A Trial of Faith, Sermons · Sermon 20
Matth. 15. 27.
And ſhe ſaid, Truth, Lord; yet the Dogs eat of the Crumbs which fall from their Maſters Table.
SERMON XX.
IN theſe words that I have read, we have the carriage and the behaviour of this woman under thoſe Tryals or Temptations which ſhe met withal; her carriage is very gracious, it is ſuch as doth diſcover
Firſt, A depth of Humility.
Secondly, A height of Faith.
She diſcovers firſt of all, A depth of Humility. Jeſus Chriſt he had called her dog; he had preferr'd others before her; he had told her, it was not meet to take the childrens bread and give it to ſuch as ſhe was: Now ſhe doth acknowledge all this, nay ſhe doth not only acknowledge it, but ſhe ſubmitted unto it, nay ſhe confirms it: Truth Lord; Chriſt had ſaid, It was not meet to take the childrens bread and caſt it to dogs: Truth Lord; What-ever thou haſt ſpoken, Lord, is true: Thou haſt ſaid that I am a dog, Truth Lord; Thou haſt ſaid the Jews are children, Truth Lord; Thou haſt ſaid it is not meet to beſtow childrens bread upon dogs, Truth Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs.
And as we have a diſcovery of her Humility, ſo of her Faith; her condition was low, but her faith was high; ſtrong, and glorious.
Firſt of all, By Faith ſhe doth anſwer the temptation, ſhe findes out the ſtrength of the temptation, the ſcope of it where it lay, and the Spirit of the Lord doth unfold and reſolve the difficulty. Chriſt had ſaid the Jews were the children, and 'twas not meet to give the childrens bread to dogs; there is the temptation: She anſwers, Truth Lord, yet the dogs cat of the crumbs. It diſcovers thus much, Although the Jews are the children, and they muſt be ſerved firſt, it is fit that they ſhould have the firſt offer of mercy, it is fit that they ſhould have whole loaves ſet upon the Table, and full diſhes, yet the Jews are not ſo the children, that all others are excluded, the Gentiles are not altogether excluded from mercy, the Gentiles may have the crums, eſpecially when the children grow wanton, and caſt away their bread, the Gentiles (though dogs) may have that which fall from their Table. Thus by faith ſhe doth finde out the force of the temptation, and is enabled to make an anſwer to it.
Secondly, The ſtrength of her faith doth appear in this, that ſhe doth not only anſwer the temptation, but ſhe gains advantage by it, her faith is ſtrengthened, and riſeth higher, and waxeth ſtronger; and that which was matter of diſcouragement in it ſelf, it is matter of encouragement and ſtrength unto her; Chriſt had ſaid ſhe was a dog, this is an encouragement to her, Lord, thou haſt ſaid that I am a dog, and if I be a dog, I am thy dog, thou art my maſter, and therefore ſurely the crumbs that fall from my maſters table do belong to me; in all Nations, among all people the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their maſters table; Lord, thou haſt ſaid that I am a dog, but I will lie at thy feet, and wait upon thee for crums of mercy that fall from thee. Thus her faith is ſtrengthened by that temptation, which in it ſelf did tend to drive her from Chriſt; that temptation that would have driven her from Chriſt, makes her run to Chriſt; ſhe is called dog, and ſhe waits under the Maſter's table for crumbs of mercy. Thus you ſee the carriage of this woman under the temptation, ſhe carries it very humbly, and with a great deal of faith and holy confidence in the midſt of theſe diſcouragements.
There are divers uſeful truths in theſe words, I ſhall now cloſe with one.
Truth Lord, (ſaith ſhe.)
From whence Obſerve, That the ſoul that is graciouſly and truly humbled before the Lord, will juſtifie the Lord in all that he ſpeaks and doth againſt it.
What-ever the Lord ſhall ſay, whether it be in a way of diſcovery of ſin, vileneſs, and corruption: Or ſecondly, whether it be a word of threatning: In both theſe, that heart that is truly humbled, it will juſtifie the Lord. When God ſpeaks himſelf, and gives rebukes from himſelf, or when God makes uſe of men to be inſtruments in his hand, ſtill a gracious heart that is truly humbled, in all it meeteth withal it will juſtifie the Lord, and ſay, Truth Lord; the Lord is true, and the Lord is righteous in what he ſpeaks and doth.
Firſt, When God comes and ſpeaks in a way of diſcovery of ſin, when the Lord by his Spirit in his Word doth come and rip open a mans heart as it were, diſcovers its vileneſs to him, ſhews him what a wretched, ſinful, polluted creture he is; or when the Lord ſhall come and charge any particular ſin upon a man that he hath committed, ſet his actual ſin in order before him; when God ſhall binde with the cords of affliction, as Job ſpeaks, and then diſcover a mans tranſgreſſion; if the ſoul be truly humbled, it will ſay, truth Lord; I am indeed as vile and as wretched, and as ſinful, nay worſe then I can be charged with. When God came to make a diſcovery to Job of his own heart, in the 38, 39, and 40 chapters, God took much pains to diſcover Job to himſelf, Job had ſtood too much upon his integrity, upon his righteouſneſs, he had not all along juſtified the Lord in his proceedings; but when God came to make a diſcovery to him, and ſhew him what a poor, vile, frail worm he was, and ript open his heart, and ſhewed him his corruption, Job then falls down, and cries, truth Lord, Job 40. 3, 4. Then Job anſwered the Lord, and ſaid, Behold, I am vile, what ſhall I anſwer thee? I will lay may hand upon my mouth. verſ. 5. Once have I ſpoken, but I will not anſwer: yea twice, but I will proceed no further. Behold I am vile, as vile as thou haſt diſcovered to me, Lord, I ſee it, and therefore I will ſtand no more upon my own juſtification, but I will juſtifie thee; and truly ſo it is with every ſoul that is truly humbled, when God comes and makes a diſcovery of its corrupt nature and life, and chargeth ſin upon him, it is ſo and ſo aggravated, thou haſt ſinned againſt light, againſt knowledge, againſt mercy and goodneſs; truth Lord, all is true, ſaith the gracious heart; yea, not only when God ſpeaks in the way of diſcovery of ſin, the ſoul that is humble will cry truth Lord, and juſtifie the Lord.
But ſecondly, Even then when the Lord ſpeaks very ſharply in a way of threatening, the ſoul that is truly humble, it will juſtifie the Lord; Pſal. 51. 4. Againſt thee only have I ſinned, and done this evil in thy ſight; that thou mighteſt be juſtified when thou ſpeakeſt, and be clear when thou judgeſt. Here David he will juſtifie the Lord in all that he ſpake againſt him; as much as if David ſhould ſay, I have made this publique confeſſion, and have penned this Pſalm, that I might clear thee before all the world, that I might juſtifie God, what. ever God ſhould do againſt David, or ſpeak againſt David. I will ſay, Lord, thou art righteous: He would juſtifie God in all that God had ſpoken againſt him; and yet God ſpake terrible things againſt David by Nathan the Prophet, 2 Sam. 12. 10, 11, 12.
Verſe 10. Now therefore the ſword ſhall never depart from thine houſe, becauſe thou haſt deſpiſed me, and haſt taken the wife of ſriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Verſe 11. Thus ſaith the Lord, Behold I will raiſe up evil againſt thee out of thine own houſe, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy Neighbour, and he ſhall lie with thy wives in the ſight of this Sun. Verſe 12. For thou didſt it ſecretly, but I will do this thing before all Iſrael, and before the Sun.
See here what terrible things God threatens he threatens that the ſword ſhould never depart from his houſe; That he would raiſe up evil againſt him out of his own houſe, a terrible threatning: Nay, God threatens that he would give his wives to his Neighbours, that ſhould defile them before his face; a terrible threatening: Nay, God tells him that this ſhould be done before all Iſrael, and in the face of the Sun: And yet Lord, I will clear thee when thou judgeſt, and juſtifie thee when thou ſpeakeſt.
Take another inſtance in old Eli, and you ſhall ſee how he juſtified the Lord when the Lord ſpake againſt him; 1 Sam. 3. 18. at verſe 11. Behold I will do a thing in Iſrael, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it, ſhall tingle; and at verſe 14. I have ſworn unto the houſe of Eli, that the iniquity of Elies houſe ſhall not be purged with Sacrifice nor Offering for ever: Now all this was told Eli at verſe 18. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him: And he ſaid, It is the Lord, let him do what ſeemeth him good. And ſo Hezekiah, take that inſtance, and ſee how he juſtified the Lord, when the Lord ſpake terribly againſt him, 2 Kings 20. 19. at verſ. 17, 18. God threatens Hezekiah becauſe he boaſted of his treaſure, and ſhews it to the Ambaſſadors of the King of Babylon, verſe 17. Behold the dayes come, that all that is in thine houſe, and that which thy fathers have laid up in ſtore to this day, ſhall be carried unto Babylon, nothing ſhall be left, ſaith the Lord. Verſe 18. And of thy ſons that ſhall iſſue from thee, which thou ſhalt beget, ſhall they take away, and they ſhall be Eunuchs in the Palace of the King of Babylon. A hard leſſon, and yet he juſtifies the Lord; Verſe 19. Then ſaid Hezekiah unto Iſaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou haſt ſpoken. So that you ſee that a gracious heart that is truly humbled before the Lord, it will juſtifie the Lord in all that he ſpeaks againſt it; when he diſcovers ſin, or threatens puniſhment, ſtill he will juſtifie the Lord; and not only juſtifie the Lord in what he hath ſpoken, but he will juſtifie the Lord in what he ſhall ſpeak; if God ſhould ſpeak ſeven times worſe, ſtill a gracious heart that is truly humble, reſolves to juſtifie the Lord, 2 Sam. 15. 26. ſaith David, 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▪ He did not only juſtifie the Lord in what he had ſpoken; but in what the Lord ſhould ſay; if the Lord ſhould ſay, I will uſe David no more, nor bring David back no more to his Throne, David in that juſtifieth God, and ſubmits to the Lord.
But ſecondly, A gracious heart that is truly humbled, deſires to juſtifie God in his Actings; when God ſhall act againſt him, as well as ſpeak againſt him, it will juſtifie the Lord; if the Lord ſhall prefer others before him, in this he will juſtifie the Lord. Inſtance in this woman of Canaan, the Jewes (the children) they muſt have whole loaves, and full diſhes, and they muſt be preferr'd before her, yet ſhe juſtifies the Lord, and ſays, Truth Lord. But I ſhall make it out to you in divers particulars, that you may ſee how a gracious heart that is truly humbled, will juſtifie the Lord in his actings.
Firſt of all, If the Lord ſhall manifeſt more love, more grace, more favour unto others, then to it ſelf, though there be nothing in all the world that it longeth more after then after the enjoyment of the preſence of God, yet if the Lord ſhall be pleaſed to diſcover more of himſelf, and give out more clear, full intimations of his love and grace to others then to it ſelf, it deſires to juſtifie the Lord. Chriſt (as I ſaid) he will deal with the Jews as with children, give them whole loaves, and full diſhes, this woman ſhe juſtifies the Lord; and if the Lord will give more tokens of acceptance to others then to it ſelf, ſtill it deſires to juſtifie the Lord: The heart that is unſound cannot do this, nothing is more hard to bear, that the Lord ſhould ſhew more favour to others then to them; ſo it was with Cain, the Lord ſhewed more favour to Abel his brother, then to him, God gave him a token of his acceptance, Cain could not bear it; and ſo the Pr… digal's eldeſt brother; the father ſhews a great deal of love to the returning Prodigal, and the eldeſt brother could not bear it; I have ſerved thee all my dayes, and thou haſt not dealt ſo with me; thou haſt not killed the fatted calf for me. But the ſoul that is truly humble, it will juſtifie the Lord in this, if the Lord gives our clearer manifeſtations of his love to others then to him, it will ſay the Lord is righteous, and doth me no wrong; the Lord is a free Agent; free grace, it is his commodity, and he may beſtow it where he pleaſeth; and I have received more from the Lord then I have improved, I have had more then I have been thankful for, more then I have uſed for the Lord's honour; I have ſinned ſo and ſo after mercy, and it is a wonder that I have not ſinned away all my comforts. Thus a ſoul that is truly humbled, will juſtifie the Lord.
Secondly, If the Lord gives out a greater meaſure of ſpiritual gifts to others, the ſoul that is truly humbled it will juſtifie the Lord in this diſpenſation, it deſires to ſay, as John Baptiſt, John 3. 30. He muſt increaſe, but I muſt decreaſe; herein is my joy fulfilled; it deſires to rejoyce in this, that the Lord may have any honour by others, though it look upon himſelf, and ſee it is a barren wilderneſs; others, green trees, ſee others flouriſhing like the Palm tree, and bring forth much fruit; although a gracious heart ſees cauſe to be humbled, and judge it ſelf for not following on to know the Lord, for its not following on to wait upon the Lord for ſuch enjoyments, yet it alſo deſires to juſtifie the Lord; not to complain if the Lord ſhall give out more to others then to him; it knows in this alſo the Lord is a free Agent, and he may diſpoſe of his gifts, where, and to whom he pleaſe.
Thirdly, If the Lord ſhould give out a greater ſhare of temporal mercies to others then to him, a greater eſtate, more riches, more honour, more friends and relations, ſtill a ſoul that is truly humbled, it will juſtifie the Lord in this diſpenſation: it will ſay, I have received more then I am worthy of, I am leſs then the leaſt of all thy mercies; I have more then I have uſed for Gods honour, this is the portion that the Lord ſees good for me; the Lord ſees what a naughty heart I have, I am enſnared with that little that I have, it is a ſnare to me; therefore ſurely the Lord in mercy hath denied much to me, leſt my heart ſhould be enſnared, and therefore in this diſpenſation it will alſo juſtifie the Lord.
Fourthly, If the Lord ſhould lay greater afflictions upon him then upon others; in this diſpenſation, the ſoul that is truly humbled will juſtifie the Lord. So it was with Job; Job he was greatly afflicted, not any man living met with ſo much as Job did, yet in Job 1. 20, 21. He falls down and juſtifies the Lord; Then Job aroſe, and rent his mantle, and ſhaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worſhipped; and ſaid, Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked ſhall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, bleſſed be the name of the Lord: See here what arguments he findes to clear the Lord in this diſpenſation; though his affliction was very great, he falls down and bleſſeth the Lord, and at v. 22. it is ſaid, In all this Job ſinned not, nor charged God fooliſhly. And ſo Aaron the High Prieſt, when the Lord ſmote his two ſons that they died, it is ſaid, Aaron held his peace, Lev. 10. 1, 2, 3. And Nada… and Abi…u the ſons of Aaron, took eit of them his Cenſor, and put fire therein, and put Incenſe thereon, and offered ſtrange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.
Verſe 2. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, that they died before the Lord.
Verſe 3. Then Moſes ſaid unto Aaron, This is that the Lord ſpake, ſaying, I will be ſanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified; And Aaron held his peace.
He ſpake not one word againſt the Lord, but was ſilent, and juſtified the Lord. And ſo David in Pſal. 39. when there was ſome ſore hand of God upon him, ſo that he cryed out, I am conſumed by thy rebukes, ſome affliction that did even eat him up and conſume him, yet he juſtified the Lord, verſe. 9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, becauſe thou didſt it. And ſo in Micah 7. 9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, becauſe I have ſinned againſt him. A ſoul truly humbled will juſtifie the Lord, even then when he layes greater ſtrokes of affliction upon him then upon others.
Fiftly, The ſoul that is truly humbled, it will juſtifie the Lord when the Lord ſeems to ſhut out his prayer; it calls, and cries, and waits, and yet the Lord gives out no anſwer. O! how hard a matter is it for an unhumbled heart to bear this? Wherefore have we faſted, ſay they, and thou ſeeſt not? Wherefore have we afflicted our ſoul, and thou takeſt no knowledge? Iſa. 58. 3. An hypocrite cannot bear this; if God give not a preſent anſwer, it will wait no longer: But now a gracious heart, that is truly humbled, it will wait upon the Lord, though the Lord gives not out a preſent anſwer; yea, it will ſtudy anſwers to clear the Lord; the Lord is righteous, and it is for gracious ends that the Lord defers to hear; or, the mercy is not ripe, or I am not fit for the mercy, it is mercy that I may wait upon God, mercy that I have ſuch a God to wait upon; the Lord might have cut off my life, and my hopes, and my waiting; and therefore ſtill the Lord is gracious, in that I have opportunity to wait upon him. Thus a ſoul truly humbled, will juſtifie the Lord, when the Lord ſeems to ſhut out his prayer.
Sixtly and laſly, The ſoul that is truly humbled, will juſtifie the Lord, when the Lord ſhall lay him aſide as one that is uſeleſs, when the Lord ſhall make no more uſe of him in his work and ſervice, but ſhall take him off from the work of the Lord. God ſomtimes deals ſo with his own people; yet if the ſoul be truly humbled, it will juſtifie the Lord in this alſo; it is a hard matter to ſubmit unto it, but when the heart is put into a right humble frame, it will ſubmit and juſtifie the Lord: And ſo did Moſes and Aaron the ſervants of the Lord, God told them that he would lay them aſide, God calls to Moſes and Aaron, and tells Aaron that he muſt be high Prieſt no longer, commanded Moſes to ſtrip Aaron of his Garments, and to put them upon another before his face, and bids him go to ſuch a place and die; and Aaron was obedient to the word of the Lord, Numb. 20. 23, 25, 26, 27, 28. And ſo Moſes, when his work was at an end, God tells him that he muſt not carry the children of Iſrael into the land of Canaan, but he muſt go up to the Mountain and die: He ſubmits to the Lord, Deut. 32. 49, 50. and Deut. 34. 5. And thus you ſee, a heart that is truly humbled, it will juſtifie the Lord both in his ſayings and doings; when God ſhall ſpeak againſt him, and diſcover his vileneſs and ſin, it will ſay, Truth Lord; or when God ſhall threaten moſt ſeverely, nay when God ſhall walk in thoſe ways that are hard to bear, yet a ſoul that is truly humbled, deſires to ſubmit to the Lord, and to juſtifie the Lord.
And ſecondly, When God ſhall not only ſpeak himſelf, but when God ſhall make uſe of men, yea wicked men, and ſhall ſet them to ſpeak againſt it; when God ſhall ſet them to revile, and ſet them to act againſt it, to perſecute it; the ſoul that is truly humbled, it will juſtifie the Lord in that diſpenſation; ſo did David, 2 Sam. 16. 7, 8. And thus ſaid Shimei wheu he curſed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial; the Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the houſe of Saul, in whoſe ſtead thou haſt reigned, and the Lord hath delivered the Kingdom into the hand of Abſalom thy ſon; and behold thou art taken to thy miſchief, becauſe thou art a bloody man.
Shimei he came and railed againſt David, it was a great indignity that was done againſt David by that railing wretch, and he took up ſtones, and caſt at the King, at verſe 6. and it was, when David was in diſtreſs, he was driven out by Abſalom from Jeruſalem; he takes that advantage, he comes and rails, and calls him the bloody man, and ſaith he, the Lord hath now avenged the blood of thy maſters houſe upon thee; yet David at this time juſtifies the Lord, verſe 10. So let him curſe, becauſe the Lord hath ſaid unto him, Curſe David; who ſhall then ſay, Wherefore haſt thou done ſo? See here how David juſtifies the Lord; though that which this raiſing man did object againſt David was falſe, he calls him a bloody man in reſpect of Saul's houſe; David was clear in that, and innocent: yet David he layes it to heart, and concludes that God had ſome deſigne in it; though in reſpect of Saul's houſe I am not a bloody man, yet I ſhed the blood of Vriah. David he is ſilent; the Lord hath bid him curſe David; and therefore David uſeth many arguments for to juſtifie the Lord, and to quiet his own ſpirit, and the ſpirit of others, as you may ſee verſ. 11, 12. And David ſaid to Abiſhai, and to all his ſervants; Behold, my Son which came forth of my bowels, ſeeketh my life; how much more now may this Btnj amite do it? Let him alone, and let him curſe, for the Lord hath bidden him.
Verſe 12. It may be the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite good for his curſing this day: And ſo David in patience doth poſſeſs his ſoul, and juſtifie the Lord in that diſpenſation.
A word or two of Application, and ſo I ſhall conclude.
Firſt of all,Vſe 1. This calls upon us to be more in the practiſe of this duty; O that the Lord would help all his people to learn this leſſon! It is a hard leſſon, we had need look up to the Lord, that he would teach us to juſtifie the Lord when he ſpeaks and acts againſt us; when he ſpeaks himſelf, or when he ſuffers men to ſpeak againſt us: It is our duty (as you have heard) to juſtifie the Lord, as this woman of Canaan did, and as thoſe in Micah 7. did, I will bear the indignation of the Lord, becauſe I have ſinned againſt him: O that we could make thoſe holy men our pattern that we heard ſpoken of before! Look upon Moſes, upon Aaron, upon David, upon Hezekiah, upon Job, upon good old Eli, upon this Woman of Canaan, O! How did they juſtifie the Lord, when the Lord ſpake hard things, and ſtretched out his hand in a way of ſore affliction? Still we finde them juſtifying the Lord, and O that we could look upon them as our pattern!
To perſwade us to this Duty,Motives to perſwade us to the duty of Juſtifying the Lord. Firſt of all, Conſider, That it is the Lord; It is the Lord that ſpeaks, it is the Lord that acts; when-ever there is any affliction upon us, it is of the Lord; and if it be of the Lord, and from the Lord, why ſhould we not juſtifie him? That was a prevailing argument with good old Eli, when as thoſe terrible threatnings came to his ear, That God would do that againſt his Houſe, at which both the Eares of every one that heard it, ſhould tingle; and that the iniquity of Eli's Houſe, ſhould not be purged away with ſacrifice, nor offering for ever: It is the Lord (ſaith he) let him do what ſeemeth him good. He hath power over all creatures, as the Potter hath power over the clay; and ſaith David, I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, becauſe thou didst it.
Secondly Conſider, That all that God ſpeaks and doth is God; and if ſo, Why ſhould we not juſtifie the Lord? You know what Hezekiah ſaid, 2 Kings 20. 19. Good is the Word of the Lord: A hard word it was, that all his Treaſure ſhould be carried unto Babylon, and his Sons alſo, and made ſervants there, and yet he ſath, good is the Word of the Lord. What-ever God doth, is good; though it may ſeem to be never ſo hard, yet there is ſome good in all that he ſpeaks and doth; and the Lord doth it for good, Doth not thy Word do good? Every word of the Lord is good, and doth good to them that are his children, though it be a hard word; yet all God's words, and all God's wayes ſhall work together for good; he will bring good out of them, if the heart be ſubmitting to God, and juſtifying the Lord in that diſpenſation.
Thirdly, Conſider, That there is mercy in every diſpenſation; and that God doth afflict leſs then the ſin deſerveth: Though the affliction may ſeem to be hard, truly if we look into our own hearts and wayes, we might ſee that there is that which might provoke the Lord to afflict ſeven times more. The Church in the Lamentations, when ſhe came to conſider how ſhe had provoked the Lord, though before ſhe had cryed out bitterly of her Wormwood and Gall, yet in Lam. 3. 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not conſumed, becauſe his compaſſions fail not. We have provoked the Lord greatly, and it is mercy that we are not conſumed, mercy that we are out of hell, and therefore good cauſe that we ſhould juſtifie the Lord.
Yea, and let us juſtifie the Lord when he ſuffers men to ſpeak againſt us: O! This is a hard leſſon to fleſh and blood; but know it is a duty that God calls for, when men do revile, and ſpeak evil, and do accuſe us ſo and ſo, ſtill it is our work to juſtifie the Lord; Look back to that pattern of David in the caſe of Shimei, and let us make it our pattern, when-ever we meet with revilings and hard ſayings from men; he juſtified the Lord, though it was falſe that which Shimei did accuſe him of; That he was a bloody 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.