it is the more curious, because it occurred, not occa- sionally in a few instances, but continually, for forty years, through the whole camp of Israel. It arose, I apprehend,
1. From God's merciful disposition towards them —
[A variety of circumstances might occur from time to time to prevent some heads of families from making the necessary exertion before the sun should have dissolved the manna, and have deprived them of the portion which they ought to have gathered. Illness, in themselves or their families, might inca- pacitate them for the discharge of their duty in this matter ; or a pressure of urgent business cause them to delay it till it was too late. In this case, what must be done ? God, in his mercy, took care that there should be in some a zeal beyond what their own necessities required, and that their abundance should be sufficient to counterbalance and supply the wants of others. In order to this, he needed only to leave men to the operation of their own minds. They did not collect the food by measure, but measured it after they had brought it home ; that so they might apportion it to every member of their family, according to the divine command. Hence it would often occur, that one who was young, active, vigorous, and disengaged, would exceed his quota ; whilst another who was enfeebled by sickness, or depressed by sorrow, or occupied with some urgent business, as that of attending on his sick wife and family, might collect but little. Neither the one might think of administering relief, nor the other of receiving it ; but in all cases where there was excess or defect found in the exer- tions of one, there was a corresponding want or superfluity in another ; so that, on measuring the whole, there was no super- fluity or defect throughout the whole camp.
In fact, this, in some respect, obtains throughout the whole world : for though there is doubtless a great disparity in men's possessions, arising from different circumstances, the rich un- wittingly supply the necessities of the poor, by dispersing their wealth in return for the comforts or elegancies of life : and thus, to a much greater extent than men in general are aware, is equality produced among them ; all having food and raiment, and no one possessing more.]
2. From their bountiful disposition towards each other —
[In this view St. Paul quotes the very words of my text. He is exhorting the Corinthians to liberality in supplying the wants of their poorer brethren : he tells them, however, that he did not mean to burthen them for the purpose of easing others; but only that, by an equality, their present abundance