"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." Rev. 22: 1.
This "water of life" is the Spirit and grace of God, and the spirit
of life. Zech. 12: 10; John 4: 10, 11, 14; 7: 37-39; Rev. 11: 11.
A throne is the seat of justice: "Justice and judgment are the
habitation of thy throne." Psal. 89: 14. And it is also from justice
that this river of grace flows to us: justice to Christ, and justice
to those that are found in him. Rom. 3: 24. God declares that he can
justly justify, justly forgive: now, if he can justly justify and
justly forgive, then can he give grace and cause that it should
proceed to, yea, flow after us as a river. But whence must this
come? the text says, from the throne--from the throne, the seat of
justice; for from thence, by reason of what He hath found in Christ
for us, he in a way of righteousness and justice lets out to us
rivers of his pleasures, whoso original is that great and wide sea
of mercy that flows in his infinite heart beyond thought.
There is a river, clear and pleasant, the streams whereof make glad
the city of God.
These are the waters that the doves love to sit by, because by the
clearness of these streams they can see their pretty selves as in a
glass. Song 5: 12.
These he the streams where the doves wash their eyes, and by which
they solace themselves and take great content. These streams are
instead of a looking-glass; their clearness presents us with an
opportunity of seeing our own features.
As in fair waters a man may see the hody of the sun, and of the
moon, and of the stars, and the very body of heaven; so ho that
stands upon the bank of this river, and that washeth his eyes with
this water, may see the Son of God, the stars of God, the glory of
God, and the habitation that God has prepared for his people. And
are not these pleasant sights? Is not this excellent water? Has not
this river pleasant streams?
Some men fly from the "river of the water of life," as from a bear;
arid some are afraid to drink of it, for fear it should he poison
unto them. Some again, dare not take it, because it is not mixed,
and as they, poor souls, imagine, qualified and made toothsome by a
little of that which is called the wisdom of this world. Thus one
shucks, another shrinks, and another will none of God. Meanwhile,
whoso shall please to look into this river, shall find it harmless
and clear; yea, offering itself to the consciences of all men to
make trial if it be not the only chief good, the only necessary
waters, the only profitable for the health of the soul, of all the
things that are in the world, and as clear of mischief as is the sun
of spots.
In old times the ancients had their habitations by the rivers; yea,
we read of Aroer, that stood upon the brink of the river Arnon.
Balaam also had his dwelling in his city Pethor, by the river of the
land of the children of his people. O, by the river side is the
pleasantest dwelling in the world; and of all rivers, the river of
the water of life is the best. They that dwell there shall not
hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat or sun smite them; for he
that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by springs of water
shall he guide them. Isa. 49: 10; Psal. 1: 3; Jer. 17: 8.
Trees planted by the rivers, and that spread out their roots by the
rivers, they are the flourishing trees, they bring forth their fruit
in their season. And the promise is, that men that take up their
dwellings by this river of water of life, shall be fruitful as such
trees.
If thou be a Christian, thou hast more than an ordinary call and
occasion to abide by these waters; thy things will not grow but by
these waters. Weeds, and the excellences of most men, we may find in
the barren wilderness; they grow under every hedge, Jer. 31: 12; but
thine are garden, and so choice, things, and will not thrive without
much water; no, not without the water of God's river. Isa. 21: 1-3.
Dwell therefore here, that thy soul may be as a watered garden.
By the characters that are given of this water of life, thou art
capacitated to judge, when a notion, a doctrine, an opinion comes to
thy ears, whether it is right good and wholesome, or how. This river
is pure, is clear, is pure and clear as crystal. Is the doctrine
offered unto thee so? or is it muddy and mixed with the doctrines of
men? Look, man, and see if the foot of the worshippers of Bel
[Footnote: Story of Bel and the dragon in the Apychrypha.] be not
there; and if the waters be not fouled thereby. What water is fouled
is not the water of life, or at least, not the water of life in its
clearness. Wherefore, if thou findest it not right, go up higher to
the spring-head; for always the nearer to the spring, the more pure
and clear is the water. Fetch then thy doctrine from afar, if thou
canst not have it good nearer hand. Job 36: 3. Thy life lies at
stake; the counterfeit of things is dangerous; every body that is
aware, is afraid thereof. Now a counterfeit here is most dangerous,
is most destructive; wherefore take heed how you hear what you hear;
for, as men say of the fish, by your color it will be seen what
waters you swim in. Wherefore look you well to yourselves.
The grace of God is called a river, to show that it is only suited
to those who are capable of living therein. Water, though it is that
which every creature desireth, yet is not an element in which every
creature can live. Who is it that would not have the benefit of
grace, of a throne of grace? But who is it that can live by grace?
even none but those whose temper and constitution is suited to
grace. Hence, as the grace of God is compared to a river, so those
that live by grace are compared to fish; for that, as water is that
element in which the fish liveth, so grace is that which is the life
of the saint. "And there shall be a very great multitude of fish,
because these waters shall come thither; for they shall he healed,
and every thing shall live whither the river cometh." Ezek. 47: 9.
Art thou a fish, man--art thou a fish? canst thou live in the water?
canst thou live always, and nowhere else hut in the water? is grace
thy proper element? The fish dieth if she be taken out of the water,
unless she be timely put in again; the saint dieth if he be not in
this river. Take him from his river, and nothing can make him live;
let him have water, water of life enough, and nothing can make him
die.
I know that there are some things besides fish that can make a shift
to live in the water; but the water is not their proper, their only
proper element. The frog can live in the water, but not in the water
only; the otter can live in the water, hut not in the water only.
Give some men grace and the world, grace and sin--admit them to make
use of their lusts for pleasure, and of grace to remove their guilt,
and they will make a pretty good shift, as we say; they will finely
scrabble on in a profession. But hold them to grace only, confine
their life to grace, put them into the river and let them have
nothing hut river, and they die; the word, and way, and nature of
grace, is to them as light bread, and their soul can do no other but
loathe it, for they are not suited and tempered for that element.