The History of the Woman of Great Faith, Verse 30
Marke 7. VERSE 30.
When ſhee was come to her houſe, &c.
CHriſt doth not wholly and at once, heale this woman, but keepes ſome part of her health in his owne hands: and it was, that the benefit of it might tarry longer in the memorie, both of the one and other; from whence… gather that God will not giuegive all his health and good together. Doct.The Samaritane did not reſtore the wounded man before his departure, but left ſomething to be done till his comming againe, Luke 10.34.35. S. Paul prayed earneſtly, and often againſt an old infirmitie, which (yet) was not wholy remoued, (though much amended) and continued with ſome pricke of remembrance, 2 Cor. 12.7, 8, 9. Iacob (alſo) had a worthie victorie, yet with a remembrance in his thigh, Gen. 32, 28.31. Reaſons.The reaſons: the firſt, it is for our greater good, and Gods greater glorie: for our greater good; that wee may not commit the ſinne, of the vnthankefull; which is to ſleight a benefit, when it comes eaſilie, and at once: and for Gods greater glorie, that hee may hauehave more, (and longer) thankes. Now, God will hauehave vsus to profit by his benefits as well as by his corrections; which is a benefit with a bleſſing. Secondly, the harder wee come by a thing, the better wee will regard it: and (here) if health, or libertie, or comfort, come by degrees, wee will better reſpect them, than if they ſhould come inſtantly, and at our firſt prayers: and God will not hauehave any of his good gifts neglected:
The vſe is for inſtruction, Vſe 1.diuers waies; where firſt it teacheth, that God will hauehave his goodneſſe to tarry long in our memories; hereupon the Prophet ſummons his ſoule to this dutie; praiſe the Lord O my ſoule, and forget not all his benefits, Pſal. 103.2. He knew that God conferred them to bee remembred, Pſal. 111.4. and that the forgetting of them, was the next way to loſe them, and him that gaue them: for he ſaid to Iſrael, that had forgotten, and was vnthankfull for ſo many deliuerances; yee hauehave forſaken mee, and ſerued other Gods: therefore I will deliuer you no more, Iudg. 10.13. Secondly, this teacheth Chriſtians to prouide for the memoriall of Gods louing kindneſſe, and of the mercies hee hath ſhewed them. So did Samuel, when hee pitched that ſtone of help…e betweene Mizpeh and Shen, 1. Sam. 7.12. God had wrought himſelfe much in their many deliuerances; and he called the name of the place, Eben-ezer, ſaying; hitherto the Lord hath holpen vsus. Dauid kept a day-booke of Gods goodneſſe in the like kinde, and filled his Regiſter; that wee may doe as Samuel and Dauid (two excellent leaders) did, wee muſt (firſt) call Gods benefits to our minde, and common with our ſelues, when to doe it, & wherein, Pſal. 116.12. Secondly, we muſt ſet a fit price vponupon them, and thirdly, put them ouer to good vſe; for, practiſe (here) is the beſt mem… ry, and they beſt remember Gods kindeneſſe, that beſt v…e it; for the firſt, it was commended to the Church in a Pſalme, or ſong; where the Lord would hauehave the Iſrael of his fauour to draw downe the line of his praiſe, from the fathers to the children; and (therfore) often to ſpeake of his maruellous workes, Pſal. 78.3, 4, from the youth of the Church to the age of it, this muſt bee done, Pſal. 129.1, 2. For the ſecond; Iacob confeſſing that hee was leſſe than any of Gods mercies, or than all, Gen. 32.10. and Dauid, when hee ſaid; who and I, or what fit ſubiect for ſo worthie bleſſings, (ſuch as there were ſpoken of,) 1. Chro. 29.14. did (both of them) ſet a good rate vponupon eueryevery merciemercy that came. And for the third, (which is the good vſe, and beſt memoriall of eueryevery bleſſing,) it is our thankefulneſſe for it: as, when God giues health after ſome long ſickneſſe, plenty after ſome great dearth, and peace after warre; then to walke humbly, in theſe fauours, with him, is to praiſe him for his mercies. Laſtly, this teacheth vsus patience, when any affliction is long vponupon vsus: for, God excerciſeth his beſt children, either with ſuſpending his helpes, or with helping them, but in ſome ſort, and by degrees. Some breake out, if they be not free from all troubles, & from al at once: but Gods chidren hold in, knowing that his method in curing of troubles, is to remoue them; not as is moſt deſired, but as is moſt fitting: & thus God, in pulling his Church out of Babylon, left them not without enemies, euen in Ieruſalem, Nehem. 4.1, 2, 3, 4. therefore, Gods children muſt not bee too haſtie, becauſe they ſee not their hope where they looke to receiue it, but wait vponupon God, and hope in him, Pſal. 37.7.
The ſecond vſe is for reproofe of thoſe who will bee their owne loaders in the carriage of their burdens, bearing as much, Vſe 2.and as long as they thinke good, or, with Iehorams Meſſenger, they will wait vponupon God no longer, 2 King. 6.33. What they aske; and all they deſire they muſt preſently hauehave, or (like little children) they waxe pettiſh, and nothing can pleaſe them: So the Iewes impatient of Gods yoke, would needs make the reed of Aeg…pt their ſtay, Ier. 43.3, 4.5, 6, 7. either God muſt heare them as they will, or they will bee heard where they ſhould not. And i… God will not anſwer Saul, the deuill ſhall, 1 Sam. 28.6.14, 15. Many (at this day) fall into theſe p…euiſh fittes, if God do not heare them as they would themſelues: if in ſome ſickneſſe they be not made all whole, all's loſt; and that little which is wanting doth more trouble them, than that which is reſtored doth giuegive ſatisfaction: we reade of no ſuch repining in this woman, though when ſhe came home, ſhee found her daughter laid vponupon the bed: that is, not thorowly well, but weakely ſo.
The laſt vſe is for conſolation. Vſe 3In this woman, and in many of Gods ſeruants, wee ſee, that God doth not preſently, and at once take away all that troubles them, but at times, and at part: and (therefore) if the like befall vsus, (and why may it not?) wee may ſay with S. Paul, that no temptation hath taken vsus, but what is common to man, 1 Cor. 10.13. and with S. Peter, that no ſtrange thing hath hapned to vsus, .1 Pet. 4.12. for the beſt of Saints hauehave troden the way of ſuch ſufferings: & if we hauehave changes, they hauehave complained of armies, or of a great muſter of them, in their daies, Ioh. 10.17. If God caſt vsus into an ague, (that might caſt vsus into hell,) & not ſuddenly pull vsus out of it, who may euer hold vsus in torments that ſhall neuer end, we are vn reaſonably caſt downe; where rather, and contrarily, we ſhould bee much comforted, that God doth iudge vsus in a ſmall ague, who might iudge vsus in hell. If we feele but a little, who hauehave deſerued ſo much, how vnthankefull are we, if wee cannot reioyce in a light and momentaine change? rather, let vsus raiſe our ſpirits, euen in long troubles, (for what are they to the long time of eternitie?) much more, in ſome reliks of trouble, let vsus be ſo minded. If one forgiue vsus the whole debt of ſome thouſands, and put vsus to pay but a trifle (which we may eaſily doe) would we not willinglie pay that little? it is leſſe that God puts vsus vntounto, in reſpect of the leaſt ſinne: & here, the deuill may not only, for a ſhort time, be in vsus, but in vsus, & round about vsus for euer: and ſhall this trouble vsus, that (the Deuill gone out) we are laid vponupon our beds?
End of the text · Robert Horne, The History of the Woman of Great Faith (1632)