Vers. 14--16.-Diversities Qf gifts a benefit both to individual& and to the Church.- After all. the self-distrust of Moses was turned by God to good, Without it Moses would h1we been sole leader of the entire enterprise, must have appeared alone before the elders and before the monarch, must have undertaken the entire charge, direction, superint~mdence of everything, must have ha.d upon his mind an unshared bw'Clen whioh •t would have been most trying to boor. God's strength might indeed have been r1fficient for his weakness. Ilut his life could not but have been e. weariness to hirn. He would ha,•e le.eked the unspeakable solace and comfort of e. loved and loving associate, to whom he might open-indeed, was bound to open (ver. 15}--e.U his mind, and with whom he could constantly "t&ke sweet counsel together." He would have also lacked the support, so much needed by a shy man, of a companion and coadjutor in crises and times of difficulty, as when he appeared first before the elders (vers. 29, 30), and when he appeared first befure Pharaoh (eh. v. 1). Thus the association of Aaron with himself in the leadership must have been felt by Moses as a benefit. And to Aaron it was an unmixed ndvantage. The gift with which God had endowed him, and which he had no doubt sedulously cultivated, caused him to be placed almost on a par with his brother-nabled him to be of use to him-gave him loving companionship-- and caused him to have a. large pa.rt in the deliverance of his nation. After forty years of separation, during which he had never ceased to long for the return of his brother, Aaron found himself associated in the closest possible way with Moses, made his "right-band man.," his other self, his constant aider and assister. .After a whol.\y undistinguished life. which boo. lasted eighty-three years (eh. vii. 7), he found himself brought into a position of the hi;;hest dignity and responsibility. Aud the Church was benefited greatly by the double leadership. Moses, the man of thought, was able to devote himself exclusively to thinking out all the details of the great work entrusted to him. Aaron, the man of words, was able to give all his attention to the framing of addresses whereby he might advance the plans of his brother. So in the Christian Church there have always been, and will always be, "diversities of gifts." At one time they are "gifts of healing, tongues, prophecy, interpretation, discerning of spirits, .faith, wisdom, prudence" (1 Cor. xiL 8---10); at another, preaching power, administrative energy, learning, scholarship, influence, and the like. Seldom are even two of these gifts united in the same individual. The Church prospers by utilising the gifts of all, assigning to ea.eh man the position suited to him, and taking ea.re that he has a fair field for the employment of his special gift. In this way, "the whole building fitly joined together, and cum~ted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every pa.rt, maketh increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. iv. 16).
HOMILIES IlY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-Unbelief. The objection started by Moses to the mi!sion on which he was sent was a very natural one. The people would not believe him, nor hearken to hie voice. For- L HE WAS .AB YET UNFURNISHED WITH DISTINCT CREDENTIALS. In so grave a matter Moses could not expect the people to believe his bare word. 'l'his was a real difficulty. Before committing themselves to his proposals. the Hebrews would be entitled to a.sk for very distinct proofs that the message brought to them boo. really come from God- that there wa.s no mistake, no deception. God acknowledges the justice of this plea, by furnishing Moses with the credentials that he need.ed. From which we gathe~ that it is no part of the business of a. preacher of the Gospel to run down "evidences." Evidences are both required and forthcoming. God asks no man to confide in a message as of Divine authority, without furnishing him with sufficient grounds for believing that this character really belongs to it. The reality of revelation, the super~atural mission of ChriBt, the inspiration of prophets and apostles, the authority o~ Scnpture, all admit of proof; and it is the duty of the preacher to keep this fact in view, aud in delivering his meBBage, to exhibit along with the message the evidences of its Divine original. li. MOB.AL OA.UIIBII, AS DlBTINGO'IBHED FROM JIIEllE DEFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE;, WOULD on. n,, 1.J THE BOOK OF EXODUS.