conscience will lose its vital power: every amiable disposition, every good wish, every cheerful hope, will become extinct; and the soul will droop, fade, and die. Whereas, if Christ be in us the hope of glory; if we embrace Him by faith, and feed on Him continually, our inward man will grow

'stronger and stronger;' we shall perceptibly approximate more and more unto 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,' until, being

made perfect, we receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.' Therefore let us not labour for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.' We shall then be able to say, 'The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.'

CHAPTER X.

THE FOUNTAIN AND ITS SOURCE.

EXOD. xvii. 1-7. NUM. xx. 1-11. 1 Cor. x. 4.

HERE is some difficulty in ascertaining the exact character and extent of this miracle for it would appear from the Apostle's words in 1 Cor. x. 4, that more is implied in this miracle than is actually recorded by Moses. The account as given in the books of Exodus and Numbers, narrates the distress of the Israelites on finding themselves in a wilderness without water, their murmuring against Moses, Moses' appeal to God, and God's answer to Moses that he should smite the rock in Horeb; and then it relates the manner in which he smote the rock, and how the water gushed out, and the people drank and were refreshed. And here the narrative of Moses ends. But we gather from the words incidentally

used by St. Paul, the probable circumstance that the waters thus supplied either formed a continuous and permanent river, which flowed through the valleys wherever the people of Israel wandered, for many years; or else that the rock itself, like the pillar of a cloud, accompanied them everywhere, and yielded them a perpetual spring of refreshing water. The Rock,' he says, 'followed them.'

The only other passage in scripture which strengthens this opinion is found in Ps. lxxviii. 15, 16,-' He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths: He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers :' which, even allowing for the poetic strain of the psalm, would indicate not only an abundant, but a continued supply.

Of one thing there can be no doubt: the rock in Horeb was intended to be a type of the Saviour; and the copious streams of water issuing therefrom to represent the never-failing benefits resulting from His death to a perishing world. That Rock was Christ,' who Himself has said, 'Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall

be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.'

We have then to consider,

I. The Rock.

Journeying from the wilderness of Zin, the children of Israel pitched their tents in Rephidim, in the neighbourhood of Horeb, close to the imposing mountain of Sinai. Here there stood a rock ;' possibly not very large (the one pointed out to travellers in the present day as identical with this is not more than six yards square), but it was probably a conspicuous object in the desert, standing out prominently among the surrounding objects, and attracting the attention of every one who passed that way: it is called 'The rock in Horeb,' evidently implying that it was an object of attraction, and was well known.

This rock was a type of Christ, who indeed was lowly, and made Himself of no reputation: but yet 'He could not be hid;' for from first to last the attention of the world was directed to Him. He was truly manifested' unto the world; and all, from the wise men of the East to the poor shepherds on the hills, from Herod on his throne to the blind

beggar, from the rich man of Arimathæa to the lowly fishermen,- all took notice of the Man of Sorrows, observed His character, and beheld His works.

This rock in the wilderness was destined to give to the Israelites that water of which they so greatly felt their need. It was to be the source from whence should issue the streams which should give new life to the perishing multitudes.

So the Lord Jesus Christ is the fountain of living waters.' He possesses in Himself an inexhaustible store of grace, ready to be poured forth for His people: He comprises in His own nature an unlimited supply of every blessing which a sinful world can require to make it happy. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.'

II. The thirsting people.

We read (Exod. xvii. 1-3) that 'there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water.' They were on the point of perishing; and the wilderness