March 15

And did all drink of that same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.—1 Corinthians 10:4.

THAT the miracle was mysterious is evident from the circumstances related of it. When the Israelites were in great distress for water, The Lord said to Moses, 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. If there had been no other design but the relieving their necessity, that might have been supplied by rain from heaven; or if only to give a visible effect of the divine power, that had been discovered in causing new springs to rise from the earth, or the command of God had been sufficient to strike the rock. But he went to it, to signify the respect it had to himself. He was the Son of God that spake to Moses, and conducted the people. For this reason he is styled the Angel of God's presence not with respect to his nature, but offices.

I will briefly observe the parallel between the rock and Christ.

1. A rock is the ordinary title of God in Scripture, to represent his unchangeable nature and infinite power, whereby he upholds the world. And in a special manner it resembles the Messiah. He is called, The stone which the builders refused, that was made the head of the corner. He is the Rock upon which the church is built and secured against the violence of hell.

Now Israel was not supplied from the clouds or the valleys, but the rock; to show that the mystical Rock, the Son of God, can only refresh the spiritual Israel with living water.

2. The quality of the rock hath a proper signification. For although it had in its veins a rich abundance of waters, yet to appearance nothing was more dry and hard. In this it was a figure of the spiritual Rock. The effects have discovered in him unfathomable depths of righteousness, grace, and salvation; yet at the first view we had no hopes. For if we consider him as God, he is infinitely holy and just, encompassed with everlasting flames against sin, and how can we expect any cooling streams from him? If we consider him as man, infirmity of the human nature did not promise any comfort to us. But what cannot infinite love, united to infinite power, perform? Divine goodness hath changed the laws of nature in our favor, and by an admirable act opened the Rock to refresh us.

3. The rock was struck by the rod of Moses, a type of the law, before it sent forth its streams. Thus our spiritual Rock was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and then opened all his treasures to us. Being consecrated by suffering, he is the author of eternal salvation. In this respect the gospel propounds him for the object of saving faith. I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. The sacraments, the seals of the covenant, have a special reference to his death, the foundation of it.

4. The miraculous waters followed the Israelites in their journey, without which they had perished in the wilderness. This represents the indeficiency of the grace of Christ. A sovereign stream flows from him to satisfy all believers. He tells us, Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

"The well of life to us thou art,— Of joy, the swelling flood; Wafted by thee, with willing heart, We swift return to God.

"We soon shall reach the boundless sea; Into thy fullness fall; Be lost and swallowed up in thee,— Our God, our All in All."