The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 31

disposition to ignore, even for II moment, tlie holy influ~nces of religion, tbe presence of God. In coatre.st, then, to the gay e.bandonmeat to mirth, the thoughtless devotion to the plel\sures of the hour OD the pl\rt of his children, we see in Job a mind which no di~traction could divert from the constant sense of his relation to his God. A kindly rather, he did not interfere to spoil bis children's natural and innocent festivities on these special occasions of joy; but bis thought followed them, with upliftings of the heart, and prayers for tlieir presenat.ion from those evils which may arise in the very midtit of the scenes of highest social enjoyment, like serpents from a bed of flowers. Still, we need not assume excess or evil on the 11art of Job's children; the lancruage merely suggests the anxiety of bis mind lest such should be. It may be that the fear of God bad entered their hearts too, and, restraining their enjoyment within due bounds, and iaspiring thankfulness, allowed their festivals to be crowned with the favour of Heaven. One of our famed English writers, describing the scene nt an old French peasant's house, when, after the labours of the day, before retiring to rest, the young people of the household joined in a cheerful dance, says he noticed some slight gesture, some uplifting of the eyes or hands, at a particular point-" in a word, I thought I saw religion mingling with the dance!" A beautiful hint for those who are perplexed with the problem how to unite religion with relaxation, to satisfy the instinct for amusement consistently with piety. There is no solution to be found for the problem except in the cheerful and loyal surrender of the heart to God, and the intel- ligent worship of him in all our activities, all our pleasures. It is a narrow or a spurious conception of religion which shuts us out from any genuine pleasures, The habitual recognition of our Creator in the use of this sensitive organization of body and mind which is his gift is the means of enhancing and at the same time hallowing every healthy pleasure of the body and the soul. One of the " fruits of the Spirit," one of the graces of the Christian life, one of the rPsults of true piety, is "temperance," "moderation," or " self-control." We see this in Job. And we see the genuineness of bis piety amidst prosperity in the anxiety he feels lest bis children should have transgressed agains~ this law of conduct (ver. 5). " It may be," he said, "that my sons have sinned, and said farewell to God-abandoned or forgotten him in their hearts." The next point is- piety manifested in ritual. Ritual, or cultus, has an important place in the history and development of religion. It is the outward presentation of religion, as symbolic of an inward reality. As cleanliness and neatness of person, propriety and gentleness of manners, have a certain value as an index of the inner man, so with the ritual and sym- bolic side ofreligion. It is a kind of language, and has the only value that language can have-that of meaning something. When it no longer bas a meaning, it must pass away and be replaced by a more vital mode of expression. For both langnage and ritual are the changing element in religion; the inward and spiritual is the abiding and eternal. Now, we a.re here carried back to a time when the outward expression of piety was different and more elaborate than with us. Sacrifices of various kinds offered a most significant, powerful, varied medium of communication of the soul's penitences, devotions, aspirations to God. Here we have the ritual of penitence--the trespass offering. It is the devout longing for reconciliation to God, oneness with God, that is expressed, following on the sense of a rupture, or possible rupture, through carelessness or transgression of the soul's true relations to him. An account of such offerings under the Law of Moses will be found in Lev. iv.; vi. 17-23; vii. 1-10, And Job, rising early after each of these festivals, was wont to i;end for his children individually, that they might be present at the solemn sacrifice, and thus symbolically receive purification and absolution from the stain of guilt. 'l'hus there rises before us, in this concluding trait of the character of Job, the picture of one who sought first the kingdom of God, and to be right with him-an example of paternal love and piety; of one whll identified, like Joshua (xxiv. 15), hie household with himself in the service of the Eternal, By the pleasing art of the sacred poet, our interest, our sympathy, is already powerfully drawn towards the b~o of his story. The curtain falls on this bright life-scene ae U with the good wishes and prayers of all spectators. May the ahaclowof Job never grow less I May his path be as the shining light, increasing to the perfect day I May he continue blessing and bl811118d in the bosom of hiB family and household, advance to " old age with honour, troops of frienclsi" and cqm~ to bja en4 i'1 pii, sea,eon 1 1111 " sbock of corn. fullv rii,e 1--J,  THE BOOK OF JOB, 21