The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-09-12
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
SEPTEMBER 1G.
Lesson Text "Jcsus at jacobs WELL"
John w., 9-26-Golden Text:
john w., 14-Com-
mentary.

9. Jesus, having left Ju1nn to 60 into
Galilee, In passing through Samnria stops to
lest at Jacobs we'll. II the sixth hour of
verse 6 is tho same as the sixth hour OF chap
ter xix, IA, it was o'clock in the morning
when Jesus, resting on the we'll, meets the
woman OF Samaria, who had come out to
draw water and asks her to give Him to
drink. This verse Is the woman's first re-
sponse to His request.
10. His reply is that II she knew who asked
her. even the gift Of God, she would have
asked Him for living water. IF she had ever
read the Scriptures and memorized Jer. H.,
IS, she might now have thought ofthe words
OF the Lord, "They have forsaken Me, the
fountain Of living waters."
II. As In the case Of Nicodemus, He Is
talking with n natural person who cannot
understand spiritual things. She can only
think OF this deep we'll and this water by
F! which they now are But she who wondered
that Jew should ask anything Of her Is now
asking something OF Him for already he has
interested her In water she knows not of.
! II. She knew something of Jacob and the
story OF this we'll and begins TO speak OF
what she knows. She calls him "our father
) Jacob" and acknowledges him as great
/ man, the giver Of this we'll 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 70 His subject and the
woman's real need, which is living water
The woman knew that while this was good
we'll and good water she had to come again
and again. because Of her and Others need,
but perhaps she had sometimes though OF
and felt deeper thirst than that Of the body.
! IA. Hero Is surely something strange--a
water that will keep one from ever thirsting.
because It Will be q we'll In them, ever spring.
Ing up, and twice in single sentence he
! speaks OF 1t as '''he water which He will
give" He had aska1 her for water, but He
has water to give which she knows not of.
Paul tells US that the rock from which Israel
drank In the wilderness was Christ (I Cor.
<, ~, and the same spirit says that II Israel
| had only harkened to God He would have
satisfied them with honey from the rock (Ps.
lxxxI.. 13, 16).
Is. She Is not interested enough to ask
Him for this water, but only in order to
! save her making journeys to this we'll for
her daily need. She thinks Of nothing yet
beyond the natural water for the 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
wear?" Jesus said elsewhere how to make
: (Math. vi. 31-33).
! 16. In order to 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 no sending for the
! physician till we know that We are sick;
there IS no sense OF need OF righteousness
better than our own till we see that our own
Is filthy rags. Therefore the Spirits first
work Is to convince Of sin (John xvi, 8, 81.
ic cnl cha has
! her attention called to her manner OF life.
! What we are is manifested in what we do.
! Yet she would hide from Him If she could,
| for it Is the garden OF Eden story o'er and
DER again. The guilty are afraid and seek
to hide from God. By her answer, which
; was true, she would cover up if she could
the real truth. But covering sin will not
prosper. It Is only by confession AMI for
saking that we obtain mercy (Prov. xviii,
1sl:
naked and open 10 the eyes OF Him with
whom we have to do (Heb. w., 19; Rev. H.,
: 18, 23). There q nothing hid which shall
not be manifested MARK w., 22). Be sure
. your sin will find you out (Num. xxi. 23).
O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known
me and art acquainted with oil my ways
! Cps. cxXxlx., i4). .....
10. Having seen herself in all her sinful
ness, she now looks upon Him With new
light, for the light from Him had shone up
+ on her. Like Isaiah, she has seen her un-
King elsa. w., 81. Job had heard OF Him,
but when he looked upon Him then he ab-
horred himself (John Kill, 5, g..
20. Yet she would evade the main Issue by
! a question OF place, like those who when
! shown their sintulness would turn 1t OH by
saying, do not belong to your church, or,
Which church do you think ls the right one?
or by q controversy as to what various peo-
! pie believe.
21. BE discards all question of place and
holds her face to face with God. It Is not
question OF what the fathers did or taught
or believed. but only question OF
what the Father commands. There are
creeds many and churches many, so
called, but only one God, the Father OF
oil, who Is above all and through all and In
all (Eph. iv., g..
%. This saying, "salvation Is OF the
Jews" along with, "Salvation Is OF the Lord"
CJonah H., 81, includes the whole story OF
whom 10 worship, for God has chosen Israel
fruit, and Jerusalem az His throne, and
Jesus OF the tribe Of Judah to sit on that
throne Elsa xvii. { ;Jer. ill.,, II Luke l.,
80. 33; Heb. yii., ~. -.
23. God, the Father, has revealed Himself
in Christ, for God was in Christ (II Cor. ",
19), and Jesus said, she that hath seen Me
hath seen the Father" (John xiv, 81. It is
not the fathers we are to worship, nor saints
nor angels, but only the Father, revealed IN
Christ. He is tho way and has said, mo
man cometh unto the Father but by Me.
o. No outward form of worship can DO
acceptable to God. 1t must be from the
heart In the power of the Spirit. Even the
sacrifices commanded in the law became vain
obligations when they became mere form
Elsa. l., 11-14). A worship that Is taught by
the precept of men or is merely q lip wor-
ship, while the heart goeth after coveteous-
ness. is abomination to God Elsa. xxx, IL,
Il: Eek. xxyiii.. 81. 81.
Is. Once more she tries to evade the issue
by saying, "When Christ comes, He will tell
u.s."
&c. By this word OF Christ the controversy
Is ended. There stands before this woman
the "I Am" of the law and the prophets, and
the one question now Is, Will she accept Him
or reject Him? She accepted Him as the
Christ (verse 29) and through her testimony
many more believed In Him as the Christ, the
Saviour OF the world (yerses 39-42).-Lssson
Helper.
Aristooratic Turkeys Dying.
There Is the mischief to pay with the tur-