through the gracious presence of the Mediator, the source of deepest joy and consolation !

(3.) "The rock by its water accompanied the Israelites—so Christ by his Spirit goes with his disciples even to the end of the world" (Grotius). The refreshments of his grace are confined to no region, and last through all ages. Wherever the genuine believer is, there they also are. And more highly favoured than even Israel in the wilderness, he has them in his own bosom-he has there "a well of water springing up unto life everlasting," so that "out of his belly can flow rivers of living water."

III. The only other point apart from the giving of the law, occurring in the march through the wilderness, and calling for notice here, was the pillar of fire and cloud, in which from the first the Lord accompanied and led the people. The appearance of this symbol of the divine presence was various, but it is uniformly spoken of as itself one-a lofty column rising toward heaven. By day it would seem to have expanded as it rose, and formed itself into a kind of shade or curtain between the Israelites and the sun, as the Lord is said by means of it to have "spread a cloud for a covering" (Ps. cv. 39), while by night it exchanged the cloudy for the illuminated form, and diffused throughout the camp a pleasant light. At first it went before the army, pointing the way, but after the tabernacle was made, it became more immediately connected with this, though sometimes appearing to rest more closely on it, and sometimes to rise higher aloft.' The lucid or fiery form seems to have been the prevailing one, or rather, to have always essentially belonged to it (hence called, not only, "pillar of fire," but "light of fire," vs "s, i. e. lucid matter presenting the appearance of fire), only during the day the circumambient cloud usually prevented the light from being seen. Sometimes, however, as when a manifestation of divine glory needed to be given to overawe and check the insolence of the people, or when some special revelation was to be given to Moses, the fire discovered itself through the cloud. So that it may be described, as a column of

Ex. xiii. 21, 22, xiv. 19, xl. 34–38; Numb. ix. 15-23. This subject has been carefully investigated by Vitringa in his Obs. Sac. L. v. c. 14-17, to which we must refer for more details than can be given here. What is stated in the text claims to be little more than an abstract of his observations.

fire surrounded by a cloud, the one or the other appearance becoming predominant, according as the divine purpose required, but that of fire being more peculiarly identified with the glory of God. (Numb. xvi. 42.)

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(1.) Now, as the Lord chose this for the visible symbol, in which he would appear as the Head and Leader of his people, when conducting them through the wilderness, there must have been, first of all, in the symbol itself, something fitted to display his character and glory. There must have been a propriety and significance in selecting this, rather than something else, as the seat in which Jehovah, or the angel of his presence, appeared, and the form in which he manifested his glory. But fire, or a shining flame enveloped by a cloud, is one of the fittest and most natural symbols of the true God, as dwelling, not simply in light, but “in light that is inaccessible and full of glory,"-light and glory within the cloud. The fire, however, was itself not uniform in its appearance, but according to the threefold distinction of Isaiah (ch. iv. 5), sometimes appeared as light, sometimes as a radiant splendour or glory, and sometimes again as flaming, or burning fire. In each of these respects it pointed to a corresponding feature in the divine character. As light, it represented God as the fountain of all truth and purity (Isa. Ix. 1, 19; 1 John i. 5; Rev. xxi. 23, xxii. 5). As splendour, it indicated the glory of his character, which consists in the manifestation of his infinite perfections, and especially in the display of his surpassing goodness, as connected with the redemption of his people-on which account the "shewing of his glory" is explained by "making his goodness pass before Moses" (Ex. xxxiii. 18, 19; comp. also Isa. xl. 5). For, as nothing appears to the natural eye more brilliant than the shining brightness of fire, so nothing to the spiritual eye can be compared with these manifestations of the gracious attributes of God. And as nothing in nature is so awfully commanding and intensely powerful in consuming as the burning flame of fire, so in this respect again it imaged forth the terrible power and majesty of his holiness, which makes him jealous of his own glory, and a consuming fire to the workers of iniquity. Hence

1 For the essential identity of Jehovah, and the angel of his presence in connection with this symbol, comp. Ex. xiii. 21, xiv. 19, xxiii. 20.

the cloud assumed this aspect, pre-eminently on Mount Sinai, when the Lord came down to give that fundamental revelation of his holiness, the law of the ten commandments (Ex. xxiv. 17; Deut. iv. 24; Isa. xxxiii. 14, 15; Heb. xii. 29). Still, whatever the Lord discovered of himself in these respects to his ancient people, it was with much reserve and imperfection; they saw him, indeed, but only through a veil; and therefore the glory shone forth through a cloud of thick darkness.

It is true, this is the case to a great extent still. God even yet has his dwelling in unapproachable light; and with all the discoveries of the Gospel, he is only seen "as through a glass darkly." This feature, however, of the divine manifestations falls more into the back-ground in the Gospel; since God has now in very deed dwelt with men on the earth, and given such revelations of himself by Christ, that "he who hath seen him," may be said to "have seen the Father." It seems now, comparing the revelations of God in the New with those of the Old Testament, as if the pillar of cloud were in a measure removed, and the pillar of fire alone remained. And in each of the aspects which this fire assumed, we find the corresponding feature most fully verified in Christ. He is the light of men. The glory of the Father shines forth in him as full of grace and truth. He alone has revealed the Father, and can give the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Therefore, he is the Word or revelation of God, and the effulgence of his glory. And while merciful and compassionate in the last degree to sinners-the very personification of love, he yet has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet as of burning brass, and he walks amid the golden candlesticks, as he did in the camp of Israel, to bring to light the hidden works of darkness, and cause his indignation to smoke against the hypocrites.1

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(2.) But besides being a symbol of the Lord's revealed character, the pillar of fire and cloud had certain offices to perform to the Israelites. These were for guidance and protection. It was by this that the Lord directed their course through the dreary and trackless waste, which lay between Egypt and Canaan, shewing

'John i. 4, 5, 11, viii. 12, ix. 5; Matt. xi. 27; Eph. i. 17; Heb. i. 3 15, ii. iii. &c.

them when to set forth, in what direction to proceed, where to abide, and also affording light to their steps, when the journey was by night. For this purpose, when the course was doubtful, the ark of the covenant went foremost (Numb. x. 33), but when there was no doubt regarding the direction that was to be taken, it appears rather to have occupied the centre (Numb. x. 17, 21), in either case alike occupying the place that was most suitable, as connected with the symbol of the Lord's presence. In addition to these important benefits, it also served as a shade from the heat of a scorching sun, and on one occasion, at least-when the Israelites were closely pursued by the Egyptians-it stood as a wall of defence between them and their enemies.

That in all this the pillar of fire and cloud performed externally and visibly the part which is now discharged by Christ toward his people in the spiritual and divine life, is too evident to require any illustration. He reveals himself to them as the Captain of Salvation, who conducts them through the wilderness of life, and brings them in safety to his Father's house. He never leaves them alone, but by his word and Spirit leads them into all the truth-assuring them of his continual nearness to comfort them in their troubles, and support them under their manifold temptations. He presents himself to their view as having gone before them in the way, and appoints them to no field of trial or conflict with evil, through which he has not already passed as their forerunner. Whatever wisdom is needed to direct, whatever grace. to overcome, they are entitled to expect it from his hand; he is their shield, so that the sun shall not be permitted to smite them by day, nor the moon by night; and "when the blast of the terrible ones comes as a storm against the wall," they have in him a refuge from the storm, and a shadow from the heat." Does it seem too much to expect so great things from him? Or does faith, struggling with the infirmities of the flesh, and the temptations of the world, find it hard at times to lay hold of the spiritual reality? It will do well in such a case to revive its fainting spirit by recurring to the visible manifestations of God in the wilderness. Let it mark there the goings of the divine Shepherd with his people; and assure itself, that as he can neither change nor deny himself, and is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, so what he then did amid the visible realities of sense and time, he

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cannot but be ready to do again in the spiritual experience of a redeemed people to the end of time. He has recorded what he did in the one case, for the express purpose of encouraging hope and confidence in regard to the other.

The whole of what has been said regarding the sojourn in the wilderness, has reference more immediately to the comparatively brief period during which properly the Israelites should have been there. The frequent outbreakings of a rebellious spirit, and especially the dreadful revolt which arose on the return of the spies from searching the land of Canaan, so manifestly proved them to be unfit for the proper occupation of the promised land, that the Lord determined to retain them in the wilderness till the older portion-those who were above twenty years when they left Egypt -had all perished. It was some time in the second year after their departure, that this decree was passed concerning them; and the period fixed in the decree being, in round numbers, forty years, a year for every day the spies had been employed in searching the land, including, however, what had been already spent, there remained the long term of upwards of thirty-eight years, during which the promise of God was suffered to fall into abeyance. Of what passed during this dismal period scarcely anything is recorded. The only circumstances noticed concerning it are those connected with the punishment of the Sabbath-breaker, and the rebellion of Korah and his company. How far the miraculous provision for the desert was affected by the change in question, we are not told, though we may naturally infer it to have been to some extent to such an extent as might render it proper, if not necessary, to bring into play all the available resources naturally belonging to the region. It was a time of judgment, and the very silence of Scripture concerning it is ominous. That the Lord wished them to regard their condition as at once a sad and anomalous one, is evident from what is recorded at the close of the period in Jos. v. 2-9, where we are told, that from the period of their coming under the judgment of the Lord up till that time, they had not been circumcised; the reason of which we are plainly given to understand was, that they "had not obeyed the voice of the Lord." And now when the circumcision was renewed, and the whole company became a circumcised people, "The Lord said