It may now be asked, “How is an evil man to become good?” No question of deeper interest can ever be asked.  No answer of deeper importance can ever be given.  The Lord direct me in this.  Relying on his Word, I answer, that the very first step in the direction of this change is to respond to the invitation given in my text:  “Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.”  Jesus says to Nicodemus:  “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” To be born of water is to drink of the water of life—­the TRUTH of God’s Word—­by hearing it, by loving it, by believing it, by obeying it, until it makes a new man out of him,—­a new man in the image of Christ our Lord.

As a most impressive and appropriate emblem of this change water baptism has been ordained by the Lord; and every convert to Jesus Christ is commanded to submit, cheerfully in love, to this ordinance.  Baptism, say what you please, is one of the first fruits of this change.  To the church it is the external act of the internal birth.  To be born of the Spirit is to live the life and enjoy the blessedness of the kingdom of God, which is a life of righteousness, a life of peace, a life of joy in the Holy Ghost.

All this is effected by taking the water of life freely, by drinking in the TRUTH of God’s Word because one loves it, because one desires in the heart to be saved, because one desires in the heart to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

“If any man thirst,” says Jesus, “let him come unto me, and drink.”  The water of this mineral spring here can do no one any good except he drink it.  But not one of us can go to that spring yonder and take a drink of water from it without the power of God in us.  “In him we live, and move, and have our being.”  But he gives us the power so freely that in the use of it we are unconscious of any power within us but our own.  So with drinking of the water of life.  The power of every one to drink is all of the Lord, but is so freely given by him, and so freely used by us, that it is to all intents and purposes the very same as if it were all of ourselves:  and this makes us accountable.

Jesus wants every man’s will to drink the water of life.  A sick man may come here to regain his health.  But upon tasting it he may say, “I do not like this water; I have no thirst for it; let me have some of another kind.”  But his physician says:  “You must drink it or you will die.”  He obeys his physician and drinks the water.  After awhile he begins to feel better, and as his health improves the water tastes more natural to him; and by and by, as he regains his health, he loves it and feels loath to leave the spring.  But no one ever need leave the fountain of divine love and truth:  for if a man drink of it freely to the healing of his soul, it will be in him “a well of water, springing up into everlasting life” and he will love it more and more.