3. The end and intent, why he would pour out himself like water.
ISA. LIII. 12.] THE FIFTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 475
It was to die for you : ' He poured out his soul to death.' Simeon suffered liimself to be bound for his brethren, Gen. xlii. 24. Lot offered his daughter, and the man in Judges })rostitutes his daughter ; and the Levite, Judges xix. 23, 24, his concubine to the lusts of the men of Gibeah ; but saith Christ, ' Greater love hath no man than tliis, that a man lay down his life for his friend.' That is man's heroic honour, and it may be we may find two or three rare instances in history. But Jesus Christ laid down his life for enemies, for ' dead dogs,' as David calleth himself. Such as we are he poured out his soul for, even to death. Oh, enlarge your thoughts on these particulars.
Use 2. It yieldeth useful inferences and enforcements to duty.
1. To humbled sinners. Take Christ as freely as he offereth himself to you : He poured out his soul, and you will not come to him, you will not receive him. Oh, come and pour out yourselves into the bosom of Christ ; he hath poured out his soul to death for you. You that complain as the church. Lam. ii. 11, ' My liver is poured out,' there is much faintness and fears. The liver is the seat of blood ; it is made there, and dispersed from thence into all the veins : your liver is only poured out, but Christ's soul is so. Consider, all the persons in the blessed Trinity are willing, and are not you ? The Father, John iii. 16, ' He gave his only-begotten Son.' And Christ gave himself, Gal. i. 4. And the Spirit is willing, he is grieved at your refusal : ' I would have gathei'ed you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.' He wooeth and beseecheth you, and pleadeth for your entertainment of Jesus Christ. Oh, open to him, and be as willing to believe as Christ was to die : Ps. cxlii. 2, ' I poured out my com- plaint to him, I showed before him my trouble.' Pour out your souls in faith and prayer, as Christ poured out his soul on the cross.
2. To stubborn sinners, to press them to come out of their sins upon this ground — Jesus Christ poured out his soul unto death. Christ parted with his heart's blood, and will not you part with your sinful delights ? Shall w^e love our sins better than Christ loved his own soul ? He laid down his life, and will not you lay down your lusts ? Nay, what horrible unthankt'ulness is this ? Christ poured out his soul to death, and we pour out our souls in the w^ays of death. In the 11th verse of Jude's epistle we read, that ' they ran greedily after the error of Balaam.' In the original it is, ' They poured out in the error of Balaam ; ' not as water out of a vessel, drop by drop ; but as water out of a bucket, in abundance. Hearts set upon the world, set upon lusts and pleasures, are expressed by giving themselves to work wickedness. Oh, should not you give up yourselves to Jesus Christ, when he gave out himself for you ? That is an ill requital, to let loose the reins to your vile affections, and to pour out yourselves in sins without restraint.
3. To the people of God. Christ poured out his soul to death, freely and fully offered himself for your sakes : it presseth you to an imitation in your duties and respects towards God and men. Pour out your souls, discharge them fully and freely ; they are both ex- pressed ijy pouring out the soul. In your duty to God : So Hannah is said, 1 Sam. i. 16, to ' pour out her soul before the Lord;' to come
•176 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [ISA. LIII. 12.
freely, and draw out her affections and desires before God. And so for duties to man : Isa. Iviii. 10, ' If tliou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as noonday.' Do both freely.
[1.] Your duties and respect to God. Oh, come and pour out your whole souls ; the willingness of your services is the commendation of them: 'Call the Sabbath a delight,' Isa. Iviii. 13; and 1 Chron. xxviii. 9, ' Thou shalt serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind;' and make prayer your joy and pleasure, your comfort and your solace : Isa. ii. 3, ' Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his Avays.' Let the meditation of God be sweet to )'ou : Ps. civ. 34, ' And I will be glad in the Lord.' See that the thoughts of God are pleasing to you. Bat now, on the contrary, when the Sabbath is a burden, prayer a task, and you cannot wait upon the Lord one hour in hearing or holy meditation ; when the commandments are grievous, meditation irksome, holy company and conference a prison ; oh ! then, I say, con- sider the freeness of Jesus Christ in pouring out his blood for you, and you will find the advantage of pouring out your hearts before God.