inguiry, Who sh111l go up first? h11d come. "Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand." Yet none the less did Judah say to Simeon hiFI brother, "Come up with me, ... nnd I likewise will go with thee into thy lot." It is not enough then even to have the help of God : the laws under which humanity is placed by God require that man have also the help of man. "As iron sharpeneth iron, so a man's countenance his friend." Our Lord sent out the seventy "two and two before hie face." " Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them," was the s11ying of the Holy Ghost. The strength of two is greater than the strength of one. The wisdom of two is better th11n the wisdom of one. In co-operation one can supply what the other lacks. One has courage, another has prudence. One has knowledge, another knows how to nse it. One has wealth, the other has the wit to use wealth. One has wisdom, but is "slow of speech;" the other " can speak well," but is foolish in counsel (Exod. xxxii. ). No man has all the qualities which go to make up perfect action, and therefore no man should think to do without the help of his fellow-man. It is a presumptuous state of mind which makes a man seem sufficient to himself, and an uncharitable state of mind which prompts him to withhold help from his fellow. A beautiful lesson may be learnt from the co-operation of the blind with the deaf and dumb in institutions where they are trained together. What the blind learn by the ear they communicate to the eye of the deaf, and what the deaf learn by the eye they communicate to the ear of the blind. And so it should be in everything. A man should seek help from his neigh- bour, and should be equally ready to give help to him in return. " Come up with me into my lot, . . . 1md I likewise will go with thee into thy lot," should be the law of human fellowship running through all the transactions of human life. But yet not so as to weaken individual responsibility, or to destroy just independence of character; but so as to give to each the full help towards the performance of duty which God bas provided for him, and to nourish man's care for his neighbour by listening to his neighbour's calls for help. III. The third lesson may be briefly stated. DIFFERENT PA.ll.TS ARE ASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT PERSONS: MORE SHOWY ONES TO SOME, MORE HUMBLE ONES TO OTHERS. But the humbler pa.rt may be as really useful and as acceptable to God as the more showy one. To some the lot is assigned of merely helping others to rise to their destined eminence, and then being forgotten. And yet they really have a share in all that is well done by those whom they helped to raise, and who could not have risen without their help. Thus Simeon helped Judah to take possession of his lot, and J ude.h ever after took the foremost place among the tribes of Israel ; but Simeon almost disappears from view. In like manner Andrew first brought his brother Simon to Jesus; but it is Simon Peter to whom were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and who occupies the first place among the twelve. Barne.bas took Saul and brought him to the apostles, and again went to seek him at Tarsus, and brought him to Antioch ; but the place filled by St. Paul in the Church of God as far tran- scends that of Barnabas as the place of Judah among the tribes transcends that of Simeon. This should give encouragement to those whose work is humble and out of sight. Let the servant of God do "what he can." Let him not envy the talents, the brilliant gifts, the powers, the fa.me, the glory of others. But let him be content if by the grace of God he can in any way help forward the work of God's Church on earth, although his name be not mentioned till he receives his reward before the judgment-seat of Christ.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1, 2.-Transfer of authority. Periods when supreme power passes from rulers to their descendants are always of critical importanee. It is then that the greatest constitutional modifications take place. Partly from the differences of dis- po8ition and view, partly from the force of new circumstances, partly from the failure or creation of peculiar official sanctions and dignities, the legislative or executive function seldom remains wholly unchanged in passing from one holder to another. In this oase, as the dignity and authority of Moses did not entirely pass to Joahua, so the office the latter filled must have greatly altered with its occupancy by 4 THE BOO!t OF JUDGES. [en. r. 1-T.