the goodnesse of GOD is talkt of farre and neere for the Golden Fleece for the Marchant knowes it is a Colchis But that which makes it thrice more famous is the goodly Flocke of Sheep that Christ hath in it the fayrest I perswade mee vnder heauen Howsoeuer the fowle-mouth'd Separatists cals vs Goats and Swine and denie vs to bee Sheep What though all of vs carry not a fine Staple on our backes that will open and shut like a pare of Bellowes are we not therefore Sheep What though some of vs bee Rough-coated some Water-wool'd some Totterd some Tackt some Lame some Flye-gal'd some Clouted some Swine-chapt are we not therefore Sheep VVhat if we be stray'd away and lost are we not therefore Sheep Yes we are Sheep though lost and it is well that we are Lost for the Son of Man came to saue that which was Lost Mal. 18. 11. Then let euery one of vs pray with the Prophet Dauid I am gone astray like a sheepe that is lost Psal 119. 176. Oh seek thy seruant for I do not forget thy commandements VVe are now to see how the Syrophoenician brookes this harsh answere Yet she came and worshipped Him saying Lord helpe me VVhere againe appeares her Faith that eminent vertue accompanied with feruent Prayer and with a creeping Humility Her Faith is discouered in that she continues inuoking the name of Christ and will not out though Hee had declared new before that Hee could not with warrant from his Calling helpe her for that GODS Mercy was for a season confined to the Iewes Her speech is this in effect O Lord thou hast testified that whosoeuer put their trust in Thee shall not bee confounded and that whosoeuer calleth vpon thy Name shall be saued Since I then miserable wretch embrace these promises of thine by Faith it is impossible that thou shouldst deny me For though the Heauen should wheele out of his place and the Earth slip off from her foundation yet Thy Word cannot faile Then Lord remember me and all my trouble pitie the case of a poore distressed woman and let her teares worke thee to some compassion I am resolu'd I will take no nay I am thy Beggar and will haue my Dole e're I goe then thrust mee not backe ô bid mee not farewell for as the Lord liueth and as thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee This strong and inexpugnable Faith sends Prayer to put the hand in the treasure of blessings O Prayer the most excellent fruit of Faith how powerfull art thou with GOD At Fiue sundry Petitions Gen. 18. Abraham brought the Lord from Fiftie to Ten as long as hee prayed hee was answered And most comfortable it is to consider that the Lord ceased not from giuing till Abraham ceased from asking Againe and againe she cals on Christ in whom onely she beleeues and on whom onely shee depends for succour Thus Dauid sweetly Psal 73. 23. Lord whom haue I in Heauen but thee and there is none in earth that I desire beside thee Yet the Catholickes at Loretto are alwaies crouching to the Virgin Mary But what sayes Bernard Bern. Libenter certè gloriosa Virgo tali honore carebit The glorious Virgin is willingly content to want such honour But what talke I of Loretto I would our Ladies some of them heere at home were not so cunning in their Ladies Psalter Psal 6. 1. 2. O Lady rebuke mee not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy displeasure haue mercy vpon mee ô Lady for I am weake ô Lady help me for my bones are vexed VVhose heart doth not quake whose haire doth not stand vpright to thinke that the glorious and fearefull Name of IEHOVAH Deut. 28. 58. Deut. 4. 2. 12. 32. Reu. 22. 18. should bee spunged out of the Booke of Psalmes and the title of Lady put in contrary to the expresse charge of GOD and that vnder the paine of most heauy curses I haue often wondred and that with indignation that the Popes Creatures should be so infatuated as to leaue CHRIST IESVS Ier. 2. 13. 27. the Fountaine of liuing Waters and to digge them Pits euen broken Pits that can hold no water Saying to a Tree thou art my Father and to a Stone thou hast begotten me the Scripture euery where condemning it as cleerely as if it were written with the brightest Sunne-beame on a wall of Glasse as Lactantius speaketh And I could neuer bee quieted in my mind when I saw them thus obstinate till GODS Prouidence directed mee to the hundred and fifteene Psalme the eight verse Psalm 115. where I found it thus written They that make them are like vnto them and so are all they that put their trust in them For euer since I thus reason with my selfe If I shall come to an image of VVood or Stone or Mettall and shall call and shout Ho Image are you asleepe What Image Image canst thou not heare Art thou deafe The Image is neuer a whit the wiser though I should burst my lunges with crying because though it looke like a Man and haue Eares yet they are but Eares by Equivocation And euen so if I shall striue to conuince a Papist with neuer such fulnesse of Voyce and forciblenesse of Argument it is to no more purpose then the blowing of a Trumpet in the eares of Baal or making a set speech to a Painted Post The next companion of her Faith is Humilty for she bowes downe her body and fals at his feet as if by her gesture she confest her selfe to be a miserable sinner and had no refuge but in Humility A vertue that like the Violet is poore in shew growes low by the ground and hangs the head as willing to liue vnseene Yet is it euer in the way of preferment as we finde in Ioseph Moses Mordecai An embleme whereof we cannot but remember For wee see that the little Grasse-hopper the silliest of creatures is yet aduanced in the principall Citie and in a principall Street of that Citie and in a principall building of that Street and in a principall place of that Building as a golden obiect of Magnificence to be gazed on But at no time is Humility more requisite then in Prayer 1. King 8. 54. therefore Salomon a King prayes vpon his knees for these high Humilities are very acceptable to GOD. Beloued let vs detest Pride as a most pernitious euill Aug. De Ciu. Dei Ipsum extolli iam deijci est Pride 's very rise is her very downefall But aboue all things let vs not bee proud in Prayer with the Pharisee Luke 18. 11. VVhen the Sunne shines through the Casement on the Wall Shall the Wall stand vp and say It is I that send forth these beames saith Bernard Bern. Exod. 28. 36. Holinesse to the Lord but Man can chalenge nothing as his Owne but Sinne and Frailty But let vs passe on to the last Repulse And Hee
But stay in the hundred thirty and six Psalme Psal 136. there is nothing but His mercy endureth for euer His mercy endureth for euer His mercy endureth for euer is the foote of the Song and is found six and twenty times in six and twenty verses It is Yet harko what a ratling thunder-clap is heere 15. 17. 18. 19. 20. And ouerthrew Pharoah and his Host in the Red Sea and smete great Kings and slew mighty Kings Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan Therefore Beloued if wee will haue mercy at the Tribunall Seate of GOD let vs humble our selues for our manifold and bloudie sinnes Cypâ— Nec quisquam peccatis retardetur aut annis saith Cyprian And let no man hold off for that his offences are heynous and that hee is old and mosse-growne in them onely let him beware of Hypocrisie and Delay which will cheat the soule and bring it to destruction That Part of the Petition which is put downe Determinatly is in these words My Daughter is miserably vexed with a Deuill Where shee instantly beseeches Christ euen in the bowels of compassion to behold her Child her little Child as Saint Marke hath it Marke 7. 23. and to dislodge an vncleane and raging Spirit who had taken vp her body as a Cabin to rest in Where first obserue that she makes her Daughters misery her owne Haue mercy on ME my Daughter Acknowledging withall that GOD in chastening the fruit of her wombe had laid his scourge vpon her also Againe take notice how it is the nature of loue to Descend and how the affection of Parents to their Children is farre more deere then that of Children to their Parents We reade heere in this and in sundry other places of the Gospell how carefully Parents made meanes to Christ for the chasing away of Deuils and diseases from their Children but where reade yee that the Children did the like for their Parents In the eighth of this Gospell Verse 21. there 's a sonne intreates our Sauiour that hee may go bury his Father that he may throw Moulds on him and make him sure but he neuer once prayed him to heâ—le him when hee was sick or raise him when he was dead Marke further how sore and strange afflictions befall sometimes GODS dearest children Woe and alas here 's a furious Deuill that possesseth the body of this womans Daughter If he had onely haunted the house or outwardly wrought vpon her child the chastisement had beene grieuous but to enter into her with his very substance is most lamentable to thinke on And yet the Lord thus correcteth her in Loue Heb. 12. 6. in Loue I say howsoeuer it seeme a Paradox to Reason O it 's an heauy iudgement of GOD when a man thriues in sinne and when in the midst of his rebellions hee spreads himselfe against the Sunne like an Apricock When the anger of GOD waxed hot against the Israelites hee threatens that hee will plague them How plague them in not plaguing them Hos 4. 14. I will NOT visite your Daughters when they are Harlots nor your Spouses when they are Whores Certè tunc magis irascitur Deus cum non irascitur saith Bernard Bern. Certainely GOD is then most angry when hee seemes not angry at all Misericordiam hanc nolo For mine owne part saith he I would none of this mercy Moreouer note how all things worke together for the best to them that loue GOD. Rom. 8. 28. Heauen Earth Fire Water good Men bad Men wilde Beasts tame Beasts Calmnesse Tempests Peace Warre Freedome Thraldome Wealth Want Healthfulnesse Crazinesse Life Death Angels Deuils Aug. de Ciu. Dei lib. 14. cap. 13. Etiam peccata Domine Euen our sins also ô Lord saith Austen Audeo dicere saith the same Father superbis esse vâ—ile cadere in aliquod apertum manifestumque peccatum I dare bee bold to speake it that it is good that proud men do fall into some grosse and open sinne that so Shame may driue them to remorse This Doctrine is true But let no Spider suck poyson thence One wold haue thought that this woman who was not long before coÌ„uerted to Christ wold haue laid the blame on her Religion and thought hardly of GOD thus to single her out for a spectacle of misery and scarse to shake his rod at her fellow Gentiles but see how this correction brings her neerer to GOD and how the Deuill himselfe is a meanes to further her saluation Lastly it is obserueable that Sinne is the most fearefull thing in the world The body of Man was made to be the Temple of the Holy Ghost but sinne makes it a Stie and Plauncher for Satan who teares it wallowes it and torments it piteously as here Verse 20 and in the ninth of Saint Marke Shall I in one word set out the vilenesse of it It is a Deuill And why not worse For what makes the Deuill a Deuill but Sinne Take that away and hee 's a good creature Besides here 's a single Deuill in this Childe without a partner but sinne is so congregable that it is impatient of solitude Our Father Adam eates the forbidden fruit we would thinke it but one sinne but what sayes Austine Aug. Enchir. Superbia est illic SacrilegiuÌ„ HomicidiuÌ„ Fornicatio Spiritualis FurtuÌ„ Auaritia Pride was at the fact Sacriledge Murder and Spirituall Fornication and Theft and Couetousnes This is the Diuell that reignes at this day in the ChildreÌ„ of Disobedience with which yet they play as with a feather and take pleasure in Pleasure O Sinne thou art delightfull at the first but at last thou stingest like a Bee like a Waspe like an Hornet like a Scorpion O Pleasure thou hast a Honey-suckle in thy mouth but a bitter branch sticking at thy heart I would name Rue but that thou hast nothing to doe with Hearbe of Grace And this of the PROTASIS The EPITASIS followes wherein we are to weigh the sundry Repulses and Discouragements to weigh the sundry Repulses and Discouragements of this good Woman together with the constant prosecution of her cause as they lye in order For the first Repulse the Evangelist sayes that He answered Her not a word What not vnfold his lips to giue one word O wonderfull temptation For what might shee thinke Is this Hee in whom all the Nations of the earth should bee blessed Gen. 12. 3. Isaiah 55. 1. 65. 24. Is this He of whom Proclamation was made Ho Euery one that thirsteth come yee to the Waters Is this He that will heare his seruants while they speake and answere before they call No no I see my labour is lost my hopes degraded and my thoughts frustrate I haue look't vp to the Sunne and can see no light I haue hied me to the Fountaine and can finde no water I haue runne and cried after the GOD of All comfort and He
thine owne words what sayst thou Lord answere me dost thou deny or distinguish Neither He did not answer the Argument nay with reuerence be it spoken he could not answere it for then he should haue denied mercy to the Penitent and so contradicted himselfe which had been an Impotencie This of the EPITASIS The Catastrophe is contained in the last words of the Text Then Iesus answered and said vnto her O woman great is thy faith bee it vnto thee euen as thou wilt Where our Sauiour first commends this Woman and that with an admiration O woman neuer in my life met I with such an HeatheÌ„ thou passest of all that euer I knew verily I haue not found such Faith in Israel Thou art able by thy knocking and importunitie to make one rise out of his bed from his children at midnight to lend thee three loaues Luke 11. 5. Luke 18. 5. Thou doest enough to compell an vnrighteous Iudge to doe thee iustice much more a righteous one to shew thee fauour O the bountifulnesse of GOD when we haue done all we can Luke 17. 10. we are but vnprofitable seruants yet he passeth by all our infirmities and rewardeth all our good rewardeth yea and applaudeth Thus the thriftie Seruant that had improou'd his Masters Talents Math. 25. 23. hath an Euge for his paines It is well done good seruant and faithfull What a singular incouragement is here to well-doing Ay Caitiues ah Slacke-graces how slothfull are we in our Masters businesse ah Runnagates like Onesimus Philem. nay would to GOD wee were like Onesimus But for what extols hee this Woman thus For her Faith What Faith That which Iustified her before GOD. But here 's onely a sute for a temporall benefit what though That nothing lets but that by the same Faith that laid hold on saluation shee beleeued also the recouery of her daughter Rom. 4. 19. euen as Abraham by a Iustifying faith was perswaded of a Sonne in his old age The whole tenor of the History imports thus much whether you consider the Obiect of her Faith or the Temper of it or the Strength or Effects among which the last is most plaine for this purpose for it shewes that by this Faith she might obtaine whatsoeuer shee would now who doubts but she would haue the forgiuenesse of her sinnes without the which shee were more then most miserable The next way then to be honoured of GOD is to honour GOD 1. Sam. 2. and the next way to honour GOD is Faith which assures me that Christ hath loued ME and giuen Himselfe for ME Gal. 2. 20. and with Himselfe all things and all this He doth alone Rom. 8. 32. Heb. 1. 3. Isaiah 63. 3. treading the Wine-presse ALONE without helpe of Angels of Men of Works for Angels are but seruants Men euer typing and Workes not workers but markes of our saluation This Doctrine as Staupitius well noteth must needs be sound and the Religion that maintaines it Pure and vndefiled for it exalts GODS glory aboue the Heauens and humbles man to the dust of death Therefore is Abel commended for his Faith Enoch for his Faith Noah for his Faith Abraham Isaac and Iacob for their Faith Moses the Law giuer for his Faith Rahab Gedeon Barac Sampson Iephta Dauid Samuel for their Faith Heb. 11. all for their Faith and all in one Chapter If here it be spitefully obiected that we prate so much of Faith that we haue pack't Good-Workes out of the Countrey be it answered that this is nothing but Wood sere or Cuckow-spit the froth of rage with a worme in the midst of it For wee doubt not to affirme with Luther Luther in Gal. that The fruit and profit of one onely worke which a Christian doth in faith and through faith is to bee esteemed more pretious then Heauen and Earth Onely we exclude Good workes from our Iustification for the satisfaction of the law because therein nothing doth nor can concurre with the Merit of Christ And this is the very Argument of that excellent Epistle to the Galatians Gal. 6. 11. 2. 11. which S. Paul writ with his owne hand and for which he withstood Peter to his face Luth. in Gal. For as Luther in an holy zeale casting out flames of fire saith What is Peter What is Paul What is an Angell from heauen What are all other creatures to the Article of Iustification A point so perspicuous and praevalent that euen Bellarmine himselfe the Milo that beares the Pope vpon his shoulder is forc'd to yeeld to it His words are these De Iusâ—if lib. 1. In regard of the vncertainty of a Man 's owne righteousnesse and for feare of vaine-glory it is the safest way to repose our whole confidence in the ONELY mercy and goodnesse of GOD. Now where we are charg'd that the beating vpon the poynt of Faith hath banished Good-workes we auouch it to be the speciall way both to breed and cherish them In this present Text is a Cluster of Good-workes farre more pleasant to behold Numb 13. 24. then that of Grapes which the two Spies brought on their shoulders on a barre from the Land of Canaan Here is finding of Christ following of Christ crying cleare-out after Christ here is Loue here is Zeale here is Patience here is Prayer here is Humilitie here is Modesty here is Sincerity here is Perseuerance and other sparkes of Grace that lie hidden vnder the ashes which if you stirre will flye aloft crackle about your eares What is the cause of all these Good deeds Faith For can the Fruit be good till the Tree be good Can the Tree bee good till the Sap bee good Is not Man a Tree with the root vpward Is it not Reason that makes a Man Faith that makes a Christian Is not this Paules method in all his Epistles Spends he not Eleuen Chapters in that to the Romans in laying the foundation of Faith before he build on it with exhortatioÌ„ to good life which he performs but in fiue chapters I le tel thee proud man thou that swellest now in the confidence of thy works when sorrow comes and the Law strikes vp a fearefull Alarum against thee thou shalt be ready to peake aside to spy out some bauke in an Out-house whereon to dispatch thy selfe Rom. 5. 1. For being iustified by Faith wee haue peace with God the Accent is vpon Faith vpon Christ without which without whom alone we shall neuer haue peace of conscience but when it is Morning we shal wish it were Euening Deut. 28. 67. and when it is Euening we shal wish it were Morning when we are in the Countrey we shall long to be in the Citie and when we are in the Citie we shall long to be in the Countrey changing the Place but not changing the Paine because the forked arrow of GODS Vengeance stickes fast in our side This Orient Pearle this Womans