The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-25
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JANUARY 29. H..

Lesson Text: "ChrlSt aC J6cODs "eu,'
John iv., 5-15-Golden Text: JOHN w.,
14-Commentary on the Days Lesson
By tho Rev. d. M. Stearns.
5. "Then cometh He to city OF Samaria.
which Is called Sychar, near to the parcel
of ground. that. Jacob gave to his son
Joseph" He is anointed with the Holy
Ghost and with power and goes about do
ing good, seeking never His own will, bu.
always the'wifl OF His Father, and all His
steps US we'll as all His words and actions
John W., SO; XIV, 10; Ps. x11vii., 23). To
liye such life is the business OF the Chris
tian, and Christ In US will live that life II
we yield fully to Him.
6. "Now Jacobs we'll was there. jesus,
therefore, being wearied with His Journey,
sat thus on the we'll, and 1t was about the
sixth hour" As we said In previous les
son, probably a. M, according to Johns
way OF counting. He would be iourneylng
early, so as to avoid the heat OF the day.
He Is weary, for He Is truly man and in all
points tempted like Us we are. We have not
high priest who cannot be touched with
feeling OF our inflrmities. He knoweth
our frame; He remembers that We are but
dust.
Z. ''There coneth womaE OF Samaria
to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give
me to drink" For our sakes He put Him.
self in the limitations OF mortal body.
liable to WEAKNESS, hunger, thirst, suffct-
ing and death. He who made all things
and upholds all things made Himself de-
pendent upon the ministry OF others for the
necessities Of life. He fed millions with
mama for nearly forty years and brought
water from the rock at His pleasure.
8. "For His disciples were gone away
unto the city to buy meat" He who said
Come, buy wine and milk without money
and without price Elsa. w., y sends His dis
ciples to buy with money things necessary
for the body. 1t Is very difficult for US to
believe the extent OF His humiliation. We
cannot understand how rich He was nor
Will, 81, but We can look up gratefully and
say, Lord, thank Thee for bearing It for
me!
.. "How Is 1t that Thou, being Jew,
askest drink OF me, which am q woman Of
Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans." Thus answ cred the
woman SamarIa. How different from Reb-
ekah when Eliezer said, Let me drink, I
pray tree (Gen. xiv, As, 46). See in II
Kings, II, the origin Of these Samaritans.
Do good unto all, especially to the house,
hold OF, faith, and give to him that asketh
thee are good precepts to remember and
practice, for,nor only is 1t more blessed to
give than receive, but not even cup Of
cold water given in the name OF disciple
shall lose its reward (Acts *, 35; Math.
K, 42). -.
10. "Jesus answered and said unto her,
II thou knewest the gift Of God and who 1t
ls that saith to thee, Give Me drink, thou
wouldst have asked OF Him, and He would
have given thee living water" The gift Of
God Is the Son OF God, as we saw in last
lesson (3.16). If the woman had ever
learned what we call lisa. w., she might
now have thought of the words, "Ho, every
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters!"
and have said, Art Thou He Of whom Isaiah
wrote? II she had known Jer. II, 13, she
might have asked, Art Thou fountain OF
living water? But she knew not these
things; she was not living unto God, yet
her soul was precious in Gods sight.
II. "The woman saith unto Him, Sir,
Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the
we'll Is deep. From whence, then, hast
Thou that living watsr?" Whether 1t be
rich, religious flesh, as in Nicodemus, or
poor, sinful flesh, as in this woman, II. Is
In either case ignorant OF spiritual things.
has nothing to draw with. The woman
unwitlingly described her own condition
In her words to our Lord. She thought only
Of natural water, q rope and bucket.
She did not know the words Of 1sa. xiii, 8,
"With joy shall W draw water out OF the
wells of salvation" he testified what
He knew and had seen. Those who be-
lieve His testimony proclaim Him as the
Truth, but those who receive not His tes-
timony make Him-a liar. Let'us as faith
full Witnesses proclaim what We have heard
and seen q John L., 81.
12. cart Thou greater than our father
Toooh nho oova ,1c fha ualI and drank
thereof himself and his children and his
cattle?" In chapter WILL, 53, the rulers
ask Him, cart Thou greater than our
father Abraham? Greater than Solomon
or Jonah (Math. XII, Al, 42), greater than
prophets or patriarchs, greater than angels
or archangel. one with God the Father,
God manifest in the flesh, how meekly he
bore 1t all, to be so unknown, so misun-
derstood Arc you, for His sake, willing
to have some one far beneath you socially
or Intellectually spoken OF as better than
YOU, and can you keep still? Can you bear
to hear some other land or city honorsd
above yours andbe meekly quiet because
your city is New Jerusalem?
13. "Jesus answered and said unto her.
Whosoever drinketh OF this water shall
thirst again." Both literally and fgura-
lively true. The first the woman could
grasp, for she came often to draw water,
but the second she understood not But
few have yet learned that the waters OF
this world cannot satisfy, and the multi
tudes seek the pleasures OF sin, which
satisfy but for season. They hew them
selves out cIsterns that can hold no water
(Heb. xl., IS; Jer. H., 13).
Il. "But whosoeyer drinketh OF the
water that shall give him shall never
thirst, but the water that shall give him
shall be In him a we'll Of water, springlng
up into everlasting life." Christ In us, the
hope Of glory Is we'll that not only
abundantly satisfies, but Is ever sprilging
up to refresh others. It is possible to be
satisfied with favor and full with the bless
ing Of the Lord Deut. Xxx, 23), so occu.
pied with God that the pleasures OF this
world have no power over US. In chapter
l we have water In connection with the
forgiveness of sins, in chapter water In
connection with the wine Of the Kingdom
ut the marriage OF the Lamb, in chapter
water in connection with the first step to-
ward the kingdom. Here We have an ad-
vance, for every believer may be we'll OF
water II only wiling.
Is. "The woman saith unto Him, Sir,
give me this water, that l thirst not,
neither come hither to draw" She still
thought only OF natural water, but soon,
as His love and wisdom continued to deal
with her, she began to see herself SIN
ner, Then she saw Him as the Messiah
and her Saviour, she received Him as such,
and Joy so filled her that she forgot all
else but Him and ran to bear the glad
tidings to others.-Lesson Haln~r.
A auADRUPLE WEDDING.