do not know; whether I be one of those lost sheep or no, I cannot tell, but I am sure I am lost, and therefore, O Lord, help me. Observe,

A man's temptations may rise higher and higher, even after prayer; and yet pray aright. This woman did pray before, and her temptation arises after prayer, yet her prayer right, and her faith right.

Observe this, that God's dealings, or Christ's dealings with a man, may sometimes seem to be cross to his very promise, and yet a man's condition right. So here with this

woman.

That it may be the case of some of God's children, to be exercised about their election and predestination; and temptations concerning election and predestination thrown in upon them.

That in case any poor believer, that is a weak person, weak in the faith, be tempted and tried about election or predestination, the best way for the present is, to lay that dispute by; and to run to mercy, and say, "Lord help me :" and for the present, not to dispute whether he be a sheep or no, elected or no, predestinated or no, but run to Christ, and go to prayer, and say, Lord help me, and lay the dispute by.

Again, As our temptations increase, so our faith shall increase. The woman's temptations rose, so did her faith too; "She came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me:" still she held on and and hung upon Jesus Christ. According to the increases of our temptations, so shall the increases of our faith be.

If all this will not do, behold now a third, and a greater temptation. He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs."

"It is not meet to cast children's bread to dogs." The word in the original is, a whelp. A dog grown, or a mastiff, may be, and is good for something, of great use; but what is a whelp good for, for the present, of what use? It is not meet to cast children's bread unto whelps.

"To cast children's bread." It intimates thus much, that God does cast out some outward blessings upon wicked men that are even dogs: but the bread of children is so dispensed, gospel bread is so dispensed, as nothing shall be lost.

Here was a very great temptation, and greater than the

other. Dog is most unworthy. When the Scripture would set out the unworthiness of a man, and the abject condition of any, he is called a dog. Goliah could understand this, "Am I a dog, that thou comest out thus against me," 1 Sam. xvii. 43. Am I so base, vile, and unworthy? am I a dog? And so Mephibosheth, when he would acknowledge his own unworthiness to David he calls himself, a dog, and a dead dog. So Hazael, "Am I a dog?" Yet says our Saviour here, "It is not meet to cast children's bread unto dogs." This woman now, her heart might have risen, and she might have said thus, One would think I am no dog; I am no dog; I am a woman, though a sinful woman, but I am no dog: I have now come and spread my condition, and misery before ye; if ye will not relieve me, do not miscall me; if ye will not help me, yet do not abuse me; if ye will not help me, yet pity me, do not call me dog, I am no dog. The Jews, that you call the children of the kingdom, they indeed are dogs, they turn again and rend you, but I do not turn again and rend you, I am no dog. Her heart might have risen at this phrase: here was a great temptation now, a mighty trial here in this third thing.

It is no new thing for true believers, God's own people, to have their unworthiness objected to them. It is an ordinary thing amongst men and women: I am unclean, I am unworthy of communion with the saints, communion with God's people, with Christ, I am a dog, I am most unworthy; it is no new thing for true believers to have their own unworthiness objected to them.

But mark, how this woman's faith works through this temptation. Says she, "True, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table."

"True." The word is the same that in the Corinthians, ye translate, protest. "I protest by our rejoicing, that I die daily," 1 Cor. xv. 33. And it should rather be translated so; "Yea, by our rejoicing we die daily:" rather than in the form of an oath, as it is there, it is the same word that is here for, true.

Ye cannot charge a believer so deeply, or speak so meanly of him, but he does think and speak as meanly of himself: Lord, that dost call me a dog, and one that is most unworthy; true, Lord, I am most unworthy. Some, they will

dispraise themselves; but if you dispraise them too, then they will be angry; if you fall in with their own dispraises, and say, It is true then they will be angry. But a true believer, you cannot speak or think so meanly of him, but he will say, True, Lord, true.

"Lord." Observe here, she calls Christ, Lord, when Christ calls her dog. Lord, says she, though thou speakest dishonourably of me, yet I will speak honourably of thee: though I am a dog in thy mouth, thou art a Lord in my mouth. A gracious heart, and a true believer, will speak and think honourably of Jesus Christ, even then, at that time, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall suffer the greatest dirt and reproach to be thrown upon him: True, Lord.

"But the dogs eat the crumbs." True faith finds out a promise in the very refusal, in Christ's refusal: finds out encouragement in the bowels of discouragement. True, Lord, bread is for children; that is the loaf, the piece that is cut off the loaf; but the crumbs do as well belong to a dog, as the loaf belongs to the child. And, Lord, thou sayest I am a dog, therefore a crumb does belong to me. True faith, it gathers in upon Jesus Christ, and gathers in upon him by that very hand that seems to put the soul away from him: it makes advantage of a discouragement, and gathers it upon Jesus Christ even by that hand that does thrust it dogs eat the crumbs."

away.

"The

Again, You may observe here, that the least of Christ is highly prized with a true believer: a gracious heart, a true believer does highly prize and value the least of Christ. A crumb, a crumb; oh, if I may have but a crumb; a crumb shall be welcome; Lord, a crumb of mercy is welcome: the loaves are for children, but if I can get a crumb I will praise God for it, I will be contented. The least, the worst of Christ in the eye of a believer is highly valued, and he sets a great price upon it.

Women usually are

Lastly, All this is said by a woman. not of that boldness, but more easily dashed out of countenance. Faith rises above our nature and above our natural disposition. Faith had gotten into this woman's heart, and she forgets her own disposition, she come like any man with boldness upon Jesus Christ, follows him, and will never let

him alone. Faith rises above our own dispositions and above our natures.

From all this you may observe here, if you be tempted with consideration of your own unworthiness, how you should give an answer unto those temptations. Do as this woman did: If I be a dog, Lord, yet I am thy dog; and if I be a dog, Lord, yet crumbs belong to me; and if I be never so great a sinner, mercy and grace is for sinners, and I come to mercy. Oh, still, still hang upon Jesus Christ, still hang upon Jesus Christ, and never let him go. Ab negando promittit, he does promise in denying. There was honeycombs found in the body of the lion. Do but hang upon Jesus Christ, hang upon him by faith, and you will find honeycombs in the midst of all those temptations and discouragements that you do meet withal. And though for the present he does seem to give a denial unto all your prayers, yet at the last he will own your prayers, he will own your faith, and he will say unto thee, man or woman, "Great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt."

I come to the victory after this combat. "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Here, now, the Lord does give a testimony of her faith, and he does give her the mercy desired. First, he commends her faith, and, secondly, he commends the greatness of her faith, "O woman, great is thy faith."

Why does he rather commend her faith than other graces ? She had other graces. Here is humility in this woman to be seen; here is a great deal of wisdom in this woman to be seen; here is prayer; here is perseverance in prayer. Christ commends none of these, but commends her faith. Why does he rather commend her faith than any other grace?

Faith does commend Christ above all the other, and therefore Christ will commend faith above all other duties or graces. Faith honours Christ, and Christ will honour faith. It is faith that gives a being to, and is the root of all other graces. He commends that. It is only faith that brings Christ and the soul together; and therefore he does commend faith above all other graces.

If the Lord Jesus Christ does commend faith so, why should we not all labour especially to strengthen our faith.

Get faith, you that have it not; and strengthen it, you that have it. Get humility, patience, wisdom; be much in prayer, and continue in prayer; but above all things get faith. Faith is the grace commended by Jesus Christ above all other graces; therefore we should labour above all for to get faith, and to strengthen faith. It is observed from this place, that Christ commends none but the gentiles, the faith of the gentiles. He says concerning the centurion, "I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel;" he was a gentile. And here he says concerning this woman, "O woman, great is thy faith;" and she was a gentile. Whatever, therefore, thou hast been; though a Canaanite, though a sinner, though a great sinner; get faith, labour to strengthen thy faith, and the Lord Jesus Christ will own thy faith at last. Though for the present he seems to hide himself from thee, yet he will own it at the last, and he will commend it at the last.

He commends here the greatness of her faith. Wherein was the greatness of her faith? Faith consists in the knowledge of Christ, assent unto the truth, a relying upon God in Christ in time of temptation; it is a coming to Jesus Christ, an adherence to him. But the greatness of her faith lay in this, that in the midst of all these temptations, yet she did hang on Christ, and would not be beaten off by any of these discouragements or temptations. Here was the greatness of her faith.

The strength of faith does not lie in the assurance of our salvation, or of God's love, or of the mercy that we desire in prayer; one may have strong faith, and yet no assurance; I say, not only faith, but strong faith. This woman had no assurance, that we read of, not assurance of the thing that she begged, that the Lord would hear her prayer; she had no assurance of it, only she hung upon Christ, and would not away. And when he put her away, she gathered in upon him; in the midst of all temptation and opposition still she did hang upon him. So, then, a man may have faith, and strong faith, although he have no assurance.

And, upon this account, how many are there that have strong faith, that think they have no faith all. Some think they have no faith because they cannot say, Christ is mine, mercy is mine, heaven is mine; but yet, if in the time of your temptation ye can hang upon Christ, and will not away from