'l'he lesson God would have them learn from the incident was-" I am Jehovah that healeth thee." His Jehovah character guanmtced that what he had shown himself to be in this one instance, he would be always, viz., a Healer. As Jehovah, God is the Being of exhaustle~s resource. As Jehovah, he is the Being eternally identical with himself-self-consistent in all his ways of acting; so that from any one of his actiots, if the principle of it can but be clearly apprehended, we are safe in inferring what he always will do. God sweetens, or heals, the bitter waters of life-(1) By altering the outward conditions--e.g., by removing sickness, sending aid in poverty, taking away the cause of bitterness, whatever that may be. He healed Naomi's bitterness by the happy marriage of Ruth (Ruth iv. 14, 15); Hannah's by giving her a son (1 Sam. i. 20); Job's by restoring his health and prosperity (Job xlvii. 10), etc. The tree here is whatever agency God employs to accomplish his purpose. (2) And this is the diviner art, by infusing sweetness into the trial itself. He makes that which is bitter sweet to us, by adding himself to it. This Divine change in our experiences is accomplished by means of a very simple but potent secret-as simple as the casting of the tree into the waters, as potent in its efficacy. Would we know it? It is simply this-denying our own natural will, and taking God's instead. " Not my will but thine be done" (Luke =ii. 42). This it is which will make even the bitterest of trials sweet. Call it, if you will, the taking up of the cross; it is, at all events, the spirit of the cross which is the sweetening, heavenly element in all affliction-the tree that heals. It is invaluable to bear this in mind, that be our trial, our grief, what it may, half its pain has departed the moment we can bring ourselves to embrace God's will in it. Heavenly consolations will sweeten what remains. Mediaival mystics, like Tauler, dwelt much on this thought, and it is the true and all-important element in their teaching. With God at hand to bless, "ms have no weight, and tears no bitterness;" or as another " sweet singer" expresses it- " Just to let thy Father do What he will Just to know that he is trne, And be still. Just to let him take the care, Sorely pressing, Finding all we let him bear Changed to blessing. This is ell I and yet the way, Marked by him who loves thee best I Secret of a happy day, Secret of his promised rest." FRANCES RIDLEY HA VDIGA..L.
(3) By removing the cause of all evil and bitterness-sin itself. It is as the God of Hedemption that Jehovah reveals himself pre-eminently as the Healer. His Gospel goes to the root of the matter, and strikes at the malum originale of the bitterness in us, and around us. From this point of view, it is not fanciful to trace an analogy-we need not allege a direct typical relation-between this tree cast in to sweeten the bitter waters, and the Cross of the Hedeemer. God through Christ; Christ through what he has accomplished by this Cross; the Cross, by being made the objept of faith, and again, by being set up in men's hearts, effects this sweetening of the wat~rs. We have but to compare ancient with modern civili1.ation, to see how much the Cross of Christ, cast iuto the bitter waters of society, has already done to sweeten them. '!'rusted in for salvation, it renews the heart in its inmost springs, and so heals the bitter waters there; while, as the power of God unto salvation, it will ulti- mately heal the world of all its woes, abolishing even death, from which already it extracts the sting and bitterness. III. 'l'HE RIGHT IMPROVEMENT OF MARAH EXPERIENCES (ver. 26). We should accept them, 1. As a motive to ob,die11ce. If God has healed us that is a new reason for loving, trusting, and obeying him (Ps. cxvi.). Accordingly, consequent on this healing of the hitter waters, God made "a statute and an ordinance" for Israd, taking them bound to serve him, and promisiug them new Llcssings, if they should pruve obedient 24 THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [en. xv. 22-27.