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3. It is defcribed from the quickening virtue of it it is a pure river of water of LIFE. This river of water is the living Spirit of God; the Spirit of life, that quickens whom he will: he hath life in himfelf, and by him dead fouls are quickened, and made to live for ever. All earthly elementary waters have a beginning; but this river, the Spirit of God, is from everlasting to everlafting, without beginning, and without end.-Other rivers are fed by fprings and fountains; but this river of the Spirit is himfelf the fountain of living waters, as well as a river. This river proceeds from God, and yet the river is God himfelf; "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are One." Though God hath provided a channel of ordinances to convey fome of the water of this river to us, for quickening and refrefhing us; yet the river cannot be circumfcribed or limited as it is in itfelf. O let dead fouls conceive hope of life! here is the living and life-giving Spirit of God, to give the life of grace, the life of peace and pardon, the life of holiness and fanctification, the life of joy and confolation, the life of communion and fellow fhip with God, which are all the beginning and commencement of everlasting life, as I have already fhewed.

4. This river of water is defcribed from the brightnefs, fplendor, and glory of it: it is CLEAR as cryftal. This, I think, may point out both the pleasure and perfpicuity of the river. What a pleasant river is the Spirit, in the everlafting emanation and flow of his influences and comforts! How fweetly do the redeemed drink of this river of pleasure, Pfalm xxxvi. 8. "In the prefence of God there is fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore," Pfalm xvi. 11. And what a perspicuous river is that of the Spirit, clear as cryftal? The Spirit as a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of Chrift, makes clear difcoveries as a cryftal glass, or a cryftaline tranfparent river. It is by the Spirit we behold, as in a glafs, the glory of the Lord, 2 Cor. iii. 18. It is the Spirit that glorifieth Chrift, by fhewing the things of Chrift; he giveth clear difcoveries of the glory of Chrift, and the glory of God's perfe&tions in him.

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The Spirit of life is the Spirit of light, that giveth the fiducial vifion here, and the beatifical vifion hereafter.

III. The next thing propofed was, To fhew what may be imported in this river being faid to proceed out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

1. It imports, that God and the Lamb have but one and the fame throne, from whence the river of the Spirit, and all fpiritual bleffings do proceed. Here are good news to us this day, when we are to commemorate the fufferings of the Lamb of God; that, as the Lamb that was flain upon the crofs is now fitting. upon the throne, fo that God and the Lamb have not two thrones, but one and the fame throne. The throne of God is the throne of the Lamb, and the throne of the Lamb is the throne of God, Rev. iii. 21. "I am fet down with my Father in his throne." He is the Lamb in the midst of the throne of God: but of this I have formerly treated.

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2. It imports, that God and the Lamb have but one and the fame Spirit. The river proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of the Lamb; and the Spirit of the Lamb is the Spirit of God. Happy they that have the Spirit of Chrift in them, for the spirit of Chrift, is the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of both, of the Father and of the Son? "All things that the Father hath, are mine," fays Chrift, John xvi. 15. And particularly, the Father's Spirit is the Son's; hence it is faid, Gal. iv. 6. "Because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." This river proceeds not out of the throne of God, or the Father's throne only; but out of the throne of the Lan b alfo, the Son's throne. The Spirit of life, for quickening dead fouls into everlasting life, proceeds not out of the throne of God as an abfolute God, but as a God in Chrift; and therefore is faid to proceed out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

3. It imports, that the fulnefs of the Godhead, that is in Chrift, is a communicative fulness; and hence the river is faid to iffue from the throne of God and of the

Lamb.

SER. XCVIII. Lamb. The everlafting fpring of the river is within the throne of God, where the Lamb fits: and the Lamb is anointed with the Spirit above measure; for the Father giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him,” John iii. 34. And this ocean of divine fulness that is in him is not fhut up within the throne, but proceeds like a river out of it, that we, out of his fulness, may receive and grace for grace, John i. 16. This communication is free, as free as the run of a stream out of a fpring. And as the river proceeds freely out of the throne, fo we may as freely come and drink of the water of life, that runs out towards us. But again it imports,

4. That the giving out of the Spirit, and of all spiritual bleffings, is a part of the royalty of Christ, and the fruit of his mounting the throne of heaven after he had finished his work upon earth and hence, "When he afcended up on high, leading captivity captive, he received gifts for men, even for the rebellious," Pfalm Ixviii. 18. The giving out of the Spirit in the most plentiful manner, was deferred till the Lamb that was flain fhould be in the midft of the throne. It is faid, John vii. 39. "The Holy Ghoft was not yet given, becaufe that Jefus was not yet glorified;" but, whenever he is glorified, then the river, in a plentiful manner, was to proceed out of the throne of God and of the Lamb: "If I go not away, the Comforter will not come: but if I depart, I will fend him unto you." Whenever I am glorified upon the throne, then I will fhew the river of the water of life proceeding out of the throne. The giving then of the Spirit of life, is a part of the Mediator's royalty. Chrift, as a King, hath the giving of the Spirit; this belongs to his adminiftration, as the Lamb now upon the throne: hence fays Chrift, John xiv. 26. "The Father will fend him in my name," even in my name and authority, as the crowned King of Zion; and, John xvi. 7. "I will fend him." Thus God and the Lamb agree from the imperial throne, to fend from thence the river, the Spirit of life, as an evidence of the Mediator's exaltation, and of his glorious kingdom and royalty. Our Lord Jefus Chrift fways his fceptre of grace, and erects and maintains his kingdom, by

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fending his Spirit. The Lamb was facrificed to purchafe eternal redemption, and is enthroned to give the Spirit; and, O but the Spirit is a royal blefling! As Chrift is a Prieft upon the throne, fo thefe that fhare of his Spirit are a royal priesthood; and, having the Spirit, they are kings and priefts to their God. Let us wait this day about the throne for this glorious fruit and effect of his royal bounty.

IV. The Fourth thing propofed was, To enquire into the reafons, or whence it is that this river of life, for quickening dead fouls to everlasting life, proceeds out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb.

1. It is to fhew, that as the grace of God towards finners is reigning grace, enthroned grace; fo it reigns thro' the righteoufnefs of Chrift to eternal life, Rom. V. 21. And that no life, no fpiritual life, by the word and Spirit of God, is to be expected, but as it runs in this channel. No life by the law or covenant of works is now to be expected. God and Adam are now feparate; and the channel of the communication of life, or of living waters, by his covenant with the firft Adam, is quite cut off: but, behold, God and the Lamb are joined together in an everlafting covenant, and fit together on an heavenly throne. The fulnefs of the Godhead is gone in to the fecond Adam, the fulness of the Spirit of life is given to the Lamb above measure, John iii. 34. And now the Lamb, being the Lord our righteousness, is exalted to the Father's throne; a throne enriched with the river of life. Grace reigns on that throne, through the righteousness of Chrift, to the communication of all the bleffings of everlasting life. Mercy vents through the blood of Chrift, through the blood of the Lamb, once hanging upon the crofs, and now reigning upon the throne.

2. This river of life is difcovered as proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, to fhew the diftinct œconomy of the glorious Trinity in this business of our redemption, and of the eternal falvation of loft finners. God the Father, the firft perfon in the order of fubfiftence, fits upon the throne of his fovereign.

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grace; God the Son, the Lamb that was the purchaser of life on the crofs, is made the adminiftrator thereof upon the throne; God the Holy Ghoft, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is the great Applier, bringing home the bleflings, purchased to all the redeemed in a perpetual egrefs and flow of divine communications and hence all the ftore of divine things and bleffings, that the Spirit communicates, are faid to be the things of God the Father, and Chrift the Son, difcovered and difpenfed by the Holy Ghost; "He fhall glorify me, for he fhall receive of mine and fhew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are

mine; therefore faid I, He fhall take of mine and shew it unto you," John xvi. 14, 15. And hence alfo believers are faid to receive the Spirit which is of God, that they may know the things that are freely given them of God, 1 Cor. ii. 21.Thus we fee the diftinct œconomy of each perfon of the glorious Trinity in this matter, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, one God in three perfons; and how we are equally indebted to each of them for the benefit of redemption.

3. This river of life is difcovered as proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, to fhew the effential unity and glorious harmony of the ever blessed Trinity, notwithstanding of their perfonal diftin&tion; according to John v. 7. "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft; and these three are one." And this effential unity or natural onenefs is, I think, pointed out in our text, where the throne being called the throne of God, and of the Lamb, declares what Chrift himself declared, Jhn x. 30. "I and my Father are one.?? And if the Spirit were not the fountain of living water, equally and effentially one with the Father and the Son, how could he proceed like a river out of the throne of God and of the Lamb? So that, as in this clear glafs of the gofpel we fee the distinct economy of the glorious Trinity, in the work of redemption, and their perfonal diftinction, fo we may fee their effential unity or natural oneness: Thefe three are one God, the fame in fubftance, equal in power and glory." And in the fame

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