1

feed us, and fhall lead us to living fountains of water and God fhall wipe away all tears from our eyes," Rev. vii. 16, 17.

Thirdly, Thefe waters are precious, as they fanctify and cleanse our nature. "Without holiness no man fhall fee the Lord," Heb. xii. 14. It is neceffary that we fhould be cleanfed from all filthinefs of the Biefh and fpirit, before we can perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord, 2 Cor. vii. I. Now this water of life is of a purifying nature; it not only imparts life (as it is the water of life) and is refreshing; but it is fanctifying." Then will I fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean; from all your filthinefs and from all your idols will I cleanfe you," Ezek. xxxvi. 25. Man by nature is unclean, therefore he needs cleanfing. "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanfe me from my fin," Palm li. z. He is altogether corrupt in every power and faculty of his foul. His inward parts are very wickedness. His heart is a cage of unclean birds, a hold of every foul fpirit, and habitation of devils, a babel of mixture and confufion, Rev. xviii. 2. Now by receiving this water of life, as it is freely given to us in the gofpel, it works fo upon the heart and confcience as to make a visible change in the foul; it purifies the heart and regulates the affections and difpofitions of men, caufes the drunkard to become fober, the whoremonger and unclean perfon to beconie chafte, the covetous man to become liberal, the carnal worldly-minded man to become heavenly and fpiritual; yea the ftinking Pharifee (that nafty, filthy, ftinking feemingly pious devil, the worst of all devils that ftinks fo in the noftrils of the Almighty) will now be content to renounce all his own righteousneffes as filthy rags, Ifa. lxiv. 6. And make him not only cry out againft fin as he did before, but he C 2

will

will hate it on account of the malignity he now fees to be in it. His defire now will be holy; he will delight in the law of God after the inward man, tho' he should find another law in his members warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of fin, which is in his members, Rom.vii. 22, 23. which makes fin to be his greatest burden, and caufes him to cry with the apoftle, "O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the body of this death!" ver. 24. Chrift fhall deliver. I thank God, thro' Jefus Chrift our Lord. There is the deliverance; there being a fountain opened in Chrift to the houfe of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, for fin and for uncleannefs, Zech. xiii. I. A fountain of a Redeemer's blood to juftify them before God. A fountain as it flows in with a fenfe of pardon and acceptance with God upon their fouls. A fountain of grace to fanctify their nature a fountain for fin and uncleannefs to wash their guilty fouls in, and to which they are to have recourfe at all times and feafons, when they contract fresh guilt, or fhould have any fresh difcovery of the naughtiness of their hearts. That they might be preferved from defpair, they are to have recourfe to this fountain. And well would it be for God's children, were they to look more to this fountain than at their own uncleannefs. Christ knew we need cleanfing, and made provifion as fuch. The fountain is opened, opened wide to every poor, finful, polluted, as well as thirty, panting foul, that is led by the Spirit of God to fee his need of it. Here they may wash and be clean, be fanctified wholly. So that their whole fpirit, foul and body, shall be preferved blamelefs to the coming of Chrift, 1 Theff. V. 23. There is a neceffity to make fresh and continued application to the throne of grace for a contipual flow of this water of life into our fouls. The more we receive of this water, the more our fouls

will

will grow and flourish in the divine life; and the more we fhall be kept from the pollutions and corruptions that are in the world through luft. The leprous foul is cured of his leprofy; the foul that is caft into the open field, to the lothing of his perfon, in his fin and in his blood, is here washed, thoroughly wafhed, Ezek. xvi. 9. All which makes this water of life precious to all those who know any thing of it.

But I would farther obferve, that this water of life fprings and flows only into the church of Chrift. Hence the church itself is called a garden inclosed, a spring fhut up, a fountain fealed, Cant. iv. 12. It is not common water, neither does it flow every where, neither is it to be profaned by any unhallowed mouth : no ungodly impenitent perfon as fuch, hath any right to this water of life. It is a fpring, a wellfpring of life: But alas! it is fhut up. It is a fountain; a fountain of a Redeemer's blood! A fountain of grace, but alas! to them it is fealed. The final impenitent and unbelieving finner is eternally excluded this water of life. Dives cries in hell for one drop of water to cool his parched tongue, but is denied, much lefs muft he expect this water of life. No Pharifee living and dying fuch, has any right to this water of life; he fcorns to come to this water of life, while he thinks he can do fomething to obtain life by the works of his own hands. He will do all that lies in his power to muddy this river of water of life, though it is fpoke of by the Holy Ghost to be clear as cryftal; as it comes from the throne of God and the Lamb, it has not the least taint in it, or any tincture of the creature mixt with it. It is all free diftinguishing difcriminating grace, as it comes from God and flows to the foul of a believer; and none but thofe who receive it as fuch, can have any part in this water of life mentioned in out text. Which brings me, Secondly,

Secondly, To fhew who are the perfons that are invited to this water of life; namely, fuch who thirst after it, and fuch who are willing to receive it. "And let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely."

ift. Those who thirft after this water of life.

Now every man in the world thirfts after happinefs of one fort or other; fome place it in honour, fome in pleasure, fome in worldly profit: But happiness is the thing they are in queft of, they thirst after it but cannot attain to it. "The depth faith it is not in me; and the fea faith it is not with me," Job xxviii. 14. No, these are things too low fully to fatisfy an immortal foul; nothing fhort of him that made the foul can fatisfy its vaft defires. And yet fuch is the depravity of corrupt nature, that we naturally pursue every thing that is foolish, light and vain, before the Lord Jefus Chrift. Neither is it all the terrors of the law, the flashes of mount Sinai, that will make a foul thrift after Chrift. It is not a fearful and dreadful apprehenfion of the Almighty as a fin-avenging God, that will caufe us to thirft after him; neither will a view of the deplorable state and condition we are in by nature, without a fight of that great falvation Chrift has wrought out for poor finners as held forth in the gofpel, caufe us to thirft after him. In fhort, nothing can caufe us to thirst after Chrift, without fome knowledge of and acquaintance with him: we cannot thirst after a thing we have no fort of likeness or relifh unto; neither can we relifh what we know nothing at all about. This holy thirst after the water of life muft be created in the foul, before the foul will defire to know any thing of Chrift; fo must the creature be entirely paffive as to any thing he can do towards giving himself this thirst after Chrift, or the water

of

of life as it is expreffed in the text. The foul being thus wrought upon by the Spirit of God, perceives a fuitableness in him which caufes him to thirst after him; he longs for more acquaintance with him, for a larger intercourfe to be opened for more freedom and familiarity, for greater accefs to the throne of his grace. Thus he delights to converfe with God, and thirfts after more and more of it.

Now the words fuppofe an invitation to fuch; that is, Let him come and take his fill of this water, he is kindly welcome to it, it is provided for him, and it is freely given him. "Ho, every one that thirfteth come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye: buy and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk without money and without price," Ifa. lv. 1.

2dly, Thofe who are willing to receive this water of life are welcome to it; "whoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely." But here we are not to conceive as though man had a power or will of his own, to turn to God; No, by no means: our will is always free to fin, entirely difpofed to fin against God, it choofes and approves of every thing that is contrary to the mind of the Spirit of God; and has a fixed averfion to every thing that is of God. "For the carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not fubject to his law, neither indeed can it be," Rom. viii. 7.

way

Now can it be fuppofed that the mind which is at enmity against God, can be difpofed to choose his of falvation? No: Man had rather be damned than to fubmit his rebellious will to the will of God; till the Lord Jefus Chrift by an irrefiftible power conquers his will, and brings it into fubjection to his own.. Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power," Pfalm cx. 3. What! fhould they be

rebellious?