Works of Joseph Hall, Part 38
The Rulers Sonne cured.
THe bounty of God ſo exceedeth mans, that there is a contrarietie in the exerciſe of it: We ſhut our hands becauſe we hauehave opened them; God therefore opens his, becauſe he hath opened them: Gods mercies are as comfortable in their iſſue, as in themſelues; Seldome euer doe bleſſings goe alone; where our Sauiour ſupplyed the Bridegroomes wine, there he heales the Rulers ſonne; Hee had not in all theſe coaſts of Galilee done any miracle but here: To him that hath ſhall be giuen.
We doe not finde Chriſt oft attended with Nobilitie; here hee is; It was ſome great Peere, or ſome noted Courtier that was now a ſuitor to him for his dying ſonne: Earthly greatneſſe is no defence againſt afflictions: Wee men forbeare the mighty: Diſeaſe and death know no faces of Lords, or Monarks: Could theſe be bribed, they would be too rich; why ſhould we grudge not to be priuiledged, when wee ſee there is no ſpare of the greateſt?
This noble Ruler, liſtens after Chriſts returne into Galile; The moſt eminent amongſt men will be glad to hearken after Chriſt in their neceſſitie: Happy was it for him that his ſonne was ſicke; he had not elſe been acquainted with his Sauiour, his ſoule had continued ſicke of ignorance, and vnbeliefe: Why elſe doth our good God ſend vsus pain, loſſes, oppoſition, but that he may be ſought to? Are we afflicted, whither ſhould we goe but to Cana, to ſeeke Chriſt? whither but to the Cana of heauen, where our water of ſorrow is turned to the wine of gladneſſe, to that omnipotent Phyſitian, who healeth all our infirmities; that we may once ſay, It is good for mee that I was afflicted.
It was about a dayes iourney from Capernaum to Cana; Thence hither did this Courtier come for the cure of his ſonnes Feuer; What paines euen the greateſt can be content to take for bodily health? No way is long, no labour tedious to the deſirous: Our ſoules are ſicke of a ſpirituall feuer, labouring vnderunder the cold fit of infidelitie, and the hot fit of ſelfe-louelove; and we ſit ſtill at home, and ſee them languiſh vntounto death.
This Ruler was neither faithleſſe, nor faithfull: Had he been quite faithleſſe, he had not taken ſuch paines to come to Chriſt. Had he been faithfull, hee had not made this ſuit to Chriſt, when he was come, Come downe and heale my ſonne, ere he die.
Come downe, as if Chriſt could not hauehave cured him abſent; Ere he die, as if that power could not hauehave raiſed him being dead; how much difference was here betwixt the Centurion, and the Ruler; That came for his ſeruant, this for his ſonne. This ſonne was not more aboue that ſeruant, then the faith which ſued for that ſeruant ſurpaſſed that which ſued for the ſonne; The one can ſay, Maſter come not vnderunder my roofe, for I am not worthy, onelyonly ſpeake the word, and my ſeruant ſhall be whole; The other can ſay, Maſter, either come vnderunder my roofe, or my ſonne cannot be whole. Heale my ſonne, had been a good ſuit, for Chriſt is the onelyonly Phyſitian for all diſeaſes; but, Come downe, and heale him, was to teach God how to worke.
It is good reaſon that he ſhould challenge the right of preſcribing to vsus, who are eueryevery way his owne: it is preſumption in vsus to ſtint him vntounto our formes: An expert workman cannot abide to bee taught by a nouice; how much leſſe ſhall the all-wiſe God endure to bee directed by his creature? This is more then if the patient ſhould take vponupon him to giuegive a Recipe to the Phyſitian: That God would giuegive vsus grace is a beſeeming ſuit, but to ſay, GiueGive it me by proſperitie, is a ſawcy motion.
As there is faithfulneſſe in deſiring the end, ſo modeſty and patience in referring the meanes to the author. In ſpirituall things God hath acquainted vsus with the meanes whereby he will worke, euen his owne Sacred ordinances: VponUpon theſe, becauſe they hauehave his owne promiſe, we may call abſolutely for a bleſſing: In all others, there is no reaſon that beggers ſhould be chooſers: He who doth whatſoeuer he will, muſt doe it how he will: It is for vsus to receiue, not to appoint.
He who came to complaine of his ſons ſicknes, heares of his own, Except ye ſee ſignes and wonders, ye will not beleeue. This noble man was (as is like) of Capernaum; There had Chriſt often preached; there was one of his chiefe reſidencies: Either this man had heard our Sauiour oft, or might hauehave done; yet becauſe Chriſts miracles came to him onelyonly by heare-ſay (for as yet we finde none at all wrought where hee preached moſt) therefore the man beleeues not enough; but ſo ſpeakes to Chriſt as to ſome ordinarie Phyſitian, Come downe and heale: It was the common diſeaſe of the Iewes, incredulitie; which no receit could heale but wonders: A wicked and adulterous generation ſeekes ſignes. Had they not been wilfully graceleſſe, there was already proofe enough of the Meſſias: the miraculous conception and life of the fore-runner, Zacharies dumbneſſe, the atteſtation of Angels, the apparition of the Starre, the iourney of the Sages, the viſion of the Shepheards, the teſtimonies of Anna and Simeon, the propheſies fulfilled, the voice from heauen at his baptiſme, the diuine words that hee ſpake; and yet they muſt hauehave all made vp with miracles; which though he be not vnwilling to giuegive at his owne times yet he thinkes much to be tied vntounto, at theirs: Not to beleeue without ſignes, was a ſigne of ſtubborne hearts.
It was a foule fault, and a dangerous one, Ye will not beleeue: What is it that ſhall condemne the world but vnbeliefe? What can condemne vsus without it? No ſin can condemne the repentant; Repentance is a fruit of faith, where true faith is then, there can be no condemnation: as there can be nothing but condemnation without it. How much more foule in a noble Capernaite, that had heard the Sermons of ſo diuine a Teacher? The greater light we hauehave, the more ſhame it is for vsus to ſtumble.
Oh what ſhall become of vsus, that reele and fall into the cleareſt Sun…ſhine that euer looked forth vponupon any Church? Be mercifull to our ſinnes, O God, and ſay any thing of vsus, rather, then, Ye will not beleeue.
Our Sauiour tels him of his vnbeliefe; hee feeles not himſelfe ſicke of that diſeaſe: All his mind is on his dying for; As eaſily do we complaine of bodily griefes, as we are hardly affected with ſpirituall. Oh the meekneſſe and mercy of this Lambe of God: When wee would hauehave lookt that hee ſhould hauehave puniſhed this ſuitor for not beleeuing, hee condeſcends to him, that hee may beleeue: Goe thy way, thy ſonne liueth. If wee ſhould meaſure our hopes by our owne worthineſſe, there were no expectation of bleſſings, but if we ſhall meaſure them by his bountie, and compaſſion, there can bee no doubt of preuailing. As ſome tender mother that giues the breſt to her vnquiet childe, in ſtead of the rod, ſo deales hee with our peruerſneſſes.
How God differences men according to no other conditions, then of their faith! The Centurions ſeruant was ſicke, the Rulers ſonne; The Centurion doth not ſue vntounto Chriſt to come; onelyonly ſayes, My ſeruant is ſicke of a Palſie; Chriſt anſwers him, I will come, and heale him: The Ruler ſues vntounto Chriſt that hee would come, and heale his ſonne, Chriſt will not goe; onelyonly ſayes, Goe thy way, thy ſonne liues; Outward things carie no reſpect with God; The Image of that diuine Maieſtie ſhining inwardly in the graces of the ſoule, is that which wins louelove from him in the meaneſt eſtate; The Centurions faith therefore could do more then the Rulers greatneſſe; and that faithfull mans ſeruant hath more regard then this great mans ſonne.
The Rulers requeſt was, Come and heale; Chriſts anſwer was, Goe thy way, thy ſonne liues; Our mercifull Sauiour meets thoſe in the end, whom hee croſſes in the way: How ſweetly doth he correct our prayers, and whiles he doth not giuegive vsus what we aske, giues vsus better then we asked.
Iuſtly doth he forbeare to go downe with this Ruler, leſt he ſhould confirme him in an opinion of meaſuring his power by conceits of locality, & diſtance; but he doth that in abſence, for which his preſence was required with a repulſe, Thy ſonne liueth; giuing a greater demonſtration of his omnipotencie then was craued; How oft doth hee not heare to our will; that hee may heare vsus to our aduantage? The choſen veſſell would be rid of tentations, he heares of a ſupply of grace; The ſicke man askes releaſe, receiues patience: life, and receiues glory: Let vsus aske what we thinke beſt, let him giuegive what he knowes beſt.
With one word doth Chriſt heale two Patients, the ſonne, and the father, the ſons feuer, the fathers vnbeleefe; That operatiue word of our Sauiour was not without the intention of a triall; Had not the Ruler gone home ſatisfied with that intimation of his ſonnes life, and recouerie, neither of them had beene bleſſed with ſucceſſe: Now the newes of performance meets him one halfe of the way; and hee that beleeued ſomewhat ere he came, and more when he went, grew to more faith in the way; and when he came home, inlarged his faith to all the skirts of his familie; A weake faith may be true, but a true faith is growing: He that boaſts of a full ſtature in the firſt moment of his aſſent, may preſume, but doth not beleeue.
Great men cannot want clients, their example ſwaies ſome, their authoritie more; they cannot goe to either of the other worlds alone; In vaine doe they pretend power ouer others, who labour …ut to draw their families vntounto God.