The strong helper, offering to beare euery mans burthen. Or, A treatise, teaching in all troubles how to cast our burden vpon God but chiefly deliuering infallible grounds of comfort for quieting of troubled consciences. By Iohn Haivvard.

CHAP. XX.

OVr afflicted sinner was in∣couraged to pray, and to hope for forgiuenesse of his sinnes, not onely by the commandement of Iesus Christ, which giueth leaue and hope, but also, and more strongly by the promise of God, assuring in plaine words that it shall bee granted to him. I will forgiue their ini∣quitie,* 1.1 and will remember their sinnes no more. But the nature of his temptation, suffering no comfort to enter and abide with him, armeth him with an obiecti∣on against that incouragement in this manner. I know that God hath made* 1.2 such a liberall promise. I know that he made it aduisedly, vnderstanding him∣selfe what he promised, that hee made it in truth, meaning to performe faith∣fully as much as hee promised: and that he remembers his promise for euer, for time can not worke forgetfulnesse in

him, nor any shadow of alteration, and therefore it shall be most truely and ful∣ly performed. But it pertaineth not to mee for any aduantage and benefit of mine: for the Prophet telleth vs it is a couenant made with the house of Isra∣el, for these are his words; This shall be* 1.3 the couenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes, saith the Lord. But I am no Israelite, howsoeuer* 1.4 you shall take the name: for if you vn∣derstand it in the naturall signification for the children of Iacob, in the twelue Tribes of Israel, I am not of that kin∣red, I am of the Gentiles. And if I were naturally of the seed of Israel, yet might I very well loose all lawfull challenge to that promise, because Saint Paul saith, All they are not Israel which are* 1.5 of Israel: But if you take the name in the spiritual signification, for a child of pro∣mise, an heire of grace, and a preuailer with God (and in that sence was it first giuen to Iacob. when he wrestled with the Angell, and preuailed, not letting him goe, vntill hee had blessed him) in this signification. It doth yet much lesse agree to mee, that am rather an Egypti∣an,

a Cananite, an Edomite, and an eni∣mie of God, rather then a preuailer with him. I neuer wrestled with God by faith and praier (as Iacob) to preuaile with him: but rather I haue wrestled with God by pride and malice as a professed aduersarie, I haue bidden defiance to God in the contempt of my proud heart, & I haue made fierce war against God in my many sinnes, striuing to pre∣uaile against him, neuer desiring to pre∣uaile with him: and thence is it, that now in iustice and power, hee beareth himselfe so strongly against me. There∣fore being no way an Israelite, and that couenant wherein God promiseth to forgiue and forget sinnes, being made with the house of Israel, what claime can I make to that promise? euen none at all.

The nature of this disease is very* 1.6 strange, that turneth into poison what soeuer is applyed to it by way of medi∣cine, or at least way striueth to extin∣guish all the vertue of those medicines, least it might bee cured. But this must moue vs to haue the more compassion, and to take the more paine, to see if God

at the last will send comfort and sauing health.

Thou thinkest that this promise of forgiuing and forgetting sinnes doeth not pertaine vnto thee, because it was made with the house of Israel, and thou art neither Israelite in the flesh nor by promise, but takest thy selfe rather wor∣thy to be esteemed an Egyptian, a Cana∣nite, an Edomite. And if thou wilt, a Dog, and what soeuer other name thou canst remember or deuise. And yet I will shew and proue, that this promise made with the house of Israel pertaineth vnto thee.

But first, to begin withall, let me here* 1.7 remember vnto thee an historie recor∣ded in the Gospell. A certaine woman of the seed of Canaan, dwelling in the* 1.8 coastes of Tyrus and Sidon, had at home at hir house a daughter that was posses∣sed with a diuel: shee came vnto Iesus, crauing mercy at his hands for the hea∣ling of hir daughter, saying vnto him. Haue mercy on me O Lord, thou sonne of Dauid, my daughter is miserablie vexed with a Diuel. The Lord Iesus reiecteth her as a stranger from the common

wealth of Israel, and as some beast of wilde and fierce nature not fit to be fol∣ded vp among his milde sheepe▪ saying vnto her. I am not sent but vnto the lost* 1.9 sheepe of the house of Israel. Hee pro∣nounced asmuch of her, as thou pro∣nouncest of thy selfe, shee was no Isra∣elite. And when this answere, which thou art so much afraid of, comming but from thine owne mouth, could not, though it came from the mouth of Iesus, checke that boldnes and confidence of spirit in which she came, but that she still continued her sute, hee dealt more roughly with her, and signified vnto her inplaine words, that he made no other account of her then of a Dog, in com∣parison of the children of God, to whom the bread of Gods mercy, by the hands of the sauiour, is to be broken, saying vnto her. It is not good to take the chil∣drens* 1.10 bread, and to cast it to whelpes. That is, I were not fit to haue the gouernment of Gods house, if the mercy, which is the portion of his children, I should cast a∣way among Dogs, such as thou art. Tell me what thy heart can obiect against thy selfe, to exclude thee from the com∣mon

wealth and house of Israel, and to cut thee off from being partner in that promise for forgiuenesse of sinnes, or in any other promise of God what soeuer, that is not here obiected by the Lord Iesus Christ against this Cananite, to ex∣clude her from all hope of obtaining any mercy at his hands. He denies her to be of the house of Israel, hee doeth not ac∣knowledge her to bee a sheepe of his fold, and in plaine termes, to the vnder∣standing of all that heare his wordes, he placeth her among Dogs rather then a∣mong children. And this is it, that thou chargest thy selfe to be, and therefore secluded from hauing any part in that promise.

But that poore woman would not be answered so, but still she persisteth in praier: and knowing & beleeuing that Iesus the sonne of Dauid was able to in∣franchise her, and make her a Citizen & member of the common wealth of Isra∣el, and to change her, and of a Dog, to make her a sheepe of his folde, yea a child of Gods familie, shee intr•…•…ateth him to admit her to the portion of an allowed dog, saying vnto him, Trueth* 1.11

Lord yet in deed the whelpes eate of the crums which fall from their masters table. And to maintaine in her such faith and such feruencie, shee had no promise so particularly answering the euill that op∣pressed her heart, as that promise doeth particularly and most aptly answere to the euill, that lieth so heauily vpon thy conscience, onely shee had heard that Iesus had helped others. And this her inforced importunitie, and (as a man would thinke) her vnreasonable and vn∣mannerly soliciting, preuailed for her, and she obtained all that mercy that her soule desired. What shall I say then vnto thee, that so foolishly vrgest against thy selfe, the shadow of thine owne suspici∣on, and thine owne fantasticall feare: and refusest to call for that mercy, that God hath alreadie promised to grant? a Cananite and a dog (neither Israelite, nor sheepe, nor child) preuaileth, and thou, discouraged onely by thine owne conceit•…•… darest not aduenture.

But it runneth in thy head that thou art no Israelite. And according to the natu∣rall signification of the name, for a son of Iacobs loynes, thou art none & thou re∣gardest

not to be one, because that man∣ner of being an Israelite would nothing benefit thee. But thou also thinkest that in the other significatiō of the name, thou likewise art none: & affirmest him in that •…•…ence to be an Israelite, that is a child of promise, an heire of grace, & a preuailer with God, a citizen with saints, & of the houshold of God, which thou art not.

Thy definition of a true Israelite is* 1.12 good, and to be maintained. But for thee to denie thy self to be such an one, is not good, nor to be maintained, for art not thou descended of Christian parents, and thereby a Cittizen with the Saints, and a child borne within the houshold of faith. And an holy one from the wombe: the Apostle Paul, speaking of the chil∣dren of beleeuing parents, hath these words. Else were your children vncleane,* 1.13 but now they are holy. Wherein he doth pronounce them to be holy, that is, to haue a title to the couenāt of grace, and to all the priuileges of the Church, and therefore to be of the house of Israel. And this is their birth-right, & their iust inheritance, if either the father or the mother be a right beleeuer, though the

other parent bee an infidell: but both thy parents made profession of the faith of Iesus Christ, therefore this birth-right on both sides is confirmed to thee, and who shal denie him to be a true Israelite, that is borne holy, being of that Holy* 1.14 nation and peculiar people, that Saint Pe∣ter speakes of. Also thy parents receiued the promises of Gods mercy not onely for themselues, but also for thee, as the Apostle Peter preached to his hearers, saying. The promise is made vnto you, and* 1.15 to your children, and to all that are a farre of, euen so many as the Lord our God shall call. And this affliction, which now li∣eth so heauie vpon thy conscience is nothing else then the calling of God, seeking by this trouble to bring thee home vnto himselfe, that hast so long in in thy former securitie gone astray from him: and therefore that promise of for∣giuing iniquitie, and not remembring sinne, and all other promises of his mer∣cy, are made to thee, and doe belong vn∣to thee, as to a true Israelite, thou being the child of such parents as did inherite the same promises before thee, and thou being also by thy afflictiō called of God.

And say that thou wert a stranger and* 1.16 forrener, and as hard-hearted as the stones in the streete, that are nothing fit to receiue the forme of a seruiceable vessell: Yet such is the power of the hand of God our Potter, that he is able to make the hard stones softer then the clay, and to worke our hearts as wax to take the impression of his Law: he is a∣ble to make vs vessels of honour, for holy & acceptable seruices in his house: and hee is able to make vs Abrahams seede, and true Israelites. You know the words of Iohn the Baptist, spoken to the prowd Iewes, that gloried so much in this, that they were Abrahams seed, and in Abrahams right were heires of the Couenant. Hee spake thus vnto them, Say not within your selues, we haue* 1.17 Abraham to our Father, for I say vnto you, that God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham. So that of him, that is no Israelite, that is no child, that is no heire, God is able to make an Israelite, a child, an heire. Of Gods goodnesse toward them that were no Israelites, and no people, the Prophet Hosea speaketh in this manner, I will

haue mercie vpon her that was not pitied,* 1.18 and I will say to them which were not my people; Thou art my people, and they shall say, thou art my God. If thou wert there∣fore of that company that is not pitied, thou maiest yet find mercie at GODS hands: and if thou wert of that compa∣ny that is not Gods people, thou may∣est yet become one of his. The feare therfore that thou fainest vnto thy selfe hath no ground.

Consider him whom thou hast to deale withall, and hope in his mercie, that is so liberall in his promises, and is also most faithfull in the performance of his word. Thou hast sinned, and hee hath promised to forgiue thy sinnes. Appeale vnto his promises, he cannot faile to effect that which hee hath giuen his word for: of which word of his, himselfe saith thus, It shall not returne vnto mee void, but it shall accomplish that which I will, & it shall prosper in the thing* 1.19 whereto I sent it. So that, hauing sent forth that gracious word of promise, to forgiue and forget thy sinnes, it shall not returne to him void, it shall not be found a false or faulty word, but a word

of truth and power. Pray vnto God for the effect of it, and it shall prooue pros∣perous to thy peace.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iere. 31. 34
• * 1.2

  The fourth obiection; promise of forgiuenesse to Israel.
• * 1.3

  Ier. 31. 33.
• * 1.4

  But I am no Israelite.
• * 1.5

  Rom. 9 6
• * 1.6

  Answere to this fourth ob∣iection.
• * 1.7

  Mar. 15. 2•…•….
• * 1.8

  The woman of Canaan and this sin∣ner compa∣red together
• * 1.9

  Mat. 15. 24.
• * 1.10

  Mat. 15. 26.
• * 1.11

  Mat. 15 •…•…7.
• * 1.12

  That this sinner is an Israelite.
• * 1.13

  1. Cor. 7. 14
• * 1.14

  1. Pet. 2. 9.
• * 1.15

  Acts. 2. 39.
• * 1.16

  If he be not an Is∣raelite, hee may be.
• * 1.17

  Luke 3. 8.
• * 1.18

  Hos. 2. 23
• * 1.19

  Esa. 55 11.