Matthew 15:7














Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Sincerely enough, and with a view to helping the people to apply the revealed principles of truth and duty, the national teachers had begun to supply commentaries on, and applications of, the Holy Scriptures. These became ever more and more elaborate; controversies were excited by them, and an authority was claimed for the minute, man-made rule rather than for the comprehensive and searching principle. One part of our Lord's mission was to liberate men from the painful and worryful pressure of these man-made rules, and recover for man the genuine unalloyed moral force on moral beings of God's commands. It was sometimes necessary for him to be severe in dealing with the claims made on behalf of traditions. We can but little conceive how religion was affected, in our Lord's time, by a mere ritual that was so comprehensive, so minute, and yet so ridiculous, that it must have made men hate the very name of religion.

I. MAN-MADE RELIGIOUS RULES ARE ATTRACTIVE TO MEN. It may be said, to all men. It can with confidence be said, to some men. There are, in every age and society, persons who prefer to have their religion done for them; who cannot, and will not, bear the burden of personal responsibility. They ask to have their conduct arranged by rules. And there have always been those who were willing to meet their requests, and to claim authority for so doing. It is a seemingly easy way in which to get through the difficult business of religion, if only it could be made satisfactory; but that it can never be. In all ages, and today, the man-made rules are sure to "make the Word of God of none effect." They are sure to push God out of those direct and personal relations which he bears to each one.

II. MAN-MADE RELIGIOUS RULES ARE RUINOUS FOR MEN. If they could keep them as mere helps and guides, all would be well. But that is just what man has never been able to do. Man-made rules are always pushing out of their place, and into a place which does not properly belong to them. The following points may be worked out and illustrated.

1. Man-made rules shift the basis of authority in religion from God to man, from the true authority to an altogether false one.

2. Man-made rules exaggerate the place of self in religion. For the authority of man is only the authority of idealized self.

3. Man-made rules substitute a religion of hand (conduct) for the religion of the heart. - R.T.

This people draweth near to Me with their mouth.
I. SHOW WHO THEY ARE WHO ANSWER TO THE DESCRIPTION IN THE TEXT. ALL merely nominal Christians. Formal, self-righteous persons. False professors.

II. EXPOSTULATE WITH THEM ON THEIR FOLLY. Is not conformity to Christ's demand of the heart practicable? Is not such consecration to Him necessary? Will not merely a feigned allegiance be disowned by Him? Shall we Hot wish at last that we had been sincere and upright?

(Pulpit Studies.)

I. The text DESCRIBES A GREAT PRIVILEGE.

II. POINTS OUT A SERIOUS ABUSE.

(J. Rawlinson.)

Words and works, believing and doing, confession of the mouth and confession of the life, a sense of religion and godliness in the Church, and a sense of religion and godliness in the world, are things that ought never to be separated.

I. Endeavour to convince you, that a various and manifest contrariety actually appears between the sentiments which we express in the Divine service, and particularly at the ordinance of the Sacred Supper, and our conduct in the ordinary course of life.

II. Endeavour to represent to you the absurdity and the danger of such a contradictions and inconsistent behaviour.

(Zollikofer.)

I. True sanctity consists not in THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD and religion, however extensive, however just and perspicuous it may be. Although that knowledge may be necessary to sanctity, it is not, however, competent to it; and though it constitutes the basis of it, yet it is no more sanctity itself than the foundation of an edifice is the edifice itself.

II. Neither does true sanctity consist in A FURIOUS ZEAL FOR THE KNOWN TRUTH, or for the honour and glory of that religion which we profess.

III. Neither does true sanctity consist in the diligent or STRICT ATTENDANCE ON THE RITES AND CEREMONIES which religion prescribes; nor in the observance, nor in the multiplication of the devotional exercises to which it advises its professors; nor in voluntary penances and mortifications, which they impose upon themselves.

IV. Neither does true sanctity consist in our occasionally OMITTING SOMETHING WHICH GOD HAS FORBIDDEN US, OR DOING SOMETHING WHICH HE HAS COMMANDED US; nor in our occasionally performing single good actions, whether of justice or beneficence, or of abstinence. True sanctity is a reigning, constantly active, disposition and. bent of the soul, manifesting itself in the several parts of our inward and outward conduct, and making us always willing and ready to do what, and nothing else but what, is agreeable to God, and correspondent to His will.

(Zollikofer.)

I. THE STATE DESCRIBED.

1. Marked by absence of sincerity and honesty.

2. Implies a state of alienation from God.

3. Try the meaning of the text by the common estimates we form of professed friendship. All stress is laid on motive and feeling.

II. THE LESSONS OF THE STATE HERE REFERRED TO.

1. The need of repentance.

2. That in the midst of religious ordinances there may be spiritual insensibility.

3. Yet though the heart be far off. the Good Shepherd seeks it.

(W. D. Harwood.)

Show the equity and importance of this assertion of our Saviour, "that they who ground their religious practices, or any part of them, upon human authority, do so far, or in that respect, worship God in vain" — that is, they cannot reasonably expect any one good effect from such worship.

I. Rest this matter on our Saviour's authority.

II. God is the supreme object of religious worship; and to Him all our devotions ought to be ultimately directed.

III. It is a matter of interest, as well as duty, for us so to do.

IV. The peace and wellbeing of mankind in general, and of every society in particular, are interested in it.

(Wm. West.)

Our Lord is here reproving the scribes and Pharisees for imposing on the people some commandments of their own, or traditions of their predecessors, as of equal obligations with the precepts of the law.

I. THE OBJECTS OF THIS CENSURE OR THE PERSONS SPECIALLY AFFECTED BY IT. The objects of the reproof were the scribes and Pharisees, the public authorized teachers of the law. There must be public teachers who shall command and instruct; but this authority is committed to them under restrictions.

II. WHEN ARE TEACHERS AND RULERS OF THE CHURCH GUILTY OF THE CRIME HERE REPROVED OF TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN? For the better clearing of which it will be of use to consider —

1. What is meant by commandments of men. They are three sorts:(1) Where the matter of the human command is the same action that God has enjoined by His law. For human authority ought to command what God has commanded; particularly in such a society as the Christian Church formed upon the laws of the gospel.(2) A second sort of commandments of men are such whose matter contradicts or interferes with the prescriptions of the Divine law. And such are not only those which expressly forbid what God has commanded, or invert the prescribed order of God's commands.(3) A third sort of commandments of men are such whose matter is actions in their nature indifferent, and neither commanded nor forbidden by God; such as the washing hands before meat.

2. Then teaching these commandments of men as doctrines is proposing them as precepts of the Divine law, or of equal authority with them, and obliging the conscience as such.Rules supposed to be indifferent but convenient and orderly may obtain in a society; but this authority may be abused:

1. When such things are prescribed as binding the conscience by direct obligation.

2. The prescription of indifferent things will be liable to the censure in the text, when it is taught that obedience to them will excuse disobedience to a law of God.

3. This censure will also be incurred when indifferent things are prescribed by men as means of grace, as having power to convey remission of sins, or any other spiritual or supernatural gifts of the Holy Ghost. They may he means of grace, but God only has authority to make them so.

III. WHAT OUR LORD HAS HERE PRONOUNCED, THAT THEY WORSHIP GOD IN VAIN.

(J. Rogers, D. D.)

I. THE GREATNESS OF THE SIN. Proved by three general considerations: —

1. How tender God is of His worship (Leviticus 10:3; Ecclesiastes 5:2).

2. The more sincere any one is, the more he maketh conscience of his thoughts.

3. Carelessness in duties is the highway to atheism.Particularly: —

1. It is an affront to God, and a kind of mockery.

2. It grieveth the Spirit of God.

3. It is a spiritual disease.

4. It argueth the loss and non-acceptance of our prayers.There is a threefold distraction prayer: —

1. An unwilling distraction.

2. A negligent distraction.

3. A voluntary distraction.

II. THE CAUSES OF THIS ROVING AND INTRUSION OF VAIN THOUGHTS.

1. Satan is one cause.

2. The natural levity of our spirits.

3. Practical atheism.

4. Strong and unmortified lusts.

5. Want of love to God anti holy things.

6. Slightness and irreverence, or want of a sense of God's presence.

7. The curiosity of the senses.

8. Carking and distrustful cares.

III. THE REMEDIES.

1. GO to God and wait for the power of His grace.

2. Meditate on the greatness of Him before whom we are.

3. Mortify those lusts that are apt to withdraw our minds.

4. Before the duty there must be an actual preparation or a solemn discharge of all impediments, that we may not bring the world along with us.

5. Be severe to your purpose.

6. Bring with you to every holy service strong spiritual affections.

7. Remember the weight and consequence of the duties of religion.

8. Let every experimental wandering make you more humble and careful.

9. A constant heavenliness and holiness of heart.

10. Frequent and solemn meditation.

11. By use a man gets greater command over himself.

(T. Manton, M. D.)

As the strength of sin lies in the inward frame of the heart, so the strength of worship in the inward complexion and temper of the soul. Shadows are not to be offered instead of substance. God asks for the heart in worship, and commands outward ceremonies, as subservient to inward worship, and goads and spears unto it. What value had the offering of the human nature of Christ been, if he had not had a Divine nature to qualify Him to be the Priest? And what is the oblation of our bodies, without a priestly act of the spirit in the presentation of it? To offer a body with a sapless spirit, is a sacrilege of the same nature with that of the Israelities when they offered dead beasts. One sound sacrifice is better than a thousand rotten ones.

(Charnock.)

You would all judge it to be an affront to the majesty of God if a man should send his clothes stuffed with straw, or a puppet dressed up instead of himself, into the assemblies of God's people, and think that this would do instead of his personal presence. Yet our clothes stuffed with straw would be less offensive to God than our bodies without our souls. The absence of the spirit is the absence of the more noble part.

(T. Manton.)

We may be truly said to worship God, though we want perfection; but we cannot be said to worship Him if we want sincerity: a statue upon a tomb, with eyes and hands lifted up, offers as good and true a service; it wants only a voice, the gestures and postures are the same — nay, the service is better; it is not a mockery, it represents all that it can be framed to. But to worship without our spirits is presenting God with a picture, an echo, voice, and nothing else — a compliment, a mere lie.

(Charnock.)

We have sometimes seen a tree which looked with its great spreading arms and massive trunk as strong as other trees. "The storm beat upon it and it fell," and then we wondered that it could stand so long when little but the bark and outer fibre supported it, and within was nothing but decay. And do we not often find that where zeal has grown cold and the inner spiritual life has become dead, that habits of formal attention to religious duties are maintained for a long time before the crash comes that reveals the utter ruin and desolation of the spiritual life?

(J. G. Pilkington.)

I. THE TRUE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP, which is here called drawing nigh unto God and honouring Him.

II. To DIRECT THE RIGHT MANNER OF PERFORMING RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.

1. God is to be worshipped in the way of His own appointment.

2. God is to be worshipped with the whole man, with our bodies and spirits which are His.

3. God is to be worshipped by the assistance of His spirit.

4. God is to be worshipped in the exercise of all suitable graces under the influence of His spirit.

5. God is to be worshipped with an eye to His glory, as our ultimate end.

6. God is to be worshipped in the name of Christ as our only Mediator.Reflections:

1. How must every one, more or less, stand reproved for defects in worship.

2. How becoming, glorious and delightful must it be to offer up such worship to God, as is agreeable to His will.

3. What glorious provision has God made in the gospel to assist this noble homage.

(Dr. Guyse.)

All religion must be Scripture religion, all worship Scripture worship, all zeal Scripture zeal; so that let a man have never such sublime knowledge and such burning zeal, yet if it be not according to the law and the testimony, there is no light in them. It is but a vain worship of God, because God doth not require this; so that the sum of all, and that into which all religion must be resolved at last, is the Scriptures — the Word of God; for if you once lay this aside, why should not the Turkish devotion be as good as thine? Why should not the Mahommedan zeal be as acceptable as thine, but only this makes the difference. What may be proved by Scripture is approved of by GOD; so that all these arguments, — "It's my conscience; I verily think I am bound to do thus; It's upon my spirit; I find much comfort and much sweetness in religion," — all this is nothing, for all false religions can and do say this; but hast thou the Word of God to warrant thee?doth that justify thee? all things else are but an empty shadow.

(A. Burgess.)

People
Canaanitish, David, Isaiah, Jesus, Peter
Places
Genneseret, Jerusalem, Magadan, Sea of Galilee, Sidon, Tyre
Topics
FALSE, Hypocrites, Isaiah, Ones, Prophesied, Prophesy, Rightly, Saying
Outline
1. Jesus reproves the Scribes and Pharisees
7. for transgressing God's commandments through their own traditions;
10. teaches how that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man.
21. He heals the daughter of the woman of Canaan,
29. and other great multitudes;
32. and with seven loaves and a few small fish feeds four thousand men

Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 15:1-8

     7464   teachers of the law

Matthew 15:1-9

     5731   parents
     7540   Judaism
     8444   honouring God

Matthew 15:1-11

     7426   ritual washing

Matthew 15:1-12

     6206   offence

Matthew 15:1-14

     5345   influence

Matthew 15:1-19

     8720   double-mindedness

Matthew 15:1-20

     7342   cleanliness

Matthew 15:2-9

     5379   law, Christ's attitude

Matthew 15:3-9

     5896   irreverence
     8774   legalism

Matthew 15:4-8

     2333   Christ, attitude to OT

Matthew 15:6-9

     2363   Christ, preaching and teaching

Matthew 15:7-8

     5920   pretence

Matthew 15:7-9

     2009   Christ, anger of
     8271   holiness, purpose
     8608   prayer, and worship
     8625   worship, acceptable attitudes
     8628   worship, hindrances
     8767   hypocrisy
     8784   nominal religion

Library
Mother's Love
Eversley, Second Sunday in Lent, 1872. St Matthew xv. 22-28. "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying,
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

Crumbs and the Bread
'Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24. But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25. Then came she and worshipped
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xv. 21,"Jesus Went Out Thence, and Withdrew into the Parts of Tyre and Sidon. And Behold, a Canaanitish Woman,"
1. This woman of Canaan, who has just now been brought before us in the lesson of the Gospel, shows us an example of humility, and the way of godliness; shows us how to rise from humility unto exaltation. Now she was, as it appears, not of the people of Israel, of whom came the Patriarchs, and Prophets, and the parents of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh; of whom the Virgin Mary herself was, who was the Mother of Christ. This woman then was not of this people; but of the Gentiles. For,
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

The Perseverance of Faith
"Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour."--Matthew 15:28. I HAVE frequently spoken to you concerning the faith of this Canaanitish woman, of the way in which Christ tried it, and of the manner in which, at length, he honoured it, and granted all that the suppliant sought. The story is so full of meaning, that one might turn it this way, and that way, and the other way, and always see
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

Genesis xxvii. 38
And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. MATTHEW xv. 27. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Of these two passages, the first, as we must all remember, is taken from the first lesson of this morning's service; the second is from the morning's gospel. Both speak the same language, and point out, I think, that particular view of the story of Jacob obtaining the blessing
Thomas Arnold—The Christian Life

Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent
(From the Gospel for the day) Tells us how God drives forward some of His children by the struggle between the inward and outward man. Matt. xv. 21-28.--"Jesus went thence and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away, for she
Susannah Winkworth—The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler

How to Make Use of Christ for Cleansing of us from Our Daily Spots.
Having spoken of the way of making use of Christ for removing the guilt of our daily transgressions, we come to speak of the way of making use of Christ, for taking away the guilt that cleaveth to the soul, through daily transgressions; "for every sin defileth the man," Matt. xv. 20; and the best are said to have their spots, and to need washing, which presupposeth filthiness and defilement, Eph. v. 27. John xiii. 8-10. Hence we are so oft called to this duty of washing and making us clean. Isa.
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Second Withdrawal from Herod's Territory.
^A Matt. XV. 21; ^B Mark VII. 24. ^b 24 And from thence ^a Jesus ^b arose, and went ^a out ^b away ^a and withdrew into the parts { ^b borders} of Tyre and Sidon. [The journey here is indicated in marked terms because it differs from any previously recorded, for it was the first time that Jesus ever entered a foreign or heathen country. Some commentators contend from the use of the word "borders" by Mark that Jesus did not cross over the boundary, but the point is not well taken, for Mark vii. 31
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Another Avoiding of Herod's Territory.
^A Matt. XV. 29; ^B Mark VII. 31. ^b 31 And ^a Jesus ^b again went out. ^a And departed thence, ^b from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon, ^a and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; ^b through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. ^a and he went up into a mountain, and sat down there. [From Tyre Jesus proceeded northward to Sidon and thence eastward across the mountains and the headwaters of the Jordan to the neighborhood of Damascus. Here he turned southward and approached the Sea of Galilee
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Fails to Attend the Third Passover.
Scribes Reproach Him for Disregarding Tradition. (Galilee, Probably Capernaum, Spring a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XV. 1-20; ^B Mark VII. 1-23; ^D John VII. 1. ^d 1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judæa, because the Jews sought to kill him. [John told us in his last chapter that the passover was near at hand. He here makes a general statement which shows that Jesus did not attend this passover. The reason for his absence is given at John v. 18.] ^a 1 Then there
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Healing a Phoenician Woman's Daughter.
(Region of Tyre and Sidon.) ^A Matt. XV. 22-28; ^B Mark VII. 24-30. ^b And he entered into a house, and would have no man know it [Jesus sought concealment for the purposes noted in the last section. He also, no doubt, desired an opportunity to impact private instruction to the twelve]; and he could not be hid. [The fame of Jesus had spread far and wide, and he and his disciples were too well known to escape the notice of any who had seen them or heard them described.] 25 But { ^a 22 And} behold,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Deaf Stammerer Healed and Four Thousand Fed.
^A Matt. XV. 30-39; ^B Mark VII. 32-VIII. 9. ^b 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech [The man had evidently learned to speak before he lost his hearing. Some think that defective hearing had caused the impediment in his speech, but verse 35 suggests that he was tongue-tied]; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue [He separated
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Third Withdrawal from Herod's Territory.
Subdivision A. Pharisaic Leaven. A Blind Man Healed. (Magadan and Bethsaida. Probably Summer, a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XV. 39-XVI. 12; ^B Mark VIII. 10-26. ^b 10 And straightway he entered into the boat with his disciples, ^a and came into the borders of Magadan. ^b into the parts of Dalmanutha. [It appears from the context that he crossed the lake to the west shore. Commentators, therefore, pretty generally think that Magadan is another form of the name Magdala, and that Dalmanutha was either another
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Cavils of the Pharisees Concerning Purification, and the Teaching of the Lord Concerning Purity - the Traditions Concerning Hand-Washing' and Vows. '
As we follow the narrative, confirmatory evidence of what had preceded springs up at almost every step. It is quite in accordance with the abrupt departure of Jesus from Capernaum, and its motives, that when, so far from finding rest and privacy at Bethsaida (east of the Jordan), a greater multitude than ever had there gathered around Him, which would fain have proclaimed Him King, He resolved on immediate return to the western shore, with the view of seeking a quieter retreat, even though it were
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Jesus and the Syro-Phoenician Woman
THE purpose of Christ to withdraw His disciples from the excitement of Galilee, and from what might follow the execution of the Baptist, had been interrupted by the events at Bethsaida-Julias, but it was not changed. On the contrary, it must have been intensified. That wild, popular outburst, which had almost forced upon Him a Jewish Messiah-Kingship; the discussion with the Jerusalem Scribes about the washing of hands on the following day; the Discourses of the Sabbath, and the spreading disaffection,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

A Group of Miracles among a Semi-Heathen Population
If even the brief stay of Jesus in that friendly Jewish home by the borders of Tyre could not remain unknown, the fame of the healing of the Syro-Phoenician maiden would soon have rendered impossible that privacy and retirement, which had been the chief object of His leaving Capernaum. Accordingly, when the two Paschal days were ended, He resumed His journey, extending it far beyond any previously undertaken, perhaps beyond what had been originally intended. The borders of Palestine proper, though
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Feeding of the Four Thousand - to Dalmanutha - the Sign from Heaven' - Journey to Cæsarea Philippi - what is the Leaven of The
THEY might well gather to Jesus in their thousands, with their wants of body and soul, these sheep wandering without a shepherd; for His Ministry in that district, as formerly in Galilee, was about to draw to a close. And here it is remarkable, that each time His prolonged stay and Ministry in a district were brought to a close with some supper, so to speak, some festive entertainment on his part. The Galilean Ministry had closed with the feeding of the five thousand, the guests being mostly from
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Intercourse of Jesus with the Pagans and the Samaritans.
Following out these principles, Jesus despised all religion which was not of the heart. The vain practices of the devotees,[1] the exterior strictness, which trusted to formality for salvation, had in him a mortal enemy. He cared little for fasting.[2] He preferred forgiveness to sacrifice.[3] The love of God, charity and mutual forgiveness, were his whole law.[4] Nothing could be less priestly. The priest, by his office, ever advocates public sacrifice, of which he is the appointed minister; he
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

To the High and Mighty Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.
Tolle malos, extolle pios, cognosce teipsum: Sacra tene, paci consule, disce pati. Christ Jesus, the Prince of princes, bless your Highness with length of days, and an increase of all graces, which may make you truly prosperous in this life, and eternally happy in that which is to come. Jonathan shot three arrows to drive David further off from Saul's fury; and this is the third epistle which I have written, to draw your Highness nearer to God's favour, by directing your heart to begin, like Josiah,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Introductory Note.
[a.d. 145-220.] When our Lord repulsed the woman of Canaan (Matt. xv. 22) with apparent harshness, he applied to her people the epithet dogs, with which the children of Israel had thought it piety to reproach them. When He accepted her faith and caused it to be recorded for our learning, He did something more: He reversed the curse of the Canaanite and showed that the Church was designed "for all people;" Catholic alike for all time and for all sorts and conditions of men. Thus the North-African
Tertullian—Apology

Manifestly Also in the Gospel we Find the Mouth of the Heart...
32. Manifestly also in the Gospel we find the mouth of the heart: so that in one place the Lord is found to have mentioned the mouth both of the body and of the heart, where he saith, "Are ye also yet without understanding? Do ye not yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? but those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
St. Augustine—On Lying

Prayers on Pilgrimage. --"Lord Help Me. " --Matt. xv. 25
Prayers on Pilgrimage.--"Lord help me."--Matt. xv. 25. II. Blessed be Thy name, Jesus Christ!--the same Yesterday, to-day, for ever, What from Thee my soul shall sever, While I hear Thy voice, And in Thee rejoice? Guide me with Thine eye; Warn to fight or fly, When the foe, a lion raging, Or, with serpent guile assuaging, Comes in wrath to tear, Or by fraud ensnare. Hold me with Thine hand, For by faith I stand; On Thy strength my sole reliance, In Thy truth my whole affiance; Then where'er I
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Luther's Fourth Preface
To Valentine Bapst's Hymn-book, Leipzig, 1545. The xcvi Psalm saith: "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth." The service of God in the old dispensation, under the law of Moses, was hard and wearisome. Many and divers sacrifices had men to offer, of all that they possessed, both in house and in field, which the people, being idle and covetous, did grudgingly or for some temporal advantage; as the prophet Malachi saith, chap. i., "who is there even among you that would shut
Leonard Woolsey Bacon—The Hymns of Martin Luther

The Woman of Canaan
Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying,
Richard Newton—The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young

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