should be of the seed of David and of the town of Bethlehem, where David was. And had they enquired they would have found that such was actually the case, that Jesus, though called a Nazarene, was really born in Bethlehem, and of the house and lineage of David.

How often is ignorance the cause of unbelief! Some men look partially at scripture: others look partially at facts. If men would diligently compare scripture with scripture, and the whole testimony of the word with well ascertained facts, there would be an end of their doubts. There need have been no division among the people because of Christ had they proceeded thus. But there was a division: and the unbelief of some shewed itself in a disposition to offer violence to his person. They would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. Now those who, at the time, were aware of this design in the enemies of Christ, and saw that it was not put in execution, might account for it in various ways, which circumstances with which we are not acquainted would suggest to them. They might think it was owing to these enemies being conscious that they were the weaker party; or that they were awed by the sanctity of Christ's appearance, and the wisdom of his words, or to some other cause which their knowledge of the men and their proceedings might point out. And they might be right; they might assign the very reason which prevented the enemies of Christ from laying hold of him. And yet we know it was but a secondary reason, that if it had not hindered the design against Jesus, something else must. The prime reason why all attempts at that time must have failed, was, that his hour was not yet come.

There is no occasion to dwell any longer on the explanation of a passage which affords so much room for speaking to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

And first, let me remind you that Jesus is now glorified. Whoever therefore now goes to him, may go with the fullest confidence of receiving that promised Spirit. If those who believed in him in the days of his humiliation, before he was glorified, received that Spirit, as we assuredly know they did,nay, if before he was even manifested in the flesh, those who saw and believed in him under the shadowy representations of

types and ceremonies, received that Spirit; if not only the apostles and disciples, but the prophets also and Old Testament saints were made partakers of the Spirit; much more now, that having purged our sins by his own blood, he has ascended into heaven, and has received the promise of the Father, may every repenting sinner who believes in him, be assured that his faith shall not be in vain, but that he shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And remember, brethren, that this is an individual affair; faith is not a national thing; men are not born Christians because they are born in a christian land. No, it is a transaction with the Saviour of each man for himself, for his own peace, for his own sanctification, for the salvation of his own soul. Our Lord speaks in the singular number, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."

I know you do. thirsts for someWho feels not a

Now, my brethren, do not you thirst? Perhaps there is not a heart before me but thing. Who can say he is fully satisfied? certain restlessness of mind, a void which needs to be filled, a desire of what he does not possess? Perhaps this desire is not for the best things, but I will take it as it is. If it is not rightly directed, I will endeavour, by the blessing of God, to give it a right direction. Attend then, I pray you, while I suppose a few cases. You are poor, you have to rise early and late take rest, and labour hard, and after all to hang in doubt for your daily bread; after your utmost exertions you have always an uncertain, and often a scanty supply. This is a hard case, and you feel it. It fills your mind, occupies all your thoughts; what you thirst after is a change of circumstanYou think that thirst would be satisfied if you were in a situation where with moderate labour you could acquire a decent, sufficient, and sure subsistence for yourselves and families. To a certain degree you are right in so thinking; no doubt such a change in your outward circumstances would relieve you from many anxieties and many sufferings which you now undergo. But many would remain untaken away; and some new ones which you think not of would be added. For that which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered; and if you were raised from

ces.

your low estate to the very highest rank, you would still find that God has set prosperity and adversity the one against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

Is poverty the worst of your evils, is not sin worse? Is not guilt worse? is not the wrath of God worse? would a change of circumstances free you from these? Alas! why mourn you for your poverty, while you mourn not for your sins? Why bewail the less evil, while the greater remains undeplored? Suffer me to give that craving thirst for happiness which you feel its right direction. If you had all the riches in the world you never could be happy as long as you are unreconciled to God. Go then to Him in whom God reconciles the world unto himself; drink at that fountain of life, and your thirst shall be satisfied. You will still indeed remain poor; and your faith may be strongly tried from day to day and from week to week by the number of your wants, and by the slenderness of your means. Yet, while you use diligence in your calling, and avoid that common bane of the ungodly poor, the use of strong liquors, if you can venture to trust in him, to leave with him the care for your bodies, while you care for your souls, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, I will venture to say that he will care for you, the things which are needful for the body will be added to you; and though your fare be homely, your bread shall be sure. And, oh if you know Jesus Christ, and have a good hope through grace of an inheritance hereafter, you will be thankful that you were not left, though with greater prosperity, to have your portion in this life.

I will not withhold from you the mention of those blessings which you will obtain by believing in him. But first I must suppose another case or two. You have an infirm body; perhaps your friends and neighbours observe in your wasted looks and tottering step the evident symptoms of decay. Or your

general appearance may be healthy, while some local malady, known to few except yourself, is making its steady inroad on your constitution. This engages all your thoughts; you examine the symptoms; you compare one day with another; and anxiously ask your physician if there are any signs of amendment, any hopes of a cure. You will not suppose that I

blame this; but I would remind you that it may be all in vain. Your disease may be such that, let the physician do what he can, it will work its way; it may have a commission given it which no man can prevent it from executing. Or if the skill of the physician be permitted to prevail, and the blessing of health be restored, then the other troubles and vexations of life, which seemed nothing to you when a greater evil was pressing, will recover their magnitude. Besides, health when restored, is but restored for a time; and death, though checked in his present approach, will surely come. And is your body only sick? Has your soul been always healthy? Are you afraid of temporal death, and have you no fears about death eternal? You go to physicians for the body, who may fail; oh! go to the Physician of souls, who cannot fail. Apply to him; and he will give you to drink of the water of life, whereby your spiritual diseases shall be healed, and your souls shall live for ever.

One supposition more I will make, and the best that can be made. I will suppose you to be thirsting for that very thing which you ought to thirst for. I will suppose that you feel the evil of sin, the vanity of the world, and the insufficiency of the creature for your happiness. Your conscience has been alarmed: you have been stirred up to flee from the wrath to come; and you feel that without the favour and the peace of God, neither riches, nor health, nor any earthly thing, can make you happy. You have begun to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and you are blessed, for you shall be filled. You are far enough from feeling your blessedness at present; you feel only guilt, and darkness, and bondage; but better days are preparing for you. You thirst just in the way that Jesus would have you to do. Go to him and drink; believe in him, and out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water.

And listen, all you who thirst, while I endeavour to set before you the blessings comprehended in this very peculiar expression.

First, then, he will give you that which your souls thirst after that you feel your want of, something in which you can rest, a satisfying portion. He calls, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” You

now go about seeking rest; and finding none, you cry, "Who will shew us any good?" but the creatures have not in them the good which you seek. You must look to Jesus, and see in him the glory of God's reconciled countenance, and then you will have found good; then you may be satisfied. The streams of earthly comfort may be dried up; but you are now come to the fountain head of bliss, to that spring of life which will never fail. To have peace with God, to possess the spirit of adoption; to have fellowship with the Father and with the Son, and to look for the completion of this happiness in eternity, this is life indeed, this is fulness of joy; here is the true ground of patience under the ills of this present time. But I must not deceive you, I must not lead you to expect that this comfort will be uninterrupted; you will be highly favoured Christians indeed if it be not interrupted very often by many a sharp conflict, and many a painful temptation.

The believer has better things in this life than any other man; but he has only a taste of his good things on earth, he waits for the full enjoyment of them in heaven. Meanwhile his very conflicts and temptations, and the disagreeable things which he meets with here, tend to wean him from this present scene, and to forward the work of his sanctificationanother of those benefits which he receives from Jesus. Holiness is happiness, heaven would be no heaven without it. When therefore, by the methods of his grace, Christ produces holiness in the hearts of believers, he is preparing them for heaven, he is qualifying them for heaven, he is bringing a foretaste of heaven into their hearts, he is sealing them with that Holy Spirit of promise which is "the earnest of their inheritance until the redemption of their purchased possession.”

There remains one consideration more which must not be omitted. When the Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost, it was given to those who were made partakers of it, not only for their own comfort and sanctification, but also that they might be the means of comfort and sanctification to others. It was accompanied with divers gifts, all tending to qualify those who received them to preach the gospel of God with power and with success. And both the Old Testament and the New bear witness, that this was a main object of the