shall stand off that will make the soul come on more hastily Jesus Christ doth catch us by craft as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 12.16 Truly Christ doth catch some poor souls by craft as the fisher-man doth the fish you know or may have heard how that is The fisher-man laies the bait and draws it as it were away hee draw it before the fish and when the fish is ready to take it hee doth make as if hee snatched it away and why so truly that the fish may catch at it more eagerly and bee held by it more surely So doth Christ with us when hee shall offer and seem to draw back when hee shall come neer and suffer us as it were to touch him and then snatch away again this will make us come on more earnestly and close with him more eagerly The soulby this means takes the bait I and the soul will hold it too when it hath it beleeve it Sins the Lord Jesus Christ is kinde to catch by craft Well this is the account of the Reason wherefore it is that sometimes Christ is seemingly harsh to some souls There are but three Uses I aim at in this Doctrine Use 1. The first Use is To let us all see that Christ is not so easily come by as the generality of people do think All have Christ freely but not easily Minde it My Brethren I think and I will tell you my thoughts because it may awaken you and do you good I think many will go to Hell as upon other mistakes so upon this that they do think it easie to go to Heaven and easie to come by Jesus Christ But if it bee true that Christ stands a loof off from a poor soul then it will appear to bee a hard work to come by him Remember this you will finde three things will make it hard work ere Jesus Christ and you bee brought together 1 The backwardness of your own hearts 2 The many hinder ances and puts in of Satan 3 And the seeming backwardness of Jesus Christ First Your own hearts will bee backward Ah soul unless the Lord make it a day of his power they are not a willing people Psa 110. hee that talks of free-will I am afraid was never sensible of free-grace nor of the backwardness of his own heart Secondly The Devil makes it hard work too Verily when the soul would go to Christ the Devil will hinder and set one to hinder another to keep the soul off from going to Jesus Christ But thirdly and especially The seeming harsh dealing of Jesus Christ makes it very hard work Oh say some poor souls My thinks the Lord makes mee willing and hungring after a Christ but when I come to Christ Christ hangs off My thinks God the Father is willing I should have Christ hee hath sent him the Spirit is willing hee hath revealed Christ to mee and my heart is willing but I come to Christ and hee doth not hear mee verily here you will finde difficulty and it will much pazzle and try Faith to beleeve upon and close with a Christ who seems to stand at a distance His seeming harsh dealing will make it real hard beleeving Use 2. The second Use is of Caution I pray learn by this to take heed how you provoke the Lord Jesus Christ to deal thus harshly with any of you My Brethren the Lord Christ can frown and look bitterly and deal severely c. and beware how you provoke him so to do The truth is there bee some souls that rationally I mean religiously rationally cannot expect otherwise that if Christ do receive them hee should receive them very harshly Let mee in a word touch upon this and do you remember it Two words I would speak my minde in that I may not bee mistaken First this I do not say that there are any souls that have reason to think Jesus Christ will reject them Whatever you are Canaanite Perisite or Jebusite c. Whoever you are before the Lord I do not say there is reason for you to conclude that there is no coming to the Lord. But This I say secondly That though you have no reason to think hee will cast you off yet you have reason to think hee will deal harshly with you you may have reason to fear hee will not presently entertain you First I think there bee some souls that may verily expect God may make them stand at the door and wait till they cool their heels and though Christ will let them in at last yet hee may set them stand all night Some souls Christ may let them bee hoarse with crying and yet Jesus Christ may stand off Secondly There are some souls that may expect that though hee should let them in yet it may bee with them as with some childe the childe is let in and hee sits at the table but the Father looks so strangely and harshly on him that his meat doth him no good thou mayest never rellish mercy sweetly till thou comest to Heaven it may bee Thirdly There are some souls that may expect that though Christ will give them mercy yet hee will dispure it out with them that they shall wrestle a whole night as Jacob and go limping all their life time and bee called Dogg many a time and as it were threatned with a cudgel before ever hee give them childrens bread Therefore I beseech you for the Lords sake souls look about you Now there are three sorts of people that have thus reason to think that though Christ may receive them at last yet it may bee very harsh at first First Those that have dealt very harshly with Jesus Christ With the froward I will bee froward saith God Grace will receive froward ones at last yet hee will bee harsh Why what was the matter Joseph looks so roughly upon his Brethren their consciences could tell them Wee had not pitty upon our Brother Gen. 42.21 Sirs there are many poor souls deal harshly with Jesus Christ I say deal harshly with Christ is there any deals harshly with him you will say how can that bee why bee not mistaken as you deal with Christs members so you deal with him You scoff at poor Saints and Christ takes it as against himself O minde it you that have been or are the persecutors of the Lords people you can expect no other but that Christ should deal harshly with you since you have done so by him It may bee there is a poor man or woman by thee that hath precious Faith I say that hath precious Faith thou dealest hardly with them and so thou dealest hardly with Jesus Christ in them and hee may do so with thee Secondly Those souls that have lived in any more notable prophaneness than others may expect if Christ receive them it should bee as the woman of Canaan harshly Take a plain similitude Let two men go to a Physician the one hath a little knock on the crown a little dressing a
doth appear upon this consideration nothing but this could have so quieted the heart of David that the childe was happy Indeed some think that the phrase I shall go to him is no more but I shall bee dead as hee is and they say David did acquiesce in this that the will of God was fulfilled and therefore David comforts himself in this I shall go to him But if this had not been to Heaven it could have been no great comfort Alass what comfort is this bare thought to a mourning Parent my childe is dead and I shall dye too David might have had that comfort in Absolons death but here was his comfort I shall go to him i. e. to glory the bare grave is not comfort nor was it to David but the glory beyond the grave is And this is that comfort which doth stay the heart I shall go to him Though God did not hear him for his childes life yet I think for his childes soul So that is another thing to satisfie any Christian in this case I say when Christ doth not hear prayers to restore a childe to life and health yet in this case in particular go to the Lord Jesus you may go and you may prevail for corporal kindnesses for them and if not for their bodies who can tell but you may for their souls Then I beseech you all in the words of the Apostle Phil. 4.6 compared with verse 19. Bee careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request bee made known unto God My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus Whatever your condition bee bee not over careful go to the Lord Jesus and hee will supply all thy wants hee will give a pardon to thy soul and a plaister to thy body and to thy childes body too you may go to Jesus Christ for what you will in a way of beleeving and to bee sure you shall alwaies prevail in spirituals and sometimes in corporals But there are two questions that wee must answer First But in what cases may it bee lawful to put Prayer and Faith a working in going to Christ for corporal kindnesses Secondly When may wee hope that wee may prevail with Christ for corporal kindnesses First In what cases may wee go to the Lord Jesus and set Prayer and Faith on work for corporal kindnesses It is a Case of Conscience which is not oftentimes touched upon Three things I shall tell you to regulate you and then in any case you may go to Christ and act Faith for corporal mercies First When the thing is lawful that you ask There are many things that are not lawful for us to ask Like Neroes Mother ask and say I will have my Son King though I dye for it You may not begg of the Lord that your childe may bee thus great or thus honourable but you may begg of the Lord life and health creature accommodations so far as necessary these things you may begg and go to Christ for Secondly You must look that your spirits bee not inordinately set upon the things When ever thou findest thy heart inordinately set upon any thing then do not pray for it And then Thirdly When you can appeal to Jesus Christ that the end for which you begg a corporal kindness it is for his glory then you may begg it As David there in Psa 119.17 Deal bountifully with thy servant that I may live and keep thy Word You may go and say Lord Jesus Let my childe live for what end that hee may bee a great man a rich man c. No the Lord will abhor it But that my childe may live to serve the Lord if that bee your end you may pray for it And then Quest 2. But you will say When shall I know or may I guess that I shall prevail with Christ What are the signs of the time and season when I may hope I shall prevail with Christ for mercy c Answ I answer When the frame of your spirit is as the frame of the spirit of the Woman of Canaan I pray mark it a little what the frame of the spirit of this Woman was Take it in some particulars I will name onely two viz. First Shee had this frame of spirit That though shee mentioned her childes case yet shee seems to minde her own soul most And Secondly Shee had this as the frame of her spirit To beleeve for both Now to urge it in a few words to you The first frame of her spirit was That though shee did begg this mercy for her childe yet the frame of her spirit was principally set upon her soul This poor Woman did desire her Daughters life but however Lord bread for my poor soul Oh Sirs when you can go to God and say Lord I would have such a corpotal mercy but however Lord soul-mercy when you can desire a sick childe may bee made well but especially an evil heart mended when your soul is set mostly upon your soul and its concernments then are you in a good frame Secondly This Woman was raised up to measure of Faith Indeed some great and considerate Divines do think that that Text of James 5. where it is said The prayer of Faith shall save the sick is to bee understood in reference to a particular Faith And my Beloved howsoever yet let mee tell you it is not alwaies necessary wee should have a particular perswasion yet when the Lord doth intend to answer in a corporal kindness hee doth secretly either out of the word or by providence hint some word that may bring the soul to a beleeving frame Something is presented to us which raiseth up a Faith in us so that when wee are in such a frame of heart as to minde spiritual things most and yet to beleeve that in a temporal thing God will gratifie us then may wee expect that wee shall not bee ashamed of our Faith and that wee shall have the particular corporal mercy granted to us But to end This is that I would press upon the whole As ever you would have mercy for body and soul go to Jesus Christ But now there is some general word that I would draw from the whole story Wee have now dispatched this whole discourse of the Woman of Canaan What is there that is upon my spirit to begg of the Lord for you and for my own soul but this That this story may bee alwaies a good story to us First of all therefore I say Look about you that the story of the Woman of Canaan may not bee a sad story to any Is there any such as may have cause to fear that you will say Yes man or woman whoever thou art who dost not faithfully go to Jesus Christ the story of the Woman of Canaan shall condemn you you have no excuse to keep you off from going to Jesus Christ but this Woman will condemn you
upon you and yours for your unparallel'd care and kindness to Christs Ministers amongst you And for you my Reverend Brethren Let mee beseech you to improve so choice a mercy as you have under your Magistrates I know you desire not how much soever you deserve praise yet let mee say you are to bee praised for that you are of one heart though in all things not of one head you minde and speak the same things of faith and life Though yee disagree in some things of Church-rule and Order your publick worship is in the same place and with the same Spirit There is not heard in your Pulpits where you preach by turns the noise of Axes and Hammars Heats Debates Disputes are exiles at your Assemblies you fast and pray together your design is the same and your endeavours are joint to convert sinners and to establish Saints Those loose and vain opinions which have pestered and plagued many places by your zeal and unity for truth are through Christs blessing marvelously prevented in your Congregations and as for those unchristian Divisions and Animosities which are elsewhere the sinne and shame of dissenting Professours by the Spirit of Love and Peace which rules in your hearts and appears in your labours they are either not at all or not prevailing in your place But that I may not trouble you with more I will onely adde this further that I perceive yee have well studied that Text Psal 77. which speaks of this as Israels happiness that God led them by the hand of Moses and Aaron Surely the people of your Town seem to bee led but by one hand Indeed Moses goes before as it is but fit and Aaron comes after Your Magistrates in Civils and your selves in Spirituals are so one in hand and I hope in heart that though you have offices distinct yet your indeavours are joint and both make up one great mercy to the people under you As they incourage you so yee reverence them They are not such who assume power in Spitituals but leave your work to your selves and yee I hope none of yee are as those who despise Dominion nor intermeddle with the politick affairs Let that heart be filled with sorrow and that hand and head be cursed of the Lord that indeavours in the least the breach of that holy and righteous harmony that is betwixt you I presume yee will say Amen to my prayer for you in this particular To you then holy and beloved Brethren Who fear God and have faith in Jesus and are blessed by and a blessing to such a Magistracy and Ministry Let mee speak also a few words I bear you witness to others that there is amongst you the Spirit and conversation of the good old Puritans whom I mention with honour it is your credit that you are not in this day of reproach and blasphemy which is upon profession for Professors faults a shame to that worthy name wherewith yee are called The itch of novel opinions the botch of vain fashions the plague of neglect of duties and slighting Ordinances and Ministry these are not seen amongst you or on you I verily saw much of Christ in you your carriage was seeming exact and I hope your study is to bee what you seem for Wo be to Hypocrites and Sinners hollow-hearted Professours or ignorant and profane persons in New castle They that are bad under Magistrates and Ministers so good will bee damned without mercy under two of the greatest witnesses that can bee against a people But I hope better things of you though I thus speak I beseech you so live that by your good examples concurring with the power of your Magistrates and preaching of your Ministers yee may help to convince and convert evill doors at least to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men To you all Magistrates and Ministers and Saints jointly and severally let me return my hearty humble thanks for that singular respect which for many years yee have expressed to my ever dear and beloved Brother whose lot is cast among you It is to mee matter of joy and praise before the Lord that since it pleased God who disposes of all our persons and places to carry him so far from all relations that he did vouchsafe to fix him amongst your selves who abundantly make up all relations in your care and kindness to and for him Now the blessed God for ever reward your love to him and his Let your goodness accept of mee who am obliged in and for him this short but sincere acknowledgement for the same I shall not trouble you with the remembrance of that kindness which when by the good hand of God I visited my brother and saw yee you were pleased to express It is your goodness you had rather shew kindness than hear praise Therefore I judge it would trouble you if I should blaze that which yet was such and so great as I have and must speak of to others and before the Lord with thanksgiving your receiving mee and love to mee was in the Spirit of the Gospel yee did receive mee in the name of a Prophet and in the name of a Disciple howbeit I am unworthy that honour Oh that hee who rewards a cup of cold water given upon such an account would abundantly reward your large and loving respects to me even poor me in that way and upon that score My gratitude would overflow did not the consideration of your Modesty which loves not to hear its own applause set mee bounds I will therefore conclude thus May your Persons your Government your Labours your whole Town and your Universal All be alwaies under the special favour of the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom I remain Right worthy Reverend and Beloved Sirs Your most obliged and most affectionately humble servant JOHN DURANT To the Reader TO serve the counsell of God in a mans particular Generation is a duty incumbent on all that profess themselves the servants of Christ and to bee sincere and diligent therein is to bee in the exercise and partake of the sure mercies of David But to bee willing to do any thing which may bee service to Christ in another Generation and to bee indeed successefull therein is a blessing which few attain unto And yet though such a blessing be obtained but by a few I perswade my self it may at least bee desired and pursued by all For as wee are to covet earnestly the best gifts so are we to aim at and endeavour the best service and such is that which lasts and lives when wee are gone and fallen asleep in our Graves I hope I shall be freed from the crime and censure of pride if I say that my aim in these small pieces which I have been pressed formerly to print was to serve not onely my present but the next Generation And I must acknowledge to the praise of the glory of Christs grace that my experience of
the good liking and acceptance of my Labours this way gives mee grounds to hope that my service may extend it self beyond my own age Certainly books last longer than men and they speak when wee are dead and gone Hereupon I am encouraged once again to appear in the Press for the same service which is only to subserve the counsell of God for the good of thy soul Christian Reader by the following Sermons concerning which I will onely preface a few words about their Occasion Scope and Mode 1 For the Occasion take that thus there is extant among those choice labours of that Man of God Mr. William Bridge now of Yarmouth one Sermon pitty it is there were no more upon the story of the Woman of Canaan This Sermon I had a Childe who is now with him who gave it that was much taken with it I perceived shee read it often with savour and delight whereupon it was in my heart to inlarge a little more upon that subject which certainly is sweet to all those who have spiritual senses exercised to discern the glory and rellish of Gospel discourses This was indeed Reader the occasion of these Sermons 2 The Scope of them is to do good to many who are the sons and daughters of Mystical Canaan In the History of the example here opened wee may observe what ought to bee the carriage and what may bee the comfort of any soul that hath or shall come to Jesus Christ Indeed the way of coming to Christ I have not inlarged in having formerly done that in my Ministerial course the special thing attended and aimed at is to direct and help poor souls who know and are in the way to Christ but lie under temptations and troubles by reason of some seeming harsh delatory and denying entertainment which they meet withall And therein I hope this work will be unto thee Reader of advantage 3 Concerning its Mode or the manner of handling these Sermons truly it is without affectation or curiosity either as to phrases or fancies and in the same plainness wherein they were preached and taken are they now without any further polish printed And truly the bread of life is best when it is plain Experience hath put it beyond controversie that the truths of God take and work most sweetly and soveraignly where they are delivered most plainly and simply Not in the wisdome of man but in the simplicity of the Spirit and in that ordinary language wherein the Lord gives to each man utterance The way of such mens preaching is exceeding bad albeit the matter may bee truth and good who rather tickle the ear than touch the hearts of their hearers This last I studied and therefore that other I neglected And Reader if thou affect words thou maiest spare thy pains for upon that score the ensuing Sermons will yeeld thee no pleasure But in case thy heart bee set on things which may concern thy soul read humbly and seriously and I dare under Christ promise thee profit for thy pains My desire was and is to serve poor humble hungry souls that will be glad of any of the crumbs which Christ gives and if thou bee such fall to and the Lord be with thee in thy perusal of these Sermons which with thy soul I commend to the blessing of Christ desiring thee Reader in thy prayers to remember him who is Thine in soul-service for Christs sake John Durant THE Woman of Canaan coming unto Christ The First SERMON Matthew 15. from vers 22 to vers 29. And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil But hee answered her not a word and his Disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for shee crieth after us But hee answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs And shee said Truth Lond yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt And her Daughter was made whole from that very hour IN all our addresses unto Christ which is the great business of our Life and Happiness it concerns us not onely to know the great Precepts that should guide us and the gracious Promises that may incourage us But also to bee well acquainted with all those Patterns and Examples of any that have gone to Christ before us and likewise with those occurrences which they did and wee are like to meet withall in this work Now my Brethren unto this purpose I know no one story in all the New Testament which speaks of any coming to Christ like that which I have read to acquaint us a little by way of Pattern what wee should expect when wee come to Christ In the coming of this Woman to Christ wee have something very patternable for us to minde And in the carriage of Christ to her wee may see what wee may expect at the hands of Christ even then when wee come to him There are fix heads unto which the whole story as it is here recorded may bee reduced First You have the coming of the Woman unto Christ in vers 22. Secondly You have the seemingly harsh entertainment that Christ gives her at first for hee answered her not a word and though his Disciples spake on her behalf hee puts them off Thirdly You have the Womans good behaviour notwithstanding all this vers 25. Shee worshipped him saying Lord help mee Fourthly You have the Repulse that Christ doth give to that in vers 26. But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs Fifthly You have her yet renewed recourse to Christ after that repulse in vers 27. Truth Lord yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table Sixthly and lastly You have the blessed issue of all in vers 28. Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. My intention is not to confine my self to the Method but to the Matter In which you have The Coming of the Woman The Entertainment of Christ The Carriage of the Woman under all And the blessed Conclusion wherewith all is ended At present wee shall consider the first of these The Coming of the Woman of Canaan And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same Coasts and cried unto him saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil This Note Behold is observed to bee a Note of Attention and it is put in to usher in some matter that is more
nothing c. Why know the Lord doth do it but sometimes and know that that God that speaks harshly to thee now will speak sweetly afterwards Note that place Judges 10. The people of Israel there cry to God deliver us this once what saith the Lord in vers 13. You have forsaken mee go to your Gods I will deliver you no more get you gone saith God and yet mark they follow on their cry save us but this once and it is said in vers 16. his soul was grieved for them Oh my Brethren though the Lord do seemingly entertain you harshly at first yet bee of good comfort hee may yet speak well to you yea hee will at last Onely let mee conclude with a little peece of the story of Joseph It may bee there are some of the women of Canaan that have cried long pray remember Joseph and Josephs Brethren came down to him My Lord say they wee are the children of one Man and wee come to buy corn and Joseph answered them roughly by and by hee laies one by the heels hee lets them go and keeps but one Oh the poor Brethren of Joseph might think what shall wee do wee are come into a strange Country and wee meet with strange language wee came to buy bread and wee are made prisoners you all know the story how Joseph entertained his Brethren at last Three things are in Josephs story in the book of Genesis First Though hee speaks roughly yet his bowels were towards his dear Brethren Secondly Though hee spake roughly it was that hee might have Renjamin And thirdly Though hee spake roughly yet at last hee entertained them royally Jesus is our Joseph and wee go to him for corn the Lord may speak roughly to us as Joseph did to them But first Hee hath bowels when hee speaks roughly Oh Jesus his bowels did roll to this poor woman when hee spake roughly When I spake against him my bowels were turned within mee saith God of Ephraim Oh thou childe of Canaan thou sayest hee hath called thee Dogg beleeve it hee is grieved for it at his heart Oh the sounding of the bowels of Christ are often towards us when hee seems to carry it harsh And then secondly Why did hee speak so harshly at first it was all to get Benjamin let us allude to it and apply it to you You have a Benjamin the Lord loves your hearts your soul your spirit that is your Bejamin the Lord speaks roughly that hee may have Benjamin and when once that Benjamin comes a living heart is brought to him hee will quickly make friends Lastly Joseph made a large recompence for all and truly so will the Lord Jesus make a large amends for all Oh children of Canaan in the Promise and thou woman of Canaan in the letter though the Lord seem harsh at first yet at last hee will bee sweet they shall have corn and mony too they shall have enough to bring them where they shall have all the Land Thou shalt have soul and body-mercies mercy for the way and mercy for the Country The Lord Jesus will deal bountifully The Lord may deal roughly but hee will yet deal royally How did hee deal with this woman Oh Woman bee it unto thee even as thou wilt Jesus did never speak so to any body Christ may say at last Oh soul go to the pot of Manna and take and eat what thou wantest what thou wishest And poor soul bee it to thee even as thou wilt for soul body daughter and all Though the Lord Christ may speak roughly at first and entertain seemingly severe yet hee doth end really sweet Thus much at present Reasons why Christ at first seems to bee harsh The Third SERMON Matthew 15. from vers 23 and so on But hee answered her not a word And his Disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for shee crieth after us But hee answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs c. BEsides those things which are commonly experienced and which must bee certainly expected in the coming of every soul to Christ besides those there are some RARE extraordinary things that now and then fall out upon some souls in their coming to â—hrist And my Brethren it concerns us to bee acquainted with them that in case they should befall us as others wee may know what to think and how to carry our selves Now in this story of the Woman of Canaan wee have some of those rare and extraordinary things which may befall some souls when they come to Christ Indeed wee have not the like History in all the New Testament unto this you read of many that came to Christ and you read how Christ did entertain them but you never read that Christ did carry it so to any as hee did to the Woman of Canaan There were four heads of matter unto which I said we might reduce this story First The coming of the Woman to Christ that wee have dispatched The Woman came upon a low account at first shee had a childe-sick possessed with Satan and her sick childe did revive a dead soul and brings her to Christ But now the second head wee are come to It is Christs entertainment of this Woman How doth Christ entertain her shee comes with much affection shee speaks with great humility how doth Christ welcome her truly very strangely hee answers her not a word And when the Disciples spake on her behalf hee seems to reprove them when shee renews her request hee puts her off with a dreadful answer so strangely doth Christ sometimes carry it to poor souls The Doctrine wee are upon from the carriage of Christ to the Woman is Doct. That Iesus Christ is seemingly harsh sometimes to some souls when they come to him Wee expressed the Doctrine with more caution because it is rare and it must not bee mistaken Therefore wee told you the lâ—st day those three expressions are boundaries of the point 1 It is but seemingly There is harshness in the carriage when none in the heart 2 And that sometimes 3 And but to some persons wee do not read of any more but this one to whom Christ did carry it so There were two things I said I would open in the doctrinal part First Wherein Christ might shew some kinde of harshness sometimes to poor souls This wee opened by this instance of Christs carriage to this Woman 1 Hee doth not entertain her 2 Hee doth not speak to her 3 Puts off them that spake for her 4 When shee renews her request shee is not the better 5 Nay hee speaks that as might dash her hope 6 And at last hee doth for her but upon a great dispute and after denials and delaies Secondly But whence is it that the Lord should thus
have you dealt treacherously with mee O house of Israel saith the Lord. What then do they deny it No. A voice was heard upon the high places weeping and supplâ—cation of the children of Israel for they have perverted their way and they have forgotten the Lord their God Oh here is good carriage when the Lord shall deal harshly bring all thy sins to remembrance rip up sin here and fin there Oh with a voice of weeping say truly it is so Let God charge any thing Let Christ say what hee will hee cannot lye whatever his language bee If Christ say Swine Dogg reply nothing onely say as this Woman did Truth Lord. That is the fourth thing But then again Fifthly This Womans good carriage lies in this Shee doth gather upon Jesus Christ as it were and catches hold of that by which Christ would seem to cast her off and doth take an argument from his harsh speech to plead for her self It is not meet to give the childrens bread to Doggs See how shee takes hold of it Truth Lord But the Doggs may eat of the crumbs that fall from their Masters Table Doth Christ say go Woman dogg Woman say thou I will take hold of this word a crumb Lord. It is good when a soul can catch hold upon a Christ even by that with which hee would put it off For instance suppose Jesus Christ should say to thee thou art an ungodly wretch come not to mee catch hold of that and say thou art a God that justifies the ungodly Saith God thou art a Rebel get thee gone catch at it and say truth Lord it is so but the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to give gifts to Rebels Doth the Lord yet say thou art an enemy answer true Lord but there is reconciliation for enemies in the blood of Christ c. Learn to catch at that hand by which Christ seems to thrust thee away hold that It is indeed a Mystery but so is all godliness and wee must learn it and out of this Womans example wee may bee helped therein That is the fifth But not to inlarge I will come to the next The sixth and last thing in her good carriage is this That shee is content with a little in the lowest manner if shee may not have a great deal in the highest manner For mark her expression A crumb Lord there is little and under the Table I will bee glad to stoop so low and lick that which lies there upon the ground Oh that this frame of spirit were in us surely it is a blessed thing to bee thus bowed in our hearts to stoop thus to Christ Wee cannot enough admire nor I fear imitate this Woman pray look upon her listen to her Truly my thinks the poor Woman saies thus Indeed I am a poor Canaanite I am not one of the children of the house of Israel I may not sit down at the childrens table nor take of the bread so soon as cut from the Loaf but I will bee content to take it under the table there I will lye c. And truly my Brethren this was the good carriage of the Prodigal mark how the Prodigal comes home Father make mee one of thy hired servants Hee doth not say Father remember I was a childe and let mee come in for a portion c. No but make mee but a servant and what servant would hee bee a hired servant the houshould servants had a priviledge that the hired servants had not I shall turn you to a Scripture for it Exod. 12.44 45. verses The hired servant might not eat of the Passeover when the houshold servant might Hee would bee a hired servant that if his Father would not take him into full grace and give him a childes place and portion again hee would bee contented with any thing Now the Lord help you and I to think of these things here is good carriage Here are six things you see wherein shee carries it well But now In the second place I should give you the Reasons why this same good carriage should bee notwithstanding Christ carry it harshly There are three heads of Reasons First of all If you consider who Christ is to whom you come Secondly If you consider what your selves are who come to this Jesus Christ And Thirdly If you consider the Errant for which you come to him at any time you will finde in all these three Matter and Motive enough to make you carry it thus well to Christ though hee carries it ill to you The Woman considered who Christ was the Son of David the Messias and shee considered who shee was a Canaanite and shee remembers that shee had a childe under the power of the Devil and let us touch a little upon them First Consider who Christ is to whom you come I shall hint out my meditations as to this in four particulars who Christ is First of all Hee is the Lord God blessed for evermore Therefore worship thou him saith the Psalmist Psal 45.11 FOR hee is thy Lord and because hee is thy Lord therefore worship thou him The Lord Jesus to whom you and I come hee is the Lord Jehovah God blessed for evermore and should wee not carry it well to him wert thou to come to a man but a meer man upon a weighty affair though hee were a little cross thou wouldest carry it well and shouldest thou go to the Lord God blessed for evermore and carry it ill Surely the consideration of a God ought to fill the soul with all reverence in every approach unto him and with all humbleness of carriage in our dealings with him If thou art an Arrian doubting and denying Christs deity there might bee the shadow of a Plea for an irreverent deportment but being thou art one who callest Christ Lord and professest at least to acknowledge him God this very thing obligeth thee to demean thy self well however hee deals with thee Secondly As hee is thy Lord so hee is thy Life My meaning is thou goest to him without whom thou canst not live and therefore thou hadst need to carry it well Whither should wee go saith Peter thou hast the words of eternal life Christ is your Physician for that you must carry it well to him you do carry it well and wait upon a Doctor fairly because your life lies upon it and will you not deal so with Christ when the life of your souls lies upon it I knew a Physician that was of great Name and Practice a man of a very cynical spirit as rugged crabbed a carriaged person as any of that Profession hee could scarce give a pleasing look and would often give course cross indeed very bad language and yet I have heard him so reverently spoke unto and so patiently waited on that I have admired it but what was the reason Oh hee was a Doctor and they came to him knowing his skill and therefore it made them carry themselves so respectfully to him Oh
called thee truly it was his anger and wrath that was upon her and yet hee had called her as a Woman refused Poor heart thou art as a woman grieved in spirit yet the Lord is kinde Object I but you will say That is a Promise made to those who once were in the heart of Christ who once were married to the Lord and afterwards seem to bee separated Answ 1. That is true and therefore by the way if there bee any of you that once were married to the Lord and by your sins are separated bee of good comfort the Lord doth caâ—l thee But secondly Though the sixth verse speak to one that was once a Wife yet the first verse speaks to one that was never a Wife Sing O barren thou that didst not bear for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married Wife So that mark it put it either way thou that once wast married to Christ and thou that wast never married there is a song of praise for you Whosoever you are that come to Jesus Christ whether it bee your first coming in the day of conversion from an unregenerate estate or second coming in the day of your return from a backsliding estate I say which soever it is if you come Christ will bee kinde unto you I will conclude And two words I shall speak First Know It is absolutely impossible that it should bee otherwise but that Christ should deal well with you at last You know the Apostles expression Heb. 6.18 That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lye wee might have strong consolation c. When you have the Lords Word and the Lords Oath when you have the Lords Promises and many Experiences It is impossible now that God should fail here are immutable things You have the Experience of this Woman of Canaan and you have the Experience of many thousands besides the Promises and Oath of God and Christ so that I say it is impossible that it should change and bee otherwise It cannot bee but that Christ should deal well at last with those that come unto him I say again and Oh remember it it cannot possibly bee otherwise Secondly It is very probable your comfort may bee nearer than you are aware of Possibly thou wilt say It was never worse never further off Bee it so upon this account thou wert never nearer to comfort My Beloved it is a certain Truth When wee are ready to give up hope and ready to perish that is the time of our refreshing and reviving Possibly now thou dost think thou art at the worst the Lord may be ready to deal kindly with thee When did the Lord reveal this kindness to the Woman of Canaan when after hee had spoken worst of all Hee had said It was not meet to give childrens bread to Doggs and presently after this word hee saith Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt It may bee the Lord tells thee It is not meet to give thee bread now bee of good comfort now hee calls thee Dogg and is ready to beat thee off a thousand to one if hee do not give you childrens bread Indeed this I observe as a particular thing in the story of Joseph when was it that Joseph brake out in his kindness to his brethren See in Gen. 45.1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself c. When truly when Judah had told him such a sad story in chap. 44. vers 18. As if Judah should say My Lord great man what shall I do if thou do not let Beâ—amin go c. Then Josephs heart melted Happily thou art brought to this question Lord what shall I do Lord I have waited prayed cried and Oh Lord what shall I do why bear up thy heart now thou art near sinking the Lord may reveal himself to thee as hee did to the Woman of Canaan Well that is the first and the proper Use To comfort those that are in the Woman of Canaans condition I shall add but one word of Exhortation If it bee thus that the Lord Christ will deal thus kindly at last however hee carry it at first Then let the same minde bee in you that was in the Lord Jesus This you know is a great Rule That wee should bee followers of Christ Wherein shall wee bee followers of Christ First Carry it thus one to another Secondly Carry it thus to Jesus Christ First Carry it thus one to another If so bee through frailty you have carried it too roughly one to another hitherto carry it kindly now Bee not of a rough spirit irreconcilably It is time for Beleevers to lay aside their bitterness which hath been their sin and shame many years Oh that whatever unbrotherly ungospel-like carriage hath been amongst Saints and too much hath been may now at last end Let us in this imitate Christ to carry it well at last for a long time wee have carried it harsh and ill And in particular cases between one Relation and another one friend and another bee as Christ sweet and kinde in the cloze what ere you are or have been at first Secondly And especially Carry it so to Jesus Christ There is never a one of you but have carried it very strangely to Christ at first the Lord help you to carry it well at last Have not you carried it to Christ as Christ carried it to the Woman of Canaan The Woman of Canaan called but hee would not answer Christ comes to you and calls you but you will not answer Christ calls you you will not hear Young man saith Christ turn to mee it is not meet for mee to do so hath the young man answered I will not cast my youth and strength on a doting disgraced way as many do so have your hearts said too often And so for old and rich and great ones how oft have they put off Christ with no answer or at best with a delatory one I may say to you all that many a time after many a call and in many a case you have dealt unkindly with Christ Well but however though you have carried it ill to Christ heretofore yet pray carry it well at last I shall allude to a speech in Matth. 21.28 Christ speaks of two Sons of a certain man and hee came and said to the first Go work to day in my Vineyard hee answered and said I will not but afterwards hee repented and went c. The Lord Christ shews in that parable how some yea many deal with him Hee calls and commands the poor soul hee saith to the sinner Go to work leave off sin but the soul returns answer No I will not Oh this is naughty carriage yet now if wee recall our selves and say as hee said at last I go But afterwards hee repented and went This will bee doing good at last and however our former carriage hath been Christ will accept and count this well and say Here is good carriage
yet saith hee in vers 8. The Lord will command salvation for mee and yet I shall praise him And verily at last you shall see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living hee will command and create comfort for you I but saith the soul though David might say so what is that to mee still I say remember it is to thee All that take hold of the Covenant of Grace that God made with David God makes with them the sure mercies of David as it is in that precious Promise Isa 55.3 But however mark the example wee are upon consider the Woman of Canaan and when you consider the whole story of her you may bee confident at last Christ will deal kindly with you Minde above and besides what wee have said Three things in this story to comfort your hearts that however Christ may deal harshly at first yet in the end hee will deal kindly First You cannot bee further off from Jesus Christ than the Woman of Canaan was Secondly You cannot bee dealt withall worse than the Woman of Canaan was But. Thirdly Though wee should grant you should bee further off than the Woman of Canaan was and dealt withalt worse than shee was yet there is hope in Israel for this thing First You cannot bee further off than the Woman of Canaan was My Beloved There were no people visibly so far from the Covenant of Grace and so much out of the Commission of Christ as the Canaanites and the Samaritans and yet it is observable you have two great instances the one of a Canaanite and the other of a Samaritan that Christ must deal well withall In John 4. It is said of Christ That hee must needs go thorow Samaria and what was it for but to bring home a poor Woman of Samaria now a Samaritan was far off from Christ and such a one as shee was very far from Christ yet the Lord at last must deal kindly with her And so this Woman of Canaan shee was far off from Jesus Christ shee was a Woman of Tyre and Sidon yet shee came to the Lord and the Lord dealt well with her Secondly Consider this for your comfort Christ cannot deal worse with you than hee dealt with the Woman of Canaan I beseech you in the Lords presence you that have been under any darkness clouds or trouble tell mee did ever the Lord speak to you as hee did to this Woman when you said Jesus thou Saviour of sinners have mercy upon mee did hee ever say I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel when in the anguish of your spirits you did turn into a corner and lay in the dust grovling and crying for a crumb of comfort did hee ever tell you It was not meet to give you childrens bread yet you see Christ said so to this Woman Indeed I think Christ never dealt with any all things considered so seemingly ill and rough as with this woman Certainly you cannot bee worse dealt with yet at last you see how well shee speed But then Thirdly Suppose suppose that you bee further off from Christ than the woman of Canaan was and that you have been dealt withall worse than the woman of Canaan was Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing Why what hope there is this hope that the Lord will create a new thing in the world It is often used in the Prophets that expression among others I shall now minde you onely of one In Isa 43.18 19. Saith the Lord there unto his people Remember yee not the former things neither consider the things of old Behold I will do a new thing c. As if the Lord should say My people look back to the daies past do not you remember former things happily they may say wee remember old experiences but ours is a new case wee remember what thou didst in the daies of old but our case is worse than theirs Behold saith God A new thing I will create and what is that new thing God will create Why the Beasts of the field shall honour him c. Time was when the Virgin Daughter of Sion did honour him time was when Israel followed him thorow the wilderness I but now God will create a new thing The Beasts of the field shall honour him My Beloved there is very much in this viz. in the Creating-power and the Creating-mercy of the heart of God Suppose never was any so far off nor never any so dealt withall yet the Lord will create a new thing in the world So that I say it may much comfort the hearts of all those that are in the condition of the Woman of Canaan that the Lord will deal well at last however hee may deal at first Object But now my thinks I hear the poor soul say But I am not like the Woman of Canaan were I as the Woman of Canaan then I should hope the Lord would deal well with mee but I am not as shee Why how is that Answ I have not that Grace as shee had I have not her Prayer her Humility I never worshipped the Lord as the Woman of Canaan did I never was so broken as the Woman of Canaan was I shall give two Answers First If you bee not so humble as the Woman of Canaan think of it now to bee as humble as shee was But yet I tell you in the Second place It was not the Woman of Canaan 's Humility nor her Patience nor her Prayer not the Worshipping but the Woman of Canaan 's Faith upon which the Lord did all And I take it to bee an undeniable truth that that Grace unto which all kindness is shewed is the Grace of Faith True Humility is good and so is Humiliation and the Lord give us our measure but yet I say the great Promise is not to Humility nor to Humiliation but to Faith Woman great is thy Faith Object I but then secondly saith the soul But I have not the Woman of Canaan 's Faith If I had her Faith I should think the Lord would deal well with mee It is said the Woman of Canaan had a great Faith but the Lord knows I have but a little Answ I have answered already this and shewed That it was not to the measure of the Grace but to the Grace it self that Christ did this Therefore I say as often as you read the story of the Woman of Canaan comfort your hearts with these words do as the Prophet Habakkuk chap. 2. vers 1. I will stand upon my Watch-Tower and observe what God will say for the vision will speak at last So say I to the Sons and Daughters of the Woman of Candan Go upon your Watch-Tower and observe the vision will speak at last I shall hint to you that speech in Isa 54.6 The Lord hath called mee as a Woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth when thou wast refused saith thy God The Lord hath