bring forth to them water out of the rock." Nothing ambiguous in this command: "Speak to the rock."

(2) Moses and Aaron's failure. Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses spoke to the assembly, and said unto them: "Hear now, ye rebels; must I fetch water out of this rock?" and then he lifted his rod and smote the rock twice.

Instead of speaking to the rock, he scolded the assembly; instead of speaking to the rock, he smote it twice with his rod.

Turning to an incident earlier in the journey, we find that Moses was commanded to smite the rock on a similar occasion, as recorded in Ex. 17:6: “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

The smiting of the rock in this instance had two implications: (1) As a means to strengthen the faith of Moses and the elders, that doing this would give water. This God implied when he said: "Take thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river in thine hand and go." With this rod he smote the river before Pharaoh and his servant; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood." Ex. 7:19-21. Again, with this rod in his hand stretched out, the sea divided, so that the people could walk through it without the wetting of their feet. The Israelites having safely crossed, Moses again reached out his rod, and the channel closed, and the Egyptians, attempting to follow the Israelites, were drowned.

Now, therefore, this rod in the hand of Moses had been the means of working many miracles by the direction of God.

And inasmuch as God directed Moses to take the rod in the last instance also, it would be only natural for him to use it as it had been used before, following tradition and custom.

(2) The striking or smiting of the rock typifies the suffering of Jesus on the cross for our sins, that we may be partakers of the waters of life, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Now, therefore, Moses, having had so close communion with God for many years, ought to have grown and advanced in confidence to God in such a degree that God's word was sufficient without a visible emblem or token; for visible tokens or emblems may cause superstition, leading to idolatry, distracting from God, and discrediting the efficacy of His word, knowing that it is the word of God, and that alone, that has the power, independent of any visible token or means.

(3) The smiting of the rock, typifying the suffering of Christ, would be admissible only once; and not a second time, for Christ should suffer only once the agony of Gethsemane and the cross, hence this second smiting, and that twice, was a gross misrepresentation.

Therefore the Lord said: "Ye believed me not, to sanctify me in eyes of the children of Israel."

Again: "Ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of

Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes." Ex. 27:14.

Moses complains regretfully of this in his last address to his people, saying: "Also the Lord was angered with me for your sake, saying: "Thou also shall not go in thither." Deu. 1:37.

Moses' pleading with God to reconsider his decision, forbidding him to enter the Promised land. "And I besought the Lord at that time, saying:

"O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand; for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy work, and according to thy might?

"I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.

"But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me. And the Lord said unto me: Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter."

How touching, this supplication, yet refused! Furthermore, Moses is forbidden to mention his desire any more. "Speak no more to me about this matter," said the Lord.

But the Lord himself brought the matter up once more for the humiliation of Moses, and as a reminder and a lesson to all God's servants and people, and a timely warning (a) to pay close attention to God's word, clearing our minds from past traditions and customs and habits and prejudices; (b) giving close attention not only to the doing but also to the HOW to do it. In the first instance God's direction to Moses was to SMITE the rock for water. In the second TO SPEAK to the rock for water.

Even at the last hour, just at the pronouncement of Moses' remission, he is reminded of this failure, so aggravating, so disheartening.

"And the Lord spake to Moses that selfsame day, saying: "Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto Mount Nebo

* and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people:

"BEACAUSE YE TRANSGRESSED AGAINST ME among the children of Israel at the waters of Meri-bah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.

"Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel."

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH.

Moses, the old dispensation mediator, was in all respects subject to the laws he received and promulgated. Sin is sin, trespass is trespass, whoever the committer is, God will uphold and insist upon the sanctity of His law, and punish disobedience, whether committed by heathen, publican, saint or angel. For God is no respecter of persons.

It is strict LAW-ENFORCEMENT that gives RESPECT to

law, submission to authority, and which maintains order, loyalty, peace and harmony.

The Inference. If Moses, having direct communion with God, communicating with him face to face, and having walked with God, nearly one hundred and twenty years, forty in Egypt as a prince, forty in Midian as a shepherd, and now nearly forty years. as a mediator for and leader of the children of Israel, could be liable to such an offense, so near the end of so brilliant a career, how much more of importance is it for us to walk in fear, lest we slip and miss the promise to enter, just as Moses did.

"Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." Heb. 4:1.

"For the time is come for the judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God?

"And if the righteous is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?"

All signs indicate that the coming of Christ is near, very near, how important, then to be ready: ready personally, having our groins girded and our lights burning. And ready with our obligations well performed.

The author preached a sermon on the soon coming of Christ to an audience in Lockport, Illinois. The Spirit of God was manifested in power. A young woman wept bitterly. At the close of meeting I went to her and asked if she wanted to be saved, and we would pray for her. “I don't want Jesus to come just yet," she said.

"You would if you were saved," we assured her.

"I am saved, but mother isn't, and I am praying for mother to he saved too; I don't want to miss her in heaven."

My friend, have you ever wept an anxious tear for the salvation of your mother, father, sister, brother? You may have unconverted children, have you, and are you now doing your full duty toward them for their salvation?

Life is living. Life is opportunity. Life is obligation. Life is duty. Life is development. Life is growth. Life is glory. Life is eternal. Life is devotion. Life is godliness. Life is Love. Love is God. God is LOVE.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Saul, the Recalcitrant.

"Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his (Saul's) head, and kissed him, and said: is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? *

*

*

"And it was so, that when he turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart * *

*

"And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

"And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetimes saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another: What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Here we have a divine appointment. To all outward appearance imposing, attractive, inspiring, a head taller than the average person, broad-shouldered, indicating strength, commanding confidence in followers and fear in enemies.

All went well for a while. The encroaching enemies, the Philistines and Ammonites, were subdued, the kingdom was renewed, and Saul's authority confirmed. 1 Sam. 11:12-15.

The Annihilation of Amalek,-Saul's Downfall.

"Samuel said unto Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel; now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

"Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."

Here we have the divine command to Saul. We now turn to Ex. 17:8, 14-16 to look up the history of Amalek. And let us bear in mind that this war, recorded in Exodus 17, occurred nearly or about four hundred and sixty years previous to the command to Saul to annihilate the whole tribe.

* * *

We read: "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heaven.

"And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

*

"For he said, because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation * * "Then the Amalekites came down * * * and smote them (Israel) and discomfitted them, even unto Hormah." Numb. 14:45

Again: "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt.

"How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God.

"Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it." Deu. 25: 17-19.

This is God's command, ordinance, direction, respecting Amalek. If we consider it proper or not, reasonable or not, fair or unfair, doesn't matter in the least. The Lord God of heaven is able, and He is going to enforce His commands, ordinances and directions, whether they are to our liking or not. He did that with Amalek; He did it with Moses, notwithstanding his high position; He did it with Achan; He did it with Saul, as we soon shall see; He did it with His own chosen people; He did it with us in our civil war, He is doing it now in Europe.

And God's advisors, critics and accusers will be ashamed and silent in hell, or so occupied with their thirst and crying for a drop of water, that they can't give a minute's attention to anything else. 1 Sam. 2:9; Ps. 31:17; Luk. 16:19-31.

"Every knee shall bow to God. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. "I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in RIGHTEOUSNESS, and shall not return:

"That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear * * * and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed." Isaiah 45:22-24.

"I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

“And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments."

The world war, and its causes.

So the world war has its causes, other than is generally supposed and admitted. Its causes are an accumulation of transgressions and iniquities, community sins and national sins, for a number of years. Take for instance, the higher criticism, national pride, verging to world supremacy, militarism, kultur, amusementcraze, sabbath-desecration, etc., in Germany; the bureaucracy, landlordism, persecution of Jews and immorality of Russia; the persecution of the Moravians in Bohimiah and the Protestants in Germany by the Austrians; the profanity and the mistreatment of the poor natives of Congo Free State, mutilating natives, burning villages, almost annihilating ten million natives in fifteen years of misrule, under Leopold II, by Belgium; the persecution of the Huguenots, the massacre of St. Bartholomew's day, Aug. 24, 1572,