, ers. 15, 16.-The true attitude of the a:Dlicted. Job makes a suitable reflection on the almightiness of Jehovah, seen in his control over the visible world. The lofty and deep-sealed mountains, the very types of might and stability, he "removeth" with• out their knowing, and "overturneth in his wrath." He" shaketh ".the whole" earth out of her place," and maketh the "pillars thereof to tremble." In .the high heavens "he commandeth the sun, and it riseth not;" and "the stars" he ".sealeth up" in dark- ness. 'l'he earth and the beavens,obey him; and he "treadeth upon the waves of the tta." He doeth hidden and numberless things, and none can binder him. Job,in.view of this, and with .a lowly recognition of his own powerlessness before the Lol'd of all, bows himself down in the attitude most becoming to the feeble, afflicted, and sinful child of man. lt i&- L A.." .ATTITUDE OF LOWLY nUHILITY. How becoming! How just! Let the creature bow low .before the Creat.or. Let the feeble thing of a day humble himself before the Eternal and the Almighty. Let him who is powerless before the mountains and the sea, who cannot touch the stal'I!, take his place in the du~t, whence he is, in presenc.o of him who by his power setteth fast tbe mountains; who by his word created the heavens and the -CBrtb, and upholdeth all by his own unaided strength. Lowliness will be followed by- lI . .AN .ATl'ITUDE OF sELF-DIBTRUBT. Know:ing himself as he only can who refiecte on the greatness of tbe Most High, the wi110, afflicted one will not trust t.o an arm oJ strength ; but, in the painful collsciousness of his own weakness, will com~it him~elf to the strong Lord. who is over all. Job k.Dows, uevery afflicted one, that h11t suffe.nng holds him as in a net, from which he cannot break loose. He has no power. • He is chained, held down. His own flesh triumphs over him. He is a prisol)llr to disease, lD his helplesmess, with self--distrustfullaeu he casts himself into the arms. of GQd. OiJ, IX, 1-36.] THE BOOK OF JOB. 17J
He would not pretend to make answer, or to "choose out words to teiM!on witb him." Hie eelf-di.'ltrust is followed by- lll. PENITENOE-the one attitude of all the most becoming to man. In penitence he aoknowledgce hie unrighteousness. And so deep is that penitence, that he declares, "Though I were able to establish my righteousness, yet I could not presume to answer." Penitence is the pathway to heaven's gate. He who lowly walks, walks surely. Anrl God lifteth up them who thus bow themselves down. But he rises- IV. 'l'o THE ATTITUDE OF PRAYER. He lifts his voice to God. He makes hie "supplication." He who is Jed to pray is led to the feet of him who casts away no needy suppliant. It is his high prerogative to hear prayer. Therefore all flesh, in their want, their sorrow, their sin, or with their songs of praise, come to him. Man's safety is here. The lowly, self-distrustful, humble penitent cannot raise his voice on high without the gracious response of the Divine mercy reaching him. To this men are driven (l) by their sense of impotence; (2) by the consciou.sness of sin; (3) by the 813surance of the Divine mercy. Happy he who tl11U1 loams !-R. G. Ver. 33.-The Mediator. The object desired by Job-and here he speaks for all sinful ones-is to obtain reconciliation with Jehovah, against whom he acknowlerlgee himself to have sinned. He cries for a mediator, an arbiter, an umpire; one able, to "lay his hand upbn us both "-to bririg us together, media.ting between us. I. .THE NEOEBSITY FOR THIS ARISES: I. From Job's consciousness of sin. In his prayer (ver. 28) he confesses to God, "I know thou wilt not hold me innocent." "I a.m not innocent," is the first confession of guilt. "If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me." 2. From Job's inability to "answer" to God. Of this he has made both. complaint and confession. "Whom, though. I were righteous, yet would I not answer" (ver. 15). Fear and just humility seize him. "!low much less shall I answer him?" (ver. 14). Man cannot order his own ea.use before the eternal Judge. "He cannot answer him one cif a. thoueand" (ver. 3). 3. From their utter inequality. "He is not a man, as I a.m," (ver. 32). 'fhey could not therefore "come together in judgment." How vain of poor, ignorant, feeble, sinful man to suppose that he can answer to God-that he can "appear before him I " How vain even to imagine himself •justified and pure before him I Yet many ·"appear before" God in the presumptuous, self-excusing, self-justifying thoughts of their minds. All such self-justification con- demned by Job's wise words and just views of things. II. JoB's ORY IS THE UNCONSOIOUS CRY OF THE UNIVERSAL HEART OF MAN FOB A MEDIATOR. Seen in all religious systems-the faith in the priest-the conscious ignorance of hidden spiritual verities'. The uninterpreted appreheusion of a spiritual world and government and future, and yet the inability to deal with these and to put one's.self in a right attitude respecting them. This cry is heard in all lands, languages, e.nd times. "Oh that there were a daysman I" This cry prepares for and anticipates the true Mediator. Ill. THE RESPONSE TO THE UNIVERSAL NEED IN THE "ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GoD AND MEN." Happily "himself Man." God "hath spoken unto us in his Son"- nci longer in prophets, but in a Son, who is a.t the same time "the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance;" and yet "Man"-" bone of our bone." "God manifested in the flesh," and yet "in all things" "made like unto his brethren. n Speaking with Divine authority to us in our language, and of heavenly things on our level. .And revealing within the compass of a human life, and by means of human acts and human sentiments, the thought and love and pitiful mercy of God. And representing us-doing what Job felt (and all have felt whose views were just) he could not do, "appear before the face of God for us." Now we" have our access through him in one Spirit unto the Father." If we cannot order our speech or our ea.use, he can. If we oa.nnot answer one of a thousand, he can. For he is able, indeed, to " put his hand upon both."-R. G. Ver. 2.-The problem of J'USti.ficatioo. It is very doubtful how far Job conceived or this great problem as it has presented itself to us since the time of St. PauL The whole question was confused to his apprehension by the inexplicable perplexity of his 11ituation and the grossly unfair insinuations of hie friends. It appeared as though God 172 THE BOOK OF JOB. [<lit, Ill, 1-86,'