head, young school-boys, that make the heart of the righteous fad, whom God hath not made fad, Ezek. xiii. 22. that wound the dear children of God by doing all in their power to fhut up rather than open this glorious fountain, or well-fpring of life minifterially to the people. Shall Chrift give this water of life freely to his poor thirsting people? and fhall he fend forth his minifters to proclaim the fame? and fhall any prefume to ftop the current of this river? Awful will it be for those who do this another day! They will wifh they had ftudied any other art or fcience rather than to meddle with God's word. Let fuch read Ezek. xxxiv. throughout and tremble. Alas, how are the waters of the fanctuary fouled with the feet of the priests at this time! It feems but a fmall matter to them to eat up the good pafture, but they must tread down with their feet the refidue of the pastures, and to have drunk of the deep waters, but they muft foul the refidue thereof with their feet: and Chrift's poor flock muft drink it after they have done: But a time will come when God will feed the fat ones with judgment. So he will judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he-goats. There is a neceffity to speak in this manner, when men attempt to muddy this precious river of water of life, which we have been fpeaking about, by their corrupt and falfe doctrine, and when the doctrines of grace are fo much defpifed, yea exploded by many.

The riches of the free, diftinguishing, fovereign grace and mercy of God in Chrift, without any works of righteoufnefs which we can do to be added to it, open a door of mercy to, and a way of accefs for every poor, thirfly, fainting, finful, polluted fout to come unto. Thus you fee the freenefs of the invitation to this water of life; none are to be excluded from it that fee their need of it; neither will any thing be required of them for this water. What

Whatever God requires of his people he will give it them, it is all of his free grace: Let him take of the water of life freely.

Having nowconfidered the things Ipropofed, I proceed, Fourthly and lastly, to make fome improvement of the whole. In doing which I fhall addrefs myfelf to four forts of people.

I. Those who have drank freely of this water. 2. Those whose fouls now begin to thirst after it. 3. To fuch who think they have a power and will in themselves to turn to God, and partake of this water of life at their own option.

Laftly, To fuch who are altogether unconcerned about the matter.

1. I am to addrefs myself to fuch that have drank freely of this water of life. You know fomething of the virtue of it you know it to be living water-you have found its life-giving virtues-fo that your fouls are continually quickened and animated by it-it is a well-fpring in your fouls-it fpringeth up into everlafting life: You cannot ceafe to be fruitful when thus watered. So your fouls are purified and made better by this water. And, O my brethren, you will, ere long, fwim in the boundless ocean of God's everlasting love! The water of life you now receive comes from this ocean; but then you will come to the ocean itself: your tongue (as I obferved before) will no more fail for thirft; neither will you know then, as you do now, what it is to be barren in your foul; thefe complaints will ceafe for ever: Mean time, methinks you are refreshed when you hear any thing about this water of life. O that you may have a large draught of this water, while I am now preaching to you! How will your fouls exult in the Lord your God, efpecially while you are in fuch a wilderness as this world is to your fouls! O that

God

God would fmite the rock at this time, that the waters might gufh out, and that the ftreams might flow in abundance into your fouls! Pfalm lxxviii. 20. then you will not think this a loft opportunity: It is your duty and privilege to wait at the pool of ordinances: And may you experience yourself healed, at this time by this water, of whatever difeafe or malady you may have been troubled with, then you will be able to speak more of its virtue and excellency, and you will defire to drink yet larger draughts of it; for the more you receive, the more you will want of this water.

2. I fhall addrefs myfelf to fuch whofe fouls now begin to thirst after this water of life. "Bleffed are ઠંડ they who do hunger and thirst after righteouf"nefs," Matt. v. 6. How came you to thirst after this water of life if you faw no excellency in it? Who created that holy thirft in your fouls after righ teoufnefs? Certainly Chrift, and he only can fati fy the fame: "For I have fatiated the weary foul, and "I have replenished every forrowful foul," Jer. xxxi.25. The vaft defires of your foul are fuch, as that they cannot be fatisfied with any thing short of this water of life; you are like the two daughters of the horfe- each, that cry, "Give, give." Prov. xxx. 15. You never can be fatisfied, or have enough of it, whilst you fojourn here below, you have an inceffant thirst after it. O may God by his Spirit bring you to this water to-night, that you might have a draught, and that your thirit might be fo fatisfied to-night, as that you may go home and recommend this water to other poor thirsty fouls! "Let him that is athift come." O may the Lord take you by the hand, and lead you to this fountain-may he difpel clouds of darknessmay the Lord fcatter all your fears to night! you may take it freely: Neither men or devils can hinder

you

you of it. Satan may tell you this water is not for you tho' you are thirfting after it; but he is a liar, and the father of lies; believe him not; for if you really are. convinced, by the Spirit of God, of your need of this water, and if you are thirfting after it, if Chrift's word is to be taken, you are heartily welcome. You may take this water of life freely, without afking the devil leave. May you be enabled to come to this water of life without any difputing with fatan or with your own wicked heart: and caft yourself upon Chrift as a poor, needy, thirfty, fainting foul! And I make no doubt of your being accepted by him, "for he that cometh to Chrift, he will by no means "caft out."

3. I fhall addrefs myself to fuch who think they have a power in themselves to make themselves willing to come and take of this water of life. Your cafe is like that of the young man in the gofpel, who came to our Lord with a "Good master, what good

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thing fhall I do that I may inherit eternal life," Matt. xix. 16. He wanted eternal life, the water of life-he was very defirous after it-he thought it was a thing worth feeking after-therefore he comes to Chrift to enquire about it. Our Lord obferving fomething very agreeable in this young man, it is faid, Mark x. 21. Jefus beholding him loved him. And yet notwithstanding this he was rotten at the bottom: He was under the law as a covenant of works, and confequently under the curfe, Gal. iii. 10, And our Lord ipeaks to him upon his own principles: "Thou knoweft the commandments." And if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments; plainly fhewing, if he appealed to Cæfar, to Cæfar he muft go: He must keep the law in thought, word, and deed, and then, and not otherwise, he hould be faved by it. But, alas! when our Lord

begins

begins to fift this young man, after all his pretended piety to the law, and keeping it, as he vainly imagined he had done from his youth up. Alas! poor

man, he little understood the fpirituality of God's law, nor the plague of his own heart. After all, when there was but one thing lacking, in order, as our Lord expreffes it, to his being perfect, which was to fell what he had and diftribute it to the poor, it then appears his heart and affections were in the world, he leaves our Lord and goes away forrowing; and we never read of his coming to our Lord any more: He had enough of Chrift's religion; he wants no more of it: worldly riches are preferred before Christ. Thousands of fuch profeffors we have in this our day. And yet this young man must needs be religious nothing fhort of eternal life is the thing he feeks after. But alas, how does he feek it? Why as it were by the works of the law, Rom.

ix. 32.

Now if this be your cafe, you are at as great a distance from the Lord Jefus Chrift as thofe poor unhappy creatures that are now making the disturbance at the door, and are endeavouring to perfecute the children of God, and difturb them from their attendance on his worship in his house. These are enemies of Chrift; fo are you: you are no nearer to this water of life than they; perhaps not fo near: "Publicans and harlots enter the kingdom of heaven before you Pharifees," Matt. xxi. 31. While you think you have a power and will in you to turn to God at your pleasure, it will be an effectual bar to your coming to the Lord Jefus Chrift; therefore I may say to fuch, you have neither part or lot in the matter, for your heart is not right with God. "You are in the gall of bitterness, and bonds of iniquity," Acts

E

+ Alluding to the difturbances and outrages at Hampstead.