The Trial and Triumph of Faith, Sermon 4

The Trial and Triumph of Faith · Sermon 4

p. 26SERMON IV. The Woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by Nation.

MUch woe is denounced by the Prophets against Tyrus and Sidon: yet sweet Jesus draweth by the curtain, and openeth a window of the partition, and saveth this Woman: Loe here Christ planting in the wildernesse, the Cedar, the Shittah tree, the Mirttle, the Oyle tree, Grace falleth often on the Most graceles.Esa. 41.19. and here, Esa. 55.13. is fulfilled: And in stead of the thorn, (what better are Sidonians then thornes?) shall come up the Firre tree, and in stead of the Bryar shall come up the Mirtle tree; and no praise to the ground, but to the good husband-man. And it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off. Christ then can make & frame a fair Heaven out of an ugly Hell, and out of the knottiest timber he can make vessels of mercy for service in the high Pallace of glory.Grace maketh a great change. 1. What are they all, who are now glorified? The fairest face that standeth before the throne of Redeemed ones, was once inked and blacked with sin;1. Reas. you should not know Paul now with a Crown of a King on his head; he looketh not now like a Blasphemer, a Persecuter, an injurious person. The woman that had once seven Devils in her, is a Marie Magdalen far changed; and Grace made the p. 27change. 2. Grace is a new world, Heb. 2.5.2. The Land of Grace hath two Summers in one year, Esa. 33.24. The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick, the people that dwell therein, shall be forgiven their iniquity. Ioh. 11.26. Whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never dye. They are not mortall men that are in Grace, there's neither sicknesse nor death in that Land. 3. We say of such a Physician, he hath cured diseases that never man could, hee cured stark death; then you may commit your body to him, he is a tryed Physician,3. 1 Tim. 1.16. Christ hath made a rare copy, a curious samplar of mercy of the Apostle Paul ▪ For in him he hath shewn all long-suffering, for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe in him to life Eternall: Heaven is a house full of miracles; yea, of spectacles and Images of Free-Grace; you may intrust your soul with all its diseases to Christ, he hath given many rare proofs of his tried art of Grace, he hath made many black limbs of Hell, fair Saints in Heaven; such a man, such an Artificier threw down an old dungeon of clay and made it up a fair Palace of Gold.

Obj. But what am I? a lump of unrepenting guiltinesse and sin, Obj.to such a vessel of mercy as holy Paul, and repenting Mary Magdalen? Ans. Grace as its in God, and fitnesse to receive Grace in us, is just alike to all. There was no more reason why Paul should obtain p. 28mercy, then why thou, or any other sinner like thee, should obtain mercy; there's alike reason for me to have noble and broad thoughts of the rich Grace of Christ;There's alike reason for Grace on our Lords p…rt, to the vilest of men as to Moses Daniel, Paul. as for Abraham, Moses, David, all the Prophets, and Apostles, to beleeve: There was no greater ransom given by Christ to buy Faith and Free-grace for Noah, Job, and Daniel, to Moses and Samuel, then to poor and sinfull me; its one cause, one ransome, one Free-love. If there had a Nobler and worthier Redeemer died for Moses and Paul then for you and me: And another Heaven and a freer Grace purchased to them, then to me; I should have been discouraged, Grace is Grace to thee as to meek Moses, The same Free-Grace that wee have here, we have it in Heaven.Christ is Christ to thee as to beleeving Abraham: And farther, The same Grace that is here, is in Heaven; 1. As Faith that is freely given us is the Conquest of the new heir Jesus Christ, Joh. 6.44. Phil. 1.29. Eph. 1.3. So are all Christs Braclets about our neck in Heaven, and the Garland of Glory, the Free-grace of God; its the same day-light when the Sun breaketh forth out of the East, and at noon-day in the highest Meridian; though we change places when we dye, we change not …usbands. 2. We stand here by Free-gra…, …, 5.2. Repentance and Remission of sins are freely given heer to Israel by the exalted Prince Christ Jesus, Act. 5.31. Our tears are bought with that common ransome; so the high Innes of the Royall Court of Heaven, is a p. 29free and open house, and no bill put upon the Inhabitants; neither Fine, nor Stent, nor Excise, nor Assessment, nor Taxation, all is upon the Royall charges of the Prince of the Kings of the earth; there's no more hire, merit, wages,In Heaven wee reigne by Grace, as here we serve and doe war. or fees there then here, the income of glory for Eternitie, and the life-rent of ages of blessednesse, is all the good will of him which sitteth on the Throne. Every apple of the tree of life is grace, every sip, every drop of the Sea and Ri…ver of life, is the purchase of the blood of the Lamb that is in the mids of them. 3. They be as poor without Christ who are there, as we are, Glory is Grace, and their dependency for ages of ages, is that, Rev. 7.17. That the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne, does feed them, and lead them unto living Fountaines of waters, and God wipeth all teares away from their eyes: Then they cannot walk there alone, but as the Lamb leadeth them; and if Christ were not there, or if he should take Grace, Glory, and all his own Jewels and Ornaments from Moses, and Enoch, there should remain no more there but poor nature: As good Angels do therefore not fall, because in Christ the head of Angels they are confirmed; and if they lacked this confirming Grace they might yet fall, and become Apostate Devils; so the glorified in Heaven, do therefore stand, and are confirmed in the inheritance, not by Free-will there, more then here, but by immediate dependence of p. 30Grace on the Lamb, whom they follow whethersoever he goeth: Grace then for kinde, is as good as Heaven: Glory, glory to our ransome-payer.

3. Her little daughter was vexed, (she saith) foreign she is exceedingly devilled,Math. 15.Matt 15 or grievously tormented with a devill: Then observe that common punishments of sin and sad afflictions doth follow justified persons,The Justified in Christ are corrected for sin. as well as the wicked; for it was a sad burthen to the mother, that the Devill had such a dominion over her daughter; yet the Text cleareth, that she was a justified person, as her instancy of praying, adoring, and great Faith, even prevailing over Christ, under sad trialls, do manifestly evidence; and we see the reasons that the Scripture alledgeth: 1. That the gold of precious Faith, and the upright mettall therein, may be seen, 1 Pet. 1.7. Afflictions are the servants and Pursevants of the accusing Law, sent out to cause us lay hold by Faith on peace made, and pardon purchased in Christ: The hot furnace is the work-house of Christ, The furnace, the work-house of the grace of Christin that fire he taketh away the scum, the drosse, the refuse of the true mettall, that Faith may be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearance of Jesus Christ: 2. Afflictions drive us to seeek God, they being Gods fire-men, and his hired labourers, sent to break the clods, and to plow Christs land, that he may sow heaven there, but Christ must bring new earth to the soyle: In prosperity we come to God, but in a common way, p. 31as the grave man came to the Theater, Martial ad Catonem: Cur in theatrū, Cato severe, venisti? An ideo tantim venems, u: exires?only that he might go out again; but in trouble the Saints do more then come, they make a friendly visit when they come: also the prayers of the Saints in prosperity, are but Summer prayers, slow, lazie, and alas, too formall; in trouble they rain out prayers, or cast them out in con-naturall violence; as a fountain doth cast out waters, both these are in one well expressed, by the Prophet, Isa. 26.16. Lord in trouble they have visited thee, they powr out a prayer, when thy chastening hand is on them; Vatablus expoundeth foreign Malmad, A murmuring or prayer which trouble powreth out: the Chaldee Paraphrast turneth it silentium, silence, because the conscience weakened is silent; it is a Prophesie, what Gods fire doth effectuate, which you have Hos. 5.15. In their affliction they will seek me early. 3. We must be made like Christ, in the Crosse, and the Crown, 2 Tim. 2.12. and conform to him, Rom. 8.29. Christ the corner stone, though there was no sin in him, yet before he was made the chief corner stone, he was by death hammered, Act. 4.10.11, 12. And much more, the stroakes and smiting of the Crosse must knock downe all the superfluity of naughtinesse, and every height, till by smoothing and chipping, the childe of God be made a stone in breadth, length, proportion, smoothnesse, some way conforme to the first Copy, and to Christ the samplar-stone. There p. 32is a fourth reason, but its a controverted one, the justified person may be afflicted for sin, some teach that this is Popery to affirme, that the justified bear the punishment of their sin, because Christ only was wounded for our iniquity, and did bear in his own body our sins on the Tree, therefore (say they) respect seemeth to be had (as one speaketh) to sin, M. after Towns Assertion of grace, pag. 112 113. Ans. to D. Taylor.not principally, but secundarily and occasionally, not as it offendeth God, (who by that one sacrifice is for ever pacified, Heb. 10.14. Mat. 3. but as it offendeth and diseaseth the minds of the faithfull; not that afflictions simply, properly, and immeditly do ease quiet, and cure the conscience (for their naturall effect is to deject and terrifie, as appendixes of the Law) but that they awaken and stir up our dulnesse to a lively apprehension of Christs Righteousnesse, and so while God as a Father correcteth for sin, sin hath not properly with God the nature of sin, which is an offence of Divine justice; How Antinomians judge sins to be corrected in the justified.But is considered as a disease troubling his childe, which in love, and in pity he seeketh to make riddance of, in manner aforesaid, and not in anger and displeasure.

Its true, Papists hold, that when God forgiveth sin in David, he forgiveth not the punishment;How Papists judge sins oo be pun…shed in the justified. for David is punished with the sword on his house for that same sin; but it is known that this doctrine is a too-fal and Pillar to underprop the Chamber in Hell, which they call Purgatory; and that their meaning is, that punishment p. 33inflicted on a justified person, is a punishment satisfactory to the justice of God; that so they may make the merits of the Saints suffering to ride up as a collateral sharer with the high & noble blood of the killed Lamb of God, who onelyonly satisfactorily, taketh away the sins of the world: This we disclaim: But on the other hand, we hold that there is another justice in God, then that legall, and sin-revenging justice, which Christs sufferings hath expiated and fully satisfied, both in regard of Gods acceptation, and of the intrinsecall worth of the death of him, who was God the Prince of life: And this other justice, is also the justice of an offended Father correcting though in mercy (and so it is a mixt justice) the sins of the Saints as sins: 1. Because the sins of the Saints are not only the offending 1of divine revenging justice, but also a wrong done against this mixt justice, and against the mercy and kindnesse of God, 2 Sam. 12.7, 8, 9. Exod. 20.1, 2. Psal. 81.6, 7, 10, 11 Psal. 78, 11, 12, 13, 42, 53, 54, 55, 56. Deut. 32.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Amos. 3.2.That God punisheth pardoned sins in the justified proved by seven Arguments And therefore God doth punish, in his own, sins as sins.

2. 1 Cor. 11. Those who are not to perish with the world are for this cause (because they eat and drink unworthily) sick and punished with death, v. 30, 32, 33. It is clear against the Text, that Mr. Towne saith, That a justified person having the least measure of Faith, cannot eat & drink unworthily, the smallest Faith maketh p. 342them worthy, and so those who in that Text did eat unworthily, did but dally with the Gospel, and never actually put on Christ. But Faith doth no more hinder a justified person to receive the Lords Supper unworthily, then it doth hinder him to commit adultery, or incest, or to kill; and whosoever should come to the Lords Table, under these sins, without repenting, should Eat and Drink unworthily, and such a sin may a believer according to Gods heart (as David was) commit; and there is great oddes between being unworthy, and eating unworthily, all believers of themselves are unworthy of Christ and Salvation, but being in Christ by Faith, they are counted worthy, and yet they may Eat and Drink unworthily; but Mr. Townes sense seemeth to carry, That a justified person cannot sin, nor Eat and Drink unworthily, because Faith maketh him worthy; and if so, the way of Grace is a wanton merry way; the justified are freed from the Law, and from any danger of sinning.

33. Nothing more evident then that David was punished according to the rule of that mixed and fatherly justice, which keeps a due proportion between the sin, and the punishment: his sin was to cut off Vriahs house out of Israel, God sendeth the sword against his house all his dayes, he took another mans wife secretly, and did commit filthinesse with her, the Lord took his wives before the Sun, and gave them to Absolon, who defiled his bed: Here's justice p. 35(though I grant mixed with mercy) sword for sword, bed for bed, 2 Sam. 12. Eli honoured his sons more then God, suffered them to profane Priesthood and Sacrifices; justice rooted out his sons from Priesthood and Sacrifices: Hezekiah out of his pride shewed all his Treasures, and all that was in his house to the King of Babylons Messengers; and justice measured out the like to him, all that was in his house, and all his treasures were carried away as a spoile to Babylon.

4. Ezek. 9.6. Slay old and young—begin at 4my sanctuary, Luk. 1.20. And behold thou shalt be dumb—because thou believest not my word. The Church of God In terminis saith so much, Lamen. 1.18. The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against his Commandment: 14. The yoke of my transgression is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck. ch. 3.39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sin. 40. Let us search and try our wayes, and turn again to the Lord, Isa. 42.24. Who gave Jacob for a spoil, & Israel to the Robbers? did not the Lord against whom we have sinned? Mica. 7.9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned, 2 Kin. 24.20. For through the anger of the Lord it came to passe in Ierusalem and Iudah, untill he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babylon. Its not of weight that is brought to take off the p. 36force of these pregnant Scriptures: The Church consisting of mixed persons, good and bad, elect, and reprobate (say they) is according to the wicked party punished in justice, but not the believing party: But I answer, all Iudah good and and ill, Ieremiah, Daniel, and all the holy seed were involved with the perverse and obstinate Idolaters, in the same common calamity of a sad captivity, and it was not the ill figs, and stiffe-necked Idolaters, that did confesse the Lords Righteousnes, and their own Rebellion against the Lord, nor did the wicked party enter in a Triall of their wayes, and acknowledge that the unregenerate man only suffereth for his sins, nor did any of that side, with patience, hope, and silence, bear the indignation of the Lord, it was the true Church, Gods Iacob, the meek of the earth, that did thus stoop to Gods correction, and yet these same were punished for their sins, as they acknowledge, Lam. 1.18. Mic. 7.9.

55. This is also against the Covenant and threatnings thereof, Lev. 26.21. And if ye walk contrary to me, and will not hearken to me, I will bring seven times more plagues on you, to vers. 41. If then (in their heavy afflictions) their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity. 42. Then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob, Psal. 89.30. If his children forsake my Law, and walk not in my judgements, &c. 32. Then will I visit their transgressions with p. 37the rod, & their iniquitie with stripes. 33. Neverthelesse, my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him, &c. Nothing more evident, then that these that are in the Covenant of Grace, from whom God cannot remove the sure mercies of David, are visited for their iniquities with temporall Rods.

6. It is against Gods anger and displeasure at 6the sins of his own children, for God is really angry at his own childrens sins, and why then doth he not punish them for their sins? Exod. 4.14. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. Deut. 1.37. Also the Lord was angry with me for your sake: And the story sheweth, because Moses sanctified not the Lord at the waters of Meribah, God would not suffer him to set his foot in the holy Land. 2 Chr. 11.9. God was angry with Solomon, Deut. 1.20 The Lord was very angry with Aaron, 2 Chro. 19.2. The Prophet Jehu said to Jehosaphat that good King, There is wrath upon thee from the Lord, Isa. 60.10. For in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour, I have had mercy on thee.

7. The contrary error is founded upon two 7other errors, that all afflictions, are subservient Officers, and Sergeants to the Law, and so they are signes of Gods wrath, as is the Law, and as Beleevers are freed from the ruling power of the Law, so also from the Rod. But this is false, for Gods rod of it self, is neither a signe of revenging justice, nor of free mercy; but it taketh its p. 38nature and specification, from the intention and minde of God; all these externalls fall alike, to Elect and Reprobate: The repenting Theefe, and the blaspheming Theefe are under the same Rod of God, both die a violent death: wicked Ahab, and good Josiah are both killed in War: the Botches, and Agues threatned in the Law, Deut. 28.60. are upon Job, chap. 2. v. 7. What maketh then the same Rod to be a work of revenging justice in the Reprobate, and of justice mixed and temperd with mercy and fatherly kindnesse in the other? Certainly, Gods pleasure and wise intention, punishing for different ends, varieth the nature of the rods, so as an intention to take satisfactory vengeance on the Reprobate, specifieth his Rod, and maketh it punishment of black wrath, of salt, and unmixed justice on him, and this intention is an essentiall ingredient in satisfactory punishment. God writeth and ingraveth upon the tooth-ake of a Reprobate, a parcell of Hell; and he stampeth upon burning-quick, racking, and tortering, the ingraving of Heaven, of mercy, and loving kindnesse in the Beleever: bastard Crosses, and lawfully begotten afflictions have the same Father, but not the same Mother: 2. If the Patrons of this error could make Gods rod as A…bitrary, as they fancy the duties of the teaching, and ruling Law of God to be, they should cry down all Crosses, and send all the justified persons to heaven, with a Passe, securing them from all afflicton p. 39in the way to heaven, and so Christ should bring his many children to glory with dry faces, and whole skins; whereas Christ himself passed to heaven with the tear in his eye, and a bruised soul. The other error is, that Christ hath made a full atonement for sin, and fully satisfied justice for all that are justified in his blood, and therefore they cannot be punished for sin themselves: But 1. There is more in the conclusion then in the premises: Ergo, the justified cannot suffer satisfactory punishment for sin, either in whole, or part; this is most true, no mans garments were ever dyed with on drop of red satisfactory vengeance for sin, Christ hath alone trode this Vine-presse, and of all the Nations, there was none with him: but yet it no wayes followeth, that the regenerate doth not suffer punishment for sin, according to the rule of another mixed and tempered justice: 2. If this Argument from Christs suffering, have nerves, it shall conclude, that the Elect before they be justified, are never punished for sin, more then beleeving Saints are; yea that God is not displeased with Abrahams Idolatry before his conversion, nor with Manassehs blood, nor with Sauls persecution, because Christ payed justice for sins of Elect persons committed before justification, as for sins committed after justification.

We can fetch no conclusion of a bad condition from affliction.Use 1. Its a part of tendernesse of Conscience in the Regenerate to be too applicatory p. 40of the Law and of wrath:Rules to be observed in affliction. I am afflicted above all others, therefore God is angry with me, and I am cast off by God, Its a bad consequence, there be some Rules to be observed in affliction;1. Rule. 1. We are not either to over-argue, or to under-argue, neither to faint, nor dispise, Heb. 12. Conscience is too quick-sighted after illumination, and too dull-sighted before: The reasons why we argue from afflictions to Gods hatred, are; 1. There's a Conscience of a Conscience in the beleever, that is, even in an inlightned Conscience; there is some ill Conscience, to deem ill of God, Psal. 31.22. For I said in my hast, I am cut off from before thine eyes. This is a hasty Conscience, as we say, Such a one is a hasty man, and soon saddled, easily provoked to anger; this is a Conscience soon provoked to anger.2. 2. We have not that love and charity to God, that we have to some Friend; we have such a love to some dear Friend, that all his blacks are white, his seeming injuries to us, do not provoke us; we say (I can beleeve no evill of such a man) and we over-shoot our selves in an over-charge and surfet of charity, which proceedeth from a Superplus and dominion of Love to a creature: We are in the other extremity to God and Jesus Christ: Sense of affliction cooleth our Love, and we cannot extend charity so far to our Lord, as when we see he dealeth hardly with us, to keep the other ear without prejudice, free from the report that p. 41affliction, and the sense of affliction maketh. 3. The flesh joyneth with affliction against God, affliction whispereth wrath, justice, sin;3. and the flesh saith, That is very true: For flesh hateth God, and so must slander his Dispensation: Ahab could not but slander Micaiah, he never Prophesieth good (saith he) to me. Is not Gods Truth good? Surely, every word of Prophesie is like gold seven times tried: The reason of the slander is given by himself: I hate him. The other extremity is, that we under-argue in affliction; as 1. We say, Its not the Lord: the Philistims doubted whither God had sent the Emrods on them, for keeping the Ark captive, or if chance had done it: its grace to father the crosse right. 2. We look seldome spiritually on the crosse, a carnall eye upon a crosse is a plague, Esa. 42.23. Gods anger set him on fire round about, and he knew not, and it burned him, and he laid it not to heart. Its strange that Gods fire should burn a man: and yet he neither seeth nor feeleth fire: Why? there's something of God in the crosse, that the carnall eye cannot see: because as Zophar saith, Job 20.26. A fire not blown shall consume him: Some make it (and not without reason) a fire that hath no noise of bellows or wind to make it take fire, and to flame up, some are burnt, and they neither hear nor see; there's a white powder that burneth and maketh no noise or sound; a dumb rod is twice a rod, we scarce see what p. 42God is doing in this War, we are smitten of God in the dark; and so wicked men never do come lawfully out of affliction, they see not God, nor sin, and for that cometh not out of prison by the Kings keyes, but they break the Goal, and leap out at a window; the Land is to see all the circumstances of this bloody War in these three Kingdoms.

Use 2.We are to put a difference between Gods afflicting one man, and a whole Church: Now, God hath his fire in our Sion, and we wonder that Wars have lyen on Germanie twenty six years, and that for divers years the sword hath been on us in these Kingdoms.A Land or a Nation must be longer in the fire then one particular person. 1. There be many vessels to be melted, a fire for an afternoon, or a war for a morning, of a day, or a week, cannot do it. Seven dayes sicknesse of a dying Childe, putteth David to go softly and in sackcloth: Years are little enough to humble proud Scotland, and England. God humbled Israel 400. years and above in Aegypt, and kept them forty years in the Wildernesse, and Judah must lye smoaking in the Furnace seventy years. 2. One Temple was forty six years a building, God hath taken eighty years to Reform England, and many years to Reform Scotland, and the Temple is not builded yet; give to our Lord time, hope, and wait on. 3. Babylon is a great Cedar that cannot fall at the first stroak, its not a work of one day or a year, to bring that Princes, the Lady of Nations from Her Throne p. 43of glory, to sit in the dust, and take the Milstones and grinde meal.