Ver. 1.-Siknce after the sform. The three friends first comforted Job with seven days of silence (eh. ii. 13). They relapse into silence after their painful controversy with the suffering man. We feel a sense of relief, and breathe freely now that their dogmatic delusions are done wit-h, and we have silence after the storm. ' I. IT 1s WISE TO KNOW WHEN TO BE SILENT. We cannot attribute much of this -wisdom to the three friends. 'l'hey would have been more commendable if they had practised it throughout. Still, they were not wholly senseless and heartiess. They were able to perceive at length that no more words of theirs would help· their case. Part of the art of speaking is to perceive the time for ceasing to speak. It is difficult for many people to come to an end of their words. Let us note some of the times for silencing our speech. 1. WMn we have no more to say. A man should only speak because he has something to say, never becil.use he has to say something.' 2. When our words are wt heard. If we speak to heedless ears we wsste our breath. ·1t is vain to pour out words that our auditors cannot or will not drink in. 3. When·our •words are not acce'pted. If we cannot persuade men by what we say, we shall not do so by mere reiteration.. We may find that no words will move our hearers; tlien further words are wasted ou them. IT we are altogether out of sympathy with our audience we cannot benefit them by adding words to words. 4. When the time/or actiori has arrived. It will not be wise for the general to -be haranguing his men when the enemy are already in the field. Words have their place; but this is not to usurp the place of deeds. 5. When ariother sh01J,ld be heard. Elihu bail been waiting patiently while the o1d men have been talking. Now his time bas come. Talkative people are tempted to be selfish. St. Paul ordered that when many wished to speak in:- the Church at Corinth each should have bis turn, one giving place to another (1 Cor. xiv. 30). • . IL Sn.ENCE IB llCST VALUABLE WHEN IT 'FOLLOWS A STORM. This second silence hu not the beauty of the first silence of sympathy. But iJ; has a deeper significance in some respects. 1. It is a .,-el,ie/from distressful controversy. It is painful to be perpetually arguing with our friends. When the controversy rises to angry words the best thing is to break it off and relapse into silence. 2. It affords time for reflection. If anything -worth remembering has been said, it is well that people should have time to think over it. Probably our reli.dous services would be more fruitful if people wo11l,i only have patience to allow of pauses for quiet meditation. 3. It is a means of establishing peace. When words only irritate, peace will_ be best secured by· silence. If tLe three friends wished to be reconciled to Job, their wisest course was to wait for the heat of discussion to cool down. 4. It is itself a blessing. Oth·e'r 1vbices speak· in t.l,e siltnce. Then the unseen world draws near to us. After the stor'm is bushed· the bea,eos open. We all need more silence; especially after times of strain_ and difficulty. -W.F. A. ,. I
Vere. 2, 3.-EUhu the young man. We now reach another act in the drama. The vexatious controversy between Job and his three .friends is over. Suddenly and quite tmexpectedly a new charactet appears on the stage. We need not_ trouble ourselves with the q1:1estion _as to whether the Elihu episode was an original par~, of, the- poem or whether 1t was m.serted later by the a11thor •or even by another hand. We may be thankful -that we have' it, arid we may i:nake use of its lessons with copfi.dence; for we do not know who was the author of any pa.rt of 1.he Book of Job, and yet wo 011. :x'.xJtU. 1-22,] THE BOOK OF JOB. 581