V ers. 3, 4.-The spiritual meat and drink. Give account of the historical facts to which the apostle refers. It seems as if he had in mind also the Jewish tradition that the rock-i.e. a fragment broken off from the rock smitten by Moses-followed the Israelites through their journey. St. Paul sees, in that symbol of the Divine presence and providing, an aid towards our realizing the gracious abiding presence of the Lore} Jesus Christ with his Church. His point here is that God's people, in the olden times and still, are divinely led and divinely fed; so no excuse for apostasy can be found in any "straitening in God." I. DIVINELY LED. By God in the pillar-cloud that loomed dark against the cleair sky by day, but shone like fire at night, and moved or rested to direct the people's journeyings. By God's power through the Red Sea, whose waters were held back, making a great pathway over the dried sands. The fact of such leadings ought to have bound the people to Jehovah in everlasting bonds. Then show what is the answering Christian fact to this, and how, when we are brought to Christ, a new light shines upon the wondrous providences of our whole lives, and so we feel freshly boWld to our Lord, and say- "Jesus, still lead on, Till our rest be won."
IL D1VInLY FED. By God in the provision of the manna day by day. By God in the smitten rock, that provided in a miraculous manner for them when natural supplies failed. Such daily signs of Divine presence and care ought to have hekl them fast to• daily obedience and service. Then we may realize that (1) the manna answers to Christ, the Bread of life for us; and (2) the water answers to Christ, the Rock sorel'y· smitten for us. And then we should feel how, in the daily provisions of Christ's grar, in the supply of all our need, we are boWld to his service, daily urged to "yield our- selves unto him, and our members instruments of righteousness unto his service."-R. 'I'.
Ver. 11.-Ensamples from the wilderness-life. The words of this verse may be better rendered, "happened unto them typically." "The real point of the passage is-'I'hese- things which occurred to them are to be looked upon by us, not merely as interesting historical events, but as having a typical significance. '!'heir record remains as a stand- ing warning that great privileges may be enjoyed by many, and used by them to their destruction." In introducing this subject, dwell on the mission of history and biography ea. x. 1-33.] 'l'HE FIRST EPIS'l'LE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 357
in relation to education and culture. If science and mathematics bear most powerfully on mental training, history and biography are the most important agencies in moral culture. As the poet Longfellow says~ "Lives of grl'at men all remind 118 We may make our lives sublime." There is an important sense in which there is" nothing new under the sun." Circum- stances, situations, and the relations of men to them, constantly repeat themselves; with sufficient variety, indeed, to give individuality and to impress responsibility, but with sufficient sameness for us to recognize the adaptation of the warning or the example to -us. One age can become thus a power upon another, but the power is related to general principles rather than to minute details. So the records of ancient and Eastern life, given to us in Holy Scriptnre, become a gracious power on us. The records have been written for our admonition, upon whom the "ends of the age" are come. The story of ancient Israel, especially in the forty years of its wilderness-life, is for the most part one of warning. As such, the apostle here calls it to mind. We may find in it warning of four possible perils. I. YIELDING TO BODILY PASSIONS. In all ages there are found indications of man's danger from the corrupt inclinations of his own body. Adam and Eve sinned by yielding the conscience of duty to the bodily inclination; and brought upon the race an undue force of carnal passion, which makes the life-conflict to win righteousness a heavy and a hard one for every man. Some have felt this so deeply that they have thought virtue must comll by the crushing down of the body, the absolute repression of all its inclinatiom. This is the inspiring thought which has driven men into hermits' caves and monkish cells; but it is a truer conception of life that regards the body as providing the very conditions of our moral trial; and the problem for us to work out is the conquering and efficient using of every power and faculty. '!'he Christian triumph is to know how to "possess the vessel of our body in sanctification and honour." This may be illus- trated from the perils of the Corinthian Christians, who had to live in the midst of a society where bodily pleasure reigned supreme. The passions by which we may be overcome are: 1. Self-indulgence; over-responding to the appetites for ( 1) food, (2) drink, ,(3) society, (4) pleasure, (5) learning, (6) art. All for our uso and for our good; but all may be unduly pursued, to our moral peril. 2. Sensuality; the passions which bear relation to our life-associations. It is important to leara, from the example of the Israelites, nod from the usual scenes at pagan and heathen festivals, that unusual <ixcitement in religion fosters the sensual passions into undue strength. II. YIELDING TO IDOLATRY. It may seern as if no such peril could be near to us in theso Christian times. But the Apostle ,John starts us upon searching thoughts of our -own dangers when he says, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." For us now, (1) chiluren may be idols; (2) friends may be; (3) success may be; (J) our house .and home mny be; (5) our pursuits may be; for an idol is anything in a man's lifo which succeeds in pushing itself before Goel. III. YIELDING TO PRESUMPTION. (Ver. 9.) David shows a. remarkable insight of his -own frailty when he prays, "Keep back tliy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me." '!'his is the subtle peril of aJvanced and ex\Jerienceu Christian life. A man may take advantage of God; presume upon what is his will, without asking him; and even may put God to tlrn test ; theso being sure sigus of lost humility and lost childlike dependenc11. It was the sin of Hebekah; she presumed on the promise made her concerning Jacob, and so was set upon trying to fulfil the promise by schemes of her own. IV. YIELDING TO COMPLAINING. (Ver. 10.) A peril that comes to us all wneu the circumstances of lifo will not go "according to our mind." '!'roubles nnd disappoint- ments and failures are Divine testings of our professed trust; and for us to complain and fret and murmur is plainly to show lost submission nnd lost trust. He never complains who hol<ls firmly the assurance that "all things work together for good to thorn that love God."-R. T.