The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 337

irresistible temptation to m&ke it &S sh&rp &nd striking as possible; and truth cannot but suffer in the process. Epigrams &re always to be distrusted. How clearly the i11justfre of sharp sayings comes out in the illustration before u.~ ! The speech &bout these grn'l"es w&s & witty, clever one, but bow unjust I As it happened, Moses was under no responsibility whatever for bringing the Israelites to this particular place. He ha<l not been left to use his own judgment and discretion, but was as much under the guidance of the cloudy pillar as all the rest. Hence from this illustration we receive a slight warning that we may not only be inflicting pain, which is much, but injustice which is a great deal more. You who would not steal the least fragment of a man'~ property, be equally careful to speak no word which may do hurt to his reputation. Speak that you may inflict no pain ; speak also that you may do no injustice. III. Coi-sIDER THE PERIL TO THE SPEAKER HlMSELF. Cleverness is a perilous, and not unfrequently a fatal gift. To be sharper than our neighbours may prove in the end a dangerous thing for our own interests. Some who are admired, courted, widely spoken about, for their powers of mimicry, find in the end that it might have been far more for their comfort and permanent well-being, if they had been of only co=on- place abilities. To be admired is a poor satisfaction, mere dust and ashes, if it has to stand instead of being loved. Make fun of other people, seize without mercy on their weaknesses, their follies and their natural defects, and the chances are that you will find yourself exposed, in turn, to like treatment. Those who attack with sharp speeches are just the men who deserve-if they always got their deserts, and it were expedient to retaliate-equally sharp speeches in return. What about these Jsraelites here ? Did they not by talking in this fashion show clearly what a mean, miserable company they were? They hurt themselves far more than they hurt Moses. There is hardly one who takes pride in what he calls his plain speaking, but might be pilloried himself, and greeted with sarcastic speeches as severe as any he had uttered, and pro- lJa.bly more charged with truth. And the worst of all is, that in the end those habituated to enl-speaking may find themselves forsaken in their own great need. We need friends, and, if we would have them, we must show our11elves friendly. If we go through the world constantly replenishing our sarcastic quiver with arrows, and stretching the bow on every slight provocation, then we must expect people to give us a wide berth ; and when at last we come to be stricken ourselves, it will be no matter of just complaint if we are left well-nigh alone. _ IT. CoNSIDER HOW MUCH GOOD IS THWARTED AND NEUTRALISED RY THIS WAY OJI' SPEAKING. We may flatter ourselves that there is good to be gained in making folly ridiculous, and so there may be; but it can only be when the speaker is one of great wisdom, goodness, and habitual elevation of life. Certainly we find in the Scriptures the language of solemn irony from God himself; but his words are above our criticism, and we are not at liberty to speak as he speaks. We are all upon the same level of sin, ignorance, and partial views, and must speak as remembering this level. To affect authority and superior station will be ruinous to all good effects from any remonstrance of ours. "Whatever truth is revealed to us, and put upon our consciences to Hpeak, must be spoken m love, in humility, and in the very best season we can find. If it is really our desire to win others to better, wiser and manlier courses, we had better not begin with sharp speeches. True it may be that the world is mostly made _up of fools, and perhaps there is no occasion when we do more to prove our own place m the large company than when, in our contempt and impatience, we call othe: people f~ols. We are not theI!. behaving as fishers of men. We are not then becom.rng all things to all men in order to save some. Many a Christian has had f:<> sorrow ~or his imperfe~t control over the gift of intellectual quickness. Before his conversion, he used his !!:ifL of wit repartee and ludicrous conception with careless freedom and delight, not _ ;taying to'consider ~horn he hurt, whom he hindered. 'l'hen when such a one submits at last to the true lord of the intellect, he finds it hard, in this matter in particular, to bring his thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. V. Goo's PEOPLE MUST THEMSELVES PREP.ABE TO BE SARCASTICALLY AND BITT~RLY RPOtsEN OF. Only let each one of us consider his own temptation to say hard things, a1,d then we shall cease to wonder that hard things are said of us. We cannot expect to receive from others but as we give to them. .AJJ.yway we must be ready for hard thing:;, ready in parti~ular for hard speeches. Where Christ went, his people must go i 011. XIV, 13.] THE IIOOK OF EXODUS. 333