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I. THE PROCLAMATION OF MERCY.

1. The blessings offered.

(1) "Waters." Men need cleansing and refreshing. The word is "waters," not water. Some waters are good for domestic purposes only, others for medicinal purposes, and others again for purposes of cleansing. Thus, the water that may be suitable for one purpose may be unsuitable for other purposes. Not so the blessings of the Gospel; not so Christ, who is the Gospel. He meets all the needs of the soul. He pleases the imagination, satisfies the affections, calms the conscience, purifies the heart.

(2) "Wine." Christ is like wine, in that He gladdens the heart. He is unlike wine in this — while we may have too much wine, we can never have too much of Christ.

(3) "Milk." Milk is nourishing food; milk is natural food. A taste for milk is possibly the only taste we have by nature. All our other likings are more or less acquired. But, we refuse Christ, because what we popularly can a state of nature, is not a state of nature. To live naturally we must feed naturally. He only, so lives who feeds on Christ.

2. The terms propounded.

(1) We must "thirst" for Christ. We shall be blessed as soon as we wish to be. We are welcome to Christ when He is welcome to us.

(2) We must come to Christ.

II. THE GLORIOUS RESULTS which accrue from compliance with these conditions. Men are invited to buy, etc., so, of those who comply it may be said —

1. They "buy" soul-food, i.e. they appropriate as verily their own the blessings purchased by Christ.

2. They "eat," i.e. they have experimental knowledge of Christianity.

3. Their soul "delights itself in fatness." The more of Christ men have, the more they desire

III. THE LORD'S GRACIOUS EXPOSTULATION. It is an appeal to their reason and their experience. God knows what man is, and what he feels. It is as if God had said: "I know your case entirely; you are toiling for happiness and toiling in vain, and you know it. You are always pursuing some ideal good, with which, when you get it, you are satiated. Why go on thus, when peace and rest may be had? The argument used by God teaches that sin is —

1. Costly. "Wherefore do ye spend money, etc. Sin is costly." —

(1)  A pecuniary sense.

(2)  A mental sense.

(3)  A moral sense.

(4)  A spiritual sense. It costs money, health, mental quiet, character, heaven.

2. Laborious.

(1)  Men labour to accomplish their evil purposes.

(2)  Men labour to conceal their evil deeds, etc.

3. Unsatisfying.

(J. S. Swan.)

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KJV: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

WEB: "Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.