In some points it resembled the one, in other cording to Kalisch, the omer is about tw!I points the other; in some, it differed from quarts (English): but this estimate is prolm- both. It crune out of the air like the " a.ir- bly m excess. Josephus makes the measun, hone)· ," and did not exude from shrubs; but it one equal to six cotyles, which would be nbont was hard, like the manna of commerce, and a quart and a half, or three pints. In his could be "ground in mills" and "beaten in tents. Rather, "in his tent." mortars." which the " air-bonev " cannot. It Ver. 17.-The children of Israel did so was not a medicament, like "the one, nor a The Israelites set themselves to obey Moses, condiment, like the other, but a substance and gathered what they supposed to be about su.ited to be a substitute for bread, and to an omer; but, as a matter of course, some of become the main sustenance of the lsraelitish them exceeded the amount, while others fell people. It was produced in quantities far short of it. There was no wilful disobedience exceeding anything that is recorded of either thus far. manna proper, or air honey. It accompanied Ver. 18.-When they did mete it with the Israelites wherever they went during the an omer. On returning to their tents, with space of forty years, whereas the natural sub- the ma.unn. which they had collected, the stances, which in certain points resemble it, Israelites proceeded to measure it with their are confined to certain districts. and to certain own, or a neighbour's, omer measure, when seasons of the year. During the whole space the wonderful result appeared, that, whatever of forty years it fell regularly during six con- the quantity actually gathered by any one, the secutiYe davs, and then ceased on the seventh. result of the measurement showed, exactly as It "bred worms" if kept till the morrow OD all many omers as there were persons in the days of the week except one: on that one-- family. Thus, he that had gathered much found the Sabbath-it bred no worms, hut was sweet that he had nothing over, and he that and good. Thus, it must be regarded as a had gathered little found that he had no peculiar substance, miraculously created for a la.ck. special purpose, but similar in certain respects Ver. 19.-Let no man leave of it till the to certain known substances which are still monting. MosQS, divinely iI!structed, warned produced in the Sina.itic region. the people that they were not to lay up in Ver. 15.-They said one to another, this is store any of their manna to be eaten the next manna. Rather, "this is a gift." To sup- day. God would have them trust their future pose that they recognised the substance as one wants to him, and " take no thought for the known to them in Egypt under the name of morrow." Some of them, however, were menu or mennu, is to make this clause con- disobedient, with the result stated in the next tradict the next. To translate "what is this ? " VeI!le, gives good sense, bnt is against grammar, Ver.20.-It bred worms. This was a super- since the Hebrew for "what" is not man but natural, not a natural result. It served as a mah. The Septuagint translatoI!l (who ren- sort of punishment of the disobedient, and der .,-[ irrr, .,-oirra) were probably deceived by effectually checked the practice of laying up their familiarity with the Chaldee, in which in store. man corresponds to "what." Not knowing Ver. 21.-When the sun waxed hot it what to call the subst.ance, the Israelites said melted. The manna had to be gathered one to another, "it is a gift "-meaning a gift early. What had not been collected before from heaven, God's gift (compare verse 8); the sun grew hot, melted away and disap- and afterwards, in consequence of this, the peared from sight. In this respect the word man (properly "gift") became the ac- miraculous manna resembled both the manna cepted name of the thing of commerce and the "air-honey." Ver 16 -An omer for every JD&D. Ar,.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 9-21.-God and Nature. l. Go» IS THE MASTER OF NATURE, NOT NATUim'e BERV ANT. A school of modem thought places nature above God, or at any rate ou a par with God. It is an absolute impossibility, we are told, that a law of nature should be broken or suspended. Miracles are incredible. But all this, it must be borne in mind, is mere assertion, and assertion without a tittle of proof. All that we can know is, that we ourselves have never witnessed a miracle. We may further believe, that none of our contemporaries have witnessed a.ny. But that miracles have never taken place, we cannot know. There is abU11dant testimony in the records of humanity that they have. To say that they are impossible, ls to assume that we know the exact relation of God to nature, and that that relation Is such as to preclude any infrnctiou or sus1iensiun of a uatural law. 'fhil; would ouly be the cai;c, 1. If nature were 011. XVI. !l-18.] THE IlOOK OF EXODUS. 41