with him, and exhausted all its virtue". Not a human being shall fail of obtaining all he needs, if only he apply the remedy in faith : " The fountain is opened for sin, and for unclean- nessP: and its powers are yet as eiTectual as on the day that David washed in it^, or the murderers of the Lord of glory sprinkled its waters upon their souls ^ It will even give hfe to the dead. When a dead man was cast into the sepulchre of Elisha, the very instant his body touched the bones of the prophet, he revived, and stood upon his feet^ And shall not these waters, sprinkled on the soul, produce a like effect? Has not our blessed Lord himself affirmed, " I am the Resur- rection, and the Life : he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die*?" Let it not be thought that the Gospel has lost one atom of its power : for though men be in a state so desperate, that, as in Ezekiel's vision, their bones are reduced to dust, and scattered over the face of the earth, yet shall they " rise a great army," as soon as ever the Word and Spirit of God shall be applied with power to their souls". That, however, of which our text more particularly speaks, is,]
V. Its efficacy to " gladden the whole city of God" — [In two respects does it contribute to the happiness of every citizen of Zion ; namely, hy the defence it affords, and by the refreshment it administers. Common rivers, if they afford protection against those who have no means of crossing them, give, in many instances, a greater facihty of assault, either by means of large fleets, which transport an enemy with ease to any point he may choose to attack; or by smaller vessels, whereby he may come suddenly and unperceived, and disembark upon its very banks. But this river admits not of access by any such means. Hear the account given of it by the Prophet Isaiah : " Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities ; (the city spoken of in our text :) thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down ; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken: for there the glorious Lord will be unto ws a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby''." We may conceive of a river which, by its shoals and cataracts, bids defiance to vessels of any kind ; and such is that which encompasses our Zion, and keeps it from every assault. At the same time it supplies the wants of the besieged in rich abundance. From the moment that any one tastes its refreshing streams, " he thirsts no more :" he has
° John V. 7. P Zech, xiii. 1. i Ps. li. 7.
r Acts ii. 41. s 2 Kings xiii. 21. * John xi. 25, 26.
" Ezek. xxxvii, 1 — 10. ^ Isai. xxxiii. 20, 21.