'' With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."(Is. 12:3.)

The verse preceding reads, "Behold, God is my salvation:I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is become my strength and song; He also is become my salvation;" then it is added, " therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."

This is a good word for faith to start out upon. The "wells of salvation" are the Scriptures, clearly, since in the Scripture water is often used as a symbol of the Word of God.

This is a millennial song, this twelfth chapter of Isaiah. "All things of God " in heaven and on earth. The glory of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. As in the days of Israel's journey from Egypt to Canaan the cloud covered them, and the mount of transfiguration the cloud covered them, so in millennial days will the cloud of glory cover the earth. See Is. 4:5-"And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a naming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defense"-["for from above, the glory shall be for a defense." marg.]

'' And this shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day-time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain." The marginal reading makes it clearer, and is the correct reading, no doubt.

And this is still more clearly seen when traced as looked at in connection with the deliverance out of Egypt. See Ex. 8:22, 23-"And Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven; and there was a darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings."

Now to the Egyptians, this was a darkness which they could not light up. Ordinarily they could light up their darkness. For seventy-two hours, day or night, they were bound by this spell of darkness-no man moved out of his place; but the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. What, then, do you suppose was the character of this light in the houses of the Hebrews ? Was it any thing which they had produced by their own means ? I think not; but a miraculous light,-a light which God gave, in contrast with the darkness given to the Egyptians. (Comp. Ex. 14:19, 20.) The Egyptians had a darkness which they could not light up, and the Hebrews had a light which they could not put out. Thank God! and at the appointed hour, and at the given word; this light led each family out of their dwellings into their proper places in the ranks of that wonderful procession of many miles in length.

Nor was it a mob, without order and arrangement, that came up "five in a rank," in battle-array, out of the land of Egypt. Six hundred thousand soldiers and their accompanying families, with flocks and herds-a mighty host-humanly speaking, an unmanageable multitude-were led without disorder through the Red Sea, and safely brought to the other shore to sing their song of deliverance.

And this is not a parable, but a matter of history; -typical as to practical lessons for us, no doubt, but real, actual facts of history, the "higher critics" to the contrary notwithstanding. Israel in their Egyptian bondage was a reality. Moses, under God, was their deliverer-a real and a true man, and a man of God in all that this word comprehends.

If any part of this can be gainsaid, then all of it can be gainsaid, and the whole book may be cast away as a deception and a fraud; for Christ and His apostles give their most absolute sanction to Moses and the prophets; and if Christ and His apostles are rejected, we have no revelation of God, and are thrown back into absolute atheism-no God. And can we consent to this ? By no means, thank God! For all that the higher critics can say is, that they don't know! while we can say that was not like the man in the ninth of John, when his eyes were opened, he could say, "One thing I know"! And the testimony of one man who does know is to be received, while the know-nothings are not received.

It reminds one of the man who was brought before a justice for stealing, and one witness was brought who testified that he saw the theft. "But," said the defendant, '' I can bring a dozen men who will say they did not see me." So it is with these wise men, these learned professors of agnosticism – know-nothingism; their wisdom proves their folly, and this, again, substantiates the Word of God. For God has said, "I will confound the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Taking them on their own ground, they have no revelation of God,-hence, no knowledge of God, and no God. While the simplest and weakest believer in all the world can understand how it is and why it is that these wise (?) don't know. They have thrown away the key of knowledge-Christ, inasmuch as they reject God's testimony about His Son through Moses and the prophets, since Moses and the prophets testify of Him. They stand or fall together. But, thank God! they stand, while the wise men go down, like the fire and brimstone upon Sodom, to be engulfed in the flame which their own wisdom has kindled. They do not like to think of hell now. Will they like it any better when they get there ? They prefer great happiness in judging God's Word now ? Will they be as happy when God's Word judges them for this contempt of Moses and the prophets ?

But what a contrast to all this human emptiness is the fullness of God's precious Word, those wells that never run dry. "With joy,"-when the poor wise man and his day have passed,-with joy shall we drink of those wells. Let it be so even now. Those wells are open, and while Philistines may try to choke them, let it be our joy to open them, and to drink deeply ourselves and give also to the thirsting multitudes about us. C. E. H.