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case) would be an effectual barrier to his comprehending the great mystery about to be disclosed by the Gospel. "If I have told you earthly things"-things occurring in the world you inhabit-demonstrable by facts in all ages, -and now illustrated to you by several wellknown earthly illustrations," and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things"-things which occurred in a far distant world, and which can alone be received on my simple testimony? Now, it is plain, from the words of our Lord to Nicodemus, that if a man believes no such depravity or worthlessness in his character as to convince him of the necessity,-even in this world, -of spiritual regeneration,—he will not, in the very nature of things, understand or believe the necessity for the incarnation and sufferings of the only begotten Son of God;—or the nature and designs of that love which sent him as a gift to the world. If he believes not in the existence and alarming consequences of his diseases, how can he see the wisdom, and gratefully respond to the benevolence, which voluntarily prompted the Physician to travel at such an expense, and so great a distance, freely to relieve and recover him?

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN.

233

From this conversation let us at once proIceed to the next recorded case-the Woman of Samaria. She had no lofty superstructure of fancied excellence based on the sand, like the Pharisee-requiring to be undermined and overthrown. Hence, we find the Saviour adopting a different introduction ;-suddenly announcing, without any preamble, the glad tidings of the free gift of God. But why did he adopt such an introduction, seeing that she was not in circumstances, when our Lord first addressed her, to understand the wonderful meaning of his words? For much-very much beclouding ignorance of herself-of sin -of the nature and character of God--yet interposed between her and direct rays of the SUN of Righteousness. How, then, could she comprehend, even in any degree, the glorious Gospel? It was manifestly to unfold, in the clearest way, the nature of the Gospel. It is indeed interesting, and most illustrative of the Gospel, to consider these conversations successively, that with the Pharisee, and this again with the ignorant woman ;-and to mark the distinct and prominent lesson which each was recorded to illustrate. The former case was manifestly designed to show the impossi

234 ABSOLUTE FREENESS OF SALVATION.

bility of a mind-still cleaving to its self-righteousness, (and thus unconvinced of guilt and danger) in such a state,-receiving the Gospel; the latter was, doubtless, to exhibit in a brilliant light-the ABSOLUTE FREENESS OF SALVATION!

Thus, the very fact of the sudden announcement of the love of God and the gift of Christ to a woman sunk in heathen darkness and worthlessness,--the fact of an immediate intimation of her own personal interest in that infinite bestowment,-pours a flood of light on the nature-the freeness the glory of the Gospel. Had our Lord paused, ere he had revealed his joyful tidings to the woman—until he had first removed her ignorance in reference to necessary antecedent truths, or, until he had perceived some dawnings of conversion— some indications of the work of the Holy Spirit -such, for example, as conviction of sin and fervent desires for forgiveness,-it might have led self-righteous souls, in after ages, to imagine that such feelings-such awakenings and hopeful dawnings-had in some degree recommended the sinner to his special grace and favour. Thus the glorious Gospel would have been more or less darkened.

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But no, to this wretched outcast (who was indeed a representative of the entire Gentile world-as far as worthiness is concerned and of every sinner to this day) our Saviour threw open at once the treasury of his grace, without waiting for any favourable sign; and assured her of a welcome reception the moment she boldly entered it! No sooner, however, did he, by this introduction, proclaim the nature and perfect freeness of salvation, (and doubtless, also, disarm her mind of all prejudice by his unexpected benevolence, and thus dispose her to receive his after instructions)-than he quickly left the simple topics of the Gospel, to teach her those antecedent-searching-soul-condemning truths, which, under his blessing, would enable her to understand his wondrous introduction, and soon exclaim with rapture, "Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? "

Now, along with the preaching of the Gospel,-which, of itself, tends indirectly to "dig" through the ignorance of sin, and other opposing moral barriers, which conceal the "great Rock,"—and which should, therefore, clearly accompany all endeavours to

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GREAT ANTECEDENT TRUTHS.

remove existing delusions from the sinner's mind, with the design of "shutting up to the faith" of Jesus;-along with the Gospel, (which, let it be repeated, ought ever to have a prominent place in the beginning-middle -and end of all spiritual instruction)-the minds of men ought to be clearly-directly and emphatically instructed on all things essentially needful to its true understanding,— such as the Sovereign Majesty-the holiness and inflexible justice of God-the spirituality of the law under which man was created, and under which he fell,-reaching to the thoughts of the heart and demanding its supreme love -the consecration of the whole existence ;the infinite evil of sin-not merely from its natural and judicial consequences to the sinner-but as rebellion- —as high treason against the Father of our spirits-seeking by its tendencies His destruction;-the utter depravity and just condemnation of man-the necessity of regeneration by the Word and Spirit of God. These and other antecedent truths are as urgently required to be explicitly taught in their own place and measures as setting forth, along with them,-the freeness of pardon-the glory of the Gospel.