shudder (ver. 28). Nothing is more certain than that the burden of sorrow cannot he removed hy simple resolution. No man can really brighten up in the midst of afflicti 0 n unless he caste his burden on the Lord. But to the doing of tbi8 in Job's case them seemed an Insuperable barrier, viz. : (2) The unchangeable determination of God to count him guilty. Reasoning from the standpoint of sense, Job regarded this as the natural deduction from his continued sufferings. Hence the hopelessneBB of trying to look bright. Had Job adopted David's resolution (Pe. xiii. 5, 11; xliii. 5), he might h11ve overcome thiij tremendous heart-sinking of which he was conscious. How immensely more o.dvantageous the position of Christians than that of Job or even David I Not only have they the clear consciousness of acceptance with God for Christ's sake to support them, but they have the plainest Scripture declarations Lhat affliction is a proof of love and friendship rather than of hatred and enmity and the most earnest exhortations to rejoice in tribulation; yea, to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. iv. 4; Jas. i. 2). .8 ... The impossibility of eata'blishirig his innocence. Because of: (1) God's determination to make him out gnilty: "I have to be guilty" (ver. 29). Same thought as above. It is certain that God js shut np by the necessities of his Godhead, His immaculate purity a.nd incorruptible justice, to hold every man on earth, even the purest and most upright saint that lives, as guilty (Rom. iii. 19), but not in the sense here intended by Job. It is no pleasure to God to find men guilty. Certainly, he never makes an innocent man guilty; though, thanks to his mercy, he often treats a. guilty man as innocent. (2) Job's inability to overcome this determination. Plaints were useless: "Why do I labour in vain " (ver. 29), in protesting my innocence, or trying to make it good? "If I wash myself with snow-water," snpposed to be purer than common water, "and make my ha.ads never so clean [literally, 'clean with lye or potash'], yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes should abhor me" (vers. 30, 31); i.e. the best attempts a.t self-justification would be useless. III. YEARNING FOR A DAYSMAN, 1. The necessity of such a daysman. Job craved an arbiter or umpire between himself and God, because of the unequal terms on which they stood. "He is not a ma.a, a.a I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment" (ver. 32). For the same reason ma.n requires a Media.tor between himself, the feeble, sinning creature, a.nd'Jehova.h, the infinitely powerful a.nd immacu- lately pure Crea.tor. And this want which Job so powerfully felt ha.s been supplied by Christ, .the one Mediator between God and ma.a (1 Tim. ii. 5). 2. The work of such a daysman. Described as twofold: (1) To act authoritatively for both parties in the contest. "There is not a daysman," or arbiter between us, "that might lay his hand upon us both" (,ver. 83); i.e. that might impose conditions upon both by the imposition of hands. This Christ is able to do in virtue of his twofold nature, being the Fellow of the Most High as well a.s the Son of man. Thus representing both parties, he can lay his hands on both. He can speak and act with authority for both. (2) To remove the obstac!(ls to man's coming into converse with God. These were, in Job's case, two-the terror of God's rod, and the'. terror of God's face: "Let him take away his rod from me, and let not his fear [i.e. his terrible majesty] terrify me" (ver. 34). The same things prevent the free access of sinful man to Go<l, viz. God's rod-not his providential afflictions, .but his legal condemnations i a.ad God's majesty, or the ineffable glory of his holy Godhead. And these have been removed by Christ; the latter by his incarnation, the former by his sac.rifice. 3. The benPfit of such a daysman. (1) Man is o.ble to approach God-not perhaps as Job, with conscious integrity: "Then would I speak, and not fear him; for not thus do I stand with myself," i.e. I am not conscious of anything to make me a.fra.id (ver. 35); but certainly, without alarm and with hopeful confidence;. and (Ll) God is able to enter into treaty with man. Learn: 1. There is a clear difference between maintaining one's blamelessness before men and asserting one's righteousness before God. 2. The character of God's heart is not always to be inferred from the dealingd of God's hand. 3. Many things a.re permitted to occur in God's universe of which he does not approve. 4. Tho scieuce \ of numbering our days is oue that 111! mortals should learn. 5. The true value of a , life is not to be estimated by its length. 6. The best consolation in human sorrow J is the enjoyment of Divine favour. 7. The finest and purest morality will not enable o. man to do without a mediator, 8. No man can come to God except through Jes'll! Christ, 9, But in him and thrgugh him we have access by one Spirit to the Father. 168 THE BOOK OF JOB, [DK. IX. 1-86,
HOMILIES 13Y VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1---ch. 1:. 22.-Second reply of Job. TM fearfalne1Ja of Goa'e/ower. Now, for the first time, Job admit8 the great principle for which Eliphaz an Dildad have cont~nd<"'d, but in a bitter and sarcastic sense. True, he says, it is not for man to contend agl\inst God. But why? Because he is absolute Power, and hence there i1 no possibility of a frail mortal prevailing in bis plea. His might is his right. It ia a dark conception of God to which Job's despair now drives him. He looks upon God simply es omnipotent Force, arbitrary and irresistible Will. 'l'ake the thought of power, and separate it from that of justioe -and of compassion, and we ha.ve the idea of an almighty Fiend rather than of a good e.nd gracious Father. Yet the spark of true faith still lives, as we shall see, in the recesses of his awakened heart.--J.