'Dead Sea' from its resemblance to a
human being who is constantly taking in God's gifts, and giving
nothing out in any visible way. If you will look at a map of Palestine
you will there see that the river Jordan is constantly pouring its
flood of fresh water into this sea; but with all this influx of fresh
water this sea is so full of all manner of impurities that even fish
cannot live in it, and no waterfowls, I am told, are ever seen on its
shores. Truly it deserves to be called 'Dead Sea.' It has no outlet;
no refreshing stream ever flows from its bosom.

"But, Brethren, if we are truly alive in the Lord we will be like the
garden of Eden that sent out a river to water the garden, whence it
was parted and became four heads, and each head was a river. Does not
all this throw some light on what our Lord meant in what he said to
the woman, 'It shalt be in him a well of water, springing up into
everlasting life;' and this: 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water?' There is nothing like a dead sea here. All, all is life
from the Lord. But water is beautiful. Who does not admire a clear,
flowing spring or river! In this respect water is an emblem of the
Lord's Word. Can any one read the Scriptures, and not be struck with
their beauty? Take, for an example, the story of creation. Even
children see its beauty and love it. Take the last two chapters of
Revelation. Who can read them without perceiving in them a beauty that
is all divine? The Bible opens in beauty and closes in beauty.

"And now, dear Brethren, whilst my subject has only been touched a
little, I will close by briefly directing your minds and hearts to the
river that John saw in vision, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the
throne of God and of the Lamb. I believe this river to be a symbol of
God's love and truth. It proceeded from the throne of God. Now,
'heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool.'

"You know the Lord said to the Pharisees: 'The baptism of John, was it
from heaven, or of men?' They would not answer. But we can answer. It
was from heaven. It was performed in the beauty and clearness of the
truth that the Lord Jesus brought from heaven. It proceeded from the
throne of God. What a high origin our baptism has! It is from heaven.
And the immersion of our bodies three times in water symbolizes, in a
way more impressive than anything else ever could, that we have
implicit faith in the love, wisdom and power of the divine T