Lim to his right mind. Chrift looked on many thoufands that were never the better of it. He looked on Judas after he betrayed him, and when he prefumed to kiss him, and reproved him too for his base treachery: But neither that look nor reproof melted his heart. As the beams of the very fame fun hardens clay, and foftens frozen earth; fo a look from the fame Jefus, the Son of righteousness, left Judas hard and impenitent, whilft it foftened Peter's heart. The one went on in his villany, whilst the other relented, and melted into tears. Why? he looked but on the face of Judas, but he looked on the heart of Peter. He looked upon the one with a frowning judicial look, but looked upon the other with a recovering and drawing look. Chrift's look to Peter was accompanied with the inward influences of his fpirit on his heart, otherways it had been ineffectual. Oh, if he would vouchfafe fuch a gracious look to my frozen heart, and foften it! I would fain bring my hard heart and lay it before this bleffed Sun, and wait until he draw by the cloud, look thro', and thine upon it. Lord, I tremble to go to thy table with this hard heart, left thou fhould'ft look on me with anger, as thou didst upon these, Mark iii. 5. upon account of the hardness of their hearts. Lord, I defire to be grieved for my hearthardness, and to look to thee whom I have pierced by it. Give fuch a look to my heart as thou gave to Peter's, melt it down into penitential tears, aud caufe me to go afide and weep bitterly. Chrift's look caufed Peter to remember and think upon Chrift's words to him. It is in and by his word that he works upon finners hearts. O if the Spirit would bring the word to my mind, fet it powerfully home upon my confcience, and fo give the happy turn to my foul. Lord, help me to lay up thy words, and ponder them in my heart; and O bring them always feasonably to my view, that when I fall I may not lye long under fin, nor continue in a state of backfliding from thee. May I have fuch a look from thee, as fhall look all my idols out of countenance, and look my wandering heart into a right frame for a covenanting and communicating work: A look that fhall put new life in all my drooping graces, and kindle fuch a flame of love to Chrift in my heart, and of indignation against fin, as all the devils in hell fhall never be able to quench. A look that fhall make me weep, while I live, for piercing Chrift the Lamb. Oh, thall others shed tears in plenty for fin, and my eyes remain dry? Shall others get their hearts broken, and mine continue hard! Lord, thy grace is free; O how eafy were it for thee to melt my heart and moiften my eyes: One touch of thy hand, nay one look of thy countenance, one caft of thine eye is fufficient to do it. O turn unto ine, and give me one merciful look; for thy ordinance will be lifelefs, and loft unto me, if thou look not How can I go to thy table to behold Jefus, my furety, all red with blood for my red and scarlet-coloured fins, while my heart doth not mourn, nor my eyes run down? Surely the ftreams of my Saviour's blood deferve to be lamented with tears of blood, and fhall I not do it at leaft with tears of water? Was he wounded for my tranfgreffions, and fhall not my heart bleed, and eyes weep, for his wounds given him by my fins? on me. MEDITATION IX. From MATTH. xv. 27. And she said, truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of THIS the crumbs. HIS woman was a Ganaanite, and lived among heathens, yet she had greater knowledge and faith of the Messiah than most of the Jews. Her faith, humility, patience, and refolution, amidit the greateft difcouragements, are here recorded for a pattern and encouragement to defponding believers in all ages. This woman was fo fenfible of her mifery, that she addresses Chrift with great earneftnefs for help: She doth not fpeak calmly or coldly to Chrift, but the cried unto him, and followed him with her cries, ver. 22, 23. Surely, if I were duly affected with my fpiritual wants and miferies, I would fpeak to God in no other Janguage than that of cries and tears. O what caufe have I to bewail my coldness and indifferency in prayer, and the little fenfe I have of my dangers and neceffities, which are great beyond expreffion? This woman, notwithstanding of her great earnestnefs and ftrong faith, met with very great trials and difcouragements in her addreffes to thrift. 1. Her first trial is Chrift's filence to her, when crying to him for mercy, ver. 23. He answered ber not a word. Strange! not a word from a meek and merciful Saviour, that never put a poor finner, feeking mercy away from him before; but ftill invited all to come to him for it. That is a fore fenfation, Lam. iii. 8. When I cry and shout be sbutteth out my prayer. Believers are apt to think that God huts out their players in wrath, when it is not fo. Chrift heard this woman, accepted her, was pleafed with her, and strengthened her to hold on in prayer, tho' he did not immediately answer her. He entertained her with filence to draw her on to be more importunate, and to try her faith, patience and perfeverance, and thereby to teach us to be followers of these who through faith and patience do now inherit the promises. Chrift keeps the door bolted for a time, that we may knock the harder, Mat. vii. 7. Ask, seek, knock. The choiceft mercies come to us after the the greatest wrestlings. Likewife I fee here, that there is love in Chrift's heart to wrestling fouls, even when frowns appear in his looks; wherefore let me take encouragement from him, tho' be slay me, yet to trust in him. 2. Another fore trial the woman met with, was the answer Chrift gave his difciples when interceeding for her, whereby he feems to exclude her out of his commiffion, v. 24. I am not sent but to the last sheep of the house of Ifrael. The Jews were called sheep, but the gentiles, dogs. The Jews were indeed to have the firft offer of Chrift's grace and purchafe. Tho' the woman might have taken Chrift's words as a plain repulfe, yet the ftudies to put the best fenfe on them the can, and continues her importunity. Which teacheth us never to leave the throne of grace for any difcouragement. 3. She gets a repulfe yet more fharp than the two former, even after the had came close up to him, and fallen down at his feet, faying, Lord help me. Then it is Chrift ranks her among the dogs, thefe that were without the covenant, profare and unclean. Now, one might think he is cut off by that word, and will infift no more after it. Nay, the takes hold of that word of reproach, and pleads uponi: in the text, truth, Lord, I am a dog, ift, What caufe have we, O Lord, t goodness, that we Gentiles, of dogs are now children, and allowed to come to thy table. at the fame time to fear thy juftice, fince the Fer of children, are now become dogs, and fhut out as unclean! If they were out off who crucified thee in thy low eftate, what may we expect, if, by our ins, we crucify thee in thy glory? Let us not be high minded, but fear. 2dly, Chrift puts the ftrongeft faith of his people upon the fharpeft trials: He thinks fit, for his own glory, where he gives much grace, to try grace much. 3dly, Thefe who are eminent in faith are moft humble; this woman was fo. O how humbly did the plead with Chrift! She threw herfelf on the ground, lay low at his feet, and from the duft cried for help; fhe claimed nothing, only begged for mercy. And when Chrift fpurned her from his feet, calling her a dog, he doth not murmur nor complain of his harsh carriage, but humbly takes with the charge; truth, Lord, thou doft not miscal me, nor call me fo bad as I am; I am a dog, a moft vile and unworthy creature, and have no right to the children's bread, and must starve if thou haft not mercy on me. She can bear any thing, the worft frown or chaftifement from Chrift, only the can't bear being excluded from his mercy and grace : fhe would have fome token of it, tho' never fo finall; fhe claims not a Benjamin's meal, nor a child's portion, only let her have a dog's crumb. Lord, I take E |