soul!-tells all that he has done for him-all that he will do; and adds: "Return unto me; for I have redeemed thee." Oh! why are ye fearful, ye of little faith? Why do you hang back, and will not venture near to God? Why do you not run to him? Some say: I am afraid of past sins. Oh! but hear his word: "I have blotted out. Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee." Some say: I am afraid he cannot wish such a sinful, weak thing as I beside him. Oh! foolish, and slow of heart to believe his own word. Does he not speak plain enough and kind enough? "Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee."

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2. Come into communion with him; daily walk with him. Enoch walked with God. Once Adam walked with God in paradise, as easily, Herbert says, as you may walk from one room to another." He talked with him concerning his judgments. Oh! come unto thy God, redeemed, forgiven soul. Acquaint thyself with God, and be at peace. Come to him; do not rest short of him. You think it a great thing to know a lively Christian; oh! how infinitely better to know God. It is your infinite blessedness. You will get more knowledge in one hour with God, than in all your life spent with man.

You will

get more holiness from immediate conversing with God, than from all other means of grace put together. Indeed, the means are empty vanity, unless you come to God in them. “Return unto me; for I have redeemed thee."

3. To the backslider. Guilty soul, you have been within the veil; you know the peace that Jesus gives-you know the joy of the smile of God. But you have left all this, and gone away backward. Guilty soul, you have done worse than the world. Worldly men never served Christ as you have done. They have spit on him, and buffeted him, and crucified him; but you have wounded him in the house of his friends: "It was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne it; but thou, my friend and mine acquaintance." Guilty soul, what says God unto thee?"Depart, thou cursed?" No; "Return unto me; for I have redeemed thee." "Return, O backsliding daughter; for I am married unto you." Return, sinner, thy God calleth thee the God that chose thee the Saviour that died for thee the Comforter that renewed thee. "Return unto me; for I have redeemed thee."

St Peter's, July 8, 1838.

E

SERMON IX.

I WILL POUR WATER.

"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. -ISA. xliv. 3, 4.

THESE words describe a time of refreshing. There are no words in the whole Bible that have been oftener in my heart, and oftener on my tongue than these, since I began my ministry among you. And yet, although God has never, from the very first day, left us without some tokens of his presence, yet he has never fulfilled this promise; and I have taken it up to-day, in order that we may consider it more fully, and plead it more anxiously with God. For, as Rutherford said, "My record is on high, that your heaven would be like two heavens to me; and the salvation of you all, like two salvations to me."

I. Who is the author in a work of grace? It is God: "I will pour."

1. It is God who begins a work of anxiety in dead souls. So it is in Zech. xii.: "I will pour out the Spirit of grace and supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and mourn." And so the promise is in John xvi.: "When he is come, he will convince the world of sin; because they believe not on me.” And so is the passage of Ezek. xxxvii.: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." If any of you have been awakened, and made to beat upon the breast, it is God, and God alone, that hath done it. If ever we are to see a time of wide-spread concern among your families-children asking their parents-parents asking their children-people asking their ministers, "What must I do to be saved?"-if ever we are to see such a time as Mr Edwards speaks of, when there was scarcely a single person in the whole town left unconcerned about the great things of the eternal world, God must pour out the Spirit: "I will pour."

2. It is God who carries on the work

leading

awakened persons to Christ. "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh," "and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered."-Joel ii. 28, 32. And again, in John: "He shall convince the world of righteousness." If ever we are to see souls flying like a cloud, and like doves, to Jesus Christ-if ever we are to see multitudes of you fleeing to that city of refuge-if ever we are to see parents rejoicing over their children as new-born-husbands rejoicing over their wives, and wives over their husbands-God must pour out the Spirit. He is the author and finisher of a work of grace: "I will pour."

3. It is God who enlarges his people. You remember, in Zech. iv., how the olive trees supplied the golden candlesticks with oil-they emptied the golden oil out of themselves. If there is little oil, the lamps burn dim; if much oil, the lamps begin to blaze. Ah! if ever we are to see you who are children of God greatly enlarged, your hearts filled with joy, your lips filled with praises-if ever we are to see you growing like willows beside the watercourses, filled with all the fulness of God-God must pour down his Spirit. He must fulfil his word; for he is the Alpha and Omega-the author and finisher of a work of grace: "I will pour."

Alas!

First Lesson-Learn to look beyond ministers for a work of grace. God has given much honour to his ministers; but not the pouring out of the Spirit. He keeps that in his own hand: "I will pour." "It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." we would have little hope, if it depended upon ministers; for where are our men of might now? God is as able to do it to-day as he was at the day of Pentecost; but men are taken up with ministers, and not with God. As long as you look to ministers, God cannot pour; for you would say it came from man. Ah! cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils. One would think we would be humbled in the dust by this time. In how many parishes of Scotland has God raised up faithful men, who cease not day and night to warn every one with tears! and yet still the heavens are like brass, and the earth like iron. Why? Just because your eye is on man, and not on God. Oh! look off man to him, and he will pour; and his shall be all the glory. Second Lesson. Learn good hope of revival in our day Third Lesson. Learn that we should pray for it. We are often for preaching to awaken others; but we should be

more upon praying for it. Prayer is more powerful than preaching. It is prayer that gives preaching all its power. I observe that some Christians are very ready to censure ministers, and to complain of their preaching of their coldness-their unfaithfulness. God forbid that I should ever defend unfaithful preaching, or coldness, or deadness, in the ambassador of Christ! May my right hand sooner forget its cunning! But I do say, where lies the blame of unfaithfulness?-where, but in the want of faithful praying? Why, the very hands of Moses would have fallen down, had they not been held up by his faithful people. Come, then, ye wrestlers with God-ye that climb Jacob's ladder-ye that wrestle Jacob's wrestling-strive you with God, that he may fulfil his word: "I will pour."

II. God begins with thirsty souls : "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty."

1. Awakened persons. There are often souls that have been a long time under the awakening hand of God. God has led them into trouble, but not into peace. He has taken them down into the wilderness, and there they wander about in search of refreshing waters; but they find none. They wander from mountain to hill seeking rest, and finding none-they go from well to well, seeking a drop of water to cool their tongue-they go from minister to minister, from sacrament to sacrament, opening their mouth, and panting earnestly; yet they find no peace. These are thirsty souls. Now, it is a sweet thought that God begins with such: "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." The whole Bible shows that God has a peculiar tenderness for such as are thirsty. Christ, who is the express image of God, had a peculiar tenderness for them: "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary." "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." Many of his cures were intended to win the hearts of these burdened souls. The woman that had spent all upon other physicians, and was nothing better, but rather worse, no sooner touched the hem of his garment than she was made whole. Another cried after him: " Lord, help me," yet he answered not a word; but at last said: "O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Another was bowed

down eighteen years; but Jesus laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight.

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Weary sinner, (1.) This is Jesus; this is what he wants to do for you: I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." Only believe that he is willing and able, and it shall be done. (2.) Learn that it must come from his hand.

In

vain you go to other physicians; you will be nothing better, but rather worse. Wait on him; kneel and worship him, saying: "Lord, help me." (3.) Oh! long for a time of refreshing, that weary souls may be brought into peace. If we go on in this every-day way, these burdened souls may perish-may sink uncomforted into the grave. Arise, and plead with God that he may arise and fulfil his word: "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty."

Ah!

2. Thirsty believers. All believers should be thirsty; alas! few are. Signs: (1.) Much thirst after the Word. When two travellers are going through the wilderness, you may know which of them is thirsty, by his always looking out for wells. How gladly Israel came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees! So it is with thirsty believers; they love the Word, read and preached they thirst for it more and more. Is it so with you, dear believing brethren? In Scotland, long ago, it used to be so. Often, after the blessing was pronounced, the people would not go away till they heard more. children of God, it is a fearful sign to see little thirst in you. I do not wonder much when the world stay away from our meetings for the Word and prayer; but, ah! when you do, I am dumb-my soul will weep in secret places for your pride. I say, God grant that we may not have a famine of the Word ere long. (2.) Much prayer. When a little child is thirsty for its mother's breast, it will not keep silence; no more will a child of God who is thirsty. Thirst will lead you to the secret well, where you may draw unseen the living water. It will lead you to united prayer. If the town were in want of water, and thirst staring every man in the face, would you not meet one with another, and consult, and help to dig new wells? Now, the town is in want of grace-souls are perishing for lack of it, and you yourselves are languishing. Oh! meet to pray. "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." (3.) Desire to grow in grace. Some persons are contented when they come to