,unfailing ,springs ,j4 ,hudson ,taylor 
,,jesus answered and said unto her1 ,if 
thou knewest the gift of ,,god1 and who 
it is that saith to thee1 ,give me to   
drink2 thou wouldest have asked of ,him1
 and ,he would have given thee living   
water4  ,whosoever drinketh of the water
 that ,i shall give him shall never     
thirst2 but the water that ,i shall give
 him shall become in him a well of water
 springing up unto eternal life4  ,john 
#d3aj1 #ad1 ,,rv4  #i1jjj in print  ----
  ,unfailing ,springs  ,whosoever will1 
let him take the water of life freely   
7,rev4 #bb3ag7  ,,the best evidence of  
,christianity is a ,christ-like life1   
and the best evidence of the inspiration
 of the ,word of ,,god is found in the  
,word itself2 when studied1 loved1      
obeyed1 and trusted1 it never           
disappoints1 never misleads1 never      
fails4 ,why is so much time worse than  
wasted over criticism of its different  
books8 ,what is needed is the humble1   
reverent1 prayerful meditation of those 

who are determined to do the will of    
,,god2 to such the guidance of the      
,spirit is promised1 and the divine     
perfections of the ,word are revealed4  
,is there anything of human manufacture 
that is not easily proved to be man's   
work when tested by the microscope8 ,it 
reveals imperfections in the finest     
workmanship2 while under similar        
treatment the minutest object of        
,,god',s creation is only shown to be   
more marvellously perfect4 ,there is the
 same difference between man's word and 
,,god',s ,word2 the latter tried by     
appropriate tests is proved to be       
,divine4  ,like many other parts of     
,holy ,scripture the narrative of the   
fourth chapter of ,john may be          
profitably studied as an item of ancient
 history4 ,it shows how the ,son of     
,,god in the days of ,his flesh1 doing  
the will of ,his ,father1 must needs go 
through ,samaria1 and avoid the route to
 the east of the ,jordan by which the   
,jews were wont to escape contact with  

the ,samaritans4 ,it is most instructive
 to notice how the exhausted ,,saviour  
forgot his weariness in the presence of 
a soul needing salvation2 and how with  
divine wisdom ,he drew out the sympathy1
 surprise and attention of the sinful1  
ignorant woman1 and called forth her own
 confession1 ,i have no husband4 ,how in
 a sentence ,he revealed to her ,his    
knowledge of her whole life1 and        
fulfilled her own ideal of what the     
,,christ would do4 ,then1 giving her    
that which she so ignorantly asked--the 
,living ,water--,he plainly stated to   
her that ,he was indeed the ,,christ of 
,,god1 and allowed her in the impulse of
 a new life to do that which even the   
disciples had not attempted to do--to   
bear such witness concerning ,him as to 
bring the multitudes to ,his feet4 ,it  
is indeed an interesting and profitable 
item of ancient history1 and as such is 
worthy of much more minute examination4 
,but is there not another standpoint    
from which it behoves us to consider    

this narrative8 ,why has it been        
recorded1 but for our instruction8 ,is  
not the living ,,christ speaking now    
through this story to us1 who as much   
need the ,living ,water as did the      
,samaritan woman8 ,with this thought in 
mind let us notice particularly the     
words used by our ,saviour of this      
,living ,water4  ,,jesus said 7v4 #aj7  
,if thou knewest the gift of ,,god1 and 
who it is that saith to thee1 ,give ,me 
to drink2 thou wouldst have asked of    
,him1 and ,he would have given thee     
,living ,water4 ,how simple the         
conditions6 ,if thou knewest thou       
wouldst have asked1 and ,he would have  
given2 she had not asked because she had
 not known2 but surely we who know1 and 
happily1 believe the words of the ,,lord
 recorded in the preceding chapter1     
,,god so loved the world that ,he gave  
,his only begotten ,son 4 4 4 do know   
the gift of ,,god--the ,living ,saviour 
who is as present with us now1 according
 to ,his own promise--,lo1 ,i am with   

you alway--as ,he was then with the     
woman of ,samaria4 ,realizing ,his      
presence1 and knowing ,him as ,,god',s  
gift1 is it not our privilege at once to
 ask and ,his joy at once to give us    
this precious gift--,living ,water8     
,assuredly it is for this very purpose  
that the words have been put on record4 
,we may not know1 we cannot tell all    
that is involved in the gift1 but if we 
know ,him1 that is sufficient4 ,as for  
,,god ,his way is perfect we have only  
to fulfil our part1 to ask of ,him the  
,living ,water1 and leave to ,him all   
the results4  ,but let us see what      
further ,he has to say to us3 in verse  
#ac ,he says1 ,every one that drinketh  
of this water that of ,jacob's well     
shall thirst again2 the woman who heard 
these words knew by experience that this
 was true2 and we also have proved that 
it is true of all earthly water1 all    
earthly gifts4 ,we should indeed thank  
,,god for our temporal blessings1       
comforts1 and joys3 they are not mere   

superfluities2 they meet real needs1 and
 are tokens of our ,heavenly ,father's  
love2 but while they help and gratify1  
they do not permanently satisfy1 they   
leave us to thirst again1 and1 oh6 how  
deep is the thirst oft-times6 ,but our  
,saviour continues 7verse #ad71         
,whosoever drinketh of the water that ,i
 shall give him ,,shall ,,never         
,,thirst4 ,wonderful words6 ,let our    
glad souls take in their fulness4       
,shall1 not may1 certainly shall2 never1
 by no means for ever more 7lit472      
thirst1 be left longing1 left           
unsatisfied1 faint1 but unrefreshed4    
,blessed assurance of never-ending      
refreshment and strength6  ,,shall      
,,never ,,thirst4 ,what a promise6 ,how 
often we have thirsted6 ,how many weary 
and unsatisfied hearts there are2 and   
yet this full supply was not intended to
 be the special portion of some         
exceptionally favoured soul1 for note   
the ,,saviour',s word1 ,whosoever       
drinketh1 it is free to all4 ,may the   

,holy ,spirit enable us to take our     
place as included in the whosoever1 and 
give their full and blessed meaning to  
those marvellous words1 shall never     
thirst4 ,to know that shall means shall1
 that never means never1 that thirst    
means any unsatisfied need1 may be one  
of the greatest revelations ,,god has   
ever made to our souls4  ,let us not1   
however1 change the ,,saviour',s words4 
,note carefully ,he does not say1       
,whosoever has drunk1 but drinketh3 ,he 
speaks1 not of one isolated draught1 but
 of the continuous habit of the soul4   
,in this1 as in many other passages1 it 
is important to mark the force of       
continuous habit expressed by the       
present tense of the ,greek verbs4      
,there is full and deep satisfaction at 
the first draught of the ,living ,water1
 which1 however1 is a perennial supply  
for constant use4 ,this the ,,lord      
brings out more fully when ,he says1    
,but the water that ,i shall give him   
shall be or better 'become'1 ,,rv in him

 a well of water springing up unto      
eternal life4 ,these words explain why  
the partaking of the ,living ,water is  
not followed by renewed thirst4 ,the    
,living ,water becomes a well1 a        
fountain1 always available1 springing up
 in the believer1 not only leaving no   
room for thirst1 but overflowing for the
 supply of the need of others           
unceasingly4  ,nor is this wonderful    
promise unique and without parallel4 ,it
 always was1 and is still1 the          
,,saviour',s purpose to satisfy4 ,on the
 occasion of the feeding of the five    
thousand 7,john #f71 ,philip's highest  
thought was to procure sufficient that  
everyone should have a little2 but the  
,,lord took the little they already had 
and multiplied it in the giving1 so that
 each one had as much as he would1 and  
twelve baskets were filled with that    
which remained after all were satisfied4
 ,the next day our ,,lord raised their  
thoughts to the true ,bread from heaven1
 saying1 ,i am the ,bread of ,life3 he  

that cometh to ,me shall never hunger2  
and he that believeth on ,me shall never
 thirst4 ,or more fully and literally1  
,he who is habitually coming to ,me1    
shall by no means hunger1 and he who is 
believing on ,me shall by no means      
thirst at any time4 ,the ,greek word is 
the same as that used in the passage1   
,no man has seen ,god at any time4 ,the 
habit of coming in faith to ,him is     
incompatible with unmet hunger and      
thirst4 ,again1 in ,john #g ,,christ    
says1 ,if any man thirst1 let him come  
unto ,me1 and drink4 ,he that is        
believing on ,me1 as the ,scripture hath
 said1 out of him shall flow rivers of  
living water2 this spake ,he of the     
,spirit1 which those who are believing  
on ,him should receive4  ,there is      
something very delightful in the truth  
thus taught3 instead of conscious need  
and unsatisfied longing1 abundant supply
 and overflowing satisfaction2 instead  
of poverty and weakness1 wealth and     
strength wherewith to help other needy  

ones4 ,what a ,divine ,saviour6 ,what a 
full and perfect salvation6 ,,god',s    
overflow more than supplies the lack of 
individual capacity4 ,we cannot all be  
great1 or wealthy or strong1 wise or    
experienced2 but ,,christ is made unto  
us wisdom and righteousness1            
sanctification and redemption3 ,he wills
 to be our all in all for life and      
service4  ,wandering among ,,god',s     
beautiful mountains on a delightful     
summer's day1 how soon one becomes weary
 with climbing1 and parched with thirst4
 ,guided by the sound of running water1 
we seek the shade of an overhanging     
rock1 and a draught from the crystal    
stream falling from above4 ,it may be we
 have but a small vessel from which to  
drink1 but we can fill it again and     
again1 for the supply is inexhaustible4 
,if the cup be small1 it will soon be   
full and overflow3 had we a bucket it   
would take longer filling1 but1 once    
full1 it would equally overflow3 and if 
a huge barrel were placed under the     

stream1 it1 too1 in time would overflow4
 ,and the overflow in each case would be
 the same1 for it depends not on the    
size of the vessel but on the unfailing 
supply of the stream4  ,thus the saved  
,samaritan woman1 without any           
preparation or any other fitness1 could 
at once draw to her newly-found ,saviour
 a multitude of needy souls1 while many 
an eloquent preacher can leave the      
multitudes to go home unsaved and       
unsatisfied4 ,understanding this1 it    
ceases to be a question of what we are1 
or what we can do1 and the important    
thing is1 have we brought our vessel to 
,him to be filled to overflow1 that     
being more than satisfied ourselves1 we 
may have to give to any and every       
thirsty one without stint and without   
fear8 ,for the promise of ,john #g is of
 rivers of living water1 and of ,john #d
 of an unfailing spring going on and on 
unto everlasting life4  ,let us not     
leave the subject without asking        
ourselves1 beloved friends1 where we are

 with reference to this matter4 ,are we 
amongst the thirsty ones1 or amongst    
those who have come to the one great    
,source1 and are drinking1 believing1   
and therefore receiving1 for their own  
need and the blessing of others8  ,in   
conclusion1 ,i should like to give a few
 words of personal testimony4 ,it was in
 a time of deep spiritual need that the 
thoughts ,i have above expressed were   
given me when alone in inland ,china4 ,i
 was painfully conscious that ,i was not
 living all that ,i was trying to teach 
the ,chinese4 ,struggling for victory1  
too often ,i found myself defeated1     
until ,i asked myself whether ,i ought  
not to cease to preach1 and to retire   
from missionary work4 ,fasting1 prayer1 
meditation on the ,word1 all ,i could   
think of seemed powerless to help me1   
when one afternoon1 in the course of my 
usual reading1 ,i came to ,john #d4 ,it 
had always been ancient history to me1  
and as such loved and appreciated1 but  
that afternoon for the first time it    

became a present message to my soul4 ,no
 one could have been more thirsty1 and  
,i there and then accepted the gracious 
invitation1 and asked and received the  
,living ,water1 believing from ,his own 
,word that my thirsty days were all     
passed1 not from any present feeling1   
but because of ,his promise4 ,that same 
evening ,i took1 without reluctance1 my 
usual ,bible-reading with the ,chinese1 
and spoke freely1 but without being     
specially conscious of power4 ,at       
breakfast the following morning1        
however1 ,i learned that one of my      
hearers had been brought into such deep 
conviction of sin as to pass the night  
sleeplessly2 and from that time my      
ministry was owned of ,,god as it had   
not been for some time before4  ,some   
months later ,i passed through a time of
 great trial and sorrow2 the death of a 
beloved child1 the sending home of three
 others1 and the most trying time in    
,china through which our beloved        
,mission has ever passed1 bringing      

innumerable difficulties and            
perplexities2 but it was also a time of 
deepened spiritual joy and rest1 and of 
experience that my ,,saviour was        
sufficient for every emergency4 ,in     
,tientsin the ,sisters of ,mercy1 the   
,french ,priests1 and ,consul had been  
massacred1 and in all our inland        
stations there was excitement and peril4
 ,almost daily ,i had letters from some 
group of workers asking for guidance1   
and wondering whether to stay or leave  
the station1 as work for the time being 
was impossible4 ,i knew not what to     
advise1 but in each case1 like          
,hezekiah1 ,i spread the letters before 
the ,,lord1 and trusted ,him to teach me
 how to reply to them4 ,there was no    
conscious revelation1 but in every      
instance ,i was guided to reply in the  
way that led to the best results1 and ,i
 sent each letter off in the joyful     
peace of knowing that ,i had asked and  
,he had granted the wisdom that is      
profitable to direct4 ,just at this     

crisis my dear first wife had an attack 
of cholera1 from which she rallied with 
difficulty2 a little one was born and   
only lived a fortnight1 a wet nurse not 
being procurable in that time of        
excitement4 ,but again the ,living      
,water proved sufficient for her and for
 me4 ,the very evening after the funeral
 of the babe1 my precious wife had an   
attack of syncope1 from which she did   
not fully recover1 and early the next   
morning she too was taken4 ,then ,i     
understood why the ,,lord had made this 
passage so real to me4 ,an illness of   
some weeks followed1 and oh ,i how      
lonesome at times were the weary hours  
when confined to my bed2 how ,i missed  
my dear wife1 and the little pattering  
footsteps of the children far away in   
,england4 ,perhaps twenty times in a    
day1 as ,i felt the heart-thirst coming 
back again1 ,i cried to the ,,lord1 ,you
 promised me that ,i should never       
thirst1 and at once the ,,lord came and 
more than satisfied my sorrowing heart1 

so that ,i often wondered whether it    
were possible that my loved one who had 
been taken could be enjoying a fuller   
revelation of ,his presence than ,i in  
the loneliness of my chamber4 ,he had   
literally fulfilled the prayer--  ,,lord
 ,,jesus1 make ,thyself to me ,a living1
 bright reality2 ,more present to       
faith's vision keen ,than any earthly   
object seen2 ,more dear1 more intimately
 nigh ,than e'en the sweetest human tie4