A30213:64
The water of life, or, A discourse showing the richness and glory of the…The water of life, or, A discourse shewing the richness and glory of the…
The water of life, or, A discourse showing 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.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.
London: printed for Nathanael Ponder, 1688
Title page typeset from the transcription.
OF THE River of Water OF LIFE.OF THE River of VVater OF LIFE.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
I know that there are some things besides Fish, that can make a shift to live in the water; but the Water is not their proper, their only proper Element. The Frog can live in the Water, but not in the Water only; ⟨p. 26⟩the Otter can live in the Water, but not in the Water only. Give some Men Grace and the World, Grace and Sin; admit them to make use of their Lusts for Pleasure, and of Grace to remove their Guilt, and they will make a pretty good shift, as we say: They will finely scrabble on in a Profession; but hold them to Grace only, confine their Life to Grace, put them into the River, and let them have nothing but River, and they die; the word, and way, and nature of Grace, is to them as light Bread, and their Soul can do no other but loath it; for they are not suited and tempered for that Element. They are Fish; not Frogs, that can live in the River, as in their only proper Element: Wherefore the Grace of God, and Spirit of Grace is compared to a River, to show, that none but those can live thereby, whose Souls and Spirits are suited and fitted thereto.
I know that there are some things besides Fish, that can make a shift to live in the water; but the Water is not their proper, their only proper Element. The Frog can live in the Water, but not in the Water only; ⟨p. 26⟩the Otter can live in the Water, but not in the Water only. Give some Men Grace and the World, Grace and Sin; admit them to make use of their Lusts for Pleasure, and of Grace to remove their Guilt, and they will make a pretty good shift, as we say: They will finely scrabble on in a Profession; but hold them to Grace only, confine their Life to Grace, put them into the River, and let them have nothing but River, and they die; the word, and way, and nature of Grace, is to them as light Bread, and their Soul can do no other but loath it; for they are not suited and tempred for that Element. They are Fish; not Frogs, that can live in the River, as in their only proper Element: Wherefore the Grace of God, and Spirit of Grace is compared to a River, to shew, that none but those can live thereby, whose Souls and Spirits are suited and fitted thereto.