The Trial and Triumph of Faith, Sermon 10
SERMON X.
MY daughter is grievously vexed with a Devill] Children,Parents spirituall affections▪ and duty to their chil. especially to mothers, whose affections are more weak and soft, are taking lovers, especially being parts and substantiall shadows of our self; yet four things are considerable in us to them: 1. So to hold, as we are willingly to let go, love them as creatures only; often the childe is the mothers daughter, and the mothers God: 2. We are to strive to have them freed from under the power of the Devill, as this woman doth; for they come into the world fuell for Hell: Parents make more accompt all their life to make gold, rather then grace, their childrens Patrimony and Legacy: 3. Look at them as May-flowres, as born to come and appear for a space in the element of death; so they sport, laugh, run, eat, drink, and glister like Comets in the Air,Simil. or flying Meteors in the Spheare of the Clouds, and often go down to the grave before their Parents: 4. Beware of selfinesse, for children are our self, and their sins white and innocent sins to us: Eli honoured his sons more then God, and God put a mark of wrath on his house.
My daughter] Observe the rise of this passage of providence: Christ wearied of Judea came to the borders of Tyre and Sidon: 2. He went to a house to hide himself from her: 3. She heard of Christ: 4. The hard condition her daughter was in, tormented with a Devil; upon this God driveth her to Christ: 5. Christ is hereby declared to be the Saviour of the Gentiles: 6. An illustrious miracle is wrought; see a wise consociation of many acts of Providence; as one cluster of passages of the Art of wise omnipotency; as many herbs, and various sorts of flowres make up one pleasant, and well smelled Meadow; many Roses, Lillies, and the like, one sweet smelling Garden, in which these practicall considerations may have our thoughts for Rules.
1. Rule, Go not before God and Providence,1 Rule Practical Rules in observing passages of divine Providence. but follow him, prescription of such and such meanes to God and no other, is to stint omnipotency, and to limit the holy one of Ilrael: The true God tied to a forbidden Image, to receive glory, is made an Idol; so to fetter God to this mean, as if not free to work by other meanes, is Idolatrous.
2. Rule, 2 Rule We are neither to lead, nor stint Providence.The book of Providence is full both Page and Margin, God hath been adding to it sundry new Editions; and like children we are in love with the golden covering, the Ribbons, Filleting, and the Pictures in the Frontis-piece, but understand little of the Argument of Providence, Psal. 107.43. Who so is wise, and will observe these things, We are to observe God in his ways.even they shall understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord, Job 32.7. I said (saith Elihu) dayes (things of Providence) shall speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom: God is worthy to be Chronicled.
3 Rule Omnipotency not laid in pawn on any means,3. Rule, God hath not laid his God-head and omnipotency in pawn, in the power of means, so as God useth meanes, because they are efficatious; but because he useth them they are efficacious: A Ram horn is as near of blood, to cause the walls of Jericho fall in Gods hand, as Engines of war; a straw is a spear to omnipotency.
4. His wayes are often contrary to our judgement,4 Rule God walketh not the way that wee imagine. we lie and wait the way to see God come upon the tops of mountains, but we are deceived, he cometh the lower way through the valleys: we thought omnipotence must change the Kings heart, ere such Brambles as Prelates be thrown over the hedge, but our King is himself, and omnipotence taketh another way; the Disciples thought that Christ would make them Kings and restore the Kingdom: Christ is dead and buried, and he goeth another low way, through deaths belly to make them Kings and Priests to God; Christ goeth away, there be great endeavours, and running through streets, Cities, walls: O streets saw you him, O broad wayes, saw you him whom my soul loveth? O dear watchmen, where is he? But they are all dumbe: Christ taketh a lower way, Cant. 3.4. It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth.
5. Rule, Slander not Gods wayes of Providence, with the reproach of confusion and disorder; to God all his works are good,Providence in its concatenation of decrees, actions, events, is a continued contexture going along from creation, to the day of Christs second appearance, and not a threed is here broken, all is fair and white. very good as were the works of creation. There is a long chain, and concatenation of Gods wayes, Counsells. Decrees, Actions, Events, Judgements, Mercies; and there is white, and black, good and evil, crooked and straight interwoven in this web, and the links of this chain, partly gold, partly brasse, iron and clay, and the threeds of his dispensation go along through the Patriarchs days, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and are spun through the ages of Moses and the Church in Egypt, and the willdernes, and come through the times of the Kings of Israel and Iudah, and the captivities of the Church, and descend along through the gene…rations of Prophets; Christ, the Apostles, persecuting Emperors, and Martyrdomes of the witnesses of Jesus, slain by the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints, while the end of the threed, and last linke of the chain be tied to the very day of the marriage of the Lamb: now in this long contexture of divine Providence you see: 1. Not one threed broken, My father worketh hitherto, and I work, (saith Christ) providence hath no vacancy, but causes, events, actions, ways, are all bordered one upon another, by the wisdom of Providence, so that links are chained, and fettered to links, not by hazard or chance: 2. Though this web be woven of threeds of divers colours, black and white, comfortable and sad passages of Gods Providence, yet all maketh a fair order in this long way; Jacob weepeth for his dead child Joseph: Joseph rejoiceth to come out of the prison to reign; David danceth with all his might before the Ark: David weepeth sore for Absalon his sons miserable death: Iob washeth his steps with butter, and the Candle of the Almighty shineth on his head; and Iob defileth his horne in the dust, and lieth on ashes, and mourneth, all is beauty and order to God.
6. Rule. Put the frame of the spirit in Equilibrio, 6 Rulein a composed, stayed, indifferent serenity of mind looking to both sides, black and white,The Spirit is to be in an indifferency in all casts of providence. of Gods providence: so holy David was above his crosse, 2 Sam. 15.25, 26. If I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and shew me both the Ark and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee: behold here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good: He putteth his soul upon Gods two (ifs, if he save its good, if he destroy its good: Make sure this generall, Christ is mine: at that Anchor, in this harbour my vessell must ride: What ever wind blow in externals: Christ, died for me: If I live, its in Christ; if I die its to Christ; if I ride with Princes on horses, its good; if I go on foot with servants, it is good; if Christ hide his face and frown, its Christ, its good; if it be full Moon, and he over shadow the soul with rayes and beams of love and light, its also Christ, its also good.
7. In all things blesse Christ, let the desires below, Ier. 45.5. 7 Rule Low desired are best.Seekest thou great things for thy self? Seek them not, saith Ieremiah to Baruch: Its easier to adde to desires, then to substract, better the heart ascend from a Sallet of herbs to Wines, then compell thy spirit to descend and weep.
8. Faiths speculations to the worst and hardest, in point of resolution, is sweet:8 Rule Lie under Providence submissively in all. Iob putteth on a conclusion of faith, from black premises: suppose the Devil and Hell form the principles, Faith can make a conclusion of gold and of heaven: What if God should kill me? What though it were so? Yet I will trust in God, Job 13.15. What if he throw me in Hell? It were well resolved, I would out of the pit of Devils, cry, Hallelujah, praise the Lord in his justice,: What if the enemy in War prevail over me? What if I were brought from Scarlet to embrace the Dung hill? Faith can shape what Providence possibly may never sow: What if I be brought to the wheele, to the rack, to burning quick?
9. There's a mystery of Providence,9 Rule that we see not, we know not what God is doing with us, when he is binding us: as the Sheep hath no notion of death in its fancy, even when the knife is at its throat, so are we
10. Providence walketh long in uncertainties:10 Rul his way that ruleth, the world is in the clouds: Peace is within a step, yet cometh not full victory and deliverance neer, and the enemy is well nigh subdued: and the Lord turneth the Scales, and layeth us low again: life is within the eighth part of a span to Ahab, yet God so timeth and placeth vengeance, that the arrow of God must pitch on no place, but between the joynts of the harnesse, and Ahab is killed.
11 Rule11. We are with all silence and quietnesse of spirit to submit to Gods ways, not to fret: believing can ease us, disputting cannot.
12 Rul12. Its easier to see what is inflicted on us, then to see who inflicteth it: evil cometh, and we look no higher then the creature, as if the world created it self: so is this, when we dream that the creature moveth, and is not moved of God.
13. This is to be observed, that God ascendeth in all his course,13 Rul and Providence never goeth down the mount: when Ioseph goes down to the pit, to the Prison, God in his course of Providence is going up, & advancing the frame of beautifull Providence: for Iosephs going down, and his fall, is a higher step to Gods exalting of Ioseph; and saving his Church: Iudahs falling into captivity, is not Gods falling, but his advancing of the work to do them good in the latter end: Reformation goeth down, when obstructions and lets come in the way: but God worketh on; second causes move backward and miscarry, when omnipotency carrieth on the Lords work.