i. 29; 1 Cor. v. 11; Eph. v. 3, 6; Heh. Ji.iii, 6; Jas. v. 1~; ,2 ,Pet. ii., 3). {~) The doom prodioted as hie portion is exhibited as: (a) Deceiving prGSperity•.. llo shru,1 not be able to escape with thllt to which hie soul clings ae its dearest treaeµre (vcr. ~9). Calamity ehall overtake his aocumulated spoil in spite of his most watchful care. :1111 prosperity shall not continue (ver. 21)_, but" in the fulness of his sufficiency," w:~ rejoicing in abundance, "he shall be in straits" (ver. 22), either dreading impending destitution, or being deprived of his property, as Job was, by the stroke of awif\ calamity. As no m&n~s riches can 8ave him from peril (Ps. xlix. 7), so neither can any man save hie riches when God commands them to take wings and fle!l away (Prov. :n:iii. 6). God can t&ke a sinner from his wealth (Luke .xii. 20) as easily as a sinner's wealth from him (Gen. :i.:iL 29), or, permitting the wealth to remain, he can cause i~ possessor to feel in straits. (b) Thickening adversity. "Every hand of ~he wick;ecl Lliterally, • every han1 of the wretched,' i.e. every stroke that falls upon the \Vretche1U 11hall come upon him. He shall be assailed by every form of trouble; as e.g,, Divine wrath in the midst of his enjoym.,nt (ver. 23)--God, in order to fill his belly, rainiµg down upon him tbe fiery glow of his indignation as he did upon the cities of th~ plain (Gen. x.ix. 24), upon the Israelites in the. wilderness (Nui;nb. xi. 33 i· pg_ lxxviii. 3Q, 31), a.nd, according to Zophar, upon Job (eh. i. 16). Sq.dden destruction in the midlfl, of his oppressions (vers. 24, 25). Fleeing from an adversary, he is pierced iµ the bac~ by an arro'l'i" from a bow of steel. Drawing the gleaming weapon fro!I\ his,body,,tli,e metal head of the arrow from his gall, terrors of approaching death 9r c,f ,~Jea~fiy conscience encompass him. So God suruetimes causes the siuner to be struck dow:11- .ii;i. the very act of his wickedness (Numb. xvi. 31; 2 Sam. viii. fl; 2 Kings, L. 9, 10,; Acts v. 5), and so are bold transgressors commonly transformed /nto ~owards, w:heu death comes and conscience wakes. Complete annihilation of himself and his tre!is.u~e• (ver. 26). Tnough conoealed in the earth, these treasures will yet.be laid .bare by fire from heaTen, which shall also burn up him and them (as the fire of O;od .had alreac;l.r, literally, burnt up Job's sheep and oxen, and was on the eve,_metaphorically, qf devouring himself), consigning both to a gloom darker than th\l,t wb.ich eµshrouds t4~ freebooter's BJloil-a doom reserved for the fina.lly impenitent. Certain exposure' of lli!' wicked character and life (ver. 27), not only heaven renouncing aµd abhorring, th~ trausgressor, but the earth also conspiring to ensure his detection. As certainly_!'!' God and the universe are -0n the side of saints (Rom. vii,i. 28), so certainly .are they arrayed agaiD.st the sinner. It was, perhaps, only poetry when ,Debora4 an,d Bara.lt Bang that the heavenly powers fought for Israel, and the stars in th.~ir courses cor;iten~ed against Sisera (Judg. v. 20); it was SU]l0rstition which made the Melit&ns, imagin~ Paul U> be a wicked wretch whom Divine vengeance suffered µot :~ Jiye (*cta uviii. 4); it is plain prose and solemn truth when God says that heaven ~nd. ~rt:\i are .in league against the sinner. Final extinction for his house and ~t!l ,l:JeloI1gings in th.~ day of wraiji (ver. 28), as appearsd to. be the case with Job, though it was not, and~ will eventwilly be :the case with the wicked, thqugh they tlijnk not, . . . . , • IV. A. POWERFUL SERMON APPLIED. L The el,em,en.ts. of truth in this conclusiC!Th These a.re: (1) That the wicked ma.n has a portion .or herif+ge,'which he ahal~ assµredly receive as the righteous reward of his ungodly life. Equally with the saint will th.e Binner be recompenBed according to his works. (2) That this po.rtio;n oi; heritage.~ decreed for the wicked man by God. .AB God appoints to all men .their ."arthly lots1 so doe5 he determine the lots of&ll in the life beyond. (3) That this portion or.herit:.11.ge shall be bestowed upon him by the hand of God, so that his evading or eluding it will be wholly impossible. 2. The ingredients of error in thia co:riclusion. ,(1) The :wjcktid man's portion is not always bestowed upon him on eartl;i: th,e first.ritlstl\ke.Qf,Z,ophar, (2) Even if bestowed on earth, it is not uni verBally a herita.g~ Hke tlj,at descrihll4, above: Zophar's second blunder. (3) If, again, it was exactly,a~ ,portr,ayed, it d.id no~ apply to Job: the third m,jgtake of Zophar, and the worst of th.e ~hree, ·. . : ,, , , Learn: 1. That contr.oversy, especially in religion (and politics), is seldom, pro&taple, and almost al\\·ays irritating. 2. That controversialists are commonly characterize9, more by exaggerated language tha.u by convinping argumentation, 3, ;I.'hat no cause iii advanced by either vulgarity of speecl!, or per~nallty of allu.sion. 4. Tha~ it is not uncommon for a careleas reasoner to mistake a half-truth for a,wbole, a"D exceptional truth for~ ~ver19¼ an ~ipnal truth for. a perpetual. 5- TJ:u~~l it is i11;1possible fo! OD, tll, 1-29.J TBE BOOK OF JOB. 347
a wicked man to escape retribution, if not in this world, at least in the next. 6. That unpa~doned sine are the worst grnve that any man can lay hie bones in. 7. That though .sin may be altended with pleasure, it can never result in happinesa. 8. That what prevents ultimate success to a sinner is the fact that God is against him. 9. Th11t God knows when and how to strike his avenging blows so as to cause them to fall hardest on the object of his displeasure. 10. That the greatest calamity which can overtake a human soul is the wrath of God.