prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." They were all afraid of Jesus, and went away without resisting Him. This sacred place was soon cleared of these bad men, who disturbed the worship of the people. We here see what power Jesus had over wicked men: they seemed to feel that He was more than

man.

Some of the Jews were angry with Jesus when they saw what He had done. They began to ask questions: "What sign shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things?" Jesus answered and said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The priests did not understand His words. They thought that He meant that He would rebuild the stone temple in three days; and they said in a tone of reproach,

Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt Thou rear it up in

three days?" The Jews then went away very angry.

When Jesus said He would raise the temple in three days, He meant, that if the Jews killed Him, He would rise again from the grave in three days. How truly did He fulfil these words! We may learn from what Jesus did to the buyers and sellers in the temple, that it is very wicked to trifle in God's house. If we spend our time in church thinking about pleasure or business, Jesus will be angry with us, as He was with these Jews.

16. JESUS AT JACOB'S WELL.

JESUS left Jerusalem, and returned to Nazareth. He was obliged to go through the country of Samaria. When He came near a town called Sychar He was tired; Jesus then sent His disciples into the town to buy some food, whilst He sat

down to rest Himself on a well that was there. This well was one which Jacob had made to water his flocks from. Whilst Jesus was sitting there, a woman came to draw some water; when Jesus saw her, He said to her, "Give me to drink." The woman was surprised to hear a Jew ask her for drink; for the Jews hated the people of Samaria so much that they would not speak civilly to them, nor drink out of the same vessel with them. Jesus blamed this unkindness. He condemns all sin and error; but His loving heart pities those who commit it. Jesus spoke to the woman kindly, and said, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." These words

surprised her still more, for she did not know what they meant, and she replied,

Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; from whence, then, hast Thou this 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 said to 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 into everlasting life." The woman then said, “ Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw."

As a thirsty man wishes for refreshing drink, so does he, who is not very wicked, desire to become good, wise, and happy. In

these beautiful words Jesus promises to satisfy this thirst of our souls by the teaching of the Holy Ghost. If we follow Him, He will open in our hearts a fountain of truth, holiness, and happiness. What can we wish for more than this!

Jesus now shewed this woman that He knew the secrets of her heart; she was very much afraid when she found that a stranger knew all her sins. Filled with shame, she said, 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 then said to her, " I Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship