The Trial and Triumph of Faith, Sermon 15
SERMON XV. 25. Then came she and worshipped him; saying,8. Necessary duties required of a believer under desolution. Lord help me]
CHrist had denyed her to be His, but she wil not deny but Christ is hers; See how a Believer is to carry himself toward Christ deserting, frowning. Christ first answered her not one word: 2. He gave an Answer, but to the Disciples, not to the woman; O dreadful, Christ refuseth to give her one word, that may go between her, and Hell, and dispair: 3. The Answer that he giveth, is sadder and heavier then no Answer; its as much, As woman, I have nothing to do with thee; I quit my part of thee; Yet she is patient: 2. She believeth: 3. She waiteth on a better answer: 4. She continueth in praying: 5. Her love is not abetted, she cometh and adoreth: 6▪ Acknowledgeth her own misery: Lord help me; And putteth Christ as God in his own room to be adored: 7. She taketh Christ aright up, and seeth the temptation to be a temptation: 8. She runneth to Christ; she came nearer to him, and runneth not from him; she claimeth to Christ, though Christ had cast her off.
1. Patience.1. Patient submission to God under desertion is sweet: What though I saw no reason why I cry and shout, and God answereth not: 1. His comforts and his answers are his own free-graces; he may doe with his own, what he thinks good, and grace is no debt: Hear O Lord for thy own sake, Dan. 9.19. 2. Infinite Soveraignty may lay silence upon all hearts; good Hezekiah, Isa. 38.15. What shall I say? he hath spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: It is an act of heaven, I bear it with silence.
2. She believeth, Isa. 50.11. There's a high and noble Commandment laid upon the sad spirit: He that walketh in darknesse, and seeth no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord▪ & stay upon his God: 2. Fill the field with faith, double or frequent acts of Faith, Psal. 22.1. My God, my God; why hast thou forsaken me? Two faiths, are a double breast-work against the Forts of Hell.
3. In the greatest extremity believe,2. Faith even as David in the borders of Hell, Psal. 23.4 Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; its a Litote, I will believe good: its a cold and a dark shadow to walk at deaths right side, Job 13.15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: See Steven dying and believing both at once, Christs very dead corps and his grave in a sort believing, Ps. 16.9. My flesh also shall rest in hope: How sweet to take Faiths back-band, subscribed by Gods own hand into the cold grave with thee, as Christ did, vers. 10. Thou wilt not leave my soul in grave: 4. Faith saith, sense is a Lier▪ Fancy, sense, the flesh will say, Job 16.13. His Archers compassed me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare, and poureth out my gall on the ground: but Faith saith, ver. 19. I have a friend in Heaven: Also now my witnesse is in heaven, Job 19.11. Sense maketh a lie of God: He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and taketh me for his enemy: No, Iob, thou art the friend of God: see how his Faith cometh above the water, ver. 25. I know that my friend by blood, or my Redeemer liveth, 3. Hope which prophecieth glad things at midnight&c. 3. She waiteth on in hope, and took not the first nor second answer: Hope is long breath't, and at mid-night proph…sieth good of God, Mic. 7.9. Though I fall, I shall rise again, Jonah 2.4. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look toward thy holy Temple: Theres a seed of heaven in hope, Iob 13. When God did hide his face from him, ver. 24. Yet ver. 16. He also shall be my salvation: There is a negative, and over-clouded hope in the soul at the saddest time; the believer dares not say Christ will never come again: if he say it, its in hot blood, and in haste, and he wil take his word again, Isa. 8.17.
4. She continueth in praying: She cryed, Lord, 4. Prayer.Son of David, have mercy on me: she has no Answer; she cryeth again, while the Disciples are troubled with her shouts: she getteth a worse answer then no answer, yet she cometh and prayeth; we know the holy wilfulnesse of Jacob, Gen. 32.26. I will not let thee go till thou blesse me: rain calmeth the stormy wind, to vent out words in a sad time, is the way of Gods children, Psal. 88.7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me: 9. My eye mourneth by reason of my affliction: And what then? Lord I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands to thee, Psal. 22.2. Christ in the borders of Hell prayed, and prayed again, and died praying.
5. She hath still love to Christ, and is not put from the duty of adoring, 1 Pet. 1.8.5. Love to God. Whom having not seen, yet ye love: The deserted soul seeth little, there must be love to Christ, where there is 1. Faith in the dark; Faith is with child of Love: 2. Where the believer is willing, that his pain, & his hel, may be matter of praising of God, Ps. 77.13. Who is so great a God as our God: The Church was then deserted, as the Psal. cleareth.
6. She putteth Christ in his Chair of State, and adoreth him: the deserted soul saith,6. Acquiting of God and exalting of him. bee what I will, he is Iehovah the Lord; confession is good in saddest desertion, Iob 7.20. I have sinned, what shall I do to thee, O preserver of man? Lam. 1.17. The seed of Iacob is in a hard case before God, and under wrath, v. 12, 13, 14. Yet v. 16. The Lord is righteous for I have sinned: This maketh the soul charitable of God, how sad so ever the dispensation be.
7. She seeth it is a triall,7 A sight of the temptation as a temptation. as is clear by her instant persuing after Christ, after many repulses: Its great mercy that God cometh not behinde backs, and striketh not in the dark, Psal. 77.10. And I said, this is my infirmity; he gathereth his scattered thoughts, & taketh himself in the temptation: Its mercy 1. To see the temptation in the face; some lie under a dumb & a deaf temptation, that wanteth all the five senses: Cain is murthered in the dark at midnight with the temptation, & he knoweth not what it meaneth: 2. Gods immediate hand is more to be looked at, then any other temptation: 3. Hence the conscience is timerous and traverseth its wayes under the Triall; when a night Traveller dare not trust the ground he walketh on, he is in a sad condition; he is under two evils, and hath neither comfort nor confidence, Isa. 50. He that walketh in darknesse, and hath no light (but some glimmering of star light, or half moon under the earth, and knoweth not the ground he walketh in) Let him trust in the name of the Lord.
8. She runneth not away from Christ under desertion:8. Running into Christ. But 1. She cometh to him, its a question what deserted souls shall do in that case: See 2. that you run not from Christ; it was a desertion that Saul was under, and a sad one we read of, but he maketh …fession of his condition to the Devil, a sad word, 1 Sam. 28.15. I am sore distressed, there…s a heavy and lamentable reason given, why the Philistines make War against me: Why? That is not much, they make War alwayes against the people of God; Nay, but here is the marrow and the soul of all vengeance, God is departed from me: Why? Foolish man, What availeth it thee to tell the Devil God is departed from thee; Judas was under a totall desertion; he went not to Christ, but to the murtherers of Christ to open his wound: I have sinned, Fool, say that to the Saviour of sinners, the Church deserted, Cant. 1. & 5. betaketh her self to Christ, and searcheth him out, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? Its a bad token, when men conceiving themselves to be in calamity, maketh lies amd policy their refuge.
Obj. But it is a greater sin to go to Christ, being in a state of sin: To run from Christ in desertion is two deaths; to flee in to him, though unprepared, at worst is but one death & a little one.What have I to do to go to him whom I have offended so highly? Ans. To run from Christ under desertion, is two deaths. 1. Desertion is one, and if reall, the saddest hell out of hell. 2. To flee from Christ and life is another death; now to come to him, though he should kill thee for thy presumption, is but one death, and a little one in comparison of the other, and one little death is rather to be chosen, then two great deaths. 2. Consider how living a death it is to be killed doing a duty, and aiming to flee in to Christ; better die by Christs own hand (if so it must be) as by another: and better be buried, and lie dead at his feet, as to run away from him in a heavy desertion: if the believer must die, its better his grave to be made under the Throne, and under the feet of Jesus Christ, as to die in a state of strangenesse, and alienation from Christ, not daring to come nigh him: all the deserted ones that we read of did flee in to himself, Psal. 34. Psal. 88. Psal. 39. Job 13.15. Isa. 38. 2. Its good to claime him as thy God, though he should deny thee, and creep into him, though he should throw thee out of his sight: Better kisse the sword that killeth thee, and be slaine with his own hand, as cast away thy confidence.
25. But she came and worshipped.] An heavier temptation cannot befall a soul tender of Christs love,Its a blessed mark when a temptation chaceth not a soul from a duty in 3. cases illustrated. then to cry to God, and not be answered, and to cry and receive a flat and downright renouncing of the poor supplicant; yet this doth not thrust her from a duty, she commeth and worshippeth, and prayeth. Its a blessed mark when a temptation thrusteth not off a soul from a duty: and 1. when the danger and sad triall is seen, its good to go on. Christ knew before, he should suffer, and when they would apprehend him, yet he went to the garden to spend a piece of the night in prayer. It was told Paul by Agabus, if he went to Ierusalem the Jews should binde him, and deliver him to the Gentiles; it was his duty to go, thither he professeth he will go, Act. 21.13. What mean ye to weep, and break my heart, I am ready not onelyonly to be bound, but to die for the name of Iesus: dying could not thrust him from a duty. Esther ran the hazard of death to go in to the King: yet conscience of a duty calling, she goeth on in faith; If I perish, I perish. 2. In the act of suffering: Christ on the Crosse prayeth, and converteth the Thief: Paul, with an iron chain upon his body, preacheth Christ before Agrippa and his enemies, and preaching Christ was the crime: Paul and Silas with bloudy souldiers must sing Psalms in the stocks. 3. Indefinitely, after the triall, and when the temptation is on, yet the Saints go on, Psal. 44 17. All this is come on us, there is the temptation: the duty, Yet we have not forgotten thee, neither dealt falsely in thy Covenant, Ps. 119.23. Princes did speak against me, there is a temptation: yet here is a duty: But thy servant did meditate on thy Statutes, vers. 81. My soul fainteth for thy salvation, but I hope in thy Word, vers. 110. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I erred not from thy Precepts, ver. 157. Many are my persecuters, and mine enemies, yet do I not decline from thy Testimonies, Psal. 109.3. They fought against me without cause, vers. 4. For my love they were my adversaries, but I gave my self to prayer.
1. Its a sign of a sweet humbled servant, who can take a buffet,1. To go on in duties under a temptation speaketh thre… good signes▪ and yet go about his Masters service; and when a soul can passe thorow fire and water to be at a duty; for then the conscience of the dutie hath more prevailing power to act obedience, then the salt and bitternesse of the temptation hath force to subdue and vanquish the Spirit; its like Grace hath the day, and better of Corruption. 2. It argueth a soul well watched and kept from the incursion of a house sin, and a home-bred corruption: for the temptation setteth on the nearest corruption, as fire kindleth the nearest powder, and dry timber; and so goeth along, Ps. 18.18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: vers. 23. I was upright before him, and I kept my self from mine iniquity. The Devill hath a friend within us; now there be degrees of friends, some nearer of blood then other some, the mans own predominant is the dearer friend to Satan, then any other sin; if pride be the predominant, its so Satan his first-born, he agents his businesse by pride. 3. So it may argue, that the soul steeled and fortified with grace, taketh occasion from the sinfulnesse of the temptation, and the edge of it, to be more zealous and active in duties. David scoffed at by Michol, said, Ile be more vile yet: so Psal. 22.7. All that see me laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they shake the head: 8. He trusted in the Lord, &c. See here a heavy temptation, but his faith diggeth deeper, to the first experience of Gods goodnesse: vers. 9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb, &c. As the Church mocked with this, Sing us one of the songs of Zion, Psal. 137. raiseth an higher esteem of Zion, because Z…ons songs are scoffed at: Vers. 5. Let them mock Zion as they list. But if I forget Zion, then vers. 6. I pray God my tongue may cleave to the roof of my mouth: So the Theef hearing Christ blasphemed, and railed on by his fellow, doth take more boldnesse to extoll him as a King; Lord, remember me, when thou comest to thy Kingdome: Grace appeareth the more gracious and active that it hath an adversary; contraries in nature, as fire and water, put forth their greatest strength, when they actually conflict together.
Vse 1. Antinomians turn grace in a temptation, and then cast off all duties,1 Use. as Christ has pardoned all sin, his righteousnesse imputed, is mine: what do you speak to me of Law-duties? The way that cryeth down duties and sanctification, is not the way of grace; grace is an innocent thing, and will not take men off from duties, grace destroyeth not obedience: Christ has made faith a friend to the Law; the death of Christ destroyeth not graces activity in duties: Its true, grace trusted in, becomes our selfe, not grace; and self cannot storm heaven, and take Christ by violence; grace, though near of kindred to Christ, as it is received in us, is but a creature, and so may be made an Idoll, when we trust in it, and seek not Christ first, and before created grace: but beleeving and doing are bloud-friends, Joh. 11.26.
Vse 2. This would be heeded,2 Use. that in difficulties and straits, we keep from wicked wayes, and being tempted, that we strive to come near the forerunners way: it was peculiar to Christ to be angry, and not to sin: to be like us, in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, Heb. 4.14. with this difference, Christ was tempted, but cannot sin: the Saints tempted, but dare not sin. The Law of God honeyed with the love of Christ, hath a Majestie and power to keep from sin: So Christ made under the Law for us, Isa. 53.7. was oppressed, he was afflicted, (oppression will make a sinfull man mad) but it could not work upon Christ: He was oppressed, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a Lambe to the slaughter: So all Christs followers did, they are tempted, but grace putteth a power of tendernesse on them. Joseph tempted, saith, Gen. 39.9. How can I do this great wickednesse, and sin against God. David is reproached by Shimei, but he dares not avenge himself. Iob heavily, as any man, tempted. yet Iob 1.22. In all this Iob sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. I deny not, but the temptation doth sometime obtaine half a consent: Nabal tempted David, so that he resolved to be avenged. 2. It will leave a bleck and a crook behinde it in some, for their whole life: Peter shall be all his life known to be one that once forsware his Lord. But this is fearfull, when men both creat temptations, by defending a bad cause, (as holy men may have an unholy cause) and then can finde no way to carry it out, but by crooked policie, and calumnies. We are now pursued by Malignants with an unjust war: to embrace peace upon any dishonourable tearms to Christ, is to desert a duty for fear of a temptation: On the other side, to refuse an offer of peace, because many innocent persons have been killed, is also a yeelding to a temptation; for by war we kill many moe innocent ones, and its against the Lords counsel, Psal. 34.14. Seek peace: that is, as much as we are not to be patients only, but agents, even when we are wronged, in seeking peace. But what if peace flee from me? I confesse, that is a temptation, then saith the Lord, follow after it; the word foreign Daresh, is foreign Heb. 12.14. the Syrocha…d: is, run after peace: compell peace, and force it, as men follow an enemy, Rom. 14.19. foreign Let us pursue after things of peace.
Vse 3. See the sweet use of faith under a sad temptation;3. Use. faith traffiqueth with Christ and heaven in the dark, upon plain trust and credit, without seeing any surety or pawn, Joh. 20.29. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have beleeved: And the reason is, because faith is sinewed and boned with spirituall courage; so as to keep a barred city against hell, yea, and to stand under impossibilities; and here's a weak woman, though not as a woman, yet as a beleever, standing out against him, who is, Isa, 9.6. The mighty God, the father of ages, the Prince of peace. Faith only standeth out, and overcometh the sword, the world, and all afflictions, 1 Joh. 5.4. This is our victory, whereby one man overcometh the great and vast world.