:esen_t and envy the great deed_s and successes of those whom they look upon as very mfenor to themselves. Ephraim was the largest and most powerful of the tribes of Israel. The great lead~r, Josh~a, was of that trib~, and they seem to have thought thnt they hnd' an hereditary prunacy among the tribes. We have already seen this ~pirit ~reaki~g out fiercely in their strife with Gid~on (eh. viii. 1-3), and now again m their hostile attack upon Jephthah. Nay, even m Joshua's time something of the same arrogance drew down upon them the rebuke of their great captain (Josh. xvii. 14-16). . They seem_ to have t~10ught that, ~eing ~he chief tribe, they were entitled to_ be considered first m everythmg; that their advice was always to be sought, their wishes always t? be ~onsulted; and that ~he maintenance of their dignity ought to be the first consideration of all the other tribes. And yet we do not find them main- taining their claims by pre-eminent zeal for the public service by a spirit of self- sacrifice for the public good, nor by furnishing the most emin~nt men to take the lead in civil or military affairs. They were not the first to risk life nnd limb againsl; the Midianite hosts ; they were not the first to repel the invasion of the children of Ammon. Their own dignity, and not their country's good, was their chief concern. Hence, when an unknown Gideon, of one of the inferior houses of Manasseh or a half-caste Jephthab on the other side Jordan, rose to the first rank as savio~rs of their country, the envy of Ephraim burst out into a flame. What business had such rui they to do great things? It was an invasion of the prerogative of the "great people." It was presumption; it was a slight put upon Ephraim. No punishment ,,as too bad for such insolence. ''We will burn thine houoe upon thee with fire." This history then illustrates the pride of caste. It shows us men, having a great opinion of themselves, not influenced by that good opinion to do as much as possible for others, but only to exact as much as possible for themselves. It shows us how an overweening estimate of themselves induces men to envy others, whom they think inferior, if they distinguish themselves, and rise superior to them :n public estimation. It was very much the same spirit which showed itself in the Pharisees when our Lord's fame as a teacher drew such multitudes to hear him. They thought they had the monopoly of teaching, that no doctrine which did not emanate from their schools ought to be listened to, that knowledge could proceed from no mouth but that of a Rabbi. .And so when the carpenter's Son opened his mouth e.nd poured forth his lessons of exquisite wisdom and power, and enchained the attention of the multitudes, anJ was acknowledged as a prophet, their envy was excited. Instead of rejoicing that God had sent them a teacher mighty in word and deed, they only plotted how they might silence the eloquent tongue. Instead of.sitting at his feet and learning at his mouth the true will of God and tne we.y of life, they were only roUBed to hatred, and persuaded the multitude to say, Let him be crucified. The same spirit is common in our own days in every profession. The sme.11 great envy the great deeds of the small. But God's gifts e.re not confined to any caste or class ; and they only are truly great who rejoice in great qualities wherever they are fou?d, and view without envy the career of those who outstrip them in the race of domg good and advancing the glory of God.
HOMILIES BY VARIO'C'S AUTHORS. Vers. 1-3.-lngratitude the frequent reward of benejadors. The triumph of Jephthah is marred by another incident. - Ephraim, the most powerful tribe we~ of the Jordan, confronts him in hostile array. His experience must have been bitter and hard to comprehend. But he is not alone in the results which his good deeds brought upon him. Benefactors in every age have met with e. like reception. I. TREIB GOOD DEEDS ABE THEMSELVES AN OFFENCE. This hae its root and ground in the incapacity of the natural mind to perceive and e.pprecie.te spiritual motives ; but it seldom takes the form of direct, simple objection to the g?o_d ~eed •. Other forms of excuse for opposition are easily discovered. 1. The spint vn, which they are wr01J,(!ht ill muuru/,e,-stood or miainterpreted. The key to our judgments of others is in ourselves. If then we are evil, our judgments will be pervert~d. All through the history of God's Church this influence is apparent, from the old 111-natued query, "Does Job serve God for nought?" to the culminating wickedness described in the CH. XII, 1-7.] THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 133
gospel : " The light ehineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. . . . He was·in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto bis own, and bis own received him not" (John i. 5, 10, 11). "To the pure, all things are pure," and vice versa. 2. They present an unwelcome contrast to the conduct of others. Every good deed is ae a light which brings to view things of like kind, and inspires similar behaviour; but also reveals the hideousness and hate- fulness cf the ordinary life of man. This is an offence against the amour prope of the sinner, and therefore unpardonable; it is also an exposure of hypocrisy, and sadly inconvenient. It makes the heart of good men ache to see this, and to cry, "When will goodness not be the exception, but the role?" 3. The honour they acquire/or their authors is coveted. To minds not actuated by the spirit of good- ness, the only thing that can be desired in good works is the outward fame and advantage they bring. The exclusion from this is keenly resented. Hundreds are eager to share the crown of the righteous who are far from breathing his spirit or emulating his example. II. How HARD IS IT FOR EVEN GOOD MEN TO UNDERSTAND THIS I Jephthah argues his case, and asks," Wherefore are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?" The law of Moses promised temporal advantages to those who fulfilled it. Occasionally these were not enjoyed, and there was a consequent perplexity. But we are not to suppose that this wonder and mental trouble were confined to that dis- pensation; they are deeply human characteriertice. Our Saviour himself experienced them when he asked, IC Many good works have I showed you from my Father ; for which of those works do ye stone me?" (John x. 32); and again, "Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me'' (Matt. xxvi. 55). The key to this mystery is furnished by the beatitude of the persecuted for righteousness' sake (Matt. v. 11, 12), and realised in the spirit of Christ's sacrifice.-M.