Works of John Bunyan: THE HOLY CITY; OR, THE NEW JERUSALEM:1151

 

[FIFTH. THE PROVISION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE CITY, BY WHICH IT CONTINUETH IN LIFE, EASE, PEACE, TRANQUILITY, AND SWEETNESS FOR EVER.]

'Proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.' In that this water of life is said to proceed not only out of the throne of God, but also of the Lamb, it signifieth and holdeth forth unto us two special things:

First. That the throne of God is also made the throne of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon which he, as a reward of his sufferings and victory over sin, Satan, and all evils, is set down, and upon which he sits and rules as Lord and Chief of all worlds. He is set down on the right hand of power, on the right hand of the Majesty on high; as he saith, 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne' (Rev 3:21). This being thus, it signifieth that this city shall have her enjoyments of life, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, by virtue of the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as by the virtue of his priestly and prophetical office. 

The church doth in our days know a little what joy, peace, and life is to be enjoyed from Christ, even through that dark and glimmering sight that she hath of the offices of Christ in a mist; but she feels not yet what joy she shall have, and what peace she shall enjoy when her Lord, in all his offices, is manifest before her, and when he in the glory of them doth reign in the midst of this Jerusalem. There are none of the offices of the Lord Jesus yet upon the throne in his church on earth, though they be all upon the throne in heaven. O! but the day is coming that they shall be all upon the throne in the church on earth; when they shall, each of them in its full length, breadth, height, and depth, bear sway among his people, and before all men. 'Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously' (Isa 24:23).

'O that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence!' (Isa 64:1). O that the day were come that the smoke should go forth of the temple of God, that men might enter into it, and there meet with God upon the throne, and with Jesus in him upon the throne in all his offices! It will be thus, thou Zion, shortly, 'and great shall be the peace of thy children' (Isa 54:13).

[Second.] The second thing observable is, that as all grace comes from out of the throne of God, so it also proceeds or comes out of the throne of the Lamb; that is, no grace comes to any but through the victory and conquest of the Lord Christ. We are 'justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus' (Rom 3:24). And again, 'We have redemption through his blood,' even 'the forgiveness of' our 'sins, according to the riches of his grace' (Eph 1:7). By which we may gather that when these things come to be in their own purity among us-that is, when grace runs clear without the dirt and mud of the traditions of men commixed therewith-then will all that hold up false and erroneous opinions be washed away. 

For this river will not only wash away the sins and filthiness of those that are truly gracious; but it will also destroy the heretic and erroneous person; it will be to them at that day as the Red Sea was to the Egyptians of old; which sea, though it was a wall on this hand and on that to the children of Israel, yet it destroyed the Egyptians that assayed to go through it as Israel did (Heb 11:29). The reason also why we are at this day in such confusion in matters of religion, it is for want of the clear and pure streams of this river of water of life; all which will be mended when there is but one river to water this city, and that too the pure river of the water of life, in all its streams as clear as crystal; then shall all drink in all things into one Spirit, and be watered with the same dews of heaven.

Thus much of the water of life that belongeth to this Jerusalem.

[Its food the tree of life.]

Ver. 2. And 'in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bear twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.' This tree of life is the Lord Jesus Christ; and that he is here called a tree, rather than by other of his names, it is to show us how fruitful and exceeding advantageous he in all his benefits will be to the inhabitants of this city. This is that tree under whose branches the fowls of heaven shall now most safely lodge, and find relief from the hot and fainting beams of the persecuting sun of this world, as the Word doth there inform us (Matt 13:31,32).

[The situation of this tree in the midst of the city.] Now before I come to speak to this tree, touching the manner of its fruit, and its often bearing, with the efficaciousness of its leaves, which here he saith doth heal the nations; I will take notice of one or two general things that lie before me, from the standing of the tree in the midst of the street of this city.

First then, in that he saith this city hath a tree of life in it, he alludes to the garden of Eden, the pleasant paradise that God began the world withal; whereby he signifieth that as the world began with a paradise, so also it shall end with a paradise, when sin and Satan have done their worst. This New Jerusalem shall be the wind up of the world, and in it shall stand the tree of life, as well as there stood one in the goodly garden, which was the beginning thereof. In which paradise there shall be not tree of knowledge, or the law of works, to bear sway, and to cause that the sons of God shall be thrust out thence for their eating of its forbidden fruits; no, the tree of life alone shall here bear sway and rule, whose fruit is only healthful, and the leaves thereof for medicine.

Works of John Bunyan: THE HOLY CITY; OR, THE NEW JERUSALEM:1150

 

[FIFTH. THE PROVISION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE CITY, BY WHICH IT CONTINUETH IN LIFE, EASE, PEACE, TRANQUILITY, AND SWEETNESS FOR EVER.]

First. Touching to whom, or whither it goes, it is let out both to the Jews and Gentiles indifferently; and so it never yet was since the foundations of the Jewish church; for in the time of the Old Testament it did run to the Jews in special, and in the time of the New Testament, hitherto, unto us the Gentiles in special. O! but now it shall in this manner be extended to sinners no longer; not now to the Jews without the Gentiles, nor again to them without the Jews, but equally and alike to both, and on them both it shall work alike effectually. 'It shall be in that day,' saith the prophet, 'that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea' (Zech 14:8). 

By 'living waters' here, you are to understand the same with this in the text; by 'the former sea,' the people of the Jews, for they were God's former people; and by 'hinder sea,' the people of the Gentiles, for they are the younger son. And because the whole world consisteth of these two people, therefore Ezekiel in his vision puts them both together, calling them the fish of one great sea, to which this water of life shall run, and upon whose fish it shall have a like operation, even to heal them, and make them live, without respect either to this or that party. 'It shall come to pass that the fishers,' that is, the gospel ministers, 'shall stand upon it,' the rivers, 'from En-gedi even to En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many' (Eze 47:10). As another prophet saith, 'The abundance of the sea shall be converted to thee' (Isa 60:5). Thus much touching whither this water goes.

[Second.] And now to come to the manner of the extension of it, in the way of its proceeding. A thing that proceeds, it doth what it doth gradually, that is, by degrees. First, it comes or goes so far, and then further, and afterwards further than that, till at last it ascends to the height and uppermost degree that is allotted for its perfection. All which the Holy Ghost would have us gather out of this word, 'it proceedeth,' or that John saw this holy water 'proceeding.' The which the prophet Ezekiel in a mystery unfoldeth to us, saying, the first time he passed over this water it was up but to his ankles; the second time he passed through, it proceeded to his knees; the third time, to his loins; and last of all, became a river to swim in (Eze 47:1-3).

1. It is but up to the ankles, that is, but shallow; and signifies that, first, the soul is but a little child in God's things, such as the apostle calls babes, children, 'little children' (1 John 2:12).

2. Then from the ankles it proceeds to the knees, that is, somewhat higher than the ankles; and signifieth that the Christian groweth from a child to a young and strong man, one that is now gotten deeper into the things of God, and that is able to tug with and overcome the wicked ones (1 John 2:13).

3. After this it proceeds higher, even up to the loins; this signifies that as grace makes men children of God, and his young men, so also it maketh them fathers and ancients in his church; it makes them grave, knowing, solid guides, and unfolders of the mysteries of the kingdom; these are such as are instructed into the kingdom of God, and that can bring out of their treasury things new and old.

4. It yet proceeds higher, even to be above the head, a river to swim in, and that such a river as can by no means be passed over. This signifieth our launching into eternity; our being beyond all heights, depths, lengths, and breadths in the open vision and enjoyments of grace. 'For there the glorious Lord shall be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ships pass thereby' (Isa 33:21). Thus we begin children, and wade up to the ankles in the things of God; and being once in, it riseth and proceeds to come up to our knees, then to our loins, and last of all to be a river to swim in; a river so wide, so deep, and every way so large, that it can in no wise be passed over.

[Whence and from whom this water comes.]

'And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb.' Having thus spoken to the water what it is, as also to whom it extends itself, and how it proceeds, he now comes to show us from whence and from whom it doth come. It proceeds, saith he, 'from the throne of God and of the Lamb.' Out of the throne of God; this throne of God, it is, in another place, called the mercy-seat, and throne of grace, from which, as always, so now in a special manner he will issue forth of himself in the glory of the gospel of the grace of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of this city (Exo 25:22; Heb 4:16). When he saith, therefore, that it doth proceed out of the throne of God, it is as if he had said, I saw that from the yearning bowels of the great God did flow continually the living streams of the everlasting fountains of grace, and that not only to, but in the midst of this city, wherewith her inhabitants are continually watered, and their pastures kept always green and flourishing. 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters' (Isa 55:1).