this fpiritual life in himself, and from him only it is communicated to his intelligent and moral creaThe most pure and plentiful fountain of water communicates nourishment, refreshment, and pleasure, to the man only who is athirft. In like manner, the moft pure and large objects of intellectual, moral, and religious improvement and joy, will be purfued, perceived, and relished, only by the man who has a ftrong defire for them. The bodily appetite is not more neceffary for fenfual gratification than the mental affection is for mental enjoyment. Those who are athirft are all who fincerely and ardently defire to know, love, imitate, and enjoy God. To all fuch God promises, that their defire shall be gratified. This defire shall not merit that bleffing; but fhall only excite them to apply for it, and qualify them to receive, use, and enjoy it in a right manner. Is it poffible that the dependent creature can merit from its independent Creator? What haft thou that thou haft not first received from him? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? or it is any gain to him that thou makeft thy way perfect? Is it poffible that the finner who hath never been able of late to keep the commandments of God perfectly, much less to atone for former tranfgreffions, can merit any thing from his God but indignation? Even to them who are influenced by right defires God will beftow this bleffing as a

free

free gift. He, who fat upon the throne, fays, "I will give unto him that is athirft of the fountain of "the water of life freely." They shall receive the fpiritual life from God himself, and fhall derive the most pure and enlarged spiritual improvement and joy from the exercise of their intellectual and moral powers upon God himself. This promise exactly correfponds to the uniform language of fcripture. "Ho every one that thirsteth, Come ye to the waters. Bleffed are they "who do bunger and thirft after righteousness, "for they fhall be filled. Jefus answered them, "and faid, My doctrine is not mine but his that "fent me. If any man will do his will, he fhall "know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. In the laft, that แ great day of the feaft, Jefus ftood and cried,

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faying, If any man thirft let him come unto me "and drink. And ye will not come to me- that

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ye might have life." Every man who fincerely and ardently defires to know, imitate, and enjoy God, that is, to be truly wife, good, and happy, fhall be made wife and good by the renewing influences of the Spirit of God, and by the various difpenfations of divine providence and grace to him; and fhall be happy in the contemplation and enjoyment of God himself, whatever may be his outward fituation in this world. The fpiritual life fhall acquire ftrength in him as he paffes through

3 C 2

through this world, and his fpiritual joy shall increase with it, until they fhall both become perfect together in the heavenly ftate, where he fhall fee God as he is, where the divine image fhall fhine unclouded in his nature, and he shall enjoy God perfectly, uninterruptedly, and perpetually. Let no man therefore complain that he is not wife, good, and happy. If you do fincerely and a.dently defire to be fo, God by his providence and grace will make you fo, and in himself you shall ever have a perfect ftandard of conduct, and an inexhaustible fund of enjoyment. But if you have no fuch defire, you may indeed complain of your own folly in not endeavouring to acquire and cultivate it; but you have no reafon to complain of God for not giving you those bleffings which you never fincerely wished he should give you. Until you are poffeffed of such a defire, nothing can make you wife, good, and happy. While without it, you want the mental faculty for studying, perceiving, and relishing truth, virtue, and happiness; as well may the blind man fee and be pleased with colours, before his eyes are opened; as well may the deaf man hear and be delighted with founds, before his ears are unftopped; as that you could perceive, attain, or relish truth, virtue, and happiness, while you have no defire for them in your foul. "The natural man receiveth not the "things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolih

"nefs

"nefs unto him; neither can he know them, be"cause they are fpiritually difcerned." The want of this defire is not a natural defect, but it is a moral disability. Hence this disability not only difqualifies you, while it continues, for making attainments in duty and happiness, but is itself criminal. Not to efteem and defire what you ought highly to esteem and defire, must be depravity and fin. But hence it is that this disability, because moral, may be removed in the fame way in which all other moral disabilities in man may be removed. Turn your attention to the nature and value of truth, of virtue, and true happiness, and to the great intereft which you have in them; frequently trace the illuftrious difplays of the natural and moral perfections of God in his works of creation, providence, and redemption, and in his word; and thus in your thoughts gradually afcend to the contemplation of fupreme excellency, goodness, and amiablenefs in God himself. Search the fcriptures, attend on the preaching of the word, and frequently and fincerely pray to God through the mediation of Chrift, that by his good Spirit he would excite in you fuch a defire; and you need not defpair of fuccefs. "For this is the will of

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God, even your fanctification. And this is the "confidence that we have in him, that if we ask "any thing according to his will he heareth us." He who in this world overcomes the various temp

tations

But

tations and trials to which he hath been expofed, fhall inherit all things. To inherit, is frequently ufed in fcripture to fignify to enjoy with a peculiar relish and advantage. "Bleffed are the "meek, for they fhall inherit the earth." "thofe that wait upon the Lord, they fhall inherit "the earth." There is fomething in the very idea of inheritance or property, which makes men enjoy the fame thing with much greater relish after it becomes their property than they could have done when it was the property of another perfon, though that perfon fhould have freely given them the use of it. By this term the peculiar relish with which truly godly men enjoy all things is beautifully expreffed They enjoy God fupremely, they enjoy themselves, they enjoy all things which they poffefs, because on every one of them they place no higher affection than it deferves, and they expect no more good from it than it actually contains, and that quantity it will always yield. They enjoy every difpenfation of divine providence to them, becaufe, whether outwardly adverfe or profperous, they are fatisfied that whatever God allots to them is beft for them if they rightly improve it. They enjoy thofe things which are poffeffed by others. Animated with the benevolence and brotherly affection of Chriftians, they rejoice with thofe who rejoice. They are happy on account of the happimefs of others.

The

means,