And like St. Peter, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord" (Luke v. 8). Job folt that, unless hie mind were relieved from such paralyzing views of the overwhelming grandeur of hie invisible Judge, it would be utterly hopeless to expect he could even state hie case aright, much less win hie cause. Hence already he had craved the interposition of II daysman, who should both take away God's rod and remove God's fear (eh, ix. 34) in order to enable him to speak; and to this he apparently again recurs. Happily such a dayaman has been provided for ns in Christ, in whom the anxious sinner may now behold, not only the rod of Divine punishment removed, but the greatness of the Divine glory veiled, so that one who desires to speak with God may do so without a fear, "whether God himself opens the cause, or permits him to have the first word." III. CONTENTS OF THE PLEADING. 1. A bold interrogation. (Ver. 23.) (1) A valuable definition. Sin is 'avon, or perverse acting, a bending, twisting, or turning aside from the Divine Law; chatlah, a false step, hence a failing, an error, a sin of weakness or infirmity; and pesha', a breaking away, hence deliberate and malign:1.nt wickedness. The first epithet describes the nature of sin-" it is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the Law of God;" the second points to the source of sin-human weakness (Jer. x. 23); while the third indicates the heinousness of sin-it is essentially rebellion against God (Rom. viii. 7). Or the three expressions may allude to different kinds of sin, palpable offences, venial imperfections, notorious crimes, of all which Job was supposed to be guilty. (2) A candid confession. Whatever iniquities, sins, or transgressions Job had committed, God perfectly knew them, could reckon up their number and estimate their heinousness. Men often are unconscious of their faults, frequently forget their shortcomings, and can seldom realize the enormity of their wickednesses. But all these are patent to God's omniscient mind (Ps. lxix. 5; lxxiii. 23; Luke xvi. 15; Heb. iv. 13). (3) A passionate supplication. That God would enable Job to understand the nature and enormity of those offences of which he had been guilty, and for which his friends alleged he was suffering. The prayer is admir- ably suited to and urgently needed by all, though not in the sense in which it was employed by Job. No man can attain to a clear discovery of his own sinfulness, to an adequate estimate of the number of his misdeeds, to a just appreciation of their essential wickedness, except through Divine teaching. Such teaching God imparts through his Word (Ps. xciv. 12; Rom. vii. 9) and Spirit (John xvi. 8). (4) An obvious implica- tion. Job desi~ned it to be understood that he himself was unconscious of any such offences, though of course he did not claim to be entirely innocent. 2. An inex- plicable problem. (Ver. 24.) Here is (1) a painful experience, the sense of having lost the Divine favour, to a gracious soul tbe highest blessing attainable or even con- ,ceivable on earth (Pa. xxx. 5; !xiii. 3); (2) a common experience, realized by David (Ps. xiii. 1; xxii. 1), by Heman (Ps. lxxxviii. 14), and by Christ (Matt. xxvii. 46), as well as by many of Christ'$ followers since; (3) a mysterious experience, not that God should hide his face and seem to withdraw his favour from a sinful soul, but that, having once admitted a repenting and believing sinner to his love, he should to all appearance cast him off-a course of conduct for which Job was perfectly at a loss to account; yet (4) a needful experience, in the case of Christ to make him perfect as a Saviour, in that of Job, David, Heman, and others to make them perfect as saints. 3. A. pathetic e:z;postulation. (1) The unworthiness of the Divine conduct in afflicting Job. Absolutely powerless and insignificant had Job become through his long-continued trouble, like a fallen leaf upon the way, agitated and tossed by every passing wind, or like the withered stubble of a corn-field, and yet the .Almighty assai!e,1 him with the full force of his Divine artillery, as ifhe were some formidable opponent whom it required the battalions of omnipotence to crush (ver. 25). To Job's mind it seemed wholly incongrnous, entirely preposterous, completely unbecoming the Divine Majesty. So God's procedure in p,·ovidence oftentimes appears to sense and reason unworthy of bis greatness and glory; but faith, CODI ing to the rescue, reminds the doubting heart that he doeth all things wtill. (2) '!'he seeming injustice of God's conduct in o.fflicting Job. Conscious of innocence in his riper years, Job could only offer, as the solution of that perplexi!!g enigma by which he was confronted, that God was going back upon the sins of his youthful da.ye, although these had long since been repented of and lorgiven (ver. 26). But sin once forgiven is for ever forgotten (Isa. xliii. 25; Micah vii. 18, [OH. rrn. 1-~A.
19). God never reprodut1cs for pu'ftitihment the tr&nsgre&sion he hal! freely pardoned. Yet the iniquitie~ of youth ""hieb beve not been c11ncelled by Dh•ine mercy have a strange power of 8elf-reeut1oitlttion in nper yelll'll; end God often tnakes wicked men (e.g. the dnmk&rd, the proflig&te), in &coord&nce with the established and righteous laws of retrihution, to inherit, or po8sess, or re11p the bitoor fruits in old age of the cxoot>seR 1md indulgence~ or youth. Hence 'the necessity of cultivating moral purity in youth, and the propriety in Rft.er-years of praying, "Remember not the sins of my youth" (P& xxv. 7). (3) The extretne severity of God's conduct in afflicting Job, wh{l was treated like a primner; whose feet were thrust into the stocks, a.s were those nf JeremiRl1 (xx. 2; xxix. 6), and of Paul Rnd Si111s (Acts xvi. 24); whose steps were narrnrdy watched, lest he should either enjoy too much freedom or attempt to escape (cf. eh. x. 14; and see homiletics on eh. vii. 12-21), nnd whose liberty was (according to {lnc interpretation), restrained within narrow limits, by &boundary or circle drawn aroun<l the soles of bis feet (ver. 27), and that thouf:!;h be, the chained, inspected, and immured prisoner, was a poor miserable creature, lying rotting on an ash-heap like n garment that the moth gnaweth (ver. 28). Learn : 1. The !!l'&t.itude which saints and sinners both owe to God for t~e throne of gni.ce. 2. The sublime fearlessness with which the guiltiest no less than the godliest may approach that throne. 8. 'l'he liberty which all enjoy to pour out their hearts before God. 4. 'l'he propriety of seeking a more intimate acquaintance with the reality and power of indwelling Bin. 5. The sinfulness of supposing that God ever treats any of his creatures 86 ,enemies. • • •