and therefore studied them after they had announced them: "searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified before-dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily: and of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."

hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into."

I am not unmindful of the day* which has assembled us together; but my choice of a subject shows that I consider it of little importance, to dwell upon the crucifixion of Christ, as a wonderful, or a tragical scene. I am aware that such a pathetical representation might be given of the history as would draw tears from every eye-while the mind remained uninformed of, and the heart unaffected with, the nature and design of the The grand thing is, to know why the dispensation was necessary; and, realizing its accomplishment in ourselves, to be able to say, "He was wounded for our trans

event

gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

I have two things in view.-I. TO EXPLAIN THE PROMISE.-II. TO IMPROVE THE

and yet undiminished. He is in himself an infinite and everlasting source of all the influences and blessings we need: "In him

Secondly. This fountain was to be opened. If a fountain was shut up, and sealed, though the contents would be equally precious in themselves, they would be useless to us; yea, they would only provoke our desire, to torment us. And what would the Saviour's excellences and benefits be to us, if unattainable and inaccessible? But they are placed within our view, and within our reach. This fountain was actually opened in his sufferings. His blood flowed in the garden, and upon the cross. His back was wounded by the scourge; his temples with the crown of thorns; his hands and his feet with the nails; his side with the spear. Then was the fountain opened; and one, hard by, beheld it—

"The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain, in his day;"

And oh that each of us, with humility and confidence, may be able to add;

"And there have I, as vile as he,
Wash'd all my sins away

TRUTH IT CONTAINS.

I. IN THE EXPLANATION OF THE PROMISE, three things are observable. The fountainthe opening-and the end.

The apostles laid it open doctrinally, in their preaching. Paul could appeal to the Corinthians, and say; "I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." And referring both to the subject of his preaching, and the plain and lively manner in which he had delivered it, he could say to the Galatians, "Before your eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you."

It was, unquestionably, open, when the apostles wrote their epistles; for thousands were rejoicing in the efficacy of this fountain, and could say, "We are come to the blood of sprinkling-We are redeemed with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin!"-And is it closed since No: it stands open now-open, in the means of grace

First. The fountain. This image holds forth the Redeemer. In distinction from creatures, which "are cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water," he may well call himself the fountain of living waters." The Jews were accustomed, on the last, which was called the great day of the feast, to fetch water from the pool of Siloam, singing the words of Isaiah, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." On that very occasion, we find our Saviour preaching; and he takes advantage of the ceremony to proclaim himself to the multitude as the true source of blessedness: "In-open, in the invitations of the Word— the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus open, in the nearness, the power, and the stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let grace of the Saviour-how open while he him come unto me, and drink. He that be- says, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no lieveth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out wise cast out!" of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." To the woman of Samaria he had said before, "The water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."-He shall possess a plenitude himself: but the fulness of the Christian is limited; is derived; is the fulness of a vessel. This vessel is supplied from the fulness of a fountain-and this fountain is the Lord Jesus. His fulness is original and boundless. It is the fulness of a spring; always flowing, * Good Friday.

Thirdly. This fountain is "opened for sin and for uncleanness." There had been provisions for ceremonial pollution, under the Mosaical economy. There was the brazen sea, fifty feet in circumference, and ten in depth; in which the priests were to wash their hands and feet. There were also ten lavers, in which the things offered in sacrifice were washed, and whence the water was taken to sprinkle the offerers. There were also fountains for bodily diseases-the pool of Siloam to which our Saviour sent the man

born blind; and the pool of Bethesda, where | And as things strike us most forcibly by conlay a great number of sufferers, waiting for trast, the more he is enlightened to see the the troubling of the waters. These probably purity and glory of God; and especially his had a preternatural quality imparted to them, grace and love in the person, work, and sufabout this period, to rouse the mind to expect- ferings of his dear Son; instead of being reation, and to prepare it to contemplate the ap- conciled to himself, the more will he feel of proaching Recoverer of the human race. He the temper of Job, who exclaimed, “Behold, differed from all these, as a fountain for moral I am vile; what shall I answer Thee? whereand spiritual defilement—“for sin and for un- fore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and cleanness." ashes."

quires this change in every man, to show that this depravity is universal.

Yet there are those who deny this mortifying fact; and though they live in a land of vision, are so unacquainted with the Bible, and ignorant of themselves, as to imagine that they are pure. "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, but are not washed from their filthiness." We may conclude the reception our subject will meet with from you. You cannot understand it, because you know nothing of the state to which it refers; and you cannot value it, because you feel nothing that can render it interesting. The whole system of the Gospel is founded in the fact of our guilt and depravity; and till a man is convinced of this, he will be like the deaf adder, that stoppeth his ear against the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. Pardon offered to the innocent will be deemed an insult. Alms presented to the affluent will be rejected with disdain. O what a mercy, to feel our need of mercy!-Beg of God to open the eyes of your understanding, and lead you into an acquaintance with yourselves; that, seeing what you are, and feeling what you deserve, and what you need, you may be prepared to welcome the glad tidings of salvation, and deem it a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that, There is " a fountain opened for sin, and for uncleanness."

Were we even pardoned for contracting the disease, yet, while it continues uncured, we can have no ease within. If we entered heaven with an unsanctified disposition, we should be incapable of relishing its enjoyments. A title to glory can never give us a meetness for it. Wherever we carry sin in us, we carry hell with us. The Lord Jesus is a Saviour, because he "saves his people from their sins."-" He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Beware of deceiv ing yourselves. To be washed in this fountain, is the one thing needful. "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." Thirdly. The self-righteous. I mean those who hope to cleanse themselves in some other way than by this fountain. Some would wash away their sins by the tears of repentance. Some would cover them by charity: for "charity" (by the mistake of a passage of Scripture) "covers a multitude of sins" Some would pay off the old score by ceremo nial and superstitious observances-And here, what an article could religious folly furnish! What is there to which men have not had recourse while asking, "How shall I come before the Lord, or bow before the high God!"

Even when people are in a measure awakened, and begin to feel their need of salvation, it cannot but be remarked, how inclined they Secondly. The presumptuous. Antino- are to some plan, some services, some sacrimian perversion is far worse than mere ig- fice, of their own. The simple provision of norance of the Gospel. We should be cau- God offends them; and they resemble Naatious in applying hard names; but the man. Naaman was a leper. He had come Scripture makes no scruple to call those "un- with a splendid train; and more full of pride godly men, that turn the grace of our Lord than of disease, he stood, with his horses and God into lasciviousness." And yet there are his chariot, at the door of the house of Elisha. men, whose very religion leaves them per- Hence, when Elisha sent a messenger unto sonally unchanged: who dream of mercy him, saying, “Go and wash in Jordan seven while they live in sin; and claim eternal times, and thy flesh shall come again unto life without "the washing of regeneration, thee, and thou shalt be clean, Naaman was and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." But wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I there is no salvation without cleansing: "He thought, He will surely come out to me, and that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, stand, and call on the name of the Lord his even as he is pure." For sin separates be- God, and strike his hand over the place, and tween God and the soul; and that wall of di- recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharvision must be removed before we can meet. par, rivers of Damascus, better than all the There must be agreement before there can waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be intimacy. "How can two walk together, be clean! So he turned, and went away in except they be agreed? What fellowship a rage." And would have remained a leper hath righteousness with unrighteousness? had not the servants been wiser than the And what communion hath light with dark- master. Here was his error. He came for ness? And what agreement hath the tem- a cure, and it was, therefore, for him not to ple of God with idols? for ye are the temple prescribe, but to submit. So it should be with of the living God; as God hath said, I will you. You are not to go about to establish dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will your own righteousness, but to submit yourbe their God, and they shall be my people. selves to the righteousness which is of God. Wherefore come out from among them, and You are not to reason and speculate; but folbe ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not low the Divine will. You are lost, and ready the unclean thing; and I will receive you, to perish. The Gospel reveals a method of and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall salvation, and you should cheerfully and be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Al- thankfully bow to it-you should implicitly mighty." acquiesce in it; remembering that you have

no claims on the sovereign Donor; and that the plan is the effect of his wisdom, as well as of his goodness.

And would he, at an infinite expense, have provided, and made known, this way of salvation, if any other had been sufficient? Would he have called the attention of the universe to the opening of this Fountain, for the ablution of souls, had other streams been available? Our having recourse, therefore, to any other plan of salvation, is not only useless, and sure to end in disappointment; but it is criminal. There is nothing than can render us more guilty before God. It is disobedience; it is opposition. It robs him of his peculiar glory. It degrades his understanding, as well as detracts from his mercy. It "frustrates the grace of God, and makes Jesus Christ to be dead in vain."

Fourthly. The fearful. It is no easy thing to satisfy the conscience of awakened sinners they need strong consolation who are "fleeing for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them."-And is it not provided? Wherefore do you doubt? We acknowledge the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin. Neither could blood merely human. But the blood of which we speak is the blood of a Divine Sufferer; and we know the all-sufficiency of it, because it has been accepted by Him who required it on our behalf. And if He has heard the voice of the blood of sprinkling, and is satisfied; if his law is magnified and made honourable; and he can be faithful and just, as well as merciful and gracious, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesswe may well believe-and enter into rest.

But you say, it is not the efficiency of the Fountain you question. What then? Why, whether I have liberty to make use of it? Let us examine this case. And for whom is this Fountain opened? The innocent and the clean? No-It is opened "for sin and uncleanness." Guilt, therefore, constitutes no exclusion. We are told, he "came into the world to save sinners;" and that "he died for the ungodly." As I can only at first apply to him in the character of a sinner, it is obvious, that the warrant which authorizes me to apply must be addressed indiscriminately to all sinners. And so it is. All who have the Gospel have such a warrant warrant that will not only justify any man from presumption who acts upon it, but will be sure to condemn all those who do not. Come, therefore, come, whoever you are.

a

I know that such language has been deemed altogether exceptionable; as if we encouraged sin, while we only encourage the sinner. And how are we to encourage a sinner? Is it by requiring of him, as the ground of his hope, conditions which he cannot perform? Or is it by keeping him back from Christ, while waiting for qualifications which he can never derive from himself? Are men to be warmed before they go to the fire, to entitle them to the heat, and to prepare them for it? Are patients to be recovered, or, at least, considerably mended, before they apply to the physician? The sick and the dying are his charge. Do not wait, therefore, for qualifications to recommend you-We do need a mediator between God and us, but not between us and Christ. What said Paul and Silas at once to the jailer's question? "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

"This Fountain unsealed
Stands open for all

Who long to be healed

The great and the small."

"This Fountain, though rich,
From charge is quite clear;
The poorer the wretch,

The welcomer here."

"Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream:

All the fitness he requireth

Is to feel your need of him."

Finally. There is one class more who have a relation to our subject; and it consists of those who by faith have applied to this Saviour: and who know, by experience, that there is indeed a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. You are witnesses. You can vouch that it is accessible and free. Were you refused? Were you required to wait? Was your claim questioned? Rather, were you not welcomed with a smile, which showed, that the backwardness had only been on your side; and with a voice, that kindly anticipated your approach, and said, "Wilt thou be made whole?"

When persons, labouring under a malady, have found relief, a grateful disposition leads them, as opportunity offers, to commend the physician; while a benevolent feeling urges them to recommend his remedy to others, who are suffering under the same complaint. "Praise ye the Lord. Declare his doings among the people. Make mention that his Name is exalted." Go, and divulge-not

But I have nothing to pay. And you need only what you have read and heard, but

nothing:

what you have known and felt. Are there not thousands perishing around you? And are they not your brethren; bone of your bone, and flesh of your flesh? What was

You can vouch for its efficacy too. You know that it can relieve a troubled mind; that it can heal the broken in heart, and bind up all their wounds. You know that, while it deeply humbles before God, it can inspire a holy freedom: for you "have boldness and access with confidence, by the faith of Him." You know that, while it renders the curse harmless, it makes sin odious; and not only tranquillizes, but "purifies the conscience from dead works, to serve the living God."