it is said to be in the midst of the street of the city, and on either side of the river; thus, in three places at one and the same time. No created object can be present in more than one place at one time: and this shews that the tree is omnipresent. What is omnipresent is uncreated and self-existent: thus Deity—the Lord of heaven and earth! He alone is the Omnipresent One; and we now discover that the Tree of Life is indeed everywhere!
The fruit of this Life-tree are all the affections of love, truth, and wisdom, which are the twelve fruits, given for the healing of the nations; given to amend the heart, to enlighten the eyes, and to raise us from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. Who, then, is the happy man to eat of the Tree of Life? The answer is ready, "He that overcometh." What is to be overcome? By the spirit and power of the Lord, which is never withheld from us, we are to overcome all our propensities to evil, to sin of all kinds, and then to love mercy, and to walk humbly with the Lord: then shall the celestial fruits of love and charity, those rich fruits of the life-giving tree, be daily tasted; our understandings, blooming with mental excellencies, shall become the paradise of God; in the midst of which the Lord, as the Tree of Life, will be present to feed us with that which is good.
