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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A30213 The water of life, or, A discourse shewing the richness and glory of the grace and spirit of the gospel, as set forth in Scripture by this term, The water of life by John Bunyan. Bunyan, John, 1628-1688. 1688 (1688) Wing B5607; ESTC R633 41,387 126

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Water of Life but I shall proceed no further upon this but will come to that which remains Secondly As this River of Water of Life is said to be PURE so 't is said to be clear He shewed me a pure River of Water of Life CLEAR This term has also its particular signification and therefore ought to be heeded 1. Clear is set in opposition to dark therefore some are said to be clear as the Sun. And again The Light shall not be clear nor dark In both these places CLEAR is to be taken for light day-light Sun-light for indeed it is never day nor Sun-shine with the Soul until the streams of this River of Water of Life come gliding to our doors into our Houses into our Hearts Hence the beginning of Conversion is called Illumination yea the coming of this River of Water of Life unto us is called the day-spring from on high thorow the tender Mercy of our God. 'T is also called the dawning of the day And hence again these men unto whom this River of Water of life comes not are said to be dark darkness Ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord. Wherefore this Water is like Jonathan's honey it hath a faculty to open the Eyes to make them that sit in darkness see a great light The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light the Spirit that enlighteneth and giveth the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This River casteth Beams where it goes like the Beams of the Sun it shines it casts out Rays of Glory unto those that drink thereof The streams of this Grace were they that overtook Saul when he was going to Damascus they were the Waters of this Flood that compassed him round about And if you will believe him he faith this Light from Heaven was a great light a light above the brightness of the Sun a light that did by the glory of it make dark to him all the things in the World. 2. Clear is set in opposition to that which is not pleasing For to be clear is to be pleasant Hence 't is said truly the Light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the Eyes to behold the clear Sun. I read of Rivers that looked red as blood that stank like the blood of a dead man but this is no such River I read of Rivers whose streams are like streams of Brimstone fiery streams streams of burning Pitch but this is none of them There is a River besides all these clear and pleasant The streams whereof shall 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 These be the streams where the Doves wash their Eyes and by which they solace themselves and take great content These streams are instead as I said 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 body of the Sun and of the Moon and of the Stars and the very body of Heaven so he 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 3. Clear is set in opposition to dirty Water and muddiness I read of some Waters that are fouled with the Feet of Beasts and with the feet of Men yea and deep Waters too Yea saith God to some ye have drunken of the deep Waters And have fouled the residue with your feet and again As for my Flock they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet These Waters are Doctrines contained in the Text muddied and dirtied by the false glosses and sluttish opinions of erroneous Judgments of which the poor Sheep have been made to drink And verily this is apparent enough by the very colour and hue of those poor Souls for tho the truth of God was in them yet the very stain of Tradition and Superstition might be also seen in their Scales For as the Fish of the River receive by being there the changeable colours of the Waters so Professors what Doctrine they hear and drink do look like that If their Doctrines are muddy their Notions are muddy if their Doctrines are bloody their Notions and Tempers are bloody but if their Doctrines are clear so are their Notions for their Doctrine has given them a clear understanding of things Now here we have a River of Water of Life that is clear clear without dirt and mud Clear without the humane Inventions and muddy Conceptions of unsanctified and uninstructed Judgments yea here you have a River the streams whereof lie open to all in the Church so that they need not those instruments of Conveyance that are foul and that use to make Water stink if they receive it to bring it to them that have need 4. By clear we sometimes understand purgation or that a thing has purged it self or is purged from those Soils and Imputations of evil wherewith sometimes they have been charged Then shalt thou be CLEAR from this thy Oath or how shall we clear our selves Something of this sence may be in the Text for if men are not afraid to charge God with folly which is intimated by That thou mightest be clear when thou art Judged will they think you be afraid to impute evil to his word and Grace and Spirit no verily they are bold enough at this work Nay more than this even from the Foundation of the World men have cast slanders upon and imputed base things unto the blessed Grace of the Gospel But not to look so far back Paul was one of the Pipes thorow which God conveyed this Grace to the World and what was he counted for his so doing but a pestilent fellow and a mover of Sedition throughout the whole World But behold no imputation can stick on the Grace of God not stick long for that like Honey will purge it self of what Filth is put into it and of all bad imputations of evil men Springs and Rivers are of a self-purging quality Now here we have to do with a River a River of Water of Life but a River more slandered then ever did Naman the Syrian slander the Waters of Israel in preferring those of Abana and Pharpar Rivers of Damascus beyond them But behold now at last when all the World have done what they can