the sonne of Dauid whereby shee declared that shee acknowledged him to bee the same which was described and set forth in the Scriptures and that shee looked to obtaine at his hands those things which were promised of him in the Scriptures In which it was promised that hee should heare the crie of the poore when they made their humble supplication to him that hee should succour the afflicted who had none to helpe them that hee should take vpon him all our infirmities and beare all our diseases that hee should preach sight to the blinde limmes to the lame life to the dead and deliuerance to all that are afflicted This request of hers therefore being in the compasse of those things which were promised to bee granted by him shee is bould to call and cry vnto him saying O Lord thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon mee my daughter is miserably tormented with a Diuell And note that shee desireth him to bee mercifull vnto her whereas her sute chiefly concerned her daughter For not onely the naturall loue of her daughter made her to accompt the miseries of her child to bee her owne griefe but also she acknowledgeth that God in plauging of her daughter plagueth the mother also and therefore shee desireth Christ to haue mercy pitty and compassion of her selfe as well as of her daughter And further note that shee challengeth nothing by lesert merite or worthinesse but onely of mercy pitty and compassion saying Haue mercy vpon me Lord thou sonne of Dauid Hetherto yee haue heard how her faith was firmely fastened vpon the promises of God and that shee endured the tryall of a mighty and strong temptation her daughter beeing possessed with the Diuell which was so farre off that it could ouer-throw her faith that rather it was an occasion whereby her faith was shewed to bee most inuincible and set forth for one of the chiefest examples of the greatest faith that euer was in the world But there remaine yet more grieuous temptations whereby her faith was tenne times more vehemently assaulted then euer it was before For it followeth in the text And hee answered her not a word This was a maruelous sore temptation that he in whom her whole trust was reposed is so farre of from granting her petition that hee seemeth to disdaine to make answer to her request That hee which calleth and allureth vnto him all other refuseth so much as to speake to her That hee which calleth and allureth vnto him all other refuseth so much as to speake her That he which offereth his helpe to them that seeke it not will not heare her humble sute that doth so earnestly craue it What might shee thinke but that all her labour was lost all her hope was in vaine and all that euer shee heard of him was vntrue Is this hee that is so courteous and gentle to all them that require his helpe Is this he that made a generall proclamation saying Come vnto mee all yee that labour and are laden and I will refresh you Is this hee that neuer denyed his gratious fauour to any that desired the same The other temptation by the misery of her daughter was very great but this tryall by the silence of Christ in whom onely shee hoped for helpe was much greater And by this temptation also God trieth his seruants that he doth not onely send them affliction and misery to molest them but often times also when they pray for helpe and deliuerance he seemeth both deafe and dumbe for as though he heard not their prayers hee maketh no answer but suffereth them to continue still in misery notwithstanding that hee hath promised to heare their prayers when they call vnto him out of their troubles And not this onely but as hee dealeth heere with this woman whom he disdaineth to answer so hee seemeth not onely to refuse their prayers but also insteed of helpe which they pray for hee sendeth them greater troubles against which they pray Wee see how often the Prophet in the Psalmes complaineth that God is deafe or dumbe and hee heareth not his seruants which pray vnto him So he encreased the calamities of the Isralites vnder Pharao from that time that Moses and Aaron had put them to some comfort of deliuerance So this poore woman no doubt reioyced not a little when shee heard that Christ was come into those quarters but when shee commeth vnto him whom shee was glad that shee had found shee findeth no comfort at all in him but great discouragement and discomfort if any thing could discourage a strong and liuely faith Wee see therefore what a strong temptation her faith endured But it is maruell how shee could retaine such constancie of faith when hee that is the onely author and finisher of our faith euen Iesus Christ disdaineth to speake to her in whose word all our hope and trust consisteth But heere wee must vnderstand that Christ by this his silence did not reiect her sute but rather inflamed her with greater feruency to continue the same For although he suppressed his audible voice for a time yet in time of this silence he spake vnto her by two most effectuall kindes of speaking First by his generall promises contained in the Scriptures which sounded so lowd continually in the eares of her heart that by them shee was assured that Christ called her vnto him although by his temporall and perticular silence hee seemed to reiect her from him Secondly although he spake no word with his tongue yet by his spirit he spake continually to her soule setling and sealing the truth of Gods promises so stedfastly in her heart that she knew it was vnpossible for her to misse of his grace at the length although for the time shee seemed to be refused of him And so vndoubtedly Almighty God dealeth often-times euen with his best beloued children when he deferreth the answer of their request for a time so that hee seemeth to hold his peace notwithstanding that hee hath promised to answer them when they pray In which perplexity they must remember that howsoeuer hee seemeth to keepe silence by not granting their request yet hee speaketh to them continually in his promises contained in his holy word by which they must bee assured that God will bee mercifull vnto them albeit that hee with-hold his promised helpe for a season So Christ at one time speaketh and holdeth his peace not to extinguish the faith of this Cananite but rather to inflame her earnest affection in prayer which thing we see tooke effect in her Then if so small light of knowledge as was possible to be in her according to the state of the time and her own condition wrought such constancie of faith if so little seed of doctrine brought forth such aboundant fruite what shame is it for vs in so cleare light of the Gospell not to see with the eyes of our faith the vnmooueable and vnchangeable truth and certainty of
Gods promises and hauing receiued such aboundance of the immortall seed to bring forth so small fruite that wee are discouraged to continue our prayers if we find not present helpe as soone as wee begin to pray And that wee doubt in our hearts of the truth of Gods promises because wee feele not the execution and fulfilling of them euen at such time as we would appoint our selues Not remembring that he which hath promised to heare vs when we pray hath commanded vs to bee importunate in prayer And hath set before vs the example of the poore widdow to bee followed which hauing a matter to be heard before a wicked Iudge that feared neither God nor man yet at the length obtained iustice at his hands through her importunity And shall not God much rather deliuer his Elect that crye vnto him day and night whom hee hath promised to heare and helpe If therefore wee bee not heard at the first wee must not therefore giue ouer praying but rather increase in study and zeale of prayer knowing that it is Gods pleasure in such a case to bee ouer-come by importunate sute For if the thing wee pray for bee within the compasse of those things which hee hath promised to grant hee can no more deny our request then hee can deny himselfe if wee continue in prayer But flesh and bloud will heere obiect to weaken our faith What comfort haue I to pray when I shall bee heard I cannot tell when For I haue prayed long and find no release of my troubles but rather increase and while he deferrth his helpe I know not for what cause so long in the meane time I shall perish I were better therefore to see if I can finde any comfort else where for none I finde in him For answer wee must consider thus much that if wee looke to obtaine any helpe at Gods hands by our prayers wee must giue God this honour that hee knoweth better then wee our selues both what is meete for vs and also at what time it is best to bestow it vpon vs. For hee which knoweth all things knoweth when it is most conuenient both for his glory and for our profit to grant vs that which wee pray for And there is no louing child of God if these two might bee seperated but would preferre the glory of God before his owne profit And there is no wise man that will take vpon him to know better when his profit is to bee procured then God who is the onely wisdome himselfe But seeing these two things are alwayes linked together namely the glory of God and our saluation wee need no more to doubt that God will bee lesse carefull for our saluation then hee is zealous for his owne glory Therefore it is a vaine obiection and supposeth a meere impossibillity that wee should perish before hee send his deliuerance For God can no more forget our deliuerance in due time then hee can deface his owne glory And touching the meane time in which he suffereth vs to be afflicted that all shall turne to our euerlasting comfort for therby he trieth our faith patience obedience other vertues And the triall of our faith as S. Peter saith being much more pretious then gold which is tryed in the fire yet perisheth shal be foūd to our praise honor and glory at the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. And least wee should doubt to faint in trouble we are taught that God is faithfull and will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength but in all perplexities and most desperate cases will open a way how we shall auoide them For as hee sendeth vs affliction and temptation with the one hand so hee will send vs strength and comfort with the other hand And this was liuely figured in the wrestling of God with Iacob where the Lord by wrestling and striuing with him seemed to fight with him with one hand and by giuing him strength not onely to abide temptations and afflictions but also to preuaile and ouer-come them hee declared that hee did sustaine him with the other hand Let vs not therefore be discomforted if God himselfe seeme to wrestle with vs and to fight against vs by sending vs great troubles and temptations for his purpose is in this most noble combate both to giue vs strength to ouer-come and also the praise of the victory as Saint Peter testifieth in the place euen now alledged Such a noble champion was this simple woman that by faith contended euen with Christ himselfe and in the end obtained the victory Declaring thereby that although shee were a cursed Cananite according to the flesh yet shee was a true Israelite by faith which preuailed euen with God himselfe Such and so wonderfull are the workes of God that when all the glory of our saluation is properly his owne yet hee vouchsafeth to giue vs such strength of faith that thereby we are receiued into part of that praise which is due vnto him but yet so that all the glory redoundeth againe from vs vnto him onely to whom properly it belongeth Well hetherto we haue heard that our Sauiour Christ refused to speake one word with his mouth and yet inwardly hee spake by his spirit to her minde It followeth now in the text That his Disciples came vnto him and besought him saying Send her away for shee cryeth after vs. Heere his Disciples doe not entreate him to shew her any fauour but onely to dispatch her either one way or other because shee made such a bawling and crying after them that they were ashamed to heare her And herein as in many other things reueiled in the history of the Gospell they take vpon them to be wiser then their maister For if he had thought it conuenient he would haue dispatched her sooner for he heard her importunate outcries as well as they but hee respected an other matter which they could not conceaue It were best therfore for men to let God alone with his owne affaires and not to presume to giue him counsell what hee hath to doe but rather to looke what he cōmandeth them to do therein to occupy their heads and their hands But such curiositie raigneth in many mens mindes that they had rather take vpon them to teach God how hee should gouerne the world then submit themselues quietly to obey his commandements But the Papists are heere to be pittied that for lack of better arguments to prooue the inuocation of Saints are faine to abuse this place of the Apostles request to haue this woman dispatched But alas with what coulor or likelihood of reason for first this woman desireth none of them all to be her spoaksman but crieth vnto the maister himselfe O Lord thou Sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon me Secondly they make no intercession for her but onely desire that she might be sent away because she troubled them But whether she obtained her request or no all was one to
them so they might be rid of the exclamation and out-cry that shee made after them to cause all the world to wonder at them Thirdly Christ graunted nothing at their request but rather flatly denieth that hee will haue any thing to doe with her Fourthly if shee had prayed to them and they made intercession for her and obtayned their desire yet there is great difference betweene praying to them that are dead and praying to them that are aliue And therefore it is maruell what they meane to gather an argument for the inuocation of dead Saints out of this place where neither the woman prayeth to the Apostles nor the Apostles pray for her nor Christ graunteth any thing at their request and besides all this the Apostles were not dead but aliue they should haue small comfort I trow in this example yet such for all the world be the rest of their arguments The Virgin Mary prayed for the Bridgrome when shee sayd They haue no wine If this was a request what was her aunswer woman what haue I to doe with thee But aboue the rest they haue one notable example of the rich man that being in the torments of hell prayed vnto Abraham No doubt a worthy example for vs to follow that of a damned spirit in Hell we must learne to make our prayers vnto Saints in Heauen By such authority the doctrine of Diuells may well bee established but the children of God are taught an other forme of prayer by their Heauenly-Schoole Maister But what remedy found the rich man by praying to Abraham that we might bee encouraged by his example to Pray to Saints Hee made two requests and neither of them both was graunted Alas what comfort should any man take by these examples to pray to dead Saints and yet these be the best reasons they haue out of the Scripture sure it is a pittifull case that men will leaue God who hath comanded vs to call vpon him and promised to heare vs to call vpon dead men to whom we haue no commandement nor example of any godly person to pray neither haue they made any promise neither if they had made any promise were they able to performe it But let vs leaue the Papists with their wofull arguments and returne to the Apostles in their request made vnto Christ Dismisse her say they for she crieth after vs. By these words we may easily perceiue how importunatly she continued her sute although he held his peace answered her not one word for still shee cryed and was nothing discouraged wherby we see that this first repulse did so little diminish her desire that it kindled it more more And so doth God often-times in suspending and deferring the answer and effect of our praiers prouoke vs most earnestly to pray both that we may know of whom we haue receiued a benefit and that wee may the more esteeme it when we haue it and so render worthy thankes to him that is the author of it For such is our malignity that if we be preuented with Gods benifits as often-times wee are or else obtaine them immediatly vpon our request we forget that we receiued them of God and so become vnthankfull for them Also wee doe not greatly esteeme those things which wee haue not long wanted nor much desired whereby as for small benefits and not great gifts we render slender thankes to God Therefore God in great wisdom prolongeth sometimes the performance of his promised benifits that men might acknowledge of whom they obtaine thē worthily esteeme them thankfully receiue them and profitably imploy them But now let vs see what answer our Sauiour Christ maketh to the request of his disciples I am not sent saith he but vnto the lost sheep of the house of Israel An vncomfortable answer doubtlesse to the poore woman wherby he pronounceth that he hath no commission of God to do any thing for her in as much as his vocation extended onely to the Israelites and shee was one of the Gentils and a Cananite It was a great temptation vnto her before that he in whom all health is promised and which willingly offered himselfe to all other and by his comfortable voice did call all that are oppressed vnto him kept silence to her alone and beeing so earnestly intreated to extend his fauour towards her yet answereth her not one word but it is ten times greater that now when hee is vrged by his Disciples to speake hee seemeth to put her out of all hope and comfort because he was not sent but vnto the lost sheep of the house of Israel of which number she was none and therefore might not looke for any fauour at his hands And this answer which hee maketh was not a pretended answer to serue for the time but it was most true indeed For although he was not sent only to the Iewes yet was he sent first vnto the Iewes And that wall of seperation which deuided the Iewes from the Gentils was not broken downe before the resurrection of Christ. And therfore in the tenth of this Gospel he forbad his Disciples to goe into the way of the Gentils nor the citties of the Samaritans but go rather saith he vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israell Euen so hee saith now truly I am not sent but vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel First therefore let vs consider the sence of these words and afterward the waight of the temptation Therefore that he saith he was not sent he meaneth not that he was not sent at all but that as yet it pertained not to his vocation to call the Gentils but the Iewes only For that he was also sent vnto the Gentils appeareth plainly by the word of God in the Prophet Esay where the Lord speaketh vnto our Sauiour Christ in the person of a Mediator It is a small thing that thou shouldest be my seruant to raise vp the tribes of Iacob and the desolations of Israell I will also giue thee for a light vnto the Gentiles that thou maist bee my saluation vnto the ends of the world Where-vnto the Prophet Simeon agreeth in his Canticle saying Mine eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people to bee a light to lighten the Gentils and to bee the glory of thy people Israell These words of his therefore must bee vnderstood of that present time in which hee spake them For as then hee was not sent vnto the Gentils but vnto the lost sheepe onely of the house of Israell By the lost sheepe of the house of Israel hee meaneth not the Elect onely but all the whole nation of the Iewes with whom God made the Couenant and vnto whom the redemption was promised for vnto them all it was first offered which because it was of them refused it was afterward made common vnto the Gentils For our Sauiour Christ acknowledgeth a little before his passion that hee
hath other sheepe which were not of the Iewish fold whom hee must bring home that there may bee one fould as there is but one Pastor And in that most earnest and harty Prayer which hee made immediatly before his death wherein hee commendeth to GOD the preseruation of his Disciples whom hee sent to conuert the whole world hee prayeth generally for his whole Church collected both of the Iewes and the Gentils saying I pray not only for these but for all them that shall beleeue in me through their preaching that they all may bee one euen as thou father art in mee and I in thee that they also may bee one in vs that the world may know that thou hast sent mee So that the Israelites haue now no priuiledge nor prerogatiue aboue the Gentiles For in Christ Iesu there is neither Iew nor Gentile for Christ is now as common vnto the Gentiles as before he was proper to the Iewes Then seeing wee bee grafted into the body of Israell this saying is as comfortable to vs as it was vncomfortable to this poore woman For Christ can now make no more excuse by his vocation for we are al the Israel of God though somtimes we were Gentiles now wee are Cittizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God though some-time we were strangers from the common wealth of Israell and forreners from the couenants of promise But this especially is worthy to be considered that Christ calleth them the lost sheepe vnto whom he was sent In which saying we haue two things to be obserued First that we must acknowledge that wee are all lost or else Christ hath nothing to doe with vs wee must euery one confesse with the Psalmist That I haue wandered like a lost sheepe O seeke thou thy seruant They therefore that are proud in opinion of their owne good workes and thinke to be saued by their deserts are not for Christ to meddle withall for he is sent but vnto the lost sheep of the house of Israel or as he sayd vnto the Pharisies The whole haue no neede of the Phisition but the sicke First therefore we must acknowledge that wee are altogether cast away and that wee haue no more witte nor power to returne or saue our selues then hath a sheepe that is wandring in the wildernesse among the Wolues Beares and Lions Secondly if wee confesse and finde our selues to bee such then are wee heere comforted that Christ is properly appointed of God to saue the lost sheep of the house of Israel like as he saith in an other place The sonne of man is come to saue that which was lost And in S. Lukes Gospell concerning the conuersion of Zacheus The sonne of man is come to seeke and saue that which was lost Therefore it ought to bee no discomfort to vs to confesse that wee are vtterly lost seeing thereby wee are assured that wee appertaine vnto Christ who came of purpose to seeke and to saue that which was lost O the wonderfull wisdome power and mercy of God shewed vs in Christ that euen then when wee feele our selues lost wee are found when wee see our selues destroyed wee are saued when wee heare our selues condemned wee are iustified onely in beleeuing these wordes The Sonne of man is come to saue that which was lost Let vs therefore with inuincible courage of faith take hold of these generall promises of GOD and apply them vnto our selues as this poore woman did and wee shall finde it to bee true which our Sauiour Christ saith vnto vs There is nothing vnpossible vnto him that beleeueth Let vs now consider the waight of this temptation how heauie it was for the woman to beare this answer that where as shee did repose her whole confidence in him he affirmed that he hath nothing to do with her because he was not sent but vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israell Of all other temptations it is the forest when the word of God seemeth to bee contrary to our hope As when God commanded Abraham to kil his sonne Isaac in whom his hope was that the promise should be fulfilled as God himselfe had said In Isaac shall thy seed be called and my couenant will I establish with Isaac After the same manner it is here with this poore Cananite for euen by the word of Christ in whome shee trusted for grace according to the promises of God concerning him shee is excluded from grace because she is a Gentile and none of the lost sheep of the house of Israel to whome onely and not to the Gentiles at that time he was sent to offer grace What could be said more to discourage her then to tell her that the promised redemption pertayned not to her Againe who could haue beene chosē out of all the world to put her so much out of comfort as Christ him-selfe For if an Angell or Arch-angell had come from Heauen and tould her that Christ would not accept her petition bestow his grace vpon her she might easily haue reiected him because her faith was grounded vpon the word of God against which if any Angell should speake we may hould him accursed But when the sonne of God him-selfe euen the promised Messias in his owne person and by his owne word which is the same truth in which the Oracles of the Prophets were deliuered when him-selfe refuseth her request and denieth his grace to her how can shee retayne any hope but that her faith is quite ouer-come and all comfort taken away from her And yet so mighty and strong was the fortresse of her faith that this most bitter assault preuailed not to ouerthrow it For as though shee had felt no discomfort at all by this his aunswer shee approcheth neere vnto him and falling downe before him shee continueth her humble sute saying Lord helpe me And here wee may see how much true faith differeth from proud presumption yea wee may playnly perceaue that true faith is alway ioyned with great humility The Papists call the assured confidence in Gods mercy by the odious name of Presumption but rather we may iustly call the proud perswasion that they haue of their owne merits and deserts by the right name of Presumption For who so trusteth most in God hath least opinion of his owne worthinesse as we may plainly see in this example of the Cananitish woman who as she had most certaine perswasion assurance of helpe in the mercy of God so had she no presumption at all in her own worthinesse that she declareth plainly by her humble submissiō therfore shee falleth downe at his feete most lowly beseeching him to be good vnto her and to succour her Wherby she testifieth that she requireth nothing of duty in respect of her owne worthinesse but onely of fauour and mercy in respect of Gods promises Woe be therefore vnto the Papists that call true humility presumption and contrariwise pride they terme