The Woman of Canaan, Title page – Epigraph
THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. A comfortable Sermon of faith in temptations and afflictions. Preached at Saint Buttolphes without Aldersgate in London, the 15. of February. 1573.
By Maister William Fulke Doctor of Diuinity and Maister of Pembrooke Hall in Cambridge.
Now newly reuiued, corrected, and amended: and published at the request of certaine well affected persons.
Iohn. 5 4.
All that is borne of God ouercommeth the world: and this is the victory that ouercommeth the world, euen our faith.
AT LONDON Imprinted for Thomas Adams. 1611.
THE EPISTLE to the Reader.
CHristian reader: out of my desire, to the multiplication of thy profit in faith, and thy comfort by faith in Christ Iesus: I hauehave at length obtayned the republishing of this excellent Sermon of the force of faith in temptations and afflictions: preached, some yeares since in this citty of London, by that learned and Godly man M. Doctor Fulke, who was wel seene in the holy scriptures and the fathers: and was of such dexterity in maintayning the truth against errors, that some of the aduersaries themselues did tearme him the hammer: thankes be to Christ who inabled him with such facility to break in fitters their strong arguments that they brought to fortefie their errors.
But to speake of the Sermon it selfe, this I will assure thee, it hath bin found so profitable, and comfortable to the readers, that diuers of mine own knowledge, hauehave written it out: and no maruell, for whosoeuer shall read it with attention, and ponder it, shall through Gods mercy, besides other fruits of his labour, easily learne this short and sweet lesson: that wee ought to assure our selues that howsoeuer it shal please Christ to handle vsus, yet he loueth vsus still, and hath an eie to that which is good for vsus: which how profitable and comfortable it is I leaue to thine owne consideration, especially seeing it cannot be vnknowne with how many calamities, greifes, and varieties of afflictions, it pleaseth our Heauenly Father to exercise vsus, in this vale of teares, during our pilgrimage here vponupon earth: it being so, is it not a great quietnesse to our hart when wee hauehave so profited in faith as we can take Gods wil as our soueraigne welfare & perfect happinesse? for then though all our sences should tell vsus that hee is against vsus, yet our faith will prompt vsus to trust in him, and to call vponupon him, as our most louing father, who ceasseth not to procure our welfare continualy. Such is the calmnes of minde which God giueth to the faithful, yea, euen in the midest of stormes and extremities: Is not faith then a most precious iewel which brings such happines to such as hauehave it? But if thou desire to hold this faith, looke wel to thine heart, striue to purge it from guilt, labour for soundnesse and sincerity: for the property of faith is to purifie the heart, Act. 15.9. The cause then, why so many as seeme to hauehave faith doe fal, and their vertues, which they seeme to hauehave, vanish to nothing, is because they wāt this soundnesse of heart: which vnsoundnesse of heart doth plainly show them, if they would see, that their faith is not right.
Wherefore for the helpe of true and right faith in thee, I commend this Sermon: but why do I commend it? read it, and it wil commend it selfe; therefore I leaue thee to Christ, the author & finisher of our faith: hartely beseeching him so to come vntounto thee by his holy Spirit, as that thou maist bee able to come vntounto him by thy Spirit, and so by his Spirit to embrace thee, as that hee may stir vp liuely faith in thee to imbrace him, and so to ioyne and vnite himselfe vntounto thee, as thou maist cleaue vntounto him in that most happy vnion and most holy wedlocke between thee and Christ, which is brought to passe by his spirit, and thy faith, and is so full of so sweete, holy, and heauenly consolation.
Thy well willer.
MATHEW. 15.21.
ANd Iesus departing from thence, went aside into the parts of Tire and Sidon.
22. And behould a certaine woman which was a Cananite comming out of those quarters, cried out vntounto him saying: HaueHave mercy vponupon me Lord, thou sonne of Dauid, my daughter is pitiously tormented with a diuell.
23. But he aunswered her not a word. And his disciples came vntounto him, and be sought him saying, send her away for she crieth after vsus.
24. But he answered and said, I was not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel.
25. Then she came and worshiped him saying: Lord helpe me.
26. But he answered it is not good to take the childrens bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27. But she said: true Lord, but yet the dogs eate of the croomes that fall from their Lords table: then Iesus answered and said vntounto her: O woman great is thy faith, be it vntounto the as thou wilt, and her daughter was healed from the same houre.