out of his own mouth. We know Peter gave a clear teftimony, "Thou art Chrift, the Son of the living God;" the Father gave a great teftimony to him, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed:" but that Chrift gave as clear a teftimony of himself, is rarely to be found in all the New Teftament: yea, this difcovery of himfelf is more remarkable, because he forbade his difciples, at that time, to tell exprefly who he was; and when Pilate and Herod, and others, afked him, Who art thou? He either gave them a very dark anfwer, or none at all. Chrift is not lavish of his commendations in this manner; therefore, there is fome fpeciality here: and yet there is fomething in the manner of Chrift manifefting him felf to her, that is common to all the children of God, to whom he favingly manifefts himself.

1. It was in a word, a home-word fpoken to her heart, that he difcovered himfelf; I that speak unto thee, am be. It was by fpeaking to her, that he manifefted himfelf; fo it is in the word that he difcovers himself to his own; that word that comes into the ear of others, comes into their heart. The joyful found goes through the-very foul of the man, in a fecret indifcernible manner: this is plain in the cafe of this woman, both with refpect to the word that he fpake for her conviction, to difcover her fin; and in the word that he fpake for her confolation, difcovering himself as the Saviour. In the former he had faid, "I know this is not thy hufband that thou haft;" the word went to her heart; that is a true word fays fhe, fpoken by a true prophet, for I am living in whoredom. Thus God, in dealing with finners by his word externally, makes it have an internal found in the heart; he whispers in the ear of a finner, and makes him think, Alas! that is very true; I am juft guilty of that fin; I cannot reclaim againft what the minifter fays; all is true; I must take with the charge of God's word. So with refpect to the latter, when he difcovers himself favingly, it is in the word of grace; it comes into the ear, but the finger of God fets it down to the heart; the God that commanded light to fhine out of darknefs, fhines into the heart: and it is in the glass of the word that this light fhines; "Beholding as in a glafs the glory of the Lord."

2. It was a particular difcovery; I that fpeak unto thee, am be: to THEE fo when God, in Chrift, difcovers himfelf, it is a particular difcovery; he calls his own fheep by name, John x. 3. As the word of conviction is particular, fo the word of grace is particular, as if God were dealing with none other but that perfon.. O! has he fpoken to thee, man; to thee, woman; in particular, by his word, and fet it home upon thy heart?

3. It was an immediate difcovery he himfelf made of himfelf. This indeed is not to be expected in the manner that the woman here was privileged with: but tho' it is not now in an immediate, but in a mediate way; yet where he favingly manifefts himself, he takes the means in his own hand, and makes the foul find that it is none other but himself that is dealing with it; it is not the voice of men or minifters, but the voice of God that it hears, 1 Theff. ii. 13. The word comes with fuch light, life, and majefty, that the foul finds it is indeed, the word of God; it has a heavenly echo with it. And hence,

4. It was a clear and demonftrative discovery; I am HE, fays Chrift to the woman. Saving difcoveries are by way of demonftration, as the word imports, Johnxvi. 9. Thus he manifefts himself to his people, as he does not manifeft himself to the world, who remain incompaffed and inveloped with the clouds and mists of grofs darkness and ignorance, amidst all the literal knowledge they enjoyed.

5. It was a gradual difcovery, by little and little, from one ftep to another, till he made all his glory pass before this woman: even fo, where he manifefts himself favingly, he does it gradually; "His goings forth are prepared as the morning." The work that is very fudden, feldom proves very found. It is obferved of the bad ground, that the feed fown did fuddenly spring up; God's ordinary way of manifefting himfelf is gradual; "The path of the juft fhines more and more unto the perfect day." Then,

6. It was a fenfible difcovery that he gave of himself to this woman; her time was a time of love. After he had let her fee that fhe was lying in her blood, and in

the

the puddle of pollution, and after he had filled her heart with precious thoughts of the Meffias, the Deliverer, he would no longer hide himself from her. O how sweetly and fenfibly does he manifeft himself to his people, when they are apt to think he is far from them! As this woman was fpeaking of the Meffias, as the glorious perfon whom the knew not if ever fire would have the happinefs to fee, Bebold, says Chrift, I that speak unto thee, am be. O fays the foul, will I ever get a fight of Chrift? I know not if ever I will be fo happy; why, then ufually he lets them know he is not far off.

7. It was a wonderful difcovery he made of himself to this woman; there were many wonders in it: and, indeed, whenever Chrift manifefts himself to any foul, it will fee fome fuch like wonders as the faw. O wonderful, might fhe fay! is he fpeaking to me, fuch a poor woman as I am, and fuch a bafe woman as I have been! Why, as there was no fibnefs, or relation, betwixt him and her, but on the contrary a stated enmity and alienation; for, The Jews had no dealing with the Samaritans; yea, but he muft deal with her, though she was no good woman; nay, a common whore, lying in whoredom. O wonderful! Tho' ye were never fuch a great finner, yet Chrift is content to fpeak with you, for your everlasting good; and it is an ill tale that may not be heard. Will ye allow Chrift to fpeak to you? Was it not wonderful that Chrift fhould fpeak to this woman, in fuch a manner as he did? How kindly does he fpeak to her that he might gain her heart with his love, and kill her with kindnefs? One might have thought he would call her a base filthy devil, as it was faid to himself moft blafphemoufly; Say we not well, thou art a Samaritan, and baft a devil? It was true of this woman of Samaria, fhe was a Samaritan that had a filthy devil; yea, the Jews took all the Samaritans for incarnate devils. But does Chrift call her fo? Nay: and it adds to the wonder of his difcovering himself to her, that fhe was a flighter of Chrift, he was undervalued by her; Art thou greater than our father Jacob? fays fhe, ver. 12.; yea, fhe refufed him a drink of cold water; yet he bears with all thefe affronts, and mani

feft:

fefts himself to her, even to her: O wonderful! Do not feveral fuch wonders take place, when the Lord comes to fpeak and manifeft himfelf to you, O believers, O finners? Are there not wonders enough to be obferved concerning this glorious perfon fhewing himfelf? He might dwell in heaven to all eternity, as he dwelt in heaven from all eternity, and be for ever happy: the Father was good company to him, and he needed none of your company; he had infinite delight in himself more than in all his creatures: yet for all this, that he fhould fpeak and fhew himself to you, how wonderful is it! His difcoveries are wonderful, in that he feeks nothing of us: it is true, he made the fafhion of feeking a drink of water from this woman, but that was only by the bye; he got meat and drink enough when he got the woman to himfelf; the great thing he was feeking was to get the woman divorced from all her bafe hufbands, and married to himfelf; yea, betrothed to him for ever: yea, Chrift's vifits to fome may be wonderful, not only to the finner, that gets them; but to the faints and difciples, that fee or hear tell of them. We are told here, ver. 27. that the difciples, when they came, marvelled that he talked with the woman: though they durft not challenge him, yet it was matter of offence to them that he fo freely converfed with her. Chrift can demean himself, and ftoop fo low to a poor finner as is marvellous to flesh and blood: there is more kindness and humility in him alone, than in all his friends; they being advanced, by grace, are apt to forget themselves, and to become fo proud as to despise others, though they themselves were once lifted out of the dungeon, and chofen out of the duft. But then,

8. It was a powerful difcovery that he made of himself to this woman, as appears by the gracious effects thereof. Now her heart goes off all things elfe, fhe forgets her water-pot; her mind is fet upon fome greater things; fhe ran away to the city, that fhe might invite others. to follow him, who had fo wonderfully manifefted himfelf to her; and, indeed, all saving manifestations have a power attending them. The gofpel comes not in word only, but in power: Chrift's word has a drawing

power.

power. He draws with loving-kindness, while grace and love is poured from his lips. This word, wherein he visits the foul, has a gaining power, that wins the heart from all things, and makes Christ all in all. And his manifestations have a fanctifying, transforming power; beholding his glory, we are changed into the fame image; and efpecially they lead to a felf-debafing and Chrift-exalting exercife. Which brings me to

II. The fecond general head propofed, namely, What are these fin-discovering and foul-debafing effects of Chrift's manifefting himself? or, when may one be in cafe to say, He told me all things that ever I did? It is true, this is a part of what the woman fpake to Chrift's commendation, as an all-knowing God: as well as to her own condemnation, as a vile finner, brought under a kindly felf-abasement, by the difcovery fhe had of Chrift, both as a kindly reprover, and a merciful Redeemer, a Chrift, a Saviour.-To give light to this particular, I fhall only touch at this, how all things are told, when only fome things feem to be told? How can this woman fay, He told me ALL THINGS that ever I did, when yet it was only her whoredom and adultery that he difcovered? Or, when may the difcovery that Chrift makes of himself be fo humbling and abafing, that when but a fmall part is mentioned, yet all that ever we did is difcovered?

I anfwer, 1. It may be faid confequentially; He told me all things that ever I did; that is, by plain confequence. As we may fee what the conclufion is, when the premises are related; what the root is, when the fruit is difcovered: and what the fountain is, when the ftreams are difcovered: even fo, when Chrift tells a perfon what evil fruit he hath brought forth, that perfon may eafily infer, that he hath told him that he is an evil tree; and by the ftreams of wickedness in the life, he leads people thus to the fountain of wickedness in the heart and nature. When he tells one of the black fmoke that comes out of the chimney of his heart, he tells alfo, by plain confequence, that there is a fire of corruption within; and then is one abafed to felf-abhor

rence,