personl\l, intimate acquaintance with God and truth as the soul obtains when breathed on by that heavenly breath which, I\CCording to '.€lihu, is the source of alt spiritual illumination, it looks outward and upward through the opened window of faith, 2. In f"e4pect of its effect.. "J have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear," exclalma the patriarch ; but what then? This hearsay knowledge left me a prey to serioua mls- conoeptionF both as to thyself and myself-permitted me to fancy thee an unjust Judge a.n inequitable Sovereign, an arbitrary Ruler, an implacable Foe; and myself a harshly treatro and cruelly oppressed Faint. And so for the most part that knowledge of God which i6 purely external, intellectual, dogmatical, has little power to cbanae the heart and life, or even to conduct the mind to just conceptions of the character or"'God. But, on the other hand, when this hearsay has been transmuted into vision, and the soul has arrived at a truthful idea of the character of God as a. Being all-powerful, holy, wise,, just, and ln,·ing, lo! immediately the self-righteous sinner is discovered prostrate in the dust, like Job, crying," Wherefore I ahhor myself, and repent in dust and asheir;" like lsaia.h in the temple, "Woe is me!" like St. Peter in his boat upon the sea of Galilee "D!'part from me ; for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord I" ' II. HEAnsAY MAY BF.COME VISION. This may be held as proved by the case of Job. 1. TIM! manner of its transmutation. An experience similar to that of Job mnst take place in every instance in which a soul passes from a mere hearsay knowledge to a. belie,·ing visio11 of God. (1) As Jehovah came to Job in the whirlwind, and made to him a personal revelation of his character as a Being of a.wful majesty, ineffo.ble wis_dol!l.,-. and infinite power, so must God with a like disclosure of himself approach the humari soul. This God has done; not, however," in rainbow wreath and robe of storm," but in the meek and lowly form of a sinless, suffering huma.nity-in the Person of Jesus Christ. (2) As in Job's case there must have been a corresponding influence exerted on the mind of Job to enable him to apprehend the revelation given, so in that of all who attain to his position of spiritual perception, "the eyes of the understanding must .be opened." 2. The time of its transmutation. The season in which Job was honou_red to recei\·e the sublime theophany which exerted such a. ma.rvellous, subduing influence upon his soul, was one of intense bodily affliction, and deep mental and spiritual a.nxiety; and so mostly it is found that such are the seasons God selects for discovering himself and his grace to the soul As Christ came to his disciples on the sea of Galilee when they were toiling in rowing, and said to them, "Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid," 10 does he still come to souls when they a.re tossed upon the sea of doubt and fear.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vcrs. 1-6.-Job's answer and confession. It consists of- I. THE IICTdDLE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GoD's POWER. (Ver. 2.) God can do every- thinp;; and no " beginning," no germinating or budding thought, is hidden from him ; he sees it alike in its origin, development, and end. Both the fearful forms of force in the animal life of nature, and the striking destinies of individua.l men, are consta.nt proofs of the presence of him who governs the world in power and in justice. II. AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS OWN IGNORANCE .um WEAKNESS. (Ver. 3.) Justly did God rebuke him in the question, "Who darkeneth counsel without under- standilig?" He has been passing judgment on matters he did not understand, drawing conclusions from imperfect premisses, dealing with things that a.re and must remain to us mysterious, as if they could be explained by the rules of a limited experience. It i£ this ba.ste, this childish impatience of suspense, which drives aome into discontent a.nd murmuring, others into unbelief and a.theism. A haste to speak before our thought is ripe, a. haste to judge before the materials of judgment are a.t hand,-these lead in human intercourse and in Divine relations to false positions, which must be sooner or later abandoned. But we see in Job- IlL THE EXPRE6810l!i' AND THE ACT OF PENITENCE. (Vers. 4-6.) Quoting (ver. 4) the summoDB of Jehovah at the beginning of his discourses (eh. x:xxviii. 3 and :xl, 7), he gives the a.ns1ver a.lone befitting a.nd required. He had before he,a,rd of God, i.e. had bad an indirect and imperfect acquaintance with God. There is a. knowledge of God at '""1u1 I.and, which is iW1ufficient w bring us to the sense of our true relations to him ffll, XLn, 1-17,] 'rHE BOOK OF JOB.