Page images
PDF
EPUB

way fhe does it. We may read, in the bofom of the text, feveral properties of this exercife of commending and exalting Chrift, which faving difcoveries of him lead unto. And,

1. It is an open and public commendation of Chrift; for, fhe went away to the city, and fays, O people, Come fee a man that told me all things that ever I did:Is not this the Chrift? She being formerly a lewd woman, had given open offence, and open fcandal to the citizens, and now, upon the difcovery of her fin, and the discovery of the Saviour, fhe gave as open and ready evidence of her repentance and converfion, by inviting them all to come and fee him that had given her a conviction of her fin and vilenefs, and a manifeftation of his glory and grace. Saving difcoveries of Chrift will lead people as openly to glorify and honour him, as they have before difhonoured him.

2. It is an experimental commendation of him; fhe commends him from her own experience and feeling; Come fee 'a man that told me all things that ever I did: I have feen his face, and heard his voice, and felt his power; he has convinced and converted me; therefore, from my own feeling and experience, I commend his grace unto you. It is like that, 1 John i. 3. "That which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye may have fellowship with us." It was fomething like that of David, Pfal. Ixvi. 16. "Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will tell what he hath done for my foul." Yea, he commends Chrift not only to believers, but to others, as you fee his refolution is, Pfalm li. 13. Upon his getting a new vifit, and the Lord's reftoring to him the joy of his falvation, and upholding him with his free Spirit," Then, fays he, will I teach tranfgreffors thy ways, and finners fhall be converted unto thee." Thus Paul fet forth the abundant grace of God from his own experience, "I was a blafphemer, a perfecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy,-and the grace of God was exceeding abundant,&c."1 Tim.i. 13, 14. They that have experience of the things of Chrift themselves, will be moft zealous in manifefting the things of Chrift to others, and in preffing them to come to Chrift, as having proof

and

and experience of his grace; and, indeed, they can beft fpeak of Chrift, to whom Chrift hath fpoken, and who believe, and therefore fpeak.

3. It is a charitative commendation of Chrift; fhe is now filled with fuch Chriftian love to others, and particularly to thofe fhe was moft concerned with, and interested in, that fhe would have them all drawn to Chrift. She faid to the men, Come fee a man that told me all things that ever I did. Perhaps there were fome of them the had tempted to fin and wickednefs before, the now would have them turned to Chrift; a great change! They that have feen Chrift cannot but defire that others may fee him too, they would have all to come and' fee. O that all the world would come and fee, come and wonder, come and admire him! as Abraham commanded his children and fervants to feek and ferve the Lord; fo, if one that had got the difcovery of Chrift could do it, it would command thousands to come and fee him, and ferve him. When Chrift difcovers himfelf, and speaks into the heart of a man, it makes the man fpeak good of Chrift.-Again, a fight of Chrifl's face fimites the foul with a likenefs to him in love; and hence the finner, immediately upon the revelation of Chrift, is filled with a ftrange love; a love of complacence to the faints, and a love of benevolence to the fouls of others.

4. It is a judicious commendation of Chrift, that iffues from the difcovery of Chrift. And here feveral things point out the judgment and wifdom by which the commends Chrift unto them. It is evident from the method fhe takes, or would have them to take; fhe is not content that they reft upon her report only, but would have them tafte and fee themfelves: fhe knew that their love would not terminate favingly upon her teltimony; and therefore would have them coming to Chrift himself.—Again, it is event how judicious it was, from her endeavour to draw them to rift, with the very fame hook that catched herfelf. Chri.. pake many good words to her; but the firft thing that took hold of her heart and catched her, was this, He told me all things that ever I did. His heart-fearching and discovering word was the means of her converfion; and fhe would

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors][ocr errors]

have them drawn to Chrift by the fame means: Come fee a man that told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Chrift?--It is evident alfo how judicious it was by the gradation of her words, or the gradually rifing fteps of her commendation; fhe begins fomewhat low, Come fee a man; fhe goes on to a higher note, He told me all things that ever I did; and fhe concludes with the higheft commendation of him, Is not this the Chrift? Not only God, but God appearing in all his glorious robes of grace, even IMMANUEL, God with us.-In a word, it is evident how judicious it is, from the manner of her arguing: fhe argues from his telling part of her fecret wickednefs, That he told her all: q. d. He could as eafily have told me all things that ever I faid, and all things that ever I defigned, and all things that ever I thought, as he told me what I did: yea, I got fuch a broad look of all my fins in that one glafs of a difcovery that he gave me, that I cannot but own he told me ail things that ever I did.-Again, fhe argues from the dignity that the faw joined with his humanity, that he was the true Meffias; and hence judicicufly infers, Is not this the Chrift? She was never at a college, to learn how to frame an argument; but having been at Chrift's fchool for a little pleafant while, fhe there learned fome heavenly logic; can fuch a man as this be any other but the Chrift? The more clear difcovery that any gets of Chrift, the more fkilful and expert they will be in commending him to others; as we fee in our apoftle Paul, after Chrift was revealed in him, what clear difcoveries did he make of Chrift to others, as appears in the Acts of the Apoftles, and in all his epiftles.

5. It is a pathetic commendation of Chrift, that iffues from the difcoveries of him. Her heart is full of Christ, and full of defire to praife, and exalt, and commend him to others; and her heart vents itself in feveral pathetical expreffions: hence fhe fpake first in a hortatory manner, Come and fee, fays fhe; O citizens, flip not this opportunity, when fuch a glorious fight is to be feen.-Next fhe fpake in an affertory manner; the afferts fome strange things concerning him, he is a man that told me all things that ever I did; he is a feer and revealer of the fecrets

of

of men, and therefore must be a Prophet, and more than a prophet, a revealer of the counfel of God.-And finally, fe fpake in a queftionary and expoftulatory manner, Is not this the Cbrift? He can be none elfe but the Meffias, the Chrift of God. She is not content to commend him in one particular, but the muft go on and infift in his praife and commendation, and cannot think fhe can commend him enough; Is not this the Chrift? She makes no queftion of it herfelf. And the defign of her interrogation is to put it out of doubt with them. Who can this be but the Chrill? How can it be any other but the Chrift? They that have met with Chrift, and got the heart touched by his grace, it is in a hearty cordial way they fpeak of him, and commend him to others. The finner that hath met with a Saviour, O how gladly would he trumpet forth his praife if he could.There is fomething further here that points out the pathetic manner of the commendation, and that is an appeal to them as it were in the bofom of this queftion, Is not this the Chrift? I appeal to you, might fhe fay, if it be not fo, that he is CHRIST, the Anointed of God. I cannot think but you must judge of him as I do; and, who will not think highly of him as I do? Indeed, the enlightened foul is ready to think all the world should be of his mind, the light and evidence is fo clear to him; and hence, they that have got a discovery of Chrift, wonder that any would efteem otherwife of Chrift than they. O be aftonifhed that all the world is not wondering at his glory. Oh! what can blind them! What can bewitch them at this rate, that they are not of the fame mind concerning Chrift, and that they are not admirers of him as well as I am! Surely there is nothing appears with fuch evidence and demonftration as this glory and excellency of a God-man. Who can be fo ftupid and fenfelefs as to reckon otherwife? Is not this the Chrift? The proof is fo plain to me, fays the foul, and the light and power fo great, by which Chrift is discovered to me, that it is truly irrefiftible, and who, in all the world, can poffibly refift the evidence of it? Is not this the Chrift? O how pathetic is the commendation!

6. It is a practical commendation that iffues from a

Hh3

faving

faving difcovery of Chrift, and fuch is that of the woman of Samaria here; and hence, fhe fays not, Go fee him; but, Come fee him. They that truly invite others to come to Chrift, will not be content to fend them to him, but they would fhare themfelves of more and more of Chrift. Their language is not, Go, fee; but, Come, fee. It would have argued no great efteem of Chrift, nor high commendation of him, thould the woman have faid, I have seen him already, go ye and fee him next; they might have thought the had enough of him: but, Come, fee him, fays fhe; q. d. Come along with me, and I will go upon your head, like a captain, and lead the van myfelf. I have feen him to my heart's content, and am defirous to get another fight, a new fight of him; and I would have all the people in Samaria, the whole town to go along with me. I have been an ill woman,` a bafe woman, that have led fome of you to fin; and may I now be the happy inftrument of bringing you to the Saviour. I have led fome of you to the gates of hell; O let me now lead you to the gate of heaven! If I have tempted any of you to wickednefs, O let me now be inftrumental in turning you to righteoufnefs; yea, to the Lord my righteoufnefs, whom I have got a faving fight of; and, therefore, let me give you a good example, for all the ill example I have given you. Here was a change indeed, and a practical commendation. Surely they commend Chrift molt effectually, who do it not only by their profeffion, but by their practice; not merely by their counfel, but by their example; and who can fay not only, Go fee; but, Come fee a man that told me all things that ever I did. It is a come fee that makes others to go alfo; Zech. viii. 21. "Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to feek the Lord of hofts, I will go alfo;" there is one: ver. 23. you find more following; "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." Thus it was the church's not only commending of Chrift, but diligently feeking after him whom the commended, that made the daughters of Jerufalem say, Song vi. 1. “Whither is thy beloved gone, that we may feek him with thee?" And we fee how effectual this practical commendation of Chrift was, that the woman

« PreviousContinue »