The All-Sufficient Physician

Soveraign Divine Healing.

I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore Comforts unto him, and to his Mourners.

IT was a sad and awful Expostulation uttered by the holy Prophet, in Jer. 14.19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy Soul loathed Zion? Why hast thou smitten us and there is no healing for us? We looked for Peace and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble; Hence the same Prophet gives vent to his pent up grief, by saying, When I would comfort my self against sorrow, my heart is faint in me; the Harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and we are not healed; for the hurt of the Daughter of my People, I am hurt, I am black, Astonisment hath taken hold upon me: Is there no Balm in Gilead? Is there no Physician there? Jer. 8.18, 20, 21, 22. Our Text presents a rich and royal Cordial that may revive the drooping Spirits of God's Children when his backslidden People among whom they live, are by their own Sins, & God's judgments p. 2sunk into the greatest depth of distress; in that it gives us God's Free and Soveraign Ingagement in way of Prerogative Mercy, To be a Healer to this Sin-sick and Self-destroying People: Wherein the great God presents himself under the Notion of an Alsufficient Physician,

1. Graciously Visiting this Sick Patient, [I have seen] I who am the High and Lofty One, that inhabiteth Eternity, the holy One of Israel his Saviour and Physician, I am come, not as a Judge, to punish, but as a compassionate Physician, to visit and take notice of the Malady; in order to the Application of a suitable rememy.

2. This most Excellent and Skilful Physician hath a perfect knowledge of the Nature and Malignity of the Disease; I have seen his ways, o◊ I do see his way, so some render it, i. e. his complicated distress, his chronical disease, the ways of the heart, lip, and life of the Jews my Professing People; I have seen the Iniquity of his Covetousness, I have seen him go on frowardly in the way of his heart: in the 17. vers. of this Chapter. The disease has had many remedies applyed without Success; many Means and Methods of healing have been improved; and when Means have been used to Cure the disease that was most visible; some other disease has appeared, whose Symptoms were more awfully threatening, and obstructive to the Cure: so that this complicated distemper has sadly and signally advanced upon the languishing Patient, p. 3in so much that it is now deeply rooted and is grown Malignant and Immedicable, yea altogether incurable, by any Physician, but the Almighty Physician himself who can heal & help in an incontroulable way. Vidi quo abierit, (saith Musculus) quo tandem miser ac calamitosus pervenerit, quem finem viaram suarum sorytitus sit, quibus sese plagis involverit ac confecerit: quare mis◊ricordia motus sanabo eum, curabo illius vulnera. I have seen how far he hath gone away (saith Musculus) whether at length this Miserable & Calamitous Patient hath' rambled, what is like to be the Miserable end of his sinful ways, by how many Plagues he has intangled and destroyed himself; wherefore being moved with Mercy, I will Heal him and I will cure his Wounds.

p. 33. Now in this Article of Extremity in this Juncture of Distress, the Bowels of this Good and Great Physician are troubled for this perishing Patient, I will surely have Mercy upon him, faith the Lord: Jer. 31.20, I will Heal him. Vul nera illius curabo ac lig◊bo, I will bind up and cure his ulcerated Wounds, nisi enim hoc ag◊m, prersus, intereat necesse est; for unless I do this, he must at length inevitably perish; therefore this his Extremity shall be my Opportunity to display my Soveraign Mercy & Divine Clemency towards him, I now say to him as I said to my People of old, I am the LORD that bealeth thee, Exod. 15.26. Insanabiles autem sunt morbi nostri, nisi nos ◊◊ser; cordia sua Dominus praeveniat. Calvin, p. 4Our Diseases are Immedicable and altogether Incurable (saith Calvin) unless Sovereign Mercy speedily step in for our help.

I will lead him also] Reduxi eum ab exilio, in patriam: I have returned him from Captivity into his Native Country; so some render it: requiescere faciam eum, (saith Musculus) a lab◊ribus videlicet, molest is & aerumnis Babylonicae servitue is. I will make him to rest, (saith Musculus) from his labour, viz. from the troubles & distresses of his Babylonical servitude. This leading (say others) respects their weakness by sin; God will lead them and cause them to go. Isa. 48.I7. I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to Profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst go. There is a (Manutenentiu Dei) an invisible Hand-holding of God, by which the whole visible Creation is Supported and Conducted; without which no Creature could hold on in the way of Nature; much more is there an invisible Hand-holding of God, by which the Spiritual creation is Supported & Conducted; and without which the new Creature cannot hold on in the ways of Grace. 'Tis the hold which Christ the Physician has of this Patient; and the rooting which he has in Christ, by which he is confirmed and led.

4. The Effect of it, is comfort to him and to his Mourners. It implys the removal of the anguish and sorrow following Sin; and the conferring comfort and consolation upon them and p. 5their Mourners; that is, such as Mourn over the sin, rebellion and obstinacy of this froward People, and sympathize with them in their deep distress. God has some Mourners in the worst of times, that are faithful with God, Ezek. 9.4, 6. These God will take care of in time of general judgment, to comfort these Mourners; to appoint unto them that Mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oyl of Joy for Mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness the Planting of the Lord, that he may be glorifyed, Isai. 61.2, 3.