A plain and familiar exposition of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of the…A plaine and familiar exposition of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of the…

Reasons. 1 First, the same God which hath appointed food and water to nourish the body, and by the virtue thereof to sustain the natural life, hath also ordained grace and understanding to refresh the soul, and by the efficacy of that to maintain the spiritual life, so that the latter is no less expedient and beneficial than the former.

Reasons. 1 First, the same God which hath appointed food and water to nourish the bodie, and by the vertue thereof to sustaine the naturall life, hath also ordained grace and vnderstanding to refresh the soule, and by the efficacie of that to maintaine the spirituall life, so that the latter is no lesse expedient and beneficiall than the former.

Secondly, this water of life that is in the soul, doth by many degrees surmount the material water that is to be found in the fountains. That issueth out of the ground, and cometh from the bowels of the earth: and this descendeth from heaven, and is derived from the Son of God. That is communicated to all sorts of creatures; the worst partake of it as well as the best, and the beasts as much as any men: but this is peculiar to Gods own people, and no man can have any portion of it beside the elect. That is not every where to be had, for some places be destitute of it, and some seasons do cause it to fail, as it came to pass in the days of Ahab: but this accompanieth the owner whithersoever he goeth, and wheresoever he is; and no drought can possibly dry it up. That hath no force to preserve life against violence, or mortal diseases, or fullness of old age: but this hath power to protect the soul against all assaults, and suffereth not any malady to kill it, and maketh it the more fresh and lively, by the greater multitude of years that it liveth.

Secondly, this water of life that is in the soule, doth by many degrees surmount the materiall water that is to bee found in the fountaines. That issueth out of the ground, and commeth from the bowels of the earth: and this descendeth from heauen, and is deriued from the sonne of God. That is communicated to all sorts of creatures; the worst partake of it as well as the best, and the beasts as much as any men: but this is peculiar to Gods owne people, and no man can haue any portion of it beside the elect. That is not euery where to be had, for some places be destitute of it, and some seasons do cause it to faile, as it came to passe in the daies of Ahab: but this accompanieth the owner whithersoeuer hee goeth, and wheresoeuer he is; and no drought can possibly drie it vp. That hath no force to preserue life against violence, or mortall diseases, or fulnesse of old age: but this hath power to protect the soule against all assaults, and suffereth not any maladie to kill it, and maketh it the more fresh and liuely, by the greater multitude of yeeres that it liueth.