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1. In the event of good success—

[The work of God is here compared to a harvest, which a successful preacher may be said to reap. A man who reaps his field considers himself well repaid for his labour, because he lays up in his barns wealth which will support him through the year. But how much better is the Christian Minister repaid! for he "gathers fruit unto life eternal." What he reaps, will be laid up in the granary of heaven, and will itself endure through eternal ages; yea, and endure also as "his joy and crown of rejoicing" for evermore. Were he to gather but one sheaf of corn, he would be richly recompensed for a whole life of labour: but if his efforts be crowned with a larger measure of success, he will have proportionable ground for joy and gratitude to all eternity e- -]

2. In the event of ill success

[The man who sows his field may be disappointed in a variety of ways: an untoward season may destroy his crop; or an invading enemy deprive him of it; or death may arrest him before it is reaped. But the spiritual" sower shall rejoice together with the reaper," and have" his own reward according to his own labour." "The Lord of the harvest will not suffer any one of his labourers to work for nought. In the very work itself he shall find a rich reward; and " though Israel be not gathered, yet shall he who sought their welfare be glorious before the Lords." Hosea prophesied for seventy years, and Isaiah fifty; and both of them had reason to complain, "Who hath believed our report?" But are they therefore without a recompence? No: What "they sowed, we reap: they laboured, and we have entered into their labours." And, as they shall participate our joy, so shall we the joy of those who shall reap what we have sown.]

Let us then,

1. Be on our watch, to do all the good we can—

[Our blessed Lord was sitting weary by a well-side: yet, when an opportunity afforded itself of instructing the Samaritan woman, he embraced it, accounting it "his meat to do the will of him that sent him." And who would have thought that such effects should flow from that single conversation? So it may be with us. We make many attempts apparently in vain but who can tell what one single act of benevolence

d 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20.

e Here the blessedness of " those who are saved" may be opened, together with its aspect on the happiness of " those who save them." 1 Tim. iv. 16.

f 1 Cor. iii. 8.

8 Isai. xlix. 5.

h ver. 6, 14, 24, 34.

may produce? Let the occasion before us encourage us to "be instant in season and out of season," and to "sow both early and late, not knowing which shall prosper," or what blessings may result from an individual effort.]

2. Increase our labours as opportunities for labour are increased—

["The field for labour is the world." Heretofore but small portions of it have been open to us; but now men are calling to us from every quarter of the globe, "Come over, and help us!" Let us then extend our labours far and wide: yea, let us make it " our very meat to do the will of God;" having a constant appetite for it, and accounting every day as lost, in which we have not done somewhat for the souls of men. Let the nature of the harvest animate us. Think of immortal souls; and, whether reaped by us or not, yet if reaped by others, at whatever distance of time, in consequence of what we have sowed, reckoned to us as our joy and crown!" Let us, I say, gird up our loins to this good work; and we shall surely "rejoice, in the day of Christ, that we have not laboured in vain, or run in vaink."]

i Eccl. xi. 6.

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k Phil. ii. 15, 16. Dan. xii. 13.

MDCXXII.

CONVERSION OF THE SAMARITANS.

John iv. 41, 42. 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 ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Of

THE conversion of the Gentiles was not an object of our Lord's personal ministrations: "he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Yet there were some particular occasions whereon he testified his regard for them, and gave them pledges of that mercy which was afterwards to be displayed towards them by the ministry of his Apostles. this we have an instance in the passage before us. He not only declared his Messiahship to the Samaritan woman whom he met at Jacob's well, but spent two days with the Samaritans in the city of Sychar, and converted numbers of them to the obedience of faith. From the testimony which she gave of him,

they entertained high thoughts of his character; but from a personal acquaintance with him they were convinced that he was the Saviour of the world. This is the account which they themselves gave of their own experience: and from it we shall take occasion to,

I. Distinguish between the kinds of faith here mentioned

We ought to seek clear views of religion in general, but especially of its fundamental points. Now there is no subject more important, nor any about which more mistaken notions are entertained, than the nature of saving faith. But the distinction is here drawn for us with great accuracy.

The faith which the Samaritans first exercised was founded on mere report

[The woman had testified to them that Jesus had told her all the secrets of her heart, even such as could be known only to the Most High God: and had appealed to them whether this was not a convincing evidence that he was the longexpected Messiah. Her argument was plain and conclusive: and, as she had no motive for deceiving them, they believed her report of him, and acknowledged the justness of her conclusion.

We do not mean to disparage this kind of faith: it was good as far as it went; and it was productive of solid benefit to the persons who possessed it, inasmuch as it removed all their prejudices, and disposed them to form a more accurate judgment for themselves. But still we cannot regard this faith in any other light than as a speculative assent, grounded upon human testimony. It seems to have been not unlike to that which is so common amongst ourselves, which arises from a view of the evidences of our religion. We see that all the ancient types and prophecies were fulfilled in Christ, and that most unquestionable miracles were wrought by him and his Apostles in confirmation of his word; and therefore we say that he is, and must be, the Messiah. Yet those who are most versed in this kind of reasoning, are not always suitably affected with it: their knowledge of Christianity is, in many cases, merely speculative, residing in their heads, but never descending into their hearts, nor influencing their lives. We cannot therefore consider this as a saving faith: being unproductive of good works, it is dead; and, if carried no further, will leave the

possessor of it in the state of those unhappy spirits, of whom it is said, "They believe, and tremble."]

The faith to which they afterwards attained, was founded on their own experience

[During the two days that our blessed Lord staid among them, they heard him discourse on the things relating to his kingdom. They perceived that "he spake as never man spake;" and "his word was with power.' As it had before

probed the heart of the woman at the well, so it searched their hearts, and disclosed to them all their hidden abominations. It shewed them, that they themselves were lost, yea, that the whole world also was in a perishing condition; and that He was sent of God on purpose to deliver them. From the correspondence which they saw between the character he sustained and the necessities they felt, they were assured "that he was the Christ, the Saviour of the world:" and they determined to rely on him, as their Saviour, and their Redeemer.

Now this was saving faith: it brought them fully to Christ for the ends for which he was sent into the world: "With their hearts they believed on him unto righteousness: and with their mouths they made confession unto salvation"." This faith was very different from that which they first exercised: it was more distinct, more assured, more influential: they had more full and complete views of the objects of Christ's mission they had within themselves a witness" of the suitableness and sufficiency of his salvation and they instantly became his open and avowed Disciples, in spite of all their former prejudices, and the prejudices of all around them

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Certainly we must look for good works as fruits and evidences of this faith: but this faith, supposing it to be sincere, will assuredly issue in salvation.]

We proceed to notice,

II. The importance of making this distinction-
Two facts will serve to illustrate this:

1. For want of distinguishing aright, many sincere persons are distressed

[The nature of saving faith has, as might well be expected, been a subject of controversy in the Christian world and it is to be lamented, that, whilst some have placed the standard too low, others have raised it too high. A full assurance of our own personal acceptance with God has been supposed by many to be an essential part of true faith: and hence multitudes who b Rom. x. 10.

a Jam. ii. 17, 19.

have really "fled to Christ for refuge as to the hope set before them," are disquieted from day to day, because they do not feel in themselves that assurance. But God does not require us to believe more than he himself has revealed: and where has he revealed that any particular individual amongst us is in a state of salvation? or where has he said that the belief of our own personal interest in Christ is necessary in order to our obtaining an interest in him? Indeed, such a declaration would be absurd: it would be a contradiction in terms: it would require us to believe that a thing does exist, in order that it may exist; which is as absurd, as to believe that we are well, in order that we may be well; or that we are in heaven, in order that we may be in heaven. A thing must exist, before we can know that it exists; and therefore the knowledge of our acceptance with God cannot precede that acceptance; much less can it be necessary in order to our acceptance with him. As for straining metaphorical expressions in order to found doctrines upon them, it is injudicious in the extreme. It is far better to examine what that faith was, which was exercised by the saints of old, and which they found effectual to their salvation: and if we do that, we shall always find, that the faith by which they were saved, was a faith of affiance, and not that which is generally (but improperly) called a faith of assurance. Assurance is necessary, so far as it relates to Christ's ability and willingness to save us; but it is not necessary in relation to our own personal acceptance with him: this is desirable, no doubt, and a great source of comfort to the person who possesses it: but they who do not possess it, may yet be in a state of salvation, and enjoy much consolation in the hope that they shall not finally be

cast out.

Is there any one then amongst us under such circumstances; let him be of good courage, and in humble confidence cast himself upon the mercy of a reconciled God. If he perish at the foot of the cross, he will be the first that ever perished there —— -]

2. For want of distinguishing at all, many insincere persons are ruined

[The generality of persons seem to have no idea of any faith beyond that of a mere assent to certain propositions: and, if they have never set themselves to oppose Christianity, they take for granted that they are believers. They were born in a Christian land, and have been educated in the Christian faith, and therefore they suppose that all is well. If they are licentious in their conduct, they will allow perhaps that they

c Isai. 1. 10.

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