Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A30213
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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.
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Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing B5607; ESTC R633
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41,387
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126
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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 And whosoever will let him take the Water of Life freely Revel 22. 17. LONDON Printed for Nathanael Ponder at the Peacock in the Poultrey 1688. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER Courteous Reader I Have now presented thee with something of a Discourse of the Water of Life and its Virtues therefore thou mayest if thou wilt call this Book Bunyan ' s Bill of his Masters Water of Life True I have not set forth at Large the Excellent Nature and Quality thereof nor can that SO be done by the Pen or Tongue of Men or Angels Yet this I have said and so saying said truly That whosoever shall drink of this Water shall find it in him a Well of Water and not only so but a Well springing up in him to Everlasting Life let his Disease be what it will. And as Men in their Bills for Conviction to Readers do give an Account to the Countrey of the Persons cured and the Diseases that have been removed by Liquors and Preparations they have made for that end so could I were it not already done by an Infallible Pen to my Hand give you accounts of numberless Numbers that have not only been made to live but to live for ever by drinking of this Water this pure Water of Life Many of them indeed are removed from hence and live where they cannot be spoken with as yet but abundance of them do still remain here and have their abode yet with Men. Only if thou would'st drink it drink it by it self and that thou mayest not be deceived by that which is counterfeit know it is as it comes from the hand of our Lord without mixture pure and clear as Crystal I know there are many Mountebanks in the World and every of them pretend they have this Water to sell. But my Advice is that thou go directly to the Throne thy self or as thou art bidden come to the Waters and there thou shalt be sure to have that which is right and good and that which will certainly make thee well let thy Disease or Trouble or Pain or Malady be what it will. For the Price care not for that 't is cheap enough this is to be had without Money or Price I will give saith God and the Lamb to him that is a thirst of the Fountain of the Water of Life freely Hence be says again Whosoever will let him take the Water of Life freely so that thou hast no Ground to keep back because of thy Poverty Nay for the Poor 't is prepared and set open to the Poor it is offered the Poor and Needy may have it of free cost But let it not be slighted because it is offered to thee upon terms so full so free For thou art sick and sick unto Death if thou drinkest not of it nor is there any other than this that can heal thee and make thee well Farewel The Lord be thy Physician So prayes thy Friend John Bunyan OF THE River of VVater OF LIFE Revel 22. 1. And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. THese words are part of that Description that one of the Seven Angels which had the Seven Viols full of the Seven last Plagues gave unto John of the new Jerusalem or of the state of that Gospel Church that shall be in the latter days Wherefore he saith and shewed me HE the Angel shewed me it In the Text we have these things to consider of I. the Matter the Subject matter of the Text and that is The water of Life He shewed me the water of Life II. We have also here the quantity of this Water shewed to him and that is under the notion of a River He shewed me a River of water of Life III. He shews him also the Head or Well-Spring from whence this River of water of Life proceeds and that is The Throne of God and of the Lamb. He shewed me a River of water of Life proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. IV. We have also here the nature and quality of this Water 't is pure 't is clear 't is clear as Crystal And he shewed me a pure River of water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. We will begin with the first of these to wit with the matter the Subject matter of the Text which is The water of Life These words Water of Life are Metaphorical or words by which a thing most excellent is presented to and amplified before our faces And that thing is the Spirit of Grace the Spirit and Grace of God. And the words Water of Life are words most apt to present it to us by for what 's more free than Water and what more beneficial and more desirable than Life Therefore I say it is compared to or called the Water of Life He shewed me the Water of Life That it is the Spirit of Grace or the Spirit and Grace of God that is here intended Consider First The Spirit of Grace is in other places compared to Water And Secondly It is also called The Spirit of Life Just as here it is presented unto us He shewed me the Water of Life 1. The Spirit of Grace is compared to Water Whosoever saith the Lamb drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst But the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of Water springing up into Everlasting Life What can here by Water be intended but the Spirit of Grace that this poor Harlot the Woman of Samaria wanted altho she was ignorant of her want as also of the excellency thereof which Water also is here said to be such as will spring up in them that have it as a Well into Everlasting Life Again in the last day that great Day of the Feast Jesus stood and cryed saying If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink But of what why of his Rivers of Living Waters But what are they why he answers This he spake of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive Yea the Prophets and Servants of God in the Old-Testament did take this Water of Life for the Spirit of Grace that should in the latter days be poured out into the Church Hence Isaiah calls Water Gods Spirit and Blessing and Zechariah the Spirit of Grace I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed and my Blessing upon thy Off-spring And Zecharias saith I will pour upon the House of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication and they shall
mourn c. Behold in all these places the Spirit of Grace is intended and for our better understanding it is compared to Water to a Well of Water to Springs of Water and to Floods of Water 2. It is also called the Spirit of Life 1. More closely 2. More openly First more closely where it is called Living Water that Living Water and Water springing up to Everlasting Life Secondly Then more openly or expresly it is called the Spirit of Life And after three days and an half The Spirit of Life from God entered into them and they stood upon their Feet From hence therefore I conclude that by these terms Water of Life is meant the Spirit of Grace or the Spirit and Grace of the Gospel And the terms are such as are most apt to set forth the Spirit and Grace of the Gospel by For First By this term WATER an opposition to Sin is presented unto us Sin is compared to Water to deadly Waters and man is said to drink it as one that drinketh waters How much more abominable and filthy is man which drinketh iniquity like water So then that Grace and the Spirit of Grace is compared to Water it is to shew what an Antidote Grace is against Sin it is as I may call it Counter-Poison to it It is that only thing by the virtue of which Sin can be forgiven vanquished and overcome Secondly By this term WATER you have an opposition also to the Curse that is due to Sin presented unto you The Curse is compared to Water the Remedy is compared to Water Let the Curse come into the Bowels of the damned saith the Psalmist like water The Grace of God also as you see is compared to Water The Curse is burning Water is cooling the Curse doth burn with Hell-Fire cooling is by the Grace of the Holy Gospel but they that over-stand the Day of Grace shall not obtain to cool their Tongues so much of this Water as will hang on the tip of ones Finger Thirdly Water is also of a spreadieg nature and so is Sin wherefore Sin may for this be also compared to Water It over-spreads the whole Man and infects every Member it covereth all as doth Water Grace for this cause may be also compared to Water for that it is of a spreading nature and can if God will cover the face of the whole Earth of Body and Soul. Fourthly Sin is of a fouling defiling Nature and Grace is of a washing cleansing Nature therefore Grace and the Spirit of Grace is compared to Water I will says God sprinkle clean Water upon you my Spirit ver 27. and ye shall be clean and from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you Fifthly Water The Element of Water naturally descends to and abides in low Places in Valleys and Places which are undermost and the Grace of God and the Spirit of Grace is of that Nature also the Hills and lofty Mountains have not the Rivers runing over the tops of them no tho they may run among them but they run among the Valleys And God resisteth the Proud but giveth Grace to the humble to the lowly Sixthly The Grace of God is compared to Water for that it is it which causeth fruitfulness Water causes fruitfulness want of Water is the cause of barrenness and this is the reason why the whole World is so empty of Fruit to God-ward even because so few of the Children of Men have the Spirit of Grace in their hearts But Secondly As there is a special signification in this term Water so there is also in this term Life Water of Life He shewed me the Water of Life In that therefore there is added to this word Water that of Life it is in the general to shew what excellent vertue and operation there is in this Water It is aqua vitae Water of Life or Water that hath a Health and Life in it And this term shews us First That the World of graceless Men are dead dead in Trespasses and Sins Dead that is without Life and Motion God-ward in the way of the Testament of his Son. Secondly It also shews us That there is not any thing in the World or in the Doctrin of the World the Law that can make them live Life is only in this Water Death is in all other things The Law I say which is that that would if any thing in the whole World give Life unto the World but that yet killeth condemneth and was added that the Offence might abound wherefore there is no Life either in the World or in the Doctrine of the World 'T is only in this Water in this Grace of God which is here called the Water of Life or God's aqua vitae Thirdly It is also called the Water of Life to shew That by the Grace of God Men may live how dead soever their Sins have made them When God will say to a Sinner live tho he be dead in his Sins he shall live When thou wast in thy Blood I said unto thee live yea when thou wast in thy Blood I said live And again The Dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live That is when he speaks Words of Grace and mixeth those Words with the Spirit and Grace of the Gospel then Men shall live for such Words so attended and such Words only are Spirit and Life The Words that I speak unto you saith Christ they are Spirit and they are Life Fourthly In that this Grace of God is here presented unto us under the Terms of Water of Life it is to shew that some are sick of that Disease that nothing can cure but that There are many Diseases in the World and there are also Remedies for those Diseases but there is a Disease that nothing will can or shall cure but a Dram of this Bottle a Draught of this aqua vitae this Water of Life This is intimated by the invitation let him take the Water of Life freely And again I will give to him that is a thirst of the Fountain of the Water of Life freely This is spoken to the Sick to them that are sick of that Disease that only Christ as a Physician with his Water of Life can cure But few are sick of this Disease but few know what it is to be made sick of this Disease There is nothing can make sick of this Disease but the Law and Sin and nothing can cure but the Grace of God by the Gospel called here the Water of Life We come now to discourse of the second thing with which we are presented by the Text and that is The quantity that there is of this Water of Life It is a River He shewed me a River of Water of Life Waters that are Cordial and that have in them a Faculty to give Life to them that want it and to maintain