Sermon 22

Now a word of a strong and great faith, and withal of a weak and fainting faith. For the most I go not from the text, to find out the ingredients of a great faith. 1. A strong, praying, and a crying faith, is a great faith. So must Christ's faith have been, who prayed with strong cries and tears: strong faith makes sore sides, in praying as this woman prayed with good will; there's an efficacious desire to be rid of a sinful temptation, as Paul prayed three times to be freed of the prick in the flesh. Their faith is weak, who dare not pray against some idol sins: or, 2. if they pray, it's but gently, with a wish, not to be heard.

2. The woman's crying, her instant pleading in faith, yes, 1. above the disciples' care for her; yes, above Christ's seeming gloom, who denied her to be his, who reproached her as a dog, argues great grace, great humility with strong adherence, and so great faith.

2. For faith [reconstructed: fails] sometimes with a strong tide, and a fair wind; according as the moon has an aspect on the sun, so is it full, or not full, when the wheels are set right to the sun, the clock moves and goes right: the fairer and more clear sight that faith has of Christ, the stronger are the acts of faith, it cannot be denied but faith has a good, and an ill day: because grace is various, it's no strong proof that it's not grace.

3. To put faith in all its parts, in light, in staying on Christ, in affiance, in adherence, in self-diffidence, in submissive assenting forth in all its acts, and to lift the soul all off the earth, requires Christ's high spring-tide; it's not easy to put all the powers that do act in faith afloat, especially because a strong faith is a great vessel, and therefore more of Christ's tide is required for weighing anchor, and lancing forth: the wings of a sparrow should not raise an eagle off the earth, the limbs of an ant could not suit with a horse or an elephant, there is need of a strong winged soul to believe, especially against hope.

4. To believe Christ, when midnight speaks blackness of wrath, requires eyes and light of miracles; yes, it's a greater work than the very miracles of Christ (John 14:12). But especially when Christ is absent, it's with the soul, as with a clock, in which the wheels are broken, the passes or weights are fallen down.

Objection 1. But I aim and endeavor to believe, but can do nothing, and without his grace my violence to heaven is without fruit. Answer 1. It's true, the Semipelagian's halving of the work of believing, and the glory of it between cooperating grace and will, as if nature could divide the spoil with the grace of Christ, is damnable pride; but it's God's way to half the work between Christ within, in regard of the habit of grace, and Christ without, in regard of the assisting grace of God (Luke 15:20). While he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him; Christ rewards not nature's aims with grace, nor does he make gifts the work, and grace the hire, or nature's labor the race, and grace the garland: but he rewards grace with grace, and that of mere grace (John 15:3). He has in his decree and promise marshalled such and such acts of grace to stand beside others, and that by covenant; and therefore believe, that you may believe; pray, that you may pray.

Objection 2. But who can act saving grace, without the blowing of saving grace; I can no more do it, than I can command the West wind to blow when I please. Answer. I grant all, nor do I speak this to insinuate, that free-will sits at the helm, or that Grace sleeps, and will wakes — the contrary is an evident truth: yet give me leave to say, there's odds between blowing of the wind, and making ready the sails: Though seamen cannot make wind, nor is it their fault to want wind, yet can they prepare the sails, and hoist them up to welcome the wind; we cannot create the breathings of the Spirit, yet are we to miss these breathings; and this is a fitting of the sails, and we are to join with the Spirit's breathings. Christ binds up the winds in his garment, so as if one look of faith, or half a spiritual groan should ransom me from hell, I have it not in stock — therefore has God ordered such a dispensation, that in all stirrings of grace, the first spring, Principium motus, the fountain-rise of calling Jesus Lord, shall be up in Heaven at the right hand of the Father, and the far end of any gracious thought, is as far above me as the heart of Christ, who is in the Heaven of Heavens, is above the earth, though you think nothing of it; and better Christ be my steward, and that the Gospel be at the end of all acts of grace, as that Christ be free will's debtor: more reason Christ be creditor than debtor to his redeemed ones. 2. I know the child of God may be so far forth lazy, as that it is his fault that the wind blows not; if we speak of a moral cause. 3. It is his part to join with the working of assisting grace (Colossians 1:29), "to which I also labor, [illegible: Greek text] striving according to his working, which works in me mightily." The Lord has by free promise, laid holy bonds on himself, to give predeterminating grace to his own children to persevere to the end, and to prevent apostasy and heinous sins inconsistent with saving faith (1 Corinthians 1:8; Jude 24; Jeremiah 32:39-41; Isaiah 54:10; Isaiah 59:21-22; [reconstructed: Luke 22]:32; 1 John 2:1-2). Yet so as he has reserved a liberty to himself, to cooperate with them in particular acts as it shall be their sin — not his withdrawing of grace — that makes them guilty, to the end we may know we are in grace's debt, in all good and supernatural acts, so (2 Chronicles 32:31) Hezekiah was tried of God in the business of the King of Babylon's ambassadors; that the King might see that he could not walk to heaven on clay legs, or by his own strength, and the reason is clear; God cannot make a promise of contributing this bowing and predeterminating grace, but in a way suitable to free grace. For God cannot change grace to natural debt, it remaining grace, for so it should be grace and no grace, which is a contradiction. 2. The Lord has reserved liberty to himself in this promise, that in this or this particular act (the omission of which may consist with perseverance in grace) he may contribute his influence of grace, or not contribute it; so David has not actual grace at his will and nod, to eschew adultery, and murder as he pleases: nor Peter to decline an evil hour, when he shall be tempted to forswear his Savior Christ; nor has Heman in his hand (Psalm 88), nor the deserted Church power (Psalm 77), to pray and believe, and rejoice in the salvation of God at the disposition of free will: But the key is up in the hands of the kingly Intercessor, at the right hand of the Father that must open the heart; it is far to fetch, as far as the Heaven of heavens, to make wind and sailing to Christ-ward. Therefore, 3. Seasons of acts of grace to believe, to walk in any warmness of love to Christ and his members, are fruits of royal liberty and free grace; who has the key of the house of wine, to stay the soul with the flagons and apples of love? Certainly, it is the King himself that takes the spouse into his banqueting house (Song of Solomon 2:4). And yet so as the omission of all supernatural duties; yea, our laziness in the manner of doing, our failings and sins are imputed to ourselves, and not to the not blowing of the wind of the Holy Spirit, nor to the want of the efficacious motion of the Spirit, as Libertines teach, with Arminians; For we so sin through the want of the motions of efficacious grace, as through the want of a physical, not of a moral cause, and so as we are most willing to want that influence, and so are guilty before the Lord. God has reasons strong and convincing, why he works thus. 1. It sets not grace to work by engagement; the spirit of the living creatures is within every wheel of Christ, that it must move from an inward principle; the motion of saving grace, is Christ's heart wheeled about by itself, and by no foreign cause without itself: love works as love without bud or bribe from men or angels. Grace is both wages and work, the race and the gold to itself. 2. God delights to have men and angels his debtors. Grace holds an open and a free inn, with all the dainties that Christ can make, to all comers and goers, for nothing but thanks and heartily welcome: grace makes no gain of my work. The sweating of angels, and of the thousand thousands that sing up the glory of Christ before the high throne, is no income to Christ's rent: grace should not be grace, if it could traffic, or buy, or sell with a creature. Angels and men stand in the books of free grace for millions of borrowed sums. Christ's blood and deep love may be praised, but never recompensed: Christ's love has filled this world and the new Paradise with debtors; and angels can neither read, nor sum, nor cast up the accounts of free grace. 3. That we cannot be masters of one good act, without his preventing grace evidences what nature is, and makes grace both my staff and my [reconstructed: convoy] into Heaven's gates; nature and free will must stoop and do homage to CHRIST. There's a glory active, and a glory passive, as there's also grace active and passive, free will is active under grace, and passive also, and therefore grace and mercy, is to the saints, and upon the saints; nature empties its lamp upon the golden pipe, the rich grace of the Mediator, and free will moves and runs, but not but as moved, driven, and breathed upon by free grace. But as concerning glory, it has a more eminent and noble relation; glory shall be on the saints as a garment, as a crown, for they shall be glorified: but no glory to the saints, but only, only to the Lamb, to the flower of the glory of glory, Jesus the celebrated, eminent, most high and adored Prince of the kings of the earth. And therefore there's room and place left for sin and shame to free will in the business of predeterminating grace, that nature can but sigh and sin, and grace sing and be spotless and innocent: Christ so draws, as we sin in not being drawn; Christ so takes and allures, that it is our guilt that we are not taken and overcome with the smell of the King's ointments. So is sin the field out of which springs the rose, the flower of free and unhired grace: sin must go with us, as near to heaven as to the threshold of the gates, that the sinner may halt and crook when he moves his foot on the threshold stone of glory; that so pardoning grace may enter the new city with us. 4. The Lord will have us take to heaven with us, a book of the Psalms and praises of grace, that in that land we may extol and advance free grace, and may hold the book in our hand all the way, and sigh and weep, and sing, and adore the Savior of free grace, and may take grace's bill in our hand into Heaven with us. Oh how sweet to be grace's drowned and overburdened debtor? It is good here to borrow much, and profess inability for eternity, to pay, that heaven may be a house full of broken men, who have borrowed millions from Christ, but can never repay more, than to read and sing the praises of grace's free bill; and say, Glory, Glory to the Lamb, that sits on the throne forevermore: praising forever in heaven, must be in lieu of paying debt. 1. God is not behind nor wanting to the gracious soul, for there's a promise of grace here. 2. There is an intercession at hand, and that more mighty now than at Christ's first ascension, and shall be more mighty when all Israel shall be converted. There is a stirring required in a gracious spirit, but with sense of nature's weakness, so as he is to arise, and be doing, and the Lord shall be with him, and he is so to blow upon the coals, as if he could do his alone, though not without the faith of dependence upon an immediate acting from Heaven.

Object 3. But then Adam yet sinless was to believe weakness and sin in himself, before he sinned. Ans. Not so, but he was to have that which by analogy answers to sense of sin, that is a sinless consciousness and solicitude, that if God should withdraw his stirring and predeterminating influence of corroborating him to will and to do, (you may call it grace) he should fall, and that legs in Paradise without actual assistance, could not actu secundo, bear the bulk and weight of Adam's connatural and constant walking with God, that Adam might know, before he was a debtor to justice, that he had need of mercy, or the free goodness of a surety, such as Jesus Christ, to prevent debt, no less than to pay debt, even as angels are debtors to Christ their head, for redemption from all possible sins, no less than we are (though the degrees of altitude of grace vary much) the obliged underlings of such a bountiful landlord, for redemption from actual misery.

That is a great faith, that is not broken with a temptation. But 1. it takes strength from a temptation; as some run more swiftly after a fall, that they may recompense their loss of time; and that is great faith that argues from a temptation, as this woman does. 2. That is Job's great faith, (Job 2:3) that he still holds fast his integrity: the word [⟨ in non-Latin alphabet ⟩] Hazak, is to hold with strength and power, He keeps fast and with violence his innocency: and faith makes him stronger than he was; the word is used, (Psalm 147:13), for making stronger the bars of ports. And it is Job's praise, (Job 1:22) in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God with folly. 3. It is a strong faith in this woman, that, in a manner, conquers Omnipotence by believing; indeed, Satan, winds, fire from heaven, wife, Sabeans, indeed, apprehended wrath cannot prevail with Job, to subdue his faith; in all he stands by this, (Job 15:13) Though the Lord should slay me, I'll trust in him; It is great faith to be at holding and drawing with God; and yet believe and pray, (Hosea 12:3) (Genesis 32:26) and not let the Lord alone, nor give him any rest, (Isaiah 62:6-7) till he answer as suppose your prayers were never heard, and the acts of believing were but darts thrown at heaven and the Throne without any effect; yet because prayer and believing are acts of honoring God, though they never benefit you; it argues strong grace, and so great faith, that it can be said, there be ten years, twenty years of reiterated acts of faith, and prayers of such a man lying up before the Throne, indeed, in Christ the high Priest's bosom; Let God make of my faith what he will, yet am I to believe: continued believing is Christ's due, though it should never be to me gain of comfort or success: that is a weak man who is thrown down on his back with a blast of wind, or made to stagger with the cast of a straw, or a feather: The temporary faith is in this seen to be soft, that it is broken with persecution; When the sun rises soon, [⟨ in non-Latin alphabet ⟩] (Matthew 13:21) he is offended and withers quickly: some spirit of soft clay for a scratch with a pin on his credit, casts away all his confidence, despairs, and hangs himself as Ahithophel: such a temptation would not once draw blood of a strong believer: Straws and feathers and flax do quickly take fire, and are made ashes in a moment, but not so gold, there's bones and metal in strong faith: so the martyrs' faith, that could not be broken with torments, is proved to be a great faith, (Hebrews 11:35) [⟨ in non-Latin alphabet ⟩] Their bodies were racked out as a drum, and beaten to death after racking, and they would not accept a deliverance: Why? Faith looked to a better resurrection: He who sweats, pants up the brow of the mount after Christ, and carries death on his back, must have this strong faith, that Christ is worthy of tortures: a strong faith can bear hell on its shoulders, the grave, and the sorrows of death, and not crack, nor be broken, (Psalm 18:4-6) (Psalm 116:3-4).

4. That faith is argued to be strong that has no light of comfort, but walks in darkness upon the margin and borders of a hundred deaths, and yet stays upon the Lord (Isaiah 50:11). So this woman had no comfort, nor ground of sense of comfort from Christ, except rough answers and reproaches, yet she believes, and so must be strong in the faith (Psalm 3:6). David's faith stands straight without a crook, when ten thousand deaths are round about him, and (Psalm 23:4) he fears no ill when he walks in the cold and dark valley of the shadow of black death. Heman (Psalm 88:7): Your wrath lies hard on me, you have afflicted me with all your waves; then in his sense, God could do no more to drown him — not waves, but all waves; all God's waves were on him, and above him, yet verse 9, Lord, I have called daily upon you: then he believed daily. Hezekiah's comforts are at a hard pinch (Isaiah 39:14): Mine eyes fail with looking upward, O Lord, I am oppressed; yet praying argues believing — Lord, undertake for me. We must think Christ's sense of comforts was ebb and low when he wept, cried (Hebrews 5:7), and was forsaken of God; yet then his faith is doubled, as the cable of an anchor is doubled when the storm is more than ordinary — My God, my God. David chides his cast-down soul, when there's no glimpse of comfort, with strong faith (Psalm 42:11): Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him. In swimming well, the fewer natural helps to hold up the chin and head, the greater the wave, if the swimmer is carried strongly through, as it were in despite of the stream — there's the more art. Art may counter-value strength, and sometimes wisdom is better than strength. The less comfort, if yet you believe at midnight when the spirit is overwhelmed, the more is the art of believing. When an inward principle is weak, we help it with externals. That the child must be allured with rewards, as with apples, a penny, or the like — it is because his sight and desire of the beauty and excellence of learning and arts is but weak or nothing at all. Sense and comforts are external subsidies and helps to faith; and those that cannot believe except upon feelings and sense of the sweetness of comforts are hence argued to have weak and broken inclinations and principles of faith. The more freedom and ingenuity of spirit that is in believing, the more strength of faith, for that is most connatural that has least need of hire. You need not give hire, reward, or inducement to the mother's affection to work upon her and cause her to love her child: love can hardly be hired; nature is stronger than rewards or any externals. Comforts are but the hire of serving God, and the results of believing in a sad condition. There are some cautions here that are considerable. 1. God leads some strong ones to heaven whose affections are soft, as David's were (Psalm 35:13 and Psalm 119:25, 28, 136, 53; Psalm 6:6), and yet faith is strong (Psalm 22:1) — God possibly immediately working upon the assenting or believing faculty, leaving the affections to their own native disposition. 2. God uses some privileged dispensations, so that a strong believer shall doubt upon no good ground (Psalm 116:11) — God so disposing that grace may appear to be grace, and the man but flesh. 3. Softness of affection and light of comfort may by accident concur with strong acts of believing, for with these, in many, there is little light, much faith, and they should without these apples given to children strongly believe — and God, to confirm his own of mere indulgence, sweetens affections.

But if God gives comforts, ordinarily it's a sort of indulgence of grace, or the grace of grace. It's true, rejoicing falls under a Gospel commandment (Philippians 4:4), yet so, as God has not tied the sweetness of the comfort of believing to believing, that you may know it's strength of faith that is the principle of strong faith, as intense and strong habits make strong acts. God keeps some in a sad condition all their life, who are experienced believers, and they never feel the comfort of faith, until the splendor of glory glances on their eyes. As one experienced believer kept under sadness and fear for eighteen years, at length came to this: I enjoy and rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious; but he lived not long after. Another, living in sadness all his life, died with comforts admirable. And 3. let this be put as a case of conscience — why do various believing and rejoicing much in God's salvation all their life, yet die in great conflicts, and to beholders with little expression of comfort and feeling? As various of the saints die. Certainly, God 1. walks in liberty here. 2. He would not have us limit the breathings of the Holy Ghost to coincide with our hour of dying. 3. We may make an idol of a begun heaven, as if it were more excellent than Christ. To conclude, little evidence, much adherence, speaks a strong faith.