in groans, and cries, and tears, when God is absent, or hath hid his face from the Christian. Return, says he, return, O God of love, and grant to me thy life-giving presence.

In the hour of death, on the dying pillow, the believer looks up to God, saying, To whom can I flee for succour, but to thee? Like the protomartyr, looking up stedfastly into heaven, he cries, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

V. We come now to our last particular, which was, to show the final issue of this heavenly principle, which is "everlasting life."

Everlasting life, my brethren! What an expression! How full of meaning! how full of comfort! It comprehends all the happiness that the godly shall enjoy forever, in the immediate presence of God and of the Lamb. " In thy presence," says David, " is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Compare the text with the following words of the psalmist, and you will find they perfectly agree-"The Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

REFLECTIONS.

1. How invaluable is this living water, which Christ gives? What an astonishing change is effected by it, in the depraved heart? There, is something communicated at the time of regeneration, that is entirely new: hence Paul says, " If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." The soul thirsts no more for the pleasures of sin, but is all swallowed up in God.

2. Let us examine ourselves, whether we have any evidence that we have received this water of life. This may be principally determined by the effects which it is said to produce.* "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst." Do we thirst after the riches, honours, or pleasures of this world, as we once did? Do we feel a keener and more ardent relish for the empty enjoyments of time, than for the substantial enjoyments of religion? Do we look more for our happiness to things which are temporal and seen, than to those which are unseen and eternal? Can any thing satisfy us, while God withholds his love? If our hearts at once put a negative upon these questions, we have reason to hope that Christ has given us of this living water.

3. If this principle springs up to everlasting life, it follows, that all the unregenerate are under the influence of a principle entirely distinct from this, even disaffection to things of a divine nature. Instead of having holy desires springing up to God, they do not like to retain him in their thoughts. They are of the earth, earthy. Instead of having their affections placed on the things that are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, they are all placed on things on the earth. They are, of course, strangers to that sweet peace there is in believing, to that happiness and contentment which results from drinking freely of the water of life.

4. How awful is your condition, sinners, who remain in unbelief. You who remain secure, are to this moment hardening your hearts against the Saviour. You now hear of the water of life with the utmost indifference: but remember, sinners, the time will come, when you will find yourselves miserable without it. It can be had no where else but in Christ; he gives it, and gives it freely, to every thirsty soul.

Are there any here present who thirst for the waters of life? then hear the gracious voice of the Saviour. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." To the same import are those precious words on the last page of your Bible, with which I close. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Amen.

2 Y

SERMON XX.*

THE LAST WORDS OF CHRIST TO HIS DISCIPLES.

LUKE, xxiv. 44-53.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understandings, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day : and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

WITH the passage now read to you, I

concluded the discourse the last Lord's day. But we had not time then to introduce those observations that it naturally suggests. It is too important not to engage the pleasing attention of this assembly.

You observe, that the text contains our Lord's last address to his disciples after his resurrection. He had first appeared to the women, then to the two disciples, and on the present occasion they were all together. To them he gave the fullest evidence that he was their Lord who had been crucified. "These are the words," said he, "which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me." He here stamps divine authority on the writings of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. The things they had said concerning him, he had particularly expounded to the two disciples on their way to Em

maus.

As he had just referred them to the testimony of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms, it is added, "Then opened he their understandings, that they might understand the scriptures." Their minds had been much perplexed after their Lord's crucifixion; and they knew not what judgment to form of these dark and painful events. But now he opened their understandings, removed their doubts and ignorance, and fully satisfied them that it "behoved him to suffer, and to rise again from the dead. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

These words are the commission Christ gave to his first preachers, a little before he left the world. Another of the evangelists expresseth himself thus: "All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me; go ye therefore," because I have all power to send you, to support you, and to make you successful. It follows, "into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."