or his bean with fish-spears?" Nay, wert thou only to lay thins band upon him, thou shouldet have speedy cause to repent thy rMhnees; "thou shouldeat remember the battle" eo decidedly that thou wouldst not care to repeat it. Nay1 the hope of any assailant being able to prevail against the formidable creature is absolutely vain, the very eight of it being suoh as to fill one with dismay. Probably no one in Job's time had ever thought of attacking the monster, although crocodiles were o&ught in Egypt prior to the days of Herodotus. 2. Its urrifyi,ng aapeet. {Vers. 12--24.) Jehc1vah im-ites nttention to three points: the parts of the animal, ,.e. thll separate lim hi; or members; the power of the brute, i.e. the great strength of which it le pos- sessed ; and the comely proportion of the creature, i.e. the beauty of his armour, or hide. (1) Tbe limbs of the anime.1. Its massive jaws set round with a twofold row of teeth : "Who can come to him with [ or, ' within 'l his double bridle?" i.e. who can enter within his double teeth, which "are terrible round about"? Its mouth emitting violent puffs of hot breath: "Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goetb out of his mouth." Its nostrils sneezing as it lies basking in the sun : "By his neesings a light doth shine." Its eyes flashing in the morning light as they rise above water. "His eyelids nre like the eyelids of the morning;" i.e. they appear first above the water, intimating that the creature's body is about to rise as the first streaks of dawn announce the approach of day. Hence to describe the dawn the Egyptians depict two eyes of the crocodile. (2) 'l'he strength of the brute. "In his neck remaineth strength," so tha~ "sorrow rejoiceth before him" (margin), which falls below the original-" On his neck strength dwells, and horror danceth before him," meaning that wherever the monster appears he spreads consternation before him, which is represented by a lively poetio fancy as if those who ran before the animal were dancing before him. The effect of his appear- ance is likewise vil·idly portrayed. "When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves," literally," from (or by) break- in,,,<TS," i.e. the brea.kings forth of the creature from his lair, they miss the way, becoming utterly confounded in presence of the huge brute. (3) The comely proportion of the creature. The impenetrable hide of the crocodile is one of its most ch~teristic features. Jehovah describes its close-fitting scales, which, lik11 strong shields soldered together (ver. 15), are so close that no air can come between (ver. 15), and so fast together that they c.annot be sundered (ver. 17), and so impervious that" darts are counted as stubble, and he laugheth at the shaking of a spear" (vers. 26-29). Even the under parts of this creature's body, unlike those of other animals, are compact and firm (ver. 23), being fur- nished also with splinters of potsherd, iJ.. sharp scales, so that on the mud-bank where it lies it leaves the impression of a threshing-sledge (ver. 30); while its" heart is firm as a stone; yea., as a piece of the nether mill.stone" (ver. 24). 3. Its impetuous movement. One who sa-w two alligators fighting says "that their rapid ,passage was marked by 1the surface of the waier as if it were boiling" (ver. 23). The animal also moves with such velocity as to leave behind it a bright white trail of foam, as if the deep were hoary (ver. 32). 4. Its i=oid,estable supremacy. "Upon earth there is not hie like, who is made without fear." Hence all other creatures shrink before him. "He beholdeth all high things: be is a kin 11: over all the children of pride," i.e. over all other beasts of prey. 111. THE LESSON INDICATED. L The impossibility of conten.di'llg with God. If no man can hope succ,·ssfully to encounter a crocodile, how fooli~h must it be to think of etrivin!! agai11sr God (ver. 10) ! 2. The soverei,gnty of God's procedwre in the world. lf Go,, in fashioning so wolltlerful a bea&t had acted solely on hie own irresponsible will, "·as it not l ,r, .!,able tbat he ;r i2ht in the same man11er act in connect.ion with man (ver. 11)? 3. The prolJability of God's work, in providence 'being marked by wisdom. If in the structure of a crocodile there was so much appearance (and reality) of design, it was not surely nnl'6&80nable to hope that the same characteristic of design would not be absent from the Creator's doings in the higher realm of intelligence. 4. The likelihood of finding 'ffl!lllteriu in Ord, deal,uigs with men. If Job had been asked to say why God had made so ferocious a beast, be could not have done so. It is doubtful if any one can satiafactorily explain the introduction of carnivorous animals among other peaceful creatures, Why, then, •hould there not be found:enigmas in the hieher world of human life? . Learn: 1. The great power of God, who can control the fiercest of creaturee. 2. The CR, XLJ, 1-34.] 'f'.EIE BOOK OF JOB. 659
weakness of man, whom an unreasoning animal can affright. 3. The wisdom of faith, which always trusts where it oannot understand,