had He not told them yet more plainly by His LECT. works? Note now the difference between the XIII. Samaritans here and the Jews. They believed at His word, the other believed not even at His works. These would not have Him even as their Saviour, those recognised Him as the Saviour of the world".

Here too, as in another case, we may note the grace of the Lord Jesus, not only that these were permitted to see Him, but to see Him face to face: "thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with theeb." He spake unto them "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." This woman's attitude here must have been like that of Jacob at Bethel when he said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not." And upon this it has been well observed, Many are lamenting Christ's absence, and longing for His presence, when at the same time He is speaking to them."

66

At this climax of the Lord's discourse, the disciples come up from the city, whither they had gone to buy food, and wonder to find Him talking with a woman; which thing according to Eastern ideas would be considered more incongruous with the character of a grave teacher than amongst us: yet such already was their conviction of their Master's wisdom', that none of them ventured to ask her what her business

d Henry.

e " The position of μeтà yvvaikòs before the verb throws an emphasis on the words, and makes it probable that the meaning is as above." Alford. Baúμacov, "stood wondering." Wordsworth.

f" Reverentia vetabat esse curiosos." Grotius.

LECT. was, or to expostulate with Him for talking XIII. with a woman, and that woman a Samaritan; though she at first had wondered in like manner at our Lord's asking a favour of her". The whole history furnishes useful hints to religious teachers as to the method of their teaching, and, to all who are in the position of learners and enquirers, many striking lessons, and much gracious encouragement.

8 ver. 9..

LECTURE XIV.

THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.

JOHN iv. 28-42.

XIV.

AFTER the conversation related in the previous LECT. part of the chapter between the Lord and the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well, and on the arrival of the disciples, the woman, anxious to improve this acquaintance, and that her neighbours might share the advantage, hastens back to the city-leaving her water-can that she might go the more quickly, or being so absorbed in what she had seen and heard as totally to forget it, so taken up with the spiritual as to lose sight of the material'-and begs her friends and her neighbours to go back with her at once, and see Him who had told her all things that ever she did. As Philip said to Nathanael, so this woman

a Ostenditur animus accensus rerum Divinarum studio ita ut idipsum oblivisceretur ob quod venerat. Sic notantur Discipuli Jesum secuti omissis retibus, Matt. iv. 20." Grotius.

"Projecit cupiditatem, et properavit annuntiare veritatem. Discant qui volunt evangelizare, projiciant hydriam ad puteum..... Projecit ergo hydriam, quæ jam non usui, sed oneri fuit: avida quippe desiderabat aquâ illâ satiari." Aug. in Jo. Tr. xvi. 30.

See Job xxiii. 12. "Mulier aquam, Jesus cibum postponit v. 32," is the remark of Bengel.

"Dat Christus exemplum suis ut semper Spiritualia temporalibus anteferant. Confer historiam Samuelis, 1 Sam. xvi. 11." Grotius.

See ch. i. 46.

LECT. to the men of her city, "Come and see."

XIV.

"Ob

serve," says one of the old Fathers, "her zeal and wisdom. She came to draw water, and when she had lighted upon the true Well, she after that despised the material one; teaching us even by this trifling instance when we are listening to spiritual matters to overlook the things of this life, and make no account of them. For what the Apostles did, that, after her ability, did this woman also. They when they were called, left their nets she of her own accord, without the command of any, leaves her waterpot, and winged by joy performs the office of Evangelists. And she calls not one or two, as did Andrew and Philip, but having aroused a whole city and people, so brought them to Him."

And this was what seems principally to have arrested her mind; His knowledge of the most secret passages of her sinful life, His disregard of those national debates in which any ordinary teacher would have indulged, and His anxiety to fix her attention upon her own state; speaking on this, as on every other subject and occasion, “as one that had authority, and not as the scribes." This makes her ready to believe His record of Himself, and the conviction may have been gathering strength in her mind during her journey back to the city. So that while she begs her neighbours to return with her and see if this is not the Christ, her language, her earnestness, and all the circumstances plainly shew that she herself believed He

d Chrys. in Ev. S. Jo. Hom. xxxiv.

"Vitæ meæ seriem quam scire humanitus non potuit." Grotius.

XIV.

was'. His plain and faithful dealing with her LECT. seems to have convinced her of the truth of His claim. What He told her of herself prepared her to believe what He told her of Himself". And it is remarkable that this should be the very point to which she should refer in her communication to her neighbours. "She does not say," it has been observed, "Come, see a man that has.... decided the controversy between this mountain and Jerusalem, a man that calls himself the Messias; but, Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did! She fastens upon that part of Christ's discourse, which one would think she would have been most shy of repeating."

Very interesting is it to observe the progress of Christ's discovery of Himself, and this woman's acknowledgment of Him; to note the gradual way in which this consummation is arrived at; how step by step prejudices retreat and truth advances: the light and playful address, "Thou being a Jewi," giving place first to the respectful "Sir" or "Lord;" then the admission that He must be a prophet'; till finally from a mere Jew on his journey, (all that she saw in Him at first,) she is prepared to acknowledge Him as the Messiah Himself".

The neighbours, we find, accede to her request at once, thinking doubtless it must be something

"Ipsa non dubitat: sed cives ad cognoscendum invitat, donec dicunt, vere. v. 42." Bengel.

So, in another respect, in the case of that indeed-Israelite: see ch. i. 48, 49.