Our Saviour at Jacob's Well.

W

HEN Jacob's well our Saviour saw,
He rested on its brink,

And when a woman came to draw,

He begged of her for drink.

So weary were His feet that day,
So faint and thirsty He,

With journeying on the sandy way
That led through Galilee.

Then to the woman Jesus spake—
If thou didst know Me, thou
Would'st ask Me thy soul's thirst to slake
With living waters now.

For whoso drinketh of this well

Shall shortly thirst again,

But I of living waters tell,

Which those who ask obtain.

Then cried the woman, Lord, on me
That living stream bestow,
So I that wondrous fount may see,
That spring of life may know.

Dear Lord, we cannot hear Thy speech,

Nor see Thy sacred face,

But grant us, like her, to beseech

That Living Fount of Grace.

Nicodemus. The Woman of Samaria. The Nobleman's sick Son. The beheading of John the Baptist.

HERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said. unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these

things? If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

After these things came Jesus and His disciples into the land of Judæa. And John was baptizing in Enon near to Salim, because there was much water there. For John was not yet cast into prison. And John's disciples came unto him, and said, Rabbi, He that was with thee, beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to Him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. He must increase, but I must decrease. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

After this the Lord left Judæa, and departed again into Galilee. And He must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh He to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave

There

Jesus

to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well; and it was about the sixth hour. cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. saith unto her, Give Me to drink. (For His disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto Him, How is it that Thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; from whence then hast Thou that living water? Art Thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband. For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thine husband; in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto Him, Sir,

I perceive that Thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto Him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ; when He is come He will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He.

And upon this came

His disciples, and marvelled that He talked with the woman. The woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into the city, and saith unto the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto Him.

In the meanwhile His disciples prayed Him, saying, Master, eat. But He said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought Him aught to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work. And many of the Samaritans of the city believed on Him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Sama ritans were come unto Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with them; and He abode there two days. And many more believed because of His own word, and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him our