WS wrems him, if be judged himſelf wiſer than Facob, whom ſhe Fr ng. _ Father ? Itis ofren obferved,that theSamaritans would heerie, ow with the Fews, when the Fews were in yg A ur in their Adverfity, conſtantly diſowned any Relation on 8 ere were ſome Fews (Ephraimites eſpecially) mixt with my —— number of 1ſſyrians, which made up this Body of Peov- the Fathe ih - Samaritans. Now faith the Woman, Facob who was aſs = of Foſeph, irom whom we claim, was a wiſe Man,and he -n4 no better Water hereabours for himſelf and Family, than
Well, bur he was ſubject to Thirlt again. n 14Buc * whoſoever drinketh of the water that I 4 all
ſhall give him, ſhall be in him a well of water loring- ing up into everlaſting life y. FEI x Bur he who receiveth the holy Spirir, and ti; Gras rherog* though he will be daily ſaying Grve g:ve, and be continually deti- ring farther ſupplies of Grace, yet he ſhall never who!!y v:anc ef want any good thing that ſhall be necefſicy for him. the feed of God ſhall abide in him y, and this Water ſhall be in him a S9rins of Water ſupplying him till he come to Heaven, Bar this Text was excellently expounded by our Saviour, Ch. 7. 38. 39. He that belicon eth in me, (as the Scripture hath faid) ov of by belly (1541! flow river: of living water,” F. 39. But thy ſpeaketh heof rhe $ pirtt which the; that believe on him ſhould recerve. From which it is pln, that our Saviour here by the /zving Water he ſpeaketh of undertood the holy Spirit. : 15 The woman faith unto him, Sir, give me «is water, that I thirſt not, neither come hither to draw ». { I amnot of rheir mind, who think that this Woman underſt004 | our Saviour, ſpeaking abour ſpiricnai Water, only bad a mind to talk: and indeed, it ts hard to conceive, how a womin of her F.lucation. and way of Life, ſhould underftand any ſuch thins ; bur ir is plain, chat ſhe did not underſtand him in what he wag diſconrling abour bar doth as it were deride him, beli-ving that he had no fach thing £0 heſtow : She raketh no notice of the Water which our S:viour bad ſpoken of, ſpringing up ro eternal Life, bar regarding only the pres ent Lite, and her eaſe in that,defires favour of Chriſt only ro ſupply her wants in this Life, and thar ſhe might live at more eaſe : fo true is that of the Apoſtle, Rom. 8, 5. They that are after the feſt do mind the things of the fleſh. | ; 16 Jetus {faith unto her, Go call thy husband, and come hither a. a Not that Chriſt did not know what ſhe afterward confeſt. thr ſhe lived in Whoredom, and had no legitiraate Husband : Ryur he ſaid this probably, ro check her petulancy, and mocking ar what he {pake abour the /1-4ng Water, and to bring her to a ſenſe of her Sin that ſhe might be more {it ro receive the glad T:4{ings of a Saviour, which he was abour to publiſh to her ; and rkis 'cems rather tr be our Saviours defign, in bidding her go call her Husband than ( 23 forme of theAncients thought } that he might betrer initruct her. Or avoid any Scandal to himſelf, by a longer private Diſcourſe with 3 man alone, who was of no betrer Repuration. 17 The woman anſwered, and ſaid, I hrwe no hns- band 6. Jeſus anſwered, and ſaid, Thou haft well ſaid, I have no husband c. b That is, none who is my lawful Husband; ſhe denieth not that ſhe had one, whom ſhe uſed, and lived with as an Hi:sbind bur that ſhe had any legal Husband, ro whom ſhe clave, and to no other ; {till ſhe goerh on, thinking to deceive Chriit, and to pur Tricks up- on him c, Chriſt rells her, ſhe in this did ſpeak rrurch ; he knew ſhe had no legal Husband. 18 For thou haſt had five husbands, and he whom thou now haſt, is not thy husband 4 ; in that ſaidit chou truly e. d He tells her, that ſhe had five Husbands, whether ſucceilively, the former being dead, and ſhe marrying another; or Five trom whom ſhe had been divorced for Adultery, is not agreed ; the beſt modern Interpreters judge, thar ſhe had had five Men, ro whom ſhe had been in Marriage, bur ſo behaved her felf roward them, that either for her Adultery, or ſome other froward Behaviour rowards them, they had given her a Bill of Divorce e ; and tho' ſhz now uſed and lived with one as her Husband, yer in this ſhe (aid cruly,becauſe her former Husbands yer living, he was not her Hushand. This ſeemeth more properly the ſenſe, than that after Five legal Husbands death, ſhe lived in Whoredom with a fixth Perſon. By this diſcovery,
acknowledgment of him as the Mefliah.
cthac thou art a Prophet f. |
F Whoſe Office 1s to reveal the Will of God, and to whom Eod revealeth ſecret things. One to whom the Lord maketh known him- ſelf in a Viſion, and ſpeaketh in a Dream, Num. 12.6. The womans Reply ſeemerh to fignitie both her acknowledgment of Chriſt as a Propher, upon his telling her ſfecrer things, juſtifieth her looking upon him,'as one to whom God revealed things not known ordinarily ro men ; and that this is the import of her meaning appeareth by what ſhe ſaid, v. 9. to her Fellow Citizens, Come ſee 4 man which hath told me all things that ever I did ; bur the following verſe,in which the encreth into a Diſcourſe with our Saviour, abour che Con+ troyerlie berwixt the Fewsand the Samaritans about Horſ/-1p, let us know, that ſhe looked upon him as a Propher in the more ordinary ſenſe, as Prophet fignifies one influenced by God to reveal his Mind and Will unto men ; and indeed, there was no Prophe: in the former ſenſe, but was alfo in the latter ; tho? chere were many Proprers in the latter ſenſe ſent of God. and enabled ro reveal rhe Will oft God unto Men, who were not influenced fo far, as to forctell things to come. The diflerence berwixt an Hypocrite, and one truly brought to a {enſe of Sin, is very conſpicuous in the Example of this Woman, ffs
doth nor deny her Sin, as Cain, G:hazr, and Anantas and Saphrra ;
neither doth ſhe diſcover any anger upon the giſcover y of it, as the 'Bbbb, Soraber
Far tho , Tf * of this Well ; Art thou wiſer than he 2 0. II,
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