The Woman of Samaria.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 41, No. 4, April 1902.The Lord never intended that women should occupy the pulpit in expounding the word or in the public proclamation of the gospel. If he had, he would have given some instructions concerning it in his word, and he would have appointed some women to that work as examples. On the contrary, he inspired his apostles to require women to keep silent in the churches, not permitting them to speak, teaching us that it is a shame for women to speak in the church. I. Corinthians 14:34, 35. The sphere in which God has placed woman is a noble one, and nobly she acts her part if she fills that sphere properly, but when she transcends the bounds of it, and presumes to occupy a place which her Creator has never assigned her, she exposes herself to merited shame and contempt.
This restriction does not prohibit her from telling of the Lord's
gracious dealings with her, talking of him to others, and pointing to him in a proper way as the Christ the promised Messiah. Thus it was perfectly proper for the woman of Samaria to go back to the city and tell her friends of Jesus. We imagine that they saw a change in her looks, as, with unwonted eagerness, she said to them all, "Come." She had actually seen the Christ, and she wanted them to see him too. Have you not heard sermons which painted the excellency of this same blessed Jesus in such beauty that you could but wish that everybody could hear them? If you could have addressed all your acquaintances you would have said, "Come."
This word "come" may be employed to express two very different meanings. In requesting the people to come, this woman meant for them to go out to the well where she had seen the Saviour that they might see him too. The word "see" may also be used to denote two very different ideas. We may tell our friends to come up with us to the Lord's house where he may be seen in the hymns that are sung, the prayers that are offered, and the gospel that is preached. When our meeting day comes we may say to our children, "Come, let us all attend service at the Lord's house today. It is Saturday, and we could find work to do, but we will lay all things aside and go to the house of worship." To be sure our children would be somewhat surprised, perhaps shocked, if they had never heard us speak in that way before. They might, in that case, feel inclined to resist our wish in the matter. But if this had been our custom from the days of their infancy, and we had their love and respect, they would think of nothing but to attend the worship of God. Especially would this be true if the pastor treated them with the respect he should. You may say they cannot discern spiritual things without a change of heart. This is very true, but the literal teaching of the holy scriptures will be beneficial to them. Who dares to dispute this? Then in this way you prove to them that you are interested in their welfare. If any of them are diseased in body, you cannot avoid manifesting an interest in them and a desire for their restoration to health, even though it may not be in your power to cure them. Are you as much concerned about the dreadful malady of sin, that not only causes all the misery they suffer here, but will, unless removed, sink them down to endless ruin? We once had an afflicted child. For years that dear little girl was a sufferer. The result of her affliction was the loss of a limb, and today she is a cripple and must be for the remainder of her life. Even when we had no hopes of her recovery, we felt a deep interest in her. In fact the more hopeless her case appeared the greater interest we felt in her. Does it not seem that we should be more anxious about the spiritual and eternal welfare of our children than we are about the bodily afflictions which are only temporal? Taking them to church will not save them, and getting them to hear the preaching will not raise them from death in sins, but it will prove our interest in them; and who knows but that it may please the Lord to open their eyes to see and their ears to hear?
We can do no more than to encourage and induce our families and neighbors to come out to the worship of God, and to desire and pray for their salvation from sin. This much we can do, and this much we will do if we are interested in this matter in proportion to its great importance. The other meaning of this word "come" is correctly given by the Saviour where he says, "No man can come unto me, except the Father, which hath sent me draw him." It is thus declared to be impossible for any to come to Christ in this sense without being drawn by the Father, and if he never draws them they never will come.
It is contradictory in itself, and a contradiction to God's word, to say that any fail to come that the Father draws. This is contradictory in itself, because in drawing there is necessarily a coming; and contradictory to God's word, for Jesus says, "All the Father giveth me shall come to me." As the Father draws all that come, and as all come that are given to Christ, it follows that the Father draws all that he gives to him. We can only know of this giving and drawing as we see the evidences of the coming. "The wind bloweth where it listeth." The sound of it is heard and the evidences of its motions are visible, but the wind itself is not seen its origin and destination are not known.
Many of the Samaritans believed on him for the saying of the woman, and many more believed because of his word. When Paul and Barnabas preached at Antioch in Pisidia, "the Gentiles were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." So as many of these Samaritans as were ordained to eternal life believed on Christ. Their bearing the good fruit of faith only proved that their hearts had been made good. It is with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. The evil heart cannot bear the fruit of faith, for an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit. "The preparation of the heart in man is of the Lord."
The woman's testimony declared that the man of whom she spoke had told her all things that ever she did. The account given of their conversation speaks of his reminding her of only one sin, that of living with a man who was not her husband. It is evident, therefore, that to her view was unfolded, by the Spirit, all her sinful career. This was proof that he was the Christ. Satan would have tried to make her believe she was not a great sinner. He is a deceiver and teaches people that they are not as bad as the Bible makes them out to be. It is easy for him to make his subjects believe that they are not totally depraved, for this is what they want to believe. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Arminian doctrine is so generally believed by the world. Since Satan is a deceiver, and is always opposed to the truth, it is only the divine Spirit that gives one a view of his sinfulness. Every one that feels the plague of his own heart is a subject of the operation of the Spirit of God.
Behold, what a cloud of witnesses encompass us! Every convicted sinner, every broken-hearted mourner, is proof of the Messiahship of Jesus. When we see any one weeping on account of sin we always think of the Saviour, who said he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. "The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." We receive many letters from the scattered people of God, telling what sinners the writers feel themselves to be. Dear ones, only Jesus by his omnipotent Spirit can make you see yourself as you do. You might well say, therefore, "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ?" Satan would not make you feel as you do about yourself, the preaching of the gospel could not, neither could any earthly being. There can be but one conclusion: "This is the Christ." Here is a bruised reed and smoking flax. The bruised reed he will not break, and the smoking flax he will not quench till his judgment declares a complete victory is accomplished. When sweet peace is given to the distressed heart, the relieved one may exultingly exclaim, "Is not this the Christ?" When comfort comes to the poverty-stricken pilgrim, and joy fills his poor heart at the remembrance of the Lord's faithfulness, he may well declare, "Is not this the Christ?" When in affliction's gloomy vale he receives a beautiful ray of heavenly light, he may confidently assert, "Is not this the Christ?" On the death-bed, as the light of this world is fading, a sweet spiritual presence calms his fears, and he may say assuredly, "Is not this the Christ?"
The question, "Is not this the Christ?" is a statement of confident
belief rather than a puzzling interrogatory. The woman was so convinced that this man was the Christ that no one could have made her believe that he was not. So she did not ask the question from a sense of doubt, but as a necessary consequence of the revelation she had received. It was the same as if she had said, "This is the Christ, come, see him."
Saviour of man, and Lord of love,
How sweet thy gracious name!
With joy that errand we review
On which thy mercy came,
While all Thy own angelic bands,
Stood waiting on the wing,
Charmed with the honor to obey
Their great, eternal King.
For us mean, wretched, sinful men,
Thou laid'st that glory by;
First, in our mortal flesh to serve,
Then in that flesh to die.
Bought with thy service and thy blood,
We doubly, Lord, are thine;
To thee our lives we would devote,
To thee our death resign.
J. R. D.
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