HOMILETICS. Vers. 1, 2.-God assigns to each man his intellectual grad,e. Three different intel- lectual grades are here set before us-that of the thinker, that of the expounder, a.n.:t that of the mere recipient. Pharaoh, notwithstanding his exalted earthly rank, occupie,a the lowest position. He is to hang on the words of .Aaron, who is to be to him as ~ prophet of the Most High. Aaron himself is to hang on the words of Moses, and to be simply his mouthpiece. Moses is to stand to both ( compare eh. iv. 16) as God. And here note, that the positions are not self-assumed-God assigns them. So there are leaders of thought in all ages, to whom God has given their intellectual gifts, whom he has marked out for intellectual pre-eminency, and whom he makes to stand to the rest of men as gods. Sometimes they are their own prophets-they combine, that is, tho power of utterance with the power of thought. But very often they need an interpreter. Their lips are uncircumcised. They lack eloquence; or they even lack the power of putting their thoughts into words, and require a "prophet," to publish their views to the world. The " prophet-interpreter" occupies a position very much below theirs, but still one requiring important and peculiar gifts, such as God alone can give. He must have the intelligence to catch the true bearing, connection, and force of the ideas pre- sented to him, often in rude and uncouth language, like statues rough-hewn. He ;must be able to work up the rough material into presentable form. He must have a gift of language, if not a gift of speech. The great mass of men occupy a lower rank than either of these ; they can neither originate, nor skilfully interpret ; it remains that they be content to receive. God has given to them their humble position, as he has given to the others their loftier ones. They should cultivate their receptivity. They should be satisfied to listen and learn. They should remember that if, on the one hand, o~Tor ,,;11 "ll"OJJapi<rror, Z.r aitTor "11"avra 110~"!)---0n the _other, l<rBMr II' at ,ca1«i11or &r Eli El1r1511T", "/l"L()']TaJ..
Vers. 3-5.-The fierceness of man turns to Gorh praise. The most signal triumphs of Divine power are those in which the resistance to it is the most determined. The greatest of all victories was probably that which was gained when-after "war in heaven "-Satan was seen, like lightning, falling from heaven to earth. Since then, great triumphs, tending to God's praise, occur whenever the right and the truth succeed aga.in.st seemingly insuperable opposition. When the boy shepherd with his_ sling and stone smites to the earth the gigantic Philistine-when the proud Sennachenb !1-fter all his boasts has to leave Jerusalem unhurt and fly to Nineveh-when Epiphanee 1s defied and baffled by a handful of Jewish mountaineers-when victory is finally gained by ".A.thanasius contra mundum," God's might is seen wid recognised, as it would not have 011, VII, 1-9,] THE DOOK OF EXODUS. lfil
been, unless overwhelming strength had seemed to be arrayed against compamtive wcf\knoHs. ·when tho "heathen rage," and the "kings of the earth and rulers" aro on their side, ancl the cry of defiance goes forth: " Let us break God's bands asunder, :;nd cast away his cords from us "-then God is most apt to show his nught--to "refrain the spirit of princes," and make it manifest that he "is wonderful among the kings of the earth." '!'he longer and fiercer the opposition, the more conspicuously is God'8 praise shown forth. Dlow follows blow until the opposing power is shattered, smitten to the ground, laid prostrate. Thon is the time for the song of triumph : "Be wise now there- foro, 0 ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the right way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him!" (Ps. ii. 10-12). Ver. 9.-Miracles the credentials of an ambassador from God. It is not easy to see any way in which God could authenticate a message as coming from him, except by giving the messenger supernatural powers. Conceivably, he might proclaim his will from heaven directly, in terms of human speech. But even then doubts would be raised as to the words uttered ; men's recollections of them would differ; some would question whether words were used at all, and would hold that it had "thundered" (John,xii. 29). If, to avoid such results, he speaks to man through man, how is he to make it clear that his prophet has indeed been sent by him? He cannot make his messenger impeccable, if he is still to be man. He cannot give him irresistible eloquence, for eloquence is at once suspected; the reason rises up against it and resists it. What other course is there, but to impart to his messenger a portion of his own command over nature-in other words, to give him the power of working miracles ? The light of nature seems to have taught Pharaoh to ask for this proof. The same light taught Nicodemus to accept it-" No man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (ib. iii. 2). So it will ever be with simple men in simple times. Jt is only when men have become sophisticated, when they have darkened the light that is in them by " foolish questionings" and "oppositions of science falsely so called," that they begin to see specious objections to miracles, and regard them as " difficulties in the way of,eceiving a rovelation" rather than as convincing evidences of it. We may properly call upon an opponent to teli us what evidence of a Divine mission he would accept, if he rejects miracles as an evidence, and wait for his answer. We shall probably find that cl d11mp;;,., -ravTT/v .,-~., 1rlcrrw ov 1ra11v mcrro-r•pa ,pii (" he who destroys this basis of belief will not discover a surer one "),-Aristotle.