The tryal & triumph of faith: or, An exposition of the history of Christs dispossessing of the daughter of the woman of Canaan Delivered in sermons; in which are opened, the victory of faith; the condition of those that are tempted; the excellency of Jesus Christ and free-grace; and some speciall grounds and principles of libertinisme and antinomian errors, discovered by Samuel Rutherfurd, professor of divinity in the University of St. Andrews. Published by authority.

SERMON XI. (Book 11)

Matth. 15.23.

But he answered her not a word: And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away, for she cryeth after us.

24.

But he answered, and said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,

25.

Then came she, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

WE now enter into the Dialogue between the Woman and Christ: The first tryall is, The woman cryeth: But Christ answereth not a word: I shew first wherein the tempta∣tion standeth: 2. The reasons of it,* 1.1 and in what cases Christ answereth not: 3. Bring the uses; for the first, Gods temptations and Satans, and the flashes, agree in this, that all temptations are of one colour, to wit, white, and seeming good, even when the skin of temptations is black as Hell, yet there is white in it, as (Curse God and die, that thou maist be hidden in the grave from misery) the reason is, temptation were not temptation, if it had not a taking power to break in upon reason; this is clear in Satans temptations, he knowes man is a fallen

and broken creature like himself, yet that there▪s reason left: and that must have a fair object, the first black apple must be good to the eye: so the Divell suiteth a wife ever in his whites, though if you would wash the Divell and the lie, the bones are alwayes black: Now this [ 1] woman seeth that which she looked not for, and the affections must be stirred: Is this the Lord, the hearer of Prayers? 2. Is this he that bid∣deth us pray, and promiseth to hear? 3. Is this the meek Lamb of God, of whom its s••il, He shall carry the Lambs in his bosome, Esaaiah 42.11. And a bruised reed he shal not break, a smoaking Flax he shall not quench: He an∣swereth me not one word: yea, he denyeth me to be his, as its hereafter, he reproacheth me with the name of a dog: nature would say, I repent that ever I came to him, let my daugh∣ter suffer twenty, one hundred, a Legion of Devils, I have done with Christ, I come no more at him:* 1.2 especially supposing what was true, that she had a great Faith: and Faith cannot be but loving and kind to Christ: What? my heart sadned and broken: my daughter vexed with a Divel! but oh alas, my Saviour answereth, not one word, sweet Iesus rejecteth me, how can I stand under so many Hells? He cureth all that cometh to him: I am the first that ever this King sent away with a sad heart, he ca∣steth none away that cometh, he welcometh all, only he will not look on me poor and miserable?

Oh what can I now do! You may know a mo∣thers heart to her tormented childe, and a Be∣lievers bowels to a Saviour, here's a burden a∣bove a load: But why answereth he all sinners, but not one word to me? Ans. 1. Few or none are tempted, but the upshot of the temptation is to beget big apprehensions of the temptation: never was man in the condition I am in: Christ answereth the Divels when they cry, he wil not give me one look, one cast of his eye, not one halfe word: The temptation must represent Christ, as a non-such for rough dealing, and the tempted a non-such for misery: Elias must say,* 1.3 1 Kin. 18.20. I, even I only, am left alone, and they seek my life, Ps. 22.4. Our fathers trusted is thee, they trusted in thee, and were delive∣red, vers. 6. But I am no body: But I am a worm and no man, Lam. 1.12. O passers by, hear behold, and see if there be any sorrow, like un∣to my sorrow! &c. 1 Cor. 4.9. We are made a theator, a spectacle to men and Angels: The temptation must put on the face of Hell to drive at this, to cause the childe of God put himself out of the Kalender and society of Gods children: hence, that (no there was never a soul since the world was, like me, I am my alone. 1. Christ once, first or last, must be no Christ,* 1.4 and God not God to the tempted, Hath he forgot∣ten to be gracious? Psal. 77. A forgetting God, a changed God is not God; stick by this principle, Yet he is Christ, and my Christ too. 2. Its said, [ 2]

he answered her not a word: but its not said, he heard not one word: these two differ much: Christ often heareth when he doth not answer, his not answering is an Answer, and speaks this, pray on, go on, and cry) for the Lord holdeth his door fast bolted, not to keep out, but that you may knock and knock: prayer is to God, worship: to us, often, its but a servant upon meer necessity sent on a businesse: The father will cause his childe say over again, what he once heard him say, because he delighteth to hear him speak: so God heareth and layeth by him an answer for Ephraim, Jer. 31.18. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself; but E∣phraim heard not, knew not that God told all Ephraims prayer over again behinde his back: 3. No answer from Christ is Hell to a Believer: [ 3] but to kisse and embrace hell, because its Christs Hell, is a work of much acceptance: when you say, He pray, and die praying, though I be ne∣ver heard, because praying is my dutie, and Gods glory: let me die in a dutie that glorifi∣eth him. 4. Wrestling addeth strength to armes [ 4] and body, praying and praying again strength∣neth Faith: customary running, lengthneth the breath: By much praying faith is well breathed: Iacob is stronger in the morning, when he hath prayed a whole night, then at bed-time, Gen. 32.26. The Angel said, Let me go, for the day brea∣keth: And he said, I will not let thee go, till thou blesse me. Then in the dawning he hath

prayed harder, and used his arms with greater violence then before, by this hunger groweth fatter, sense stronger; its here, Eat and be hungry, pray and desire more strongly to pray.* 1.5 3. Reasons of Gods not hearing prayer are; 1. Superstitious and false worship, Isa. 16.12. Mo∣ab wearied of his high places, comes to his San∣ctuary to pray, but prevaileth not. Wildfire [ 1] cannot rost raw flesh. 2. God hears not sinners, [ 2] Joh. 9.31. Let his prayer be sin, Psal. 109.7. Yea the prayers of Britain are not heard, nor their Solemn Fasts accepted; for iniquity hath sepa∣rated between God and us, Es. 59.2. 3. God [ 3] heareth not wh••n there's a heart-love to vani∣ty. Psal. 66.18. Iob 35.15. 4. God heareth not [ 4] Malignants, nor us, when many are heart-ene∣mies to the Cause, Psal. 18.41. 5. He heareth [ 5] not bloudy men, Es. 1.15. Now for the Saints, sense maketh non answering a mercifull judge∣ment, its here as in riches: he is rich who thin∣keth himself rich, and desireth no more: So not to be answered is a plague: but to find you are not answered, and be sad for it, hath much of Christ: The Saints are heavier, because God answereth not, then because the mercy is denyed.* 1.6

Quest. How shall we know we are answered? Answ, Hannah knew it by peace after prayer: 2. Paul knew it, by receiving new supply to bear the want of that he sought in prayer; he is answered that is more heavenly after prayer. [ 1] [ 2]

[ 3] 3. Liberty and boldnesse of Faith, is a sign of an answered prayer: The intercessor at the right hand of God, cannot lose his own work; his spirit groaneth in the Saints; doth not my head accept what I set my heart on work to do? [ 4] Rom. 8.23, 26, 27. compared with Rev. 8.3. 4. We are heard and answered of God,* 1.7 when we are not heard and answered of God. I pray for a temporall favour; victory to Gods people in this battle, they lose the day: Yet I am heard and answered, because I prayed for that victory, not under the notion of victory, but as linked with mercy to the Church and the honour of Christ: So the formall object of my prayers was a spirituall mercy to the Church, and the honour of Jesus Christ. Now the Lord by the losse of the day, hath shewen mercy on his peo∣ple in humbling them, and glorifieth his Son, in preserving a fallen people: So he heareth that which is spirituall in my prayers; he is not to hear the errors of them. Christ putteth not drosse in his Censure of Gold. 5. We are heard [ 5] when ever we ask in Faith; but let Faith reach no further then Gods will: when we make Gods will our rule, he will do his own will; if he do not my wil, its to be noted, That the crea∣tures will, divided from Gods will, in things not necessary for Salvation, and Gods glory, is no part of Gods will, and no asking of Faith. Therefore, Faith frequently in the Psalms; pray∣eth, and answereth. Psal. 6. v. 4. compared

with v. 9. Ps. 55.2. Attend unto me, & hear me,* 1.8 v. 19. God shall hear and afflict them, Ps. 57.1. Be mercifull unto me O God, &c. v. 3. He shall send from Heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up, Psal. 59. 1. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God. 2. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, v. 10. The God of mercy shall prevent me,* 1.9 God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies, Psal. 60.1. O God thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, &c. But in the end, vers, 12. Through God we shall do valiantly. The pro∣phecying of Faith is not dead with the Pro∣phets. Faith seeth afar off as yet; to see things that God shall do, either by Himself, or by An∣gels, is an act of prophecy, and differeth not in nature from the propheticall light of the Pro∣phets: now the light of Faith seeth as yet the same, to wit, that Christ shall raise the dead, and send his Angels to gather in his Wheat into his barne; especially hope of glory is Propheti∣call. 6. Patience to wait on, while the vision speak, is an answer. 7. Some letters require no answer, but are meer expressions of the desires of the friend; the generall Prayers of the Saints, that the Lord would gather in his elect, that Christ would come and marry the Bride, and consummate the Nuptials, do refer to a re∣all answer; when our Husband the King shall come in person at his second appearance.

1. Vse. You take it hard,* 1.10 that you are not

answered,* 1.11 and that Christs door is not opened at your first knock: David must knock, Ps. 22. 2. O my God I cry by day, and thou hearest not, and in the night season I am not silent. The Lords Church, Lam. 3.8. And when I cry and shout, he shuteth out my prayer. Sweet Iesus the Heire of all, prayed with teares and strong cries, once, O my father, againe, O my father, and the third time, O my father, ere he was heard. Wait on, dye praying, faint not.

* 1.122. Vse. Its good to have the heart stored with sweet principles of Christ, when he heareth not at the first. Its Christ, he will answer. Its but Christs out-side that is unkinde.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Every temptati∣on hath its tak∣ing pow∣er from the see∣ming goodnesse in it.
• * 1.2

  Reasons why this was a tempta∣tion to the wo∣man.
• * 1.3

  Tempta∣tions scop is to mak the tem∣pted be∣lieve there is none like him.
• * 1.4

  1. The non-answe∣ring of Christ is an an∣swer.
• * 1.5

  Reasons of the Lords no•• hearing prayer.
• * 1.6

  How t•• know that our prayers are an∣swered.
• * 1.7

  We are heard when we are not heard: praying in Faith is alwayes heard e∣ven when the parti∣cular that we aske, is denyed.
• * 1.8

  Faith in a prayer asketh & answer∣eth it self.
• * 1.9

  The light of saving Faith, & the Pro∣pheticall light of the Pro∣phets not different in nature & space.
• * 1.10

  1. Use▪
• * 1.11

  The dea∣rest not admitted into God at the first knock.
• * 1.12

  2. Use.