A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

It's said of the man that rose at midnight to give out three loaves to his friend, he did it not for friendships sake, but [Greek or Hebrew] ,¹ because he was impudent, so importunately to trouble him at such a season as 12 a clock at night. Our Lord applies the parable to instant prayers. The like we find of the success of the widow with the unjust judg because she did [Greek or Hebrew],² vex and molest him with her solicitations. But of all, the pattern of the woman of Canaan is most admirable,³ when the Disciples desired her to be dismissed because she troubled them by crying after them, and yet she persists. May I say it reverently, Christ delights in such a troublesome person. Though ⟨p. 276⟩as an Ancient observes by comparing both Evangelists, that first^(a) she cried after Christ in the streets, but our Lord taking^(b) house, she follows him thither and falls down at his feet, but as yet^(c) he answered her not a word, [In eo silentio egressum fuisse Jesum de domo illa] then our Lord going out of the house again, she follows with stronger importunity and argues the mercy into her bosom, and Christ ascribes it to the greatness of her faith; [Greek or Hebrew], as another terms it: a laudable and praise-worthy immodesty, as in the former case to knock so rudely at midnight is deemed no incivility at the gate of heaven. This is [Greek or Hebrew], as Parisiensis reads it, deprecatio justi assidua. An assiduous prayer is the way to become an efficacious prayer. It's ill taken, if not importunate. Cold petitioners must have cool answers. If the matter of prayer be right and the promise of God fervently urged, thou art like to prevail like princely Israel that held the Angel by the Collar (to speak with reverence) and would not let him go until he had blest him.⁷