Sermon 1309. The Little Dogs

(No. 1309)

A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 6, 1876,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord:yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Matthew 15:26,27.

"But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast itunto the dogs. And she answered and said unto Him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs."Mark 7:27,28.

I TAKE the two records of Matthew and Mark that we may have the whole matter before us. May the Holy Spirit bless our meditations.The brightest jewels are often found in the darkest places. Christ had not found such faith, no, not in Israel, as he discoveredin this poor Canaanite woman. The borders and fringes of the land were more fruitful than the center, where the farming hadbeen more abundant! In the headlands of the field, where the farmer does not expect to grow much beyond weeds, the Lord Jesusfound the richest ear of corn that as yet had filled His sheaf. Let those of us who reap after Him be encouraged to expectthe same experience. Never let us speak of any district as too depraved to yield us converts, nor of any class of personsas too fallen to become Believers. Let us go, even, to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, though the land is under a curse, foreven there we shall discover some elect one, ordained to be a jewel for the Redeemer's crown!

Our heavenly Father has children everywhere! In spiritual things it is found that the best plants often grow in the most barrensoil. Solomon spoke of trees and discoursed concerning the hyssop on the wall and the cedar in Lebanon. So is it in the naturalworld-the great trees are found on great mountains and the minor plants in places adapted for their tiny roots. But it isnot so among the plants of the Lord's right hand planting, for there we have seen the cedar grow upon the wall-great saintsin places where it has apparently impossible for then to exist! And we have seen hyssops growing upon Lebanon-a questionable,insignificant piety where there have been innumerable advantages! The Lord is able to make strong faith exist with littleknowledge, little present enjoyment and little encouragement. And strong faith in such conditions triumphs and conquers anddoubly glorifies the Grace of God!

Such was this Canaanite woman, a cedar growing where soil was scant. She was a woman of amazing faith, though she could haveheard but little of Him in whom she believed and, perhaps, had never seen Him at all until the day when she fell at His feetand said, "Lord, help me!" Our Lord had a very quick eye for spying faith. If the jewel was lying in the mire, His eyes caughtits glitter. If there was a choice ear of wheat among the thorns, He failed not to perceive it. Faith has a strong attractionfor the Lord Jesus! At the sight of it, "the king is held in the galleries," and cries, "you have ravished my heart with oneof your eyes, with one chain of your neck." The Lord Jesus was charmed with the fair jewel of this woman's faith and watchingit and delighting in it, He resolved to turn it round and set it in other lights, that the various facets of this pricelessdiamond might, each one, flash its brilliance and delight His soul!

Therefore He tried her faith by His silence and by His discouraging replies, that He might see its strength. But He was, allthe while, delighting in it and secretly sustaining it. And when He had sufficiently tried it, He brought it forth as gold,and set His own royal mark upon it in these memorable words, "O woman, great is your faith; be it unto you even as you will."I am hopeful, this morning, that perhaps some poor soul in this place under very discouraging circumstances may, nevertheless,be led to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with a strong and persevering faith. And though as

yet it enjoys no peace and has seen no gracious answer to prayer, I trust that its struggling faith may be strengthened, thismorning, by the example of the Canaanite woman.

I gather from the story of her appeal to the Lord Jesus and her success, four facts. The first is, faith's mouth cannot beclosed. The second is, faith never disputes with God. Thirdly, I perceive that faith argues mightily and fourthly, that faithwins her suit.

I. THE MOUTH OF FAITH CAN NEVER BE CLOSED, for if ever the faith of a woman was tried so as to make her cease from prayer,it was that of this daughter of Tyre. She had difficulty after difficulty to encounter and yet she could not be put off frompleading for her little daughter because she believed in Jesus as the great Messiah, able to heal all manner of diseases-andshe meant to pray to Him until He yielded to her importunity-for she was confident that He could chase the demon from herchild.

Observe that the mouth of faith cannot be closed even on account of the closed ear and the closed mouth of Christ. He answeredher never a word. She spoke very piteously-she came and threw herself at His feet-her child's case was very urgent. Her motherlyheart was very tender and her cries were very piercing. And yet He answered her not a word! As if He were deaf and dumb, Hepassed her by. Yet she was not staggered. She believed in Him and even He, Himself, could not make her doubt Him, let Himtry silence even if He would. It is hard to believe when prayer seems to be a failure. I would to God that some poor seekerhere might believe that Jesus Christ is able and willing to save and so fully believe it that his unanswered prayers shallnot be able to make him doubt!

Even if you should pray in vain by the month together, do not allow a doubt about the Lord Jesus and His power to save tocross your mind. What if you cannot, yet, grasp the peace which faith must ultimately bring you? What if you have no certaintyof forgiveness of your sin? What if no gleams ofjoy should visit your spirit? Still believe Him who cannot lie! "Though Heslay me," said Job, "yet will I trust in Him." That was splendid faith! It would be a great deal for some if they could say,"Though He smite me, yet will I trust Him," but Job said, "Though He slay me." If Jesus puts on the garb of an executionerand comes out against me as though He would destroy me, yet will I believe Him to be full of love! He is still good and gracious.I cannot doubt it and, therefore, at His feet I will lie down and look up, expecting Grace at His hands! Oh for such faithas this! O Soul, if you have it, you are a saved man, as sure as you are alive! If even the Lord's apparent refusal to blessyou cannot close your mouth, your faith is of a noble sort and salvation is yours!

In the next place, her faith could not be silenced by the conduct of the disciples. They did not treat her well, but yet,perhaps, not altogether badly. They were not like their Master-they frequently repulsed those who would come to Him. Her noiseannoyed them. She kept to them with boundless perseverance and, therefore, they said, "Send her away, for she cries afterus." Poor soul, she never cried after them, it was after their Master! Sometimes disciples become very important in theirown eyes and think that the pushing and crowding to hear the Gospel is caused by the people's eagerness to hear them, whereasnobody would care for their poor talk if it were not for the Gospel message which they are charged to deliver! Give us anyother theme and the multitude would soon melt away!

Though weary of the woman's importunate cries, they acted somewhat kindly towards her, for they were evidently desirous thatshe should obtain the gift she sought, or else our Lord's reply would not have been appropriate, "I am not sent, save to thelost sheep of the house of Israel." It was not her daughter's healing that they cared for, but they consulted their own comfort,for they were anxious to be rid of her. "Send her away," they said, "for she cries after us." Still, though they did not treather as men should treat a woman, as disciples should treat a seeker, as Christians should treat everybody, yet for all that,her mouth was not stopped!

Peter, I have no doubt, looked in a very scowling manner and, perhaps, even John became a little impatient, for he had a quicktemper by nature. Andrew and Philip and the rest of them considered her very impertinent and presumptuous, but she thoughtof her little daughter at home and of the horrible miseries to which the demon subjected her, and so she pressed up to theSavior's feet and said, "Lord, help me." Cold, hard words and unkind, unsympathetic behavior could not prevent her pleadingwith Him in whom she believed. Ah, poor Sinner, perhaps you are saying, "I am longing to be saved, but such-and-such a goodChristian man has dealt very bitterly with me. He has doubted my sincerity, questioned the reality of my repentance and causedme the deepest sorrow. It seems as if he did not wish me to be saved." Ah, dear Friend, this is very trying, but if you havetrue faith in the Master you will not mind us disciples-neither the gen-

tlest of us, nor the most rough of us-just urge on your suit with your Lord till He deigns to give you an answer of peace.

Her mouth, again, was not closed by exclusive doctrine which appeared to confine the blessing to a favored few! The Lord JesusChrist said, "I am not sent save to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," and though properly understood there is nothingvery severe in it, yet the sentence must have fallen on the woman's heart like a talent of lead. "Alas," she might have thought,"then He is not sent to me! Vainly do I seek for that which He reserves for the Jews." Now, the Doctrine of Election, whichis assuredly taught in Scripture, ought not to hinder any soul from coming to Christ, for, if properly understood, it wouldrather encourage than discourage! And yet, often, to the uninstructed ear the Doctrine of the Divine Choice of a people frombefore the foundation of world acts with very depressing effect.

We have known poor seekers mournfully say, "Perhaps there is no mercy for me. I may be among those for whom no purpose ofmercy has been formed." They have been tempted to cease from prayer for fear they should not have been predestinated untoeternal life! Ah, dear Soul, if you have the faith of God's elect in you, you will not be kept back by any self-condemninginferences drawn from the secret things of God! You will believe in that which has been clearly revealed, and you will beassured that this cannot contradict the secret decrees of Heaven. What? Though our Lord was only sent to the house of Israel,yet there is a house of Israel not after the flesh but after the spirit and, therefore, the Syrophenician woman was includedeven where she thought she was shut out-and you may, also, be comprehended within those lines of gracious destiny which nowdistress you. At any rate, say to yourself, "In the election of Grace others are included who were as sinful as I have been,why should not I? Others have been included who were as full of distress as I have been on account of sin and why should notI be, also?" Reasoning thus, you will press forward, in hope believing against hope, suffering no plausible deduction fromthe doctrine of Scripture to prevent your believing in the appointed Redeemer.

The mouth of faith, in this case, was not even closed by a sense of admitted unworthiness. Christ spoke of dogs-He meant thatthe Gentiles were to Israel as the dogs-she did not at all dispute it but yielded the point by saying, "Truth, Lord." Shefelt she was only worthy to be compared to a dog! I have no doubt her sense of unworthiness was very deep. She did not expectto win the blessing she sought on account of any merit of her own-she depended upon the goodness of Christ's heart, not onthe goodness of her cause-and upon the excellence of His power rather than upon the prevalence of her plea. Yet, consciousas she was that she was only a poor Gentile dog, her prayers were not hindered! She cried, notwithstanding all, "Lord, helpme."

O Sinner, if you feel yourself to be the worst sinner out of Hell, still pray, believingly pray for mercy! If your sense ofunworthiness is enough to drive you to self-destruction, yet I beseech you, out of the depths, out of the dungeon of self-loathing,still cry unto God, for your salvation rests in no measure or degree upon yourself or upon anything that you are or have beenor can be! You need to be saved from yourself, not by yourself! It is yours to be empty, that Jesus may fill you! It is yoursto confess your filthiness, that He may wash you! It is yours to be less than nothing, that Jesus may be everything to you!Suffer not the number, blackness, frequency, or heinousness of your transgressions to silence your prayers, and though youare a dog-yes, not worthy to be set with the dogs of the Lord's flock-yet open your mouth in believing prayer!

There was, besides this, a general tone and spirit in what the Lord Jesus said which tended to depress the woman's hope andrestrain her prayer, yet she was not kept back by the darkest and most depressing influences. "It is not meet," said the LordJesus, "it is not becoming, it is not proper, it is hardly lawful to take children's bread and throw it to dogs." Perhapsshe did not quite see all that He might have meant, but what she did see was enough to pour cold water upon the flames ofher hope, yet her faith was not quenched! It was a faith of that immortal kind which nothing can kill, for her mind was madeup that whatever Jesus meant, or did not mean, she would not cease to trust Him! She would continue to urge her suit withHim.

There are a great many things in and around the Gospel which men see as in a haze and, being misunderstood, they rather repelthan attract seeking souls. But be they what they may, we must resolve to come to Jesus at all risks. "If I perish, I perish."Beside the great stumbling stone of election, there are Truths of God and facts which seekers magnify and misconstrue tillthey see a thousand difficulties. They are troubled about Christian experience, about being born again, about inbred sin andall sorts of things. In fact, a thousand lions are in the way when the soul attempts to come to Jesus! But he who gives Christthe faith which He deserves, says, "I fear none of these things. Lord, help me, and I will still con-

fide in You. I will approach You. I will press through obstacles to You and throw myself at Your dear feet, knowing that himthat comes to You, You will in no wise cast out."

II. FAITH NEVER DISPUTES WITH THE LORD. Faith worships. You notice how Matthew says, "Then came she and worshipped Him." Faithalso begs and prays. You observe how Mark says, "She besought Him." She cried, "Lord, help me," after having said, "Have mercyon me, O Lord, You Son of David." Faith pleads, but never disputes, not even against the hardest thing that Jesus says. Iffaith disputed-I am uttering a mistake-she would not be faith, for that which disputes is unbelief! Faith in God implies agreementwith what God says and, consequently, it excludes the idea of doubt. Genuine faith believes anything and everything the Lordsays whether discouraging or encouraging. She never has a, "but," or an, "if." Or even a, "yet," to put in, but she standsto it, "You have said it, Lord and, therefore, it is true! You have ordained it, Lord and, therefore, it is right." She nevergoes beyond that.

Observe in our text that faith assents to all the Lord says. She said, "Truth, Lord." What had He said? "You are comparableto a dog!" "Truth, Lord. Truth, Lord, so I am." "It would not be meet that the children should be robbed of bread in orderto feed dogs." "Truth Lord, it would not be fitting, and I would not have one of Your children deprived of Grace for me.""It is not your time yet," said Jesus, "the children must first be fed, children at the meal times and dogs after dinner.This is Israel's time and the Gentiles may follow after. But not yet."

She virtually replies, "I know it, Lord, and agree." She does not raise a question or dispute the justice of the Lord's dispensingHis own Grace according to His sovereign good pleasure. She fails not, as some do who quibble at Divine Sovereignty. It wouldhave proven that she had little or no faith if she had done that. She disputes not as to the Lord's set time and order. Jesussaid, "Let the children first be filled," and she does not dispute the time, as many do, who will not have it that now isthe accepted tine, but are as much for postponing as this woman was for antedating the day of Grace!

She entered into no argument against its being improper to take the Covenant bread from the children and give it to the uncircumcisedheathen. She never wished Israel to be robbed for her. Dog as she was, she would not have any purpose of God nor any proprietyof the Divine household shifted and changed for her. She assented to all the Lord's appointments. That is the faith whichsaves the soul, which agrees with the mind of God even if it seem adverse to herself-which believes the revealed declarationsof God whether they appear to be pleasant or terrible-and assents to God's Word whether it is like a balm to its wound orlike a sword to cut and slay. If the Word of God is true, O man, do not fight against it, but bow before it! It is not theway to a living faith in Jesus Christ, nor to obtain peace with God, to take up arms against anything which God declares.In yielding lies safety. Say, "Truth, Lord," and you shall find salvation!

Note that she not only assented to all that the Lord said, but she worshipped Him in it. "Truth," she said, "but yet You aremy Lord. You call me, 'dog,' but You are my Lord for all that. You account me unworthy to receive Your bounties, but You aremy Lord, and I still acknowledge You as such." She is of the mind of Job-"Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord, andshall we not receive evil?" She is willing to take the evil and say, "Whether the Lord gives, or whether He refuses, blessedbe His name! He is still my Lord." Oh, this is grand faith, which has thrown aside the argumentative spirit and not only assentsto the Lord's will, but worships Him in it!

"Let it be what it may, O Lord, even if Your Truth condemns me, yet You are still Lord, and I confess Your Deity, confessYour excellence, acknowledge Your crown rights and submit myself to You. Do with me what You will." And, you observe, whenshe said, "Truth, Lord," she did not go on to suggest that any alteration should be made for her. "Lord," she said, "You haveclassed me among the dogs." She does not say, "Put me among the children," but she only asks to be treated as a dog is! "Thedogs eat the crumbs," she says. She does not want a purpose altered nor an ordinance changed, nor a decree removed-"Let itbe as it is. If it is Your will, Lord, it is my will"- she spies a gleam of hope, where, if she had not possessed faith, shewould have seen only the blackness of despair! May we have such a faith as hers and never enter into controversy with God.

III. Now I come to an interesting part of our subject, namely, that FAITH ARGUES, though it does not dispute. "Truth, Lord,"she said, "yet the dogs eat the crumbs." This woman's argument was correct and strictly logical throughout. It was an argumentbased upon the Lord's own premises and, you know, if you are reasoning with a man, you cannot do better than take his ownstatements and argue upon them. She does not proceed to lay down new premises, or dispute the old ones by saying, "I am nodog." But she says, "Yes, I am a dog." She accepts that statement of the Lord,

and uses it as a blessed argumentum ad hominem, such as was never excelled in this world! She took the words out of His ownmouth and vanquished Him with them, even as Jacob overcame the Angel!

There is so much force in the women's argument that I quite despair, this morning, of being able to set it all forth to you.I would, however, remark that the translators have greatly injured the text by putting in the word, "yet," for there is no,"yet," in the Greek! It is quite another word. Jesus said, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to thedogs. "No," she said, "it would not be meet to do this, because the dogs are provided for, for the dogs eat the crumbs thatfall from their master's table." "It would be very improper to give them the children's bread, because they have bread oftheir own." "Truth, Lord, I admit it would be improper to give the dogs the children's bread, because they have already theirshare when they eat the crumbs which fall from the children's table. That is all they need, and all I desire. I do not askYou to give me the children's bread, I only ask for the dog's crumbs."

Let us see the force of her reasoning, which will appear in many ways. The first is this. She argued with Christ from herhopeful position. "I am a dog," she said, "but, Lord, You have come all the way to Sidon. Here You are close on the bordersof my country and, therefore, I am not like a dog out in the street-I am a dog under the table." Mark tells us that she said,"The dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." She as good as says, "Lord, You see my position-I was a dog in thestreet, afar off from You-but now You have come and preached on our borders and I have been privileged to listen to You. Othershave been healed and You are in this very house doing deeds of Grace while I look on and, therefore, though I am a dog, Iam a dog under the table. Therefore, Lord, let me have the crumbs."

Do you see, dear Hearer? You admit that you are a sinner and a great sinner, but you say, "Lord, I am a sinner that is permittedto hear the Gospel, therefore bless it to me! I am a dog, but I am under the table, deal with me as such! When there is asermon preached for the comfort of Your people, I am there to hear it. Whenever the saints gather together and the preciouspromises are discussed, and they rejoice therein, I am there, looking up and wishing that I was among them. But Lord, sinceYou have had the Grace to let me be a hearer of the Gospel, will You reject me, now that I desire to be a receiver of it?To what end and purpose have You brought me so near, or rather come so near to me, if, after all, You will reject me? DogI am, but still, I am a dog under the table. It is a favor to be privileged to be among the children, even if I may only lieat their feet. I pray You, good Lord, since now I am permitted to look up to You and ask this blessing, do not reject me."

To me it seems that this was a strong point with the woman and that she used it well. Her next plea was her encouraging relationship."Truth, Lord," she says, "I am a dog, but the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table." See the stress laidthere by Matthew-"From their master's table"? I cannot say that you are my father. I cannot look up and claim the privilegeof a child, but you are my Master, and masters feed their dogs. They give at least the crumbs to those dogs which acknowledgethem as their lord." The plea is very much like that suggested to the mind of the poor returning prodigal. He thought to sayto his father, "Make me as one of your hired servants," only his faith was far less than hers.

For hers pleaded, "Lord, if I do not stand in relation to you as a child, yet I am Your creature. You have made me and I lookup to You and beseech You not to let me perish. If I have no other hold upon You, I have at least this, that I ought to haveserved You and, therefore, I am Your servant though I am a runaway. I do belong to You-at least under the Covenant of Worksif I do not under the Covenant of Grace, and oh, since I am Your servant, do not utterly reject me! You have some propertyin me by creation, at any rate. Oh, look upon me, and bless me. The dogs eat what falls from their master's table-let me dothe same." She spies out a dog's relation to its master and makes the most of it with blessed ingenuity, which we shall dowell to imitate.

Notice next, she pleads her association with the children. Here I must tell you that it is a pity that it was not, I suppose,possible for our translators to bring clearly out what is, after all, the heart of the passage. She was pleading for her littledaughter and our Lord said to her, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the little dogs." The wordis a diminutive and the woman focused upon it. The word, "dogs," could not have served her turn one half as well as that of,"little dogs." But she said, "Truth, Lord, yet the little dogs eat of the crumbs." In the East, as a rule, a dog is not allowedindoors. In fact, dogs are looked upon there as foul creatures and roam about uncared for and half wild.

Christianity has raised the dog and made him man's companion, as it will raise all the brute creation, till the outrages ofvivisection and the cruelties of the vulgar will be things unheard of except as horrors of a past barbarous age. In

the East a dog is far down in the scale of life-a street wanderer, prowling for scanty food-and in temper little better thana reformed wolf. So the adult Easterns do not associate with dogs, having a prejudice against them. But children are not sofoolish and, consequently, the Eastern children associate with the little dogs. The father will not have the dog near him,but his child knows no such folly and seeks out a little dog to join him in his sports. Thus the little dog comes to be underthe table, tolerated in the house for the child's sake.

The woman appears, to me, to argue thus-"You have called me and my daughter whelps, little dogs. But then the little dogsare under the children's table. They associate with the children, even as I have been with Your disciples today. If I am notone of them, I have been associating with them, and would be glad to be among them." How heartily do I wish that some poorsoul would catch at this and say, "Lord, I cannot claim to be one of Your children, but I love to sit among them, for I amnever happier than when I am with them. Sometimes they trouble and distress me, as little children pinch and hurt their littledogs, but oftentimes they caress me and speak kindly and comfortably to me. And they pray for me, and desire my salvation.So, Lord, if I am not a child, yet You call me a little dog and so I am. So give me a little dog's treatment-give me the crumbsof mercy which I seek."

Her argument goes further, for the little dog eats the crumbs of the children's bread with the child's full consent. Whena child has its little dog to play with while he is eating, what does the child do? Why, of course, it gives a little bitto the dog every now and again and the doggie, himself, takes great liberties and helps himself as much as he dares. Whena little dog is with the children at meal time it is sure to get a crumb from one or other of its playmates-and none willobject to its eating what it can get.

So the woman seems to say, "Lord, there are the children, Your disciples. They do not treat me very well. Little childrendo not treat little dogs always so kindly as they might, but still, Lord, they are quite willing that I should have the blessingI am seeking. They have a full portion in You. They have Your Presence. They have Your Word. They sit at Your feet. They haveobtained all sorts of spiritual blessings. I am sure they cannot grudge me so much less a blessing- they are willing thatI should have the devil cast out of my daughter, for that blessing, compared with what they have, is but a crumb-and theyare content that I should have it. So Lord, I answer Your argument. You say it is not meet until the children are filled togive bread to dogs, but, Lord, the children are filled and are quite willing to let me have my portion. They consent to allowme the crumbs! Will You not give them to me?"

I think there was another point of force in her plea-the abundance of the provision. She had a great faith in Christ and believedbig things of Him and, therefore, she said, "Lord, there is no great strength in Your argument if You do intend to prove thatI ought not to have the bread for fear there should not be enough for the children, for You have so much that even while thechildren are being fed, the dogs may get the crumbs and there will still be enough for the children!" Where it is a poor man'stable and he cannot afford to lose a crumb, dogs should not be allowed. But when it is a king's table where bread is of smallaccount, and the children are sitting and feeding to the full, the little dogs may be permitted to feed under the table forthe mere droppings-not the bread the master casts down, but the crumbs which fall by accident are so many that there is enoughfor the dogs without the children being deprived of a mouthful.

"No, Lord," she said, "I would not have You take away the bread from Your own children! God forbid that such a deed shouldbe done for me! But there is enough for Your children in Your overflowing love and mercy and still enough for me, for allI ask is but a crumb compared with what You are daily bestowing upon others." Now, here is the last point in which her argumenthad force. She looked at things from Christ's point of view. "If, great Lord," she said, "You look at me as a dog, then beholdI humbly take You at Your word, and plead that if I am a dog to You, then the cure I ask for my daughter is but a crumb forYour great power and goodness to bestow on me." She used a diminutive word, too, and said, "A little crumb."

The little dogs eat of the little crumbs which fall from the children's table. What bold faith this was! She valued the mercyshe sought beyond all price! She thought it worth 10,000 worlds to her, but yet to the Son of God she knew it to be a merecrumb, so rich is He in power to heal and so full of goodness and blessing! If a man gives a crumb to a dog, he has a littlethe less, but if Jesus gives mercy to the greatest of sinners, He has none the less-He is just as rich in condescension andmercy and power to forgive as He was before! The woman's argument was most potent. She was as wise as she was earnest and,best of all, she believed most marvelously!

I shall close this outline of the argument by saying that at bottom the woman was, in reality, arguing according to the eternalpurposes of God, for what was the Lord's grand design in giving the bread to the children, or, in other words, sending a DivineRevelation to Israel? Why, it always was His purpose that through the children, the dogs should get the bread-that throughIsrael the Gospel should be handed to the Gentiles! It had always been His plan to bless His own heritage that His way mightbe known upon earth, His saving health among all nations! And this woman, somehow or other, by a Divine instinct, fell intothe Divine method. Though she had not spied out the secret, or at least it is not told us that she did so in so many words,yet there was the innate force of her argument.

In other words, it ran thus-"It is through the children that the dogs have to be fed. Lord, I do not ask You to cease givingthe children their bread. Nor do I even ask You to hurry on the children's meal-let them be fed first-but even while theyare eating, let me have the crumbs which drop from their well-filled hands and I will be content." There is a brave argumentfor you, poor coming Sinner. I leave it in your hands and pray the Spirit of God to help you to use it! And if you can turnit to good account, you shall prevail with the Lord this day!

IV. Our last and closing head is this-FAITH WINS HER SUIT. This woman's faith first won a commendation for herself. Jesussaid, "O, Woman, great is your faith." She had not heard of the prophecies concerning Jesus. She was not bred and born andeducated in a way in which she was likely to become a Believer and yet she did become a Believer of the first class. It wasmarvelous that it should be so, but Grace delights in doing wonders. She had not seen the Lord, before, in her life. She wasnot like those who had associated with Him for many months and yet, with but one view of Him, she gained this great faith!It was astonishing, but the Grace of God is always astonishing!

Perhaps she had never seen a miracle-all that her faith had to rest upon was that she had heard in her own country that theMessiah of the Jews was come-and she believed that the Man of Nazareth was He and on this she relied. O Brothers and Sisters,with all our advantages! With the opportunities that we have of knowing the whole life of Christ and understanding the doctrinesof the Gospel as they are revealed to us in the New Testament-with many years of observation and experience-our faith oughtto be much stronger than it is! Does not this poor woman shame us when we see her with her slender opportunities, neverthelessso strong in faith, so that Jesus Himself commending her says, "O Woman, great is your faith"?

But her faith prevailed further in that it won a commendation for the mode of its action, for, according to Mark, Jesus said,"Go your way; for this saying the devil is gone out of your daughter." It was as if He rewarded the saying as well as thefaith which suggested it! He was so delighted with the wise, prudent and humble, yet courageous manner in which she turnedHis words against Himself, that He said, "For this saying the devil is gone out of your daughter." The Lord who commends faith,afterwards commends the fruits and acts of faith! The Tree consecrates the fruit! No man's actions can be acceptable withGod till He, Himself, is accepted. And the woman, having been accepted on her faith, the results of her faith were agreeableto the heart of Jesus.

The woman also gained her desire-"The devil is gone out of your daughter," and he was gone at once! She had only to go homeand find her daughter on the bed taking a quiet rest-something which she had not done since the demon had possessed her! OurLord, when He gave her the desire of her heart, gave it in a grand manner! He gave her a sort of carte blanche and said, "Beit unto you even as you will." I do not know that any other person ever had such a word said to them as this woman, "Be itunto you even as you will." It was as if the Lord of Glory surrendered at discretion to the conquering arms of a woman's faith!The Lord grant to you and me, in all times of our struggling, to be able, thus, by faith, to conquer-and we cannot imaginehow great will be the spoil which we shall divide when the Lord shall say, "Be it unto you even as you will."

The close of all is this-this woman is a lesson to all outsiders-to you who think yourselves beyond the pale of hope, to youwho were not brought up to attend the House of God, who perhaps have been negligent of all religion for almost all your life.This poor woman is a Sidonian. She comes of a race that had been condemned to die many centuries before-one of the accursedseed of Canaan! And yet, for all that, she became great in the kingdom of Heaven because she believed! And there is no reasonwhy those who are reckoned to be quite outside the Church of God should not be in the very center of it-and be the most burningand shining lights of the whole! O you poor outcasts and far-off ones, take heart and comfort! Come to Jesus Christ and trustyourselves in His hands!

This woman is, next of all, an example to those who think they have been repulsed in their endeavors after salvation. Haveyou been praying and have you not succeeded? Have you sought the Lord and do you seem to be more unhappy than ever? Have youmade attempts at reformation and amendment and believed that you made them in the Divine strength-and have they failed? Yettrust in Him whose blood has not lost its efficacy, whose promise has not lost its truth, and whose arm has not lost its powerto save! Cling to the Cross, Sinner! If the earth sinks beneath you, hang on! If storms should rage and all the floods beout, and even God, Himself, seems to be against you, cling to the Cross! There is your hope! You cannot perish there!

This is a lesson, next, to every intercessor. This woman was not pleading for herself, she was asking for another. Oh, whenyou plead for a fellow sinner, do not do it in a cold-hearted manner! Plead as for your own soul and your own life! That manwill prevail with God as an intercessor who solemnly bears the matter upon his own heart and makes it his own and with tearsentreats an answer of peace! Lastly, remember that this mighty woman, this glorious woman, is a lesson to every mother, forshe was pleading for her little daughter! Maternal instinct makes the weakest strong, and the most timid brave. Even amongpoor beasts and birds, how powerful is a mother's love!

Why, the poor little robin which would be frightened at the approach of a footstep, will sit upon its nest when the intrudercomes near when her little ones are in danger. A mother's love makes her heroic for her child! And so, when you are pleadingwith God, plead as a mother's love suggests to you, till the Lord shall say to you, also, "O Woman, great is your faith; thedevil is gone out of your daughter; be it unto you even as you will." I leave that last thought with parents as an encouragementto pray. The Lord stir you up to it, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON-Matthew 15:1-31. HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK"-906, 551, 540.