ob11ias, so, eays the p11tri11rch, with grim irony," thou settest a. watch on me." ,Joh Wll8 right in still recognizing God's he.nd in his afflictions. WhatP,ver be the sec0n,[ causes, the First Cause in all calamity that befalls a sain,t, as indeed in everything that happen~, is God (eh, ii. 10; faa. xiv. 7; Amos iii. 6). Yet he erred in his interpre- te.tion of God's purpose in these affiictions. God watches over sea3 and whales, a n<l over suffering men and sninls at the same time, i.e. always, and hy the so.me right- the right of his Divine sovereignty; and in the same way, by sending his omni8cient glance into every corner of the universe; but not in the same spirit, watching ever against seas and whales, but always over men and saints; or for the same purpose, in the ce.se of seas and whales to restrain them from doing damage in his world, in the case of men and saints to rejoice over them to do them good. - III. AN UNJUST ACCUSATION. 1. The charge. "Thou ~co.rest me with dream~, e.nd terrifiest me through visions" (ver. 14). 'l'hese dreams and visions, horrible shadows cast upon the background of his wakeful and excited imagination by the terrible disease from which he was suffering, were of a character entirely different from the dreams and visions depicted by Eliphaz (eh. iv. 13) as vi~iting the good man from God. In the distemper of his spirit, Job imputes them to God, whereas they ougM to have been properly ascribed to Satan. Had he simply desired to recognize the Divine hand in his sufferings, his language would have been becoming and worthy of imitation ; but if, as is more probable, he actually meant to cbarge God with being the immediate Author of those pale phantoms and shadowy apparitions which banished sleep from his pillow and made him shiver with ghostly fear, he was surely verging on thti borders of blasphemy. If not so heinous an offence as ascribing God'~ work to the devil (Matt. xii. 24), imputing Satan's work to God is wholly without excuse. 2. 'l'he time. " When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my com- plaint ; then thou see.rest me with dreams." '!'he best-founded expectations of man are not unfrequently·dbappointed. Even couches, formed for ease and comfort, often fail to impart them. They who most long for sleep's refreshment have sometimes the greatest difficulty in obtaining it. It is vain to look for comfort in affliction, or ease in the midst of pain, to either beds or couches, or any instrument whatever apart from the Divine blessing. 'l'he true Source of consolation for diseased bodies, distressed minds, and disturbed spirits, is God (Ps. xiii. 5 ; cxlvii. 3; Isa. xxv. 4; Ii. 3; !xvi. 5; 2 Cor. i. 3, 4; vii. 6). And e.s God delights to visit his suffering people on their beds (eh. x.x.xv. 10; Ps. xii. 3; xiii. 8; lxxvii. 6), so the devil seldom fails to shoot his sqarpest arrows and muster his fiercest terrors during the night. 3. The result. (1) A· desire. for immediate death. "So that my soul chooseth stranglin:;," i.e. suffocation, a ·sensation of choking being frequently experienced in elephantiasis; "and death rather than my life," literally, "than my bones," i.e. than the emaciated skeleton I have become. Life in itself is not necessarily joyous and desirable. The amouut of pleasure derivable from existence in large measure depends on its circumstances and conditions; a:O:d these may be so changed as to render existence a burden. Yet sufferers should rather bear their burdens tlrnn inordinately long for release (eh. xiv. 14; Matt. xxvi, 39), since it is •• better to bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of;" since whatever be the weight of our affliction, it is God's will that we should bear it; and since God is able to bring even an emaciated skeleton back from the brink of the grave. (2) A temptation to suicide, as some think. "So that my soul chooseth Btrnngling" by external violence (et'. Nab. ii. 12), yea, by a suicidal act (of. 2 Saw, xvii. 23); to which the next words, "and death by these bones," are sup- posed to allude. Even 1f this were the correct interpretation (which is doubtful), it is satisfactory that those who adopt it understand the suicid~l temptation to have been rejected by the patrinrch, who exclaims, "I loathe it; " i.e. I detest and repudiate with. horror the idea of taking my own life. Suicide is an act of suprewe cowardice, spring- ing, except where reason is overthrown, from inability to endure suffering or shame; an act of supreme folly, since it can only plunge its deluded perpetrator into deeper suffering and more public shame; Rn act of supreme impiety, inasmuch as it arrogates to man 11, power that belongs to God alone. (3) A prayer for at least temporary respite. "Let me aloue; for my days are vanity;" meaning, "My life must soon be ended; ,therefore cerise to (rnmss me with dreams and visions; but vouchsafe to me 11, period of ease and comfort before I depart" (cf, eh; x. 20, and vide homiletics). 128 THE BOOK OF JOB. [oR. VII. 1-lU,
~,earn :, 1. The danger o_f too exclusive medi~tion on the vanity of life. It is apt, e.s m Jobs case, to foster smful thoughts concermng God. 2. The propriety of always keeping a bridle on the lips (Ps. xxxix. 2). When Job removed restraint from hie mouLh he spoke in anguish, compleined in bitterness, questioned with irreverence, 110Cused with rashness, desired with vehemence, entreated with impatience. 3. The tendency or the human he-art, especially when blinded by grief and agitated by passion, to misconstrue God's providential dealings with ir~elf. 4. The certainty that good men me.y have much of the old unrenewed nature in them, lying unsuspected till occasion calls it forth. One would hardly have anticipated the outburst of temper which Job here displays. 5. 'l'he duty of thanking God for such common mercies as beds to 1,Jeep on and ability to use them. Many have beds who cannot sleep, and some would sleep who cannot find the beds. 6. The wickedness of, in any circumstances, under- veluing God's great gift of life. Life in the midst of suffering may often more glorify God than existence in the midst of ease. 7. The inexpediency of rashly concluding that one's days are vanity, since a man may be most useful when he least suspects it, Probably Job never served his age and generation so well as when p11ssing through this terrible baptism of pain, sorrow, and temptation.