Ver. 4.-17.e inspiration of creati011,. Elihu assures Job that he is a. man, made by God, and by his very creation having the Spirit of God in him. There is some pretentiousness in the manner of Elihu. Yet what he says is important, because it is not true of him a.lone, but of every man. I. Mur 18 HADE BY THE SPIBIT OF Goo. 1. His origin is outside hi111Sdf. What- ever man can do for himself, he certainly cannot make himself. When we come back to the question of origins, the most self-reliant person must confess that he could not have ea.used his own being. 2. His origin is from God. Man derives his life originally from the First Cause of the whole series of living creatures. Whether man was created immediately out of the dust of the earth, or, as evolutionists teach, mediately, through other creatures, he in common with all things living derives his being from the great Pa.rent of nature. Evolution does not destroy creation; it only describes the process, and throws back the time of the beginning of creation. 3. His origin is in the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God at first brooded over the face of the waters (Gen. i. 2). When man appeared God breathed into him the spirit of life (Gen. ii. 7). Tha Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life. In his spiritual nature man is especially related to the Spirit of God. He is a spark from the eternal Sun. 4. His v~ ezisttl'IWl is maintained by the Spirit of God. Man lives only because God lives in him. By nature his life is an inspiration from heaven. At any moment, if God were to withdraw, man would perish. "In him we live, and move, and have our being." Thus not only the original creation, but also the present life, should be regarded as inspired by God. II. TBE INBPmATION OF 0BEATION 18 A SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE, 1. The Maker may be known by his work. All crention reveals God; but man, the highest creature, most fully expresses the Divine. To us there can be no higher revelation of God than that which is made through a perfect man. Therefore the incarnation of Christ is our most complete vision of the Father. But a.II men a.re in a measure revealers of the hand that made them. 2. 17.e spiritual nature of man is a type of God. All nat~e reveals God ; suns and stars, trees and flowers, birds, beasts, and fishes, give lessons of the Divine ; but they do so through their material structures. Man reveals God in the constitution of his spiritual nature. He is not merely the building that sets forth the ideas of the Architect; he is the child, himself made in the image of the Father. His spiritual nature is essentially like God, who is Spirit. Thus he is made in the image of God. 3. The indwelling of ihe Spirit of God is a permunent revelation of God. God not only makes himself known by what he hs.s done, he is daily revealing himself by hia present life in our midst, Nature is not like a fossil that shows in its dead lineaments the traces of a.n old-world life; she is a mirror of the Divine activity. Our own souls are witnessing to God by their vitality. The dwelliug of God within us is a continuous proof that he lives, that he works, that he loves. We know what God is now by what God is now doing in our hearts and lives.-W. F. A. ~& 2N nE •-~'K OF .rrm. [oR. xunr.111-.81.
Vers. 6, 7 . ~ ~ - ~ 'IM<Mathr. Elihtt 'deolarell the.this attitude towarde Gi>tl ill just th~ same llli Job's. He stands like Job in respect of God, He is a mortal man formed out of the cle.y. 'l'hen, though Job dreads the awful, invisible God, he me.y 1-lsten to 11, fe1\ow-creature without fcRr. If he CAnnot 6:o.d God in th& darkness, he may beoheored and strengthened by feeling the presence of a brother-rrum. Ho may take his lessons from Elihu quite simply and n:tturally u t'rom one like himself. In these ideas Elihu shadows forth what may be perfectly rcalized in Christ. lt w11s a mark of Elihu's confident vanity for him to ispeak &s he did. But his words, somewhat superfluous as regards himself, set him forth in a 11triking light ss a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 J. WE NEED HUMA'< snlPATHY IN RELIGION. Although man is made in the image of God, and although his very 1ife is R constant inspiration, and depends on tbe presence and power of God, still God is invisible, God is i;i;reat, God is an infinite Spirit. The soul of man hungers for brotherly sympRthy. We all want to feel the fellowship of one who is like.ourselves. 1. That we may 'lllfUlerstand aright. We cannot understand a being of a different species from ourselves. We ca.nnot even comprehend the meaning of onr own dog when he looks up at us with patbetio eyes, for we are of another species. 2. -That our affections may be awakened. We most naturally love one who is kindred to ourselves. The difficulty of loving God is to perceive that there is that in him which is akin to our own natures. When he appears strauge to us we shrink from him; we cRnnot reach out to him in confidence and joyous emotion;·. · . _. IL CHIUST BRINGS us IIU14AN "SYMPATHY lN RELIGION. We must not think of him as standin~ ha.If-way between us and God. Such a. Christ would be a monstrous being -neither one with us nor one with Goq.. United with the Father on tbe:Divine side, our Lord is a perfect Ma.n on the ·human side. 1. He i.a intelligible to us. We can see him, hear him, und:ersta.nd him.· And he has told us that when we see him we; see the Father (Job-n xiv. 9). 1. Re wins our h_e.art's affectwns. His kinship makes this possible; bis brotherly love makes it actual; his great work &!)d death for _us perfect his bold upon us. Thus our hearts are drawn out to God by the sympathy of Christ; , III. MEK SHOULD SHOW HUMAN SYMPATHY IN RELIGION. What Elihll aimed at, what Christ realized, that is the ideal for us. Without the ostentation of the young Buzite, we are called upon to remember our human nature when we· try to help our fellow-men in religious as well a.s in others matters. There is e. sort of sanctimonious spirituality which ignores humanity. This is disgusting to men, and it is the cause of much popular aversion to rel.ij?;ion. We cannot help our fellow-men till we recollect we are human like them-frail, fallible, mortal; nay, sinful, fallen, ourselves needing a Saviour. Brotherly sympathy is the first- essential for helpful religious influence-. -W. F. A. •