And ho shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. xxi. 1).

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (Rev. xxi. 2).

We must recognize in this exposition the unchangeable law of Bible interpretation, that is the uniformity of Scripture metaphors in the Old and New Testaments. If readers of the Bible would get a few general principles fixed in their minds they would be able to understand the Scriptures with a felicity not dreamed of. One thing is the uniformity of a metaphor the Holy Ghost employs in one part of the Bible to represent a certain divine truth. It will be found to mean the same thing all through the Scriptures, although written by different writers; there is no change in their meaning, and as the City of God is the identical city referred to in the Old and New Testaments — means the same — so wherever this river is referred to in the Old or New Testaments it is the identical same river, some times mentioned by one, sometimes by another writer. The language is almost alike, the figure always the same, so that we can recognize it.

There is only one river mentioned from Genesis to Revelation. The first chapters of Genesis contain the genus of everything taught in the Bible, and they are simply elaborated all through, and come out in their effulgence in this last Book. The first metaphor of Jesus is a lamb, and the first of the Holy Ghost is a dove; and so this "river of life" is revealed in the Book of Genesis; its waters break out there and ripple on through the light and dark ages.

Water is emblematic of two things in the Bible: (1) of the Word of God, and (2) of the Holy Ghost; but even in this the Bible never makes a blunder. These lines of Revelation are drawn with the accuracy of geometry. When used to represent the Word of God, it is in the shape of "rain," and the "hoar-frost," it is water in drops; but when used as a type of the Holy Ghost it is water flowing in a stream or current, so that when ever you find the metaphor used, get the key to it, and you can unlock it all. "God's word shall come as rain," etc., "I will pour out water," etc., "Except a man be born of water," etc., not physical water — that is born of the Truth and the Blood. The only two things in regeneration are the Word of God — the Truth — and the Holy Ghost, so this river is the Holy Ghost; we find it in Eden " one river with four heads." It is the same river poured out on this world, poured out from four points.

Four is the figure of humanity. It was revealed to Moses, when he smote the rock. It was an emblem of Jesus being smitten. So when Jesus was smitten the stream of the Holy Ghost flowed out. It is described in the first Psalm, and elaborately described in the vision of Ezekiel. It is explained by the Lord Jesus. Some might think it was not a type of the Holy Ghost, but Jesus has settled that. "If any man thirst," etc., He is the " Rock," and " if he drink."

Drink is a metaphor used all through the Bible for faith. If you understand physiology, and understand how. the breathing valve opens and closes, now, the act of drinking is a perfect figure; now, " he that drinketh, i. e. believeth, out of him shall flow rivers of waters." They who should believe should receive the Holy Ghost, and so to St. John, in Revelation, this same stream bubbles out in the last chapter in the Book; " he showed me a pure river of water of life; " so that the Holy Ghost, according to the interpretation of Jesus, is the " pure river of life."

Now John saw this river as " clear as crystal." This perfect transparency of the river is described as in no other place of the Bible. Others describe its broadness, etc.; but here it is perfectly crystal, clear as glass. There are several springs in Florida that correspond with this description; they are literally clear as glass. At the bottom of one of these streams you can see the sulphur deposited on a nail, the tall waving grass; and you can see the water bubbling up eighty feet deep. You can see large type at the bottom of it.

This illustrates the "crystal river," perfectly free from impurities, no dross, no mud, no earth, no disease, no mixed dregs of the earth, it is free from all corruption, error, mistake, conflict, darkness; it is the river of the Holy Ghost, absolutely pure and transparent.

This river, John says, "comes out from the throne of God and the Lamb." The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. Jesus said that the Holy Ghost came from the Father, and then he said, "I will send the Holy Ghost upon you," so that all the Creeds have taught that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. This river " comes from the throne of God and the Lamb."

The river that Ezekiel saw was the same, with this difference: Ezekiel said he saw it springing up from the right side of the altar — the altar is where the lambs were slain, — and right from under the altar where sacrificial blood poured out. We learn from this that the Holy Ghost comes from the death of Jesus. If He had not died, we never could have had the Holy Ghost. He comes from the bleeding Jesus, so we receive the Holy Ghost from the atonement of Jesus, from the altar where He shed His blood.

But Jesus is not only a bleeding Lamb, He is a Saviour. He not only died on the cross, He lives on the throne. The Holy Ghost not only begins to come out from the death of Jesus, but He continues to flow out on the Church from the resurrection and intercession of Jesus. He will always be poured out on the Church. He will always come from the throne of God and the Lamb.

Now, when the world comes to an end the atonement will cease, His death and atonement are for this world. When it ends they will cease; the death and blood of Jesus will have accomplished their mission. But the throne of God goes on forever; so, as a sinner in this world, you get the Holy Ghost from the altar " where flows the blood "; and when you go to heaven, you will receive Him from the Sovereign of the throne and of God.

In this world we live under the mediatorial reign of Christ, in heaven under the sovereignty of Christ. We are now living under a special economy of dying — of a bleeding Lamb; when we get to heaven that will be bound up, but the Holy Ghost will be received then in the eternal sovereignty of the throne of God.

We are now living under the covenant of a bleeding Lamb, but then we will pass up to the eternal covenant of God and His Son. Yet the bleeding Lamb will always be King, and we will praise Him forever. The mediatorial kingdom will be wound up, and God will be all in all.

Whatever applies to Jesus Christ, iii the Bible, applies in a modified sense to all His followers. " No Scripture is of private — or solitary — interpretation; " that is, not for just one person. There are many Scriptures that referred to David, that apply to Jesus, and there are many things applied to Jesus that can be applied to others.

Now, this river flows from the Lamb of God, but when His kingdom is established in you, you have a throne of God and of the Lamb in you, — " the kingdom of God is within you." Now, if Jesus establishes the throne of God and the Lamb in you, out of you shall flow this same identical river; "out of his inner most parts shall flow rivers of water "; out of you, a pure, crystal stream of the Holy Ghost upon a dying, thirsty world! And the same Scripture that refers to Jesus, refers to you; and the same Script ure that refers to the Church in heaven, refers to the Church on earth. We don't have to die; we are to come to God now, and have that throne set up, from that throne we are to receive that river and have it flow to others.

The "tree of life" is never put in the plural number; here is a tree of life on either side, how can you imagine a tree oil both sides of the river? It is one. St. Paul makes the same distinction, and in the seven "overcomeths" we see by the remarks on the Tree, that Jesus was that tree. Now this tree, which is Jesus, is made to flourish and grow wonderfully on the banks of this river. Jesus Christ the immortal Tree, without the Holy Ghost, is a " root out of a dry ground "; that is, the old Jews did not have the Holy Ghost; they rejected Jesus. If you reject the Holy Ghost, Jesus is as dry as a stone; but to people who have the Holy Ghost, that same Jesus is made to flourish and grow and bear fruit, so that River makes Jesus to be the " tree of life " in your soul!

If you plant a tree by a river it will grow; so, as long as you have that river of the Holy Ghost, He will always keep Jesus fresh to your heart, but when you don't have the Holy Ghost, Jesus will wither as an old tree, so, to have a precious, beautiful Saviour, is to have Him made so by the Holy Ghost. He makes Christ to be fruitful in us; He takes the life, and mind, and love and sympathy and compassion of Jesus, and reveals him unto us.

Many do not know the adorable sweetness of Jesus until they receive this river; then the Jesus nature blossoms, and it is a perennial life, made so by the river of the Holy Ghost. Now this " tree of life " — Jesus life — bares " twelve manner of fruits," — the fruit of the Spirit; it is the fruit of the Christ-life brought out by the Spirit.

In the "City of God " there are twelve foundations, — the twelve doctrines of God's Word. Now, as there are twelve cardinal doctrines in the Word of God, so each of these bare their appropriate fruit. There were twelve tribes. The high priest was compelled to wear on his garment bells and pomegranates. It is sup posed there were twelve bells and twelve pomegranates, one for each tribe. The bells tinkled, typical of testimony, and the pomegranates represented fruitfulness.

There are more seeds in one pomegranate than in any fruit of its size in the world. Now as there were twelve pomegranates to represent the fruitfulness of the Christ-life in the world, so here are the twelve fruits, "twelve manner of fruit;" that means all the kinds of fruit of the Christ-life. Another peculiarity: the word "fruit" is never used in the plural about the Christ-life in the Bible; and so here this tree bare " twelve manner of fruit," showing a unity in the Spirit. It is one tree, one river, one fruit! Twelve kinds of fruit, yet the fruit is a product of that river. So we, in the Holy Ghost, are to bare all the fruits of the Christ-life.

Paul says he wants us to be fruitful in every good word and work, on the material side and on the spiritual side, so we shall not be lop-sided Christians; but the one great fruit is to have twelve great manifestations.

Some are fruitful on the helpful side. They will help with money, etc., but not in having souls converted. There are those who will enter into the "hallelujah" part of salvation, that will not do their part in matters of charity. There are some who will sponge on others, and I have known men who would almost break up a camp-meeting with their hallelujahs, and yet they were too stingy to buy their own provisions!

So there is a great deal of lop-sidedness in the Church of God. The Holy Ghost wants to make us all bare all fruit. In order to do as much as we can the spirit of it must be in us. We are to have in us all branches of the Spirit.

The Holy Ghost does not allow us to ignore anything good in this world, for everything good in this world is a unit. Nature, in expression, is always in agreement with itself. Here is only one fruit; "it yielded its fruit every month." This is the twelve again, — the governmental number. It is perpetual, we are not left to death-bed conversion, or death-bed sanctification; there is, wherever this river flows, a constant perpetuity of life.

"And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." This verse refers to this world. When we get to heaven where will be the sick or sinful! And the nations in hell are beyond all possibility of being saved; and yet here are the sick nations to be healed by the leaves of this Tree. Every tree has two parts, the leaf and the fruit; for, technically, the bark and leaf are the same. Now, all the medicines of this world are composed from the bark and leaves. There are two parts to the salvation of God, the healing and feeding side.

There are two works of the Holy Ghost. There is a great work to be done by the Jesus life. We are to be saved from our sins, and then our depravity. Do you know that sick people do not want to eat; they want bark and leaves, — medicine — the medicinal side of salvation; so this blessed river of life flowing through the Church of God, and through individual hearts, it gives us food for the healthy, and medicine for the sick ones; so we go through life eating the fruit our selves, and giving the bark to those who are sick and need salvation.

The eating side qualifies us for heaven, and the medicine side qualifies us to be ministers to poor souls needing salvation. So many in the Church to-day are living on bark and leaves! You preach a sermon on deep spiritual joy, and about half a dozen will feed on it; the great majority are living on medicine. But when we get in our souls the "tree of life," and the "river of life," we have the food and medicine, both; for, when you are purged by the medicine, then you are well, and you can eat the fruit.

But the world is too sickly, they want medical healing, they want to know how to get converted. The great mass have bruises and sores, and are easily wounded; so that the Hebrew says that the leaf is for the healing of sores and bruises, for the which they cannot enjoy the delicious fruit of this tree. They need the medicinal side of salvation,

Now, how do we get this river? We get it by going to the throne. First, we come to the altar, where flows the blood, and simply believe; and out of our inmost parts shall flow the streams of this river, and when we are transported to the upper country, this same tree and fruit (for it is on either side), these Scriptures will be fulfilled on a much larger scale. The beginning takes place now, but the perpetuity up there.

Come, and get this river of love. Oh, how it will make the "tree of life" grow!