and of a found conftitution, you will not defire him as a Sovereign Phyfician. In a word, the foul, in thirsting for Chrift, looks on itself as a poor, needy, fatherlefs, friendless creature, and ftays itself on fovereign grace and mercy.

2. This thirsting fuppofes alfo a knowledge and conviction in the foul, that, while every created ob ject is infufficient to fupply its wants, there is fufficient fulness in Chrift for its falvation and happiness. It fupposes that the foul finds nothing in the enjoyments of time that can be a portion to it; nothing in the pleasures of fin that can fatisfy it; and nothing in its own righteousness that it can build upon as a foundation for acceptance with God and eternal life; but that which it fought after in other objects in vain, is to be found in Chrift; a perfect righteousness to cover all its deformities; a fulness of grace to fupply its wants; every thing, in a word, that can make it happy in time, and through eternity: for it hath pleafed the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell. And, finally, as he is an all-fufficient and suitable, fo alfo he is a most willing Saviour; who, as he came into the world to feek and fave them that were loft, and cheerfully underwent the lowest abasement and moft painful fufferings, that he might purchase their redemption, fo, he still stands with outstretched arms, ready to embrace the returning finner; and exprefsly declares, that him that cometh unto Him, he will in nowife caft out.

3. This thirsting implies a ftrong and ardent defire in the foul after Chrift, and the bleffings of his purchase, that it may get an intereft in him, confor mity to him in holiness, and communion with him. While many are faying, Who will fhew us any good, any worldly, temporal, fenfual good? the language of the thirsting foul is, I intreat thy favour with my whole heart. Lord, lift on me the light of thy countenance. Let me but have Chrift for my portion, and I have enough; I need no more. Without him, indeed, the whole creation is nothing to me; but,

even

even in the want of all things, I fhould think him every thing. This is indeed to thirst for Christ, and the bleflings he has purchafed. Here is a foul that follows hard after him, and exclaims, "O, when "wilt thou come unto me?" Such were the devout breathings of David, when compelled to refide at a distance from the fanctuary of God. "As the hart," fays he, "panteth after the water brooks, fo panteth 66 my foul after thee, O God; my foul thirfteth for "God, the living God. When fhall I come and ap"pear before God (a)?"" My foul thirfteth for "thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty "land, where no water is, to fee thy power and "thy glory, fo as I have feen thee in the fanctua"ry (b)."

This, then, is the qualification of all thofe whom Chrift will make welcome. Commune with your own hearts. Do you find any fuch thirft within you? Call in the aid and affistance of God's Spirit, and fay, "Search me, O Lord, and try me ;" and if, upon impartial fearch, you can fay that it is fo with you, then, O thirsty foul, I, in the name of God, invite thee to come to the waters. And this brings me,

II. To fhew you what you are invited to come to, to buy, and to eat ;-waters, wine, and milk.

By thefe, we are to understand, in general, the promised bleffings of the new covenant, which Chrift, having purchased by his death, is invested with full power and authority to bestow upon all thirsty fouls. I am unwilling to pursue the metaphors too far, but fhall endeavour to keep them in view while defcribing those spiritual bleffings. And indeed there is a peculiar beauty and fitnefs in them to represent to us the abundant fulness, the rich variety of the benefits of Chrift's purchase, and their perfect fuitableness to all that we can want or defire, to make us happy.

1. As

(a) Pfal. xlii, 1, 2.

(b) Pfal. Ixiii.

1. As water is refreshing to the thirsty, fo they, whom Christ will make welcome, being called thirsty, it was extremely proper to exprefs by water their entertainment on their coming to him. There is then in Chrift Jefus that which will fatisfy your moft enlarged and ardent defires. Are ye thirsty for the pardon and forgiveness of fin, your fouls being, as it were, parched with the terrors of the law? Here then are the cooling waters of mercy; a full, a free, and final pardon. The blood of Chrift cleanfeth from all fin, and he is exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remiffion of fin to Ifrael. Are ye thirty for communion and fellowship with God, that you may be brought nigh to him, and fee his power and glory? When he hides his face, are ye in a dry and thirsty land, wherein no water is? Through Chrift ye shall have accefs to your heavenly Father, by that new and living way, which he hath confecrated through the vail of his flesh, i. e. by faith in his death and sufferings.

And as the bleffings of the new covenant are refreshing, fo also they are healing waters. They are like the waters of the pool of Bethesda, into which, whoever stept when the angel defcended and troubled it, was cured of his peculiar difeafe. Here, then, O believer, is a sovereign remedy for all the fpiritual maladies under which thou labourest. What are thefe maladies? Hardnefs of heart, wandering of mind, deadnefs of affection, prevailing tufts and weakness of faith? In these waters of the fanctuary there is a cure for them all.

But again, in Chrift Jefus, the waters of life are living and life-giving waters; and whofoever will, let him come and drink of them freely. Thou that art dead in trefpaffes and fins, upon coming to these waters, thou shalt have a new life, a fpiritual life begun in thee; thou shalt bè made a new creature, created again in Chrift Jefus unto good works. And thou who art complaining that the things that remain in thee, are ready to die; that thy fpiritual life is weak

F

and

and languishing; and the remainders of corruption ready to extinguish upon thy coming to these waters; thou fhalt revive as the corn, and grow as the vine, and shoot forth thy roots as Lebanon; thou fhalt renew thy ftrength; thou fhalt walk and not be weary; and run, and not faint, in the ways of holiness.

Finally, in Chrift Jefus there are never-failing fprings of refreshing, healing, and living waters. The delights of this world are juftly compared to a deceitful brook, which the heat of Summer dries up, and which disappoints the expectation of the weary traveller, when he ftands most in need. But, what fays Christ himself of these waters of grace? "Who

foever drinketh of the water that I fhall give him, "shall never thirst; but the water that I fhall give "him, shall be in him a well of water fpringing up <into eternal life (a).”

2. The bleffings of the new covenant are reprefented alfo by milk. Milk, you know, is very nourifhing, especially to infants; it is their ordinary food; and God, when he would exprefs the plenty of the land of Canaan, fays it is a land that flows with milk and honey. Now, we read in fcripture of babes in Chrift, who, being unfkilful in the word of righteoufnefs, are to be nourished with milk, and not with ftrong meat. You, then, who are young converts to Chrift, here is food fuitable to you; the plain, the fundamental truths of Christianity, the exceeding great and precious promifes of the word of God, which, as they are of abfolute neceffity to your edification and comfort, fo they are adapted to the meaneft capacity. Again, milk is of great ufe to reftore to health weak and decayed perfons. Are there not fome among you whofe fpiritual life is feeble and languid ? Here, then, is that which will restore you to ftrength and vigour. Chrift will perfect his ftrength in your weakness, and make his grace fufficient for you; fo that out of weakness you fhall be made ftrong, and

(a) John iv. 14.

be

be enabled to do all things through Chrift which ftrengtheneth you.

3. And lastly, The bleffings of Chrift's purchase are expreffed alfo by wine, and as you have it in the xxvth chapter of this prophecy, and 6th verfe, by wine upon the lees, well refined. Now, in the new covenant, there is that which, like wine ufed in moderation, revives the fpirits, and is fit for those that are of an heavy heart. You, therefore, who are mourning, and bowed down under the convictions of fin, and frequent prevailing of indwelling corruption, here is the wine of confolation: Chrift says to you, "Be of good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee; I "will fhew thee the joy of my falvation." And what a refreshing cordial is this! It puts more gladness in the heart, than the wicked can have when their corn and wine are increased. But again, here alfo is wine to make thee cheerful and vigorous in thy fpiritual work and warfare, and to make thee go on in this way rejoicing: For hearken, O Chriftian, to these reviving promises of the new-covenant, "I will never "leave thee, nor forfake thee. When thou goeft "through the fire and waters of affliction, I will be "with thee; I will guide thee by my counsel while "here, and afterwards receive thee to glory; and "when received into this glory, thou shalt drink new "wine with Chrift in his Father's kingdom."

Thus, I have briefly laid before you the fpiritual and faving bleffings, of which we are invited to partake.

III. I now proceed, in the third place, To fhew you how we are to partake of thofe bleflings; and this you fee is expreffed by the words, "Come, buy and eat."

1. You are to come. Faith is frequently expreffed in Scripture by actions of the body, and by none more frequently than by this, of coming to Chrift; and it ferves to exprefs the progrefs and motion of the foul towards him, and the glorious purchase of his blood.