then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? The woman did not apprehend the Saviour's meaning. She took the term, living water, in a literal sense, as meaning springing water,-water bursting forth from the veins of the earth,which he was designing either to draw from this very well, or to show her in some other place. As to obtaining the water he spoke of, from this well, she thought this he could by no means do, since he had no conveniences to draw with. And, as to showing her water in another place, she thought it improbable, that throughout that whole region, more copious and more wholesome water could be found. She spoke in praise of this well, first, as having been opened by Jacob, than whom no one could be more skilful in finding water in that region. Thou, indeed, says she, however excellent thou mayst be, canst not be more excellent than Jacob, nor canst thou find a more excellent spring of water. She commended this well, further, on account of the abundance and salubrity of its water; for she thus reasoned: This well is so large, so deep, so abundant in most wholesome water, that both Jacob himself, his children, and his servants,* could all drink from it; hence, it is impious to disesteem this, and to seek another.

She here gave Jacob the epithet, father. The Samaritans were in the habit of tracing back their race to Jacob in particular.

Vs. 13, 14. Our Lord, therefore, peeceiving in this woman a docile and ingenuous mind, in order to show her that the thing of which he was speaking was spiritual, and fitted for refreshing, not the body, but the soul, thus replied: Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but 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. Thus our Lord again spoke in a manner somewhat obscure. He did not reply in direct terms to the question, whether he was more excellent than Jacob, lest in the view of the woman he should appear

The word rendered cattle, in our version, is translated servants (domestici), by Tittmann. This meaning, he says, accords with Greek usage. Our version, however, is doubtless correct.

TR.

arrogant and rash. He wished to let the thing speak for itself, while he explained the difference between the water which Jacob had furnished, and that which he himself could give. He thus taught, that if Jacob was thought so worthy of esteem on account of the water which he had furnished, he himself would be worthy of still higher esteem, who could give far more excellent water. "For," says he, "the nature of this water is such, that though it can quench thirst, yet it does this only for a short time. In a little while thirst will return; but the water which I give, extinguishes thirst for ever. The benefit, therefore, bestowed on you by Jacob, however great, is by no means so great as that which you can receive from me.'

The latter part of this reply is to be understood figuratively; just as the word expressive of thirst, in all languages, is very frequently employed to signify, partly a sense of need, and partly a vehement desire, especially of such good as pertains to the real perfection and happiness of man. The word, then, signifies to be in need of something and to long for it. Thus, in Ps. 63: 1, to thirst for God, means to desire, to pant for his favor and assistance. In Matt. 5: 6, to thirst after righteousness means to have an intense desire for holiness. Compare John 6:35. 7: 37. On the other hand, the phrase, not to thirst, is used concerning those, who, having received the blessings which they had been panting after, enjoy a settled satisfaction, and desire nothing further. It expresses the reality, the abundance, and the greatness of the happiness which a person enjoys who is completely blessed. See Is. 49: 10.

What ideas, then, did our Lord wish to convey? By water, he understood those blessings which refresh the soul, and render it happy; namely, knowledge pertaining to salvation, strong faith, real piety, and, finally, the established hope of pardon, of divine grace, and of eternal salvation. This water, that is, these blessings, Jesus gives in other words, by his death he has procured them, and by his teaching and government has bestowed them. To drink this water, therefore, denotes, to obtain those blessings, to use and enjoy them; for this form of expression is exchanged by our Lord himself, in a very similar conversation (John 6:35), for the phrase, to believe in Jesus; he that believeth in me, says he, shall never thirst.

Further, the words, he shall never thirst, convey the following sense: He shall have no occasion to desire any thing more excellent; he shall not be in need of any thing which is necessary to a tranquil and happy life: on the contrary, he shall possess those good things from which happiness arises, a happiness filling the soul with delight, always new, always increasing, never, through endless ages, producing satiety; that is, happiness most true and complete. When it is said, this water quenches thirst, the idea is, the blessings which the Saviour gives, fill the desires of the soul, however large those desires, and produce a happiness than which a greater cannot be conceived, nor a more excellent and sweeter be wished for. In the closing words, This water shall be in him a well [a fountain] of water, springing up into everlasting life, our Lord teaches, that from the happiness which he imparts in this life, and from the blessings which he here bestows, there springs up bliss in the future life, a bliss most copious and enduring. Water springing up, denotes a fountain which has water in so great plenty, that it bursts forth and springs up on high. Our Lord, therefore, in this address, professes to be the author of all human happiness, even the highest happiness; namely, such as is most true, making the soul really peaceful and joyful, quenching thirst; such as is most complete,-he shall never thirst; such, moreover, as is most abundant,a fountain of water; such, finally, as is most enduring,a fountain springing up to everlasting life.

The woman, not perceiving our Lord's meaning, said, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. She was, nevertheless, no longer indignant that the well of Jacob was undervalued, though she had hitherto religiously regarded it; nor did she deride the high professions of this stranger, though a Jew.

Vs. 6. Our Lord, now, breaking off the conversation on that subject, turns to another, and by a proof of his omniscience, leads the woman to a more elevated opinion respecting himself. Go, call thy husband, says he, and come hither. He knew, indeed, that she had not a husband, as appears from his plainly saying so a short time. after. But why, then, did he tell her to call her husband? In order to bring about a fit occasion, both for admonishing her, and for leading her to an admiration of himself.

And here Chrysostom notices, with great propriety, the modesty and wisdom of our Lord, in that he did not instantly expose to her view her whole life, but previously sought a suitable occasion for doing so. Thus, what he was about to say, would seem to be called forth from the necessity of the case, or at least to be peculiarly fitting. Nor did he at first intimate, that she had had five husbands, lest, while he would thus claim to be a prophet, he might seem to be conducting arrogantly, or to be eagerly grasping at divine honors, as the apostle Paul has elsewhere most beautifully said.* He therefore directed her to call her husband.

Vs. 17, 18. But she, desiring to conceal her criminality, and yet covered with shame, replies-I have no husband, meaning, no lawful husband. Jesus, however, both exhibiting his own omniscience, and gently rebuking the woman's life, says-Thou hast well said, I have no husband; for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband; in that saidst thou truly. In this remark, our Lord furnished a striking proof of his omniscience, and, therefore, of his divinity. For not even the most secret deeds of the woman, nor her domestic calamities, were concealed from him; and these he could not have learned from report. She began, accordingly, to regard him in a more elevated manner, perceiving that he knew the secret conduct of men, and was, therefore, at least a prophet. (V. 19.) Sir, said she, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

V. 20. Nor did she receive the rebuke indignantly, nor with irritation. Rather, her admiration of him became more enkindled. Covered with shame, however, as soon as the conversation respecting herself was interrupted, she proposed to him an inquiry, and one which she perhaps considered as inexplicable by an ordinary man, concerning the place and the manner of worshipping God. On this question, there were violent disputes between the Jews and the Samaritans. For, though each nation worshipped the same God, the Jews maintained that he ought to be worshipped only at Jerusalem, in the temple; while, on the other hand, the Samaritans contended, that it was on mount Gerizim he was to be worshipped. It

*Phil. 2: 6.

must here be observed, that the Jews, after their return from the Babylonish captivity, when they were rebuilding their temple, and establishing anew their religious services, would not admit the Samaritans to a participation in sacred matters. The Samaritans were a mixed community of Israelites and of those Gentile colonists whom the Assyrian kings had planted in Samaria. A temple was at length built for the Samaritans themselves, by Manasseh, a priest, under the authority of Sanballat, his father-in-law, and governor in Samaria. This temple, therefore, built on mount Gerizim, they contended, was altogether preferable to that in Jerusalem; because, not only had Abraham and Jacob performed religious services on this mountain, but even Moses had appointed it as the spot on which the elders should pronounce blessings on the people. He had, also, according to the Samaritan copy of the Pentateuch, commanded that an altar should be built there, that sacrifices should be offered, and a religious festival be there observed. See Deut. 11: 29, and 27: 5-8. This temple was subsequently demolished, because, in consequence of a cruel order of Antiochus Epiphanes, it had been dedicated to the worship of idols. They still, however, kept an altar on that mountain, and made offerings on it to the true God. Hence arose an exceedingly bitter hatred between the Jews and Samaritans, and a most earnest contention on the point, which of these two nations rendered the more holy worship? Each nation contemned the sacred rites. of the other, as being idolatrous; the Samaritans calling the temple in Jerusalem, the cursed house, and mount Gerizim, the blessed mountain; while the Jews called mount Gerizim, the mount of idols. The correct opinion respecting this matter, the woman desired to ascertain from our Lord, as from a prophet well acquainted with such subjects. "Our fathers," said she, "worshipped [performed sacred rites] in this mountain; nor do we think it right to repair for this purpose to any other place, though ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. What is thy opinion respecting this controversy? The worship of which nation is the more sacred and agreeable to the divine will?"

Such is the meaning of the woman's address in the twentieth verse. The word, worship, it is obvious, ex