Book II. THE HOLY SPIRIT COMPARED To A RIVER 499 -that bear Record iil Heave;z, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft ; and thefo 'Three are One, 1 John v. 7· 'The Spirit of the Lord bath made me, &c. 'Job xxxiii. 4-· The Spirit knoweth all Things, fheweth us Things to come, is the Object of Divine Worfhip.; the Sin againft the Spirit can never be forgiven. From all whtch Inftances, .it is evident that the Spirit is God. See the Metaphor Light, Book Ill. M E T A P H 0 R. D I S 1' i\ R I T Y. I!I. Other Rivers are fubjeet to III. This River, the Spirit, never dccayeth; decay, do not always run with the it bath as much \\later in it"' ever it had; it is fame Stmwth; a dry Summer as broad, .s deep, and as full now as it was at makes aba~ment of its 'Waters; the Beginning, though many ThoufJmls have ·many Rivers have been quite dried taken plentifully of it. No Drought can abate its oup: God threatened t he Egyptians, cryftal Streams ; it is infi nite in itfdf. Though that he would deal fo with the RiGod hath provided a Channel of Ordinances, to ver Nile, !fa. xi. 15. <:on vey force of its W .::ers to his Chuicn, yet it 1V. The Waters of mtural Ri– -vers only cleanfe and wafh the .Body from external Filthinefs. V. Other Rivers may grow mud– dy, foul and unf.wory, the Water .not good, nor wholefome to drink of. VI. Other Rivers may be locked 'Up, or turned another way; it is poflible to turn the Channel and Courfe thereof. Many Rivers have been made to forfakc their anci– .ent Currents. This goodly River, which feeds Londmt, may be locked up, and turned another way by an Enemy. VU. Other Rivers mav be fro– zen up; though running Streams do not freeze fo foon as ftand ing Waters, yet fornetimes they freeze alfo. VIII. Other Rivers breed noxi– ~us Creatures of ilrange and diffe– rent ~alicies, Creatures that will eat and devour one another. cannot be cir<:umfcribed nor limited, as it is ia itfelf. IV. The vVatet' of this Hiver cleanfeth the Soul and Confcience; itwafheth away all fpiritual or internal Pollution and Uncleannefs• V. This fpiritua l River can never be fouled, nor made mLJddy, nor be unf::wory; iris beyond the Power of Men or Devils, to corrupt the Spi– rit of God. VI. The River of the Spirit cannot be divert– ed, or forced to leave its Channel. It is impof– fible to lock it up, or turn its Courfe. How call Men of finite Being,, obl\ruCl: the infinite God in his Way and Manner of Working? Whither jhall I go from thy Spirit? Pfal. xiii. 97· I wilt work, and who Jhalt let it ? VII. This River can never be frozen. The bleakdl Wind, the 01arpeft A ir, the coldrft Sea– fan, cannot change it. Thefe Divine Waters run as freely in the cold Winter, as in the Heat of .Summer; th("'y are of a very warming and com– forting Quality. VIII. This lpiritual River bringeth forth only Creatures of a harmlec' Q,rality. All Believers, fo far as they are regenerated, are the Produftion or Oft:fpring of the Spirir, and are of the f.1me holy, heavenly, mercifui,'and harinlefs Difpofition. XI. The Length, Breadth, and IX. This River is of great Dimenlion: Who D epth of other Hivers may be by fearching can find out God to Perfection? His meafured, and are of a fmall DiLength, Breadth, and Depth, are paft findino- out. .menlion comparatively. The Spirit is incomprehenfible, an immenf; and in finite Being. Thcfe Waters are like thofe fpoken of by the Prophet: Afterwards he nuPjured a thoufand Cubits, and it was a River that I could not pafs over, for the Waters ·were rife~~, Waters to fwim in, a River that 110 Man could pafs over, Ezek. xlvii. 5· N F E R E N C E ~ I. WE may perceive from hence the Excellency and Neceflity of the Holy Spirit: H e is much more ufeful and necdfary to the Church, than Rivers of Wa– ters are to the World: For our Hearts are naturally dry and parched, like the Heath in the Wildernefs, and it is the Spirit that moifteneth them ; our Hearts are hard, and .the Spirit mollifieth them; they are naturally filthy, and he wafheth and cleanfeth them; yea, our Hearts are barren, and the Waters of this River make t.he'm fruitful. 11. It
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