is 11, permanent boon to mankind. These trutbA should be carerully treasured and transmitted. 8. Craving for j'ustice. Job ie concerned with a personal feeling in hie desire. If what he says makes no impression on his immediate circle, it may brina 0 conviction to 11, wider area of less prejudiced persons, or to a later age. II. THl!I UBE OF WRITTEN WORDS, 1. Distinctness. Job's thought ie clearly before us. The Scriptures afford a definite revelation, With written words we are not left to vague surmises. We do not only depend on the inward impulses of the Divine Spirit. The inner light may be very real and precious. But we are in danger of mis- interpreting it if we neglect the written Word of the Bible. 2. Permanence. Job's great thought of the future life has permanence by being recorded in Scripture. It ie fearful to think how the Christian truth would in all probability have been perverted and lost among the shifting currents of tradition if there had been no" New Testament" in which to preserve it. Now we can go back to the very fountain of the gospel. We can leave all the errors of the ages and take our stand on the pure teaching of Christ and his apostles; or if, as is only reasonable, we believe that the course of Christian thought has contributed to the development of the understanding of truth, still we can test that development, and distinguish it from the degeneration that mocks it, by keeping close to the New Testament. So long as the written words of revelation are in our hands there is a grand security for purity of doctrine. 3. Publicity. Job desired that the great, new truth he was about to utter should go abroad. No doubt his first wish was that it might lead to the justification of his misunderstood character. But much larger consequences follow. When the voice of the prophet is silent, his written word speaks to the ages and spreads far and wide to multitudes that could never have been affected by bis personal presence. The Bible ie a means of making God's truth widely known. That truth is not for an elect few of the initiated, but for mankind at large. Therefore it ie our duty to do what we can to circulate the Divine Word. At the same time, let us not forget to pray for the enlightening Spirit to interpret this written Word to ourselves and to others; "for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life''. (2 Cor. iii. 6).-W. F. A. Vere. 25-27.-The great hope. These monumental words are what Job desired to be written, noted in a book, "graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever.n Certainly few words are more worthy of permanent publicity. - I. THE ASSURANCE OF THE GREAT HOPE, Job says, "I know." He is not vaguely feeling after truth. He has it, and he holds it firmly. How different is this great passage from eh. iii.! In what way can we account for the new triumphant tone of the sufferer? How does Job lcnow that his Redeemer liveth, etc.? 1. By inspira,- tion. This passage. bears its own evidence to its Divine origin in its tone and spirit and exalted thought. The patriarch is carried out of himself. He is almost like St. Paul in the third heavens (2 Cor. xii. 2). Yet he is in no wild ecstasy; his tone is one of calm, solemn, glad assurance. The greatest truths of redemption and resurrection are from God. 2. Through the discipline of suffering. Job did not see all this at first. But sorrow has given him a marvellous power of intuition. It has trained him to see the highest truth. Thus God's revelation comes to the prepared soul. Suddenly the black clouds are rent asunder, and the much-suffering man looks right up to the eternal blue, while the very light of God illumines and transfigures his countenance. II. THE GROUNDS OF THE GREAT HOPE, The living Redeemer. Job has a Goel, an Avenger, who will plead his cause and deliver him from his trouble. 1. Divine. Clearly he is thinking of God. He has no idea of another being who shall be his friend while God remains his persecuting Enemy. He flees from God to God. He knows that, though he cannot understand God's present treatment of him, he will be ultimately delivered if he trusts in God. Although it was not given to Job to see further in this direction, we now know that his great hope and prophecy is fulfilled in Christ, who has come to be the sinner's Goel, the great Redeemer of man. 2. Personal. Job says," my Redeemer." Each must know Christ for himself. But all may know u.nd own him, Christ not only redeems the innocent by vindicating them-which was what Job expected. We now see that he goes further, and redeems the guilty by saving them even from their sin and doom. 8. Living. The Redeemer lives, though for a while we c½ not see bim, W~ hl\ve tl living Saviollf, IOB, ll 338 THE BbOK OF J"OB.
III. THE fl'UIISTANCE OF THE GREAT HOPE. 1. .Afuf+wn life, Though l!ol'ne Bl1p~o8e tbl\t Job is ouly thinking of the cure of his t'l'rseastld skin "and 6.e!!h,'and a \l'indicntidn or him in hl'e:lth during bis earthly life, it is difficult to see how hie wotd1 could be 1mtisfied with this simple meaning. Te.king the.m e.s prophetic of &future life when'the ":orrn-ee.ten ~ody is lcrt behind, we have IL gra~d picture of th·e ~riuu'lph of hope ~n Old '1 estnmcnt times. Here 1s the Rnswer to eh. xiv. 14'. There ·w11l be a future life when the tnbrrnacle of this body hi laid 11side. 2 . .A vision of God. Job had been longing to meet God. His pray(•r wl\s lost in silence (ver. 7). God's hand was bnly upon him for clin~tisement. :Kow he foresees the great apocalypse. (1) This is for the vindica- tion of righteousness. God will then explain the mysteries and put an end to the wrongs of earth. (2) This is it~lf a great joy. The beatlflo vision ia an adequate compensation for all the sufferings of earth. • IY: THE CIRCUMSTANcru! ?F THE GREA.T HOPE. 1 . .A:part from the earthly borlg. This is no trouble Lo Job. His body has becolhe a loathsome, tormenting encumbrance'. "Flrsh and blood cannot inberit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption" (1 Cor. xv. 50). 2. With personal identity. Job would not be content to be dissolved into the universe. The future life is one of personal existence. It Tnn1<t be linked by lI!emory to the present life. Every one who knows Christ as his Ji,·in!:; Redeemer on earth will enjoy the personal fellowship of God in henven.- W ~~ - ..