The singular fulness of the confession made by these Samari' tans deserves special notice. A more full declaration of our Lord's office as " Saviour of the world " is nowhere to be found in the G-ospels. Whether the Samaritans clearly understood what they meant when they spoke of our Lord as " the Saviour," may be reasonably doubted. But that they saw with pecahar clear- ness a truth which the Jews were specially backward in seeing that He had come to be a Redeemer for all mankind, and no* for the " Jews " only, seems evident from the expression '' the world." That such a testimony should have been borne to Christ, by a mixed race, of seini-heathen origin, like the Sama- ritans, and not by the Jews, is a remarkable instance of the grace of Grod.
The inference drawn by Calvin from this verse, that '' within two days the sense of the Gospel was more plainly taught by Christ at Samaria than he had hitherto taught it at Jerusalem," seems both unwarrantable and needless. Ought we not rather to fix our eyes on the dijfference between the Jews and Samari- tans? Christ's teaching was the same, but the hearts of His hearers were widely different. The Jews were hardened. The Samaritans believed.
Chemnitius, on this verse, thinks that an emphasis is meant to be laid on the Greek word rendered " indeed." Literally it is " truly." He thinks it was used of our Lord in contradistinction to the false Christs and Messiahs who had appeared before Him, as well as to the typical Messiahs and Saviours, such as the Judges.
In leaving the passage we may well wonder that so many '! Samaritans " should at once have believed on our Lord, when so few "Jews" ever beUeved. Our wonder may well be in- creased, when we consider that our Lord worked no miracle on this occasion, and that the woi'd was the only instiument used to open the Samaritans' hearts. — We see, for one thing, the entire sovereignty of the grace of God. The last are often first and the first last. The most ignorant and unenhghtened believe and are saved, while the most learned and enlightened continue unbelieving and are lost. — We see, for another thing, that it is not miracles and privileges, but grace, which converts souls. The Jews saw scores of mighty miracles worked by our Lord, and heard Him preach for weeks and months, and yet with a few rare exceptions remained impenitent and hardened. The Sarnarifans saw no miracles worked at all, and only had our Lord among (hem for two days, and yet many of them believed. If ever there was clear proof that the grace of the Holy Spirit is the chief thing needed in order to procure the conversion of soul?, we have it in the verses wc are now leaving.