6 4 THE OLIVE LEAP. CHAP. 



Divine truth to the ignorant and sinful woman, that He 

 completely lost all sense of thirst and weariness. Re- 

 calling to her the dark secrets of her life, He aroused 

 her slumbering conscience. He saw within her a spirit- 

 ual susceptibility, vague hopes and aspirations after 

 higher and purer things which her loose and careless life 

 had not wholly stifled ; and to these He appealed in the 

 most gentle manner. He dug, by His close personal 

 dealing, through the hard rocky strata deposited over 

 her truer nature, and thus prepared a well in her heart, 

 from which the living water she had idly asked from 

 Him without any trouble to herself, should flow as the 

 result of her own experience. And she was the first to 

 receive that glorious revelation, to whose full unfolding 

 all after ages have listened with the deepest joy 

 " I that speak unto thee am He." 



And how refreshing must this interview have been to 

 Jesus ! He had just begun His public ministry. During 

 several weeks He had remained in Jerusalem after 

 the Passover preaching the Gospel of repentance. 

 But He produced almost no impression upon the 

 bigoted Jews. The Pharisees were irritated against 

 Him because He had expelled the traders from the 

 Temple, and had dared to interfere with their time- 

 honoured customs; and began to manifest their op- 

 position in various trying ways. He was filled with 

 grief and indignation when He saw the spirit of envy 

 and jealousy that moved the holiest men, dashing 

 fiercely the cup of life from the lips of a dying world, 

 lest their own privileges and vested rights should be 



