Wells, in the east particularly, have a special importance and prominence. In the desert they form the oases, spots of life amid surrounding death, and even in fertile places water is so precious that the well is never ignored. It is the nucleus, the rallying-point, about which the people gather, and by which they are held together.

But wells are more than fountains, the latter springing up spontaneously, and offering their refreshing draughts to every passer by, beautiful type of that " fountain of the water of life," which flows freely for all that are athirst. Wells, "on the other hand, have to be dug, calling for labor, and each draught of water has to be brought up from its depths. Water is life, both literally and typically, and is constantly used thus in Scripture:"born of water," "a well of water in him," " rivers of water flowing from him," show us the Holy Spirit imparting, maintaining, and manifesting divine life. The well is particularly a type for the believer, yielding its waters to the digger, and rewarding with its never-failing refreshment him who will draw it up.

These wells which Isaac opened, had previously been dug by his father Abraham, and then choked by the Philistines, dwellers in the land, but without right there- types of professors laying claim to heavenly things, but without title to them. As has been noticed, these dwelt in the lowlands of Canaan, near neighbors to Egypt, a fact of significance in our present subject, as we shall soon see. These men choke the wells dug by Abraham. The precious truths, brought to light by godly servants of the Lord, in the energy and illumination of the Holy Spirit, are deprived of their life-giving force by those who are merely traders in the Word. The letter they may retain, as even Rome has in considerable measure the form of correct doctrine, but there is no power in connection with it. She has choked the wells, and while many correct statements of truth may be found in her writings, all is emasculated by the spirit of the world that pervades the mass and rules throughout. Nor is Protestantism without its Philistines:Reformation doctrines without Reformation piety and power are but choked wells. Such are creeds, in which much precious truth is contained, the expression, it may be at first, of what was a divine reality, but long since made by profession into a dry and empty thing-tombs of the prophets, memorials of what no longer exists for the ecclesiastical bodies holding them.

But do we individually know something of these closed wells? The joy of the Lord which once filled the heart and overflowed into the life has ebbed, it may be, until scarce manifest now. Love, zeal, power, progress, have all gone. The water, thank God, has not gone; but the well has been choked-filled with things of earth. Too easily has the charge been made that the Holy Spirit leaves the unfaithful believer. Such, we know, is never the case; but how often is He grieved and quenched! how often are His manifestations so checked that God and faith alone know He still remains ! A choked well! how useless ! Dear brother, what are you and I? Have we allowed our hearts to become filled with earth till the Holy Spirit no longer manifests His fruits? This is the work of the Philistines-both without and within. For it is not only true that there are people who answer to them, but there are in our hearts principles, habits of thought, and desires which also correspond to them. Outwardly, they are, as we have seen, those having the form of godliness, but denying its power. Inwardly, they are those habits of soul which do the same,-which would not have us give up our profession, our religious duties-prayers, Bible-reading, and such-like, but which deprive these things of their spiritual freshness, turning them into mere forms, food only for self-complacency, and leave our hearts the while empty and chill. Resting on past experience is a Philistine, choking up the well of present communion. Allowing sin to pass unjudged is another, quickly quenching the Holy Spirit-" hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." It is not necessary to approve sin; if it is neglected-allowed to pass the conscience unchallenged and unjudged, it soon hardens, the well is choked. We must live day by day in all reality, or we will soon find that the Philistines have been at work, the flow of service, love, and joy is checked.

It was in Gerar that Isaac met with the Philistines. The famine in the land tempted him to follow the steps of his father Abraham, who, under similar stress, went down into Egypt. But Gerar was on the border-land. It was the next thing to Egypt, though in the land of Canaan. To dwell there was taking low ground as compared with Hebron. So we see a corresponding moral state. Isaac had not courage to confess his wife (the sin of Abraham in Egypt), and though the Lord protected and blessed him, he does not seem the ideal pilgrim and stranger. His valley may be called "Gerar," "a place of sojourn," "a tarrying-place;" but, like everything under the power of the Philistines, it did not answer to its name. Most naturally, therefore, do we find the wells choked-the water stopped. The Holy Spirit cannot give joy and blessing where our ways so plainly contradict our knowledge. The Philistines, however, see beneath the unfaithfulness of the man a reality, and would have him leave them. " The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and these are contrary the one to the other."

If the choked wells bear witness to his condition, his effort to open them shows a desire not to continue in that condition. Very simple would seem to be the lesson for us in this. Has the well become choked in us ? dig out that" which has choked it,-remove the things of earth from their place of power in the heart, and the sweet refreshing of the Spirit will be quickly felt.

But it costs something to regain that which has been lost. The enemy will not quietly resign the place he has occupied, and will dispute our right to recovered joys. This we see in the four wells of Isaac, at once the evidence of the hostility of the Philistines and a test of his purpose of heart to recover what had been lost.

First, we have Esek, "strife," the name given to the first well, because they strove for it. How strange it seems that they should want a well which they themselves had choked. How like those who contend and fight over doctrines until they lose all sweetness to the soul, and become distasteful even to the child of God. Many a truth has been thus snatched out of their hands, and come to be the symbol, not of food for the soul, but the battle-cry of contending factions, until for very weariness the soul says, "Enough ! let us speak no more of this matter." So what should have refreshed becomes repulsive. Is not this true of the divine side of truth-election, final perseverance, and the like? Strife, discord, war of words, perverse disputings, have so choked the wells of divine truth that men have been ready to take one another by the throat in the maintenance of what they may hold. Within too, in the history of the soul, do we not see the same strife? The self-righteous spirit resisting, opposing that which is according to godliness, and such conflict waged about the very truth which would help ?

The effect of this conflict can be one of two. Either wearied with struggle, the baffled one may yield in despair, and no more seek for recovery of lost blessings; or, as in Isaac's case, he may turn his back upon Esek and dig again, well knowing that the water can surely be found. It is a good thing to know how to yield without giving up. Let men turn our wells, which we have dug at great. cost, and from which we have drawn refreshing streams,- let them turn them into scenes of strife :our love is for the water, not the well, and we can dig elsewhere. The time comes when the child of God must in faithfulness turn from what was once a well of springing water to him, and seek to find elsewhere the refreshment his soul craves. Inwardly, we are to abstain, withdraw, from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.

Next comes Sitnah. The water comes afresh, only to be the occasion of renewed conflict. "Sitnah "does not mean "hatred," as in the margin of our common version; but "accusation." It is from the same root as "Satan," " the accuser of the brethren ; " and if strife characterized the first well, more bitter and active enmity is shown here. Luther was accused of all sorts of blasphemies when he dug afresh the wells of truth at the Reformation. Accusations are a common weapon of attack by the enemy, and they are satanic weapons. Let them accuse; if still associated with them, we can withdraw, and leave to them what was a well of refreshing, only now designated by this name. Alas! how many wells have become Sitnahs -whispered accusations, backbitings, railings, turning the outflow of refreshing into waters of bitterness and sorrow !

But faith and a steadfast purpose knows how to turn from such scenes with the renewed determination to find what it longs for-unlimited fellowship with God. And surely every one with such a purpose will sooner or later come to Rehoboth, "room," rather "streets," an enlarged place, a broad highway, and the plural indicating abundance of enlargement. Ah ! here no enemy contends or accuses. We can look around and realize that at last we are away from the Philistines. Freedom to enjoy God is now ours. How significantly Rehoboth is the third well! resurrection-power and ground cannot be reached by outsiders. There is this place of enlargement. Have we reached it ? where we can call our wells no longer by names which remind us of strife and accusation, but of the liberty in which we now stand.

Beer-sheba completes the list, giving us the positive side. The well of the oath, while referring to the oath between Isaac and the Philistines, which ends their strife, also reminds us of that sure word of Him who cannot lie, and who will confirm all that He has spoken, making good to us the precious things which grace has given us. Here let us dwell, drinking daily more deeply of the pure waters of eternal love, growing more and more into the image of Him who loves us, as we drink. The Lord give us purpose of heart to reopen these wells with the determination to persevere until we reach Rehoboth and Beer-sheba.