but also have enjoyed all the Peace and plenty that the world could promise This I speak as a naturall man and this indeed is the iudgement of the naturall man looking no higher then this world and the second causes But as the Messenger of God I may say had yee dealt wickedly against his Covenant and blest your selves in your owne heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of mine heart the Lord would not have spared you but the anger of the Lord and his Iealousie would have smoaked against you q The other thing that I would to this purpose commend is that ye would remember that besides Haeresie which opposeth the truth professed by the Kirk and beside Schisme which destroyeth the Unity of the Kirk Profanenesse of heart and life which is a third pâ—st hath ever spoiled the holinesse of the Kirk and is a most high provocation against the most holy Lord God which we are all to strive against as vvell as against Haeresie and Schisme by joyning the povver of Godlinesse with the Profession and forme thereof r and by holding the mystery of the Faith in a pure Conscience s which some sometime amongst you having put away and that with violence done to their conscience as the Word dimporteth concerning Faith have made shipwrack t and have endeavoured to bring others upon the Rocks that they might perish with them Spirituall judgements are to be observed no lesse then temporall both because there is more wrath in them and they are more hardly discerned Pelagianisme of old and Arminianisme of late is the just punishment of a formall Profession Socinianisme of the neglect of the Sonne of God Antinomianisme of turning the grace of God into wantonnesse Anabaptisme of Baptizing of Infants in private and of the slighting of the Baptisme in publick as if it did not concerne the whole Congregation and Separation of the despising of the true Government of the Kirk so doth the Lord send strong delusions upon them that receive not the love of the truth and take pleasure in unrighteousnesse u I will not excuse the length of this Epistle because I intended it I am not bounded to a time in writing as I behoved to be in Preaching I am bold with you because I know you To save you from spirituall judgements to deliver you comfortably from your present troubles and to make you walke worthy of the grace wherein the Lord hath abourded toward you that you fall not and that you may be presented faultlesse before Christ with joy is and shall be the humble and earnest desire and prayer of Your humble Servant and obedient Son in and for the Gospel of CHRIST A SERMON PREACHED Before the Lords and Commons at Margarets Church in Westminster upon Thursday the 18. of Iuly 1644. MATTH. 14. 21. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him O thou of little faith wherefore didest thou doubt MUch is this day required of Your Honours much of You very Honourable and much of us all beloved of the Lord Iesus Christ In the times of the old Testament the Sacrifices of one Solemnity were much the same with the Sacrifices of another Yet when more feasts did meet together in one day as the Sabbath the first day of the moneth and the feast of Trumpets a all the Sacrifices of the severall dayes were offered in that one day which made the greater celebrity The Lord hath this day multiplyed his benefits upon us as the Loaves and Fishes were multiplyed in the hands of the Apostles in the time of the distribution b for no sooner is the day indicted to give thanks for one favour but we heare the newes of another that we may adde more fire and multiply our Sacrifices ALthough these words of our Lord at the first hearing may seem not to be much important to the solemnity of the day yet a twofold consideration hath led me to this choice One is because for some time past where I had occasion to speak in publike I have been expounding and applying to our present Troubles this part of the holy History expressing the dangerous tempest which tossed the Disciples of Christ at Sea as an Embleme and representation of the condition of the Church of Christ on earth especially in the time of great trouble herein following the example beside many other interpreters of a worthy instrument of Reformation who in the Idolatrous and bloody times of Queen Mary did upon this Text in the evidence and power of the Spirit write a large Admonition to the Professors of the trueth in England c And now being by Providence brought on to these words expressing the deliverance of Peter out of his speciall tentation and leading us toward the ceasing of the winde and calming of the tempest I judged them not unfit for the present condition which God by his mercifull Providence hath brought our affaires into at this time The Lord who stretched forth his hand and caught Peter when he was beginning to sinke and soon after made the winde to cease which moved them that were in the Ship to come and worship him saying Thou art the Sonne of God the same Lord even the Lord of Armies and the God of battells hath stretched forth his hand for our deliverance and when he will he can rebuke the windes and by his Word make a comfortable calme that all the three Kingdomes may fall downe and worship him saying with one minde and one mouth to the hearing of all the Christian world Of a truth thou art the Sonne of God which would prove a ground of reforming the House of God according to his own will For if they had knowne the Son of God the King of glory they would not have crucified but submitted unto him and done his will Another consideration also made me to fix upon this Text although it doth not hold forth a formall thanksgiving which is so ordinary in other places of Scripture that nothing more and that which followeth here afterward is liker unto it yet it containeth the materialls and layeth a foundation of the duty for it is a notable and seasonable deliverance out of a great distresse together with a most powerfull argument to enforce the duty of Thankesgiving taken from the unworthinesse of the party on whom it is bestowed Why diddest thou doubt O thou of little Faith The depth of our distresse the greatnesse of our Deliverance and the weaknesse of our Faith which hath made a great deale of doubting are fuell to enflame our hearts and to make the fire of the Sacrifice to ascend In the words going before Peter had not so much Faith as that when the winde became boysterous he was able any more to walke on the water for through the weaknesse of his faith he beginneth to sinke yet he hath so much faith that when he beginneth to sinke he
The third reason is that I may upon this occasion which God hath put in my hand communicate unto you my humble thoughts for your good unto which 〈◊〉 thousands of your sonnes worthier then I can have any 〈…〉 think my selfe to be have according to the commandment of 〈◊〉 and their manifold obligation devoted and sacrificed themselâ—â—â— and all that they have For my part since I am not able to 〈◊〉 my duty to the full I shall still acknowledge my Obligation câ—â—fesse my debt and what I have which is a small proportion to that which I owe I shall willingly offer The Lord hath done great things for you and by you His Spirit speaking in your faithfull Pastours and working in your owne hearts will teach you and give you grace in wisedome and humilitie to compare your present estate under the light puritie libertie and blessings of the Gospell with the darknesse corruptions tyrannie and miseries which our forefathers were covered with under Paganisme of old and under Antichrist afterwards and which our selves did endure under Antichristian Prelacy of late It is true the present times are full of sufferings calamities losses and feares all the three Kingdoms have drunken although by equall draughts of a very bitter cup such as the Lord propineth when he is angry with his people and no man knoweth when the end shall be Yet if we consider what our miseries might have been if these our miseries had not been that we ought to choose affliction and not impiety or iniquity and that all our troubles are but the travellings of child-birth to bring forth a Reformation We will take the saying of Ecclesiastes to be spoken to every one of us Say not thou what is the cause that the former dayes were 〈◊〉 better then these for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this e I intend not to see forth the great power and mercifull providence of God in the late seasonable Deliverance and notable victory never to be forgotten that being recent in your minds and the intent of the following Sermon We ought to be thankefull for the undenyable presence of God to stir up our selves to take hold of him lest he hide his face and depart from us and to goe on hereafter with confidence in his Name against the greatest difficulties But when I call to minde what hath come to passe in these dayes since the beginning of our troubles and begin to consider the proceedings and results of Divine providence contrary to the designes and devices of the Enemies which they cannot dâ—ny and farre beyond the first intentions and particular desires of such as the Lord hath used for instruments in his work which they do reverently acknowledge I may make use of the grave and serious warning of the Apostle Behold therefore the goodnes and severity of God on them which fâ—ll severity but towards thee goodnes if thou continue in his goodnes otherwise thou also shalt be cut off f And that we may the more value the goodnes of God to our selves we ought the more to behold the severitie of God cutting off the pompe the pride the tyrannie and power of the Enemies I may also with him although writing of a matter of another kinde cry out O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out for who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who hath been his Counsellour g Not only in the matter of salvation and damnation but in the administrations of his providence the Lord useth his Soveraigntie and doth what seemeth good unto his wisedome and although we know not the particular reason of every thing yet this we know whatsoever be the weaknesse of men upon the one hand or the wickednesse of men oâ— the other that all things are done by him that ruleth the world in great wisedome and Iustice to his own glory and the good of his Church Againe when from my sense of my self of my own thoughts wayes which many thousands may observe and no doubt doe observe of themselves I begin to remember how men who love to live obscurely and in the shadow are brought forth to light to the view and talking of the world how men that love quietnes are made to stirre and to have a hand in publique busines how men that love soliloquies and contemplations are brought upon debates and controversies how men who love peace are made to war and to shed bloud and generally how men are brought to act the things which they never determined nor so much as dreamed of before The words of the Prophet Jeremie come to my remembrance O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps h which imply the positive part That the way of man is in the hand of God and that the Lord directeth his steps to his owne appointed ends according to the saying of the wise Solomon whether speaking of the Decrees of God or of the word of God There are many devices in a mans heart neverthelesse the Counsell of the Lord that shall stand i Experiments of things past are documents of things to come Let no man thinke himself absolute master of his own actions or wayes When thou wast young thou girdedst thy self and walkedst whither thou wouldst but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldest not k Let no man say I shall die in my nest in mine owne house with my children about me and under my vvings l We will learne I hope by time if wee be not unteachable to distinguish betwixt our first and naturall will and our second our Spirituall and more deliberate will and to say Not my will but thy Will be done m The seven yeers of ensuing Providence may carry us as far beyond the present intentions whether of the enemies of Religion or our own as the seaven yeeâ—s past have done beyond our former intentions and theirs The pulling down of Poperie in the Christian world and the puting down of Prelacie and the supporters thereof in Britaine are equally feasible to the Almighty who delighteth to turn our difficulties and impossibilities into the glorious demonstrations of his Divine Power and who putteth motions into the hearts of men which they turne into Petitions and indeavours and God by his Power bringeth forth into reality and action the conception birth and perfection is all from himself When I speake of the future and that which afterwards may come to passe my meaning is not that God will alwayes and throughout the whole work use the same individuall instruments experience hath already proved the contrary I speak of the Collective and successive body which like a flood runneth in a continuall course but the severall parts passe by very
beginning of our Supplications he hath given grace to continue in humiliation and Prayer he hath many times returned our prayer into our bosome he hath made his grace sufficient for us to uphold us and hath given such victories as have been large matter of thanksgiving But in this he hath answered us above our expectation particular desires at this time For we would have been satisfied for the time with the rendring of that beleagred City but the Lord hath done much yea very much more 5. And we may justly adde the last That the deliverance was of free goodnesse For our faith was not perfit Were not many of us full of doubting and feares yea full of unbeliefe that it might have been said of some of us Why have ye not beleeved O yee of no Faith And of the best of us O yee of little faith why did you doubt Our hearts have been wavering and moving up and down like a Ballance sometimes presuming sometimes distrusting as wanting that subsistence of faith which fixeth the heart and maketh a stablenesse and staiednesse of the soule It remaines that we make the right use of this notable worke of Divine Providence To this purpose from the text and from that which followeth after and goeth before about the same subject I shall propose three very necessary duties and what may serve either for reproof or comfort shall be intermixed and for brevity be taken in with the duties The first we may learne from that which followeth verse 33. Then they which were in the Ship came and worshipped him saying Of a truth thou art the Sonne of God They neither envie Peter nor conceive any indignation against him for his prerogative in walking upon the Water which was not granted unto them nor doe they adore or admire him knowing that without Christ he could not have been able to save himself For they had seen him beginning to sinke and had heard him cry out Lord save me only they fell downe before Christ adoring him and give him this great testimony Of a truth thou art the Sonne of God They who before through the hardnesse of their hearts had not considered the Miracle of the Loaves Marke 6. 52 did by this miraculous worke know him and knowing him they worshiped him Nor did Christ reject their testimony but by his silence consented unto and sealed the truth of it c The same duty is required of us all No man is to envie those Worthies whom the Lord hath honoured to be instrumentall in this great worke The Lord doth what and by whom he will and whom the Lord honoureth it becometh us to honour which if we grudge to doe the Lord will honour them the more Againe no man ought to offer the fat of the Sacrifice or the principall praise of the day unto the instruments Did not many of them at first begin to sink and as many times before so all of them at that time were constrained to cry out Lord save us but we must all and they also with us fall downe before Christ our Saviour and great Deliverer and with one heart and voice say and sing Of a truth thou art the Son of God which he will admit as a praise due unto his Name and acceptable unto him that hee may have a Name above every Name The humility of Gideon in answering the pride of Ephraim was no lesse commendable then his courage against Midian when hee said unto them What have I done now in comparison of you is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer It was the wisedome of Scipio the Roman Generall when two of his Souldiers contended about the Crowne due to him who first scal'd the walles so hotly that the whole Army was in danger to be devided so to detirmine the question that the Crowne was given to them both both having as he affirmed climed the wall together It is observed by the learned for a rule that in a contest for priority and praise when each party from self-love taketh the first place unto himself or from partiality giveth it to him whom he affecteth that he who unanimously hath the second voice is to be preferred before all Upon this ground the sect of the Academiques amongst the Philosophers hath beene esteemed the best because both the Stoicks and Epicureans doe give their voice to the Academiques next unto themselves If a Generall of an Army should examine his chief Commanders who next themselves did best in battell it were like that he who had the second voice were of the greatest merit and yet they observe a fallacy and reprehension heere for men cunningly doe incline to give testimony next themselves unto those that are not like to come in their way or to stand in their light There needeth no such contest amongst us Let all men falling downe give the praise unto God and be content that the work is done and they have been faithfull in their performances What hast thou which thou hast not received What hast thou received which might not have been given to another and which may not for thy pride and emulation yet be taken from thee and given to another I know the distinction and difference which Moralists make betwixt emulation and envy that emulation hath place in the greatest and most magnanimous spirits that hee maketh them to covet and seek after the best gifts that it affecteth the minde with griefe not because another is unworthy of that which he hath for that is indignation nor because another hath that which himself wanteth for that is envie but because thou wantest that which another hath which beseemeth thee to have no lesse then him and which by thy industry and the blessing of God thou mightest have attained or may yet attaine unto As when a Godly man is grieved that with other Martyrs of Christ for whose constancy in the Truth he rejoyceth he hath not also been partaker of the glory of Martyrdome Or when a Souldier is grieved that with his fellow-souldiers whose courage and successe he congratulates he had not a hand in the glorious victory against the enemy I denie not but such a pure emulation may be found in regenerate hearts and that there may be somewhat like unto it in a Themistocles that could not sleep when he began to think of the Trophees of Miltiades d Yet would I have it acknowledged that as emulation and envy are often expressed by one word in both the Originalls so doth it come to passe that emulation such is the base corruption of our nature doth often degenerate into envy and seldome is it seen that he who is much emulous is not somewhat envious e Some kinds of sinnes doe reign and rage most in the time of Peace and Prosperity another sort in time of Warre and Trouble but envy findeth matter to work upon at all times It is a Monster of many
of prayer is no other but the continuance of the spirit of prayer which still helpeth our infirmities and maketh intercession for us Rom 8. 26. Sometimes our prayer returneth into our bosome Psal. 35. 13. where we finde the peace of God which passeth all understanding to keepe our hearts and mindes through Christ Iesus Phil. 4. 7 Sometimes we have no other answer but my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakenes 2. Cor 12 9. And sometimes either a better or the same thing which we desired and it may be with great advantage is granted unto us of which there bee many examples like unto this of the answer of Peters prayer The fifth and last thing which setteth forth this Deliverance is this That it was of free goodnes and not from any perfection in him for he is rebuked for his doubting as one of little faith Where we may observe that beside the wide difference betwixt beleevers and unbeleevers which is a difference in kind faith elevating a beleever far above naturall men and unbeleevers as man is above the inferiour creatures and angels above men There is a difference in degrees betwixt one beleever and another and betwixt a beleever and himself insomuch that one is said to be of little faith and another to have great faith and one and the same beleever sometimes to have little at other times great faith Peter had faith to walk upon the water which was the greater triall but now when the winde is boysterous which was the lesser temptation his faith proveth weak which was a Progstick of that which came to passe in his deniall afterward a I have not a minde nor is it proper for this time to wearie your attention with the many distinctions of faith that there is a faith which is an habite and vertue Theologicall and a faith which is a speciall gift that there is a faith felt and a faith unfelt much lesse with the distinctions of faith formed and unformed explicite and implicite I would onely tell you that faith is said to be weake extensively and in respect of the knowledge of the things to be beleeved thus the faith of the Apostles while they knew not the Resurrection of Christ the faith of Rachab the woman of Samaria and many others who knew but few of the mysteries of faith was but a weake faith Or intensively and in respect of perswasion and application It was long ere Thomas was brought to say My Lord and my God Hee that hath this weake faith may be considered of us as hee hath faith for weake faith is true faith and as his faith is weak as he hath faith he beleeveth and adhereth to the truth of the word and in distresse prayeth and cryeth with Peter Lord save mee But as his faith is weakned by temptations and difficulties apprehended by naturall sense and carnall reason which is the wisdome of the world and an enemy to the receiving of the wisdome of God hee doubteth hee wavereth hee staggereth through a mixture of unbeliefe which certainely is the work of the flesh whatsoever Papists say to the contrary in commendation of doubting and yet such is the goodnes and grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that in this night of darknes in this winter season he looketh at the root under the ground and to the leafe of prayer which it sends forth when neither fruit nor flower doth appeare and thereupon hee that breaketh not the bruised reed and quencheth not the smoaking flax doth deliver his owne children which maketh them afterward when they recover their strengths to thinke shame of themselves and to admire of his wonderfull goodnes Faith sometimes is like fire in the flint which to the sense is as cold as another stone yet hath fire in it naturally as the soule which is partaker of the Divine Nature hath faith in it supernaturally Sometimes it is like fire in the tinder sometimes like fire in the match sometimes like fire in the candle and sometimes like fire on the hearth which enlightneth and warmeth the whole roome But the Lord in answering the prayers of his people looketh more to the truth then to the degree of faith The word of doubting as some have searched into the nature of it is borrowed from a ballance or paire of weights the scales whereof move and waver up and downe inconstantly Wee have another word Marke 11. 23. which signifieth to dispute or debate because they who doubt have a dispute and debate of adverse parties within themselves like that of the twins which struggled together in the wombe of Rebecca and makes them to goe and enquire of the Lord The nature of faith Heb. 11. 1. is a subsistence by which the minde looking constantly at Jesus Christ is preserved from fluctuating and doubting as when the tongue of the Ballance standeth streight and stable But Satan the old Adam and the world come in and sometimes lift up the one scale in Presumption and sometimes beare down the other in diffidence and pusilanimity Christ opposeth to the one the danger of sinking and to the other his Word and hand that so the soul may be reduced to the stability and subsistence of Faith Thus was the wonderfull Wisedome Mercy Truth and Power of the Sonne of God manifested at that time and many times since And thus have I made a survey of the five Circumstances accompanying this miracle of Peters Deliverance all which are very appliable to that notable deliverance which the Lord hath wrought for us for the publick acknowledgement whereof we hold this solemne Assembly First if it had pleased the Lord to turne his hand against us which was stretched out for us against our enemies the Name of God had been dishonoured our Armies had been destroyed and our selves that were but in a ship neere unto them had been in danger to have perished and thus the deliverance is great 2. As it was great and eminent so was it opportune and seasonable I speak to them who are acquainted with the posture of affaires the Enemy had exalted himselfe to the top of his pride and had designed like Belshazzar and his Nobles to make themselves merry with the spoiles of the people of God who although their hearts were stedfast to the Cause and work of God yet by divine dispensation delaying their desires and bringing them about in his owne wise and secret way were brought low and therefore in the one respect and the other a very seasonable deliverance 3. The hand of God was sensibly seen in it specially that when they were almost lost in the opinion of many of themselves the Lord brought the wheele about upon the enemy so marvellously that it is a wonder that so many although they had been naked men could have fallen by the sword in so few houres 4. That in this the Lord answered the Prayer of his people He hath heard us since the