set forth, that she was truly impres-ed by oar Lord's exposure of her wickedness, and made a serious inquiry about the things needfal to salvatioc . She was aroused to seriousness, and asked what was true religion. Her own nation said one thing. The Jews said another. What was truth ? In short, her words were only another form of the jailor's question, " What shall I do to be taved?"
21. — [Jesus saith, Woman, believe me.] The calmness, gravity, and solemnity of these opening words are very noteworthy. "I tell you a great truth, which I ask you to credit and believe."
Jansenius thinks that our Lord uses the expression " beliere me," because the truth he was about to impart was so new and strange, that the vroman would be apt to think it incredible.
Stier remarks that this is the only time our Lord ever uses this expression " believe me " in the Gospels.
[The hour cometh.] The hour, or time here spoken of, means the time of the Gospel, the hour of the Christian dispensation.
[Ye shall neither... this mounfain... Jerusalem.. .worship, &ci\ Our Lord here declares that under the Gospel there was to be no more distinction of places like Jerusalem. The old dispensation under which men were bound to go up to Jerusalem three times a year, to attend the feasts and worship in the temple, was about to pass away. All questions about the superior sanctity of Sa- maria or Jerusalem would soon be at an end. A church was about to be founded, whose members would find access to the Father everywhere, and would need no temple-service, and no priests or sacrifices or altars in order to approach God. Ir was therefore mere waste of time to be disputing about the compara- tive claims of either Samaria or Jerusalem. Under the Gospel all places would soon be alike.
It seems far from imp:^obable that our Lord referred in this verse to the prophecy of Malachi, "In every place incense shall be offered to my name." (Mai. i. 11.)
The utter passing away of the whole Jewish system seems clearly pointed at in this verse. To bring into the Christian Church holy places, sanctuaries, altars, priests, sacrifices, gorgeous vestments, and the like, is to dig up that which has been long buried, and to turn to candles for light under the noon-day sun. The favourite theory of the Irvingites that we ought as far aa possible ir. our public worship, to copy the Jewish temple ser- vices and 3eremonial, seems incapable of reconciUation with this verse.
Calvin says, " By calling God the Father in this verse, Christ seems indirectly tc contrast Him with the ' fathers' whom the