Vere, 9-11.-~ ory that is not unto God,. Elihu continues to press Job severely. His teachings run in the lines of. truth, ao.d they approach more nearly to the design of Job's-suffering than those of Job's friends, but they fail actually to reach it. He makes many sagacious reflections on human conduct. This is one. There is a cry raised by the suffering ones under the bea.vy burden of their multiplied oppressions, nnd "by reason of the arm: of the mighty." How ofllln is it tha.t these a<ldress not their cr.y to God I It is not, thuefore, to be wondered at that relief does not come. Job seems to imply that God do~II not vindicate the sufferers. Here iP a rea.son. They cry not to God. "None saith, Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?" I. 'l'HE ERROR OF BU0H A ORY, God only is able truly to respc.nd to the cry of suffering. It is expending the breath in vain to invoke help from other sources. Man is often utterly powerless; and, even when able, is not always willing to help. If the cry is to a. false god, it is a still greater error, and can only end in disappointment. II. BUT THE OBY WHIOH IS AN EBBOB IS ALSO A FOLLY. Such a cry ends in vexation; the unheard cry aggravates the sorrow and makes the burden greater. Why should man in his feebleness appeal to his feeble fellow? and why forsake the Maker of all, who alone can_give songs of joy in the night of mourning? Ill THIS. ORY IS ALSO A WRONG. It is a moral wrong for man to turn his face away from God in the time of his trouble. It reflects upon the Divine goodness and upon the ability and willingness of God to help. It casts an unjust reproach upon a loving Creator, "who teacheth us" leesons by "the beasts of the earth," and " maketh us wise" by the very "fowls of heaven." IV. BoT THIS IS ALTOGETHER A VAIN CRY. "None giveth answer." Evil men in their pride will not bumble themselves to call upon Jehovah; they will not acknow- ledge their dependence upon him, will not submit to him. ThP.ir cry is as one made to the wind. Even if addressed to God, it is void of all truth and meaning. It is the cry of vanity. "God will not hear, neither will the Almighty regard it." • From all which .comes :the great lesson, Though God is hidden, and men see him not, "yet judgment is before him" : therefore may men trust in him, and, believing '·' that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him," make their supplication unto God, their cry to the Almighty.-R. G. Ver. 2 ....,.,An u111,just inference. Elibu represents Job as saying that his righteous- ness is greater than God's, and he asks whether the patriarch thinks it right to use such language., I. IT IS UNJUST TO ASCRIBE TC OUR FELLOW·MEN OPINIONS WHICH THEY HA.VE NOT EXPRESSED. Job had not used such blasphemous language as Elihu attributed to him, e.nd he would have repudiated the ideas that it conveyed. His young lllilnitor was rudely asserting what he .thought Job meant, what he took to be the underlying opinion af Job.· But this was unjust. Half the controversies of the Church would have been avoided if people had not put into the mouths of others words that they ne\7er .uttened. The only fair way is to listen to a man's own statement of his case. The common injustice is to charge an opponent with holding all the opinions which we think ca1i" be deduced -from his confessed beliefs. 'l'hus we make him responsible for our inferences. "J ndge not, that ye be not judged." II. WE SHOULD SEE THE NATURAL CONSEQUENCES OF OUR UTTERANCES. Although it was unjust to draw conclusions as Elihu was doing, it might be helpful for Job to see what conclusions were drawn from his hasty words. He would revolt from such ideas with horror. Then -the question may well arise-Did he not provoke them? Though Elihu did wrong to make bis assertion, Job may also have done WTong in speaking words that Elihu could use in such a way. We may learn from the false charges that are brought against us. Possibly these have been provoked by us. They are caricatures of our conduct. Therefore they show up the salient features of that conduct in a strong light. The vexy exa.,,,a-geration calls attention to the points that have been unduly magnified. We need to consider the tendencies of what we say, and test the tendencies of our opinions by the inferences that a.re drawn from them. III. MAN Is TEMPTED TO TIIINK HIMSELF MORE JUST THAN Goo. He would not own to such an idea openly, nor even in his owu private thought. Nevertheless, in t.h11 &72 Ttm BOOK OF JOB. [011, ll.XV, 1-16,
best of excitement, he actB R.11 though this were hia belief, Otherwise, why doee he murmur? Why does he rebel? Why is he e&11t down into despair? We magnify our own opinions and we justiry our own actions when these are counter to the truth and will of Go<l. Virtually this is making ourselves more just than God. IV. THE JUBTIOE OF Goo rs THE TYPE OF ALL JUl!TIOE. Evidently Elihu assume& that what. is justice to man is in itself justice to God. Thie ia assumed throughout the Bible, which makes no attempt to escape from the difficulties of providence by means of the" regulatil'e ideas" a.dv0011ted by Dean Mansel. Here we do not see that justice means one thing in God and another thing in man. But the perfection of justice ruay be applie..-\ to circumstances that are beyond our understanding. 'l'hen it may look unjust. Yet, if we knew all, we should see that it is the type and pattern of the very justice we are called to strive after.-W. F. A.