Sermon 10

My daughter is grievously vexed with a Devil] Children, especially to mothers, whose affections are more weak and soft, are taking lovers, especially being parts and substantial 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 child is the mother's daughter, and the mother's God: 2. We are to strive to have them freed from under the power of the Devil, as this woman does; for they come into the world fuel for Hell: Parents make more account all their life to make gold, rather than grace, their children's patrimony and legacy: 3. Look at them as May-flowers, 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, or flying meteors in the sphere of the clouds, and often go down to the grave before their parents: 4. Beware of selfishness, for children are our self, and their sins white and innocent sins to us: Eli honored his sons more than 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 drives her to Christ: 5. Christ is hereby declared to be the Savior of the Gentiles: 6. An illustrious miracle is wrought; see a wise combination of many acts of Providence; as one cluster of passages of the art of wise omnipotency; as many herbs, and various sorts of flowers make up one pleasant, and well-smelled meadow; many roses, lilies, and the like, one sweet-smelling garden, in which these practical considerations may have our thoughts for rules.

1. Rule, Go not before God and Providence, but follow him, prescription of such and such means to God and no other, is to limit omnipotency, and to limit the holy one of Israel: The true God tied to a forbidden image, to receive glory, is made an idol; so to fetter God to this means, as if not free to work by other means, is idolatrous.

2. Rule, The book of Providence is full both page and margin, God has been adding to it various new editions; and like children we are in love with the golden covering, the ribbons, filleting, and the pictures in the frontispiece, but understand little of the argument of Providence (Psalm 107:43). Whoever is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord (Job 32:7). I said (says Elihu) days (things of Providence) shall speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom: God is worthy to be chronicled.

3. Rule, God has not laid his Godhead and omnipotency in pawn, in the power of means, so as God uses means, because they are efficacious; but because he uses them they are efficacious: A ram horn is as near of blood, to cause the walls of Jericho fall in God's hand, as engines of war; a straw is a spear to omnipotency.

4. His ways are often contrary to our judgment, we lie and wait the way to see God come upon the tops of mountains, but we are deceived, he comes the lower way through the valleys: we thought omnipotence must change the King's heart, before such brambles as prelates be thrown over the hedge, but our King is himself, and omnipotence takes another way; the Disciples thought that Christ would make them kings and restore the Kingdom: Christ is dead and buried, and he goes another low way, through death's belly to make them kings and priests to God; Christ goes away, there be great endeavors, and running through streets, cities, walls: O streets saw you him, O broad ways, saw you him whom my soul loves? O dear watchmen, where is he? But they are all dumb: Christ takes a lower way (Canticles 3:4). It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loves.

5. Rule, Slander not God's ways of Providence, with the reproach of confusion and disorder; to God all his works are good, very good as were the works of creation. There is a long chain, and concatenation of God's ways, counsels, decrees, actions, events, judgments, 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 brass, iron and clay, and the threads 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 wilderness, and come through the times of the Kings of Israel and Judah, and the captivities of the Church, and descend along through the [reconstructed: generations] of Prophets; Christ, the Apostles, persecuting emperors, and martyrdoms of the witnesses of Jesus, slain by the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, while the end of the thread, and last link of the chain be tied to the very day of the marriage of the Lamb: now in this long fabric of divine Providence you see: 1. Not one thread broken, My father works until now, and I work, (says Christ) providence has 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 threads of diverse colors, black and white, comfortable and sad passages of God's Providence, yet all makes a fair order in this long way; Jacob weeps for his dead child Joseph: Joseph rejoices to come out of the prison to reign; David dances with all his might before the Ark: David weeps bitterly for Absalom his son's miserable death: Job washes his steps with butter, and the candle of the Almighty shines on his head; and Job defiles his horn in the dust, and lies on ashes, and mourns, all is beauty and order to God.

6. Rule: Put the frame of the spirit in Equilibrio, in a composed, stayed, indifferent serenity of mind looking to both sides, black and white, of God's providence — so holy David was above his cross (2 Samuel 15:25-26). If I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both the Ark and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in you — behold here am I, let him do to me as seems good. He puts his soul upon God's two ifs: if he save it's good, if he destroy it's good. Make sure this general truth — Christ is mine: at that anchor, in this harbor my vessel must ride. Whatever wind blows in externals: Christ died for me. If I live, it's in Christ; if I die it's to Christ; if I ride with princes on horses, it's good; if I go on foot with servants, it is good; if Christ hide his face and frown, it's Christ, it's good; if it be full moon, and he overshadow the soul with rays and beams of love and light, it's also Christ, it's also good.

7. In all things bless Christ; let the desires be low (Jeremiah 45:5). Are you seeking great things for yourself? Seek them not, says Jeremiah to Baruch. It's easier to add to desires than to subtract; better the heart ascend from a salad of herbs to wines, than compel your spirit to descend and weep.

8. Faith's speculations toward the worst and hardest, in point of resolution, is sweet. Job puts 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 dunghill? Faith can shape what providence possibly may never sow. What if I be brought to the wheel, to the rack, to burning quick?

9. There's a mystery of providence that we see not — we know not what God is doing with us when he is binding us. As the sheep has no notion of death in its fancy, even when the knife is at its throat, so are we.

10. Providence walks long in uncertainties: his way that rules the world is in the clouds. Peace is within a step, yet comes not; full victory and deliverance near, and the enemy is well nigh subdued — and the Lord turns the scales, and lays us low again. Life is within the eighth part of a span to Ahab, yet God so times and places vengeance, that the arrow of God must pitch on no place but between the joints of the harness, and Ahab is killed.

11. We are with all silence and quietness of spirit to submit to God's ways, not to fret: believing can ease us, disputing cannot.

12. It's easier to see what is inflicted on us than to see who inflicts it. Evil comes, and we look no higher than the creature, as if the world created itself. So is this, when we dream that the creature moves, and is not moved of God.

13. This is to be observed, that God ascends in all his course, and providence never goes down the mount. When Joseph goes down to the pit, to the prison, God in his course of providence is going up and advancing the frame of beautiful providence. For Joseph's going down, and his fall, is a higher step to God's exalting of Joseph and saving his church. Judah's falling into captivity is not God's falling, but his advancing of the work to do them good in the latter end. Reformation goes down when obstructions and hindrances come in the way, but God works on. Second causes move backward and miscarry, when omnipotence carries on the Lord's work.