tenure, B. He ehall dwell in gloom, "He shall not depart out of darkneu." 4. He finolly perishes by the breath of God. "By the breath of his mouth shall he go a.way." '!'hie is the portion of the man who "stretcheth ont his hand against God." 'l'he nesured Christi11n hope is bright, clear, comforting. It change~ cc the night into day;" it makes the darkness short, because of light; the "grave" is exchanged for the "house" on high; ''corruption" puts on incorruption; cc the bars of the pit" ar9 burst; and the resting" together in the d11St" passes into the cc rest in him."-R. G. Ver. 4.-Restrainirig prayer. Eliphaz thinks that Job's wild words a.re a reproach to religion, and that the effect of them will be to undermine faith and discourage prayer. His is a common alarm of short-sighted, cautious people who think it safest to suppress doubt, and to whom the ha.sty utterauces of a di~turbed mind a.re most dreadful, although the fact is that the cold repetition of narrow and erroneous dogmas is far more hurtful to the cause of spiritual religion. J. THE EVIL OD' RESTRAINING PRAYER. However it may be brought a.bout, there cannot be two opinions of the evil of this course of action. It may be said that we need not pray because God knows what we require without our telling him-knows it even better than we know it ourselves. The answer to this excuse or difficulty is that the object of prayer is not to add to God's information, but to commit our needs to him. 1. We lose what God gives in response to prayer. He expects us to entrust ourselves to him. He ha.a bidden us seek his face (Ps. x.xvii. 8). Christ has told us to ask, that we may receive (John xvi. 24). St. Ja.mes explains that we "have not" sometimes just" because we ask not" (Jas. iv. 2). 2. We miss the spiritual blessedness of prayer. 'l'he chief good of prayer is not in the gifts it calls down from heaven, but in the very exercise itself. It is a greater blessing than any of the things that it is the means of bringing to us. To be in communion with God is better than to rective any favours from God. "Prayer is the Christian's vital breath.n Restraining prayer is the soul holding its breath. This must end in death. Even when it is not complete, the stifling of the spiritual activities must result. II. THE OAUBEB OD' RESTRAINING PRAYER. 1. Whatever leads to unbelief. This was Eliphaz's thought, though he misapplied it, for he imagined that Jub's extravagant utterauces would diecourage men's faith in religion and in the efficacy of prayer. But the truth is that the dreary formalism, the dismal orthodoxy which clung to antiquity and ignored spiritual instincts, the harsh uncharitableness that killed the spirit of religion while defending the name of it, were the greater hindrances to faith. When faith i.s thus hindered prayer freezes on our lips. 2. Worldly living. Some men are too busy to find time for prayer. But Luther is reported to have said he had so much to do that he could not afford less than four hours a day for prayer, regarding prayer as the secret of strength for work. It is possible to be much in prayer, however, without giving a long time to acts of devotion; for prayer is inward and spiritual. It is not the occupation of one's time, but the ensnaring of one's heart with worldly things, that restrains prayer. 3. Sin. The penitent sinner may and will pray, casting hi=elf on the mercy of God. Christ's model of the prayer that is acceptable to God is the cry of the penitent, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." But sin harboured and loved completely crushes the spirit of prayer. No man can really pray who will not renounce his sin. Of course, it is possible to cry out selfishly for some gift from God. But the real prayer, which is communion with God, must be repressed and restrained by sin, because sin is separation from God.-W. J:t'. A.
Ver. 6.-.A man condemned by his own mouth. These words have a singular and quite unintentional application as they proceed from one of Job's comfortel"l!. Eliphaz meana them for his victim, but they rebound on their author. The three friends afford striking instances of men condemned by their own mouths. As we read their pretentious and unsympathetic sentences, we cannot but also read between the lines the self-condemnation of the speakers. The only safe way to use so dangerous a weapon ae that which Eliphnz here employs is to turn it against ourselvu. Les ua ea.eh inquire how we may be condemned by our own mouths. J, BY oONFESBlOli, 1, The duty. This ia the moat obvious and direct method rJ 276 THE BOOK OF JOB. [oil. xv. 1-36.