are, that they may enjoy the Manifeftations of God's Love and Favour to their Souls. And this fhould put more gladness into their Hearts, than others experience when their Corn and their Wine are increased. That alfo is the Language of their Souls in Pfal. Ixxiii. 25. Whom bave I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that 1 defire befides thee.

3. They are laborious Defires. One that is pinched with thirft will take Pains to get Water to drink. He will feek out after fome Brook or Spring. His Thirst will put him upon ufing all Means for obtaining a Supply. He will break through all Difficulties to fatisfy his Thirst. So, one that spiritually thirfts, will be induftrious for the obtaining fpiritual Bleffings. His Defires will make him diligent. They are not like the Defires of the Sluggard, whofe Hands refufe to labour, Prov. xxi. 25. He that really defires Soul Bleffings, will fpare no Pains to get them. What he earnestly defires, he will industrioufly feek. Pfal. xxvii. 4. One Thing have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after, that I may dwell for ever in the Houfe of the Lord, to behold the Beauty of the Lord. Such as truly defire Grace, will be diligent in ufing the Means of Grace. They will wait upon God in all the Ways of his Appointment, for the obtaining the Grace they need. Thus when the Prodigal defired Bread to fatisfy his Hunger, his Defires wrought in him Refolutions to arife and go to his Father's Houfe, where was Bread enough; and fo he did, Luke xv. 17, 18, 19.. Spiritual Defires, are reftlefs in the purfuit of the good Things defired.

4. They are lafting Defires. Thirft caufes a Man perpetually to crave Drink. He is never fatisfied till he has obtained it. Yea, delays of fupply do but increase his Defires. The longer he wants, the more he craves. So one that fpiritually thirsts, has permanent, abiding Defires after fpiritual Bleffings. His Defires are infatiable, 2nd will not ceafe until they are fatisfied. He is refolved

to

to hold on in waiting upon God, for the beftowment of the good Things needed by him. If he perifh, he purpo→ fes to perifh waiting at the Throne of Grace, for all that Mercy and Grace that he needs. When he goes to Chrift, he wrestles with him in Prayer, and fays as Jacob did, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me, Gen. xxxii. 26. And though they may meet with feeming Repulfes and Denials, yet they will hold on their Suit for Grace, as the Woman of Canaan did, Matth. xv. 22,-28. And if Chrift grant them their Defires in fome gracious Measure, they will however continue in their Defires of more. As long as they live, they will have in them growing Defires after more of Chrift, Grace and Holinefs. They will not reft fatisfied with what they have already obtained, but will prefs after Perfection, Phil. iii. 12, 13, 14. Nor will their Defires ceafe, until they have arrived at full Satisfaction in the other World. Then fhall they behold the Face of Chrift in Righteousness, and be fatisfied, when they awake with his Likeness, Pfal. xvij. 15. That beatifical, transforming Vifion of God in Chrift, which they fhall then enjoy, fhall fully fatisfy all their Defires. All that can be defired, fhall then be enjoyed; fo that their labouring Defires, fhall terminate in perfect and eternal reft. And then may they call upon their Souls to take their quiet reft, in a much more ample Senfe than David did, Pfal. cxvi. 7. Return unto thy Reft, O my Soul, for God bath dealt bountifully with thee.

PROP. 2. Such as thirst after fpiritual Bleffings, must go to Jefus Chrift for them. He alone is the Fountain of all, as hereafter may be fhewn. None can fupply the fpiritual Wants of thirty Souls, but Jefus Chrift. To him therefore, and to no other, muft they go, that their Defires may be fatisfied. Job. vi. 68. Lord, to whom shall we go? thou haft the Words of eternal Life.

Queft. How muft fuch as thirst after fpiritual Bleffings, go to Chrift for them?

Anfo. In the Way of his holy Ordinances. These

are

are the Pipes and Channels, through which the Waters of Life are conveyed to thirsty Souls. They must therefore wait on Jefus Chrift in his holy Inftitutions, that thefe Bleffings may be conferred on them. They must come, not merely to the Ordinances them felves, but to Jefus Chrift in them. Ordinances are not the Waters that we need, but only the Conduits by which they are conveyed to us. We must not therefore come to Ordinances as if they could fatisfy our fpiritual Defires; for this is to deify them. But we must come to Chrift in them; in the use of them, having our Eye to Chrift for the Beftowment of needed fpiritual Bleffings on us. dinances, in themfelves, are empty Things, that can afford no Soul fatisfaction. Thirty Souls therefore must look beyond them unto Jefus Chrift, who only has the Waters of Life to refresh them.-Here then we may make particular Mention of fome of the Ordinances, in which they are to go to Chrift.

Or

1. They must go to Chrift in Prayer.-In the Way of Prayer they must offer up their Defires unto Jefus Christ. Their Defires after fpiritual Bleffings, they must turn into Requests for fpiritual Bleffings. This our Lord directs the Woman of Samaria to do, Job. iv. 10. If thou knewest the Gift of God, and who it is that faith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of bim, and he would have given thee living Waters. Herein he intimates to her, that she should afk of him living Waters, the holy Spirit and his Graces. Thofe that would receive Bleffings from Chrift, muft afk them of him. The faving Mercies of the Covenant of Grace fet before us, are not to be expected, but in the Way of feeking to Chrift for them. Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, 28, with 37. Then will I fprinkle clean Water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your Filthine/s, and from all. your Idols will I cleanse you. A new Heart alfo will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the ftony Heart out of your Fleft, and I will give you an Heart of Flesh, and I will put my Spirit

within you, and cause you to walk in my Statutes, and ye Shall keep my Fudgments and do them.-I will yet for this be enquired of by the Houfe of Ifrael, to do it for them. If Men would be made Partakers of fuch fpiritual Bleffings, they must beg for them of Chrift in Prayer. The Mouth must be opened, the Heart enlarged, in Prayer, 1 in order to have the Soul replenished with fpiritual good Things. Pfal. xxxi. 10. Open thy Mouth wide, and I will fill it. O then pray for thefe Bleffings, and pray for them above all Things. Afk for them with greatest Importunity, being more concerned to obtain them, than all the good Things of this World. This is the Way to be poffeffed of them. Prov. ii. 3, 4, 5. If thou crieft after Knowledge, and lifteft up thy Voice for Underftanding; if thou feekeft her as Silver, and fearchest for ber as for bid Treasures: then shalt thou understand the Fear of the Lord, and find the Knowledge of God.

2. They must go to Chrift in the Miniftry of the Word-This is an Ordinance appointed by Jefus Chrift for the Communication of fpiritual Bleffings. The Word preached is a Means of Converfion; whereby converting Grace is conveyed unto Sinners. Fam. i. 18. Of his own VVill begat be us with the VVord of Truth.-The Word is also a Means of Sandlification, or Edification in Grace and Holinefs. Job xvii. 17. Santify them through thy Truth; thy VVord is Truth-The Word is alfo the Means of Confolation, for conveying Comfort to the Difconfolate, Pfal. xix. 8. Rejoicing the Heart. So that the Word of God, through the Power of the Spirit accompanying of it, is an effectual Means for the Communication of Grace and Comfort, to the Souls of Men. For this Reafon, thofe that thirst after thefe Bleffings, fhould attend on the Word of God, that they may partake of them. 1 Pet. ii. 2. As new born Babes, defire the fincere Milk of the VVord, that ye may grow thereby. They fhould come to hear the Word of Chrift with Defires that they may he enlightned, and fanctified, and quickened thereby. Hither they fhould come that they may be nourished

and

and caufed to grow. By the Word, Jefus Chrift feeds his Flock with Knowledge and Understanding. A&t. xx. 28. Jer. iii. 15. The Word is inftead of Bread and Waters to the hungry and thirfty Souls. And hence a Famine of the Word is more grievous, than a Famine of Bread and Water, Amos viii. 11. He therefore that would have the thirfty Defires of his Soul fatisfied, muft wait on Jefus Chrift in the Difpenfation of his Word.

3. They muft go to Chrift in his Holy Supper.-The Ordinance of the Lord's Supper, is in an efpecial Manner appointed by Jefus Chrift for the replenishing and fatisfying of thirsty Souls. Here is Bread fet before them to eat, and Wine to drink, to fhew that here they may have full Supply, who hunger and thirst after Chrift and Holinefs. Whoever therefore have in them real longing Defires after fpiritual Bleffings, fhould come to Chrift in this Ordinance, that they may have their Defires fatisfied. Chrift calls upon fuch, to come to this fpiritual Feaft, that they may by Faith feed upon him, and have Life more abundantly given to them. For, Defires of Grace are a low Degree of Grace, at leaft. Earnest Defires of Grace, do argue there is Grace in the Soul: Yea much of the Life and Power of Grace is feen in the intenfe and strong Defires of Grace. Nature never raifes, nor can raife, longing Defires after Grace in the Heart. Such Defires, are the cravings of the new Creature. And the Servants of God have mentioned their Defires as Signs of the Uprightnefs of their Hearts. Ifai. xxvi. 7, 8, 9. The VVay of the Juft is Uprightnefs,-yea, in the VVay of by Judgments have we waited for thee, O Lord; the Defire of our Soul is to thy Name, and to the Remembrance of thee. VVith my Soul have I defired thee in the Night. So in Neb. i. 11. Thy Servants, who defire to fear thy Name.-God alfo has made many gracious Promifes, to the Defires after Grace. Matth. v. 6. Bleffed are they that bunger and thirst after Righteousness, for they fhall be filled. Joh. vii. 37. If any Man thirst, let him come to me and drink. To all fuch therefore as defire Chrift, and Grace