Vera. 13-17.-The hidden purposes of aiftiction. Job has reasoned much, and he has asked for an explanation of the Divine purpose. "Wherefore contendest thou with me?" Doubtless he judges, as do bis friends, that suffering is the natural consequence and certain punishment of wrong-doing. But he is conscientious in affirming his innocence of transgression, and the Divine testimony to bis goodness agrees with this (eh. ii. 3). What, then, is the explanation of the whole? Can we ever hope to know in this world what are the deep purposes of God in the afflictions of which the human life is capable,and especially in the sufferings of the godly? No. The purposes, though partially revealed, are still to a great extent" hidden "-hidden in the "heart" of God. Job feels himself hedged in. He is" full of confusion." We must remember Job had not the clear light in which we view the Divine work. Yet even from us his ways are hidden. We must say," Clouds and darkness a.re round a.bout him." J. WE MUST SEE l'l' TO BE PERFECTLY NATURAL THAT THE DIVINE WAYS SHOULD llE HIDDEN FROM MEN. How should man be able to trace the Divine purpose ? It is high; he cannot attain unto it. Hidden in the Divine mind-not always revealed by the incidents of affiiction. "These things hast thou hid in thine heart." II, THE HIDING OF THE DIVINE PURPOSES IS A SALUTARY TEST TO FAITH. Faith in God needful in order to a right relation of the human soul towards God. It is the basis of peace ; encouragement to obedience ; ground of holy fear; help to holy love. But the test:ng of faith leads to a more spiritual dependence upon God, to a more frequent referer.ce of the heart to him. Wal king by faith honours God. Faith needed by the very conditions of human life. Its exercise promotes its gr,nvth. Ill. 'l'HE HIDING OF 'l'HE DIVINE PURPOSE IS A GRACIOUS DESIGN ON THE PART OF GOD MORE EFFECTUALLY TO WORK OUT ms WILL CONCERJIIN!l MAN. The rebellious, not knowing it, cannot frustrate it. Secretly the Divine will is wrought out in the experience and history of the sufferer. The entire dependence of the soul on God is encouraged. This must lead to submission, and submission in faith. The reliance of the soul must bo on the character of God, and not on circumstances and incidents. 188 THE BOOK OF JOB. ton. x. 1-21 JV. THE HIDING OF '!'HE DIVINE PCTRP08E8 ISSUES IN TllE PERFECTING OP' THB IIUPREll!E EXOELLEJ-CE OF THE HUMAN CRARAOTER-PATIENOE. Thus it hae ita "perfect work," and the soul is left" entire, lacking nothing." Be who can patiently and truet• fully wait upon God, bearing up under pressure of afflictive circumRtancee, gaine a vigour and beauty of chRmcter. If patience be wn-nting, all other qualities of the characler are impaired. Man's wisdom is to be satisfied with committing himself to the hi~den l?urposee_ ~f God. I~ faith to confide in them as wise and good. In patience t.o aw1ut their expomt1on when 1t shall please God to reveal them to him.-R. G. Ver. 1.- Weal"'iness of life. We need not wonder that Job was weary of his life. Beggared, bereft of his family, smitten with a painful and loathsome disease, tormented by the cruel comfort of his friends, he could see nothing but misery around and before him. Few, if any, have been in his sore plight. Yet others have felt the same weari- ness of life that the patriarch 80 naturally experienced. Let us look at the sorrowful condition and its Divine remedy. I. THE IIORBOWFUL ooJIDITION. I. The misery of it Life is naturally sweet. It iB a most merciful arrangement of Providence that the hard lot which would seem to he unbearable when regarded from the outside bas many alleviations and consolations for those t.o whose portion it has fallen. There are few lives on which no gleam of sun- shine ever falls. But to be weary of life is to have lost all the sunshine, and to be in dark despair. Like "Mariana of the moated grange," the desolate one cries- " I am awes.ry, awea.ry; 0 God that I were dead I" 2. ~ dangers of it. (1) It tempts to suicide, and that is sin. (2) It leads to the neglect or duty; for if a man bas no hope or heart in life, it is difficult for him to take up its tasks. When life itself is no longer worth living, it is bard to summon any energy for work. (3) It blinds us to remedie~. Like Hagar in her despair, we do not lift up our eyes to see the fountain. Despa.ir justifies itself by blinding us to hope. 3. The causes ef it. This weariness of life may spring from a. terrible conjunc- tion of external circumstances, as it did in part with Job. But internal causes usually ~pera.te. Somet,imes the despair is a result of bodily or brain disease, and the 11ufferer must be pitied and treated accordingly. But it may come from brooding too much over the dark side of life, from distrust of God, from a consciousness of sin, or from impenitent and rebellious thoughts. Ennui is the product of indolence, Weari- ness of life is often a result of idle sentimentality. IL THE DIVINE BEIIEDY. This evil is not incurable. For tbe despair is a delusion. No one would be weary of life if he knew all its future possibilities. If the despair is a resnlt of brain disorder, the remedy is in medicine, not theology. Here is a border-land where the two faculties touch; therefore a man who practises either ahould not be a. stranger to the other. Despair may give way to a change of scene and a. bracing regimen without any arguments. But when the causes are deeper and more spiritual, a corresponding remedy must be looked for. This will not be found in any worldly philosophy of life. The wonder is not that some people are weary of life, but that all who are " without God in the world " are not also " without hope." Pessimism is the natural goal of the Epicurean. Life is not worth living without God. The great remedy for weariness of life is the discovery of the true worth of life when it is redeemed by Christ and consecrated to God. Then it is not dependent on pleasure for its motives, nor driven to despair by pain. It bas a higher blesse<lness than any earthly possession can give, in doing God's will on earth with the prospect of enjoying him for ever in heaven. But even the unselfish service of our brother man will help to conquer weariness of life. If Mariana had been well occupied she might have overcome her misery. There is a healing grace in the discharge of duty, c.nd more of it in losing ourselves while serving otbers.-W. F. A.
Ver. 4.-God's vi:aion c,Jman. How does God see us? Ja he so far above us that he cannot quite see UJ! as we are? ls he so great that be cannot conceive of our little- ness? Are his idea.11 so different from our own that he cannot understand our life and sympathize with it? Or is not God so supreme in Lis vision of man that be cannot make the mist.akes we make, and must see us truly just as we are? If so, why doe, DH, X, 1-22,] 'l'HE BOOK OF JOB. 189