like 11eed11 that grow and lieu fruit, like loaves of bread to feed the hungry, and etreama of living w11t.er flowing by the dusty highway, from which all thirsty souls mav drink. Thus they 11re more th11n mere eounds. They are expressions of thought. Goo·•s words come with power. All right words are forcible. But there &re empty words that fall without 11ny weight, and vapid words that 11re dissipated in the air without effect. It is not the number, the volume, or the noise, of the words that gives them force, but tho rightness of them. We must, therefore, inquire wherein this rightness resides. 1. In truth. False words may seem to 011rry great weight. But in the end 1111 lice fail. The truth, simply told, has II force which no rhetoric can equal. 2. In adaptability. There are truths which are not suitable for the occasion on which they are spoken. 'fbis was the case with many of the remarks which Eliphaz had made, wbiob were right enough in themselves, but which did not apply to Job. They lost force by being irrelevant. 3. In moral, weight. The justice of what we say adds weight to it. The most forcible words are those that find their way to our conscience. Others may be luminous; these words flame out with startling vividness. 4. In sympathy. Truth i;poken in love comes with dnuble force. II. IT n; FOOLISH TO DISREGARD THE FORCE OF RTGHT WORDS. 1. In the speaker. This was the Tcmanite's mistake. He was not sufficiently considerate of the rightness of what he said. He meant well, but he spoilt all by this grievous error. We need to weigh our words. 'fbey may have many excellent qualities--clearness, grace, apparent vigour-yet if they are not right words thEly will fail. 'l'he Christian teacher needs to test and correct his words by et.anding close to the fountain of truth u.nd right in the Holy Sc,riptnres, and by keeping his heart pure and sympathetic. Otherwise all his eloquence will be barren, or even poisouous as mephitic vapours. 2. In the hearer. It is excessively foolish to disregard words as though they were merely "sound and fury, signifying nothing." They are the cha.riots in which thoughts ride; and if we would but open our gates to receive them, we might find those thoughts most welcome guests. Even if the words are unpopular or painful, we should be foolish to disregard them when we know them to be right. For truth does not cease to be truth by being rejected. Many unpalatable ideas are most medicine.I. And many words, rejected at· first, when once they are received, prove to be as the very bread of life. '£he words of the everlasting gospel are right words, which we may reject at our peril; which we may receive for our salvation.-W. F. A.
EXPOSITION. engaged to do a certain work in a. certain CHAPTER VIL time. Ver. 2.-Aa a servant (or, a slave) panteth Vere. 1-21.-In this chapter Job first tor the shadow; i.e. longs for the shades ot bewails hill miserable fate, or which he evening to descend and bring the day to expects no alleviation (ve!'I!. 1-10); then e. close. The slavery of Job'll time wu.e claims an unlimited right of complaint (ver. probably not unlike tbnt of captive re.cea 11); and finally enters into direct expostu- in Egypt, BO graphically portrayed in the early cbaptem of Exodus. The captive, Jation with God-an expostulation whieh working from morning to night at exhu.ust- continues from ver. 12 to the end of the ing labour, would long intensely for the chapter. At tl,e cluae, be admits his sinful- night to arrive, when his toil would come to ne;;a (ver. 20), but askd impatiently why an end. The inference is not drawn, but God does not pardon it inst.ead of visiting clearly is-BO Job moy be excused if he longs for death, now thot he bas renched it with such extreme vengeance (ver. 21). old age, and that the work or his lifo is Ver. 1.-ls there not an appointed time manifestly en<kd. And as an hireling to man upon earth! rather, Is there not a looketh for the reward of hill work; rather, tDarfare (or, a time of aerrri~) to man upon for hi, wage,. The word used 6J1E>) bas the earth f Has not ead1 man a eertain work two meanings of "work" and "tho wages appointed for him to do, e:nd a certni11 limited of work" (see Jer. xxii. 13). time ll.fllligned him within which to do it? Ver. 3.-Bo am I me.de to poS&eaa month.I of And thlll!, Are not hil da71 allo like the vanity. "Months of vanity" are" months of OJI of &D birelinlr1 Since the hireling ill which he can make no UIICl "-"montha whioh IM.vn.1-21.1 THE BOOlt OF JOl3. 121