miud infinitely greater than the human mind; and the care with which God' provides fur all hi~ creatures-wild asses, heedless ostriches, and repulsive ravens, as well as those creatures that seem more deserving of his providenc-9hows us how good God is. Thus the wisdom aod goodness of God, added to the power that makes resistance useles.s, crown the revealed character of God with glory, and invite our humble :idoration. '• II. SILENCE BEFORE Gon IS THE TRUE EXPRESSION OF HUMILITY. It cannot be said that Job is as yet deeply conscious of sin. The" vileness" of which he makes confession is rather bi ■ meau estat.e, his poor, feeble, human helplessness, than moral guilt. Therefore it doe■ not need to be made much of, or regarded as anything like a full confession. It is, however, the mark of humility to admit it, and then to relapse into silence. This is the condition to which tbe great argument of the drama is designed to bring its readers. We are too busy with our own performances in religion, In prayer we have too many words to speak to God. We are always telling him what he knows already, and often dictating to him what we think he should be doing, instead of patiently waiting for his voice and humbly submitting to bis will. 'l'here is room for more sile □ ce in religion-and in all life. III. S1Ll!:NT HUA!ILITY IS A PREPARATION FOR EXALTATION. At the end of the book we discover that God exalts Job and loads him with favour and prosperity. But he must be bumbled first. The later honour is only possible after Job ha.s abased himself. So long 118 he justified himself and arraigned the justice of God, he could not be restored and exalted. Thus the poem shows to us the way in which God disciplines Jiis servants and prepares them to enjoy his goodness. Humility is the door to b:ono_ur, 'l'his is a very Christian truth. It is taught by Christ: "Whosoever exalteth bimsell shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalt.ad." It is gloriouslr illustrated in the life and death and exaltation of Christ (soe Phil. ii. 6-11).-W. F. A:
Ver. 8.-lmpug'flling Go<!', juBl,iu. L M"ORHUBJNG A"J' PROVIDENCE IS LMPUONINd THE BOOK OF .JO'S. 651
Gon's JUSTI0l!I, Thie may not be olearly 11een or admitted et once. The connection between the occurrence~ of human history and the Divine mind that controls them is not visible to the eye of sense. '!'hue we may complain freely of what God does without intending to charge God with wrong. And yet this is what the complaint leads to 11,nd intolves. If wo do not believe that things f11U out by chance, and if we do not hold thnt the world ie administered at present by a. lower providence, we muet be virtually impugning the justice or. God when we object to what we cannot deny to be his actions. It may be desir11ble that complaints should be pushed to their ultimate results, for then we shall aee whetb81' they arc reasonable or not. If we are persuaded that God is Just, we shall see that it is unwise and wrong to murmur at what happens to ·us in the 'course of providence. IL WE ARE TEMPTED TO IMPUGN GoD's rosTI0E. God seemed to be acting unjustly to Job. The present aspect of the world is not that which we should expect from a fair and equitable ruler. Our own lives are subjected to rude shocks that strike us as perplexingly unjust. 1. Thttre is injustice <M'ising from wnfust men. Job was unjustly treated, not by God, but by his three friends. We should not charge God with the sins of our own brethren. 2. We cannot see the whole of God:s plan. The opening appears to be unfair. But we.it for the end. God's justice is large and far-reaching. It will be revealed when the whole sweep of bis dealings with 1ll! is comprehended. The ·e.rc· ends in 11,n acute angle. Only the complete circle is without a break and smooth throughout. III. IT 18 BOTH FOOLISH AND WRONG TO nrPUGN GoD'S J'USTICE. 1. It is foolish. We e.re not in a position to judge; we do not know all the facts, and our standard of judgment is perverted by our own prejudices and unjust claims. The tyro cannot wisely criticize the achievements of the master. 2. It is wrong. If we knew God we should not charge him foolishly. But we should know him if we drew near to him in the right spirit. 'l'oo·often our doubt of God's justice is not so much the product of a purely intellectual difficulty as the result of a moral fault. It shows lack of faith in his goodn~ss, and it springs from a miserable weakness that will not venture to trust God. •IV. CHRISTIAN FAITH FORBIDS us TO IMPUGN Goo's rosTICE. Even Christ does not clear up the mystery, and still we have to walk by faith. We cannot yet see that God is dealing justly .with us. But we have good grounds for confidence in our Lord's revelation of the. nature and character of God. Christ shows us the fatherly nature of God. He makes us see that God is good and full of love for his children. .At the sam:e time, he exaltS' the perfect rectitude of God. Such a knowledge of God as we have in Christ should fill our souls with faith and hope, because snch a God as Christ has made known cannot e.ct unjustly, although for a time he may appear to do so. He who knows God in Christ cannot fe.11 into pessimism. He should be able to say with Browning- " ... This world's no blot, Nor blank: it means intensely, and means good." W.F.A. Ver. 12.-The humi'liati® of the proud. The idea is something like this: If Job can sit as a judge over what God does, be ought to be able to take God's judgment-seat and execute justice among men. But can he do this? Can he humiliate the proud? If he is incapable of this act of justice, how small a creature he is before the great God who raises up and casts down I • I. THE HUMILIATION OF THE PROUD IS GREATLY NEEDED, This particular act of justice is singled out as though it were pre-eminent in importance. It is importar:.t on many accounts. 1. For the sake of the prou.d. Pride is ruinous to the heart in which it haS" taken up its nbode, eating up the better feelings aud preparing for the incoming of other sins. '!'he only hope for a proud man is that he should be brought low, and so emptied of self. 2. For the sake of others. The proud spirit is domineering. Pride is at the root of tyranny. If men are to have their rights, the pride of the exalted must be brought down, 3. For God's sake. Pride is an insult to God, a usurpation of the Divine rights and honours. Before God man is small, weak, sinful. His only fitting condition is one of humility and complete self-abasement in the sight of Heaven. II. THE HUMILIATION OF 'l'HE PROUD IS MOST DIFFICULT TO ACCOMPLISH, Can Job da THI!: BOOK OF JOB, [OR, :u,, 1-H.