and eat, without Money, and without Price. Nothing is required of them to purchafe or merit the Bleffings they defire and ftand in need of. They are freely tendered, fo as that if they will receive them, they fhall have them. Thus in the forecited Rev. xxii. 17. And whofoever will, let him take the Waters of Life freely. All fpiritual and faving Bleffings, are the free Gift of God to us. He beftows them upon us freely, without any Regard to any Worthinefs in us for indeed there is none at all in us. The free Grace of God is the alone Fountain of all Bleffings difpenfed to Sinners, as we are. 3. The Invitations of Jefus Chrift to thirsty Souls are earnest. This is intimated in the Word Ho. It is a Word proceeding from the very Heart of Chrift, teftifying the Vehemency of his Defire, that thirty Sinners Thould come to him for what they need. And when he gave this Invitation to thirsty Souls in the Days of his Humiliation on Earth, it is faid, that be ftood and CRIED, Jaying, If any Man thirst, let him come to me and drink. Joh. vii. 37. He cried, lifted up his Voice, and called aloud, to fhew his Earneftnefs and Fervency in his Invitation. Jefus Chrift is much concerned and exceeding defirous, that Sinners fhould apply themselves to him for needed and defired Bleffings. 4. The Invitations of Jefus Chrift to thirsty Souls are repeated.In the Text he bids them to come, and again, come. He contents not himself to call once, but calls a fecond Time. He multiplies his Invitations, and follows Sinners with the tenders and offers of Grace, Mercy, and Peace. Thus we read, Matth. xxii. 3, 4. He fent forth his Servants to call them that were bidden to the Wedding; and again, he fent forth other Servants, &c. He fends forth one Servant after another, to renew the Invitation. He gives Invitation upon Invitation. 1 USE I. Is Chrift's Invitation to thirsty Souls general? This then may encourage all fuch as thirst after fpiritual C 2 Bleffings Bleffings, to go to Chrift for them.---The Univerfality of the Invitation, is a great Encouragement to go to Chrift.Poffibly you may think, that Chrift does not invite you in particular, to come to him; while others are invited, you doubt whether you are. But if you thirst, if you defire fpiritual Bleffings, you are undoubtedly invited by him. For the Invitation is to every one that thirfteth. Not to this or that Perfon only that thirsts, but to all that thirst, without Exception. One and all are equally invited to go to him for all spiritual Bleffings. Do not therefore exclude yourfelves; for Jefus Chrift does not exclude you. Again, 'tis poffible you may think, Chrift does not invite you to come to him, because you find that you thirst but a-little, i. e. that your Defires of Mercy and Grace are but weak and fmall. Had you fuch strong and fervent Defires of fpiritual Bleffings, as fome others have, you could then think that Chrift calls you to come to him. But confider, Chrift does not reftrain his Invitations to this or that degree or measure of Thirfting; but to Thirfting, though it be but in a low Degree. Every one that really thirfts after fpiritual Bleffings, be his Thirst greater or leffer, is invited to come to Chrift for them. O therefore go to Chrift for all that Grace you need, though your Defires thereof be but weak; and he will not fend you empty away. He will not quench the Smoaking Flax, Matth. xii. 20. Though there be but a little Warmth and Heat in your fpiritual Defires, yet he will cherish and fatisfy them. Though you have but weak Affections for fpiritual Bleffings, and thefe mixed with much Corruption, yet he will cherish thefe weak Beginnings in you. Be not therefore dif couraged on the Account of your faint defires of fpiritual Bleffings, but go to Chrift and beg of him to fatisfy your prefent Defires, and to ftrengthen and enlarge them more and more; and you will find that he will fatiate your thirty Souls. USE II. Is Chrift's Invitation to thirty Souls moft free? Then,-** 1. This This may further encourage thirsty Souls to go to Chrift for fpiritual Bleffings. The Freeness of the Offer, is a fingular Encouragement. You may be ready to fay, that you have nothing, and can do nothing, to procure the Bleffings you need. But confider, Christ bids you to come without Money, and without Price. He knows you have nothing to merit his Favours, nor does he expect any fuch Thing from you. Rev. xxi. 6. I will give to him that is athirst, of the Fountain of the Water of Life freely. Again, you may be ready to fay, you are altogether unworthy, that Chrift fhould bestow fpiritual Bleffings on you. Nay, you deferve that he fhould deny them unto you, on the Account of your many and great Sins. But confider, that he calls you to take thefe Bleffings freely; and therefore though you are an undeferving and ill-deferving Creature, yet that is no Hindrance to Chrift's bestowing fpiritual Bleffings on you. Though you have been never fo great a Sinner, yet if you have any Thirst after fpiritual Bleffings, he invites you to come for them, and will freely give them to you. Be not then difcouraged by any Senfe of Unworthiness; for this is no Bar at all in the way of free Grace. If it were, none would ever be made Partakers of thefe Bleffings; for all are moft unworthy of them. And we find in Scripture, Examples of the vileft Sinners, that have had thefe great and glorious Bleffings beftowed on them. It matters not then how great Sinners you have been. If you come to Chrift, he will in no wife caft you out, Job, vi. 37. 2. This may also direct thirsty Souls how to go to Chrift for fpiritual Bleffings. Their being invited to take them freely, points out to them the Way and Manner in which they are to apply themselves to Christ, for them. Ex. gr. 1. They must go to Chrift for fpiritual Bleffings, with an bumble Senfe of their own Unworthiness of them. ---They must come to Chrift without Money and without Price, laying afide all Thoughts of any Worthiness in themfelves C 3 themselves, to merit these Bleffings. They muft come fenfible of their own Poverty and Worthlefnefs; confeffing with Jacob, that they are not worthy of the leaft of all God's Mercies, Gen. xxxii. 1o. Christ will fave Sinners in fuch a Way as to exclude all Boafting in themselves, Rom. iii. 27. A proud pharifaical Spirit cuts off from all faving Bleffings. In going to Chrift therefore for thefe beft of Bleffings, all Self-conceit, all Apprehenfions of Excellency in ourfelves, are utterly to be renounced. We must prefent ourselves before the Lord, confeffing our own Vilenefs, as Job did, chap. xl. 4. Behold, I am Vile. We must be clothed with Humility, as ever we would hope to have our defires of fpiritual Bleffings fatisfied. Pfal. x. 17. Thou haft beard the Defire of the humble. Jam. iv. 7. God refifteth the proud, but giveth Grace to the humble. 2. They must go to Chrift for fpiritual Bleffings, expecting them from free Grace alone. The great Defign of God in faving Sinners, is the magnifying his own glorious Grace. He bleffeth them with fpiritual Bleffings to the Praife of the Glory of his Grace, Eph. i. 3, 6. That be might fhew forth the exceeding Riches of his Grace, ch. ii. 7. And God will have Sinners to own and acknowledge his fovereign Grace in their Salvation, from first to laft; that the beginning of it, the carrying of it on, and the perfecting of it, are wholly from free and undeferved Grace. For this Caufe, our Expectations of all fpiritual and eternal good Things must be from meer divine Grace. We muft look for all to flow down to us from that Fountain of pure Grace. Othen in feeking fpiritual Bleffings from Chrift, go to him without Money and without Price, begging them as an Alms to be moft freely beftowed on you. In thus doing you will honour the Grace of God, and fo may hope that God will honour you, and make you all glorious within, by adorning you with the Gifts and Graces of his Holy Spirit. 3. They must go to Chrift praising him for what of his free Grace has been already manifefted to them. Such Such as thirst after fpiritual Bleffings, have had fome Experiences of the free and rich Grace of Jefus Christ. It is a Fruit of his Grace, that they have had a Call and Invitation to come to him for fpiritual Bleffings. All Men are not made Partakers of Gospel Invitations. The most of Men have the Gospel of Chrift witheld from them, fo as that they hear nothing of Christ and his gracious Calls. But as for us, we are favoured with them; which is an Effect of his diftinguishing Grace. For this, God is to be praised and his Grace to be adored. Matth. xi. 25, 26. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because thou haft hid thefe Things from the wife and prudent, and baft revealed them unto Babes. Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight. Again, it is a Fruit of the free Grace of Chrift, that they have in them any Thirstings of Soul after fpiritual Bleffings. They have been convinced of their finful, wretched and miferable Condition by Nature. They have been convinced of their Need of Pardon, Grace and Peace with God. They have had their Hearts drawn out in Defires of thefe great Bleffings, and led to Chrift for the Beftowment of them. Now thefe Things are the Effects of Chrift's free Grace. Many are left unconvinced, and unconcerned about a Participation in fpiritual Bleffings. They fee not the worth of them, nor their need of them, nor have they any Defires after them. That it is otherwife with you, is owing to the free Grace of Chrift alone. You fhould therefore go to Chrift afcribing Praises to his rich Grace, that he bas opened your Eyes to fee the Excellency and Neceffity of fpiritual Bleffings, and that he has caufed you earnestly to thirst after them. Let him inherit your Praises for thefe Things; and this will be the way to obtain further Favours from him. His Grace thankfully acknowledged, in what you have already received, is the Way to have more given to you. O then go to Chrift, bleffing him, that of his rich Grace he has vouchfafed to you the Calls of the Gofpel, and has fo far enabled you to hearken to them, as to be defirous € 4 aftes |