Almighty," 1. God gives joy. Aa we have but to acquaint ourselves wit.h God to be at peace (ver. 2,1), eo we have but to appreciate hie intentions to eee tl,at he does not wieh ue to be in distre8s, 2. This joy is in himself. We have to learn by experience how this is the case, for no words can express it. "Eye bath not seen, nor ear heard, . . . the things which God bath prepared for them that love him" (1 Cor. ii. 9). But Christian experience shows how real this Divine joy is. (1) The joy of pardon. The eoul hae been esko.nged from God, darkened with the gloom of the wrath of Heaven; now the cloud is broken up and God smiles forgiveness. (2) The joy of love. This is mutual-the soul loving God in exchange for his love. (3) The joy of trust. No fear need disturb the soul th11t is at peace with God. Its confidence is a source of deep gladness, because it dispels the moRt terrible alarms. (4) The joy of service. It is a happy thing to be working for God, especially when we perceive that we can be "fellow-workers with God." He is the inspiring energy of all our work. (5) The joy of communion. To be walking with God is itself a joy. The blessedness of the pure in bee.rt who enjoy the vision of God is deeper than any earthly delight. II. THE BPIBITUAL ATTITUDE. "And sbalt lift up thy face unto God." 1. Confi- dence. While we fear and distrust God we cannot look up to him. Wa rather shrink from his gaze and hide ourselves, like Adam and Eve in the garden. We may even cry to God for help without daring to look up, like the publican in Christ's parable (Luke xviii. 13). It is happy for the soul when the shame of sin and the fear of doubt are removed by the forgiving love of God, so that the child can look quite naturally and confidently into the face of bis Father. 2. Contemplation. To lift up the face to God is to gaze upon him as well as to submit to his gaze. This is no vision of the eye of.sense, for God is Spirit, and must therefore be always invisible to the bodily eye. But the ,spirit of man may contemplate the Divine Spirit. Theology tries . to do this, but,theology consists of purely intellectual conceptions. There is a deeper contemplation, of sympathy which is only possible to the soul that is i.n living com- 'munion with God. 3_. Expectation. Our contempla.tion should he an act of pure worship in which we forget ourselves, rejoicing only in the beauty of God's goodness. Yet personal wants will make themselves felt, and when they do, there is no one more ready or able to supply them than our Father in hea.ven. Therefore it is natural to look to him for help in prayer, patience, and hope. (1) Prayer, because the help should be sought from God; (2) patience, because it may not come immediately; and (3) hope, because it can be anticipated with the assurance that God will not disappoint his childr.en. 4. Beatification. The face that is lifted up to God is illumined by the glory of God. His light falls upon it and glorifies it. There is a great blessedness .epriuging direcUy from communion with heaven. If we looked up more, our counte- nances would be brighter. CoNOLUBION. Observe that these blessings follow a penitent return to God, and a.re conditioned by it. " Then thou shalt have thy delight," etc., pointing back to ver. 23. -W.F.A, •Vtir. 27.-The prayer that shall be heard. This verse is one of a series that describe the happy results of the penitent return to God referred to in ver. 23. Thus Elipha.z means that after we have returned in penitence to God our prayer will be heard. His principle is quite in accordance with the teachina0 of Scripture t.bouah, 0 as usual his :application o,f it to ·3 ob is unjust. ' '
I. P~AY~B 1:3 AN _EL,EMENT OF PROSPERITY. It is not only a condition on which prosperity 1s given; 1t 1s a p~rt of the prosperity itself. Trouble drives us to prayer; but happmess cannot let us dispense with it. It is possible for one to be too miserable. ~o depressed, too hopeless,_ to pray. The best praying seems to need an element of Joyous _confidence. When 1t sprin,!!;B from this happy condition it enhances the joy of it. It 1s a very lo~ and selfi.sh notion _that leads people to economize their prayers, and reserve them for times of dire necessity. Surely it should be a happy thina 0 for the child to talk with his Father I II, PBA YER EXPECTS AN A:t:BWER. We. ma;y pray without looking for any reply- pray beco.u~e we cannot contam ourselves lil silence, because the strona feelin"s of the aonl will burst out into utterance. Then there may be a certain reiief in the mere opening of the floodgates of emotion. But this is not the chief end of prayer. Further. 8(1()
we may jlllt oonflde our oase to God, oonsoled by the thought th•t he 'ii~1Ui1; ev~n though we do not beliel'e that any help ie possible. Thua comfort 'is ilort~ht in tbe silent sympathy of a friend to whom the burdened soul can pout out 11:s griefs, Still the chief end of pr&J'er is not reached in this wa.y. It is difficult to carry on a one! s},ded convet$a.tion ~i.th an a~dit0r who makes no reply, wh6'<loes not c'lten· gl'Ve·usa 1,1gn. that he bears or 1~ at 1111 rntere~d in what one says. Prayer tvould'lab~ulsh anll perish if God did not amwer it. This he will not now do io. an 11.,itllble voice, nor al.way, by such eddent tokens that we ean have no doubt that what lie b1uf,d6ne ie In response to the cry of hia children. Yet &11 ·who are in the habit'of pn:yin.g cim bear witnm fo the fact that God bears prayer, and replies often in the most surptising nu.a unmistakable way. III. 'I'HE PRAYER 'l'lllT lS TO BE ANSWERED VUST BE SINCERE. Cain's sacrifice was rPjPcted. 'l'be Pha.risee's pre.yer conld not reach heaven. We cannot·pray to God effectively .~til we renounce sin an_d return to him. Then the praye~ must be a'rea~ rnward, spmtua.l act. Such prayer 1s :not valued. by the correctness of its phras.eolpgyi• much less is it csfimated quan'tit&tively by the time it occupies a:hd the nu~ber of it; words. The one essential quality is reality. Th:e simple reasop. why mauy so•call~d prayers are not answered is that they &re not really prayers &t aU. Th~ do not come out of a worshipper•~ heart. 'l'herefore they cannot reach ·.the·' es.rs of' God ·'alid incline hirn to respond to them. If all such pretended prayers were· li!ft out 'Of ac~olitit thw. ;~i~ be less scepticism and more glad con.fide~ce that _<Joa ·~~f~ear.pra):~~• •• , ' • 1_, 1,j ,•j• '; . :11
Ver. 29.-Uplifti,ng the fa!kn. Accepting that. rendering 'of the verse· which take.s the reference to the cast-down as not applying.to Job hitnself or his affairs, .but 'to ·other people a.nd their troubles, we have here a fine turn given to the description of· tlie happy este.te of the returned and restored penitent. He is not on:lyfuil'•of'gladriesil, and enjoying ma.ny blessings by himself; he turns to others in their n1iied and uplifts thcma ' ' u '/ . 1 OT ; - 11 ·,-~