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
that was the man but the man Christ Jesus is now the Mediator and therefore such as do either deny that Christ did take our nature or that he doth retain our nature and rose in our nature and asCended in our nature doth mightily help forward the design of the Devil he alwayes had a design to overthrow this foundation of faith and such men are the Devils chief Instruments he knows that if Christ did not rise in that body again if he can take away that he knows that all preaching is in vain and faith is in vain and therefore the Pharisees when put on by the Devil they gave the Souldiers money to say that his Disciples stole him away Surely the Devil he knew that doctrine was of great concernment and therefore they were put upon to say his Disciples stole him away and such men as deny Christs Resurrection they take the Devils hire and their faith will be but the faith of the Sadduces and will leave them short of life Thirdly And in the third and last place How may are there that many confess both these that may confess Christ is God that he is Lord and that he is Man true man and yet not look unto Christ as he is fit every way for that work as fitted with strength and meekness and mercy for that great work of perfecting his peoples salvation As you desire to have faith that is of the right stamp would you have it rightly grounded and have it laid upon such a foundation as God hath laid and on such a foundation as will hold O then look to this womans confession look up to the Lord to make such a discovery of Christ to your souls that Christ may be discovered to you as Lord and that you may close with him as man God in our nature satisfied in our nature and making intercession in our nature and look upon him as one appointed by God the Father for therein lay a great deal of a Christians comfort when the soul comes to eye this Mediator as one appointed by God and one â—itted every way for it full of mercy and full of power if the Lord shall make such a discovery of Christ to your souls so as to cause you to lean your souls upon him for life and salvation this will be found to be faith rightly built this is the faith of Gods Elect. Matth. 15. 22. And cryed unto him saying have mercy on me c. SERMON IV. FIrst This womans faith is declared by the fruits of it and the first fruit of her faith it was the applying of her self unto Christ in a way of prayer She comes to Christ and she prayes unto him and he prayer is set forth by the fervency of it for she did not only intreat but she cryes unto him her prayer was no cold prayer but she put up fervent supplications and strong cries Secondly Her prayer is set forth by the Argument she useth in her pleading with Christ for that mercy the cure of her Daughter and the Argument she useth is taken only from his free Grace and that she pleads Have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David She doth not present any worthiness of her own but she takes hold of mercy So that the truth that I shall commend to yoâ— is this That whereever there is true faith it will maâ—â— the soul to cry unto Christ and to plead mercâ— and free grace in the greatest affliction He affliction was wonderful great My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil She come to Christ and cryes and takes hold of hiâ— mercy I had thought that I might handle the whole Point but I shall not be able to go thorough it 〈◊〉 once and therefore shall divide it into three Propositions The first is this That faith will make 〈◊〉 soul to come to Christ in a way of prayer and applâ— it self to Christ alone in the greatest affliction Secondly The greater the afflictions of 〈◊〉 faithful are the stronger are their cries 〈◊〉 Christ Thirdly When a gracious heart cries unto Christ it pleads nothing but mercy renounces all his owâ— worthiness and takes hold only of mercy and 〈◊〉 grace I shall speak to the first at this time That faith will make a soul come to Christ and cry to Christ pour out his complaints before Christ when it is 〈◊〉 the greatest distress and under the forest affliction and burden This woman she applies her self 〈◊〉 unto Christ cries only unto him she doth 〈◊〉 go to the Idol-gods of her own Nation she seâ—â— not unto them nor trusts in them though the people were an idolatrous people and had many gods that they sought after but she leaves them all whatever others do and she goes to Christ seeks not to the gods of the Nation but applies her self to Christ Secondly When she comes where Christ is she cries only to him she doth not cry to man she doth not poure out her complaints to man no not to the best of men she doth not cry to the Disciples she doth not cry to Peter James or John but she poures out her cries to the Lord O Lord thou son of David Faith makes her in her distress to look to the Lord alone applies her self only to Christ in a way of prayer This is the counsel that Eliphaz gives to Job chap. 5. v. 8. sayes he If I were in thy condition I would go to God I would apply my self to God I would seek to God and commit my cause to him I would not seek to creatures I would not make my complaint to the creature because they cannot pitty me nor help me no it is lost labour I would go to God and seek to God and I would not keep my burden my self I would not bear my burden upon my own shoulder and stand groaning under my burden 〈◊〉 I would go to God and commit my cause to him it is good counsel that he gave Job and O that we might be inabled to follow it And for the confirmation of the Point you shall find many Instances in Scripture of the â—aints applying themselves to God alone in the â—â—me of their distresse I might hold forth very many but I shall only give you one or two Look â—pon David as he expresses himself Psal 14. 1. 〈◊〉 so on I cryed to the Lord with my voice to 〈◊〉 Lord did I make my supplication and poured out my complaints before him and shewed him my trouble And when was it It was in a time of great distress Ver. 3. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me I went to God and made my complaints known to him I went not to the creature but to God And Jonah he was in a sad distressed condition and yet faith brought him to apply himself to the Lord when as he was in that sad estate Jonah 2. 1 2. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God out of the fishes belly and said I cryed by
shews that afflictions are from the Lord and shews that all afflictions are for that end to carry the soul higher unto God and shews that all the help of the creature is vain and shews that there is an infinite supply of grace and mercy all-sufficiency of grace in God and Christ to relieve at all times and in all straits these discoveries that faith makes will carry the soul to Christ and make the soul apply it self to Christ and cry to him and spread his complaints before him in time of great distress A word or two by way of Application First of all If it be so that faith carry the soul to God and Christ alone in time of distres what shall we think then when men by their affliction and in their affliction are carried further off from God And yet so it is with many their afflictions set them at a greater distance from Christ many a man is hardened by his affliction and so set at a greater distance from God by that trouble and distresse he hath upon him afflictions drive many a man from God make him run away from God run any where then unto God there is many will run to the creature and their eye is not to the Lord the holy One of Israel they run to the creature to comfort them run to the world and run into the way of their lust but apply not themselves to the Lord in the day of their distress You know that Ahaziah ran to the Devil when he was in distress so far was he from running nigh to God in distress that he run to the Devil himself he sends to the gods of the Nations to know whether he should recover or not This is a discovery that there is no seed of faith in such a soul for where there is faith but in the seed of it the least seed of faith it will make a soul at least to be looking to Christ and crying after Christ in the day of distress it will at least cry unto Christ though there may be many workings of corruption and temptations and many distempers of spirit may be bubling up in time of affliction yet faith will carry the soul to look towards Christ and cry after him as Jonah did when he was in the belly of hell I said I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look toward thy holy temple He applies himself to Christ And so a gracious heart will be looking to Christ and the more faith the more it will look and the louder it will-cry But secondly Let it be a word of exhortation O that it might provoke us all to deal more with God and Christ in the time of our affliction and distress O that we might cry more to him and pour out our complaints more to him as this poor woman did she comes and cries O Lord thou son of David Poor souls are apt to look to the creature in the day of distress and think such and such creatures can comfort Surely my bed shall comfort me and my couch give me ease sayes Job but he found no such matter and so we are apt to say of this and that creature I will go and make my complaint to him he will give me some refreshment poor souls are very apt under their burdens to go up down and scatter their complaints Ah but they take not the right course of going to Christ and crying to him and pouring out the complaints of their souls before him and therefore it is that when they goe to men they meet with little satisfaction and little relief and comfort and their spirits are filled with discontent and dissatisfaction when as they meet with such men sometimes as have no compassion at all in them and sometimes meet with good words and no more and sometimes meet with such as pitty them but have no power and sometimes meet with some that will aggravate the affliction and just it is with God it should be so when we will not look to the Rock O that such disappointments might reach us to look to the Lord we have thought that this creature might ease but we have met with disappointments O that these disappointments might teach us to go to Christ as this woman And thus the poor man did for his son that he would cast out the unclean spirit I went said he to thy Disciples and they tryed to cast out the unclean spirit but could not and then he comes to Christ I have been with thy Disciples and they could not cast out the unclean spirit but thou canst do it and Christ did do it And O that these disappointments might teach us to goe more to Christ and make our complaints more to him in time of distress Quest But you will say What may we not go to our friends is it not lawful to go to men when we are under pressures and burdens either of the outward or inward man and to such and such as may relieve us may we not apply our selves to them Answ I answer yes We may apply our selves to men but take heed we do it in Gods way I say under burdens and distresses either outward or inward we may apply our selves to men but take heed we doe it in Gods way Quest But you will say How shall we know we do it in Gods way Answ I answer first of all when you do it as an Ordinance of God when we make use of the advice and help of others and go to others as to an Ordinance of God then we are not out of Gods way when we do it in obedience to the Will and Commandement of God and Christ when one that is wounded in spirit shall apply himself to those that are godly that hath the mind of Christ in obedience to the command of Christ Confess your sins one to another and pray one for another Now if out of obedience to Christ I go and confess my sins to one that is godly and desire him to pray for me when we apply our selves to men as an Ordinance of God then we are in Gods way Secondly When we shall keep the eye of our souls upon God alone for help when we apply our selves to men for any help and yet shall keep our eye upon God and look upon God as the great moving cause look upon God as the fountain of all relief and comfort and shall look upon the creature only as Gods Instrument this is but a pipe and an empty one too if God do not fill it when as the eye is thus upon God and eye God as principal in all that comfort and relief that we expect and look upon the creature as the means then we may apply our selves to the creature and not out of Gods way And a man may know whether he keeps his eye upon God when as he does apply himself to the creature thus Are your expectations from the creature or from God If a mans eye
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
affliction and sorrow did increase so he cried the louder to his Father Luke 22. 44. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly he prayed the more when his affliction increased when he was in the midst of his agony then he cried more earnestly To make some short application of the Point First of all Let it be a word of examination there is none of us but at one time or other are pouring out our cries and complaints and especially in our affliction we are full of cries Now let us examine whether it be the cry of the flesh or the cry of the spirit whether it be accompanied with pride of heart and with impatiency and unbelief with murmuring and repining O that is the cry of the flesh and the sinful cry of the flesh which is far from the cry of the spirit But to give you two or three things that you may make use of by way of tryall First of all would you know whether your cry be the cry of the flesh or the cry of the spirit why then examine whether or no your cry and your complaint be not above your burden many a mans cry is greater then his bruden that God layes upon him it may be he makes his burden heavy by his strugling Jobs burden was not so it was heavy Now when a man shall cry out and say no affliction like to mine and no burden like to mine O this is a sinful cry Secondly When our cry is so great as to take us off from our duty either to God or man that cry is not a gracious but a sinful cry the cry of the spirit makes a soul wait upon God in a way of duty but now if a man in time of affliction is taken off from his duty surely that cry is a sinful cry Thirdly When a man in the day of affliction cries so loud that he cannot hear what the Lord speaks to him God comes and speaks graciously offers comfort but the cry of the soul is so loud that it cannot hear what God speaks that a man shall be taken up with complaints as to refuse all the comfort that God sends him this is a sinful cry this was the cry of that afflicted man Psal 77. 2. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted Nay when as a man or woman in the time of affliction shall not only refuse his comfort but justifie his complaint as Jonah did he justified his anger when God asked him Dost thou well to be angry Yea said he I do well to be angry This was a sinful passion And so when a man shall justifie any other passion his sorrow and complaining and say I do well to complain and in the bitterness of my spirit I complain this is a sinful cry And therefore secondly Let me desire in the name of the Lord that we would take heed how we give way to these sinful cries and complainings these cryings out which spring from pride impatiencie and unbelief O I pray take heed of giving way to these sinful complaints For first I pray consider a little that the hand of the Lord is in every affliction that is upon you O that that were seen that the hand of the Lord is in it Thou Lord didst is said David I was dumb and opened not my mouth for thou Lord didst it O that would silence the sinful cries of the flesh if the heart were sensible that the Lord did it and if the Lord did it then infinite wisdome hath done it and if infinite wisdome order this or that affliction why should we cry out of our afflictions Secondly Consider whatever your affliction be though you say none like mine it might have been seven times heavier infinite power could have heated the furnace seven times hotter and made his flery tryals seven times more sharp O then there is no cause why we should complain especially in the Third place If we consider what we have deserved at the Lords hand and O that when we pore so much upon our affliction we would look with one eye upon that which may help to silence our sinful complaints We have deserved that and a thousand times more at the hand of God Why should the living man complain man for the punishment of his sin O there is sin enough though it be true it is not alwayes for that God afflicts yet he may see enough for which he may afflict seven times more Now let our eye be upon this this was that which silenced Jeremiah Jer. 8. 14. Why do we sit still Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord our God hath put us to silence and hath given us waters of gall to drink because we have sinned against the Lord. Take heed how we open our mouth in the day of our affliction Thirdly and lastly Let it stir up all our souls to go to God through Christ and to cry more in the spirit and the greater our afflictions are so much the more let our cry be to Christ The time of affliction is no time to give over praying and crying but being in an agony he cryed more earnestly and so we in time of affliction we should cry more earnestly O that we might learn thus to cry with this gracious holy believing and servent cry The Lord Jesus hath given great incouragement to his servants to go and cry thus O what incouragement doth Christ give in Luke 11. 8 â— by a parable there of a man being in bed he hath no mind to rise but through importunity be is overcome And so by that Christ stirs up his Disciples to go and cry importunately to God their Father And so in Luke 18. there is another parable of the unjust Judge who neither feared God nor man yet because of the Widdows importunity he would judge her cause And shall not the Judge of all do right I tell you saith Christ he will avenge the elect that cry to him day and night And therefore Christ gives incouragement to you to go and cry earnestly and to wait upon the Lord and not to give over crying for the Lord hath the bowels of a father as the father pitties the child so the Lord pitties those that fear him Now the tender hearted parent is filled with compassion to the child if the child be under a heavie burden the bowels of a father is filled with compassion and will not let him lie under that burden and so the Lord when the spirit is even gone and the soul ready to saint and the Lord see that their strength is gone then the Lord will come in and exercise the bowels of a tender hearted father And know that many times the Lord doth hide himself and withdraw and seems to be far off from the requests of his people that so he may stir them up to
cry the more earnestly after him he sees that they begin to flag in their prayers and do not cry so loud as they have done the Lord he will withdraw that so he may stir up a spirit of prayer bring them into such an affliction that so they may cry the more earnestly the storm was raised when Christ was upon the sea with his Disciples to make them cry the more earnestly The Lord seems to sleep many times at the prayers of his people that so by the prayers of his people he may be awakened Quest But you will say What need we cry thus earnestly to the Lord for he is found of them that seek him not we cannot find God by our seekiâ—â— him he must seek us he is found of them that 〈◊〉 him not Answ I answer It is true God is found 〈◊〉 them that seek him not that is when God comes first into a poor soul he breaks in upon it he prevents it with grace and mercy and he seeks us and brings home grace and mercy to the soul before the soul sought the Lord. But now when the Lord hath found a soul and brought home a soul to the knowledge of himself through Christ O then he expects that that soul should continually wait upon him and be seeking of him in that way which is of the Lords own appointment It is true he is found many times of those that seek him not but the Lord is not found of those that seek him lazily he hears not cold prayers no it is the cry of the spirit the Lord heareth Quest Ah but some will say I cannot cry and pray I cannot continue in prayer my spirit is overwhelmed and I am so shut up that I know not how to utter a word in the presence of the Lord. Answ I answer Though thy spirit be overwhelmed thou mayest pray and cry aloud to the Lord David did so and why mayest not thou Psal 142. 3. I cryed sayes he and it was when my spirit is overwhelmed and although thou canst not utter a word to the Lord yet thou mayst pray and cry with the cries of the spirit the Spirit of the Lord stirs up sighings and groanings in the hearts of his people which cannot be uttered So when thou canst not speak a word to the Lord yet thou mayest cry Job could noâ— speak yet his soul cried to the Lord and his eye cried to the Lord Job 16. 20. My friends scorn me but mine eyes poure out teares unto God When he knew not how to speak a word his eye looked to the Lord if he cannot poure out his prayer his eye shall speak and his soul shall speak this may be an effectuall prayer Object Ah but I am filled with the sence of my unworthiness I dare not go before the Lord I dare not beg any mercy nor stand in his presence I am filled with the sence of my own unworthiness Answ I tell thee though thou beest filled with the sense of thy unworthinesse yet thou mayest and ought to cry to the Lord and poure out thy soul in supplication The Publican that went up to the Temple he durst not draw nigh he looked upon himself as an unworthy sinner and yet poured out his prayer to the Lord the sence of thy unworthinesse should not hinder thee in the pouring out of thy prayer to the Lord the more unvorthy the more need of going to the Lord and the more sensible of thy unworthinesse the sooner the Lord declares his acceptance Oh that the Lord would make us all mindful of this our duty we are apt to cry with the cry of the flesh but O that in the day of our distresse we did cry with the cry of the spirit Let the crie that springs from pride impatiencie and unbelief be silent laid low and let it not open its mouth but crie with the cry of faith with the crie of the spirit this will be a good evidence that affliction hath wrought the right way and that the Lord hath done us good by our affliction Till the flesh be silent and the spirit raised up to cry in faith we shall never have any evidence that we have received benefit by our affliction but when the soul shall be in affliction and the spirit up and cry it will be a good evidence that the soul hath received good by the affliction And to say no more the Lord will soon draw nigh to that soul that shall thus be found waiting for him when the flesh shall be silent and the spirit cry the Lord will soon hear that crie You know the Lord is a tender hearted Father and he will not suffer any of his children to be tempted above what they are able to beare he will not suffer them to sink under their burden but will come in with delivering mercie for the Lord doth sometimes hear the crie of the flesh so he hath heard the crie of the flesh though not the sinful crie yet the crie of nature the Lord hath heard that crie He heard the crie of Ishamel when as he was ready to perish for thirst The Lad cried and he heard the crie of the Lad and the Lord opened the eyes of Hagar and she saw a well of water He heard the crie of the flesh so gracious is the Lord yea he heares she crie of the young Ravens of the young Lions and the Lord he opens his hand and satisfies them O that this might be an incouragement to goe to God in all times of distresse let it be never so great the Lord is a God of compassion and if he does hear the crie of the unreasonable Creatures and the crie of the flesh O surely the Lord will much more hear the crie of the spirit when his people come and apply themselves to him through Christ such as hope in his mercie and are found waâ—ting for his salvation Surely the Lord he will find out the best time in which he will come in with deliverance to his Servants Matth. 15. 22. Thou son of David have mercy on me SERMON VI. WE observed the last day that great and strong afflictions will raile strong cries make Gods people crie loud It was a sore affliction that was upon this woman Ms daughter is grievously vexed with a devil and whâ—â— she comes to Christ she doth not only pray 〈◊〉 cry to him But to passe on and consider something thâ—â— still remains and that is to look upon the Argument that this woman useth in her crie to Christ her Argument is mercy she cries mercy 〈◊〉 free grace she doth not look to any worthiness 〈◊〉 her self neither doth her unworthiness discourage but looks beyond both and she closeth 〈◊〉 mercy and free grace Thou son of David 〈◊〉 mercy on me She comes to the son of David 〈◊〉 knew David was a merciful Prince and King 〈◊〉 shews mercie to his very enemies David spared the life of Saul when he had him at a great
him to his own Mother to be his Nurse and she pays his own Mother for him And so the Lord he will deal with you that are parents that act in faith and perform your duties in faith the Lord will reward you for your love to your own children for taking care of your own children all your labour is taken notice of by the Lord and you shall be rewarded Oh! what an encourageis here to all Parents to look after faith in Christ that so your service may be accepted of the Lord One thing more and so I conclude and that is a word to children is it so that there is so much love in the hearts of Parents to their children is there so much that Parents do from love to children oh that children would labour to know what is their duty that they owe to Parents it cannot be told it cannot be exprest how much it is that children owe unto parents Children it is impossible that ever you should requite the love of your parents oh the pains the travel and sorrow of bringing forth and bringing up oh that children might know that there is a great engagement lies upon them to love their parents to respect their parents to take heed that they do not grieve their parents to pass by all in firmities of parents to shew all respect to them and when grown up to take care of them And this is a duty that Christ lays upon you though a Moral duty see what is said in 1 Tim. where children may see what Christ injoyns them 1 Tim. 5. 4. But if any widow have children or Nephews let them learn first to shew piety at home and to requite their parents for that is good and acceptable before God God lays this duty upon children you should labour to requite your parents to remember their love their care their sorrow their pains and travel and you are bound by the Law of Christ to requite your parents this is good this is piety and this is acceptable to God And so that place Levit. 19. 3. Ye shall fear every man his Mother and his Father and keep my Sabbaths I am the Lord your God Here is a duty that God lays upon children to fear every man his Mother and Father Children are most apt to despise their Mothers therefore the Lord begins there and lays that duty first that children should fear every man his Mother And take notice of it that this is a duty that the Lord sets before the keeping of his Sabbath as if the Lord should say in vain shall they pretend to be Religious if they do not fear and reverence every man his Mother and his Father I will not accept of your service It was a brand that was set upon Esau to all generations that he did that which was a grief to his Father and Mother Now children see your duty and remember your duty which the Lord Jesus lays upon you And oh that children would labour for faith that they may perform their duties Parents cannot love their children aright till they have faith and truly children cannot reverence their parents nor perform the duties they owe unto parents unless they have faith Oh then that Parents and children would look up to Christ for faith and then shall both be able through faith in Christ to perform that mutual duty that God requires from parents and children And to shut up all let this that hath been spoken strengthen the faith of all Gods people in Gods love to them Oh that by this we might ascend to the love of God! O that they that think they have not been concerned in what hath been spoken hitherto would know they are concerned in this The Lord would have you to ascend by the consideration of the bowels that are in parents to their children to a consideration of those infinite bowels that are in him towards you that are his children As the Father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him what ever workings of love are in the hearts of parents towards their children oh know that there is larger workings of love in the heart of God towards his children there are infinite bowels in the everlasting Father and if there be so much pity in the hearts of parents that they are willing and ready to give out good things to their children and willing to pass by and to pardon the miscarriages of their children oh how much more willing is our God to pass by and to pardon the failings of you that are his children oh that this might encourage prodigal children to return to the Lord If the father receive his child that hath been a prodigal why the Lord is ready to receive you though a prodigal if the Lord give you an heart to return though you have spent all and abused all your mercies yet the Lord is ready to pardon and to receive you And let it strengthen your faith and hope in Christ you that cleave to Christ for righteousness you that are the children of that everlasting Father oh know that Christ will plead for you Christ will cry to his Father for you Was the woman of Candan so affected with the misery of her daughter that she cries Lord have mercy on me my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil 〈◊〉 I say this found in this woman towards her daughter and shall not this be found in Christ towards his children oh then let this comfort you when you scarce dare go to God and cry your selves such and such a corruption doth annoy you such and such an unclean spirit is in you Oh! the Lord Jesus pities you under every spiritual burden when as you are troubled with unclean spirits he hath bowels of compassion towards you and know that he will go to his Father and cry to his Father and if he cry he cannot deny the son of his love but an answer shall be given to all those requests that Christ puts up for you or for any of his people Matth. 15. 23. But he answered her not a word SERMON VIII I Come now to speak of the trial of this womans faith and here is the first tryal of her faith he answered her not a word A very great trial a sore trial that this poor woman should in her great strait and under such a burden and pressure of spirit come to Jesus Christ and cry so earnestly unto him and believe so stedfastly upon him and yet Jesus Christ give her not one word of answer to her prayer this was a sore trial for this carriage of Christ it seems to be contrary to what she had heard of Christ and to what she believed was in Jesus Christ for Christ seemed now either to be without compassion to her he seems to take no notice not to be affected she complained and cried out of her great burden and Christ speaks not a word the Lord Jesus Christ seems either not to be affected with her
Minister and so in that respect he was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Secondly it may be said that Christ was not sent to the Gentiles but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel in respect of that order that God the Father had appointed for the dispensation of his light and of his grace and Spirit among the sons of men God had appointed that first of all Christ should come to the Jews and mercy first should be tendred to them and grace be first brought to that people so Christs first work was to the Jews I am not sent but to them that is I am first sent to them and chiefly sent to them my first work is here in Judea The Apostle Paul saith Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach 1 Cor. 1. 17. Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel that is I was first sent about this work for he was sent to baptize for he did baptize but my first work was to preach And so here saith Christ I was not sent to the Gentiles but to the Jews that is firstly and chiefly Thirdly or in respect of time It is true Christ was not sent that is he was not then sent his present work was not to preach to the Gentiles and shew mercy to the Gentiles no but afterward There was a time when Christ did not go himself to the Gentiles and did not shew mercy to the Gentiles nay he forbad his Apostles and his Disciples Go not into the way of the Gentiles but go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel So that there was a time when it pleased the Lord not to send the Gospel but to restrain it from the Gentiles But there was a time also when Christ did send forth his glorious Gospel to the Gentiles so that you see in what respect Christ speaks here He was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Here is a seeming denial that Christ gives to this woman he seems to tell her plainly that he cannot do it for her it was besides his present work and commission he was not sent to do it there is the denyal Nay the tryal was the greater in that Christ answers thus not only to the womans request but to the Disciples request this heightens the temptation and tryal and maketh it the greater So long as this woman saw that the Disciples were pleading for her she might have hope though there was no ground of hope as to her request Christ being silent thereunto yet it might revive her spirit to see his Disciples step in and they to improve their interest in Christ But when Christ shall not only give a denial to the woman but to the Disciples this was a sore tryal if the Lord had not mightily strengthened her faith she could never have held up her head she would have concluded oh alas my estate and condition it is sad it is in vain for me to expect any salvation any mercy he is silent at my request and he gives a denyal when his Disciples pray for me and if God will not hear his own people why then surely my condition is sad thus lay the temptation and yet the Lord supported this womans spirit So that we may observe this That God sometimes doth seem not only to be silent at the prayers of his people when they cry themselves but he giveth a denial when others step in and pray for them Nay observe That after a soul hath waited upon God in the use of the means when it hath prayed and hath believed and when it hath called in the help of others prayers yet the Lord may seem to give a denial and the condition may seem to be worse and the temptation seem to rise higher even after a soul hath waited upon God in the use of means and yet the Lord may have a gracious design towards the soul For mark it this womans condition was worse now then ever it was the Disciples had prayed for her and yet even after this Christ seems to give a flat denial and tells them that he cannot do it for her it was besides his commission he was not sent to do it So that after the use of means after her own prayer and the Disciples prayer this woman meets with a flat denial and yet the Lord Jesus had a design of mercy to this poor woman Yea it is Gods ordinary way to his people after they have used the means to remove such a burden such a temptation such a corruption they have gone to the Lord they have waited they have believed and called in the help of others and yet temptations grow high and yet notwithstanding that the Lord my have a design of mercy The children of Israel when they were in the land of Egypt under bondage and slavery they cried to the Lord and the Loâ—◠〈◊〉 Moses to deliver them and no doubt but 〈◊〉 cried to the Lord as well as they as they prâ—â—â—â— so Moses prayed he prayed for them and yet after Moses was come the people were not delivered but their burdens and oppressions grew heavier and heavier never so oppressed as when Moses came to deliver them when they cried themselves and Moses cried and waited upon God in the use of means yet their bondage grew greater and greater so it was with them and yet God had a design of mercy towards them And so in Mark 1. 23 24 25 26. At ver 23. you read of one that had an unclean Spirit And there was in their Synagogue a man with an unclean Spirit and be cried out Ver. 24. Saying let us alone what have we to do with thee thou Jesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy us I know thee who thou art the holy one of God Ver. 25. And Jesus rebuked him saying hold thy peace and come out of him Ver. 26. And when the unclean Spirit had torn him and cried with a loud voice he came out of him Mark when he applyed himself to Christ for deliverance while Christ was speaking the word commanding the unclean spirit to go out yet immediately the affliction begin to wax greater and greater and the devil he rageth the more and yet notwithstanding mercy is not far off Christ had a design of mercy And so doth God deal many times with his own people upon the use of means it is possible their afflictions may increase their temptations may increase and corruptions wax stronger and stronger and yet God have a gracious design towards them and deliverance may not be far off It is true that Satan he hath a design and hath a hand in it ah but God also hath a design and Gods design is a gracious design Quest But you will say what is Satans design and what doth Satan intend Answ Why Satans design
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
And then Fourthly Make some Improvement First To consider What is that Worship which the Lord requires of his people when afflicted and tempted 1. This Worship it is either the Worship of the Spirit Internal Or 2. It is the waiting upon God in those Institutions of his own which he hath appointed for his people to wait upon him in which is External Worship This Worship first is that of the Spirit You will say wherein doth it consist Why it consists First of all In that holy fear and Reverence which we owe unto the Lord and should be acting towards God when God brings into such a condition Fear and Reverence it is a part of Internal Worship Fathers of our flesh corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits Heb. 12. 9. When as the soul is filled with a holy fear fearful to sin against God and to dishonour him in affliction and temptation when the spirit is fearful to grieve the Spirit of God in affliction when it is fearful to take the name of God in vain in the time of affliction by unprofitable and unfruitful bearing of affliction when the spirit is thus composed to a reverend childe-like fear before the Lord in the time of affliction this is part of that Internal Worship the soul owes to God Secondly This Worship consists in Love as well as in fear when the soul is acting in love toward God in time of affliction or temptation as that it dares not conclude that God loves him the less though he be afflicted though he be in temptation so also he desires not to love God one jot the less notwithstanding all afflictions and temptations when the desire of the heart is towards God in time of affliction or temptation O! when wilt thou come unto me saith David Psal 101. 2. And saith the gracious heart let me have God's presence in affliction rather then deliverance from affliction when as the soul is carried out to delight in God in the time of affliction to rejoyce in God and to glory in God and to comfort it self in God as David did when he was sâ—rely distressed at Ziklag yet he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30. 6. Though God taketh away many comforts yet if he give himself the soul is looking towards his portion as a blessed portion one God is better then all the comforts that I have lost I have lost friends and relations but one God and Christ is more excellent then all the creatures in the world when the heart is thus breathing in love towards God in time of affliction or temptation this is a part of that Internal worship it owes to God Thirdly This Internal Worship is that Trust and Affiance the soul hath which it placeth in God alone when the soul is acting of faith in the Lord The Lord is my portion my soul hath said it and therefore I will hope in him I will look toward him I will rest upon his Arm doubtless thou art our Father though all this hath befallen us doubtless God's intentions are gracious it is for my good that he doth thus afflict me doubtless the Lord can and will make a good end of these afflictions for that is his promise Now when the soul is thus roling upon God and resting upon his promise cleaving to the faithfulness of God for the fulfilling of his Promise in time of affliction or temptation this is a great part of that inward worship which God doth require of the soul when it shall thus believe in hope above hope and against hope as Abraham the Father of the faithful did this is Inward Worship Fourthly It consists in the submission of the soul to God That Inward Worship that God doth require of his people in time of affliction or temptation I say it consists in the submission of the spirit unto God when a man desires to make a resignation of his Will unto God If this cup may not pass from me thy will be done when a soul is content to be at the dispose of God for the kinde of affliction and measure of affliction and the time of affliction well if God encrease my burthen let him encrease my strength and my soul shall glory in him if the Lord will continue my affliction longer and I must drink of this cup again and again yea the third time if the Lord will afford his presence in affliction my soul desires to submit to the Lord when thus the heart is affected toward God submitting falling down before the Lord and making a resignation of his Will to the Lord's Will This is that special Worship of the Spirit that Internal Worship that the Father of Spirits calleth for from his children in time of affliction But secondly This Worship must be External as well as Internal and it consists in the giving honour to God in those wayes that are of his own appointment especially in these two First In the pouring out of the soul in supplication before the Lord. Secondly In speaking good words of God These are two great parts of that external worship that God calls his children to in time of affliction to speak gracious words unto God and to speak good words of God to his praise and honour First It is the pouring out the Supplication of the Soul before the Lord in prayer it is a special exercise that God calleth his people to in time of affliction and temptation to be much in supplication pouring out their souls before the Lord. Now this Supplication this Prayer which the Lord doth require and doth delight in it is accompanied First With Humility As you shall finde in the example of this woman her prayer in the day of her distress it was a humble prayer a humble supplication one of the Evangelists observes the Evangelist Mark chap. 7. ve s 25. that she came and fell at his feet this woman came and fell at the feet of Christ and cryed to him Lord help me It is a humble prayer that the Lord doth delight in when the spirit lyeth low before the Lord when the creature is sensible of his own vileness and shall acknowledge with Jacob That he is less then the least of all those mercies which he doth desire and expect at the hand of God that if ever the Lord be gracious it must be free grace somthing in himself that must move him when the soul is enabled by the Spirit of the Lord to put up such a prayer this is a part of that external worship that the Lord requires Secondly You shall finde that this womans prayer was accompanied with Fervency her very expression doth hold forth and declare the ardency of her spirit she cryed before O Lord thou Son of David have mercy on me and now again she breaks forth into this expression Lord Help Why it is such a prayer that God taketh delight
in such a supplication as is sent up with a holy fervency unto God and indeed the Lord brings his people into the furnace of affliction and temptation that so he may kindle this holy fire of zeal and fervency in their bosomes the Lord doth raise the storms that so he may make the Disciples to cry the louder Now therefore when the spirit is thus carried out to God this is such worship as he requires and expects Again thirdly We shall finde that this woman supplication it was accompanied with Faith Fervency without faith could not avail but there is an expression of her faith that Title which she gave to Christ Lord Lord help she looked upon him as the Lord of heaven and earth so she applies her self to him in her distress infinite 〈◊〉 power he was the Lord and had infinite power he was able to help so she resteth upon his all sufficiency sure he that is the Lord the Lord of all he hath power enough in his hand and grace enough in his heart he can do what he please why such a prayer the Lord accepts of as is accompanied with faith the promise is made to faith What-ever you ask in my Name believing you shall receive and the prayer of Faith shall save the sick the prayer of faith can do great things Fourthly This womans prayer was accompanyed with Constancy she held on notwithstanding the discouragements she met withal they were very many and great the Lord as you heard before was silent to her a long time when he speaks he speaks a sad word that he was not sent to such as she was yet she holds on this discouragement might have beaten her off and made her to have said well I see that there is no hope I shall lose my labour but notwithstanding all discouragements she doth continue in supplication she worships and she cryes Lord help It is constancy in Prayer that the heart of God is taken with Christ you know spake a parable to this end Luke 18. 1. That men should pray alwayes The soul should continue with God and abide with God Resolve not to go away from his feet but there to sit and there to wait and there to cry till the Lord be gracious this part of that external worship the Lord requires of his people in time of affliction and temptation Secondly The other part of external worship is in speaking well of God in affliction and temptation So doth this woman she spake well of Christ when she worshipped him she calleth him Lord by which word she doth First of all Exalt and honour Christ Secondly She Justifieth him Both these are good words which God takes well from his people in the time of affliction or temptation First She doth Exalt him she spake to his honour thou art the Lord what-ever I be though I be a poor vile creature as she acknowledged afterward when Christ converted her yet thou art the Lord nay though Christ should debase her yet she would exalt him O this is an excellent frame of spirit an excellent part of that worship we owe to God And as she doth honour God So Secondly She Justifieth him O Lord that very word doth justifie Christ in all his dealings towards her Thou art the Lord thou art Jehovah infinite free and absolute and may do what thou pleasest and in all this thou hast done me no wrong neither canst thou do wrong for thou art the Lord I am thy poor creature thy vassal but thou art the Lord thus she justifieth Christ Now when the soul is thus carried out in time of affliction and temptation to speak such words as may be to the honour of Christ and so to speak as to justifie Christ in all that hath befallen it Lord thou hast done me no wrong thou art righteous though my affliction be very great though my temptation be very prevalent yet the Lord is righteous in all that hath befallen me if he should afflict me seven times more and heat the Furnace seven times hotter I could not say thou wert unrighteous When the soul is thus carried out I say to speak well of God to speak honourably of God and to speak to the justifying of God in his dealings this is a great part of that worship which we owe to God in time of affliction And so you have seen the first particular What it is to worship the Lord or what is that worship which the Lord doth expect from his people in time of affliction and temptation Secondly I shall give you two or three Instances for the proof of the Point That it is the duty of the Saints thus to worship what-ever the affliction or the temptation be and that both with Internal worship of the spirit and with External worship speaking good words unto God and of God Thus it was with Job look into Job 1. 20 21. Then Job arose and rent his Mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshipped and said Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I return thither the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. Job he was under great afflictions at this time all his substance was taken away a sad and unparallel'd affliction and no doubt but it was a day of great temptation to Job for that was the Devil's designe to make Job blaspheme God to his face and therefore without doubt Sathan did suggest horrible temptations or else he had not well prosecuted his designe and yet notwithstanding it was a day of affliction and a day of temptation Job worshipped the Lord expressed holy fear and reverence expressed love and expressed his trust his confidence and his submission and he prays and he praiseth he spake to God and he spake well of God all parts of worship he fell down and worshipped and said The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the Name of the Lord And so David often met with afflictions and temptations and yet you shall finde him worshipping in divers of his Psalmes Yea look upon Jonah and take Jonah for an instance and O that God would make these his Saints patterns to us Jonah 2. 2 3 4. He was in a sad affliction and his affliction was accompanied with temptation he was as low in his own imagination as if he had been in the belly of hell and yet even then when in the Whales belly in the depth of affliction and compassed round about with sore temptations Then Jonah worshipped the Lord vers 4. Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple I said I was cast out of thy sight there is a temptation of distrust when in that sad condition in the bottome of the Sea yet will I look towards thy holy Temple and at vers 7. When my soul fainted within me I remembred the Lord and my prayer came in
unto thee into thy holy Temple When he was in this condition he prayed and he poured out his soul before the Lord. I shall only give you one instance more and that is of Christ himself when as he was in a sore affliction and his affliction accompanied with temptations then he prayed Luke 22. 39 40 41 42. And he came out and went as he was wont to the Mount of Olives and his Disciples also followed him And when he was at the place he said unto them Pray that ye enter not into temptation And he was withdrawn from them about a stones cast and kneeled down and prayed saying Father if thâ—â— be willing remove this cup from me Nevertheless not my Will but thine be done and at vers 44. it is said being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly His affliction doth increase and his temptations do increase and as they encrease so he cries the more earnestly to his Father Afflictions do not make Christ cease to worship no he worships the more and he cryeth the louder and prayeth the more earnestly Thirdly We shall consider the Grounds of the Point Why it is the duty of God's people to worship God in time of affliction and temptation First Because there is no affliction or temptation but it is from the Lord it is his Messenger it is of his sending we have to deal with God in it and it is fit that we should fall down and worship him when God sends affliction Isa 45. 7. I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things It is not spoken of Natural darkness the darkness that is of the Ayre that was not created by God there is no creating cause withdrawing of light causeth darkness but God saith he creates darkness he creates Metaphorical darkness that darkness which he sends as an affliction to his own people I create it there is no darkness but that which is of the Lord 's forming and creating In the Creation of the world God said let there be light but God never said let there be darkness but now when God will afflict any of his people he creates darkness and there is no darkness till God say let there be darkness when God sayes let there be darkness in such a man's estate all his comforts shall wither when God says let there be darkness in such a man's family there shall be darkness for he can turn the Sun or Moon or Stars into darkness he can take away the head of the Family the children that are as the Stars of the Family if God speak the word though there be never so many in the family he can turn light into darkness and so when God sayes let there be darkness in such a man's spirit O then though it was comfortable before it will be as sad and as dark in the inward man even as it is with the Ayr at midnight darkness is of God's creating and therefore when-ever the Lord brings us into a state of darkness affliction and temptation either outward or inward it is time then to worship the Lord. Secondly We should then worship the Lord in time of affliction and temptation for it is the Lord only that can enable a man to bear temptation or affliction there is need I say that we should apply our selves to the Lord for he only can enable a poor creature to grapple with his affliction and temptation If the Lord help not the proudest helper in the world shall stoop and not be able to bear up a man under the least affliction especially when the affliction is accompanied with temptation and is wounding A wounded spirit who can bear It is only everlasting Armes that can support under such a condition surely therefore it is our duty in affliction and temptation to fall down and worship Thirdly The Lord only can give a sanctified 〈◊〉 of affliction he only can do us good by our manifold temptations affliction it self cannot profit sad experience shews it a man may have stroke after stroke and yet receive no profit no spiritual advantage I am the Lord thy God that teacheth thee to profit Isa 48. 17. God only can teach to profit Blessed is the man whom thou correctest and teachest Job 5. 17. When God's instruction and teaching go along with his correction that man is blessed that affliction shall be blessed Affliction it self cannot do it and therefore there is need that we should apply our selves to God Fourthly God only can remove the affliction and he only can rebuke the distemper and silence the temptation for certainly both affliction and temptation as I said before they are the Lord's messengers they are the Armies of the Lord of Hosts they go and they come at his command he gives out the word and he bids affliction to charge and it chargeth and if he bids it to retreat it shall retreat God only can deliver from affliction and from temptation therefore surely it is our duty to worship in affliction and temptation Fifthly It is the end of all afflictions and temptations to bring the soul nearer to God to drive the soul nigher God We are very prone to content our selves to live at a distance from God before I was afflicted I went astray saith David Psal 119. 67. Now the end of affliction and temptation is to fetch home the stragling sheep to bring God and the spirit nigher together therefore it is fit that we should fall down and worship for therein do we draw nigh to God when the soul falls down and worships God with Internal worship fear him love him trust him and submit to him and when it is pouring out its soul and lifting up the name of God speaking good words of the Almighty surely herein the soul draws nigh to God and so affliction attains its end Sixtly and lastly This is the way to ease and rest in our afflictions we cry out for ease and rest that is the thing we seek after the way to have ease and rest is to fall down and worship for by so doing the soul doth cast its burthen upon the Lord. When it doth thus fall down and worship with the worship of the Spirit fear and love and trust now the soul casteth its burden upon the Lord and his burden being left there it bringeth in unspeakable rest I say when the soul by inward worship hath gone to God and left his burden upon the Lord O! it bringeth in ease to the spirit whatever the affliction or temptation be Well then to Apply this in a word First What cause have we to be ashamed that we have come so far short of this Duty in the time of affliction or temptation We have been afflicted at one time or other who hath been free many of your souls have been exercised with temptations but O! What hath been the carriage of our spirits under them Have we fallen
us on to our duty you heard how Job worshipped and how Jonah worshipped and Christ worshipped in an Agony in the midst of affliction accompanied with great temptations O that we might look up to God to teach us this duty that we may be ready to fall down and worship as Job was when the evil tydings came that all was taken from him be falls down and worshipped and blesses the Name of God O! Know that we have need then to be pouring out our souls before the Lord and to be crying as this woman did Lord help if ever we had need to cry then Lord help when affliction is upon us especially accompanied with temptations men and Angels cannot help we had need to cry Lord help But you will say what is it that we should cry for to the Lord at such a time It is our duty to worship and to be pouring out supplications but what is it that God expects that his people should cry for in time of affliction and temptation Briefly thus We should cry That the Lord would discover the cause of that affliction and that tryal which the Lord doth exercise his people with Truly it is not without cause and therefore it is not without cause that God doth afflict us if need be you are in temptation it is not without cause and therefore it is our wisdom and duty to cry to the Lord that he would discover to us why it is thus with us to know what is his minde and will towards us what God aims at whether for correction or tryal or for exercise wait upon the Lord to know what is his end it is an addition to our affliction when as our way is hid and God's way towards us is hid and we know not what God intends therefore we should be much in this request fall down and worship him and desire the Lord to shew us the cause what is his end in this affliction this tryal and temptation Secondly Fall down and worship and pray that the Lord would take away the sting of affliction the sting is sin the sting of death is sin and the sting of all lesser deaths affliction is sin therefore pray that the Lord would take away the sting pray that he would not correct us in wrath and that he would not chasten us in his sore displeasure that was David's request Psal 6. 1. that the affliction might not be accompanied with the Lord's displeasure but that the face of the Lord may be towards us and the comforting presence of the Lord with us in affliction we should cry that the Lord would take away the sting and that his presence may be with us in affliction that he would not leave us in the fiery furnace alone but according to his promise would be with us when we go thorow the fire and water Thirdly We should cry That the Lord would make us willing to bear our affliction what-ever it be that he would make our spirits submissive to him that should be the great request of a gracious heart that the Lord would make our spirits submissive unto him O! What a gracious frame of spirit was David in when he was driven out from Jerusalem by his son Absalom 2 Sam. 15. 25. The Priests would have brought the Ark after him No saith he Carry back the Ark of God into the City If I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him Here was a gracious submissive frame of spirit under a great affliction if the Lord will use me no longer as an instrument and I must Reigne no longer let the Lord chuse what instrument he pleaseth and do with me what seemeth good unto him O! Beg that God would give us a submissive frame of heart that when the Lord leads us into any affliction we may be found submitting to the Will of God Fourthly We should beg of the Lord That He would strengthen us to bear our affliction that he would enable us to grapple with our Temptations and so to bear our affliction that we may be no dishonour to his Name so to bear our affliction as we may be to his praise Surely the least affliction will crush us if we have no other strength then our own we shall be soon crusht when under temptation O! We had need cry Lord help we had need cry that the Lord would put under everlasting Armes to bear up the spirit and to enable us so to carry it as we may be an honour to Christ Fiftly When we fall down and worship Beg that the Lord would give a sanctified use of the affliction or temptation whatsoever it be Our spirits should be breathing after a holy improvement of all God's dispensations especially these dispensations of great afflictions or temptations truly as you heard before it is not in affliction it self to do this we cannot profit by it if the Lord doth not teach and therefore we had need go to him and cry to him that he would give a sanctified use that he would make affliction attain its end that he would bore our ear to instruction and correction that we may hear the rod and him that hath appointed it that he would carry on his own work and would make use of this affliction for the subduing of our corrupt nature making us partakers of his Divine Nature Thus we should fall down and worship and beg that God would give us a sanctified use of all afflictions And know Brethren that we shall never have ease nor rest in our spirits till we be brought into this posture we shall be in a woful turmoyl and perplexity as Noahs Dove that found no rest till it came into the Ark so we shall finde no rest till God brings us into this frame bow the spirit and cause it to fall down and worship in time of affliction there will be no sanctified use of affliction never expect any good by affliction till God bring the spirit into this posture to fall down and worship as Job and Jonah and Christ did that is an argument that the affliction is working the right way when as the spirit is thus subdued to God now it is working for good certainly God will make a good end with that soul when it is brought thus to fall down and worship the Lord to fear and love and trust and submit to him and to pray and praise to speak to God and to speak well of God in time of affliction Now the Physick works kindly and the Lord is engaged by his word that this shall work together for good even all afflictions when it thus works you may have assurance of it that all shall work together for good God will make a good end as he did with Job and you may be sure that
God will make a good end with you when as the affliction does thus work And till this be done never expect deliverance in mercy if the spirit be not thus brought off in time of affliction or temptation 't is no mercy to be delivered and this is a sure Argument that mercy is at hand deliverance not far off when as the Lord shall enable the soul thus to fall down and worship When Jonah shall be looking towards the holy Temple though in the belly of hell yet when he looks to God thorow the Mediator worshipping praying and praising deliverance is not far off O that God would help us to be looking upon his and other examples Yea the example of this woman when she was tempted and afflicted she falls down and worshipped saying Lord Help Matth. 15. 26. But he answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to Dogs SERMON XVIII HEre is the third Temptation that this woman met withal for the tryal of her faith Christ first of all gave her no Answer that was one tryal Secondly He gave her a denyal he tells her that he was not sent to such as she was that was a greater tryal But now in the third place he gave her a repulse he does not only seem to deny her but seems to beat her back and that with shame and reproach a very sore temptation Christ seems now to do his utmost to drive her away out of his presence by presenting unto her hervileness her unworthiness It is not meet to cast the childrens bread unto dogs The Jews are called the children they were the houshold of God chosen and separated from all the world and the Gentiles they were called Dogs they were without and without are dogs they were without the Covenant and so were visibly unholy and unclean and therefore counted dogs and called dogs And the mercies that Christ the Mediator was sent to dispence are called childrens bread It is not meet to take the childrens bread It is not meet It is not good it is not fair dealing it is not honest it is not right no not in the sight of men to take that which is provided for children and give it to dogs it were a sin and a shame so to do therefore the Lord Jesus seems here to beat her back with a strong repulse as if he should say I wonder at this womans boldness she being without the Covenant among the dogs should desire the childrens bread no it is not fair dealing meet right nor honest to take the childrens bread and cast it to dogs and thus she is beaten back by presenting her vileness and unworthiness The truth that I shall close with is this The consideration of unworthiness and vileness proveth many times a sore temptation to Christs people God many times suffers his people to be tempted and to meet with many sore temptations about their own vileness and unworthiness That is the temptation that is now applyed to this woman that she was an unworthy creature called a dog Now to make it plain to you from Scripture that this many times doth prove a sore temptation to God's people when their eye hath been kept intent upon their own vileness this was a great temptation to Moses and laid as a block in Moses his way Exod. 3. 11. And Moses said unto God who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Aegypt He looked upon his own unworthiness he was of a stammering tongue and uncircumcised lips when God would send him about that great work of bringing the people of Israel out of Aegypt this was a hinderance to Moses when he looked upon his unworthiness O Lord Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh And so the Prophet Isaiah he met with the same temptation and it was a great discouragement to him and made him cry out bitterly Isa 6. 5. Wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips He looked upon his own unworthiness and the unworthiness of the people and then he cries out that he was undone I am undone It was a mighty weight upon his spirit till the Lord sent his Angel to help him over this temptation by declaring to him that his iniquity was taken away and his sin purged as you may see in the 6 and 7 verses And so this was a temptation to the Prophet Jeremiah his own unworthiness when God would send him about some special service chap. 1. v. 6. Then said I Ah Lord God behold I cannot speak for I am a childe He looked upon his own weakness I am a childe I cannot speak altogether unfit for the service and he would have declined it and therefore God thrust him upon it v. 7. his unworthiness was a temptation to him And it was this that made the woman that had the issue of blood to come behinde Christ Matth. 9. 20. and to touch the hem of his garment she would have stolen a cure and gone away and not have been seen and so Christ should have lost the honour she was under a temptation and it was from the sense of her unworthiness And so the Centurion Luke 7. 7. what was it that kept him from Christ It was the sense of his unworthiness Wherefore neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee I sent to thee indeed but I thought not my self worthy to come to thee the sense of his unworthiness kept him from coming in person to Christ And so the sense of unworthiness and vileness doth keep many a poor soul from closing with Christ it keeps many a soul from accepting the tender of grace and reconciliation it keeps many a soul from submitting to the righteousness of God which is the righteousness of faith But in the opening of the Point I shall shew you what are those particular discoveries of unworthiness that do many times prove matter of temptation unto God's people First of all when as a poor soul doth look upon his own sinfulness and its unworthiness by reason of sin when as a man or woman come to see what sin is what a vile thing sin is what an unclean and polluted thing sin is such a pollution such a defiled thing that there is no Sinck no pit foul enough to receive it but the pit of hell so unclean is sin such an uncleanness as will turn all in conclusion into the pit of hell Now when a soul comes to see what a vile thing sin is and look upon himself and see that he is the man I am the man and I am the woman thus polluted and thus defiled defiled all over within and without heart defiled and life defiled and when the soul comes to pore upon this it proves many times matter of sore temptation and especially this sinfulness is matter of temptation in these two or three branches First
man in respect of Saul's House yet he justified the Lord the Lord sees that I am a bloody man though not in that particular and therefore saith he The Lord hath bidden him Either thou art guilty or not guilty when God suffers men to revile and speak evil and to fasten such accusations upon thee if thou art guilty it is thy duty to make use of it by whomsoever God shall discover it make use of that which comes out of the enemies mouth to finde out the evil that is in our own hearts But if thou art clear and not guilty of that which thou art accused of yet in respect of the Lord there is cause of justifying the Lord So David though he was not guilty in that respect that Shimei said he was guilty yet saith he it is just with the Lord and it is a righteous thing that I should be thus accused by Shimei And for the quieting of thy spirit use those Arguments that David did Behold the Son out of my Bowels riseth up against me and therefore shall I think it a great matter for a stranger to do it So let us say behold here is that which riseth up in mine own heart the corruptions in mine own bosome that doth me many an ill turn shall I think much that strangers do accuse me And consider also that which David said The Lord doth hear the curses of Shimei and will do me good by it And so if thou canst approve thy heart to God and art not guilty of what men do accuse thee of and that thou canst say it is false in respect of man but in respect of God thou sayest Truth Lord Know that the Lord he can do thee good by it and that he will turn those very curses of men to thy good Again One word of Use more and so I shall conclude Look up to the Lord for this grace of Humility O! What cause have we to give up our hearts into God's hand that he may make us truly humble Surely we shall never be able to justifie the Lord if the heart be not laid low and made truly humble The Lord Jesus he had humbled this woman he had laid her very low he had sanctified her affliction to humble her she had met with great afflictions her daughter was vexed with a dvvil the Lord sanctified that affliction to humble her And she also met with great temptations three sore Temptations we read of and the Lord also sanctified those temptations to humble her And she had also met with discoveries of grace and love the Lord revealed himself very gloriously to her faith or else she could never have held out the Lord also sanctified those discoveries to humble her and lay her low Truly if this woman had not had a humble heart she could never have carried it so in the time of affliction and in the time of this temptation but she would have flown in the face of Christ Christ calls her dog and tells her That it is not meet to take the childrens bread and give it to dogs if her heart had not been humble she would have discovered her self to have been a dog she would have barked against him but she carried it very graciously and in all that Christ spake justified him Truth Lord. O that we might go to the Lord and beg of God that he would give out more of this grace of humility to us A proud heart will never justifie God when he speaks himself or when he suffers men to speak a proud heart will never take a repulse from God nor reproofs from men O! There is need of the grace of humility that will enable a soul to justifie the Lord in what-ever he shall speak and in what-ever he shall do The Apostle saith God resisteth the proud but he giveth grace to the humble He gives this grace to the humble that they shall carry it graciously when the Lord speaks against them when the Lord shall make a discovery of their hearts to them of their Corruptions to them of the deserving of their Transgressions to them they shall justifie the Lord and say Truth Lord all is true And when God shall suffer men to speak against them the Lord gives grace to the humble they shall have this grace made able to justifie the Lord. And truly When the soul is brought into this posture when the soul is thus truly humbled before the Lord and can justifie the Lord when the Lord speaks it is not far from deliverance Salvation is nigh Deliverance is at hand the time of God's Controversie is at an end When God hath thus humbled the soul under his mighty hand and made it willing to lye low and to justifie the Lord in all that he speakes and doth surely the time of refreshment from the presence of the Lord is not far off The Prophet Ezekiel he lay low before the Lord there were discoveries of the glorious Majesty of the Lord made to him at the latter end of the first Chapter As the appearance of the Bowe that is in the Cloud in the day of Raine so was the appearance of the brightness round about this was the appearance of the likenesse of the Glory of the Lord and when I saw it I fell upon my face See here he lay low before the Lord and in Chap. 2. and Verse 2. What is said And the Spirit entred into me when he spake unto me and set me upon my feet And truly Brethren When the Lord giveth out such a frame of spirit that the heart is made so humble as to lie low before the Lord and to justifie the Lord in what he speakes and doth the Spirit of the Lord is not far Salvation is not far off As the Spirit did enter into Ezekiel and set him upon his feet so the Spirit of the Lord will come into that soul and fill it with joy and refreshment from the Lord's presence Eccles 12. 1. Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth while the evil dayes come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them SOlomon having spent a great part of his life in following after vanity and being brought by the Spirit of God to a serious consideration of his wayes he doth write this Book of Ecclesiastes as the Book of his Repentance and like a true penitent he takes care of the souls of others and gives warning to all men that they should take heed that they do not split against those Rocks against which he cast himself He is exceeding careful of the souls of men and in a special manner he takes care of the souls of young men he speaks once and again to them that they might be warned by him and not spend their youth in vanity that they might not lose the comfort that they might enjoy by enjoying God and that they might not lose their opportunities of doing God service in their youth Now
because it is hard to make impression upon young men they being very apt to put the evil day far from them and to put the good day far from them too the day of conversion and returning to God being the first of all good dayes the day-break of Eternity he therefore doubles his Exhortation to them And he begins in chap. 11. verse 9. there he gives one warning piece to young men Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement Youth is very sinful and it is very hard for young men to bear reproofs That Solomon speaks in an Ironical way that it might make impression upon their hearts as if he should give them leave 〈◊〉 do what they will Let thy heart cheer thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes Take youâ— pleasure and run after vanity and scorn reproofâ— and satisfie your lust as much as you will do saith he But take this also with you Know that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement But how shall a young man be delivered from his folly What remedy is there against this evil in youth By what means may a young man be cleansed He sets down a remedy in the Text Remember thy Creator If thou wouldest be turned from sinful vanity in thy youth Remember God in thy youth And he presseth the Exhortation with many Arguments Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth Remember him So I will saith the young man I have health and strength and time before-hand I am but in the beginning of my youth and I may remember my Creator though I do it hereafter O! Take heed young man saith he Remember now thy Creator Take heed of delaying take heed of putting it off till another time do it now the future time is not in thy power thou know'st not what to morrow will bring forth and therefore if thou would'st remember God do it now And good reason that thou shouldest do it now for he is thy Creator thy being and thy soul is from him thy life is from him and thy comforts are from him He is thy Creator therefore remember him now And he presseth this Duty by the advantages which a man may have in youth of seeking after God and the disadvantages that will come by putting off seeking after God in early yeers There are evil dayes a coming saith he and therefore Remember now thy Creator before the evil day come There is the evil day of old age a coming and that Solomon describes by an excellent Allegory or Metaphor from vers 2. to ver 7. In verse 2. he sets forth the evil day of Old Age While the Sun or the Light or the Moon or the Stars be not darkned nor the Clouds return after the rain The Sun and the Moon and the Stars will be darkned saith he that is all the powers the faculties of thy soul thy understanding thy affections thy internal and external senses thy memory thy hearing and thy seeing and all other helps which he calls the Sun Moon Stars and Light they will be darkned there will be a decay in all the faculties of Nature The clouds return after the rain The body will be full of infirmities a cloudy day it will be the clouds return after the rain after the day when it hath rained insomuch as you think it would rain no more the clouds return again and so in old Age the clouds will return again and again upon thee there is a cloudy day a coming and a dark day in old age when thou canst not see to do thy work and therefore Now Remember thy Creator And there is another evil day that he speaks of in verse 7. and that is the day of death Then shalâ— the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it Therefore considering all this I counsel thee to remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth The Proposition or Doctrine then is this That it is the duty of all the children of men to seek after God in the day of youth Therefore the Scripture takes notice of some of the servants of God and sets them forth as patterns and examples that every man should remember God in the dayes of his youth The Scripture takes notice of some good thing that was found in Jeroboam's childe 1 Kings 14. 12 13. Arise thou therefore get thee to thine own house and when thy feet enter into the City the child shall die And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam In all the Family there was but one good childe and there is notice taken of him and the Lord thought of him in mercy that he did not see the evil that came upon his fathers house The Scripture takes notice also of Josiah in 2 Chron. 34. 3. For in the eighth yeer of his Reigne while he was yet young he began to seek after the God of David his father He was but sixteen yeer old and yet then did he seek after the God of David his father And David he tells us He trusted in God from his youth Psal 71. 5. For thou art my hope O Lord God thou art my trust from my youth And O that young men would look upon these patterns wherefore doth God take notice of them and wherefore are they recorded in Scripture but that young men might make them patterns and tread in their steps to Remember their Creator â—in the dayes of their youth But in the opening of the Point I shall first shew you what it is to remember God Secondly Shew you what cause all men have to Remember God Thirdly What advantage it is to Remember God in youth Fourthly Make some Improvement First What is it to Remember God First To Remember God is to know God knowledge is the beginning of remembrance there is no man can remember that which he doth not know therefore that man that is ignorant of God he doth not remember God neither can he because he doth not know God So then when Solomon saith Remember thy Creator in the dayes 〈◊〉 thy youth it is as much as if he should say betimes seek after the knowledge of God to know him as he is in himself and as he is in his Son to know him for your God and your portion and your Inheritance and your Saviour where there is no knowledge of God there is no Remembrinâ— of God Therefore the Prophet Isaiah dotâ— press men to seek after the knowledge of God and in the
with God and by and by cast down into the bottome of the Sea O what a raging enemy is the Sea when the four winds strive upon it Truly there are dangerous winds that do stir up the rage of this Sea and make this world so boisterous to God's own people The devil raiseth a wind yea somtimes all the four winds strive together temptations of all sorts as Christ was exercised with so are the people of God The devil raiseth many a cross wind to drive them back again that if possible they might not look toward God and Christ And there are winds that do arise out of their own bowels many times the wind of manifold corruptions disturb the wind of passion the wind of pride the wind of vanity the wind of unbelief and O what disturbances do these winds make that do arise out of their own bowels There is such a combustion that the poor soul is forced to run to Christ and cry out O Lord rebuke these disturbers And if Christ should not arise to rebuke them the soul would be over-â—et by them such is the rage of this Sea when the winds strive upon it Fourthly The Sea is full of sands and dangerous splitting Rocks Truly so is this world there is the rock of persecution and many a goodly ship is split upon that rock there is the rock of offences many are offended at the ways of Christ and offended at the people of Christ and so split upon that rock This world is full of rocks and full of Sands it is true if Christ be in the ship the passengers shall not be lost though the ship may be split and all the burden of the ship may be loft The Saints that have been split upon the rock of persecution they have lost all their comforts and their lives too for the Name of Christ in the Sea of this world but though they have lost their ship the body and all their loading yet their souls have been saved and are arrived safe in heaven Fiftly The Sea is full of Pyrats and Robbers The world is not without these dangers to God's own people there are many robbers that lye in wait to rob and take away all their loading the devil lies in wait to take away from the people of God all their precious loading that they have been trading for but they shall carry it home to heaven in spite of all the devils in hell yea their own hearts are robbers and pyrats a man 's own heart will do him more hurt then all his enemies beside a vain heart a worldly heart a frothy heart an unbelieving heart these would rob us of all our comforts whatsoever and take away all the loading that is â—â—ecious but the Lord Jesus he is Commander of the Sea and he is nigh with a Convoy and he will guard every believing soul through all these robbers and carry them safe to heaven Sixtly The waters of the Sea are very salt and brackish no man can drink the Sea water without prejudice Even so is this world and the comforts of it they are all salt and bitter and it is not possible that they should satisfie and quench the thirst of any poor soul How many men do deceive themselves they think that the world should satisfie their desire and therefore their desires are so eager after the world but they shall finde another day that they are in an error the waters of the Sea cannot quench their thirst a gracious heart will say so and he knows it by experience that it is better for him to drink of the waters of life and therefore he cries out Lord these are all sour waters yea the best comforts have some mixture of salt and bitterness Lord give me evermore to drink of those waters of life that run at thy right hand for evermore It is true the men of this world that know no better they drink freely of this salt water because they know not what sweet waters are but that soul that hath tasted of the sweetness of Christ and how good the Lord is that soul cannot be satisfied with all the comforts of this life but looks only to Christ that he may satisfie his desire And so you have seen in these six particulars that this world to a believing soul is as the Sea That 's the first But secondly Every Believer is as a ship upon this Sea they are making of a Voyaâ—â— over the Sea of this world to the Land of Promise they are set forth from the world and from sin and they are bound to the Land of Promise that 's the state of every Believer he is as a ship upon the Sea Indeed Christ is the Builder of this ship Christ is the Owner of this ship it is Christ that lancheth the ship and that loads the ship all the precious Commodities that a believing soul is carrying home with him it is Christ's he hath the great Venture in every believing soul and if it should miscarry Christ should have the greatest loss for he hath the greatest Venture in the ship and because the Venture is Christs therefore Christ will go Master in the ship his presence shall be with his people all the time of their continuance upon the face of this earth he will not leave them till he hath brought them into the Haven of rest But I shall follow the Metaphor in two particulars briefly thus First The Ship at Sea cannot move without a Wind. Secondly It cannot rest without an Anchor First A ship at sea cannot move without a wind Many times it lies a long time for a wind and when the wind blows then the ship moves but it cannot move without a wind and truly so it is with the souls of God's people they cannot move without a wind they are bound for heaven but they cannot move the least without the spirit of of Christ though they have never so many opportunities and never so many Ordinances and Promises yet if the Spirit of Christ doth not help the soul forward the soul is becalmed and cannot move It is true the ship at sea may be ready they may turn the Sayls to the Windward but not move till the wind blow and so a believing soul may do somthing when once the Spirit of Christ is in it the soul may stand waiting for Christ and be breathing after Christ but till the Spirit of Christ shall breath upon the soul and fill the sayls of the soul it is not possible that it should rid any way And therefore the people of God have found that it hath been for their advantage to cry out for the breathings of the Spirit of Christ so the Spouse in Cant 4. 16. Awake O North-wind and come thou South Blow upon my Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out But Secondly The ship cannot rest without an Anchor no more can any poor soul rest without this Anchor of Hope this anchor of hope is