The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 369

widespread harvest.II of suffering grow. Bnt it ia not within the power or man to fix on the actual offender. Suffering oocut'I! in a thousand instances where not the sufferer but. _imotber_ ie t~e offender. To cha~ge home, there~ore, upon every au_ft'erer the cause or b111 suffermgs 1s an error. Iato this error Job's friends fell. But Ehpha,i proclaims a g,.ent truth in affirming the judgment of God to be unbiaseed. No unworthy motives move him in his decisions. They are true and righteoua altogether. The impartiality of the Divine judgments is- • . . 1. AssunED BY THE INVIOLABILITY OF THE DIVINE RIGHTEOU8NES8. The character of the Most High is the utmost refuge of the human thought. his the ba11.is,of human confidenoe. That :Kame is absolutely unimpeachAble. No difficulty in the Divine ways or in our interpretation of them can for a moment check our assurance of the Di~ine sanctity and justice. On this rock all hope is b'uilt.. As now we repose on it, 10 1D our thoughts of the future. The final as the present Judgments of God are and can be only true and righteous. The sanctity of the Divine Name ia the BSSurance of the unimpe11chable rectitude of the Divine ways. The impartiality of the Divine judgments is therefore- • II. A GROUND OF CONFIDENT APPEAL BY THE UNJUSTLY AOOUSED. In calmness he may wait who knows himself to be unrighteously accused, slandered. It is ha.rd. to bear the unjust accusations of men, and all the more if we have no. means at hand by which to vindicate ourselves. To the final adjudication we may.safely appeal. There justice will be done. There the right.eousncss of the righteous shall shine out as the eun, or as the stars in the black night. The human judgment errs;. it:is swayed by false words, by base motive, by ignorance, by want of integrity. But .high above the imperfectness of the human rises the Divine judgment, calm ilnd profound, pure as a sea of glass. To that judgment Job bas again referred himself .now in strong confid011.ce, ·now in fear; though, in moments of weakness, he has seemed: to impugn it. The impartiality -of the Divine judgment is- • m. A SOURCE OF TRUE COMFORT FOB THE SORROWFUL. Ever there lies deep in the heart of the suffering tb.e hope that some counterbalancing good. shall follow:;. To the full round of scriptural reaching we are indebted for the clear light.,that. we have .on this subject. "There is a God that judgeth in the earth." "There is a reward for the righteous." Weeping may endure through life, ~nd turn it into a long night,but a morning of joy bree.k:etb, when tears shall be wiped away .. Thongh men are tried, yet shall they come forth as gold purified in the fire. To the final Divine awllrd, when God will render to every man according to his works, the patient sufferer m~ commit himself in calmness of hope. The impartiality of .the Diviu'e':judgment 11tands in contrast to the error and imperfection of all human judgment. The human knowledge i6 partial, the human .motives liable to be warped; therefore. the. human) decisions are often unjust. Thus was it with Job. His friend accused him in severe terms. "Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? P Then in severe words he names his offences, and adds, " '1.'heref.ore sn&res are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee." Such was not the Divine judgment, as the sequel declares, Hence ehines forth the lesson to the tmtferer aod the falsely accused, to abide calmly in hope .of the right.eous judgment of God.-R. G. Vers.. 13, 14.-fi.e unseen eye. God is exalted; he is "In the height of heaven." He is unseen by man. and therefore often forgotten. He is above, beyond; and the frail judgment perverts :this great truth int<r- •• L A SUPPOSITION OF THE DIVINE IGNORANCE OF HUHill' APFAIBS. "-How doth God know?" "Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not." Thus ignorance or folly perverts the right and the good. Either the judgment or the moral character is at fault. Men sin in forgetfulness that the Divine eye is upon them. "Thou God -116eSt me" is a hedge of fu-e to prevent from ,evil-doing. How great a departure·from right r.aaon is tbe foolish supposition that, because Goo is not seen, therefore he seeth not! So the Divine is m0&11ured by the human. Ouly goq.leseness-the indifference of the soul to God-can lead men to such pe"ersions. The pure, they who, commun- ing with the pure One, are changed into hie image, see God. They diacem -his 1eye. It is the light and the joy of their life. The evil with darkened eye eeeth not. A cloud of iguoranee cove1e him, aa a cloud of myst.ery the Most High. ·, • • OH, XXII, 1-80.) THE BOOK OF JOB, S83