The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 107

wild Eavage packs which roam about Eastern cities. She is well pleased to be regarded a~ a little dog, for it gives her a claim to the Master's kindness. The Jews were wayward children; they had rejected the bread of life, The Gentiles would flock round the board, The Jews called them doge; they would gladly, thankfully rooeive the bread which the Jews had spurned, She pleaded for her share; she asked only for the crumbs which fell from the table. They were the children's crumbs, she knew; but the children had let them fall. Might not she-no child, but a Gentile; no better, she owned, than a dog-might not she have her portion of those most precious crumbs? It waa a beautiful humility, a touching holy perseverance. It was an illustration of the first Beatitude. This Syro-Phrenician woman was poor in spirit; she felt her spiritual poverty, and acknowledged it; and she obtained her share in the blessings of the kingdom of heaven, though not a child of the kingdom. Her prayer is a model for us. So ought we to pray; with the same humility, feeling and owning our own utte,· unworthiness'.; with the same importunity, urging our request in earnest continual supplication, though the Lord be silent and seem to heed us not. Sooner or later, he always answers the prayer of faith. He answered now. "0 woman," he said, "great is thy faith ! " 'l'he Lord admired the faith of this Canaanite woman, as he had marvelled at the faith of the Gentile centurion. Sometimes those who have the fewest privileges, Caw opportunities, lit.tie knowledge, are nevertheless rich in faith, and live very near to Christ. Such shall receive the blessing of this Gentile woman, " Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." For the Christian's prayer is, "Thy will be done." He yields up his will to God's most holy will; and thus, willing such things as God willeth, he obtains his requests; for "all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." And now the mother's heart was glad ; her child was healed. The Lord was distant in body, but his saving energy was present, as it is present now wherever men call on him in faithful prayer. He has taught us by bis holy apostle to make prayers and supplications, and to give thanks for all men. Let us try to fulfil this great duty of intercessory prayer. Let ministers pray for their people, parents for their children, all Christians for one another. Let parents pray earnestly, perseveringly, for erring children. " It is impossible," it was said to the mother of St. Augustine, "that the child of so many tears should perish." LESSONS, 1. Do not value too highly the external signs of success; think more of duty than success. 2. "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." 3. Be humble; to such God gi voLh grace. Vers. 29-39.-The retwrn. I. THE JOURNEY, 1. The Lord leaves the borders o/ Tyre. He bad sojourned for a short time in this heathen land. He had wrebght one mighty miracle; one heathen woman had shown a strangely energetic and persevering faith-a faith that we Christians may well covet earnestly, Surely some heathen soul."- two at least, one would think-must have been drawn to Christ and to salvation by that work of love and power, They may, perhaps, have been among the little company who, thirty years afterwards, "kneeled down on the shore, and prayed." when St. Paul left Tyre on bis last journey to Jerusalem. But the borders of Tyre were not to be the scene of the Lord's personal labours, He departed, going northwards at first through Sidon (if the reading of the most ancient manuscripts in Mark vii. 31 is to be followed). He looked on the great Phrenician cities, with their commerce, their magnificence, their idolatries. So now from heaven he looks down on our great towns, with their strange sharp contrasts of wealth and poverty, luxury and misery, with their unbelief and heathenism, with their drunkenness and uncleanness, His followers were to labour afterwards in those great centres of population. His own work lay not there. 2. Be comes to the Sea ef Galilee. He turned south-eastwards, and came through the half- heathen Decapolis to the eastern coast of the well-known lake, He went up into a. mountain and sat down there, perhaps for prayer and meditation, perhaps for quiet intercourse with the twelve. But again he could not be hid; the healing of the deaf man who bad an impediment ln his speech (Mark vii. 32--37) was soon noised abroad. Great multitudes came; they were rough, ignorant mountaineers, inhabiting a semi- pagan country; but they saw the works of Christ; they recognized his power and love. They brought the sick and suffering from all the neighbourhood, and cast them down at Jesus' feet. We do not read of any words-they knew not how to pr!!.y; but in their  110 THE GOSPEL ACOORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. xv.1--39.