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SERMON

LIV.

THE FEMALE PREACHER; or, The Woman of SAMARIA'S Sermon to the Men of the City: or, The Self-humbling and Chrift-exalting influences of divine Difcoveries*.

JOHN iv. 27.

Come fee a man which told me all things that ever I did; Is not this the Chrift?

IF

F our glorious Lord Jefus has been here present this day, converfing with us as he did with the woman of Samaria, discovering us to ourselves, and discovering himself to us; if he hath been telling us what vile finners we are, and what a glorious Saviour he is, fo as the entrance of his word hath given light to us, to fee our blackness on the one fide, and his beauty on the other: furely it cannot but lead us to fome fuch felf-condemnation and Chrift-commending exercife, as here this woman is employed in: Come fee a man that told me all things that ever I did; Is not this the Chrift?

In the preceeding part of this chapter, there ftands recorded a very notable converfation betwixt Chrift and this woman, the particulars whereof are too many to be confidered at this time, though fome of them may fall in our way, when we fpeak of the circumftances of her converfion only, in the general, our Lord Jefus, as a

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This fubject was handled in one fermon, preached July 13th, 1729. immediately after the celebration of the facrament of the Lord's fupper at Dunfermline.

wearied traveller fitting down by Jacob's well, and this woman coming to draw water, he feeks a drink from her, both to quench his thirft, and to take occafion of conferring with her, with a defign of mercy to her foul. She apprehending him to be a Jew, refufes to give him. a drink, upon an old quarrel that was between the Jews and the Samaritans; whereupon Chrift fhews her how fhe miftook her own mercy, and that he had better water to give her than that which the refufed to give him, ver. 10.; and that if fhe knew what a valuable mercy were at her hand, fhe would have turned a fupplicant to him, and not fuffer him to be fo to her. But fhe ftill reasoning against his offer, he points out further the excellency of what he offered, ver. 13, 14.; this raised fome natural defire in her but our Lord refolving to take hold of her heart, and knowing that the richeft offer of his grace in the world, will work no defire in the heart of finners, further than what is natural and carnal, unlefs he effectively convince them of their fin and mifery, and favingly manifeft himself to them; therefore he takes this method with her.

Ift, He convinces her of her fin and mifery, and lets her understand that he knew all the lewdnefs and wickednefs fhe was guilty of, by fhewing her how many adulteries fhe was chargeable with, ver. 18. Whereupon fhe begins to conceive fome high opinion of him as a Prophet, and to feek further light from him with reference to the right way of worfhipping God, there being. controverfies about religious matters, and particularly about the place of public worship, betwixt the Jews and the Samaritans: and, indeed, the woman's discourse here thews, that though fhe was a profane Samaritan, yet she was no ignoramus. She had knowledge of the controverfy of the day fhe lived in, and the grounds thereof; and knew that the Meffias was to come: yet her knowledge was no fanctified knowledge. But now her confcience being awakened with a fenfe of fin, fhe is folicitous to have her mind informed; and accordingly is inftructed at large by our blessed Lord Jefus, both concerning the place and the right manner of worfhipping

God.

God. And thus from one thing to another, he leads her on, until,

2dly, He manifefts himself to her, ver. 26. Chrift's difcourfe about the change of religion that was to take place, brought the woman to mind of the Meffiah's coming; "I know, fays fhe, that Meffias cometh, which is called Chrift; when he is come, he will tell us all things." And while fhe is expreffing her high eftimation of, and great defire after this coming Meffias, Jefus faith unto her, "I that fpeak unto thee, am he." Chrift may be prefent with people, and fpeaking to them, and yet they cannot know, or take him up till he reveals himself, as here he did to this woman; "I that speak unto thee, am he."

No fooner did Chrift thus kindly difcover himself to her, than immediately this fweet conference is broken up, by the return of the difciples, who had gone to the city to buy meat, ver. 8. The fweeteft fellowship with Chrift on earth is but of fhort duration; and the most pleasant manifeftations may meet with very fudden interruptions; and poor finners may have fuch a fweet time in Chrift's company, that even the company of difciples may be an interruption to it.

But now, how fhe was affected with this difcovery, is evident from two things.

1. She forgets her errand that fhe came upon; She left her water-pot, and went her way: having got a tafte of the excellency of Chrift, and a drink of the living water which he gave her, fhe minds no other water now; nay, fhe forgets all other things that before were in great esteem with her.

2., She spreads the name and fame of Chrift in the place where fhe dwelt; Come fee a man, says fhe, that told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Chrift? Wherein we may notice,

(1.) An invitation; Come fee a man: having got a tafte of his goodness, fhe would have the men in the city to taste and fee with her.

(2.) A commendation; a man that told me ALL THINGS that ever I did; a man that hath difcovered himself to be God as well as man, in that he hath ript up and ran

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facked my heart and life. He had difcovered her lewd nefs to her, and hereby reprefented all other things to her as feen by him. There is here implied a humble fenfe fhe had of her finfulnefs, which Chrift had given her a discovery and conviction of; and by his fearching word fhe understood that he was the Searcher of hearts, and fo commends him as a man that told her all things that ever he did.

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(3.) A conclufion, by way of interrogation and expoftulation, Is not this the Chrift? Importing no mannet of doubt about it in her own breaft, but a ftrong affirmation, pointing at him unto them. He had told her what fhe was, and in this glafs fhe faw her own vilenefs; and he had told her what he was, and in this glafs the faw his glory and by both thefe means he discovered himfelf to be the true Meffias, the God-man, the promifed IMMANUEL, God with us; and her heart being full of Chrift, and overflowing with the living water of the Spirit that he had given her, it vented itfelf and ran over in his praise and commendation unto others; Come fee a man that told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Chrift?—I fhall endeavour fome further explication of this text, upon a note of doctrine, paffing over many others. What I mainly fixt upon is,

OBSERV. That thofe faving difcoveries of Chrift, that

make perfons to condemn and abafe themselves to the loweft, lead them, at the fame time, to commend and exalt Chrift to the bigbeft.

Self-fearching, foul-humbling, and fin-difcovering manifeftations, iffue in Chrift-exalting commendations. I think it is remarkable in this woman, that kindly humiliation did not take place in her, till after that Chrift had clearly manifefted himself to her, faying, I that Speak unto thee, am be. It is true, when Chrift firft difcovered her wickednefs and lewdnefs to her, fhe appeared to be felf-condemned and convicted, faying, I perceive that thou art a Prophet; and a true Prophet indeed, that can tell me how many acts of lewdnefs I have been guilty of her confcience flying in her face, and fubfcribing to the truth of what he had told her; but yet, as VOL. III. + G g

her

her firft conviction appeared to be very partial and weak, in that, as fome think, fhe feemed to fhift any difcourfe about her own vilenefs, and ftarted a queftion relative to a national difference betwixt the Jews and the Samaritans, to divert that fubject concerning her bafenefs; fo, I think, we may conclude, that her convictions before were very legal, driving her rather to her works and duties than to Chrift; for, inftantly fhe falls a queftioning him about the means of worshipping God, as if when now he was convinced of her fin against God, her only way of obtaining his favour, was by endeavouring to pleafe him by her duties of worship, whom fhe had difpleafed by her wickednefs and lewdness. And, indeed, the first airth that an awakened confcience looks to, is the law, the firft Hufband. But now, when once Chrift difcovers and manifefts himself to her, fhe is kindly humbled under a fenfe of her vilenefs; yea, and of all her heart and life-wickedness reprefented to her under that; and in the light wherein Chrift difcovered himself, fhe faw all her abominations; He told me all things that ever I did. She is now humbled and abafed to the loweft: Why? her fenfe of fin is not now partial, but full; He told me all things that ever I did. Neither is it now legal but evangelical; for it was now in the glafs of a faving manifestation, in the glafs wherein Chrift discovered his glory and excellency that the faw all her own filthinefs and deformity.-And while fhe is thus debafed and humbled by the discovery of Chrift, how does fhe commend and exalt him to the higheft? She commends him to her neighbour-citizens, and puts the greatest honour upon him, both as he is the true God incarnate, that by his omnifcient eye could fee, and fo declare to her, All that ever fhe did; and as he is the true Meffias, the anointed of God; Is not this the Chrift?

The truth of this doctrine might be cleared from many fcripture paffages, That faving difcoveries of Christ tend to make perfons condemn and debase themselves, and to commend and exalt Chrift, as it was with Job, chap. xl. ver. 4, 5. God having manifefted his glory, he cried out, "Behold I am vile! what fhall I anfwer thee? I will

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