When we can say with Job, and with the same sincerity, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in himx; and, Our heart is not turned back from him, nor do our steps decline from his ways; though he hath dealt sorely by us, and even covered us with the shadow of death; when nothing can separate us from the love of him, and we receive his hardest usage with reverence and affection, and humble submission to his pleasure, and are never discouraged by it from drawing near to him in prayer, but rather quickened and inspirited to greater degrees of fervency, and an incessant devotion: when we can behave ourselves in this manner under affliction, then is our faith irreprovable; this is to act with the true, noble spirit of a disciple of Jesus, and must needs be of excellent influence to all that shall behold it, and shall not fail of an ample, glorious recompense at last.

To exercise then, and approve and make exemplary, and then to crown these passive virtues, being God's main design in treating his best servants with such seeming roughness and severity as he often does; let us be careful not to frustrate that his gracious design by our peevishness and impatience, or any irreligious, distrustful carriage, when he pleases to visit us with affliction; but make it our great endeavour to behave ourselves as the woman of Canaan did under her severe trial; and we shall speed at last as well as she did.

And what a shameful thing will it be for a Christian to be wanting in what was so very exemplary in a heathen, and so highly commended by our

x Job xiii. 15.

y Psalm xliv. 18, 19.

Lord himself, and rewarded with a full grant of all that she desired. O woman, said he, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And shall our faith be less? If it be so, so shall our reward be too, both here and at the final day of retribution. Lord, therefore, increase our faith: Lord, we believe, help thou our unbelief!

Indeed it is faith that is all in all, and where that is strong and vigorous, all other graces will be so too; and therefore it is the sincerity of that, that is chiefly regarded by God.

As here, in the instance of this woman, though her patience was great in bearing so many repulses; her meekness and humility great in enduring with so great temper such contempt as Christ shewed to her when he compared her to a dog; her devotion great in following him with such restless importunity; yet her faith being the spring of all this, it was the greatness of that only which he particularly commended, and mentioned as the motive that inclined him to grant her request.

And great indeed was her faith to the very last; for though Jesus did not go with her to cast the devil out of her possessed daughter, but only said unto her, Be it unto thee even as thou wilt; or, as St. Mark relates it, Go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter; yet she made no doubt of his power to cure her, though at a distance, but went home in full assurance that she should find his word made good.

One thing more we may observe, and so conclude; and that is, if those great virtues, patience, humility, meekness, and fervent devotion, are not thoroughly acceptable without faith, how much less

will bare wit and parts be! and how mightily will they find themselves mistaken, who, because they can talk handsomely about religion, and have pious phrases and expressions ready at their command, think they are the objects of God's peculiar esteem and regard!

The woman here in the gospel shewed a great deal of smartness, and a quick ready wit; but, had there not been something much more valuable at the bottom, it would have stood her in very little stead; and it was her faith, not her ingenious answer to our Lord, (though that was more than ordinary, and not displeasing to him,) that procured of him the grant of her petition.

All the ancient worthies obtained a good report through faith; and so must we. Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, so many noble examples of faith and constancy, let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God a

Consider him therefore, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds; and though no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, yet afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to all that are exercised thereby.

66

66

And "we humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities; and for the glory of thy name turn from us all those evils which we most righteously have deserved; and

66

66

grant, that in all our troubles we may put our "whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of living, to thy honour and glory; through our only "Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. " Amen b."

66

b Collect at the end of the Litany.

IV.

A blind man restored to sight near Bethsaida.

MARK Viii. 22, &c.

And Jesus cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

WHEN our Lord was returned from his short stay on the borders of Tyre and Sidon, where he cured the woman of Canaan's daughter, as we have heard, and as he passed through Decapolis, had restored hearing and speech to one that was deaf and dumb, whom the people brought to him when he was come to the sea of Galilee, in order to pass over into the parts of Dalmanutha, and had fed four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fishes; as soon as he was arrived, the Pharisees began to fall upon him again in their usual ensnaring manner, so that it grieved him much to see their obstinate infidelity, and made him sigh deeply in his spirit; and then he left them, as men upon whom he found he could do no good, and entering into the ship again, departed to the other side. a Mark viii. 7, 8. b Mark viii. 12.