now speak to the second Proposition this woman was in great afflictions and distresse her daughter was possessed with a devil and that was a sore burden to her spirit Now this great affliction makes her cry loud for the Text doth not say she came intreated and besought him but the Text sayes she came and cryed unto him saying Have mercy on me O Lord. So then observe this Strong afflictions will raise strong cries even in Gods own people In the opening of the Point I shall shew you two things First That there is a cry of the flesh and a cry of the Spirit Secondly That great and sore afflictions of 〈◊〉 continuance may raise both these cries it will make both the flesh to cry and the Spirit to cry First There is a cry of the flesh and that is twofold It is either a natural cry 〈◊〉 sense which Nature hath of the burden and affliction which is upon it Or Secondly It is a sinful cry which is accompanied with disorder I say the cry of the flesh it is either meerly natural or sinful the flesh is weak it is an emblem of weakness and is weak indeed and a little affliction will make the flesh to cry the Lord remembred that man is but as dust before the wind Now the flesh may cry out and may complain and yet may not sin in that complaint it is true indeed when a man or woman shall cry out of a little affliction when the hand of God doth but touch him and then cry out with great cries strong cries when as the affliction is but little that discovers want of wisdom and want of strength but now when the affliction is very great sore and urgent and the flesh doth cry out through the frailty there may be an expression of complaint and yet not sinful Job in his great afflictions made many complaints poured out many strong cries and yet in many of his complaints he sinned not Job 6. 1 2 3. O that my grief were thoroughly weighed it would appear heavier then the sand of the sea Yea you shall find that our Lord Jesus Christ himself having taken our flesh and the frailties of our flesh for he took our humane frailties but no sinful frailtieâ— and in the dayes of his flesh he cryed his great affliction made him cry out he put up his cries with tears and supplications in the dayes of his flesh as the Apostle speaks Heb. 5. 7. And in Psalm 22. which Psalm is a Prophecy of Christ he cryes out bitter 〈◊〉 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me â—hy art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring Strong cries and yet no sin in Jesus Christ so that the flesh may cry and yet not sin for grace when it comes into the soul doth not destroy nature it doth not make man insensible and the spirit insensible but it allows the flesh to be sensible and to cry out of his burdens so it be without sin Secondly There is another cry of the flesh that is raised by sore afflictions and that is a sinfull cry now this sinful cry you shall know it thus First of all It springs from pride it will make a man cry out through pride of heart he cannot bear his burden nor submit to the hand of God through pride of heart When a creature stands upon it to justifie himself and accuse God calls God to an account Why am I thus And what am I worse then others And why should God take me out from all others to make me an example to all others What have I done And what is my sin more then others When a creature will not submit to God in his afflictions but charge God foolishly and when as he quarrels with his affliction if any affliction but this I could have born it but as for this affliction my spirit cannot bear it O here is a cry that is raised by affliction but it is a sinful cry Secondly There is a cry in affliction that doth spring from impatiency and that is a sinful cry when a man or woman shall cry out with a great cry and make a great lamentation and yet their burden but an ordinary burâ—â—â— only they make it great through impatiency noâ— that the affliction is so in it self if the Lord had given a heart to carry patiently under it but there is many a poor creature struggles with his affliction as a young beast unaccustomed to the yoak the yoak is easie but by struggling and striving it pinches and makes it cry out and so a man by striving under the yoak of the Lord though it be Jobs counsel that it is good to bear the yoak yet it throught impatience cryes out this is a sinful cry Thirdly That is a sinful cry that springs from unbelief and is accompanied with unbelief when as a man or woman in time of affliction shall give way to hard thoughts of God whatever cry is accompanied with unbelief is a sinful cry Yet this is the case of many they cannot perswade themselves that there is any love in the heart of God towards them and any love in such an affliction I cannot believe it that there should be love in such an affliction that God should lay such a heavy burden upon me and have any love to me when it cries out thus with unbelieving cries this is a sinfull cry And so when a man cannot be perswaded that the Lord should make a good end with him in affliction O sure I shall perish one day and fall by the hand of this affliction I shall be broken all to pieces and never be able to stand under my burden when as the soul is thus filled with unbelieving dispairing thoughts concerning God and concerning the end of his affliction and so cry out in unbelief this is a sinful cry First And again great and sore afflictions may occasion such cries even sinful cries as the cry of unbelief and impatiencies and that upon this ground there are remainders of corruption in the best heart there is sinful flesh as well as spirit Secondly Great afflictions do expose Gods own people to great temptations many times they go together great afflictions and great temptations for the Devil seeks his opportunity to doe mischief as the Lord waits to be gracious so Satan waits to doe mischief Many times in great afflictions when the waters are high then the Devil will assault God makes use of affliction to make his people seek him early but now the Devil he waits to make the soul cry out with a sinful cry and many times the Lord suffers him to prevail But this cry of the woman of Canaan was not the cry of pride impatience and unbelief but her cry was the cry of the Spirit And therefore let us examine what that cry of the spirit is which the Lord doth raise in the hearts of his people in
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
advantage and spared the life of Shimei though he had provoked David by his curses Now thus she reasons with her self the son of David the Messias of whom David was but a type he hath more mercie and compassion then David surely his bowels are infinite and therefore though she be a vile sinner an unworthy wretch yet she comes and takes hold of his mercie and there is nothing else that she pleads with Christ nothing else she rests upon only upon mercy no other Argument she useth only presents her great miserie her daughter is grievously vexed with a devil She takes hold of mercie So then the Observation is this That where there is true faith it will teach a soul to deny it self to look beyond it self it s own worthiness and righteousness and to take hold of mercie and of the free grace of God through Jesus Christ I shall open the point to you And first I shall give you Instances that the Saints in all Ages in their coming to God hath looked at nothing in themselves but hath only pleaded mercy and free grace in all their straits You know that Instance of Jacob when he was in a great strait he applied himself to the Lord he pleaded only mercy he doth not look to any worthiness in himself he doth not present that before the Lord as any motive Gen. 32. 10. he pleads no worthiness but looks to his own unworthiness O Lord I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies he doth not tell God that he had lived without blame that he had walked justly and had not defrauded but he had been a faithful Steward that he had walked religiously and eyed God in his wayes that he had set up a pillar and vowed a vow he pleads none of this but O Lord I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies And so Moses though he had done as much as most men that ever lived Deut. 3. 25. I pray thee let me go and see the good Land Here is not a tittle of any of the services that he had done for God that he doth mention he does not say Lord I have taken a great deal of paines with this people I have followed thy Commandements and suffered a great deal of hardship with them for thy sake no he only pleads mercie Thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand I pray thee let me go over and see the good Land And so David often in the Psalmes you shall find he is pleading with God and he makes mercie his refuge he pleads only mercie and free grace Psal 4. 1. he pleads that God would bear him in his mercie And you shall find that when the Servants of God hath pleaded for others they have urged nothing but mercie and free grace in all their supplications So the Prophet Jeremiah when he was pleading for the Church Jer. 14. 7. O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us do thou it for thy names sake for our back-sliding are many we have sinned against thee No mention of any righteousness no be mentions their iniquities Our back-slidings are many but do thou it for thy names sake And so the Prophet Daniel when he was pleading for the Lords people he looks beyond all righteousness of their own and pleads mercie Dan. 9. 17. Now therefore O our God hear the prayer of thy servant and his supplication and cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake He had before in verse 8. confessed all their iniquities and now O Lord sayes he do it for the Lords sake And if you look into the new Testament from the beginning to the end of the History of Christ you shall never find any that were accepted of Christ that pleaded any thing but mercy and free grace Matth. 9. 27. And when Jesus departed thence two blind men followed him crying and saying Thou son of David haue mercy on us And so in Matth. 17. 14 15. another comes to Christ and he useth only that Argument mercie Lord have mercy on my son for he is lunatick And in Matth. 20. 30. there is mention of two blind men sitting by the way side and they cried out Have mercy on us And in verse 13. the multitude rebuked them but they cried the more saying Have mercy on us O Lord thou son of David And so the same Argument the Lepers used vers 17. Jesus Master have mercy on us Indeed we read of some of the Elders of the Jews that came to Christ in the behalf of the Centurion and they plead his worthiness Luke 7. 4. And when they came to Jesus they besought him instantly saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this But now the good man himself he had no such thought of himself but he utterly denies it look into verse 6 7. Then Jesus went with them and when he was now not far from the house the Centurion sent friends to him saying unto him Lord trouble not thy self for I am not worthy thou shouldest enter under my roof verse 7. Wherefore neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee but say in a word and my servant shall be healed Neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee such a mean and low account had this man of himself First But I shall clear the Doctrine to you and make it out that a gracious heart where there is faith looks beyond all his own worthiness and righteousness and comes to Christ Secondly Shew you that the same gracious soul closes only with mercy and free grace First I say a gracious soul in its coming to Christ looks beyond all that is in himself and that both in its first coming and afterward in any disstresse closeth with the Lord and looks beyond his own worthiness and pleads only mercie In the souls first coming to Christ a gracious heart doth not not cannot look to any worthiness in it self for where the Spirit of the Lord is it doth discover to man what his vileness and miserie is now where there is a saving discovery to a soul of his own vileness it is not possible that that soul should plead any thing of his own before God For First of all The Spirit teacheth a man that he is empty destitute of all that which is good the soul is naked of all that which is good and is as a poor beggar that hath neither bread to eat nor clothes to put on but in a sad condition utterly bereaved of the Image of God In my flesh dwels no good thing sayes the Apostle though through grace he had received much from God yet in me in my flesh dwels no good things Now where there is a discoverie made to a soul that he is full of wants poor and naked surely such a soul can plead nothing but free grace Secondly The Spirit of the Lord discovers to a soul that it is not only full of wants
he called for all his children Gen. 49. he called them one by one and prayed for a special blessing to be upon their heads Parents are bound to remember their children and children many times miscarry because parents are no more in doing their duty no more crying to the Lord in the behalf of their children and so back again children are bound to remember their parents And so in the relation of Masters and servants Masters are bound to pray for their servants you know that instance of the Centurion he came to Jesus in the behalf of his servant and was very earnest with Christ that Christ would be pleased to heal his servant this is a duty that is little performed by many Masters they think if they can have their servants to work for them it is all that they have to look after but let such Masters know that God will require an account of servants souls have you instructed them and have you presented them often in your prayers before the Lord the Centurion came for the body of his servant and it is our duty to come often to the Lord for the souls of our servants and so back again it is the duty of servants to pray for their Masters And thus you see the fourth particular That it is our duty to remember all our relations before the Lord. There is one relation more and that is our Spiritual relation which I shall touch before I end that particular such as stand in relation one to another in Church-society they are bound often to remember one anothers conditions before the Lord James 5. 14 15 16. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another yea in Church-societies it is especially the duty of Pastors and Elders to remember their flock and it is the duty of the people to remember their Elders and to pray often to the Lord in their behalf Faithful Ministers are bound often to pray for their people remember what is said of Paul Rom. 1. 9. For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers When ever he came to God he was mindful of the Church I am alwayes mindfull of you without ceasing and indeed the profiting of a people and the stedfastness of a people in the faith and in the truth and in the wayes of God it is the glory and the crown and the joy and rejoycing of a faithful Teacher and therefore surely it is their duty often to remember their people before the Lord and so it is the peoples duty to remember their Pastor and Teacher The Apostle lays it upon them as their duty Ephes 6. 18 19. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel It is your duty saith he to pray for all Saints and for me in particular that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel for many times Satans great design is to overthrow them that the Lord hath set to go before his people Satans great design is to hinder the work of God in their hand to make such to fall and therefore the Lords people had need to pray the more earnestly for even the best of the Teachers and Preachers of the Gospel they are but empty pipes in themselves and can afford no more then the Lord is pleased to drop in from above and therefore there is need that the Lord should be dropping in continually or else they cannot bring forth bread in due season and make provision for the people if the Lord do not fill them from heaven yea the best of Teachers have need of teaching though they know never so much they have need of more knowledge they have need of more strength and therefore it is the duty of the people to remember them before the Lord that the Lords Vrim and Thummim may be with them Thus in all relations it is our duty mutually to remember one another before the Lord. Fifthly it is our duty to remember those that for the present are strangers to Christ You will say what are we to pray for such as have not the knowledge of God yea it is our duty to remember them if the Lord hath been pleased to make us to differ and called us out from the number of those Gentiles who know not God oh we are bound to pity them and to pray for them whose condition is such as never was rained upon as the heath in the desert their condition is sad and we should remember them before the Lord that God would send forth his light and truth to them that they that deny Christ in word in profession and conversation that they may be brought home to the knowledge of the Son of God Psal 67. 1 2. God be merciful unto us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us That thy way may be known upon earth thy saving health among all Nations There are many Nations and great Nations that to this day know not God and Christ that sit in darkness and perish for want of vision and truly they who through free-grace do know any thing of God they are bound to pity them that sit in darkness and to pray that the Nations may know the saving truth and the way of the Lord. Sixthly if it be a duty to pray for those that are strangers to Christ then it is a duty to pray for those that are Christs friends for all that know the Lord and love the Lord in sincerity Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints It is our duty to remember all Saints to remember them that are scattered to remember them that are gathered all Saints we should remember them in our prayer before the Lord and especially Jerusalem Sions Assemblies they should be remembred Psal 122. 6 7. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee Peace be within thy wals and prosperity within thy palaces You see Jerusalem Sions Assemblies in a special manner should be remembred by us in our addresses to the Lord. And so Psalm 14. you may see how the Psalmist doth express himself in the behalf of Sion Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion oh that the Lord would hasten the time that he will save his people and Sion be remembred and built up Oh that the time were come And in Psal 51. he doth express that when he had been praying for himself yet he did not forget Sion Psal 51. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem So that you see that hath been spoken
make a close with Christ And to draw to a conclusion let us labour to help forward Gods design Doth God make choice of such O then we should help forward Gods work especially where any stand related to us weakness shall not hinder they may come to Christ and therefore be in the use of the means pray for them and speak to them and improve every talent that God hath given you even for the weakest and unworthiest And again take heed that we do not murmur against any of the dispensations of the Lord take heed we do not envy this dispensation and that our hearts do not rise up against it that we do not murmur when we see such and such profess the name of Christ and they are very forward and such as were young children and such poor weak women Now what a high profession do they make The Pharisees they were offended when as the rude people as they called them that knew not the Law they followed after Christ Oh this made the Gospel and Christ a stumbling block to them And so when as the children did confess Christ and sung Hosanna to the son of David the Pharisees were offended it troubled them at the heart that the children should cry out so it was a trouble to them Take heed that we be not offended when the Lord makes choice of young ones and they are too forward as some think why this is no more then what the Lord hath promised to pour out his Spirit upon young men take heed we be not offended at it we should rather rejoyce in it when you see young ones weak ones and sinfull ones come in to Christ and are high in profession oh you should rejoyce in it And let your souls wonder at this dispensation do not envy it but do you wonder at it The Evangelist Matthew he placeth a note of wonder behold a woman of Canaan it was a wonder and we should stand and wonder at Gods secret dispensation O here is the mysterie of the Gospel that weak ones and sinful ones are brought in to Christ And rejoyce in it as Christ did and bless the Lord for it though they have more then we have yet do not envy it but know that this pleaseth the Lord and the Lord will so have it I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth for so it seemeth good in thy sight Christs soul was taken with it O here is a wonder indeed for which God is to be blessed and praised And so if God be your Father when you see this do not envy it but rejoyce in it as Christ did though I have little I thank thee that thou art pleased to give out so much of thy self to such and such that weak ones and unworthy ones are brought in to Christ And last of all You that are weak in respect of parts and gifts and poor and unworthy and weak in respect of sex or of vile parentage and yet the Lord hath pluckt you out and vile and great sinners and yet the Lord hath brought you home to himself O bless the Lord for this his dispensation toward you If the Evangelist look upon the woman and say Behold the woman of Canaan O look upon your selves with admiration Behold the Grace of God which is revealed to you though poor wretches O know that you are ingaged to the Lord for this mercy that God should chuse you the weakest the unworthiest and the sinfullest And do you labour to walk worthy of this mercy Oh if the Lord hath chosen you that vvere the sinfullest O labour to bring much honour unto God as you have brought much dishonour and to hold forth the contrary graces to those great transgressions And if the Lord hath brought you in that are vveak ones women is there ever a vveak vvoman that the Lord hath made choice of O admire vvith fear this dispensation of God and bless him for his Grace to you and labour to adorn the Doctrine of God and your Saviour vvith a gracious conversation and study the Graces the Apostle Peter commends to you that you should be much in the exercise of faith and adorn themselves vvith a meek and quiet spirit O this meek and quiet spirit this sober and this modest conversation and obedience to Husbands these Graces Christ by the Apostle doth commend to you and you are ingaged to do all this and more for Christ because he hath had respect to the vveakest Matth. 15. 22. And cryed unto him saying have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David SERMON III. YOu have seen the woman and now you shall hear her speak She cryed unto him saying Have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David Observe here is a declaration of her faith and that we shall first take notice of her faith is declared by a notable confession that she makes of Christ Her confession O Lord thou son of David it is short but a great deal is in it First of all she doth acknowledge him to be Lord Lord of all to be infinite in power the Lord of Heaven and Earth one that was able to do whatsoever he pleaseth one that was able to cast out the Devil by speaking one word for she comes in the behalf of her Daughter and closeth with Christ as Lord where she doth acknowledge his divinity that he was Lord over all God blessed for ever and had power in his hand and abillity to do whatsoever he pleased That is the first part of her confession she confessed that Christ was Lord. Secondly She confesses that he was the son of David O Lord thou son of David and therein she doth acknowledge his Humanity as she acknowledged that he was Lord so she acknowledged that he was true man 2. She doth acknowledge that he was the promised Messias that is comprehended in that title Thou son of David She doth acknowledge that he was that Messias that was promised should arise out of the House of David that should come of the seed of David the promised Messias that was promised to be the deliverer of his people so she doth acknowledge for she calls him the son of David he that was promised should come of the house of David whom God had promised to raise up to be a horn of salvation So you see her confession she confesses his Divinity comes to him as God confesses his Humanity comes to him as Man and she comes to him as the Messias one that was appointed of God to be a Saviour and one of the house of David Here is as full and as large a confession as any of the Disciples make of Christ Quest But it may be queried Why she calls him the son of David she might have exprest him to have been true man and called him the son of Adam why not the son of Adam or the son of Abraham why does she call him the son of David Answ I answer in general Christ
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
in heaven Rejoyce in this that God hath chosen you and loved you that he hath loved you with an everlasting love and that he hath given you to his Son and will bring you to life and happiness to the praise of his grace in this rejoyce And therefore it is that the Spirit of the Lord is given out to believers that they might know their election it is one end of Christ's sending the Comforter the Spirit of the Lord who searcheth the deep things of God and so reveals them unto believers Now this is among the deep things of God God's eternal love this is one of the depths that made the Apostle cry out when he considered God's way from eternity to poor creatures The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God and reveals them to his people the Spirit of the Lord stood by when he did write the names of his children in the book of life the Son was present and the Spirit was present even from eternity before the world was made when God writ the names of his people in the book of life and therefore the Spirit it is one of God's Witnesses and is given to testifie this to his people he is sent by Christ to testifie what he saw from eternity that the names of such and such were written in the book of life God hath given us of his Spirit that we might know the things that are given us freely of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. Now this is one of the things that are freely given us of God this absolute choice this love of God that was from everlasting if ever any thing were free this is free now the Spirit of the Lord is sent to cause us to know the things that are freely given us of God Now when the Spirit of the Lord doth make known to a soul that it is elected somtimes it makes use of the testimony of the blood of Christ and of the testimony of Water and somtimes he declares this to the soul by his own immediate witness the Spirit of the Lord doth sometimes make it known mediately and somtimes immediately Mediately There are three that bear record in earth the Spirit the Water and the blood and these three agree in one 1 John 5. 8. Now the Spirit that â—â—â—keth the blood of Christ anâ— sprinkles it upâ— the soul and causeth faith to be wrought in the soul to lay hold upon the blood of Christ and then there is the witness of the Blood And so all the Spirit of the Lord doth change the heart and renew the heart there is the witness of the Water now when the Spirit of the Lord doth shine upon these the soul can thorow these draw comfortable conclusions concerning its own election And somtimes there is a more immediate witness The Spirit it self bearing witness that we are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. Add his own Testimony beside all others that a soul is loved of God so that you see the second general head which is this that this great mysterie of election may be known it may be known unto others and to our selves And therefore O that we might wait upon God for the discovery of it Men are found negligent in this great business because they think it is too high for them who can ascend into heaven say they they think it is presumption for them to ascend into heaven and who can know say they that they are loved from everlasting But O! know souls that there is an absolute Election of grace and this Election may be known it may be known to others and it may be known to our selves O therefore that we might give the Lord no rest and our souls no rest till this great mysterie be made out to us though it be a secret a wonderful secret Yet there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets saith Daniel to King Nebuâ—â—â—dnezzar Dan. 2. 28. Thongh it was a secret 〈◊〉 past my reach saith he yet there is a God in â—aeven that revealeth secrets and so I say though 〈◊〉 be a secret yet there is a God in heaven that â—ealeth secrets and therefore wait upon the â—rd that we may know that we are elected Matth. 15. 24. I am not sent but unto the lost shâ— of the house of Israel SERMON XIII BUt to come to the third part of 〈◊〉 Doctrine which is this That the Doctrine of Election is a comfortable Doctrine It holds forth solid ground of comfort and greâ— refreshment to the people of God Although â—â—ny spurn at it and carnal reason ready to rise 〈◊〉 against it yet it is a doctrine of sweet and solâ— comfort to God's people And I shall shew yoâ— how it is such a comfortable doctrine First This is a ground of comfort to poor soulâ— that God's love doth not depend upon any thing 〈◊〉 the creature a ground of unspeakable comfort that God he fetcheth all his arguments of lovâ— out of his own bowels not from any desert in thâ— creature Alas if God's love had gone by desert in us there had been but little hope And I do not know what solid ground of comfort they can lay that contend so for a conditional Decree grounded upon the creatures acting for if the Lord had not loved and chosen till he had seen some worthiness in the creature till he had seen some better improvement in us then in others if the Lord had suspended to love and to chuse till then O! what little hope might any creature have had that know the contrary workings of his own heart What little hope of being saved But now when all is of Free grace and the Lord overlooks all unworthiness and chuseth freely and loves freely O this is a ground of hope and great consolation Secondly There is another ground of comfort and refreshment from this Doctrine It doth assure us that the Lord is very ready to be entreated that the Lord is not hardly brought off to shew mercy to poor sinners that there is not an unwillingness in God to this work as unbelief and the Tempter would suggest why It was that which was the purpose of God from everlasting I say God from all eternity hath purposed it It was the counsel of God the great work of God that which God spent his thoughts upon from all eternity they were as I may say the first thoughts of the heart of God to love and pity and to save and to bring about that great work of saving sinners by the blood of Christ this was the great contrivance of God and it is a great ground of comfort and refreshment A poor soul may doubt whether God be willing to save and willing to be reconciled to him that hath sinned so and so O! This Doctrine doth comfort exceedingly for certainly if it were the great work of God from eternity the Lord is not unwilling now to do it Christ tells his Disciples That the Father himself loveth you That is
a ground of comfort there was a love in the Father towards you before I made a request for you though the Father now love you more and better yet the Father himself loved you before I made any request for you Thirdly This is another ground of great refreshment from this Doctrine That the love of God towards his people it is an ancient Love a love that did not begin yesterday a love that is not of a few years standing but an ancient love it is as ancient as eternity it is as ancient as the Ancient of dayes as ancient as God himself no beginning but from eternity O! That commends love exceedingly when as love is an ancient love when as one hath born love to such a Family through many generations and hath provided love for such a family for many generations to come that exceedingly commends the love of a friend when a friend shall take care that there shall be an Estate entailed to such a family for many generations to come that he should provide a portion for them before they had a being O! that is ancient love and that doth commend the love of a friend and truly it commends the love of the Creator and it is full of sweetness and Refreshment that God hath loved his people from eternity love hath run down that long Tract of eternity and he hath provided a portion from eternity an inheritance from eternity oh that the Lord should make such provision for poor creatures before they had any being not only thousands of years but even from eternity before they had any being when there was no world no creature no being but only in the mind of God that God then should chuse them and provide an inheritance for them truly this commends the love of God and makes it very sweet Fourthly There is this ground of refreshment that the Doctrine holds forth that this love of God to his people it is a distinguishing love oh that commends love exceedingly when it is distinguishing when it puts a difference where there was no difference that love that makes a difference and so vast a difference when no difference that love is very precious See what is said in Hos 1. 6 7. For I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel but I will utterly take them away But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah and will save them by the Lord their God c. See here at the very time that God said he would not have mercy upon Israel he would have mercy upon Judah and would save them oh how sweet was the discovery of that love And truly this is the love of God that this Doctrine holds forth a distinguishing love that when there was no difference in the creature and one not better then another and yet that God should take those and chuse those that were as bad as those that were left oh this distinguishing love it is very sweet and hath a great deale of refreshment Fifthly This Doctrine holds forth a ground of joy there is a great deale of true grounded joy lasting joy that may arise and doth arise unto the people of God from the knowledge of this that God hath chosen them and loved them from eternity with an everlasting love it doth administer the best ground of comfort that can be found in all the World See that place Luke 10. 20. But rather rejoyce because your names are written in Heaven The knowledge of this speciall love that God hath written the names of poor creatures in Heaven it is a ground of unspeakable joy rejoyce not that the uncleane spirits are subject to you why they might rejoyce more in that then in any outward mercy whatsoever that the unclean spirits were subject to them for it is more then if all the men of the world were subject to them ah but yet in this rejoyce not rejoyce not so much in this for here is a more lasting ground for your joy that your names are written in Heaven it will afford such joy and will kindle such a flame of joy as all the waters of affliction cannot quench When a soul comes to know this and can make out this that his name is written in heaven a soul may then rejoyce in every condition rejoyce in Tribulation rejoyce in Persecution rejoyce in Poverty and distresse yea though they may loose all the comforts of life yet when God reveals to them that their names are written in Heaven they may rejoyce for they have a portion that can never be lost an inheritance that can never be taken away from them though they meet with never so much scorn and reproach from the World though men should cast out their names as vile yet if their names are written in Heaven they may rejoyce for their names are precious before God when vise before men and it is written there where it can never be blotted out so that it doth administer matter of sound and sollid joy such joy as will hold out and cannot be quencht with many waters Sixtly Another ground of comfort that doth arise from the knowledge of our election is this that we have and shall enjoy that great priviledge and benefit of the ministry and service of the holy Angels When God comes to make out his love to the soul why it may conclude that the Lord hath given his Angels charge over them that the Angels shall defend and the Angels shall protect and the Angels shall deliver from many dangers See what the Apostle saith in Heb. 1. 14. speaking of the Angels Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation They that are chosen by God to an inheritance reserved in Heaven they have the ministry of all the holy Angels while on earth though we see it not with this bodily eye though we see not the Angels how they ascend and descend how they goe to Heaven and come from Heaven yet it is matter of faith the word of the Lord hath said they are all ministring spirits for the good of the Saints many a kindness the Angels doth us and we are kept from many a danger by the Angels He shall give his Angels charge and they shall bear thee up that thou dash not thy foot against a stone That is another ground of sweet comfort Seventhly It doth administer this ground of comfort that all that Gods people doe meet withall â—here in the world shall work for their good God will make an advantage of whatsoever his people doth meet withall See what the Apostle saith in Rom. 8. 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose All things shall work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose according to that ancient love in the bosome of God all afflictions all crosses
take heed that we do not blot out those names that the Lord hath put into the Covenant But it may be you will say further by way of Objection If children belong to the Covenant of God and the Covenant that the children of believing Parents is under is a Covenant of grace of necessity they must be saved Shall they be under a Covenant of grace and not be saved I answer Some may be under a Covenant of grace and not saved I say visibly in respect of the outward dispensation they may be under the Covenant of grace and yet never attaine to life and salvation for when as we do Baptize those who do make a profession of their faith surely we look upon them as Believers and such as are in Covenant with God and therefore we Baptize them because believers and so in Covenant with God But now is it not possible nay is it not ordinary for many who make such a profession of Christ and are baptized upon that profession to fall off and to come short of life and salvation And yet I hope you will say the Ordinance was not disorderly administred though they that did make a profession do fall off so though all children of believing parents do not attain to eternal life yet the Ordinance is no more unduly administred to them then to others for both Professors and children may be under the outward administration of the Covenant which being may give right to an outward Ordinance and yet not be saved Object But you will say How shall we judge of any but by their profession that they make of Christ we cannot own any but such as make a profession and children cannot make a Profession I answer We must judge as God judgeth and own as God owns take heed that we do not disown what God owns and if God will own the children of believing parents visibly and put them under an outward administration of the Covenant surely there is no danger of owning where God owns God's owning is a surer ground for us to go upon then any man's profession Now God seems to own the seed of believers by his gracious promise Nay let it be considered those Prophesies that speak of the latter dayes and of the Kingdom of Christ and the glory that shall be in those dayes they speak of this that God will then more abundantly and visibly own the seed of his people God will own them and God will bless them Isa 65. 23. They shall not labour in vain nor bring forth for trouble for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them When the Jews shall come in they shall be called the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them their seed shall be blessed according to Abrahams Covenant when they shall come in again I know there are many gracious hearts that cannot believe this truth and will not till Christ comes to reveal it but if the Lord hath handed in any beam of light shut it not out This have I spoken because it is in my way to shew you who are children But in the second place Who are Dogs You see who are to be accounted children who are Dogs That must be opened too and let it not be offensive because it is in the Text. First Dogs in Scripture are taken somtimes for all the Nations of the Gentiles all the people of the world except the seed of Abraham were called Dogs they were without the Covenant strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel all we and our fathers all the Nations of the Gentiles time was that the Jewes only were the children and we and all Nations were called Dogs But secondly All wicked men in Scriptute phrase they are called Dogs The Scripture doth brand some sort of wicked men and some degrees of wicked persons by this name In especial manner the Lord looks upon some wicked men as dogs Who are they First Such as give up themselves to gross and notorious wickedness such as are openly scandalous vile and prophane Rev. 22. 15. For without are dogs sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye Without are dogs and he sheweth who those dogs are that are without that shall be shut out of the City when the new Jerusalem shall come down from heaven these are they that shall not have a name in that City vile sinners they are called dogs But secondly such as do oppose the Gospel of Christ such as do reject the Gospel and oppose the Truths of the Gospel such as come to hear for that end that they may snarl against the word the Spirit of the Lord calls them dogs Phil. 3. 2. Beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision the Apostle bids the Christians beware of them beware of dogs they that bite and snarl and set themselves to oppose the Truths of the Gospel the Spirit of the Lord calls them dogs Thirdly They who do reject those wholsome reproofs and counsels and exhortations that the Lord sends them by any of his servants such as scorn reproof and hate reproof that are ready to fly in the face of him that shall reprove them when they do wickedly What have you to do with me meddle with your own matters and I will not be reproved by such a one as you are the word of the Lord calls such persons dogs they are vile creatures Matth. 7. 6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs neither cast ye your pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and rent you See here what Christ speaks Exhortations and reproofs they are not to be cast before some men such as have often rejected reproofs and will not hear the Lord looketh upon them as dogs and they shall die in theiâ— wickedness Fourthly The Scripture calls those dogs thaâ— somtime have made a profession of Christ and have turned away from their profession such 〈◊〉 have seemed somtimes to be very forward anâ— very zealous hot it may be in their youth after â—ward they fall off and have lost their fruit and have lost their profession and it may be not 〈◊〉 much as Leaves upon them but are turned agaiâ— to their old wayes 2 Pet. 2. 22. But it is hapnâ— vnto them according to the true Proverb the dog â—turned to his own vomit again and the Sow that waâ— washed to her wallowing in the myre they have turn'd to their old course again they seemeâ— somtimes to cast out sin Ah! But they have returned to it again Such persons are vile and the holy Ghost calls them dogs Fiftly Persecuters of Christ of his Truth and people they are called dogs such as do not only bark against Christ but even bite and rend his people Why the Lord looks upon them as vile creatures they are dogs in God's account what-ever they are in the worlds and so Christ calls them by David
is sure in respect of the event of it The Event and Issue of a Believers hope is alwayes sure it can no more be disappointed of his hope then the foundation of his hope which is Christ can be overturned but that which a believing soul hath in hope it is as sure as if he had it in hand already Lo This is our God we have waited for him and he will save us saith the Church The Doctrine then is this That the beleiving soul hath Hope for a sure and stedfast Anchor Or thus This Grace of Hope it is a sure and stedfast Anchor to every believing heart It is plain in the Text Which hope we have as an Anchor both sure and stedfast In the handling of this Point I shall shew you First What this Hope is Secondly Make it out to you That this Hope is the souls Anchor Thirdly That this Anchor of the soul is sure and stedfast And that will make way for Application First of all Our work is to enquire What this Hope is You may take this description of it It is the work of the spirit of Christ upon the heart whereby it is raised in expectation of those good things that faith believes and which God hath promised We shall open the parts of it that we may come to know what this saving Hope is that is the Anchor of a believing soul And first of all you have the efficient cause of this hope and that is the Spirit of Christ it is not all the world that can raise a poor dejected heart to hope in God it is not all the comforts of the world nor comforters in the world that can make any poor drooping heart to cast this Anchor of Hope in heaven and therefore when the Apostle doth describe the condition of Natural men he saith of them That they are without God without Christ and without Hope This is the state of every man by Nature he hath not the least dram of saving hope till the Spirit of Christ comeâ— to work upon the heart And therefore God is called the God of Hope Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost Here you see the efficient cause it is the work of God to raise up the heart to hope in himself and it is the Spirit of Christ that must cause the soul to abound in hope That you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost And in Psal 22. speaking there in the person of Christ he confesseth that it was his Father that did cause him to hope Psal 22. 9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mothers breasts It was thou Lord that didst cause me to hope God only is the efficient cause Secondly For the Formal Cause of this Hope we said it is an Expectation of the soul it takes its rise from faith what faith believeth that hope expects and waits upon God for the fulfilling of It is an Expectation of the heart Now this Expectation it is First A patient Expectation Secondly An ardent Expectation Thirdly A confident Expectation All which do express the Nature of saving Hope First of all It is a Patient Expectation it causeth the soul to wait patiently for the fulfilling of the Promise to sit down at the feet of Christ and wait even all its dayes for the fulfilling of the Promise and therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 36. For you have need of patience that after you have done the Will of God you may inherit the Promise As if he should say your hope will not hold out if you have not patience God hath given you a promise but God doth not presently fulfil the promise and therefore that you may hope till the Promise be fulfilled you have need of patience and truly Hope is nothing else but Patience lengthned out It is a patient Expectation Secondly It is an Ardent Expectation What the believing soul doth hope for it is earnestly carried out after it is such an expectation as doth make the soul exceedingly Intent and cause it to look every way round about for the fulfilling of that which it hopes for it is an earnest expectation The Apostle speaks in Rom. 8. 19 20 21. Verse 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God Verse 20. For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope Verse 21. Because the creature also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God The whole creation hath a hope to be delivered from that bondage which the sin of man brought upon it and because there is a hope there is an earnest expectation and the earnest expectation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God And truly where there is saving hope it will cause the soul to look after the fulfilling of the Promise it waits earnestly and groans earnestly for the fulfilling of those Promises that it waits for It is an ardent expectation Thirdly It is a Confident Expectation though indeed it is true the hope of the best Saints may flag yet when hope doth work like it self and act like it self it acts confidently it is accompanied with holy confidence and boldness toward God when hope is strengthned then it acts confidently and confidence is nothing else then hope strengthned That is the second particular You have seen the efficient and formal cause of this hope Thirdly What is the Object of this Hope I told you that it was an expectation of those good things that God hath promised what God hath promised that hope looks for the fulfilling of all outward comforts that are needful refreshments in their way Protection Deliverance Assistance the Increase of Grace and the Carrying on of the work of God in the heart what-ever is laid up in the Promise that hope waits for the fulfilling of but more especially the Object of a Believers hope it is Eternal Life Tit. 1. 2. In hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began And in Tit. 3. 7. That being justified by his grace we should be made Heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life So that Eternal life is the Object of a Believers hope Fourthly We have the concomitant of Hope and that is Faith It is an expectation of those good things which faith believes that God hath promised so you see how Hope stands towards Faith they are twins as it were they are born and brought forth together Faith is the Elder sister faith believes that the promise is true and hope looks for the fulfilling of the Promise because faith believes it They grow up together they are nourished together and they flourish