Chapter XX.
The river flowing from the Throne of God is a figure of
the Holy Spirit, but by the waters spoken of by David the powers of
heaven are intended. The kingdom of God is the work of the
Spirit; and it is no matter for wonder if He reigns in this together
with the Son, since St. Paul promises that we too shall reign with the
Son.
153. this, again, is not a trivial matter that we read that a river goes forth from the throne of God. For you read the words of the Evangelist John to this purport: “And He showed me a river of living water, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof, and on either side, was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of all nations.”
154. This is certainly the River proceeding
from the throne of God, that is, the Holy Spirit, Whom he drinks who
believes in Christ, as He Himself says: “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as saith the Scripture, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spoke He of the Spirit.” Therefore the river is the Spirit.
155. This, then, is in the throne of God, for the
water washes not the throne of God. Then, whatever you may
understand by that water, David said not that it was above the throne
of God, but above the heavens,
for it is written: “Let the
waters which are above the heavens praise the Name of the
Lord.” Let
them praise, he says, not let it praise. For if he
had intended us to understand the element of water, he would certainly
have said, Let it praise, but by using the plural he intended the
Powers to be understood.
156. And what wonder is it if the Holy
Spirit is in the throne of God, since the kingdom of God itself is the
work of the Holy Spirit, as it is written: “For the kingdom
of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit.” And when
the Saviour Himself says, “Every kingdom divided against itself
shall be destroyed,” by adding
afterwards, “But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out devils, without doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you,” He shows that the kingdom of God is held undivided by Himself and by the Spirit.
157. But what is more foolish than for any
one to deny that the Holy Spirit reigns together with Christ when the
Apostle says that even we shall reign together with Christ in the
kingdom of Christ: “If we are dead with Him, we shall also
live with Him; if we endure, we shall also reign with
Him.” But we
by adoption, He by power; we by grace, He by nature.
158. The Holy Spirit, therefore, shares in the
kingdom with the Father and the Son, and He is of one nature with Them, of one Lordship, and also of one power.