is symbolized in the Lord's Supper. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not ~he communion of _the blood of Christ?" Other Scriptures follow more closely the ;idea of water guslnng from a rocky fountain. As the blood of Christ signifies his atonement, so the water is a sign of the communication of the Holy Ghost. By the former our Lord gives peace to the conscience ; by the latter, cleansing and healin2; to the heart. Christ, our Rock, spoke more than once of his power to impart to all comers the water of life (John iv. 10-14; vii. 3i-39). And now, as from a height above the plain on which his people still walk as pilgrims, our Saviour in heaven gives this water to the thirsty. To it all are welcome. Water is no luxury for the few. but an acknowledged universal necessary of life; and so a participation of the Spirit -of life in Christ Jesus is no privilege of a few superlative Christians, but necessary to the inward life of every one who is a Christian at all. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." How can a rock follow? The rock in Horeb ,did not move from its place, but followed the people in the stream which issued from ,it and flowed through the lower levels of the wilderness. So Jesus Christ remains .at God's right hand; yet is with us always in the continual efficacy of his shed blood .and the continual fellowship of his Holy Spirit. The fountain never runs dry. We never find anything less than. fulness in him. And there is no need to go on a long pilgrimage to our sacred well. 'l'he Rock follows us. III. How TO GET THIS NOURISHMENT. By grace, throngh faith. When the child re!'. of Israel saw the manna, they " wist not what it was." Then Moses told them from God what it was, and bade them gather it, "every man according to his eating." So now, men do not know of themselves what Christ is; but it is preached or proclaimeu as from God that this is the true Bread. Take, and cat, and live. ·why shoulu any household be without the heavenly Breau? vVhen the rock was smitten, no one stood by but Moses and the elders, who had gone in advance of the host. One can imagine those elders hastening back to the camp, and calling aloud to the several tribes, "Water! water! Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters!" Shnll w,; who have found life and peace in Jesus Christ hold our peace? Nay, but we call .to every thirsty soul, "Come, and drink, and live."-F. Ver. 2.-Baptism unto Moses. The expression used here is a singular e.nd suggestive -one, and one that seems to require an enlargement of our associations with the term "baptized." "Were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud aud in the sea." It may be noted that more precisely the passage should read, "all baptized themselves unto Moses." St. Paul sees, in the incidents of the crossing of the Red Sea under the guidance of the pillar-cloud, a symbol of that Christian confession which puts us wholly under the redeemings and guidings of the Lord Jesus Christ. For tho incideuts, see Exod. xiv. 21, 22. The point is that the "fathers," the "Israelites," voluntarily ,dedicated themselves to the leadership of Moses when they weut through the waters at his command. 'fhey came up out of the waters, on tho further shore, a new people, ,devoted to Moses as the earthly ruler representing Jehovah. " Tho Israelites were baptized 'unto Moses' because, by passing through tho cloud and the sea, they had become connected with him, dependent on his commands and guidance." F. W. Kobertson well points out the reason for the warnings here given. "The peril of the :orinthian Church lay in their false security. They were tempted to think that all ·things were safe to do, because all things were lawful. 'l'hey were ready to rest satisfie<l with the knowledge that they were God's people and God's Church. Now, the apostle shakes this sense of their safety by reminding them that the ancient Chnrch of Israel fell, although it had the same privileges; therefore he infers that spiritual privileges are not perfect security. Now, the argument by which ho prnves that the privileges of ancient Israel were similar to theirs is remarkable. That people ha<l a baptism as well us they, and a spiritual food and drink. Baptism is the solomn profession of our Christianity ; and the passing through the Red Sea was the Israelites' profcssio~ of discipleship to Moses." Here, then, baptism is the symbol of confession, or profess10n_; it is the act by which we voluntarily yield ourselves to the leadership of another. Tins may receive four illustrations. • I. COMPARE Jorrn's BAPTISM. Observe the connection between John's teaching and John's rite. Those who accepted his teaching yielded themselves to his leadership by 356 THE FIRST EPISTLE 'l'O 'l'HE COR1~'1'HIANS. [en. x. 1-33.
t?e act of submitting to his rite. He led them to a change in their ideas and expecta- t10ns of Messiah which should have prepared them to recognize in him a spiritual Saviour-a Saviour from sin. Through voluntary submission to John's baptism, they publicly confessed themselves to be John's disciples. II. COMPARE OUR Lonn's BAPTISMS. It does not appear that he personally baptized any one; but bis disciples did so in _his Name. Here, again, thA act was a public and outward acknowledgment or confess10n of the Messiahship of Christ, and o. volunto.ry submission to_his rule and law. It w~s _the faith of the disciple gaining expression in ~ solemn pt; bhc act. It brought the d1sc1ple under our Lord's leadership, just as follow- rng Moses into the sea involved full submission to his guidance. III. CoMPARE ST. PAUL'S TEACHING ABOUT BAPTISM. It is always with him the equivalent of confession. It is confession by an act rather than by a word. Such confession St. Paul declares to be an absolute necessity for salvat\on. With characteristic point and fore~, he even makes it as necessary as faith, saying in Rom. x. 9, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God bath raised him from the de:i.d, thou shalt be saved." And from this St. Paul argue& that we are now, by our own consecration," under law to Christ." "We serve the Lord Christ." IV. COMPARE PRESEXT-DAY DISCII'LESHIP. The rite is perhaps less re.,arded, but that which it stands for is still essential. Impress that the following thing: are the proper stages of religious experience :-1. Repentance, with due forsaking of sinful ways .. 2. Faith in Christ as able to grant forgiveness and to give life. 3. Confession of Christ, by some form of voluntary and public testimony. 4. Full and submissive practical obedience to his rule and law in everyday life and conduct.-R. T.