The whole sentence is one of those golden sayings which ought to be dear to every true Christian, and is full of wide en- couragement to all sinuers who hear it. — Its words deserve special attentiou.
We should note the breadth of the invitation. It is for " any man." No matter who and what he may have been, — no matter how bad and wicked his former life, — the hand is held out, and the offer made to Him: — "If any man thirst, let him come." Let no man say that the Gospel is narrow in its offers.
We should note the persons invited. They are those who "thirst." That expression is a figurative one, denoting the spiritual distress and anxiety which any one feels when he dis- covers the value of his soul, and the sinfulness of sin, and his own guilt. Such an one feels a burning desire for relief, of which the distressing sensation of " thirst " — a sensation famil- iar to all Eastern nations— is a most fitting emblem. No further qualification is named. There is no mention of repentance, amendment, preparation, conditions to fulfil, new heart to be got. One thing alone is named. Does a man " thirst? " Does he feel his sins and want pardon? — Then the Lord invites him.
We should note the simplicity of the course prescribed to a thirsting sinner. — It is simply, " Let him come unto Me." He has only to cast his soul on Christ, trust Him, lean on Him, believe on Him, commit his soul with all its burdens to Him, audi that is enough. To trust Christ is to "come" to Christ. — So " coming," Christ will supply all his need. So believing, he is at once forgiven, justified, and received into the number of God's children. (See John vi. 35, 87.)
The expression "drink," is of course figurative, answering to the word " thirst." It means, " Let him freely take from me everything that his soul wants, — mercy, grace, pardon, peace, strength. I am the fountain of life. Let him use me as such, and I shall be well pleased."
We do not read of any prophet or Apostle in the Bible who ever used such language as this, and said to men, " Come uuto me and drink." None surely could use it but one who knew that He was very God.
88. — [He that believeth on me, etc.'] This verse is undoubtedly full of difficulties, and has received very various interpretations. Not the least difficulty is about the connection in which the several expressions of the verse ought to be taken.
(1) Some, as Stier, would connect " He that believeth on me " with the verb "drink" in the preceding verse. It would then run thus, — " If any man thirst let him come unto me, and let him drink that believeth on me." — I cannot think this is a right view. For one thing, it would be a violent strain of all grammatical usage of the Greeklanguage, to interpret the words