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Tuesday in Whitsun-week.

THE SOUL'S THIRST.-PART II.

ST. JOHN vii. 37.

JESUS stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.

In yesterday's Sermon, we explained that by the Thirst of the Soul, we allude to that passionate longing from within which fails in finding from without that which can entirely satisfy it. This, we instanced in four particulars: the thirst after Happiness,-after Love,-after Knowledge, after Holiness. We further endeavoured to shew that, under this point of view, the afflicted and unfortunate, the bereaved and lonely, the weary and disappointed, those who stand lowest in their own estimation, and are half tempted to despair of themselves :—that all these are they who are consumed with Thirst; whose soul is, as it were, hard at death's door. It remains, now, to speak of the remedy mercifully provided for all the cases supposed.

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Observe, in passing, that our LORD might have spoken of the Soul's Hunger, had He willed; and the meaning would have been the same. He Himself is known to have thirsted at Samaria's well; to have hungered on the way from Bethany but it was in His soul that He endured that Hunger and that Thirst. Why then is it 'Thirst' in this place, not 'Hunger?' Plainly because Thirst is the keener want: because, also, it is the manner of Scripture to discourse of the SPIRIT under the image of Water; and our SAVIOUR was about to reveal Himself to His Countrymen, fetching water, as on their Feast-day they did, from 'Siloa's brook that flowed fast by the Oracle of GOD,' and bringing it with pomp and ceremony into the Temple, as Himself the Fountain of Living Waters*,'—the true source of Spiritual refreshment to Israel. It is Man's spiritual needs therefore, of which our LORD here discourses under the image of mere bodily craving and He takes the severer bodily want, and makes it stand for Thirst and Hunger both.

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And surely, we may begin by assuming that every one finds his place in some one or more parts of the picture we have drawn. All have

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longed earnestly for something; they have sought to gratify their longing: they have found that the remedy failed to satisfy. And no wonder! for there is nothing on this side the grave, that can fill the soul! The things of Time cannot satisfy those eternal desires which were meant to find their accomplishment only in Eternity. Lawful they are indeed, one and all, so far as we have noticed them: calculated also to solace the heart, and minister to all its innocent desires. But they cannot, they were not meant,-to satisfy. Their office is to lead on to something higher, and purer, and better. The thirst after Happiness guides us to God's Right Hand and of Love, to Him who is perfect: and of Knowledge, to the presence of Him in whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom":' and of Holiness, to Him who alone maketh holy. But this is not found out at first; or, it is known, but not believed; or, it is believed, but not acted upon, (which is one and the same thing with disbelieving it.) Hence it is that we have thirsted; it may be, that we still thirst! We are resting in that which is close at hand, and have not yet so much as sought to look

beyond it.

There are therefore, who, could

b Col. iii. 2.

we hear them, even now cry out,- Yea, my tongue cleaves to my very jaws. I do, as it were, die, under a thirst, which I cannot control or remove.' To all men, but to such an one, in particular, does our SAVIOUR address the words of the text; If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink!"

We heartily invite you to ponder over the words of this gracious invitation, and most loving promise. Let him come unto Me:' there is the invitation! Let him drink:' there is the promise!... What is it but to say:

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O ye who have longed for Happiness, and sought it, but have failed to find it—who have pined for Love, but have never been satisfied and grasped at Knowledge, but have discovered that it did not fill your soul :--who have sighed for a closer walk with GOD, but have sometimes felt as if you were cast out of His very presence, and must surely learn to despair of yourselves at last :-come hither unto Me! 'He that believeth on Me, shall never thirst.' Ye have sought for things which will not satisfy. The joys of Earth are short-lived and deceitful: and 'whosoever drinketh of that water, shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water which I shall give him, shall never thirst!'

With Me, and with Me only, dwells a satisfying portion. Come unto Me, and drink!'

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Freely slake your thirst in Me! I will give you abundance of Peace and Joy; for I am the Father of mercies and the GOD of all comfort.' 'Come unto Me, and drink!'

My Love thou wilt find sufficient for thee; and in Me only wilt thou discover a worthy ob-. ject of thy Love. 'Come unto Me, and drink!'

Study My Word; ponder over My perfections; yea, give Me but thine heart: come unto Me, and seek to do My will, and verily thou shalt be made wise unto Salvation! Come unto

Me, and drink!'

Pray to Me daily, many times a day,-for larger and larger supplies of My Spirit: and they shall not be denied thee. But remember thou faint not; remember thou fail not. 'Bles

sed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.' 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst, of the foun-. tain of the water of Life freely:' and 'with joy shall he draw water out of the wells of Salvation.' 'If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink!'

c 2 Cor. i. 3.

a St. Matth. v. 6.

e Rev. xxi. 6.

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