IN

N the laft Day, that great Day of the Feaft, Jefus stood and cried, faying, If any Man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink, John vii. 37.

In order to come to CHRIST, a Man must have a Thirst after Grace and eternal Life: But it is He who gives this Thirft; it is He himself who draws thofe after him who come unto him. This Thirft is inconfiftent with a Thirst after Honours, Riches, Pleasures, and the Amufements of the World. In vain do we seek among the Creatures for fomething to fatisfy our Defires, and to allay our Thirft. Our Drought continually increafes fo long as we do not feek JESUS CHRIST. It is not fufficient, that we are fenfible how much we stand in need of CHRIST; we must go to him by Faith, we muft drink the wholesome Waters of his Grace, and we must draw them ever from our bleffed Saviour's Fountains, from his Birth, his Life, his Cross, his facred Wounds, and Death. The larger and deeper the Veffel of our Faith is, the greater Quantity fhall we receive and bring away of this Wa ter, which fanctifies and makes us fruitful.

Attend ye thirsty Souls, draw near,
And fatiate all your Wishes here:

Behold, the living Fountain flows,
In Streams as various as your Woes.

IF

the Son therefore fhall make you free, ye shall be free indeed, John viii. 36.

There is now no Freedom in respect of that.which is good, but but only through the Grace of the Son of God, which alone fets the Sinner's Will free from the Dominion of Sin. --- In vain do Men feek by Means of Riches and Reputation, of Authority and Preferment, of Study and philofophical Wifdom, to free themfelves from any particular Subjection and Slavery of Mind; they labour only to make themfelves new Chains, while the Heart is not freed from the Bondage of Iniquity, and from the Slavery of the Paffions, by the only Deliverer Jefus Chrift. The Freedom of my Will itfelf, O Jefus, is the moft fervile Thing in me, and the most inflaved, fo long as it is not fet at Liberty by Thee. The more thou leaveft it to itself, the lefs will it be free.

Faithful I account Thee, Lord,
To thy fanctifying Word,
I fhall foon be as Thou art,
Holy both in Life and Heart;

Perfect Holiness attain,
All thine Image here regain,"
Love my God intirely bere,
Blameless then in Heaven appear.

I

Am the Door: by me if any Man enter in, he fhall be faved,and fhall go in and out, and fhall find Pafture, John x. 9.

Will Chriftians never be perfuaded that Chrift is their Treafure, and that it is in and by him, that they are to feek all Graces, and all Affiftances, fpiritual and temporal. Yes, Lord Jefus, thou art the Door both of Grace and Glory. It is by Thee that we enter into thy Church, to find there the Pafture of thy Word, and of thy heavenly Doctrine. It is by Thee, that when we go out of this World we enter into Heaven, there to find that only Pafture of eternal Truth, in which Thou wilt feed thy Sheep for ever.

Awake our Souls, and blefs his Name, Behold, the Portal wide difplay'd,

Whofe Mercies never fail, Who opens wide a Door of Hope In Achor's gloomy Vale,

The Building's ftrong and fair,

Within are Paftures fresh and green,
And living Streams are there.

MY Sheep hear my Voice, and I know them, and they follow

me, John x. 27.

Here are three Marks whereby we may know that we are of the Number of the elect Sheep. The firft is, when the Son of God gives us a Love, Relifh, and Obedience in refpect of his Word. The fecond, when Sanctification is carried on in our Souls. The third, when we imitate his Life and Actions. He who bears these three Characters to the End, is what we call a predeftinate Perfon. By these we may judge with Confidence, that we are of the happy Number: But to flatter ourselves with any fuch Thoughts, without thefe, is no other than Prefumption.

Lord, open my Heart to the Gofpel, that I may love it; to thy faving Hand, that I may fubmit to be guided by it; and to the Example of thy holy Life, that I may follow it.

Thy Flock, with what a tender Care,

Bleft Jefus, doft thou keep?
Fain would my weak my wand'ringSoul
Be number'd with thy Sheep.

I follow where my Shepherd leads,
And mark the Path he drew,
My Shepherd's FeetMountSion treads,
And I fhall reach it too.

AND I, if I be lifted up from the Earth, will draw all Men unto me, John xii. 32.

The Cross is not only the Tribunal on which CHRIST judges the World, and pronounces the Sentence of Condemnation upon the Devil; but it is likewife the Throne of his Mercy towards Sinners, the Source of all Bleffings, the Caufe of our Deliverance, the Inftrument of our Salvation, and the meritorious Original of an Almighty Grace, by which he draws all Men unto him. Nothing yields greater Comfort unto CHRIST, under the dismal Prospect of his Sufferings and Death, than to confider that the Salvation of Sinners is to be the Fruit thereof. Let this be the happy Time; do Thou now, O Lord, be pleased to draw Sinners to Thee, overcome all the Refistance of their Hearts by the Power of thy Death.-O JESUS, lifted up upon the Cross for my Sins, to Thee I offer my Heart, lift it up to Thyfelf, and place it out of the Reach of all earthly Things.

The Promife made our fallen Race,
And by the Blood of Jefus feal'd,
The Word of all-attracting Grace

I find ten thousand Times fulfill'd :

But, Lord, I want the Sight above,

The Grace to Saints triumphant giv'n, Drawn by the Cords of perfect Love, And draw me to thyfelf in Heav'n.