Sermons of Christ, Sermon 7
Of Spiritual Thirſt, and Thirſters.
REV. 22.17.
Let him that is athirſt come.
WEE now proceed to ſhew you how you ſhall know the true Spiritual Thirſt by the effects and fruits of it.
1 True Spiritual thirſt doth cauſe even fainting in the Soul, …he ef…cts and …uits of …e Spiri…al thirſt.as the Natural thirſt makes a man or woman to faint, as in Judges 15.19. it is ſaid there of Sampſon that he drank, and revived, and his ſpirit came again; his ſpirit was gone, he was ready to faint, his thirſt was ſuch that it brought him low; and in Pſal. 107.5. Hungry and thirſty, their ſouls fainted in them; they were very feeble, they were brought low with hunger and thirſt; and where there is this Spiritual thirſt the Soul is brought low, it is ready to faint, as the Spouſe in the Canticles, Tell him that I am ſick of love; O my deſires are ſuch after Chriſt, and after my Beloved, that I am ſick of Love, I am ready to faint. And ſo David, Pſal. 42. his Soul panted and thirſted after God, as the Hart when it is long hunted, wearied, and dry, pants after the water Brooks: ſo a Soul that hath a Spiritual thirſt, it is ready to faint with longing after God, with longing after Chriſt, with deſiring of Grace, and the incomes of his Spirit, the light of his Countenance, communion with God in Chriſt, this is one effect of it.
2 This thirſt will cauſe men to ſtir, and to ſeek out; when men are truly and thorowly athirſt they will ſeek out for drink; a man that is thorowly athirſt, he will out of his Bed at Midnight, and down to the Seller, and get drink to quench his thirſt; when men are athirſt, they will run to this Brook, and to that Brook for water; thoſe in Judg. 7. they down on their knees and lapt water. Men at Sea, what ſhifts will they make to get a little water when they are dry? ſo the Soul that is athirſt will not ſit ſtill, but ſeek out, it will ſeek for Brooks and Fountains, it will run to every Ordinance, to every Promiſe, run unto Chriſt, look up to God; If there bee any means of Grace in a Land, it will finde the ſame out; if the Viſion be never ſo rare, the Word never ſo precious, it will look out after it; a Soul that is thirſty, it will ſeek abroad, it will not bee reſtrained and kept within bounds, that is the nature of a Spiritual thirſt; when their deſires were a little ſtirred at Chriſts coming, how did they flock after Chriſt, and continued with him nights and days? You have beon with me, ſaith Chriſt theſe two or three days; and he works a Miracle now to ſatisfie them, that they might not faint in going home; ſo all night did they ſit there with Paul, when hee preacht the Goſpel, that they might drink large drafts of that heavenly Doctin; a Soul that is athirſt will ſeek out for releef.
3 Again, Where there is true thirſt, there men will part with any thing for to releeve their thirſt, hungry and thirſty men wil part with any thing for thoſe neceſſaries which Nature requires; when Hagar ſaw the Bottle empty, and the Childe ready to periſh, the water was ſpent in the Bottle, and ſhe caſts the Childe under one of the ſhrubs, and ſhe went and ſate her down over againſt him, a good way off, as it were a Bowſhot, for ſhe ſaid, Let me not ſee the death of the Childe, and ſhe ſate over againſt him, and lift up her voyce and wept — What would Hager have given for a Bottle of water, for a morſel of bread? and when her eyes were open to ſee the Well, how it did rejoyce her that a Well was near her — And Eſau, when hee was hungry and thirſty, he gives away his Birth-right, hee ſells that for a little Pottage, and for Drink, hee gives any thing to releeve and help him in that caſe. Gen. 25. Then Jacob gave Eſau bread, and pottage of Lintals, and he ſold his birth-right unto Jacob for it. So in this Spiritual thirſt, men will part with any thing to have this Spiritual thirſt ſatisfied, they will accept of Chriſt upon his own terms, they will pluck out a right eye, cut off a right hand, or a right foot, part with their deereſt luſts now, to have the thirſt of their Souls quenched. The young-man that came to Chriſt, Good Maſter, what ſhall I do to inherite eternal life? It was a falſe thirſt in him; ſaith Chriſt, Go and ſell all that thou haſt, and give to the poor: and thou ſhalt have treaſure in heaven. Now, had his thirſt been true, hee would have parted with his riches for Chriſt; the Diſciples parted with all, Maſter, we have parted with all and followed thee; the Soul that is truly athirſt wil let all go to have its thirſtſatisfied, How can yee beleeve ſaith Chriſt, when yee ſeek honour one of another? let go your honour, let go your pleaſures, let go the Creatures, & ſeek honour of God alone; If men were athirſt after Divine injoyments, and Divine honours, they would let theſe things go; Spiritual thirſt will cauſe men to part with any thing.
4 Again, Thoſe that are truly thirſty, things that are bitter ſeem pleaſant unto them; that drink which is ſower and diſtaftful unto others, is wonderful ſweet and pleaſing unto them; Darius and his Nobles, when they were dry, drank puddle water, and thought that never any Wine was ſo pleaſant as that water was; unpleaſing things, and things untoothſome, will be very delightſome unto ſuch Souls; and where this Spiritual thirſt is, there is not any truth in all the Goſpel, though it ſeem never ſo ſevere, never ſo croſs to Nature, never ſo contrary to our wills, humours, and fancies, but we will drink it down; let a man deny himſelf, and take up his Croſs and follow Chriſt; this will down with a man that is truly thirſty. A man to become a fool that he may be wiſe, this will down: the Goſpel hath many things in it, which to fleſh and bloud are ſomething hard, unſavoury; but were we truly Spiritual Thirſters, and did thirſt after Chriſt, even the moſt bittereſt truths, and the tarteſt cup that Chriſt preſents to the Sons of Men, would bee drunk off by them, To the hungry Soul every bitter thing is ſweet; ſo, to the thirſty Soul every bitter thing is ſweet: for a man to love his enemies, to bleſs them that curſe him, to pray for them that perſecute him; to do good to them that hate him, this is very hard to fleſh and bloud; but a Soul that is athirſt after Chriſt, drinks down theſe truthes, and findes ſweetneſs in them.
5 Another effect of this Spiritual thirſt is this, That it doth extinguiſh in a great meaſure (if not wholly) the thirſt after other things; it doth extinguiſh all ſinful thirſt, and doth correct and moderate all other thirſts, thirſting after the Creature; you know, the light and heat of the Sun puts out the light and heat of the fire, and doth abate it in a great meaſure when the Sun ſhines upon it, ſo where this thirſt comes after Spiritual things, and is in truth, it doth abate and extinguiſh the thirſt after unlawful things, and doth abate very much your deſires after other things; ſaith Chriſt unto the Woman, in John 4.14. Whoſoever drinketh of the water that I ſhall give him, ſhall never thirſt; ſhall never thirſt as he had done before, ſhall never have ſuch ſtrong deſires after Creatures; ſaith Paul in the Philippians; thoſe things which before ſeemed goodly and excellent, and were great priviledges and prerogatives to him, ſaith he, I account all loſs and dung now, for the excellencie of the knowledge of Chriſt Jeſus. I have another thirſt begotten in me now, and this thirſt hath abated my thirſt to the World, my deſires after Creatures, and delights in them, I have a thirſt that carries me after more high and excellent things than they are; ſo in Gal. 6.14. God forbid that I ſhould glory ſave in the Croſs of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world; I thirſt no more after the world, ſaith he, it is Crucified to me, and I am Crucified to it, it is Chriſt I thirſt after, to know the power of his Death and Reſurrection, to know Chriſt more; this did abate and cool his deſire and affections towards all externals, and the glory of the world.
6 Again, where this Spiritual thirſt is, the more you drink the more it is increaſed, and this ſeems ſtrange; where this thirſt is; other thirſts are abated, but this increaſes, the more you drink ſtill the more you thirſt; the more Grace any man retains, the more eager after Grace ſtill, the more thirſty after Chriſt this day, the more the next; this thirſt begets thirſt, it makes a man to ſee his need of Chriſt more, and of Grace, and God, and of Spiritual things more and more, and inlarges his deſire. As Lime, when you throw water upon it, it makes the Lime burn the more; ſo when the Soul thirſts, and God gives it water of life, it thirſts more, therefore ſaith God, Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. In time God will fill it, but Grace doth ſtretch our deſires, and makes men more vigorous in purſuit of heavenly things than over before; that man or woman that can ſit down content with a little knowledge, with a little meaſure of Grace, with a little degree of Faith, with a little portion of the Spirit, that man in truth hath none, for it is the nature of Grace to make more hungry, more thirſty, more deſirous, it will draw out the Soul more ſtrongly after Chriſt; the Spouſe was never ſo affected with Chriſt, as after ſhe had taſted of the love of Chriſt.
7 Again, Where this thirſt is in truth, it breeds in the Soul a conformity to the thirſt that is in God, and in Chriſt.
Queſt. Why? are they thirſty?
Anſ. Yes, God himſelf is thirſty, and Chriſt is thirſty, Pſal. 81.13. O that my people had harkened unto me, and Iſrael had walked in my way; Here is Gods thirſt, O that there were ſuch a heart in this people, ſaith God, where there is a true Spiritual thirſt, there is a conformity in the heart unto God, Pſal. 119.5. ſaith David there who had this thirſt, O that my ways were directed to keep thy ſtatutes; Lord, this is thy deſire that men ſhould keep thy Statutes; Lord, this is my deſire, O that I could keep thy ſtatutes. Here is a conformity now between God and the Soul that is athirſt; ſaith God in Pſal. 27. Seek yee my face, my heart anſwered, ſaith David, thy face Lord will I ſeek. Here is a conformity between Gods deſire and mans deſire; ſo in the Canticles, ſaith the Spouſe there, My beloved is mine, and his deſire is towards me. And in another place, I am my Beloveds, and my Beloved is mine. Doth Chriſt deſire me? why I deſire Chriſt, ſaith the Spouſe; ſo that this Spiritual thirſt breeds a conformity between the heart and God, that look what God deſires it deſires.
8 Again, This Spiritual thirſt doth cauſe men to thirſt after God for himſelf, and Chriſt for himſelf; many do thirſt after God, not for himſelf, but for themſelves; they thirſt after the Loaves, they thirſt after the Gifts of God, as many ſeek to be in great Services, to bee in great mens Houſes, and Courts, that they may have their Livery, that they may eat and drink of the beſt, that they may live at eaſe, and not out of love to the Perſon; Shimei comes to David, and to Solomon, but not out of love to David, or Solomon, but to ſave his life; ſo many come to God, that they may be ſaved from Hell, and Damnation, but they would live in their luſts, have their wills, have their eaſe, and bear Gods Livery, ſome outward profeſſion, but they come not to God for love of God, for love of Holineſs, for love of Truth, for love of Jeſus Chriſt, it is for themſelves, but not for Gods Self; but this Soul that is truly athirſt muſt have God himſelf, and for himſelf, he knows all other things will come in after; If I have God, I have all, if I have not God, I have nothing will do me good.
9 Laſtly, Where this true Spiritual thirſt is, it is that a man may be ſatisfied; and that a man may be fruitful, as the earth; why is the Earth dry, and thirſteth after the Rain, and gapes ſometimes as if it would ſwallow up the very Heavens? that it may bee ſatisfied with the Rain, and bee much fruitful; ſo a Soul that hath this Spiritual thirſt, deſires to receive from God, that ſo it may be fruitful; O it cannot bring forth good fruit, and that is a burthen to it; and it longs to bee fruitful, and thirſts to receive ſome influences of Grace, ſome dews from Heaven, that ſo being watered, and moyſtned, it may grow and yeeld good fruit; and thus you ſee ſome effects and fruits of this Spiritual thirſt, and ſo to know the truth of it, whether you have this thirſt or no.
Queſt. Here now a Queſtion may ariſe; may ſome ſay, I do not finde this thirſt in my Soul, I do not finde ſuch a thirſt as here is mentioned in my Soul, and what ſhall I think of my ſelf? others, it may be they have ſtrong thirſtings, and ſuch deſires, but as for my ſelf, I do not finde the ſame?
Anſ. To this I anſwer, that there is a difference in men in regard of this Spiritual thirſt, as well as in men in regard of Natural thirſt; ſome bodies are more thirſty than others, your Cholerick bodies are more thirſty than Flegmatick, & ſo ſome Chriſtians are more thirſty than others; ſome have lived very profane lives, in ſcandalous courſes, and run out into exorbitant ways, and greatly have diſhonoured God, and if God ever ſtir in their hearts, and bring them to thirſt, their thirſt will be vehement, their thirſt will be afflictive, their thirſt will bee ſtronger than other mens; ſome they are trained up from the Cradle in the ways of God, they have more ingenuous Natures, and breaks not out into ſuch ill ways, and their thirſt is more moderate, and leſs diſcernable, — it is not the degree of the thirſt, but the truth of the thirſt that is required; though you have not a ſtrong thirſt, yet you have a true thirſt; as it is not a ſtrong faith, but a true faith that is required to Salvation. Now the degree of thirſt, which will bring you to Chriſt, which will make you come and drink, and ſtay with Chriſt, that is ſufficient.
Vſe of Exhortation.
But to come to another uſe, and that is an uſe of Exhortation, Let him that is athirſt come.
Men and women, O labour to be true thirſters after Chriſt; we can thirſt after other things; one thirſts after this, another after that, and another after another thing, and all the things in the World are thirſted after by one or other, but who thirſts after Chriſt? All ſeek their own, and none ſeek the things of Chriſt, they neither thirſt after Chriſt, nor any thing belongs to Chriſt. Now here I ſhall do two or three things.
1 Shew you grounds why you ſhould thirſt after Chriſt.
2 Give ſome directions to thoſe that never thirſted, and directions to thoſe that do thirſt, that they may thirſt more.
Firſt for ſome grounds.
1 Conſider, Why w… ſhould thirſt after Chriſt.Bleſſedneſs is fixed unto Thirſting, would you not be bleſſed all of you? would you not have a bleſſing from the mouth of our dear Saviour? Matth. 5. Bleſſed are thoſe that hunger and thirſt after Righteouſneſs; it may be you have not Righteouſneſs yet, but do you hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſs? ſaith Truth it ſelf, the Lord Jeſus; Bleſſed is the man, bleſſed is the woman; and is there nothing in a bleſſing pronounced by him? This word is a comprehenſive word, Bleſſed, there is all good wrapt up in it, all good for Soul, all good for Body, all good for preſent, all good for future, Bleſſed is the man that hungers and thirſts; if you would therefore have ſuch a bleſſedneſs as this is, O hunger and thirſt after Chriſt, and the excellencies of Chriſt.
2 Many great and precious Promiſes are made out to Thirſters, and will bee made good to Thirſters. In Iſa. 44. I will pour water upon him that is thirſty, and flouds upon the dry ground, I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed, and my bleſsing upon thine Off ſpring, and they ſhall ſpring up as among the Graſs, as Willows by the watercourſes. I will pour water upon him that is thirſty; that is, I will pour my Spirit upon him, that is meant by water; if thou bee thirſty, God will not only give his Spirit, but pour his Spirit; it notes abundance, it notes vehemency, ſuch a meaſure of the Spirit as ſhall bear down your corruptions, and your ſins, God wil pour out his Spirit upon you; ſo in the one and forty of Iſaiah, When the poor and the needy ſeek water, and there be none, and their Tongue faileth for thirſt, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Iſrael will not forſake them, I will open rivers in high places, &c. If you be thirſty, if you bee even fainting, if you bee brought low now in your longings and deſires after Grace and Holineſs, and the things of Heaven, the Lord ſaith, I will hear you, mine ear ſhall be open, mine hand ſhall be ſtretched out, I will not forſake you, I will not leave you in that condition, I will releeve you; ſo that ſweet and choyſe Promiſes are made to Souls that hunger and thirſt, they ſhall be ſatisfied.
3 Again, we ſhould labour for this thirſt, becauſe the invitation here is unto thirſters, If any man thirſt, let him come; ſo in Joh. 7.38. If any man thirſt, let him come unto me and drink. The Lord invites ſuch perſons; you know when he made a great Feaſt in the fourteenth of Luke, he invited all ſorts, but thoſe were not athirſt, they would not come, the Yoke of Oxen, the Wife, the Farm drew them away, but thoſe that were athirſt came, If any man thirſt let him come; You would take it ill if Chriſt ſhould not invite you to the dainties of the Goſpel; well, do you thirſt? Chriſt invites you; Are you a hungery? will you eat? will you drink? Chriſt invites you; the invitation is to Thirſters, therefore get this thirſt.
Queſt. But the Queſtion is, What directions will you give us to attain unto this thirſt? —
Anſ. Firſt, Some directions to them that have it not.
Secondly, To them that have.
1 For thoſe that have it not, Directions to thoſe that have not this thirſt.and
1 Let ſuch conſider ſomething of God — ſomething of the Law, — ſomething of Sin, — ſomething of their Lives, — ſomething of Eternity —
God.
1 Something of God; Let them conſider the Purity, the Juſtice, and Power of God.
1 The Purity of God, God is a holy God, ſo pure that his eyes cannot behold iniquity, to approve of it; ſee what is ſaid in Pſal. 5. Thou art not a God that haſt pleaſure in wickedneſs, neither ſhall evil dwell with thee; no unclean thing ſhall ever enter into his preſence; God is a holy God, and who can ſtand before him? 1 Sam. 6.20. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, Hab. 1.13. Well, if God be holy and pure, what wilt thou do then that art unholy, unpure, wicked, carnal, and corrupt? he is an holy God, whom thou haſt to do withall.
2 He is a juſt God, a God that hath ſaid, The ſoul that ſins ſhall dye; Bee hee great or ſmall, rich or poor, young or old, learned or unlearned, The ſoul that ſins ſhall dye, Pſal. 143. ſaith David there, Enter not into judgement, O Lord, with thy Servant, for no fleſh living ſhall be juſtified in thy ſight. The Lord is ſo juſt, ſo righteous, ſo exact, that no fleſh living can be juſtified in his fight; why fleſh is guilty, guilty before God, and ſinners muſt dye, God is righteous.
3 Conſider, as God is Pure, Holy, and hates all ſin, the appearance of evil, the thoughts of the heart; As God is juſt, and will puniſh ſin, ſo God is powerful to do it; God he hath a ſtrong Arm, and when he comes to puniſh he can do it to purpoſe. See what Job ſaith in chap. 16.12. I was at eaſe, but he hath broken me aſunder, he hath alſo taken me by my neck, and ſhaken me to peeces, and ſet mee up for his mark, &c. Did God deal thus with holy Job? what will hee do with ſinners? Is not God a conſuming fire? Is not God terrible in righteouſneſs? Can any eſcape the hands of God? Yee ſinners in Sion, can yee eſcape the hands of God? What will yee do in the day of Viſitation, when God comes? Can yee ſtand it out againſt the Almighty? can yee plead with God, and bring forth your Arguments to juſtifie your ſelves? God will Condemn you, he will ſhake you to peeces, God will break your bon…s, hee will make your re…es ſpeak bitter things unto you. Now, the conſideration of Gods Purity, of Gods Juſtice, of Gods Power, ſould make you thirſt after Chriſt, who may make you holy, and free you from his Juſtice, and from his Power, that he might not deſtroy you.
The Law.
Secondly, Conſider the Law of God; the Law of God is, in few words, in the Ten Commandements, there is much forbidden, and many things commanded; he that is angry without cauſe, he that ſaith unto his Brother Racha, or, thou fool, is in danger of Hell fire — Hee that looks upon a Woman and luſts after her, hath committed Adultery, and Adulterers ſhall be ſhut out of the Kingdom of Heaven; you think Thoughts are free, and luſt free, but what ſaith Paul, When the Commandement came, ſin revived, and I dyed, the Commandement ſlew me; and if the Law once enter, and ſeize upon your heart, it will drink up the moyſture of your ſpirit, it will make you reſtleſs night and day, it will be as an Arrow in your Liver, as a hot burning Iron; Paul thought himſelf once that he was righteous, blameleſs, civil, juſt, and that no man ſhould be ſaved ſooner than himſelf, but he was deceived, when the Law came, he ſaw what a ſinner he was, what vild thoughts, vild luſts, and practices he had been guilty of, and the Law ſlew him — The Law pronounces a Curſe over your heads; and James tells you, He that breaks one is guilty of all; therefore do not you ſee a need of Chriſt now? Have you no thirſting deſires after Chriſt, who ſhall deliver you from the Law, who ſhall free you from the Curſe? if you have not Chriſt to do it, you will ſtand and fall by the Law, and you cannot be juſtified; the Jews would be ſaved, as it were by the Law, but they periſhed, ſeeking righteouſneſs by the Law, and ſo will all that go that way.
Sin.
Again, conſider ſomething of Sin; are you not ſinners? If there be any here that ſaith he is not a ſinner, let him depart, but if we be all ſinners, let us conſider the nature of Sin; O how doth ſin defile us, how doth ſin black us? what ugly, loathſome Creatures doth ſin make us? what Black-a-mores are wee? and thoſe that are in their bloud, in their filth, thoſe that dye in their ſin, wo bee to them; well, let us then lay to heart the evil of our ſin, and I am perſwaded there is not one here that hath any underſtanding about it, but ſees a great deal of evil at one time or other in ſin; it is the offence of God, it is the death of the Soul, it is the breach of the Command; Sin is that that ſeparates between God & men; now what you have in the notion, bring it down and reallize it in your hearts, follow it with meditation, and let meditation bring in the evil of ſin, bring in the Indictment, I am guilty of this, and that, and the other ſin, and let Conſcience now ſit as Judge in you, and ſpeak out; Conſcience will Condemn you, and ſay, O thou haſt ſinned againſt my Lord and Maſter, I am his Deputy, and I ſit as a petty god in thy Soul, and I tell thee, Thou art a Damned loſt Creature; now when things are brought home thus, then will yee thirſt after a Pardon, then will you look out for Salvation, then will you ſee Chriſts Bloud, Chriſts Interceſſion, and Chriſts Merits to bee precious — Stout-hearted Sinners, and High-way Men, when the Sentence of death hath been pronounced over their heads, and they have ſeen that they are Condemned men, then they have fallen down upon their knees, and have begged mercy; ſo many ſtout-hearted Sinners, if they would but follow home their ſin by Meditation, and bring the Notion home to their hearts, they would ſee themſelves to have need of Chriſt, and to have Mercy and Grace through him.
Our own Lives.
Again, Conſider your own Lives; have you any Leaſe of your Lives, as Hezekiah had? Do you know you ſhall live another week, another year, another night or day? Are not your Lives uncertain, your breath in your Noſtrils? Do we not finde in Scripture, and in daily experience, how ſuddenly men and women are pulled away, by ſome hand of God or other? Senacheribs Army ſmitten all in a night, one hundred fourſcore and five thouſand men, fifty thouſand Bethſhemites ſmitten for peeping into the Ark, Herod eaten up with Worms, the Tower of Shilo fell upon eighteen, two Bears out of the Wood tare forty two Children — And have we not examples in our days? How many are blown up with Powder? how many are burnt with fire? how many drop down in the ſtreets as they go? Why do not you thirſt after Chriſt, and his Righteouſneſs? There is no way for you but by Chriſt, it is Chriſt alone that will ſecure your Souls; therefore can you be too early? hie forward upon this account. If Chriſt be not yours, and you dye, wo to you, you ſhall dye in your ſins, ſaith Chriſt, This were a ſad Sentence to be pronounced over your head, to be written upon your doors or hearts, Man, Woman, thou ſhalt dye in thy ſins, it had been better thou hadſt never been born; now unleſs you get intereſt in Chriſt, you muſt dye in your ſins.
Eternity.
Laſtly, conſider Eternity, here you have a being but for a little time, but what comes after? there is an eternal condition of bliſs or wo, and the moſt go the wrong way; there is a poſſibility for thee for eternal Happineſs, and the way is to thirſt after Chriſt; ſit down and conſider with thy ſelf, whoſoever thou art, that art in the gall of bitterneſs, and haſt deluded thy Soul hitherto with an out-ſide, or form of godlineſs; Conſider ere long I muſt go hence, and there are thouſands go to Hell for one that goes to Heaven; well, it is time for me now to look to my ſelf, I may be gone before next day, before next year; and is Chriſt mine? what a Swearer, a Drunkard, a Worldling, a Whore-maſter, one that doth rail, ſlander, and backbite others? Chriſt is none of thine, the Scripture is clear, none ſuch ſhall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; therefore conſider, there is eternal woe for all thoſe that dye in their Natural condition, that have not this thirſt in them after the Lord Chriſt and his Righteouſneſs; O therefore give no reſt to God, nor no reſt to thy Soul, until thou finde that thou art delivered.
2 To you that are godly, Direction to thoſe that thirſt after Chriſt.and have ſome thirſt in your Souls after Chriſt; many times you grow luke-warm, flat, dead, and ſecure, you had need be quickned, and to have your thirſt ſtirred up in you, and for that conſider,
1 Your own infirmities; have you no infirmities? is there no deadneſs, dulneſs, lazineſs? how do you perform the Worſhip of God, and the duties thereof? Are you not more Carnal than Spiritual? Do not your hearts wander? Are you not ſleepy, are not you formal? Do not you neglect many times your duty? do not you come ſhort? ſurely theſe, and many other things you know by your ſelves; And whence came all theſe? from the body of Sin, from the Old man that is in you? Paul, he was ſenſible of this, Rom. 7. he found a Law in his members warring againſt the Law of his minde, he found he was Carnal, ſold under ſin; he found he was unſpiritual, and he is troubled at this, and his thirſt was increaſed, what ſaith hee, O wretched man, who ſhall deliver me? his thirſt now is great, Who ſhall deliver me? I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt; I thirſt after Chriſt, and the coming of Chriſt to deliver me; ſo that the ſerious conſideration of your own infirmities and corruptions, and the hinderances, and cloggs, and lets you have from them in your way of Chriſtianity, ſhould cauſe your thirſt to bee greater and greater daily.
2 Conſider what work you have to do, and what little ſtrength you have to do it; Chriſtians have a great deal of work to do here in the World, they ſhould pray continually, they ſhould ſtand and with-ſtand the Tempter, and all his Temptations, overcome the World, work the Works of God; they ſhould ſide with Chriſt, and his intereſt, and help on the Goſpel, and the power of godlineſs; they have their Luſts to mortifie, and great things to do; Now how will you do theſe? ſaith Chriſt, Without me you can do nothing; will not you thirſt after Chriſt now, and ſtrength from him, and aſſurance from him, and new influences from him, and more of his Spirit daily? Many do act in their own ſtrength, and therefore ſo little good comes thereof. We pray by our own Natural abilities, and Natural parts, and through Power and Gifts acquired, and therefore I ſay ſo little good comes of all; but had wee Divine ſtrength to pray, and to do all we do; did we go out in his Name, and in his ſtrength, and work the Works of God, who could ſtand before us then?
3 Conſider the great good that is to be had by Chriſt; have you not wants? why, there is infinite good to be had by Chriſt, In him is all fulneſs, with him is plentious Redemption, hee hath unſearchable riches of Grace, he hath the reſidue of the Spirit, he hath whatſoever may make our lives comfortable, whatſoever may make our lives happy; Chriſt hath all in his own hands, and therefore you ſhould hunger and thirſt after Chriſt more and more.
4 Conſider what is promiſed unto you by Chriſt; the Promiſe is, That there ſhall be times of refreſhing when Chriſt comes, Acts 3.19. then the times of reſtitution of all things ſhall be; there are times for theſe things — And ſo when the Lamb ſhall be the Light, then the Lamb ſhall lead you to the Fountain of living Waters, then you ſhall hunger and thirſt no more, then all tears ſhall be wiped from your eyes; Why do not you thirſt after theſe things, and after the Lord Jeſus Chriſt and his coming? The Spirit ſaith, Come, and the Bride ſaith, come; And what, are your Souls aſleep? Should not we ſay, Come Lord, come quickly? The times in which wee live are ſad times, but the coming of the Lord would change all, and rectifie all, and ſatisfie all; therefore conſider of theſe things, and your thirſt after Chriſt will be increaſed.
5 Laſtly, If you that thirſt would have your thirſt more lively, and inlarged, remember what ſweetneſs you have found in Chriſt at ſome time or other; when men remember they have drunk admirable Wine, the very remembrance of it makes them to thirſt after that Wine the more; the Wine that Chriſt made at the Marriage Feaſt, and brought forth, the people were ſo affected with it, that they called the Governour, and askt him, why he kept the good Wine till then, they were taken with the Wine; ſo when Chriſtians do remember what raviſhments they have had from Chriſt ſometimes, what hits of joy, what ſound peace, what ſweet communion with the Father through him, what out-lettings of his Spirit? This will inlarge their hearts, and their deſires; ſome Chriſtians have had large experiences this way, they have had flaggons of Wine to drink, and apples of comfort to feed upon; and the more they do remember theſe, the larger will bee their thirſtings after Chriſt.