As  it  is  Jesus'  revelation  of  the  truth  which  is  vir-
tually the  inception  of  eternal  life ;  so  is  it  only  by  a
birth  from  above  by  water  and  the  Spirit  that  one
can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  3  5.  Revelation,
spirit  and  life,  are  expressly  brought  into  connection
with  one  another  in  the  saying  of  Jesus:  *'  It  is  the
Spirit  that  maketh  alive;  the  words  that  I  have
spoken  unto  you  are  spirit,  and  are  life"  663.  Ac-
cording to  S.  John's  conception  of  the  Spirit's  work,


I/O  THE   LIFE   MANIFESTED

Christian  baptism  must  be  viewed  as  an  '^  illumina-
tion ;  "  —  as  it  was  also  called  in  the  early  Church,
after  the  analogy  of  the  gentile  mysteries.
The  association  of  the  Spirit  with  the  gift  of  life,
is  very  subtly  intimated  in  S.  John's  Gospel  under
the  Old  Testament  symbolism  of  water.  S.  John's
explanation  of  one  of  Christ's  sayings  as  referring  to
the  Spirit  who  ''was  not  yet,"  739, — justifies  us  in
seeing  this  reference  in  other  sayings  of  the  same
character.  This  interpretation  of  Jesus'  words  as  a
prophecy  of  the  Spirit,  is  connected  directly  with  the
saying,  **  He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  Scripture
hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living
water"  738.  And  S.  John's  interpretation  is  justified
by  Is.  44  3,  which  was  probably  the  Scripture  Jesus
had  in  mind,  and  which  expresses  the  pouring  out  of
the  Spirit  under  the  image  of  a  pouring  out  of  water
upon  a  thirsty  land.  It  was  however  directly  from
Jesus  that  thirsty  souls  were  called  upon  to  drink  7  37.
