say It is not good your souls should bee well Fourthly and lastly The person that goes to Christ in and for his soul by any affliction gets more by the affliction than hee could get by all things else Minde it I beseech you Oh my Brethren what do you get when you come to Christ why saith Christ Hee that comes to mee shall never hunger nor thirst more that is in his soul And hee that comes unto mee I will in no wise cast out you get soul-satisfaction and soul-enjoyment and is not that above all bodily gettings And therefore I beseech you upon these accounts look about you how the hand of God is sanctified to you by the afflictions which are have been or may bee on you But wee shall now proceed How doth our Lord entertain this woman which is the second thing wee are to come to Christs manner of entertainment Why truly my Brethren very strangely very harshly wee may speak it with reverence very harshly In vers 23. Hee answered her not a word and though the Disciples spake on her behalf vers 24. Hee saies Hee was not sent but to the last sheep of the house of Israel though shee worships him and renews the request again hee tells her It was not meet to take the childrens bread and cast it to doggs vers 26 From the whole carriage of Christ to her observe this Doct. That sometimes the Lord Jesus is seemingly harsh to some poor souls when they come to him Or if you will thus Christ sometimes very roughly entertainâ— poor souls Mark the point well Indeed it is a strange point A point that seems to câ—oss all the Gospel What that Christ whose Name is Love and whose Nature is Love that Christ who is rich in Mercy who is full of pitty who hath made sweet Promises to invite and left great presidents to incourage us to come that ever hee should entertain us with frowns with harshness with severeness this is strange Yet sometimes this is true Wee have a great instance of it here in this poor woman and wee shall indeavour to open it to you onely before I proceed to the proof I pray consider and remember how I express the point to prevent mistakes It is easie to misunderstand this unto the dishonour of Christ and our own disturbance if wee minde it not well Therefore consider how I word or phrase the point Now there are three words which I put into the doctrine which are as so many limitations or cautions that neither you nor I may mistake Christ nor the text nor the president when ever wee speak of it First I say seemingly Secondly Some times Thirdly I put in to some souls First of all I say Christ is seemingly harsh in his entertainment My Brethren Jesus Christ is not really so but a man may seem to bee that hee is not It was said of Paul Act. 8.17 18. this man seems to set forth strange doctrines which yet hee did not hee preached true doctrine viz. The right way of the Living God It was a slander of him that said in the Parable of Christ that hee was a hard Master But yet it is a real truth Though Jesus Christ bee not so yet hee may SEEM to bee so Jesus Christ may seem to bee and to do that which neither hee is nor will do It is said in Luk. 24.38 that Christ made as though hee would have gone further Christ really did not intend it but made as wee say a shew of it and so here Christ doth not intend to deal harshly with any that come no certainly Christ intends all Love and all sweetness c. but yet hee may seem so to do Minde that word it is seeming or in shew Christ carries it harshly But then secondly It is so but sometimes it is not alwaies The Lord will not chide for ever as David said And so in Isa 57.16 hee will not contend alwaies nor bee wroth for ever My Brethren Jesus Christ may seemingly carry it so sometimes but not alwaies As first meeting in John 20.15 when Christ and Mary met in the Garden Christ ar first carries himself strangely but afterwards hee opened himself sweetly and clearly to her and so Christ may for a while carry himself seemingly harsh or rough it may bee for a moment a day a year a few years but not alwaies Christ cannot alwaies restrain his bowels nor cast off for ever Take these two truths as everlastingly and undoubtedly true The first is That Satan will not alwaies spare thee And secondly Christ will not alwaies chide thee Satan for a while will give a soul good words to tempt him to sin and folly and to that end may speak fair and smooth but at last Saran will bee like himself a Devil a dread and terrour And Christ may for a season carry it harshly but hee will not indeed cannot do so for ever To the end hee must bee as hee is very kinde And then thirdly It is but to some persons not to all My Brethren all that come to Jesus Christ are not entertained alike the most are entertained with present love but a few some there are that hee doth seemingly for a while entertain with frowns I do not read of any such story in the Gospel as this Wee read of many who came to Christ and all entertained by Christ sweetly none but this poor woman is left as a president of this point but yet one clear President is enough for proof And there are onely two things wee shall do in the amplification of the Point First of all Wee shall shew you How Christ may seemingly carry it harshly and strangely to poor souls when they come to him Secondly Whence it comes to pass that Jesus Christ thus strangely carries himself seemingly harsh For the first How doth Jesus Christ discover any seeming harshness in his carriage to those that come to him I will go no further than to the instance of the Text. I will gather six things out of this story wherein you and I may learn and see that sometimes Christ may discover as if hee were unkinde harsh and severe First It appears upon the first view of the whole Hee did not entertain her presently Secondly Possitively Hee did not so much as give her a word So it is vers 23. Thirdly When others spake to him on her behalf hee refuses to hear Vers 23 24. Fourthly The Lord doth reject her though shee doth renew and reiterate her motion again to him Vers 25. Fifthly Hee hints that which might as one would think dash the poor creatures hope Vers 26. Sixthly and lastly Hee may keep us long ere hee send us away with that wee come for As hee did her Now soul minde it and if Christ seem to frown and to carry it strangely let it not seem strange for it is no new thing First The Lord Jesus Christ doth not entertain her presently One would think I say one would think
A Cluster of Grapes Taken out of the Basket of the Woman of Canaan OR COUNSEL and COMFORT FOR BELEEVING SOULES Comming to CHRIST and meeting with Discouragements BEING The summe of certain SERMONS Preached upon Matthew 15. from Verse 22. to Verse 29. Wherein among other things is declared more particularly I. What seeming harsh entertainment the soul may find from Christ II. What holy and humble behaviour the soul ought to have under that entertainment III. How blessed and comfortable a conclusion Christ will make with the soul at last By JOHN DURANT Preacher of the Gospel in CANTERBURY London Printed for L. C. and are to bee sold by H. Mortlocke at the Phoenix in Pauls Church-yard neer the little North-door 1660. This shade 's the Authors outside but this booke his inside opens prethee doe not looke Admiringly one either Passe them o're as emptye shaddowes for they are noe more Both bookes and writers y'ea and all things else at best are shaddowes but the bodye's Christ. Soul art dejected Christ a lone can ease thee and giue both comfort and councell to raise thee A. P Durants Counsel and Comfort for Beleeving Soules To the Right Worshipful Thomas Bonner Esq Mayor the Recorder Aldermen Sheriff c. With the Reverend the Ministers and the Saints and Faithful ones in Christ Jesus in the Town of New-castle upon Tine Grace and Peace bee multiplyed THat Dedication of Books hath been wretchedly abused is a thing past doubt Holy and wise men in all ages have complain'd of it and some of late years have scrupled it But yet that Books may bee dedicated is to mee beyond controversie Such Books as carry in them any thing besides what is truth and of concernment gain no patronage by a Dedication no persons being great enough to patronize errour or vanity And such Dedications as are onely stuffed with applause and flatteries as they have not been owned by any wise Patron so they have been rejected by every understanding Reader When Writings as Vessels are fraught with rich and necessary things and such are all spiritual Truths with which kind of Treasure I have indeavoured to fill this Tract And when Dedications are designed rather for service than for ceremony which is my design in this then without doubt they may pass without stop or Scruple as Ships consigned to particular Ports and persons Nor can such Dedications be suspected as a precarious policy to seek patronage of what is written Certainly Luke never intended that when hee dedicated his Gospel to Theophilus Neither may they be accused of Patent Monopoly as if they onely intended the persons to whom they are directed Without doubt the same Evangelist Luke intended the General good in his Gospel though hee sent it first to the particular hand of his most excellent Friend as hee did also his History of the Acts. The following Sermons are intended by mee for the general good of many But I thought it more than meet to consign them particularly to your Port and persons which when you have received may pass further as Commodities of price and profit to many souls Now if I bee demanded a reason of this particular Assignation unto you spare mee to say the truth which is this I do heartily desire 1 to witness how much I honour you whom God hath honoured And 2 also to acknowledge a debt wherein with and for my Brother jointly and my self singly I am ingaged unto you which albeit I cannot repay yet I must remember I know your Virtue and Prudence will not bear those worthy words of your own worthiness which yet may bee spoke concerning you with truth and soberness And I can truly say I never loved to rub their itching ears who count no sound sweet but what trumpets their own praises Upon this account I shall forbear to speak that of you to your selves which yet I think I am bound for the benefit of the example to tell others Yet this I must needs crave your License to print that having heard of you much by the hearing of the ear I saw more by the seeing of my eye when I was amongst you And though my stay was not long yet my observation was such as that I must say that those good reports of your Town do not like the bad rumours of the times exceed the truth If fame bee found so faithful in its reports of all persons and places as of yours henceforth It will bee a Slander to call her Liar You are indeed as you have been famed persons fearing God doing justice holding forth the truth and practising godliness I must say of many Towns which I have seen The fear of God is not in those places but of New-castle I may say in a sober sense JEHOVAH SHAMMAH the Lord is there For you Right Worshipful Magistrates suffer mee though not to applaud yet to approve how much soever you are above my approbation your worthy doings in the management of your power and places wherein if you have any equals I am sure you have no Superiors I could wish others did imitate that wherein you excell You are found to bee Ministers of God to such as do good for good and those that do evill Know you bear not the Sword in vain Sabbath-breakers Swearers but why should I instance in particulars all sorts of vicious persons feel your Sword sharp and you a Terror to them whereas your eies are upon those that are faithful Ministers and people fearing God and doing that which is good have of you the praise of the same I beseech you give mee leave not to praise your selves but to provoke others to a godly jealousie to tell these Southern parts that there is fair weather in the North And if in any place in England certainly in your Town and under your Government men may and do lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty And this one thing I must needs say Were all the Ministers in England so carefully and tenderly provided for and encouraged as they are in New-castle there would not be that complaining in our streets as there now are upon that account Indeed the Ministers of your place have their double honour Your incouragement of them and provision for them is such that I know not whether I should intreat other parts to imitate your Bounty or Wisdome most Certainly both are laudable You know not any Minister among you by any Character but of Christ To preach and practise the power of godliness is the work you equally countenance and encourage them in and though there bee as where is not some difference amongst them yet that makes no difference of them to you who have the like care of all What can I say of this Spare mee to take up the Psalmists words For my brethren and companions sakes I will now say Peace be within thee yea the peace of God which the Learned know to comprehend in it all blessings be for ever
the good liking and acceptance of my Labours this way gives mee grounds to hope that my service may extend it self beyond my own age Certainly books last longer than men and they speak when wee are dead and gone Hereupon I am encouraged once again to appear in the Press for the same service which is only to subserve the counsell of God for the good of thy soul Christian Reader by the following Sermons concerning which I will onely preface a few words about their Occasion Scope and Mode 1 For the Occasion take that thus there is extant among those choice labours of that Man of God Mr. William Bridge now of Yarmouth one Sermon pitty it is there were no more upon the story of the Woman of Canaan This Sermon I had a Childe who is now with him who gave it that was much taken with it I perceived shee read it often with savour and delight whereupon it was in my heart to inlarge a little more upon that subject which certainly is sweet to all those who have spiritual senses exercised to discern the glory and rellish of Gospel discourses This was indeed Reader the occasion of these Sermons 2 The Scope of them is to do good to many who are the sons and daughters of Mystical Canaan In the History of the example here opened wee may observe what ought to bee the carriage and what may bee the comfort of any soul that hath or shall come to Jesus Christ Indeed the way of coming to Christ I have not inlarged in having formerly done that in my Ministerial course the special thing attended and aimed at is to direct and help poor souls who know and are in the way to Christ but lie under temptations and troubles by reason of some seeming harsh delatory and denying entertainment which they meet withall And therein I hope this work will be unto thee Reader of advantage 3 Concerning its Mode or the manner of handling these Sermons truly it is without affectation or curiosity either as to phrases or fancies and in the same plainness wherein they were preached and taken are they now without any further polish printed And truly the bread of life is best when it is plain Experience hath put it beyond controversie that the truths of God take and work most sweetly and soveraignly where they are delivered most plainly and simply Not in the wisdome of man but in the simplicity of the Spirit and in that ordinary language wherein the Lord gives to each man utterance The way of such mens preaching is exceeding bad albeit the matter may bee truth and good who rather tickle the ear than touch the hearts of their hearers This last I studied and therefore that other I neglected And Reader if thou affect words thou maiest spare thy pains for upon that score the ensuing Sermons will yeeld thee no pleasure But in case thy heart bee set on things which may concern thy soul read humbly and seriously and I dare under Christ promise thee profit for thy pains My desire was and is to serve poor humble hungry souls that will be glad of any of the crumbs which Christ gives and if thou bee such fall to and the Lord be with thee in thy perusal of these Sermons which with thy soul I commend to the blessing of Christ desiring thee Reader in thy prayers to remember him who is Thine in soul-service for Christs sake John Durant THE Woman of Canaan coming unto Christ The First SERMON Matthew 15. from vers 22 to vers 29. And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil But hee answered her not a word and his Disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for shee crieth after us But hee answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs And shee said Truth Lond yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt And her Daughter was made whole from that very hour IN all our addresses unto Christ which is the great business of our Life and Happiness it concerns us not onely to know the great Precepts that should guide us and the gracious Promises that may incourage us But also to bee well acquainted with all those Patterns and Examples of any that have gone to Christ before us and likewise with those occurrences which they did and wee are like to meet withall in this work Now my Brethren unto this purpose I know no one story in all the New Testament which speaks of any coming to Christ like that which I have read to acquaint us a little by way of Pattern what wee should expect when wee come to Christ In the coming of this Woman to Christ wee have something very patternable for us to minde And in the carriage of Christ to her wee may see what wee may expect at the hands of Christ even then when wee come to him There are fix heads unto which the whole story as it is here recorded may bee reduced First You have the coming of the Woman unto Christ in vers 22. Secondly You have the seemingly harsh entertainment that Christ gives her at first for hee answered her not a word and though his Disciples spake on her behalf hee puts them off Thirdly You have the Womans good behaviour notwithstanding all this vers 25. Shee worshipped him saying Lord help mee Fourthly You have the Repulse that Christ doth give to that in vers 26. But hee answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to doggs Fifthly You have her yet renewed recourse to Christ after that repulse in vers 27. Truth Lord yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters table Sixthly and lastly You have the blessed issue of all in vers 28. Then Jesus answered and said unto her O Woman great is thy Faith bee it unto thee even as thou wilt c. My intention is not to confine my self to the Method but to the Matter In which you have The Coming of the Woman The Entertainment of Christ The Carriage of the Woman under all And the blessed Conclusion wherewith all is ended At present wee shall consider the first of these The Coming of the Woman of Canaan And behold a Woman of Canaan came out of the same Coasts and cried unto him saying Have mercy on mee O Lord thou Son of David my Daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil This Note Behold is observed to bee a Note of Attention and it is put in to usher in some matter that is more
Christ is not so tied by Prophecie nor obliged by Promise but that in all his dealings hee may act as in his Prerogative Hee is the freest Agent that is It is prophesied of Christ That hee will gently lead those that are with young and promised that those that come to him hee will in no wise cast off Now Christ is not so bound up by this Prophecie or Promise but that hee may act his own Preregative And there is a double Prerogative Christ will maintain First Of his Absolute Will Secondly Of his Infinite Wisdome First The Prerogative of his Absolute Will I say Absolute Will My Brethren Jesus Christ may give Mercy to whom hee will and hee may give Mercy how hee will I finde our Lord and Saviour two times in particular standing upon the Prerogative of his Will And let us in a word consider them One is in Matth. 20.15 where hee speaks of himself in a Parable May not I do with mine own what I will The other is in the last of John 21 22. where Peter asks Christ Lord what shall this man do saith Christ in vers 22. If I will that hee tarry till I come what is that to thee Christ will have all to know his will is free Hee wills as hee wills What if God will shew mercy this way to one and another way to another hee hath his Prerogative Royal what if hee will when Jairus comes for his Daughter go presently and what if hee will dispute it with the Woman of Canaan Christ will still so act as to maintain the Prerogative of his Will Secondly Hee will maintain the Prerogative of his Wisdome Though hee come with a commission yet hee is to act as his Wisdome is And thus though hee bee a servant as hee is the Fathers servant sent with absolute command to receive poor souls when they come Yet how and when and what way is left to his own Wisdome Rejoyce and bee of good comfort Christ is bound to receive all that come to him I but how hee should receive them that is left to his Wisdome And it may bee much wisdome in the Lord Jesus Christ to receive some harshly and some sweetly Two boyes go to School the one is of a rugged nature and the other of a sofr nature The Masters wisdome knows how to deal with either of them So that now this is the general account Jesus Christ being left to the Prerogative of his own Will and Wisdome hee doth therefore sometimes entertain some souls harshly There are six particular accounts of it that I cannot now name but must leave to bee inlarged the next time Use Onely for the Use of this My Brethren you have heard a strange yet a certain Truth That the Lord Jesus doth sometimes seemingly entertain some souls harshly Now all that I would say is this 1 Do not Mistake mee 2 Do not Mistake your selves 3 Do not Mistake this Truth There are these three Mistakes that all our hearts are liable to either the one or other of them one while they mistake the Preacher and say hee spake that which never entred into his heart to speak Another while they mistake themselves and a third time the Truth it self Now I pray thee take heed of all these Therefore first Do not Mistake mee Though I tell you the Lord Jesus may entertain some harshly I do not this to keep you off from Christ Oh the Lord knows here is my heart and this must bee my labour while I live to draw you to Jesus Christ But what said Christ in John 16.3 having before been telling them of great persecutions they must go thorow saith Christ These things I tell you that when they come yee might not bee offended Oh soul that is my aim intent that if thou art a poor soul coming to Christ thou mayest not bee startled I tell you before-hand Christ may frown hee may turn the deaf ear not that you should keep off but that when these things come to pass that you should not stumble nor bee offended but that you should go on And therefore is there ever a poor soul that saith God hath wrought upon mee lately but I have been going to Christ and I have knocked and hee speaks not a word Oh bee not discouraged the Lord sometimes will do thus Secondly Do not Mistake your selves Poor sinners are apt to mistake themselves as now when they hear of Christ that Christ is ready and willing to receive us what use do they make of it Why say they then wee may go when wee will and so live as they list and think to go to Jesus Christ No mistake not Christ may receive thee harshly do not deceive your selves Christ is a Lion and hee can roar though hee will not tear you to peeces yet hee knows how to carry it severely sometimes There is Hay and Stubble laid upon the foundation and yet they are saved but how but as by fire Sinners sinners you may bee saved coming to the Lord Jesus as the Woman of Canaan but beleeve it you may bee saved by fire hee may call you Dogg before hee gives you the childrens bread and make you wait long before hee answer Do not mistake your selves and provoke Christ to make you know this truth to your cost and sorrow Thirdly Do not Mistake the point A mistaken truth is the ground of some great errours as well as any thing else indeed many errours are truths mistook And there are two Errours that people may run into if they mistake this point First Doth the Lord Christ deal thus with some Therefore what therefore Why I was mistaken the Lord never dealt so with mee therefore I am not right Nay stay there I did not say the Lord dealt so with all nor alwaies but with some at sometimes there are some the Lord kisses presently Two humours coming to the Physician have not the same kinde of Physick Fine or thin humours and rough and strong humours are not alike purged the one is and may bee purged more gently the other more roughly You have an instance of two in one place viz. Lydia and the Jaylor Act. 16. Fine Lydia as I may so call her of a tender spirit the Lord takes up the latch and enters softly silently without any great noise without any rough hand but the rough Jaylor hee hath an Earthquake c. Do not say I am not right because the Woman of Canaan was so dealt with and I am not Secondly Do not mistake the point and say Well it is true and the Lord deals thus with mee and I think it will never bee better Oh say not it will never bee better No my Brethren though the Lord deal harshly with thee yet hee will use thee better Cry not Oh the Lord hath entertained mee harsh and hath been silent and not spoke and that which hee hath spoken hath been in wrath hee hath called mee dogg and therefore I can expect
shall stand off that will make the soul come on more hastily Jesus Christ doth catch us by craft as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 12.16 Truly Christ doth catch some poor souls by craft as the fisher-man doth the fish you know or may have heard how that is The fisher-man laies the bait and draws it as it were away hee draw it before the fish and when the fish is ready to take it hee doth make as if hee snatched it away and why so truly that the fish may catch at it more eagerly and bee held by it more surely So doth Christ with us when hee shall offer and seem to draw back when hee shall come neer and suffer us as it were to touch him and then snatch away again this will make us come on more earnestly and close with him more eagerly The soulby this means takes the bait I and the soul will hold it too when it hath it beleeve it Sins the Lord Jesus Christ is kinde to catch by craft Well this is the account of the Reason wherefore it is that sometimes Christ is seemingly harsh to some souls There are but three Uses I aim at in this Doctrine Use 1. The first Use is To let us all see that Christ is not so easily come by as the generality of people do think All have Christ freely but not easily Minde it My Brethren I think and I will tell you my thoughts because it may awaken you and do you good I think many will go to Hell as upon other mistakes so upon this that they do think it easie to go to Heaven and easie to come by Jesus Christ But if it bee true that Christ stands a loof off from a poor soul then it will appear to bee a hard work to come by him Remember this you will finde three things will make it hard work ere Jesus Christ and you bee brought together 1 The backwardness of your own hearts 2 The many hinder ances and puts in of Satan 3 And the seeming backwardness of Jesus Christ First Your own hearts will bee backward Ah soul unless the Lord make it a day of his power they are not a willing people Psa 110. hee that talks of free-will I am afraid was never sensible of free-grace nor of the backwardness of his own heart Secondly The Devil makes it hard work too Verily when the soul would go to Christ the Devil will hinder and set one to hinder another to keep the soul off from going to Jesus Christ But thirdly and especially The seeming harsh dealing of Jesus Christ makes it very hard work Oh say some poor souls My thinks the Lord makes mee willing and hungring after a Christ but when I come to Christ Christ hangs off My thinks God the Father is willing I should have Christ hee hath sent him the Spirit is willing hee hath revealed Christ to mee and my heart is willing but I come to Christ and hee doth not hear mee verily here you will finde difficulty and it will much pazzle and try Faith to beleeve upon and close with a Christ who seems to stand at a distance His seeming harsh dealing will make it real hard beleeving Use 2. The second Use is of Caution I pray learn by this to take heed how you provoke the Lord Jesus Christ to deal thus harshly with any of you My Brethren the Lord Christ can frown and look bitterly and deal severely c. and beware how you provoke him so to do The truth is there bee some souls that rationally I mean religiously rationally cannot expect otherwise that if Christ do receive them hee should receive them very harshly Let mee in a word touch upon this and do you remember it Two words I would speak my minde in that I may not bee mistaken First this I do not say that there are any souls that have reason to think Jesus Christ will reject them Whatever you are Canaanite Perisite or Jebusite c. Whoever you are before the Lord I do not say there is reason for you to conclude that there is no coming to the Lord. But This I say secondly That though you have no reason to think hee will cast you off yet you have reason to think hee will deal harshly with you you may have reason to fear hee will not presently entertain you First I think there bee some souls that may verily expect God may make them stand at the door and wait till they cool their heels and though Christ will let them in at last yet hee may set them stand all night Some souls Christ may let them bee hoarse with crying and yet Jesus Christ may stand off Secondly There are some souls that may expect that though hee should let them in yet it may bee with them as with some childe the childe is let in and hee sits at the table but the Father looks so strangely and harshly on him that his meat doth him no good thou mayest never rellish mercy sweetly till thou comest to Heaven it may bee Thirdly There are some souls that may expect that though Christ will give them mercy yet hee will dispure it out with them that they shall wrestle a whole night as Jacob and go limping all their life time and bee called Dogg many a time and as it were threatned with a cudgel before ever hee give them childrens bread Therefore I beseech you for the Lords sake souls look about you Now there are three sorts of people that have thus reason to think that though Christ may receive them at last yet it may bee very harsh at first First Those that have dealt very harshly with Jesus Christ With the froward I will bee froward saith God Grace will receive froward ones at last yet hee will bee harsh Why what was the matter Joseph looks so roughly upon his Brethren their consciences could tell them Wee had not pitty upon our Brother Gen. 42.21 Sirs there are many poor souls deal harshly with Jesus Christ I say deal harshly with Christ is there any deals harshly with him you will say how can that bee why bee not mistaken as you deal with Christs members so you deal with him You scoff at poor Saints and Christ takes it as against himself O minde it you that have been or are the persecutors of the Lords people you can expect no other but that Christ should deal harshly with you since you have done so by him It may bee there is a poor man or woman by thee that hath precious Faith I say that hath precious Faith thou dealest hardly with them and so thou dealest hardly with Jesus Christ in them and hee may do so with thee Secondly Those souls that have lived in any more notable prophaneness than others may expect if Christ receive them it should bee as the woman of Canaan harshly Take a plain similitude Let two men go to a Physician the one hath a little knock on the crown a little dressing a
little washing doth cure it another hath a wound in the thigh or the arm that must have a great deal of lancing and washing ere it bee whole Oh! sins are wounds the least vanities are knocks on the crowns but there are blasphemies and uncleannesses and unrighteousnesses with a witness and the Lord must deal a little harshly with thee how else should hee deal with thee Tremble at every little sin but tremble especially at great sins I say not that great sins shall hinder us from Christ but upon the account of them at our first beleeving wee may meet with harshness in Christ The deeper our wounds the sharper our cure alwaies Thirdly There are a third sort of people that cannot but expect Christ will deal harshly with them Those that do neglect many a sweet and gracious tender of mercy and salvation by Jesus Christ many a day Suppose two people in the same Congregation one is crouded here that never heard the Gospel all his daies another is here that hath heard the Gospel many years you that have neglected sweet calls and precious opportunities if Christ receive you at last it will bee rich mercy but it will bee harshly I have often thought of it young people do not know how much bitterness of spirit they avoid by closing with Christ betimes My thinks I see some souls under such a condition you have stayed out all day and come home at midnight I do not say you shall not bee received when you come but you may bee received with a whip and go to bed without a Supper as wee use to say to some children Now I am afraid of one snare of the Devil My thinks I hear the Devil whispering to some souls well bee it so as you say so long as Christ will receive you at last so long as I shall not go to Hell so long as I shall have mercy at last then I will go on c. I will speak three words to this First of all It is more than you know I say it is more than you know that you shall bee saved at last I say it is possible Christ may receive the soul but how do you know it who did tell thee that it thou didst sin so many years after all thou shouldest have Christ with a whip and a knock Secondly It is a thousand to one that it shall bee so The soul that puts off closing with Christ upon this presumption that hee shall have it at last and will presume to tarry because hee perswades himself of a sure reception though it may bee sore I say these of all persons in my judgement have ground to fear lest the Lord give them to a deluded heart to damning dreams and soul-cheating hopes I fear if any bee thus Christ will not receive them no not at first nor last neither sweetly nor severely therefore take heed of this delusion But let mee add Thirdly I will suppose this that thou shalt bee saved at last very harshly Consider the terms dost thou know how harsh they will bee Dost thou know what terrours of the Lord may bee upon thee what terrours of Hell may bee in thee c Oh Sirs who knows the power of Gods wrath who knows the terrour of a wounded conscience can you live seven years under the apprehension of Gods wrath fourteen years under terrour and every day to walk up and down under everlasting burnings Beware how you go on upon those tearms but let every soul bee wise now beware now bee watchful now that sith the Lord though hee bee sweet can bee bitter beware how you provoke him to bee so to you Last Use The third and last Use It is for Exhortation to exhort you all to receive this truth so as not to bee offended with it I say so to receive this truth c. I remember our Lord and Saviour in John 16. preaches the truth of persecution upon this account These things saith hee I speak that you may not bee offended c. My Brethren this Truth this great Truth this strange Truth that Christ may deal thus hardly with some souls that come to him I preach it and tell you of it that you may not bee offended not offended when it comes to pass as to your particulars There are two offences one is therefore to say I will never go to Christ The other offence is I finde it so that Christ is harsh and therefore I will go no further I pray bee not thus offended First Do not stumble upon this as a rock of offence and say I will not go to Christ this is but to some I do not say the Lord will deal thus with all say not were I in the Woman of Canaans condition I could never hold up and therefore I will stand off Do not say so who are you that walk uprightly and avoid sin and snatch at a tender of mercy and are willing to come at a call go to Christ and you will finde that hee will entertain you friendly or suppose it bee seemingly harsh yet remember better bee entertained by Christ seemingly harsh than not to go at all and bee shut out for ever bee not offended therefore do not stumble at going to Christ Secondly Let no soul bee so offended at this dealing as to say I will bee gone I will bee gone I will wait no longer By Brethren it may bee there may bee some poor soul here before the Lord that may say I am a second Woman of Canaan a woman of a bitter spirit of a grieved soul because I have gone to Christ and am not entertained I have got Father Mother Minister childe to pray for mee I am not yet answered My beloved for all this thou art but a Woman of Canaan and the Lord may deal with you as such what though hee speak not at all or but harshly this is not new neither do thou so wonder at it or bee offended by it as to think of drawing back or going away from Jesus Christ Therefore let mee speak two words to thee 1 One is Bee advised 2 The other is Bee encouraged The first word is of Advice I pray take advice O poor heart Thou sayest thou hast gone to Christ and hee frowns thou sayest thou hast looked up to the brazen Serpent and yet the sting of the fiery Serpent abides thou sayest thou hast called for a crum of bread and no answer comes bee advised to look about you to see why God deals thus with you you may bee bold with the Lord Jesus hee never checked the Woman with boldness ask Christ Lord is thy design to humble mee then do so or Lord what is thy design is it to try mee then do so but support mee Is it to heighten thy self in my heart Lord what is thy design look about you and consider for which of all the Reasons it is that the Lord deals thus with you Secondly Bee encouraged to wait upon the Lord yet a
have you dealt treacherously with mee O house of Israel saith the Lord. What then do they deny it No. A voice was heard upon the high places weeping and supplâ—cation of the children of Israel for they have perverted their way and they have forgotten the Lord their God Oh here is good carriage when the Lord shall deal harshly bring all thy sins to remembrance rip up sin here and fin there Oh with a voice of weeping say truly it is so Let God charge any thing Let Christ say what hee will hee cannot lye whatever his language bee If Christ say Swine Dogg reply nothing onely say as this Woman did Truth Lord. That is the fourth thing But then again Fifthly This Womans good carriage lies in this Shee doth gather upon Jesus Christ as it were and catches hold of that by which Christ would seem to cast her off and doth take an argument from his harsh speech to plead for her self It is not meet to give the childrens bread to Doggs See how shee takes hold of it Truth Lord But the Doggs may eat of the crumbs that fall from their Masters Table Doth Christ say go Woman dogg Woman say thou I will take hold of this word a crumb Lord. It is good when a soul can catch hold upon a Christ even by that with which hee would put it off For instance suppose Jesus Christ should say to thee thou art an ungodly wretch come not to mee catch hold of that and say thou art a God that justifies the ungodly Saith God thou art a Rebel get thee gone catch at it and say truth Lord it is so but the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to give gifts to Rebels Doth the Lord yet say thou art an enemy answer true Lord but there is reconciliation for enemies in the blood of Christ c. Learn to catch at that hand by which Christ seems to thrust thee away hold that It is indeed a Mystery but so is all godliness and wee must learn it and out of this Womans example wee may bee helped therein That is the fifth But not to inlarge I will come to the next The sixth and last thing in her good carriage is this That shee is content with a little in the lowest manner if shee may not have a great deal in the highest manner For mark her expression A crumb Lord there is little and under the Table I will bee glad to stoop so low and lick that which lies there upon the ground Oh that this frame of spirit were in us surely it is a blessed thing to bee thus bowed in our hearts to stoop thus to Christ Wee cannot enough admire nor I fear imitate this Woman pray look upon her listen to her Truly my thinks the poor Woman saies thus Indeed I am a poor Canaanite I am not one of the children of the house of Israel I may not sit down at the childrens table nor take of the bread so soon as cut from the Loaf but I will bee content to take it under the table there I will lye c. And truly my Brethren this was the good carriage of the Prodigal mark how the Prodigal comes home Father make mee one of thy hired servants Hee doth not say Father remember I was a childe and let mee come in for a portion c. No but make mee but a servant and what servant would hee bee a hired servant the houshould servants had a priviledge that the hired servants had not I shall turn you to a Scripture for it Exod. 12.44 45. verses The hired servant might not eat of the Passeover when the houshold servant might Hee would bee a hired servant that if his Father would not take him into full grace and give him a childes place and portion again hee would bee contented with any thing Now the Lord help you and I to think of these things here is good carriage Here are six things you see wherein shee carries it well But now In the second place I should give you the Reasons why this same good carriage should bee notwithstanding Christ carry it harshly There are three heads of Reasons First of all If you consider who Christ is to whom you come Secondly If you consider what your selves are who come to this Jesus Christ And Thirdly If you consider the Errant for which you come to him at any time you will finde in all these three Matter and Motive enough to make you carry it thus well to Christ though hee carries it ill to you The Woman considered who Christ was the Son of David the Messias and shee considered who shee was a Canaanite and shee remembers that shee had a childe under the power of the Devil and let us touch a little upon them First Consider who Christ is to whom you come I shall hint out my meditations as to this in four particulars who Christ is First of all Hee is the Lord God blessed for evermore Therefore worship thou him saith the Psalmist Psal 45.11 FOR hee is thy Lord and because hee is thy Lord therefore worship thou him The Lord Jesus to whom you and I come hee is the Lord Jehovah God blessed for evermore and should wee not carry it well to him wert thou to come to a man but a meer man upon a weighty affair though hee were a little cross thou wouldest carry it well and shouldest thou go to the Lord God blessed for evermore and carry it ill Surely the consideration of a God ought to fill the soul with all reverence in every approach unto him and with all humbleness of carriage in our dealings with him If thou art an Arrian doubting and denying Christs deity there might bee the shadow of a Plea for an irreverent deportment but being thou art one who callest Christ Lord and professest at least to acknowledge him God this very thing obligeth thee to demean thy self well however hee deals with thee Secondly As hee is thy Lord so hee is thy Life My meaning is thou goest to him without whom thou canst not live and therefore thou hadst need to carry it well Whither should wee go saith Peter thou hast the words of eternal life Christ is your Physician for that you must carry it well to him you do carry it well and wait upon a Doctor fairly because your life lies upon it and will you not deal so with Christ when the life of your souls lies upon it I knew a Physician that was of great Name and Practice a man of a very cynical spirit as rugged crabbed a carriaged person as any of that Profession hee could scarce give a pleasing look and would often give course cross indeed very bad language and yet I have heard him so reverently spoke unto and so patiently waited on that I have admired it but what was the reason Oh hee was a Doctor and they came to him knowing his skill and therefore it made them carry themselves so respectfully to him Oh
soul Christ is thy soveraign Physician thy onely Doctor upon that account let him do or say what hee will as hee will bee it never so seemingly cross for really ill hee cannot carry it it becomes thee to have a good behaviour Thirdly Hee is Wisdome infinite Wisdome one that knows what hee does Alass my Beloved if the Lord Christ were capable of folly wee might charge God foolishly but Job knew Gods wisdome was infinite and therefore hee would not charge God foolishly When hee rips up thy sins bee still hee knows what hee doth When the Lord Jesus shall launce the wound and cut conscience and tell thee of sin and rip up unworthiness lye still carry it well hee is very wise How oft doth the Chirurgion binde the Patient and cut and launce it How oft doth hee search the wound and gash the flesh yet still is the Patient quiet hee silently submits why hee knows the Chirurgion is wise and one that understands both what and wherefore hee doth so Truly Beloved Christ is infinite in wisdome doth nothing but what wee need and hee can yea and in time will give a good reason why hee carries it thus or thus unto us as I formerly told you in the second Doctrine therefore wee ought to bee silent and carry our selves reverently and well unto him Fourthly and lastly Consider further who the Lord is why truly the Lord Jesus is so generous so gracious that hee cannot bee angry if wee stoop Hee cannot carry it ill if wee carry it well The Lord Jesus is of so sweet a disposition of so tender bowels that when hee sees us weep his bowels turn within him Christ though hee roar and make thee tremble yet if thou bow and fall and art silent hee will as they say of the Lion in such a case Lick and love thee It was the glory of the King of Israel that when Benhadads servants came to him with ropes about their necks hee was overcome with it 1 King 20.32 33. Oh you know I have once yea twice told you of Joseph I must tell you once more of him Joseph speaks rugged very roughly yet at last hee bowed what was the cause of it Look upon the story In Gen. 45. you have that which doth usher in his speaking kindly In the first vers Then Joseph could not refrain himself c. when was that Look into chap. 44. from verse 18. downward Then when Reverend Judah his Elder Brother and the rest with bended knees and doubtless with weeping eyes lay at his feet humbly under all and yet earnestly supplicating Oh how doth his bowels yearn towards them So then when thou shalt lye at his feet humbly supplicating laying out thy misery and what thou dost expect hee cannot hold out witness this Woman of Canaan unto whom at last Jesus Christ sweetly condescended though at first hee carried it towards her strangely as you have heard Truly as shee found wee may expect even the same condescension if wee have the same carriage Christ hath that innate sweetness that infinite grace those soft affections that however hee begins roughly hee will conclude comfortably as I shall shew when I come to it Remember Christs Name is Love and Lovingness is with him The consideration of his Nature calls upon thee O soul for such a carriage as I have opened therefore study it If thou well knowest Christ who hee is thou canst not well forget what carriage is suitable to such a person so that if you consider who Christ is to whom you come and withall if you do not forget your selves and the Arrand you come to him about you cannot but carry it well to him though hee should carry it seemingly harsh to you I should proceed to open these two other things viz. The consideration of our selves and our business to and with Christ are grounds for this good behaviour but I see at present I must end here Therefore now I shall onely name two words of Use First I will ask you a Question And secondly I will give you a word of Advice First I will ask you this one Question If it bee our duty to deal well with Christ when hee deals ill with us What shall become of those that deal ill with Christ when hee deals well with them If when Christ frowns wee should worship him if when Christ puts us off wee should then draw near to him if when Christ calls us Dogg wee should worship him as our Lord What shall wee think of those who when Christ smiles invites doth them good they do ill to Jesus Christ Oh my Brethren Monsters they are and not Men and yet I must tell you wee need not go to Africa to finde these Monsters people professing the Lord are apt to deal ill with Christ when hee deals well with them In Jeremiah 2. saith the Lord there Testifie against mee what iniquity have your Fathers found in mee c. Is there any such before the Lord Oh let mee testifie for the Lord against you what evil did Christ do to you why then dost thou blaspheme the Name of God thou hast often heaâ—d by his servants I lay down my life for sinners and yet thou wilt swear by the Life of Jesus Christ If the Lord had spoke angerly thou shoâ—ldest have blessed him and wilt thou now curse him when hee speaks kindly In Malachy 3.13 14. saith the Lord there Your words have been stout against mee wherein have they been stout In that you have said it is in vain to serve God and what profit is it that wee have kept his Ordinances c. Mark it a â—iâ—tle I gather out of this Scripture this truth that whoever speaks sleightly of the Ordinances of Jesus Christ his words are stout against Jesus Christ Have you not spoke sleightly of prayer praying breaking bread of Church-fellowship as if these were vain your words are stout against Jesus Christ Sirs If the Lord Jesus should make every hearing of a Sermon twenty pound yet you were bound to honour him by hearing a Sermon And if hee should make breaking of bread fire and fagot you were obliged notwithstanding to ingage in that duty But now you have all sweetly why are your words stout against the Lord you may have Ordinances free and worship with peace and yet your words are stout against Jesus Christ Christ will say one day to such There was a Woman of Canaan that carried it well when I dealt crosly with her but you carried it cross to mee even when and while I was all kindness to you Oh Sirs think not that Christ can take it well nay hee must needs take it ill If this Question I hint fasten on thy heart O soul and finde thee in this fault O humble thy soul for this thy sin Thy carriage is quite contrary to this point and example which I have opened to you The second word I would speak is a word of Advice and that is but
this one word Who are you before the Lord that are of this house that this good Woman was That are under the frowns of Christ at present that have heard Jesus Christ call you Dogg that have prayed often and been put off alwaies I pray take a word of Advice carry it well even now unto Jesus Christ You know what the wise man tells us in Eccles 7.14 In the day of prosperity bee joyful but in the day of adversity consider I would but a little allude to it It may bee there sits a soul but it is a day of prosperity with him hee praies and the Lord hears hee looks and the Lord smiles But there is a Man or Woman with whom it is the day of adversity thou callest and Christ doth not answer it is thy day of adversity Now consider consider what consider how thou carriest thy self Look to thy lips do not sin do not murmure though thy wounds stink though thy conscience burn though thy soul tremble it is thy day of adversity and therefore consider Oh consider how the Lord eyes thee to see how thou wilt carry it Take heed the Lord do not see a cursed Canaanitish carriage in thee here is a good Canaanitish carriage in the Text. I remember what a godly man said within these seven years lying under a great pain of a great grief of which hee died as hee groaned exceedingly saith one you groan much I replied hee But though I groan I dare not grumble Though Christ keep thee a little at staves end and carry it harshly yet bee of good courage and confidence wilt thou but wait a little wait the Lords leisure carry it well hee will deal well with thee Bee therefore advised how thou behave thy self surely a waspish spirit and a murmuring tongue argue one is not well advised as wee say in his carriage Therefore go home as an advised Christian let the Lord Jesus do or say what hee pleaseth hold thou thy peace suppress thou thy passion and in all things shew a humble reverend blessed behaviour to him But of this more in the next Reasons why wee ought still to carry it well to Christ The Fifth SERMON Matthew 15.25 and 27. verses Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help mee And shee said Truth Lord yet the doggs eat of the crumbs which fall from their-Masters table AS to bee entertained by Christ really and readily is a great mercy so to bee rejected by Christ though it bee but seemingly must needs bee a great misery Indeed there cannot befall a poor soul a sadder evil than to come to Christ needing and expecting relief and to receive either an absolute denial or unusual delaies at the hands of Christ And yet my Brethren this is a case that sometimes hath befallen many and may befall us Wee have a notable instance of it before us in this story of the Woman of Canaan There were four things I told you that wee would principally speak unto in the handling of this story The first was the Coming of this Woman The second is the Manner of the Entertainment that shee had by Christ which was very sad not an absolute denial but a strange and unusual delay Thirdly Now wee are considering the Carriage of this Woman under this strange and rough entertainment that shee received from Christ The point is of concernment for us to consider that whensoever it will befall any of us upon any account wee may know how to carry our selves as shee hath done In these two verses wee have her Carriage and after wee had opened that wee gathered up all into this one Observation viz. Doct. That it is the duty the wisdome the glory of a Christian to carry it unto Christ very holily when hee seems to carry it to the soul very harshly Or shortly thus Wee must carry it really well when Christ carries it seemingly ill There were but two Principal things which I said were necessary to bee handled in the explication of the Point The First is What this good Carriage is wherein this holy and blessed behaviour to Jesus Christ doth lye And secondly Upon what account it is our duty and glory to have this Carriage Now for the opening of both of these I did onely confine my self to the example in hand to see how the Woman carried it and to see from her what were the Reasons that did prevail with her to carry it thus to Christ Here are six things wherein this good thing viz. this good Carriage of this good Woman appears First Though the Lord dealt roughly with her shee kept up honourable thoughts of him Secondly Wee shewed shee did not suddenly nor sullenly go away but still shee cries after him And Thirdly Shee speaks to Christ as professing her onely hope in his help Fourthly Shee denied nothing that Christ speaks against her Christ seems to say to her First That shee was a Dogg And then Secondly That shee should have nothing Truth Lord saith shee Fifthly Shee doth gather upon Jesus Christ and by that very hand which hee thrust her off shee gathers hope Lastly Shee was content to have a little in the lowest manner when shee might not have her first and great request in the highest manner Wee did the last day open these more largely But now whence is it that wee must have and labour for this good Carriage or what is the reason wee should carry it thus holily to Christ though hee seem to carry it roughly to us I referred the reason of it to three heads I told you if wee do consider either Jesus Christ or our selves or the Errand upon which wee come to him at any time wee shall see great reason to carry it well to Christ howsoever hee may seem to carry it ill to us And all these three considerations wee have here in the Woman First Consider who Jesus Christ is when you go to him Why truly my Brethren hee is the Son of David and our Lord Because hee is our Lord therefore wee must worship him It is because Masters are Masters therefore servants must carry it well wee did open that and therefore shall not repeat it now But Secondly Consider wee our selves who wee are that go to Jesus Christ and my Brethren you will see that such as wee are coming to Christ should carry it very well to him though hee should seem to carry it ill to us Alass what was this Woman Certainly the Holy Ghost did help her to look within to see her self as shee was viz. a poor Woman A Woman of Canaan of Tyre and Sidon a Woman that was a Dogg by Nature such a Woman had need to carry it holily when shee comes to Christ And my Brethren if you look upon your hearts as shee was so are wee you will see all the reason in the world to carry it holily and humbly to Jesus Christ though hee should carry it seemingly harsh to you First My Brethren wee are poor
the Lord you hear this though Jesus Christ should spurn at you you should worship him though Jesus Christ should cast you off with a denial yet you should lye at his feet and honour him I beseech you take heed when Christ smiles upon you do not spurn at him when hee doth good to you bee not you bad to him This is a necessary caution even to those that pretend to God In Deut. 32. What a large Catalogue of good Carriage is there of God towards a people When they were in a desert Land hee lead them and as an Eagle hee bare them on his wings c. 10 11. verses Hee found him in a desert Land and in the waste howling wilderness hee lead him about hee instructed him hee kept him as the Apple of his Eye As an Eagle stirreth up her Nest fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings So the Lord alone did lead him and there was no strange God with him c. Here was good Carriage from the Lord but how did they carry it See in verse 15. But Jesurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxed fat thou art grown thick thou art covered with fatness then hee forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation c. Oh! as Moses said in verse 6. Do yee thus require the Lord O foolish people and unwise Jesurun the Lords people the Lords heritage a people that profess God are very apt to carry it ill when the Lord carries it well And I wish to God this were not the Carriage of England this day now wee have peace and advantages and opportunities But now the Lord doth well wee carry it ill I beseech you beware of it I shall press it in a few words Who is there of you all before the Lord but I may say to you as the Lord said to his people by Jeremiah Have I been as a barren wilderness or a dry heath c. There is not the most notorious Rebel that lives out of Hell but is beholding to Christ for being preserved Who of you all that have not had choice dealings by Jesus Christ I beseech you do not deal ill with Christ I know you are ready to say what do wee deal ill with Christ I pray mark it I will speak but two words First When thou sinnest wilfully after Christ hath called thee from sin and tendered thee a pardon thou dealest ill with him Minde well that place Heb. 10.26 If wee sin wilfully after wee have received the knowledge of the truth i. e. The great truth of the Gospel-grace in and by Christ distinguished vers 28. from Moses his Law then what follows why vers 29. It is accounted base and dispiteful dealing with Christ who shed his blood for sinners Ah thou wretch dost thou hear Christ pitties wretches and is come to procure and give in pardon to sinners and calls Come sinner leave thy sin take my pardon cast off thy wickedness accept my grace and yet thou turnest thy deaf ear thou now declarest a hard heart and dealest ill with Christ who is dealing well with thee Well then I say whoever thou art that when thou hearest that Christ died for enemies that hee hath gifts for Rebels and that hee is ready to justifie the ungodly and now wilt bee a Rebel still this is dealing ill with Jesus Christ This is that which the Apostle calls trampling under foot the blood of Christ c. And so Secondly When you deal ill with any of the eminent things of Christ you deal ill with Christ You know what the Lord will say at the last day Mat. 25. For as much as you have done it to any of these little ones you have done it unto mee When you scoff at any member of Christ Jesus Christ saith There is one scoffs at mee And when you deal unworthily with any of the things of Christ as the Ministers of Christ Luk. 10.16 Hee that heareth you heareth mee and hee that despiseth you despiseth mee and hee that despiseth mee despiseth him that sent mee c. It is not spoke of the Twelve but of the Seventy Those that hee had sent out to preach in his Name though they were not the Twelve extraordinary ones I say but the ordinary Disciples I pray minde it ordinary Ministers are so near Christ that hee accounts despising of them as a despite of himself And so for Christians the meanest of them all c. Consider them that thou dost despise what are they they are the Lords Messengers for thy good and they are the Lords Members whom hee tenders And so I say for any thing of Christ they that deal ill with them deal ill with Christ I know what is the great Objection against this and I remember Dr. Stoughton did well answer it Wee do not take these to bee the servants of Christ the Lords people his answer is Beware you do not smite as chismatick a holy one and a Saint bee found a bleeding Well I beseech you take heed of this many that pretend to have much from Christ they deal exceeding ill with Christ it is a sin without excuse Therefore the Lord doth make the 2. of Jeremiah to bee a conviction to leave them without excuse Christ may say unto you all whom in misery hee hath supported in want supplied in all things sustained I say Jesus Christ may speak thus to you If so bee in the day of your distress I had let you lye under the burthen of sin If when you came to begg mercy I had put you off with a denial or long delay you ought to have carried it well but how inexcusable will you bee that while Christ carries it well to you you carry it ill to him But the most proper Use is to speak something to direct us all to this good Carriage You hear however Christ carries it to you yet you ought to carry it holily and humbly to Jesus Christ And it may bee there is some poor soul or other that is now going to Christ It may bee thou art a Months-Convert and thou art wrestling long with Christ and hast no answer or it may bee thou art a backslider and art returning to Christ or hast been with Christ upon some family corporal occasion hear how you are to carry it I will hold out my thoughts distinctly that I may the better direct And I shall press the Use under two heads Cave Viz. 1 Beware beware of ill carriage Unto Christ Cura Viz. 2 Take care labour for a good carriage Unto Christ Under these two Particulars I would press this good Womans practice upon my self and you That however Christ seems at any time in any thing to carry it to us although it seem ill yet let not us carry our selves ill to him but rather overcome our evil with good and study to behave our selves to Jesus Christ as wee ought I beseech you attend
Thou art perplexed comfort thou wouldest have Now observe Christ it may bee offers thee a crumb and thy proud heart will not accept of comfort unless thou mayest have much This is just like a little childe the Mother gives it a small peece of bread and it cries and throws it away if hee may not have his Brothers peece of bread Ah! Beloved look to your hearts Take heed of this proud peece of childishness If your hearts were humble you would accept of and thank Christ for a little As it is with the hungry soul so it is with every humble soul Hee admires mercy in a morsel and is willing to stoop under the Table to take up a crumb Put on therefore and bee cloathed with humility and put it forth shew it in your Carriage to Christ as this Woman of Canaan did It was the humility of her soul by which shee carried it so well and this is the first Grace in her Carriage unto Christ wee should indeavour to conform our selves I come to the next Secondly Observe in her the Grace of Prayer I do not say the Gift of Prayer But I observe it as the Grace of Prayer for here was no great gift Oh Sirs however the Lord doth keep up Prayer your case cannot bee so bad but pray you may and pray you must Do but observe an instance or two in the Book of the Psalms of very sad cases and yet they did not give over Prayer Psal 61. there you have the Psalmist crying after God in the first verse But when would hee cry Why when my heart is overwhelmed vers 2. Thou sayest thy heart is overwhelmed and thou canst not it is in vain to pray Mark the Psalmist prayed then Again Psal 88. observe how sad the case of Heman is set forth there My soul is full of trouble my life draweth nigh unto the grave vers 3. And so on But what saith hee in vers 13. But unto thee have I cried O Lord and in the morning shall my Prayer prevent thee Though the case was very sad yet it was not past praying Here is the Devils temptation What wilt thou pray it is in vain thou hast prayed and Christ doth not answer Nay hee hath returned thee a rough answer So indeed the Serpent subtilly suggests to take us off from Prayer But resist the Devil in that temptation do thou yet pray and give not over yet say I will pray unto him say with Jonah Yet I will look again towards his holy Temple Jonah 2.4 Quest But if the soul say But I cannot tell how to pray I have not a Gift of Prayer Answ If thou bee a Saint Thou hast a Grace of Prayer And observe this thou canst pray as much as the Woman of Canaan Lord help mee and Truth Lord c. Here are but three words Lord help mee And let mee in allusion tell you but three words that you should pray to the Lord let your case bee what it will First Lord thou onely canst help mee all the men in the world cannot help mee Secondly Lord thou didst help many as bad as I. Thirdly And Lord If thou didst never help any as bad then now thou wilt have the more glory by helping mee Object Possibly the soul will be ready to say But alass Jesus Christ puts mee off I would pray but hee turns away and will not hear and I would catch hold of him but hee runs away Repl. You know what Jacob did Gen. 32.26 27. Hee would catch hold of God though hee would bee gone and you must wrestle with him and cry after him You must not let him go You see the Disciples tell Christ that this Woman cried after them vers 23. Shee was as one that ran after another who went away Shee crieth after us say they do thou so if Christ seem to go run after cry after Bee not put off renew and re-inforce thy Prayer again and again Indeed in this the Grace of Prayer differs from the Gift the Grace lives and lasts the Gift dies and goes out Well then stir up thy self to take hold of God and keep thy hold having taken it Pray if thou canst but a little and go again and pray the same words again and again Christ himself did so Three times hee prayed in the same words Mat. 26.44 Bee not ashamed if thou want variety of expression A few words prevail with God and Jesus Christ Therefore I say Pray alwaies however Christ carry it cast not away thy Prayers but continue in it so this Woman did and wee must do likewise But Thirdly Bee resolute in your Faith And pray let mee mark this by the way Though shee doth not say Lord I beleeve yet shee did beleeve The Woman was acting the Grace of Faith all this while and shee acts it very resolutely shee speaks as one beleeving him to bee the Messiah as one whose onely hope and help was in him and as one that did cleave and adhere to him Our Lord Jesus witnesseth to the Womans Faith vers 28. It was strong and resolute shee did beleeve and was acted and upheld as I shall shew hereafter by Faith in all this address A Faith shee had and a Faith shee expressed really though it is not expressed literally as to the terms yet it is evident as to the Truth of it that shee did beleeve so do you Beleevers are ready to think that in time of trouble it is a time to pray and to hear but not to beleeve c. Thou thinkest thou mayest cry after Christ and wait upon Christ I but thou shouldest beleeve in him Isa 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God So Job I wil trust in him though hee kill mee That act of Faith I am now pressing is Trusting and I pray minde it what kinde of Faith I press in this particular It is a Trusting Faith Job did trust and hee that feareth God must trust in him at all times yea in the dark And truly this word or term Trust doth very fitly set forth the thing I intend to press you in this particular unto Now that you may a little understand it consider that there are four words in the Scripture that set forth the great Mystery of Beleeving There is first The general word Faith I beleeve Lord help my unbeleef Secondly There is the particular word of Hope Hee hopeth Thirdly There is a particular word of Knowledge which is as much as Assurance I know whom I have beleeved And Fourthly There is this word Trusting And now what is the nature of Trust A man that beleeves hath a pretty deal of light of God but hee that hopes hath a little more hee hath more that knows but what hath hee that trusts I shall give it you in this similitude One comes to another Sir I know you can help mee
by God My Beloved Faith doth therefore carry us out thorow all because it is that Grace that God alone hath appointed Read the Gospel or the Prophets and you will finde them speaking of these two great Truths First That Christ is the onely one that is appointed to bring us to salvation There is no name but his Act. 4.12 Secondly That Faith is the onely Grace appointed to bring us to Christ You have our Lord shortly in one place speaking of both in John 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent mee that every one which seeth the Son and beleeveth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day There is a great Question among Divines Why Faith rather than Charity Patience or Gospel-Obedâ—ence should bee the great instrument of Justification And my Beloved this is the absolute Answer to the Question Because God hath onely appointed it There may bee some conjectural Reasons why God hath appointed Faith but the chief Reason is because God hath appointed it Now Divine Institution being upon Faith thence it is that Faith doth the work it is not from any inherent worth in the Grace Alass What is the worth of a sinners hand to take a glorious Christ But it is onely from Gods pleasure and appointment that Faith alone shall bee the Grace to carry the soul to and help the soul in its receiving of Christ God hath appointed no other leggs to carry us and because hee hath appointed these hee will bless his own apointment to effect the work The Lords appointment makes all things operative Therefore Secondly The Reason is from the operation of Faith in us by virtue of that appointment My Beloved Faith it is a working Grace and Faith is our great strength in every working Grace it conveyeth strength unto all Graces There is a threefold Operation of Faith to carry the soul thorow all difficulties and discouragements in its going to Christ viz. an Inlightening an Enlivening and an Embracing work in the blessed business of closing with Christ I will a little open them all three First Faith hath an Inlightening work An inlightning work is that which carries a man thorow many difficulties and discouragements In Psal 34. you have a fine expression where David is speaking of his and others seeking God and of their incouragement in that work saith hee in vers 5. They looked unto him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed by Faith the soul sees the necessity of Christ the inclinableness of the heart of Christ c. and this carries the soul thorow all difficulties Saith Faith look yonder there and there alone is the rock of safety And if you bee not there you must sink this makes the soul swim amain And look saith Faith there is a safe Landing Christ saith Faith stands with out-stretched arms of power and love to imbrace thee and Faith realizeth such a fight evidenceth it to the soul and so inabling the soul to see it helps the soul to go to Christ Secondly Faith hath not onely an inlightening work but an inlivening work My Beloved other graces stir us up and put us on to go to Christ but Faith doth onely enliven us Love and humility doth marvelously stir up the soul to go to Jesus Christ and so do other Graces I but these do not feed the soul nor strengthen there is a great deal of difference between the Whip and the Meat you give the horse A whip a blow that stirs it but doth not strengthen it A conviction of need a fear of hell stirs us to go to Christ but it doth not inable us or inliven us My Beloved Faith is the strengthening Grace The Just shall live by Faith Heb. 10. there saith hee you have need of patience that after you have done the will of God yee might receive the Promise c. Now The Just shall live by Faith 36 37 38. verses Do not cast away your confidence what then You have need of patience c. doth hee stay there No but adds The Just shall live by Faith True you will need patience if you go to Christ but you will live alone by Faith Wee need patience to tarry the Lords leisure to bear the Lords frowns to tarry till hee come but how shall wee live in the mean time Oh The Just shall live by Faith Faith being an enlightening Grace therefore it is an enlivening Grace Faith it findes honey as Jonathan and Faith it findes a Promise and dips in the finger and takes a little and that enlivens and strengthens the soul Nay Faith though it bee full of fears it is a soul-enlivening-Grace Take that instance of the Woman with a bloody Issue in Luke 8.44 compared with vers 46. It is clear shee had a Faith and shee had fears and shee had virtue For this Faith full of fears did gather virtue from Jesus Christ So thy Faith that is full of fears may gather virtue from Jesus Christ and therefore is it that it carries us thorow all difficulties in our going to Christ Thirdly Faith it hath an imbracing work These all died in Faith not having received the Promises What then how could they live but having seen them afar off embraced them Heb. 11.13 My Beloved Faith it hath an imbracing work of the Promise and because Faith can imbrace the Promise therefore can it carry the soul thorow all the difficulties that it meets with in the way to Christ What is the Anchor at the end of a Cable one Ship will carry a thousand Anchors but one Anchor will hold the Ship because it hath a fastening power Faith is but a little Anchor of it self I but it hath a fastening power and so Faith staies the soul In Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because hee trusteth in thee because you trust in God therefore are your minds stayed Oh Sirs what shall I say more Faith it is a catching hold of that Christ that puts thee off And because Faith imbraces and holds him that is sure and strong it doth therefore ipso facto as wee say in that very thing carry the soul to Christ thorow all difficulties Well I pray minde and meditate a little upon these things for they are of the life and Mystery of real Christianity But I will now speak to some Uses of this Point Therefore to make some Application there are onely three Uses Use I Let mee say This Doctrine is profitable for reproof Is Faith such a Grace is it Faith that carries the soul thorow all Oh then bee reproved all who profess to beleeve and yet are ignorant of what Faith is Why poor soul what shall carry thee thorow all but Faith and art thou ignorant of that Is there but one boat to carry us over the Sea and are wee ignorant of that Ask what is your Faith why saith one I say my I beleeve I
18.8 and it bears upon this Notion that I now hint It is said of Babylon That all her plagues shall come upon her in one day c. In one day why the intirest of Pride and Honour Idolatry and Persecution that so many ages were winding up to a height can this bee destroyed in so little time shall this bee done in one day Yes For strong in the Lord God who judgeth her A great God is never confined to any time Oh my Beloved bear up your hearts in the Lord Jesus Christ time can no way prescribe him hee can do what hee will and when hee will But there is one general point that I shall take up from the place and end this discourse And the general Point is this Doct. That faithful coming unto Jesus Christ doth sometimes prevail even in Corporal Cases This woman of Canaan came to Christ and shee came in Faith Here is a faithful commer to the Lord Jesus and shee prevails for her own soul I and shee prevails for her Daughters body shee prevails eminently for her own spiritual concernments I and shee prevails also for her Daughters corporal concernments That Faith prevails alwaies in spiritual concernments that wee have often opened and my Beloved it is a mercy that if it do not alwaies prevail for our body yet that it doth for our souls But God hath provided and doth so order it that sometimes it shall prevail for body and soul too Indeed going to Christ is good for every thing and they who truly go to the Lord Jesus shall one day have cause to sing the song of David Bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy diseases You that go to Jesus Christ you shall have cause to say Blessed bee God I have soul-mercy and bodily-mercy too If you look thorow the whole story of the Life of Christ you shall see this truth The whole history of the Gospel gives us instances that faithful coming to Christ did sometimes prevail with him for corporal-mercies as well as for spiritual mercies A double instance I shall give First An Instance of prevailing for our selves Secondly An Instance of prevailing for others First An Instance of prevailing for our selves saith the Leper in Matth. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make mee clean And that of the blinde man Barthomeus in Luk. 18.41 saith Christ What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee and hee said Lord That I may receive my sight and his sight was restored to him Many a time the Lord Christ was prevailed withall for corporal mercies But secondly As many did prevail for themselves so they did often prevail for others As in Matth. 15.30 It is there said Great multitudes came to him having with them those that were lame blinde dumb maimed and many others and cast them down at Jesus feet and hee healed them c. The Lord did many corporal kindnesses for others The like to this you have in Matth. 9.1 2. They brought to him one sick of the Palsie and Jesus seeing their Faith healed him But now here is one Objection against this Object But you will say This was true of the times wherein Christ lived Christ when hee was upon Earth healed Simon Peters wifes Mother of a feavour and such a ones Daughter and such a ones Son but now hee is in Heaven such things are not to beee expected so some do think Answ For Answer First If wee speak of his miraculous way of healing then it may bee said that miraculous way of healing diseases was a mercy more eminently put forth in those daies of Christs being in the flesh But if you speak of the thing it self healing diseases curing of bodies I doubt not but wee may expect the same mercy from Jesus Christ now that they did then And the Reason is Because there is the same ground for Christ to shew corporal kindnesses now which was then Where the ground of a thing is perpetual moral and eternally the same in all ages the same things may bee done upon the same ground But c. I finde in the Gospel a double ground why Christ did heal corporal diseases The first ground was his pitty and sympathy And secondly To fulfil Prophecie and Promise Upon these two grounds did Christ heal either upon the grounds of pitty and compassion as a man or else upon the ground of Prophecie or Promise For the first ground you have it in Matth. 14.14 It is said Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion toward them and hee healed their sick Compassion did move Christ and therefore hee healed them Now observe Jesus Christ now in Heaven hath the same compassions that hee had here on Earth and that is founded upon his keeping or retaining of his humane nature still If Christ had not now in Heaven our humane nature hee would not have had this compassion for you shall finde that the compassion that was in Christ it was not built upon his God-head but upon his humane Nature And therefore in Heb. 2.16 17. It is said Christ took not on him the nature of Angels but hee took on him the seed of Abraham Why so that hee might bee a merciful and faithful High Priest c. Hee did therefore take Mans Nature that hee might have compassion Now this Jesus retains for ever and hee hath the same compassions now hee is in Heaven that hee had when hee was upon the Earth The second ground is that which I finde in Isa 53.4 compared with Matth. 8.17 I pray minde it for it is good to know what is the ground of Faith In Isa 53. Saith the Prophet there Surely hee hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows c. This was prophesied of Jesus Christ that hee should not onely have compassion on our spiritual infirmities our sins but our corporal and this was the ground why hee did heal diseases in the time of his flesh Matth. 8.17 It is said Hee healed all that were sick that it might bee fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the Prophet saying Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses Here was the ground why Christ did heal then because it was prophesied hee should bear our sicknesses Now this Prophecie is an eternal truth And if in the time of his flesh hee did shew corporal kindnesses that that Prophecie might bee fulfilled hee will now do the same that the same Prophecie might bee fulfilled Even in these daies wee may expect that our Lord Jesus Christ upon our faithful coming to him should shew corporal kindness to us and ours as well as spiritual One Scripture I shall add for the Truth of it and that is in James 5.14 Is any man sick among you Let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him c. and the prayer of Faith shall save the sick c. Here observe that faithful prayer shall prevail for