Ver. ll.-2ruding itl mm-e shflgth. Thie chapter of natural history 'Cll.rries 118 on from one g~phic picture to another, in which we see the glorio\18 !ttength a.nd freedom of God's creatures, altogether outside the domain of man's rule. Now we are to look at the uroa. In bodily form he is very like the docile o.x.; yet bow dUfereat in habit IIDd temper I Will he 1'8rve UB, lodge in onr stall, plough our field and drag our harrow like his homely oou8in., the drudge of the farm? Yet he is immeDBely strong. We OMJDot trust mere strength. I. PHYSICAL STRENGTH IB NOT THE GRJ!:ATEST GIFT OF lllATURlll. There ie energy in nature. But before we can use it we must apply mi,nd to nature. .A Samson may do good work in hsrd, rough timea, but he cannot be the Redeemer of man. The worship of muscle hHB grown to enormous proportions in this age of athletics, Good • it its to be -in health and to be st.rong, and natural as the reaction is from 8%treme uoetic views, our modern .glorying in health and strength does not touch what i11 higbei;t in man. and it may lead to a neglect of this. It may humble the idolizer of 8'rength for him to consider bow enormonsly his greatest power is outdone by that of the urus. At best be is creeping up far behind one of the most senseless of animals. . II. STRENGTH IS FRUITLESS UNLESS IT IS TURNED TO USEFUL SERVICE. The urus a&y be stronger than the domestic ox, yet he wastes his powers in blWldering about in the wilderness. He cannot be put to any good service, because he ·will not be oon- 1nllled.. There are men of great power who fritter away their energies aimlessly and. fruitlessly, became their minds and wills have never been subdued and bent into some. worthy service. They have ability, but they do nothing effectively, It is as important to train the will as it is to cultivate the faculties. 'J.'be most U88ful service of God and man is not always performed by those who have the greatest gif~ The disposition to aerve will eD&hle the !as gifted to do more in life t.han their brilliant companions who will not stoop to wear the yoke. , Ill. STRENGTH C.6.N 00-'LY BE OF 'SERVICE WHEN IT IS WISELY DllEOTE~., .The 'lll'WI is wild, senseless, UDtamabl.e, and nc,t sUBceptible to educstive influences;-. there:- fore he C&Dnot U&e his strength fur .profitable work. Human strength, .needs D.ivi,Be guidance. So long as the soui is wild and self-willed. the powers o( mind and boJiy cannot he spent fruitfully. The humble ox looks a leBS noble beast than the wild an<J, daring bi.son, with his shaggy mane, his flashing eye, his powerful neck, b.i~,thunderous charge; yet the former ill useful because it is obedient. The fir~t lesson1we have to learn in lHe is to obey; this, too, is the last lesson. .As the ox looks to its master, .we have to look to our Master; a.nd when we follow bis guidance, whether .O1,ll' stl'ength be great or mnall, it will :not be fruitlesi!.-W. F . .A. . •
Vere. ~18.-The oar-ilesB ostrich. Each creature has ita own distinctive features, determined for it by the wisdom and conferred on it by the power of God. Some Qf ~ features are not :attmctive_ :nor what we should have selected if we had .had the ordering of creation. They are the more signi.ficant on this account, because they show us the more clearly that nature is not ordered according to our thought, and yet the whole description shows that it is ordered well, and for a grand total result of life far beyond anything we could have imagined. Now, we have the special characteristics of the ostrich sketched with a mast.er-hand in view of these considerations. , . I. ExoELLE:i.cEs. Here is no caricature, exaggerating. eccentriciti011. Though what look like the defects of the ostrich are to be referred to, its goodly wings are first mentioned. Let us see merit wherever we can. In giving 'blame, let us not condemn wholesale. .Although all may not be as we should wish, let• us generou~ly acknow- ledge that all is not bad. It is better to admire the good in the world than to be only on the look. out for the evil We shall be more helpful friends if w~ rejoice to lay hold of what is admirable i:n othere, and seek this first, instead of pouncing upon the ugly faults, like vultW'es who have eyes for nothing but carrion. II. DJCFECTS. '.l'he ostrich is not perfect, according to man's idea of perfectlon. There are defects in namue, and thete defects are ;not ignored in the natural theolc;,gy of" Job:' It is wiser to adm,it them fr~ly than to gloss them over... .Although t.hey may not be Lhe principal characteristics, they startle 118 by their very existence, , The ~trloh appears to be lacking in maternal care; it is a foolish creature, le11,ving its eggs without imagining the danger they are in of being trampled on by the :wild anilJllUII of OIL :uxa. 1-80.] THE BOOK OJ!' JOB. 639