and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of God." As his ministry upon earth was hastening to a conclusion, he gave an emblem, a pre•lude of this calling of the Gentiles, in the blessings which he bestowed upon the Canaanitish woman. *He consecrated her as part of the first fruits of this vocation. He taught his disciples, by his mercy to her, the blessings that his salvation would communicate to the perishing. On this account, as well as from the more direct instructions which it conveys, her history deserves our serious attention.

The blessed Redeemer had departed, for a short time, from Galilee, and came to the northern borders of Palestine, in the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. It was a tract of country inhabited partly by Jews, and partly by the descendants of those Canaanites who were not entirely expelled when the Israelites took possession of the land. The female in our text was one of these last, one of that nation lying under the curse, and not enjoying the privileges of the covenant. She is called by Mark a Syro-Phænician, a name given to the Canaanites who resided in Syria, to distinguish them from those who dwelt in Africa, and were termed Lybo-Phoenicians, or Carthaginians. But there were some of this nation, odious for its crimes, who repented, were converted, and became worshippers of the true God, such as Rahab and others. This, however, was not the case with the woman whose history we are considering. She was, says the Evangelist, "a Greek," a word which, in the New Testament, is often used as synonymous with idolater. The reason is well assigned by Bishop Horsley; "Because idolatry, in its worst form, the worship of the images of dead men prevailed more among the Greeks than the nations of the east; such

idolaters, of whatever country they might be, were, by the Jews of the apostolic age, called Greeks; just as among us, any one who lives in the communion of the Roman Church, though he be a Frenchman, or a Spaniard, is called a Roman Catholic."

Such was the character of this woman. She was probably a widow, and had an only daughter, to whom she was tenderly attached, and who was "grievously vexed by a devil." This deplorable state, against which all human resources were impotent, was announced according to the frequent representations of the scriptures, by extraordinary symptoms, and by frightful convulsions. Those whom these spirits tormented, afflicted in body and in mind, were a prey to violent assaults of rage and phrenzy. Sometimes they wandered in deserts, or retired to remote sepulchres. Sometimes, in order to restrain their fury, it was necessary to bind them in chains. I have remarked to you, in the course of these lectures, that it was consistent with the wisdom of God to permit Satan, during the residence of the Saviour upon earth, to exercise a greater dominion over the bodies of men than he has since been allowed to exercise; that by his forcible expulsion the superior authority of the Son of God might be manifested. This proud and malignant enemy to human happiness and holiness, knowing that the time of his defeat, by the sacrifice of Jesus, was rapidly advancing, redoubles his rage, and makes his most furious assaults. As at the end of the world, he shall, by divine permission, come from his prison in great wrath, and with all his power, that the last act of God's justice upon him, may be the more striking, because the malice and fury of Satan had been unrestrained; so when Jesus" came to destroy the works

her unworthiness. "And she said, Truth, Lord.“ 'I feel too deeply my misery, the abyss of guilt and wretchedness in which I have fallen, to be impatient or offended. i therefore expect nothing from my own merit. It is only on thy beneficent charity, thy power, thy pure grace, that I found all my hopes. Ah! deign only to remember, that "the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table:" this is all I ask. Display before the eyes of thy favoured children all the splendour of thy glory; manifest in the midst of them, in all its plenitude, the majesty which adorns thee; shower down upon them all thine ineffable mercies! Alas! the least ray of this glory, the least emanation of this majesty, the slightest act of this mercy, a single crumb of that bread of life, which thou bestowest on them in so much abundance, is a thousand times more than I deserve—is all that I ask!"

3. To the faith and humility of this tender mother. add her fervour, her zeal, and perseverance. She utters only rapid, energetic expressions, which display all the vehemence of her feelings. She does not merely speak; she cries to Jesus. It is not a momentary emotion. She again and again entreats. In vain the charitable Redeemer, in order to prove her, and for ever to instruct his disciples, at first preserves silence, and replies not to her. In vain does he appear to reject her at the time when, prostrate before him, she seems to have used without success every means of securing his aid. Nothing discourages her; obstacles only augment her ardour. She presses, she solicits, she importunes with more earnestness; and the resistance that she experiences only produces perseverance. Like Jacob, in that mysterious wrestling with the angel of the Lord at

go,

the brook Jabbok, she cries, "I will not let thee except thou bless me !" Like the happy patriarch, she obtains a blessing.

4. And in what did this blessing consist? In praises upon herself and in the healing of her daughter. She is honoured with the approbation of the Lord. There are no more humiliating comparisons, no more apparent contempt, no more trials. The end of this tender mother is accomplished. The merciful Shepherd, who came to seek the lost sheep; the gracious Redeemer, who came to call sinners to repentance—he will not reject the prayer of the humble heart. "O woman, great is thy faith!" What exalted praise, when proceeding from the " searcher of hearts," who knoweth what is in man! "Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt." • Since I approve this tender affection, these inquietudes, this hunger, this thirst which made thee come to the fountain of living waters; since I accept the prayer that thou hast addressed to me, go now, and rejoice in the perfect restoration of that daughter who is so dear to thee; go, indulge thyself in all the transports of maternal love; go, teach her to know the author of her deliverance, and to shout with thee the song of praise; and let all future generations learn from thy example to seek the mercies of the Lord by faith, by humility, by perseverance in prayer.'" And her daughter," says the Evangelist, "was made whole from that very hour." St. Mark adds, that this affectionate mother, on re-entering into her house, found her delivered from the evil spirit, and tranquilly lying upon the bed. :

The beautiful history that we have thus rapidly considered, affords us many instructions. Let us present a few of them.

1. And first let us learn from this Mother to pray ; to regard this exercise as one of our most indispensable duties. It is constantly enjoined upon us in the word of God, and without it, we in vain hope for holiness, for comfort, for eternal glory. Without it, the Canaanitish woman would have continued wretched; without it, Christian, how miserable should we be! But how cheering is it when considering our constantly recurring wants, our frailty, the lusts of our flesh, the artifices of Satan, the snares and temptations of the world, the multiplied duties we have to perform upon earth, and the solemnities of eternity that await us! How cheering to remember that we may always lift up our suppliant eyes to heaven; that we may always pour out our cares in the bosom of the tenderest and most indulgent of parents; that we may commit our interests, our dearest interests, into the hands of the Most Wise and Most Powerful! And on the contrary, without constant prayer we shall not long be faithful to our duties; we shall soon be vanquished by our enemies. It was only while the arms of Moses were lifted up to heaven that Israel triumphed: when they fell, Amalek prevailed.

2. This mother teaches us again that we may lawfully ask of God temporal blessings and enjoyments. It is true that some commentators suppose, that besides the corporeal, she asked also for the spiritual health of her daughter. Even if this were the case, she still asked for the bodily restoration of her child, and obtained it. He who has ordered us to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," does not forbid us to ask for "those earthly things that are convenient for us." By his order, in our daily requests we say to him, "Give us this day our