The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 108

decicledly. Demosthenes bas to yielcl the palm to Alexander, Cicero to Cresar, Pym to Cromwell, the Abbe Sieyb to Napoleon. On the whole it must be said that those who are great in deed are rarely great in speech. And without eloquence a man may do Go<l good service in every walk of life, even as a minister. The written sermon may go 118 straight to the heart of the audience as the spoken one. Ministerial effort in house-to-house visiting may do as much to convert a parish as anv number of extem- J?Ore sermons. Example of life preaches bet!t.r than palaver. Let no one who feels within him the ministerial call, who longs to serve God by bringing his fellow-men to Christ, be deterred by the thought that he is " slow of speech and of a slow tongue." God, without making him eloquent, can "be with his mouth," give his words force, make them powerful to the conversion of souls. It has been said that there are many "dumb poets." So are there many "dumb preachers," whose weak and hesitating words God blesses and renders effectual, so that in the end they have no cause to be ashamed, but may point to those whom they have brought to Christ, and exclaim with St. Paul, " Ye are our work, ye are our epistle, the seal of our apostleship are ye in the Lord" (1 Cor. ix. 1, 2; 2 Cor. iii. 2). Vera. 13, 14.-The sin of self-distrust, and its punishment. Undoubtedly the general inclination of men is towards self-assertion and self-sufficiency, so that diffidence and distrust of self are commonly regarded as excellences. But there is a diffidence which is wrongful, a self-distrust which Scripture condemns. St. Paul calls it" a voluntary humility" (l0i'AOTa1m11orf,pou{,vri'ra, humblemindedness, that fa, which has its root in the will; a man not choosing to think that he is fit for high things, and determining to keep down his aims, aspirations, hopes, endeavours. The same apostle exhorts his converts" not to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think" (Rom. xii. 3), but at the same time, by implication, not to think too humbly, for he tells them to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every one the measure of faith." We ought to take true views of ourselves, of our capacities, powers, faculties, even of the graces to which by God's mercy we have been able to attain ; and not to deny them or depreciate them. If we do so we keep ourselves back from high things, and this is how God punishes us. Moses lost the gift of eloquence, which God would supernaturally have bestowed upon him (ver. 12), and lost one-half of his leadership (vers. 14-16), by his persistent diffidence and distrust. We prevent ourselves from attaining heights to which we might have attained, we keep ourselves down in this world and make our position low in the next, by similar folly. The youth who bore the banner with the word "excelsior" upon it, was wiser than most of us. If we would rise high we must aim high; if we would aim high we must not be too diffident of ourselves. Ver. 14.-The -love of brothers. Few things are more lovely than the affection of brothers. Ja.mes and John, Simon and Andrew, Philip and Bartholomew, James and Jude, were sent out together by our Lord, that they might enjoy this sweet companion- ship. How touching is the love of Joseph for Benjamin l If there is "a friend that sticketh closer than a. brother," the fact is noted for its rarity; and the force of the phrase depends on the known intensity of fraternal affection. Aaron, though so long parted from Moses, perhaps the more because so long parted, would at the sight of him be "glad in his heart." Though not brought up together, though educated so differently, .md gifted so differently, though seemingly intended for such different walks in life, the two had a. true affection, each for each, which had survived a. long and-so far as we are told-complete separation. Here, and a.gain in verse 27, it is the affection of Aaron which is especially noticed-perhaps because it was the more praiseworthy. Aaron, the elder brother, might naturally have felt some jealousy of Moses' advancement above ,himself, of his superior education, social position, privileges, etc. But he seems to !:ave been entirely free from this feeling. Moses might, for aught that he knew, resume his old princely rank on his return to Egypt, and throw him once more into the shade. Aaron did not disquiet himself about this. God knew that he longed for the simple keen pleasure of seeing his brother (" when he seeth thee, he will be glad," etc.), of pressing him to his heart, and kissing him on the face (ver. 27). Well would it be if among Christians all brothers were thus minded.  00 THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [en. IV. 14--lli.