THE WATER OF LIFE; OR, A DISCOURSE SHOWING THE RICHNESS AND GLORY OF THE GRACE AND SPIRIT OF THE GOSPEL. BY JOHN BUNYAN. WITH PREFACE BY C. H. SPURGEON "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."-Rev. xxii. 17. LONDON: Printed for the Pastor's College by PASSMORE & ALABASTER, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1868. 100. W. 28. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER. COURTEOUS READER, I have now presented thee with something of a discourse of the water of life and its virtues; therefore thou mayest, if thou wilt, call this book, Bunyan's Bill of his Master's Water of Life. True, I have not set forth at large the excellent nature and quality thereof, nor can that so be done by the pen or tongue of men or angels. Yet this I have said, and so saying, said truly, that whosoever shall drink of this water, shall find it in him a well of water; and not only so, but a well springing up in him to everlasting life, let his disease be what it will. And as men in their bills, for conviction to readers, do give an account to the country of the persons cured, and the diseases that have been removed by liquors and preparations they have made for that end, so could I, were it not already (by Holy Writ) done by an infallible pen to my hand, give you accounts of numberless numbers that have not only been made to live, but to live for ever, by drinking of this water, this pure water of life. Many of them indeed are removed from hence, and live where they cannot be spoken with as yet; but abundance of them do still remain here, and have their abode yet with men. Only, if thou wouldst drink it, drink it by itself, and that thou mayest not be deceived by that which iv EPISTLE TO THE READER. is counterfeit, know it as it comes from the hand of our Lord, without mixture, pure and clear as crystal. I know there are many mountebanks in the world, and every one of them pretend they have this water to sell. But my advice is, that thou go directly to the throne thyself (Heb. iv. 16), or as thou art bidden, come to the waters (Isaiah lv. 1), and there thou shalt be sure to have that which is right and good, and that which will certainly make thee well, let thy disease, or trouble, or pain, or malady, be what it will. For the price, care not for that, it is cheap enough, this is to be had without money or price. "I will give," saith God and the Lamb, "unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." (Rev. xxi. 6.) Hence he says again, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. xxii. 17.) So that thou hast no ground to keep back because of thy poverty; nay, for the poor it is prepared and set open, to the poor it is offered, the poor and needy may have it of free cost. (Isaiah xli. 17, 18.) But let it not be slighted because it is offered to thee upon terms so full, so free. For thou art sick, and sick unto death, if thou drinkest not of it; nor is there any other than this that can heal thee, and make thee well. Farewell. The Lord be thy physician. So prays thy friend, JOHN BUNYAN. PREFACE. T was once superstitiously believed, by certain among the Papists, that the dis John tribution of the works of departed holy men would increase their glory in heaven: our aim in reprinting this work is higher and far more likely to be gained, for we seek only the glory of the Lord Jesus. May the Lord answer the prayer with which we send forth these pages from the press, and make them useful in spreading abroad the savour of Immanuel's name. Bunyan, a man whose shoe latchet few were worthy to unloose, a humble believer in Jesus, wrote the present treatise during the last year of his life, when he was on the confines of the New Jerusalem. The reader will find that his thoughts are matured by age, and yet they are expressed with all the vivacity of youth. Quaint in metaphor and plain in language, this is a true work of the Bedford Bishop and Tinker, and of none but he. He was unrivalled as a Boanerges, and could wield the thunderbolt most effectively, as many of his arousing and alarming works prove beyond all dispute; |