A Trial of Faith, Sermons · Sermon 4
Matth. 15. 22.
And cryed unto him, ſaying, have mercy on me, &c.
SERMON IV.
FIrſt,Firſt fruit of this womans faith. This womans faith is declared by the fruits of it, and the firſt fruit of her faith, it was the applying of her ſelf unto Chriſt in a way of prayer: She comes to Chriſt, and ſhe prayes unto him, and he prayer is ſet forth by the fervency of it, for ſhe did not only intreat, but ſhe cryes unto him, her prayer was no cold prayer, but ſhe put up fervent ſupplications, and ſtrong cries.
Secondly, Her prayer is ſet forth by the Argument ſhe uſeth in her pleading with Chriſt for that mercy, the cure of her Daughter, and the Argument ſhe uſeth is taken only from his free Grace, and that ſhe pleads, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou ſon of David: She doth not preſent any worthineſs of her own, but ſhe takes hold of mercy.
So that the truth that I ſhall commend to yo… is this: That whereever there is true faith,Doctrine. it will ma… the ſoul to cry unto Chriſt, and to plead merc… and free grace in the greateſt affliction. He affliction was wonderful great, My daughter is grievouſly vexed with a devil: She come to Chriſt, and cryes, and takes hold of hi… mercy.
I had thought that I might handle the whole Point, but I ſhall not be able to go thorough it … once, and therefore ſhall divide it into three Propoſitions.
The firſt is this, That faith will make … ſoul to come to Chriſt in a way of prayer, and appl… it ſelf to Chriſt alone in the greateſt affliction.
Secondly, The greater the afflictions of … faithful are, the ſtronger are their cries … Chriſt.
Thirdly, When a gracious heart cries unto Chriſt▪ it pleads nothing but mercy; renounces all his ow… worthineſs, and takes hold only of mercy and … grace.
I ſhall ſpeak to the firſt at this time: That faith will make a ſoul come to Chriſt, and cry to Chriſt▪ pour out his complaints before Chriſt, when it is … the greateſt diſtreſs, and under the foreſt affliction and burden. This woman ſhe applies her ſelf … unto Chriſt, cries only unto him; ſhe doth … go to the Idol-gods of her own Nation, ſhe ſe… not unto them, nor truſts in them, though the people were an idolatrous people, and had many gods that▪ they ſought after; but ſhe leaves them all, whatever others do, and ſhe goes to Chriſt, ſeeks not to the gods of the Nation, but applies her ſelf to Chriſt.
Secondly, When ſhe comes where Chriſt is, ſhe cries only to him, ſhe doth not cry to man, ſhe doth not poure out her complaints to man, no, not to the beſt of men, ſhe doth not cry to the Diſciples, ſhe doth not cry to Peter, James, or John, but ſhe poures out her cries to the Lord; O Lord, thou ſon of David. Faith makes her in her diſtreſs to look to the Lord alone; applies her ſelf only to Chriſt in a way of prayer: This is the counſel that Eliphaz gives to Job, chap. 5. v. 8. ſayes he, If I were in thy condition I would go to God, I would apply my ſelf to God, I would ſeek to God, and commit my cauſe to him; I would not ſeek to creatures, I would not make my complaint to the creature, becauſe they cannot pitty me, nor help me, no, it is loſt labour, I would go to God, and ſeek to God, and I would not keep my burden my ſelf, I would not bear my burden upon my own ſhoulder, and ſtand groaning under my burden; …, I would go to God, and commit my cauſe to him; it is good counſel that he gave Job, and O that we might be inabled to follow it!
And for the confirmation of the Point,The Point confirmed by Inſtances from Scripture. you ſhall find many Inſtances in Scripture, of the …aints applying themſelves to God alone in the …me of their diſtreſſe; I might hold forth very many, but I ſhall only give you one or two: Look …pon David as he expreſſes himſelf, Pſal. 14. 1. … ſo on: I cryed to the Lord with my voice, to … Lord did I make my ſupplication, and poured out my complaints before him, and ſhewed him my trouble: And when was it? It was in a time of great diſtreſs: Ver. 3. When my ſpirit was overwhelmed within me: I went to God, and made my complaints known to him, I went not to the creature, but to God. And Jonah, he was in a ſad diſtreſſed condition, and yet faith brought him to apply himſelf to the Lord, when as he was in that ſad eſtate, Jonah 2. 1, 2. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God out of the fiſhes belly, and ſaid, I cryed by reaſon of mine affliction unto the Lord, out of the belly of hell cryed I, and thou heardeſt my voice. He was ſo low in his own apprehenſion as was poſſible for him to be; in the belly of hell: And what did he do? I cried to the Lord; he applied himſelf to the Lord, and ſpread his ſad condition before the Lord, and he did not looſe his labour, Thou Lord heardeſt me.
Now for the grounds of the Point,The grounds of the Point. That faith will teach a ſoul to go to Chriſt, and make his complaint to Chriſt in all his affliction, for faith diſcovers to a ſoul, that all afflictions are from God, the Lords hand is in all the croſſes and troubles, and whatſoever is matter of complaint, the hand of God is in it, Is there any evil in the city and I have not done it? ſaith the Lord by the Prophet Amos: Is there any evil of affliction that I have not brought upon a people? As to the evil of ſin, that is not from God, for that is no being; that is a privation, but as for affliction, all the affliction that doth berall the children of men, it is from the hand of God; and upon this ground Eliphaz perſwadeth Job to apply himſelf to God, Job 5. 6, 8. Affliction cometh not forth of the duſt, neither does trouble ſpring out of the ground; I would ſpeak unto God, and unto God would I commit my cauſe. Trouble doth not ſpring from the ground, it is not from ſecond cauſes, whatſoever trouble the people of God meet withall, …any of the ſons of men, it ſprings not from the duſt: Whence then? It is from the hand of God, there is a ſecret wheel, a great wheel of providence, that ſets all on work, ſecond cauſes cannot move if that great wheel does not move; ſo then when this comes to be reallized to the ſoul, as faith doth diſcover it, becauſe God hath ſpoken it, that trouble is from God, whether inward or outward; therefore it will carry the ſoul unto God, and make the ſoul apply it ſelf to God and Chriſt alone.
Secondly, Faith doth diſcover, that as all afflictions are from God, and makes the ſoul ſee the hand of God in every ſtroke, ſo it doth diſcover, that the end of all afflictions is to carry the ſoul to God; that is the end of all afflictions, to bring God and the ſoul nigher together; God doth not love to have any of his people at a diſtance from him, and therefore he ſends forth affliction to bring them nigher to himſelf: And therefore in Hoſea 5. 15. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and ſeek my face; in their affliction they will ſeek me early: He brings affliction for this very end, that they may draw nigh to him: And in chap. 6. 1. you may ſee the fruit of their affliction, Come and let us return to the Lord; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath ſmitten, and he will bind us up. This is the fruit of their affliction, they were brought nigher to God. God will have his people injoy more communion with him, dwell with him, and make them more conformable to him, more like to himſelf; and therefore many times he layes great and ſore afflictions upon them: For when the Saints ſhall be in ſuch a ſta…e, and ſuch a condition, as nothing ſhall come betwixt God and them, when they ſhall ſo dwell in God, as never to goe out from God, when there ſhall come no ſin, no corruption betwixt God and them, then there ſhall be no more affliction, then the Lord God ſhall wipe away teares from the faces of his people, no more ſorrow and ſighing, now the end is attained, when they are gotten ſo nigh to God, as nothing can come betwixt God and them: Now when faith diſcovers this, that it is the end of affliction to bring the ſoul nigher to God, it puts the ſoul upon it, in its affliction, to return and apply it ſelf to God alone.
Thirdly, Faith will make a ſoul come to Chriſt, and Chriſt alone, in diſtreſs; for faith doth diſcover, that the help of the creature is in vain in time of diſtreſs; it is faith that doth reallize to the ſoul the vanity of the creature, and that the creature cannot help in the day of diſtreſs: And therefore the Pſalmiſt cries out, Pſal 60. 11. Help Lord, for vain is the help of man. Man cannot help, and therefore he applies himſelf to God alone; Help Lord, for vain is the help of man. Till the ſoul ſees that vain is the help of the creature, it will not in good earneſt cry, Help Lord; faith ſhews the ſoul, that in vain is ſalvation hoped for from the hils, and from the multitude of mountains; in vain is ſalvation hoped for from creatures, from great men, the higheſt of all: There is many a poor ſoul can tell you by ſad experience, and ſay it by ſad experience, in vain have I ſought help from men, and cried to men, and ſpread my complaints before men, and therefore it is good for me to draw nigh to God; for if you look upon all the ſons of men, you ſhall ſee how fruitleſs a thing it is, for a poor ſoul in diſtreſs to apply it ſelf to man, and to go and pour out his complaints to man; he may ſpeak to ſuch men as are not at all ſenſible of what he ſpeaks; he may tell a ſad relation of his ſufferings and burdens, and yet not at all affect the heart of him that he ſpeaks to: There are ſome ſuch men in the world, nay very many, that regard not the affliction of Joſeph, that are altogether inſenſible of the burden that lay upon other poor creatures, that hath no compaſſion, and cannot be affected. It is ſaid of Gallio, that he cared for none of thoſe things; when as they made complaints of things of Religion, he cared for none of thoſe things; and ſo when ſome come and make complaints of their burdens, they care for none of thoſe things: And thus it was with Lazarus, that lay at the rich mans gate, it is very like he made many complaints, ſhewed him his ſorrow and ſores, but his heart was not at all affected, the very dogs had more pitty upon him, they came and licked his ſores: And ſo it is many times, when we make our complaints to men, they regard not.
Or ſecondly, Sometimes when we make complaints to men, though there be ſome pitty, and ſome compaſſion in them, and they will expreſſe it in good words, yet very little help and aſſiſtance will many men afford; they will ſeem to pitty and have compaſſion, but there are ſome men that will do very little to the relief of a poor creature under diſtreſs, that comes and makes complaints of his burdens: The Apoſtle James ſpeaks of ſome ſuch, chap. 2. 15, 16. If a brother or ſiſter be naked, and deſtitute of daily food, and one of you ſay unto him, depart in peace, be you warmed, and filled; notwithſtanding you give him not thoſe things that are needful for the body, what doth it profit? Alas, it is in vain to make complaints to ſuch, what doth it avail? It may be ſome will pitty with good words, be you warmed, and filled, but they give them not thoſe things which are needful for the body; thus many a poor creature looſes his labour.
Thirdly, When a poor creature makes complaints to man, and cries to man, it may be he ſhall make complaints to thoſe that do pitty him, and would relieve him with all their heart, but it is beyond their power to relieve; and ſo if a poor man that wants the things of this life, it may be he goes and makes his complaints to another, he pitties him, and would help him, but he that hath a will hath not power many times, and it is not in his hand to do it, and he cannot uphold anothers eſtate but he muſt break his own; many times it is ſo. And ſo when they come and make complaint of the weakneſs and infirmities of their bodies, it may be they are affected, and they would help; ah, but it is beyond their power: And ſo when a poor ſoul comes and complains of diſtreſs of mind, and ſhew the wounds of his ſpirit, and lay them open, it may be godly friends may pitty you, and deſire to help you, but their hand is to… ſhort to carry the plaiſter to your heart and conſcience, and to cauſe it to ſtick there, and therefore after all it will go away unſatisfied; in all theſe cauſes they that would help you if they could, they may ſay as the King of Iſrael, 2 King. 6. 26, 27. the woman there comes and makes a ſad complaint in the time of famine, at verſe 26. And as the King of Iſrael was paſſing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, ſaying help, my Lord, O King. And what ſayes the King to her? verſe 27. And he ſaid, if the Lord do not help thee, whence ſhall I help thee? Alas, my bowels are towards thee, but if the Lord does not help thee, in vain is the help of man.
Fourthly, When you make your complaints to men, ſometimes it falls out ſo, that inſtead of eaſe from under your burdens, your burdens are increaſed; ſometimes men may add to the burdens of the afflicted through unskilfulneſs, not knowing how to ſpeak to them, and how to carry it towards them; yea ſometimes men may aggravate the burdens of the afflicted, when they make their complaints, wilfully, through pride, and diſdain, and covetouſneſs: And thus it was when David ſent to Nabal, he was in a great ſtrait for proviſion, and he ſent to Nabal in his ſtrait for relief, and he ſent him a churliſh anſwer; Who is David, and the ſon of Jeſſe? I know him not; ſhall I ſend my corn and my oxen that I have killed for my ſhearers, and give it to him, I know him not. And you know what Judas did meet withall, when he went to the Phariſees, and ſaid, I have ſinned in betraying the innocent bloud: What is that to us? a bargain is a bargain, if you have ſinned look you to that: Whereas if he had gone to Chriſt with that complaint, he might have had comfort, but he went to them, and they ſpake that which aggravated his ſorrow, and he goes and makes away himſelf. So that, I ſay, in time of affliction faith cauſeth a ſoul to go to Chriſt, for it doth diſcover what man is.
Fourthly, There is this ground of the Point, Faith will make a ſoul go to Chriſt alone, for it diſcovers to the ſoul, that in Chriſt there is all ſufficiency to help it, there is all in Chriſt that may pitty him, and for the helping of him; it is not in the creature, but it is to be found in Chriſt, for Chriſt is furniſhed with compaſſion, there are bowels of compaſſion towards his poor creatures in diſtreſſe; it is an impoſſible thing that Chriſt ſhould be inſenſible as men are; you may ſpread your complaints before ſome men, and they never be moved no more then the ſtones in the ſtreet, but the Lord Jeſus he is not without compaſſion, great bowels of compaſſion towards his people, he cannot be inſenſible of any burden that lay upon a poor creature that comes to him, In all their afflictions he is afflicted, he bears our ſickneſs, he carries our ſorrows; Chriſt he feels the weight of all affliction, and ſorrow, and burdens that do at any time lie upon his people.
Secondly, As Chriſt hath compaſſion, ſo he hath a will; he is alwayes willing to do good to poor creatures that come to him: Men (as you have heard) they are not alwayes willing, they may give you a parcel of good words, but give you not thoſe things that are needful: Now Chriſt he never puts off his people with good words, though one good word from Chriſt be more worth then all that men can do for you; but Chriſt he will not give you good words alone, but as he opens his mouth in grace, ſo he opens his hand in mercy; he opens his mouth and his hand at the ſame time, and he is very willing to relieve, and therefore it is, that he calls poor creatures to him; you may ſee his willingneſs by the invitation that he gives to all poor creatures that are under any diſtreſs; Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you reſt: Whatever the burden be, whether the burden of ſin or ſorrow. Chriſt makes proclamation, you have his invitation; Come to me and I will give you reſt; and call upon me in the time of trouble, and I will deliver. How doth this teſtifie the willingneſs of Chriſt to relieve his poor creatures?
Thirdly, He hath not only compaſſion, but he alſo hath power in his hand, Chriſt can do it, he is able to do what he pleaſeth; Thou haſt done whatſoever thou pleaſeſt in heaven, and earth, and in all deep places: The deepeſt affliction and ſorrow that any of his people may ſink into, the Lord Jeſus is able to ſtretch forth his hand and help them, he hath all ſtore of proviſion in his houſe, there is an infinite treaſure of mercy, all mercies are laid up in Chriſt, it ſhall not break his eſtate to uphold your eſtates, for all the creatures in heaven and earth are the Lords, the heavens and the earth are the Lords, and the fulneſs that are in them, therefore there is power in Chriſts hand to relieve his people.
Fourthly, Chriſt cannot aggravate ſorrow and affliction; he will not aggravate the ſorrow and affliction of any of his people that come to him; Chriſt will never ſay to a poor ſoul, as the Phariſees to Judas, ſee thou to that: When a ſoul comes and ſayes, Lord I have ſinned, Chriſt never gave ſuch an anſwer, ſee thou to that; he never did, neither can he, aggravate the ſorrows and burdens of poor creatures that come to him. Now when faith diſcovers this to the ſoul, and ſhews that afflictions are from the Lord, and ſhews, that all afflictions are for that end, to carry the ſoul higher unto God, and ſhews, that all the help of the creature is vain, and ſhews, that there is an infinite ſupply of grace and mercy, all-ſufficiency of grace in God and Chriſt to relieve at all times, and in all ſtraits; theſe diſcoveries that faith makes, will carry the ſoul to Chriſt, and make the ſoul apply it ſelf to Chriſt, and cry to him, and ſpread his complaints before him in time of great diſtreſs.
A word or two by way of Application.
Firſt of all:Application. If it be ſo that faith carry the ſoul to God and Chriſt alone in time of diſtreſ, what ſhall we think then, when men by their affliction, and in their affliction, are carried further off from God? And yet ſo it is with many, their afflictions ſet them at a greater diſtance from Chriſt, many a man is hardened by his affliction, and ſo ſet at a greater diſtance from God by that trouble and diſtreſſe he hath upon him, afflictions drive many a man from God, make him run away from God, run any where then unto God; there is many will run to the creature, and their eye is not to the Lord the holy One of Iſrael, they run to the creature to comfort them, run to the world, and run into the way of their luſt, but apply not themſelves to the Lord in the day of their diſtreſs: You know that Ahaziah ran to the Devil when he was in diſtreſs, ſo far was he from running nigh to God in diſtreſs, that he run to the Devil himſelf, he ſends to the gods of the Nations, to know whether he ſhould recover or not; This is a diſcovery, that there is no ſeed of faith in ſuch a ſoul, for where there is faith but in the ſeed of it, the leaſt ſeed of faith, it will make a ſoul at leaſt to be looking to Chriſt, and crying after Chriſt in the day of diſtreſs, it will at leaſt cry unto Chriſt, though there may be many workings of corruption and temptations, and many diſtempers of ſpirit may be bubling up in time of affliction, yet faith will carry the ſoul to look towards Chriſt, and cry after him, as Jonah did when he was in the belly of hell, I ſaid I am caſt out of thy ſight, yet will I look toward thy holy temple: He applies himſelf to Chriſt: And ſo a gracious heart will be looking to Chriſt, and the more faith, the more it will look, and the louder it will-cry.
But ſecondly, Let it be a word of exhortation, O that it might provoke us all to deal more with God and Chriſt in the time of our affliction and diſtreſs!, O that we might cry more to him, and pour out our complaints more to him! as this poor woman did; ſhe comes and cries, O Lord, thou ſon of David: Poor ſouls are apt to look to the creature in the day of diſtreſs, and think ſuch and ſuch creatures can comfort; Surely my bed ſhall comfort me, and my couch give me eaſe, ſayes Job; but he found no ſuch matter; and ſo we are apt to ſay of this and that duplicate page duplicate page creature, I will go and make my complaint to him, he will give me ſome refreſhment; poor ſouls are very apt under their burdens to go up & down and ſcatter their complaints: Ah, but they take not the right courſe of going to Chriſt, and crying to him, and pouring out the complaints of their ſouls before him; and therefore it is, that when they goe to men they meet with little ſatisfaction, and little relief and comfort, and their ſpirits are filled with diſcontent and diſſatisfaction, when as they meet with ſuch men ſometimes as have no compaſſion at all in them, and ſometimes meet with good words and no more, and ſometimes meet with ſuch as pitty them, but have no power, and ſometimes meet with ſome that will aggravate the affliction; and juſt it is with God it ſhould be ſo, when we will not look to the Rock: O that ſuch diſappointments might reach us to look to the Lord, we have thought that this creature might eaſe, but we have met with diſappointments; O that theſe diſappointments might teach us to go to Chriſt! as this woman: And thus the poor man did for his ſon, that he would caſt out the unclean ſpirit; I went, ſaid he, to thy Diſciples, and they tryed to caſt out the unclean ſpirit, but could not; and then he comes to Chriſt, I have been with thy Diſciples, and they could not caſt out the unclean ſpirit, but thou canſt do it, and Chriſt did do it: And O that theſe diſappointments might teach us to goe more to Chriſt, and make our complaints more to him in time of diſtreſs.
Queſt. But you will ſay, What? may we not go to our friends, is it not lawful to go to men when we are under preſſures and burdens, either of the outward or inward man? and to ſuch and ſuch as may relieve us, may we not apply our ſelves to them?
Anſw. I anſwer yes; We may apply our ſelves to men, but take heed we do it in Gods way. I ſay, under burdens and diſtreſſes, either outward or inward, we may apply our ſelves to men, but take heed we doe it in Gods way.
Queſt. But you will ſay, How ſhall we know we do it in Gods way.
Anſw. I anſwer, firſt of all, when you do it as an Ordinance of God, when we make uſe of the advice and help of others, and go to others as to an Ordinance of God, then we are not out of Gods way, when we do it in obedience to the Will and Commandement of God and Chriſt; when one that is wounded in ſpirit ſhall apply himſelf to thoſe that are godly, that hath the mind of Chriſt, in obedience to the command of Chriſt, Confeſs your ſins one to another, and pray one for another: Now if out of obedience to Chriſt I go and confeſs my ſins to one that is godly, and deſire him to pray for me, when we apply our ſelves to men, as an Ordinance of God, then we are in Gods way.
Secondly, When we ſhall keep the eye of our ſouls upon God alone for help; when we apply our ſelves to men for any help, and yet ſhall keep our eye upon God, and look upon God as the great moving cauſe, look upon God as the fountain of all relief and comfort, and ſhall look upon the creature only as Gods Inſtrument, this is but a pipe, and an empty one too, if God do not fill it, when as the eye is thus upon God, and eye God as principal in all that comfort and relief that we expect, and look upon the creature as the means, then we may apply our ſelves to the creature, and not out of Gods way.
And a man may know whether he keeps his eye upon God,How to know whether we keep our eye upon God. when as he does apply himſelf to the creature (thus) Are your expectations from the creature or from God? If a mans eye be upon God, then he will not expect much from the creature, and applies himſelf to the creatures, becauſe they are means, and becauſe it is an Ordinance, but dare not expect much.
Secondly, If a man doe meet with diſappointments, and he do apply himſelf to the creature in Gods way, diſappointments will not add any great trouble or vexation to that man or woman, though he meet with little refreſhment; nay, though inſtead of help and refreſhment, he ſhould meet with an addition of his ſorrow and trouble, yet if in Gods way he will not be troubled, becauſe his eye is upon God, and I ſee it is not the will of the Lord I ſhould yet have comfort, and why ſhould I fret my ſelf, ſeeing the Inſtrument is but an empty pipe, and no creature can refreſh me if the Lord doe not refreſh me? And thus you have ſeen when we are in Gods way, and when out of Gods way, in applying our ſelves to the creature, and looking to the creature for help, and for relief.
And O that this might teach us to go more to God, and apply our ſelves more to Chriſt.
Object. But it may be ſome poor ſoul will ſay, Well, I have not only gone to the creature, but I have applyed my ſelf to God, and yet truly I meet with little refreſhment, I have cryed to Chriſt in the time of my affliction, and yet my burden doth continue.
Anſw. Firſt, To this I anſwer: It may be when thou haſt come to Chriſt, thou haſt complained of thy burden, and of thy affliction, but thou haſt not complained of thy ſin, thou haſt not complained of that which is the greateſt matter of complaint; and if thou haſt at any time looked more to thy burden and affliction, and haſt not complained of that which is the greateſt matter of complaint, no wonder then though thou haſt met with no eaſe.
Secondly, Let me ſay, it may be thou haſt brought thy complaints and ſpread them before the Lord, yet thou haſt not left thy burden with the Lord; many a ſoul comes with a great burden, ah, but it carries it away, and does not leave it with the Lord; and if the burden be not left with the Lord, no wonder that we have no eaſe: Chriſt is willing we ſhould leave our burdens with him, and in ſo doing we ſhall finde refreſhment.
Thirdly, And let me ſay further, that it may be the Lord hath heard thy cry, and thy complaint, but thou art not aware of it, thou haſt not taken notice of it, through unthankfulneſſe thou haſt not obſerved that which the Lord hath done; the Lord at leaſt, he hath thus farre heard thee, that he hath ſupported thy ſpirit under thy burden, and thou haſt been kept up, ſo that thy ſoul hath not failed, and thy ſpirit hath not fainted under thy burden; and truly this is a great mercy and worthy to be taken notice of: And this is the difference between your going to God and the creature. Oh that we might be invited by this to apply our ſelves more to Chriſt in time of diſtreſſe, and ſpread our complaints before Chriſt, for in going to the creature many times the ſpirit is wounded▪ ah, but in going to God the ſpirit ſhall be ſupported, though Chriſt doe not give out a preſent anſwer, yet the heart ſhall be ſupported under all its burdens, but now in going to man, many times the heart and the ſpirit it is wounded, by thoſe diſappointments that we meet withall, while we expect that from the creature which it cannot do.
Two things only I ſhall propound to urge this duty upon you, to make us more in going to Chriſt, and leſs to the creature.
It is a great ſin and folly, when as we leave Chriſt and goe to the creature in the day of our diſtreſs.
Firſt, It is a great ſin; for what do we then, but ſet up the creature in the room of Chriſt? You know how ſenſible Jacob was of this evil, he lookt upon it as a great evil, when as Rachel came to him, ſhe wanted children, ſhe comes to her Husband, Give me children or I die: O what ſayes he? Am I in Gods ſtead? Can I give thee children? When as ſhe came and made her complaint to Jacob, and murmured becauſe ſhe had not the mercy of children, ſhe goes to Jacob, and ſets up Jacob in Gods ſtead; and ſo when we are under our burdens, and make our complaints to the creature and not to God, why the creature may ſay as Jacob, am I in Gods ſtead?
Secondly, There is a world of folly in it, in going from God in time of diſtreſs to the creature. It is a piece of gre… folly for a man to go from the fountain to the broken ciſtern, to leave the fountain and think a broken ciſtern ſhould ſupply him: It is a great deal of folly for a man to go to a deaf man, one that cannot hear, pour out his complaints, & expect that he ſhould ſpeak a word of refreſhment; ſo much folly there is when we go to the creature, and do not apply our ſelves to God. If a man ſhould go to a begger, one that hath no food or rayment, and a man ſhould ſpend a deal of time in asking food and rayment; and if he do not give it go away railing, what a deal of folly were it? And ſo a great deal of Folly there is, when we do go to the creature, and do not go to God; we go to them that are poor and naked, and forſake God, that hath all ſtore of proviſion and mercy laid up in himſelf: O that the conſideration of our ſin and folly, in going to the creatures, might cauſe us at all times in our diſtreſſe to go to God, as this poor woman did, and cry to him that is the Lord.