assuredly this is not the case: "Not unto us, O Lord; not unto us, but unto thy Name be all the glory!" "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power -might, majesty, dominion, and praise be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever!"

IV. It is SATISFYING in its effects.

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst." Thirst he will after more of this water for it is an undeniable fact, that the more a man receives of the grace of Christ, the more he desires to receive. He is not satisfied with what he attains of spiritual blessings till he awakes up in the likeness of the Redeemer, and is "filled with all the fulness of God."

-Shall never thirst: doubtless it denotes satisfaction with the kind of good he finds, though not with the degree of good which he has attained. He shall not desire meaner things, shall feel no preference of worldly happiness, shall not sink into gross and sensual pleasure. The peace which a penitent believer finds in Jesus Christ, is the cure of an anxious mind, the balm of a discontented spirit: it allays the restless turbulent passions of the soul: it says to all its fretful impatient wishes, "Peace, be still!"

And observe, these effects are not produced by hearing of the grace of Christ, but by receiving it: "whosoever drinketh of this water." To drink is to imbibe; it is inwardly to receive; and every man who thus imbibes, receives, and experimentally proves the grace of the Saviour, of the Saviour, "shall never thirst." shall find a rest of soul which he never found before; a tranquillity of conscience which he would not part with for a world; a calm contentment which mere

He

professors do not attain; a holy satisfaction, a lively hope, and a heavenly joy, which strangers intermeddle not with.

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See, then, the vast importance of experimental religion, the religion of the Gospel wrought in the heart! Here it must be received, or its satisfying effects will not be felt; here it must be cherished, or its tranquillizing influence will not be enjoyed. This living water," this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, so excellent in its nature, so divine in its origin, so free in its communication, must not be contemplated at a distance, or regarded with cold speculation: it must become a vital principle in the soul; it must be imbibed by faith in the heart, or all is dark and dead; the spirit is not quickened, and it remains without energy, without comfort, and without hope.

V. It is CONSTANT in its supplies.

"The water that I shall give him shall be in him;" not only near him, not merely accessible to him, but in him. To this we may apply the words of Solomon : "A good man is satisfied from himself;" not from his own inherent native goodness; he has none; but his enjoyment is from Christ, who dwells in his heart by faith and love; and from the anointing of the Spirit of Christ, which resteth on him, and abideth in him, producing heavenly tempers and sacred satisfaction. The grand secret of experimental religion is explained by the Apostle: "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

-"Shall be in him a well of water;" a well, in opposition to a shallow draught; in opposition to a

scanty stream, or a stagnant pool.-It denotes the plentiful effusion of Divine influence; the large abundance, the continued freshness, the glorious sufficiency of the grace of the Saviour. And what a consolation is this! What encouragement and support is it adapted to afford! Believing, we may well rejoice; for though in ourselves we are nothing, in Christ we have all: and Christ is in us, the wellspring of life, and purity, and peace: by the agency of the blessed Spirit, he is formed in our hearts the hope of glory.

Let us, then, not be the enemies of ourselves, by undervaluing what the Lord has done for us; or by lightly esteeming what he has provided and given to us. Let us take heed, that we dishonour not the Saviour, by disregarding the influences of his Spirit; or by neglecting to seek, and refusing to receive, the riches of his grace.

VI. It is ACTIVE in its operations.

"A well of water springing,-springing up."The word, in the original, suggests the idea of constant motion, of lively vigorous action: and truly, the grace of Christ is not given to be dull and dormant in the soul; it should operate, and produce beneficial effects. Hence it is explicitly stated, "The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." "The fruit of the Spirit is," not indolence and selfishness, but "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance." The obligation of the believer is clearly this to add unto his "faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity."

In harmony with this statement of practical results, are the words of our blessed Lord: "He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said; out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water*. This living water, as a vital principle, is first in him; then, active in its operation, it proceeds from him: it is diffused abroad for the benefit of the world, and for the quickening, the comforting, and the sanctifying of the church. Again our Lord teaches, that " a good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good thingst." His goodness, you perceive, is not exclusively his own, or confined within his own breast bringing forth good things, must denote, that the grace of the Saviour sanctifies his temper, purifies his conversation, regulates his practice, spiritualizes his whole deportment, and stimulates to benevolent and useful exertions: so that this man lives" not unto himself;" he looks not " on his own things" only, but also "on the things of others;" and he labours to promote the benefit of all around him.

May this be our constant and diligent care, to evince the possession of grace, by its genuine fruit; and to demonstrate the active energy of Divine influence, by its relative and practical effects!Lastly,

VII. It is eternally GLORIOUS in its result:'springing up into everlasting life."-This is the completion of the whole; and here is a fulness, a richness in the expression, which no comment can improve: "the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life." Its vigour is not always alike; its flow is not uniformly copious and beneficial but it is never

entirely dried up, and it infallibly terminates in an ocean of blessedness. "If we suffer with Christ," the promise is, that "we shall also be glorified together." Glory is the sure termination of grace, and heaven is the certain home of the Christian. "I am come," says Jesus, "that ye might have life, and that ye might have it more abundantly."

Everlasting life! How shall we speak of what we know so little? Enough is revealed to excite our grateful admiration, and to attract our ardent affections and desires: but much, very much, is concealed, till "this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality." In the mean time, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him:" this we know, they are worthy of God to give, and constitute " a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

By way of IMPROVEMENT, we inquire,

1. What think you of this "living water?" Some, it is probable, are ignorant and careless about it: you hear of its worth and efficacy, but you treat it with indifference. And have you no conviction of the guilt and danger of this temper? Does it never occur to you, that the grace of the Saviour, which you slight, is worthy of opposite regard? Conscience testifies against you, charges you with egregious folly; and warns you, that if you perish in negligence and sin, your condemnation will be just, and your doom tremendous.

Bear in mind, the period is not distant, when, if you persist in trifling with the grace of Christ, you will desire it in vain. Time is short: eternity is at hand: