THE RIVER OF GOD.* (EZEKIEL XLVII. 1–12.) BY REV. HUBERT BROOKE. THERE are four places in God's Word where we find this river flowing out-the river of the water of life-Gen. ii. 10, Ps. xlvi. 4, Rev. xxii. 1, and here in Ezek. xlvii. Look at Gen. ii. 10, A river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from thence it was parted and became into four heads." There the river is flowing through the garden, and out of the garden to the world beyond. In Ps. xlvi. 4, we read, "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God." In Ezek. xlvii. we have seen the river flowing out of the temple of God, and in Rev. xxii. 1 we see it proceeding out of the throne of God. So we may trace this river from the second chapter of Genesis to the last chapter in the Bible, right up to its secret source, the very throne of God. First you see it flowing through and out of the garden to the world beyond; then you see it making glad the city of God; and because of the living water which springs up within; the secret of all fruitfulness is the river of the water of life. Now you come inside the garden, and there "There is a river the you see the city of God! streams whereof make glad the city of God" (Ps. xlvi). When does the river make glad the city of "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help God? You see the answer in the previous verses, in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." "Joyful in tribulation," in the midst of trouble, because "the Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge." The river of life flows through the city, the Spirit of God dwells in His people. We are the city of God, where He dwells, the Holy here, coming out of the temple within the city. You City, New Jerusalem, and in that city of God the remember the Levitical cities had, every one of them, garden-suburbs, therefore the first thing you would see in coming to them would be the suburbs, then the city itself, then the buildings within the city. So we may trace this river, first flowing through the garden outside the city, then through the city itself, then from the temple within the city, tracing it closer and closer towards its secret source. You cannot see into the temple in the Old Testament, because the veil had not been rent; but in the New Testament we can see within the veil, and there you behold the river flowing from the throne, the mercy seat, within the Holy of Holies (Rev. xxii. 1). Let us look at these four places, and we may learn a different lesson from each of them. The first is the garden of the Lord (Cant. iv. 12), "A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse ;" and the spouse answers, "Blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out." Here we see that the garden of the Lord is the Church of Christ, Those who know anything of Eastern lands will see the reason why there is a garden here. In the East there can be no garden without water; so that the living water flowing through it is the very means that makes it a garden. So that which makes the Church the garden of the Lord is the Holy * Address delivered at the Keswick Convention. The secret of gladness and quiet rest is this-"There is God." But you cannot shut that river up in the a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of midst of the city; if you tried to do it, it would overflow its banks, and there would be a flood. four heads;" you cannot keep it either within "From thence it was parted, and became into the garden or the city. the garden or the city. And God never told us to be filled with the Spirit, in order that we might keep Him there, but that He might flow out in four streams or in four hundred streams. river must flow out wherever we are in peace and joy, just because it is a river. It is within the city, but remember it cannot stop there, it must go out: "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living the river through the garden into the city, you get water" (John vii. 38). Following the course of further and further into the heart of the city, and there you see the temple. "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost"; and again, "Ye are the temple of the living God" (1 Cor. vi. 19; 2 Cor. vi. 16). You do not see anything of the river inside the temple in Ezek. So as you look at this temple of God it sets before xlvii., you only see it flowing out from the temple. you the river of living water flowing out of the Church of Christ. "Go and live it," that is what the temple tells you. What is the purpose for which God fills us? That we may go forth as a temple, from which living waters issue. People need not see inside, but let them see the waters flowing outside. "Ye are the temple of God." Now what does that temple mean? For what purpose is it set up here? That the waters may flow out to the end of the world. This is the purpose of the joy which the Lord gives His people. Now look at this river, and see what God tells us about it. What is it all for? May God keep us from seeking to be filled for the mere purpose of being full, and stopping there; may He teach us that we are to be filled, in order that we may overflow to others, that they too may be filled. In Revelation xxii., we see the waters flowing out from the throne, from the throne of God and the Lamb, to be a blessing to all the ends of the earth; and if we are to carry out and convey blessing to others, the living water must be flowing forth from the throne of God set up in our hearts. Returning now to Ezek. xlvii. and the river flowing from the temple, remember that in the New Testament the Temple is a description of the Lord Jesus Himself, then of His whole Church, and lastly of each believer. It is in the last two applications that we will study the chapter before us, and seek for the Word which it speaks to the Church and to the Christian. We shall find here, not the lesson of John iv. 14, the river springing up; but that of John vii. 37-39, the river flowing out. reached in the past, and say to ourselves, "The tide "He II. Now what is the result to be to the world outside, of this temple of the living God being set in the midst of the world? What is the effect of the river? In verses 6-12 we have God's ideal of what His people should be to the world. You see (ver. 8) that the waters shall flow out, going to "the east country," that is, to rocky hill country-stubborn, hard hearts, as it were;— I. First, then, we notice the kind of progress which the river makes. "Behold there ran out waters" (ver. 2). Here is an idea of eager haste and holy zeal in the Lord's work. The waters are not dropping, or trickling out, but running. Within-"to the desert," that is, to barren, parched souls ; in the secret place—they are running in so fast that they must needs overflow in haste and run out. Then as they run they increase: ankle-deep, knee deep, loin-deep,—and, at last, "waters to swim in; a river that could not be passed over" (vers. 3, 4, 5). We should not rest satisfied with being little blessings. If you are a little blessing to-day, be a bigger blessing to-morrow, and bigger still next year and the following. "We beseech you and exhort you by the Lord Jesus that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more;" "always abounding in the work of the Lord;" "being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." We so often look back at the point we have and "into the sea," that is, to bitter, salt and sour lives; and "being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed." Your words may be words of healing; you shall be health-bearers, because you are Christ-bearers and Spirit-bearers; wherever these waters come, there the waters shall be healed. The men of Jericho said to Elisha (2 Kings ii. 19), "The situation of this city is pleasant, but the water is naught, and the ground barren ;" and Elisha went to the spring and cast salt in ("Ye are the salt of the earth "), and the waters were healed, there was no more thence death or barren land. So, under the figure of this river, to us doth the Lord say, "Where you come, the bitter waters shall be healed, hard hearts melted, parched lives quickened by My == Spirit." Oh, shall we believe that? God has proclaimed it. Then He gives us another figure (ver. 9), "Everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live; " they shall bring life. "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." As you carry out these words, they are to bring life wherever they come. We are What are we to understand by this? What are these fens and marshes? Places that have a certain moisture of their own, and are content with it, not seeking or receiving the living water. Satisfied with stagnant water, that enables them to grows reeds and rushes; but having no trees of fruitfulness to glorify God. Self-satisfied, unwilling to confess that they are barren and dry, refusing the streams of life. Souls that are marshes and fens, no use to God or man, and "they shall not be healed." Marshes and to be, not only bearers of healing, but bearers of fens; just a drop or two of water to make them life for the dead. Never mind past experience. look green, plenty of leaves,-plenty of profession, "Whithersoever the waters come, there shall be life."-but no fruit for the Lord. Oh! let us tell Him God call us to be His witnesses to men, to give them His words, and as they hear, they believe and live. And there shall be increase (ver. 10): “Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many." We cannot help thinking here about the Lord's word to His disciples, "Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." Big fish, and little fish, the Lords wants us to bring in; he tells us to go out bearers of the Spirit of God, and where these waters come there shall be exceeding many fish, where we thought there were none. Oh, if every one of you went out to be a gatherer in of "exceeding many" fish,—that cannot be less than a hundred apiece,-what a gathering in for the Lord would that be! There shall also be beauty, sustenance, and fruitfulness, as well as life-" trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed" (ver. 12). We see a double light here. Christians are the trees that are to grow by this river (Isa. lxi. 3); and Christ Himself is the tree of life, but we are to be as He is "in this world." Therefore it is the Lord's intention that where we go, where we carry these waters, there trees shall grow. What kind of trees? Trees always bearing fruit, trees of beauty, trees for food, trees which bring forth abiding fruit. "I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” But between verses 10 and 12 there is a solemn verse of warning, "The miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed, they shall be given to salt.” * This river went out of the east country, and the barren hills were made fruitful; down to the desert, and it blossomed as the rose; to the sea, and the salt waters were healed; "but the miry places and the marshes shall not be healed." * Salt. The symbolic meaning of salt in this verse will be seen from Ps. cvii. 34 margin, and Zeph. ii. 9, to be "barren. ness and desolation," that we are barren and dry, and let Him come in, and see it all, and make us living and fruitful for His glory! III. And now, what shall we do with this? Here is the purpose for which we are filled, God's ideal of us. It is a humbling thing to have a loving friend's ideal of ourselves put before us, and to know the Lord's ideal of us; the picture the Lord draws how far the reality has come short of it. There is of you and me if we are His temple. Are we like this? We must go out from this Convention either to be like this, or to be something very unlike it. If out of this temple in its fulness,—that is, the flows to the world, every one of you must be either a helper or a hinderer, increasing or impeding, strengthening or stemming the flow. Which shall it be? God has set before us His glorious purpose. How shall we prove it? Only by presenting ourclosing lesson in two verses from Ezek. xliii. 10, 11, selves living sacrifices to the Lord. Will you take a "Show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof, and write it in their sight that they may keep the whole form thereof." Hold up God's ideal of yourself, and be ashamed of your iniquities. "Show the house . . . that they may be ashamed." Oh God, make us ashamed that we have so often impeded, instead of increasing, the flow of this river; make us ashamed of what we have been, ashamed that we have not known and proved the power of Thy word and of Thy Spirit! What then, when He has made us ashamed?" And if they be ashamed show them the form of the house, &c, that they may keep the whole form thereof and all the ordinances thereof and do them." Has He made us ashamed? May He now fulfil the rest of His word; fulfil the promise that He will heal where He has wounded (Deut. xxxii. 39), and make us henceforth channels for rivers of living water, flowing out of the perfect temple of God. Church of Christ-the river of the water of life LOVE'S PRE-EMINENCE. (1 COR. XIII. 13.) BY REV. CHARLES GRAHAM. PHILOSOPHY tells us that the two pillars on which love rests are kindred and resemblance. On this showing it is clear that no man can love God until he is brought into new relationship to God, and until the image of God is restored to him. To love God, we must be born of God, and regenerated by His Holy Spirit. As an affection in exercise toward God, the components of love are esteem and desire. The measure of our love to God will, therefore, be the degree in which we know Him. In Him is all that can draw out the admiration of the holy soul; for in Him is all moral beauty and perfection. Apart from His moral perfections, even toward God Himself, love would be an impossibility. It is His benevolence chiefly which draws out our love. Apart from love even the natural perfections of God could not command our admiration. Power without love would be tyrannous and destructive. Wisdom without love would be a mischievous cunning. A being possessed of infinite knowledge without love would make all others his prey and be the terror of the entire creation. The love of God inspires us with confidence, and makes all His other perfections precious to us, because they are exerted on our behalf. We thus love Him, not only for what He is in Himself, but also for what His love makes Him to us. "I love the Lord," says David, "because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live." LOVE IN RELATION TO MAN. The lowest form of love in relation to man is a love of pity. I exercise pity toward human misery. I exercise it on the ground of sympathy, putting myself in thought in the place of the sufferer. As there is pain in pity, it has been asked why we do not avoid, rather than take pleasure in, listening to a tale of distress, or beholding a spectacle of The answer is simple. Sympathy attracts us to the sorrow, while the pain we experience makes us hasten to relieve it. woe. Mercy is a higher order of love than pity; it does more than compassionate misery, for it pardons offences. I only exercise mercy, where I have it in my power to avenge a wrong. The love of benevolence desires the good of all, and wherever it has the power actively promotes it. In doing good, benevolence finds its highest enjoyment. There is nothing makes us more like to God than the exercise of benevolence. He makes His sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sends His rain upon the just and the unjust. The love of gratitude is the response of the heart to pity, mercy, or benevolence, which have been exercised toward us. In its highest form, and greatest fulness, this love is due to God, from whom we are ever receiving all the benefits which should evoke it. The highest character of love which we can exercise toward any being is the love of approbation. This can only be exercised toward the upright and the good. I may be grateful to a man for favours, whose character or conduct, in other respects, I may not be able to approve. Such a man I can love with a love of gratitude, but not with a love of approbation. On God alone, without diminution or drawback, can our love of approbation rest. In our domestic love the element of kindred is a main factor. The love of kindred is an instinct of our nature, rising up and exerting itself spontaneously. But even as an instinct it is capable of cultivation. It may be either cherished or depressed, developed or held in abeyance. In our earthly associations, there will be, in most instances, a blending and commingling of these different kinds of love. While it may be only to the few we shall need to exercise mercy, the most of all known to us will need our sympathy or pity. And though few may deserve our gratitude, to all we can exercise benevolence. In almost every man we will find something to esteem. Jesus, looking on the young ruler, loved him. And while he preferred the riches of earth to the glories of heaven, Jesus saw in him qualities and endowments which drew out His regard. Thus, too, may we, while hating his sin, find something to admire in the sinner. Sin is the soul's disease; but while I dread and avoid the disease, I may feel much pity for him who labours under it. SOME OF THE FRUITS OF LOVE. It has been truly said that "God is kinder to the worst of men than the best of men deserve." Creation is the proof of His love. He created the universe for the happiness of man. His providence is a great machine, kept in motion for maintaining that happiness. But it is in redemption we see the | drop in the bitter cup of human life. Sympathy perfection of His love. Redemption is not alone to divides the stream, and so weakens the current of bring back man's lost happiness, but to raise him from our sorrows. On the other hand, to impart our joys the ruin of his fall, to a higher standing in Christ than is to augment them. When our lamp ignites that he possessed in the first Adam. By a word Christ of another the mingling rays increase the light. could create; but only by His incarnation and death could He redeem. Fallen and sinful as mankind are, were it not for the natural love which clings to the wreck of humanity our world would become a pandemonium. Were the selfishness, hatred and envy, of the human heart to displace that love, mankind, as savage animals, would devour one another, or stand apart from each other as the hairs of an electrified broom. All the good that is done on earth is done by love. It has built our hospitals and built our churches. It has built our lifeboats to save those perishing in the deep, and our asylums and refuges to rescue those on land from a worse ruin. Love feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, visits the sick and the imprisoned, wipes away the tear of sorrow, and pours balm into the wounded heart. Love is a more powerful conqueror than the sword. "If thine enemy hunger feed him, if he thirst give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head." It is thus God overcomes His enemies; love is the fire by which He melts down their enmity and brings them as suppliants to His feet. It was thus Elisha, without shedding a drop of their blood, overcame the army of Syria, by setting every man down to a feast, and then sending them home in peace to their master. On one occasion the missionary Lacroix was preaching in a chapel in Calcutta, when a Hindu came behind him and with a heavy stick made a blow at his head. The congregation immediately arose and shouted for the police. Mr. Lacroix calmly said, "Let us have no police," and taking the man, and placing him before him, he taught them the Christian doctrine of forgiveness. The effect on the congregation was such that they shouted out aloud, "Victory, victory, to Jesus Christ." "Love is the bond of perfectness." It is the ministering angel in our homes, transforming them, where God is feared and worshipped, into types of heaven. Love makes the father happy in toiling day by day for his children; and love sustains that pale mother as she watches night after night by the couch of her dying babe. Love is the most cordial Love is the life-blood of the mystical body which, ministered by the Spirit from the Head in heaven, unites and builds up all the parts. "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" It is like the dew of heaven upon the field, and like the holy oil of the sanctuary upon the head. When God enjoins upon us the exercise of love to all men, even to our enemies, He is commanding us to do what secures our own happiness. Love is a fountain of joy in our own breast. All those feelings which displace it are so many vultures which devour our peace. If robbers or murderers entered my house, no man could do me a higher service than to expel them. But no robbers or murderers could enter my house so bad as unholy anger, envy, or uncharitableness entering my heart. The former may take my property and kill my body; but the latter rob me of my peace and kill my soul. Love casts them out, and makes the heart the miniature of heaven. "Love makes the music of the blest above, But the highest glory of love is yet to be named; for just as all the rivers which irrigate the earth spring from the ocean and to the ocean return, so "God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God and God in him." THE SUPERIORITY OF LOVE. "Now abideth faith, hope, love." The gifts of prophetic inspiration and speaking with tongues, that is, speaking in languages which we have not learned, have disappeared; but the graces of faith, hope and love abide with all believers, and the greatest of these is love. To prove the superiority of love is an easy task. Love is the foundation of all the moral perfections of God, for "God is love." We cannot speak of God, believing, though we can speak of Him as knowing. Faith rests on testimony. It is the persuasion of the mind arising from the knowledge of others, not our own knowledge. All things are known to God; and He needs no testimony from His creatures. Hope is the expectation of a future |