Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-09-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON XII. THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 10.

~. 14-Commentary by tho Rev. D. M. ;
stearns-
o. Jesus, having left Judna to go into |
Galilec, in passing through Samaria stops |
to rest at Jacobs we'll II the sixth hour |
of verse is the same as the sixth hour Of
chapter xix, IA, it was Q o'clock in the
morning when Jesus, resting on the well,
meets tho woman Of Samaria who had
come out to draw water and asks her to
give Him to drink. This verse is the won
ans first response to His request.
10. His reply is that II sho knew who
asked her, even the gift Of God, she would
have asked Him for living water. III she
had ever read the Scriptures and memo
rizcd Jer. Il, 10, she might now have
thought of The words Of the Lord, "They
have forsaken nac, the fountain Of living
waters F"
IL. AS in the case OF Nieodemns, He is
talking with natural person who cannot
understand spiritual things. She can only
think OF this deep well and this water by
which they now arc. But she who won
dcred that a jew should ask anything OF
her Is now asking something OF Him for
already He has interested her In water
she knows not of.
IL. She knows something of Jacob and
the story of this well and begins TO speak
of what she knows. She calls him 'our
father Jacob and acknowledges him ms
great man, the giver of this well from
which he and his had drunk, but she does
not know the God Of Jacob.
IS. Jesus does not take up the question
of the comparative greatness OF Himself
and Jacob, but keeps to His subject and
the woman's real need, which Is living
water The woman knew that while this
was a goAi well and good water she had to
come again and again, because OF her
and others need, but perhaps she had
sometimes thought OF and feltn deeper
thirst than that Of the body.
a. Here Is surely something strange
water that will keep one from ever
thirsting, because 1t will be well in them,
ever springing up, and twice in single
sentence He speaks Of it as "the water
which he will give" He had asked her
| for water, but Ho has water to give that
she knows not Of Paul tells us that the
rock from which Israel drank In the will
derness was Christ Il Cor. x, ~, and the
same spirit says that II Israel had only
| bearkened to God He would have satisfied
them with honey from the rock (Ps, lxxxi,
IS, 10y
Is. Shc Is not interested enough to nsk
Him for this water, but only In order to
save her making journeys to this well
| for her daily need. She thinks of moth.
ing yet beyond tho natural water for tho
need Of the body, for she Is still carnal,
and tho natural man is wholly occupied
with, How shall ! obtain somewhat to
eat and drink and weari" Jesus said
elsewhere how to make sure OF these with
out any anxious care (Math. vi, 1899.
| 49, In order 70 make her see her need
of the living water which He longs to
give her He will now show her herself,
and therefore this request. There Is ne
sending for the physician till we know
that we arc sick; there Is no sense Of q
need Of Righteousness better than our own
till we see that our own Is filthy rags,
Therefore the Spirits first work Is to con
vince Of sin John xvi, 8, %.
H. Her conscience is aroused; she has
her attention called to her manner of life.
What we aro Is manifested IN what we do.
Yet she would hide from Him IL she could.
for it is the garden OF Eden story DER and
DER again. Tho guilty arc afraid and
seek to hide from God. BY her answer,
which was true, she would cover up II she
could the real truth. But covering sin
will not prosper. It Is only by confession
and forsaking thai We obtain mercy Proy.
xviii, 1877.
IS. The eyes of fro now search her
through and through, for all things are
naked and open to the eyes Of Him with
whom wG have to do (Hcb Nv, 49, Rev. H.
ls, 23). There Is nothing hid which shall
not be manifested MARX Nv, 22). BE sure
"a. xx-fn f,,l xf
23) o Lord, Thou hest searched me and
known me and art acquainted with all
my ways Cps. cxxxix, 14).
10, Having seen herself in all her sin
fuiness, she now looks upon Him with
new light, for the light from Him had
shone upon her. Like Isaiah, she has seen
her uncleanncss, because she has looked
upon the King lisa. vi, 81. job had heard
OF Him, but when he looked upon Him
then he abhorred himself lIob xiii, 8, %.
90. Yet she would cyado the main issue
by question of place, like those who when
shown their sinfulness would turn 1t off
by saying, l do not belong to your church,
81, Which church do you think Is the right
oneS or by a controversy Rs TO whit va
rious people believe.
81. He discards all question Of place and
holds her face to face with God 1t is not
aaprstion Of what the fathers did or taught
or believed, but only question Of what |
the Father commands, There are crccds |
many and churches mang, 10 called, but |
only ono God, the Father of all, who is |
above all and through all and In all (Eph |
Nv, 81.
%. This saying, Salvation is Of the
Jews" along with, Salvation is Of the |
Lord" lJonah II, %, includes the whole |
story OF whom TO worship, for God has
chosen Israel as the people who are to fill |
the earth with fruit, and Jerusalem as His |
throne, and Jesus Of the tribe OF Judah |
to sit On that throne lisa. xvii, q; Jcr |
Iii, IL; Luke 1. 80, 33; Heb vii, i4).
20. God, the Father, has revealed Him. |
self in Christ, for God was in Christ Oil |
Cor. v, 19), and Jesus said, He that hath |
seen me hath seen the Father (John XIV |
%. II Is not the fathers we arc to wor
fhip, nor saints nor angels, but only the |
Father. revealed In Christ. He Is the |
way and has said, No man cometh unto |
the Father but by me"
"a. No outward form Of worship can be |
acceptable to God. 1t must be from the |
heart in the power Of the Spirit. Even thc |
sacrifices commanded in the law becam
vain pblations when they became a mere |
form lisa, /, il14). A worship that
taught by the precept Of men or is merely |
a lip worship, while the heart goeth after |
covetousness, is abomination 70 God lisa.
xxx, 49, IA; Eek. xxxiii, 81, 32).
25. Once more she tries to evnde the Is.
sue by saying, when Christ comes, He |
will tell us,''
&C. By this word Of Christ the contro-
yersy Is ended. There stands before this
woman tho II Am" Of the law and the
prophets, and the one question now is,
win she accept Him or reject HIM She
accepted Him as the Christ (vcrse 29), and |
through her testimony many more believ