2. The beginning and earnest of it in his soul [The life which a believer has in his soul is of the same kind with that which he shall possess for ever. He has the same reconciliation with God, the same delight in him, and the same sense of his favour. The Spirit of God that is within him is often called " an earnest" of his inheritance; because that Spirit, in his enlightening, sanctifying, and comforting influences, is a foretaste of heaven, and a pledge, that the soul possessed of it shall in due time enjoy all the glory and felicity of the heavenly world. He has only to wait the appointed hour, and his abode shall be in the presence of his God, where nothing that can trouble or defile him shall ever enter. Say, brethren, could an angel from heaven announce to you more joyful tidings than these?] But it is not thus with all. Widely different is, III. The state of those who do not comply with it— Here we may observe the same strength of assertion as in the former case. The text positively affirms, that They shall not enter into heaven 66 [Unbelievers often seem as confident of obtaining eternal happiness as if all the promises of God had been made to them in particular. But they will be awfully disappointed as soon as ever they enter into the invisible world. They will knock at the gate of heaven, crying, Lord, Lord, open to us: but he will answer them, Depart from me, I never knew you." A flaming sword will prohibit their entrance into Paradise, and an impassable gulf be fixed between them and the celestial spirits. This is the declaration of God, nor can it ever be reversed.] They shall be made eternal monuments of God's wrath [They will not be persuaded that God is angry with them; and because they feel not his judgments now, they think they never shall. But God even now is filled with wrath against them; and they are preserved only as condemned criminals in a dungeon, till the hour appointed for their execution shall arrive. God's eye is ever upon them, not for good, but for evil. He views them as guilty of the most flagrant disobedience". He regards them as contemners both of his majesty, and of his mercy. He is incensed against them for "trampling under foot his dear Son, and doing despite to his Spirit." And soon * Ο δε ἀπειθῶν is contrasted in the text with ὁ πιστεύων. "abideth on them," "shall come the wrath, which even now upon them to the uttermost."] APPLICATION [Let all inquire seriously whether they do indeed believe Let those, who have not hitherto come to Christ as lost and perishing sinners, guard against those workings of self-righteousness which would keep them from him And let "those who have believed be careful to maintain good works" -] MDCXV. CHRIST A FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER. John iv. 10. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. OUR blessed Saviour, though "Lord of all," was a man like unto us in all things, sin only excepted: he hungered, he thirsted, he was weary. He put forth his Almighty power to heal the maladies of others; but would not exercise it for the exempting of himself from human infirmities. In journeying from Judæa to Galilee, he was overcome with weariness; and was necessitated to ask, from a woman of Samaria, who was come to the well by which he was sitting, a draught of water to quench his thirst. conceive that, from the beginning, his object in addressing her was more to impart good to her, than to obtain relief to himself: for, instead of noticing, as he might well have done, her backwardness to comply with his request, he lost not a moment in revealing himself to her, as the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. From his address to her, we shall take occasion to consider, I. The characters under which our Lord here presents himself to our view: I 1. He first speaks of himself as "the great Gift of God" to mankind— [Such indeed he was. In comparison of HIM, all other gifts are as nothing; nothing, in respect of internal worth; and nothing, in respect of the benefits accruing from them. He is no other than "Jehovah's Fellow." Yet to such a degree did God love the world, that he gave HIM, even his onlybegotten Son, to become a man for us. Nor was it to instruct us only that God sent his Son, but to save us; to save us by bearing our iniquities in his own body on the cross; and by working out a righteousness, whereby we might be justified, and find acceptance with him. No other gift that God was able to bestow was of equal value with this, or could have effected this great end. Well, therefore, may all other gifts vanish from our sight before him, as the stars are eclipsed by the noon-day sun and well may He, by way of eminence, be called "The gift of God."] 2. The Fountain of all good [Little did this woman think who it was that thus addressed her. He appeared to be a mere man, needing a little water to quench his thirst: but he was indeed "the fountain of living waters," the one only source of good to a ruined world. By "living water" we understand all the blessings of salvation; "all fulness" of which is treasured up in him at this moment: and "out of his fulness may every sinner in the universe receive."] Our Saviour's address to her yet further shews us, II. The benefits which will accrue to us from the knowledge of him— If once we get a just view of his character, 1. We shall surely apply to him for his benefits— [If temporal blessings, however great in value, were spread before us, we might conceive of their being beheld with indifference: a conviction of their emptiness might well raise our minds above them, so that we would not condescend even to ask for a participation of them. But can all the blessings of grace and glory be contemplated with indifference? Can we behold an inexhaustible treasure of them laid up expressly for us, and not desire them? No: it would be impossible.; especially if we knew that they were all to be obtained by asking. To every creature under heaven may our Lord justly say, "If thou knewest what I have to bestow, thou wouldest ask of me." We may as well suppose hell to be opened to our view, without calling forth a desire to escape it; and heaven, without creating a desire to obtain it; as imagine a view of a Jer. i. 13. Christ, under the foregoing characters, to be disclosed to the soul, and no desire to be excited there for the enjoyment of his blessings.] 2. We shall infallibly be made partakers of them— [Not even the Samaritan woman, stranger as she was, and profligate, should have solicited his favour without obtaining it: much less shall any person now be suffered to seek his face in vain. He says to all, "Ask, and ye shall have; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Nor would he have us straitened in our requests: his promise to the trembling suppliant is, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Nothing would be too great for him to give, if only we sought him in humility and faith. Pardon, peace, holiness, and glory, should all be poured into our souls in rich abundance; yea, "his Spirit, which he would give us, should be within us a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life."] KNOW then, all of you, 1. That the Lord Jesus Christ is here present with you [We see him not corporeally, as the Samaritan woman did: nevertheless, he is spiritually present with us, as he has said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world;" and, if you will seek communion with him, you shall not be disappointed of your hope. He is, in reality, the same as ever he was. Still is he the great gift of God to man. Still is he the fountain of all spiritual good. Still does he complain of our forgetfulness of him, and declare he will impart out of his fulness to every inquiring soul. He put the Samaritan woman upon asking of him; saying, in fact, "Ask of me." So says he now to every one of us, "Ask of me, and I will give you living water."] 2. That you, no less than the poor Samaritan, need the blessings which he offers Which of you can [Which of you needs them not? find any other fountain from whence to quench your thirst? Which of you will not one day bitterly lament that you lost the present opportunity? I pray you, then, avail yourselves of your Lord's present condescension and grace; and let your souls take of him, and live for ever.] MDCXVI. THE LIVING WATER. John iv. 14. Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. OUR Lord invites us to learn of him. To encourage us, he declares that he is meek and lowly in heart. Never was this disposition more displayed than in his conversation with the Samaritan woman. She was of the most abandoned character; yet he condescended to instruct her. And, when she slighted his proffered mercies, endeavoured to recommend them to her more favourable acceptance. We shall consider, I. What is that water which Christ will give The woman understood our Lord only in a literal sense. But in his words there was a mystical meaning. By the water which he offered her, he meant the Holy Ghost [The Holy Spirit is often represented in the Scriptures under the figure of water. It is he of whom the prophet Isaiah speaks when he says, that God will pour out water upon thirsty souls. Ezekiel also explains himself as referring to him, when he promises to the Church, in Jehovah's name, that clean water should be sprinkled on them to cleanse them from their pollutions. We are taught by God himself to put this interpretation on similar expressions used by our blessed Lord". By the help of these passages we ascertain beyond a doubt the import of that before us.] This water he had full authority to give [Jesus had not received the Spirit by measure only, like other prophets: he had the residue of the Spirit abiding in him; yea, he had all the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily. As mediator he was commissioned and empowered to bestow this Spirit. Hence he frequently a Isai. xliv. 3. b Ezek. xxxvi. 25-27. c John vii. 37-39. f Col. i. 19. and ii. 9. 8 Ps. lxviii. 18. with Eph. iv. 8. and Acts ii. 33. He received in order that he might give. |