A Paraphrase on the New Testament, John · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
VVHen therefore the Lord knovv hovv the Phariſees had heard that Jeſus made and baptized more Diſciples than John, 2. (Though Jeſus himſelf baptized not, but his Diſciples:) 3. He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
1. They knowing that which he knew would exaſperate them, to avoid Perſecution, he removed to Galilee (till his time came.)
4. And he muſt needs go through Samaria.
5. Then cometh he to a City of Samaria, which is called Sychar, neer to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his Son Joſeph. 6. Now Jacobs well was there, Jeſus therefore being wearied with his Journey, ſat thus on the Well; and it was about the ſixth hour.
4, 5.6. N. Chriſt travelled all on foot, and had a Body wearied with Travel; the ſixth hour was noon.
7. There cometh a Woman of Samaria to draw Water: Jeſus ſaith unto her, give me to drink. 8. For his Diſciples were gone away unto the City to buy meat. 9. Then ſaith the Woman of Samaria unto him, how is it that thou beinq a Jew askeſt drink of me, vvhichwhich am a Woman of Samaria? For the Jevvs have no dealings vvith the Samaritans.
7▪ &c. N. Chriſt was not ſo much for ſeparation, as the other Jew….
10. Jeſus anſvvered, and ſaid unto her, if thou knevveſt the gift of God, and vvho it is that ſaith to thee, give me to drink, thou vvouldeſt have asked of him, and he vvould have given thee living Water.
10. N. It was uſual to call a running ſpring (living water) Chriſt meant more; but ſhe underſtood him not.
11. The Woman ſaith unto him, Sir, thou haſt nothing to dravv vvith, and the Well is deep: From vvhence then haſt thou that living Water. 12. Art thou greater than our Father Jacob vvho gave us the Well, and drank thereof himſelf, and his Children, and his Cattle.
11. N. They made their Honour of Jacob the pretence for not going to Jeruſalem; he being before Solomon's Temple.
13. Jeſus anſvvered and ſaid unto her, vvhoſoever drinketh of this Water ſhall thirſt again: 14. But vvhoſoever 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 vvell of Water ſpringing up into everlaſting life.
13. That which I call water, is the Spirit of Grace, which will give men everlaſting ſatisfaction and joy, and leave them no fleſhly or unſatisfyed deſires.
15. The Woman ſaith unto him, Sir, give me this Water that I thirſt not, neither come hither to dravv.
15. The ignorant miſtaking Gods Grace to be what it is not, may ask it ſo for carnal ends.
16. Jeſus ſaith unto her, go call thy Huſband and come hither. 17. The Woman anſvvered and ſaid, I have no Husband, Jeſus ſaid unto her, Thou haſt vvell ſaid, I have no Husband. 18. For thou haſt had five Husbands, and he vvhom thou novv haſt is not thy Husband: In that ſaidſt thou truly.
16. It was not deluſo…y Equivocation that Chriſt calls [well ſaying] but meant only that Truth, not commonly known, it's like.
19. The Woman ſaith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a Prophet. 20. Our Fathers vvorſhipped in this Mountain; and ye ſay, that in Jeruſalem is the place vvhere Men ought to vvorſhip.
19 20. I perceive by thy knowing ſecrets, that thou art a Prophet, tell me then, whether you Jews, or we that follow our eldeſt Fathers be in the right about the Place of Worſhip. N. This is the uſe of ignorant, carnal people, to ſtart ſome Controverſie about Circumſtantials or Ceremonies in Religion, inſtead of great and needful things.
21. Jeſus ſaith unto her, Woman believe me, the hour cometh, vvhen ye ſhall neither in this Mountain, nor yet at Jeruſalem Worſhip the Father.
21. Alaſs poor woman, haſt thou not greater matter than Ceremony, even the Place of Worſhip to mind? Believe me that time is hard at hand, when Jeruſalem ſhall be deſtroyed, and you ſcattered, and a better way of Worſhip ſetled, ſo that you ſhall no more keep up your Ceremonious Worſhip, either at Shiloh or Jeruſalem.
22. Ye vvorſhip ye knovv not vvhat: vve knovv vvhat vve Worſhip: For Salvation is of the Jevvs.
22. You worſhip ignorantly and corruptly, you know not what ever ſince the Captivity of the Ten Tribes; and you ſtrive about the Place and Ceremonies, when you have more need to learn who he is that you muſt worſhip. It is of the Tribe of Judah, that the Saviour cometh, who muſt teach you how to worſhip God; and this the Jews do rightly believe and own none in Worſhip but the true God.
23. But the hour cometh, and novv is, vvhen the true Worſhippers ſhall vvorſhip the Father in Spirit and in Truth: For the Father ſeeketh ſuch to worſhip him.
23. The time is now at hand, yea come, when true Worſhippers ſhall not take up with ſhadows, nor worſhip God by Moſaical Ceremonies or Samaritane Traditions, but with that ſpiritual Worſhip which Types and Ceremonies did ſignifie, even from the Spirit of God within them as their Principle, and according to the ſpiritual Law or Word, as their Rule, and not with bodily Exerciſe that profiteth nothing.
24. God is a Spirit, and they that worſhip him, muſt worſhip him in Spirit and in Truth.
24. Acceptable Worſhip muſt be ſuited to the God you worſhip; and therefore they that worſhip him muſt worſhip him ſpiritually, and not by Jewiſh Ceremony, becauſe he is a Spirit. N. Though [Spirit] ſignifie a Nature more excellent than [Body] yet that and all human Words are too low to ſpeak the Eſſence of God, any otherwiſe than Analogically or Metaphorically; for God is above all our formal Conceptions or Expreſſions; but created Spirits, being the higheſt created Beings known to us, and our ſouls of that nature, they are the cleareſt Glaſs in which we can know God; and though the word [Spirit] firſt ſignifie created Spirit, it doth tranſcendently, eminently, ſignifie the Infinite Father of Spirits; and we can ſay nothing higher of Gods Eſſence than that he is this Infinite, perfect, tranſcendent Spirit; what our beſt Conceptions of a Spirit are I have opened in Methodo Theologiae, &c.
25. The Woman ſaith unto him, I know that Meſſias cometh who is called Chriſt, when he is come he will tell us all things.
25. N. Even the Samaritans expected the Meſſiah: But with miſconceivings of him.
26. Jeſus ſaith unto her, I that ſpeak to thee am he.
26. N. Why did Chriſt tell that to this woman, which he forbad others to tell abroad? Anſ. He knew where and when it was ſeaſonable, and would do more good than harm.
27. And upon this came his Diſciples and marvelled that he talked with the Woman: yet no man ſaid, what ſeekeſt thou? or why talkeſt thou with her?
27. Tho they preſumed not to ask him why? yet they thought it ſtrange that he ſhould talk ſo long with one woman.
28. The Woman then left her Water-pot and went away into the City, and ſaith to the Men, 29. Come ſee a man, which told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Chriſt?
28. Telling her her ſecrets, perſwaded her to believe him▪ ſaying, I am he,
30. Then they went out of the City, and came unto him, 31. In the mean time his Diſciples prayed him ſaying Maſter eat, 32. But he ſaith to them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33. Therefore ſaid the Diſciples one to another, hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34. Jeſus ſaith to them, my meat is to do the will of him that ſent me, and to finiſh his work.
30. &c. N. The converting of one Soul was more pleaſing to Chriſt than his natural food; and ſo muſt it be to us. He that loveth God and Chriſt, and the Holy Ghoſt and the Church; muſt rejoyce when there is one more converted, to pleaſe and worſhip God, to honour Chriſt and his Spirit, to encreaſe the Church: He that loveth his Country, muſt rejoyce that one more is made a bleſſing to it, when the wicked are it's enemies: He that loveth Souls will rejoyce in that Grace which is better to them than all riches: He that loveth Gods Word will rejoyce in it's ſucceſs: He that loveth Heaven will be glad that there is one more to poſſeſs it: He that loveth himſelf aright, will be glad that there is one more made like him, to love him, and pray for him. And he that hateth Sin and Satan, will be glad that there is one leſs to ſerve him.
35. Say not ye, There are four months, and then cometh harveſt. Behold I ſay unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harveſt.
35. You rejoyce that within four months it will be harveſt: And ſhall not I rejoyce to ſee the harveſt of my husbandry even at hand in the converſion of many Souls to God?
36. And he that reapeth, receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that both he that ſoweth and he that reapeth may rejoyce together.
36. And as I ſow the ſeed, ſo you that I ſhall ſen… out as Apoſtles ſhall ſee and reap more plenteous fruit hereafter, and ſhall for your labour under me be well rewarded: that I that have ſowed and you that reap may rejoyce together in the ſucceſs.
37. And herein is that ſaying true, One ſoweth and another reapeth. 38. I have ſent you to reap that whereon ye beſtowed no labour: Other men laboured, and ye are entred on their labours.
38. The Prophets and John and I after all, have ſowed the ſeed and been at the coſtlieſt labour, and yet it is you that muſt ſee the ſucceſs in gathering the univerſal Church, when I that labour'd and ſuffer'd am gone.
39. And many of the Samaritans of that City believed on him, for the ſaying of the woman which teſtifyed, He told me all that ever I did.
39. N. That to believe in Chriſt by the means of mens credible teſtimony of his Words and Miracles, is not (as many falſly ſay) to reſolve our faith into the credit of man and to make it a meer humane Faith. They that believe Apoſtles who ſaid they ſaw Chriſts Miracles, Reſurrection and Aſcention, believe by a divine Faith, on the ſame evidence that the Apoſtles were convinced by, but not conveyed by the ſame means: what they received by their eyes and ears immediately, we receive mediately by their report, living at a diſtance: So that their teſtimony is not believed inſtead of Chriſts, nor inſtead of evidence of his truth, but as the conveyance of this evidence inſtead of our mediate ſight and hearing: ſo is it as to the Tradition of the Bible, Baptiſm, Creed, &c. That Tradition doth but deliver to us the ſame word mediately which the firſt Churches received immediately from the Apoſtles. He that cannot read may be ſaved by believing the Goſpel tranſlated and read, or reported by the Preachers.
40. So when the Samaritans were come to him, they beſought him that he would tarry with them, and he abode there two days. 41. And many more believed, becauſe of his own words, 42. And ſaid to the woman, now we believe, not becauſe of thy ſaying, for we have heard him our ſelves, and know that this is indeed the Chriſt, the Saviour of the World.
42. Not ſo much becauſe of thy ſaying. N. Yet this was the ſame ſort of Faith, though by the evidence divers ways conveyed.
43. Now after two days he departed thence and went into Galilee. 44. For Jeſus himſelf teſtifyed, that a Prophet hath no honour in his own Country.
43. He went into Galilee, not to Nazareth where he had lived, but to Cana: For he had teſtified that a Prophet is deſpiſed in his own Country; where they have ſeen his common Parentage and Education, but ſee not Gods Spirit in him: and familiarity breeds contempt.
45. Then when he was come into Galilee the Galileans received him, having ſeen all the things that he did at Jeruſalem at the feaſt; for they alſo went unto the feaſt.
45. His former and later Miracles cauſed theſe Galileans to receive him.
46. So Jeſus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine, and there was a certain Nobleman whoſe Son was ſick at Capernaum. 47. When he heard, That Jeſus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and beſought him that he would come down and heal his Son; for he was at the point of Death. 48. Then ſaid Jeſus to him, except ye ſee ſigns and wonders, ye will not believe. 49. The Nobleman ſaith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50. Jeſus ſaith to him, Go thy way, thy Son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jeſus had ſpoken to him, and went his way. 51. And as he was now going down, his Servants met him, and told him, ſaying, Thy Son liveth. 52. Then enquired he of them, the hour, when he began to amend; and they ſaid unto him, Yeſterday at the ſeventh hour the fever left him. 53. So the Father knew, that it was at the ſame hour, in which Jeſus ſaid to him, Thy Son liveth: And himſelf believed, and his whole houſe. 54. This is again the ſecond Miracle that Jeſus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee.
46. &c. N. 1. Outward neceſſities which nature is ſenſible of, drived many to ſeek to Chriſt. 2. Children ſpeed the better for their Parents Faith: And if in the Poly, why not in the Soul. 3. When the Rulers of Families believe, they muſt endeavour the converſion of their whole Families. And God oft bleſſeth ſuch endeavours. 4. Bodily Mercies tend to the good of Souls, and ſhould be ſo improved.