together for good the infinite wise God will make advantage of all that all that they meet withall shall tend to the furtherance of his work to the bringing about his purpose All shall work together for good yea for the best good though they see it not for the present but wait to the end and by that time God hath done with his people put all together and you shall see that all things shall work together for good nay we know it by experience we have found that God hath brought good out of the greatest evill and out of the greatest affliction And this is to those who are called according to his purpose Eightly There is another ground of comfort which ariseth from the Doctrine of election which is this that The Lord will shorten all the dayes of tribulation which they meet withall here in the world the dayes of affliction and dayes of tribulation shall be shortned for the Elects sake and it is a great refreshment and comfort that God will shorten all the dayes of darkness dayes of tribulation they shall be shortned for the Elects sake all their winter dayes shall be shor dayes dark dayes short dayes there is an eternity of light a coming a day that shall have no end the Sun shall never set but as for the dayes of darkness of sorrow affliction and tribulation the Lord in mercy will shorten them See what is said Matth. 24. 21 22. For then shall be great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no nor ever shall be and except those dayes should be shortened there should no flesh be saved but for the Elects sake those dayes shall be shortned But for the Elects sake all the dayes of publick calamity shall be shortned dark dayes sad dayes such a sad day as the Jewes saw when Jerusalem was taken by Titus it is spoken first of that dark and sad day to the Jewes when so many millions of them perished such tribulation as never was and if the Lord should not shorten those dayes no flesh should be saved that is not one of them would have been left alive upon the earth those dayes were so dark and so sore but for the Elects sake those dayes of tribulation were shortned And so all the dayes of calamity that Gods people meet withall those dayes of distress yea dayes of publick calamity and the dayes of their particular afflictions yea every dark day the Lord will shorten the Lord in mercy will shorten the dayes of their affliction and that is a great comfort to them that though their dayes of affliction be very grievous the Lord in mercy will make their affliction dayes to be but short In the ninth place there is this comfort that doth flow from the knowledge of our election that the Lord will certainly avenge the cause of his people The Lord doth take notice and he will avenge all the wrongs that any of his elect people doth meet withall in the World See Luke 18. 6 7. And the Lord said heare what the unjust Judge saith and shall not God avenge his own elect which cry day and night unto him though he beare long with them I tell you that he will avenge them speedily I tell you saith Christ that he will avenge their cause and all their wrongs and injuries that they meet withall in the World In the tenth and last place there is this ground of comfort that the Lords people those whom he loves from eternity they shall never fall away from him never be plucked out of his hand it is an impossible thing that they should perish This is a mighty ground of strong consolation which they rob poor souls of that doe plead for conditionall election the condition to be performed by the creature it is alwayes at uncertainties to the end of a mans life whether he shall continue and persevere or no. But now the Doctrine of free and absolute and immutable election doth afford this ground of comfort and the knowledge of our being in Gods election doth assure us of this that not any of Christs Sheep shall perish they shall never be drawne off from Christ never be drawn off from following Christ their Shepherd from laying him as the foundation of their life and happinesse Oh! what need have we to get such a ground of comfort in these back-sliding times when so many that make a profession doe swerve from their profession and make shipwrack of their profession of faith But notwithstanding saith the Apostle the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth those that are his Though never so many that make a profession fall away yet the foundation of the Lord stand sure and therefore in Math. 24. 24. See what Christ saith for there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect Christ speaketh of the latter dayes a prophesie of our times that there should arise some that should doe great wonders and be false Christs that shall indeavour to take men off from looking to the true Christ that was crucified at Jerusalem and is risen againe false Christs that shall put you upon it to looke to a Christ within you and they shall come in such a way if it were possible that they should deceive the very Elect but is it not possible that the people of the Lords Election should fall finally they may fall for a time we know not what sinfull practises Gods people may fall into if the Lord leaves them and what errour in judgment if the Lord leaves them but it is not possible that they should be drawne away for ever for the Lord will bring them back againe to the right Christ it is not possible that they should fall away totally and finally for the mighty power of God is ingaged for their security You are kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto salvation If it were in our own hand it were not possible that we should be kept we meet with so much from within from an unbeleeving heart and so much from without but you are kept by the mighty power of God through faith to salvation My Father holds you saith Christ and I hold you and no man can pluck them out of my Fathers hand And so you see the third particular that this doctrine of election doth administer many grounds of strong consolation and great refreshment to the people of God I come now to the fourth particular propounded and that is this That notwithstanding this Doctrine doth administer so much ground of comfort yet The Lords people may meet with many temptations about the Doctrine of Election They may meet with many temptations both
God for God doth no wrong to the creature if he doth love one and not another And it is a strange thing that we in our carnall reason will abridge God of that which we will take to our selves and that is to love where he please if you love one more then another you are not bound to give any account of it and men take a liberty to bestow gifts upon one and not upon another And let not us bind the Lord from that which we will take to our selves to love one and not another And truly if we doe not rest in the good pleasure of God in this we shall but disquiet our spirits and meet with no satisfaction Againe Gods people may be tempted concerning their Relations their children Oh many Parents have many thoughts whether God loves their children or no and whether their children be chosen of God from eternity and especially at some times As when God comes to take away children by death then the temptation sets upon but especially when children goe on in the wayes of sin Parents they pray and wait and they see no fruit but still they goe on in the wayes of sin It may be the Parents dye and leave their children going on in sin and see not the fruit of Gods electing love nor the fruit of Covenant mercy then this proves a sore temptation to them Now to silence this temptation know that there is no beleeving Parent but he may have hope of his children even of all his children while they are young before growne up to renounce the Covenant If God take away any of your children young no Parent but may have hope concerning his children in the Covenant made to beleeving Parents I say they may have hope the Covenant of God will relieve in such a case Ah but when children doe grow up and Parents see that they walke in wayes that are evill and are contrary to God and are far from God yet believing parents may believe that notwithstanding that they may belong to God I say notwithstanding for the present they are far from God and walke contrary to the Lord yet they may be known to the Lord and in his due time he may bring them in And Parents should not give over the use of the meanes and though Parents should wait all their dayes and pray and plead the Covenant and desire to see the fruit of Gods Covenant and should not see it believers they may dye in hope the Lord he may bring in Prodigall children the Lord he may doe them good afterward when you are dead and gone he may bring some of your good counsells and exhortations to their remembrance he may afterward when you lye in the dust bring to remembrance some of your words and may make them work powerfully upon their hearts Believing Parents may still dye in hope though they see not the fruit of the Covenant though their children may be at a great distance from God the Lord may bring them in and you meet with them with comfort at the last day There is one Temptation more concerning others which I shall but touch and that is this Is not the Gospel Preached to all and are not all commanded to believe and is it not declared that whosoever doth believe shall be saved whatsoever man or woman in the World doth believe shall be saved yea doth not the Scripture say that God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth The soul may thus reason with it selfe how can this stand with Gods purpose and decree and election If there be an absolute immutable unchangeable election how can it be declared that whosoever believe in Christ shall be saved whereas if men be not elected they cannot be saved and if elected they shall be saved though they doe not believe Thus the temptation may work I Answer notwithstanding Gods secret purpose the Gospel may and must so be preached and yet there is no deceivablenesse in God nothing but truth and sincerity in God for you must know that we are to walke by the revealed Will of God And all men shall be judged by the revealed Will of God Now what is the revealed Will of God why that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ declaring that whosoever believeth shall be saved And God will certainly make good that word whosoever doth believe shall be saved Never any in the World that came into Christ and believed on his name but was saved Notwithstanding the secret decree and purpose of God and there is no man but may claime life and salvation upon those tearmes on which the Scripture doth hold forth life and salvation and that is beleeving in Jesus Christ Objection But God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth why then sure there is no election I Answer That Scripture doth but hold forth what the thing is which is well pleasing to God that men return to the Lord and that they believe in the name of Christ which is the way to salvation this is a thing that is pleasing to the Lord not that God wills it with an effectuall operative will for then it must needs be But it only holds forth what is pleasing to God not that God will bring all men to repentance not that God will worke faith in all men therein God will be left free to his good pleasure he wills it not with an absolute will for then it must needs be Question But you will say what are the Wills of God contrary one to another hath God a will and a will hath God a revealed will that he will have all men to be saved and is his secret will contrary to his revealed will I Answer no Gods wills are not contrary to one another To say God doth delight and it is a thing pleasing to him that men doe believe and return to the Lord and take hold of Christ and to say that God is not pleased to work this in the heart is no contradiction The Gospel declares that this is well pleasing to God that men doe returne to him and believe in Christ and the Gospel doth declare that whosoever doth beleeve shall be saved Now if God should condemne any man that doth beleeve in Christ then God should walk contrary to his will But to say God doth approve of these things they are excellent and so he wills them that is he delights in them and yet to say God is not pleased to work this in every mans heart there is no contradiction And thus we should labour to silence those temptations which our carnall reason may make concerning this great mystery of Gods election you see what temptations Gods people may meet withall concerning the election of others Matth. 15. 24. I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel SERMON XIIII THere are more sore temptations that Gods people may
doe give it some extraordinary signe oh this is a tempting of God and the Lord may leave such a soul for ever in its unbeliefe when it shall take up such a resolution that it will not believe though it hath the promise unless it hath a signe the Lord I say may leave such a soul in its unbeliefe And further in answer It is true this was Gods way formerly to satisfie his people by a signe by some extraordinary signe and vision but now since the coming of Christ God hath chosen to speak to us by his son see Heb. 1. 2. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son God formerly did reveale himself in an extraordinary way he did appeare sometimes and spake mouth to mouth to Abraham and Moses that was Gods way then but now God hath chose to speak to us by his Son God speaks by Christ and Christ speaketh by the Scripture heare him faith the Father Now Christ hath laid down a rule for our faith and for our obedience and know this that Jesus Christ by his Spirit can so make use of the word that it shall give as cleare and evident satisfaction to a soul concerning the love of God as if God should give a signe as if God should speak immediately from Heaven When the Spirit of the Lord will make use of the word of grace it shall satisfie the soul as fully of his love as if the Lord did appear from Heaven and speak to the soul mouth to mouth Further One thing more I shall speak to this Temptation you that desire a sign and would have an extraordinary sign that God loveth you why know that God hath given you a signe we have signs as well as our fore-fathers had what is the water in Baptisme but a signe to us and the bread and wine in the Sacrament but a signe to us that Ordinance of the Supper which we are partakers of this day the Lord hath condescended to us to give us a signe the bread is a signe and the wine is a signe and the sitting at the Lord Table a signe it is a signe unto faith to every beleeving soul these are signs that God hath loved it from everlasting and set it apart for communion with himself that he hath loved us and given his Son for us that Christ hath loved us and given his blood for us that he is reconciled and hath set us at his Table and we shall sit with him in his Kingdome here is a signe though not unto sence yet here is a signe unto faith We think that Abraham and the Prophets they were happy in that God did appear to them from Heaven and spake to them immediately When God appeared to Abraham and he called to him out of Heaven Now I know that thou lovest me and I have sworne by my self in blessing I will bless thee You think that Abraham and the Prophets were happy that he should tell them that he knew they loved him and that he would love them and would bless them But know it of a certaine that he hath dealt more graciously with us under the Gospel then with them in this very perticular in which we desire a signe in giving us these gracious signes for it was but seldome that God gave them a signe very seldome and it was but to some of them Abraham and the Prophets and Patriarks but now it is Gods ordinary way to give us a signe that which was very rare to them God hath made to us a standing ordinance so that we have a signe continually before us as often as we brake the bread and drink the wine the Lord gives a signe to faith and speaks to faith his everlasting love And therefore take heed that we doe not tempt God to seek another signe What saith Christ Math. 12. 39. The Scribes and Pharisees desired to see a signe from Christ vers 38. An evill and adulterous generation seeketh after a signe and there shall be no signe given to it but the signe of the Prophet Jonas They would not accept of the signe that Christ gave them no they would have other signs They are an adulterous Generation saith Christ and they shall have no other signe but the signe of the Prophet Jonas So when we are seeking for other signes and oh that God would worke extraordinary signes why saith God they shall have no other signes then the signe of the bread and wine and water these shall be sealing signes And know whereas we think some extraordinary sign should convince us and overcome our hearts such is the unbeleefe of our hearts that if we doe not believe when God gives us his word and these signes neither would we believe if God should speake in some extraordinary way from Heaven They have Moses and the Prophets saith Christ if they will not heare them neither will they hear if one rose from the dead Dives he was desirous that one should goe from the dead to his Brethren oh no they have Moses and the Prophets if they will not believe them neither will they believe though one rose from the dead Fourthly Another temptation may be this 〈◊〉 desire to be out of the World that so a man may know what that state is which God hath ordained him unto there may be such a temptation as this a hasting to dye and to goe out of the world that so men might know what their state in another world is what it is that God hath decreed and purposed concerning them I answer There is abudance of folly in this for let me say to such a soul under such a temptation 1. Either thou hast assurance of Gods eternall love or else thou hast it not 2. Thou knowest not but that thou mayest have it or 3. Thou despairest of ever having it Now to the first If the Lord hath given thee any evidence of his love and any hopes of blessednesse in the World to come thou dost very ill thus to make hast to be possessed of that which the Lord hath given thee thou shouldst rather waite the Lords time Remember what the Scripture saith He that believeth maketh not hast If thou hast faith if thou hast any hope of a blessed state in the world to come take heed that thou dost not make hast thou shouldst rather covet and desire to do that which is thy work before thou goest hence thou shouldst desire an opportunity of lifting up the name of the Lord before the Sons of men now there is no such opportunity of making the name of the Lord glorious in the grave and therefore thou shouldst rather desire to know thy work and to doe thy work before thou goest hence Secondly If it be so that thou hast no evidence of Gods love not any knowledge of it for the present yet thou art not without all hope
righteous Justifie God though thou art in the dark and perplexed and troubled in Spirit about thine own Election or the Election of friends yet do thou resolve and say I wil justifie God though God hath not chosen me and my children though God hath not chosen my friends yet no unrighteousness in him Truly this is the way to overcome the Temptation and till a soul be brought to this a soul that is troubled about his Election will never finde rest till he come to justifie God and lye at the feet of the Lord and say Lord though thou condemnest me and all my children and friends thou art righteous till we justifie God we shall have no peace in our selves What a restless condition was Job in when he stood quarrelling with God's Decree He never had peace till he came to Justifie God Job 42. 2. I know that thou canst do every thing I will contend no more When Job came thus to justifie God then Job's Temptation vanished and then the Lord turned unto Job and Turned again his Captivity and doubled the mercies he had taken away That 's the third Rule Fourthly For the Overcoming and Silencing of these Temptations about Election Remember this that when-ever we are tempted about Election that we presently fall to worship the Lord Jesus so it was with this woman in the Text when she met with this Temptation about Election Christ said I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel What follows She came and worshipped him She spake not a word of Discontent but falls down and worshipped him This is the way to overcome the Temptation when you are doubting concerining the love of God perplexed about Election presently fall to worship the Lord worship him Worship him How Worship him First With the Inward Worship of the Spirit Fear before him that is part of his Worship Reverence the Lord greatly in your hearts notwithstanding all that 's part of his worship Love the Lord let your souls be breathing in love towards him cleave unto him pursue after him with your Spirit that is part of the Inward worship Commit your souls unto him trust in him cast your selves upon the Lord and the word of his grace that is the Inward Worship Acknowledge your dependance upon him resolve there to hang say Lord my whole dependance is upon thee my blessedness is in thy hand all that I expect for eternity doth depend upon thee Go and cleave and clasp about the feet of Christ and by faith depend upon Christ and say Lord here I will hold and stay and will not away unless I be pulled away by violence from the feet of Christ This is Internal Worship and this is that worship that gives so much glory to God Abraham believed above hope and against hope and gave glory to God When you are tempted about Election thus worship him And secondly Worship him with External Worship There are two principal parts of this Worship that will tend to the silencing of all temptations about Election The first is Prayer The second is Thanksgiving When you are tempted about Election or doubt of the love of God fall to prayer go and pour out a cry before the Lord go and lament after him and say though I do not know whether thou wilt accept of me O Lord yet I will cry after thee I will lament after thee cry after himself his presence his face his favour his loving kindness go and cry after him this is the way to be rid of the temptation And truly this will be a discovery that God hath Elected thee In Luke 18. you have Christ speaking there of the unrighteous Judge who neither feared God or man but at vers 7. you have him speaking of the righteous Judge and saith he Shall not God avenge his own Elect which cry day and night unto him This is a good discovery that God hath chosen that soul though the soul knows it not when as it is crying after the Lord and resolves to cry and not give over They are his Elect that cry day and night and he will certainly hear their cry God will come in and manifest himself to the soul and therefore when tempted about Election go to Prayer Another part of External Worship is Thanksgiving an excellent Remedy against this Temptation about Election O! desire that thy heart may be put into a thankful frame look up to God for it and plead with the Lord that thy heart may be put into a thankful posture Consider what thou hast to be thankful for Is there nothing O certainly if thou art not exceeding ungrateful thou mayst see somthing to be thankful for in the worst condition O! the years of patience and goodness of the Lord toward thee think upon the bounty of the Lord toward thee Hath not the Lord tendred his Christ to thee And hath he not held forth his promises to thee Hath he not been working upon thy heart to overcome thy heart Is not this worthy of Thankfulness Those supports that thou hast met withall under affliction have not everlasting Arms been under thee Surely thou must say it that everlasting Armes have been under me and why dost thou not bless the Lord that he hath put underneath everlasting Arms Yea hath there not been some secret intimations of love though thou hast not received so much as another Yet hath there not been some secret hints of grace and love O! that is worthy of thankfulness Yea look to all the outward salvations that thou hast met withall look to all the years of goodness and all the years of mercy Hath not God come to thee and to thy Family with many sweet refreshments What None of these worthy of Thankfulness O that thou wouldest learn to creep if thou canst not go and every night when thou lookest back O say here is another day of goodness the Lord might have cut me off here is another day of patience and in the morning when thou wakest think of it the Lord might have cut me off this night Here is another night of patience and see if this cannot draw forth thy soul in thankfulness I have heard of a young man very lately in the Town of Yarmouth that being very weak and nigh to the grave and under the apprehensions of the wrath of God and supposing that he was presently going down to the pit he cries out O that God would spare me but two dayes He would have accounted it a mercy to be kept out of hell but two dayes O! God hath given thee more then two dayes many moneths many years in which the Lord hath exercised his patience O! may not all this provoke thee to thankfulness Well if thou canst not see any thing to be thankful for of that which God hath done for thee why then bless God for what is in himself O! Think upon the gracious Nature of God think upon the glorious Majesty of
his Stewards 1 Cor. 4. 1. Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God Christ hath appointed Officers as his Stewards to dispense his good things to his Servants Fourthly In a House you have the Lawes and Customes of the House In Christ's House there are Lawes and Customes he hath left it on Record the Lawes of his House are written how he will have his House governed all the Lawes of his House are written in his Word it is not left to men to make Lawes for Christ's House No but Christ himself as Head and Lord of his Church he hath made Lawes for the Government of his House Fiftly In a house or houshold there is employment for them in the house so Christ in his house hath employment for all the members of his House some work that he hath appointed for every childe and servant in his House for every one that is a Member of any visible Church or Congregation which is the House of Christ there is work that is common to all that are in the House Psal 134. Bless ye the Lord all ye servants of the Lord which by night stand in the House of the Lord And again in Psal 135. 1 2. Praise ye the Lord praise ye the Name of the Lord praise him O ye servants of the Lord ye that stand in the House of the Lord in the Courts of the House of our God The duty lay upon all in the House of God to bless the Name of Christ and there are some particular works that Christ cuts out for every member Christ would have none in his house idle there is some work that every one may do that may be for the good of the whole house And as this House hath his Work so this house hath its Priviledges O! there are special Priviledges the Lord he is engaged to teach all in his house it lies upon the Master of the house to teach those that are in his Family why the Lord Jesus the Head of the Family hath engaged to teach all that are in the Family Isa 54. 13. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord Sions children they that are of the houshold of God God doth engage for it that they shall all be taught And this is another Priviledge That as the Lord will teach them so he will defend and protect them He hath promised special protection to his children in his House Isa 4. 5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her Assemblies a Cloud and smoak by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence The particular Churches of Christ under the Gospel upon all their glory shall be a defence And this is another Priviledge That the Master of the House will do the servants work You know what the Church saith Isa 26. 12. Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our works in us What-ever he calls for from any of his people in his house he wil do it himself he will strengthen them to do it his own Arm shall be at work This is a choice priviledge that belongs to the house of God Another priviledge is That they shall eat of the best and drink of the best they shall have a feast of fat things and Wine on thee Lees well refined He will make such a Feast in the day of the Gospel upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion upon every house of the Lord the Lord engageth to make them a Feast of Fat things his own flesh shall be set before them which is meat indeed and his blood which is drink indeed Another priviledge is this The servants shall sit down with the Lord and Master at Table Servants have seldome such a priviledge in any house to sit down with their master but in Christ's house all the servants shall sit down at Table with their Lord. O! What a choice priviledge is this to sit at their Lord's Table Nay while they sit at Table their Lord will serve them Such a priviledge the Lord promiseth to his people Luke 12. 37. He shall gird himself and make them sit down to meat and will come forth and serve them He will cut out their portion for them he will see to it that they want nothing that he seeth good for them And he will bless their provision to them that is another priviledge Psal 132. 13 14 15. For the Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation this is my rest for ever here will I dwell I will abundantly bless her provision I will satisfie her poor with bread See the Lord will bless Zions provision and make his people fat and flourishing for so is the Promise Psal 92. 13 14. Those that be planted in the House of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall still bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing These are the priviledges of the Lord's house To shut up all with a word or two of Application If every true Church of Christ be the Lord's house Why then Let not men take it ill if any Church of Christ in obedience to the Rule of Christ and to the Commandment of Christ shall be watchful and cautelous who they receive into the House of Christ Let it be no offence it is a Churches duty and it should not be any Offence they must walk by the Rule that Christ hath left Christ's house hath a rule given them and they must not for a house full of gold and silver go from the rule of the Lord Christ hath left a rule how he will have those qualified that shall be admitted into his house Psal 15. and Psal 24. 3 4. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord And who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully These places speak of Gospel times men and women must be visibly holy And therefore let it be no offence to any that the Church walketh by the Rule of the Master of the Family they must receive none but such as they can judge to be those that are qualified according to the rule that Christ hath left such as Christ hath received and no more you your selves will be choice whom you receive into your houses and I pray let Christ have that liberty you challenge to your selves Secondly From hence it lets us see that the sins of Professors especially the sins and scandals of Church-members must needs be a great dishonour to Christ O that we could think upon it seriously there is much sadness in it that they that have a profession of Christ upon them the Livery of Christ upon them that they that are admitted into the house of
Christ accounted as children there and servants there and friends there that they should walk so as Christ should be dishonoured Professors look to it and ye especially that are Church members your scandals your open sins bring more dishonour to Christ then the sins of the whole world your sins are a shame to Christ they reflect to the dishonour of Christ and shame to Christ It is a sad thing that men should look upon Professors and say they are like the world they make a profession Ah! but they are as greedy after the world as wicked men and they are as proud as the Devil himself O that Professors might not give occasion for wicked men thus to speak for this will be a dishonour to Christ When you see a childe rude and deboist you will say who is his father Or who is his Master What Hath he no Father Or no Master O! What a shame is it to the Master of the House And so for Professors when men shall look upon those of corrupt conversation and they shall say Who is their Master What Christ their Master And they speak so and so And walk so and so O that the Lord would make them that have the profession of Christ upon them watchful in this Take heed that you give no occasion to the world to speak evilly of Christ who is the Lord and Master of his House Thirdly It lets us see what a Priviledge it is to be a Member of the Church of Christ and to have Right thereunto Take that along O! What a priviledge is it What a desireable mercy is it How will every one strive to get their children into great mens houses If they can but get their sons to be one of a Noble-man's house you think it to be a great priviledge O what a mercy and priviledge is it to be one of Christs Family How many are the priviledges that they enjoy that are in Christ's House You had a taste of them before and O that the taste might draw all Christians to the performance of their duty O! How did David long and thirst after it Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord and but one thing What is that That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple O how desirous was David to dwel in the House of the Lord And he counts them blessed Psal 84. 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy House Now if it be such a mercy and priviledge take heed that we do not contemn it and take heed that you do not slight it and say it is no great matter whether I be in the house of God or no so long as I am a Believer O! Take heed that you do not despise such a priviledge Fourthly and Lastly What an engagement doth lye upon all in Christ's house to be holy This is an engagement to duty First It engages the Saints in Church-fellowship unto the exercise of the grace of Love why they are all of one house and of one houshold and and they are engaged to love one another they are engaged to seek the good of one another you take it ill if a servant or childe should not regard what becomes of their fellow servants and fellow brethren every one must seek the good of th' other If one House we are engaged to a great deal of love and tenderness that we should express towards one another not to minde our own things but to minde the good of others but especially in the same house we are bound to do good to all the houshold of Faith but especially in the same house we have the strongest tye to love and to help one another if in Christ's house And if this be Christ's house O! What duty do we owe to Christ that are received into Christs house If in Christ's house we should keep Christ's Lawes the Rules of his house O! what Rules hath Christ given us to walk by Faith and Love the great Commandment of the Gospel O! if in Christ's house know that you are engaged to walk by Christ's Lawes And it engages you to do the work of Christ what is the work that is in Christ's house Surely there is some work for every one Christ will not have an idle person in his house some work Christ layes before every member O that we might be helpful there is somthing in which the meanest member may be serviceable to the house of Christ wait upon the Lord to know your work and wait for strength to do it And we should bless Christ for the provision of his house O! how engaged are we to wait upon the Lord for the blessing the provision of his house what a mercy it is for the Lord to take us into his house and send us the best things making us a feast of fat things wine on the Lees well refined a feast here and a feast in other Ordinance the Supper O! what an engagement to thrive and grow in grace It will be a shame to Christ if his people that enjoy so much if they shall be still lean and ill-thriving As the Lord hath taken us into his house so let us look up to the Lord for his blessing and for the fulfilling of his Promise he hath said That those that are in his house shall be fat and flourishing and well-liking and shall have strength to perform their duty O that they that are in the Lord's house would wait upon the Lord for his blessing Matth. 15. 25. Then came she and worshipped him saying Lord help me SERMON XVII I Come now in this 25the verse to consider the behaviour of this Womans spirit under her temptations she doth not stand to reason about her Election but she presently comes and worshippeth him She came and worshipped him saying Lord help This woman she was under great afflictions at this time such afflictions as made her come and cry to Christ Have mercy on me O Lord thou Son of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil And this her affliction was accompanyed with Temptation and by a second Temptation Christ would make tryal of her faith And though she was under affliction and this affliction accompanied with temptation yet she falls down and worshipped him She came and worshipped him saying Lord Help So that I shall close with this Truth That it is the duty of Saints to worship Christ yea even then when they are in the midst of the greatest afflictions and temptations It is clear from the words and in the opening of the Point I shall First shew you What it is to worship the Lord what is that worship which the Lord doth expect from his people when in affliction and temptation Secondly I shall give you Scripture instances for the Proof of the Point And then Thirdly Consider the Grounds of the Point
And then Fourthly Make some Improvement First To consider What is that Worship which the Lord requires of his people when afflicted and tempted 1. This Worship it is either the Worship of the Spirit Internal Or 2. It is the waiting upon God in those Institutions of his own which he hath appointed for his people to wait upon him in which is External Worship This Worship first is that of the Spirit You will say wherein doth it consist Why it consists First of all In that holy fear and Reverence which we owe unto the Lord and should be acting towards God when God brings into such a condition Fear and Reverence it is a part of Internal Worship Fathers of our flesh corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits Heb. 12. 9. When as the soul is filled with a holy fear fearful to sin against God and to dishonour him in affliction and temptation when the spirit is fearful to grieve the Spirit of God in affliction when it is fearful to take the name of God in vain in the time of affliction by unprofitable and unfruitful bearing of affliction when the spirit is thus composed to a reverend childe-like fear before the Lord in the time of affliction this is part of that Internal Worship the soul owes to God Secondly This Worship consists in Love as well as in fear when the soul is acting in love toward God in time of affliction or temptation as that it dares not conclude that God loves him the less though he be afflicted though he be in temptation so also he desires not to love God one jot the less notwithstanding all afflictions and temptations when the desire of the heart is towards God in time of affliction or temptation O! when wilt thou come unto me saith David Psal 101. 2. And saith the gracious heart let me have God's presence in affliction rather then deliverance from affliction when as the soul is carried out to delight in God in the time of affliction to rejoyce in God and to glory in God and to comfort it self in God as David did when he was sâ—rely distressed at Ziklag yet he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30. 6. Though God taketh away many comforts yet if he give himself the soul is looking towards his portion as a blessed portion one God is better then all the comforts that I have lost I have lost friends and relations but one God and Christ is more excellent then all the creatures in the world when the heart is thus breathing in love towards God in time of affliction or temptation this is a part of that Internal worship it owes to God Thirdly This Internal Worship is that Trust and Affiance the soul hath which it placeth in God alone when the soul is acting of faith in the Lord The Lord is my portion my soul hath said it and therefore I will hope in him I will look toward him I will rest upon his Arm doubtless thou art our Father though all this hath befallen us doubtless God's intentions are gracious it is for my good that he doth thus afflict me doubtless the Lord can and will make a good end of these afflictions for that is his promise Now when the soul is thus roling upon God and resting upon his promise cleaving to the faithfulness of God for the fulfilling of his Promise in time of affliction or temptation this is a great part of that inward worship which God doth require of the soul when it shall thus believe in hope above hope and against hope as Abraham the Father of the faithful did this is Inward Worship Fourthly It consists in the submission of the soul to God That Inward Worship that God doth require of his people in time of affliction or temptation I say it consists in the submission of the spirit unto God when a man desires to make a resignation of his Will unto God If this cup may not pass from me thy will be done when a soul is content to be at the dispose of God for the kinde of affliction and measure of affliction and the time of affliction well if God encrease my burthen let him encrease my strength and my soul shall glory in him if the Lord will continue my affliction longer and I must drink of this cup again and again yea the third time if the Lord will afford his presence in affliction my soul desires to submit to the Lord when thus the heart is affected toward God submitting falling down before the Lord and making a resignation of his Will to the Lord's Will This is that special Worship of the Spirit that Internal Worship that the Father of Spirits calleth for from his children in time of affliction But secondly This Worship must be External as well as Internal and it consists in the giving honour to God in those wayes that are of his own appointment especially in these two First In the pouring out of the soul in supplication before the Lord. Secondly In speaking good words of God These are two great parts of that external worship that God calls his children to in time of affliction to speak gracious words unto God and to speak good words of God to his praise and honour First It is the pouring out the Supplication of the Soul before the Lord in prayer it is a special exercise that God calleth his people to in time of affliction and temptation to be much in supplication pouring out their souls before the Lord. Now this Supplication this Prayer which the Lord doth require and doth delight in it is accompanied First With Humility As you shall finde in the example of this woman her prayer in the day of her distress it was a humble prayer a humble supplication one of the Evangelists observes the Evangelist Mark chap. 7. ve s 25. that she came and fell at his feet this woman came and fell at the feet of Christ and cryed to him Lord help me It is a humble prayer that the Lord doth delight in when the spirit lyeth low before the Lord when the creature is sensible of his own vileness and shall acknowledge with Jacob That he is less then the least of all those mercies which he doth desire and expect at the hand of God that if ever the Lord be gracious it must be free grace somthing in himself that must move him when the soul is enabled by the Spirit of the Lord to put up such a prayer this is a part of that external worship that the Lord requires Secondly You shall finde that this womans prayer was accompanied with Fervency her very expression doth hold forth and declare the ardency of her spirit she cryed before O Lord thou Son of David have mercy on me and now again she breaks forth into this expression Lord Help Why it is such a prayer that God taketh delight
in such a supplication as is sent up with a holy fervency unto God and indeed the Lord brings his people into the furnace of affliction and temptation that so he may kindle this holy fire of zeal and fervency in their bosomes the Lord doth raise the storms that so he may make the Disciples to cry the louder Now therefore when the spirit is thus carried out to God this is such worship as he requires and expects Again thirdly We shall finde that this woman supplication it was accompanied with Faith Fervency without faith could not avail but there is an expression of her faith that Title which she gave to Christ Lord Lord help she looked upon him as the Lord of heaven and earth so she applies her self to him in her distress infinite 〈◊〉 power he was the Lord and had infinite power he was able to help so she resteth upon his all sufficiency sure he that is the Lord the Lord of all he hath power enough in his hand and grace enough in his heart he can do what he please why such a prayer the Lord accepts of as is accompanied with faith the promise is made to faith What-ever you ask in my Name believing you shall receive and the prayer of Faith shall save the sick the prayer of faith can do great things Fourthly This womans prayer was accompanyed with Constancy she held on notwithstanding the discouragements she met withal they were very many and great the Lord as you heard before was silent to her a long time when he speaks he speaks a sad word that he was not sent to such as she was yet she holds on this discouragement might have beaten her off and made her to have said well I see that there is no hope I shall lose my labour but notwithstanding all discouragements she doth continue in supplication she worships and she cryes Lord help It is constancy in Prayer that the heart of God is taken with Christ you know spake a parable to this end Luke 18. 1. That men should pray alwayes The soul should continue with God and abide with God Resolve not to go away from his feet but there to sit and there to wait and there to cry till the Lord be gracious this part of that external worship the Lord requires of his people in time of affliction and temptation Secondly The other part of external worship is in speaking well of God in affliction and temptation So doth this woman she spake well of Christ when she worshipped him she calleth him Lord by which word she doth First of all Exalt and honour Christ Secondly She Justifieth him Both these are good words which God takes well from his people in the time of affliction or temptation First She doth Exalt him she spake to his honour thou art the Lord what-ever I be though I be a poor vile creature as she acknowledged afterward when Christ converted her yet thou art the Lord nay though Christ should debase her yet she would exalt him O this is an excellent frame of spirit an excellent part of that worship we owe to God And as she doth honour God So Secondly She Justifieth him O Lord that very word doth justifie Christ in all his dealings towards her Thou art the Lord thou art Jehovah infinite free and absolute and may do what thou pleasest and in all this thou hast done me no wrong neither canst thou do wrong for thou art the Lord I am thy poor creature thy vassal but thou art the Lord thus she justifieth Christ Now when the soul is thus carried out in time of affliction and temptation to speak such words as may be to the honour of Christ and so to speak as to justifie Christ in all that hath befallen it Lord thou hast done me no wrong thou art righteous though my affliction be very great though my temptation be very prevalent yet the Lord is righteous in all that hath befallen me if he should afflict me seven times more and heat the Furnace seven times hotter I could not say thou wert unrighteous When the soul is thus carried out I say to speak well of God to speak honourably of God and to speak to the justifying of God in his dealings this is a great part of that worship which we owe to God in time of affliction And so you have seen the first particular What it is to worship the Lord or what is that worship which the Lord doth expect from his people in time of affliction and temptation Secondly I shall give you two or three Instances for the proof of the Point That it is the duty of the Saints thus to worship what-ever the affliction or the temptation be and that both with Internal worship of the spirit and with External worship speaking good words unto God and of God Thus it was with Job look into Job 1. 20 21. Then Job arose and rent his Mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshipped and said Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I return thither the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. Job he was under great afflictions at this time all his substance was taken away a sad and unparallel'd affliction and no doubt but it was a day of great temptation to Job for that was the Devil's designe to make Job blaspheme God to his face and therefore without doubt Sathan did suggest horrible temptations or else he had not well prosecuted his designe and yet notwithstanding it was a day of affliction and a day of temptation Job worshipped the Lord expressed holy fear and reverence expressed love and expressed his trust his confidence and his submission and he prays and he praiseth he spake to God and he spake well of God all parts of worship he fell down and worshipped and said The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the Name of the Lord And so David often met with afflictions and temptations and yet you shall finde him worshipping in divers of his Psalmes Yea look upon Jonah and take Jonah for an instance and O that God would make these his Saints patterns to us Jonah 2. 2 3 4. He was in a sad affliction and his affliction was accompanied with temptation he was as low in his own imagination as if he had been in the belly of hell and yet even then when in the Whales belly in the depth of affliction and compassed round about with sore temptations Then Jonah worshipped the Lord vers 4. Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple I said I was cast out of thy sight there is a temptation of distrust when in that sad condition in the bottome of the Sea yet will I look towards thy holy Temple and at vers 7. When my soul fainted within me I remembred the Lord and my prayer came in
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
his type Psal 22. 16. for dogs have compassed me the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me they pierced my hands and my feet Those bloody persecuters of Christ that would not be satisfied but with the blood of the Lamb of God nothing but the shedding of his blood would serve their turn even as the Blood-Hound that hunts the Hind upon the mountain the Lord calls them dogs barking dogs biting dogs have compassed me round about But thirdly What is the childrens bread that must not be given to dogs First The gracious Promises of the Gospel those sweet comforts that God hath laid up in the Promises they are not the portion of wicked men Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God speake ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned Isa 40. 1 2. God doth not send comfort to wicked men while they remain such for all the promises of the Gospel they are Christ's right and Christ's inheritance they are Christ's portion the Apostle saith They are all yea and amen in him now therefore they cannot be applyed to any but to those that have Interest in Christ if promises be yea and amen in Christ they cannot go without Christ he must be thy husband or else thou hast no right in them Quest. But you will say then How shall men come to believe in the promises if they must not be applyed to wicked men How shall they come to have faith in the promise I Answer When the Spirit of the Lord doth perswade the heart of any sinner to accept of Jesus Christ to rest upon Jesus Christ by a particular application as he is freely tendered in the everlasting Gospel when this is done I conceive that soul hath an Interest in Christ and then right to all the promises for every mercy promised is to those that are in Christ and childrens bread is not to be cast to dogs Secondly A place in the House of God is childrens bread a name in God's house fellowshiâ— with the Saints this is childrens bread that be longs only to those that are Christ's at least visibly so Isa 56. 4 5. see what God promiseth 〈◊〉 the Eunuchs For thus saith the Lord unto the Eâ— nuchs that keep my Sabbaths and chuse the thing that please me and take hold of my convenant eveâ— unto them will I give in mine house and within 〈◊〉 walls a place and a name better then of sons 〈◊〉 of daughters I will give them an everlasting 〈◊〉 that shall not be cut off This is made to him thâ—â— feareth the Lord and desires to worship 〈◊〉 Lord aright and desires to sanctifie the Sabbaâ— of the Lord he hath right to this part of childrens bread he hath right to the fellowship 〈◊〉 Saints and Church of Christ and God in duâ—â— time will bring him in though he may be out will give him a name in my house and his namâ— shall be written there the time is a coming thâ— there shall be never a Saint but the Lord 〈◊〉 bring him in Behold how good and how pleasant it 〈◊〉 for Brethren to dwell together in unity Psal 133. 1 there is a large report of Brethrens dwelling together in Unity now they must be Brethren 〈◊〉 else they cannot dwell together in unity It is good and pleasant for brethren dwell together Sons and daughters of the everlasting Father 〈◊〉 that not only by Creation but by Regeneration If Sons and Daughters of the everlasting Father O! Then How good to dwell in the House 〈◊〉 God This is childrens bread Thirdly Sealing Ordinances The seals of â—he Covenant they are childrens bread Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord are childrens bread and they are not to be dispensed to any that are visibly unclean and unholy To instance only in the Supper of the Lord to shew you a little that â—hat is childrens bread and must not be given to â—ny but children For first It is a Seal of the Covenant if the other Ordinance be a Seal then â—hat is a Seal of the Covenant of Grace and â—herefore they must be in the Covenant of grace they must not be strangers to the Covenant that come to this Ordinance that have right to this Ordinance They that are visibly strangers and enemies unto God strangers to this Covenant they cannot have a right to that Ordinance of Jesus Christ Again That Ordinance is a Love-Feast and the Lord he makes it to declare that he is reconciled to all those his friends whom he invites There was a falling out between God and man â—ut when it is taken up by Christ God the Father declares that he is a friend and therefore he invites believers to sup with him which declares and makes it out to them that he is reconciled he makes a feast for this end and therefore called the Lords Supper they shall come and sit at Table with him that he may declare that he is really reconciled and bears no old grudge but hath forgotten all Now therefore they that are enemies that will not be reconciled but profess enmity against the Lord they cannot have right to this Ordinance Again It is a seal of our Communion with Christ and with the Saints The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ And so the Wine it is the Communion of the blood of Christ the signe of it the seal of it a seal of our Communion with Christ and it is a seal of our communion with the Saints all that do partake of it they prosess they are one bread therefore it is an Ordinance that cannot and may not be dispensed to wicked men Besides The Supper of the Lord is an Ordinance that is appointed for the increase of grace it is appointed for a Christians growth therefore of necessity there must be life before there can be growth there must be a principle of grace before there can be increase of grace It is true it is for the weak as well as the strong and if there be any part of spiritual life in the soul that soul may receive it in Christ's way but of necessity there must be life or else no right to the Ordinance for it is appointed for growth in grace to make a weak faith strong and so for the increase of every grace I might add wicked men cannot perform the actions of the living that God calls for in that Ordinance they cannot eat and drink spiritually they may eat the bread and drink the wine but they cannot eat the flesh of Christ and drink the blood of Christ if a wicked man he cannot eat spiritually and so he prophaneth the Ordinance the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ he becomes guilty of it and the Apostle saith He eateth his own damnation if he cannot discern the Lord's body 1 Cor. 11. 29. and eat spirituall by faith sad in the conclusion he eats and drinks damnation of
himself That 's the third piece of childrens bread Sealing Ordinances I should have added a fourth but shall pass it by because of the time it should have been this Holy counsels and reproofs they are childrens bread and I should have shewn you in what cases we ought not to cast them before dogs When we have no call to speak or when we have spoken often again and again and they turn again and tread it under foot when it appears that they sin obstinately do not sin for want of light but sin against light when you have born a sufficient testimony unto the Truth or unto the wayes of God in such cases and the like that part of childrens bread must not be cast to dogs To shut up all with a word or two of Application First of all It lets us see Brethren that way of the Churches of Christ is justifiable by Christ that way of making distinction and separation betwixt person and person betwixt the precious and the vile it is justifiable by the word of the Lord it is one of the hard things for the world to digest this separation this putting a difference between man and man but I pray know that if any Church do act according to the rule to the word of Christ which they may not transgress no not for a house full of gold and silver they must not give that which is holy to dogs cast not pearls before swine saith Christ Matth. 7. 6. And it is to take the childrens bread and cast it to dogs The Church do but walk according to rule let not men condemn it I know what is objected Ah! They are a censorious people they would be Judges they would judge all the world but themselves they only are children and all the world are dogs No we say not so God forbid We say there are seven thousand souls besides those we know that have not bowed their knee to Baal Yeâ— surely there are many thousands I am perswaded of the people of God that are children who are not for the present in any visible House of God But this I say that so long as they are so they are not in the right place they are where the dogs should be till they be in some visible House of Christ they are not in the children place they set themselves among the dogs the Lord would have them among children and there is a time a coming when all that are children shall come in and without shall be none buâ— dogs And let me say to such as are the children of the Lord and not in some visible House of God they cannot have their portion they cannot enjoy childrens bread while out of Christ's house they deprive themselves of that bread which is their right Christ will not have bread given but in his House some Ordinances of Christ cannot be dispenced but in a Communion of Saints and if children will not come into a communion of Saints they must not they cannot enjoy those Ordinances and let it be no offence if the Church according to their duty do labour to keep the Ordinances of God from pollution Quest But you will say What can it hurt me Or What can it hurt another though there be many wicked men in a Communion of Saints that come and partake of the Lord's Supper What is that to me if I be prepared to wait upon the Lord What detriment shall I receive Answ It is to thee A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump If a wicked person be in the Church it is to thee and to the whole company and if thou dost not that which is thy duty thou art defiled by that wicked man It is true if thou hast done thy duty brought it to the Church then thou art not defiled but if thou hast not done thy duty thou art defiled and it is to thee I know what is urged Did not Judas receive the Supper And were there not many wicked men in the Church of Corinth And doth not Christ say the Tares and the wheat must grow together But these may easily be answered As for Judas it is hardly made out that he received the Supper of the Lord but if he did he was a close hypocrite not known to the Church Hypocrites there may be but that is no plea for the admitting of those that are openly scandalous As for those wicked persons in the Church of Corinth it was defective but of right it should not have been so Possibly the best Church may be corrupt and may tollerate wicked persons but by rule it ought not to be so When ye are met together and there be a wicked person amongst you deliver such a one unto Sathan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump 1 Cor. 5. 4 5 6. But to pass by that Secondly In a word What matter of comfort is here to you that are the Lord's people The Lord looks upon you as children all you that fear the Lord and believe in the name of his Son you are the Lord's children cared for and provided for by the Lord. Provision is made by God himself he will take care that you shall have bread Christ takes care for his children O! This is childrens bread and I must not give the childrens bread unto dogs O! That this might refresh your souls that Christ looketh upon you as children and that he takes care to provide bread for you He will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish Prov. 10. 3. Children you shall have bread you shall have Ordinances Promises they belong to you they are your bread the Lord will in due time give out that which your souls wait for for the children shall have their bread O that the Lord would raise up our hearts to expect this when we come before him in the Lords Supper Let children look for their bread wait for bread from heaven to be given out there is never an hired servant in Christ's House but shall have bread enough so the Prodigal did acknowledge and if the hired servants shall have bread the children shall not famish O! Wait upon the Lord who will give his children bread and give it in due season Again thirdly What cause have you to admire at the goodness of the Lord thus to you that are his children Children so provided for O! The free grace of God to us poor out-casts of the Gentiles Time was when we were dogs and that the Lord should make them to be children that were dogs set them at his Table that were cast out and give them childrens bread that had not right no not to the crumbs O the free grace of God let us admire it and let us debase our selves and lie low before the Lord and say O! What am I poor dead dog that I should sit at Table with the King and that
I will lay may hand upon my mouth vers 5. Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will proceed no further Behold I am vile as vile as thou hast discovered to me Lord I see it and therefore I will stand no more upon my own justification but I will justifie thee and truly so it is with every soul that is truly humbled when God comes and makes a discovery of its corrupt nature and life and chargeth sin upon him it is so and so aggravated thou hast sinned against light against knowledge against mercy and goodness truth Lord all is true saith the gracious heart yea not only when God speaks in the way of discovery of sin the soul that is humble will cry truth Lord and justifie the Lord. But secondly Even then when the Lord speaks very sharply in a way of threatening the soul that is truly humble it will justifie the Lord Psal 51. 4. Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest Here David he will justifie the Lord in all that he spake against him as much as if David should say I have made this publique confession and have penned this Psalm that I might clear thee before all the world that I might justifie God what ever God should do against David or speak against David I will say Lord thou art righteous He would justifie God in all that God had spoken against him and yet God spake terrible things against David by Nathan the Prophet 2 Sam. 12. 10 11 12. Verse 10. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of sriah the Hittite to be thy wife Verse 11. Thus saith the Lord Behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house and I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy Neighbour and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this Sun Verse 12. For thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Sun See here what terrible things God threatens he threatens that the sword should never depart from his house That he would raise up evil against him out of his own house a terrible threatning Nay God threatens that he would give his wives to his Neighbours that should defile them before his face a terrible threatening Nay God tells him that this should be done before all Israel and in the face of the Sun And yet Lord I will clear thee when thou judgest and justifie thee when thou speakest Take another instance in old Eli and you shall see how he justified the Lord when the Lord spake against him 1 Sam. 3. 18. at verse 11. Behold I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle and at verse 14. I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Elies house shall not be purged with Sacrifice nor Offering for ever Now all this was told Eli at verse 18. And Samuel told him every whit and hid nothing from him And he said It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good And so Hezekiah take that instance and see how he justified the Lord when the Lord spake terribly against him 2 Kings 20. 19. at vers 17 18. God threatens Hezekiah because he boasted of his treasure and shews it to the Ambassadors of the King of Babylon verse 17. Behold the dayes come that all that is in thine house and that which thy fathers have laid up in store to this day shall be carried unto Babylon nothing shall be left saith the Lord. Verse 18. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget shall they take away and they shall be Eunuchs in the Palace of the King of Babylon A hard lesson and yet he justifies the Lord Verse 19. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken So that you see that a gracious heart that is truly humbled before the Lord it will justifie the Lord in all that he speaks against it when he discovers sin or threatens punishment still he will justifie the Lord and not only justifie the Lord in what he hath spoken but he will justifie the Lord in what he shall speak if God should speak seven times worse still a gracious heart that is truly humble resolves to justifie the Lord 2 Sam. 15. 26. saith David But if he thus say I have no delight in thee Behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him He did not only justifie the Lord in what he had spoken but in what the Lord should say if the Lord should say I will use David no more nor bring David back no more to his Throne David in that justifieth God and submits to the Lord. But secondly A gracious heart that is truly humbled desires to justifie God in his Actings when God shall act against him as well as speak against him it will justifie the Lord if the Lord shall prefer others before him in this he will justifie the Lord. Instance in this woman of Canaan the Jewes the children they must have whole loaves and full dishes and they must be preferr'd before her yet she justifies the Lord and says Truth Lord. But I shall make it out to you in divers particulars that you may see how a gracious heart that is truly humbled will justifie the Lord in his actings First of all If the Lord shall manifest more love more grace more favour unto others then to it self though there be nothing in all the world that it longeth more after then after the enjoyment of the presence of God yet if the Lord shall be pleased to discover more of himself and give out more clear full intimations of his love and grace to others then to it self it desires to justifie the Lord. Christ as I said he will deal with the Jews as with children give them whole loaves and full dishes this woman she justifies the Lord and if the Lord will give more tokens of acceptance to others then to it self still it desires to justifie the Lord The heart that is unsound cannot do this nothing is more hard to bear that the Lord should shew more favour to others then to them so it was with Cain the Lord shewed more favour to Abel his brother then to him God gave him a token of his acceptance Cain could not bear it and so the Prâ—digal's eldest brother the father shews a great deal of love to the returning Prodigal and the eldest brother could not bear it I have served thee all my dayes and thou hast not dealt so with me thou hast not killed the fatted calf for me But the soul that is truly humble it will justifie the Lord in this if the Lord gives
the Lord both in his sayings and doings when God shall speak against him and discover his vileness and sin it will say Truth Lord or when God shall threaten most severely nay when God shall walk in those ways that are hard to bear yet a soul that is truly humbled desires to submit to the Lord and to justifie the Lord. And secondly When God shall not only speak himself but when God shall make use of men yea wicked men and shall set them to speak against it when God shall set them to revile and set them to act against it to persecute it the soul that is truly humbled it will justifie the Lord in that dispensation so did David 2 Sam. 16. 7 8. And thus said Shimei wheu he cursed Come out come out thou bloody man and thou man of Belial the Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou hast reigned and the Lord hath delivered the Kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son and behold thou art taken to thy mischief because thou art a bloody man Shimei he came and railed against David it was a great indignity that was done against David by that railing wretch and he took up stones and cast at the King at verse 6. and it was when David was in distress he was driven out by Absalom from Jerusalem he takes that advantage he comes and rails and calls him the bloody man and saith he the Lord hath now avenged the blood of thy masters house upon thee yet David at this time justifies the Lord verse 10. So let him curse because the Lord hath said unto him Curse David who shall then say Wherefore hast thou done so See here how David justifies the Lord though that which this raising man did object against David was false he calls him a bloody man in respect of Saul's house David was clear in that and innocent yet David he layes it to heart and concludes that God had some designe in it though in respect of Saul's house I am not a bloody man yet I shed the blood of Vriah David he is silent the Lord hath bid him curse David and therefore David useth many arguments for to justifie the Lord and to quiet his own spirit and the spirit of others as you may see vers 11 12. And David said to Abishai and to all his servants Behold my Son which came forth of my bowels seeketh my life how much more now may this Btnj amite do it Let him alone and let him curse for the Lord hath bidden him Verse 12. It may be the Lord will look on mine affliction and that the Lord will requite good for his cursing this day And so David in patience doth possess his soul and justifie the Lord in that dispensation A word or two of Application and so I shall conclude First of all This calls upon us to be more in the practise of this duty O that the Lord would help all his people to learn this lesson It is a hard lesson we had need look up to the Lord that he would teach us to justifie the Lord when he speaks and acts against us when he speaks himself or when he suffers men to speak against us It is our duty as you have heard to justifie the Lord as this woman of Canaan did and as those in Micah 7. did I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him O that we could make those holy men our pattern that we heard spoken of before Look upon Moses upon Aaron upon David upon Hezekiah upon Job upon good old Eli upon this Woman of Canaan O! How did they justifie the Lord when the Lord spake hard things and stretched out his hand in a way of sore affliction Still we finde them justifying the Lord and O that we could look upon them as our pattern To perswade us to this Duty First of all Consider That it is the Lord It is the Lord that speaks it is the Lord that acts when-ever there is any affliction upon us it is of the Lord and if it be of the Lord and from the Lord why should we not justifie him That was a prevailing argument with good old Eli when as those terrible threatnings came to his ear That God would do that against his House at which both the Eares of every one that heard it should tingle and that the iniquity of Eli's House should not be purged away with sacrifice nor offering for ever It is the Lord saith he let him do what seemeth him good He hath power over all creatures as the Potter hath power over the clay and saith David I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it Secondly Consider That all that God speaks and doth is God and if so Why should we not justifie the Lord You know what Hezekiah said 2 Kings 20. 19. Good is the Word of the Lord A hard word it was that all his Treasure should be carried unto Babylon and his Sons also and made servants there and yet he sath good is the Word of the Lord. What-ever God doth is good though it may seem to be never so hard yet there is some good in all that he speaks and doth and the Lord doth it for good Doth not thy Word do good Every word of the Lord is good and doth good to them that are his children though it be a hard word yet all God's words and all God's wayes shall work together for good he will bring good out of them if the heart be submitting to God and justifying the Lord in that dispensation Thirdly Consider That there is mercy in every dispensation and that God doth afflict less then the sin deserveth Though the affliction may seem to be hard truly if we look into our own hearts and wayes we might see that there is that which might provoke the Lord to afflict seven times more The Church in the Lamentations when she came to consider how she had provoked the Lord though before she had cryed out bitterly of her Wormwood and Gall yet in Lam. 3. 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not We have provoked the Lord greatly and it is mercy that we are not consumed mercy that we are out of hell and therefore good cause that we should justifie the Lord. Yea and let us justifie the Lord when he suffers men to speak against us O! This is a hard lesson to flesh and blood but know it is a duty that God calls for when men do revile and speak evil and do accuse us so and so still it is our work to justifie the Lord Look back to that pattern of David in the case of Shimei and let us make it our pattern when-ever we meet with revilings and hard sayings from men he justified the Lord though it was false that which Shimei did accuse him of That he was a bloody
man in respect of Saul's House yet he justified the Lord the Lord sees that I am a bloody man though not in that particular and therefore saith he The Lord hath bidden him Either thou art guilty or not guilty when God suffers men to revile and speak evil and to fasten such accusations upon thee if thou art guilty it is thy duty to make use of it by whomsoever God shall discover it make use of that which comes out of the enemies mouth to finde out the evil that is in our own hearts But if thou art clear and not guilty of that which thou art accused of yet in respect of the Lord there is cause of justifying the Lord So David though he was not guilty in that respect that Shimei said he was guilty yet saith he it is just with the Lord and it is a righteous thing that I should be thus accused by Shimei And for the quieting of thy spirit use those Arguments that David did Behold the Son out of my Bowels riseth up against me and therefore shall I think it a great matter for a stranger to do it So let us say behold here is that which riseth up in mine own heart the corruptions in mine own bosome that doth me many an ill turn shall I think much that strangers do accuse me And consider also that which David said The Lord doth hear the curses of Shimei and will do me good by it And so if thou canst approve thy heart to God and art not guilty of what men do accuse thee of and that thou canst say it is false in respect of man but in respect of God thou sayest Truth Lord Know that the Lord he can do thee good by it and that he will turn those very curses of men to thy good Again One word of Use more and so I shall conclude Look up to the Lord for this grace of Humility O! What cause have we to give up our hearts into God's hand that he may make us truly humble Surely we shall never be able to justifie the Lord if the heart be not laid low and made truly humble The Lord Jesus he had humbled this woman he had laid her very low he had sanctified her affliction to humble her she had met with great afflictions her daughter was vexed with a dvvil the Lord sanctified that affliction to humble her And she also met with great temptations three sore Temptations we read of and the Lord also sanctified those temptations to humble her And she had also met with discoveries of grace and love the Lord revealed himself very gloriously to her faith or else she could never have held out the Lord also sanctified those discoveries to humble her and lay her low Truly if this woman had not had a humble heart she could never have carried it so in the time of affliction and in the time of this temptation but she would have flown in the face of Christ Christ calls her dog and tells her That it is not meet to take the childrens bread and give it to dogs if her heart had not been humble she would have discovered her self to have been a dog she would have barked against him but she carried it very graciously and in all that Christ spake justified him Truth Lord. O that we might go to the Lord and beg of God that he would give out more of this grace of humility to us A proud heart will never justifie God when he speaks himself or when he suffers men to speak a proud heart will never take a repulse from God nor reproofs from men O! There is need of the grace of humility that will enable a soul to justifie the Lord in what-ever he shall speak and in what-ever he shall do The Apostle saith God resisteth the proud but he giveth grace to the humble He gives this grace to the humble that they shall carry it graciously when the Lord speaks against them when the Lord shall make a discovery of their hearts to them of their Corruptions to them of the deserving of their Transgressions to them they shall justifie the Lord and say Truth Lord all is true And when God shall suffer men to speak against them the Lord gives grace to the humble they shall have this grace made able to justifie the Lord. And truly When the soul is brought into this posture when the soul is thus truly humbled before the Lord and can justifie the Lord when the Lord speaks it is not far from deliverance Salvation is nigh Deliverance is at hand the time of God's Controversie is at an end When God hath thus humbled the soul under his mighty hand and made it willing to lye low and to justifie the Lord in all that he speakes and doth surely the time of refreshment from the presence of the Lord is not far off The Prophet Ezekiel he lay low before the Lord there were discoveries of the glorious Majesty of the Lord made to him at the latter end of the first Chapter As the appearance of the Bowe that is in the Cloud in the day of Raine so was the appearance of the brightness round about this was the appearance of the likenesse of the Glory of the Lord and when I saw it I fell upon my face See here he lay low before the Lord and in Chap. 2. and Verse 2. What is said And the Spirit entred into me when he spake unto me and set me upon my feet And truly Brethren When the Lord giveth out such a frame of spirit that the heart is made so humble as to lie low before the Lord and to justifie the Lord in what he speakes and doth the Spirit of the Lord is not far Salvation is not far off As the Spirit did enter into Ezekiel and set him upon his feet so the Spirit of the Lord will come into that soul and fill it with joy and refreshment from the Lord's presence Eccles 12. 1. Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth while the evil dayes come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them SOlomon having spent a great part of his life in following after vanity and being brought by the Spirit of God to a serious consideration of his wayes he doth write this Book of Ecclesiastes as the Book of his Repentance and like a true penitent he takes care of the souls of others and gives warning to all men that they should take heed that they do not split against those Rocks against which he cast himself He is exceeding careful of the souls of men and in a special manner he takes care of the souls of young men he speaks once and again to them that they might be warned by him and not spend their youth in vanity that they might not lose the comfort that they might enjoy by enjoying God and that they might not lose their opportunities of doing God service in their youth Now
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
together and they languish together when faith is sick hope is infirm and when faith is lively hope is active yea they will expire together when a believing soul shall come into the bosome of Christ no need of faith and hope Faith that looks to the truth of the promise and hope looks to the good of the promise that is the difference between faith and hope Faith closes with the Promise because it is true and Hope that cleaves to it and expects the fulfilling of it because it is a sutable good which God hath promised so that by the opening of this description of hope you may in part see what that hope is which will be as an Anchor to a man's soul That 's the first particular But secondly I shall make it out unto you that this hope is the Anchor of the soul and I shall shew you that it is of the same use to the soul that the Anchor is to the ship First of all The Anchor is useful in time of storms the Anchor doth keep the ship from being driven up and down with various winds if it were not for the Anchor the ship would somtimes be carried back again after it hath gone a great way in its Voyage of the same use is Hope to a believing soul it is exceeding useful in time of temptation when contrary winds blow even such winds as would drive the soul back again if it were not for the Anchor of Hope It is said of Christ That for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross despised the shame and that we bear up against the strong winds of temptation and against all the discouragements that we meet with it is by this Anchor of Hope if it were not for the hope of joy and glory in heaven it were not possible that a soul should bear up against so many winds of temptation Secondly The Anchor keeps the ship from tossing When the waves roar the Anchor is then exceeding useful it keeps the ship from being removed for though it may be moved yet not removed because the Anchor is sure though the waves rise never so high and be never so boisterous yet if they cast Anchor the Mariners lay them down to sleep they are secure because they have cast Anchor And of that use is this Grace of hope to a believing soul the waves many times rise high afflictions persecutions David complains of it Psal 38. 12. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things and imagine deceit all the day long Verse 13. But I as a deaf man heard not and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth Verse 15. For in thee O Lord do I hope Thou wilt hear O Lord my God I was not moved by this saith he I cast anchor in thee O Lord In thee O Lord do I hope thou wilt hear me O Lord my God He cast Anchor in God and then he lies down and rests And so in Psal 42. There were many waves that did rise very high in his own spirit and what doth he do Why he casts anchor in God as in verse 11. Why art thou cast down O my soul And why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Hope still in God cast thy Anchor there and then rest for I shall yet see the time to praise him I shall overcome all storms and shall live to see a câ—lm and therefore O my soul cast anchor in God hope thou in God Thirdly The Anchor keeps the ship from splitting many times upon the sands and rocks when they are very neer danger almost running upon a rock the casting out of an Anchor somtimes doth deliver them Hope is of the same use to a believing soul it keeps the poor soul from splitting upon many discouraging rocks that are in the way to heaven Psal 27. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living If it had not been for the Anchor of hope I had split I had fainted and my soul had been split but I believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living the anchor of hope it is that which keeps the soul from splitting upon the rocks Fourthly The anchor keeps the ship close to the place where the Anchor is cast that it shall not be removed far from that place so the grace of hope in this respect is also useful it keeps the heart close to God and Christ that is the benefit of this anchor of hope the men of the world that have not hope in Christ they live at a great distance from God and Christ they dwell at a great distance from heaven they are far from God God is not in all their thoughts because they have not this Anchor of hope if the anchor of their hope were cast in heaven it were not possible that their souls should be at a distance from God the more there is hope the more nigher God it is want of this lively hope that men are so far from God That 's the fourth Fiftly The Anchor is made sure by a Cable that is fastned to it and so the hope of a believing soul will do no good without a Cable now this Cable it is the word of Promise it is the sure word of the Lord that keeps the soul fast If a Ship have a hundred anchors at Sea if they be not fastned to a Cable they will do no good and truly so is hope if it hath not a Cable if men pretend to have hope and that hope not fastned upon the word of the Lord so fast as it is cast it will be lost But the hope of a believing soul is fastned upon the word of the Lord the promise of the Lord and therefore it will hold Sixtly The Sea-man casts his Anchor at a venture he doth not know whether his anchor will reach the bottome or no he doth not know whether his Cable be long enough or whether his anchor will take hold or no and he doth not know whether his anchor will hold when it hath taken hold yet notwithstanding all he makes a venture when he hath need to cast his anchor and so it is with a believing soul when a soul comes first to God he makes a desperate venture he sees his faith is weak and his hope weak and he doth not know whether it will take hold of the rock or no will not my expectation fail All this is objected but the believing soul makes a venture faith is given and it makes a venture he sees that there lies a necessity upon it if I do not cast anchor I perish the winds blow hard and I see a rock before me a gulf and if I do not cast anchor I perish and if I cast anchor it may
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Christ tells this woman that he cannot do it for her because it did not lie in his Commission to which he must be faithful he could not go beyond his Commission What may we learn from hence We may take notice of this Historical Proposition That our Lord Jesus Christ in all he did he acted by commission and kept his eye upon his commission which he was faithful unto The Scripture holds forth that he was sent of his Father the Father sent him and gave him a commandment what he should do and what he should speak And Jesus Christ he was very faithful in observing his commission he kept his eye upon the work that his Father had given him to do and in that work he was faithful In every thing that Jesus Christ acted he looked to his Fathers rule the commission that his Father had given him See John 5. 30. I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge and my Judgement in just because I seek not mine own will but the will of the Father which hath sent me And as in the matter of judging so in all other dispensations Christ was pleased to look to the will of his Father that sent him I came not to do my own will in that thing but the will of my Father And so in John 6. 38 39. For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me and this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day As in his works of judging so in his works of mercy Christ kept his eye upon his Fathers will he looked to his commission this is the Fathers will that I should lose none of them but that I should give life to them all and raise them up at the last day Yea in his very words in all Christ spake he kept his eye upon the rule and spake according to his Fathers will and commandment I speak not of my self but what I have heard of my Father John 8. 26. I spake to the world those things which I have heard of him John 12. 50. Even as the Father said unto me so I speak In all that Christ spake he kept his eye upon his Commission And as in all that Christ spake he kept his eye upon his commission so in all Christ did As the Father gave me commandment even so I do John 14. 31. still his eye was upon the commandment of his Father upon his commission And in obedience to that commission he lays down his life John 10. 15. And I lay down my life for the sheep Ver. 18. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again this commandment have I received of my Father Yea in Christs motions this way and that way his going to one place and not to another his preaching in one place and not in another still he kept his eye upon the commission of his Father See Luke 4. 43. I must preach the Kingdom of God to other Cities also for therefore am I sent They would have kept Christ with them no saith he I must preach the Kingdom of God in other Cities in all that Christ did he kept his eye upon his Fathers commission he looked to his Fathers will and that was his rule to walk by And the ground of it is this because Christ was found in the form of a servant though he thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet he took upon him the form of a servant though the Son of God yet he was content to be a servant that he might bring about the great work of Redemption Therefore God calls him the righteous servant By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Isaiah 53. 11. And as Christ was a righteous servant a faithful servant so he kept his eye upon his commission Now if Christ had not done so if he had not acted all things according to the will of his Father he had not been a righteous servant but he was his Fathers righteous servant and therefore he evermore looked upon his commission what was his Fathers will and so he applyed himself to it And as in all other things so in this particular in the Text of preaching the Gospel and shewing mercy first to the Jews and not to the Gentiles I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel I am sent to shew mercy to the house of Israel still he eyed that work that was committed to him because the promise was made to them the promise of the Messias it was first made to Abraham and his seed to that Nation that came out of the loins of Abraham And Christ came to confirm the promise that was made to Abraham and his Seed therefore in this thing he observed his Fathers order and his Fathers time though his Father had a design of mercy to the Gentiles yet he will shew mercy first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles So that the Jews first of all must have the offer and then the Gentiles shall have their time Christ eyed his Fathers will and time therefore he applies himself to that work But by way of Application First what cause have we who are of the stock of the Gentiles who live in this time and in this Generation to bless the Lord that we do live in that time when the partition-wall is taken down there was a time when the Jews only were the people of God and when Gods design was to shew mercy to them and there was a time when mercy seemed to be restrained from the Gentiles there was a time when Christ must not preach to the Gentiles so it was his commission then not to shew mercy to the Gentiles at that time Go not into any of the wayes of the Gentiles and into any of the Cities of Samaria enter not There was a time when the Gentiles were shut out from mercy when the word of life and salvation was restrained from them when the Lord gave this commission go not into the way of the Gentiles oh how are we beholden to free-grace that hath broken down this wall of partition that now since the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ there is no difference but now mercy is freely offered to the Gentiles as well as to the Jewes for the wall of partition is now broken down and of how should we admire the grace of God in it we that were out-casts of the Gentiles sinners of the Gentiles that the Lord should ever send to perswade us to dwell in the Tents of Shem we we might have dwelt in the barren wilderness every day and never have been called and that God should invite us to dwell in
the Tents of Shem oh the free grace of God to poor sinners that we live in such a time that there is not a restraint upon the word of the Lord nor upon his servants in bringing his word to us Gentiles oh we are engaged to the Lord that it is our lot to stand here And this may teach us to admire the unspeakable and wonderful love of God that is let out to the Gentiles I say we should with holy fear admire it the Jews were the Lords first born Christ was sent first to them cheifly to them they must have the first tender and the first offer of mercy the kingdom of God came first to them and yet behold now that word of Christ is verified the first shall be last and the last first they were the first and the Gentiles were the last We were shut out and a restraint laid upon the Apostles go not into their Cities ah but now the first is last and now God saith go not into the Cities of the Jews go not to the house of Israel but to the Cities of the Gentiles Oh the wonderful love of God that the last should be first and the first last And oh how should this teach us to fear before the Lord and to take heed that we do not provok◠the Lord to deal with us as he dealt with the Jews I say take heed of provoking the Lord take heed that we do not reject Christ take heed we do not reject the tender of mercy that we do not neglect the great salvation held forth to us that we do not trample under our feet the blood of the Covenant take heed that we do not refuse to hear and to receive the things of our peace Oh this was that which provoked the Lord to cast off the Jews when they cast off Christ and would none of him when they cast out the Lord of the Vineyard when they would not accept of the glad tydings held forth to them then the Lord takes away the Word of Life from them and sent it to us that the first is last and the last first And let us take heed that we do not rest upon our priviledges We have the Word and the Ordinances God deals not so with every people ah but let us take heed that we do not rest upon our priviledges as they did because they were the seed of Abraham they had the Law they had the Covenant the Oracles of God and therefore they rested upon them did not walk worthy of them and therefor◠〈◊〉 Lord took it from them Now take heed that we do not rest upon our priviledges we have the Gospel and fellowship with Saints take heed we do not rest in them but 〈◊〉 let us labour to walk up to them receive Christ in the Gospel and walk up to our enjoyments or else we may provoke the Lord to take away the kingdom of God from us lest the Lord should and that is dangerous every man that is lost he is lost in a dark way the way of sin it is a way of darkness The Wiseman saith of the sinner he knows not whither he goes his way is the way of darkness he is lost in a way of darkness and 〈◊〉 he knows not whither he goes And as it is a dark way so it is a filthy way it is a miry way that a poor sinner is lost in a way where there is nothing but dirt that when a poor creature falls he defiles himself is wofully defiled with sin which is the greatest defilement And it is a slippery way and that maketh it more dangerous the way that we are lost in it is a slippery way and so slippery that it is not possible for a poor creature to keep his feet he faleth every day yea he falls and falls and bruiseth himself by his falls And as the way it self is dangerous so there are many dangers in the way there is a Lion in the way and there are fiery Serpents in the way The way of Israel in the wilderness was a dangerous way truly this is the way that all Adams sons and daughters are lost in where the Serpent lyeth the Lion also the old Serpent that watcheth to fright and destroy and devour And oh the pits that are in the way and the snares that are in the way and the enemies that are in the way And further the way is sad in respect of the end of it The way that we are lost in it is a way that doth lead to destruction the end of the way is death and it is not possible for a man to miss the pit and to miss destruction and death if the Lord doth not help him out of the way Every sinner that is lost he will go further and further in this way till he comes to the end which is death unless the Lord help him out of the way unless the Lord order it so that he cannot find his way he ceases not till he comes to the end of his way which is death And it is the more sad and dangerous because that a poor creature hath none to help him none to stand by him so long as a man is out of Christ till Christ comes and finds a soul none comes to take care of him and help him out of this dark way none to protect him none to guide him none to go before him none to discover the pit and snare to him none to uphold him and keep him from falling none to stand by him in this sad and dangerous way You see the Point opened a little by way of Application and so conclude First of all it lets us see that there are many that may be Christs sheep though for the present they be lost yet many that we look upon as lost may be Christs sheep For although it is true we cannot own them till they have the mark of Christs sheep upon them Saints cannot own them for God himself doth not own them visibly before the world till they hear the voice of Christ ah but yet they may belong to Christ and may be his sheep though for the present they may be lost I have other sheep saith Christ I have other sheep that I will bring in they are my sheep now though poor wandring sheep though lost in a wilderness yet they are my sheep and they shall hear my voice and I will bring them into my fold Therefore this should teach us not to mourn as men without hope as the Apostle speaketh in another case not mourn as men without hope for the dead so when we look upon Friends and Relations and cannot but judge them for the present in a lost condition we may mourn and we ought to mourn but not mourn as men without hope for they may belong to Christ and Christ may bring them in though they be not yet brought in therefore we should not give them up for desperate