said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then
came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and
said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to
dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
fall from their master's table. 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."

If you want a proof from Scripture that there are two sides to our
blessed Lord's character--that He is a Judge and an Avenger as well as a
Saviour and a Pardoner--that He is infinitely severe as well as
infinitely merciful--that, while we may come boldly to His throne of
grace to find help and mercy in time of need, we must, at the same time,
tremble before His throne of justice--if you want a proof of all this, I
say, then look at the Epistle and the Gospel for this day. Put them side
by side, and compare them, and you will see how perfectly they shew, one
after the other, the two sides.

The Epistle for the day tells men and women that they must lead moral,
pure, and modest lives. It does not advise them to do so. It does not
say, It will be better to do so, more proper and conducive to the good of
society, more likely to bring you to heaven at last. It says, You must,
for it is the commandment of the Lord Jesus, and the will of God. Let no
man encroach on or defraud his brother in the matter, says St Paul; by
which he means, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife. And why?
"Because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have
forewarned you and testified."

My friends, people talk loosely of the Thunder of Sinai and the rigour of
Moses' law, and set them against what they call the gentle voice of the