have none of it he doth it out of love and aymes at your good and the saving of your soules and yet you will have none of this water what Ingratitude is this Christ may say I brought water to your doore and such water as was water of life it would have quickned you maintain'd life in you brought you to Eternall life and you would none of it heare ô Heavens and hearken ô Earth was there ever such Ingratitude Fifthly Consider that this water of life is the onely remedy can doe your soules good It 's the mercy of God in Christ its Christs merits the Spirit and the Graces thereof must doe sinners good if any thing in heaven and earth can doe them good There is nothing in Heaven and Earth besides free Grace and mercy this water of Life which can doe your soules good If you will not drinke of this water you must die you must die and perish for ever as in Jonah They imbrace lying vanities and forsake their owne mercies so all men and women in the world imbrace lying vanities who forsake these waters they will drinke the muddie waters of the world the filthy waters of sin of the ditches of Rome of the puddles of Egypt and Babylon but of these waters which would save their soules they will not drinke this is an evill against the Remedy Sixthly Consider that the refusall of these waters provokes God and Christ greatly to wrath you cannot provoke God more then by refusing his kindnesse you greive you vex the Spirit you resist the Spirit and so provoke God bitterly Psal 81.11 12. saith he My people would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me so I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts I will scourge them no more but give them over to the saddest Judgements in the world they shall be left to their owne lusts their own wills and humours I will leave them now to drinke waters will poyson them waters will ripen them for hell So in the 14 of Luke those that were Invited to the Supper they made excuses all and would not come saith Christ not one of them shall tast of my Supper The meaning is they shall not onely not tast of the dainties I have prepared but they shall tast of the severitie of my wrath In stead of cups of vvine they shall have cups of Brimstone fire The vengeance written they shall have executed upon them When God offered Canaan to the Jewes and they resused it and would goe back to Egypt God was so mooved that he sware in his wrath If they shall enter into my Rest If they enter into my Rest let me be thrust out of heaven And the siercenesse of Gods anger never came upon the Jewes till they had refused Christ and these vvaters of life But then the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost to perfection it came upon them Seventhly Lastly Those that refuse the vvaters of life The Lord Christ and God doth keepe account of all such passages and will bring them in against them and urge them as aggravations of their misery at last The Lord keepes account I have stretched out my hands all the day long saith God A whole day the day of their lives I waited upon them Fortie yeares long was I greived with this Generation Revel 3.20 Christ saith Behold I stand at the doore and knock Christ keeps account how long he stood there how many knocks he hath made there how many tenders of Grace have been presented to you how often you refused and turned them away He will come at last and say At such a place I stood and knockt twenty or thirtie yeares And in such a place I tendered Grace to them a thousand times and my Spirit presented good motions to them ten thousand times and yet they refused All these vvill be brought in at last and then vvhen you shall see this black bill this will sinke you into the bottome of hell Grace offered peace offered heaven offered Christ and his righteousnesse offered to be your portion and you would none of all these and what did you choose chaffe earth puddle water your misery will be exceeding great The Water of Life Reve 22.17 And whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely WEE come now to a use of Exhortation If the waters of life be freely offered then here 's an Invitation to all sinners to come and accept of these waters Come ye sinners whosoever ye be ye that are in the chambers of Death ye that are in the broad way ye that are enemies to God through wicked workes in your minde ye that have liv'd basely to the dishonour of God and man to your owne prejudice and damnation If you will come here are waters and waters of life waters will give life to the dead here are waters to increase life here are waters to be had freely Come to these waters these waters are held forth upon such tearmes that ye may all come and receive them whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life In the 55 of Isa 7. It 's said Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous his thoughts and turne unto the Lord and he shall have mercy Pro 28. It 's said He that confesses his sins and forsakes them shall finde mercy There the termes are somewhat hard who can forsake his wayes and turne from his evill thoughts and the like it 's a hard thing to doe But here it 's upon other termes Whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life freely You may have them freely whatsoever your sins have been crimsen sins scarlet sins crying sins sins against light of nature against Law against heaven against earth sins against State against Church against soule or body sins against Gospel whatsoever your sins have been here are waters of life freely for you Abraham was an Idolater and yet he had water of life freely Saul was a persecuter and he had water of life freely and why may not you have waters of life freely A man may goe and take water at any Well in a Towne he may goe to the Thames and take water what he will when the Raine falls who may not have a share of it here 's water here 's raine from heaven and who will may come and take water of life Sometimes money is given in a place for poore people and it is made knowne for them to come and fetch it but they must first get Petitions Justices Ministers and other mens hands of their honesty of their faithfullnesse of their service of their sufferings of their losses and a great deale of dooe there is before they can have the money but it is not so here Christ doth not say Let him that is righteous come let him that is so qualified take it let him that hath suffered such hard things let him that hath been tempted
after Christ nor use the means these do not thirst 3 Again no unregenerate man doth Spiritually thirst after Christ 1 Cor. 2.14 The Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned And if he do not know them it is the old rule There is no desire of that Now men that have not the Spirit as appears ver 12. they cannot thirst So in Jude it is there They are sensual not having the Spirit Now what a multitude of men and women are there in the world that have not the Spirit they jear at the Spirit and others know not whether there bee a Spirit of God or no Oh! multitudes the greatest part are in the broad way These now do not Spiritually thirst after Christ 4 Again those that do live and go on in any known way of wickedness they do not desire Christ nor cannot desire the Lord Jesus Christ And do not most men and women go on in some way of wickedness or other and they make their Lusts their god and they would not have that god destroyed they say to Christ as the Devils did Why dost thou come to torment us before the time When men and women walk in any way of wickedness and it is their ordinary practise they do not desire the coming of Christ neither can they Many things I might instance in this way but it is too evident there are few that do Spiritually thirst after Christ Q But whence is it that so few do so Spiritually thirst after Christ Whence is it that so few do thirst after Christ A. First It is from the ignorance of men and women the Law of God hath never entered into their Souls for had the Law of God entred to convince them of sin for by the Law comes the knowledge of sin had the Law ever entred to convince them of the sinfulness of sin that is in them of the pollution of sin how it defiles them of the distance sin hath set them at from God of the Curse hangs over their heads by reason of their sin they would then begin to inquire and to thirst after Christ but the Law hath never entred into them they are ignorant of the Law of God ignorant of the truths of God and where there is blindness and ignorance there can be no true thirst Secondly This is from the conceitedness of men and women most men and women are conceited of their own goodness they have good hearts good natures lead honest lives they are civil and just they walk unblameably and these things they rest upon and so they feed upon these husks Solomon saith Every man is first in his own cause A man is righteous in his own eyes and a man will judge himself and justifie himself and think himself better than another and we are naturally prone to Hypocrisie to see a mote in anothers eye and not a beam in our own The Church of Laodicea conceited her self to be rich and to be full c. and to want nothing when as she was poor and miserable and blinde and naked and wanted all things This is natural for men and women to conceit well of themselves The Pharisee fasts twice in the week c. And not like this Publican this is incident to us all to think too well of our selves and hence it is that men and women do not thirst after Christ but will be their own Saviours and so undoe themselves Thirdly This is from men and womens mistakes 1 Of God 2 Of the Creature 1 Of God They think God is like unto themselves Psal 50. Thou thoughtest that I was such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thee and I will tear thee in peeces and none shall deliver thee unless thou do otherwise then so Wee think God is all Mercy and that he is not so holy so just so severe and ridgid against sin O it is but a saying Lord have mercy upon us and all will do well now here is their mistake about God God is exceeding holy and he is wonderful severe Gods thoughts are not as our thoughts A man judges well of himself but God will send him to Hell for judging well of himself the Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousness the very appearances of evil God hath cut off men for small sins 2 It is from peoples mistakes about the Creature and the insufficiency of the Creature they do not see an utter insufficiency in all Creatures to releeve them and therefore they stick upon Creatures One man hee trusts unto his estate and riches the rich mans wealth is his strong tower Another man rests upon his Wisdom and policy another trusts to his Strength another trusts to his Almes and good Works and another thinks he shall never dye he is not so old but he may yet live another Month or a Year men are not convinced of the insufficiency of all things to releeve them and deliver them but the Lord Jesus Christ but if they were satisfied no Angel nor Potentate no Action of their own no action of others not all the Saints in the VVorld can deliver one Soul Then they would hunger and thirst after Christ but while they are not convinced of the insufficiency of all these things there is no thirsting after Christ 4 Further This is from their not understanding of the infinite worth and excellency and good that is to be had in the Lord Jesus Christ alone they think they must joyn something with Christ I will do a little and Christ shall do the rest they set up themselves with Christ and make themselves equal to Christ they must save themselves in part and Christ must save them in part But now if men and women did understand the excellency of Christ the fulness of Christ the grace of Christ the mercy and love of Christ and the vertue of Christ how that the only way for pardon for peace for life for strength for comfort for whatsoever their Souls stand in need of it is in Christ then they would be carried out to Christ Is not he held out in the Gospel to be a Sun all Light in him Is not he held out to have life in himself all Spiritual life in him I am come that yee might have life and have it in more abundance Is not Christ held out to be the great High Priest that offered himself a Sacrifice and such a Sacrifice that all other Sacrifices have ceased all lies upon Christ and whatsoever your sins are whatsoever your nakedness and Poverty is there is relief to bee had in Christ hee is Righteousness hee is Strength he is Bread he is all so that peoples not well understanding the worth of Christ and all to be had in Christ for the Lord hath sealed him sent him set him forth and declared
which no man could number of all nations c. So that the Lord Jesus Christ he hath a Seed he hath a Generation a Posterity that cannot be numbered a Generation that cannot be declared how many they are so that this hinders nothing nor contradicts what is delivered here That he is the Off-spring of David The words being thus opened I shall draw forth some Conclusions from them Observ The first Conclusion is this That if Jesus Christ be the Off-spring of David then Christ was and is true man and this is or ought to be an Article of your Faith To know the Lord Jesus Christ to be true man You know the Off-spring of any thing is of the same nature of the thing from whence it comes The Off-set or the Off-spring of the tree is of the same nature with the tree So now if Christ be the off-spring of David he must be of the same nature with David else he could not be his Off-spring If David therefore were a true man had flesh and blood and spirit and bones so must the Lord Jesus Christ be of the same nature with him Some have denied Christ to be Man as well as some have denied him to be God and I may trouble you with the Authors but I forbear that I say some have denied him to be man but he was the Off-spring of David and the Scripture is plain enough for it Joh. 1.14 The word was made flesh Flesh and dwelt among us And Heb. 2.14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself took part of the same he was flesh and blood as we are and therefore he is called man 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediator between God and man the Man Christ Jesus He was subject to the same infirmities that we are I do not mean sinfull infirmities but natural infirmities subject to the same temptations he was subject to hunger and thirst â—old and heat to weariness and sleep and the like He was true Man not a man imaginary or notional but a real true Man Hence saith Christ in Luk. 24. when they said behold a Spirit no saith he touch me handle me I have flesh I have bones which is more than any spirit hath And it was necessary that Christ should be true Man not to trouble you with all the Arguments that might be given you upon that account but upon these two grounds First That he might have the right of redemption Man was fallen and man needed a Redeemer and had not Christ been man he had not had the right of Redemption Lev. 25.25 If thy Brother be waxen poor and hath sold away some of his possession and if any of his Kin come to redeem it then shall he redeem that which his Brother hath sold c. Well we had lost our possession lost our selves and now if we have any Brother that can come to redeem us it is his right but we had none and were not able to redeem our selves we had no friend no brother that could do it for us onely Jesus Christ comes and becomes Man takes flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone and so the right of redemption belonged to him and therefore he was man that he might have the right of Redemption Secondly Christ must needs be true man that so he might be capable of dying for us of conquering our enemies of satisfying the Law and Justice and obtaining such mercies as we stood in need of it was needful hee should bee man that so hee might be capable of death c. Heb. 2.14 For as much then as the Children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil Had not Christ been true Man he could not have dyed and had not he dyed he could not have destroyed him that had the power of Death the Devil but saith he He was partaker of flesh and bloud that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil So that Christ must needs be true Man that he might dye and destroy the Devil who had the power of death And he must needs be true Man and dye that so he might satisfie the Law and Justice of God In the day that thou eatest thou shalt dye the death thou thy self or thy Surety for thee now one of the same nature must dye The Law being broken by Man Man must dye to satisfie the Law and to satisfie Justice and man must dye to obtain remission of sin Heb. 9.22 Without shedding of bloud there is no remission Had not Christ been true Man and had bloud in him as we have and that bloud shed too there had been no remission of sins no purchasing of an inheritance for us as in vers 12. Neither by the bloud of Goats and Calves but by his own bloud he entred in once into the holy place having obtained eternal Redemption for us so that it was necessary Christ should be of the Off-spring of David true Man that hee might destroy Death satisfie Law and Justice and obtain Remission and eternal Redemption for us Vse Now this serves for our comfort and for our comfort two ways First That Christ being true Man is sensible of our miseries of our inâ—rmities of our weaknesses and of our temptations had he not been Man he had not known what weakness means what hunger and thirst means what death and temptations mean but being true Man the Off-spring of David he knew as well as David or any that were of the seed of David hee knew what infirmities and weakness meant Heb. 2.17 Wherefore in all things it behooved him to bee made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest ver 18. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted The Lord Christ is sensible of our infirmities when therefore Saul did persecute the Church of God saith he Saul Saul why persecutest thou me I am of their flesh and of their bloud and of their Nature and I feel the blows that they have This now is strong consolation to us that the Lord Jesus the Off-spring of David sits in Heaven and is sensible of our temptations of our weaknesses and frailties 2 It is matter of comfort to us in regard of this That we may with boldness and confidence now go to God having Christ who is of our Nature standing between God and us Heb. 4.15 Wee have not an High Priest which cannot bee touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as wee are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Do you need Grace and Mercy Do you need pardon of Sin and Grace against
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 bonâ—s hee will make your reâ—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
unto me heare and your soules shall live and I will make an everlaesting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Is not here Incouragement enough now to come to Christ Incline your eare and come unto me and your soules shall live you shall have everlasting mercies and everlasting comforts Joh 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Here 's life and death set before you Come thou poore sinner and beleive in the Lord Jesus close with him here 's life for thee everlasting life for thee Refuse to doe it there 's everlasting death for thee thou shalt perish how peremptory is the Lord here In the 16 Mark 15 16. Goe ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleiveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleiveth not shall be damned how round is the Gospel he that beleiveth he that comes to Christ that 's the meaning he that beleiveth shall be saved saved from all his sinne saved from the power of death saved from the wrath of God saved from hell-fire saved from the guilt of his owne Conscience he that beleiveth shall be saved over and over and over he that beleiveth not shall be damned how doth he press men now to come to him If there be any weight in heaven or hell it 's laid all upon this your coming to Christ or refusing Christ if you come to Christ all heaven is yours all the glory all the joy all the comfort all the blessings all the happiness there is yours If you will not come to Christ all the terrors of hell are yours all the darkness all the mournings all the howlings all the gnashings of teeth all the misery there will be yours Therefore see how willing the Lord Jesus is that sinners should come and that they should be saved Christ's willingness to save sinners Reve 22.17 Let him that is athirst come 12ly ANother evidence of Christs willingness to save sinners that will come unto him is The Lord doth venture and hazard the loosing many by making knowne his free Grace and willingness to save sinners for when sinners doe heare that Christ is willing to save them and very desirous also many they abuse his free grace this rich mercy this willingness of Christ to doe their soules good If Christ be so willing say they wee will stay a while it will suffice hereafter In the 4th of Jude it 's said They turne Grace into wantonness and thousands of scorners turne Grace into wantonness when they heare Christ dyed and shed his blood for sinners that he is willing sinners should come in that he waites for them that he intreats and presses them to come to him they take advantage from hence to sin more freely to stay it out to the uttermost And thus the Lord runs a hazard of loosing many by making knowne the riches of his Grace the freedome of his mercy and loving kindness which shews there a very strong desire in Christ to save sinners Thirteenthly It is evident that Christ is very desirous of sinners salvation in that he takes sinners when they are at the worst of all at the height of wickedness If a Prince will take into his family those that are sick of the plague of the Leprosie and of the worst diseases 't is an argument he hath a minde to have them live in his family and that he is desirous of their company the Lord Jesus Christ he takes sinners when they are at the very worst Saul he was at the height of his blasphemy at the height of murder at the height of persecution and Christ saith Saul Saul why persecutest thou me thy blasphemies rage and persecutions are come up to heaven and Paul saith in the 1 Tim 1. he was a persecutor a blasphemer and an injurious person but I obtained mercy even when I was so great and notorious a sinner Christ came and tooke him in it 's an argument then that Christ is very desirous of the salvation of sinners that he will take sinners when they are in the height of their wickedness When the Prodigall had run out from his fathers house and had spent yeares in wicked practises in whoredome drunkenness gameing and running in the wayes of the world when he had spent all and spent himselfe now when he was in this height of wickedness it pleases God and Christ to call him to bring him home and to receive him againe had not Christ been desirous of the salvation of sinners he might have shut the doore against the Prodigall and said you shall never come in adores againe had not the Father been desrous for the Sons sake to have savâ—d sinners he would not have entertain'd the Prodigall there is not a velleitie but a strong efficacious desire in God and Christ to save sinners The Jewes when they were at the worst when they had put that innocent one to death when they had said His blood be upon us and upon our Children when they had mockt him reviled him and accused him even after all this Christ takes in many of them three thousand of them converted at one Sermon by Peter Him whom ye have Crucifyed with bloody hands hath God raised here is a cleere evidence of the earnest desire of the Lord Jesus to save sinners he takes them when they are at the worst when they have done the uttermost mischeife spite they can against him and against his wayes Fourteenthly It 's an argument that the Lord Jesus is very desirous to save sinners If you confider that the Lord takes sinners at the last cast at the end of their dayes when they have no time left to serve him he tâ—kes them at the very first intreaty and begging of mercy The Theefe you know that had livâ—d wickedly all his dayes when he came to the last cast and was upon the Laddar or nail'd to the Crosse and ready to breath out his last breath saith he Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome Christ might have said Remember thee why should I remember thee thou hast bin a bloody wretch a Theefe and a murderer all thy dayes and thou deservest nothing now but death and damnation and why should I remember thee No the Lord Christ saith not so but he saith This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise now when there was no time left for him to honour Christ and to serve Christ he onely now intreats this favour of him being on the Crosse saith Châ—ist This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise And doubtless though we have but this one Instance and so men should not presume to put off Repentance till it be too late yet I doe beleive many a soule hath met with mercy when they have been at the gates of death I say many a poore soule that hath been burdened with sin asslicted in
Conscience and ready to sinke in the gates of death they have lookt up to Christ and intreated him to remember them Christ hath shewne them mercy which shews the forwardness and willingness of Christ to save sinners Yet let not any presume to doe so for likely late Repentance is seldome true a death-bed Repentance usually is a dead Repentance when feare of hell shall drive men to look after heaven they may thanke hell for looking after God and Christ but that by the way Fisteenthly and lastly It is cleerely evident that the Lord Christ hath a strong Inclination to save sinners by his giving out of Scripture in that way and manner as he hath done the Lord Christ hath given out Scripture so as to Answer the objections of men and women to Answer all the eavills of their hearts all the pleaâ—s of corruption and of a guilty Conscience and of the Devill himselfe The Lord hath given out Scripture so as to Answer all that might hinder their coming in unto him In the 12 of Math All manner of sins and Blasphemies shall be forgiven to the sons of men What hath a sinfull heart here to say what canst thou object against this he tells thee All manner of sins shall be forgiven all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven Are thy sins beyond blasphemy are they such as come not within the compasse of all manner of sin Let thy sins be slight or great let them be old or new let them be against Law against Gospel against promises all manner of sins shall be forgiven Christ saith The sin against the Holy-Ghost shall not be forgiven But if thou have a heart to look to Christ for mercy it 's an argument thou art free from that sin for where that is there 's impenitency thereâ—s hardness of heart no thinking of Repentance nor coming to God But all manner of sin and blasphemies shall be forgiven Is not here incouragement enough unto poore sinners So here in the next words Whosoever will let him come and drinke of the water of life freely Itâ—s laid downe so as to answer all your objections and to take away all your plea's you have to stave you off from Christ So then you see cleere evidences that Christ is willing to save sinners But why is Christ so willing to save sinners First Why Christ is so willing to save sinners from his owne experience and sence of what it is to be under the displeasure of God he was once tempted he was once forsaken he cryed out in that condition and he knew what the wrath and displeasure of God meant And now being full of compassion he pitties all those that are under the disfavour of God he knows sinners have broken the Law deserved the curse the wrath of God eternall death and now his compassions being stirr'd within him his Bowels yearne he desires that sinners may come to him if any thirst let him come let him come he shall be freed from the wrath of God from the curse of the Law from guilt and condemnation it 's a sad condition I am senceable of it I was in the share and round of sinners and I know what it is to be in such a condition Secondly Christ is so desirous that so he may see of the travaile of his owne soule and that men may see the end of his coming to save sinners was reall for if Christs end was to seeke and save that which was lost unlesse he desire and use meanes to save them you may say it was not reall therefore Christ to make it out that it was really his end and that he might see of the travaile of his soule in suffering he desires sinners may come in he gives out the Gospel he appoynts Ministers he invites them extraordinarily and ordinarily he calls upon them and would have sinners to come unto him to be saved Thirdly and lastly Christ doth this that so the freenesse of Gods Grace and of his love may appeare and may be magnified Christ is wonderfull desirous that sinners should come in and when they doe come in they will magnifie the riches of Grace then they will stand and wonder at the Love of God and of Christ and that he should waite upon the beseech and intreat them to come and accept of mercy and favour Vse 1. First we may see here that the way of the Lord Christ is for sinners to come in to him and to the Father freely Whosoever is athirst let him come he doth not say let him be compelled to come forc't to come but let him come he holds out such riches of Grace and mercy such treasures and excellencies that certainly if a soule do but consider and well weigh them it will come Christ himselfe came freely to us and he would have us come freely to him There is no forcing in the Act of Convertion but all is free though God puts forth a mighty power in the hearts of people yet he overcomes them with sweetnesse and lovingnesse Let him that is athirst come But it may be said they are bidden in the 14 of Luke to compell them to come in That is not an outward compulsion he doth not speake of force of Armes but goe and compell them to come in with force of Argument propound unto them such motives in the Gospel as may compell them to come in tell them of the Beauty of holinesse tell them of the Riches of Grace tell them of the Love of God and Christ tell them of the pardon of sins and answer their objections There 's no forcing in the work of Grace no forcing men to come unto God and Christ but it 's all a free worke God draws but he drawes with coards of love he carries not men against their wills to Christ and forces them to beleive in Christ no but he sweetens their wills and overcomes them with kindnesse and Truth the Majestie Glory and loveliness of truth overcomes their wills so that men come willingly to Christ Secondly Christ being desirous that sinners should come unto him then let us not goe to any other many seeke out to others and say with them in the 4th Psal Who will shew us any good there is no releife for poore sinners in any other but in Christ t is not running to Moses nor to David nor to Prophets nor to any but to Christ 't is not friends 't is not honours 't is not Riches 't is not gifts and Talents 't is not any thing in the creature can releive a thirsty soule but Christ If any man thirst let him come come whither come to Christ all other things doe proclaime unto you 't is not in them saith the wedge of Gold 't is not in me saith house and land 't is not in us say the ships on the Sea 't is not in us and so say all other creatures 't is onely in Jesus Christ to releive a poore soule Math 11.28 Come
so long by Satan no but he saith who ever will let him take the waters of life freely what will you stand out then and not receive waters of life ô come in this day come in to Christ come in and drinke waters of life come in and live come and live comfortably come and live eternally Thirdly Againe in the next place If the water of life be freely offered to sinners then you that barren and dead hearted and complaine of unfruitfullnesse and unprofitablenesse waite upon the Lord Christ in the use of means for here is water and water of life and Christ gives it out in the use of meanes Are you dry barren and fruitlesse have you a dead heart Christ hath water of life to quicken you Christ hath water of life to make you more lively I am come saith Christ in the 10th of Joh 10. that ye might have life and that ye might have it in more abundance I am come for that very end to give life and to give life more abundantly to give out these waters freely and fully You know when the Raine falls from heaven upon the mountaines and barren places it will make them looke Greene so when Christ gives out these waters to mountanous hearts to barren spirits this water of life will soke into you soften you make you grow flourish and bring forth fruit Lam 3.25 26. The Lord is good unto them that waite for him to the soule that seeketh him 't is good that a man should both hope and quietly waite for the salvation of the Lord The Lord is good to them that waite for him If you will waite for Christ in his Ordinances he will be good unto you he will water you and make you like a watered Garden In the 40 of Isa 28 29.31 Hast thou not knowne hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary there is no searching of his understanding he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength they that waite upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walke and not faint Waite up-upon the Lord Christ he hath virtue for you he hath water of life for you And in the 64 of Isa 4. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the eare neither hath the eye seene O God besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousnesse Those that remember thee in thy wayes he will meete them he will water them and refresh them and they shall be fruitfull You made the Lord Christ to waite for your teares he waited a long time before you shed one teare of Repentance and will not you waite upon him that hath water of life for you waite upon him in the use of meanes and he will give water of lise Fourthly You that have received water of life Remember how little it cost you give the honour and the Glory unto God It cost you nothing you had it freely Psal 115.1 Say not unto us not unto us but to thy name be the praise and Glory yea all the praise and all the Glory Did wee Contribute ought unto this worke of Grace and Salvation then we might Sacrifice to our owne Netts but we Contribute nothing Ephes 2.8 By Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves marke it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast The Lord knew what man would doe if he should come in and be a Co-worker with God therefore saith By Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God If you have faith if you have Grace if you have salvation water of life it is the gift of God Not of workes least any man should boast therefore let no man Glory in himselfe but give the honour and Glory to God In the 9th of Jer 23 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome neither the mighty man in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exerciseth loving kindnesse and Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sins I doe not doe it for thy sake saith God but for mine owne sake for the honour of mine owne name I blot out thy sinnes freely I pardon thee I give thee water of life So then let us give God the honour and the Glory and say as 't is in Micha 7.18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquitie and passeth by the transgression of the Remnant of his heritage he reteineth not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy and who is a God like unto our God that pardoneth Iniquitie sins and transgressions and why because he delights in mercy not because he delights in thee or delights in me but because he delights in mercy he delights to shew mercy he blotts out sins freely for the honour of his owne name If therefore you have pardon of sin peace of Conscience if you have any Grace any Comfort of the Spirit if you have any drops of this water of life give God the Glory of it he hath freely given it unto you and that in abundance when others have none or puddle water onely Lastly If God doe give us water of 〈◊〉 freely then this should unite and Indere our hearts unto him and make us serve him freely As he freely gives to us so we should freely serve him many they are hardly brought of to seeve God the Sabboths are tedious unto them and when will the Sabboth be gon prayer Reading of Scripture hearing of Scrmons and to discourse of heavenly things is tedious unto them they cannot Indure them It 's an argument they are flesh and corrupt that they have none of this water of life If they had they would serve God freely cheerefully willingly In the 2 Phil It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his owne good pleasure Doe all things without murmuring and disputing When God workes in men according to his good pleasure the Will and the Deede Then men will doe all things without murmuring and disputing they will come off roundly and readily to doe the worke of God they will be then like to David who fullfilled all the Wills of God and gave Counsell to Solon his Son 1 Chron. 23.9 And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde c. God regards not any of your services that come off heavily dully and with murmurings but God loves a cheerefull giver
a willing minde he is free himselfe and gives water of life freely and he would have you serve him cheerefully and willingly But to proceede to another observation Whosoever will saith he let him take the waters of life freely Whosoever will The willing Man The observation is this That man who is willing or hath a willingness to have the waters of life shall have them Be the man what he will high or low rich or poore learned or unlearned young or old bond or free whosoever hath a willingnesse in them to have the waters of life shall have them To make it out from the Scripture unto you Joh 5.40 Ye will not come to me that ye might have life That ye might have waters of life were there in you a willingnesse to have the waters of life saith Christ ye might have them In the 55 of Isa 1.2 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that have no money come buy and eat yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price saith Christ are ye willing to have waters of life are ye willing to have wine and milke without money there 's the stick you say you have no money saith Christ will you have them without money are you willing to have them If you be but willing saith Christ you shall have them are you athrist you shall have water I looke not after your money I looke not after such qualifications or dispositions and preparations But are you willing to have it Wherefore doe you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not And because men will not come to Christ Christ comes to them Pevel 3.20 Behold I stand at the doore and knocke saith he If any man heare my voyce and open the doore I will come in to him and will Sup with him and he with me Christ comes and stands at the doore and knocks You know when one comes to the doore of a house and knocks if there be one within and the party will not open the doore you cannot come in but if the party will open the doore you come in presently Christ comes and kcocks now and he would faine come in but men and women will not open the doore What 's the opening of the doore your hearts are the doore and the opening of your hearts is your willingnesse that Christ should come in but men and women keepe the doore shut and so Christ enters not they have no willingnesse in them there is a Will in all men by nature but there is not a willingness If a man have a hand to receive any thing while he keepes his hand shut he can receive nothing but if he will open his hand then he is fit to receive a man that keepeth his mouth shut he can take in no water no wine no food This is the case sinners so long as they keepe their hearts shut Christ knocks the Spirit knocks the Minister knocks the word knocks God knocks but they will not open and so there is no enterance But willingnesse now is the opening of the heart and makes way for Christs enterance Lydia was hearing and her heart was opened and Christ came in the waters of life came in And in the 1 of Isa 19 20. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eate the fatt of the Land If ye be willing ye shall have the blessing There is a willingnesse required in sinners to receive Grace to receive mercy to receive the waters of life Quest Now wherein lies this willingnesse that should be in sinners to receive the waters of life to receive Grace and Mercy Answ It lies in three things First In a high prizing of this water of life when a man comes to have apprehensions of worth and excellency in it thereupon he prizeth what is so apprehended for you must know that the opperations of the will are according to the apprehensitions of the understanding If a mans understanding have apprehensions of a great deale of good and worth in a thing then his will prizes the good that is in the thing answerably When men have weake apprehensions of things they have weake prizings of them and value them accordingly But if men apprehend things strongly to have a great deale of worth and excellency in them then they prize them answerably Now when the waters of life are apprehended to be exceeding good to be an Infinite mercy an unspeakeable mercy then the will prizes them and prizes them above all other things Take Christ he is water of Life Coll 1.19 It pleased the Father that in Christ should all fullnesse dwell There is then all fulnesse in Christ Coll 2.3 In him are hid all the Treasures of wisdome and knowledge Coll 3.11 Christ is all in all Paul had a large apprehension of the excellency of Christ and Paul prizes Christ answerably and accounts all dung for Christ losse for Christ So that there 's the first thing in this willingnesse that the soule having seene a worth an excellency a transcendency of good prizes it answerably Secondly The soule hereupon comes to make choice of this good for it selfe The Will chooses this good so apprehended and so prized As a man he beholds a person beautifull amiable and sutable unto him he prizes the person and makes choice of the person in himselfe for himselfe So the will upon apprehension of water of life and the Infinite good by it doth choose this water of life for it selfe And thus David in the 73 Psal 25 v Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that my soule desires in comparison of thee David saw such worth in Christ as that he doth choose Christ in heaven and in earth and none besides him Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none that I desire upon earth besides thee So the Spouse in the 5 Cant 10. My beloved there 's the choice is white and ruddy the cheifest of ten thousand I know what a one my beloved is I have such apprehensions of him he is white and ruddy the cheifest of ten thousand better then all and therefore I choose him he is my Beloved The will comes to choose and take in the object so apprehended for it selfe that is the second thing the will acting in the choosing of Christ Thirdly The Will mooves and carries the soule to the Injoying of the thing prized and chosen As when a man hath cast his eyes upon a virgin and he values her and in his heart chooses her Then he uses all lawfull meanes to Injoy her his will carries him to the use of meanes so here The Will mooves the soule now towards Christ to close with Christ to injoy Christ and doth act both inwardly outwardly Inwardly by longings sighings desires thirstings ô that I had water of life ô that I had water of the well of Bethlehem as David said ô that
I had Christ ô that I had the Spirit ô that I had Grace And then outwardly it carries to the use of all meanes to reading to hearing to meditating to prayer conferring and the like to all the ordinances and all the meanes that it may Injoy Christ and meete with him whom it hath chosen this is the willingnesse that is required If you be willing If he hath had such apprehensions and prized the water of life whosoever hath made choice of it whosoever is moov'd and carried out to Injoy it let that soule take the water of Life Quere Now a Quere moveable upon this is Whither can man by his owne abilities make this choice of Christ or of this water of life Answ Men by their naturall abilities may desire the word and be carried out after it Amos 8.11 12. Behold the day is come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the Land not a famine of Bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the word of the Lord and they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East They shall run too and fro to seeke the Word of the Lord and shall not finde it Marke when the word should be taken away they would have a desire and there would be a motion after it in them and yet these it 's conceived were not regenerate Godly but of the ordinary and common sort of people The worke of reason and naturall apprehension of some good to be in the word carried them after it But I conceive no man can by naturall abilities thus will the Lord Jesus Christ as we have spoken There be Scriptures that doe hold it out strongly If you looke into the 7 Rom 11. Sin taking occasion by the Commandement deceived me and by it slew me Sin slew me saith Paul if Paul were slaine a dead man how could he moove in such a manner then towards Christ for marke in the 6 Chap 11 â—â— Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Saith Paul I was slaine through sin But as You have life through Jesus Christ so must I have life through Jesus Christ I have no life naturally and of my selfe and that place 1 Cor 2.14 But the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Some would make this verse to speak to young Christians weake Christians But saith he the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God a young Christian having the Spirit of God would receive the things of the Spirit of God would have some spirituall discerning But the naturall man is a man destitute of the Spirit for he saith We have received not the Spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God But the naturall man now which hath not the Spirit he receives them not he discernes them not And that this is the meaning of the word looke but into the 19 Jude where you have the same word Sensuall he might Interpret it Naturall Sensuall not having the Spirit Now he that hath not the Spirit he cannot discerne the things of God he cannot desire them he cannot receive them therefore saith Christ unto Peter Blessed art thou Symon Bar-jona For flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee Some boast they come to this by the power of nature but God hath revealed it by the power of his Spirit and in the 1 Cor. 1.21 For after that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve All the wisdome of the world brought them not up to the knowledge of God So then by mans naturall abilitie he is not able to come to this willingnesse Quere To what end then are these waters of life freely offered if a man have not this power to will these waters are they not offered in vaine Answ To this I answer first 'T is not so 't is not in vaine for where the Gospel comes there is so much mercie love and goodnesse of God held out such great pretious and free promises presented unto men as that being heeded they beget a willingnesse in sinners to live there goes a generall vertue and power with the Gospel to doe something in the hearts of men and women which they could not doe before When the Loadstone toucheth the needle it makes an impression and leaves some virtue upon it It 's said in the 47 of Ezek 9. That whithersoever the waters of the Sactuary doe come they heale the waters That is If men and women who are like the dead Sea who are corrupt filthy stinking and loathsome in their naturall condition The waters of the Gospel doe something there and they doe inable men to will and will otherwise then they could before so that men now living under the Gospel if they heed the Gospel there is so much Grace mercy and love of God held out in the Gospel and such breathings of Gods Spirit goes along with it that if men heede the same something is wrought in their hearts that may Inable them to will these weters of life and their not doing of this is sufficient Ground for their condemnation And secondly The Lord he tenders these waters of life unto whosoever will that so these persons might begg of God a will to receive these waters who is ready to give them these waters For when they shall see waters of life held out and it is thus whosoever will let him take of them The soule may well conclude and say Surely God will give me a will to receive these waters if I begg them So that if men and women now having waters of life held out freely doe come to God and begg of God this willingnesse Lord give me a Will give me a will to close with Christ to prize Christ to move out after Christ God that will give them the waters will give them the will Phil 2.13 Pro 16.1 Thirdly Lastly This will Justifie God and this will be Condemnation to the creature that here 's the Gospel offered to men freely that the Gospel if heeded will beget a power and will in men that God if pray'd unto will give them the will and yet they neglect all Mens Condemnation will be upon their owne heads where is God to be blam'd This being so let us give you the reasons why the Lord holds out waters of life to those that are willing to receive them Or why is this willingnesse requir'd at our hands First This willingness is required Why this willingness is required because otherwise men will not take the waters of life let God offer them never so freely or never so long If men be not willing they will not take them present vvhat you vvill to a man that