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lay my hand upon my mouth;" as being unworthy to

fpeak in the presence of fuch a great and glorious One : therefore he adds, "Once have I fpoken, but I will not anfwer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.”. And chap. xlii. 5, 6. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eyes feeth thee: wherefore, I abhor myself, and repent in duft and afhes." See how the difcovery of Chrift makes the prophet Ifaiah to condemn and abafe himfelf to the loweft, and to commend and exalt Chrift to the higheft, chap. vi. 1. 5. He faw the Lord fitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filling the temple; then fays he, "Wo isme, for I am undone! because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midft of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have feen the King, the Lord of hofts." To this purpofe we may fee Ifa. xlv. 22,-25. "Look unto me and be faved, all ye ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none elfe." Well, what will iffue upon that faving fight of Chrift? Both the abafing of himfelf, ver. 23. To bim every knee fball bow; and the high commendation and exaltation of Chrift, "Surely fhall one fay, In the Lord have I righteoufnefs and ftrength: In him fhall all the feed of Ifrael be juftified, and fhall glory," ver. 24, 25.-But paffing many other proofs, I fuppofe it will be found evident in the experience of all the faints, that every manifestation and difcovery of Chrift tends to work both thefe effects at the fame time, even to make them condemn and debafe themselves to the lowell, and to commend and exalt Chrift to the higheft.

This fubject is very large, but I defign, for fhortening the work, to confine myfelf efpecially to the circumstances and effects of the difcovery that Chrift here gives of himself to the woman of Samaria, in the following method.

I. I fhall fhow what we are to understand by Christ
manifefting or difcovering himfelf to a perfon.
II. What are thefe fin-difcovering and foul-debafing
effects of Chrift manifefting himself; or, when may
one be in cafe to fay, that Chrift hath told him all
things that ever he did?

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III. What are thefe Chrift-exalting commendations, wherein fuch difcoveries of Chrift vent themselves; and fo notice the particular import in what the woman here fays, Come fee a man that told me all things that ever I did; Is not this the Chrift? IV. I will fhew the reafons of the doctrine, whence it is that faving difcoveries of Chrift have fuch a felf-debafing and Chrift-exalting influence. And then,

V. Make application of the whole fubject.

I. I will fpeak a little of Chrift's difcovering and manifefting himself to finners. And here I would confine myself to the circumftances of the difcovery that he makes of himfelf to this woman, which wrought this effect in her, and which, in moft particulars, will be found to agree with all the faving manifeftations that our Lord makes of himself to his people, either at first converfion, or any renewed vifit he makes to them. And here we may notice, 1. Some things relating to the means of the difcovery that Chrift makes of himfelf to this woman. 2. Some things relating to the manner

of it.

1ft, There are fome things in the context relating to the means of this difcovery.

This is

1. One of the more remote means was his taking occafion to come to a place where fhe was alfo to come, and fo cafting himself in her way, as it were. noticed very remarkably, ver. 4th of this chapter, where it is faid, He muft needs go through Samaria: Whatever other reafons there were for his going this way, here was a fpecial one; he must needs meet this woman, and with thofe Samaritans, whom, on this occafion, he converted to the faith. If there be but one foul that Chrift hath an errand to, the world will not keep him away from the place where that foul is. He muft needs go through that place: there is a fweet neceflity he lies under; he must needs bring a gofpel-miniftry there; he muft needs bring gofpel-ordinances where he has any fouls to meet with, and difcover himfelf favingly unto. They to whom Chrift hath difcovered himfelf, will find

a mer

a merciful providence exercifed about them, in his ordering their lot fo, that either they are brought to the place where Chrift and his ordinances are, or Chrift and his ordinances come to the place where they are.

2. A fecond more remote means of this difcovery is, our Lord ordering matters fo as her fecular errand is made the occafion of her fpiritual good and advantage, ver. 7. There comes this woman of Samaria to draw water. Providence may be intending much mercy to thofe who are both very unworthy of it, and very unconcerned about it. Little was this finful woman minding any other thing but to draw water; yet a happy providence made her to meet with the Saviour of finners. Some have come to ordinances, as this woman did to Jacob's well, with no other view, fave upon fome fecular and carnal errand; may be to draw the water of damnation to themfeives, or to draw in fome applaufe to themselves amongst their neighbours, or merely from cuftom and curiofity, little minding any faving good, which yet the Lord hath prevented them with.

3. A third mean of this difcovery is, Chrift falls a difcourfing with her, and upon occafion of his feeking, and her refufing him a drink of water, he fhews his pity and compaffion on her, as an ignorant and infenfible finner, having no knowledge of her real want and neceflity, with respect to that better water which he had to give; and particularly he lets her know, that the well of living water was in his hand to difpenfe as he pleased; and that as he offers his grace before we afk it, fo he will not refuse it to them who afk it upon his offer and promife: "If thou hadst known, thou wouldst have asked, and I would have given thee living water." And, befides, in his difcourfe, he commends his wares to her, ver. 14.; his gifts, his graces, his Spirit, as a well above all wells, A well of water Springing up to everlasting life; and all to be freely difpenfed by way of gift and donation. And this is the way he deals ftill with finners in the free difpenfation of the gofpel.

4, A fourth mean of this difcovery, is his working a work of conviction upon her confcience, by fhewing her tranfgreffions to her, and fetting her fin in order before

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her,

her, ver. 18.; and thereby difcovering his prophetical office to her, and raifing fome efteem of him as a Prophet, ver. 19. The freeft offers do not prevail with finners, till they be convinced of their finfulness and mifery. Indeed, it is not every fight of fin that will convince the finner; but Chrift muft fet it home upon the confcience, and difcover fin to them marked by his all-feeing eye, his all-fearching eye; for the woman knew pretty well, how matters were with her, and yet, without any due fenfe, till he ript up and laid open her bofom, and made her fee and understand that all her fins were naked and open unto the eye of him with whom fhe had now to do; and though the did not know him to be the Chrift, yet fhe begins to have fome high thought of him as a Prophet that had the mind of God, and by whom God was difcovering her finfulness to her. But it does not appear, as yet, that flie perceived any thing in him above ordinary prophets; fo gradually, by little and little, did he manifeft himfelf to her. Only it is evident here, that in God's order and method of working effectually on the hearts of finners, as there is a difcovery of fin that goes before a discovery of Christ, without which perfons do not fee their need of Chrift; fo the more that Chrift difcovers fin, and touches the finner's heart therewith, it breeds the more refpe& and eftimation of him, though it may be very weak and low at first.

5. A fifth mean of this discovery, is his opening up to her the nature of true fpiritual and acceptable worship, ver. 21,-24. Here he gives her fuch inftruction as might tend to let her fee that he was a Prophet above all prophets, that knew what changes were quickly to fall out with reference to the place of religious worship, and what fort of worthip God would have, what a Spirit he is, and what fervice he requires. As faith comes by hearing, fo difcoveries of Chrift, the glorious object of faith, come by the means of inftruction and divine teaching, fuch as the Lord Jefus here gives this woman. And this paves way to

6. A fixth mean of this difcovery, namely, his working in her heart a kindly remembrance of, and high effeem

for

for the Meffias, ver. 25. The longer fhe converfed with Chrift, he is the more enamoured with him. Though he difclaimed the Samaritan worship, and declared they had no warrant for their religion; yet having, at the fame time, fhewed that the Jewith worfhip was warrantable by the word of God, though yet their temporary way of worfhip was what his coming to the world was to give a burial to, and to abolish, upon which a more excellent way of worfhipping God was to fuccced; I fay, the more fhe hears him fpeak, the more fhe is enamoured with his difcourfe, and filled with great refpect and regard to the Meflias, from whom fhe expected fuch inftruction as that; "I know that Meffias comes, which is called Chrift; when he is come, he will tell us all things" not knowing, as yet, that he was fpeaking to him. She is fpeaking with a very high eftimation of him, as the great Teacher of his church, that would fully reveal the counfel of God concerning his fervice and means of falvation. And now the woman, by thefe mears, being brought to have precious thoughts of Christ, and to give fuch a notable evidence of her faith concerning him, then he discovered himfelf, faying, I that Speak unto thee am be. When people are brought to fublime thoughts of Chrift, then it is certain Chrift is not far off from them. Thus ye have the means. We fhall,

2dly, Notice the manner of the difcovery that Chrift makes of himself, I that speak unto thee, am be. Here is a clear manifeftation and revelation that Chrift himfelf gives of himself, I that speak unto thee, am be. It is not ordinary for Chrift to give fuch teftimony of himself; there must be fome rare thing here: for, when John's difciples came to afk him," Art thou he that fhould come, or may we look for another?" He does not fay, "I that fpeak unto thee, am he;" nay, but, "Go tell John what ye hear and fee; the blind receive their fight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, the deafhear, the dead are raifed up, and the poor have the gofpel preached to them," Matth. xi. 5.; let him draw the conclufion from thefe premifes whether I am he or not: but here he gives as clear a difcovery of himfelf as in all the book of God,

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