The Trial and Triumph of Faith, Sermon 1
The Triall and Triumph of Faith.
SERMON. I.
Mar. 7.24.
And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and went into an house, and would that no man should know it, but he could not be hid.
Matth. 15.21.
Then Jesus went thence, and came into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
V. 22.
And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cryed unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David, for my daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil.
Mar. 7.25.
For a certain woman whose young (little daughter) had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet.
V. 26.
(The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by Nation) and she besought him, that hee would cast forth the Devil out of her daughter.
THis Text being with childe of Free-Grace, holdeth forth to us a Miracle, of note; and because Christ is in the work, in an eminent manner, and there is here also much of Christs new creation, and a floor planted and watered by Christs own hand, a strong faith in a tryed woman, it requireth the bending of our heart to attention: for to any seeking Iesus Christ, this Text cryeth, Come and see. The scope order, & contents of the Text.The words for their scope, drive at the wakening of beleevers, in Praying (when an answer is not given at the first) to a fixed and resolved lying, and dying at Christs door, by continuing in Prayer, while the King come out and open, and answer the desire of the hungry and poor. 2. For the subject, they are a History of a rare Miracle, wrought by Christ, in casting forth a Devil out of the Daughter of a Woman of Canaan; and for Christ to throw the Devill out of a Canaanite, was very like the white Banner of Christs Love displayed to the Nations, and the Kings Royall Standard set up to gather in the Heathen under his colours. The parts of the Miracle are,
1. The place where it was wrought, Math. 15.21.
2. The parties on whom, the Mother and the possessed Daughter: she is described by her Nation.
3. The impulsive cause, she hearing, came, and prayed to Iesus for her little Daughter: In which there is a Dialogue between Christ and the Woman, containing Christs trying of her. 1. With no answer. 2. With a refusal. 3. With the reproach of a dog. 4. Her instancy of Faith. 1. In crying till the Disciples interposed themselves. 2. Her going on in adoring. 3. Praying. 4. Arguing by Faith, with Christ, that she had some interest in Christ, though amongst the dogs; yet withall (as Grace hath no evil eye) not envying because the morning market of Christ, and the high Table was the Jews due, as the Kings Children; so she might be amongst the dogs, to eat the crumbs under Christs Table, knowing that the very refuse of Christ, is more excellent then ten worlds.
4. The Miracle it self wrought by the womans faith, in which we have Christs heightning of her Faith. 2. The granting of her desire. 3. The measure of Christs bounty, as thou wilt. 4. The healing of her Daughter.
Mark saith, that the woman came to Christ in a house, Matthew seemeth to say, that she came to him in the way,Mathew & Mark reconciled. as these words do make good: send her away, for she cryeth after us. Augustine thinketh, that the woman first came to Christ, while he was in the house, and desired to be hid, either because he did not (for offending the Jews) openly offer himself to the Gentiles, having forbidden his Disciples to go to the Samaritans, or because he would have his glory hid for a time, or rather of purpose he did hide himself from the woman, that her faith might finde him out, and then refusing to answer the woman in the house,Properties of Christs Love. she still followeth him in the way, and cryeth after him as Matthew saith. For Christs Love is, 1. Liberal, but yet it must be suited, and Christ though he sell not his Love, for the penny worth of our sweating and paines; yet must we dig low for such a gold-mine as Christ. 2. Christs Love is wise, he holdeth us knocking, while our desire be love-sick for him, and knoweth that delayes raiseth and heighteth the market and rate of Christ; we under-rate any thing that is at our elbow: should Christ throw himself in our bosome and lap, while we are in a morning sleep, he should not have the marrow and flower of our esteem: its good there be some fire in us meeting with water, while we seek after Christ. 3. His love must not onelyonly lead the heart, but also draw;3. Why Christ s…spendeth the fruits of his love. violence in love is most taking, and delayes of enjoying so lovely a thing as Christ, breedeth violence in our affections; and suspension of presence, oyleth the wheels of love, desire, joy: want of Christ is a wing to the soul. Interpreters ask what woman she was? Matthew saith, a Canaanite, not of any Gracious blood;What Woman this was. a Syrophenician, for Syrophenicia was in the border between Palestine and Syria; and it was now inhabited by the Reliques of the Canaanites; a Greek not by birth, but because of the Greek tonge & Rites broght thither by Alexander, and the succeding Kings of Syria: All the Gentiles go under the name of Greeks in Scripture Language, as Rom. 1.14▪ Gal. 3.28. 1 Cor. 1.22, 24. not because they are all Greeks, by nation and blood; but because Conquest, Language, and customes stand for blood and birth; however it standeth as no blemish in Christs Compt-Book, who was your Father, whether an Ammorite, or an Hittite, so ye come to him, he asketh not whose you are, so you be his; nor who is your Father, so you will be his Brother, and be of his house.
Mar. 7.24. And from thence he arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. Christ wearied of Judea, had bin grieved in spirit with the Hypocrisie of the Pharisees, and the provocation of that stiff-necked people. He was chased away to the prophane Pagans: The arte of the wise contexture of providence in black & white, faire and foul mixed in one for beauties sake.The hardning of the Jews maketh way to Christs first and young love, laid upon the Gentiles: Christ doth but draw by a lap of the curtain of Separation, and look through to one beleeving Heathen; the King openeth one little window, and holdeth out his face, in one glimpse, to the woman of Canaan, so Christs works of deep providence, are free mercy, and pure Justice interwoven, making one web: He departeth from the Jews, and setteth his face and heart on the Gentiles; consider the art of providence here; 1. The Devill sometime shapeth,Two sides in providence. and our wise Lord seweth: Babylon killeth, God maketh alive: Sin, Hell, and Death, are made a Chariot to carry on the Lords excellent work. 2. The providence of God hath two sides, one black and sad, another white and joyfull: Heresie taketh strength and is green before the Sun, Gods clearing of necessary and seasonable Truths, is a fair side of that same providence. Adams first sin was, the Devill and Hell digging a hole through the comely and beautiful frame of the Creation of God, and that is the dark side of providence; but the flower of Jesse springing up, to take away sin, and to paint out to Men and Angels, the glory of a Heaven and a new world of Free-grace, that is a lightsome side of providence. Christ scourged, Christ in a case, that he cannot command a cup of water: Christ dying, shamed, forsaken, is black: But Christ in that same work, redeeming the Captives of Hell, opening to sinners forfeited Paradice, that is fair and white: Joseph weeping in the prison for no fault, is foul and sad, but Joseph brought out to reign as half a King, to keep alive the Church of God in great Famine, is joyfull and Glorious: The Apostles whipped, imprisoned, killed all the day long, are sad and heavy, but sewed with this, that God causeth them alwayes to Triumph, and sow the savour of the knowledge of Christ; and Paul riding on his iron Chains and exalting CHRIST in the Gospell, through the Court of bloody Nero, maketh up a fair comely contexture of Divine Providence. 3. God in all his works now when he raineth from Heaven a sad showr of blood on the three Kingdoms, hath his one foot on Justice, that wrath may fill to the brim the cup of Malignants, Prelats, and Papists, and his other foot on mercy, to wash away the filth of the Daughter of Zion, and to purge the blood of Ierusalem in the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgement, and by the spirit of burning. And this is Gods way and ordinarie path-rode, Psal. 25.10. and in one and the same motion, God can walk both to the East, and to the West, and to the North, and the South.
It is our fault that we look upon Gods wayes and works, by halfes and pieces,Use. We erre in looking on Gods ways by halfs, & on the black & sad side onelyonly.and so we see often nothing but the black side, and the dark part of the Moon; we mistake all, when we look upon mens works by parts, an house in the building lying in an hundred pieces, here timber, here a rafter, there a spar, there a stone, in another place half a window, in another place the side of a door: theres no beauty, no face of an house here; have patience a little,Simile. and see them all by art compact…d together in order, and you'l see a fair building:Simile. when a painter draweth the half of a man, the one side of his head, one eye, the left arm, shoulder and leg, and hath not drawn the other side, nor filled up with colours all the members, parts, limbs, in its full proportion, its not like a man: So do we look on Gods works, by halfes and parts, and we see him blouding his people, scattering Parliaments, chasing away Nobles and Prelats, as not willing they should have a finger in laying one stone of his house; yet do we not see, that in this dispensation, the other half of Gods work makes it a fair piece. God is washing away the blood and filth of his Church, removing these from the work, who shall crosse it. In bloudy Wars, Malignant Souldiers ripping up women with childe, waste, spoil, kill; yet are they but purging Sions tin, brasse and lead, and such reprobate mettall as themselves; Jesuits and false Teachers, are but Gods snuffers, to occasion the clearing and snuffing of the lamps of the tabernacle, Mark. 7 2….and make truth more naked and obvious.