Chrift's look to Peter was a powerful and overcoming look; it conquered his will, loofed him from the world and fin, and made him yield presently to Chrift: he was not able to hold out a moment longer, but, like Jofeph, feeks a fecret place to weep in. O how powerful is a look from Chrift! It is fufficient to bow the most stubborn will, and melt the hardest heart; it can turn the rock into flanding water, and the flint into a fountain of water, Pfalm cxiv. 8. How powerful was the look he gave to poor Jerufalem, when lying in their blood; a look that caufed them to live, Ezek. xvi. 6. How powerful was the look he gave to Zaccheus on the sycamore tree, Luke xix. 5 O for fuch a look as would bring me prefently down, in like manner, from the Sycamore of my selfconceit and self-righteosuness, and from my best beloved fins and idols, and cause me receive Chrift joyfully into my heart, and go with chearfulness to his table, and receive the feal of his covenant faying, my Lord, and my God! Christ's look to Peter was a peculiar and diftinguishing look; the power and grace of God went alongft with it to change Peter's heart, and bring him to his right mind. Chrift looked on many thousands that were never the better of it. He looked on Judas after he betrayed him, and when he prefumed to kifs 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 Sun of Righteousness, left Judas hard and impenitent, whilft it foftened Peter's heart. The one went on in his villainy, whilft 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 fun, and wait until he draw by the clout!, look through and fhine upon it. Lord I tremble to goto thy table with this hard heart, left thou shouldft look on me with anger, as thou didft upon these, Mark iii. 5. upon account of the hardness of their hearts. Lord, I defire to be grieved for my heart-hardness, 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, and 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 fpirit 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 seasonably to my view, that when I fall I may not lie 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 countenace, and look my wandering heart into a right frame for 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 shall never be able to quench. A look that shall make me weep, while I live, for piercing Christ the Lamb. 2 Oh, fhall others fhed 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: 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 me, and give me one merciful look: for thy ordinance will be lifeless, and loft unto me, if thou look not on me. How can I go to thy table to behold Jesus, my surety, all red with blood for my red and and scarlet-coloured fins, while my heart doth not mourn, nor my eyes run down! Surely the streams of my Saviour's blood deferve to be lamented with tears of blood, and thall I not do it, at least with tears of water? Was he wounded for my trans. greffions, and fhall not my heart bleed, and eyes weep for his wounds given him by my fins? TH MEDITATION IX. And she said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs, &c. HIS woman was a Canaanite, and lived among hea thens, yet she had greater knowledge and faith of the Meffiah than the most of the Jews. Her faith, humility, patience, and refolution, amidst the greatest difcouragements, are here recorded for a pattern and encouragement to defponding believers in all ages. This woman was fo fenfible of her misery, that the addreffes Chrift with great earnestnefs for help: She doth not speak calmly or coldly to Chrift, but fhe 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 speak to God in no other language than that of cries and tears. O what cause have to bewail my coldness and indifferency in prayer, and the little fenfe I have of my dangers and neceflities, which are great beyond expreflion? This woman, notwithstanding her great earnestnefs and ftrong faith, met with very great trials and discourage. ments in her addreffes to Chrift. 1. Her first trail is Chrift's filence to her, when cry. ing to him for mercy, ver. 23. He answered her not a word. Strange! not a word from a meek and merciful Saviour, that never put a poor finner, feeking mercy, a from him before; but still invited all to come to him way for it. That is a fore temptation, Lam. ii. 8. When I cry and fhout, he butteth out my prayer. Believers are apt to think that God fhuts out their prayers in wrath, when it is not fo. Chrift heard this woman, accepted. her, was pleafed with her, and ftrengthened her to hold on in prayer, though 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 thofe who thro' faith and patience do now inherit the promises. Chrift keeps the door bolted for a time, that we may knock the harder, Matth. vii. 7. Afk, feek, knock. The choiceft mercies come to us after the greateft 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, though he flay me, yet to trust in him. 2. Another fore trail the woman met with, was the anfwer Chrift gave his difciples when interceding for her, whereby he feems to exclude her out of his commiffion, ver. 24. I am not fent but to the looft Sheep of the boufe of Ifrael. The Jews were called theep, but the Gentiles dogs. The Jews were indeed to have the first offer of Chrifl's grace and purchase. Though the woman might have taken Chrift's words as a plain repulfe, yet fhe ftudies to put the best sense on them she can, and continues her importunity. Which teaches 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 she had come clofe up to him, and fallen down at his feet, faying, Lord, help me. Then it is Christ ranks her among the dogs, these that were without the covenant, profane and unclean. Now, one might think the is cut off by that word, and will infift' no more after it. Nay, fhe takes hold of that word of reproach, and pleads upon it in the text, Truth, Lord, I am a dog, vile and unworthy; yet let me humbly afk the dogs room and privilege, even to creep beneath the children's table, and gather fome crumbs of mercy. O how much is contained here for our inftruction and imitation! ift, What cause have we, O Lord, to blefs thy goodnfs, that we Gentiles, of dogs are now become children, and allowed to come to thy table! And, at the same time to fear thy juftice, fince the Jews, of children, are now become dogs, and fhut out as unclean! If they were cut off who crucified thee in thy low eftate, what may we expect, if by our fins, we crucify thee in thy glory? Let us not be high minded but fear. 2dly, Chrift puts the strongest faith of his people upon the sharpeft trials: He thinks fit, for his own glory, where he gives much grace to try grace much. '3dly, Those who are eminent in faith are most humble; this woman was fo. O how humbly did the plead with Christ! She threw herself on the ground, lay low at his feet, and from the duft, cried for help; the claimed nothing, only begged for mercy. And when Chrift fpurned her from his feet, calling her a dog, the doth not murmur nor complain of his harsh carriage, but humbly takes with the charge; Truth, Lord, thou doft not mifcal 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 ftarve if thou hast not mercy upon me. She can bear any thing, the worst frown or chastisement from Chrift, only fhe can't bear being excluded from his mercy and grace; he would have some token of it, though never so small: She claims not a Benjamin's meal, nor a child's portion, only let her have a dog's crumb. Lord, I take patiently the ftripe from thee; give me but a crumb after it, and I'll go away fatisfied. Surely the more humble any fupplicant is at the throne of Grace, he comes ftill the better Ipeed; for the Lord refifts the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 4thly, God's ufual method of difpenfing his mercy and grace to finners, is first to caft them down before he raise them up; he first humbles and lays them low in a fense of their unworthiness and vilenefs, before he advances them to his favour. We must first see ourfelves to be as dogs, lefs than the leaft of all God's mercies, before we are fit to be dignified with the privileges of children. 5thly, when unbelief draws difmal conclufions from every thing, and tempts us to quit our grips and hopes, upon any dark difpenfation, and to fay with that wicked king, 2 Kings vi. 33. This evil is of the Lord: Why Should I wait for the Lord any longer? Behold, faith is a valiant and importunate grace, it puts the best constructions upon all Chrift's actions; it is tharp |