any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not,
because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the
night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him." This beautiful
and striking parable, showing the benefit of knowledge and the
disadvantage of ignorance, lights the sinner's way for his first step
toward the Lord. Knowledge, which is light from the Lord through his
Word, is the very first thing every one must receive. The sinner first
receives the clay and the spittle applied to his blind eyes. He does
not get his sight from this application. When he hears the Gospel with
something of a desire to have his eyes opened he is receiving this
anointing of his eyes. He must go to the pool of Siloam and wash
before he can have sight. This washing in the pool is the first step
in that humble spirit of obedience by which the understanding is
cleared up and prepared to know the Lord. When any sinner gets this
far the Lord is sure to find him and whisper in his heart: "Dost thou
believe on the Son of God?" Every true penitent sinner, with his eyes
open, will answer in heart: "Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on
him?" Then the joyful response will be whispered again: "Thou hast
both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee." The Lord meets
the returning sinner in his blessed Word, and there he shows himself
to him, and there he talks with him.

Water, in many places in the Old as well as the New Testament, is the
emblem or symbol of Divine Truth. I need not say that without water
man cannot live. His body is largely composed of water. It is
consequently essential as a beverage; and as an ablution,
indispensable to cleanliness. Reading and hearing the Word of Divine
Truth from a real thirst or desire to know the truth, is what is
spiritually symbolized by drinking water. This may be proved by what
the Lord said to the Samaritan woman: "He that drinketh of the water
that I shall give him, shall never thirst; for it shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life." By the expression,
"never thirst," Jesus does not mean that there will never be any
further inclination to drink the water of life, but he means that
there will in that soul never be any more perishing, dying thirst, for
the water of life will be like a spring in the heart that will flow on
forever from the Lord. It will be the rock in the wilderness that
supplied the camp of Israel with water, and that Rock is Christ.

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