presses that adoration which consists in sacrifices and public ceremonies, and therefore denotes, to perform sacred rites. For, both by Samaritans and Jews, it was esteemed lawful to worship God in prayer any where; but it was not lawful for the Jews to offer sacrifices except in Jerusalem. The dispute, consequently, had respect to religious rites, and the place of performing them.

She appears, also, purposely to have said, Our fathers performed religious services on this mountain. For she wished to defend the Samaritans, and to applaud them as having instituted their public worship in accordance with the example and the authority of their ancestors, and to accuse the Jews of performing sacred rites at Jerusalem, without the example and the authority of ancient times. She therefore vindicates the Samaritans' worship, by the authority of their forefathers, among whom she reckoned the patriarch Jacob. She, however, wished to ascertain from Jesus, what was his opinion.

Vs. 21, 24. To this question, our Lord so shaped his reply, as to teach her that there was no need of dispute respecting the place and the manner of worship. For a great change as to public worship was then at hand; and it would soon be the case, that neither at Jerusalein, nor in that mountain, nor any where in temples and on altars, would worship be regarded by God as consisting in sacrifices and external rites; but every where, throughout the whole world, acceptable worship would consist in cherishing a true faith, and in uprightness and holiness of soul and life. Woman, believe me, says he, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

He did not, therefore, at once reply to the question proposed, namely, which of the two nations performed their sacred services more correctly, the Jews at Jerusalem, or the Samaritans on that mountain. The whole question, he says, can be regarded as useless and unnecessary, because hereafter all the external worship, which

consisted in sacrifices and ceremonies, and which had been restricted to a certain place and people, would be entirely abolished. Thus the sacred services, both of the Jews in the temple, and of the Samaritans on the mountain, would be abrogated, and the dissension be wholly removed which had hitherto distracted the minds of each nation.

But, however needless the proposed question could be regarded, our Lord saw fit to decide it, and to affirm, that the Jews had greater authority for performing sacred services at Jerusalem than the Samaritans had for performing them on that mountain. He remarked, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship." These words refer not so much to the object of worship, as to the place and the manner of rendering it; as appears from the topic of conversation. The woman had not inquired whether the God of the Jews, or of the Samaritans, was the true God; but which of these two people worshipped the same true God in the appointed, the more holy, place. Then, again, there can scarcely be a doubt that the Samaritans, in the time of Christ, were not less acquainted than the Jews with the true God, and worshipped him according to the Mosaic statutes; and, if the matter were to be judged of from this chapter and from other passages in the New Testament, the Samaritans would seem to have had more correct opinions at that time than the Jews themselves, not only concerning many moral precepts, but also concerning many points of doctrine, particularly concerning the Messiah.

Our Lord, therefore, spoke, without doubt, respecting the place of public worship; and his meaning was this: You perform your sacred rites in a place, concerning which there is no express divine command; we, however, perform our sacred rites in the appointed place, and in that temple, which, by divine command, was built and designed for that purpose.*

He subjoins the following reason for this decision; For salvation is of the Jews. The word, salvation, is here equivalent to the word Saviour, just as in Luke 2: 30 and 3: 6. The sense of those words, then, is this—The

*Bengel, in his Gnomon, says on this passage-"The word what, does not relate to the object, but to the manner, of worship; thus, You know not what sort of adoration you should use; we know what our adoration should be."

Saviour arises from among the Jews. Our Lord employed the following argument: In that nation, doubtless, there would be the true and lawful public worship, from which divine wisdom has ordained that the Messiah should arise.

He taught, however, that a far more excellent religious worship would shortly have place; not an external worship, consisting in ceremonies, in sacrifices, and forms of prayer; but an internal worship,-that of the soul,-consisting in a true knowledge of God, in a correct belief, in pure sentiments and lives; and offered, not only in temples, but every where; not only in prayers, but in the whole life. Though we are, indeed, says our Lord, superior to you, in that we worship God according to the mode and in the place expressly appointed by himself, and you in a place respecting which there is no divine precept, yet the hour cometh, when worship to God will not be required even in that mode in which we have thus far worshipped. The true worshippers are such as would worship in a manner more perfect, and more adapted to the nature, both of God and of man.

The expression, worship the Father in spirit and in truth, means, worship the Father with the soul, and the soul being upright and holy.* The word, truth, may also signify the true idea of worship, and indicate worship of that sort which should be offered to God in the mind and heart, and which only is conformed to the divine nature.

He also mentions the reasons, why God ought to be worshipped spiritually and with holy sentiments. An argument is drawn, first, from the good pleasure of God, and the excellence of such worship. For the Father seeketh such to worship him. In these words, our Lord by no means cast contempt on the worship prescribed by Moses, but indicated the excellence of internal worship, and showed that the Father desired to be no longer worshipped in such an external manner, but required inward worship as a special object of his delight. That such worship only is pleasing to God, both he himself has intimated in innumerable passages in the Old Testament, and our Lord and the apostles, particularly Paul, have

The words, in spirit and in truth, might have been used for the adverbial forms, spiritually and truly.

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frequently declared. The thing speaks also for itself, and every truly wise man has in all time so understood the matter. Of such import is the following sentiment of Cicero, "The best worship of the gods, that, too, which is the most full of piety, consists in our reverencing them with ever pure, upright, uncorrupt feelings and professions."* The Lord Jesus and the apostles uniformly taught, that we then render acceptable worship to God, when we so acknowledge, and, with a sincere faith, so accept and honor the Father's love, in providing salvation through Jesus Christ, as to shape our sentiments and actions, our whole lives, in short, in conformity to it. Compare Gal. 5: 6. 6:15. Eph. 1: 3, 17, &c. 3: 17. Rom. 15: 6.

Another reason, adduced by our Lord for requiring spiritual worship, is drawn from the nature of God. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth. God's nature is spiritual. He is not a corporeal being. He is, therefore, to be worshipped in spirit; in a spiritual, not in a mere bodily, manner. The word, spirit, here signifies a nature uncompounded, not circumscribed by place, but present every where, knowing all things, invisible, endowed with all those perfections which pertain to a spiritual existence, and that in a most glorious manner.

There is not here expressed a complete idea of the divine essence; but we are informed, what sort of being God is, and, particularly, what method of worship is, most of all, adapted to his nature. For, since he is of a spiritual nature, he chooses to be worshipped and adored by our spirit, that is, in our souls, in the thoughts, the feelings, the desires, in the whole life, by our having a right knowledge of him, and by our believing, feeling, and acting conformably to that knowledge. This ought to have been done in all preceding time, and was done, under the Mosaic economy, by all pious men; but it was the will of God, that now, when more clearly manifesting himself to the human race, and making known his purposes respecting the salvation of men by the Son, it should be done more eminently, and particularly, now that he was about to abolish that system of external worship, which

* De Nat. Deor. II, 28.

was restricted to a certain place, to a certain time, and to a certain people; that system which he had prescribed by Moses. With sentiments almost the same as these, the apostle Paul addressed his Athenian audience. See Acts 17:22-31.

Vs. 25, 26. However satisfactory our Lord's reasoning might have appeared to the woman, she still did not dismiss the subject, but referred the question to the Messiah, observing, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things. By his decision we will abide; to him we will refer our dispute.

Observing the woman's docility, and desire to know the truth, a desire, the like to which he had scarcely found among the Jews, our Lord condescended to disclose to her, very openly, who he was. Art thou expecting the Messiah? says he. Be assured, he is already come, and thou now seest him. For I, who speak unto thee, am he. "No where," says Bengel, "did he speak more directly, concerning himself, to his very disciples."

Vs. 27-30. And, upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman; yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. The disciples, on their return from the city, beholding Jesus, before they came up to him, talking with the Samaritan woman, wondered that their Master should condescend to enter into conversation with such a woman; that is, either with so poor a woman, or, with a Samaritan woman, which the disciples would, at that time, in conformity with Jewish opinions, regard as utterly wrong. No one of them, however, ventured to inquire what he had been seeking from the woman, or what he had been saying to her, influenced, no doubt, by reverence for their Master.

The woman, herself, astonished at the Lord's remarks, made no reply, but hastened to the city. Her waterpitcher she left behind, either that she might go with more expedition, or for the use of Jesus and his disciples, at their meal; since she had been taught, by this very conversation with Jesus, that he cared not for the preju