the woman carefully claimed relationship with Jacob, and called him our father, though after all the intermixture of the Samaritan3 with heathen nations, the relationship was not very easy of proof. But it is common to find people shutting their eyes to difficulties, when they want to prove a connection or relationship. The advocates of an extreme view of apostolical succession seldom condescend to notice difficulties when they assert that episcopally ordained ministers can trace their order up to the apostles.
When it says that "Jacob gave" the well, there is probably a reference to the grant which Jacob made to his son Joseph of the district near the well. From Joseph came the tribe of Ephraim, to which, no doubt, the Samaritan woman claimed to belong. (Qen xlviii. 22.)
[DrinJcJiimself.... children... .cattle.] These words were doubt- less said to show the goodness and abundance of the water. Did the stranger at the well really mean to say that he could give any better water ?
Bucer on this verse, remarks how the Samaritans prided themselves on their relationship to Jacob, and the possession of his well, while they made no eflfort to imitate his goodnese, and points out the tendency of superstition to the same thing, in every age. "True piety," he says, "does not consist in having Jacob's well and Jacob's land, but Jacob's spirit, — not in keeping the bones of the saints, but in imitating their lives."
]3, — [Jesus answered, &c.] In this and the following verse our Lrrd proceeds to raise the desires of the woman by exalting the value of the living water of which He had spoken. He still refrains from distinct statements of doctrinal truth. He still adheres to the figurative expression, " water." And yet He makes an advance, and leads on the woman gently and almost imperceptibly to glorious spiritual things. Now, for the first time, He begins to speak of " everlasting life."
[Whosoever drinketh....this water.. ..thirst again.] It will be noted, that our Lord does not answer the woman's questions directly. He keeps steadily to the one point He desiies to fasten on her mind, viz.: the infinite excellence of a certain "living water " which He had to give. And first He reminds her of what she knew well by laborious experience. The water of Jacob's well might be good and plentiful. But still he who diank of it was only satisfied fur a few hours. He soon thirsted again.
We cannot doubt that there was a deep latent thought in our Lord's words, in this sentence. He would have us know that the waters of Jacob's well are typical of all tenjporal and materia* good things They cannot satisfy the soul. They have no power
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to fill the heart of an immortal creature like man. He who only drinks of them is sure to thirst again.
Some have thought that there is a tacit reference in these words to the woman's insatiable love of sin.
The similarity ought to be noticed between our Lord's line of argument in tbis verse, and the line He adopts in recommending to tbe Jews the bread of life in the sixth chapter. He showed the Jews the superiority of the bread of life over the m'anna by the words "your fathers did eat manna, and are dead." (John vi. 49.) Just so in this place, He shows the inferiority of the water of Jacob's well to the hving water, by saying " He that drinks of this water shall thirst again." The two passages deserve a careful comparison.
14. — [ Whosoever drinJceth.... never thirst] These words contain a precious promise, and declare a glorious truth of the Go-pel. The benefits of Christ's gifts are promised to every one who is willing to receive them, whosoever and whatsoever he may be. He may have been as bad .'is the Samaritan woman. But the promise Ls for him as well as for her, "whosoever drinketh, shall never thirst." — The declaration " shall never thirst" does not mean, " shall never feel any spiritual want at all." It simply asserts the abiding and enduring nature of the benefits which Christ gives. He that drinks of the living water which Christ gives, shall never entirely and completely lose the cleansing, purifying, and soul- refreshing effects which it produces.
Our English translation of this sentence hardly gives thb full sense of the G-reek. Literally rendered, it would be, " shall never thirst unto eternity." The same expression is used frequently hi St. John's Gospel. See John vi. 51 — 58; viii. 51; x. 28; xi. 26; xiv. 16.
[The wafer. ...I.... give.. ..well....everlasting life.'] To see the full meaning of this figurative sentence, it must be paraphrased. The meaning seems to be something of this kind. " The gift of grace, mercy, and peace which I am ready to give, shall be in the heart of him who receives it an everflowing source of comfort, satis- faction, and spiritual refreshment, continuing and flowing on, not ^ "^- only through this life, but unto life eternal He that receives vJ my gift of living water has a fountain opened in his soul of spiritual \\-^ satisfaction, which shall neither be dried up jn this fife or the life 'C^ to come, but shall flow on to all eternity." ;_ . _• ■ . ,,.... '"'- ■•■''^''^ v
Let it be noted that the whole verse is a strong argument ia I fav>;ur of the doctrine of the perpetuity of grace, and the consequent I perseverance in the faith of behevers. It is ditficult to understand how the Arminian doctrine of the possibility of believers com